Chapter 60: When Eyes Turned to Her
She hadn’t hurt herself. At least, not enough to bleed like this. Nor had she crushed some fish under her feet. Perhaps the riverbed beneath her stirred something murky? Ruelle’s thoughts flickered wildly, grasping at logic, but the deeper side of her mind told her it was something else.
Most of the other women began inching away. Not with panic, but with a quiet unease, skirts gathered in hands, eyes darting to the water as if it might touch them. A ripple of separation formed, and Ruelle stood at its centre.
The blood oozed a metallic scent into the air, primarily attracting the attention of the Halflings. They stepped closer to the bank, their predatory instincts flickering in their eyes.
A loud voice spoke through the hush.
"Well, well, well. How thoughtful—you’ve turned the river into your personal washbasin. Some of us were actually enjoying it," Alanna remarked mockingly, confirming the suspicion.
The vampiress had returned from the hunt after falling flat on her face thanks to the horse that threw her on the ground. But people didn’t need to know that. She instead stood proudly, giving a disdainful look at the lowly human. "How unpleasant."
The truth dawned on Ruelle. It was her time. One that marked the irreversible shift into womanhood.
And now, under the scrutiny of dozens of eyes, she wished nothing more than to disappear beneath the surface of the water and let the river swallow her whole. She couldn’t move. Her hands gripped the sides of her skirt, knuckles pale, heart pounding in her throat.
"How mortifying," someone murmured with judgement. "She must be dim-witted not to keep track of her own time. Why step into the water at all?"
"Perhaps she wanted the attention," stated a Halfling vampiress, who was more than pleased to drag Ruelle through dirt.
The men who had been stealing glances at Ruelle earlier, thinking about introducing themselves, now wore flushed faces of awkward embarrassment. Even Kevin, drenched and carefree moments ago, now appeared frozen—jaw slack, eyes wide.