That night, Adrien sat in front of the fire with his knees pulled in. The fire blazed with a type of crazy madness that it could only create. His stomach growled, from not having dinner but then, he wasn’t really in the mood for food. He hated himself, hated the world. He had acted like a total child in front of Mr. Belmont and Mr. Belmont’s ex-lover.
He groaned. Why couldn’t he just leave this world? Why? He picked up his mythical creature book that he had brought down with him.
Then tossed it into the fire.
“Hey!” A blur passed by the redhead towards the fireplace. Adrien looked up as Sebastian reached his hands in and saved the book before it was caught by the flames. His hands, on the other hand, quickly turned to a light ash color.
Sebastian set the book on the coffee table and blew on his hands as they healed. “Why are you tossing your book in the fire?”
“I don’t want it anymore.”
“I though you loved studying mythical creatures.”
Adrien glared at him. “I don’t care. It’s an evil book.”
Sebastian sat down next to him. “Why? What did the book do to you?”
“It reminds me of him.” Adrien whispered, staring into the flames.
Sebastian took the book into his throbbing hands and traced the gems on the cover. “Can I ask why?”
Adrien was hesitant. With untrusting eyes, he glanced up at the vampire. To tell or not to tell was the question at hand. How could he trust a monster? The honey color eyes that could lie and the tongue that could twist the truth.
Trust? Not trust?
What to do? So many lies, so many fractured trusted lines; the world spinning upon its head. This whole world was nothing but chaos! Adrien’s mind was spinning in a black hole. Every emotion was suck into the abyss, leaving nothing but an empty shell. What is a human without feelings? Without a mind or a soul?
‘Silence is golden.’ Sebastian had once said. And right now, Mr. Horn’s hold over Adrien was growing stronger because he refused to speak.
“I promised I won’t tell anyone.” Sebastian said. “It’ll stay just between you and me.”
Adrien sighed. Well, the vampire was going to find out one way or another. Besides, what would telling Mr. Belmont change what Adrien was? It wouldn’t make a difference, Adrien was and forever will be a toy. “It was a birthday present from him and my mother.”
Sebastian blinked. “A birthday present?”
“They were in NewYork, I was eight at the time. It was summer and. . . .”
“Wait, they left you alone during the summer?”
Adrien nodded. “I had a babysitter, but yeah. He always took my mother on his trips. They went to New York one summer and sent that back for my birthday.”
Sebastian gently reached out for Adrien’s left arm. The bandage was gone but the wound that had been inflicted with the knife was healing nicely, as far as Sebastian could tell. “Does it hurt still?”
Adrien shook his head, forgetting that the wound was even there. Forgetting that he had infected self harm upon himself in his derange state of mind.
“How about your back? Can I check it?”
Adrien shook his head again and slid away from him. He pulled in his knees and rested his head upon them.
Sebastian leaned against the coffee table and opened the book to a random part and ended up in the werewolf section. He pursed his lips and flipped back a few pages, landing in the section of vampires. His eyes casted down to the topic ‘Identifying vampires’ and chuckled.
Adrien glanced over at him. “What’s so funny?”
The vampire shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just amusing how humans perceive vampires without ever meeting one.”
Adrien peeked over at what he was reading. “But it’s true.”
Sebastian closed the book and raised a brow. He held out his hand, palm facing up. “Touch my hand.”
Adrien scowled.
“I’m not going to hurt you. Jeez louise.” He took Adrien’s hand and placed it in his palm. “What do you feel?”
The coldness of Sebastian’s skin made Adrien slightly shudder. Although he had expected it to be ice cold, it wasn’t. It was more of a crisp cold.
“Cold.” He replied. He tried to pull his hand away, but the vampire kept his hand in place.
“What else do you feel?”
He gently pressed Adrien’s finger into his palm, and a small warmth could be felt. It was faint, but nonetheless, it was there. Although, Adrien expected that is was his own heat radiating off and warming Mr. Belmont’s hand.
Adrien looked up at him. “Why are you doing this?”
“To show you that not all that you read is true.” He let go of the boy’s hand then stood. “Please don’t try to commit suicide while I'm gone. I would hate to clean up your corpse.”
Adrien scowled at the playful statement, then glanced at his mythical creature book. While Sebastian was gone, the redhead cried. That stupid thing, why was it even here now in his presence? Why did Mr. Belmont save it?
Why, why couldn’t it just burn? Why couldn’t Adrien just die?
Why couldn’t the world just end?!
But he had to admit, his soul did feel a bit enlightened after telling Mr. Belmont where the book came from.
“Here you go.” Sebastian came back in with a tray of warm tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich and placed it on the coffee table. Adrien wiped his tears and look at the soup skeptically.
Sebastian groaned. “It’s not poisoned, for heaven's sake. I’m not going to let you starve.” He sat down in an armchair and picked up a book laying on the small table nearby.
“It’s always nice seeing you, Father.” Richard’s voice came from upstairs. Sebastian looked up and peered passed the archway as Gabriel came down the stairs with his suitcase in hand.
Setting the book down, Sebastian stood and joined his brother. “Where are you going Father?”
“Back to France. An urgent call from the clan. The Sanctum can’t seem to handle the clan by themselves. I’ll be back in four months.” He glanced at Sebastian. “You have better find ‘The Child’ then or punishment will be served.”
“I already have a punishment.” Sebastian tapped on his right shoulder. “I’m dying, remember?”
Gabriel pressed his lips together, then existed outside followed by Richard. Sebastian watched as his father and brother got into the car, then happily closed the door. “Finally! I thought he would never leave.”
