Through the slits in her eyelids, she saw a flickering light dancing on the ceiling, followed by a wave of heat. The smell of unfamiliar food wafted through her nose, an enticing fragrance that widened her eyes until she became fully aware of her surroundings, and instinctively grabbed her head, expecting something to be covering it, only to be met with nothing. Let loose from its encampment of interwoven fabrics was her hair, and it'd even been braided in a way that stayed high. It'd been seen, and even more unbelievably, she was alive to regret it.
Elizabeth brushed her hand on the thick blanket that was wrapped around her. She'd never needed to have a blanket; these people didn't seem to know that. Her blood prevented any cold from affecting her, which was evident from her white hair; maybe she was in the clear.
She stood up from the bed, throwing off the covers. Taking a look left of her, moonlight streamed down, making a pathway from the windowsill to the bed. It's already night, huh?
Sliding out of bed, an ever-present heat was washing her feet. Every part of the room was hot, every part of her body streamed down the evidence of the sheer degree of heat. Looking for the source of the warmth, her attention gravitated toward the small desk next to her and a small red ball that, on closer inspection, glowed red.
Taking the ball in her hand, she squeezed for a moment. Like pin needles digging into her skin, it sizzled for a moment before settling down. Sweet relief at last.
"What do I do now?".
She stood up and looked outside. The only light in Tenisin was the moon. While it was plentiful from her perspective, it only lit the roofs and some porches. Below, other than the odd light here and there, it was pitch black. Forbid having to take a trip somewhere in this darkness, as this environment only welcomes those who dwell inside. Maybe that could have been the reason for the heat ball. While she'd never seen it done before, shadowed beasts were weak against any type of heat — a possible repellent? A candle would have worked better.
It was an unrealistic ask, but being asleep without a candle was deeply disturbing for her. She didn't expect another visit from one of Erebu's spawns, but even then, it was a nagging thought.
She sighed and pressed her forehead against the glass, the events of before her passing trickling through. Why did I have that reaction? It's not like me.
Even being in front of the window made her feel uncomfortable. It was an unreasonable thought, and even she knew it was ridiculous, but it was like everyone had woken up just to look at her. Maybe it is like me… How would I know?
"I didn't even have that reaction from the Brehlam." I didn't know how ingrained that was…
Before Elizabeth could rethink her stance, the image of the White Book instantly reminded her of her caution. Death, unspeakable atrocities to be done in the wake of discovery, hellfire be brought down, and destroy anything they touch. And yet here she was. Hellfire was late. It was supposed to be here twenty-six years ago, before she'd ever been conceived. Where was it now? And why was she waiting for it? It was horrifying, too much to process, not enough time, it would never be enough. And yet she couldn't express it. Everything was inward, strings being tugged around her heart, squeezing what it was worth until only a flimsy organ remained. A web of uncertainty and ultimately doubt that in the end, what was her goal at the end of this? She couldn't help but feel she was playing right into the hands of the Eye; it was only then that Elizabeth realized that from the beginning, she and the Eye were always connected.
What is their world like?
The very first question she asked at the beginning.
An impossible question that an equally impossible thing to answer, it could only be answered. Who's to say that her next actions would prevent more deaths, who's saying that she hadn't prevented Rum's death but only given her more time to cherish a long life that was destined to fall at the hands of a still unknown perpetrator? In the end, she wasn't sure what she meant by finding the truth of all things; truthfully, she only wanted one thing, and that was to save her mother.
Footsteps approaching her door stopped, and then the door opened, breaking her train of thought. Standing in front of the entrance was Anne, smiling as she walked up to her.
"I didn't realize you were up". Shifting away from the light, Elizabeth huddled in the corner of her room, with only her face being lit by the moonlight.
"My husband filled me in already", Anne said, sitting on the bed. "I wasn't thinking". So they do know…
That only made the situation even worse, as she couldn't help but ask herself why they even allowed her to stay. She turned to a defensive position, firming her foot into the ground, ready if anything happened, but ultimately nothing would.
"All I can say is that here, at least, you don't have to worry about that".
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.
"I'd prefer it if you could trust me and leave it there. This isn't my preference, but I'm the one who made the mistake, so…" She shrugged. "I have to pay my dues".
"Even though you people are so close, I've never stepped outside of Tenisin". She looked at the ground. "But I've always been curious, not enough to leave but—curious. I got carried away when Schwartz told me where you're from… and later what your white hair meant". Elizabeth's heart stopped for a moment.
"I've always heard that people from Diedmons Roue were so different. Their hair, their clothes, it seems ridiculous, but at some point I thought you people bled a different color entirely. I got carried away, I'm sorry."
Elizabeth dropped her guard, turning away in shame. To think she was so defensive over a simple apology, but the question remained, why was it different in Tenisin? On closer inspection, the answer was clear; she'd already answered it herself. The White Book was the Church of the Eye of Renditions' beliefs; Tenisin refused all its influence.
She snickered, hiding her mouth with her hand. Well, this isn't so bad.
"It's okay, really. It was the first time anyone had seen my hair. I was surprised, that's all. Besides…" Her finger traced through her hair. "I don't mind this".
Anne smiled as she stood up. "If you wouldn't mind, we'd like you to join us for supper".
Elizabeth agreed, of course; how could she not, after all this? How could she refuse the offer? For the first time in… she didn't know how long, in a way she felt safe. Savoring, however long this would last, Elizabeth told her she'd be out soon, and Anne left the room taking the ball with her. Bubbles of anxiety fluttered inside, but it didn't feel bad. She was excited to express something without tethers pulling her back. Maybe just maybe, this could be the solution to what had pained her for so long.
Taking one last look outside, expecting everything to stay dormant because why wouldn't it? She'd just looked outside. Why would anything be standing across the rooftop? Why would it be staring at her, and why would it look so familiar?
The world around Elizabeth froze in place, stuck in the moment of eye contact between her and the shadowed figure. Every instinct told her to run and hide before something worse happened. Before it broke eye contact and disappeared. That wouldn't happen as it had taken one step forward, then another. With such delayed speed that she'd thought time had slowed, but no. She was wrong. It knew what she was feeling, living for the moment to cause her further fear until it had reached the end of the building and fell into the mess of darkness below.
There was a knock at the front door.
Elizabeth sprang from her position, swinging open the door, a blur all around her until she skid across the floor, stopping herself before she hit the wall. Whipping her head toward the entrance, she couldn't breathe; she didn't want to because the moment her vision caught up to her mind, she would freeze. But as oxygen traveled up to her brain and the hazy image in front of her became clearer, a wave of relaxation settled over her, and her husband, Jacob Fowler, greeted them with a smile.