Chapter 70: SECRETS
Blakely was led through the winding hallways of Eden, Evangeline walking a few steps ahead while she trailed behind, her arms crossed. The castle—or whatever this place really was—had an atmosphere that felt odd. Like the walls had seen too much, like the aesthetic itself was something brought from the 1700s to this age.
At least the west wing looked more modern. By the time they arrived, she could tell it was meant to be a guest area. The floors were super polished, the walls were painted a warm neutral tone, and the decorative sconces lined the hallway. It still had an old-world feel, but it was livable. More normal.
Evangeline stopped in front of a dark wooden door that has two nameplates, one with her name and the other with Xinmei. Evangeline pushed it open without knocking. She stepped aside, gesturing for Blakely to enter, before leaving. The intruding sound alerted Xinmei and she woke up from nap, turning around
Blakely took one step in, then another, slowly scanning the space.
The room was... good. She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but it was better than she expected. It was wide enough to accommodate up to four people comfortably, though they were only two. Two large beds were positioned on opposite sides of the room—one near the en-suite bathroom, the other closer to the wide window overlooking part of the estate. Each bed had a tall wooden headboard with beautiful carvings, clearly expensive. There were matching wardrobes beside each bed, along with vanities and other necessary furniture.
"Mmm," she hummed, dropping onto one of the bed. "It's… okay."
Xinmei, who had already claimed the bed closer to the bathroom, watched as Blakely flopped onto the couch windowside mattress with an exaggerated sigh. "I told them I wanted to share with you instead of whoever they paired me with. I’m not dealing with a random stranger’s weird habits for two days." Xinmei said rolling over and sitting up.
Blakely chuckled, kicking off her shoes. "Did you threaten them or something? They—Evangeline doesn't seem like pushovers, she's weird alright, but not a pushover"
"Not exactly." She lay down again, propping her head up with her hand. "More like... I strongly insisted, and i'm cute. Anyway, how are you feeling?"
Blakely nodded, standing up and walking toward the wardrobe. "Fine, I guess. Everyone keeps saying it was stress. Not convinced, because no one blacks out like that except it's something terminal"
And that was the second time. But she didn't tell her that, mostly because it was none of her business.
Xinmei gave her a once-over, like she also wasn’t convinced, but didn’t push it. "You should probably take it easy, though."
Blakely scoffed. "Yeah, I'm not pregnant."
Xinmei rolled her eyes, and climbed down the bed. Both unpacked their essentials, arranging them. Xinmei was the first to grab a fresh change of clothes and headed to the bathroom while Blakely unpack, and sorted through her things..
By the time she stepped out of th bathroom, dressed in something more comfortable—a fitted top and a soft lounge pants—Blakely had also changed into sweats and a hoodie, her hair tied up in a messy bun.
Xinmei dried her hair and began running a brush through it, once she was done and satisfied with the outcome she kept the brush on her own vanity and at almost the same room the small wall speaker near the door crackled to life with a faint buzzing sound, followed by a monotone voice.
"Attention, guests. Lunch is now being served in the dining hall. Please make your way downstairs. The house rules will also be discussed at this time."A click was heard, and silence followed.
Blakely glanced at Xinmei, who raised a brow before stretching her arms over her head.
"Well, at least they’re feeding us before they start telling us what we can’t do," Blakely muttered, getting off the bed and slipping into her sneakers.
"From the things I've seen and noticed cer so far, I'm happy to announce that your backup snacks are of no use.."
She wasn’t exactly hungry, but she knew better than to skip a meal in a place like this.
Xinmei grabbed her phone, before heading toward the door. "I should Probably call Lucy and tell her we're here." She turned to Blakely, "Coming?"
Blakely rolled her eyes but followed. They stepped out into the hallway, where other students were already making their way toward the stairs. Some were still adjusting their clothes, having clearly been lying around before the announcement.
Blakely and Xinmei fell in line with the others, their footsteps echoing lightly against the polished floors as they descended toward lunch downstairs.
Halfway downstairs, Xinmei turned on her phone and tapped on Lucy’s contact. The line rang twice before the girl picked up.
"Finally," Lucy’s voice came through, laced with impatience. "I was starting to think you got kidnapped or something. What took you so long to call?"
Xinmei rolled her eyes, shifting her phone to her other ear as they walked. "We just got settled in. Had to make sure my dear friend Blakely here didn’t pass out again."
Blakely, who was a step ahead, shot her a glare over her shoulder but didn’t say anything.
"She okay?" Lucy asked from the other end worriedly.
She glanced at Blakely again before answering, "Yeah, she’s fine. Just stress, apparently."
Lucy hummed. "Good. I was about to drive back and drag you both out of there if I didn’t hear from you soon."
Xinmei chuckled. "Relax, we’re not in a horror movie… yet."
"Just don’t do anything stupid, follow the rules if theere are any and send me videos. I've heard rumors about that place and I really want to see if it's worth all the hype and rumors"
Xinmei smirked as if her friend could see her. "I will, when I find hidden dungeon or see ghosts roaming the halls?"
"Yeah, stuff like that too." Lucy giggled.
She sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. I’ll keep you updated, Mom."
With that, she hung up, and she slipped her phone back into her pocket just as they reached the last few steps, wondering why all the students were stopping all of a sudden.