Innocent Blood (chapter 20)

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Chapter 20

    Asteria came toward us and Flavius stood up straight, letting go of me. When she reached us her eyes were on Flavius, clearly concerned about the state he had himself in. "Accalia, you should get back to the party now." I lingered for a moment not sure what to do, "go on, I have to speak with Flavius." Flavius had turned his back to us, so that he faced the outside. "Yeah, okay" I said heading back to the party. Before I rounded the corner I glanced round to where the couple stood together in the doorway. They were both facing outwards, Asteria had a hand placed on his back, a gesture of comfort, as he held his head low.
    The door swung open just as I reached for it making me jump back. Three people walked out, a man and two women, one of which was leaning heavily onto the man. They were all laughing when they opened the door, then the woman that held onto the man spotted me and gave me the coldest look and hissed "whore" as she passed. She drew her eyes off me slowly and the other two seemed to think her comment was hilarious and the other women looked over her shoulder, not caring to hide her blatant laughter at my expense. From behind I recognised the skin-tight, black, glittery dress as being of the drunken woman that had stood with Aristaios. I wanted to run after her, but I had no experience in confrontation and wasn't in the best outfit should I end up in a fight. The door had closed to the party and after what had just happened I didn't feel up to going back in but if I were to head back to my room I would have to follow where the three had gone.
    Again the door opened, this time four women walking out, heading in the same directions as the others. One of them smiled at me but I couldn't bring a smile to my face for her. Although the drunken woman's comment had been completely untrue, her insult had hurt. Was that how people thought of me? A whore? Her friends had seemed to share her opinion of me. I sulked back to the door where I had left Asteria and Flavius. They had gone and the doors stood open, the night calling out for me to embrace it. I stepped out, the air was cool, the sky looking like black velvet sprinkled in silver glitter. The door had brought me out to what looked to be a side of the castle. A wide path curved round a corner to my left, to my right it stretched off into darkness. I wanted to get lost in the darkness, and so I set off down the long stone path.
    My heels clicked softly, the only sound in the night. Neatly trimmed bushes lined the path and only a few windows were lit in the castle. The path had had two paths leading off along the way, but I kept to the straight path, making sure not to stray to far from the castles lights, until it rounded and left me at a corner of the magnificent gardens I had admired from my window. I couldn't see it from here, but I knew that a path ran in a straight line down the centre of the gardens, with lots of little maze-like pathways spawning from that main one. In the dead centre of the gardens there was a fountain. that's what I wanted to see. From where I stood there were two directions to choose from, straight ahead or to my left, which looked as if it would take me through those labyrinth paths. I walked straight ahead, hoping it would take me straight for the main path. I was right.
    Along the centre path there were the occasional solar lanterns, giving off a soft white-blue light. Despite there only being a select few lights, the gardens were lit up majestically in the moonlight. It bathed the miniature tree tops and bushes in silver, tiny flowers looked to be made of the shiny metal. It felt magical. I drew closer to the fountain as I took in my wonderful surroundings. The gardens definitely felt bigger than they had appeared from my window. I could hear the trickling water and as I got closer the water glinted in the moonlight to make it look like silver glitter spewed from the fountain. Up close it was more beautiful than I expected. From my window it appeared to be of regular stone, but now I could see that it was actually made of a creamy pinkish colour of stone, perhaps terracotta. I sat at the edge of the base in between two of the six women figures that each poured water into the basin from a vase. Each one different but the same. I dipped my hand into the cold water and sized up the rest of the structure, it stood around 15ft high a pedestal holding the second basin which was carved with entwining flowers and faces of animals a second basin above that had little figures that looked to be peeking out from little hidey-holes. Along both the basin water ran out in steady streams from the mouths of the animals and vessels the little creatures held and from the very top of the fountain stood a woman with her arms stretched above her head and water seeming to come from her cupped hands.
