Katya picked up her speed as the other vampire did, feet dancing through the woods at a speed that pushed the limits of human capabilities. Katherine was much faster than Katya; it figured, though, since most people were. She nearly lost sight of the girl, but it wasn't long before they arrived in the clearing before a solid structure. Katya came to a stop and closed her eyes for a moment to catch her breath before standing up straighterâ though, admittedly, not by muchâ to take in the sight before her.
At first, she wasn't completely sure what she was looking at. It was a small, squat structure not unlike a tiny house but infinitely more intricate. Despite its size, every inch of it was ornately decorated with flowing carvings of vines and and flowers. The tendrils snaked up from the ground as if the earth herself had built the structure from her very flesh and blood, intertwining themselves with the stone pillars that surrounded its base. A handful of steps led up to what she presumed to be the interior. Curiosity piqued for the second time that day, she took a step forward but found herself utterly repulsed by the thought of entering.
How odd. She stepped toward it again, only to feel that feeling of primal fear and nausea rear its head again. Katya stepped backwards this time and observed the structure from afar. Was it for religious use? The vines and the flowers gave it the feeling of an Arab masjid, but the panels of stained glass and the sheer intricacy of the building spoke otherwise. A synagogue, then? She knew close to nothing about religionâ born into a family of vampires, she wasn't exactly able to join the townsfolk in going to church on Sundays, which had proved an odd challenge to surmount when she and her family had moved from New York to a small town in Kansas. She'd gotten the accent down flat, but their religious lifestyle was hard to escape. Luckily, the town's population of nine hundred was able to ignore the odd familyâ a luxury, from what she'd heard from the other vampiric families.
It wasn't long, however, before Katya caught sight of the cross over the doorway. Her stomach turned a bit at the sight of it. So it
was a church. No wonder she felt sick on approaching it. Whatever the humans did to 'bless' their holy grounds, it worked to keep the vampires away. So what was up-to-no-good Katherine doing here?
Katya slipped up beside her and, with only the slightest trace of sarcasm woven into her words, whispered,
"Odd. I didn't know you were one of them." By 'them,' she was referring to the religious, as she didn't know to which Katherine subscribedâ for a vampire, any sort of religion was odd, as most grounds of worship allocated to the major denominations caused severe pain when entered by a vampire. The few religions she'd encountered were mostly Far Eastern or what the Europeans would have called 'pagan.' A vampire going to church was very... strange, seeing as they couldn't even set foot on consecrated ground.
Katya didn't say another word and instead continued on staring for a moment before lessening her slouch and moving to walk right up to the church's front door. She stuck to the shade, though, since the sunlight was beginning to burnâ thankfully, she hadn't yet been forced to put on her uniform, so most of her skin was covered. She was sure it would be worse if she was wearing a tiny skirt and some pathetic excuse for a blazer.
With that, she started to sing again, this time just the tiniest bit too loudly.
"Our lands abounds with flowers... hold them tightly in your hands; turn your heads up to the sky, and harmony we will find; underneath the watchful gaze of a sky so grand..."
"They sound like a... energetic duo." Ebony let another smile cross her lips, erasing from Delilah's mind the deadpan girl she'd been only moments ago. For someone who instantly put on a friendly face when she spoke to someone, meeting a girl who took a while to warm up to the conversation was almost refreshing.
"I'm an only child, so I wouldn't really know what it's like to have siblings that get on your nerves. My cousin has always been close to me, but we haven't seen each other much, so we haven't had the time to get on each other's nerves."And how lucky you are, thought Delilah, remembering with disdain her own summer vacation,
I'm pretty sure all those boys can do is get on my nerves. She couldn't count the number of times she'd wished she was an only child. Luckily enough for her, though, the twins left her alone until they'd exhausted every other option. Luke and Casper were hardly a problem, save for the constant noise they created. Andy spent his time either tinkering with his computer or seducing women, so he was rarely home when he didn't need money, and Stephen, though doting, was intelligent enough to leave her alone.
What she wouldn't give for one of Luke's brownies, though. Or his cookies. Or practically anything he cooked. If there was one thing she respected about the dunce of a brother who hated her most, it was her cooking. And the fact that he could shut everyone else up. That way, she wouldn't have to shout over all of them when she wanted to make a point.
Ebony's voice cut through Delilah's thoughts, and she realized she'd spaced out a little.
"So, are you in any clubs?""Choir and swimming," Delilah replied. She wasn't particularly good at either of them, but it never hurt to join a few clubs.
"And sometimes I drop into the musiâ"âEbbbbyyyy!!â something shouted out, latching itself onto Ebony's arm. An expression of incredulity drifted across Delilah's face, but she quickly regained composure, doing her best not to cringe or stare for too long.
âItâs been so long!â There was a brief moment of silence before the girl added,
âEtto⊠Was I disturbing something?... gomeneeee.âDelilah sucked in a breath and became a diplomat once again. To speak her mindâ to answer, 'yes, absolutely, now please go away and stop screamingâ' would be rude, so Delilah only smiled and shook her head.
"No, not at all. Nice to meet you," even though it was anything but nice to have her conversation butted-in-on by some loudmouthed girl who'd latched herself onto the person she was speaking to. Looking to Ebony, she asked,
"Your cousin, I take it?" A smile curled one corner of her mouth. She extended her hand to whatever it was clinging to Ebony's arm.
"Well, nice to meet you. I'm Delilah Elbaum."