Gremlin's invitation had not been intended for her.
Christabella had received it, accepting it from her father, Grendel, with grace and her usual charm. He had thought of her only because of his two older daughters, she had been the one to come and visit the temple once before, and she was the one he had a closer relationship. He thought, given that Vadoma was her half-sister, she was an obvious choice as an invitee.
However, Gremlin's mother had other plans. As thrilled as she was to have been thought of, her daughter's mopey attitude of late had begun to concern her deeply. The young vampire seemed diminished in some ways, sad and forlorn in others. And as much as Gremlin tried to hide it and refused to talk about it with her, Christabella knew. She had a keen mother's instinct.
So, she passed the invitation on to Gremlin, hoping the tea party would be a pleasant distraction. Something to take her mind off of whatever (or whoever, she guessed) was filling her thoughts and making her seem distant and down of late. Gremlin, of course, was hesitant at first, not a fan of public gatherings or being around strangers, but Christabella assured her that it would be okay, that her great-grandmother might even be there, and that seemed to perk the girl up a bit. Finally persuaded, Gremlin had begun to give in to the idea of attending the tea party.
When the day arrived, she still felt a bit out of sorts, but that had more to do with nerves than anything else. Her mom had helped her, finding her
a dress that she would be comfortable in, though that was of course then hidden beneath an older, no longer used,
tablecloth that Gremlin had fashioned into a slightly fancier version of her usual costume.
She arrived at the temple on the date and time that Grendel had told her mother, scurrying along the ground on all fours but stopping short of the temple itself, suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety that nearly froze her to her spot. Beneath her sheet, she fiddled with the fabric of her dress and chewed on her bottom lip, feeling very unsure of herself and wondering if she had made a mistake in coming here. But she remembered what her mother said, that Lilith might be here, and that thought both comforted and excited her.
Eventually, she convinced herself to approach the temple cautiously, though it was large and realized she had no idea where she was meant to go once she arrived. So, she did the only other thing she could think to do at that moment and whispered out loud a question to be carried through the shadows that clung to this place.
"Lilith, are you here?"