    A gentle breeze blew through my hair, carrying with it the artificial scent of cologne. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Alastor , standing a few feet from me with a wine glass in each hand. I jumped and he lifted his hands slightly in mock surrender, smiling and shaking his head. "I didn't mean to scare you." I shook my head dismissively at him and looked back to the fountain, "I didn't hear you come over. Where you spying on me?" I joked.
"Who me?", he feigned innocence, "no, I was just admiring the view."
I felt his presence beside me, I turned my head and I was eye level with his waistband. I nervously looked up, he was looking down at me, smiling slyly and I felt...scared. For just a second. He sat down beside me, passing me one of the glasses, and returned to his usual friendly self. "I saw you through the window, and thought 'yeah it's a nice night for a midnight walk'."
"What is this?", I asked as I eyed the bubbles in the glass. It didn't smell to nice.
"It's champagne babe. Pink champagne", he downed his whole glass and I took a small sip of mine. It tasted worse than it smelled. He laughed at my screwed up face and nudged me slightly with his shoulder, "ah c'mon, it's my birthday, you need to have a celeb... celibre... celebratory drink with me", slurring his words and stumbling over 'celebratory'. "Are you drunk?" I laughed at him. He looked mildly offended then grinned. "Absolutely not!" he protested, then leaned close as if to share a secret, "maybe a tiny bit tipsy, but don't you go trying to take advantage of me." We both laughed and his expression sobered, "you really are beautiful Accalia."
"Okay you really are drunk."
"No. I'm not!" He sighed, "c'mon, they'll be missing us at the party." By 'us' of course he meant himself. Alastor stood and offered his hand to me.
     Together we walked back down the path, both leaving our glasses by the fountain. Every few yards Alastor would stumble and I would laugh. His hand brushed against mine twice until he sneakily took my hand. I glanced down at our clasped hands and although I felt really awkward, I didn't want to be the one to pull away. Either he didn't notice my awkwardness or he didn't want to acknowledge it because he gently swung his arms, looking at the stars while he sang something about catching grenades for me. Instead of going the way I had come, we turned the other way, walking past the main entrance to the gardens. He stopped me just as we reached a door, I would have missed on my own. He took my other hand and we stood facing each other, his singing coming to a slow end. He admittedly had a nice voice. For several seconds he stared at me, whereas I didn't know where to look. "Okay Alastor, you need to stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?" He mused, tilting his head to the side. Now I felt really uncomfortable and I tried to free my hands from his. "I'm sorry. You're just too beautiful." His hands left mine and moved to my hips. "Can I have a birthday kiss?" It was like slow motion, his head was tilted, eyes closed, he was moving in for it. Oh no no no don't! I thought. He was exceedingly good looking and I had kissed a boy. Once. But I just couldn't do this, not to mention that he was a vampire, which was so easy to forget with him. I jerked back. "No don't."
     He pulled back and blinked, "what's wrong?"
"Your my friend...", and a vampire.
"I thought you liked me?"
"Oh Alastor", I sighed feeling awful, "I do like you..."
"But not in that way" he finished. I looked down, wishing the ground would swallow me up. He moved to lean back against the wall. "I'm such an idiot."
"No you're not" moving towards him, "its my..." He cut me off by holding up his hand. "No don't, I'm embarrassed enough already." He pushed away from the wall and opened the door that led inside, not waiting for me he said, "better get back." I walked behind him, hating that he was upset, angry that he felt that way.
     We went down a lot of stairs that must have been leading us down into some sort of basement. "Where are we going?" I asked but he never answered. The tension was palpable and I was grateful when the sound of music broke into the silence. At the bottom of the stairs Alastor opened a door and stormed in. The door had done a pretty good job at minimizing the noise from the party, now it was loud enough for me to throw my hands to my ears at the shock. I walked into a basement, with high vaulted ceilings, lighting rigs were attached above an area where people were dancing. Little seating booths had been made in alcoves along the walls, all of which were taken. Right in the middle of the hall there was a big black DJ box, with two men inside, one wearing overly large headphones. I wanted to see what was beyond the DJ box and so I walked over, ignoring the several pairs of eyes I felt on me.
