Hallows: Eulalie

Prologue: Eulalie

Radiohead- Creep

-Eulalie-

I dwelt alone

In a world of moan, 

And my soul was a stagnant tide,

Till the fair and gentle Eulalie became my blushing bride. 

Ah, less-less bright

The stars of the night

Than the eyes of a radiant girl!

That the vapor can make

With the Moon-tints of purple and pearl, 

Can vie with the modest Eulalie's most humble and careless curl. 

Now Doubt-now Pain

Come never again, 

For her soul gives me sigh for sigh,

And all day long 

Shines, bright and strong,

Astarte within the sky, 

While ever to her dear Eulalie upturns her matron eye-

While ever to her young Eulalie upturns her violet eye. 

-Edgar Allen Poe

Dante: 

Peace isn't easy to come by. So, every chance I get, I dive in without hesitation. I try to escape the silence in this old house. The madness brought on by what we are. The pain we try to desperately run away from. I learned from a young age that we can't run away. Not from ourselves and sure as hell not from what we are. 

"Master Danny, would you like another cup of tea?" 

"No, thank you, Jimmy. I'll be leaving for school in a bit. Prepare the car," I dismiss him. 

"Yes, sir," 

The black snake on my bed is looking up at me again. The way it did the night I lost control. It mocks me. Torments me with its black beady eyes and its shiny black scales that glisten gold against the reflection of the light. I crouch down in front of it and hold my hand out in hopes that it bites me so in the very least. I can be numb, but it doesn't. It just wraps itself around my arm to hide under my clothes.

Opening the door to this room is a reminder of what I've done. What I had to do to get away from him. My so-called father. Every time I open this door, I can't help but feel the satisfaction of the memory that I never want to fade. The sound of the pistol going off. The way he looked at me like I was the monster he and my mother set out to create. The way he stumbled back clutching his chest until he dropped in the middle of his study. No. Not his study. Mine. All of this is mine now. 

The stain where he bled to death is still there in the middle of the priceless Persian rug. One glance in that direction and my entire day just gets so much brighter. Even in this old house, I can still smile. I can still feel happy, even if the moment is fleeting. I'm just glad I'm not completely void of emotions.

"Sir," James bows his head as I approach the car. "Master David called," 

"What did he say?" I ask. 

"He wanted to know if you were going to school today," 

"Does he need a ride?" 

"No, sir. He moved into the dorms with the others. It's not too late to change your mind. I can have your dorm room prepared by the time your classes are over. It could be good for you to get out of this house. Fun, even," 

"Not today, Jim," I get in the car. He doesn't push it, but I know I'm going to hear about it again from him or the others.

Hellbourne Academy is a lot safer than the Haunted Mansion right now. For all of us. The only reason I've procrastinated this long is because Liquorish's horse stables at the school aren't finished yet. If I took her with me now, they would have trouble keeping her calm, and if she doesn't want to be there, neither do I. James stops the car near the back entrance of the school where Kelly and David are waiting for me. I reach over and give James's shoulder a squeeze. He puts his hand over mine. 

"Be safe, Master Danny. It's dangerous out there," he bids me farewell. Kelly opens my door and snatches my books from the seat and hands them to David. 

"Get out," she demands. I sigh knowing that she's going to be in a mood today. I get out of the car towering over her small five-two build. She starts fussing over my clothes, checking to see if there's anything out of place. She fixes my collar and tries to brush my hair out of my face. "You didn't sleep again, did you?" I don't answer her. The two of them know damn well that sleep is out of the question most nights. Not just for me either. "Danny," 

"Kels," I roll my eyes at her. She reaches up to cup my face. 

"Danny, come stay in the dorms with us," she says, taking my hand to turn it over. She places two blue pills in the center of my palm. 

"I don't like you alone in that house," David agrees with her. 

"Not you, too," I toss both pills in my mouth and crush them between my teeth. My mouth salivates with the bitter taste. She finally closes the door behind me and James takes off. 

"The others are waiting for us. Come on," Kels smacks my arm. 

