~Alaya
I’m in some sort of train station, wanting Asher dead.
How could he abandon me like this? I agreed to do this for him, and now I’m left in the middle of Sinful’s territory, in a land that I didn’t believe existed until now. There isn’t even a single person in this place, despite its size. In some way, I’m grateful for that, so no immortal would question the fact that a mortal bride was shoved out of a train before it sped off again.
My heels click against the white tile as I hike the skirt of my dress, and make my way toward the sloped stairs that clearly lead up to an exit. Everything here is polished and bright, including the floor. Nothing looks used.
I’m not sure where to go from here. Asher explained to me that I had to be found as the lost bride. The word would make it back to Sinful.
Apparently.
After being left here, I’m not exactly sure I want to go along with this idea, yet I have no choice. Getting out of here undetected is impossible, I’m sure, since all I have to do is bump into someone, for the information to get back to Sinful.
My mind changes though, on that idea, as I walk out the main glass doors of the station, and onto the street.
No one. Anywhere.
The place is bathed in darkness, obviously. Asher had mentioned that the sun doesn’t reach the immortal lands, since the Moon rules here. I surely see it, up there, looming over everything. It peaks over the mountains in the distance, capped with snow. Up there, is a few dotted lights, but hardly as many as what is in front of me.
From what I can see, I’m immersed in a small town, that seems awfully quaint compared to the bustle of the Desire Pack. It’s an odd sight that takes me a few moments to adjust to.
The streets are completely abandoned, and shockingly clean compared to what I’ve seen elsewhere. The houses are all shut up, yet I know there must be life, since I can see lights muffled behind curtains, yet no sound came from anywhere. The road is smooth, again looking too untouched to be real. What makes the least amount of sense in this place is the fact that something so serene and quiet can belong to someone like Sinful.
If he is as bad as I have heard from Death and Aspen… this shouldn’t exist.
I look left. A sidewalk that leads to more houses. I look right. More houses. By the looks of this place, there isn’t shop in sight, leading me to believe this might only be a village.
Mustering up some courage, I walk to the left, hoping maybe I could bump into someone from this place.
The air around here is mellow, considering the snow on the mountains not far in the distance. All the houses look ready for winter, with their brick exteriors that could handle any climate. It’s odd. What is more odd, is the fact that no one is around, no matter how far I walk. It gets to the point where I have to tug my heels off and carry them as my bare feet pad against the concrete.
I admire the sky, taking shorts steps so I don’t come to the edge of the village too quickly. As I stare at the stars, I wish my mind could join them. This is too confusing.
Eventually, I decide I’m going to have to make a move. That means knocking on someone’s door.
I choose I home that doesn’t look so frightening. It’s not too big, and the lights are on inside. It looks rather welcoming, as I gently nudge the front gate open, following the path up to the front door, hoping that someone decent would answer. I have no idea what immortals are like… these people live forever, have seen more than me, and may or may not be able to use magic.
I take a deep breath before I even touch the door.
Am I really doing this? Would Asher leave me here if I could potentially be kidnapped and murdered? At the moment, I don’t trust him the slightest. He obviously doesn’t like giving people a hint of emotion, which has me curious about what is going on inside my head.
There is no use dwelling on thoughts like this, otherwise I will never get out of here. So I paint a fake expression of fear on my face, and knock three times.
It doesn’t take long at all for the door to open.
Someone cracks it open, just barely. At that moment, I wish I remembered to fake cry or something. It’s a female that glances around the door, hardly leaving any room for me to properly see me. Her glazed over dark eyes brush over my entire outfit, drinking me in silently, while I pretend to brush tears away that aren’t even there.
“Excuse me?” I mumble, trying to get her attention. She seems taken aback, as if she just realised I’m not from around here. Apparently immortals can tell a mortal from a mile away.
The door open a little more, and I can finally see her. She seems middle ages, with only faint wrinkles below her eyes. Her hair is lush and curly, but hardly as tamed as Death’s hair. This woman seems nervous, her fingers quaking slightly as they wrap around the handle of the door.
I thought I was the one to be afraid of her…
“Who are you?” she questions nervously, still staring down at my dress, that at this point, is completely ruined at the hem.
“My name is Alaya. I come from Destiny’s territory,” I say, trying to tighten my voice as if I’m about to break down into tears. The female seems to be be buying it, the door opening slightly with every word as I continued, “I was supposed to get married today, but I was rejected on the altar when we found out I’m not one of you… you know, immortal.”
The lady regards me silently for a moment, before she twists her head over her shoulder, clearly talking to someone I cannot yet see.
“A mortal,” she whispers, despite the fact that I can still here.
The door swings open now, revealing two people standing there. A male and a female. The male is around the same age as the female, looking at me curiously. Both have almost dusty dark hair and eyes to match. Age has set into their skin, which is strange, considering they are immortals.
“I’m so sorry about this,” I gush, letting them usher me into their home, “I came here because it looked safe. I hope you don’t mind…”
“Of course not. It’s just such a surprise to see someone out on the streets at this time. Especially a mortal,” the woman explains, with her clear cut accent. I’m not sure what time it is exactly, but that might explain why no one is out. It doesn’t, however, explain the uncanny feeling I got as I wandered down the sidewalk.
“My name is Abby, and this is Ben,” the girl says, leading me over to sit on the couch. I’m surprised these two are being so hospitable, considering I’m a stranger. Probably because I’m not much of a threat. Ben, however, doesn’t seem to warm to me, as he quickly leaves the room.
Abby sits beside me. “How did you get here, if he never knew?”
My mind scrambles for an answer. I never thought about that one. Asher hasn’t done a very good job in orchestrating this.
“I was brought here,” I excuse quickly. “By someone… not him, if that makes sense.”
She nods, not saying anything else in response.
“Why is noone out there?” I ask, “is it because of the time? I thought it was night here perpetually anyway.”
“Our leader, Sinful, doesn’t allow anyone out past a certain time. He warns us it is for our own safety, and anyone who even dares leave is dragged back to their home. It’s horrible! But we don’t question Sinful. Never,” Abby tells me.
I think about that for a moment, before I respond, “I never saw anyone out there to you know… drag you back home.”
“That’s because you’re mortal. You can only see certain people. People Sinful doesn’t mind having mortals look at,” she explains, as if I’m stupid for asking. It must seem like I am, since I’ve stayed in the immortal lands before. According to my story, at least.
“Where is Sinful?” I ask next.
Abby looks up as Ben walks back into the room. He hardly acknowledges us, walking into the conjoined kitchen. This entire room is connected, with the lounge adjacent to a hallway that must lead to a bedrooms. I’m glad the fireplace is on in front of the couch. It’s cooler in here, even though the air is lovely outside.
“Somewhere in the mountains, being his reclusive self,” he murmurs, sitting back on the couch casually.
All of a sudden, there’s a steady knock on the door, that makes both me and Abby jump. It’s Ben who goes to answer it.
He isn’t like Abby, as he opens the door confidently, immediately letting in whoever was on the other side of the door. I should have seen it coming. He had left the room, which I assume was to call about me. That was how Asher knew that the word would get back to Sinful… they are all loyal subjects to him.
What did surprise me, is Asher, who waltzes straight through the door.
He has a smile on his face, but it is colder than ice. Asher hardly looks familiar, as he looks me up and down, an almost playful edge to his eyes. He looks like a walking contradiction, that could turn on you in a second, or take you to bed the next.
“A mortal,” he says coolly, hardly giving a sliver of his plan away. “This should be fun.”