The Eternal

by Bianca Hunter

  “Your hair?” Fayme asked, meeting my gaze.

  I nodded. “I just need to get rid of it.”

  “Well, if you’re sure, at least let me do it for you,” she said, turning away from us and walking to one of the many drawers. She pulled out some metal scissors and turned back to me. “Are you sure?” She pulled up a chair and beckoned me to sit down.

  I nodded as I walked toward her. “Positive.”

  I sat down and felt her pulling my hair over the chair. “How short?” she asked.

  “All of it,” I replied simply.

  “She’ll be getting a tattoo next.” Tristan rolled his eyes.

  “I cut my hair when I broke up with my boyfriend,” Fayme said as she combed through my hair with her fingers. “Sometimes you just need a change.” She leaned forward. “Are you sure about this?”

  I nodded. I heard the first cut and noticed a long lock of hair fall to the stone floor. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Grace loved my long hair.

  Grace is gone, Justin is gone, and Dad is gone, and it’s all because of Serena.

  As Fayme cut, the strain on my neck lessened. I hadn’t ever realized that my hair was so heavy.

  A few minutes later, I felt Fayme step back. “All done,” she said.

  I immediately raised my hand to my head and felt what was left of my hair. She had left it just above my shoulders. I looked down at all my locks now laying lifeless on the floor. I took a deep, steadying breath. For some reason, this had been more cathartic than I imagined. For the first time in weeks, I felt lighter.

  “Are we over our little existential crisis now?” Tristan asked, leaning forward and grinning.

  “How does it look?” I ruffled the hair I had left a bit.

  “Neater. Now let’s get you to school.” Tristan stood. “Fayme, you missed your calling as a hairdresser.” He walked out of the kitchen.

  I turned to Fayme. “Thank you. Let me help you clean this up,” I said, looking at my hair on the floor.

  “Don’t even think about it. You get yourself to school, and I’ll see you after the party,” she said, smiling.

  “Party?” I asked, cocking my head.

  “Annual Halloween party. You should go,” she said. “It would be good for you.”

  “I can’t even begin imagining going to a party right now,” I replied.

  “Evelyn,” Tristan shouted from down the hallway.

  “I’ll see you later,” I said before leaving the kitchen and walking to where Tristan was waiting for me at the stairs.

  “When you see Ravenna, and she asks about your hair, do not tell her it was my idea,” Tristan said as I followed him back up to the ground floor and through the entrance hall.

  “Are you scared of her?” I grinned as he paused at a small white door at the front of the house. He pulled it open and grabbed a long black coat and handed it to me.

  “I’m petrified that I’ll never hear the end of it,” he replied, pulling on his own coat.

  “I thought you guys didn’t get cold,” I said as we walked through the front door and out into the courtyard. The snow had started melting, and the driveway was completely cleared.

  “Old habits die hard,” he said as we walked to his Aston Martin.

  I got into the cold car, and Tristan started the engine. “So how did you get stuck with me?” I fastened my seat belt.

  “Because Ravenna isn’t strong enough to take on Serena, and Blake doesn’t want to be anywhere near y—”

  “What did you say?” I said, leaning forward, my heart thumping against my chest.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Tristan mumbled as he drove toward the gates.

  “You said Blake doesn’t want to be anywhere near me,” I said. We watched the massive black iron gates open for us. “Can someone just tell me what is going on? What did Blake see, Tristan?”

  “Blake has been my best friend, practically my brother, for almost five hundred years now. Telling you this betrays that trust, do you get that?” Tristan spoke quietly, for the first time not relying on wit or sarcasm.

  “Then why tell me?” I asked as we sped down the hill toward Greyhaven.

