Music Recommendation: Thirteen- Stephan Moccio
Eve frowned, wondering where the little vampiress could be right now. She said to the maid, "I will take a look at the South Wing, and you can go and take a look at the East Wing. We should be able to find her quicker this way."
The maid quickly nodded, "Yes, milady," and she left from there.
Most of the guests had arrived, and the Moriarty family would soon gather in the ballroom. Eve quickly walked, searching for Allie while moving from one corridor to another, lit up by the lanterns hanging on the walls.
The further she walked, the quieter her company turned out to be until she couldn't hear the music or the guests. All she could hear was her footsteps softly clicking in the deserted corridor.
She was going to leave the corridor when she saw a small shadow next to a pillar of the balcony. Moving closer, she saw it was Allie.
"I didn't know you liked staring at the stars," said Eve, taking the little vampiress by surprise as Allie had been lost in her thoughts not to notice Eve's footsteps approaching where she sat.
Allie was dressed in a grey dress, and as expensive as the dress's material was, the little girl didn't care about it getting dirty. She now looked at Eve with her eyebrows slightly pulled together.
Eve noticed the little girl's hand crumple the front of her dress. From what Aunt Aubrey had told her, balls were supposed to be joyous occasions and not stressful, at least not for a girl of Allie's age.
She took a few more steps before smoothening the back of her dress with both hands before sitting next to the little girl. After a few seconds of silence, Eve said,
"When I was as small as you, I used to like staring at the stars too as I waited. There used to be a big one that shone brighter than the others, and I was told that it was my father," Eve stared at the sky, which stretched endlessly.
"Waited?" Whispered the little girl.
"Yes," a soft smile appeared on Eve's cherry-kissed lips. "I used to wait for my mama."
Though many things could be forgotten, Eve didn't forget the warmth she felt in her chest when she remembered her mother. But along with the warmth came the ache in her chest.
Eve then turned to look at Allie and said, "What are you doing here sitting alone by yourself, when there are people who are waiting to see and talk to you?"
Allie shook her head. She then spoke more than she ever had before, "I cannot." The girl looked down at her palms. "People will laugh at me…"
In Allie's understanding, Eve had noticed her fangless mouth a few days ago, when in truth, Eve had learned about it after Vincent had explained what happened.
Eve's heart went out to the girl, who wanted to hide in the shadows, scared that she would be mocked. She placed her hand on top of the little girl's head and said,
"What happened wasn't your fault, Miss Allie. You shouldn't punish yourself for a mistake you never committed."
Silence fell between them. Allie then said in a small voice, "Mother is disappointed. Everyone looks at me strangely."
"One day your mother will come around, Miss Allie. Maybe not today, and it might take some more time," Eve assured the little girl. "What you can do is, prove to people that you are much more than the ones who look down at you. It would be a shame if you don't show yourself to people, especially when you have gotten ready for the ball."
Allie pursed her lips and she raised her gaze to meet Eve's eyes. She said, "Sister Marceline is prettier, no one will see me."
Eve turned her body. Leaning forward, she said,Â
"I think right now you are the prettiest girl in this mansion, and don't let anyone say otherwise." She paused for a moment and continued, "It isn't something I would advice, but look at your brother. He doesn't care about what others think and somewhere he is right. You shouldn't let others' thoughts control your happiness. Let me tell you a secret, Miss Allie."
The little girl continued to listen to her human governess, while staring through her red eyes.
"When I was a little girl. Small girl," Eve corrected herself, remembering Vincent often used those words. She continued, "I didn't have friends. More rightly to say, they didn't want to be friends with me and stayed away from me."
"With you?" Allie asked with a big frown on her face, and Eve nodded.
"As I grew up, I came to meet more people, like minded ones. People who care for me and understand me. One day in the future, what you are feeling now will just be a memory because you will be doing much better, Miss Allie. It doesn't matter if you don't play the pianoforte in the way people expect you to play it, forget about the people who are going to watch you. But believe that you are the mistress in the skill to play it. Who knows… tonight will be the night where people will look at you differently?" She offered a bright smile to Allie.
The young vampiress quickly leaned forward and put her arms around Eve's waist, hugging her. Eve placed her hand on the girl's small back and gently rubbed it.
"Thank you," whispered the little girl.
"You are most welcome, Miss Allie," Eve smiled at the little one, who finally pulled back from her. "Your absence has turned the maids worried and they are looking for you. Let us get to the ballroom, shall we?"
Eve stood up and offered her hand to Allie to stand on her feet. Seeing the wrinkle in the little girl's dress, she bent down and made it proper.
Though Allie was too captivated to say more to her governess, she felt safe in the presence of the human. The little girl couldn't help but notice that her governess looked much different than she usually did. The human looked better than the doll in her room, which was tucked safely under her blanket.
When they reached the front of the ballroom, the butler of the Moriarty family quickly made his way through the guests and came to stand in front of Eve and Allie.
"Oh, Miss Allie, here you are! Your mother has been asking for you," the butler quickly informed the young vampiress.
"Miss Allie wanted to use the bathroom and it got a little late there," Eve replied to Alfie, who nodded.
"Thank you for bringing her here, Ms. Barlow. Let me lead her to where Lady Annalise is," said Alfie, bowing his head and Eve bowed back. But Allie didn't move from her spot. Instead, she turned to look at Eve.
Eve offered an encouraging smile to Allie and said, "I will be right there."
"Miss Allie?" The butler urged the young miss because Lady Annalise had asked about her twice.
Even though Lady Annalise had told her to attend the ball so that Eve would look after Allie, she doubted she would be doing so. Especially considering how the little girl would need to give her attendance by standing next to one of her family members, preferably being next to Lady Annalise.
The chatter and music in the mansion wasn't too loud, but neither was it low.
Eve took a deep breath before exhaling it. She took a step inside the ballroom, which was followed by another and then the next one. But the more steps she took, the more her legs shook beneath her dress which, thankfully, people didn't notice it because of the layers the dress had.
The guests in the ballroom, busy talking and laughing in glee, had to pause for a moment when the young lady in the pastel blue dress came into their view. Most people looked at the human from the corner of their eyes.
Some went back to their conversations, while others looked at the woman with a question in their eyes, on who she was.
A few men who had eyed the other young miss's of the wealthy family or beauty until now were unable to look away from Eve, and they were having thoughts to ask this woman for a dance. While some women's eyes narrowed, not liking that they had new competition in the room.
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