Page 17 of Unkindness of Crimson Ravens
Was this my eternity now? Awaking in darkness, drinking crimson liquid, losing my sanity.
Eternity. I had an eternity, and no purpose.
The knock on the door distracted me from my own misery. Florence. She was the only one who came to visit me. I hadn’t seen Francis since he’d dragged me back to this nightmare; it wasn’t as though I wanted to see the arrogant man anyway. He did this to me.
“Cordelia? Are you awake?” Florence whispered, making it through the room. She left the door open—the only source of light in this darkness.
“Yes,” I replied, surprised hearing my own voice.
It was the first word I’d said to her in weeks and it made her grin. How could one be so happy all the time? Smiling so much... She smiled more in a day than I had in my entire life.
“There is a ball happening tonight, but of course you don’t have to attend,” she said after a long pause, clearly being taken off guard that I’d finally replied.
“Aye, she does,” a voice came from the doorway. I turned my head towards the sound as a chill of fear ran down my spine.Francis stood there, with a smirk on his face, looking amused as always. My pulse quickened at the mere sight of him.
“Leave her be, Francis!” Florence sidestepped to hide me from his view. “She needs rest.”
“And she’s had plenty,” Francis countered. “She can’t stay in this room forever. It’s been months, for god’s sake.”
“She shall stay for as long as she wishes,” Florence hissed in reply.
Months? How many exactly? I’d lost any track of time. Had it really been that long?Months.Oh Gods, it could not be. My family had not found me. Were they even looking for me?Of course they were, Cordelia. Don’t be foolish.
Not that I could have gone back—I could never go back—it was not safe for them nor was it safe for me.
I can’t go back.
If I did, they would kill me immediately: I was now a threat to humans; and if they wouldn’t, I might act on my instincts and take someone’s life myself. The thought of hurting the twins, hurting Sandra or Mories, turned my stomach upside down: yet I still had hope of seeing them again.
Perhaps, I’d lost all ability to control my emotions, jumping from one to another in mere seconds. As Francis grinned down on me, I knew the horror I felt was shown on my face.
“I will do as I wish,” I argued. I’d had enough of people deciding for me. I would not let Francis dictate me as well. I was not ready to leave this room, and perhaps I never would.
“The princess found her claws! Finally! I wondered how much time you were going to spend weeping.” He smirked at me and I had a sudden urge to throw another candelabra at his head. “All the same, you are going to attend.” The man shrugged. “I would suggest changing, though.” He pointed at me, wrinkling his nose as if smelling spoiled milk.
Only then I realized I was still in my nightgown covered in blood and dirt. My arms instinctively wrapped the covers around my body trying to hide my exposed skin—I was practically naked.
Francis snickered, finding my reaction amusing when he turned to leave.
“Don’t listen to him.” Florence took my hand in hers. “He’s a fool!” she proclaimed towards the ajar doorway. Her hands were cold as ice, but the gesture was still comforting despite me refusing to admit it.
“I heard that!” Francis shouted from the hallway.
The ball. The last two balls I’d attended didn’t turn out the way I had wished. Perhaps, I should never attend another.
“Here,” Florence passed me a goblet of blood. “You should have some.”
I glanced at the glass in disgust, but still took it. As much as I hated my new state, I didn’t ever want to experience pain like that again. If I ever did, I might as well set myself on fire—the only way to kill a vampire for good.
Without thinking of the taste and texture of the drink, trying to get it over with as fast as I could, I emptied the glass in a single gulp. I passed the glass back to Florence, cringing at my own actions when a knock on the door distracted me from any unwelcome thoughts.
“Your Highness,” the sound of his voice covered my skin in goosebumps. Francis bowed at the threshold.
The words he addressed me with made my blood boil; my hands balled into fists. My eyes narrowed in anticipation for whatever nonsense he was about to drop.
Francis held out his hands offering me a velvet dress I had no intention to wear. “I brought you something for our small gathering tonight. I hope you won’t be too disappointed, sinceour balls could never hold a candle to a royal event,” he smirked. Would this man ever stop smirking?
“I'm not going,” I replied, dismissing him.
