The scent of amber, orange blossom, and bergamot lingered in Emily's nostrils from Rachel's perfume. Sweat glistened on her neck beneath the stage lights. Emily's mind was blank; her lips held the taste of Rachel's lipstick. Her heart pounded as she melted in her embrace, and in that moment, the voice screaming for release was silent.
Echoes of the crowd's cheers and clapping pulsed in her eardrums. Rachel's warm brown eyes gazed into Emily's green irises. Emily felt exposed, seen in a way she didn't have the vocabulary to describe. Her pale skin hummed like a tuning fork, muddled with an eerie feeling of remembrance. She couldn't shake the thought that she had met Rachel before, but Emily had no such memory to grab onto.
"See, that wasn't so hard," Rachel whispered, then released Emily and faced the crowd, soaking in their admiration.
Emily did not reply, her mind still lingering on Rachel's soft lips like an addict. Her eyes turned towards the crowd as a warm smile stretched across her face. She waved towards the crowd only because she noticed Rachel waving and bowing.
"Another warm round of applause to our two chosen!" Sarah said as she put down her violin. "That was a performance that would make the ENGINE blush."
"Thank you for picking us, Sarah of Tyrial. I am a huge fan of yours," Rachel explained as she turned while Sarah walked towards her.
"Is that so?" Sarah asked, waving to the crowd as they funneled towards the exit.
Rachel nodded. "My family had me practice some of your original scores. I can almost play your violin sonata from beginning to end."
Sarah smiled as she tapped a manicured nail on her chin. "That is a tough piece even for me," she explained. "What house are you from, my dear?"
"I am from House Lianza."
Sarah's eyes widened. "From Augustine, correct?"
Rachel nodded.
"Explains why you can play my violin sonata and your waltzing skills," Sarah said, then glanced over at Emily. "What about you, shy one? What house are you from?"
Emily blinked, then turned her head toward Sarah. "Who, me?"
Sarah chuckled, then noticed the small insignia on Emily's outfit, which she had gotten from the merchant earlier in the day.
"Oh, I am just an orphan."
"Don't make such jokes while wearing a garment woven by Ashley herself," Sarah replied, pointing at the identical insignia on her pink baroque dress.
Emily looked down at the insignia, shrugged, and looked back up at Sarah.
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "You seriously don't know who made the clothes you are wearing?"
"Not really."
"She also said she had never fenced before," Rachel explained as she crossed her arms and smirked.
"Beginner's luck," Emily muttered as she rubbed her neck.
"And she plays the cello," Elijah said as he walked on stage.
Emily raised an eyebrow as she watched Elijah light a cigarette. "What are you doing here, sourpuss?"
Sarah's eyes widened as she turned towards Elijah. "Fancy meeting you here, old friend," she said as her eyes undressed him.
Elijah nodded but did not reply, refusing to meet Sarah's gaze.
"Who is he?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, that's."
"Can I speak to you outside?" Elijah whispered as he gestured for Emily to follow him.
"Sure, I guess," she replied, then shrugged at Rachel.
Sarah rolled her eyes as she watched Elijah leave the stage. "Rude."
"Talk later?" Emily asked as she followed Elijah.
Rachel nodded and smiled before Emily left the opera house.
A cool night breeze swept across Emily's face as she wiped the hair out of her face. Citizens gossiped around the opera house and on the sidewalks. Mulberry, plum, and orange clouds drifted around the ENGINE hovering over Leonore. Emily glanced up at it, staring at its churning gears while appearing to be doing nothing. Its cosmic observance bewildered her; she could not grasp its purpose. The ENGINE ironically might view her romantic waltz just as eldritch.
She noticed Elijah leaning next to a light post, digging in his pockets for a pack of cigarettes. Emily gazed back at the opera house, then looked up at the ENGINE one last time before walking over towards him. Elijah lit a cigarette, eyes fixated on the doors of the opera house. His eyebrows narrowed as he watched a couple leave the building.
"What was all that about?" Emily asked.
"Wanted to get you away from Sarah. She is trouble," Elijah explained as he smoked.
"How do you know?"
Elijah scratched his salt-and-pepper beard, then put his hands in his pockets. "I got a history with her. That's all you need to know."
"Ohhh, did y'all?"
"So anyway, let's get you a room," Elijah grumbled, ignoring Emily's question as he walked down the road.
"Hey!" Emily yelled as she jogged to catch up with him.
Elijah did not respond.
