Ｖａｌ'ｓ.ＳＡＭＰＬＥＳ - - DNP

You stalked me didnt you?

You cant run away from me!	35.3%	[ 12 ]
Nope. 'course not. /cough	17.6%	[ 6 ]
Just whoring around. >3	47.1%	[ 16 ]
Total Votes:			[ 34 ]

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

We are each his own D E V I Lxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxAnd we make this world our H E L L.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx✲x✲x✲

At first he was honestly annoyed, believing that the couple who summoned him had somehow made a mistake. He didnt believe that such common people would be able to summon a being like him. They shivered, not only because of the drop of temperature in the room that he brought with him, but he could smell their fear. The man (the father, he assumed), held a thick book in his shaking hands that Gabriel wondered how he was able to read the words clearly to summon him with how much he was shaking. The female, the mother, was sitting down on the couch beside him, staring wide-eyed at him. Well he couldnt blame her. He knew he was extremely good-looking. An arrogant smirk broke through his face then.

People might call him arrogant or conceited or narcissistic, but they wouldnt deny that he had a face to back up that arrogance. Too long had humans painted demons such as himself as ugly beings, pure evil, with horns and tails and pitchforks. It was ironic. Their stories told of demons originating from heaven, labeling them fallen angels. It didnt make sense to Gabriel how they could paint angels as beings with unbelievable beauty and paint demons with as much displeasing features. Gabriel still looked every bit as he was when he was still an angel. Oh how long ago that was. He looked young yet ageless. His skin was flawlessly smooth, his hair was fair, and his face. His face was as angelic as it would go, with dark eyes that contrasted against his skin and hair. If there was anything about him that changed when he fell, it was his wings. They used to be pure white, but as he fell, his wings burned until they turned raven black. Wings of absolute darkness. Wings that he kept hidden whenever he's in the mortal realm-- with good reason.

Gabriel's eyes moved from the mother to the tiny girl whose head she cradled on her lap. Pale as a ghost. In fact, she was too pale that the girl's red hair looked too bright against her skin. She was dying. That much was obvious to him. It didnt take long for him to put the pieces together.

"Human, it seems you have the wrong idea. Youre better off with a human doctor. If you release me, I might be kind enough to consider this a mistake."

"No! Please-- this is our last chance to save our daughter. We cant afford--"

"So you need money?"

"She's dying. Every doctor we went to couldnt figure out what's ailing our daughter. Please--"

Gabriel raised a brow. "Im no angel. Im sure you know that. I cannot bring back the dead. ..not that angels could either."

"She's not-- not dead! You can still help her. Anything that is within our power to give is yours. My life is yours to take if you just--"

"Luciano!"

"Im sorry Abelle. You know I'd do everything for Gisella."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. Selfless love. Sacrifice. It was slowly making him sick. He had to get out of there. "Fine. Both of you shut up. I'll do it. Youre making a deal with the devil. This contract will affect not only your lives but your daughter's as well. If youre sure, just say the word. Swear an oath that you, Luciano Segreti--" It amused him that Luciano's eyes widened at hearing his full name come from him, but he had no time to enjoy the moment. Gabriel wanted out. "--will see to it that I get the payment I demand in exchange for your daughter's life. And if my demands are not met, I will take back the life your daughter owes me, and everything you ever owned."

He could see a flicker of uncertainty in the man's eyes. "What do you want in exchange?"

"Swear!"

"Luciano, wait--!"

"Yes! Yes I swear! Anything! Just save my daughter's life!"

A smile that seemed too sinister appeared on Gabriel's face, wiping away any illusion of the angel that he once was as his voice seemed to resound from everywhere and nowhere. "I, Gabriel Grigori, accept the deal." A rush of black feathers rushed from the spot where Gabriel stood, feathers with razor sharp edges flew into every direction, drawing blood from Luciano until his screams as well as his wife's echoed from the four corner's of the room, filling Gabriel with delight as a luscious mix of pain and horror surrounded him. "And with this offering of blood, I call upon my powers to restore the life of this man's child!"

A gasp came from the young girl that the woman cradled in her lap. Gabriel could see her eyes flicker open, but by the time that they opened completely, Gabriel, and any evidence that he was once present in the room was gone. The father, still covered with bright red scars knelt by his wife and his daughter. His family. Any trace of pain that Gabriel sought from him earlier was gone, in his eyes were only relief and joy as he took them in his arms.

"What-- what did he take?" The woman asked his husband with a trembling voice. However, her husband only shook his head with a smile as he leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead. A sign of affection. "I dont know. But Im still here, we all are. And Gisella's back. My little angel. She's back."

Unknown to them, Gabriel still gazed down upon the three of them, thoroughly disgusted by the amount of love that surrounded them, choking him until he had to flee away. But that family still owed him. There was only one thing he'd accept as payment and whether they like it or not, they had no right to refuse him when the time comes. There was only one thing he wanted. He wont forget that hair as bright as fire and her eyes of bright green. He wanted the girl as payment.

"And one day, I will come to collect what is rightfully mine. Definitely."

Gabriel unfurled his wings and thrust himself up into the night sky, bringing himself further and further away until he blended completely and disappeared into the night.

One day. Definitely.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Mikhaela Ivanova Alexandrov had woken up to a text message telling her to check her account in the Guild’s system. Thinking it was just a summary on her last month’s earnings. She thought nothing of it and logged on the Guild’s database. Mikhaela had to blink twice, thrice, even pinch herself to convince herself that she was dreaming, but even then, she couldn’t believe her eyes. She didnt want to believe it.

“Too many zeros.” She took a deep breath, shook her head and counted again. “Still too many.”

And it was just the friggin deposit, what more if she completed whatever job it was she was hired to do? She had a nagging suspicion that such an amount didnt connect to an easy catch. As if dreading the information, she checked where there amount had come from. She nearly fainted.

The White Tower.

She snapped her laptop close, not bothering to shut it down as she pulled on her jeans and pulled on a top. This wasn’t the kind of talk you’d have on the phone. She needed to see the Guild’s director personally. She doubted she could still back out from the job, but it doesn’t mean that she wont try to save her skin.


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Regan Eden! Please tell me youre not serious!”

The female in front of her groaned, her fingers digging into her hair in an exasperation that could rival Mikhaela’s own. “Come on Misha, give me some credit here, I'm your best friend. But even I cant say no to the High Council. They wanted you and no one else. And no one denies the Council.”

It was a struggle to keep herself calm. “What’s the job?”

Reggie fumbled in her drawer and pulled out a white envelope and slid it across her table to Mikhaela’s direction which she took hesitantly. She was just about to open it when Reggie’s voice broke through her thoughts, pleading.

“They wont even tell me Misha, I don’t know what else is there I could do, but I know this isn’t the usual. This could be very dangerous, I cant say no in your behalf, but maybe they would listen to you.”

Mikhaela cant be convinced, she doubted she could even bring up a good reason against the Council’s decision. She licked her lips, suddenly finding them dry out of anxiety. Inside was a white piece of hard paper, bordered with a golden lining, it was indeed elegant and smooth to the touch, but to Mikhaela, it was akin to a death sentence.


The High Council would like to ask for your presence in the White Room at precisely 9 a.m.

Mikhaela cleared her throat nervously. “Why me?”

“Their messenger said they wanted the best.”


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“I'm the best. I'm the best.”

Mikhaela kept on muttering to herself as she stood before the tower of light and glass an hour and a half later after confronting their Guild director, watching the angels fly in and out of the wide windows that served as doors to those who didnt want to bother themselves by walking and riding the elevator. They were beautiful. Contrary to common, popular belief, the wings of these angels are not always white, they are quite colorful and quite unique to each angel. The invitation, or as she would call it, summons, was held tightly in her right hand. There was no need to write down an address for everyone in Manhattan knew where the White Tower stood. And white it was, indeed.

“Would you rather mutter to yourself all day or would you like to go in?”

Surprised, the blonde stepped backwards only to hit someone behind her. Automatically, the hunter in her reached for the knife behind her waist as she turned around, only to find an angel standing behind her. Her eyes widened. Was she so distracted that she wasn’t even able to scent this angel that had appeared behind her? This angel was beautiful, just like many others, but his beauty made her shiver. He was blonde like her, but his shade was much lighter than hers, his wings were a creamy white, but it was his eyes that shook her. Steel blue eyes pinned her on spot, his eyes were too cold for comfort, and his face was emotionless that she didnt know what he was currently thinking until he spoke.

“I would have to ask you to surrender that toy of yours, you wont be needing it inside.”

“Wouldnt it be only fair to give me something to protect myself?”

“You wont be needing it. Trust me, if anyone wanted you dead inside the White Tower, you wont even have a chance.”

Mikhaela gritted her teeth and handed the weapon over, feeling more vulnerable than she ever did in her entire life. The angels she used to hunt were nothing like this one. His entire being shouted experience at her, for a moment she wondered how old he was but quickly dropped the thought. It wasn’t necessary. She watched him walk inside and turn to her as if waiting for her. She raised her brow.

“You wont ask me for an ID?”

“You’re expected.”

A blush colored her cheeks out of embarrassment. She just made a fool of herself! Without as much as another word, Mikhaela stepped inside the building and quickly halted in her footsteps as she caught her breath. She knew it would be beautiful inside but she still didnt expect the grandiosity that welcomed her. The receiving hall alone spoke of extravagance and power. She couldn’t help but feel intimidated. Several scents slammed against her senses, there were too many angels within her area of ability. But the strongest scent she picked out from the lot is the angel beside her. He smelled of.. oranges and a hint of mint. No, it didnt have anything to do with what he recently ate, every angel had his or her own essence, most of them she could identify the same as fruits or plants, or sometimes even the weather, or just random things, but their essence didnt define who they are. Just because an angel smelled sweet doesn’t mean that she’s sweet as well when it came to her personality. Mikhaela learned that the hard way. Noting his scent, she toned down his scent as well as the others. She took a deep breath and resumed her walking.

She had managed to stay quiet on the way to the elevator. She had kept her stride purposeful and her chin up when she walked through the lobby. She knew they were staring at her, for its not often when humans were allowed inside the tower. Might as well show them what they wanted to see. But she had enough of silence. Once inside the elevator, Mikhaela turned to the angel beside her. He didnt look like he wanted to strike a conversation, but goodness, she needed to talk else she would go crazy with anxiety.

“Do you have a name I can call you with?”

“Call me Matthias.”

“Oh.”

She was actually surprised that he answered her, she had half a mind that he wouldn’t bother. But she wasn’t about to complain. She was itching to ask him about her job, but she bit on her lip to keep herself silent. It was a good thing that the silence didnt last long until the elevator stopped. She only managed to throw a glance at the number of the floor before she was ushered outside. She was on the 50th floor. She followed after Matthias swiftly while glancing out of the glass wall of the tower. The view took her breath away. No doubt this tower overlooked most of Manhattan. She wanted to go near the wall and look out, quite sure she would be treated to the sight of angels going to and out of the building, but she didnt have that time to do so. She was here for business, not sightseeing.

Her heart pounded as Matthias stopped before a double-door room. She didnt doubt it one bit that the High Council would be behind that door. She told herself that she should be proud that she would be able to meet with them, but for some reason, she feared the meeting. Her knees threatened to buckle when Matthias opened the door for her.

“Ms. Alexandrov. We have been expecting you.”

Oh good heavens, just what exactly did she get herself into?

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

The bells had rung. Though to one girl, this was simply a bell to wake her up, nothing else.

“Unyuu..”

A young female stretched under her covers, proceeding to kicking off the blankets in the process. Odd-colored eyes flickered open momentarily, only shutting them close once more with a groan upon meeting the gentle rays of the sun that had managed to sneak in her room. The girl sat up on her bed and lowered her feet down the floor as she rubbed the remaining sleep off her eyes. Upon deciding that she was awake enough, she stood and shook her head, allowing her pale blonde hair to cascade down her back and past her waist. Not really minding the fact that she was barefoot, she approached her desk and looked upon herself on her mirror, giggling at her reflection. She really looked exactly what she was, someone who just woke from bed.