     Walking past the dancing area made me more than a little uncomfortable, couples were swaying and gyrating together, mimicking the actions of love making. I didn't know where to look. Suddenly an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back against them. "Dance with me" he slabbered in my ear. He was wet with sweat and smelled strongly of alcohol. I let out an involuntary shriek as I pried his hands off me. "What's up? Am I not royal enough for you?" He sneered when I faced him, the man who had been with the woman that insulted me. Rather than get myself upset this time I just smiled and walked away, which left him looking confused. This wasn't my type of party. I didn't fit in at all, in fact I felt like a child lost in some underground club. My name was called before I reached the door to leave and I glanced right over the person first time, not noticing her.
     Achlys sat in a booth in a corner, she was alone expect for a man that was slouched over the table beside her. She waved me over and I slid in to the booth, facing her. It was the first time I had seen her properly tonight and to say she was stunning was an understatement. Her dark hair shone red and sat in lustrous waves over her shoulders, her blue eyes looking like blue diamonds against her dark eye make up. "You looked lost." She slid a drink over to me, "he got it for me before he passed out. I don't drink." I took a small sip, surprised by the fruity taste. "Thanks. Alastor brought me here but..." I looked around.
"He ditched you?"
"Listen, I need to apologize for my behaviour today", I began. "That's alright" she laughed, "you got freaked that's all. So what you think of the party?"
"Ehm..." Looking for words that wouldn't offend her, "I think I actually preferred the one upstairs." Achlys smiled and nodded, looking around the room, "yeah, this happens afterward. We get to have a real party while the oldies continue theirs upstairs. Most people here weren't important enough to get an invite to the dinner"
"Why aren't you up partying?"
"I've got all the party I need right here" she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes to the sleeping man. We both laughed lightly. "This is James by the way, Thalia's latest attempt at getting me a nice vampire boyfriend" batting her eyelashes then making a sick face. "None of my friends are here."
"Why?"
"I didn't go to a vampire school. I went to boarding school, my father wasn't to pleased about that, but its what I wanted. I'd rather my friends didn't find out I'm actually some vampire princess" she chuckled a little, "I'll see them tomorrow."
     The man to her side groaned and lifted his head. "Ah he is alive." James beamed at her and Achlys made an exasperated face before saying, "you had better go sleep this off." She got out of the booth, helping the struggling James to his feet. "Go have fun Accalia. As hard as it might be in this place, I'm sure you can at least go laugh at the girls trying to dance." I loved how she said exactly what I was thinking, and just now she seemed to have come out of her shell more with me. "Goodbye Achlys, James" I called at their backs. Alone again.
     "Excuse me, where do I get drinks from?" I asked the man that had just distributed a tray of drinks to the next booth.
"I can get them for you miss, what would you like?"
"Uh, it was fruity, and red, had a little slice of lemon and came in this glass", totally not used to ordering drinks, the waiter laughed. "Zombie cocktail? With enhancer?"
"What?"
"Blood shot"
"No!" I shrieked, earning me a couple of looks from those closest to us.
"My mistake", seeming to understand, "I'll just get that for you."
     He returned a moment later with the drink, it looked so pretty. I thanked him and got up, taking it with me. The place had got busier and I noticed several people kissing in booths and on the floor, I tried not to look but it was hard to miss them. I reached the DJ box and saw what was on the other side. Another dance floor, with far less people on it and just beyond, there was an actual pool! I stared at it in awe for several minutes, wondering if I was really seeing it. There were about twenty people in it, mostly women, and most were stripped down to their underwear. Other people were sitting around the pool, laughing, singing, drinking... Having fun. I wanted to join in. My first real party, and more than likely I would never experience one quite like this again, the least I could do was try make a good memory of it.



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