Indecent Folks

I was fixing the gauze around my hand when I caught a crowd outside the mansion. Sunkens gathered in front of a house, so I went to see what the commotion was about. Their eyes landed on me with accusation, prompting me to stop in my tracks. It was the same kind of look that they gave me during the fire incident.

I no longer took another step closer as I fiddled with my fingers. "What happened?" I asked a middle-aged vamp in front of me.

She turned to me, pointing at the sky. "He was struck by lightning while on duty."

"Where?"

"On the patrol path." Then she pointed at the top of the walls.

"Isn't he supposed to heal?"

"They said that it was a celestial punishment," she whispered.

The crowd parted while a female vamp tried to make her way towards me. "This is your fault! Why are they still letting an abomination wander in this village?!" she yelled at me and revealed her red eyes, so I stepped back. "Hollie! Enough!" They grabbed her by her arms to keep her away from me. "She doesn't know!"

"It wasn't me," I whispered.

"If Rougan doesn't give one more good reason for keeping you here, I will kill you!" she warned as she pointed her fingers at me. "I don't care what nature or heaven was protecting you, but I will slit your throat, you witch!"

I jolted when someone held my arm. "Go back to the mansion," Sawyer ordered beside me. My heart pounded as I grabbed my skirt and ran away. This must be a misunderstanding. That wasn't me. I don't know what she was talking about. My knees trembled, so I kneeled on the staircase while my wound pricked from the pressure of supporting my weight. Finally, I gathered my strength and headed to Rougan's room.

When I reached the door, I found two vamps guarding his room. One of them blocked his arm in front of me. "We were ordered not to let anyone in."

I blinked in confusion and glanced at the door. "Rougan was out. Who's in there?"

He shook his head. "No one, Lady Jones. Doctor Banford told us to keep the room empty until Sir Rougan comes back."

I took another glance at the door before I nodded and walked away. The longer I'm staying in this village, the more peculiar things happen. At first, I thought this place was only strange because it was full of vampires, but the way they act and speak towards me made me feel like I was causing trouble.

My mind wandered all over the place until I found Norah entering my room as she carried a wicker trunk. "Norah," I called her.

She turned to me and smiled before pushing the door. "Good afternoon, Miss Dani." She laid her hand so I could walk in first.

I found my lunch prepared on the table before I turned to her. "Have you eaten?" I asked while she removed the bedsheet and pillowcases.

"Later, Miss Dani. I'll take this to my mother first," she replied politely.

"Do you want to join me for lunch?" I asked, pulling the chair beside me before settling into mine.

I dragged a plate of oysters closer to me and picked up a shell.

"You look upset, Miss Dani. Are you okay?" she asked.

I chuckled and shook my head while I poured the oyster into my mouth. "In case you're forgetting, Norah, I'm a prisoner here. Like those criminals in the cellar, but make it first class."

She fell silent for a while before responding. "I hope Doctor Banford and Sir Cooper can make the Sapper as soon as possible."

"Hmm. Tell me about it."

She joined me for lunch, and we spent some time in the library. She read a poem aloud while she sat on the floor, and I lay on the couch.

"I was once charmed by the beauty of the sky until I started seeing the brilliance in your eyes. They're the bluest irises I've ever seen."

She stopped reading and craned her neck to look at me, so I turned to her. "Have you ever liked a girl, Miss Dani?" she asked.

A smile made its way onto my lips as I shook my head and looked outside the window to watch the grey dome. "Depends on how you define like," I mumbled while I crossed my arms behind my head. "Never mind. I was just curious," she said, chuckling a little.

"You like someone?" I asked.

She rubbed her thumb on the book. "Depends on how you define like."

I chuckled and glanced at her before turning my gaze back outside. "Who is she?"

"I can't say. You might tell her."

I frowned. "Jesus, don't tell me it's Lauren?"

She shot a glance at me, shocked and pale. "Is it that obvious?"

A soft chuckled escaped my lips as I poked her nose. "Silly. I was guessing, but you confessed. She's into Cooper, though," I mumbled.

She pouted before nodding while she laid the book on her lap. "Sucks, isn't it?"

I smiled and turned to the window. "Some people are just not meant for us," I whispered. "However, you're still young, and it's not too late for you."

"You're not that old yourself," she replied with a smile on her face. "Are you already hopeless at this age?" she asked.

My smile faded as I shook my head. "It's not my priority, and neither should be yours. Just enjoy that feeling. Love is beautiful."

She gave me a wry smile. "If I'm honest, you said that as if you don't believe it."

I laughed and grabbed the book from her. "I do believe in love. I'm just...unlucky." I stood and went to the shelves. "My turn. Let me read you something about history."

She laughed so loud, so I shot a look at her. "I'm 400 years old, Miss Dani. I know history quite well," she said.

My mouth hung open when I realized that she has a point. I chuckled and shook my head as I picked a short novel instead. "Among everyone here, you're the most...alive," I said before turning to her. "So sometimes I forgot for a while that you're "

"Dead?"

"A vampire and a pretty one," I said.

