~I love seeing Lucas pissed, Wrench thought, stretching across the table for the money piled in the center. "I think I'll buy myself something pretty. Thanks, boys." She started to stack the money together and separating them by bills.
The boys all groaned and swore at her for winning nearly two thousand dollars, but she was swollen with pride. Lucas was downright angry, standing up and storming out while spitting a glob of tobacco into the nearest trash can, swearing loudly.
"Need some gas money, Lucas?" she shouted. "I've got plenty to go around!" She made a show of shuffling the money like a lottery winner, then fanned the bills out and waved it around.
"Fuck off, Salvatore!" Lucas's voice boomed loudly overhead while he made his way out to his car; Lucas and the twins were the only ones that didn't live at the shop.
"You think he's a little mad?" Blake asked, standing and stretching.
"Mad? Nah. That's his natural way of exiting the building," Jake answered.
"His natural ways of exiting the building is slamming the door to his car and flip off the shop?" Zane said.
"I am quite certain the finger was for me," Wrench said. She tucked the bills into her wallet and stabbed out her last cigarette. I either need to stock up or just quit altogether, she thought absently. "I don't understand why he loathes me so."
Conner came over and slung an arm around her slender shoulders. "He's cranky like his old man. Don't worry about him too much, okay?" He gave her a small peck on the cheek then made his way up the stairs. The twins each gave her a hug-Jake basically pranced over and kissed her cheeks like a total lady-then left mumbling about how they were going to get their money back from losing so much. Zach bowed deeply in mock etiquette, then exited the room while he swung his hips and belched a song in a very bad tune.
Wrench looked over at Zane and sighed. "I swear I have tried to make it right with Lucas but I can't seem to do much right in his eyes."
Zane smiled ever so gently and offered his arm. She shot him a dirty look, but slid her strong arm through his and gave his bulging biceps an approving stare. Her heart fluttered ever so slightly but told herself to quit looking at him that way. She had no time or interest for that sort of thing.
"Lucas lost his mother, his dad isn't giving his business away anytime soon, and he's being a second to a woman. How would any man feel in that situation?" Zane blushed at her look. "It's not an insult. A woman who knows how to take apart a machine and then put it back together blinded folded? That's a rare thing to have, lovebug."
Lovebug…Wrench thought with a soft tug on her heart strings. Zane rarely ever called her that, and, because she had a history of beating the tar out of anyone who made fun of her for being a female, Zane didn't say it much unless he and Wrench were alone. And he only said it when he meant it.
Zane led her to the stairs and let her walk ahead of him. "Besides, Lucas just lost his pet dog and his girlfriend to Major League player. He isn't really in the mood to be happy these days."
Wrench stopped in front of her door and turned to her friend. Zane lived right across the way to her, and from what she saw time and time again, his door was always open, always inviting. She herself had never ventured into his room, but she could see a mini fridge in the corner along with a small stove top on a table next to a stack of plates and silverware.
"Zane, why is he envious of me? I'm a girl, for godsakes." She crossed her arms over her chest and leveled a stare at him.
"You also have to remember he grew up around engineering. He loves what he does. He's always afraid of being left alone in second place. So when you came along, he felt resentment because of your top notch skills and handiwork." Zane grabbed her hand and circled the small tattoo she had: a red rose surrounded by green thorns, nestled within the inside of her wrist right beneath her thumb over her pulse. "So don't let him get to you, promise?"
Wrench sighed and stared at his cloudy eyes. He has eyes the color of storms over a raging sea…she refocused on Zane's voice. She felt a rosy blush spread across her cheeks and tingly warmth hit her face. Her heightened senses caught scent of a musky odor, and she bet he had showered recently and used a simple bar of soap, but damn her, he smelled so clean and warm, like a warm log on a winter's day in a freshly built wood cabin.
Zane bent a pressed his lips to the rose on her wrist. Then he hit her with a tender stare. "Farewell, fair maiden."
She frowned and gave him a punch in the shoulder. "Night, you loon." She stayed put until he went into his room and slowly closed the door.
I wonder if he even knows what effect he has on me, she thought, retiring to her own room.
Wrench tossed herself onto her bed and fell into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and she pulled the dark covers up to her chin. She hated sleep, merely because her memories would surface in her brain and strangle her with resentment and a feeling of failure.
So when a painful memory started to surface, she wished she would have stayed awake and went for a run instead…
~"Padrona, your father would like a word with you in his study."
Tanya Mai, looked up from her drawing and rested her gaze upon her nanny, Louisa. Louisa was in her late fifties, but still going strong like a twenty year old. Her silver hair was pinned up against her neck, and the folds of her tattered skirt brushed the floor with long waves when she walked. Ever since Tanya Mai was born, Louisa took care of Tanya Mai when her mother mother died; the pair were inseparable.
Tanya Mai placed her pen down onto her drawing board and gathered up her moss green skirts before standing. Tanya Mai's hair was looped up in a classic bun with two stylish pieces hanging in the front; her sandals and jewelry had been made just for her, emeralds hanging from her neck and ears. Her back was straight, her chin was high, and her walk was graceful and calculated as she slowly took her time to her father's warm study.
"Why does my father wish to see me?" Tanya Mai asked, and Louisa looked at the young, wealthy, Italian heiress to the Salvatore family.
The older woman shook her head and shrugged. "I am not quite sure, padrona. He simply asked me to fetch you," she answered. Tanya Mai blinked. Her father hardly asked to see his children without a reason.
Must be important, she thought, following her nanny to her father's study. Her father and two brothers, Stefan and Damon, were talking amongst themselves, and Tanya Mai waited to be noticed by her father. When he looked in her direction, he said, "Come in, my daughter. Please, sit." Tanya Mai noticed her brothers' stand up and exit the room. Louisa had busied herself with sewing in the corner near the glass window, rocking in a rocking chair.
