𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 , 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬

𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫

❘༻༺❘

You walk back to your room with a pounding heart and a fluttering feeling in your chest. You quickly slip back into your bedroom, carefully closing the door. Once shut, you press your back against the cold wood, allowing your eyes to close. You felt your face red-hot with fluster. You place your hand on your chest, lightly smiling, remembering the warm feeling of Julia's hand on yours.

Before heading to bed, you change into some dry clothes and run a brush through your frizzy hair. You hummed gently while brushing the ends of your hair, which smelled strongly of rainwater; your thoughts wandered back to the unique redhead who rescued you from your impending doom. The thought of her made your head spin and your heart beat entirely out of your chest. What is this feeling?

You wake up in bed with the bright rays of sunshine beaming on your face, causing you to squint your eyes. You roll over on your other side with a slight groan. Jet lag has finally caught up to you. A cold hand went to your mouth as you let out a rather long yawn. The room was freezing, which made you want to melt back into the soft bedding. Glancing over at the clock on the end table, you felt the overwhelming urge to smash your head into a wall. It was 6:45 in the morning, and for the next half an hour, you tried forcing yourself to go back to bed, but it was to no avail. You were awake.

Coping with your situation, you slipped on a warm cardigan and some fuzzy slippers to help with the cold environment. Walking into the bathroom, you start to freshen up, brushing your teeth and hair, then washing your face. You weren't quite awake enough to completely dress, so you decided to do it later. You doubted anyone besides Elizabeth, whom you secretly hoped to run into, would be awake this early. Elizabeth was so different than how your mother described her. She was warm, loving, and easy to talk to. It made you wonder about their relationship and what caused the drift between them.

As you walked down the grand stairs into the bottom portion of the house, you felt an oddly serene peace. It looked like no one was awake yet, considering noise and lights were absent. Outside, the weather was still gloomy, and dark clouds filled the skies. Walking into the kitchen, Elizabeth's voice made you jump. "Early riser?"

Placing a hand on your chest, you spun around to face her with a small smile. "More like jet-lagged," you say softly. Elizabeth was sitting on a dark blue couch before a small fire-lit fireplace. It was yet another sitting area.

"Well, come sit and warm up by the fire, dear." Elizabeth motions for you to sit next to her on the couch. "I adore this house, but it's so large that the heating bill would be astronomical. It's always cold like this, especially during winter." Sitting next to her on the sofa, you were instantly welcomed by the warm sensation of the fire. "How did you sleep, dear?" she inquires, sipping from her white teacup.

"It was the best sleep I've had in forever," you honestly blurt. "The bedding was incredibly comfortable, and it's been nice not having to stress about schoolwork." You quickly try to recover in an attempt to sound respectful and formal. Elizabeth seemed so put together and effortlessly elegant that you wanted to put out the same effort.

"I'm so glad, y/n." Elizabeth leans over to place her teacup on the coffee table, revealing a book in her lap. Tilting your head sideways, you read the title printed on the book's spine—Greygallows, by Barbara Michaels. You recognized it instantly since you'd had to write many papers during your literature class in Switzerland. "Oh! By the way, Julia asked me to inform you that your session will take place at 10:30 this morning. Her office is just a couple of doors down from your room. I'll show you once it's time."