**

"Every first day of the week, we make breakfast for the kids in an orphanage in Midplains. Do you want to join us in the preparation?" she asked while we walked back to my room.

"I've never seen the mansion's kitchen. I'd love to help."

She beamed and nodded before we stepped out of the mansion. "It would've been better if you can come to us at the Midplains too," she said.

I chuckled and pointed at myself. "I'm a fugitive." We kept walking until I realized something. "Does everyone here know my record?" I asked.

We stopped at a bench while I looked around. The place was quiet already. "We know enough. But trust me, letting a fugitive in is the least of our concerns. Sir Rougan surely has his reasons."

"You trust him that much?" I asked before glancing at the night sky. The fire on the sconces reflected on the grey dome.

"Of course, he is our leader, so when he told us not to harm a perfectly edible food like you, we have to obey him."

I frowned at her. "I look like food to all vampires?"

She stared at me with a straight face until she gave up and laughed. "I don't want to scare you, but you looked funny," she teased.

I sighed in relief as I pointed at the sky. "Do you see a dome over us?"

She looked up in the sky and frowned. "What done?"

"Nothing."

She needed to come home, so we already parted ways before I entered the mansion. My dinner was ready in my room when I walked in, so I ate my dinner alone and grabbed a book under my pillow. I didn't realize how long I've spent reading until I glanced at the wall clock and saw its shorthand pointed at nine. Rougan must be back by now, but I'm suddenly hesitating. After our conversation, I don't know if I should see him tonight. Even if I wanted to, I was unsure if he wanted to see me in his room every night. Maybe he'd like a time for himself. In the end, I decided to stay in bed until I fell asleep.

The following day, I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on my door. "Miss Dani? Are you awake?"

It was Norah, so I propped up my elbows against the bed as I glanced at the clock. It's only five in the morning. "I'm coming," I mumbled. We took a few turns in the mansion while I hugged myself under my thick cardigan. I quickly caught a scent of a nice stew in the hallway while my stomach grumbled. "Can I have a bowl of soup?" I asked Norah when we entered an archway.

She smiled and nodded before pulling a door. "We've prepared your breakfast."

We ended up in a large room with a barrel ceiling and fixed lamps on each wall. There was a long table at the centre where the cooks prepare the food, and two massive shelves of supplies and kits stood to my left.

"Good morning, Lady Jones," one of the cooks in a white apron greeted me, followed by the rest of the Sunkens down here.

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I smiled at them and glanced at the small table nearby a pillar when Norah laid her arm. "You should eat. I'll be right there." Then she pointed at the cauldron under the hearths.

I gobbled my breakfast so I could have more time to help them. We spent three hours in the kitchen until we began putting the tin boxes in a wicker trunk. "This orphanage, where is it in Midplains?" I asked Norah while we followed the other cooks heading out of the kitchen, each carrying a wicker trunk.

"At the border. Mostly, they're children abandoned by their mothers from the neighbouring kingdoms, so the Ministry of Welfare decided to build a house of them."

"I'd like to see them, but I'll ask Rougan first," I said.

She smiled before nodding. "I'll wait at the gate, then. We're leaving in an hour."

"Alright. If I didn't show up, it means Rougan didn't let me."

"I hope he does." She smiled again and walked away.

I headed to Rougan's room, but there were guards again who blocked my way. "We were enforcing a new order, Lady Jones. Sir Rougan didn't tell us to let you in." "But he didn't tell you to stop me either, did he?"

"New rule, Lady Jones," he reminded me.

My shoulders dropped as I took a deep breath. "Then could you knock for me and tell him that I'd like to see him?"

He bowed slightly before heading to the door

his study."

knock. He walked in, so I crossed my arms and waited patiently. When he came back, he gently shook his head and laid his arm on the hallway. "He said that if it's important, you should wait in

I frowned and pursed my lips before walking up to his study. The sun was already up, so I walked by the window to look at the dome. It's still grey. I slumped on the couch as I recalled the vamp who was struck by lightning yesterday. I hope Rougan could clarify what the woman meant.

Forty-five minutes had passed, and I still haven't seen even Rougan's shadow. Is he trying to avoid me? I stood up and stepped out of the room before hurrying outside. If the Sunkens were bringing breakfast to Midplains, then he must be accompanying them. I guess I'll just meet him at the gate.

I found four wagons outside. They were done loading the wicker trunk and almost ready to leave, so I walked towards one of the guards by the gate.

"Have you seen Rougan? Was he outside?"

"On one of the wagons, Lady Jones," the guard responded.

My shoulders dropped as the horses began drawing the wagons away. Rougan told me to wait at his study, but he must have forgotten. I walked back to the mansion and found Sawyer stepping out of the workshop.

I smiled at him as I looked at the empty birdcage in his hand. "What's that for?" I asked.

"I'm changing my bird's cage." I squinted my eyes to keep myself from smiling while he rolled his eyes at me. "It's so early, Dani."

"Can I see it, then?" I chuckled while he flicked his finger on my forehead and briefly laid his arm on the neighbourhood. "Follow me."