Nefarious

C163 - In Evanston's favour

-Xavier's point of view-

Valerie slowly recovered her consciousness, at least enough to panic now and then. As she gradually became aware of the situation, she kept mumbling to herself, glancing over at Jace and me in hopes of getting information, or so I assumed. It wasn't hard to tell she was bewildered, so both Jace and Alex made sure to answer all questions, even when she was muttering lots of nonsense. They wouldn't want her driven to despair, not after they'd observed one the worst reactions to a transformation. I wasn't driven to despair as I still had Zane. However, I was overtaken by malice and an immense amount of hatred. That is something which Valerie will never relate to; that unimaginable and unmeasurable passion for revenge which burns as strong as an inextinguishable fire. Truth be told... Xylan Caizar has always been the primary source of the problems within 'our' castle, but unfortunately, people have struggled to take notice of such. Consequently, he'll easily become our permanent, merciless devil of a leader. All this just because of people's illusions and refusal to see the truth.

Kai's visit went as expected. He asked questions, leaving out details which could benefit Alex unintentionally. Not once did he question Valerie's silenced demeanour or her groggy state. I presumed the reasoning for that was his task to observe his surroundings mainly. It did cross my mind that he would be left with tons of unanswered questions though. Kai could have misinterpreted the situation, making for a wrong and unjust impression of Alex based on a conception which strays from reality. Ah, there have been countless things in this castle which have annoyed me, some could even pass as unnecessary annoyances, like details which I abhor. To be frank, though, it almost seemed like I was subconsciously looking for things to be annoyed at or for. You know, as a way of distancing as well as distracting myself from the constant chaos around me.

Jace was stressed out, burdened by his undivulged secret which could turn everything upside down. He was reliant on Dane keeping shut, so was I, and so was Alex. The timing would have to be perfect for the election to go smoothly, and as proven numerous times before, perfect timing has never been a common occurrence here. Perhaps I was over stressing it, overtaken by some kind of paranoia. How could I not, though? When observing the last person I care for going through something as nerve-wracking and challenging as this, how could I not worry? It would be ignorant of me to believe that Jace and I would get out of this situation unaffected, but of course, that won't count for Valerie. She'll get lucky.

-Jace's point of view-

I didn't like Xavier's discreet glances. He was either speculating, overthinking, or questioning something, or so I presumed. Typically, he only sent me those types of glances whenever I had done something which he'd shown disapproval of in the past. I knew I should've asked him if anything was bothering him, but I didn't. I kept quiet, avoiding all possible conflicts between us. He was still despiteful of vampires, including the ones who were living alongside him. The sarcastic tone which comes naturally whenever he speaks to a fellow vampire exposes that hatred. However, not many can tell as they don't know him and likely never will. Admittedly, it's kind of amusing seeing countless people sharing the idea that Xavier adores them. I mean, he could've been an excellent manipulator because of that. Xavier could've taken advantage of numerous people, but he has never done so, and he won't ever do that. Xavier might've been turned into a vampire, but mentally, he's still human.

-Eugene's point of view-

Adeline had been yelling at Dane for ten minutes straight, trying desperately to get a confession out of him. "I'm not working against Hayden," Dane said calmly, his voice barely heard due to Adeline's loudness. "You're working with Valerie and Alex, and that's an indisputable fact! Just concede already! You should've been discharged for disloyalty a long time ago and-" she started. Well, technically, he wasn't working with Alex or Valerie, but with Jace. "That's enough, Adeline. I'm sure you wouldn't want the entire castle to know just how unstable you are. It could ruin your reputation, you know," Dane interrupted. Adeline pursed her lips, struggling not to snap at him. "Oh, darling, I'll make sure to ruin yours much greater than mine." Shocked to hear her response, I heightened my head automatically, meeting her gaze unintentionally. Yuck, the way she said 'darling' had both Dane and me cringing badly, though Dane failed to keep it hidden. "And you, Moonchild, don't feel superior just because you're of importance to Hayden. Once he turns you, you're out," she said, her tone lowering majorly. "And how do you know Hayden won't disregard you after becoming a leader? How are you so certain that he's not using you solely for information regarding Alex?" I asked. "There's a line which separates love from taking advantage of an individual," she said assertively. "Yeah, and who draws that line? What if your line ends somewhere else than Hayden's, huh? You're so shallow, Adeline, that it's almost impressive."

A blonde woman dressed in formal clothing entered mid-discussion, announcing that Dane's first speech was to be held the following day. Dane had declared that he was now a candidate for the leader position as well, challenging Hayden at a risky and late state. Hayden had had plenty of time to charm the people while Dane's time was limited. Dane had written speeches, promoting efficiency regarding nutrition as well as openness and reflection over life choices as a vampire in the modern world. The topics which Dane was to discuss were controversial, sensitive, and risky to bring up, yet he chose to go for it as to rid himself of lies. He, as well as many others, were tired of hearing the same old lies repeatedly. As I saw it, people were craving a change in their lives, and so this was the perfect opportunity for Dane.