  “I’m not telling you a thing,” Tristan scoffed. “Or at least, not the details. Around the time Astara died, Blake started having dreams about a girl. She was just a dark shadow, but every few weeks, this familiar shadow would walk into his dreams. No matter what he dreamt of, she was always there. Every few years, the shadow would become a bit clearer. He’d be able to make out her long black hair for instance.” He quickly glanced at me. “And then, three weeks ago, after almost four centuries, he finally saw her face, her deep blue eyes, her light skin, her beauty, and then he heard her voice, soft spoken.” My heart collided against my chest as we turned onto the school road.

  “I’m thinking that by the acceleration in your heartbeat you’ve figured out that the girl that Blake spent most of his immortal life dreaming of is you,” Tristan said quietly as we drove through the school gates.

  “And he’s seen what’s going to happen to me?” I whispered, trying desperately to digest the fact that Blake had been dreaming about me his entire life.

  Tristan pulled into a free space and turned to face me. “Come here,” he said, touching my face with his fingertips. I felt an indescribable heat pass through my skin as he closed his eyes for a moment. Just as I was about to jerk my head away from him, he let go.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “Have a look,” he said, leaning over once again to flip the vanity mirror.

  “You healed my face?” I gaped, touching my smooth skin where the scars were just a moment ago.

  “I did. Now go to school like a good little girl. I’ll be here at two to pick you up.” He grinned, his old cockiness restored.

  “That’s it, no more about the dreams?”

  “Look, Evelyn, I like you, as mortals go. You’re adorable enough, but let’s be honest, you don’t belong in this world, and as soon as we figure out how to get rid of Serena, you’ll probably go back to your old life, meet some guy, have two-point-five-kids, a picket fence, and a really questionable hairstyle when you reach forty. You’re not cut out for this. Your heart starts beating furiously at the first sign of anything out of the ordinary. You’re soft and sweet and kind. Blake, he’s—he’s lived, you know. He’s gentle with you because he feels like he knows you, like somehow the two of you are connected, but no good will ever come from it, and that’s why he wants to stay away from you, and that’s why you should stay away from him.”

  It felt like Tristan had punched me in the stomach with his words, probably because they were so true. Was he right? Was I too weak fir this place? This world? Why was this making me feel so bad?

  “I guess I’ll see you later,” I said, turning my gaze away from him.

  “I’ll be right here after school. And, Evelyn,” he said just as I stepped out of the car. I turned back and leaned down to face him. “Do not follow anyone or do anything out of the ordinary. I will set Victoria on you if you do.” He smirked.

  “Yeah,” I said, straightening up and shutting the door. I took a deep breath and looked at the school as Tristan reversed the car. Was I too soft for this world? Maybe I was. No, no, you’re not. Tristan has no idea what you’ve had to survive, what you’ve had to deal with in the past month.

  “Go to the cemetery, Evelyn,” I whispered to myself in the middle of the parking lot.

  But at least pretend to walk in. Tristan seemed to be driving slowly to make sure I would go into the building, but as I started making my way to the entrance his car disappeared behind the exit.

  “And now we find Nero,” I whispered as I turned away from the entrance and walked toward the main road.

  It will probably take you ten minutes to get to the cemet—

 
“Evelyn?” I heard a voice call from behind. I slumped and turned. Bastian.

  “Where are you going?”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Hey,” I chimed, trying my best to smile.

  “So, where were you going?” he asked, standing right in front of me. “Your hair looks nice like that, by the way.”

  “Thanks,” I replied. I took a deep breath. “I was going to find Lorenzo’s old house. I think it’s somewhere near the cemetery.” Bastian didn’t seem to be friends with Blake or Tristan, so the chances of him telling them were pretty low. I hoped.

  “Why?”

  “I just—someone told me there was something in there that would help me,” I replied, my eyes darting around.

  You really need to learn how to lie.

  “Well, why don’t you just go tonight when everyone’s at the party? I’ll come with you,” he said, smiling kindly.

  “The Halloween party?” I replied, remembering what Fayme had said.

  “Yeah, it’s in the cemetery. Gwenn isn’t feeling well today, so I thought we could go together?”

  At least Bastian will be with you, and this way, you can go freely without having to sneak around on a massive open field for anyone to drive past and see you.

