An Immortal's Favour

Gale- Worry

*

The second Jacob left, I kept a steady eye over our guests. Twenty minutes passed before, at last, someone followed after him. From where I stood at the room's centre, barely three paces away from the water fountain, I caught a head of smooth, black hair bobbing through the people, in the direction of the side door Jacob had passed through.

My conscience screamed in protest as I jumped forward, but it continued to torment me as I stood still, too. There was no way around it; I couldn't win. Swallowing, I chose to leave the dance hall behind.

I kept my footsteps gentle, stalking down the corridors of our venue as inconspicuously as possible. Fortunately, there were others around, some of whom were head in the same direction of the man from before. Said man disappeared around a corner and made straight for a flight of stairs at the end.

Waiting for a few moments, I brushed my hands through my hair as though I was merely pausing to preen. After taking in a breath to calm myself, I bounded for the stairs, climbing them at a slow pace. The floor I emerged on was brightly lit and offered a view of the grounds beyond through the countless windows along the walls. Staying alert, I carried on.

Voices drifted through the air but, as I approached their source, silence soon swallowed them whole. The rapidity of this froze me, and I darted my eyes around. Rows of wooden doors stretched along the length of a corridor to the right of me. I tried to open them all- the ones that hadn't been locked. Each room was empty.

"What are you doing here?"

I whipped my head around so fast my neck clicked. "Jacob?"

He smiled. "Let's get you back to the dance hall," Jacob suggested, looping an arm through mine.

I blinked. "But what-"

He let go of me, slapping the heel of his palm against his forehead. "Oh, gods. It's nearly time for Regina's show, isn't it? I haven't seen her come in yet. Damn. I should head down to the foyer to check if she's signed in."

"Wait. What-"

He was running now, nearly jumping down the stairs. "See you in a few," he called back.

Our encounter left me dazed, and I folded my arms over myself. Something was wrong; Jacob had been too at ease. Much too at ease.

"Was there a misunderstanding? I'm sure the encounter would've left him more...shaken."

Growling, I searched through the rooms of neighbouring corridors, but they were either empty or occupied by total strangers. In one final, desperate effort, I made for the foyer, only to see no sign of Jacob there at all. With a mounting dread, I knew I had no choice but to return to the party.

I nibbled on the ends of my nails, willing Jacob to appear safe and sound. An hour passed and I had yet to see him. The shadows of an alcove hid me from everyone else, but my eyes roved across the crowd over and over.

Having had enough, I lurched forward, spotting one of the side doors to the room. Jacob's name pushed past my lips before I'd even set foot into the corridor beyond. No one replied. I stepped back, ready to have a check through the other doors of the dance hall, but a hand rested on my upper arm.

"Found you." Karlton fixed his blue eyes on me and was slightly pink in the face. "I've been looking everywhere. Had a chance to read the letter yet?"

"No...I- sorry, my mind's all over the place." Karlton fell back, sliding a hand into the pocket of his navy jacket.

"What's wrong?" He frowned, both of his eyebrows pulling together tightly.

"I'm looking for Jacob. He's been gone for over an hour now, and I'm worried about him."