SR: girl in red - i need to be alone
Thirty.
Marina
After making sure Eryn wasn't going to run away from me, I headed to the infirmary.
Ally seemed to be doing fine. As I walked in, she drank from a blood bag. She made eye contact with me and widened her eyes and pulled the bag away from her mouth and placed it on her lap.
"You shouldn't get awkward about that. I'm used to it with Eryn," I sat down on the bed she was in, "You shouldn't feel that you have to act differently around me."
"I know, but I don't know to act around you," Ally smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, "I'm this... creature."
She wriggled a bit away from me, making sure none of her outline was touching me. If she thought that she scared me, she was wrong.
"It was me who told Eryn to turn you. I wanted you to live."
"I know. And I'm still not sure if I should thank you or not," Ally took a deep breath before bringing the blood bag back to her lips, "You know I still get nightmares? About Arlo, and when I... hurt you. Everything is so overwhelming as a vampire, everything is twofold."
"I'm sorry, I never even asked you if this is the fate you wanted," I replied, looking at my hands. "I never got a chance to. I just wanted you alive and well."
It wasn't fair for me to decide the fate of her life. As merfolk, we were told at a young age that whenever someone dies it's their time. Vampires challenge that whole way of thinking. To us, they were abominations, and leaving Ally to that fate was something I never wanted to happen. She had to come to terms with her existence without any choice in the matter.
"At first, I was angry with you, angry that you all went back to Aqueria and just left me here." Tears welled in Ally's eyes, and two red streaks slid down her cheeks.
"My intention was to come back and stay here with you," I countered. I bit my lip and pushed down a wave of guilt that washed over me. It suffocated me and a lump in my throat formed.
Ally put her hand on my arm and nodded, "I know that now, but I didn't see you for a year."
"And I'm back now, for good," I smiled, wiping my cheeks as tears began to fall.
"There's more," Ally breathed, "I didn't know who I was anymore. I couldn't go back to Aqueria, but it was so much more definitive when I bit you. I had to leave whatever human life I made here. I had friends, I went to class, Hell, I even had a boyfriend."
I blinked. Ally never told me any of this when I first came onto land. She kept her life a secret, only to ask about Aqueria. Did she keep it from me on purpose?
"How come I didn't know any of this?"
"Because you and Sydney always included me in mer-life, I felt as if I couldn't tell you about my human life. You guys frowned upon humans so much, and then to see you with Eryn? A vampire no less? I never thought I would become the very thing that we were taught to despise. More importantly, I hated myself. I had to learn to love myself again. To love vampire Ally rather than human Ally. And to completely forget about my connection to the ocean," she explained, staring down at the blood, "but then, Eryn helped me realize that you wanted me to live. Then I decided to do just that."
"Your connection isn't gone, when I saw you earlier sensed it. It was how I found you in the first place," I answered, grabbing her hand.
Ally chuckled dryly.
"That could just be your powers, Mari. Trust me, I'm one hundred percent vampire now," She pulled back her shirt and showed the slashes that Lucinda inflicted. They were almost healed, surprisingly. What remained was pink light marks, as if it never happened in the first place.
Dr. Brixton walked into the curtained room.
"Sorry for the wait, a couple of curtains down are some injured guards." He had a bandage over his forehead, and his fingers brushed against it as he walked in, "crazy day today."
"What happened to you?" I asked.
Dr. Brixton shook his head. "They stole paperwork, a group of assassins. I was lucky that I was in my office at the time." He cleared his throat. He paused for a moment as if the doctor was in a faraway place.
"I'm surprised Eryn didn't come with you here," Ally remarked, a smirk on her face, "with Lucinda showing up and all."
I gave her a look, motioning towards Dr. Brixton.
She rolled her eyes, "Brix, you don't mind about me talking about her love life in front of you?"
"I'm a doctor, I know how to tune my patients out." Brixton chuckled. He checked Ally's cut and nodded, "You're all good, how's the blood?"
"It's good, but I was hoping for O Pos?"
Brixton nodded, "I'll bring that right now."