  “Yeah, okay, let’s do that.” I smiled. We walked back toward the building.

  “Is Gwenn okay?” I asked, my stomach clenching. What had Blake done to her?

  “Yeah, I spoke to her this morning. She has a really bad cold. I think she was walking around in the snowstorm or something like that.

  The guilt washed over me. She was ill because she had tried to help me by taking me back to Kate’s house.

  I followed Bastian to our first class and then every other class after that, even the ones I wasn’t actually signed up for. Throughout the day, I filled him in on everything that had happened, from Blake entrancing Gwenn to forget me, through to the visit from Serena. I only left out two details: the dreams Blake had of me and the dream I had of Astara asking me to find Nero. For some inexplicable reason, I was unable to break my promise to her. Bastian, of course, was not surprised by the fact that Greyhaven was filled with immortals considering he was one himself, but he forced me to repeat the story about Serena twice. When the final bell rang, I followed Bastian out of the classroom, smiling.

  “I cannot believe I managed to avoid Victoria all day.”

  “She isn’t in many of my classes. Maybe you should just change to those,” Bastian joked as he walked me toward Tristan’s car, which was already waiting in the parking lot.

  “What time are we meeting for this party later?” I asked, turning toward him before opening the car door. I was just as determined as I had been this morning to start my search for Astara’s brother. I felt a pang of sadness mixed with guilt thinking about Gwenn; she should be with me.

  “Why don’t you come over to my place at four? My mom has a bunch of old costumes and outfits in the attic.” He smiled.

  “Yeah, okay. Could you call Gwenn and ask if she’s okay?” I asked, opening the passenger door. I didn’t want to call her and get the same reaction, her being frightened of me.

  “I will. See you later,” Bastian said before turning to walk to his own car.

  “Going to the Halloween party, are we?” Tristan asked as I shut the door.

  “I am. You got a problem with that?”

  “Do you have a problem with that, America. There is never a reason to misuse the English language, no matter how cool you want to be.” He smirked and reversed the car.

  “I’m meeting Bastian at four,” I said, watching the students walk to their cars. We drove right past Victoria, who was standing with her arms crossed over her chest, her expression dark.

  Tristan avoided looking at her altogether.

  “Are you two okay?” I asked as we drove onto the main road.

  “I don’t think she’s overly fond of the fact that I’m your new chauffeur,” he said, driving down the road so fast I thought we wouldn’t make the first corner.

  “I can drive myself you know,” I said. We made our way toward the hill and out of Greyhaven.

  “Evelyn, do you really think I’m carting you around because we’re collectively questioning your driving skills?”

  “Do you really think Serena would find me when I’m on my own?” I asked, curling my hands into fists and trying to shake away the nerves.

  “I think Serena needs you for one of her spells and that as soon as you’re alone, she’ll come and collect what she needs.”

  “All those times that I was alone in the house after Kate died, she could have taken me then. I don’t think that’s what she wants.”

  I think Serena needs me to find Nero so that he can resurrect Astara. But why doesn’t she just find Astara’s brother herself?

  We reached the gates of Greyson Manor. “Maybe, but one way or another, I think it would be a bad idea for you to be on your own until we figure out what’s going on,” Tristan said as we watched the gates open slowly.

  “I’ll be okay at the party tonight though? Right?” I asked, my voice slightly constricted.

  Don’t sound so desperate. He’ll figure out something isn’t right.

  “Well, half of Greyhaven will be there, so I would say it’s the safest place to be—unless Serena decides it’s a good time to teach you a lesson by killing half the town, then maybe not so much.”

  I looked at him, my mouth hanging open.

  “Don’t panic, America, it’ll be just fine.” He rolled his eyes and got out of the car. I followed him to the front door, which was ajar.

  “Odd,” Tristan whispered as he pushed it open.

  “What is it?” I said as I followed him into the entrance hall. “Tristan, what the hell is that?” My hands flew to cover my mouth. On the white marble floor, Find Him was written in what looked like blood.

