A dull pain throbbed somewhere in the back of Everetteās mind, slowly growing in magnitude to the point where it could no longer be ignored. She slowly regained consciousness along the crescendo of muted pain. Her form stirred within the softness that surrounded her. That didnāt seem right, but she was not yet aware of anything to do any real considering.
It was darkā¦ really dark. And all too quiet. Perhaps she should bother to open her eyes now. A muffled sort of noise trembled through her vocals as she finally came to and her eyes crept open after a few tries. It was still dark- quite the surprise. Ever blinked a handful of times, quickly wincing as she came to actual awareness. The smallest of hisses slipped through her lips as she tried to support herself onto her hands. The pain that had previously only been a far-off echo in the recesses of her mind now came to a sharp stand at the forefront of her consciousness. With that sharp, unexpected reminder of some tragedy that had occurred, Everette buckled from the tension just after having woken up. What little amount she had managed to raise off of the bed went crashing right back into it.
Lifting a hand to rest it against the side of her face in a vain attempt to locate and subdue the beast that had shot at her while she was unawares, Eve tried once more to pick herself up from her position. Her mind was finally catching up with her, and the more it did, the more a sense of wrongness grew in warning. At least the pain seemed to be retreating once moreā¦. Or at least the pain in her head. It was then that another feeling registered to her. A bit of stiffness at the neck, one she knew would be uncomfortable the moment she actually made an effort to change the position. She had been lying face down on the bed, seeming to have almost been unceremoniously dumped onto it without a care, her head turned to the side so that she would not suffocate into the pillow her head had been resting upon.
It was an unfamiliar position to her- she was a side sleeper, never one to slip into the absolute nightmarish and inelegant way she was now. She turned as soon as it was possible for her to, ignoring the invisible grasp to her neck as she shifted it out of the position it had likely been in for hours. She would have to take care of it later. But for now her eyes were scanning across the wall closest to her bed, as that was all that was available for her eyes at that moment, adjusting to the darkness. There was no doubt that this was an unfamiliar place.
As Everette turned her head to take in more of the room now that she could actually discern shapes in the darkness, it suddenly stopped on another figure simply hovering by the door, staring at her. She stared right back, mind slowly calculating through the situation. The boy blinked, she blinked. They seemed to simply stare at each other for who knows how long, when her brain finally registered a warning and the boy moved from his stock still position. A sharp sense of unease panged through her gut, but Ever didnāt really get the chance to voice her unease as the boy was then at her side, grabbing her hand with clammy fingers.
She shivered at that, but for some reason she did not complain, nor did she try to wrench her hand free from his purposeful grip. Curiosity gripped her judgment now rather than the natural sense of fear, rather than the reaction of flight rather than fight. Instead she did nothing, simply allowed herself to be led out of the room, shifting slightly to the point where her clothing seemed to drape her form the way it was supposed to. It was disheveled, that was for sure, and no doubt so was her hair. Not that that was her current concern.
She was being led through strange, unfamiliar halls by a strange, unfamiliar boy. The eerie silence she had first experienced before she had come to seemed to hang over the whole building. There were no other sounds than that of her own footfalls. The boyās own did not seem to make a noise, other than an occasional shuffling against carpet or flooring.
It seemed as though ages had passed as the boy led her through the winding maze of wherever it was that she was. They finally came to a large, open room, and the first thing that Everette noticed was the line of people forming. Nothing large, simply three other people so far, each looking just as she did- ruffled and unfamiliar with these surroundings. A shorter girl stood to her approaching left as she was led to the line as well. She was in little more than her smallclothes, it would seem, as a simple nightgown was all that hung over her form. To her immediate right was a tall young man who seemed fairly uneasy and apologetic, as if he didnāt quite understand the correct feelings he should be harboring in this situation. One other male stood beside the first one- the same height as she was, Eve mused for a moment.
The boy released his grip on her hand after he had seemed satisfied with positioning her in the line, and he walked off once more, no doubt to retrieve another if her deductive reasoning was anything to look at. How many of them were there, and why were they here? There still seemed to be some sort of block in her mind, she was still obviously missing a very important chunk of information, but what it wasā¦.
