Down to a Sunless Sea

7: Feast

I hated how life threw things at me the least when I suspected them. And at the very wrong time. When I wasn’t ready to handle them. It was so very, very wrong.

I had gone down to the city to run an errand for Night. He needed to pick up some important photos from the photo shop, but he was “busy” with his date with Connie. He wanted to take her to her favorite café, and since this was the first date they had gone to together after she had recovered, Night wanted to make it extra special for her. So all of his concentration was currently directed to Connie’s “dream date”, and since I had nothing else to do, I decided to go pick up the photos in his place instead.

I really didn’t mind; it was worth driving through the streets at night, completely at freedom to do anything I wanted to. I genuinely loved driving, the soft purr of the engine, and feel of the steering wheel and the movement of the wheels as the road slid out under you at high speeds…

But I really didn’t expect to find what I had been thinking about as I turned around the street.

I wasn’t really thinking about her. She just kind of crossed my mind and I started pondering over her again. I really hated the fact that she could arouse the curiosity inside of me so easily, with that cold, mysterious demeanor of hers and those deep emerald eyes. She made me lose to her so easily, it was almost pathetic. It was supposed to be the other way around. I really was losing my touch.

But as I was strolling down the roads in my BMW aimlessly, I came across a sight I thought I’d never expect to see. Life works in funny ways.

Evelyn was sitting alone inside the bus stop, her head bowed. I stopped the car some feet away from the stop, my heart thumping against my chest. How did she get here? But another question arose in my mind as I looked at her appearance.

Her dress seemed to be very ruffled and stained all over with some kind of color which I couldn’t make out. Her arms and legs –I noticed with a sharp intake of breath – were full of scratches and cuts and wounds yet still bleeding. There was a tired and haunted look in her eyes, as she stared down at the sidewalk, her scarlet hair, now a looking a bit dull, shielding most of her face.

 I got out of the car hurriedly. The rain was falling very hard, soaking through my dry clothes and making me wince. I walked towards her. She didn’t seem to be aware of my presence, and it looked like she was alone.

What happened to her? What is she doing here? Doesn’t she know how dangerous the streets are at this late hour?

She must be feeling really cold in that thin dress, I realized. She doesn’t even have a sweater on. Is she an idiot? Didn’t she read the rain forecast for today? I sighed to myself. I had never felt this concerned about someone else in my life, though maybe once for Night.

I took off my jacket, shivering slightly in the cold, as I walked towards her. My sneakers made hardly a sound as I stepped lightly over the wet ground. When I reached her side, I threw the jacket on top of her.

She jumped back in surprise, moving the fabric of my jacket away from her eyes as she looked at who had approached her. When her eyes met mine, a strange emotion flickered through her eyes. Was it confusion..? Relief? Surprise? I knew it was a mix of both three. It felt so strange to be looking into those eyes. For once, she wasn’t glaring at me or trying to put up a barrier between us. There seemed to be no wall present around her at all. It was like she was purposely letting me get a glimpse of her true self, her true emotions.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, running a hand through my hair. She simply stared back at me. I noticed her face looked thinner than before, much more sharper and weaker. I looked back directly. It was much easier to maintain eye contact with her now that was wasn’t pushing me out.