A/N; I know I haven't finished my story High Noon and Falling Stars yet, but I wanted to toss this idea out there for people. It won't be updated as often, perhaps once a week? Anyways, the end pairing isn't decided yet, but I'm leaning towards either Alistair or Jasper, though I wouldn't be opposed to pairing Noelle with Garrett. I just wanted to make them more of friends than anything as it would be more cliché to make her rescuer into her lover, yeah? Anyways, reviews with suggestions are always welcome! Enjoy!
Word Count: 4,322
Darkness.
That's all I've known for the untold amount of time that I've been in this godforsaken place, simply darkness. It's such a sad and pathetic word, meaning the absence of light. Alternatively, darkness can mean the absence of life or positive emotions within one's heart. That seemed rather fitting to me, honestly, as I gazed off blankly to some unknown area in this room that I've been trapped within since the day I was taken.
Despair, grief, anger.
I felt all of these in some form or another as I sat, trapped in this prison of his making. Despair at the loss of my sight, grief at the loss of humanity, anger at my loss of freedom. It seemed oddly poetic that I would lose so very much in my life that few could even begin to comprehend how I'd managed to stay sane throughout it all.
The lace cover over my eyes grew slightly uncomfortable as I reached up to adjust it, only for my arms to be held back by those fucking chains that somehow prevented me from using my immense strength to do anything aside from limply hang from my position suspended above the cold floor that I knew was nearly forty feet beneath myself. Why I couldn't do anything more than stay silent, I hated to admit was due to the disgusting piece of rubber in my mouth that was replaced every four hours like clockwork as the venom from my saliva ate through the material.
It wouldn't be long now that they would once again come and switch the gag for yet another one as I could feel the rubber beginning to break down. I had no choice but to hold the mixture of melted rubber and venom in my mouth, knowing that, if I were to swallow it, I would be sick and it would have nowhere to go but out of my nose. I'd learned that fact early on when these people had produced an object similar to this one at the first stages of my capture, the past object having been made of a crude wood that slowly began to rot away with my venom and pool into my mouth. I'd swallowed then, not realizing what I'd become, and threw it back up barely an hour later, the horrific mixture pushing out of my nose to drip down my face and body that I knew was naked for all to see. The burn was bearable, what was not bearable, however, had been the complete lack of my sense of smell for the next while, everything smelling like that rotten wood and venom mixture that sometimes haunted my thoughts to remind me what would happen if I were to vomit again.
As if like clockwork, a sound nearby drew my attention as the clattering of chains could be heard and I soon felt my bare feet press down onto the cold cement floors. I knew better than to do anything more than spit my mouthful of grotesque rubber into the bucket pressed into my bare chest, knowing what would happen if I were to speak to any of these monsters who had held me prisoner for so very long.
What year had I been taken? I couldn't quite remember much from before my humanity was stolen, before my eyesight was removed by these terrible people who had decided I didn't need that ability. I couldn't remember much other than my own name, a name I somehow felt proud to bear as it had meant a lot to someone along the way in my previous life.
The new gag was forced past my lips, breaking me from my thoughts as the man before me chuckled darkly. My brows drew together and I looked away, not wanting to be near this particular man whom I should have realized would make this event more difficult than either of the other two usually did. The woman was easier on me, never really doing much other than wiping away any venom from my neck and chest I might have drooled out before she returned me to my skyway prison. The other man, who spoke with an accent I didn't know in the least, mostly allowed me to spit out what lay in my mouth before thrusting the new gag upon me and hanging me back up.
This man, however, tried everything in his power to break me, though we both knew I was already broken. The touch of that horrible man finally stopped after I'd kept my mind wandering around on subjects that I remembered from the past- reciting the alphabet first in English, then in Spanish, counting to a thousand in Spanish, reading through a Latin copy of The Odyssey- and I felt myself be cleaned up between the legs, though I knew it was more for that man's protection than my own as he made it clear I could not get pregnant and that the woman I'd be around was his mate and would likely kill me if she knew what he did to me. Sometimes, I wished he'd forget that detail and allow his indiscretions to be found just so I could finally die.
After so long being trapped in this place, I longed for death, longed for that sweet release that I knew would be the only way I would one day see my family again. I knew that wouldn't happen, though, knew that I would forever be a prisoner to these people who had bought me for a pretty penny from the group that had originally stolen me away from those I held dear to my heart. What they wanted me for, I wasn't certain as it had been a very long time and, yet, here I was, still held chained in this place that I knew would one day be my grave.