The sound of a rowdy crowd catches her attention. The three of us turn back to the parking lot. A girl runs through the gates, taking her backpack off. She tosses it on the grass along with her jacket and starts pulling her hair into a high ponytail. Two other girls rush through the gate and the three of them start fighting. The first one is smaller than the other two. The sound of her punches echoes in the silence of the morning dew with each hit she lands. 

"Kels," I warn her, recognizing her little partner in crime right away.

I hold out my hand to try and stop her. She sighs and instead of heading into school, she hangs her bag on my arm and jogs over to them. She pulls one of the girls off the first one. Now that it's a fairly even fight, the two other girls pull away and head back the way they came from. David and I head over as Kelly tries to help her but the scrappy little thing rejects her hand and slaps it away. 

"I didn't need you to help me," she shouts at Kelly. "You need to let me deal with them on my own,"

"Most would be thankful," Kelly scoffs. 

"You're not helping me," she growls, snatching her coat and bag from the ground. "Kelly, please. This is my fight," 

When she turns around to see David and me standing behind her, she sneers and pushes past us, her shoulders knocking against the two of us as she goes. Ashley Villanueva is new here. She got a full ride this year. She's supposed to be this classical music prodigy. The only reason she doesn't fit in is because she's from the Southside. The other girls pick on her. She has a mouth on her too. 

"Happy?" I ask her. Kels snatches her bag out of my hand. 

"You were really gonna let them f**k her up?" she asks me. 

"Villanueva isn't some preppy rich b***h, Kels. She doesn't need to be f*****g rescued," I scold her. She starts walking back the way we came.

"What part of the others are waiting, didn't you understand?" she shoots back as if the delay is my fault.

"I think she broke up with Carter again," David informs me. "They were fighting last night," 

"I figured. That's going to make Tony really happy," 

"Daniels is only ever happy when his fist is pounding on someone's face," he scoffs. That's true. It's the only time Anthony smiles. He would have liked our encounter with the new girl this morning. 

"I'm gonna bail on today's meeting," I inform him. He sighs and turns to face me. 

"You're still not upset about Liquorish coming in second, are you?" he asks. 

"She's not second-place material," I look away. He steps in front of me with a smirk on his face. 

"Go. Leave Ash alone, Danny. You don't need her getting caught up in all this s**t. Yeah? I'll talk to Kelly. Tony and Rudy are watching her,"

"She's been sneaking off campus to go to the Southside. You know who runs the part of town, " 

His hand cups my face and he smiles. He looks around briefly before leaning in to press his lips to mine. My hand wraps around his throat as his essence floods my mouth. I push him back until he's pressed up against the door. I growl, tearing myself away from him. He shakes his head trying to calm his breathing. 

"I'm sorry. You caught me off guard," I shiver, trying to shake his heat in my system. 

"Hey," he struggles to keep his eyes open. "You need to feed. How long were you been couped up in your room?" 

"I don't know," I admit. He looks up at me and sighs. His hand comes around my neck and I let my head fall against his. He's right. I have to feed. I can hurt him in the state I'm in now. 

"You're okay," he whispers in my ear. "I'm fine," he's not. He straightens up and slips out from under me. "Go. I'll tell them," 

"Okay," I agree. He wipes his mouth and turns away from me. It takes him a moment to steady himself before he walks into the building. "i***t," I scold myself and follow him in. Aubrey Fitzgerald is leaning against her locker tapping away at her little pink flip phone. "Hey," 

"Danny," she greets me without looking up from her phone. I take it from her. She laughs. "Danny, give me my phone back," 

"Or?" I ask. She reaches for it at the same time I step into her. She drops her hand and looks up at me. 

"Same place?" she asks. 

"Same place, gorgeous," I give her a nod. "Where's Tiff?" 

"She'll be there," she reaches for her phone again. I let her take it this time. She pushes up on her tiptoes to kiss me but I turn away not wanting that sticky s**t on her lips to her on me.

"Take that off," I order her.

My eyes meet a pair of hazel ones. The new girl. She turns her attention back to the locker as I take a step back. Aubrey takes off without saying another word. I keep my eyes on Ashley until she slams the locker door shut and puts the lock back on it. 

"What the f**k are you looking at?" she growls, looking back at me. 

"I caught you looking, sweetie. We got a problem?" I ask her. I love the way her eyes burn with anger and she's always f*****g pissed. If she wasn't such a f*****g pain in my ass, it would be her waiting for me in the theater auditorium right now.

