Title: A Thousand Years
Pairing: Donald/Stacie
A/N: Hello! I really hope you guys will like this chapter. I'm still not entirely sure if I like the pace and the plot, but it's something. Reviews are greatly appreciated, so please review!
-Sux2budude
Chapter Two:
-DS-
…
The world spins slowly across her vision as she fights the nauseating feeling of keeping her eyes open. She blinks several times, trying to get the room to come into focus, but it seems like it's only getting blurrier.
She falls in and out of consciousness, hearing faint, echoing whispers that she can't understand, or process. It's around the sixth time she wakes up that her vision finally sharpens, albeit slowly. There are hushed whispers in the background, and Stacie tries hard to listen, but it's nearly impossible. She can only tell that the voices belong to two people. Male and female. Stacie doesn't try to sit up because the supposedly simple act of breathing is already difficult enough. Her eyes slowly focus on her surroundings, taking in the tall, yellow walls, the high ceiling, and the lack of windows. As a matter of fact, as her head slowly turns from side to side, she notices that there are absolutely no windows in the room. None at all. She's definitely not in the hospital… unless this is a mental hospital.
Stacie tries hard to remember what happened and how she got there, but it's just a big blur. The last thing she remembers was going to a party with Beca. She feels the immediate rush of fear and dread as a ton of thoughts hit her all at once. Did I get drunk and fall asleep somewhere? Did someone find me and kidnap me? Where's Beca? What happened to her? Where am I?
"She's awake."
Stacie wanted to jump, but she was too exhausted to do that. The guys voice isn't scary or anything. It was soft, soothing, warm, and comforting. Like a blanket. She twists her head to her right, where she sees a tall form slowly approaching her. Another voice speaks then, this time a girls.
"Of course she's awake. Do you doubt my healing skills?"
The guy chuckles softly. "Of course not."
Stacie squints a little. Her vision is still a little blurry, which is weird because she thought it'd be returning to normal quickly. Finally, he gets just close enough so that she can see him better. He's tall, dark, handsome, lean and muscular, with perfect hair, a perfect complexion, perfect eyes, and a perfect smile. "I was beginning to think I lost you again." He mutters softly. Even his voice is perfect, she thinks. How is that possible?
Stacie's eyebrows furrow in confusion as she shakes her head. She opens her mouth to ask him what he meant, but instead, it comes out in a squeaky, embarrassing sound that sounded like a dying cat. She clears her throat, once , twice, before trying again. "Who are you? Where am I? What am I doing here? What happ—"
"Whoa, slow down there," he says, quickly closing the distance between himself and the bed she's in. He leans over her, and Stacie catches his scent, a mouthwatering, aromatic scent that she thinks might be the most amazing smell a guy could have. "Why don't you start again, slowly, and we'll try to answer as best as we can?"
The other girl in the room snorts, "We?" she shakes her head, laughing again. "No, you're explaining everything, Donnie. You're the one who brought her here, not me."
He rolls his eyes at the girl, but turns back, quirking an eyebrow at Stacie.
Stacie nods, trying to sit up, but his hand on her arm stops her. "You're still weak from the injuries."
Stacie's eyebrows furrow at him. "Injuries? What injuries?"
He doesn't answer. Instead, he slowly pulls back the sheet over her body, gesturing at her abdominal area. When she looks down, she realizes that she's not even wearing a shirt. She's wearing a baby blue brassiere that doesn't belong to her, and there's a huge gauze over her stomach. Her breath hitches in the back of her throat as she tries to keep reminding herself to breathe. "W—What, what happened to me?" she's beginning to hyperventilate.
"Calm down," he says softly. "I'll tell you, but just take a deep breath, and try to relax. She listens to him, nodding her head up and down as she takes a deep breath, followed by another and another. Soon, her breathing goes back to normal, and the guy slowly lowers himself next to her into a chair by the bed. "Good. That's good."
"What the hell is going on?"
He scoots forward a little, slowly taking her hand in his. His hand is cold and hard, but it's smooth, and she feels tingles run up through her fingers, her arm, and throughout her entire body at his touch… but she can't afford to think of that right now.
