Chapter 16: The crest
Arabella could've sworn there had been a date and a place attached to the events, but the words on those pages quickly muddied into a blur every time she tried to recall the lines with exactitude.
What did it matter in the end?
All that truly did in that moment was that the people who'd oh so kindly opened the doors to their home for her, had suffered the soul crushing loss of a family member at the hands of a Sterling.
Arabella hadn't seen her first day in their time, but it sure was not the case for Lady Persephone and Silas.
They'd lived through the war, endured it and would never forget the name of the man that took their beloved away from them. How could they? How could anyone?
Feet hanging just above the floor as she sat upon the bed, Arabella clutched at the skirt of her gown tightly, internally wondering, what would become of her? What had the Eleazars' true end been when they'd agreed to take her in?
A feeble jolt escaped her when a gentle knock reached her ears, "Come in," an audible crack manifested in her voice.
"It is time for us to go, Arabella," with a smile, Katherine came and stood in front of Arabella.
In her hands, the vampire held a folded piece of fabric. It was of a maroon color or so believed Arabella.
Quite hard to tell its precise shade with the candles as a sole source of lighting. Sense of time had slipped through her fingers, leaving her unmindful of the hours running by and the setting sun for a brand new nightfall to take over.
Through sheer determination, Arabella had managed to push her weight off its sitting place. Standing stiffly before Katherine, her gaze refused to meet the vampire's. It more so didn't dare to.