"We're going traveling, little witch," The man spoke, his voice grating in my ears like the squealing of a mouse that refused to die to a snake. "It will only take a few hours, so we will return before that gag has a chance to dissolve completely. Remember what happens if you swallow."
I knew that I must have made a face because I could hear his dark laughter hit my ears as he walked away from the room, the sound of bars clanging as I was once again left to my own thoughts. God, if only I could see something or do something other than hang by my wrists so very far above the ground. I wished that I could move, see, speak.
I could hear the scuttling of a rat nearby, scraping at something as it squeaked quietly to itself and scurried away when it got too close to me. I wasn't sure what I'd become, but human I was not as I could smell the blood of the rat, a slightly heady scent that had a burn in the back of my throat aching for relief. Somewhere in my mind, I registered a word from tales someone had told me of beings that appeared to be humans but devoured the blood of others.
Vampire.
That's what I was, I was sure of it. It made sense to me as I heard things more clearly after that horrible burning in my body had sapped away the last of my heartbeats. I'd been in a drifting, unaware state for an untold amount of time before awakening, longing for something to quench my parched throat but unable to do so as I'd been locked up tight.
I knew I should be stronger than before, I'd heard the first men who had owned me speaking about how I should be able to rip them apart with my newborn status before something had been slapped onto my wrists and I'd felt all of the strength and will to fight leave my body. At the time I'd thought these people to be the witches I'd heard of at some point, how they'd managed to tamper down the speed and strength I'd only been able to experience for a moment before being locked away like some dirty little secret. I knew these people to be slavers of some sort, turning me into a defenseless toy that any could do with as they pleased.
Was I simply a toy to the horrible man? Was that why he kept me around and why the woman seemed to be somewhat more caring about me when she was alone? I couldn't be sure the reasoning behind why I'd be locked away when I would willingly align myself with these people if only for no other reason than to experience being outside for the first time in what felt like centuries. Maybe it had been centuries since I'd been locked away, I had no way of knowing if a day had passed or an hour as I looped myself into endless thoughts about where I was, why I was here, or the instances that had led to me being a slave, a prisoner within the grip of these inhuman people.
Another sound drew my attention and I turned my head to lock onto the person entering the cell I knew I was hung within. The scent was that of the other man, the one with the strange accent, as he entered the room. This made me slightly confused because the woman always followed the horrible man and would give me a moment to do something other than hang here in my bird cage of a prison. Had something happened that I wasn't aware of?
Come to think of it, this felt far too soon to be changing out the gag as I felt it still nearly whole within my mouth as the venom had barely had time to turn the rubber into mush. The man was here much sooner than I'd expected and I wasn't sure what to make of the situation as I was lowered to my feet once more and the gag was removed from my lips. I flexed my jaw slightly, though it wasn't really uncomfortable as I felt no pain any longer and was far too used to the spherical object being pressed into my mouth.
"Come," The man spoke quickly, his voice sounding intense. "We must leave."
I knew better than to speak, knowing that it would only bring me pain as I'd had that rule beaten into me for the first long while of me being a captive. Instead, I kept my head down and allowed this man to unhook my chain before he led me from the cell for the first time in my long life as an inhuman.
"You will keep your cover on your eyes," The strangely accented man continued as he led the way through the twisting tunnels of this place I had no memory of being through before. "When we get to where we are going, you will speak to none, you will do nothing."
I nodded, knowing better than to attempt to say anything as I sighed in relief at the cool air that hit my skin. I could feel a breeze as my toes sunk into thick grass and I heard the sounds of a forest around me. Was I in a cave somewhere before? It certainly seemed like it as I had felt the dampness within those walls and had heard none of what was beyond them in all the time since I'd been changed. It was nice to finally be outside, though.
"Hopefully James and Victoria know to meet me at the other safehouse when they finish with their games," The man continued almost to himself.
It occurred to me that, in all my time being these people's captive, I'd never once heard any of their names. I assumed that was who he was talking about, the horrible man being James and the woman being Victoria. I wasn't sure what he meant by "games" but it didn't concern me as I struggled to keep up with the fast movements of my current captor as he moved through the forest quicker than before, picking up speed the further along we got.
I followed along silently, wishing that I could remove this horrible thing from my eyes and see the world around me for the first time in my newborn life. I knew that I was no longer newborn as it had been a very long time since I'd been changed, but it still felt so new to me due to being trapped in that place for so very long, left with nothing but my thoughts and the reminder to myself not to swallow that disgusting glob in my mouth.