He left the room.
"So how are you and Eryn?"
I blushed.
"Eryn is dealing with her own stuff right now. It's kind of hard to get anything from her."
I decided not to worry Ally about the argument Eryn and I were going to have. Eryn definitely knew more than she was saying and as much as I wanted to tell Ally, I couldn't.
An expression of awe came across her face whenever we talked about Eryn, and I realized that it had to be because of the sire bond.
"That woman is always dealing with her own shit, it's Eryn. She's like the definition of brooding in her own shit."
I raised a brow, realizing that within the year that passed Eryn and Ally must've gotten closer, much more closely than Eryn and I were to begin with.
"Girl, don't do that face. I know what face that is." Ally rolled her eyes.
"I'm not doing a face," I shot back, giving her an innocent glance.
"That's an 'I feel left out face'," She laughed, shaking her head. There was a light-hearted air surrounding us as if for a moment it was like I could finally breathe. It was soothing that she was here.
It made me feel less alone.
"No, it's not," I tried to rebuttal, but she already had me.
"Eryn is in love with you. She was so upset that you weren't here that she insisted no one said your name," Ally giggled, "it's crazy. She's hella old and she acted like a lovesick guppy while you were in Aqueria."
I leaned forward, my eyes lighting up.
"What did you just say?"
Ally shrugged.
"You heard me the first time."
"She's never told me that."
"I think it's pretty obvious."
"It isn't for me! How could she love me when she's hiding things from me?" I snapped, unable to hold back my frustrations any longer.
"Well, Eryn was pissed in the beginning—as in tearing shit apart, leaving the country pissed. She went to Germany. Out of all the places she could go, she went there."
"Did she tell you why she was going there?"
"No, she didn't, but Chris ended up taking me under his wing and relying on me more and more with Lance's recovery. I got to talk to Lance a lot and Anika and I helped Lance out of his room. He told me Eryn was looking for someone in Germany, but Eryn came back suddenly."
I tapped my chin, wondering who could Eryn be looking for. Did this have any correlation to the redhead?
"Chris offered us jobs when she returned. She took his assignments and he wanted me to be his Field Consul Officer. Tonight, I was guarding the gates," Ally replied, tugging on the blood bag straw. The bag was mostly empty and she glanced down at it as more blood would magically appear.
"What jobs did you and Eryn do? Have you ever met a redheaded vampire?"
"Redheaded vampire? No there aren't many vampires in the Consul. We ended up doing some assignments in New York tracking Lucinda, but it led us nowhere," Ally shrugged, "why are you asking about a redhead vampire though?"
"Nerissa and this redheaded vampire were a thing. I think Eryn knows the vampire, but she isn't telling me. She told me that Lucinda killed Neri."
Ally placed her hand on mine.
"I'm sorry I can't more of help. Eryn would get frustrated when we'd lose any leads on Lucinda. She would go to the beach often. Doesn't matter where we were, she would always head to the beach. I wouldn't bring it up or ask her why, but maybe she feels she has to stop Lucinda in your honor."
I shook my head.
"There's something more going on, but I won't know anything unless I find out about the redhead."
"She missed you, a lot. I think Eryn has good intentions; she just doesn't know how to execute them well," Ally squeezed my hand, "maybe something happened with her and the redhead?"
"Maybe."
"Are you okay, Marina?"
"Yes, I'm fine," I lifted my head and looked at Ally, "Eryn... was she feeding on anything other than human blood while I was gone?"
Ally stood quiet and stared at someone behind me.
I sighed knowing with my luck, Eryn would be behind me. I turned around and rolled my eyes.
"Of course."
"You know if you want to know about me and my state of control, you could've asked me," Eryn snapped, her grey eyes full of masked hurt. She'd changed into pajama's and her hair was still wet and slicked back. She folded her arms as she leaned against the doorway.
"We weren't talking about that," Ally interjected, trying to defend me.
Eryn's gaze darted to Ally and stared daggers at her. Ally immediately tensed.
"I didn't mean—"
"If you're good here maybe, you should leave," Eryn replied, an odd edge in her voice, "Purgatory can't run itself."
