A/N: Alright., well.... I guess I have nothing to say. Everyone else always has something to say in they're A/N but me? Nope. Nothing. Well, I guess that's it......yep.
-Blakeley
{ UNEDITED }
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Hugo and Aria had given Abe and I separate rooms, which I was thankful for since our little moment in the piano room.
Aria had kindly showed me to my room before disappearing without a word. I'm starting to think she really doesn't like me but I suppose I can't fully tell - unlike Abe who can feel others emotions.
And there you go again, talking about your hopeless crush who'd rather snap your neck than be stuck in this mess you.
After changing into comfortable clothing, of which Aria had let me borrow from her own closet, I slipped into the soft, luxurious bed and fell strait to sleep.
Ok, that's a lie. I might have laid, motionless, for a good hour or two trying to figure out why I had tried to kiss Abe. But thinking back, he DIDN'T pull away and he DID try and kiss me, too. So the blame can't be put totally on me when it was a two person agreement.
Of sorts.
The next morning, I ate breakfast alone and saw no sign of Abe. Hugo had made me a five star meal; Eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast, and orange juice. After thanking him kindly, he said he had to be somewhere and left me to my own.
I finished breakfast quickly and cleaned my dishes before putting them back where I saw Hugo take them from.
After that, I wen't back up to my room and haven't moved since. Everywhere in the house, the windows are closed no light can be seen. So I guess I really don't know if I had breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a late night snack. There isn't one freaking clock in sight so it looks like I'm stuck on that one.
I have no clue where I am, what time it is, or where anybody in the house is located, and my ache for adventure has suddenly disappeared leaving me laying in my bed like a motionless corpse. I stare at the ceiling emotionless, my thoughts a jumbled mess and something nagging me at the back of my mind but no clue what it is.
What am I supposed to do now? I'm alone, unsupervised, and--
Hm.....I'm unsupervised.
And then, as if suddenly deciding to make itself known, my ache for adventure and nagging curiosity appears and has me leaping out of bed and exiting my room to go explore.
The long hallway that leads away from my room has various large portraits of people unknown to me, several famous paintings such as Mona Lisa, Girl With The Pearl Earring, The night Watch, Las Meninas, The Blue Boy, Ginevra de' Benci, La Scapigliata, ect...
I run my fingers over a dust-free bench with a vase of flowers among it, the beautiful white roses soft against the pads of my fingers. I examine the soft flower with a small smile on my lips, glancing over and seeing a small rose pod that has yet to bloom.
In a strange, corny way, that unbosomed flower reminds me of myself. Although I don't see myself as ever being as beautiful as something so precious, flower or not. I know I have potential somewhere inside me. I know I can blossom into something good; but what?
I'm like a piece of paper that's been rolled in a ball for years and now that I've tried to fix myself, the crinkles, the marks; they became permanent. I'm no longer white but gray, smudged with sins and mistakes. I'm scarred.
I tear my eyes away from the beautiful rose and begin trekking further down the hall. Most all the halls are the same as everything else; simple but gorgeous.
I come to a stop, glancing each way and trying to figure out which way to go. Distant voices can be heard to the right and I contemplate whether or not it's a good idea.
Oh, please, my inner voice reasons. Of course it's a good idea.
I make my way down the hall, the voices slowly starting to louden and the words make more sense.
"...she can't know...too dangerous..."
"...take her...home...what's best..."
"...you need...her..."
I cock my head to the side, deciphering the two voices as Hugo and Abe. The few words I caught run through my head as I try to piece it all together, but only manage to confuse myself further.
She can't know...
What's best...
Take her home...
You need her...
Her...
Me!
They're talking about me, they have to be. But why? I crane my neck to get more information but they seemed to have drifted further away. I peek my head around the corner and catch a short glimpse of two male physique's disappearing around the corner.
I fall into stealth mode, creeping around the corner and using my minusculeness as an advantage. Following quick behind them but at a far enough distance they won't see me, I follow them down the corridor and than another, than another, and another until we finally reach the main hall.
They both step inside a separate door, apposite from the living area and shut the door quietly behind them. I stealthily creep to the door and press my ear against it. They're voices of muffled but just clear enough for me to understand most of it,
"I'm no expert, but." Hugo's baritone voice appears. "It seemed a bit quiet for the both of you in the music room yesterday...." I can practically hear the smirk in his voice.
"Your right, your not." Comes Abe's sour voice.
I roll my eyes. Typical.
"Getting a little cozy, eh?" Hugo laughs and I can a faint sound of a growl, no doubt coming from Abe.
"Right, like I'd ever have anything to do with a human." I visibly recoil as if he had punched me in the gut. My stomach wrenches painfully and I hold back a bark of anger and sadness fully directed towards the short-tempered who is still unaware of my presence - surprisingly.
Why am I letting this get to me? I shouldn't't care! I shouldn't't care that he doesn't want me!
