Although that the first step of his evil plan was over, Patrick still had a lot to do that day. He was rather tired and wanted to go to bed, but he told himself that this was important and therefore his slumber could wait. Slowly but surely, he cleaned up the dining room for the meeting he was going to have with his followers, adjoining several tables from the back of the house and placing nothing but starkly white tablecloths on all of them. He had gotten these tables and this house a few years back from a wealthy family he did not know, which didn't matter. All that mattered was the fact that he'd erased every single trace of their decades-long presence in the residence and smeared his own all over it. 

It was a nice event to remember as he sat at the top on the table and waited for all his followers to come for half an hour. After they'd all come and drawn their chairs and sat on them, everything was ready, and so he began to speak:

"Good evening, everyone. Most of you can already assume why I've gathered all of you here at this time of day, but I can see why it wouldn't be certain, so I'm going to explain everything quickly. The capture of Miss Grey was quite a grand progression of our plan, but it's only the beginning. We'll keep her captive and convince us to join our side in however long it takes, for there's no one in the world who can resist the way of their enemies forever. Doesn't it sound good, Frederick?"

"It sounds very good indeed," responded Huxley, internally gleeful at seeing the respectful faces of all those who weren't aware of their boss's evil nature.

For as long as he'd known himself, Huxley was a pretty observant person. He loved looking at things and people and discerning all sorts of interesting information from what he saw. He took a couple of moments to subtly glance at the coworkers closest from him. Aside from reverence, true or feigned, the emotions present around him were deep focus, neutrality, exhaustion, enthusiasm and fear. 

Of course, fear stood out the most, and not only because it was such a a captivating emotion, but also because not many people were expressing it at the moment. He only saw it on the face of a tall, thin lady with long red hair that reached her waist, wide-open eyes that were dark as coal and thick cherry lips that trembled ever so slightly. As was clearly seen, she also had gentle facial features and unassuming mannerisms that indicated a painfully humble soul, moulded into such over the course of many years. Behind her was hidden her one-year-younger sister, whose features he wasn't able to see at all. 

She expressed this emotion for no more than a few seconds as she stared at the distance, foolishly believing that everyone else was too preoccupied by their own thoughts to notice. Deep inside, he believed that he surely wasn't the only one, but it didn't matter whether that was true or not. He was going to throw his cards onto the table soon anyway.

He coughed on purpose to draw everyone's attention. "Good evening, Amanda. How are you today? I just wanted to congratulate you on your last mission because you're such a great asset to our team. Nobody was eager to loot the house of the Parker family, even though they're our enemies, but because you're always so willing to assist us in our plans, you did it perfectly and got rid of the mess without a trace. If you keep on helping us like this, no one may be left to oppose us soon enough, so congratulations. It's the least you deserve for all your efforts."

"Thank you," said the older sister, forcing her bile down her throat. "You know that I'm such a dedicated team player, and that there's no other reason why I'm still doing this, not at all. I'm truly proud to be here."

"You're welcome," said Frederick with a sickly-sweet smile on his face, turning his head in the direction of her sister.

"Run, Cecilia, run," whispered Amanda into her sister's ear, earning her a slight nod from below the surface of the table.

Cecilia stood up swiftly, but as she did so, she hit her head on the table and fell to the ground in pain, causing several people to gasp and rush to her side to give her first aid. Amanda watched the seemingly innocuous scene in horror. Whatever either of them did to get out of the clutches of evil, it wouldn't be enough, especially because Cecilia wasn't as savvy as she was, but she wasn't going to get angry at her sister for something she couldn't help. As she returned to her former position, she saw that Frederick was smirking at her, making the blood in her veins boil.

"Are you feeling well?" Patrick said sternly, biting his tongue to suppress his annoyance.

"Yes. I only need to be left alone," Cecilia said as she went upstairs, provoking plenty of concerned glances and whispers.

"Anyway," Patrick said the moment she was out of sight. "Although we're making great progress, many distractions are beginning to arise at all times, not unlike this one. If we want to rule the world in little time, we need to focus. While Miss Grey is being indoctrinated, large numbers of the opposing forces are going to be opposing us in these dire times, especially now that we've made this decision. Maria Thorne, the general's wife, is going to be one of our biggest problems, especially because of her persistence-"

Speak of the devil, he thought the moment he heard the doorbell ring.

And, as he opened the door, he saw that it was indeed her. Short, dark-eyed and with the artificial smile of a porcelain doll, she showed nothing but excitement when it came to this sudden encounter. In fact, it could be said that she was radiating excitement. Standing serenely in her thin yellow summer dress, she swiftly clasped her hands the moment he came there, her eyes gleaming with life. Blood flowing steadily through her veins, she stared at him as if he were her prey, her mind refusing to depart from that feeling of superiority even for a second. Letting out a groan, he slammed the door shut, curious as to what she had to say despite his frustration.

