[BOOK TWO]
"Anniversaries to some are like counting the years spent doing something great, years spent together, or years spent alive." I started slowly, voice dropping to a drawl as I peeked cautiously out of my bedroom blinds, scanning the road to...
FOR THE NEXT few days, Fabian avoided me like the plague. Although the said spirit of famine had already deterred from me much on a normal day, this time, he made the effort to never run into my path. In an instance, he was having a meal in the dining hall, conversing with Wilhelm and Calvin before he noticed me. The very second I set foot into the room, his chair scraped loudly against the floor before he maneuvered himself out of the room, excusing himself as if it was perfectly ordinary.
I wasn't as bothered by it since Fabian and I hadn't actually been friends before this revelation, but having someone so obviously avoiding me felt a little weird. Life hadn't been this way for me ever since Porsha's betrayal, and said girl was already now probably in Hell.
If the other brothers had noticed the tension between us, they certainly had not commented on it. In fact, Calvin spent extra time training with me everyday, more so now that I had encountered Lucifer and discovered his holding area.
"You have to be ready," he had said a few nights ago whilst teaching me some fighting moves. "War is inevitable with Lucius now on the loose."
On the other hand, Dimitri seemed to be avoiding me just as well. Different to his twin brother's intentions, he simply just seemed as though too busy to even bother stopping by to say 'hi'. Whether or not those busy schedules were true, I did not bother to check. If Dimitri had wanted to mend that broken bridge of trust in between us, he would have been easier for me to find whenever I go around asking for him.
So when the said spirit had barged into my room while I was in the middle of reading, I had jumped a little into the air in fright. Not seeing him for a few days had made me notice just how much I had missed his company. There was some sort of sick dependence I had formed towards the spirit of death, and seeing him again standing right in front of me invoked it well and clear.
For a few moments, Dimitri did not speak. He simply examined the room as if it were nothing more than an exhibit found in the museum. When his eyes had finally landed on my figure, I naturally offered him an unsure smile, hoping that he would perhaps wave back.
And thankfully, he did.
"What brings you to this part of town?"
"I do believe you're in my town now, Andy." Dimitri smirked, two dimples carving lightly into his cheeks as he made his way over to me, all traces of feud forgotten. I gently set my current book aside before standing up, arms folded across my chest in mock defiance.
"Well, this is my room. And you've not answered my question."
Dimitri rummaged through his pockets before holding out a single golden envelope, and for a second there I could feel my heart skip a beat when I noticed its familiarity. With quivering fingers, I grasped the golden paper in my hand before eyeing it cautiously.
He must have noticed my hesitance, for Dimitri placed a finger under my chin, lifting it up so that he could look me in the eye.
"Hey," he murmured under his breath. "I swear nothing bad is gonna happen with this letter. Not all golden letters are bad, after all."
Yeah, maybe just the last two I've received. Both attempted on my life and thankfully failed. But hey, third time's the charm, right?
Pursing my lips into a thin line, I nodded once before my fingers worked to peel the envelope open. A silvery slip of paper was inside, and I gingerly plucked it out, allowing its golden casing to flutter to the ground.
You have been cordially invited to attend the annual Hell Week: Royal Ball.
"What's this?" I asked, small flashes of clowns and mascots entering my mind before I shook it away.
"I believe you do know what Hell Week is," Dimitri smirked, hands tucked into the pockets of his casual jeans. "Last year's was a carnival--"
More unpleasant memories.
"--and this year's is a royal ball. It's going to be organized here, and you will attend it since you are a resident here now. I was actually here to ask if you'd like to go with me."
I nearly hadn't heard the last part to Dimitri's sentence, mind still too filled with the memories of the maze Dimitri had oh-so-graciously gifted me with last year. It was only after a few silent seconds had my eyes finally tore away from the invitation, looking straight into Dimitri's own silver orbs.
Green really hadn't matched his personality. Silver looks so much better.
"I...I'm not sure if I want to go, Dimitri."
Instead of the crestfallen face I had expected Dimitri to wear, his expression was simply one of acceptance. It was as if he had already expected the answer from me.
"I'm not going to push you to go to this ball, but I do hope you'll at least make an appearance. My people have been asking for you since your little guest appearance last year. Furthermore, every last one of the residents here will be here. Or at least those deserving of it. In the end, it's still your choice."
His fingers grazed the corner of my lips, and I fought hard to not jerk away violently. The coldness of Dimitri's hands against my skin sent eager shivers down my spine, bolts of electricity that had me taking in a deep breath in order to calm my racing heart.
"I'll think about it," I settled with.
Instantly, there was a full blown school-boyish grin set upon Dimitri's lips. "Good enough for me," he laughed. And there I thought I had never heard of anything as melodious as his laughter before. It rang like chimes, tinkling beautifully just as stars do in the night. It formed constellations, matching beats with notes to form music.
His voice was as beautiful as the art of music itself.
And I would never have thought any lesser now that I know who Death really was inside, instead of the cold hard facade he puts on for the rest of the world to see.
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Just a quick note, Deadly Silent has 30 chapters in total + epilogue and prologue. So the end is pretty near. Hold on to your seats, folks. We're in for a ride.