I nearly ran into the man leading me as he stopped his movements suddenly, causing me to trip and nearly fall onto my face as I tried not to plow directly into him. Another scent hit my nose and I struggled to decipher it as it smelled incredibly masculine and tantalizing to my senses. My head perked up and I turned towards the source of the smell, though I knew that the man was standing between me and whatever that was. I itched to pull off my cover and take a look at whatever it was producing that scent, though I knew better as I would be likely to lose a leg or something for my blatant disobedience.
"What do you have there?" A voice practically purred, making an involuntary shiver run down my spine. I couldn't help but pick up on the clearly English lilt of the man's voice, though it was clouded by the guise of an accent similar to James and Victoria's.
"We've no quarrel with you," My captor said, his voice even but showing some unknown emotion within it that I was quick to catch. "We are only passing through."
"Does the lady wish to pass through with you?"
"She's with me," Came my captor's response, telling me that I would be wise to not speak or risk some horrible torture if I did so.
"That wasn't what I asked," The other man said with barely-withheld aggression in his tone, he was obviously losing patience with my captor's deflection. "I was speaking to the lady here."
"I'm sorry to say, but she is mute," My captor said quickly.
"How odd," The other man said. "I've never met a vampire who had lost a sense in any other way other than having it stolen by another. Has someone ripped out your tongue, then, pretty lady?"
I weighed my options quickly. If I revealed that I could, in fact, speak and that my captor was lying, this other vampire might rescue me and I would be free of these people at long last. However, the drawback being that he might be worse than my previous owners and make my life more of a hell than any of the situations I'd found myself in previously. There was also the chance that this man would lose to my captor and I'd already be hurt for attempting to cause trouble, though that seemed to be more of a terrifying prospect than taking my chances with this stranger.
Bracing myself for the repercussions of my actions, I slightly opened my mouth, revealing my tongue to this man while shifting my bound hands into his view. There was a long silence that stretched between us, making me fearful of whether or not I'd done something wrong and that maybe I'd fallen into a trap laid out by that sadistic man, James, in an effort to torture me in some new way. I stayed as still as possible, praying in my mind that something would stop me from being hurt any more than I already was by these people. Maybe a thunderbolt would strike me and I would finally have that death that I longed for.
There was a low growl and I could feel the body heat of the man moving closer, could feel as my captor took a quick step back. "Are you holding this woman captive?" The unknown man snarled out, his voice making me cringe slightly in fear.
"That is not your business," My captor replied politely, though I could hear the fear building within him. "Allow us to-"
My head jerked up when the man's voice was cut off quickly and a gargled sound escaped his lips. I was shocked, unable to move as I felt his body move away from me quickly as if he had dashed off away from me abruptly. Looking around with unseeing eyes, I took a tentative step back in fear that he might come back for me and hurt me. I flinched when I felt a hand on my shoulder and jerked suddenly, holding my bound wrists up in fear of someone hurting me.
"Shh," The other man's voice washed over me, though I still felt a small trickle of fear. "You're safe now. I'm not going to hurt you."
I wanted to believe him, I really did, but I couldn't bring myself to do much more than shake my head as my eyes strained to release tears I knew would never come. To my surprise, I felt the shackles on my wrists break away, clattering to the forest floor along with the chain in loud, metallic sounds that echoed through my mind. I kept my face down, though I reached up and brushed my fingers across the blindfold before dropping my hands again in fear I'd done something wrong and this was all still some trick orchestrated by James.
I tensed up when I felt hands cup my cheeks, turning my head up a bit and I felt warm breath hit my face at the proximity of this man. "I'm going to take off the blindfold, okay?" At my slow nod, I felt the ties near the back of my head loosen and clenched my eyes shut when the bit of lace fell away and allowed the breeze to hit my closed lids for the first time in a very long time. "You can open your eyes, pretty lady."
Hesitantly, I peeked one eye open and nearly gasped as I saw the pale moonlight coming down to illuminate the area I was standing in. I saw trees towering up, reaching far above my head as I looked up at the sky above myself. It was with wonder that I turned a slow circle, lost in the enchanting picture of everything around me as I did so and took in all of the sights I could. It had been so very long since I'd seen anything like this and it made a panging sadness fill my heart as I vaguely remembered sitting with someone long ago and looking up at the star-filled sky.
"What is your name?"
Looking over at the source of the question, I took in the figure of my rescuer. He was tall, about a head taller than my own petite size of… I couldn't remember. His hair was long and shaggy brown, scruff on his face as he looked at me with a small smirk on his lips. His eyes were what entranced me the most, a beautiful ruby that glimmered in the soft moonlight of the half moon that hung high in the sky.
