Emily

The Chicago wind stormed wildly as the girl tried to keep her red dress to flying over her head.

She didn't like wearing red. It was such a dramatic colour, and it reminded her of the night she had almost killed Guglielmo.

But when Mathias had come back home with two suits for himself and Isaac and two dresses for her and Jane, she didn't have to heart to tell him. She had modified her skirt to hide a couple of knives and her loyal 9 mm gun, hoping they wouldn't search her at the entrance.

That would have been hard to explain.

They walked in silence up to the majestic Opera entrance, the large white columns hiding them from the guards' view. If Mathias hadn't offered her his arm, she would have stared at the capitello corinzio forever. The intrigated lines collided with little statues on the top of the building, making it look like an ancient roman forum. Red drapes fell from the top, the same colour as the girl's dress. Blood.

Mathias had cleaned up for the occasion, no more grease or sweat covering his young face. Except for the fact that he looked widely uncomfortable, the girl would have said he would have fit right in with the aristocracy that populated the place.

Everyone looked much older than them, ranging from middle aged couples to people that might have been seven hundred years old. Which ironically, was probably how old she was.

Their dresses were in line with the style of the place, but they still stand out.

Mathias' hands were twitching in his pockets.

-Act like you belong - she whispered to him, and she wore Giulia's mask.

Her chin raised up, her eyes scanned the crowd as if looking for someone worth of her attention and finding none. The old women who had looked at her with disdain were now laying their eyes on some other pray. She was too much for them. She smelled their jealousy.

Jane and Isaac had been following her example. They couldn't get into character as much as she could, but they were still immortals who had practised for centuries their skills. They were trained path-changers. And it showed.

Jane had cut her green dress open in the chest area, proudly showing off her womanly curves. Giulia figured she had considered it a competition with Isaac's ass for the men' stares.

Nervousness escaped from every inch of Mat's body. If an immortal was in the crowd, he would have perceived something was wrong. The girl pinched him.

-Ahi! Not the kind of things I am into señorita - he said rubbing his arm.

They crossed the entrance showing the guards their illegally bought tickets. He eyed them up and down, but he let them pass. That might have had something to do with her smiling at him for a very long while.

-What are you into then? - she asked in respose. He needed to get his mind off the mission or he would have doomed them.

Mathias' eyes sparked in respose. - Fire -

Giulia dug her fingers further into his arm and coughed away a laugh. Her mask couldn't burst out laughing in the middle of crowded place, she would be too afraid of what it would like on her image.

-Thanks Luz - he said looking ahead. He must have understood what she was doing. -But don't worry, I can hide my nerves pretty well, I will not screw up. -

-You cannot hide feelings from immortals - she wispered back. She should have warned him before. -They ... i mean we can tell what a person is feeling at any time -

He was at loss of words for once. She saw him trying to put his fear behind, concentrating on other feelings as they stepped towards the main corridor.

The hall opened on an immense room, divided by balconies on each side. There where five floors she could see, one devoted only to standing people, the others had red velvet chairs in them. The crystal stage was elevated of a couple of meters from the ground, giving the impression that the performers were floating above their heads.

The opera singer used to reserve two seats on the top right balcony. Mathias put his hand on her back to guide her up the stairs, the contact sending a shiver down her spine.

She was glad he couldn't feel her emotions. In fact, using him as a distraction would help her to master her thoughts even better. She leaned into the feeling. The sly smile that Jane gave her from behind was proof of the fact that she had succeeded.

As soon as they sat in their seats, the lights went out and the music began to play.

The girl wished she had been one of the many, sitting there to purely enjoy the harmonic notes and the dancers performance. But she willed herself to focus on the people below and over her, chatting quietly of mundane politics and famous artists. Nothing that could concern her for the time being.

Mathias' hand reached for hers in the darkness, the nervousness crawling back into his heart.

-Think about anything else - she suggested. -I'd say think about sports, but I have a feeling you were more like the nerdy kid of the class. -

He smirked. -I was actually the captain of the football team -

-Really? -

-No - he whispered. -But it's good to know you cannot tell if I am lying. Especially because I know when you do it. -

The girl's heart missed a beat. -How? -

He pointed at his chest in the darkness. -The thread thing, it pulls. It actually kind of hurts as well. So if you don't mind ... be honest with me, Luz-

Sound of clapping echoed in the Opera, and another song started.

-Why didn't you tell us your father was immortal? - she blurted out. The girl hadn't meant to ask him but her curiousity was too strong.

Mathias leaned closer and wrapped and arm around her waist, the only distance between his fingers and her bare skin was the few millimetres of her dress.

-I wanted you to trust me ... adding an incognito to the equation hadn't seemed wise. Now my turn. - he said stroking her arm with his thumb. -Do immortals feel like mortals do? -

-No - she answered truthfully. -Immortals feelings are much stronger. It takes years before one learns to control them in the mortal world, but once you do it's easy to hide them from the other immortals. Mostly. Now my turn -

The girl wondered if Isaac and Jane could overhear their conversation in the same way they could hear the people around them.

-What's your condition? What did the mist people offer you in exchange for my life? - she asked.

He didn't answer. Instead, he shifted his hand on her knee. Goosebumps rose on her skin. The pull of the threads in her heart was almost painful.

-Stop that - she ordered. He immediately stepped back, leaving her with a sense of coldness. - Listen -

The music hadn't stopped, most people were still immersed in the complicated notes. The two men above her were still discussing politics, but she felt excitement and fear in one of their heart's, so strong to obscure other people's emotion around him.

Isaac gave a little kick to her chair to make her understand they felt it too.

-Mr Clauson has no idea his allies will turn on him. His campaign will not work this time: with all the extra voters you can provide me, I will become mayor in very little time. - whispered one of them. -But I need to be sure that our agreement with your bosses will be brought to completion. I am not sure I trust someone I have never meet. I need collateral. Only then you will have your end of the bargain. -

-Mr Dawson - said a voice so coldly she felt all of her bones freezing. It was the voice of someone with no emotion, no regrets and no pity. - My bosses are not patient people, and they have waited enough. The engineer, Sarah Gekiski, is she in your custody? -

Mathias' eyes went wide in recognition.

The man coughed. -Yes she is there, well safely guarded. Together with the supplies you requested. Now, the elections are in seven days. How many people can you make Chicago citizens by then to allow me an advantage? -

-234- he answered with no hesitation. -We will only wait until after the election and then act. Do not disappoint us. And make sure no more of your lovers overhear your conversations again. I am tired of cleaning after you mess-

The treat was met with a stiff laugh. If the immortal had no feelings, the mortal was evil.

The girl's grip tightened.

That was it. The singer had been the councilman's lover. Her brother and tailor in the balcony had heard a similar conversation and then told the woman. She must have confronted Mr Dawson and he had them all killed.

With no regrets.

He had to be stopped.