Mark's outfit up above :)

Sunlight filtered through the window, and Mark groaned, stirring in bed. He felt the sheets beneath him, wondering why they were so soft, and opened his eyes, jolting as he saw his surroundings. He glanced around, blinking, remembering that he spent the night in the Tear Stealer's room.

He glanced at the drawer beside him, stomach getting queasy at the sight. Subconsciously, he pressed a finger to the corner of his eye.

He took one of my tears.

Mark had no idea what the Tear Stealer did with the vials, nor had he any idea what benefit they had on him, and that was the scary part.

Not knowing.

He clambered out of bed, lazily making the bed, and caught sight of a pile of clothes on the edge of the bed—each article a smooth burgundy. Mark rose a brow and lifted one of the pieces, stretching it out before him. It was a burgundy, long-sleeve turtleneck.

A paper fluttered down to the ground, and he set down the shirt, kneeling down to pick it up. Familiar, elegant black scrawl peered up at him—Dark's writing.

'Find the dining hall,' it said.

Mark scoffed and smiled, running his fingers along the clothes he'd been provided. Minutes later, he got himself dressed, setting his night clothes aside and staring at himself in the by the closet. His cheeks flared with heat, and he tugged at his turtleneck.

"Awfully fancy," he said, eyeing the all-burgundy suit and shifting in place. He stowed the note in his pocket, keeping his jacket unbuttoned.

Find the dining hall, he repeated in his head, giving one last glance at the room before leaving. Looks like he's putting more trust in me.

He closed the door, pleased to see the two other doors—still in the same position as last night. Trying to remember the way, he turned right, blinking at a hallway adorned with paintings.

"Haven't seen that before," he mumbled.

He turned around, gazing down the other hallway and scratching the back of his neck.

Oh, how funny, he thought bitterly. He thinks I can't find my way.

Mark narrowed his eyes, determined, and went down the hallway on the left, passing a few doors and separate hallways. He turned into an opening, and a room opened up before him, sloping and grand and enormous. Stained-glass windows made up an entire wall, curving from the floor to the ceiling. He blinked at it all, mind whirring at the mere beauty of it, allowing himself to forget about breakfast to take everything in.

A staircase sloped up and into shadows away from the sunlight, and Mark hummed, heading towards it. As he walked up a few steps, he bumped into an invisible barrier like he had the night he snuck in, frowning. He took a step again, ramming into the barrier.

Right, said Mark, remembering the Tear Stealer's words from last night. There's someone connected to this house. And they know his every move.

He grumbled and went down the stairs, turning around to venture down the hallways again. Looks like I can't escape at all, then.

Mark walked through more hallways, lingering whenever there were paintings on the walls. People he didn't even recognize stared off through acrylic gazes, all serious and regal. Through his confusing, maze-like walk, he noticed that he hadn't seen any paintings of the Evolveds who lived here.

He passed through another hallway, meeting the four sets of doors, and perked up. He headed towards the first one on the right and opened it, inwardly cheering as he saw the bathhouse.

The rooms stay together, he noted poorly, scratching his chin in thought.

He continued down the hallways and sighed, reaching another wall of windows. Despite his revelation, he had no luck, inwardly frowning.

"I give up," he muttered.

He eyed the windows, gazing out at the forestry, an idea forming in his head.

They know my every move.

He knocked on the window rather forcefully, waiting for someone to burst out of their door to capture him. Mark waited, tapping his foot, and smiled. He glanced down both sides of the halls, turned towards the window, and reeled back his fist. A hand gripped his wrist inches before his knuckles met the glass.

Mark startled, whirling around and face flaring with heat as Dark pinned him into the windows, eyebrow raised. He swallowed, stomach coiling at their closeness, then burst into a fit of laughter, pulling his hand from the Tear Stealer's grip.

"Did you really expect me to find my way?" he laughed, and Dark's brow arched higher. "It would've been night by the time I found the dining hall."

Dark lingered, staring Mark sternly in the eye, and after a moment, his eyes glimmered with amused awe. He pulled back, and Mark breathed out, leaning against the windows.

"You learned how to—"

Mark smiled, stepping aside. "You told me about it last night," he said. "Can you lead me to the dining hall now?"

The Tear Stealer lingered, eyeing Mark. He's smarter than I thought.

"Follow me," he said, leading Mark down one of the halls. They walked next to each other, and Dark examined him from the corner of his eye.

"You look nice," said Dark, stomach tingling when Mark's brown eyes glanced up at him. "The clothes fit you."

"They're a bit fancy," said Mark, face a light red.

With a few more turns, the dining hall finally opened before them, and an Evolved came into view, raising their hackles at the sight of them.

"He tried escaping?" ze asked, and Dark shook his head, leading Mark further into the room.

"No, Voxe," he said, and Mark stared at zem, remembering the name from Dark's journal. "He actually did that so we'd come and fetch him."

Voxe rose a brow, still hostile and tense, but a smirk grew on zir lips. "Smart," ze said. "I like it."

"She's the one connected to...?"

"The house, yes," said the Tear Stealer, leading him towards the center of the room. He gazed ahead, red eyes flashing towards the far ends of the dining hall.

"Since you'll be here for a while," he said, leaning down by Mark's ear, "I thought I'd introduce you to some of the house's main members."

A sigh shifted in the shadows, and a woman in medieval goth appeared.

