Chapter 3 - The Hysteria of Blue Silk
The boy's plea shattered the crowd's paralysis into absolute chaos.
A blonde woman clad in an exquisite ocean-blue silk evening dress pushed violently through the front row of tuxedo-clad guests. Her face, usually a picture of cold, aristocratic composure, was completely contorted by a sudden, manic panic. Her eyes bulged as she locked her gaze onto the filthy face peering out from the hole.
"Close your eyes! Close your eyes!" she shrieked, her voice cracking into a jagged, unnatural scream that echoed off the high ceilings. She grabbed at her own hair, her diamond earrings swinging wildly as she waved her arms in manic hysteria. "He wasn't supposed to be here! Put it back! Put the wall back!"
She lunged forward as if to push Clara away and seal the gap herself, her heavy silk dress swishing frantically. But before she could reach the breach, a tall man in a dark, tailored tuxedo stepped forcefully into her path.
Julian slammed his hands down onto her shoulders, gripping her firmly to hold her in place. His jaw was set like granite, his own face drained of all color as he stared at the blonde woman with a mixture of disbelief and rising dread.
"Evelyn, control yourself!" Julian growled, his voice laced with a dark, dangerous edge.
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"Julian, stop them!" Evelyn shrieked, twisting wildly against his grip, her long nails digging into the satin lapels of his tuxedo. "You don't understand! He isn't real! Close your eyes! If he gets out, everything is destroyed!"
Julian ignored her desperate writhing. Slowly, he turned his head toward the broken wall, his dark eyes fixing onto the dirty, bruised hand reaching out between the wooden studs. The world around him seemed to stop moving as a chilling truth began to pierce through his shock.
