Chapter 7 Evangeline

Minutes after Eugenio was taken to the police station, a woman with long white hair, red eyes with purple tints, dressed all in black, picked up the phone and dialed a number. Her expression was impassive, but there was tension in her shoulders, a tension that spoke volumes about the seriousness of the situation.

The phone rang once, twice, three times before it was answered. "Seraphina," she said, her voice calm but laden with urgency. "The man you asked me to watch over has been taken to the police station."

On the other end of the line, there was a moment of silence before Seraphina responded. "What happened?" she asked, her voice curious but without panic. The woman, Evangeline, didn't know the answer.

"I don't know," she admitted, her voice becoming a bit stiffer. "All I know is that he's detained, and it seems to be something serious."

There was another moment of silence on the other end of the line. Seraphina sighed, frustration clear in her voice. "We can't afford to lose that subject, Evangeline," she said, her voice hardening. "He's an essential part of our plan."

Evangeline nodded, even though Seraphina couldn't see her. "Understood, sister," she replied, her voice firm. "I'll find out what's going on and handle it."

"Don't push too hard," Seraphina said, her voice soft but definitive. "We can't risk exposure."

"Agreed." Evangeline affirmed before hanging up the phone. She looked at the device in her hand for a moment before placing it back on the hook. She stood up, walking to the window and peering out, her eyes lost in the darkness of the night. She knew she had a mission to fulfill, and she was determined to do whatever it took.

Without wasting time, Evangeline picked up the phone again and dialed a different number. "Vincent," she said as soon as the call was answered, "I need you to find out everything you can about Eugenio." She didn't need to say more; Vincent knew what to do.

Evangeline then left the quiet room, walking down a dark and winding hallway until she reached the building's exit. The night air was cold, but she hardly felt it; her mind was focused on Eugenio and what might have happened.

Vincent, the driver, arrived after a few minutes, driving a black and discreet car. She got in without a word, settling into the back seat. "Is everything in order, Vincent?" she asked, her eyes meeting his through the rearview mirror.

"Yes, Madam," he replied, his expression serious and focused. He knew this was not a typical situation; the urgency in Evangeline's voice was a clear indicator of that.

"I want you to take me to the nearest police station where Eugenio is being held," she ordered, crossing her arms over her chest. Her gaze remained fixed on the window, watching the city lights pass by quickly.

"As you wish, Madam," Vincent responded, starting the engine and driving the car away from the building.

Vincent kept his eyes on the road, but there was curiosity in his voice when he asked, "Madam, may I ask... why so much interest in this Eugenio?" He chose his words carefully, not wanting to offend Evangeline.

She sighed, looking out the window at the passing city lights. "Seraphina sees potential in him," she began, her voice soft as she spoke. "I don't know if it's as a suitor or perhaps just as prey. But she also believes he may hold the key to reaching someone she's been keeping an eye on. She suspects they're both 'awakened.'"

Vincent nodded, understanding. There was a brief silence before he asked, with a mix of fear and hope in his voice, "And you, Madam Evangeline? Are you also looking for a suitor?"

Evangeline turned to look at him through the rearview mirror. A sly smile curved her lips as she slowly revealed her vampire fangs. "Perhaps," she said, her voice low but clear in the car's silence. "But for me, a suitor would serve more as prey."

Vincent's expression seemed to dim a bit with the revelation, but he didn't ask any more questions. The journey continued in silence, tension hanging in the air. Evangeline turned her gaze back to the window, her thoughts on Eugenio and the events about to unfold.

Evangeline, reclining in the leather seat of the car, allowed herself an ironic smile. "Love at first sight," she murmured to herself, shaking her head in disbelief. She remembered one of the maids from her parents' mansion, a young human full of life and hope, passionately talking about how she had fallen in love at first sight with one of the gardeners. Evangeline had always found that ridiculous.

"The only true love is the love of family," she said to herself, thinking of Seraphina and the others she considered her family. She would do anything for them, and she knew they would do the same for her. That was real love, a love she had witnessed and experienced during her over two millennia of existence.

As for romantic love, she saw no value in it. She had never experienced it, despite living for so long. She had encountered many attractive men and women during her long life, but she had never felt anything more than brief passing interest in them. To Evangeline, romantic love was an illusion, something invented by humans to make sense of their finite existence.

"Love at first sight," she mocked again, shaking her head. The idea of falling in love with someone just by seeing them for the first time was as absurd to her as the idea that a human could live forever.

Evangeline then turned her thoughts to Eugenio. She didn't know much about him, only what Seraphina had told her. But she knew he was important to her sister's plans, and that made him important to her. She would do everything in her power to ensure he remained safe and available to Seraphina.

Taking one last look out the car window, Evangeline settled back into her seat, preparing for what lay ahead.

The police officer knocked on my cell door with a strange look on his face. He appeared surprised, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. Without a word, he unlocked the door and gestured for me to follow him. "You have a visitor," he said, his voice low and confused.

I followed the officer down the narrow corridor until we reached the entrance of the police station. My mother and aunt were sitting together, their expressions puzzled and concerned. But it wasn't their presence that caught my attention. There was a woman with them - a woman I had never seen before, but who seemed strangely familiar.

Her white hair was elegantly pulled back in a bun, and her eyes were an intense shade of red surrounded by a purple halo. She was incredibly beautiful, with an aura of maturity and strength radiating from her. Her features were strong and defined, her bosom and hips prominent, but it was her face that truly captivated me.

She looked very much like Seraphina, one of the seven ladies from the college.