"Well, he already knows me," said Equinox, stepping out of the shadows and glaring at the sunlight filtering through the grandiose windows. Mark swallowed, chest tightening. "It's Equinox."

Mark glanced over at Dark, itching to run away—his fight or flight thrumming—but the Tear Stealer placed a stilling hand on his shoulder. Five more Evolveds walked up to them, staring evenly at Mark with intense gazes. Mark's eyes were instantly drawn to pure black eyes, and Dark noticed the gaze with a smirk.

"That's Xilef," he said, nodding at his respected friend. "The Aurist."

Xilef continued staring at Mark through black eyes, his demeanor claiming absolute authority—practically matching that of Dark's. He crossed his arms, gaze unwavering from Mark's person, constantly taking in his shifting aura. Behind him, Voxe joined the crowding of Evolveds, eyes alight.

Dark motioned towards a crestfallen woman, whose pale grey hair was slicked back to show the hollows and junctures of her face.

"This is Raine; our newest member." She stared straight at Mark, and he swallowed, eager to look at the next person—the shortest of the group. "And Eyes."

She adjusted her glasses, and Mark awkwardly nodded his head, muscles tensing when his eyes landed on Lux and Emery—the two that captured him the night he snuck in. He swallowed.

To think I tried killing the Tear Stealer, he thought. And now I'm standing right next to him.

The Tear Stealer smiled, hand tightening over Mark's shoulder.

"You know these two quite well," said Dark, a playful lilt to his voice. "This is Lux."

They glared at Mark, white-blonde hair framing their snarl. Mark swallowed and sheepishly smiled, jaw set tight.

"And this is Emery—Voxe's brother. He's the barricade you ran into when you snuck in."

Mark swallowed and nodded, staying fixed in his place. He startled when Dark placed both hands on his shoulders, fingers digging into the burgundy jacket.

"Now, Mark, everyone here knows your name already," he said, voice low and drawling, "but they don't know who you really are."

Mark tensed at that, something hidden in the Tear Stealer's words. He glanced over at Dark, whose red eyes flashed down at him.

He seems so malicious, thought Mark. Even though he was so sweet earlier.

He swallowed, tensing under the Tear Stealer's hold.

"In my hands," breathed Dark, smirking down at Mark, "is the Celebrity Killer."

Mark's breath hitched, and he trying stepping away, heart skipping when everyone snapped their attention towards his every movement.

"I—" He laughed, wincing in the Tear Stealer's hold. "I don't know what you're talking ab—"

"Him?" snarled Emery, stepping forward. "I thought it was an Evolved on Antinstine's side! Hell, maybe even a rogue, but this human?"

"I agree," said Equinox with distaste. "A human who kills their own kind? Quite sad."

Mark swallowed, trying to back away from them, but Dark held him firmly in place. His brows furrowed, and his chest flared with heat.

"It's not like you guys don't kill your own kind," blurted Mark, and Emery bristled, baring his teeth.

"How dare—"

"Ah, ah, ah," said Dark, steering Mark away from Emery's line of fire and pushing him down into a chair. "He doesn't know what he's saying, Emery. He has no idea of our sides."

Sides? thought Mark bitterly, pressing himself into the chair and glaring at the hostile Evolved. What sides?

The Tear Stealer placed a hand on the top of the chair, gazing at his people.

"Mark," he said, "is, in fact, a hope for us."

The Evolveds bristled at that, and Xilef joined Dark's side, composure regal and calm.

"Two weeks ago, as you all know," he continued, "I ventured to the Other Side. I spoke with an Evolved there. A foreseer." His red eyes glimmered. "However, in exchange for some of her insight, I was to give something in return."

He glanced at Xilef, who returned the gaze through the corner of his eye.

"Though I loathed the exchange," said Dark, his voice drawn back in the slightest, "I thought I had no other choice."

Mark swallowed, watching with unease, and the other Evolveds shifted in waiting. Dark rose his chin, red eyes gleaming as he said the next words through the silence in the hall.

"Antinstine wants one of you to join him."

They answered with absolute shock, glancing at each other. Voxe and Xilef were the only ones who kept their composure.

"We... we can't do that," said Raine. "For all we know, he could kill us, sir."

Voxe stepped forward, eyes flashing and sombre.

"How much time do you have?" ze breathed. Everyone glanced from Voxe to the Tear Stealer, bodies tense.

Dark stared evenly at them. "Four weeks," he said. "However..."

He glanced down at Mark, eyes going darker, bringing him back up to his feet. Mark reluctantly stood beside the Tear Stealer, dread pooling in his stomach.

Something doesn't feel right, he thought.

Dark placed a hand on Mark's shoulder, the weight bearing down and dangerous.

"It's exactly as you said, Emery," he continued, eyes sweeping over the Evolveds. "People think that the Celebrity Killer is an Evolved... that his strength and keen eye for staying hidden—for all these years—is one of his abilities."

Mark swallowed, heart racing, unable to speak.

"That's why," breathed Dark, and bile rose to Mark's throat, "instead of sending one of you over to Antinstine's city—" His fingers tightened in Mark's shoulder, and his stomach twisted with absolute dread. "I will be sending Mark."

His breath stole from his lungs, and his head spun, all eyes meeting him. He vaguely shook his head, feet wavering, yet Dark kept him firm and steady on the ground.

"And he will kill Antinstine."

And the drama gets tenserrr

Thank you so much for reading! Have a great day, and stay safe!

Kassian <3