Onbekend(20)

“I’d like to begin by welcoming everyone tonight to this special occasion. It has been ten, long years since my granddaughter was given to her adoptive parents to raise, but I’ve thought about her every day. I knew some day she would return, but I didn’t know how happy it could make an old man like me to see her smile.” Lord Randolph talked while the young lady next to him smiled brighter.

Arianna stared from her grandfather to the girl. Her grandfather was standing before everyone, truthfully telling everyone of his happiness, while the girl next to him was faking hers. Though Devin wouldn’t explain why, as her five senses had increased the past two days, also had her perception of people’s feelings. How could the girl appear to be so calm when she was impersonating someone? The girl slightly swayed out of fake happiness in a pink taffeta dress to Lord Randolph’s words. Arianna smiled, secretly happy to not be wearing the awful dress.

“It is with great pride that I welcome our newest family member into the clan,” Lord Randolph ended as applause began. Panic set into the girl’s face as the crowd began to part.

The crowd began to murmur as a person covered in a white cape walked between the people. Arianna listened from person to person around her to try to understand in her confusion.

“But it isn’t midnight,” the lady in the peacock mask said to the short man beside her.

“What is he planning now?” another man asked his companion.

“It’s too early,” the curly-haired man said to the younger man with him.

Arianna slightly tapped the hand firmly holding her in place. Devin leaned nearer to Arianna.

“What’s going on now?” she asked curiously.

“When a dearg-dul turns, they need a large amount of blood. So a sacrifice is chosen and presented to the person at their coming-out party. At midnight, when they turn, they drink from their sacrifice. The person coming now is the sacrifice for you,” Devin explained.

Arianna looked around the room for a clock and found large, ornately-decorated clock across the room from the platform. 11:26. Arianna turned back to her grandfather, and he smiled as the girl next to him was beginning to panic so badly that her cool cover was breaking. She was as confused as the crowd.

“A dearg-dul turns at midnight, right?” Arianna asked, and Devin chuckled. “But that girl, if she’s supposed to be me, won’t turn for another thirty-four minutes.” Devin gazed across the room to Molina, who nodded her reply to the situation.

“Everything must be set then,” he explained, as Arianna followed his gaze. Devin released his grip on Arianna who instead took his arm.

Arianna watched as her sacrifice neared. “So, what happens to the sacrifice?” she asked Devin.

“They die,” Devin replied.

“But what if you don’t want to kill a person?” Arianna asked, not approving of the situation.

“The first time anyone turns, they black out like you did, and won’t know the difference. In normal situations you can take blood from someone without killing them by just stopping when the heartbeat changes. But for the first time, most people can’t stop because they are overcome with thirst,” Devin explained.

“But you’re not dead,” Arianna replied pointing out that she had changed without a sacrifice.

“I was prepared to die, but for some reason you stopped,” he added. “You don’t need to worry about the person who sacrifices themself,” he added, seeing Arianna’s concern. “That person knows what will happen. They choose to be the sacrifice. I’d have gladly died for you.”

Arianna turned to watch the hooded person passed nearby Arianna and Devin’s location in the crowd. Arianna caught the faint scent of lilacs, which she vaguely recognized, as the person passed. When they slowly began to climb the stairs, the whispers in the crowd increased.

“Everyone seems a bit talkative today,” Lord Randolph said loudly, as the sacrifice approached the top stairs. “I understand I’m causing a bit of confusion by beginning this early, but I figured that since my granddaughter actually turned last night, it would be alright.” The crowd burst into more conversations. Arianna tried to listen to everyone, but the fear growing on the fake Arianna’s face caught her attention. “Since she didn’t finish the transformation last night, I figure we can finish it now.” The fake Arianna began to back away from Lord Randolph on the platform. “Don’t be scared, dear,” he said kindly, though Arianna could feel the wickedness in his voice. “Everything has been prepared, just how you asked.” Lord Randolph stepped down to the hooded person and untied the cape around her neck.