Eliana's eyes widened at his change of topic. She had completely forgotten about the color of her eyes and what that could mean. He was a vampire, and she suddenly feared him finding out she was one too.
Her heartbeat quickened, and The Ambassador felt like he was onto something. "What is wrong? You must know that it is odd for a human to have such eyes?"
"I- Well, I - honestly, I don't know where I come from. I was left as a baby at the steps of the orphanage, and the woman who raised me was the previous dean who died two years ago."
'Is her heartbeat so fast because she is upset about the question and doesn't know where she comes from or because she is hiding something?' The Ambassador had difficulties figuring her out and decided to do more research first. He didn't believe she would share more information with him, therefore let her leave for now.
"Hmm, how unfortunate for you. I think I have all the necessary information; if you remember anything relevant, please let the current dean know. She will forward your message. You may go."
Eliana was startled about him stopping the interview abruptly but left the room immediately. She was relieved to leave the suffocating aura of The Ambassador finally. Georgina looked at her in distress outside the room, but Eliana nodded at her as a sign that everything went as planned before going back to her room.
In the evening, the two girls met in the bathroom to discuss their meeting with The Ambassador. It was late, and most girls were asleep so that they could speak freely. "That guy was seriously intimidating. I almost peed my pants." Georgina was still overwhelmed by what had transpired during the afternoon.
"Haha Gio, don't be so brute. But yes, his glares were disturbing. What did he ask you, and what were your answers?"
"He told me he already knew about us being at the town fair and asked if I had seen anyone suspicious. I told him I had been too invested in the fight to see anyone else. After that, it was odd because he only asked me about our friendship."
Eliana wrinkled her forehead in confusion. "What do you mean he asked you about our friendship?"
"He asked me how long we have known each other and if I have ever seen you do anything out of the ordinary. Also, he wanted to know if you ever went looking for your family and if you really didn't know where you came from."
'Why is he so interested in me? Did he find out that I am a vampire?' Eliana began to worry and feared what would happen if her true nature were to be revealed.
"What were your answers?"
"The truth, of course. That we grew up together and considered each other sisters. That you never looked for your biological family, and we usually cannot do that as orphans anyways. What about you? What did he ask you?"
She was still digesting the information when Georgina asked about her experience. "Oh, he asked the same questions. Do you think it is weird that he asked you those questions about our friendship and my family?"
"It was unusual, but then again, I thought he was trying to understand how well we knew one another and if we would lie for each other."
"Hmm, that is possible." Eliana was not convinced, but there was no use in worrying about it now. They wanted to leave this behind and focus back on their goals.
The next weeks passed by peacefully, although the headmistress punished the girls because they had escaped the orphanage at night to go to the town fair, making Sophie the happiest girl alive. Other than that, Georgina and Eliana did their chores in the mornings and went to the soap factory to work in the afternoons, determined not to get any more attention. The green-eyed stranger kept popping up in Eliana's dreams, and she often daydreamed about him. Still, she understood it was merely a fantasy and would never become a reality. Occasionally she felt as if she was being watched and almost believed it was him lurking in the shadows making sure she was alright. But Eliana also thought that to be an illusion and didn't pay too much attention to it.
After a month, the temperature started to rise again, and the birds were back chirping their songs each morning. It was lovely to have more sunny days, giving the girls new energy. In the meantime, Eliana decided to start working at the bakery in the mornings and used the remaining time to study for her exams.
Another two months went by, and all seemed to go as planned until one day, The Ambassador was reported to return to the orphanage. There was no assembly this time as there were only two girls he wanted to speak to: Eliana and Georgina.
"This is bad, Gio. What are we going to do?" Eliana had tears in her eyes and was desperate to find a way out of their dilemma. She had just finished studying in the town library, and Georgina had returned from work when they found out about The Ambassador, and the headmistress locked them in their room.
Georgina was pacing around, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. "I don't understand. We didn't do anything wrong. Why would they come back here to speak to us? I mean, they literally locked us in."
She didn't know for sure, but Eliana's gut feeling hinted toward her being the reason. It was suspicious that The Ambassador had questioned her heritage and eye color. There must have been something he found out that he wanted to confirm, but that would mean he could expose Eliana, and she couldn't let that happen. "I don't know! Maybe they think we know more than we said, but I have a terrible feeling about this. We must escape and leave this place, Gio." Eliana panicked.
"Isn't that a little bit too hasty? We don't even know what they want from us. It might be simply another interrogation, or they want to confirm their findings with us. We truly didn't do anything, and we told them the truth."
"But what if we can't convince them? What if they imprison us even though we are innocent? Didn't you say we are orphans, and no one cares about us? They need to close the case and blame somebody. Who better than two human girls from an orphanage who have nobody to protect them?" She didn't try to manipulate her friend but was honestly considering these outcomes as well.
"Hmm, that sounds very plausible. Goodness, how did this all come to be this way? We only wanted to have some fun at the town fair." Georgina sat down on her bed, letting her head hang low with a sullen face. Did they not deserve any type of happiness?
Suddenly an idea came up, and Georgina looked at Eliana quizzingly. "Did something happen when The Ambassador questioned you, which you didn't mention to me?"
Eliana looked at her, bewildered about her question. "Of course not - nothing happened. He only asked me about my blue eyes and said that it is an odd trait for a human." She still couldn't tell her the truth. It would only endanger her as well.
"Do you think he suspects you to be of a different race? Maybe he wants to make sure that you are not a vampire." Georgina was rubbing her chin, continuing her thoughts out loud. "Hmm, but why would he care if you were a vampire? Worse case, they would do a gene test proofing your race. However excruciating they are, they at least aren't deadly."
What was she supposed to do? Should Eliana tell her who she was or risk what is about to happen? Two guards opened the door as she contemplated how much information she should share with her best friend.
"Please follow us to meet The Ambassador." They were heavily armed and had stern expressions on their faces. Eliana and Georgina looked at each other scared.
The two guards went ahead while the two girls followed suit. It all went so fast that it was hard to grasp, but Eliana knew she had to make a decision because once they met with The Ambassador, there would be no escape – it was now or never. Her disobedience would mean becoming a fugitive, but she preferred that to what she assumed would be the alternative. The only reason she hesitated was Georgina, who she would end up dragging along, but her survival instincts kicked in and overpowered her worries for her friend.
She pinched Georgina's arm and pointed to one of the windows with her eyes which Georgina understood instantly but was reluctant to act on it. While Eliana was planning a getaway route, Georgina mulled over their conversation because something bothered her. Her impression was that Eliana was hiding something and that had never happened before. Should she nonetheless follow her friend or part ways?
Without losing more time, Georgina took Eliana's hand and pulled her toward the window to jump out of it. Who was she kidding? She would always follow her best friend, even if she hid something from her – Georgina concluded while jumping out into the cold air. Luckily, they had been on the second floor, so springing from that height wasn't dangerous.
They both landed doing a forward roll and started running toward the forest. The two guards realized their mistake of underestimating the girls late enough, so they had a fair head start. Knowing that the guards were vampires with superior strength, they had to be smart. Seeking cover would be their first step into freedom, and they knew the perfect spot for that – an old, dried-out well.
Later, they would switch positions and go to a little abandoned hut at the outer skirts of town, where teenagers used to meet and drink. Most people avoided it because it was said to be haunted. That would be their first stop to hide out.