Out of the Darkness (v2.0)

Prologue

Beep. Beep.

Ellanor groaned softly to herself and sat up in bed, dark circles under her eyes and a nest of ginger hair sticking up in nearly unbelievable ways. Well, it would have been unbelievable had she not seen it this way for the past three years she had moved in with Dallas.

After smacking a few buttons on the alarm clock, she reached up and attempted to untangle the matted locks with her slender fingers, but just as should have been expected, it did nothing to help. Goosebumps lined her pale skin as she moved the covers from her body, and the stench of alcohol from last night hit her like a train. It was disgusting, but hey, she was used to it.

"Hmmph."

Ellanor turned slightly, angling her head so she could look at the angelic face of the man still fast asleep, yet did nothing to wake him as she silently, stealthily slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

Today was the day of a very important job interview. Dallas had recently lost his job, and seen as they were already behind on rent, Ellanor had no choice but to pitch in. So as much as Dallas would love to keep her at home and in the kitchen, even someone as illogical as him would have to give in when it came to finances.

Ellanor flew through the expected questions and their answers in the confines of her head while she roughly brushed out the tangles in the bathroom. From there, she tossed on a clean blouse and a pencil skirt, then she applied some foundation. Eyeshadow, too. It had to be enough, but nothing too over-the-top. She would get into trouble for both.

And then to the stove, where she would whip up just enough food for two.

In a few minutes, she had chomped down the minimum to keep her energized for the day. She grabbed her flip phone, then her purse. In fact, she was just about to step out the door--

"Go and change. You look like a mess."

Dallas had his arm across the doorway, blocking her from walking out. His face was still sunken from dreamless sleep, yet he still held that empty look of his as his dark brown eyes bore into Ellanor's green ones.

She would have protested, put up a fight, even, but it wasn't good to aggravate him when he was like this. So, instead, Ellanor turned on her heel and headed back to their single closet. Picking out a less revealing set of clothes, once again, she headed to the bathroom where Dallas watched her every movement.

Once she had slipped on a semi-formal, grey jacket, Ellanor faced Dallas, who scrutinized her figure with incredulous detail.

"Good enough," he said bluntly, crossing his arms. "Just... remember to be on your best behaviour."

"... Y-Yes, sir."