Doesn't want you? Please, he was going to kiss you if not for the interruption, comes my inner voice.
He wouldn't have. And if he had, he would have yelled at me after saying how much of a mistake it was and how such a superior being couldn't possibly be with some low-life like me.
And you'd believe him? my inner voice scoffs. He's a liar, you know that. But he's lying about all the right things. His feelings are mutual, he just doesn't want to admit it.
How can you be so sure? After you all, your just a voice in my head.
You can't lie to yourself. I'm you; we think the same. I know you believe me, your just denying it all because your afraid of getting attached - getting hurt.
"Nicole." A stern voice brings me out of my daydreaming, scaring me half to death and making me jump.
And land on the floor.
I groan and rub the sore spot on my rump, glancing up through my lashes at the unimpressed looking Abe and a grinning Hugo.
"What do you think your doing?"
"None of your business." I say simply, standing and brushing myself off. I cross my arms and give him a calm look.
"It is my business when your snooping in on my conversations." Abe crosses his arms and mirrors my position.
"Not necessarily."
Abe growls and without warning, tosses me over his shoulder and begins marching off. I hear Hugo laughing and I barely lift my head enough to send him a fierce glare. He sends me a salute with a grin before turning and walking off in the apposite direction.
"Hey!" I pound against his back and groan when he only growls back.
"Let me down, leech!"
A pinch in my rear makes me squeal and I turn my head towards Abe, as best I can, with a gasp.
"Did you just spank me?'
"I told you not to call me that." He growls and, for affect, adds another slap to my butt. I squeak start pounding against his back repeatedly. I growl in frustration, my brittle temper snapping by each passing second.
"I swear, I'm going to sedate you in your sleep, tie you to a pole in my front yard and sip a glorious glass of tea, basking in glory when the sun starts to burn you!" I seethe.
Abe tosses me into my bed, for the time being, and stands in the center of my room, silently fuming. As he rages in silence, I lean against my pillows and casually pick at my nails. Abe sighs, runs a hand down his face and closes his eyes.
The motive looked oddly human for him, almost making me laugh. Abe looks back up at me sends me a stern look. "Aria is going to come for you in a few minutes so keep your butt planted firm against that bed until she gets here." He glares at me and I glare back, dropping my nails out of view and crossing my arms.
"And why is she coming here?" I ask.
"We have some place to attend tonight. It;s a vampire thing but a human event." I eye him curiously for a moment before sighing.
"If it's a vampire thing than why do I have to go?"
"For protection." I sigh dramatically.
"Abe, listen. I understand your scared, but your a big boy now. You can protect yourself. You don't need me there." I send him a mock sympathy look.
He snarls at me. "Protection for you, human." At the word human, my mind quickly flashes to earlier when he bluntly stated how disgusted he was with the idea of being involved romantically with a human.
Abe sends me a confused look when I don't immediately insult him back, his brows furrowed and eyes squinted. I ignore him, slamming my mouth shut and leaning back against the headboard and looking towards the closed curtains covering the window.
I push away any sadness or hurt from my emotions, residing strictly to anger and annoyance so Abe won't suspect anything.
The large wooden door swings open and Aria struts in like she owns the place.
Technically she does, but whatever.
"It's time." She say's simply, her voice bored as she looks around the room in an uncaring manor.
Abe watches me a for a few more seconds but I avoid eye contact, turning my head so my hair becomes a curtain between both him and I.
"We have only an hour and a half to get ready. Shoo!" Aria kicks Abe out before shutting the door and making her way towards the closet. She pulls open the large doors and walks in the huge, walk-in closet.
I stare confusedly at the open doors, Aria disappearing behind the mass of clothing, shoes, and makeup.
"Take a shower and hurry. We don't have much time." I ignore the urge to snap at her tone and just decide to listen - for once.
Ten minutes later, I'm clean and freshly polished and sitting on my bed in a comfy, white robe.
Aria appears in front of me so suddenly I jump and my heart rate increases dramatically. She ignores it and ushers me into the large closet, setting me down in a comfortable, poka-dot chair in front of a large makeup covered desk.
Without a word, she pulls my hair into a messy bun on top my head and begins doing my makeup at such speed, she becomes a partial blur in front of me. I stare emotionless ahead of myself in the large, clear mirror, my thoughts drifting away from the vampire messing around with my face and towards a different immortal who seems to always be in my thoughts.
"You fancy him." Aria's sudden voice appears in my ears. I blink out of my daze and face the woman who is ruffling through the drawers and drawers of makeup, her eyes solemnly focused on the products but her voice directed towards me.
"What?"
"You fancy him." She repeats, her voice not impatient but emotionless.
"Who?" I ask, though I think I have a good idea who she's talking about.
"Don't play dumb with me, girl," She appears before me and starts applying something to my face, but this time slow enough her face stays in focus. "I know you like Abe as more than a friend."