"My name is Donald." He begins. "Donald Walsh. You were… attacked at a frat party on Friday, and I helped you."
"Wait," Stacie says holding up a hand. "On Friday?" He nods. "What day is it today?"
"That's not important."
"Like hell it is!" she yells a little, this time pushing away his hands when he tries to stop her from sitting up. The act in itself has her completely winded. "I need to know what day it is."
He nods slowly, letting out a light sigh. "It's Saturday."
Stacie heaves a sigh of relief. She was out for only a couple of hours then.
But then he continues. "It's Saturday… a week away from when you were attacked."
Stacie gasps loudly, her eyes widening in shock. "I've been out for a week?"
He nods again. "My friend did the best she could, but you have to stay here until you heal completely."
"No, I have to go back… I have school, classes, people who will be looking for me, friends, my parents, the police may be—"
"Those are all taken care of." The guy ensures her. "Your school has already been notified that you have the chickenpox and won't be able to be in school for at least three weeks. Your parents still think you're in school, and your friends think you're away with your parents for your cousins wedding."
Stacie blinks confusedly at him. "I don't have a cousin."
"Well, you do now." He gets up, pushing his chair back and leaning over her to look at her face closely. "Your bruises are almost completely gone."
"Bruises?"
He nods, "On your forehead, your cheek, your arms, your ankle, your neck, and your torso."
A thought hits Stacie then like a ton of bricks. Who took my clothe off to inspect my injuries? Did he see me naked? "I—, did you uhhh, were you…" he chuckles lightly, cutting her off.
"Don't worry… My specialty does not lie within healing. My friend Aubrey there is actually the one who healed you, and dressed your wounds and stuff." The guy steps back, gesturing to the other side of the room, where Stacie sees a beautiful, petite girl with wavy blonde hair that flows down her back like gold. Her eyes are bright, and her smile, although a bit unfriendly, is wide. She looks like a model, right out of a Vogue magazine, or better yet, a Victoria's Secrets model.
"I've heard so much about you, Stacie." Aubrey tells her as she slowly approaches them.
"You did?" Stacie blinks at her, and then realizes something. Her eyes narrow at the two. "Wait. How do you guys know my name?"
Donald turns to Aubrey, giving her a cold glare. He turns to Stacie, a small smile sliding onto his face. "We read your school file." He lies. Stacie's eyes stay narrowed for a few moments, not sure if she believes him.
"Yes." Aubrey cuts in. "We read your file, but I've been hearing about you since—,"
"Aubrey." Donald cuts her off, his tone, warning.
"I'm just trying to tell her the truth, Donald."
"Not now."
Aubrey shrugs, "Suit yourself." She turns to Stacie, offering another unfriendly smile. "I'm going to grab a drink. Would you like anything? Wine? Margarita? Martini?... or perhaps, Vodka?"
"Water would be fine, Aubrey." Donald says, his voice turning a bit louder.
Aubrey huffs at that, but nods before leaving the room.
"She's nice."
Donald laughs at that. "Sorry about that… she's a little moody today."
"I can't imagine why." Stacie mutters sarcastically.
He sits back down, this time, by her hip on the bed. He heaves sigh, running his fingers through his hair.
"You still haven't told me where I am." Stacie mutters, "Why I'm here… and what happened to me… How'd I get bruises? And why am I wearing a bandage on my stomach?"
He looks at her, his eyes staring intensely into hers. It's like he was staring right into her soul. She shifts a bit, pulling the sheets over herself. And like he could sense her discomfort, he gets back up off the bed and starts pacing in front of the bed. "We're in a… safe place. Kind of like a sanctuary, if you will." He sighs again, turning away from her and staring off at the wall. "It's not so far from your school, so you don't have to worry about being in a whole different country. We're still in America."
Stacie leans back against the headboard of the bed, pulling the sheets up around her. "You said I was attacked… By who?"
He nods, turning back to her, but not looking at her. He stares at the ground. "Yes… You were attacked in front of a frat house at a party, by a bunch of… guys."
"What guys?"
"Bad guys… They want something from you, and I'm still trying to figure out what it is that they want."