Lacie reached over to her music box and opened it, allowing a soft melody to engulf her as she sat down on the chair she placed before her desk and tried to flatten her hair down against her head, not bothering to look for a hairbrush, but upon deciding that her hand wont be able to fix her hair like so, she grabbed a ribbon and messily pulled her hair up, not even bothering to pull up the remaining strands that she wasn’t able to grab the first time, it wasn’t like she was getting ready to go somewhere anyway. Her plain white nightdress stayed as she decided it was too much trouble then to find for something else to wear. After years of staying with Nikolai and Tae, Lacie had learned that she was fine as she was, that there was no need to look good in front of them. But then again, she doubted any of them had any interest in her, and it wasn’t like she had any interest on either of them as well. If there was anyone she’s interested in, it’s a girl named Alice. The carefree expression on Lacie’s face disappeared, as well as any hint of childishness that she usually wore. On her face now was an expression of an adult, of someone with a purpose. This was a side of her that Lacie allowed no one to see, not even her two companions.

Alice. If there was anything that Lacie took seriously, it was Alice. If there was anything that makes her blood boil more than anything, it was Alice. If there was anything that makes Lacie want to go on a murderous rage, and believe me, she’s quite capable of that, it was Alice. And she hadn’t even met the girl. Rubbing her arms with her hands, Lacie walked over to her window and pushed her curtains aside and looked down upon the bustling city from where she stood with cold eyes. Theyve been searching for so long, but Lacie didn’t doubt it that she’ll be able to locate this Alice soon enough. Letting go of her arm, she placed her right hand against the glass pane and not long after, the glass underneath her hand was starting to crack due to the ice that Lacie had unknowingly let out due to frustration. Hearing the said cracks, Lacie blinked and seemed to revert back to the usual Lacie everyone knows. Wringing her hands, she stared worriedly at the slightly cracked surface of her glass window.

“Mou..! Tee will get mad at Lala if he finds out!”

Looking around and not finding anything to fix her window with, Lacie reached over and pulled her curtains back over her windows to cover the small crack, not minding if it blocked out the light in her room.

“Im back! Where are you guys?”

Lacie winced at hearing Tae’s voice, obviously announcing his presence. Turning, she faced Bubun, her stuffed bunny and wagged a finger at him as if telling him off.

“Now Bubun, Tae must not know about the window, so you should stay quiet.”

She stood there for a minute in silence, as if expecting the bunny to reply, before she picked her toy up and hugged it to herself, drifting to her desk for a moment to close her music box before exiting her room, heading to where she thought she heard Tae’s voice come from. She still looked like she just came from bed, with the messy ponytail that she gave herself, the white dress that was still rumpled from her sleep, and the fact that she was still running around the house-- ahem, excuse me, apartment-- barefoot.

“Tee! Welcome back!”

Beaming with that innocent smile of hers, she threw herself on him and giggled, her arms tight around his waist in a hug. She knew that Tee didn’t think highly of her much, nor did he think of her as a woman either, which is why despite the fact that she knew that he was such a womanizer, she also knew that she was safe from him. Hell would freeze over before Tee would even think her attractive. She was a child to his eyes, and Lacie was perfectly fine with that. It allowed her more space that she could ask for. In these train of thoughts, Lacie couldn’t help but think of Nikolai as well, Nikki as she is so fond of calling him. Just like Tee, she didn’t doubt it one bit that he trusted her any, if not at all, but before her mind could wander off any, her stomach growled, as if reminding her to keep her mind in the present. Letting go of Tae, well not completely, just enough so she could pull back and look up at him with a pout.

“Hey Tee, Im hungry. Cook something for breakfast, Nikki’s not awake yet. And then, and then, while I wait Ima go grab some cupcakes.”

She squealed at the idea and let go of Tae completely, turning on her heel, and headed off to the small area they called their kitchen. Placing her bunny on the table, she searched through the cupboards for the said sweets and found herself with two chocolate cupcakes, obviously not enough with someone with a sweet tooth like hers but it was better than nothing. She grabbed a glass of water as well before settling on the table to eat. Sometimes it’s a wonder how someone who eats as much as Lacie be able to maintain the body that she has.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

The Queen of Clubs was much too awake by the time the bell rang that morning. How long she had waited for that sound. And now it was time to make preparations, and speaking of time, she had not enough of it to waste. Turning away from the window of her private chambers, she fluidly made her way to the throne room.

As expected, Alorian, Elena’s adviser, was already present, standing beside her throne. She threw him an acknowledging glance and headed straight to her throne where she sat comfortably, waiting for her knight.. and her Ace. She had expected both of them for different reasons, but by the time she was done, all three of them, Alorian, Ulric, and Ailith, would all be going off with a single purpose.

She did not need wait long until her knight entered the room with a scowl, causing the queen to smile ever so slightly. She didnt speak her mind however, Alorian did that for her. Elena simply watched the exchange silently, nodding slightly in response to Alorian’s supposedly rhetorical question. She had nothing to say anyway. The little mission Ulric had undergone was actually unnecessary, but she allowed him anyway because she knew the knight was probably bored. Why not give him a little amusement in life? Unfortunately to the residents of the village that Ulric went to, her knight’s amusement cost their lives. But Elena could care less, it was an insignificant village that Ulric attacked, and she doubted she’d even feel the loss of it. Besides there was talk of treachery, Elena doubted it but it didnt hurt her to be sure.

Elena’s eyes were fixed on the doors of the throne room when it opened up to admit a particular female, one that she would rather not see in such an early hour at the day. But nevertheless, she knew when she heard the bell that morning that seeing Ailith today was inevitable. There was no evidence of displeasure on Elena’s face as her Ace walked directly up her throne. How indubitably rude of her. But Elena knew that, she also knew that there was no cordial relationship between the two of them, simply put, the Queen and her Ace is not on good terms, however, Elena was willing to put up a faux relationship with the Ace. She needed to if she wanted to win this Race. And damn if she wont do anything to win it.

Her face had remained passive as Ailith stopped in front of the throne where she currently sat, if any, the only reaction the other female had gotten from Elena from her rough actions was the Queen digging her fingers into the arm rest of her throne. It was a sign that she was controlling her temper.

“Hello Elena, I’ve brought you a present see? I’m sure you could make a nice stew out of him. But I also have something else for you. The Race has begun; I have heard the bell toll…Now my Queen, what do you command of us?”

Elena’s usually bright blue eyes darkened considerably, it happened whenever she was thoroughly displeased with something, and right now, she wasn’t only displeased, she was also disgusted at Ailith’s performance. The stench of the dead animal was unnerving. She gave Ailith a solid stare before moving her eyes down to the dead rabbit which lay in front of her feet. However, it didnt take long before she was free of such an abominable scene. Violetta, dear girl that she was, took it to herself to get rid of the animal, handing it efficiently to a passing butler to get rid of it. On any other day, Elena would have it done, but not today. She was going to indulge Ailith with this one game. Elena didnt even glance at the butler when she heard him gasp, a sound followed by a soft thud. A golden butterfly was fluttering nearby, brushing its bright wings against the hand with which the butler held the animal, burning him in the process before he could even take one step away, causing him to drop the animal not a few steps away from in front of Elena. Of course, the queen was behind the little fire play. After all, she was the only person in Wonderland known to command such things.

“Not so quick Violetta, after all, Ailith bothered to step out of her way to get me this little gift. It’s quite unfair not to ignore her efforts.”

Scowling ever so slightly, Elena lifted a hand from her throne and held her palm up, her eyes following the movement of her own hand. The spot above her palm glimmered strangely and not a few seconds later, two, three golden butterflies appeared out of thin air. They fluttered about gently for a moment, sending out a gentle golden prism whenever the light caressed their wings. Their beauty was short lived however, as they fluttered one by one to the dead animal in front of Elena, causing it to catch on fire as soon as the butterflies’ wings touched the rabbit’s body. Elena simply stared as the small yet bright flame engulfed both the rabbit and her butterflies, watching it burn away into ashes, leaving a slightly burnt mark on the carpet before her. She would need to get that cleaned up later on. It was then she paid attention to the butler who seemed to be confused of what was happening.

“You can clean that mess later. For now, leave this room.”

The time for games was over. There were more important matters to deal with. The Race. Just as Ailith said, the signal was already given. The Race for Innocence has finally began. Finally. She watched in passive silence as Ailith retreated to the other end of the room where Alorian and Ulric stood, along with the child, Aria. She cant have the girl present when she makes her announcement. Her gaze flitted to Aria and for a second, her eyes softened as she regarded Violetta who stood at one side of the room.

“Violetta, please escort Aria out. She should not be here. As for you, you can make use of your key. I want my breakfast in my garden.”

Elena said no more. It was only until after Aria and Violetta left did she allow herself to face the other three with the cruelty that she was very much known for. She stood up from her throne, any hint of softness she earlier had in her eyes for Aria was replaced by a look of complete determination. This was the much-feared Queen of Clubs. The White Queen. The Poisonous Queen. The Butterfly Queen. Elena Ettaine Deveraux.

“Alorian, Ulric.. Ailith, gather everyone who you deem can be useful in this Race. Raid the surrounding towns and villages for any hint of Innocence. Whatever it is, whoever it is, bring it—them—here, if they refuse, kill them on spot, just make sure you extract the Innocence safely. And should you meet someone from the House of Hearts..” Elena’s eyes hardened. “Kill them. Behead them. I don’t care if they carry the Innocence, I have no use of what used to be my sister’s. I want you to collect their heads and send them to my sister as an introductory gift for this Race. Dispose of the bodies.”

Indeed, Elena wouldn’t even think of using Madilene’s subordinates. She had better people, and she was going to prove that no matter what. For years she had waited for this, to finally prove herself better than Madilene. She needed Wonderland to acknowledge that, and this Race was the perfect way to show her superiority over her sister. This time she wouldn’t tolerate failure.

“And don’t any of you dare return without results!”

It was the last thing Elena said before she promptly stepped off her throne and left the room to seek solitude in her garden.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

“Ah, ah, ah! No! It’ll spoil your appetite, little missy.”

“..unyuu!”

Lacie huffed indignantly as she suddenly found her treats stolen from in front of her. Grumbling childishly, she crossed her arms and slumped back on her chair, her cheeks puffed as she followed Tae’s movements with accusing eyes—that was until he came near to ruffle her already messed up hair. Automatically, she pulled her arms from where she crossed them over her chest and quickly covered her head with both hands before sticking her tongue out at Tae. She never did appreciate when her sweets were taken away from her.

“It’s just two cupcakes.. its not the end of the word Tee-omma.”

"You can wait 'til after breakfast for these. Besides, these chocolate cupcakes will ruin today's breakfast. I ran into ol' Missus Hanenbaum on my way back. Apparently, she's made a load of fresh fruit jam, and gave me two jars. Take your pick; grape or mango."

“Those flavors are weird. Why is there no strawberry jam? I like strawberries.”

Playing the miserable card, she kept her pout on and poked at the two jam containers repeatedly, as if trying to choose from both using the ever popular method of eenie meeny, until her finger stopped on the mango jam. And as if winning some sort of game, she threw her hands back and squealed, her faux-misery from earlier forgotten as she found another object of her attention.

“Lala chooses mango!”

She knelt on her chair and turned back, leaning forward against the back rest as she watched Tae fix her breakfast, her feet swaying behind her as she rocked her chair back and forth, humming a random tune that she made up on spot until Tae decided to tease her, one of the usual things that take place between the two. However, despite this being a usual occurrence, Tae doesn’t fail to get on Lacie’s childish nerves.

"I'm gonna watch what you eat from now on, little missy. If you keep eating like that, you'll end up like the crazy pumpkin lady from down the street -- crazy as a pumpkin, crazy about pumpkins, and crazily pumpkin-shaped."

