A/N: So, uh, sorry. That's my bad...if it's any consolation, I got a B on my Trig final...so...yeah...
Larcian: Lol, best of luck with that :)
Nicole: Boom! Next button! ...a month late...but whatever...I passed my classes...
HunterRaven: I went full on CSI here. You don't even know. I went through about 12 pages of Google results trying to figure it out because I couldn't get a definitive answer for myself. However, I must report back that I do not believe it is the same model. Cara has more defined cheeks, darker and longer brows, different color eyes and thinner lips. But it was close. I may have lost a sliver of sanity to this lol
Anyway, thank to PinkAzn, HermioneandMarcus,Lillia, Guest, and MorningStar, for reviewing my last chapter. I'm extremely happy to hear from you guys and I really am sorry that I've been so bad with my updates for the past few months. But my finals are done, I've been accepted to all of my colleges and my life should be slowing down a bit, so hope for the future.
Also, I found some pictures online of what I kind of imagine Laviana and Casper to look like. Links in my profile if you're interested.
Chapter Song:
Say (All I Need) by One Republic
~o0o~
"Do you know where your heart is? Do you think you can find it?...Do you know where your love is? Do you think that you lost it?"
~o0o~
Ow.
That was the first conscious thought in Agatha's mind as she awoke on her thirteenth birthday. A pressure behind her left eye kept her grounded, threatening her with great pain if she tried to move. And so, she remained still, resting her tired body on the soft, warm bed.
Cold lips pressed against her temple lightly, and a smile tugged at her lips.
"Good morning," A melodious, smooth voice greeted quietly, "Are you okay?"
She dug a pale hand out from under the heavy throw blanket that rested atop her and gave him a half-hearted "so-so" sign.
He chuckled gently and began to stroke her hair.
"It's going to get worse before it get better." He told her truthfully. She pouted out her lower lip and squinted her already closed eyes tighter. He laughed quietly at her reaction. "You'll survive," He promised, kissing her cheek. She smiled, despite the head pains, and peeked through her lashes.
The room was dimly lit- thank God. A warm light shone over Alec's face, giving the young vampire an almost holy look as the glow colored the edges of his dark hair caramel. The intensity of his garnet eyes was lessened into a deep mahogany as he gazed at her resting form- a minuscule smile on his full lips. Agatha smiled at his adoration before snaking her recently freed hand to catch his. The young man's dark eyes looked into her light ones in question. She grinned at him tenderly and tapped the bed, silently requesting his company.
All too eager to comply, the boy quickly bolted around the bed and laid down next to her. Slowly- in regards to the headache- Agatha tuned over and rested her head on his chest (covered in a cashmere material of some sort, much to her delicate skin's delight). She wrapped her arm over his torso in a light hug as he caressed her cotton covered side casually.
Content for the time, Agatha began to relax, allowing her body to dance along the border of slumber. Stinging with the desire for sleep, her silver eyes did a quick survey of the room- a paranoid habit from a month past that was recently reinforced by the apparitions that seemed to follow her around Laviana's home. All doors were closed, no item seemed to be obviously out of place, and Alec was here. So long as Alec was near, she felt safe.
Alec listened easily as her breathing slowed, her body relaxing against his for the second time that day and the sun hadn't even fully risen. Half-conscious, the newly thirteen year old girl snuggled closer to him.
Today was going to be a good day.
~o0o~
The day wore on as Agatha lounged in Alec's embrace. Never once did the idea of moving break through the hell of her increasing migraine. She was just going to lay right here until the pain passed.
A slight knock on the door sent amplified shock waves through her pounding head. Alec quietly called the guest inside as Aggie grimaced and shut her eyes tighter. The joints of the door creaked and someone tip-toed into the room. Agatha's ever-in tuned mind's eye followed the invading creature as it moved to her side of the bed and leaned down. Soft lips gently pressed against her temple.
"Happy birthday, cheeky," The delicate Irish voice greeted, "How ya holdin' up?"
In response, she huddled further against her vampire teddy bear. The teddy's cold hand ran down her sleeved arm in a comforting gesture.
"It's only a matter of hours, luv. Hang in there." Laviana told her, petting the girl's soft, blonde tresses.
"How long does this usually last?" Alec asked quietly, only vaguely recalling the hours of pain before being burned on the thirteenth anniversary of his and Jane's birth.
"The first twelve hours of her thirteenth year." The redheaded Irish told him. "From the exact minute she was born thirteen years ago to the twelve hour equivalent."
Alec nodded and wrapped his arm tighter around the girl's waist. Laviana kissed her once more before heading for the door.
Silver eyes opened carefully and watched their mentor leave. Something was different about her. Or not different, maybe. She seemed back to normal, in a way. That was good. She liked the normal Laviana.
Silently, Laviana shunt the door to the far guest room. Satisfied with soft 'click' of the lock, she turned and began down the residential hall towards the almost always occupied work-room of the three kings. She had no idea how they always seemed to have so much on their plates, but she guessed that running an entire species couldn't be easy.
