The Prince's Songbird Slave ✔️

Downpour

                  

Thoughts around time of publishing - the umbrella looks like a dead spider

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Evelyn was standing there, an umbrella held loosely in her hand and her shoes wet.

Clearly she'd gotten worried enough about the fact that I hadn't returned that she decided to head out into the rain to find me. The trail of damp footprints she'd left down the hallway behind her told me she'd just searched the gardens.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment, and we both just stood there, staring at each other in silence.

She was the first to break the stalemate, her eyes darting away from mine to look at the floor as she took several small steps to cross the distance between us.

She kept her head down, and held the umbrella out to me formally, as if presenting it to me, which was very unusual of her.

"Evelyn?" I said, concerned.

She straightened up, standing to attention, and looked at me and nodded.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, ignoring the umbrella and reaching a hand out towards her. I nearly touched her face, but I stopped myself. something was so different, this was not the bubbly, happy girl I'd grown up seeing. Her blue eyes were flat and cool.

She hadn't been bothered at all by Freya's behavior over the years,  her personality had remained cheerful and unbroken no matter the situation, so why was she suddenly so worked up now?

I looked behind me, the alcove I'd shared with Sarah suddenly seemed smaller than before.

When I turned back to look at her and explain she was already half way back along the corridor - for a short person she legged it fast.

I jogged after her, reaching her just before the covered hallway ended, the space beyond that had torrential rain pouring down in torrid sheets.

I fiddled with the umbrella, opening it up and holding it so it covered her, ignoring the shoulder of mine that got increasingly wet.

We walked for a bit, and for the first time I could remember the silence between us felt awkward and heavy.

"Hey, Evelyn," I said finally, feeling the need to break the tension. "Sarah and I -"

Whatever I said was clearly the wrong thing to say, as with seemingly no reason she suddenly darted forward and fled away from me. In the stunned seconds that followed her small figure disappeared into the heavy rain and was lost.

I shouted her name after her in vain, immediately following where I'd seen her go, but couldn't see any trace of her.

I steadied myself, preparing to do something I rarely did. As a vampire, if I focused, I could in theory hunt and I opened myself to my senses and let the hunter inside free. I searched in vain for a scent or a heartbeat close by, but the rain dulled any smell and muffled any sound. Evelyn wasn't bleeding either, so there was no lingering trail to follow.

But I could smell and hear other things. Birds, animals, a human male walking along the path, blood pumping along his veins just under the skin. I closed my eyes as I tried to keep the monster inside contained, and it was a struggle to force it into a slumber after having awakening it so rudely. A struggle that lasted too long, and I was aware of the minutes passing as I stood there wrestling with my base instincts.

When I was finally back in control I searched for her on foot.

I looked around the gardens and the buildings, but I still couldn't find any sign of her.