“Ew! Lala doesn’t like pumpkins so Lala wont be like her! Lala is pretty! See, see?”

Trying to prove her point, Lacie stood up on the chair she was previously sitting—kneeling—on and pulled her dress tight around her body, intending to show off her curves and to prove that there was no hint of fat at all in her body. Well, judging how she tends to move so often, it was no wonder she burns any presence of fat in her body quickly, however, if Tae ever turned to look at her, Lacie had no idea for not a few minutes after she stood on her chair, the chair tipped and finally, she lost her balance and slipped. Thankfully, though while she wasn’t able to land completely on her feet, her fast reflexes allowed her to land on the balls of her feet and she was able to soften her landing by falling back on her rear.

“Ow..”

Whimpering, Lacie pushed herself back up and rubbed at her butt, a few drops of tears pooled at the corner of her eyes due to the sudden pain, however she had managed to quickly wipe them away and sniffed, and like the child that she is, she placed the blame on Tae.

“Its because Tee is so mean to Lala.”

Pouting again, she pulled her chair upright and sat back on it, wincing a bit as her butt met the hard surface of the chair. Deciding to finally keep quiet, she leaned forward on the table and waited for her breakfast, which didn’t take as long as she thought it would be.

"Go ahead and eat. I'll wait for Jabby.”

“If Lala eats this, will she and Bubun have their cupcakes back?”

Not waiting for an answer—well, she was hungry—she reached over and took two loaves of bread and helped herself make a sandwich, completely ignoring her first choice of the mango jam when she decided she wanted to try both. At the same time. Spreading the mango jam on one slice of bread, the grape on the other, and combined the two together. Breakfast! Fortunately for Lacie, the combination of the two didn’t taste so awful and was actually edible. She was already helping herself for her third sandwich when she decided to ignore Tae’s earlier statement that he’ll wait for Nikolai to eat. But then again, her ignoring their comments is not something that is rare. Upon finishing the third mango/grape sandwich, she hopped off her chair and went over to Tae, tiptoeing up to him as she attempted to press the bread against his lips lightly—well give the girl a break, at least she wasn’t forcing it on him.

“Tee-omma should eat too! Say “aah”~”

Lacie giggled, apparently too amused with what she was doing. If she was annoying him any, she didn’t even notice.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

We are each his own D E V I Lxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxAnd we make this world our H E L L.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx✲x✲x✲

“Gabe. Oy Gabe, wake up.”

Disgruntled, Gabriel opened his eyes into the harsh sunlight in the mortal realm, momentarily wondering why the hell he was suffering to be stuck on earth, but his internal body clock told him it was too early and therefore his brain was still off-duty and therefore will not bother to work to give him any reasons. Gabriel was not a morning person—er, demon. Instead of sitting up, Gabriel merely slapped the hand that was shaking his shoulder away and turned the other direction, away from the window which poured the hellish sunlight over his sensitive eyes. However, if he thought he would be able to sleep after he rolled over, he was severely mistaken as a foot forcibly slammed against his back, directly between his wing bones. And ******** it hurt. Outraged, Gabriel, in all his raging beauty, threw the blanket off his body and glared at the other male that shared the house he was in.

“What the ******** Kian? Who gave you the right to—“

The brown-haired, green-eyed male—who had the same ethereal beauty that Gabriel did, and the same aura of punishment—shook his head and raised both hands as if in surrender before speaking.

“Hey, don’t blame me. You dragged me into this, you said to wake you up so you can go to school.”

“School? You better come up with a better lie, Kian, before I truly rip those wings of yours from your back. Since when did demons go to school? What, we need to learn morals now? Look, unless there are ******** females in that school of yours, Im not interested. Why don’t you go?”

“How about your girl, Ginger?”

Yeah. His mind definitely worked against him at the moment. Gabriel was about to return to bed when Kian’s next words halted his movements, turning him into a statue before he turned his head to face Kian. How could he forget? It was his Ginger’s seventeenth birthday. It was his turn now. How could he forget? The day he waited for for seventeen years! Gabriel could’ve laughed at his own stupidity if not for him starting to scramble for time.

“What time is it?”

“Seven.”

“What time did you say classes start?”

“Seven-thirty.”

[********]

“I told you so, man. I told you so.”

Gabriel didn’t need to hear more as he scrambled off the bed, leaving it completely in mess with his blanket half on the bed with its other half on the floor. He didn’t even care that Kian was cursing about his mess after him. Gabriel had an excited grin on his face. Finally! The day he was waiting for! How could he have forgotten? After all, didn’t he himself went over to Gisella’s place just last night to tell her parents that he’s going to come and collect today? Gabriel could still remember the confusion on the faces when he told them that and the shock and anger that came after upon realizing that they had been tricked. Well, he wasn’t a demon for nothing. They thought they had paid for Gisella’s life for a small little blood play from her father. Oh how the human mind worked. So amusing. However, it wasn’t like they had any choice. They made the contract. And it’s far, far too late to take anything back. Of course they didn’t know about the loophole in the contract, and no, its not something so silly as “true love’s kiss” or guessing his real name (besides, he already gave them his real name. No contract would work if he didn’t give his name) or something like that as most fairy tales would like human children to believe. It wasn’t as if this was entirely something that can be mistaken as a fairy tale in the first place.

But they didn’t need to know of that tiny loophole, did they? No, of course not.

What a smart little devil he is! Hm.. rephrase. What a smart devil he is!

Finally finding the school uniform (hah funny, he’s actually going to wear one), he pulled them on, black pants with a black jacket with a checkered collar, it was a good thing that there was no need for a necktie for Gabriel couldn’t dare imagine himself choking his own self with one of those strangling things humans decided were fashionable for males. And though he was sure that the school’s clothing conduct demanded that only the first two buttons are allowed to be left open on male uniforms and that white shirts are to be worn underneath the jacket, Gabriel put on a red shirt underneath his jacket while leaving all buttons well.. unbuttoned. He really isn’t one for rules after all. Besides, he wouldn’t mind to have some individuality in such a school where almost everybody looked alike. No. He was going to make sure he stands out the moment he steps into school grounds.

“And all that for my dear Ginger. She should be flattered.”

Grabbing his bag (hey, he isn’t one for studying but since he needed to stay around Ginger, he had to make sure he stays in class, you know?), followed by his player and headphones, he hollered out to Kian. And before you people wonder where in seven hells did Gabriel pull out his player, why don’t you wonder first how he managed to grab a house for himself and Kian? Well, if youre a demon with resources that would fool humans completely, you’ll realize money isn’t hard to come by. And what makes the human world go round? Money.

“Oy Kian! Im borrowing your Hound!”

“HEY! Bring your own!”

"Can't he's still out on a hunt!"

Gabriel just smirked, completely ignoring Kian’s refusal to lend his Hound. Hounds are in a way, a popular way of transportation in the Otherworld, often called Hell Hounds or Hell Dogs. While these Hounds are allowed to stay in their original monstrous forms, once brought in the human realm, they are transformed into other means of transportation, mostly a car, a jeep, or a motorbike, bikes being the most used choice among them all. Gabriel settled himself upon Kian’s Hound and kicked it to life with a satisfying roar, and within seconds, he was gone.

“Get ready Ginger, Im coming to collect.”

Gabriel clutched the handles of the Hound tighter and urged it faster until he zoomed through traffic while he threw his head back and laughed, exhilarated as him and the Hound slashed against the wind. For a moment, it felt as if he was flying.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Bliss only tipped her chin in the slightest form of a nod in response to de Sole once he told her that he would be leaving. There was no movement from the London beauty until after she was surely alone in the room, after which she completely untangled her hair from any leftover pins that had managed to still stay on her hair, letting the small diamonds fall on the floor with a whispering crystalline tinkle. She could just have the maid fetch it later. She just stood up to return to her room to retire when she remembered something that momentarily halted her movements. She still had his handkerchief in her hand.

“I didn’t even get his name.”

The girl chuckled and shook her head. Well not that it mattered now. If she had any say on the matter, she didn’t want to see him again, to give him the chance to smugly remind her that he had chanced upon her as she wept in secret (not much of a secret since he did find her) and therefore give him the chance to embarrass her. But if he was true to his word about acting like a gentleman, he wouldn’t dare do it. But that is if they even meet again. However, after few minutes of contemplation, meeting again didn’t seem like too improbable, with the de Soles’ popularity, it’s not impossible for him to be found in gatherings she herself has been invited to.

“Well, if ever that happens, I’ll make sure to stay away.”

Bliss realized that she really had nothing against him as a person, but merely because of the fact that he will remain a reminder of this faux pas of a party. She could still hear the gathering ongoing when she finally left the confines of the room and made her way back to her own.


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━


Bliss was caught by surprise by seeing a new maid in her room when she came to, expecting to see Eve, the maid who had helped her get ready for the party. She need not announce her presence as the new maid turned and saw her before she even spoke. Blushing in what she guessed was embarrassment, the new maid fumbled and attempted a bow of courtesy despite the obvious awkwardness that Bliss saw and before Bliss herself could say anything, the girl straightened and explained herself.

“My Lady! I’m sorry I—“

“Who are you?”

The girl turned impossibly redder at hearing Bliss’ naturally sharp voice. The girl would have a lot to learn about her if she was to stay, not to mention that she would also have to work on restraining herself from staring and frequently throwing glances at Bliss’ face. “I'm Martel, I’m replacing Eve for a while as she has fallen sick. I’m sorry you caught me unaware, I wasn’t informed that you were to retire earlier.”

“It’s alright, I merely decided it on my own that it’s too much of a bother to stay much longer. Is my bath ready?”

“Yes milady.”

“Good, I’m going to need some help to get rid of this dress. It’s killing me by the second.”

The bath was heaven sent, the steam that touched the tiled walls of her bathroom was nothing less than welcoming, and in it, Bliss sighed and went deeper in the water, soaking herself, letting the lavender scented mixture that she had always used in her baths to sink into her skin, but more than the scent itself, it allowed her to relax, to momentarily forget about the events that took place earlier. It wouldn’t hurt her to play vain at the moment, caring for nothing else but the feeling of the water lapping gently against her skin and its calming effect on her. Maybe just a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt either.

Bliss knew she had taken far too long in her bath when she found her room empty, with Martel nowhere to be found. This made Bliss frown, she should’ve known better than leave. Eve never left her even during her longest baths, her previous maid knew she needed help with her hair after her bath. But Bliss couldn’t be bothered now to ring for Martel, not when she’s already not in a good mood, she’ll probably just give the new girl a hard time. Instead, while still in her bathrobe, she sat in front of her vanity, the same spot she sat on earlier when Eve was fixing her for the party. Unlike earlier, her face was pale now, naked of any hint of color, of makeup, just that pale flawless skin and her too bright eyes. For a moment she wondered how red her eyes were earlier.. how she looked like to de Sole. Before her thoughts get out of track and depress her again, Bliss removed the towel on her head and picked up her brush, proceeding to recklessly brushing the tangles off her hair when the door on her room clicked open.

“Bliss, would you care to explain what happened out there?”

Aunt Olivia.

Bliss just sighed and lowered the brush back on her desk. She expected this. Suddenly she felt so tired.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t feel good halfway. Must be something I ate.”

The expression on Olivia’s face made it obvious that she didn’t believe her, but it had happened so many times that they both knew it was no use to make a big fuss about it. Instead, she reached over for Bliss’ brush and worked on her hair gently, smoothly. “People were worried, some were gossiping about you. Don’t you want those gossips to stop? Bliss, they’re not helping you any.”

The slightest frown appeared on Bliss’ face. “I do not care for people who care for gossips. If my friends are to be waved away by simple gossips, I don’t need them. Is it too much to ask for someone who’d care enough to know me through me instead of through gossips? Honestly.”

