Sacrilege |H. S.|

12. no man is an island

I have a thing for November.

It fills me with an inexplicable nostalgia and sadness, a good kind of sadness, if such a thing exists. Not the kind that makes you lay in bed and wish you could at least shed a few tears, of that sadness I had enough. This one was much more raw, eerie and maybe even provocative.

I also had a thing for rain, maybe it was the sound or the feel of it against my skin, perhaps it was the smell it left behind or the way it could singlehandedly ruin so many peoples days, I loved it. And today, to say it was rainy would be an understatement.

There wasn't a simple drizzle, it was a full on storm crying it's farewell to the eleventh month of the year, with harsh winds and thundering claps roaring across London since early this morning. All around the house, you could see through the windows how tall trees would sway, heavy drops falling on the endless lake, a body of water thirsting for even more.

The concept of greed has been much too familiar, and it's the over all, all-around state of being I've been locked in all day. It's a deadly sin, but who's to say I'll live long enough to get punished for it. Besides, I'm not much of a believer in sin.

Could I really be described as greedy, though? No, because greed is wanting something you don't need, it's a selfish and excessive desire for more than is required and deserved. The things I'm wanting for, they can hardly be categorized as such.

If anything, I'd been simple.

Once Harry completely disregarded my petition to keep the witches away, I gave in, understanding that even if it was a Lia's life will be in danger situation, it wasn't one I could have any control over. The next thing I asked was for it to be during the daytime, that lowered the risk of their increased magic as they harness it off the moon and the stars. I also told Harry it was better to be inside, a place where nature wasn't literally in the air. Lastly, I asked for Cora and Dana to be exempt from this; they were both two of the youngest vampires, and two of the people I've grown to feel somewhat appreciative of. If any violence was to unleash itself, they would be the easiest targets, and having either of them hurt or die because of reasons that could be directly traced back down to me just wasn't something I was okay with.

Surprisingly, he had accepted my conditions, telling me he didn't want to hear it when I started giving instructions for my after-death. I guess I was okay with what I did manage to get his approval for, even if it meant sitting around a handful of vampires and anxiously waiting for their arrival.

As promised, Cora and Dana were nowhere to be seen, which made me feel even more out of place, but satisfied. Vera was also missing; the attendees, beside me, were limited to Harry, Kiersey, Iain, Tom, and Aida.

Most of them I was familiar with, and Aida was one of the members of the court who'd gotten here recently. Unlike Jackson, who seems to be her partner, Aida wasn't at all as temperamental and irrational. She was a very tall woman, with very short jet black hair, the tips just barely reaching the nape of her neck. Her thick eyebrows and deep-set eyes suited her face, and she seemed much more stern and intimidating than I'd like her to be. Aida was quiet, most of them were, the stark difference being Iain and Kiersey and how they haven't stopped talking since they sat down next to eachother.

"Did you see the fall collection, though? That leather skirt was horrendous." Iain almost growls in anger as he remembers whatever he's talking about. Everytime he speaks I discreetly look at Harry, finding it almost funny how he'd roll his jaw and his eyes so harshly I was sure they would pop loose and roll around the cabin floor.

"I was fuming about it, still bought it, but it's not a good skirt." Kiersey complains along with him, showing him something on her phone that they both get too indulged in.