I felt full yet craved for more. No wonder they Lust after this stuff. It feels amazing. The power it awakens in us. I was afraid to accept, afraid to share. Now I will never be afraid, now I will never cower away from those who try to hurt me. My head throbbed and my ears rang. Dante and the Doppelganger were right… everything was so much clearer and in such fine focus. I could see the finest details of the dead Buck’s body that lay before me, I could hear so much clearer, I could smell the damp in the air whereas I couldn’t before. I had awakened.
I held my hand out in front of me to admire it; my skin resembled a patchwork quilt now I could see the finest details. My skin was however smoother to touch yet thankfully still warm. My heart still beat but my teeth remained blunt. I turned to Dante who had a proud yet admiring expression on his face; he knew I would lust after the blood provided… he knew.
“Enjoy?” he asked
“Very much”
“You may have to come with me on a regular basis if you drink that much now” he chuckled “But you may want to wipe your face… you’re a rather messy eater” I wiped the crusted blood from my face and stared down at the buck. I felt sorry for it, it didn’t know it was going to become the livestock of so many races… it was tragic and a little disturbing.
I rolled my tongue over my lips and could still taste the metallic tinge from the blood; I sighed as I remembered I had drained him dry then turned to Dante. His eyes much lighter than they seemed before, his skin the perfect contrast to marble white and his hair looked thinner than the finest feather. He looked even more handsome with my heightened than ever. He was perfect.
“Staring’s rude Vicki” he chuckled
“Sorry” I gushed “I’m getting used to my new sight”
“I wouldn’t know if there was any difference” he mused
Once he was satisfied that I was under control of the ‘thirst’ and that I showed no signs of feeding, we made our way back to the house. I had to assure him a few times that I was fine as I apparently looked daze and in a trance… what really happened was that I ended up staring at a tree because the amount of detail that was on the bark… it fascinated me to tell the truth. We slowly arrived back at the house with grins on our faces. Dante warned me that they would be back now and to try and guard my mind from the family as usual. They weren’t to know what I did. Not yet anyway.
“Head up to my room tonight, I’ve told the maids to completely clean yours” he said to me as I began to climb the stairs.
Dante’s room had changed since my little exploration when I first arrived. All the furniture and even the bed spread were black. It didn’t seem depressing and neither did it feel cold to me. It felt comfortable and it was very much Dante’s style… tall, dark, handsome, mysterious…. Well you get the picture. I walked over to his bed and when I was a foot away, I felt like a child at Christmas inside and jumped on the bed with a ‘yeep’ and grin on my face. The mattress was soft and oh so cosy. It melded around my body and I felt lighter than air, it was beautiful. I don’t think I have ever lain down on such a wonderful mattress… the pillows were feather stuffed and plush to touch. I pressed my head down on the pillow and wanted to just close my eyes and sleep, it was far too irresistible.
It wasn’t long before I heard the floorboards creek in the hall and saw the door open halfway. Dante walked in the room carrying a bunch of boxes and on top of that laid a plate of food.
“What the fuck is that!?”
“Well mother thought you might want some new clothes, and I brought you some lunch” he smirked, placing all the stuff down “I said the glass of blood was for me… but I brought some up later” he smirked “I had a feeling you may have wanted to have a little drink at some point”
“Why has your mother always got to think she needs to spoil me!”
“Don’t you like it?”
“No I bloody well don’t! I hate being spoiled with gifts… I prefer simple things” I sulked, it was true. I hated getting given gifts; I preferred to send than receive. The one thing I hater more than anything is being given something that is worth a hell of a lot of money, knowing that you will have to give a gift back for the exact same amount.
“Well I’m afraid you will have to get used to it then won’t you” he grinned before making his way over to me on the bed. He lay down next to me but rolled over onto his back to stare at the ceiling. I shifted over to him, placing my hand on his chest. He looked over to me with eyes that glistened more than the finest jewels, face that must have been carved by angels and I knew it was pointless to try and be away from him.
He kissed me on the forehead before sitting back up to unpack some of the clothes his mother gave, there was a scarlet long sleeved top, a black cocktail dress, two pairs of black stilettoes, one pair of boot cut and one pair of skinny jeans, Makeup, A short sleeved white flower patterned t-shirt and finally a pair of trainers. He packed them all back up, smirking as he stated it would make him go nuts to see me in those clothes before grabbing the food and finally handing it to me. He had cooked some pasta and thought he would give me a salad with it… bless. Taking the glass of blood I chugged it down, the metallic and cool taste left tingles along my lips and sent a shiver along my body.