Those were the last words that echoed around Bliss’ room for a while as both fell silent after Bliss’ complaint, but she wasn’t about to take it back. She meant what she said. It would be a great change of air, sometimes, even though she knew it was selfish, she couldn’t help but wish that she wasn’t herself sometimes, that people didn’t know who she was, so they wouldn’t care of who she was, of what she was, so they wouldn’t judge, wouldn’t approach her for the sake of money or popularity. But in the kind of world she lived in, appearances and influence are everything. Maybe one day she could see herself lucky for having both. Minutes moved on in silence until Olivia brought down the brush on the desk once more and told her that she herself would retire as well, but before her aunt completely disappeared from her room, Bliss called out.

“Aunt Olivia, I would like to go out tomorrow.”

“I can’t come—“

“Ah no. Evie is coming tomorrow, I thought I could go out with her.”

“Oh. I forgot she was coming over, of course. Wouldn’t you need a chaperone?”

“We’ll be fine.”

“Well, you’re old enough to chaperone her.”

Bliss took Olivia’s last statement as the permission she needed. Yes, maybe a day out would do well for her. Yawning, Bliss stood from the chair she sat on and removed the robe she had on her nightdress to retire for the night, leaving all the unpleasant thoughts that had lingered in her head since earlier this evening, and as she closed her eyes, she heard Eve’s last words for her before she left for the party.

Enjoy the party, Lady Bliss, this night was made for you.

Yeah, she could be so lucky. Tomorrow cant come any sooner.


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━


“Bliss! I'm so glad to see you! Look at you!”

Evangeline St. Vincent was a bouncing ball of sunlight when Bliss met her that morning with a rare genuine smile. Evie was a younger cousin of hers in her mother’s side, and the closest person she had to a sister. Bliss loved her dearly. Evie was a beauty on her own, just like every female born on her mother’s side, however she was the opposite of Bliss. As Bliss had a statuesque stance, Evie was on the small side who looked too young for her age of sixteen, her head was an insane mass of fiery curls which made the girl look totally adorable, and not to mention the freckles that scattered over her nose as if a teasing fairy sprinkled her on a whim. Her eyes were a pretty brown, sometimes turning hazel when she becomes too excited. Bliss didn’t doubt it one bit that Evie would be stunning after a few more years.

“Evie, dear.” Bliss gave the younger girl a tight hug, obviously glad at seeing her again.

“Ah, I'm sorry I wasn’t able to attend the party yesterday, but I’ll make it up to you today. What do you say we go out? We haven’t gone out together for ages!”

Bliss let out a small chuckle, feeling herself getting excited as well, if only because Evie herself couldn’t contain herself, and the girl had the ability to affect people around her with her charm and abundant happiness. Evie was the only female she knew that could care less about her looks. It was rather a refreshing change.

“I don’t see why not. I already got permission from Aunt Olivia. I’ll be chaperoning you.”

Bliss almost laughed out loud when she noticed the crease that formed on Evie’s forehead when she mentioned Olivia. Anyone who knew Evie knew enough that the girl had a penchant for breaking the rules, and with Olivia’s need to see everything else in order, it didn’t take many guesses that Evie would naturally find Olivia a bit unpleasant. But the frown had so easily disappeared once Bliss said that she’ll be chaperoning her, and Evie couldn’t help but let out an amused giggle.

“You? Chaperone me? Why you love getting in trouble as much as I do!”

A rare mischievous glint had entered Bliss’ eyes as she picked up her skirts to go outside, “Hush Evie, don’t let Aunt Olivia hear you else you’ll jeopardize our day out. Come, our carriage is waiting.”

“Remember when you exchanged the bottles on the counter in the perfume shop? The owner of the shop was so confused!.”

Bliss could no longer help herself. A burst of laughter escaped her when she was finally within the safety of carriage with Evie, the memory she presented was too amusing. “Ooh. Maybe we should give him a visit.”

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Bliss Stafford was still shaking with fitful bouts of laughter as Evie and her drove off to Seventh Avenue, a famous spot where spots lined every corner, catering to both males and females of London. Evie decided it was her responsibility to remind Bliss of every mischief that both had done since their childhood. Of sneaking out in parties, looking for fairies in the vast gardens of the homes they went to for attending parties, wishing wells, letting a goose slip into the kitchen during one of the parties they went to—stuff like that that made Bliss forget every depressing thought of yesterday. While in the privacy of their carriage, both Evie and Bliss dropped every expectation one would ask of a Lady, in the privacy of their carriage, both of them were simply a pair of mischief driven girls who had no intention of growing up any time soon.

“And remember when they served that calf’s head on a platter?”

“Evie, no!”

“You turned impossibly green when they start slicing it for dinner!”

“Youre so disgusting!”

Despite the awful memory of that dinner, Bliss still laughed. It was just very unfortunate for her that she was born with a weak stomach in a country that loved experimenting with dishes. She had to excuse herself from that dinner else she didn’t doubt it one bit that she would’ve thrown up in front of numerous guests.


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━


Their first stop had been with the hatter. Bliss isn’t much for hats but Evie, with her devious hair always needing to be flattened down frequently needed a hat, especially when they were out and about, even the smallest gust of wind can tangle Evie’s wild curls beyond imagination, unlike Bliss whose hair seemed to be as vain as the owner whose head they sat upon on, Bliss hair had always behaved the way she wanted them to, but because of Evie’s persistence, Bliss ended up buying a hat or two, purely for design purposes as they were too small to actually fit her entire head in, merely small hats that were meant to pull back a few strands of hair, mostly clipped at an angle on a female’s head.

After a reasonable amount of time, Bliss decided to do a small favor for Evie and brought the younger girl to the dresser. Evie, with her slightly protective parents rarely allowed Evie to shop dresses for herself, and whenever she did, she was always stuck with her mother choosing styles for her, and almost always, the styles Evie’s mother chose for her were completely unattractive and unflattering on Evie whose body had more curves noticeable than Bliss even though she was a younger age. Evie, with her slim waist and rounded hips, was a beautifully voluptuous girl, there was no going around that. She had much to show if only given the chance. And Bliss was giving her a chance. Oh, yes she is a jealous girl, but she couldn’t even begin to be jealous with Evie, her almost-younger sister. Though at times, she does experience a few vain episodes where she couldn’t help but feel inferior with Evie. Bliss’ beauty, though undeniable, is a gentle kind of beauty that grows on a person the longer he or she stares, whereas Evie’s beauty is bright, burning, the kind that catches people’s attention on spot.

“Oooh. Mother would definitely not approve of me buying a dress without her!”

“Perfect. Let’s go then.”

With an unladylike squeal that made both of them grin, both girls helped themselves with new gowns, shawls, gloves, and scarves which qualities befitting of someone from the Stafford family. Yes, Bliss can be vain, but she could pay to be vain, even along with Evie. Even though the weather that day seemed gloomy, nothing could dampen Bliss’ bright mood. It just proved that a ladies’ day out was what she needed.

Finally deciding that they could afford to take a leisurely walk after buying what they could, they deposited their newly bought personals in the carriage to free their hands to allow them freedom around the block. It was during this walk that they thought it was the best time to pay a visit to the perfume store that stood just around the corner. Bliss couldn’t help a giggle to escape her lips when they stepped in, the door making a cheerful sound as it hit the charm on the ceiling when they entered. An old spectacled man greeted them socially upon their arrival, he looked so kind, that it almost made Bliss guilty about what she was planning to do, keyword almost. She shared a knowing glance with Evie whose eyes tinkled with mischief, and Bliss knew her eyes mirrored the same glint before they went about the store casually.

The shelves were lined with every scent imaginable. They had colognes, perfumes, waxes, oils—there were scented candles and scented inks as well—incense, herbal packets, potpourris, diffusers, and even pure extracted scents in small crystal vials, though they were more expensive than the rest. The pure extracts were used for custom made perfumes, some come to the shop wanting a certain scent for a perfume, and if there was no ready-made perfume that fit the customer’s needs, a new perfume was to be made. Bliss herself isn’t one for various scents, though she did enjoy them. Lavender, it seems, is the only scent that pleased her to no extent, upon discovering the calming scent of lavender, Bliss never changed her scent. However, since she was already in the shop, she ventured to smell several scents. There were rose and amber, if not the most overused scents by ladies around, she also found a strange scent which had a whiff of coffee, even orange. Ah there it is, moving to the back of the store, she spotted a shelf full of perfumes and pure extracts, all in crystal vials, still unlabeled, obviously stock. Beckoning Evie over as the shop’s owner was busy with another client, they started moving the vials around, placing rose vials among the rows of jasmine, lily mixed with amber, sandalwood and peach, white tea, cloves, vanilla, sage, rosemary.. and so forth until perfumes and extracts have been mixed thoroughly, the only row she didn’t touch was the one lavender. The two had been so consumed about what they were doing that neither of them noticed that someone had already sneaked up close to them.

”Is this a hobby of yours, Lady Stafford?”

A shiver went down Bliss' spine at the nearness of the voice. Gasping, her heart did a double take as she stood up so suddenly that she almost knocked the shelf beside her if not for Evie’s quick reflex to lean the shelf back and hold the vials in place, the younger girl’s eyes were as wide as Bliss, but Bliss had not the chance to look back at Evie, when she came face to face with the same person that plague her night before.

“Oh good heavens, M-My lord!”

Bliss let the words out in a single breath before she realized that she turned breathless upon finding herself under the critical gaze of de Sole. His voice had caused her toes to curl in her shoes and the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. A rush of heat exploded in her cheeks, her cheeks now splotched with unflattering red as she blushed due to embarrassment. Why, why must it always be him to catch her in the most embarrassing of situations?

“O-of course not! I don’t know what youre talking about, we were simply looking for something, we’ll put it back. Evie!”

The Stafford heiress turned back to Evie helplessly. “Put it back!” Realizing that they were caught, Bliss found Evie wringing her hands worriedly as she turned back to the shelf and stared at it for a minute or two, picking up vials and returning them from where she picked them up, and then resumed staring. Minutes of killing silence passed until Evie decided to turn back to Bliss with an apologetic look.

“Um.. I don’t know which is which.”

Bliss wanted to disappear on spot. Why must this happen to her? Why must it always be him? Taking another breath, Bliss quickly regained herself and turned her gaze hard on him, she took one step towards him and leaned in close, taking effort to force the words through gritted teeth.

“Are you stalking me?”

“Um.. Bliss?”

Bliss quickly lowered her eyes from de Sole and closed them as she took a deep breath. Right, she forgot about Evie. Taking a step back once more, she did what was expected of a lady like her, and introduced her cousin begrudgingly.

“My lord, this is my younger cousin, Lady Evangeline St. Vincent.”

“Just Evie!”

Bliss groaned inwardly as Evie stepped forward, almost bouncing in excitement, and gave a small curtsy, her eyes bright and a brighter smile on her face. She knew the way she looked at de Sole. Evie, always under the watchful eyes of her parents, had not many chances to meet men like de Sole, and Bliss had to admit, even if Evie ever did, they’d pale insignificantly against de Sole. The way he carried himself, the ever present know-it-all smirk, his too bright eyes. Yes, she understood Evie’s excitement, but this was a man she had unpleasant memories with and all she wanted to do was to step out of the store and walk away as fast as she could.

“—I mean, if you don’t have anything to do, why don’t you spend some time and have tea with us?”

What? Bliss turned and blushed even brighter if that was even possible for her. Had she been too deep into her own thoughts that she didn’t hear the conversation that took place without her? Silently cursing Evie’s daring move, Bliss turned about and pulled Evie behind her, she gave de Sole an awkward, forced apologetic, smile.

“Ah hah.. Evie’s known to have an amusing sense of humor—“

“What?”

“Moreover, I'm sure you have more things to attend to than join two ladies for afternoon tea, well then, we’ll be taking our leave. Excuse us, we have an appointment with the dressmaker.”

“But Bliss, didn’t we just—“

“Let’s be off now Evie, surely we wouldn’t want to bother Lord de Sole.”