Emily squeezed through the crowded streets, following Elijah. Prime Day, festival banners fluttered in the wind on light posts as streetlights lit up. Artists sold acrylic and oil paintings of the chosen at merchant stands. Statues of previous PRIMEs glowed underneath the city's night lights. Tailors sewed extravagant garments for a premium, while entrepreneurs haggled with citizens for their coin. Automobiles cruised down cobblestone roads, parking at Victorian and Renaissance-style buildings.
Elijah stopped at a towering white and gold-trimmed hotel building that had several flights of stairs that led to the main entrance doors. Emily followed Elijah up the stairs and into the building. Sophisticated baroque music that sounded similar to Sarah's violin performance at the opera earlier played on the intercom. Nobles and chosen conversed as they walked across marble-tiled floors. Surreal and landscape paintings hung on the hotel's stone walls with metal accents. Warm white light glowed from wall sconces and a massive silver chandelier hanging from the roof.
"Welcome to Le Bristol, Leonore, chosen. How can I assist you tonight?" The receptionist asked as Elijah and Emily approached the reservation desk.
"Got any rooms left?" Elijah asked as he leaned on the desk.
Unfortunately, all the rooms have been booked.
"Damn."
"However, we do have one room that was booked, but the guest never arrived."
"Do you think I can get that room for her?"
"One moment," the receptionist replied as he grabbed a pen and scribbled on a reservation note. He then grabbed a pair of keys from a key lock box. "What is your name chosen?"
"Emily.... Emily of Leonore?" Emily replied as she looked up at Elijah, then back down at the receptionist as he wrote her name on a piece of paper.
"Here you go, Emily of Leonore," the receptionist said as he handed the room key to her. "You can find your room on the second floor."
"Thanks," Emily replied, then looked at the number 21 engraved on the room key.
"Enjoy your stay, chosen. We serve breakfast at eight in the morning. Free of charge for all chosen, of course."
"For real!?"
"Of course, it's tradition, and it's all you can eat."
"You guys make waffles!?"
"We do, actually."
"You ain't ever going to get rid of her now," Elijah chuckled.
"You calling me fat sourpuss!?" Emily asked as she glanced over at him.
"Not physically."
Emily scoffed, then walked away from the receptionist's desk. She waited for Elijah to catch up with her before ascending the stairs to the second floor. "You didn't have to do any of this."
"If I hadn't, you would have just slept outside in some makeshift tent," Elijah replied as he followed Emily up the stairs.
"Probably," Emily replied as they walked down the second-floor hallway.
"I will come back in the morning," Elijah explained as they stopped at her hotel room.
Emily nodded. "Okay."
"Get some sleep; the bed should be comfy compared to what you are used to."
"I will try," Emily replied, then hugged Elijah.
"What was that for?" Elijah asked, surprised by Emily's sudden sign of affection.
Emily shrugged as she unlocked the door. "I don't know. I guess I like you."
"You guess?"
"Don't make this awkward, sourpuss."
"Do you guess you like that blonde-haired girl you were dancing with on stage?"
Emily blinked as her eyes drifted toward the ground. Her cheeks flushed as she tried to keep a straight face. Her mind rushed back to the opera house, and for a moment she could smell Rachel's perfume once more. A smile crept onto her face as she daydreamed about her. The feelings bubbling in her felt eldritch in both sensation and meaning.
"Somebody is crushing hard," Elijah chuckled.
"Shut the fuck up," Emily grumbled, then slammed the door in Elijah's face.
"ⱠØØ₭ ₳₮ ɎØɄ, ₣₳ⱠⱠł₦₲ ł₦ ⱠØVɆ ₳₦Đ ₴Ⱨł₮. Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳!"
Emily's eyes widened as the voice crept back into her mind like a parasite. She shut her eyes as she clutched the side of her head. "Please shut up!" She growled, then walked towards the window, staring up at the ENGINE in the sky. "Get the fuck out of my head."
"ɎØɄ ₮Ⱨł₦₭ ₮ⱧɆ Ɇ₦₲ł₦Ɇ ł₴ ₩Ⱨ₳₮ ₩łⱠⱠ ₵Ⱨ₳₦₲Ɇ ɎØɄ?"
"Shut up!" Emily yelled as she sat down on the side of the bed. "I just want to sleep. Leave me in peace; I won't listen to you. This mask won't change me."