I watch her for a moment before turning my head, but getting gripped at for almost messing up her masterpiece.
"It surprises me." She states and I chuckle.
"Your not alone."
She suddenly stops, rests the makeup and her hands in her lap and watches me for a moment, studying my face but I have a feeling she's not looking at my makeup.
"I'm glad you do." She say's, her words surprising me. "He needs someone like you." She say's monotonously, her voice not holding any emotion but I can tell she means it. Replacing the products in her hand for a something different, she returns to her work.
"Why do you say that?" I ask, not sure what her words truly mean.
"Abe is a tough soul. He doesn't open up and is a very secluded man." I almost laugh at her obvious words but stop myself, afraid she might bite my head off if I move my head even the slightest bit.
"He hasn't had a pure soul to lead him. He hasn't ever had a generous, caring person to ever show him any sort of love or affection. The emotion is foreign to him."
"I'm not pure in any form or way." I mutter.
"In his eyes, you are." My head flings up in surprise and shock. "He is scarred, Nicole. Especially after what's happened in his past." she say's.
I furrow my eyebrows. "He's told me about his past, but it didn't seem to bad until it happened." Aria chuckles at this making me scowl and cock my head in confusion.
"He's a good liar, that one." She shakes her head.
"What do you mean?" I ask. "Your saying he lied to me about his past? About what happened to him?"
"He told you about how he was turned," I nod my head, wondering where she's headed with this. "But he said nothing of his parents, correct?"
I think back to what he told me, searching my memories for anything that might lead me to her point. "He didn't tell me much about them except for how scared they were of the day they would loose him." I say.
Aria shakes her head again, pausing with the makeup. "You see, everything Abe told you was truth except for several small parts. He did not tell you that while he was waiting for the day he would die, his father was abusive," I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand and staring at her in shock.
Ignoring my look of horror, she continues. "His father thought he was cursed, a burden to the family. His abusive ways didn't pass with his wife but she did nothing to stop it and slowly, she started thinking the same. He became close to a servant towards them. He was no more considered they're son but a farm worker, a slave. In they're eyes, he was dirt and they were the boot."
I shake my head, leaning back in my seat and letting the horror of it all enter my thoughts.
Those horrible people!
"How could they?! And they're own son! It wasn't his fault. He was born like that!" I explode, anger lacing my voice and the mere thought of someone laying a sour hand on him making me shake with fury.
"Yes, Yes. Calm yourself." Her words have a stern tone to them and I'm surprised to see my body relaxes and my anger cease. I stare at her weirdly but she ignores me.
"I know how terrible it was. My husband and I were the ones to help him through it all. We helped him control the anger and ache for revenge. He's come a long way and we consider him apart of our family." She explains."He regretted living, Nicole. After years and years of mental and physical abuse, he began to believe them. But it's not his past life he regrets most. It's the things he did after the change." She say's. "Now, I want you to listen closely."
I stay still, sending her a silent notion to continue. She nods and goes on. "He needs you. I know he can be rough and hard to get along with, but he's a good man. A man who needs not only guidance, but love - affection."
"And your saying this to me because you think I can do all these things?" I ask disbelievingly. She nods making me scoff. "I don't know if you've noticed or not," I start off with a sour tone and a grimace. "but Abe hates my guts."
"And how do you figure that?" Aria asks patiently, leaning back in a chair of her own.
"I overheard Hugo and Abe talking earlier. Abe wants nothing to do with humans. He despises the idea of ever being involved with me." I say, trying to fight off the sadness but hissing at myself for letting some leak into my voice.
"Nicole," I jump at her cold voice, my eyes wide as she speaks. "I haven't known you long but you don't seem like the kind of person to give up and walk away. Answer me this, how much do you want him?" Her eyes are stern, unmoving and stubborn. I grasp her words and think it over.
"I don't know...."
"How. much?" She say's slowly, her voice low and demanding.
After everything we've been through, I've realized how strong my feelings for him have become. Though I tried to deny it all and ignore the incoming emotions, I realize that I only wanted to believe it was a simple crush. I wanted to believe that we could never happen. I wanted to believe that he would never want me and instead, a strong, beautiful vampire woman who's independent and everything I'm not.
But I'm Niole Rosabelle, a freaking one of a kind! I don't listen to rules, I hate stuck-up, rich preps. I don't mind breaking the law if it meant saving the people I love and I don't care about others opinions on me. I'm strong, smart, passionate, witty, and sexy. She wants an answer?
I look up at the gorgeous vampire before me and meet her stare.
"More than anything."
She study's my face solemnly, her features contorted into a mask of something unreadable. Her eyes watch me closely and to my utter shock, her lips lift into a devious smirk and her eyes flash mischievously.
"Good." She eyes me for a moment before sending me an evil smile.
"I think it's about time you show him exactly what he's missing out on."
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