Hells bells, if it didn’t take all effort for Bliss to drag Evie out the store. She doubted de Sole would agree to tea but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Bliss only decided it was alright to let go of Evie once they were of reasonable distance from the perfume store, besides, she had to stop and catch her breath. She had walked so briskly that it was almost as if she ran. It was during this that Evie decided to confront Bliss about him.

“What’s gotten into you?”

“Long story, Evie. Good lord, that was so embarrassing.”

“Who is he?”

“Someone I met before.”

“Yes, that’s obvious. You said de Sole? Ooh, that famous—? De Sole? I think Ive heard about them.”

“Yes and yes! As much as I wish to share your excitement I cant—”

“What’s his name?”

“Oh, I don’t know!”

“You don’t..?”

“No.”

“Oooh, something's telling me there’s more to this story than youre telling, and I wont leave you alone until you tell me. Now, how about that tea?”

Bliss could only groan.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Bliss had no choice, she knew that much, the moment Evie’s eyes lit up at the thought of an unheard story. Though Bliss wasn’t exactly willing to tell the story, she knew Evie wont leave her alone until she finds out what exactly happened, and lying was out of question, the young girl had an insane ability to separate lies from truths, which is also the main reason why no gossip about Bliss had ever ruined her relationship from Evie. Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Bliss took one deep breath, picked up her skirts and led the way to the nearest cafe shop that they could spend some idle time in. Besides, she needed a break.


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━


“A serving of treacle tart would be nice, and a glass of water. Ice cold.”

“And a cup of cocoa for me.”

Evie was almost bouncing on her seat, but not in excitement for her cup of hot chocolate, with the way her eyes were focused intensely on Bliss, the older girl knew that Evie expected her to relay every little thing that took place between de Sole and her last night. And that she did, from when Maggie appeared to when de Sole found her crying, until he left, only stopping once when their food was brought to them, her voice low all throughout the conversation. Bliss wanted to sink down into her chair with every exclamation that Evie made in reaction to her story, she gasped, she squealed, she giggled. Apparently, Evie found it very amusing, and Bliss could only smile wryly, not finding it in her to be annoyed at Evie’s childish antics for long.

“Well, that’s it really.”

“And you didn’t even catch his name.”

“I wasn’t interested, and I was more worried about other things than to care about his name.”

“I would be interested.”

Bliss ignored that, “well, it’s not as if I was planning to make an acquaintance with someone who—well, just someone like him. I swear he’s the most annoying person Ive ever met! I mean, he just keeps appearing—“

“Aw, I'm sure he didn’t mean it—“

“Well thats beside the point.”

“Thats not much of a reason Bliss.”

“It’s reason enough for me to be annoyed at him. Did you see the way he smiles? It’s so—ugh!”

“It’s so charming! I really couldn’t see how you can be so displeased with him. He’s totally pleasing to the eye, I know I wouldn’t be able to stay mad for long at someone who looks as him.”

Evie giggled, a very light blush appearing on her cheeks as she talked about de Sole. Bliss was almost jealous with the way Evie saw the world and the people around her, she was so innocent. But then again, it would be best if Evie stayed the way she is, Bliss wouldn’t wish her situation on someone like her after all. She deserved much better. Leaving Evie to her thoughts, Bliss picked up her fork and took a bite on her tart, chewing quietly as she pondered about de Sole, trying to see him in the same light as Evie. Yes, she could see where Evie was pointing at, she wasn’t blind. De Sole indeed was a handsome fellow. But—if Bliss ever had any nice thoughts about de Sole, it all stopped once she went past his appearance. Sure, he looked.. pleasing, Bliss can admit to that, but it was his attitude towards her that she cant tolerate. So arrogant, so high-handed, so superior, so.. so annoying! All just because he happened to chance upon her misery. And thats another thing, Bliss doubted she’d ever get along with anyone who’d seen her in such a situation. Its going to be nothing but awkward. It didn’t take much effort for Bliss to convince herself about that.

“Oh, Lord de Sole!”

It wasn’t Evie’s cheerful voice that made Bliss jump on her seat. It was the name that she mentioned. She didn’t even need to turn around to confirm it, in fact, she was afraid to turn around. Despite expecting it, his voice still made her tense on her seat, making her lose all grace that she had when she lost the grip she had on fork that she held in her hand, making it’s tip clatter loudly against her plate.

”I’m glad I found you two. The offer for tea sounded appealing the more I thought about it.”

Bliss, for the second time that day, gathered herself quickly. “How fortunate that you managed to locate us, I can almost compare you to a dog with your ability to track people down. You just keep on finding people, don’t you, my Lord?”

Her voice dripped with sarcasm and false pleasure which contradicted her first statement, the second however, was a laced insult directed at de Sole. If he was the person Bliss thought he was, she was sure he wouldn’t appreciate being compared to a dog. Thankful for a distraction, Bliss’ eyes turned to the male that came with de Sole, the one who boldly sat on the nearest chair to her.

”This is my friend, Emery Ashton. And this of course, is Lady Bliss Stafford and her young cousin, Lady Evangeline St. Vincent.”

“At your service, My Lady.”

Bliss hadn’t spoken for a while though she allowed her gaze to slip back quickly to de Sole as he introduced his friend, Emery. As for being polite, Bliss uttered no word, not a nod of acknowledgment, or even a smile, all she gave Emery was a quick run over with her eyes. He seemed to be the opposite of de Sole, with his dark hair and with the way he carried himself. Overly friendly and less contained than de Sole. With the way he acted around her, even in that short span of seconds, give or take a minute, Bliss figured that this male admired her. That made her smile, though the smile was more directed to herself rather than at Emery.

One of the many.

“I'm sure your service will definitely be required soon, I wont be forgetting that claim, Lord Ashton.”

Bliss lowered her gaze back to her treat as she gingerly picked her fork back up, intending to ignore de Sole—Aether de Sole—as much as she was able. She managed to catch that quick mention of his name from Emery which satisfied Bliss for a small measure. At least she wouldn’t have to go out of her way to ask him for his name anymore and make herself look interested. She told herself that she didn’t care what Aether says while they were at the same table with Evie and Emery. A gentleman, like he would claim himself to be, would never embarrass a lady in public. She wouldn’t run away this time just like what she did earlier in the perfume shop, besides, she was surprised then, caught off guard. She wouldn’t have to worry about anything this time.

”Do you come to London often to visit your cousin, Lady Stafford? I’m sure I haven’t seen you before, I wouldn’t miss such a beauty as yourself. And ah, what happened to that meeting with the dress-maker..?”

“Oh! My lord, you flatter me. And yes, I come here to visit Bliss, but not as often as I would like—“

That’s right. She didn’t care.

“—and the dressmaker? We already—“

That was until Evie threatened to expose the fact that she had to lie to escape Aether’s presence.

“My feet were tired from all the walking, I decided we could visit some other day. It’s not that important after all.”

Bliss broke into the conversation as smoothly and as contained as she could, though the way her eyes flashed a warning towards Evie was obvious. She didn’t dare look at Aether to check his reaction. Evie, however, registered a look of pure confusion at Bliss and with a slight pout, decided to drop the subject. Bliss wanted to drop down on her knees and weep in relief when Evie shrugged and turned back to Aether, perhaps to continue the conversation. The Stafford princess sighed and stared wretchedly at what was left over from her snack. She had lost her appetite, but she wouldn’t lose the silent challenge she presented Aether. She still wasn’t going to run away from this encounter. For a moment, she glanced at Emery, wondering briefly if she can somehow use him to help her win against Aether.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

ＷＨＡＴ ＡＮＧＥＬ ＷＡＫＥＳ ＭＥ ＦＲＯＭ ＭＹ ＦＬＯＷＥＲＹ ＢＥＤ?
x
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxOut of this wood do not desire to go:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.
x
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAnd ＩxxＤＯxxＬＯＶＥxxＴＨＥＥ: therefore, go with me!

It was the same thing every night for the entire week. The same dream, or you could say a nightmare. It always starts at the same place and setting at the last dream, always repeating, and repeating, and repeating..


She stood behind a tree that stood beside a lake. Somehow, she knew she wasnt in Japan. She just knew, as if it was instinct, pure raw instinct. She looked somehow different.. a bit older.. a bit more beautiful, in fact, she didnt look anything like she does currently. But she knew it was her. There was no mistake. She wore a simple dress, a white one, unadorned, and her feet were bare against the ground, grass brushing against her ankle. She didnt feel dirty though.. she felt complete. It was as if she belonged here, in this forest, wherever "this" may be.

She knew what was going to happen next, she had been having the same dream for two years now. She both dreaded and looked forward to seeing the dream again, hoping for any changes, any answers. But most of time, she's left more confused than ever.

There he was. A man walked by and looked about, as if he was searching for something. Haruko tried to get closer, but her feet wouldnt move, she stayed rooted on the spot, just catching a glimpse of that man from behind the tree. Why was she hiding anyway? Her mind told her to.

Safer this way. Always safer this way. Stay hidden.

And so she did. She stared at him longingly despite being unable to see his face. She had no idea who he might be, but recognition swelled in her chest, causing her heart to beat faster as he walked closer and closer to tree she was hiding behind from. He was too close now, if she would only reach out, she'd probably touch him. The thought of it made her feel ecstatic. She wanted to touch him. She needed to. She shifted her weight on her other leg and accidentally stepped on a dry twig, causing it to crack under her foot, causing the noise echo loudly through the forest. The man turned sharply.

"Who's there?!"

She wanted to scream "Here! Me!" but the moment she tried to speak out, a ripping pain suddenly wrapped around her throat. In severe pain, she dropped on her knees and gasped. The man heard and turned to her direction and saw her. He was close enough for her to touch, she looked up, though she still couldnt see his face, she tried to reach out for him, to take hold of his ankle, to keep him there. But before her fingers even brushed against his ankle, he stepped back suddenly, as if repulsed by her and ran off after shouting at her.

"Stay away from me!"


Haruko gasped and sat up suddenly from bed, waking up abruptly from that dream she had been having for three nights in a row now. In fact, she had been starting to have that kind of dream ever since a year ago, and until now, she had no idea what it meant. Groaning, Haruko allowed herself to fall back on her bed and just stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before turning her gaze outside her window. The sky was just turning gray, it was probably only around five in the morning. She could do with another hour of sleep. Reaching over for her alarm on her bedside table, she turned her alarm on for 6.00AM.

Thirty minutes passed.. then an hour.

A slender arm shot out from under the comforter on the bed and slammed down on the ringing alarm clock to shut it up. Then silence.

Another thirty hours passed.. and another hour..

Haruko curled up suddenly when her comforter was suddenly pulled off her, exposing her to the faint light pouring in her room and the chilling morning air. She tried to reach for her blanket but was unable to touch it. Opening her eyes groggily, Haruko noticed a figure standing above her, her comforter in hand.

"Haruko, it's seven in the morning. Dont you have class in an hour and a half?"

She blinked once. Twice. For the second time that day, Haruko sat up abruptly from her bed, though this time, her hand shot directly at her alarm clock and looked at the watch. It was seven in the morning indeed. Didnt she set the alarm for six? In a sudden surge of panic, Haruko shot off the bed, barefoot, and ran for the door, almost tripping on her way to her bathroom.

"Im going to be late!!"

"Come to the kitchen once youre dont. Breakfast's ready."

Haruko didnt answer her aunt and just took a quick shower. She never really changed, she was never a morning person and it's unlikely she'll ever change any time soon, its not like she try however. It just doesnt really work. Twenty minutes passed until Haruko stepped out of the shower, shivering as if a bucket of ice-water was just poured on her. As quickly as she could, she pulled on her uniform-- a special uniform for SA students in Hanagetsu Academy, the high school she's currently attending for the second year-- then walked out of her room to head to the kitchen.

"Them toasts smell as delicious as ever, Saya-san!"

"Thank you dear, but I really wish you'd stop coming to the table with that towel on your head."