As she descended a small, cramped staircase below the surface of the Earth, muffled yelling caught her attention. Aro and Caius were fighting again. Shocking.
On her way down the tiny hall- barely wide enough for two children shoulder to shoulder- she met an amused Demetri.
"Good luck." He whispered in a sadistically humored voice as they slid pass each other. She rolled her eyes and continued forward. Aro and Caius fight all of the time; it was nothing she couldn't handle.
Laviana pushed open the old doors and stepped into the dimly light room.
The first thing she noticed was Aro working quietly by himself.
The second: Caius was yelling at Marcus in Italian.
The third- and most shocking: Marcus was yelling back.
Aro looked up from his writing and smiled gently at the confused and slightly frightened witch.
"Tacere!" He shouted abruptly, silencing the two passionate vampires. Though their voices had ceased, fire still blazed behind their red eyes as they turned to address her. Marcus's fire dulled. He broke eye contact almost as quickly as he made it.
She looked back to Aro, who made a kind smile and honest eyes waiting for her.
"Perhaps you and I could speak separately," She suggested, not wanting to risk angering either Marcus or Caius further.
"Of course, dear." He confirmed with the gentleness of a loving father before glaring at a seething Caius and an oddly shameful Marcus. Aro placed a hand of the small of Ana's back and led her out the far door, into a much more accommodating hall. The pair strolled in silence for a few moments- wishing to be out of ear shot of the other two kings- when Laviana began to tale the current events to him.
"But I'm concerned of moving her again," She confessed at the end of her tale, "It takes time for anyone to adapt to new surroundings and I don't want to overwhelm her. I feel as though I've done enough of that in the past month."
Aro smiled at the woman's self-directed anger. Laviana was a care-taker by nature. She always had distaste for the idea of causing innocent people distress. A rather welcome comparison to the sadists- himself included- that occupied this castle.
"It has only been a month, hasn't it?" He started with a smile and his usual, whimsical voice. "And in that month she's capture the heart of one of my guards, built a small army of people who'd be willing to go to war for her, and adapted to her world without a twitch or a sneer."
"Have you forgotten the first two weeks?" Ana challenged, "She holed up in her room and adamantly denied the existence of this- her- world."
"Reasonable suspicion," He brushed off lightly before dropping into a more serious manner, "She is strong, Ana. She will be perfectly alright. She was made for this, after all."
The Irish witch nodded, running a hand through short, copper locks. There was no reason to believe that Agatha would have any difficulty adjusting to the school, seeing as how easily she adjusted to Volterra each time she's been here. Now that she knows this world, she seems to accept every aspect of it with ease and grace, even desire when considering how she's always reading some form of non-fiction pulled from the libraries. So there was no reason to be honestly concerned about her being integrated into the school. She would work quietly and diligently, minding herself and her place while testing her personal boundaries. She would be different at school then how she was at home. So she should be fine. Just fine. Perfectly fine.
"I know you worry," Aro told her softly, pulling her from her taxing thoughts. "But you can't hold her forever."
She nodded again, taking a shaky breath and blinking away tears.
"I know," she started, her voice cracking as it tried to stable itself, "I know. I just feel like I've failed her. In the most important month of her life- when I was to be preparing her what is happening now- I was consumed with my personal dramas. I've been selfish. I'm just lucky that Blaise and Casper were there to explain some things to her while I played the role of absentee." Her shoulders sagged and she fell against the wall, guilt overpowering her.
A cold hand lightly pulled her forward, leading her hand and resting it in the crook of his arm.
With all of the grace that only Aro could possess, he led her through the halls for a moment stopped in time. She didn't know how long they wandered, but it was long enough for her restless mind to tire. Aro, the sneaky bastard he was, dropped her off at a bench in one of the courtyards.
The courtyard right outside Marcus's window.
~o0o~
"You made an impression." Caius commented, his classic snark accompanying the words.
Marcus growled.
Caius snorted.
With a groan, the younger vampire fell into his chair, resting his head in his hands.
"She seemed different, didn't she?" Caius continued, knowingly bothering him, "More like herself. I wonder what changed."
Marcus didn't have to wonder. It was obvious to him- as he has seen it many times before.
Laviana had a crush.
The bonds were always rather weak at this stage. A soft, pink, fragile line was connecting her to one whom he could not see. Over the centuries, she had had many crushes and even a few courtships. Though, through all of these romantic adventures, one thing remained consistent. Regardless of how strong or weak her romantic ties became, her tie to him was always there. No matter whom she became infatuated with, she was still connected to him. Now, however, that's gone. And it bothered him. Quite a lot.
Maintaining silence, Marcus pulled his chair closer to the table- covered in a variety of folders and papers and informative text- and picked up the file left by Aro, continuing the work.
~o0o~
Hours passed and the two present vampires grew restless in their work induced boredom. Sometimes the life of royalty wasn't as glorious as the common people have been led to believe.
