Nefarious

C169 - Limitations

-Valerie's point of view-

When waking up, the first thing I took notice off was Alex's absence. He was no longer lying beside me, and his side of the bed had gone cold. Honestly, it was difficult telling whether he'd been gone for long or not because of his natural coldness that normally didn't contribute to much heat anyway. The room was fairly messier than last night, and it was clear to say that Alex had had a busier morning than usual. With such a mess, though, I should've woken up from the sounds. As I didn't, Alex must've done everything as silently as possible, meaning he didn't want me to know what was going on. Hm, what a way to truly pique my curiosity, Alex.

I accidentally put on Alex's hoodie, but I managed to get the jeans right at least. Bothering to do my hair wasn't a priority of mine as things were now, so I straight up tucked it into the hoodie. It wasn't much of a flattering look, but I had other things to worry about at the time.

The second I entered the hallway outside Alex's room, a surprising silence met me. There was no form for guards patrolling up and down the hallway like usual, and no voices roamed the place. My gaze wandered to the wall with the silver and gold roses, making a mental note to keep a distance from them. I wouldn't want to challenge faith despite not believing in the roses' effect. Risking the fall of a rose could easily upset a lot of people, and that was in no way needed.

When finally reaching the main meeting room, it was like a heavy atmosphere of severe negativity hit me. "Pardon me, it wasn't my intention to disturb your meeting," I said formally, avoiding eye contact with Alex's mother. "No worries at all, Ms.Pennington. We were just going over something before the election," Xylan said, attempting to sound kind. His voice sent shivers down my spine, and I genuinely struggled not to shudder. "Oh, so everything's okay then?" I chuckled awkwardly, feeling nothing but stupid for worrying. Xylan's dark eyes stared deep into mine as he nodded once slowly. His lips had curved into a faint smirk, making him look like the actual embodiment of evil. "Everything's marvellous," he said. This time, the icy undertone to his voice had returned fully. His final sentence only made me even more confident in my conclusion that everything was definitely not okay.

-Eugene's point of view-

I'd been so caught up in helping Dane that I hadn't properly acknowledged Nikkie's presence. Her bright eyes and small smile caught my attention immediately when she entered the hall. The red ribbon in her hair contrasted her blonde locks, and her matching lipstick truly made for a bold look. "Eugene," she greeted, her smile remaining welcoming. "Optimistic, I see," I said, returning the smile. She went on to tell me that she'd only heard good things about Dane the past days and that it had been a reassuring experience. "I think you guys did it, Eugene. I genuinely do believe that you've succeeded." "Time will tell," I answered briefly. She didn't show disapproval of my neutral answer. Instead, she decided to focus on the fact that I'd chosen to sit with her rather than the other people of significance to the election. "It kind of flatters me, so thank you, love," she said briefly.

-Valerie's point of view-

I'd been offered to join the meeting, but impulsively, I declined. Having to listen to Xylan while knowing that something was wrong would drive me crazy. Besides, giving an inexperienced and newly turned vampire the access to influence important meetings presumably wouldn't be the most optimal decision. I was smart enough to realize that, but still stupid enough to eavesdrop parts of the conversation. The door was soundproof, of course, which is why I didn't let it close entirely. My paranoia got in the way a lot, though, causing me to back away from the door occasionally. If only I'd dared to sit in there and meet Xylan's glare without panicking on the inside.

The meeting only intensified my worries, and so I decided to talk to people instead. I was unfamiliar with names in the castle, but I could recognize the faces of most members in Rain's group at least. The group had gathered in a fairly big room, discussing the ongoing election on the Evanstons side. I endeavoured to join their discussion smoothly, and for the most part, I succeeded. Some girls acknowledged my awkward entrance, but most either chose to ignore it or didn't notice. When scanning the room, I spotted a girl sitting by herself, completely isolated from the rest of the group. Although I intended to gather the group's opinion on Alex and Xylan as a whole, I instead approached an individual. At least that made me sure of my personality traits remaining intact after my transformation; I was still caring for others.

Locks of orange hair covered her eyes as though she purposefully avoided contact with others. I sat down without saying anything. Facing forward, I waited for her to take notice of my presence. "Is it your intention to sit there and gawk at me or do you have some message to convey?" she mumbled, her nails slightly scraping at the end of the table. "Bad day?" I asked. I had no specific tone of voice to determine my mood, yet she seemed to be shocked by my simple question. "Please excuse me. I didn't mean to be impolite, Pennington. I thought you were someone else." In a quick shift, her voice had rid itself of its ruthless tone and turned soft as though she regarded me as someone important. "I'm guessing the person you expected isn't of the nice kind," I said. She pushed some of her hair behind her ears before looking at me with hesitation. "Around a time like this, there aren't many kind people left to meet. It's like people turn cold once elections are upcoming. To be frank, I also feel lethargic at this point," she explained. "Cold? Could this be related to the potential leaders? If Xylan's traits are idealized, then-" I rambled, stopping myself mid-sentence. Were people leaning towards Xylan instead of Alex?

The girl seemed to notice my face of worry and decided to further elaborate on her claims. At first, I couldn't concentrate, and thereby, I missed her answer, but thankfully, she felt the need to reword herself afterwards anyway. "People seem to share an idea in common. That is if Dane wins the election, then they'll vote for Alex for certain. However, if Hayden wins, then voting for Alex could be risky due to Hayden's cruel ways." I found myself getting more frustrated with her answer than satisfied. Nevertheless, I knew I had to take time to think for myself rather than to answer her straight away. After all, this was an idea she'd picked up on, not one she'd come up with herself as far as I was aware.

"Do you happen to know who came to this conclusion?" I asked, not commenting on the idea itself. She shook her head, seeming nothing but discouraged. "I do know that people place a lot of their trust in Jace, though. He's an honourable teacher, and it's clear that Alex has learnt a lot from him. I don't have an individual vote, but there are selected groups that have one valid vote. In other words, the groups have to agree as to which leader they want to vote for. My group is somewhat conflicted, but I'm confident in my decision to continue vouching for Alex with focus on his commendable persistence," she said. A quiet sigh escaped me, followed by a look of distress. Eyes averting hers, I felt the pressure of her warm hand over mine in a matter of seconds. "You're not-" I stuttered. "A vampire? I am, I just held my hand too close to the oven," she clarified, finishing my sentence. "Did that not burn you?" I frowned. "I suppose people find weird ways to distract themselves from the chaos around here," she answered vaguely.

Admittedly, I found the girl relatively disturbing, but simultaneously, I viewed her as fascinating. She was determinate in her decision to support Alex, and I admired that. With Xylan intimidating every soul in the castle and all the issues with the Evanstons, it's not strange how numerous dilemmas were continually forming.

-Jace's point of view-

All too aware of what had happened, I knew I was running out of time. With all the trust I'd built up with Alex, he remained clueless as to who'd taken his phone as well as Valerie's. However, I knew it was only a matter of time until the news would reach him too. "You look burdened," Vera said suddenly. "How long until the results from the election will be out?" I asked, ignoring her remark of concern. "Couple of hours, I think. Tell me, though, how come you just blatantly ignored my comment?" she asked suspiciously. With a smile, I returned the curious gaze of hers before answering briefly. "My time's running out, then."