Stacie is beyond confused. Why would a bunch of guys try to hurt her? And what the heck would anyone want from her? She knows she's hot. Gorgeous. And there have been countless encounters with guys trying to get her to sleep with them. Perhaps she was attacked by all the guys she turned down in the past?
He breaks her from her thoughts. "Don't think about it too much. You're safe now."
Stacie stares at him for a long moment. "Why did you save me? You don't even know me." She points out.
He stares right back, leaning over her slowly… too slowly. "I know more than you think." He says softly. "I was able to get to the van where they were taking you, and I got you out of there." He gestures to her torso, "The bandage is for a simple incision that Aubrey had to make on your stomach so she could… reattach two of your ribs."
"What?"
"Two of your ribs were broken." He explains.
She gives him a wide-eyed, terrified look. "It was that bad?"
"It could've been worse, but you're safe now." He mutters softly.
Stacie shakes her head, still trying to search her mind for the memory of what he's explaining, but there's nothing. It's just a big, black, blank. "Why don't I remember any of this?"
Donald smiles softly at her, straightening up again. "You hit your head pretty hard, so it's either your concussion caused you to forget that, or your mind is subconsciously repressing the memory… either way, you won't remember that night unless you really want to."
Stacie nods slowly. It makes sense that she wouldn't want to remember something that caused her to black out for a week. But still, she needs to know more. "The last thing I remember was going to the party with my friend, Beca… Do you know if she's—,"
"She's safe… the attackers didn't touch her. They only wanted you."
"So when am I supposed to be fully healed?" she asks curiously.
"It depends. You were badly hurt, but Aubrey did the best she could, so it shouldn't take long… Give it two weeks tops."
"Two weeks?" Stacie asks incredulously. "I'm supposed to stay here for two whole weeks?"
Donald nods, "Yes. It would be safer to stay longer, but that's the best we could do with the storyline of why you're missing. Any longer than that, and people will start thinking something is up."
"What about the kidnappers? Are they going to come back for me when I go back to school?"
Donald nods. "Without a doubt they will… but I'll be with you when you go back, and I'll do everything I can to protect you. I promise you that."
Stacie stares at him, "You've already done so much for me. And I don't even know you."
Donald nods, "True, but… maybe that can change."
Stacie isn't sure what he's implying, but she doesn't have a chance to think about that because Aubrey comes back strolling into the room with a tall glass of water in one hand, and a glass of what looks like red wine in the other. "Sorry I took so long." Aubrey smiles, "I had to gut a pig while I was gone."
Stacie would've been convinced that Aubrey was joking by her words, but with the serious tone accompanying the words, she's not so sure.
Donald looks at the blonde, his eyes narrowing. "We could've gone on living without the knowledge of what you were doing while you were gone, Aubrey." His tone is warning.
Aubrey rolls her eyes as she hands the glass of water to Stacie. "Thanks."
Aubrey nods, and turns her head to look at Donald. "If you're planning to be her bodyguard for the rest of her life, she's gonna find out anyway. Why not just tell her the truth now?"
Stacie stares confusedly at the two as she takes a long sip from the glass, not knowing what Aubrey is talking about. "What truth?"
Donald cuts in before Aubrey has a chance to answer. "It's nothing." He smiles a bit awkwardly as he gets up, grabbing Aubrey's elbow. "May I speak to you in private?"
Aubrey shrugs, pulling away from his grasp. "Sure." She walks back to the door, swinging it back and exiting swiftly.
Donald turns back to Stacie, giving her an apologetic look. "Like I said, she's a bit moody today. But if you'll excuse me, I have something to say to my dear friend. Will you be okay on your own for a few minutes?"
Stacie nods. "Yeah. I'm sure I'll survive."
He chuckles at that as he too heads for the door. "I'll be back shortly to check up on you, and I'll bring you something to eat."
When he closes the door, Stacie sighs heavily, not knowing what's going on with herself. She knows that she doesn't know a single thing about Donald and his friend, and she probably shouldn't trust a bunch of strangers, let alone believe them, but… There's just something about Donald that kind of warms and comforts her. She's just not sure what it is yet.