Haruko simply smiled and helped herself to two slices of toast, spread some strawberry jam on it, placed them on a plate and took the entire thing back to her room to get ready for class while eating. Saya, her aunt, rarely approves of this thing but when Haruko really believes that she's in a hurry, it's rarely that she ever listens, so Saya just lets her be. An hour and a few minutes left. She pulled the towel off her head and picked up her brush with one hand and a piece of toast with the other. Eating while brushing her hair? Its something she does on the regular. A few brush strokes and she placed the brush back on her vanity desk and simply ran her fingers back through her hair to keep the remaining strands out of her face. Next on the list was her stuff for school-- which isnt much really since it's just the start of classes, and being in the SA class, well lets just say she doesnt really have to bring several books and notes to school. Just a random book to read, a small notebook, a pen, and she's set.

The clock registered 8.05 after she's got her stuff fixed. She had less than an hour now. Well thats okay, she wont be late. In fact, the only reason she's hurrying was because she wanted to get back to the greenhouse after a few months of vacation. She was probably one of the few students who actually looked forward to going to class. Haruko reached over for her second toast after finishing the first one and looked for her own copy of the key to the greenhouse. All twelve students of the SA class has their own copy of the key, and if she remembered correctly, they'll be having three new students in the SA class of this year. How exciting! A small giggle escaped her lips as she pocketed her key, pinned her ID on, and grabbed her bag on the way out.

"Going now, Haru-chan?"

"Mhm!"

Haruko headed to the fridge and took a bottle of water and waved at Saya, walking out of the house after. She never really rides anything on the way to school. Always, she always takes the fifteen-minute road to Hanagetsu. It was good exercise, and often, during spring and summer, the Cherry drive was an incredible sight to behold, and often, the sight of it causes her to walk just a tad bit slower, which is why she always insists to leave the house at least twenty minutes before the first bell rings. Sure, being an SA student allows them to go to class in a later hour than the regular students are required to, but going to class on time along with the regular students gives Haruko a feeling of normalcy, and she liked it. Besides, she often meets someone she can talk to on the way there.

September first, year 2010, monday. Summer though it may still be, Fall was definitely on the way. The Cherry drive was in full bloom with its cherry trees that lined the way. Every so often when the wind blows, a few petals would fall on the pavement, small hints of pink scattered on the dull gray. The fair portion of clouds covered the sun, causing a cool weather which Haruko preferred. She never did like the sun being too bright, for some reason, it really hurts her eyes. It didnt take long for the road to be filled in by students who were in their own way to school, some of them were from Hanagetsu though not all. The road was famous and leads to several other schools in the area. A few walked in groups, giggling girls, joking boys. Some shared their experiences during the vacation, others bragged, others complained. There were a few excited exclamations among the small crowd of students, making Haruko smile a bit. It would seem that she isnt the only one who's excited for the start of classes. However, it's also inevitable that some grumbled about the vacation being short and whatnot. Though mainly, it was obvious that students were glad to see their old friends again, as well as interested in the thought that perhaps a new student will join their class. And Haruko Izanami shared the same feelings.

Students have indeed started to come to school along with her, some waved, some called out to her, some of them smiled shyly. Even probably freshmen recognized who she was, or what she was, her uniform, as mentioned earlier, was different than most, being a white version of the regular students' brown uniform. She stood out like a sore thumb among them. Nevertheless, she felt welcomed. The first bell ran just as went passed the gates of Hanagetsu Academy, and with a small wave, for the few students she took a short time of conversing with, she headed to the separate branch of the academy, where the SA class' greenhouse waited. Haruko dug her hand into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around her key which tingled against her palm. It was as if it was as eager as she to see her classmates again after a long vacation.

What thou seest when thou dost wake,
Do it for thy true-love take.

ＬＯＲＤ,xxxxxＷＨＡＴxxxxxＦＯＯＬＳxxxxxＴＨＥＳＥxxxxxＭＯＲＴＡＬＳxxxxxＢＥ!

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

We are each his own D E V I Lxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxAnd we make this world our H E L L.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx✲x✲x✲

Gabriel parked the Hound at the nearest empty space in the parking lot near the gate of the school, a grin appearing on his face. He could feel all the stares pointed at him, could hear hushed whisperings as if he couldn’t hear them. But then again, they thought he was just another human boy, and no human would’ve been able to hear as much as he did. He thrived on the attention, it was fun, it amused him. Well, he did deserve the attention he got, didn’t he? Gabe placed a hand on the Hound’s “body”, the bike’s seat, and patted it lightly until its motors died down into a quiet rumble until it fell silent altogether.

He stood there for a moment, acting as if he was checking his bike and his bag, but in reality, he was picking out the voices that surrounded him, looking out for a single mention, or at least a name. He wanted to find his girl.

“Oooh, Gisella, come here, you have to see this new guy. He’s gotta be cuter than the rest of the guys in school!”

There. Gabriel’s senses picked up and soloed in on the group where that statement came from. It was then he turned around, hearing the gasps that came with upon seeing his face. Well, of course, he knew he was handsome, more so than the usual human males. What do you expect from a fallen angel like him? Angels may have unbelievable beauty, but fallen angels have more than just beauty. They had a look of mischief about them. Fallen angels are sin in human form, irresistible in their wickedness. And Gabriel knew enough to know that most girls fall more often with the bad ones than with the good ones. Maybe it’s the nature of a female, to be forever seduced by evil in every form. Take Eve for example.

His eyes, a bright, lightning blue, zeroed in on the group of girls which he located upon hearing the earlier statement. It didn’t take even a second for him to spot the red-haired female among the group. There she stood among her friends, her eyes wide as she stared at him. His whole body seemed to vibrate upon meeting her eyes. And there was only one word that came to his head repeatedly.

Mine.

The possessiveness he felt for her at that moment surprised him. He knew she’d grow into a unique female, but it would seem he never really had an idea of what to expect. But nevertheless, he was glad with what he saw. She looked fragile. She stood out with her hair of fire, her eyes were a bright, cool green, just as he remembered. But there was something else in those eyes, strength and weakness. It was a very delicious mix. Gabriel licked his lips. He was a hundred percent sure that he’d enjoy devouring her when the time came. He couldn’t even wait to get a hold on that soul of hers which she unknowingly borrowed from him.

“Well, good looks aside, he isn’t exactly wearing the uniform correctly.”

“Really, Gisella? You have to find a fault in everything. Who cares about his uni--”

Gabe bowed his head for a moment and silence a laugh upon hearing Gisella’s comment on his uniform. Well, isn’t she Little Miss Perfect? Successfully keeping his laughter in, he looked up again, letting his eyes falter to the girl besides Gisella, the one who kept on gushing to Gisella about him, and that made him smile. At first he expected Gisella to act like this girl, this blonde one, but after seeing how that girl acted, Gabriel realized it would’ve been boring if his girl acted the same as the little blonde. Yes, Gisella’s attitude made things more interesting. He would make sure to change her view of him eventually, and he would enjoy the process. If she decided that she can somehow resist him, then Gabriel would just have to break her. Thoroughly. His eyes returned to Gisella as he passed by her, giving her a wink before he went by her completely.

He headed towards the main building where his classes were supposed to take place, classes which he and Kian manipulated so he would end up in Gisella’s homeroom class. As soon as he disappeared inside the building, he leaned against the wall beside the entrance and closed his eyes, locating Gisella’s group in hopes that the conversation had picked up as soon as they believed that he was gone.

“Oooh, Ella! You lucky girl, having the new hot guy have his sights on you just like that. It did seem like he kind of knew you or something. Do you know him?”

“Of course I don’t know him!”

Gabriel chuckled and shook his head. He was surprised that he’d be this amused by his Ginger and her friends. Good thing she had no idea how much her friend was right in her assumptions, but it was also true that she didn’t know him. How could she? He disappeared before she could even fully understand the scene that she witnessed. There was no way she’d recognize him, more so know him. Realizing that the conversation about him is over, he left the wall and walked off just as the bell resounded through the school corridors.

Their homeroom teacher met him on the way to class which is why he missed Gisella’s enter the room, but since he didn’t hear anything from her, he figured she missed him as well. After instructing him to stay outside until the students have settled in their seats and until she announces him, the teacher stepped into the classroom, leaving Gabriel alone in the corridors to wait. He didn’t like the idea of being made to wait, but it was his idea to come here in the first place.

“Well, students, before announcements about the school, we have a new student who will be joining us starting today. Let’s all try and be nice to him, alright?”

Gabriel made an eye roll before putting on a smile as he walked in. The murmurings in the classroom suddenly picked up as he walked in, so much that the teacher hushed the class so he could speak. For a moment Gabe stood there, his hands in his pockets as he stared at the teacher, an eyebrow raised as if asking what he was supposed to do. Well, he wasn’t good with these human stuff anyway. After gesturing to the class, Gabriel realized that she wanted him to introduce himself. Oh, right. How stupid. Turning back to the class, he smiled brightly again, letting his eyes sweep through the classroom, locating Gisella, but he didn’t focus his eyes on her just yet as he spoke.

“Hello, I'm Gabriel Grigori. You can call me Gabe. Please take care of me.”

He decided to fix his gaze on Gisella as he spoke his last sentence, as if pointing it solely to her. An amused glint entered his eyes then, as if finding the thought of having to be taken care of by other people funny.

“Thank you Mr. Grigori, you can now take your seat at the back.”

Gabriel nodded with a smile. There was only one empty seat, the one at the back, in the middle. Gabriel wasn’t against it, by the way his seat was position, it would give him a good angle of Gisella’s spot by the window. Also, it allowed him to pass by through her. He deliberately stopped by her chair and placed his hand on her desk, leaning down close to her before whispering with a smile.

“Happy birthday, Ginger.”

He would’ve wanted to stay to watch her reaction if not for their teacher scolding him for stopping by Gisella’s desk. Straightening back up, Gabriel threw his head back and laughed lightly, running his fingers through his hair to keep it out of his face.

“Yes, of course, ma’am. I'm sorry if I delayed your class.”

He glanced back at the teacher and gave her a grin before finally sitting down on his chair, leaning his elbows down on his desk before propping one arm up so he could support his head with his hand, tilting it just a bit so he can see Gisella at the corner of his eye even though he directed his eyes forward.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

We are each his own D E V I Lxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxAnd we make this world our H E L L.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx✲x✲x✲

Gabriel barely listened to the lecture, after all, he wasn’t made for obedience, the entire fallen thing already proved that. As the bell rang, he yawned and leaned back on his chair, stretching some. He still kept his eyes on Gisella though, a small smirk turning the corner of his lips. So is she going to avoid him now? Well, he isn’t completely against the idea of chasing after her. The chase should be fun on its own. He made no movements to chase after her, allowing her to ponder things on her own. No doubt she’s full of confusion right now, he didn’t think, nor believe, that her parents would go and tell her about the deal, the unfinished contract.

The classroom was almost empty when Gabriel finally decided to stand from his chair. Some girls deliberately stayed behind to attempt to make conversation with him, though the said conversation mainly composed of giggling and squealing. They introduced themselves one by one, though he doubted he’d even remember their names when he steps out of the room. But he’ll eventually take note of them, who knows, they might provide some sort of amusement in the near future. Gabriel entertained them for a moment, letting himself get amused if even for a few minutes before excusing himself from the small group of girls who surrounded himself. It was inevitable that they would ask about Ginger, how long they knew each other, stuff like that, questions which he avoided skilfully, simply answering them with a faint smile, leaving them to just guess the answers for themselves. He was too busy eavesdropping on Gisella to pay attention to the girls anyway. Gisella, he assumed from the location of her voice, was still lingering at the school corridors with her friend Alba.

“So, how was class? Anymore happy birthdays? Anything interesting happen? Was that new boy in your class? He wasn’t in mine… So?”

“Well, it certain was interesting. Someone else did happen to wish me a happy birthday. The interesting thing was that that person was the new boy.”