“Don’t celebrate just yet, my friend.” Agnés suddenly appeared behind him, causing him to jump.
“You’re still here?” Sebastian asked, astounded. “I thought you left.”
Agnés calmly shook his head. “No, not yet. I eavesdropped on that phone call your father made. He plans to have the boy kidnapped.”
Sebastian raised a brow skeptically.
“You don’t believe me?”
“No, no, I do.” Sebastian quickly stated. “It’s just. . . . .why Adrien? What does my father want with him? There’s no reason for him to do such a thing.”
Agnés leaned close to his ear. “What was the one thing your father came here for?”
Sebastian looked at him with wide eyes. Swallowing, he slowly shook his head. “It. . . .it can’t be.”
Adrien peeked around the couch as the vampires dropped their voices into a whisper.
“He can’t be.” Whispered Sebastian.
Agnés glanced over at Adrien and gave him a reassuring smile. The redhead quickly hid back behind the couch. Agnés turned back to the young vampire. “I don’t want to believe it either, but it’s a possibility you have to consider. Remember, ‘The Child’ has pure blood. The prophecy never said a thing bout him being innocent.”
“Except the clan believes that ‘The Child’ is like Christ. So they think he’s supposed to be innocent. Not sure what my father believes.” Sebastian scratched his head. “How does my father plan to pull this off when he just stepped out the door with my brother?”
“I heard that—”
The sound of glass shattering cut Agnés off. Both snapped their head towards the kitchen. Sebastian held up his hand to prevent Agnés from moving and slowly made his way toward the kitchen. Turning on the light, he looked around and his eyes laid upon the shattered glass of the sliding glass door scatted all over the floor.
Then the presence of a female caught his attention.
“Behind you!”
Sebastian whirled around as Agnés appeared in front of him. As a sliver blade came swooping down, Agnés threw up his mutant arm. The vine like fibers quickly unraveled and reformed into an oblong shield. The blade clashed against the shield and shattered into thousand of pieces.
The hilt flew out of the feminine hands of its master. A young girl, only in her twenties, with dark green eyes and long dark brown hair that was tied in a ponytail quickly bolted towards the living room.
But the boy wasn’t there. She started to look around but as she walked around the couch, a bowl of hot soup splashed in her face.
“Ahh!” She cried as she covered eyes. Adrien stood and jumped over the couch as Agnés came changing in and tackling her to the ground.
“This way Adrien.” Sebastian ushered him up the stairs, then he sprinted down towards his room for a few seconds then reemerged by Adrien’s side with Silver Wind in his left hand.
Another crash filled the mansion. Adrien hid behind vampire as a short man stepped from behind the corner armed with a sword. He flashed a sly grin. “A duelist eh?” He got into a dueling stance. “Let’s see what you got.”
“You sure you want to challenge me?” Sebastian asked, placing his right hand upon his hip. “Because I think you’ll end up getting the short end of the stick.”
“Mock my hight all you want. It’ll turn out to be a disadvantage for you. En garde.” The short man came charging towards Sebastian; his blade came diving his towards the vampire’s stomach, but the man was stopped short by a black blade with a pulsing indigo light penetrating through his back and coming out of his stomach.
With a slimy sound, the blade was pulled out and the short man fell down dead. Adrien and Sebastian looked up to fine that Agnés’s arm was the blade.
Adrien shuddered and looked away.
Sebastian pressed his lips tightly together and put the back of his hands on his hips. “So what, I not allowed have some fun? I would’ve had that completely under control.”
“Right. And while you were dueling him, what if another person came in and kidnapped the boy?” Agnés asked as his mutant arm shifted back to its original shape.
“I would’ve managed.”
Agnés chuckled. “Sure you would. Don’t take more than you can chew Sebastian, that’s how a situation becomes overwhelming.” He glanced down at the redhead. “Is he all right?”
“W-what is he?” Adrien whispered, his voice trembling.
Sebastian placed his hand upon his shoulder, then glanced up at Agnés. “You want to tell him.”
Agnés smiled. “I have nothing to hide. I born in 234 BC and was turned into a vampire in 204BC but in 9 BC, I was experimented on by a crazed wizard who tried to figure out why vampires could live for an eternity.” He rolled his eyes. “Due to the content magic torture over the corse of five years, my right arm started to change into what is it now. I came to learn that I could shape-shift it into almost anything and it is harder than diamond.”
“But his touch is as soft as silk,” Sebastian added. He blushed as cleared his throat, “When he wants it to be, that is.”
“What happened to the wizard?” Adrien asked timidly.
Agnés stiffened, then raised his right hand. “I killed him with the very arm that he mutated. The evil deeds that he committed to other people caused him to have a slow and painful death.”
Adrien glanced at the floor. “So you got away. Just like that, you took your freedom and made it a reality.”
The old vampire stared at him strangely then glanced at Sebastian, who shook slowly shook his head, indicating to not comment on that. Agnés gazed back down at the boy. “What kind of hell have you been through, boy?”
Adrien said nothing.
“I’m. . . .trying to get him to open up about that.” Sebastian mentioned. “Where’s that girl?”
“Ah yes. She’s in the living room, unconscious at the moment. She happens to be human. Do you wish to question her?”
“Let me call Richard but in the mean time, tie her up. It’s time to find out what my father is really up to.”
Adrien watched as Agnés made his way downstairs, then glanced up at Sebastian. The agitated look upon his face told a story of anger and distrust.
And Adrien knew it all to well. To not trust your own father, to have pure venomous hate for him; maybe Mr. Belmont was like Adrien after all.
Maybe. . . .just maybe, he could trust this man.