-DS-
…
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Donald demands as soon as he closes the door behind himself. Aubrey huffs, folding her arms across her chest.
"I told you that this doesn't sit well with me, Donald… You and I have spent decades, running from the Uglies, and just when we succeed, you go and bring a mortal girl into my home, who, might I add, Luke is looking for. Do you have any idea what kind of danger you're putting yourself in?"
Donald sighs heavily, "I couldn't just leave her to die, Aubrey… So if you want us to leave, then just say the word, and we'll go."
Aubrey rolls her eyes. "You don't have anywhere safe to go."
"You don't want to risk getting caught by the Uglies again, and I understand that. We'll leave if that's what you want."
"Are you insane? You think that's what I'm worried about? I don't care about getting caught by the damn Uglies, Donald! We did it twice before, and we can do it again. I'm worried about you! What happens when you tell her the truth and she doesn't want anything to do with you?"
"That's none of your concern, Aubrey." He growls defensively.
Aubrey laughs, albeit humorlessly. "None of my concern? You and I both know that you became my concern the moment you chose to save me all those years ago."
"Well I couldn't exactly leave you over there, could I?"
"You could, but you didn't… And we agreed that my problems are yours and your problems are mine." She gives Donald a look, daring him to argue with her. He sighs heavily, shaking his head at her.
"Then I'll leave her alone."
Aubrey laughs at that, "You and I both know that you won't ever leave her alone, Donald. You've spent two centuries, searching for her. I know you won't throw away two centuries worth of risks when she tells you to."
Donald sighs heavily. He hates that Aubrey can always read him like a book. "I'll try."
"And you won't succeed… You care about her too much."
He doesn't say anything to that, because she's right. "Then I'll erase her from my memory."
Aubrey gasps loudly. "You'd really erase two centuries of your memory?"
"If that's what it takes so I can give her what she wants, then yes."
Aubrey shakes her head, not at all okay with what Donald is saying. "So what's your game plan?"
"I don't have a game plan."
"Bullshit." Aubrey says with extreme doubt. "I know you have something in mind. What is it?"
Donald shakes his head this time, "I don't know... I mean, I have something, but—I think it's too risky."
"In what way, Donald? You're already risking your neck for some girl, so what else could possibly be too risky for you at this point?"
"Her!" Donald snaps. "I can't risk putting her life in danger, and she's not just some girl, Aubrey."
Aubrey rolls her eyes, smacking her palm across her forehead in exasperation. "Well, whether you like it or not, Don, Stacie's life is already in danger. If you want to make sure that she's safe for the rest of her life, then you should do everything in your power to make sure that really happens, even if it jeopardizes her safety for now… You have to be in the equation, if you want to solve it. And quite frankly, Stacie is already in the equation. So that means she has to know the truth about what we are, and what attacked her a week ago."
Donald looks away, knowing that Aubrey is right. Stacie would have to know what he and Aubrey are if he wants to protect her, because he can't protect her if he's trying to hide what he is… And if he's honest with himself, he's scared of Stacie's reaction to what he is. "First thing is first. I eliminate Luke, as well as all of his followers. As soon as I'm sure she's safe, I'll tell her the truth. If she accepts me, then great. If she doesn't, I'll erase her from my memory and she'll never have to see me again."
Aubrey doesn't like this idea one tiny bit, but she's known Donald for a very very long time, and he's really smart and powerful. She knows that he knows what he's doing, so she nods slowly. "Yeah, whatever."
Donald heaves a sigh of relief. "Thank you… I actually thought you were going to argue with me on this."
"Yeah, don't get used to it." Aubrey says, baring her fangs. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a dying pig in my kitchen, waiting to be drained. Care to join me?"
Donald laughs but shakes his head. "No, thank you. Maybe later."
Aubrey shrugs her shoulders, already heading for the kitchen door, calling over her shoulder, "Have fun with Stacie!"
-SD-
…
When he comes back, he's holding a tray with a glass of what looks like orange juice, and bowl of… something. Stacie finally realizes how hungry she is, her stomach growling loudly. How embarrassing! Donald doesn't hear it though, or maybe he did but doesn't want to make her feel even more uncomfortable by indicating that he did hear her stomach rumbling.