"ɎØɄ ₮Ⱨł₦₭ ₮Ⱨ₳₮ ₥₳₴₭ ł₴ ₩Ⱨ₳₮ ₵Ⱨ₳₦₲ɆĐ ɎØɄ? ł'VɆ ฿ɆɆ₦ ⱧɆⱤɆ ₴ł₦₵Ɇ ɎØɄⱤ ₣łⱤ₴₮ ฿ⱤɆ₳₮Ⱨ!"
Emily shook her head and laughed as she tugged at her hair. The room shook as the paintings on the walls fell to the ground. The television on the entertainment center flickered on, changing channels before dissolving into static. An eerie mulberry aura radiated from her body, causing the pillows on the bed to blink in and out of existence. The hands on the clock hanging on the wall spun in random directions. Her eyes flickered an eerie mulberry color.
"Shut up!"
"H̿A̧̙̪Ḥ͟_A͈̲̔H̀A̼H̫ͪ͐A̴̠͑H͍̣͌ÃHH̗AA̫͟H͕Ȁ̤H̥̯͞HA̷̹̲A̸͚͒H̹A!"
"Shut up!"
"E̸̚l̍d̷̿ͥi̊rt͓́̚ch."
"Shut up!"
"E̸̚l̍d̷̿ͥi̊rt͓́̚ch."
"Please shut up!"
"H̢̤̤̃ͪĄ̴̸̡̡̟͖̪͚̺͔̲̫̙͇̦̮͖̯̞̺̪͇̦̖̓͐̓̓ͭ̈́ͥ͗̔͐̒̿ͧͩ̍̾ͣͫ͢͜͞H̶̢̧̘̫̜̞͔ͣ͆̽͜H̛͓̜̥̣͔̺͕͙͇͈ͨ̐ͭ͐ͫ͗̾̓̅̅̒̎̒̊͘͢͜Ã̸̸̧̼̳͚̜̞̬̹̮͈̩̋ͯ̀̀̍ͪ̆̏̏ͪ̊̽̉ͦͪ̚̚͜͜͢͡͝ͅHͥA̷̸̎ͫḨ̶͇̼͎͇̗̘̭̞̗̳̦͖̙͔͑̆͆ͬ̉̍ͫͨ̒̇̏͂̒͐ͧ̚͠A̧̧̩̺̮ͭ̔̀ͣ̆̈́̽͘̚͟ͅH̵̥̬͔͉̝͖̞̦̝͕̙͔̞̻̝͖̦̜̎͛ͧ̈ͩ̎̑͒ͬ̇̽͑ͧ͌̃ͫ͘͞Ă͎̙͈̜ͦͮ̽͆͞͞H̸̴̨̛̛̜̻̺̬̫̲̲͙͉̩̦͖̜̳̊ͣ̅ͤͦ̃̉̈́ͥ͋͒ͪ̆͒͒̃̉̑̒ͧ͜Ạ̴̷̢̝̬̗̘͉̼̬͇͔͔̳ͧ̽ͬ̒̓̔ͬ͑̑̀̍́̌̎͒̍̑Ḩ̸̸̡̢̟̰̣̹̪̣̪͇̗͉̤̳̤͔̈̉ͤ̋̃̈ͦ̒̉͋ͦ̿̂̀ͤ̑͐͊ͯ͗̔̿͋̕̕͠͠͝A̴̦ͧ̓̿̍͘H̶̵̨̖̲̦̠̮̅̀̐̆͐̇̑͛͞͞Á̷̛̳̝͍̗̦͚̳͂̒̃̑̔H̸̸̡͙͙̝̪̮̦̲͍͇̦̝̩̭̲̫̳̭̊ͣͩͥ̀̓ͤ́̄͆̈́ͧͬ͑̉̓̚͢͜͡͞͡Â̡̧̧̨ͮ̾ͭͫ̑͂͆̈́́͘ͅḨ̷̷̡̟͍̖̯̘̣̭͎̞̈̄̑̌̒ͥͨͤ͊̓ͣͪ̔̉͛̾̚͞͞ͅA̷ͅA̸̷̢̢͙̟̲̪̦̪̻͐̓̊ͣ̂͌̅̂̀ͤ͋̃ͨ͊͘͟͡_̱̟HḨ̶̶̶̟̹͍̬̼͓̺̯͓̝̤ͣ́̈̋̈́͐ͤ̂̿ͭ̄̓̂ͦ̑͊͠A̶͉͖̥̘̣̦̬̅̿ͦͮ̿̈̃̂̑̓̕....ℇ⎾⟄☈⟟⍑⍧ℍ!"