Cloaked | Book 1

Chapter 5

    Vivian had been cooped up in the castle for three days since her encounter with Theo. After he had left, Vivian had milled about the castle's halls, brushing her hands across its rugged interior walls and feeling the cool stone beneath her fingertips. Sometimes the
wall was covered in thickly woven tapestry, depicting the Omen's crest. A little time later, dinner was announced and Vivian feasted, with many other robed men and women, to a gourmet meal. Something she hadn't had in a long time.
    

    After that, Theo had reemerged. He didn't ask for her answer. A dark shadow hid his face, but Vivian remembered those enchanting green eyes that had gazed at her so deeply. He escorted her to her suite. He had called it modest living, but it was the fanciest thing Vivian had ever seen! A large bed dominated the room, it's cream and gold trimming demanding attention. Curtains were swept back from polished windows and a neat sanded oak desk sat beside a vanity.

    "It's...wonderful." Vivian whispered, her hands clasped in front of her bosom.
    A large, gilded mirror hung above the vanity, and a braided cream carpet adorned the floor. In the corner, draped over a cloth dress mannequin that sported no facial features nor appendages, was a pale white cloak. A gold button fastened the throat pieces together and Vivian took a step forward. She knew it was for her, if she were to except. An interrupting cough startled Vivain, and she turned to Theo. She muttered a thank you and he left swiftly.

    Vivian stayed in the room for two days. Servants brought polished iron trays of food up to her room, and she ate them gratefully. She paced the room often, so much so that she was sure she had worn a hole in the carpet. But her mind buzzed with thought. She weighed the pros and cons of staying heavily. Then she weighed the pros and cons of leaving heavily. She would do this for hours, until her head throbbed and she had to sit down. 

    Vivian knew that she had to make her decision. And soon. She could feel Eliza and the other members of the Omen growing restless with their guest. As she settled down for the night, she found herself tossing and turning. The blanket eventually ended up on the floor and the pillows lay askew across her mattress. Finally slip did come. She slept for a few tumultuous five hours before giving up entirely and rising from her bed.

 Tonight felt different. 

    Decidedly, Vivian would leave the room. Claustrophobia had set in the girl had begun to feel cooped up in the rather spacious room. Theo had warned her not to venture outside her room after dark. A curfew was in place at the castle, but there was no way Vivian would come to a decision in her isolated room.

    She changed her clothes to an airy white blouse that fastened at her wrists. She slid on a pair of thigh black jeans and white boots that came up to mid-calf. Vivian found that white was quickly becoming her favorite color. She took a few steps to the door, then paused. Her eyes lingered at the corner of the room, where her cloak hung. A shiver passed through her as she observed it, before sliding it off the dummy and fastening it around her neck.
    Vivian pulled open the door and peeked into the hall.

    It was quiet.

    The hallways were lined with many oil paintings, depicting battles and cloaked figures with bright light shooting from their palms. Flickering candles were mounted on the walls to provide minimal light. As Vivian walked on, she encountered no one. This gave her a bit of a shiver. The rules were decidedly far stricter than she had assumed, she concluded. Her steps were quieted by the thick red carpet that stretched endlessly across the hall. She turned and considered the large bay window that provided a magnificent view of the snowy landscape. 

    The moon as bright and full and hung heavily in the sky. Starlight illuminated the snow and turned it pale and sparkling and Vivian felt momentarily enchanted. The quietness of the castle and the landscape provided her with calm clarity, and her thoughts settled for a moment.