It was then that Ever finally finished looking over the others beside her and her gaze actually shifted to the center of the room, finally realizing that there were two others. A small girl in the background, she registered her first but really didnāt pay her any mind, for when her eyes landed on the tall gentleman who seemed to command all attention, everything else was drowned out. Funny how she hadnāt recognized to notice him before that moment; rather a contrariety to his intended display.
It was serene, really, what transpired within that closed-off interaction that seemed to occur just then, though no doubt he wasnāt paying her any mind. Even when their gazes seemed to meet. But appearances were deceiving, she knew. No fear seemed to stir within her despite the dire-some situation she was in, despite the fact that she should be freaking out like a child or a throaty old bird. But the only emotion she had was simple curiosity and a grip of herself. She did not waver under his presence nor the supposed stare he had leveled at her, she simply looked on with a blank face, blinking when needed.
His eyesā¦. They were the color of the roses in her garden, illuminated in the night. Such a pang of familiarity, yet completely foreign and uncharted. So otherworldly- different. Everetteās head tilted a fraction as she mused upon them from her still position in line with the others. With the sights of those orbs and the presence that swirled behind them, it was then that she remembered what she had been missing previously. Her memories of the other night.
She had been out amidst the gardens wandering, trying her best to escape the suffocating presence of fake smiles and otherwise simple looks of happiness for her- looks that, if she didnāt already know, might have been taken seriously. But it was too easy to see through that thin veil- greed, relief, hate. Those were the true intentions that hid in such plain sight. It was not only the people who had driven her away, both fake and ever so monotonous, but the fact that loomed ever increasingly, only strengthened with what that night had meant.
Everette was expected to marry in a month, to be condemned to a swirling vortex of captivity with the sharp, devastating need to escape life and her own torrential emotions, yet with the absolute knowledge that she would be stuck forever. To live a dull life of servitude under an unfamiliar man, to keep up draining masks of fake appearances and endure the utter simple minds and malicious tongues concealed with sweet words and passive aggressive inclinations. A true internal crisis whose force would be unmatched, unwavering, unending. That was hell.
She had been wandering in the large gardens around the estate, doing her absolute best to stave off such negative, hopeless thoughts and simply enjoy what she had in the moment- silence, solitude, sweet air, freedom. She had wandered far from the house, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the life she was cursed to bear. It was then that she had heard an unnatural snap in the twigs of the bushes, had felt an eerie presence behind her. She was simply not fast enough to react, and perhapsā¦ she didnāt really want to.
Everything went dark after that, and her memories picked up at the point where she had awoken in the unfamiliar bed of the manor. So, she had been swept away from her home in the middle of the night by a strange man to a strange house, and the only thing she felt towards that fact was burning curiosity; it interested her greatly as to the reason why this man had done it. But by the rigidity and animalistic nature that seemed to swim within those pink orbs, it would no doubt be anything but good.
But anything would be better than the life she had been kidnapped from.
The boy had returned with yet another figure, an older gentleman who seemed to tower over every single soul in the room, and Everette wondered if the young boy would disappear once more, when he slipped to the side of the white haired man, looking rather comfortable.
It was then that the man spoke, introducing himself as Drake Stuart with an attention commanding voice despite the gentle timbre of it. Everette did not really shift in her seeming comatose handling of the situation- she simply watched on and listened without any real conflict showing on her gentle face. It was then that Drake mentioned introductions, and with the toothed smile that seemed to just barely make it to his harsh eyes, it happened once more. There was an unmistakable inkling at the back of her mind, something that bothered her to no end, like there was something important that she knew, something amiss with the man who spoke to them. But for the life of her she could not put her finger on it.
Drake finally began addressing each of them, the shorter female to her left as Eden Fellsden. The name seemed the vaguest bit familiar, but Everette was uninterested enough to simply not dwell on the piece of information. She had not really expected to be among the first to be introduced, but really, what was she expecting anyway? Drakeās gaze focused on her, and he spoke her name, adding a rather flattering bit afterwards. Not that she was impressed or moved in the slightest. With his attention came that irritating itch within her mind, the information dancing just out of reach. Her eyes narrowed slightly in response to it, but otherwise she did not move. She seemed unable to, anyway, which was increasingly strange to her.