Caius- never one to handle monotony with any kind of grace- took to bothering his brother.
Marcus snarled lowly as the tenth rubber band of the past few minutes hit the side of his face.
The blonde vampire chuckled and reached for another, firing just as Aro returned.
"Lovely shot, Brother," He remarked with a smile as the band hit Marcus on the temple.
Sighing, the youngest of the three stood and handed a file of papers to his recently returned brother. As the other leader grabbed the folder, Marcus left the room through the main entrance. Dodging into access hallways and around forgotten corners- lessening the chances of running into a guard or (Gods forbid) a wife. He wasn't in the mood to talk, as per usual, and he just wanted to shut away in his room to wallow in self-pity. He was good at wallowing.
The door swung open as he stepped in and moved to the chair by the window. Over the centuries the palace had changed drastically. As it stands, if it wasn't for the commission of talented artists by a mindful Sulpicia over the years, no one would have an idea on what the home originally was. And still, through countless bouts of reconstruction and deconstruction and all other forms of construction, Marcus's desire for a courtyard view was always met. The manicured pieces of nature did the incredible job of reminding him of the beauty in this world. The gardens were tiny glimmers of hope in a bleak world.
And today, the enclosure seemed a little more beautiful.
Curled up on a far, stone bench, Laviana rested peacefully. Red hair framed her pale, slightly freckled face. Berry lips curved into a content smile and pale lashes fluttered against delicate cheeks as she turned onto her back. Her striking blue eyes opened leisurely, staring up at the late autumn sky of Northern Italy. Her chest rose as she took in a relaxed breath.
Marcus smiled to himself and turned his eyes away, not wanting to intrude on her much needed peace.
Smoke ruptured from the cast iron cauldron as Blaise mindlessly dropped in more parsley. Her partner fell into a fit of coughs and hacking as the smoke expanded. Blaise didn't notice.
"Blaise!" Genevieve yelled as she grabbed the girl's wrist, yanking her away from the smoldering concoction. "What the hell?"
"J'desole," she apologized softly, her mind still lost in a wandering thoughts. Deep brown eyes stared at the far end of the room. At the corner table stood two young men. One had shaggy brown hair that always seemed the fall into his eyes. He was reading form a text box as his partner mixed in ingredients. The partner had red, curly hair tucked behind his pale, slightly freckled ears. Bright green eyes were focused on the task before him, as well as the tasks in the near future. She could practically see the wheels in his head turning.
"Blaise." Genevieve called again, snapping her fingers in front of the girl's face. The fourteen year old looked back at her teacher-assigned partner.
"The hell is the matter with you?" The St. Louis native asked as she started on the project once more.
"Nothing," Blaise replied, her French accent getting thicker, as it did when she lied.
She could feel Genevieve staring at her- waiting for her to break. But she wasn't going to. No, sir, she would not break. That silly little American wasn't going to break her.
~2 minutes~
"I think I like Casper."
Genevieve looked up from the potion book and cocked a light brown eyebrow.
"Any particular reason?" The American asked, turning her attention back to the project.
"Je ne sais pas," A dejected Blaise sighed as she toyed with a vial of iguana scales.
"Have you always liked him?" Gene asked in feigned interest as she carefully sprinkled Satyr horn powder in the cauldron.
"No."
"Then what changed?"
Blaise didn't respond. She didn't know what changed, what made her suddenly have a crush on one of her only friends. Why did she suddenly love the scattered freckles across his face? Or the flame red hair that fell into tamed curls, or the prominent green of his eyes whose only competitor were his high cheekbones?
Unknowingly staring, she fell into an almost animalistic thrill as she watched him work. His concentration was fierce- a fire burning behind green that even she, from across the room, could see. Fire was her specialty, after all.
Yet suddenly, her world went frozen when his gaze shot form his project and met her dark eyes. The fire from concentration was still burning as he looked at her. It was like he was staring into her soul. She loved it.
Their gazes held strong, his fire never dying, until the instructor came over to address Blaise and Genevieve.
"How's the potion coming, ladies?" The middle-aged man with graying hair questioned with a humorous air.
"All's fine in our world," Gene told him with a smile.
Blaise- eye contact broken- could still feel Casper staring at her. The intensity of it made her shiver.
"Cold?" The teacher asked in a way that said "Deal with it, because I'm not turning up the heat".
"Chills," She waved off, her accent making the English term nearly unrecognizable.
The teacher nodded and the feeling of fire subsided. Taking a quick glance over her shoulder, Blaise noticed that Casper's attention had returned to helping his partner, though the fire was gone.
Genevieve scoffed.
"If you tell a soul…" Blaise growled quietly, leaving the threat open-ended.
Genevieve just smiled and held up her hands in a gesture of innocence.
By the by, the foreign languages (non-English) are all Google Translate babies. I try my best to get the correct verb formation and everything, but I apologize if anything is wrong.
Review please