Ally nodded and half smiled at me. "I'll catch up with you later."
She left, not hearing if I replied back.
"If I told Ally to stay here instead of listening to you, would she be able to?" I folded my arms, my jaw set.
Eryn's expression threw me off. She stared at me and there wasn't a hint of hesitation in her words.
"Even if she didn't want to leave, I could've made her do so. It's the nature of a sire bond." She shook her head and sneered, "you're the one who asked me to turn her."
"Eryn," Dr. Brixton's voice cut through the air, as he walked back with a blood bag in his hand, "have you been taking your tablets?"
She turned her gaze over to him, surprised etched on her features. Eryn glanced at me for a moment, her eyes lingering on me for a moment.
"What's it to you?"
"This was for Ally, but I'll give it to you, I suppose," he gave her the blood bag, "I'm asking that question because you seem like you haven't been taking them,"
A look of concern flashed on his aged face.
"Well, I was kidnapped by her kingdom," she replied, glaring at him, "I didn't get the chance to."
"What has gotten into you?" I snapped, dumbfounded by her behavior.
"Come to my office. The both of you. Consider this your session right now. If Marina is going to be around you, it's time to talk the bat in the room."
Eryn sighed.
"That's not funny."
"What session, what do you mean?" I asked and stood up.
We followed Brixton into his office. It looked more like a lab with various scientific models and beakers on almost every surface.
We sat down at his chairs and he sat across from us.
"Your eyes are pulsating, your emotions are running a bit high, you want to rip into her, don't you?" He asked, staring at her intently. There was something that unnerved me with the way his eyes darted to Eryn and me.
"It's only intense emotions though, like anger and passion, sometimes lust." She shut her eyes and quietly sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she did.
"Vampire and mermaid relationships are different, it's a bit more intense. The vampire has to learn control in all sorts of ways. Everything is heightened for them and not just their senses; their DNA is hyperactive now, making them feel so much more. Eryn, you are tethered to your emotions. You have to de-escalate the situation," he revealed.
"How would we know?" I asked, my brow raised.
Eryn stiffened, folding her arms.
"Well, when your uh, heart beats faster I can hear it, knowing that your blood is rushing faster through your veins. Or when it's getting sexual," Eryn cleared her throat, "the feelings are intense that I lose myself a bit."
"I remember," I muttered.
Brixton nodded in understanding.
"Now, this is going to sound odd and very personal, but I have to ask, especially with Marina's blood. Eryn, with your history, you can't have her blood. So, do you bite her during sexual encounters? As we know, vampires are almost like the cousins of incubi. The temptation is everywhere for them, blood and sex go hand in hand. I'm sure Eryn can tell you that every time she goes into a bloodlust when she gets very aroused."
"How does this help?" Eryn seemed a bit sheepish, looking away from a moment, "I know when to stop, I'm not a freshly turned. What do you know in your fifty years, compared to centuries of years of life?"
"Eryn, it's not about age. You have to accept you're a blood addict and you can't seem to get past the first stage. And I think it's because instead of coping with the things that happen in your life, you just shut off your humanity and repress the memories. All that exertion leaves you stressed, making your control worse," Brixton said, "I'm saying this to help you."
Eryn stood up abruptly and left. My eyes widened and I turned my head towards the door, hating when she would speed away without a word. Again, she was running, running away from the truth right in front of her.
"Eryn blames herself for a lot of things," I mused, "But I wish she would tell me what's going on."
"It's that pesky woman," Brixton responded, a sour expression on his face, "Lucinda is a formidable foe."
I closed my eyes. "She's frightening, but why hasn't she been caught yet? And what's the deal with her to begin with?"
"Lucinda has many followers, many that believe in what she preaches. You have to take down the people around her before taking her down," Brixton bit his lip in thought, "and many of these vampires around here have a lot of history."
"What do you mean? Is there something that you're not telling me, Doctor?" I asked the edge in my voice clear and apparent. It was as if everyone knew the inside joke but me. A lot must've had to happen between Lucinda and the vampires here in order for even Brixton to know what's going on.
