We quietly exited the library and back into the menagerie of hallways that this building seemed to hold.
We walked in a pleasant silence beside each other, although apart of me wished she would strike up some form of conversation because I could already feel my nerves beginning to spark. Lightening igniting beneath my skin as a wave of unease and nervousness prickled over my flesh in a wave of goosebumps. What would I say? What would I do, when I see Aramis? Am I prepared to see him in any form of desperation? Would it shatter these feelings I have for him, do I even want them anymore or would it be better to go our separate ways? We're clearly nothing but trouble for each other... I certainly haven't had such an eventful existence until meeting him.
No. I swam through an abyss for him. These intrusive thoughts are just that. Remnants of that abyss clinging to clothes I didn't know I wore. I must see him.
We approached a smooth wooden door, much in the same fashion as the majority of the doors we had passed, it was a dark cedar brown, with a black-iron handle that curled to the right in the mimicry of fauna. A curious expression crept upon my features as through the wood of the door, I could quite clearly hear the clacking sound of keys? Controllers? Followed by a few loud bangs, and booms, soon continued with a cursing sound.
Elizabeth opened the door and stepped through. It was dark as she did so, and as I followed her steps I saw that the darkness didn't last long as we were awash with the hazy grey-blues of an entire wall of monitors and screens. The stark harshness of the bright screens ached my eyes somewhat, but they soon adjusted enough.
Sitting in front of these monitors, in a large, comfy, leather chair, was a man. A screen all to his own as some first-person shooter was in motion that I couldn't help but watch over his shoulder. Elizabeth had yet to move much, rather beckoned me to encircle the man on either side, and seemingly wait for the right time to interrupt, which gave me enough time to take in the features of this light drowned boy.
He seemed to be around my age. Young and strong, as muscular arms and shoulders sprouted from a bright red, tank top, and wound themselves around a controller. His left arm was completely decorated in blackened tattoos of symmetrical patterns. He had a yellow blonde to his short hair that poked upwards into a mess of soft spikes, which engulfed the headset he was wearing. He had gentle features, that was scrunched a little in concentration. His tongue poked out of a pair of full lips, a little to the side, as focused, baby-blue eyes glistened beneath a furrowed brow. He had a button nose that reddened around the tip.
He wore a pair of well worn, comfortable, shorts that didn't seem to leave much room to the imagination at all.
To put it bluntly. He was hot.
I flinched when he threw his arms upwards cursing loudly with his face turned to the ceiling. Elizabeth chuckled in her sweet manner as is her way, while I pulled my arms to my chest in a defensive reaction. His eyes creaked open slowly, looking to me from the side before he lowered and turned his whole head in my direction with a questioning look sprawled upon his face.
"Uh... Can I help you?" He asked, his voice was kind despite its sternness. I opened my mouth to give an answer that should've been so simple, but was caught in my throat. Thankfully, Elizabeth interjected.
"Simon, this is Avery. Avery, this is Simon" She introduced. To which I could only respond with a sheepish, awkward, grin and wiggling my fingers in a coy attempt at a greeting. I found myself going red with embarrassment at my awkwardness and wished for nothing more than the ground to swallow me up. Or at least give me back the backbone I had earlier.
His own expression turned from a confused one to one of a vibrant joy and happiness. I almost feared for my health as I expected him to bounce up like some rampant puppy, as he kicked the wheels of his chair backwards, leaning to Elizabeth.
"Really?" He questioned with a smirk, and she just nodded in response. "Well I'll be fucked, it's great to finally meet you!" He said with a start, pushing himself up from the chair and striding forwards. Immediately being yanked somewhat back by the headset still attached around his head, causing him to fumble with it in an attempt to get it off.
Simon stepped forward, thrusting a hand outwards, which I gently took only for it to be used to yank me into a large, muscular hug. He squeezed my arms against my sides, lifting me from the ground in a manner that was absolutely breath taking. Causing me to practically vibrate with the warmth and happiness that radiated from him.
"But why are you her-- oh..." He paused looking to Elizabeth, who once again; just nodded. Simon looked to me with a sorry expression, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder like we were old friends. I didn't know what to think, but the glances they played between each other and Simons behaviour was starting to worry me. It couldn't be that bad could it?
Simon walked to his chair spinning it before pulling it before a keyboard and monitor and sitting. I walked beside him, intuitively knowing that I am supposed to see what he's doing as he begins clacking away at the keys with dexterous fingers.
