Chapter twelve
It was monday Eve got up out of bed, and slowly got dressed, her eyes had bags and looked as if she had awakened from the dead. She couldn’t rest, since Friday, no one had seen or heard from Penny, it was as if she had vanished, all through the weekend, she and her friends had searched. Even Jacob and Vlad help, they went to every inch of the city, but nothing. Vlad couldn’t even track her, since her scent was too faint, and rain has washed away any remimence of it.
She had come back to the mansion late last night. She couldn’t help but think of that Friday, the day she moved into the mansion, how Pennys eyes lit up asking if we could study in the mansion's library some time. All her friends had been excited when Eve had fumed through her anger and group called them all at two in the morning, telling them the news, which Lola cheered, Delila convinced it was a joke and penny stunned. By the end of a long expansion all was happy including Eve.
Eve, stood in front of her mirror wondering if Penny would ever see the library, that she had shared so many pictures of, she had to remember that it had only been two days, yet she couldn’t help to think the worse.
She quickly showered and changed into some loose fitting jeans and an oversized t-shirt big enough to hide her wings. She walked out of her room and down to the dining room, where her grandfather sat at the head on the table, already a pile of letters and documents by his side as he took a sip of his coffee. Feya was also there, eating waffles, she smiled at Eve, but Eve turned away from her, yet to forgive her mother. She took a couple of grapes from the fruits placed at the centre of the table, along with an apple.
her phone buzzed, glancing at her phone screen she saw it was Jacob letting her now he was there.
“Going to school now.”
“Have a good day,” her mother spoke, Eve ignored her, sluggish making her way out.
Climbing down the stairs outside to where Jacob was parked, she was welcomed by Jacobs grinning face, as he opened the door for her, “princess.”
Eve didn’t have the energy to play along and hopped into the car without a word. After Jacob got in, he looked at Eve,
“Was it too soon?” he asked with a sheepish smirk, but it soon fell when saw how desolate her expression was. “Babe, we’re going to find Penny.”
Eve felt the tears roll down her cheeks. “We don’t know that,” she trembled, “anything could of happened to her, and no one cares,”
“You care,” Jacob took her hands firmly into his, “i care, Lola cares, Delila cares and as hard as it is to believe Penny's family care too,”
“Not the twins, or Vlad or her dad, they only care about how it looks on them,”
Jacob shook his head, “Vlad cares,”
Eve was doubtful but said nothing, “can we just go. I want this day over with faster it’s over the faster we get to search more for Penny.”
Jacob nodded, starting up the car.
🦋🦋🦋
The day went far too slowly for Eve's liking, and even Lola had been glum and depressed, they were all worried. By the time school ended, Eve, Delila and Lola had arranged to meet to try and hand out flyers to passebyers. Anything was better than nothing.
Eve wasn’t expecting her mother and grandfather to inform her they were going to have guests over for dinner that night, Eve tried to explain why she couldn’t join, but it was something her grandfather put his foot on. They were both worried about Eve and wanted more than anything for her friend to be found. The king assured her that he had had several people looking into Lolas disappearance, and that he would soon solve it. Reluctantly Eve finally agreed to stay for dinner.
She was surprised however when Jacob and his father showed up.
“What are you doing here?”
“Apparently unbeknownst to me, my dad had been invited to dine here tonight by the king.”
Eve's eyes widened, “shit,”
“Yeah, shit,”
“Oh come now, i’m sure the family will love you Jacob, if not they can only forbid you from ever seeing Eve again,” Jacob's father chimed happily, which did not put the pressure off the already building anxiety in Jacob's chest funny enough.
Eve was stunned by how similar Jacob and his dad looked, it was almost as if they were twins, if it were not for the glasses and amber eyes, Eve really had thought they were siblings. She was confused however when Jacob's father shed off his coat, revealing a very bright, very cartoonish tailed jacket suit. It was orange. Neon orange. With green, yellow and red polka dots, he reached into his jacket pocket to bring out a folded in top hat, the same hues as his suit, along with inside the hat a red cane. He removed his glasses and brought out a monocle from another pocket, and grinned, pleased that his outfit was complete.
“Oh goddess,” Jacob groaned,
“Wow, that is some suit Mr Von Aster,” Eve said in utter shock.
“Thank you,” he said proudly, “can you believe that everyone that has ever seen this suit has told me to burn it,”
“Not at all,” Eve lied through her teeth.
She led Jacob and his father to the drawing room, where both Feya and the king wrinkled their eyes when seeing Mr Von Aster's suit, or Warren he insisted everyone call him.
They sat down after introductions, Warren a constant chatter, Eve could see Jacob cringe at every word his father said.
