Chapter 7

We were led into the relatively warm interior of the Miller mansion. The interior seemed...different somehow. It might be that the university was getting to me but the rooms seemed a bit tighter. It also seemed quieter than usual though it added to ambience.

"You redecorated," I said, finally noticing what was different.
Maya glanced at me. "Yes. The wood was getting old so we removed them and added some plaster."

I nodded. The first time we visited, the walls of the house were covered in stylish shining wood. Now, the walls were covered with a pale color that still complemented the expensive furniture. The lights were partially dimmed and the heater seemed to be working on overdrive. After a while, we shrugged out of our jackets and trench coats. Some of the maids appeared all of a sudden and offered to take our clothes. One of them offered to take Ruby as well. The dog suddenly livened up and hopped out of Dinah's arm and landed lithely on the floor.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Lyra exclaimed. I peered at the dog curiously.

"Quite," a tiny voice agreed. There were varying degrees of surprise among Alex, Dinah and I but I think I was the only one who nearly jumped out of my skin. I spun to my side and peered at the tiny figure striding alongside us.

"Can I help you?" I said, not bothering to hide the annoyance in my voice.

"Hello, Lady Amelia," Lyra said in a patronizing tone.
"Hello, Lady Lyra," Amelia replied staring straight ahead.
"Lady Amelia," Maya said respectfully, "What are you doing roaming the halls at this time? The Courts have already convened."
"I needed to use the bathroom," Amelia answered without looking at Maya.

Maya nodded and let it go.
"Who are these people?" Amelia asked in a dreamy voice.
"You are familiar with Master Alex?" Maya asked. The little girl nodded.
"These are his friends, Master Louis, and Lady Dinah."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said, again not bothering to look at us. We all just murmured our greetings.

I glanced at the little girl. She couldn't have been more than ten years old. Amelia wore a cute frilly dress of dark green and bronze. Her light brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail held by an emerald studded clip. Her skin still looked baby soft and she had a young warm blush on her cheeks. Despite the cuteness that should've been present, she was creepy. I mean really creepy. She was staring distantly and only seemed vaguely aware of what was happening around her. Her stride didn't match a small child's and looked like what a girl would grow up to be if she spent her life in a boot camp.

"You seem uncomfortable, Mr. Louis," Amelia said dreamily. Even her voice sounded creepy.
"Me, uncomfortable? Nope. Not me," I slurred.
"You do not belong to any of the Courts. You and your friend," she noted. Now that was eerie.
"How would you know?" I challenged.
"The clothes for one," she said. I looked at my clothes and then at the two Ladies and suddenly felt underdressed.

We arrived at a large open room that was probably in one of the new wings since I don't remember it from before, and I felt even more underdressed. The room was large even for the mansion. It was lit brightly with soft yellow and white lights and was decorated simply. There were complicated markings all over the floor that somehow seemed to be beautiful and matched the room and its current occupants.

Several people sat around a large rectangular wooden table. On the far side of the table which was probably the head, sat two of the other members of the Miller family: Calvin and Elizabeth Miller. Alex bore great resemblance to the two in a sense that they all looked great. Calvin Miller looked plenty young aside from the streaks of silver on his hair and the occasional wrinkles; he looked more like a seasoned boater than a business tyrant. Elizabeth Miller had the same wavy hair as Alex did only in a shade of brown and would've qualified as a seasoned movie star. They both wore white formal wear. I thought I saw Mr. Miller's eyes widen as he saw us but if it was there, it was quickly smoothed out into neutrality.

Sitting on their right was Clara Miller, Alex's sister. Only two years his senior, Clara was one of the most beautiful girls I've seen. She wore a formal white gown and would've made any actress a run for her money. If only she wasn't so scary. It wasn't really a thought I usually played with, but if what I gathered from before was correct, she was really intimidating. Through the course of the events last summer, amongst the murders, the werewolves, and the creature we have yet to name, it turned out Clara was more than one step ahead of everything and was toying with everything from the sidelines. Granted, I didn't know what had gone through her head, it was still annoying that she didn't so much as warn anyone. It would've saved a lot of hospital bills. It wasn't just the situation she managed to manipulate; she also toyed with me, making use of my relatively young hormones. And as it turned out, she even tugged her own parents' strings though I have yet to prove it.