“I’m surprised you’re not demanding more?” he mused “Usually our kind are a lot more thirsty”
“I guesse I’m special” I replied with a smile as I tucked into my food
“I don’t understand it… you were repulsed by blood, now you are hungry for it” I put the fork down, swallowed my food and stared at him
“What I told you about my little mind trip to see my Doppelganger, well she left me with some pretty nifty information didn’t she? Well it turns out after years of forced denial… I’m guessing that I have a pretty nifty resistance. I’m guessing it would change if I became a full Vampire” I looked down at my plate “You know… I don’t really want this. I just want to go to sleep to be honest” he raised a brow and crossed his arms for a moment or two before taking the plate from me and placing it on the floor.
I pushed the covers back and lipped under, the sheets were made of what I thought to be the finest silk. I turned over on my side and closed my eyes. The soft and cold touch of his lips met mine, as they touched I felt them tilt upwards, he was smirking. Slowly I felt his arms wrap around my sides and his forehead touch mine. I opened my eyes to see his closed, trying to search my mind for whatever answers he was hoping for
‘Let me in Vicki’
‘No, there are things I won’t let you see. Not til I am ready’ I replied to him. If he found out about what happened when I was in high school, well there is no telling what he would do. Especially if he ever found out it was Leon, Serena’s boyfriend.
I fell asleep not long after and began to dream. There were no nightmares this time, just myself walking in a field of blue. It was strange; this was abnormal to me… I was expecting to see the faces of those who haunt me… but instead I was free.
“Victoria, face me my child” I turned to find a woman, not that much older than me. But she looked almost identical to my appearance; I thought it was simply another Doppelganger “Do not fear me child”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“Because I am not a stranger, nor am I a fiend” she took a step toward me “I have been there all of your life, I have in some form or another watched over you” I turned away from her, closing my eyes and wanting to just wake up “You won’t leave that way” she laughed “I have made it sure you cannot. I need to talk to you child”
“Who are you?” I whispered, my voice nothing more than a breath.
“Look at me child, you know who I am” I complied and turned to face her, with eyes focussed firmly on the ground “You have always known you’re different. For that I am truly sorry” I glanced up at her to see what I thought were my own eyes “Who am I?”
“Mom?” I quivered “Is… is that really you?”
“Yes” she breathed “Indeed it is” she reached out and wrapped her arms around me, I could feel her touch and it made me ache inside. She wasn’t really here and this was all a dream forged from the memory of the photos “I know that you think this isn’t real. Well it is but it also isn’t… When I told you in that letter that I had a connection with you… well I do, I am able to see, think and feel everything you do, but only on certain circumstances such as when you are either extremely depressed or angry”
“Where are you?” I asked her with my head nuzzled in her chest; it was far too special a moment to waste. I would cherish it forever… this was the first time I had actually seen my mother. It may or may not have been real… but it was good enough.
“I cannot tell you that I’m afraid” she sighed “I will however be able to tell you that I shall see you in person very soon” I pulled away to look up at her, she was smiling down at me, her blue eyes sparkling like a stream in sunlight, her mousy brown hair dripped down and tickled my nose. Was it so wrong to want to just cling to her? Silent tears began to make their way down my face, she was the spit of me or me to her, but I just wanted her all to myself. Why would I have to wake up?
“Mom?”
“Yes, chid”
“You’re a Princess aren’t you?” Her whole body tensed “Please don’t be mad that I know”
“I’m not, just surprised… who told you?”
“Anna Istrati”
“Oh I see” she giggled “She could never keep anything to herself. I suppose it’s her curiosity that led her to Armand though”
“Why didn’t your dad want you to be with dad?”
“Because he was human, and your grandfather is a very old fashioned man” she wove her hands through my hair, humming a tune that sounded both Soothing and relaxing “But don’t forget that I will meet you very soon. In person and not in your subconscious”
“So that is what this place is. I met my doppelganger here”
“Your what?” She pulled me back, so I broke free to sit down on the floor. Moments later she joined me.
“My doppelganger. It happened when I nearly died from an attack be a vampire. She told me to embrace what I was or I was going to die. She said that she was my more dormant side that had remained hidden and pushed down over eighteen years”
“You were attacked?” she gushed “By whom?”
“Dante’s Ex, her name is Candice” I mumbled whilst looking down at the floor again. It was a stupid move to tell her about that… I was definitely not going to tell her about what happened before then.
“What is her last name?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to know either. That moment I would rather bury than tell you about it”
“Why did she do it?”
“I don’t want to talk about it”
“Tell me!” she yelled, making me jump
“Because she thought I stole him from her when he said I was his mate. He told her she was nothing serious to him… happy?” she reached over to tap me on the leg, as if it were meant to assure me in some kind of way “When will I get to meet you?”
“Soon” was all she said. She was being so dismissive towards me whenever I asked that question. Was it so wrong to be eager to see her? She reached over to me and wrapped her arms around my neck to hug me, whispering that she loves me the scenery begins to blur before returning to black. I was waking up. But at least I knew that my mother was still alive.