(Picture of Henry)
I was still quite emotional by the events that happened outside, leaving me with more questions than answers at this point.
I was trying to find where the laughter was coming from indoors, wanting to appear as normal as I could around these other vampires.
There may be a war going on in my mind, but I couldn't appear too different from the others, because then that makes me suspicious.
I walked up to a room, only recognizing Samuel in the room, surrounded by others.
I cleared my throat and stepped in, not wanting to immediately engage in the conversation.
"Cordelia, right?" a woman asked.
I gave a small nod, stepping forward.
She smiled "We were all wondering when you would come out of that room of yours and join the world"
"I just needed some time to adjust is all" I explained.
"Which is understandable considering her situation" Samuel said, defending me.
The woman stood "Well it is nice to finally meet the girl everyone keeps speaking of. My name is Josephine" she looked at the dark-skinned man next to her "and this is my husband Lionel"
"I'm glad you finally got comfortable" he said, smiling.
"It's nice to meet both of you" I said, softly.
"And of course you remember me" Montgomery said, raising his glass.
I smiled "Of course"
Samuel pat the open spot beside him and I made my way over to him, taking a seat beside him.
"How many other vampires live here?" I asked Samuel.
He set his glass down "Honestly, you've actually met most of the occupants of this household. You saw the cemetery out front, so you know we have lost quite a few. There might be two or three others you haven't properly met yet"
"But the house is so large" I said.
Lionel nodded "Yes, but most coalitions are not extremely large in quantity. That is why there are so many"
"How long has it been since someone new joined?" I asked.
Montgomery laughed "Boy, was that long ago"
Samuel smiled "It was Florence and I, which was actually some time ago"
"No one other than Killian has ever openly left this coalition. Everyone that left was because of death" Lionel explained.
"That is quite unfortunate" I whispered.
"You must be parched" Josephine said "Issac! Can you please bring in another glass!" she called.
"I'm assuming that Issac is another servant?" I asked.
Samuel nodded "If I'm correct than he's the one that has been here the longest"
"He's probably in his twenties now, which means he's been here for almost eight years" Montgomery said, finishing off his drink.
"I met Odette earlier today, she seemed sweet. She explained that the humans choose to be here" I said.
Lionel nodded "Yes, Gabriel has a whole policy on not forcing anyone to be here if they do not want to"
"Definitely different from Killian" I spoke.
Samuel shook his head "The path he went down is now unforgivable"
"He used to be so pleasant to be around, we still are unsure of what happened to his personality" Josephine said, shaking her head as well.
"Well she did finally come out" someone spoke.
I looked up and saw a tall man, holding two drinks.
"I ran into Issac and he said he was getting a drink for Cordelia" he said, handing me a glass "It's nice to finally meet you"
"Nice to meet you as well" I said, feeling nervous around him.
"My name is Henry" he said, taking a seat opposite of Lionel and Josephine.
"Henry is basically second in command, next to Gabriel" Montgomery said.
Gabriel seems like the type that wouldn't have someone horrible as is right hand man.
Henry smiled, showing his dimples "Gabriel is working on some last minute important work, so unfortunately he cannot join us"
"That's odd, he doesn't usually have crucial work that shows up so late" Lionel said.
"It's not too late, it showed up last night and he has been working on it since then" Henry said, taking a long drink.
Samuel gave me a look, putting two and two together.
"We aren't having any problems are we?" Montgomery asked, looking worried.
"No, no. Nothing to be worried about, afterall, if it was extremely problematic then I would be with him, helping" Henry said, confidently.
Samuel cleared his throat "Cordelia, do you mind if I speak to you somewhere else"
I gave a small nod and we stood.
"Leaving so soon?" Henry asked.
I looked down "I just need to speak to him about something from last night"
"Ah yes, I heard you had quite the fright from something last night. Your screams seemed to echo throughout the manor" Henry spoke, looking at me curiously.
"She's fine, Henry. Florence has just been meaning to speak to her and I finally remembered" Samuel said, playing smoothly.
Henry nodded "Well it was nice to finally meet the infamous Cordelia"
I nodded "Likewise"
I quickly followed Samuel out of the room and into an empty room, down the hallway.
"Why do I feel like there is something going on about last night that you left out" he said, crossing his arms.
I looked down "Gabriel just requested that I keep details to myself. Just until I gain more control"
"Why? All vampires receive gifts, why is this one needing to be so secretive?"
