Caelia resumed work like nothing had happened. Everything was back to normal in the family, almost as if nothing had happened. The ball decorations had been packed and the Wright family went back to business as usual. It was almost as if nothing had happened, but Caelia could tell that this time, something had changed, a different air in the house that she wondered if she was only just discovering or was as a reason of the ball.
Greta had warned her to keep her head down, in the nicest way possible. She wanted her to be sure that she didn't mention anything about the ball or even as much as let them see the scar on her wrist. She wore long sleeves under her uniform to cover them up, claiming the weather was a bit too chilly, which was partially true, the weather got colder as the New Year approached.
Damon occasionally came to her mind, and quitting her job came to her mind in more ways than one. If it wasn't for the fact that they were indebted to the Wrights and her mother would suffer for her insolence, she had planned to run far far away, back to familiar grounds. Back to being ordinary.
She knew that would do her some good. But that wasn't possible, not in a long time, she wished it was an option but considering it was a futile endeavour.
The only thing that gave her a bit of joy was reading in the garden. Which she had done more after opening Damon's present. Books, he had given her more books to read. One of them was a Jane Austen book, a very expensive original copy. She was floored. Even though she had been in utter disbelief while opening the book after Greta's revelation, she was still happy to receive them.
She had not seen him after then to extend her gratitude, well, it was more like she herself had been avoiding him.
But the garden was her safe haven, like it had been for the past few days. It kept her head clear, clear from all the questions and thoughts that came in every time she was in the Wrights house. And she couldn't get that image of Sophia out of her head, her mouth dripping with the blood of the man, the shock on her own face, the way she didn't even look fazed.
It was horrible.
"There you are!"
Damon's voice made her flinch. And she quickly jumped up, she was a little startled.
She turned to look at him. He looked normal. Not like that night. He was dressed simple, in a white shirt and red shorts, with his hand in his pocket. There wasn't nothing different about him or the way he looked from last night, except for his clothes and how he carried himself. There was a dashing smile on his face as he looked at her and Caelia wondered if he really didn't recognize her that night.
Was the makeup and mask really that good or was he the one who couldn't fathom the fact that his maid was the one who he was with at the party.
She quickly put her hands behind her back and smiled nervously.
"I haven't seen you in so long, I thought you quit or something. What are you up to?'
"Just doing a little reading. I'm on a short break."
She said as she pointed to the book that was lying on the bench. Damon glanced at the book and smiled.
"Oh I see, you've started reading the books that I got you. Do you enjoy them?"
Caelia nodded.
"I like them a lot, in fact, I wish I had more time to read them."
It was hard to believe that she was talking to the same Damon, and that he was actually a vampire. She looked at the way the mild sunlight hit his skin and made him slightly glow a bit and she thought about the myths. Vampires couldn't walk in the sun, at least that was one thing many vampire books and myths agreed on. But Damon looked fine. He didn't look the least bit affected.
She wondered if the garlic bit was true, or the coffin one. In fact, she couldn't stop thinking about it all.
"Please excuse me, I just remembered that I have something very important to do."
She said as she quickly hurried out of the garden, leaving a confuse Damon alone in the garden.
Caelia rushed straight toward Greta who was in the laundry room, doing Mrs Wright's laundry.
"How do you do it?"
She asked as she barged in, closing the door gently behind her and panting heavily from the flight of stairs she had to climb.
"Keep your voice down. Look natural. There are cameras around."
Greta answered nervously, not once taking her eyes from the laundry machine.
Caelia looked around nervously and then she looked up, then she saw the camera at the corner, with the red light beeping.
Caelia picked up a basket of clothes and pretended to be sorting through them.
"I can't help it... They're all around and I can't stop thinking about that night."
"Well... you have to find a way. Or you'll put us both in trouble."
Greta whispered.
"Just think of them as normal humans like us. But make sure you don't get on their bad side."
Caelia gulped hard.
"What if-what if they try to hurt us??!"
Greta shook her head.
"I've bene working here for years, your mother too and Rachel, if they wanted to hurt us, I think they'll have done a long time ago."
"Just keep your head low and do your job Caelia, for all our sakes."
...................
In a room adorned with expensive furnishings and bathed in the warm glow of a crystal chandelier, Damon, the Lord and protector of Staunton and the founding family's representatives gathered around an imposing mahogany table. The air was heavy with anticipation and authority, as each and everyone in the room waited with bated breath for Damon to finally speak. It was no ordinary meeting, it was a meeting of the foremost and most powerful vampires in their coven and they had a crisis at hand.
It was the first time they were meeting after the incident that had happened at the ball.
The walls were adorned with portraits of past founders, the ones who had died one way or the other, which was quite rare, because vampires rarely died from old age, their portraits were hung as a constant reminder of the weight of responsibility and legacy that rested on the shoulders of those who sat within those walls.
Damon stood up, facing the board.
"As you all know, my bride is missing."
The air was thick with tension as he said this, all eyes were on him as he sighed.
"I have reached out to all the family here and unfortunately, none of them can provide me with the whereabouts or identity of this mystery woman who is now my bride."
"Which has now led me to the uncomfortable conclusion that my bride... is not a member of the founding families."
There were murmurs around the table and gasps of shock.
One old vampire dared to speak.
"My Lord, how is it possible that she was at the ball then?!"
Damon shrugged.
"I have no answer for that. No one has breached our private balls in at least seventy years, what we're dealing with is very unusual."
"Can we at least try to find her sire line? I think that should be possible..."
One of them answered.
That was Brimsley, one of the oldest founding father, he had to be at least eight hundred years old.
"We have tried, that is a pretty long search and my cadre is trying their best, but they're not ruling the possibility that she might not live in Staunton or she might not even be a vampire at all."
There was more murmuring, Damon's words seemed to have caused quite the ruckus.
"The ritual has not been completed. How will we do this?!'
One of them exclaimed.
"Perhaps you will find another bride My Lord."
Another asked timidly.
The rest of them nodded and grunted in approval.
"I'm afraid that's impossible."
Damon quickly answered.
"The ritual had already begun, she has my ring. We are connected already."
"I can only hope that we find her soon enough and complete the ritual."
"What do you propose we do then?"
His father asked and Damon nodded.
"We have to find her. We have to intensify the search, widen our search. I spoke to the priest, he said we have one moon to find her and complete the ritual."
"I need everyone looking, don't limit your search to our kind, look everywhere."
"And we must find out how and why she was in the ball in the first place, she must have had an invite, which means she went in place of someone, we must find out who that is."
He added. They all nodded in agreement.
"And what do we do when we find her?! What do we do if she's not even one of us?"
Damon straightened.
"Bring her to me.
"After all, she is my bride."