"Good evening, Patrick," she chirped, shaking his hand. "It's nice seeing you again. How are you doing today?"

"I don't have time for this," he snapped. "I was in the middle of a meeting before you came here, after which I've got to sleep because I'm tired. I'm tired of you. Tell me what you want in as few words as possible so I can be done with you already."

"I want Melinda back," she said plainly. "Oh, and I want the throne as well."

He began choking with laughter. "Oh, how simple it all is in your vapid, dumb world! You think you'd have it all if everyone just decided to conform to all your desires, but the universe doesn't care enough about you to fulfil your delusions of grandeur. You may think it will, but you aren't as important as you think. If I gave you Melinda, and if I gave you the throne, you... Wouldn't end up how you'd planned, to put it simply."

She glared at him with all the hatred she felt inside her. "I'm not stupid. I know that there's no one better than me to have Melinda and the throne by my side. I'm not only the general's wife, but also the greatest mentor The Obscurian Field For Magic's ever had, and therefore I see no other candidate for making the big decisions. The only reason you deny me this is because you're a self-important villain, but you're not as powerful as you think. If you don't send Melinda back tomorrow morning, I'm going to kill you, and if you don't give me the throne, I-"

He yawned. "Blah, blah, blah. Stop yapping and start looking in the mirror. You're not who you think you are."

"What are you trying to imply here?" she spoke, grabbing him by the collar on his dark blue shirt, glaring at him relentlessly as she shoved him against the door.

"I'm not afraid of you," he spat out, pushing her away. "You're a mere bully who uses big words and small punches to get ahead, believing unflinchingly that your way is the only way and that everyone who disagrees with you can go to hell. You'll destroy yourself and everyone around you with your reckless actions if you keep on living like this."

"Why do you care, huh?" she snarled at him. "You're nothing more than a heartless, soulless monster who destroys the lives of every innocent. Get out of my way, you demon."

"I don't care. Do whatever you want," he said, shrugging limply as he headed back into the house.

He marched towards Melinda's room in a change of plans, not heeding the reactions of everyone else. As he went upstairs, he could hear her hurried footsteps as she walked towards the door, obviously curious as to why he was visiting her at this time. The instant he opened the door, she stared at him intensely, her face devoid of emotion. She took a couple of steps back as he made his way into the room, not distracted by the rats or the bugs that lived in the rotten wooden planks the floor was composed of, standing like a statue as he closed the door.

"Hello, Patrick," she said coldly. "Merciless as always, are we? Scheming and holding meetings meant to deceive the blithely oblivious, are we? Same as always, isn't it?"

"Yes," he said, nodding eagerly.

"Bravo," she continued. "You must be very proud of yourself. The devil works hard, but you work harder. I've gotten used to it, however. You won't discourage me. So tell me, what is the pressing matter that's brought you here?"

"Nothing," he said, flicking his fingers. "I just thought I'd tell you that Maria's visited me moments ago and threatened me."

"That's great," she chirped, a gleam of happiness appearing in her eyes instantly.

He laughed darkly. "Or so you think. If you knew the true nature of her visit, you'd feel betrayed."

"No, I wouldn't," she said through gritted teeth.

"You only say that because you don't know," he said, patting her on the head. "You don't know anything."

"I'm not a child!" she yelled in the spur of the moment. "I know much more than you'd think!"

"And I know much more than that," he muttered, "but that's not important now. What's important is that your lessons begin tomorrow. You're going to join the dark side, and you're going to be kept here until you've been successfully indoctrinated, and if you don't comply to my terms, I'm going to kill your parents. That's exactly why I've brought them here. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist trying to save them. You're not quite as arrogant and hotheaded as your friend, but you love being the hero because you love helping everyone. You must rely on others sometimes, you know?"

"You don't care about me," she said, shaking her head. "You're trying to turn me into a human weapon, but whatever you may try, I know in advance that it won't work."

"I care about you," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I'm both awed and threatened by your strength, and you don't hear these words from me easily. I think it'd be the best for both of us to work together. This world is cruel and uncaring, and we must be cruel and uncaring in kind if we want to get ahead, and even if you don't get it yet, you will someday."

"You don't understand me," she said, gently removing his disgusting hands from herself, "and you never will. Goodnight, Patrick."

"Goodnight, Melinda," he said back, giggling to himself the moment he walked out of her room.