I slowly looked up at him "Samuel, if I tell you this, then you cannot tell anyone else. Not even Florence"
His face got more serious as he realized that the situation wasn't just something pass aside.
"Should we go upstairs to your room then?" he asked.
I nodded "That's probably the best place"
We made our way upstairs, careful not to draw any attention to ourselves. Although at this rate the other vampires probably assumed that something was happening between Samuel and I, because of how close we were.
Once we were upstairs in my room, I slowly closed the door and locked it.
"Go ahead" he said, taking a seat on the bed.
"Have you ever heard of the term necromancy?" I asked.
He shook his head "I do not believe so"
I sat down on the bed and pulled out Gabriel's diary from my underneath my pillow.
I actually avoided reading the details last night, because my mood then would surely cause me to become worried over nothing.
"What is that?" he asked, looking down at the diary.
"Gabriel gave me this last night. It's his diary that he used to document something called the" I paused, trying to remember the name "the P'yushego Vampirov"
He looked confused "What the bloody hell is that?"
"He said it means drinker of the vampires" I said, hoping he wouldn't overreact.
"Drinker of the vampires? Ah, well yeah, that certainly sounds pleasant. Why exactly did he give you something about the- the, you know, that?" he asked.
"Because the power I may be developing is mostly common for them" I answered.
He looked confused more than ever "The necromancy thing?"
I nodded "Yes, it has to do with communication with the dead"
He leaned his head back, taking it all in "I didn't know that communicating with the dead was actually possible"
"I haven't read the diary yet, but their name doesn't exactly sound friendly" I said.
He nodded "Do you think that's the last minute thing he's working on?"
I looked down "If it is, then that makes me more concerned"
"Well you don't know that you have that power, maybe Theodore really did turn into a vampire and is just returning" he said, trying to think of another alternative reason.
I shook my head "I had a whole conversation with Theodore outside. He's been speaking to me since I was taken to Killian's home. I didn't know it was him, but I did hear voices"
He looked speechless at this point "I-I just don't know what I'm supposed to say"
"Just please do not think I'm crazy, please" I requested.
"Cordelia, just because your family thought you were ill does not mean that I am automatically going to jump to the same conclusion. I'm just taking it all in, that is all" he said, reassuring me.
I nodded "I know, but it all sounds so insane"
"I can see how, but if you're seeing Theodore then this is serious. You need to tell Gabriel about this update" he insisted.
"I know and I will, I'm just waiting until I see Theodore again, because I'm not sure how this works. That may be the last time I see him" I said, sadly.
"And you're hoping that you see him again, right?" he asked.
I nodded "He told me that he would have been happy with him, if Killian never killed him"
He looked down "Did you feel the same way?"
"I think so, but my idea on relationships and love has been so warped because of Nathaniel" I said, overwhelmed.
He gave a small nod "I see. I just hope you know that you can still be happy"
"That's what Theodore said. He doesn't want me to keep lingering on the past and what has happened, because I can be happy in the end. Even if I don't believe it now" I said.
"No one else can know of this, right?" he asked.
I nodded "Yes, at least for now"
"I promise that I won't tell a soul" he said, giving me a small smile.
I smiled back "It actually feels nice to tell someone else"
"I can see why" he agreed "Tonight you should look through the diary and see if you have any similarities with these other things. I'm not going to be able to say their name, so you know what I mean"
I nodded "I will"
"I think I should get some sleep at this point, just to let all of this sink in, but you know I am down the hall, so if you need me then do not hesitate in coming to see me" he said.
I nodded "Thank you for listening to me"
He stood "What are friends for"
He gave me a small hug before walking out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
"Well wasn't that so touching. What are friends for?" someone said, mocking Samuel.
I slowly turned around, not wanting to see someone other than Theodore.
"I guess I'm not gone, now am I?" Killian said, smirking at me.
I took a step back "No, not you!"
"Look, I saw that Theodore got his foot in, now it's time for mine turn, you bitch" he spat.
"It's not like you can hurt me, so don't even bother!" I said, livid from just seeing him.
He laughed "Here's the thing, until you get your little power under control, I can pop in anytime I want to and we are going to eventually talk. Whether it's today or tomorrow"
I glared at him "Go to hell"
"I'm here, so clearly I cannot do that. Besides, like you said, maybe I was rejected by hell, hence my life as a vampire" he said, glaring back.
"Go away!" I cried, unable to handle being near him any longer.
I shut my eyes tightly, wanting to disappear.
When I opened them, he was gone.
It was at that moment that I knew it was time to speak to Gabriel once more.