"I brought you some soup." Donald says, setting the tray down on the little table beside the bed. At Stacie's raised eyebrows, he adds with a slight chuckle, "You haven't eaten for days, so you should eat something light for now, just to settle your hunger. You can eat whatever your heart desires later."
Stacie smiles a little, grateful that this guy, who is a complete stranger to her, is taking care of her. "Thanks." She mutters.
She watches him quietly as he picks up the bowl of yellowish soup, blowing on it to warm it up a little. In her nineteen years of existence, no guy has ever treated her this way. Usually, they're all up on her, trying to have sex with her. But Donald doesn't even look at her for more than a couple of seconds before he's back to staring at the wall, or the floor, or at his feet.
He insists on feeding her, smiling wider every time she swallows down the soup. After her soup, he hands her the cup of orange juice he brought with him, and sits there, staring at her intensely. Stacie wants to say something to him, but all she can come up with for the moment is, "Thank you for the soup."
He nods, smiling again. "You're welcome."
They're both quiet, just enjoying the companionable silence, before Stacie sighs heavily and looks at him questioningly. Before she could ask, he voices what he thinks she's thinking. And it's spot on. "You're wondering why I risked helping you."
"Yes." Stacie nods. "How do you know I was wondering that?"
He shrugs, "It's a general thought for someone who is being helped by a total stranger."
"Is this, like, your part-time job or something? Saving people?"
Donald chuckles, taking the orange juice from her hands and setting it on the tray beside the now empty bowl of soup. "Let's just say I felt like I knew you, and I didn't want you to get hurt."
She has no idea what he's even talking about, but she nods. "Well, thank you. And thank Aubrey for me, will you? I don't think she's exactly keen on accepting a thank you from me."
"She's like that with everyone. It's not that she's anti-social or anything of the sort… It's just like I said. She's feeling a bit moody today."
"Must be that time of month." Stacie mutters under her breath.
Donald pretends not to hear her, but he grins widely. Technically, it is that time of the month, but instead of Aubrey having female-emergencies, she's just going through yet another hunger-pang. It's especially strong since a mortal human is sitting right here, inside her home. Not a great idea for a vampire who hasn't drank human blood in over four centuries. "You should get some rest. I know you've been resting for a week, but your body is still weak and needs to heal properly."
Stacie wants to complain, but she figures he's right. "Okay." She slides down on the bed, pulling up the covers over herself. "I'll see you when I wake up."
"I'll have a feast ready when you do." Donald smiles.
Stacie lets her eyes close, and she thinks she hears Donald whispering something to her, but sleep is suddenly drowning out her thoughts.
…
The days go by in a blur for Stacie, but then again, everything is always blurry for her whenever he's around. The first week was quite uneventful, full of sitting around, doing absolutely nothing. Sometimes, he'll sit with her and talk about everything. She tells him about herself, and he tells her stuff about him, like him attending Barden University, and that he just recently moved to Georgia from New York, which genuinely surprised Stacie because who the hell, in their right mind, leaves New York City to live in Atlanta, Georgia of all places? Not that there's anything wrong with Georgia, but… He lived in New York, and chose to move to Georgia!
He says his parents are dead, and that he lives by himself. Stacie had tried to say something to comfort him, but he only shakes his head, smiling that smile that makes her heart race. It's nothing special, but for Stacie, she's never had this kind of connection with anyone. He's… different. And not in that clichéd way that every girl describes the guy they like as. He's different in a way that she can't put into words. It's not verbally attainable, but it's physically and emotionally there. A kind of aura that pulls her in whenever he speaks, or smiles at her, or laughs. His laugh is quite amusing to her. Sometimes he laughs like he's never heard anything funnier, but most times, he laughs like he's nervous. And she knows that he's hiding something from her. She's tried to get him to spill about 'the truth' that Aubrey had mentioned on that day she woke up, but he never tells her. He either pulls away or makes an excuse about something before rushing off, or he changes the subject completely. After a week of trying to get him to tell her 'the truth', Stacie decides to just drop it. He'll tell her when or if he wants to.