“Wait, what? The new boy wished you happy birthday? How does he know when your birthday is?”

“Beats me, but... I don’t think I like him very much. Aside from that whole weird knowing when my birthday is, he just seems to know me but I don’t know him at all. It’s all just so strange!”

Gabriel smiled at hearing that, so he was already disliked. Well he understood her point, it would really look strange to her, to have a new student coming up to her to greet her a happy birthday. A chuckle escaped his lips at the next exchange that took place between Alba and Gisella. So he was successful with making the usually calm Ginger go flustered. He couldn’t help but feel perversely proud. Now, what time is it? Where was he supposed to go again?

Next class was Literature.

“Now where do I go?”

Gabriel slipped his hand into his pockets and pulled out a crumpled copy of his schedule. He let out a grateful sigh upon finding out that his schedule had the rooms as well. He had about ten minutes of free time before his next class starts. Planning to spend some time out in the school grounds, Gabriel turned the same way he came from earlier before going to homeroom class but he stopped in his tracks. Walking purposely at his direction was a female whose hair, silky straight, was as black as night, almost as black as his wings, in fact, it was so black that it almost had shades of blue. And damn, she reminded him of someone he knew, and he didn’t like it at all. He locked his eyes with the incoming female and found himself no longer surprised to find that her eyes were as black as her hair, such a strong contrast to her skin which seemed flawlessly fair. She was breathlessly beautiful. A slow smile came upon the girl’s blood red lips as she stopped before Gabriel. He raised an inquiring brow.

“I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Well that’s a surprise.”

The female brushed off Gabriel’s cold reply with a shrug. “My name is Lily Quinn.”

Gabriel couldn’t help but smirk. “Lily, you say?”

“Walk with me.”

Lily didn’t wait for Gabriel’s reply and simply turned, walking off without looking back at him, completely assured that he was going to follow. For a moment, Gabriel simply watched her go and he realized this Lily was someone in the school with the way people greeted her and stepped out of her way.

Queen Bee, huh?

Smiling, Gabriel merely shook his head and followed after her, he had a few minutes after all. She led him outside the school building and brought him to a part behind the building where students rarely walked by. So she wanted privacy huh? Here was a girl who was sure of herself, someone who was used to getting what she wants. Gabriel could see it from the way she carried herself. She was oozing with complete certainty.

“What do you want from me Lily?”

“It’s your first day, so I decided to welcome you to this school, and to let you know im It here.”

“I figured as much. But I didn’t think its necessary to bring me all the way here just to welcome me, eh?”

Lily ignored him. “You haven’t been here for more than three hours and already, the news of your presence has already travelled fast. I haven’t found a single boy in this school who was at the same level as mine. I want to claim you as mine.”

For the love of god, Gabriel was correct in his assumptions. The tone of Lily’s voice made it clear that she wouldn’t accept no for an answer, in fact, her statement alone was a command, and she regarded herself high enough that she took it for granted that no one would refuse such an offer. Laughter came from Gabriel then, Lily was going to be trouble, he already knew that much, but there was no way he was accepting her offer. He already had his sights on someone.

“That’s very.. flattering, but no thanks. Youre not my type. You strongly remind me of someone I dislike very much.”

That smug smirk returned on Gabriel’s lips as he looked down on Lily, who was visibly fuming, her cheeks unbelievably red, probably finding it impossible that she was refused. Something flickered in her eyes, though Gabriel ignored that. Shrugging, he turned on his heel and started to walk away, only to be stopped, for the second time that day, by Lily.

“No one refuses me in this school! Do you know who I am? I'm the girl who every reasonable, normal, male in this school want!”

Gabriel didn’t give her the satisfaction of him turning back at her completely. Instead, he stood his ground, only turning his upper body to look back at her with a raised brow, as if daring her to say more, but he didn’t allow her to say anything more when he spoke.

“Well, maybe I'm not as normal as you thought. And really, I like being.. a deviant. Besides, you look dull with black eyes and black hair. I like my girls with red hair and bright green eyes.”

Gabriel didn’t think it possible but Lily turned redder. She stomped her feet.

“I’ve heard, but I ignored it. Is it that Segreti girl? She’s no one! You wont gain anything from her!”

“Do you really believe that? And she isn’t no one as long as I take notice of her, and it’s going to take a lot of effort for me to even forget she exists.”

“You’ll regret this! I’ll make your life and hers hell in this school!”

Gabriel’s eyes darkened murderously as he turned around fully and approached Lily who had not enough time to run away. He grabbed her wrist forcefully and pulled her against him, pinning her with his eyes. He could hear his own heart beating thunderously against his chest, his blood rushing underneath his skin in a quiet rage. He could hardly suppress the animalistic growl that came on his voice.

“Listen here, Lily. I know who you are and I want to remind you, Gisella’s mine. Lay as much of a finger on her and I swear on everything that I am that it’ll be the last thing you do. I don’t know and I don’t care what game youre playing here, but leave my girl out of it.”

“Let go Gabriel!”

And he did, shoving her away from him as if he was burned, a look of disgust on his face. Gabriel ran his fingers through his hair, a habit, and turned with all the intention of leaving Lily alone. He was probably already late for his next class, and he wasn’t sure he had the patience to deal with humans any longer.

“Your girl, Gabriel? Might want to rephrase that, I heard that she ran away from you!”

Gabriel stopped for a second but resumed walking again without even bothering to throw back a glance at Lily. His mood had completely, definitely spiralled down.

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

Her plan to stay silent failed.

Bliss huffed and deliberately avoided the sight of Aether. She slipped again when she suddenly interrupted his talk with Evie. She didn’t seem desperate to be part of attention right? Right. She just wanted to set things straight before they even bent. It took all her effort to try and ignore Aether and not to continuously throw sharp glares at him. Instead, every time he said something that picked at her strings, Bliss bit on her lip and tapped her foot against the ground. She was getting more annoyed by the minute. Staying there didn’t make sense anymore.

Why didn’t she order coffee? Or tea? Having completely lost her appetite to finish her snack, Bliss found herself with nothing to do. She had asked for water to drink, if she had asked for coffee or tea, she could’ve had an excuse to busy herself by stirring her drink and look occupied, giving herself a reason to ignore Aether and his friend. She let go of her fork for she knew sooner or later she’ll begin to pick at her food out of boredom and that idea didnt really seem nice. Frustrated, she simply leaned back against her chair, crossed her arms on her chest and tapped her feet silently impatiently. She wanted out, but her pride told her to stand her ground. She chewed on her lip, a habit. She didn’t want to make a conversation with Emery. She wasn’t interested. But that didn’t stop Emery to try and talk to her. Well, perhaps she could use a temporary distraction.

“Ah, My Lady, if you ever need assistance, I’m happy to help.”

Help with what? Bliss raised a slender brow, wondering what he meant. She had to backtrack a bit to realize he was talking about helping her with shopping. Bliss wanted to laugh. There aren’t many men who would willingly offer themselves as helpers to ladies who wanted to go shopping. Emery then threw a smile at her, which she returned, only because she was still amused at his offer. But it was a smile nevertheless. She can worry about whether she unknowingly encouraged his attentions, which she doesn’t—want to encourage him that is. He seemed like a good guy, and she knew she doesn’t deserve someone that nice. But there’s also the fact that he’s Aether’s friend, which made her doubt Emery’s sincerity if not a bit.

“Perhaps you could-“

”What other misadventures have you two had in the past?”

Before she could hold herself in check, Bliss sharply turned to Aether with an expression of disbelief on her face. It wasn’t something a man should ask a lady like Evie and herself. And he calls himself a gentleman? However, Bliss found Aether not looking at Evie, nor at her, but at Emery. Confused for a moment, Bliss looked back and forth between the two males and frowned, something was going on. Evie however, was oblivious to this when she excitedly started sharing experiences that would make Bliss melt or evaporate into nothingness because of extreme embarrassment.

“Oh! Well, there was this one time when we were invited to a party which was held in an open area. Bliss heard of a wishing well and we went to look for it. We got lost though, and Bliss—“

Bliss gasped, “Evie!”

“—hurt her ankle. We had to wait until it was dark for someone to fetch—“

“Evangeline!”

Bliss tried to make her voice firm, but her voice still shook slightly out of embarrassment. Of all the stories! Well, she really rather Evie not tell any at all but it was too late. She wanted to clamp her hand on Evie’s mouth, or grab her arm to make her stop. Instead, she reached under the table and pinched her cousin lightly which Evie reacted to by turning to glance at her with a pout. Bliss shook her head briefly, her eyes begging for her to stop. The young redhead was apparently amused by Bliss’ reaction because she giggled before speaking once more.

“Ah.. my cousin disapproves of the sharing. And nice meeting you as well, Lord.. Ashton?”

A groan escaped Bliss’ throat as she leaned her elbow against the table and pressed her hand against her eyes, currently finding it impossible to look at either Aether or Emery. She decided to finally leave, after gathering herself that is. Seemingly oblivious to her discomfort, the conversation continued.

“Perhaps we can anticipate you two at the villa this season?”

What?

”Ah, indeed. You two are attending, am I correct?”

Bliss looked up in confusion, currently forgetting her embarrassment, as she looked at Aether and Emery.

“Right, I’m quite sure I saw your names on the guest list.”

It was Evie’s turn to gasp. “Oh!”

“Oh, what?”

For a moment, she felt as if she alone was missing on something and she didnt like it. Feeling her annoyance returning, Bliss immediately grasped at it, anything to forget her embarrassment. What is this talk of villas and guest lists? Was she invited to a party without her knowing? Or, god forbid, was there a party she wasn’t invited to? Bliss continued to look at Evie for some sort of explanation, which the younger girl gave without Bliss needing to ask her a second time.

“That’s also the other reason I came over, Bliss. We have both been invited to the Duchess’ opening of the season party at her villa in the countryside two days from now. It’s going to be a weeklong celebration, so we’ll be staying there. My parents will be on business then and wont be able to come with and chaperone me. But they said they’ll allow me if youre going to come with me instead.”

Bliss blinked, not finding the words to form a reply. It wasn’t that she was surprised or anything, but still, it wasn’t like she can come up with a decision on spot. She’ll definitely need to ask the permission of her aunt. Then it hit her, an idea, one that she liked. Also, it gave her a reason to finally excuse herself and Evie from Aether and his friend without seeming to avoid the confrontation.

“I'm going to have to discuss it with Aunt Olivia first. If it’s in two days, then we’re running out of time. The countryside is quite far from here.” Bliss turned to Aether and Emery, and without even meeting their eyes, gave a stiff bow of her head. “Well gentlemen, if you would excuse us. It seems we have something to deal with. It was a pleasure meeting you out here today.” Not really. “Let’s go, Evie.”

Bliss didn’t even wait for Evie who scrambled off her feet hurriedly and excused herself before catching up to Bliss, who stayed quiet until they arrived to the carriage.

“I cant believe you actually told them about that Evie! You know what I feel about de Sole—“

“Aether, actually.”

“Whatever! It’s still embarrassing!”

Evie watched Bliss blush and laughed for a moment before speaking once more. “So about that invitation..”

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

✤ ✤ ✤


It had been a slow night at The Seventh, the inn where Avery Gray was currently having a night shift in. He wasn’t a waiter or a server, but instead he stayed at what people can call is the reception area. Even at the young age of nineteen, Avery was known around the Seven Pins. Avery was the only son of the owner of Seven Pins, a chain of inns that was quite known in the land. Jenner Gray, Avery’s father was a known gambler a few years ago. However, rumor is that Jenner once made a bet against a rich traveller and won, which was believed to be spent by Jenner to build the Seven Pins, seven inns that were scattered about the land, individually numerically, such as The First, The Second.. so on until The Seventh. The first six were located in different towns, but The Seventh, unarguably the most famous among the Seven Pins, was located at the main town of the kingdom, Jenner’s hometown.

