As soon as she walked through the door, she was seized by a forceful grip on her arm, and then pressed against by a warm, toned body that pushed her back against the corner of the wall.
Their eyes met, and Elsie's heart quivered, captivated by the man's bright, piercing gaze, unable to resist falling deeper under his spell.
Her world was devoid of light. She desperately longed for a ray of light to shine through the crack she had painstakingly chiseled open.
His eyes were the source of light she had been searching for.
"Ms. Archer, did you leave something behind when you left earlier?" Elvis' voice was wrapped in a low chuckle, his intonation playfully suggestive.
"What?" Elsie's fingers clinging tightly to the wall, she felt as if a thousand butterflies were in her stomach.
Elvis curled his lips up, his straight nose playfully touching hers, tender yet mischievous, like a lover's caress.
Suddenly, his voice turned raspy, "You forgot to take my heart with you."
Elsie, still flustered, burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"Tsk, why are you laughing?" Elvis raised an eyebrow.
"Elvis, I think you must not have had a serious girlfriend before? After all, not every girl can tolerate such a cheesy joke," Elsie covered her tender lips, laughing uncontrollably.
His eyes darkened, and he clicked his tongue, "That was a whisper of love!"
"But it’s funny, so still a joke."
Before Elsie's voice trailed off, her pupils contracted. Her silver necklace was dangling right in front of her, gently swaying.
"My necklace!" Elsie frantically touched her neck, her face turning pale.
When had it fallen off? She had no clue!
"Give it back!" Elsie reached out to grab it, but Elvis, intent on teasing her, held it just out of reach, even as she tiptoed.
"Who's the pretty girl in the picture?"
"My friend!"
Elsie's fair face turned red and then pale; she jumped up but still was unable to reach.
"You have friends? Even if you wanted, would Avery let you have your way?" Elvis didn't believe her.
"My sister!" Elsie's voice was hoarse with embarrassment.
"You just told me you were an orphan; where did a sister come from?"
Elvis' expression darkened, his fingers flicking, clutching the pendant tightly, "Ms. Archer, you aren’t being honest, then I guess I'll have to take this, and give it back next time we meet."
Desperation reddened Elsie's eyes, and she blurted out, "It's me!"
Elvis gazed deeply at her, his eyes thick with emotion.
"The person in the photo is me. It was taken when I was twenty, before I became Evadne, the only photo I had of myself."
A strong wave of bitterness filled Elsie's throat as if she was throttled, her lips trembling, "After my surgery, Avery destroyed all my old photos. I secretly kept this one; it's all I have left. If I lose it, I fear one day I'll forget what I looked like. Then, no one will remember that Elsie ever existed in this world, and I'll be no different from a walking corpse."
She lived by Avery's side, conforming diligently to the role of Evadne. Yet, not a day went by without her yearning to be herself.
"So please, give it back to me."
As Elsie spoke, tears shattered brightly from her eyes, each one falling onto Elvis' heart, scalding it with vivid, scorching scars.
He took her hand, placing the warmed pendant back into hers.
When they left the orphanage at nightfall, Elvis hadn't expected that Elsie would’ve stayed the whole day. Nor had Elsie expected that this man would stay with her the entire day.
"I'm going back now, goodbye."
"Elsie."
She stiffened, slowly turning her head, her eyes widening suddenly.
With a snap, Elvis lit up a sparkler in his hand, its glowing sparks dazzling and enchanting, like a sprite dancing under the night sky.
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