By Monday of her second week there, she's practically told Donald everything there is to know about her. And she means everything. And it's not like she wholeheartedly trusts him with every fiber of her being, because she knows he's still hiding some things about himself. She just feels like she doesn't really have anything to hide because with every uneventful thing that has happened in her life, there are no real big secrets about her. Aside from that, Donald is the one who's trying to protect her and keep her safe, so she doubts he'd do anything to hurt her with anything from her past.
He tells her only some things about himself, and she pretends that she doesn't know that he's still hiding something. And if she really thinks about it, he's really not being fair in that department. Aubrey never really joins in on their conversations, only dropping by the room with food and drinks before disappearing somewhere to do whatever it is that she does. But Donald, he's the only constant. He's there every morning, sometimes interrupting her sleep, and he barely leaves the room. And when he's not there, he's at school… or so he says.
Stacie wanders around the enormous house, enjoying the ancient feel and look of it. There's a library in the house! And it's not like she's a big fan of reading or anything, but she's fascinated by it and kind of suspicious, because who, in the 21st century, under the age of 30, has a library in their house? A house, that's underground by the way. Truth be told, the more she thinks about it, the stranger it seems. Why does Aubrey have an underground house? There's a generator-powered elevator that takes you up to humankind and out into the world, and though she's never went up in the elevator, Donald had told her that the elevator leads up into another house, that Aubrey owns as well. And as far as Stacie knows, Aubrey's parents are living in Europe, and they're both business people. But who in their right mind, would leave their twenty-three year old daughter to live on her own, in an underground house? It's unsettling and odd in so many ways. All the puzzling questions in her head makes her dizzy and gives her headaches, so Stacie tries not to think too much about it.
By Wednesday, Stacie was about to lose her mind from boredom. Donald is perched comfortably on a couch on the other side of the spacious room, reading a book, and she's left to her own thoughts, which are currently on him, wondering why he won't tell her 'the truth' that Aubrey was talking about the other day. She sighs heavily, letting her gaze slide over to the door. "Can I go grab something to read?"
Donald looks up, giving her a confused look. "Stacie, I'm not holding a gun to your head and threatening your life if you leave this room…"
At Stacie's blank stare, he closes his book and nods to her. "Yes, you may."
She smiles a little, and leaves hastily, heading towards the library. When she reaches the door, something to her right catches her eye, and she turns to find a marble bust of… Aubrey. Though it was not the accurate color as her face and hair, she could tell it was Aubrey's face by the shape of the nose, eyes, and mouth. And it didn't look new or anything because there were multiple scratches on the side, and a thick coat of dust on it. Stacie smiles a little, wondering just how much self-love Aubrey could have to have a marble bust of herself inside her own home. Stacie was a second away from turning to the library doors, when she catches sight of a golden plaque, right below the bust. Stacie looks back down the hallway where she came to make sure no one (even though it's just her and Donald there today) was there, before she crosses the space between herself and the bust, and she leans down, brushing the dust off of the plaque.
Princess Ira Von Liechtenstein
Paris, France- 1659
Stacie's eyebrows furrow as she straightens back up to look closely at the bust again. It still definitely looked like Aubrey, although the hair-do was a bit ancient looking, twisted up into some complex, French twist kind of style that went out of style at least five hundred years ago. Stacie shrugs to herself. Maybe this was Aubrey's great-great-great-great-grandmother or something, and Aubrey just looks eerily like her. Stacie stares at it for a moment longer, before finally going into the library.
When she steps inside, she's hit with the now familiar scent of old books and parchment as she walks further into the library, her eyes sweeping from left to right. She goes to one of the shelves, pulling out a random book from it, and flipping it open. The words are in French, so she understands nothing of it. She took French class back in high school, but it was never her strongest subject, so she barely scraped by in that class. Stacie closes the book, puts it back in its place and pulls out another book. This one is in a language that she thinks is Latin… or maybe it was Greek. She puts that book back as well, and pulls out another book on the shelf right above the one where she pulled out the Latin book. This one is big, heavy, and had a cover that looked like it was about to fall apart in two seconds. She cautiously opens the cover, peering inside, and she's thankful when she sees words that she can understand. English.
