Love Sucks

Traitorous - Chap. Thirty-Two

The hand over her mouth disappeared the moment they were completely dispersed into shadows. Abigail gasped loudly, preparing to jump around and face her attacker before a familiar voice suggested otherwise.

"Hush!" Evangeline whispered in her ear, the hands gripping her shoulders tightly as she spoke. She tried twisting her head around to get a good look at Evie, who was still standing behind her, holding Abigail up by her arms. Abbi then slid to the ground, the struggle leaving her momentarily.

Once she had calmed down enough to finally speak, she was breathless and shaky, her fingers fumbling at her skirt, trying to smooth out the wrinkles. "Evie ...?" She breathed in relief.

Evie was still tugging at her armpits, trying to repeatedly get Abbi on her feet (even though Evangeline could've probably picked the human up with one hand). "Get up, we have to go."

"Go where? What's going on?" Abigail finally heaved herself up from the floor, holding her dress up at the knees as she turned completely around, facing Evie, confused and disoriented. "I don't understand what's happening."

But Evie was no longer there, she had begun to walk toward another -- somehow unnoticed -- narrow hallway. "An Assembly hasn't been proclaimed in over one-hundred years, Abigail." She said voice strict and low; Abbi wasn't sure she'd ever seen such a serious side to Evangeline.

She managed to stay close, even as Evie took that cramped passageway in elegant strides, whereas Abigail had to jog to keep up. "What is this -- this Assembly you're talking about?"

They'd reached the end of the aisle. Unlike the other hall, there were no doors going down its length. Rather, there was only one door that loomed at the end of the long hallway. Evie didn't hesitate to go to it. She thrust open the handle, the door swinging open so hard it smacked into the back wall on the outside of the building.

Evangeline's verdant gaze met her own, and just by one look into those prominent eyes, Abigail knew how dire this situation was; yet she still had no idea what exactly it was that was so grave.

"Come on, Abbi. There's no time to stand there looking like a simpleton." She said slowly, snapping her head forward once more before she bolted out the door, leaving Abigail to stand there and listen to the sudden commotion whirling about, back in the ballroom.

Abbi hesitated as she caught the heavy door trying to swing closed. She swiveled her neck around, just to get one last glance at the wedding reception, going down in invisible flames.

The vampires were running amuck; most wore a face of fear while others seemed impenetrable. But somehow, she had subconsciously sought him out through the blur of bodies weaving in between one another.

Nathaniel stood seemingly in the middle of the grand room. His back and shoulders were terse, and even with the space between them, Abbi could make out the blue glinting in his eyes.

And he was watching her.

The feeling that slowly leaked its way through her veins chilled Abigail to the bone, and while Nate stood there continuously staring at her, she identified that sensation as this sudden, overbearing guilt.

So instead of running to Nate -- as how she longed to do -- Abigail frowned, swallowing the bile rising in her throat then turned back around and pushed open the door, following Evangeline into the parking lot.

The moment she left the building, the crushing weight in her lightened, if only by a little. Abigail glanced up at the sky. No longer blue, the once pretty expanse was mottled with dark clouds stretching to the horizon. Somewhere in the upset clouds, thunder rolled.