NIGHTS OF HALLOW

”What are you doing here?!” A voice said disrupting the peaceful time Perdita was enjoying in the garden away from the noise and people in the ballroom.

The smile on Perdita’s face fell as she turned to see the person who spoke to her. Standing not far from her was a lady in a red long gown that dragged behind her back as she walked towards her.

The lady’s black hair was styled in a messy bun where some strands that were curled were let loose to fall on the sides of her face and shoulders. Golden hair pins were pinned to hold the hair together, and it added to the beauty of the lady. Her black mask was perfectly tied around her head covering her eyes and nose except for the openings left for her to breathe and see. The red color she painted on her lips shone together with her dark red eyes. She was a high-class vampiress. Perdita noted.

Perdita offered the lady a small bow and answered, ”I was taking a walk,”

The lady’s judging eyes roamed over Perdita’s body like a hawk. It took her a glance to know that Perdita was someone who didn’t belong to the high society she lived in. She took another step towards Perdita still accessing her in her beautiful green dress. She stopped a few steps away from Perdita as if she didn’t want to be in the same breathing space with her. This lady was none other than Sarah the sister of Regan.

”Taking a walk should end where only the commoners are allowed to walk in. You cannot go spreading your poor scent everywhere”

The graceful smile that was on Perdita’s face immediately fell at the insult thrown at her. She noticed the look the lady was giving her, and to speak that way to her, was something she would never swallow even if she was poor, unlike the wealthy people who had everything at their beck and call. Why was it that anywhere she went, trouble followed her? Asked Perdita to herself.

”And who are you to question where I go? Wealthy or not, I believe everyone is entitled to walk around wherever they want.” Perdita’s voice was calm as she tried to be polite with her words. She had, had enough of these dramas about being poor and rich.

Sarah’s red eyes flared in anger. She marched forward, eager to teach and show the lowly human her place. With gritted teeth she spoke, ”How dare you question me? Do you know who I am? You should be worshipping the ground I walk on, you peasant!” Her voice rose with every word that left her mouth.

Perdita’s eyebrow rose in mock surprise as if she was astonished at the revelation of Sarah. This must be one of those spoilt brats from a wealthy family. She thought. She stared at Sarah from head to toe and slightly shook her head as if she was disappointed that such a beautiful lady was ill-mannered.

”Excuse me,” Perdita slightly bowed to Sarah without uttering another word to her. It’s best she kept mute than waste her time arguing with someone whose brain was filled with money. She had enough on her plate already, and she didn’t want to be involved with anyone from the higher society. She spared her a glance before walking away from the garden.

Sarah couldn’t believe her eyes. Did that woman just walk out on her?! 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

”Hey! Where do you think you’re going?! I’m not done talking to you!” Sarah shouted at Perdita who had already taken a turn at the end of the hallway.

Perdita left the arrogant lady in the garden and decided to explore more of the castle. The castle was so huge that it felt like she was walking in a fantasy world where everything appeared so out of the world. The paintings and drawings on some parts of the walls and the high ceilings were enough for one to get lost and keep wandering around forgetting where they came from.

No wonder so many people were so eager to enter and be part of people in the castle. There was security, food, and most of all power in the castle. Everything screamed of luxury and wealth.

”Wonder how many people live in this beautiful cave,” She thought aloud to herself. Yes, it was a beautiful cave that made her feel lost but at the same time, she wanted to explore every nook and cranny of it. She had walked a good distance away from the ballroom where there was noise and many people were dancing and enjoying the night.

The night was still young. But no matter the time she had come, even if it was before the breaking of the day, she felt she wouldn’t be able to cover all the parts of the big castle.

Having satisfied her curiosity and fascination, Perdita decided to head back to the ballroom. Her shoes lightly clicked on the floor of the deserted hallways of the castle. After taking too many turns from one hallway to another, she found it hard to remember the direction she had come from. She walked on while praying it was the right way.

As she walked, she didn’t notice the shadow that have been following her since she started her exploration.

The shadow continued following Perdita, and anywhere it passed, the lamps hung on the walls wavered and went off turning the hallways dark.

Perdita’s gown swept on the floor as she continued to walk. Suddenly she paused in her steps feeling she had wandered more than she did when she was looking at the paintings on the walls and ceilings. She looked around scanning her surrounding. Her eyes went to the paintings on the walls and ceilings. Recognizing one of them as the one she had seen when she was beginning to explore the castle, she let out a sigh of relief thinking she walking in the right direction not knowing that she had gone deeper into the castle instead of going back to the ballroom.

The paintings she recognized looked exactly like the one she had seen but it was slightly different. The hallways and the paintings were similar to each other which made Perdita think she was walking in the right direction.

The shadow was still following behind her relentlessly, and the wall lamps continued to waver around it.

An eerie feeling slowly crawled into the body of Perdita and she stopped in her tracks for the second time. She felt someone was following her and she slowly turned her head over her shoulder to look behind her. A cry escaped her lips when her eyes fell on the shadow that was following her.

Perdita felt her hands and feet go cold with terror that made a forceful adrenaline surge through her veins as her feet suddenly had a language of their own. She immediately took flight but not taking more than two steps, the wall lamps illuminating the hallway suddenly went off, and everywhere went dark.