She closes it back, and hauls the giant book towards the table on the far east of the room, hoping to at least pass some time with it. She sits in a large, old-fashioned armchair that looked like it belonged in England. It's cushion is soft and made of red fabric, outlined with golden threads. She begins to read, and halfway through the third page, she realizes that she has no idea what the book was about. From what she read, it's explaining very detailed descriptions of some old, nameless town in England. She continues to read, thinking it would maybe get interesting… and it does. Because in page twenty-three, the first description of someone is introduced. A lady, no older than herself, making some sort of ancient, demonic ritual and selling her soul to the devil. Stacie pauses, furrowing her eyebrows. The book was getting kind of scary at this point, and added to the fact that the library was lit by a dim chandelier hanging from the ceiling, it really wasn't just her nerves. She continues to read, and by the twenty-fifth page, the tale was immersed into complete and total darkness. Not literally, but the book mentioned several demonic activities that went on with the lady from the story. Although her request of eternal life was granted, it was granted with a twist. Of course, she's dealing with the devil, so she should've expected some sort of rig in the damn contract. As the story progresses to page forty-two, the story unravels the true nature of the lady. She grows fangs, and her eyes turn red, she feeds off of humans, drinking, drinking, never stops drinking. She craves, and needs human blood, and she lures her preys by using her beauty, and her beauty is like natures greatest gift to the earth. Her hair, golden and shining in the dark. Her body, much stronger than any living creature roaming the earth. And she becomes the first of her kind. A Vampyre.
Stacie's eyebrows furrows. Wasn't Dracula the first vampire to ever exist in Mythology? She shrugs mentally, not really caring about that so called fact. It's not like these things are even real. She continues, reading about the lady, and she's so immersed into the story that she doesn't even notice the library door open and shut. The tale of the lady keeps going, to the point where the lady has lived for over a thousand years. She's changed so many humans, and at one point, she meets someone she falls in love with. She loves him to the point that she would set aside her own hunger for his blood. They immediately pursue a relationship, one as normal as any. Until one fateful night, on the eve of their wedding, the lady decides to come clean. She had believed with all her heart that the man would love her even when she reveals her true self to him… But when she does, the man is scared of her, cowering in a corner. She approaches him, but he screams, and makes a run for the door. Before he could get very far, the lady lunges across the room, and drains him.
It's the first and last time she's ever loved. After killing the love of her life, she goes out into the night and summons the devil. She begs him for her soul back, but instead, the devil laughs at her. The devil reminds her of their contract, that in exchange for her soul, he would grant her immortality, beauty, and strength. The lady cries, and gets angry, telling the devil that she didn't ask to be a monster. The devil then laughs, "My dear child… The moment you became selfish and wanted immortality, beauty, and strength, you turned into a monster yourself. It was all you're doing." The devil then pulled up an image of her tearing out the throat of the man she had loved. "Even this." With that, the devil vanished, but not before bestowing yet another curse upon the lady. Come the morn, she was never able to walk in sunlight.
Stacie closes the book, shaking her head. So, this is a tale of how vampires came about. Although she doesn't believe a word of it, she still can't shake the weird fear inside her chest. She groans out loud, leaning back. "Great. Now I'm gonna have nightmares about this stuff."
"You did just read from the Book of Morgana."
Stacie nearly had a heart attack, jumping up out of her seat and whirling around to find Donald sitting on the table across from her. "Oh my God." She mutters, clutching at her poor heart. "You nearly scared the crap out of me."
He chuckles, hopping off the table. "Sorry."
Stacie looks curiously at him. "The Book of Morgana?"
Donald smiles, nodding down at the book she just read. "The Book about the first Vampyre to ever exist."
Stacie quirks an eyebrow at him. "I thought Dracula was the first vampire to ever exist."
Donald laughs, "Dracula is folklore."
"And not this?" She gestures to the black book.
Donald shrugs, "It's only folklore if one doesn't believe it."
"So you believe it then?"
"Some." He shrugs again. "I believe in monsters. I believe that you don't have to be inhumane to be a monster. I believe in God, and I believe in Satan, and I believe that there's a heaven and a hell."
