Selena stared at him waiting for him to speak. He pulled a book out of one of the bags he was carrying. It was a copy of 'Bram Stokers Dracula' "Transylvania!" he stated proudly. A flash of a spark appeared in her eyes and then disappeared just as quickly as it had come. Brian handed her the book and she ran her fingers across it gently, almost as if she was afraid it would be snatched away from her.

"Remember when we were kids you told me you wanted to go to Transylvania and meet the vampires?" He chuckled, "I don't know about meeting any vampires but if you'd still like to go, I'll take you. I'll take you wherever you want to go. Even if it's on a tour of the world." Selena study him closely, as though she was searching him for any signs of deceit. She felt confused by his actions; she didn't understand them or the meaning behind them. But she did wish to go to Transylvania. Despite what Brian said, she had no memory of asking him to take her to meet vampires. Now that she thought about it, there was a lot she didn't remember about herself but it didn't bother her. She figured it wasn't important anyhow.

But she did want to go to Transylvania. She just didn't know why she wanted to go, she just wanted to and Brian was willing to take her. She nodded her head in response and opened up the book. Before she could get into reading it Brian gently placed his hand over hers and lowered the book. Selena snatched her hands back as though she'd been burnt by fire. A flash of hurt came over Brian's face but it was to be expected so he forced it away.

"Listen, before you get to reading we need to discuss what we're going to do." She stared, "Before we can go to Transylvania we're first going to go to Rome. I agree to start working for the Vatican, that probably means I won't get to be with you as much as I would like to be but jobs in a place as small as Transylvania are scarce. And if you do decided to travel having this job will make it somewhat easier to do so and to be honest, I really believe that my being away for a while will help you."

He looked down at the ground his long hair covering his face "I know you don't like me very much and you probably trust me even less. My being gone for long periods of time might help you feel more comfortable in our new home."

Selena stared at him; she understood that he was sad. She understood that he was hurting. Hurting because of her, really she understood but she couldn't seem to comprehend it very well. She had vague memories of Brian, vague memories of him helping but those were always followed by even more memories of pain.

She wondered why he was helping her. What did he want from her? Why was he doing this? Was this real or a trick?

Over time as her parents began to abuse her they also began to strip her of her identity. They tried to take away her sense of self. To demean her, degrade her, totally humiliate and undermine her as a human being. To them she was less than nothing. She had no rights to anything, not even herself. She was to have no thoughts, no feelings. As the abuse grew worse so did she actually began to lose herself. Memories of a better time began to fade away one by one. Memories of her parents celebrating birthdays and holidays with her. Her brother taking her to the park to play. Watching her brother play soccer. Eating out with her family. Her friends and teachers at daycare. Little by little she forgot who she was. The only memories she retained of her past were shadows and fragments. Pieces of a puzzle that didn't make sense, a puzzle she felt would never be completed. There was one thing she was sure of though, those fragments remained because of Brian. Because of her brother who fought so hard to keep her in this world. She supposed she owed him something in return for all the effort he was putting in to this. A gesture of some kind to let him know that she was thankful he had saved her.

Slowly she reached out to him. Her hand stopped midair halfway between them. A few seconds it just stayed there before she pulled back away from him. She lay back down in the bed and turned away from her brother. She shut her eyes tightly as if she were afraid of something. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she didn't know why it hurt so much.

Brian shut his eyes as well. Unknowingly doing the exact same thing his sister was doing. He gripped the bed sheets so tightly his knuckles turned white. His body trembled slightly with suppressed emotions. The tension between the two was so thick the nurses and doctors could literally feel it in the air and all were afraid to walk into the room.


882 words.

This chapter is a little short but it gives you a bit of insight into Selena's mind and goes a little more indepth into why she is the way she is. Hope you all enjoy it and if you have any questions please ask and I will answer them to the best of my ability.

As always please review!

~Kagemori