"f**k you, Blackstone," she bites out and turns to walk away. I can't help the smile that spreads across my face as I watch her fine ass walk away. 

I head toward the auditorium where Aubrey and Tiffany are waiting for me. I can't afford to be walking around underfed. The snake can lash out at any moment and if I'm not prepared, the venom will f**k me up. The last time it got me while hungry it took Whitmore and Del Monte to keep me from hurting anyone, including myself. 

"Hi, Danny," Tiffany greets me as soon as I walk in. The room is dark for now. She pulls me into her so that Aubrey can shut us in. 

"Tiff," I lean in needing her warmth. 

She smiles reaching for the buttons on my shirt as I tip her head back. Girls my age have an endless supply of s****l energy. I can f**k these two for hours, take more than I deserve and they'll walk out of here like it's just another day and this one is one of my favorite.

"Danny," she calls out my name as I pull her little dress up her thighs. 

Tiffany Kennedy tastes like first love and forbidden desires. She's in love with Halestorm and one day the two of them are going to pop out a couple of kids and possibly run the human part of this shithole, but right now, she's in my arms having the fun he'll start depriving her of after they graduate.

Aubrey comes up behind me taking my shirt off. Her warm hands work their way up my back and around my waist so she can take my belt off. Aubrey is a little more complex than Tiff. She's got some serious issues. The only daughter in a household run by men. She tastes like heartbreak and rage. Has some pretty f****d up kinks and I live for it. Most days.

"f**k her, Danny," Aubrey whispers in my ear as she takes my d**k in her hand. 

I lift Tiffany's leg a little and Aubrey positions me at her p***y while stroking me. I push inside of her knowing that she's already soaking for me. The hunger wins and I pin her to the wall by slamming into her. Aubrey covers Tiffany's mouth with one hand and makes me look at her with the other. She grips my hair tightly. I make sure she's taken the gloss off before I let her kiss me. 

Their essence floods through me, warming the coldness in my bones with each thrust. With each brush of Aubrey's lips against mine. Tiffany taps my shoulder when she's done and I release her. She falls on the floor as I pull Aubrey off of me and turn her around. I bend her over on the theater chair and slam into her. She cries out and I have to reach around to cover her mouth. 

A growl rips out of me when my eyes land on the piano sitting on the stage. I look away, not wanting to think of the girl that sits there. I can have whoever the f**k I want whenever I want, so why am I thinking of that one? Why am I thinking of her angry green-brown eyes? The way her plump lips move when she calls me Blackstone. No one f*****g calls me that. A faint voice brings me back. 

"What?" I look up at Tiffany who is getting dressed. 

"She said that was fun," Aubrey laughs. "Where is your head, Danny?" 

"If you want we can meet you again during lunch," Tiffany repeats and looks down at my c**k. I'm still hard. I was nowhere near coming. 

"It's the valium. My body reacts to it," I lie as I tuck myself away. The snake is satisfied but I'm not. I rarely ever am. The two of them leave hand in hand and giggling. It doesn't take long before David is walking my way. "Don't sit there," I point at the chair Aubrey had been sitting in, naked. "It's wet," 

"Tony wasn't happy about you not being at the meeting," he says stepping over me. He sits in the chair to my left. "It's lunchtime. Are you going to spend the rest of the day here?" 

"Where's my journal?" I ask him. He takes it out of his backpack and hands it to me. I take my pen out of my back pocket. "Yeah," 

"What's going on with you? We're worried," 

"I don't know," I admit. "It's restless, but it's different. Whatever that old f**k was injecting me with. I think it's f*****g me up," 

"You should talk to Kels about this. If you don't want the others to find out. We can trust her," he reaches for me, but I move away. 

"I'm dirty," I brush him off. I don't like him touching me after I feed. 

"Here," he holds up a key. "Go to my room. Wash up. Change. See if you can get some rest. The music dorks are going to be here any minute. There's a nickel bag in a pencil box inside the top drawer of my writing desk. You should seriously consider moving into the dorms, Dante. It's not safe for you even with your demon guard walking around the place. I'll come to get you when classes are over,"