Only a year had passed, but so much had changed so quickly. I didn't understand most things, which was nothing new for me, but the secrets, there were so many.
He tensed, his pale eyes darting to mine.
"Not at all. As a doctor, I don't take sides. I am on the side of science."
"I just hope you have the heart for that." I stood up, finished with talking in code with everyone.
"Before you go, let me tell you this. You need to think of Eryn like a skittish cat. If you can take one thing for this conversation it's when a vampire is overstimulated or emotions are running high, they need to expel it. Eryn leaving when she gets overstimulated is her decompressing," Brixton tapped his chin, "she's trying and I think that's what matters. Give her some time, I'm sure she'll open up again."
"I'm tired of feeling so helpless and being out of the loop."
"Here's how you can help," Brixton stood up and left, coming back shortly. "Give these to Eryn, it's a higher dosage of what she already takes. They should work to alleviate her bloodlust. Twice a day."
He placed a pill bottle in my hand.
I curiously opened them and peered at the red little tablets.
"That's it, these little pills are supposed to fix all my problems?
I was frustrated, I expected something more.
"She shouldn't have to be detoxing every time she bites you on accident. This is the first step to help. She keeps away from you because of your blood. If you want to be around her more to get her to open up, this is the solution. You don't want to make any mistakes, I don't think she'll be able to forgive herself," Brixton tapped the spot on his neck.
I raised a brow, noticing a crescent moon shaped scar on his neck.
"What happened?"
"My wife was a vampire, it's what got me into being a doctor for vampires. She had little control and I worked tirelessly with a team to figure out a way to help alleviate her struggles. Unfortunately, she went rabid and turned into a frenzied vampire."
"A frenzied vampire?" I echoed, raising my brow. There was more than turned and born vampires?
"A vampire that loses their humanity completely and resorts to only their primal needs. They feel as if their thirst is never sated and they attack anyone, regardless of who it is. Eryn reminds me a lot of my wife at times, so stubborn. I only want to help her, at least have some use of the inventions I managed to make."
I grasped the pills whilst staring at the doctor. I paused for a moment, chastising myself for thinking that he was untrustworthy. He looked forlorn; gone was the eerie feeling I had. What replaced it was none other than pity. I sympathized with him. He loved the woman he was with, regardless of what she was. Dr. Brixton dedicated his whole career, his whole life in order to be with the one person he loved.
"Thank you," I half smiled and stood up, leaving to go finally find her. I wanted nothing more than to see Eryn. Hearing his story, seeing the lengths he went just to be there for his wife...
The door of the elevator opened and I found her standing in the middle of the lobby. Two halls diverged and there was a sign that said bed chambers. Eryn gazed at me with intense contemplation. She approached me. Her fingers twitched and she ran her fingers through her hair.
"I'm sorry for being such a knob. I was waiting here for you."
A strand of my hair fell forward as I cast my head down, thinking what to say. She outstretched her hand and ran it through my hair, tucking a strand behind my ear. It fell forward again, not long enough to stay. Her eyes flitted to mine.
"I have a room here when I'm on assignment."
I let her pull me down the hall and my heart hammered in my chest like a beat to a drum. Her fingers hugged mine loosely as I stared at them entwined.
I couldn't help the flush making its way to my cheeks and neck.
We stopped at a door that had a series of numbers on it. She pressed a couple of numbers in a pattern and it opened.
We stepped in and she shut the door behind us. The room was dark, only to be illuminated by the light coming from the sides of a black curtain.
Instantly Eryn's lips were upon mine, taking my bottom lip into her mouth.
My brain shut off every thought tossing itself into the back of my mind, making me forget the past couple of hours. She kissed with the same fervent energy as I did. We poured each other; anguish into passion. Tears pricked my eyes as I kissed her, desperately losing myself within her.
Eryn pinned my wrists above my head and left a trail of hot kisses up my neck. I shuddered as she grunted softly in my ear.
"Is this okay?"
"Yes, please, I want more."