Drake continued with the introductions, naming the three gentlemen beside her as Wiley, Teddy, and Laurent. The little bit he added with Mr. Foxlindeās she would never have expected. The man had children. Well, it wasnāt entirely surprising in itself, the male was certainly old enough to have them. It should have been unsettling, it should have put quite the distance between the five of them and their host what with such a flippant remark. But the only thing that came to mind was that with kids came marriage, and Ever utterly despised the idea. Despite the fact that it was obvious that this was a different situation, Eve also could not help a bit of detached malice towards the thought of kids as well, with only the information she had- upper class children. Spoiled brats, loud, irritating, posh, superiority complexes.
After Drake had finished, he moved on to the actual business of why they were all there. A game, apparently. She noticed the boy shift uneasily at the manās side, and a small sense of wariness settled over her as well. As he explained the general idea of this event, he introduced the small boy as well, James.
So it was a Battle Royale that they were made contestants of. A game of life but inevitably death. It was then that the rules were set, a hesitation of blood towards material possessions, a warning in regards to wide spread physical limitations, boundaries set, necessities met, and a mention of fornication that made Everetteās eyes widen. It hadnāt occurred to her that such a thing might happen in the midst of trying to kill each other, but the vices of the flesh were wide spread and varied. She didnāt dwell on the thought too long, lest complications arise.
After all, Drake was still speaking. He made it clear that neither one of his servants were to be harmed, yet went back on that statement in the next flow of the subject, mentioning that James needed a good stabbing. That made her uneasy as well- why would he suggest such a thing, if there was the easy chance to lose the boy? That annoying, wiggling thought returned, still as shrouded as ever. It was driving her off the wall in a softly increasing sort of way. The girl was introduced as well- Linnet- and it was then that Everette actually looked her over.
She was young and rather small, though no smaller than Fellsden. She looked wickedly uncomfortable and as though she were a doe, ready to bolt at any split second in regards to any motion. Another pang of unease hit Everette, though in a different sort of manner. Drake then released his hold on James, and the boy tried to move back to the girl, but was tripped on his way over. Subtle hints of worry slipped around her features, but the boy seemed fine. He used his hands, motioning at the girl, and for the first second Ever was confused. But the answer followed in the next moment. He was a mute.
Drake abruptly butted into her thoughts, announcing that he was done and bidding them fare hunting. It seemed he purposefully, and delightedly, burdened the girl with having to answer questions when she obviously wanted nothing to do with the room at the moment, and it was then that the white haired man turned and left, leveling one final piece of information in regards to ghosts. Great.
The older gentleman, as soon as they seemed to regain control of their bodies once more, shot off across the room after Drake, yelling profanities and threats. Everette took a step back in regards to the distasteful display, though she would never have blamed him. Everyone seemed rattled- well, everyone but her. For a moment Insuza wondered why she wasnāt as upset as the rest of them. Had she already accepted her fate? Was she simply incapable of caring? Was she broken as a human being?
There wasnāt an answer, and when Laurent came to a shuddering halt- apparently their host had disappeared without a trace- another focused look came upon her face. Something was off, there was no doubt about that. But it seemed that she was cursed to just miss the answer she might have in her mind towards it. It would do no good to frustrate over it.
Laurent then whirled on his toes, suddenly facing back towards the group, a hateful and unpredictable look to his face. He suddenly approached on the poor girl, showering her with angry questions. It bothered Everette, and a soft frown draped across her face, obviously unamused and seeming almost disappointed. She was moving a moment later, eyes set easily on the male who was bombarding the young servant girl.
As soon as she came within reach of him, she stepped up to decrease the obvious difference in height and swiftly moved her hand against his cheek. The force intended behind the blow would not be particularly hard nor was there be any intended malice behind it. Just a motion to jar him back to reality and out of his frenzied state. It seemed she may have moved a bit too slowly, as he seemed to come to a bit of a realization himself as he glanced back towards the rest of the group. As he turned and her hand was closing in, at the last moment she may have faltered a bit, and so she waited to see if it would land.
Regardless, if it did or did not, she spoke up with a small tremble to her voice, one which she coughed softly to clear before continuing. āApologies, but terrifying her further is likely to produce the opposite intended effect. Youāre scaring her.ā The first bit had been to explain the reasoning behind her attempted action, but it seemed Everette grew impatient with herself and added the last bit to get to the point that she was actually concerned with.