One of the screens in the far right flickers off and is instead brought up on the screen before us. It's mostly dark, in whatever room this camera is showing me. I can see just the edge of a thick, stone wall, curving ever so slightly to suggest that the wall is rounded. There's a television of some kind in there, providing the only light source as errant flickers of static white cast even more shadows at the walls available. But the rest is enveloped in darkness.
I am confused. Unsure of what it is I am supposed to be looking at, and that's when I notice something else slither out of sight. It retreated back into the dark from my view, and I barely had time to register it, but I'm almost certain it was a length of chain, or something of the like.
My attention is then brought to two, silvery-white dots. Peeking from the inky blackness like candle fire in black and white. A gut feeling tells me that it is not a blemish of the camera. They are eyes, and they are staring right at the camera. No. They're staring right at me. I can feel them travelling through the circuits and the electrical signals, burrowing their way into my skin. My chest. My soul. Somehow they tug at me, I wanted to touch them. Capture them like fireflies in a jar, and muse over their likeness to stars in the hopes they'd grant me wishes.
I could hear something. Muted. As if I was underwater and somebody was calling my name. Suddenly I am shaken back to myself by firm hands on my arms and shoulder. It was Simon, he was smiling at me worriedly, and Elizabeth was on the other side.
"He can't help it, dude. Neither can you." Simon says as they both guide me to a chair. I still felt a little groggy or lost. My mind was neither swimming nor blank but somewhere in between.
"That's not what I originally meant by show me to Aramis, but I think I get why you didn't take me right to him now" I mentioned nonchalantly. Causing a concerned laugh from Elizabeth, as she took a seat next to me while Simon brought me some water to sip on. It was cool and refreshing. It grounded me, bringing me back to my senses. "How long until he... ya know? Is going to be alright?" I asked, as Elizabeth pulled a bronze copper watch from one of her sleeves and noted the time.
"Still seven and a half hours, roughly. The bond goes both ways, Avery. Right now both of you crave each other, and while it may feel that way, I am unfortunately going to inform you that it's closer to lust than love. The two are similar, as I'm sure you know. That need, that pull. It's easy to get distracted and lost by it. Intoxicated one might say. The lines blur and you have nothing but that want. While your blood is of that amount in his system; it pulls you too. On the victims side it is known as the Siren's pull. It draws you to seek him out, ultimately, to your death. The Witches of the past were adamant on making Vampires suffer in that way." She explains and I feel myself swallowed by equal parts guilt, and equal parts foolishness. Is that why I fought so hard to remain, when I could have drowned instead? Why I was so adamant on seeing him? Because of this bond, this Siren's Pull?
I hated that thought. That all these feelings, all this frustration, and yet all this new found confidence was merely the result of some ancient Witch's curse. I didn't know what to think. No matter what I thought, I didn't like it. I had to keep second guessing. Was it the bond causing me to remember his smile and the butterflies it cast beneath my skin?
"Jeez, Liz. Lighten up will ya? For all that prim and poise, you sure do know how to lay it on thick" He chuckled, causing Elizabeth to scrunch up slightly when he called her 'Liz'. It was then Simon crouched in front of me in an attempt to meet my gaze with his, as he squatted. "Listen, buddy. The third curse is some heavy stuff, believe me, I know. While I can take a swingin' guess at what's bothering you in that pretty head of yours, I can't tell you how to feel. But what I can tell you, is that Aramis has talked about you non-stop since he met you. He's obsessed and I'd even go far as to say smitten. Once this is out of both of your systems, that's not going to change. He's still gonna be obsessed with you, then you can both go suck face or dick or ass, or whatever it is you guys do when you're alone" He laughed, watching as my face boiled red from the last of his words while Elizabeth pinched the bridge of her nose. It was comforting somewhat, he reminded me a lot of Victoria with that sense of humour. Vulgar and on the nose. Like a pie to the face. It made me smile. "Ha! You smiled. I win." He beamed with an absurd amount of pride. Definitely Victoria mark two.
"Can I stay? I mean... Until it's over?" I ask, somewhat meekly.
"Of course. In fact, I insist. Simon will go acquire some food more for your taste, we'll just sit here and relax while we wait" Elizabeth responded, Simon made to protest a little but with a knowing smirk from Elizabeth he was defeated. He gave me a reassuring smile before deftly leaving the room. Leaving me alone with Elizabeth. Leaving my eyes to steal glances at the screen.
A/N: Another chapter down. Don't worry you guys, things will pick up soon I promise! But for now, enjoy yet another new character who's hopefully as likeable as the rest ^-^
Comment and vote if you would, I'd super appreciate some feedback!