  “Stay here,” Tristan whispered as he walked to the right and disappeared into the passageway. Had Ravenna been in the house? Whose blood was that. I suddenly thought of Fayme’s kind face and my stomach lurched.

  For a mere moment, I considered staying put, but I couldn’t possibly do it. I slowly started walking toward the passage, trying to listen for any sounds. Finally, after minutes of silence, I heard Tristan talking to someone hurriedly and realized that he must have found Fayme. Relief flowed through my tense muscles.

  I followed Tristan’s voice, but I couldn’t hear Fayme or anyone else reply. Was he on the phone? My chest heaved as I walked down that passageway, my hands shaking as I pushed open the door that concealed Tristan’s desperate tones. I just managed to see what appeared to be every member of the household sitting at the round table, their eyes bleeding dark congealed blood and their mouths open in silent screams. My eyes landed on Fayme just before I felt the force of Tristan pulling me away.

  “Viktor, I’ll call you back,” Tristan’s voice snapped me out of shock.

  I felt his arm holding me up by my waist. Something forceful pushed against my back, and suddenly, I was gulping in the crisp air. We were standing outside the wooden doors in the courtyard. My eyes drifted from the front door to Tristan.

  “Are they?” I gaped. He nodded.

  I couldn’t breathe. The air had been caught somewhere in my chest and couldn’t get out. I inhaled deeply several times until I felt light-headed. Moving my gaze away from the front door, I looked up at Tristan, unable to stop the tears.

  “Please tell me that wasn’t Fayme?” I begged, my voice barely a whisper. He nodded. Serena had killed Fayme. She had killed everyone in the manor. There must have been at least twenty people sitting around that table.

  “Blake is on his way back,” Tristan said, glancing at the manor in the direction of the dining room. “Who is him?” He looked into my eyes.

  “What?”

 
; “The blood on the floor, it said Find Him, who is him, Evelyn?”

  I can’t tell you that because I think if I tell anyone, things are going to get a lot worse than they already are. The fact that Serena was no longer just a spoken threat began to weigh heavily on me.

  “I have no idea,” I replied, my eyes darting around.

  “Nero,” Tristan said, taking a step closer.

  “How did you—are you reading my mind?” I shouted, taking a step away from him.

  “Yes, I’m reading your mind, Evelyn. Do you know what you’re playing at here?” he shouted back.

  “I am trying to protect all of you,” I screamed, clenching my fists. “If Blake finds out—”

  “If I find out what?”

  I whipped around, and there he was, his eyes gazing directly into mine. The urge to run to him was maddening. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to reach out and feel the heat of his skin on mine. After a moment of silence, I took a deep breath. Even from here, I inhaled the pine and cherry blossom scent.

  I was just about to open my mouth and tell him the truth when Tristan stepped forward.

  “If you found out she had another dream of Astara last night,” he lied easily. I turned around to stare at him, but his face remained like stone.

  Had Tristan seen my dream and realized that Blake couldn’t find out about his mother and Nero?

  “The servants, they’re all dead,” Tristan said, not giving Blake the chance to continue the conversation.

  “We’ll talk about your dream later.” Blake looked at me once again. “I’ve asked Markus for two Dark Soldiers to come and help us protect Evelyn,” Blake spoke to Tristan now. “With their arrival, we can seek out Serena.” He didn’t look at me.

  “Dark what?” I said, crossing my hands over my chest. “I don’t need strangers following me around—”

  “Evelyn, there are twenty dead immortals in my house at the moment. Are you really protesting this?” Blake asked seemingly taken aback. Of course, he had no idea that I had to find Nero as soon as I could, and there was no way I could do that with Dark Soldiers around—whatever Dark Soldiers were. The panic of not being able to find Nero jolted my heart. I couldn’t let anyone else die. Evelyn, if it comes down to it, start an argument and leave. Do not let him stop you from being able to find Nero.