A/N: I'm just going to say it. That last chapter, I wrote two years ago. It's awful. LOL End of story. This chapter, much better.
I sat in the upstairs library studying an article Aro had given me to look through. He had discovered I had an insatiable love for all things space, and since then, any book or article he or Chelsea could find about the topic, Aro would bring to me. Most of them were fairly simple to get through, and given a few difficulties with reading that I had, it all worked out. My current read was all about the moon and an orbiter known as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter which orbited the moon and collected data about temperature, the lunar surface, and so many other things.
Aro always wanted a full report once I completed reading anything, and he was not to disappoint as he all but glided into the library that afternoon. I looked up to see him taking a seat in a chair across from where I was curled up on the small sofa. "Have you finished reading the article yet, my pet?"
Nodding, I sat up and set the unstapled sheets down in front of me on a small table. Aro was so relaxed yet refined, and even knowing what he was, it left me on edge about how someone could appear so perfect and be so deadly. Even if I had grown to trust him somewhat more, the man still terrified me.
"Were you able to understand it?" Again, I nodded. Aro continued. "Was there anything that stood out to you about what you learned?"
I shrugged. "It's been in space since June 2009 and the moon has spots that might be colder than on Pluto."
"Did it mention what the purpose of the mission was?"
I knew it had or he wouldn't have asked. Aro had a perfect memory and could look at something once and recall it easily whereas I had to read something numerous times to comprehend it if I managed to do so at all without explanation from someone else. I thought back to what I read. Aro had been working with me on remembering things better, but it just wasn't the way my brain wanted to operate.
Aro only smiled at me as I glanced back up at him, letting him know that I couldn't remember. "Pick up the article again and read until you find it."
I did what he said, and thankfully, I didn't need to read far. It was the second sentence of the article. "It's looking at the poles of the moon for water or ice that exists in the craters."
"Very good. That was one of its primary purposes, yes."
It was silent for a minute before Aro gestured for me to come over to him. I swallowed and then did as I was told, my heart rate increasing without my permission. I saw him smirk before he patted one of his legs indicating for me to sit on his lap. I did so slowly, but he practically picked me up and maneuvered me so I was almost laying on him, head on his chest like a small child might do. I felt like a child when I was around him, never knowing what to expect, but also knowing that he was someone I needed for survival.
He pet my hair, in tune with what he constantly referred to me as, his pet. As degrading perhaps as it would have been for others, for me, it was a sort of comfort as he held me close. Why he even wanted to hold me or touch me at all consistently shocked me. I understood the thirst for blood, but moments like this were confusing. I knew he did it on purpose, it was part of the game he was playing, and I fought accepting it, however, that need for physical touch and affection almost never left me. I craved it, and he always knew how to satisfy it.
I had said nothing and hadn't made a sound, but he hushed me anyway. I gazed up at him before peering back down at my hands, Aro holding me even tighter to him, not so that it hurt, but that I felt secure. I knew I was losing the game, and that frightened me. How much longer did I truly have left?
"Little one," Aro started, giving me a soft kiss on the top of my head, "Relax and close your eyes. Let me hold you a while longer."
I wasn't sure where those words had come from. I hadn't tried to get out of his arms. I would never do such a thing. That would certainly lead to upsetting him, and I had yet to see him actually upset. Even the times in the past where he would show disappointment was scary enough for me, but he always said that when he was upset, I would know. I had no desire to find out what that meant.
Doing what he told me to do, I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing, keeping it steady and settling my pulse. I could almost imagine that I was safe, at home in my warm bed, under piles of blankets with a solar system projector night light to keep me company in the dark. At least, I was safe for a while. It changed when my mom's boyfriend was over. It was nights like that I wished my door had a lock. Whether that would have stopped him or not was beyond me, but it was after they started dating and my mom refused to listen to me… That was how I ended up where I was right now, lying in the arms of a powerful and murderous vampire.
I had undoubtedly made some mistakes along the way such as running away to begin with rather than maybe talking to someone at school that would listen to me. Then again, no one at my high school really seemed to care. The counselors were too crowded with students to really have any time to focus on one more. Two school counselors for a school of 1200. I wasn't even sure if that was legal, but it was a poorer district. There wasn't money for things like that.
I never did well with making friends, so that would have been a no go. Instead, I attract people to me that I would rather not have anywhere near me. Why couldn't I be normal? It didn't make sense to me why anyone would want me anyway. How come none of this made sense? Why had I screwed everything up?
I felt, rather than heard, Aro sigh. He gently pushed me up, so I got off of his lap and stood as he stood along with me. "Come."
Aro began to walk out of the library, so I followed behind. We took the stairs down to a lower level and ended up in the hallway that led to the music room, as I had begun to call it. After we went inside, Aro went to the piano and told me to sit on the bench. Once I had done so, I noticed that he quickly pulled up a chair beside me and sat.
He took my hands gently in his and placed them on the keys. With his hands on top of mine, one arm wrapped around me to place his hand on my left, he began to push on a few fingers at a time, each giving off its own pleasant sound. He named the notes as they sounded: C, D, E, F, and G, and finally the other way, on my left hand, with C, B, A, G, and F. We played a few easy songs, Aro guiding my fingers the whole time, all the while, naming off the notes. It was the first music lesson he had ever given me.
Some time had passed, and it was amazing how I noticed my thoughts had changed from where they were previously to strictly focusing on the sound that was being created and listening to Aro's voice. I understood it to be a vampire trait, but there were times when he would talk that his voice would nearly send me to sleep because it drew me into him so heavily. I wondered if that's where some of the myths about vampires luring in their prey came from.
I heard Aro chuckle before he released my hands and stood, placing the chair he had been sitting in back where he took it from. When he looked back over at me, I stood as well and made my way over to him. "What did you think, Ariana? Do you enjoy the piano?"
"I don't think I'll be very good at it. I like listening to you and Alec play," I replied carefully.
He hummed. "It was your first time. You can't expect perfection, but you will learn."
The last part of what he said was stated very matter of factly, and I knew then that he meant for it to be a task, much like the academic lessons he presented me with. I nodded.
"Ariana?" Aro asked stopping in front of me before turning to face me.
"Yes?"
"I would like you to spend the evening with Demetri. I have something I must attend to."
Demetri and I got along fairly well, and I didn't mind his company, though I was surprised that Aro chose Demetri to stay with me tonight while he was busy dealing with who knows what. Generally speaking, he would ask Chelsea to be with me until he returned as of late. She always liked to play dress up or make me over or experiment with my hair. She wasn't overly extensive about it, and a part of me enjoyed it.
"Okay."
Another pat on my head, and then Aro turned and began walking again, back to the elevator that would take us up to the corridor where his quarters were located. I did wonder what had his attention so often, but it wasn't my place to ask. I wasn't about to involve myself into one more thing that could get me in some sort of troubling situation like I was then and like I was now. It didn't concern me. In fact, the only concern I could find myself having consisted of blood.
A/N: I can't promise how often this particular work will be updated. Check out my profile for other works. Finding You is updated every Friday. All of You will be updated in the near future. My profile keeps track of writing progress so check it regularly for info on what's going on. Always feel free to send a PM, and of course, make sure to review so I know who all is still around. Thank you!