While Avery frequented The Seventh often, he never stayed as late as he did tonight. It was almost midnight. He agreed to act as a temporary receptionist while his father went home to check on his wife, Avery’s mother, who had been sick for a while. It was nothing serious, just a normal fever, but despite being a rough man, Jenner really loved his wife. Avery stepped into Jenner’s empty post by the reception in the inn until his father returned. However, he didn’t think his father would take that long. It was a good thing that Gareth, Jenner’s best friend and right hand, was there to help Avery out. While they both agreed it was a slow, calm night, they both knew to expect the unexpected in the inn. After all, the Seven Pins were not just inns. Every one of the Seven Pins had a pub for it’s first floor, while the second floor was reserved the for the rooms. Avery knew that a fight can just come out of thin air in such an atmosphere, and he admitted that he isn’t his father. Jenner was used to a rough, physical lifestyle, while Avery, though not weak, chose to spend his time reading books and studying at the influence of his mother. While he can handle a fight or two, there was no way he can manage a riot.

“So how’s Hannah?”

Avery looked up from the book he was reading when he heard Gareth’s voice beside him. Gareth was a big guy with a scar above his right eyebrow, however, despite his menacing appearance, Gareth was a jolly fellow who had endless jokes up his sleeve. He’s a generally easy person to have around, as long as you don’t make him mad. Avery shrugged in response to his question.

“Her fever’s letting up. Though, I still have no idea why father had to rush home all of a sudden. I just hope nothing bad has happened to mother.”

Avery’s brows furrowed, evidence of his concern for her mother. Hannah Gray is a beautiful woman, very gentle and soft spoken despite her strong personality. Still, she looked fragile to Avery, especially when he sees his parents together. Her petite form seemed too small beside his father’s firm body. However, Hannah was never sickly. In fact, this was the first time Avery saw his mother abed for days, almost a week. He was more worried than he was letting show.

Gareth placed a hand on Avery’s shoulder and patted him lightly, returning him to senses as he had seemed to enter in deep thought once more, something he does quite often as of late. Avery jumped slightly on his seat and looked up at Gareth’s smiling face, who nodded after meeting Avery’s eyes.

“Dont worry, she’ll be fine. Despite her looks, she has a stubborn personality which can rival Jenner’s. A fever’s nothing to her. Just wait a few more days.”

“I know. Thanks for the concern, I appreciate it.”

The older man nodded and left Avery for a while to look about the establishment to make sure everything was still in place. As soon as he was alone, Avery placed his book on the counter before him and rubbed his eyes, removing any hint of sleep that might’ve started to appear. He then stood from his chair and stretched. With the knowledge that Gareth was inside the inn to look over the happenings inside, Avery slipped outside The Seventh and into the silent night. The night air was cool and soothing in comparison to the restless atmosphere inside The Seventh, the streets outside was deserted, though he shouldn’t be surprised seeing that it’s already past midnight. He could hardly concentrate on his book inside with all the noise. Walking a bit to the right, Avery leaned against the wall beside the door and closed his eyes, letting himself enjoy his brief moment of solitude.

Avery is quite the balanced male when it comes to physical strength and intellect, thanks to his parents. Jenner thought him the basics of fighting, enough to protect himself if needed. Hannah didn’t allow her husband to teach Avery anymore than necessary, finding the idea of Avery turning into a boy who liked fighting like Jenner unpleasant. So in order to balance Jenner’s instructions on Avery, she taught his son about literature and philosophy, and was pleased to find out that Avery was interested.

There weren’t a lot of boys his age and status with the same level of intellect since the privilege of hiring a private tutor for a child is something only the noble families and the royal family (of course) can afford. Everyone knew the Grays were just common people despite of the small wealth they had gathered thanks to Seven Pins. His intellect earned Avery a few admirers, females who he declined politely. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t bad looking either. He took after his mother, with his fair skin, brown hair, and matching brown eyes, Avery had a gentle appearance. He isn’t anywhere near incredibly handsome to be constantly fawned on, but it couldn’t be denied that he is attractive enough on his own way.

“Ave!”

Avery’s eyes focused on the figure that was approaching him. His father had returned. Leaving the support of the wall behind him, he walked forward to welcome his father. Jenner’s green eyes were bright. Avery couldn’t help but be hopeful. For the past few days, ever since Hannah developed her fever, Jenner became increasingly not himself with worry, but this time, Avery saw that his father had reverted back to his loud, cheerful self.

“Mother?”

“She’s well. She demanded that she wanted to see me to tell me herself that she’s feeling all better now. She’s looking for you, you know how she is. She isn’t exactly ecstatic to find out that I left you here.”

“I'm almost twenty father.”

“Yeah well, women.”

Avery chuckled and gave way to his father to enter The Seventh with him following behind him closely. As they entered, Jenner turned to Avery and expressed slight surprise to find that Avery had followed him inside and inquired whether he was going to visit her mother. Avery shook his head.

“I’d love to see mother, but I doubt she’d be getting any rest if I go to her now. I think she still needs some rest even she’s already gotten better. I’ll go home tomorrow, you don’t mind if I stay here for the night, do you?”

“Of course not, son. Do you want a room to be set?”

“No. I can do it myself. But I want to stay down here for a while. I’ll go up eventually.”

“Whatever you want then.”

Nodding, Avery took his book which he left earlier on the counter and retreated into a table near the corner of the room, allowing him a good view of the room before him. He watched his father and Gareth greet each other, and judging by the grins on their faces, the news of Hannah’s recovery was already shared. Avery smiled slightly and allowed himself to relax as he resumed reading his book, throwing a brief glance about the room from time to time.


✤ ✤ ✤

[Valentine W i t c h - -]

★ ★ ★


10:00 pm.

The numbers on the watch on the girl’s wrist blinked repeatedly, catching her attention, causing her to curse inwardly. She had taken too long in the library. She was a freshman in the local college in town but despite her being a new college student, it didn’t mean that her professors were easy on her. In fact, they seemed intent to make her life hell with the amount of work that was thrust in her arms. Her professor in history wanted a paper done, to be passed three days from now. Now it wasn’t as if she’s been procrastinating. But a 20-page report in a week is just impossible to be finished on time, last time she checked, history was only one of her many subjects for this semester. She had been staying late in the city library for days on end ever since the report came up, and she just kept on staying later and later every day.

Gathering the books she used, the girl stood from her chair and returned them to their shelves before returning to her table again to compile her notes this time, proceeding to leaving the library after. The librarian gave her a slight wave, which she returned with a tired smile. She had been frequenting the library too much that the librarian was already familiar with her.

The night air greeted her harshly when she stepped out of the building, causing her to shiver and pull her coat tighter around her. The streets were almost empty, the passing cars were few and far between. If she wanted, she could’ve waited for a taxi to be brought home, but she needed to keep her expenses at its minimum, as her next allowance was scheduled on Saturday, and that’s four days from now. She decided to walk. The dormitory where she stayed is not that far after all, and she had recently discovered a shortcut from the library to her dorm. She blew into her hands and rubbed them together, warming them up before she crossed the street. Stopping by a nearby vending machine, she allowed herself a cup of coffee before walking on. Honestly, she had low tolerance with cold weather, she didn’t doubt that she’d be freezing by the time she arrives at the dorm if she didn’t have at least a cup of coffee to keep her warm. She sat at the bench beside the vending machine and drank her coffee, watching cars pass by and a few people walk by hurriedly. The coffee was burning her tongue, but nevertheless, she hurriedly finished it, disposing the cup on the nearest trash bin and buried her hands into the pockets of her coat before walking off.

10.23pm.

She finally located the shortcut she found a week ago but despite using it frequently the last few days, she was still surprised to find herself wary this night, for a moment, she almost took a step back and just go around the block and avoid the alley that was right before her. She hadn’t been this late before, and this night, the alley seemed too dark than usual. Her hyperactive imagination was starting to work against her, filling her head with unpleasant images.

10.31pm

She sucked in a breath and huffed. She was acting like a child. She had used the same shortcut and nothing ever happened. Yes, it’s a dark alley and a bit dirty, but people didn’t frequent it, as if they didn’t know the alley existed. What are the chances that anything will happen tonight? She was simply being paranoid, and she’s wasting precious time. Shaking her head, she gathered her courage and went into the alley, her walking brisk, her speed comforted her a bit, the shorter time she had to spend in the alley, the better.

10.37pm

A clatter sounded from behind her. A cat? She stopped in her tracks and looked back, only to see nothing. It was too dark to make something out, but despite seeing nothing, her heart started beating faster, could feel the rush of pulsing blood against her skin. It was just her imagination right? Turning forward once more, she resumed walking, faster than how she walked earlier. To her horror, she started hearing footsteps coming towards her from behind, it was steadily getting louder, so much that it seemed to be echoing in the alley around her. Unable to stop herself any longer, she broke into a run.

It didn’t take even a minute after she started running when she felt a blow at the back of her head, causing her to drop on her knees. She felt dizzy.

“What the—“

She turned her head to look behind her only to be slammed against the wall of the alley, successfully knocking the air out of her lungs. She tried to keep her eyes open, but they were blurred. Nevertheless, she was able to make out a form in front of her, a man, she was sure. She wanted to speak, but her voice abandoned her, her throat felt dry, and then there was pain.

There was a sudden sharp pain on the side of her neck, causing her to scream. She squirmed helplessly, tried to kick, but the man pinned her perfectly, making her unable to move. She could feel his tongue against his neck and the steady trickle of her blood. It didn’t make sense. They shouldn’t exist. But— Another scream came from her when his fangs dug into her neck again, and this time, she was all too aware of her blood leaving her body. Her screams turned into helpless, weakened groans. And as if realizing that she had stopped fighting against him, the vampire—she had no idea what else he could be, even though it was impossible—started running his hands over her body. As if it wasn’t enough to abuse her with the way he drank, fed, from her, he still wanted to molest her body. To her horror, her body betrayed her by reacting to his touches. Never in her life had she felt so betrayed, so used, so filthy. She was disgusted to hear her groans turn into quiet moans. She didn’t know how long it took, but she found herself brought back to her senses when she felt his lips press demandingly against hers, he bit on her lips, parting them, and when she did, he forced blood into her mouth. She gasped in shock, she tried to force it out of her mouth, but she couldn’t help but swallow a few.

She felt so violated.

After what seemed like hours, she felt him drop her on the ground. She didn’t care then. Her body was weak. He may not have ******** her, but she still felt raped. She felt cold, and this time, it wasn’t because of the weather. Her eyes fluttered close, her breathing came in hard. Well this sucks, she was going to die in the middle of nowhere, in a dirty alley. She could still taste blood on her tongue when she thankfully passed out.

At least she still had her clothes on.


━━━━━━━━━━━━━━


What just happened?

The girl groaned and turned to her side, surprised to feel a soft bed beneath her. She refused to open her eyes just yet, so instead of doing so, she pressed her face against the pillow. Her eyes shot open. That wasn’t her pillow, it smelled different to her. It wasn’t familiar at all. She pushed herself up to a sitting position and ran a hand through her hair and by doing so, it brushed slightly against the side of her neck, causing her to hiss. It hurt. Why? Dragging her fingers against it, and looked at it. Surprise and confusion filled her when she saw dried blood on her fingers. Panicked, she unwittingly started dragging her nails against her neck again, clawing at her own skin until fresh blood started dripping from her wounds.

Where did she get it?

Tears started to pool in her eyes. She tried remembering what happened to her, what time it was, what day, what date. Her head came up with nothing.

Where is she?

Who is she?

“I don’t—I don’t remember anything!”

She cried out to no one in particular. Suddenly, the scent of her own blood slammed against her senses. She felt weak, but at that moment, even though she knew nothing else about what happened, or who she was, she at least knew one thing. She was hungry. Thirsty. She needed something. Her throat suddenly dried up, her voice coming out cracked.

“Hun..gry..”


★ ★ ★