I wet my lips slightly before speaking, pushing down the urge to run off when I heard the skittering of some animal nearby that promised blood at long last. "Noelle," I said quietly, wincing when the man gave a visible shiver. I'd forgotten the reason why I'd been gagged for all that time and why I had been beat mercilessly for even uttering one single syllable around anyone. I'd been told that I had something called a "gift" and that it was dangerous so had been gagged from that moment on, denied even the chance to beg for the death I'd craved.
Shaking away the sadness, I quickly moved my hands in a way that I'd been taught at some point for some reason I could no longer remember. "I'm sorry, I don't know how to control that," I signed to the man slowly, hoping he understood my hand motions at the very least.
"That's alright, pretty lady," He replied with a lazy smile. "My name is Garrett. Would you like something to cover up with?"
I thought about this for a moment, looking down at my bare body as I realized I was still as naked as I'd been held for so very long. I barely got the nod out before Garrett had shrugged off his jacket and pulled it over my shoulders, the length covering down to my mid-thigh. Signing a quick "thank you", I realized that I didn't know what to do other than stand there for a while and wonder at everything I could now, finally, see with my own eyes.
"When was the last time they fed you?" Garrett questioned, looking over at what I now realized was the decapitated body of my previous captor on the ground.
I felt no pity for the man and, instead, shook my head at Garrett before signing slowly once more. "I never have eaten," I admitted before looking away with shame filling my mind. Would he find me disgusting? A disgrace to his kind?
"How long did they hold you for?" He asked, his voice sounding tight.
"I… I don't remember," I huffed out a breath through my nose at this uncomfortable conversation. "I don't even remember being human. It's all… foggy."
"What do you remember that might tell me what time period you were taken in?" Garrett questioned as he placed a hand on my shoulder to guide me through the forest.
I thought for a while on that, trying to remember anything that might seem relevant. This could help me if he knew how long I'd been locked away, it would help to teach me what all I needed to learn to live in this strange new world around me. There was a fog in my mind that prevented me from picking out anything extremely significant, though I remembered a few key details that could be relevant.
"I remember there was some new playwright making his debut at the theatre before I was taken," I signed with pursed lips and trying to think of anything else. "And I remember a Queen by the name of Elizabeth."
This seemed to spark something in Garrett as he smiled fully and laughed a quick bark of amusement while shaking his head. "Well, I'll be damned," He muttered. "You have about a hundred years on me."
This made me pause mid-step as my eyes widened at the man. I was sure I'd heard him correctly, but I was still questioning how long it had truly been since I was imprisoned. "I've been locked away for a hundred years?" I asked, my hands moving quickly through the words as I felt my body vibrate with my emotions rising.
"No," Garrett shook his head and placed his hands on my shoulders, lowering to my height as he kept his gaze level with my own. "Try about four hundred years."
I whimpered at this news, realizing just how much time I had lost while being trapped away. I didn't even realize it had been so long, it had only felt like a year or two to me as I went through the motions of those holding me captive. My heart longed to see the family I didn't even remember, longed for a man I wasn't sure existed in the first place. I couldn't believe that it had been so very long and that my hopes of returning to those I loved were crushed into the black abyss of nothingness.
"I'm going to help you, Noelle." My panicked emotions stalled when I heard my name come across Garrett's lips and I looked up at him in question. "It's going to take you some time to grow accustomed to living in this world and, because you don't know the first thing about being a vampire, I'm going to help you, okay?"
I slowly nodded agreement to this, not even bothering to argue as I knew it would be stupid of me to try and do things on my own. Hell, I barely knew anything about myself or the time period I was from, let alone what I now was or how to act in this strange new world. It would be handy to have someone here to help me, though I wasn't sure how to go about figuring out how to speak without causing any problems as I knew my hands weren't going to work as my communication device if Garrett couldn't see what I was saying.
"Will you…" I fidgeted with my fingers slightly under Garrett's scrutinizing gaze before taking a deep breath and continuing my signing. "Will you help me to learn how to control my voice so I can speak again?"
A huge grin spread across the brunet's face, "Of course. Let's get some blood into you, hm? It's going to take a lot until you're back to full strength, luckily there's a place near here that you can feed on a few dozen people that won't be missed in the human world."
I chewed my cheek a moment, considering his words. I'd need to feed if I was going to figure anything out about myself, and the way it sounded, Garrett fed on bad people. Maybe it would be easy to feed on a human if I knew that they were horrible people like those who had held me captive, obviously they wouldn't put a dent on my conscience.
And, so, nodding, I smiled at Garrett and gestured for him to lead the way to my first meal in over four centuries.