“I think we have only met a handful of times briefly,”
“Yes, at those annul magic association galas i believe,” warren smiled, “only in passing though, i’m always so busy at those things, last time in fact i had-”
“Dad,” Jacob all but shouted, turning everyone's attention towards him,
“Yes?”
“Oh, i-um, noticed you haven’t got a drink.”
His father immediately gazed down at his hands, “bloody hell!” he bursted, “this can’t do,”
Feya got up from her seat heading to the drinks table, stationed by the window, “what would you-”
“Have you got that-that-oh now what was it called?” Warren interrupted, “it makes your tongue black, and insides burn, I know the name. What was it,”
“Poison?” Feya suggested with a hint of confusion, Eve stare the way Jacobs body jolted at the words as if something dawned on him.
“No,” Warren pondered, “it has a symbol on it’s bottle, goddess I know this.”
“I’m sure we can find something else-”
“Oh I know,” he said, slapping his leg, “it has a skull and bones with an X through it.”
“Um?”
“The liquid was clear, I think, it had this chemical taste.”
“Where did you find this-um-drink?” Feya questioned,
Jacob’s head fell, Eve had a feeling the answer wasn’t going to be good.
“In a cabinet at home,”
“Which cabinet?” Jacob asked, “the one in the lounge? or was it-” he stopped sighing as if he couldn’t believe the words he was about to say, “in the cabinet in the lab?”
“The lab is…?”
Jacob stared at his father in disbelief, “the room where you do your fucking experiments dad!” he shouted.
“Yes, it was. Why?”
“The left cabinet?” Jacob carried on.
“Yes,”
“Bottom right?”
“That is the one.”
Jacob sighed deeply, his hands covering his face. “It was poison dad, you drank shitting poison,”
“Poison? No, I think I would……oh, oh damn,” it slowly sank into warren. “I did start frothing at the mouth, and Hildi was near herstica when she found me later that day. I thought it was just because she found me sleeping in my lab again.”
Jacob swallowed, glancing up at Eve's mother, “he’ll have a lemonade-”
“But i want-”
“He’ll have,” Jacob gritted between his teeth, “a lemonade,”
Warren fell back into his seat crossing his arms frowning, like a child not allowed to have cake.
Eventually to Eves relief as well as Jacobs dinner was served they were guided to the dining room, which was set up as if ready for a banquet. Eve sat next to Jacob, holding hands beneath the table.
“It’s a shame my wife couldn’t be here, she’s out at sea, but wanted me to convey her thanks for the invasion tonight as well as the warm welcome. I suppose we’ll all be family one day.”
Feya sighed, “sharing cute little grandchildren,”
“But none will ever be named gertrude,”
“Never,” Feya agreed, Eve shared a look with Jacob,
“Are our parents bonding?”
“I hope not,” he smirked, “my dad literally mad, if you hadn’t noticed,”
“Oh you mean that well dressed gentleman over there? I thought he was rather normal, who else would mistake poison for alcohol?”
Jacob had to take back his laughter, as Eve giggled playfully,
“Jacob i hear you are a remarkable young warlock,” the king announced suddenly, Jacobs head snapped round to Eve grandfather,
“Yes, at least that's what I'm told,” he rubbed the back of his neck, smiling awkwardly.
Warren, who had begun helping himself to bread, spoke through bites, “he’s a prodigy, one of the most powerful magic users of his generation.”
“Really?” the king asked interestedly,
“The archmage is thinking of taking him under his wing,” Warren continued,
“That’s amazing,” Feya smiled, “i heard you were brilliant, but the archmage, you must be proud of your son Warren,”
“It was bound to happen at some point in our family, with the overwhelming luck of all the powerful magical beings in our ancestry.”
“Thanks dad,” Jacob grumbled,
Warren smiled widely, stopping mid bite into his bread, gazing at Jacob as if he had just told him was was the best dad in the world “your welcome son,”
When the dinner from nightmares Eve and Jacob would later dub was over, Jacob was practically dragging his dad out of the mansion, as he got distracted by every little thing and tried to carry on a conversation with the king about the possibility of getting some fairy plants for his experiments.
Eve waved watching Jaacob and Warren climb into their car, trying not to laugh at Jacobs' exasperation.
“His dad is pretty weird huh?”
“You’re not any better,”
“Eve-”
“But at least you’re not as weird as him.” Eve craned her neck to stare at her mum, giving her a small smile. She was tired of ignoring her mum. And all she wanted was for her to tell her it would be alright. Eve hugged Feya, “I don't forgive you, but I don't hate you. Being angry at you isn't going to stop anything.” she thought of Penny, if Penny had a mum like hers would she be gone now. Her face dimmed,
Feya gave her daughter a squeeze, “ki was at the Volkovs today, Pennys mum is in pieces. I help her post posters around the city. We have a couple of witches making location spells too. We’re going to find her darling, we will,”
“I know,” Eve whispered.
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