Tanya Mai sat down delicately, and waited for her father to start. He wasted no time. "My dear, I know you have issues with Katherine Swartzchild, and I want to know why," he started, leaning forward on his elbows and staring at her with dark eyes.
Tanya Mai bowed her head in shame, knowing her father would bring up something like this sooner or later. "Well, I am not too sure, father. I had assumed that I had insulted her somehow, but whenever I try to approach her about it, she sneers and ignores me," Tanya Mai explained.
It was true. Katherine, since the day she came, had stolen the love of Tanya Mai's brothers, and Katherine was mean to Tanya Mai for no reason. Even Tanya Mai's father had been entranced by Katherine's beauty. Tanya Mai was very jealous of Katherine about her beauty. Katherine had hair that fell to her waist like golden water, and her eyes were so blue it was impossible. She had pale features with a perfect body shape. Tanya Mai had greeted her like a proper lady should, but the young woman only shrugged her off and had somehow gotten her brothers and father under her spell. Katherine was always seen dancing or playing with her family or demanding the attention of all nobles across the country.
Tanya Mai's father, Giuseppe Conte di Salvatore, straightened in his seat, and glared at his daughter with his dark eyes. "That is not what Katherine tells me, my dearest." He stood and went around to a chair beside his only daughter and regarded her earnestly. "But do not think I don't see that you're trying to be a good hostess. You're just like your mother in that regard, bless her soul." He touched her cheek tenderly.
Verily, there is something he is about to tell me, Tanya Mai thought, watching the crinkles in her father's eyes get deeper.
"I wish to send you to France. There is a Duchess headed this way in a fortnight, and she owns an all girls' school. She is married to an English noble but is French herself, and she has heard of your great knowledge and wishes to groom you for more advanced studies, such as language, science and even medicine."
Tanya Mai was a bit shook and had to gather her thoughts before shifting ever so slightly, making her skirts flutter. "May I inquire why, father? I have much to learn here."
Giuseppe nodded slowly and smiled sadly. "There is nothing for you here, my dear. You've learned what you could. But this world is too big for a mind like yours."
Tanya Mai's thoughts suddenly intensified to a single, crystal clear thought. France…she could escape this place. She would be amongst her own people, ladies who thought and knew how to do more than kitting and marrying into a wealthy family. This wasn't a punishment.
This was her escape.
Giuseppe stepped behind his desk and offered a sealed envelope with a red wax seal on the front. "This is yours. Your acceptance into the school is in here along with a side note from the Duchess saying your schooling will be paid in full by her own court." He smiled at her as she took the letter slowly. "You will do this family proud, my dearest. If only your mother…" His voice trailed off, and his eyes wandered out the window where the family cemetery was; where her mother was buried…
Tanya Mai cast a gaze at Louisa, who was smiling warmly. She knew what this meant for the Salvatore heiress. Perhaps maybe she could come with Tanya Mai. She would hate to part with her loving nanny…
"Pardon me, am I interrupting?"
Tanya Mai felt her back straighten at the voice. It reminded her of glass tinkling against glass tenderly, and it was soft with an accent she couldn't place. She turned and spotted Katherine.
The woman was in lavender today, folded skirts sewn with pink and white roses; a beautiful compliment to her golden hair and spring sky eyes and pink lips. At her throat was a silver charm with a quartz stone in the middle, and on her finger she wore a gold band with a blue lapi lazuli stone. The heiress wondered why the blonde woman would never take it off…
"Yes, Miss Katherine. My father and I were in discussion about something important." Tanya Mai gazed at her with a cool stare. The other woman heard the icy tone and flashed her a look of disgust before smiling sweetly.
"Of course; I am so sorry for being rude. I shall return." She made a leave to go.
But Giuseppe stopped her. "Actually, we are all done. My dearest, I shall see you at dinner," he said with a longing look at her. At this point, there was no need to argue, for her father had a bad temper at times. Plus, once Katherine was in the room, her father didn't care much for anything else.
Tanya Mai mentioned for Louisa, and both of them went out to the gardens. Louisa was smiling.
"So, a school in France, hm? That sounds fancy." She took the young heiress's elbow and walked around the limestone fountain.
"It sounds like a fresh start away from here," Tanya Mai said.
~Wrench woke up slowly, her eyes opening steadily. The morning sun had not come up yet, and stars shine through the glass of the window. The night sky was clear and bright; even the moon was showing.
Something was off about the atmosphere, though.
Wrench stopped breathing. Using the little Power she had inside her, she stretched it out, feeling around for any glitches. She itched around the air for anything strange or strong.
But she sensed nothing. So why was she feeling like this? What woke her up?
She was still pondering it when she let her head fall back, and she let her useless dreams consume her once again.
~Unbeknownst to her, a fat crow was peering in, beak up against the glass. The crow had wanted to wake the sleeping vampire, just to see if it was really her. There was no mistaken the curls and the chin, though…
Damon had no idea that his sister was still alive and well. He gazed at his sister a little bit longer, watching her breathing get deeper and more even as she fell back to sleep. After slipping into her head with surprising ease, he had found out that she was due to leave for France. And if he was correct, it was around this time that he had woken up from his vampire coma to find her, only to see the house razed to the ground and his sister no where in sight.
He didn't remember that when they were human. Just trying to remember it was like attempting to see through a smoke screen; blurry and very hard to determine any details...
But it had been such a long time ago, he didn't much care about it anymore.
Damon smiled slightly, wished his sister a goodnight's sleep, then took off toward the boarding house.