Stacie blinks at him, "I never pegged you to be the religious type."
He shrugs, "I'm not… just because you believe in some things doesn't make you religious. It's just a form of faith."
"So do you believe in vampires?"
Donald is silent for a long moment, staring at her intensely. "You could say that." He nods.
"Why? I mean, there hasn't been any news about people finding any vampires anywhere in the world."
"Maybe all the news directors and companies are being run by vampires."
"You really believe that?"
Donald grins, "You'd be surprised at how many things people find hard to believe."
"Like what?" Stacie questions.
"Vampires for one. Werewolves, fairies, succubus's, and dwarves."
Stacie's eyebrows quirk up as she grins at him. "I think you might be the first guy I've ever met who believes that stuff."
Donald laughs and pulls her towards the door. "You haven't met my friends then." He laughs, and Stacie joins in. "Come on. It's almost midnight. Let's get you to bed."
Stacie is surprised that she had managed to read a book for so long and not have noticed the time. She still doesn't believe in Vampires, and she doubts she ever will, but she does believe that there really are monsters out there. Not the creepy scary ones that you see in movies, but the ones that are human. Like the ones that attacked her two weeks ago. She shudders at the thought, and follows Donald out the door.
"Hey." Stacie says, stopping Donald with her hand. "Does Aubrey have like, a great-great-great-great-grandmother or aunt who looks exactly like her?"
Donald raises an eyebrow at her. "No. Why?"
"Because," Stacie begins, turning to point towards the bust on the other side of the hallway, but then she's staring at an empty space there. "Where is it?"
"Where is what?" Donald asks with a confused expression, looking at the empty corner that she's staring at.
Stacie shakes her head, trying to remember if maybe she dreamed up seeing a bust of Aubrey there. "Nothing. I think I'm beginning to lose my mind." She mutters.
Donald smiles at her, and takes her hand into his cold, hard ones. "Or maybe you're just tired."
She's not, but she nods. "Yeah. That's probably it." She ignores the tingles running up her fingers at his touch, and lets him pull her down the hall.
-DS-
…
"Bumper, we need to talk." Donald says into his phone.
"Sure." Bumper replies. "Did you tell her the truth yet?"
"No."
"Well, you have to tell her soon, man." Bumper tells him. "My contacts told me that Luke is sending Uglies out looking for her already. And they're really close to picking up your trail. The only thing that's stopping Luke from knowing it's you, who took Stacie, is that he thinks you're dead."
"I know… I'll tell her when she's ready."
"When she's ready? Or when you're ready?" Bumper questions.
Donald rolls his eyes, huffing loudly. "You're starting to sound a lot like Aubrey."
Bumper laughs, "Dude, Aubrey and I have already agreed that we are nothing alike, so don't let her hear you say that."
"Yeah well, you two are the same in certain aspects. Stacie found a bust of Aubrey from 1659, and she's getting a bit suspicious."
Bumper laughs, "Aubrey is totally trying to give Stacie a few hints."
"I know." Donald sighs. "Listen, I have to go get ready, but meet me in half an hour at Jesse's place."
"I don't know, dude. Jesse's a vampire."
"So am I." Donald points out.
"That's different! You're my best friend. Jesse is your friend, not mine."
"Well, Jesse's a vegan. Just meet me at his place, and don't be late."
Donald hangs up, sighing softly as he glances over at Stacie's slumbering form. He smiles widely, feeling so much joy in the fact that she's alive and safe. She's his first priority, but right now, he has to meet up with the boys for their plans. Though he hates to have to leave her side, he has to, if only to ensure that she will always be safe. Donald slowly leans over Stacie's still sleeping form, and gently presses a kiss to her forehead. "I'll keep you safe, Stacie." He whispers. "I'll keep you safe even if it's the last thing I do."
-DS-
…
Author's Note: So, I know this chapter was extremely long and kind of a drag, but I'm still trying to work out the plot. Anyway, REVIEW if you have time. And thank you all for reading this. Next chapter will pick up right where this left off. I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks again!
-Sux2budude
