In the taxi, I felt nothing but excitement and pride at
the great honor of being singled out. But the moment I saw the house,
misgivings crept in. I stepped out of the car, trembling, looking up at the
massive building in front of me. It rose three stories, with a tower on the
east side, and every inch of it was blacker than devil's magic. The windows
were all shuddered so there was no chance to catch a glimpse inside.
Tentatively, I ascended the black marble stairs and
approached the polished black wooden door. A black crescent moon adorned the
glowing round doorbell. When I pressed it, a chime like tolling church bells
knelled within.
A pale, pale girl with almost-white hair answered the
door. She wore a dress as dark as the house, making her looking ghostly by
comparison. There was something apologetic in her posture, and she kept her
eyes on the ground.
"Hello," I said softly, feeling that, if I
spoke too loudly, I would scare the girl away. "My name is Lorelei; I have
an appointment with Madam Lerosa."
Nodding, the girl stepped back and let me in. Inside was
as dark as out. As I stepped over the threshold, I felt as if I were being
swallowed. Deep black wooden floors and black wallpaper, patterned with
slightly lighter black flowers, did nothing to make the room warm or inviting.
The walls were hung with mirrors that distorted the light from a handful of
flickering candles, giving the room an otherworldly feeling.
The pale girl pointed to a door.
"Is Madam Larosa in there?"
She pointed again, so I simply went in.
The room was shockingly bright, though in any other house
it would be considered somber. The furniture was made of black wood, but the upholstery
was brown and grey. Golden picture frames hung on the taupe walls, surrounding
pictures of stormy seas and crumbling castles. At first, I thought the room was
deserted. Then something stirred at the desk and I noticed a small, ancient
woman, dressed like a crow. She was as faded as an old photograph, her face
indistinct and her hair, though still brown, somehow colorless. The only thing
alive about her was her bright amber eyes that watched my every move.
Curtsying awkwardly, I tried to smile but found I
couldn't. My heart trembled within me and I knew without a doubt that I had
made a grave mistake in coming here. Those eyes, like an orange moon, sent fear
thrilling through every inch of my body.
"Sit," the woman said, though I didn't see her
lips move.
Sinking down on the stiff brown couch, I watched her as
closely as she watched me. Still, nothing moved but her eyes.
"One lump or two?"
Somehow, I was holding a teacup I'd never seen before.
The tea streamed from a teapot floating at my side. But I didn't want sugar or
tea, all I wanted was to get as far away from there as possible. I tried to
think of any excuse to escape.
"None, thank you," I managed to say, though my
voice seemed oddly weak and quiet.
The teapot settled back down on the table. Looking down
into my cup, I saw the dark tea swirling, portents flashing across its surface but
disappearing before I could comprehend them.
"You have talent." The voice was low and
rumbling, like a cat's purr. "Such talent. But you have wasted it. If only
I had gotten to you sooner."
I blinked in surprise. No one had ever said anything like
this to me before. Certainly, I didn't flaunt my power or use it pointlessly,
but I had honed my ability. I considered myself well-trained.
"Ah well," said Madam Larosa, still without
moving. She might have been a doll, except for those eyes. "We shall see
what we can do."
"Please," I burst, spilling my tea in my anxiety. The fallen droplets didn't make it to the floor, but held in the air like dark, sparkling rain. "Please," I said again, "I don't think this is right for me. Perhaps I don't have enough talent. I should just go."
"Please," I burst, spilling my tea in my anxiety. The fallen droplets didn't make it to the floor, but held in the air like dark, sparkling rain. "Please," I said again, "I don't think this is right for me. Perhaps I don't have enough talent. I should just go."
A rich laugh rolled around the room. It didn't seem to be
coming from the little woman at the desk. It came instead from the pictures and
the fire and the covered windows.
"Oh, my dear. The choice is not yours to make."
The door creaked open and the pale girl gestured for me
to follow her.
"She will show you your room. Tomorrow, our work can
begin."
The rumbling laugh echoed behind me as I stepped into the
darkness of the hall.
♥/Kat!e
Read Kira's entry here.
