Trying to post a chapter a day now, and I think I'm doing that pretty well. :)

Anywho, enjoy the new chapter. It's not really that eventful, and it's quite boring and short, but oh well. We all saw it coming. :)

Happy Reading!

TSO123. X

Chapter 12

The next morning, everyone was buzzing and talking about the tragic death of Alice Finnegan. Rumours spread quickly around the castle, and every single one was different. The only thing that remained the same was the fact that she died. I overheard a group of young men saying that she had liked to bed dangerous men who liked to be a bit abusive during sex. I overheard a group of young girls say that she had gotten into a fight with the fiancée of one of her bed mates. But the rumour that I thought was the most bizarre was from one of the oldest women of the castle. She would throw her arms up in the air, and she claimed that the children of the Night had returned, and that we were all in danger.

I thought it was absolutely rude and immature that people had been making up rumours about a woman who had just been murdered. I found it very irritating. But I knew Alice would be pretty impressed as to how popular she was. Whether it was good or bad, Alice Finnegan always liked attention.

I hadn't seen Andre since the day before, and decided that he still needed his space. It had been a very traumatic event for the both of us, and I knew it would take time until he and I would be ready to commit to one another again.

As I walked through the castle, I noticed Sebastian Patricks. He looked at me, with a mixture of emotions in his eyes. He was irritated, upset, angry, and hurt. He started to walk right past me, when I called out to him, and begged him to stop.

He turned slowly, and his eyes narrowed into a thin glare. "What is it, Miss Jones? I'm late for a meeting."

I swallowed hard. He had never called me Miss Jones before, always Eleanor, so I knew that he was still, quite upset. "I just wanted to apologise for the other night. For what my mother said about you. She had a bit too much to drink, and she had said some things I was sure she didn't mean to say."

His hands were buried deep in his pockets, and he just stared at his feet. "Was it true?"

"What?"

"Was it true what your mother said? About how you feel about me?"

Again, I swallowed hard. I should have seen this coming. I should have known that he would say this to me. I looked down at my feet, refusing to look into his eyes. Slowly, I nodded. "Yes, it is. I'm not going to lie to you, Sebastian. You deserve the truth."

Sebastian laughed, without the slightest trace of humour. "So, you've been leading me on for all this time? Making me believe that you and I would have this amazing relationship together? Making me think that you could fall in love with someone like me? I was a moron to fall for a whore like you."

I gasped. I had never heard Sebastian curse before, and this surprised me greatly. My heart stung from his words, and I was on the edge of crying. "To be honest, Sebastian, I never forced anything from you. You allowed yourself to have those feelings and thoughts for me. I have never shared the same feelings for you."

Sebastian glared, and I could see his face grow red with anger. "I've notice that now. I hear that you and Andre Richards are a couple now."

I nodded. "That's correct." I wasn't completely sure if this was a lie or if it was the truth. Andre and I hadn't really discussed our relationship yet, and the only time our lips were moving was when they were locked together.

Sebastian nodded, and walked towards me. I knew I should've run away, knew I should've ignored everything he had to say to me, but for some reason, my feet stayed still, forcing me not to move. He leaned forward, right in my face, until he was only centimetres from my mouth. Even though he was incredibly close, he didn't make my heart beat like Andre did. He didn't make me want to press myself against him and feel the weight of his body against mine. He just made me feel uncomfortable.

He stared into my eyes and glared. "I truly loved you, Eleanor, something that that thing doesn't even understand. Just be careful, Eleanor. He's not as perfect as you think he is."

Without another word or glance at me, he spun on his heel and walked down the corridor, his head held high. That was one of the things I hated about Sebastian. He thought he was more superior to everyone else, and didn't try to hide it.

I sighed, glad that he had left. My heart still ached from when he called me that name, so I tried to shrug it off and walk down with my head held high.

Suddenly, my mother stepped in front of me, almost knocking me to the ground. She gave me an apologetic smile, which I returned with a narrowed stare.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I must go."

She hooked her arm through mine, and forced me to stop. "Eleanor, I want to talk to you."

I glared. "Like I said, I must go."

I tried to walk again, but my mother had continued to stop me. I stopped, sighed exasperatedly, and placed my hands on my hips. "What is it?"

"I said some things the other night that were very insulting and very rude. I don't have any memory of saying these things, but people have been avoiding me, calling me an abusive mother and a poor drunk. Dimitri told me what I had said, and I thought that it was best to apologise."

My mind told me that I should have just nodded and accepted my mother's poor apology, but as usual, before I could think, the words escaped my mouth before I could stop them.

"You embarrassed me, Mother, whether you intentionally meant to or not. I felt so ashamed. I was humiliated. Everyone was looking at me, and I knew every thought that was going through their minds. They all agreed."

I shook my head and growled. "Am I really a disappointment to you, Mother? And I want the truth. No lies."

My mother gulped, and she avoided my eyes immediately. "I wouldn't say disappointment..."

I laughed, without a trace of humour in my voice. "I can't believe it! You had me convinced the last sixteen years of my life that I was a decent person, and that I had done at least one thing to make my mother proud. Has there been anything, Mother? Anything at all that you can say that you are glad that I did?"

My mother hung her head, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Eleanor. But you won't get married, you won't even look for a companion, you spend all of your time in your room, and hardly converse with everyone."

"Dimitri is a man-whore!" I ignored my mother's horrified expression, and curled my hands into fists. "He has gone to bed with nearly every single woman in this castle, and probably even more when he was in London! And you say that I am a disappointment! He withdrew out of the navy, and is currently unemployed, and isn't even attempting to change it. I am at least studying to be able to do something with my life!"

"But Eleanor, ladies are not supposed to be studying, or working, or doing any of those manly tasks. They look after the children and their husband, and for the unfortunate ones, the entire house. Why can't you just do the correct thing, and be more like myself? At least try to be like me."

Andre's words appeared in my mind. "She assumed that you would grow up to be exactly like her; elegant, classy, and interested in nothing but men…she just doesn't understand you."

I shook my head, and relaxed my hands. I looked into my mother's worried green eyes, and frowned. "No, Mother, I can't. I am my own person, and you just don't understand me. Women aren't as helpless as you make them sound."

I spun on my heel, and walked the opposite way to my mother. I was proud of myself. I had finally stood up to my mother, and told her what I strongly believed in. I did feel a little guilty for speaking to her the way that I had, but I pushed it down and allowed myself to have this feeling of triumph for once.

But my triumph was cut short when I felt an arm suddenly reach out and grab my arm and pulled me into complete darkness.