Victoria couldn't see it, but Jade's brow quirked in amusement. She sensed her heartbeat spike and the rush of blood to her face told her the girl was blushing. She looked over her embarrassed expression and smirked.
"Hey yourself," she replied, quiet but clear. Victoria barely remembered what Jade's voice sounded like, but she vaguely thought that it was nice to listen to. It had a rough quality to it that she hadn't heard from anyone before. Victoria took a moment to steel herself before speaking. She didn't want her own voice to crack and show how much everything was affecting her. None of it bad of course, but she wanted to make sure Jade didn't think she was scared of her. Because Victoria wasn't scared of her. In fact, she was amazed.
"You were following me," she said. Not accusing. Just stating a fact. Jade strode over and sat in her place on the desk. Victoria watched her graceful movements, further amazed but keeping it relatively hidden.
"Was I?"
The question was a taunt. Jade was clearly toying with her. She practiced with small animals. Rabbits mostly. An exercise in control. If she couldn't make a meal of her prey, she would keep herself entertained and therefore distracted. Victoria wasn't amused.
"I'm certain it was you," she stated once more. Jade nodded, happy with her conviction. It was a good indicator that she was decisive. It also showed that she stood up for herself. But Jade already knew that. She had seen it before while keeping tabs on her. Continuing to follow her had given Jade further insight into the kind of person Victoria was. She liked what she learned. It made it easier to trust her when the time came to meet her.
"Correct. But what you don't know is that I've been following you for some time now."
Victoria's surprise was plain to see.
"I would have noticed," she denied.
"Only if I wanted you to," Jade countered. Victoria made her way to her bed, giving Jade space as she did. She sat down and kicked off her shoes before bringing up her legs to cross them under her. Jade looked comfortable in her room. It was an odd thought to pass through Victoria's mind. Her head tilted and Jade took notice of the question in her gaze.
"Forgive me for intruding but I've also spent time in your room. To better acclimate myself to you," Jade admitted. Victoria knew she should at least be marginally concerned, but all she could worry about was whether her room looked clean and if she had said anything incriminating while she slept. Hopefully she hadn't been drooling either. Jade watched the varying emotions flit over her face and had the feeling she might have to try again at a different time. Perhaps it was too much. She got to her feet, but Victoria was quick to stop her.
"Don't go. I understand."
It was Jade's turn to tilt her head.
"You do?" she inquired, a note of hope tinting her tone. Victoria nodded. Jade paused in place a moment then sat back down.
"You're strange," Jade told her, a small smile pulling at her lips. Victoria took the comment as a compliment.
"You'd rather I be 'normal'?" she asked playfully. Jade shook her head, her small smile turning into a smirk.
"No. I prefer you the way you are."
Jade listened as the settled heartbeat took off in a steady but quick pace. Victoria cleared her throat, willing away another blush.
"I've been wanting to talk to you. I want to know more about you so I can understand you better," Victoria said. Jade looked away, knowing that Victoria wouldn't be content with small talk for long. She wanted facts and the truth. Some she would probably wish she didn't learn about.
"I've only ever told one person about myself. I allowed him to weave them into tales but stressed the importance of keeping certain things to himself."
Victoria wondered for a second who she had told, but the answer was obvious. The tales.
"Sikowitz," Victoria said aloud.
"I know him as Erwin. We still talk once in a while. I don't regret telling him anything. He always respects my wishes and remains the only human who would cover for me if needed."
Jade's thoughts seemed to be somewhere else. She recalled the memories fondly.
"I remember meeting him as a young man. I remember forcing myself to stand down, to keep myself from attacking him. It was hard but he made it easier to trust him. When we first met, he willingly disarmed himself and his gentle voice assured me he wouldn't harm me," Jade shared, her memories accurately reflecting Victoria's own memories of the kind older man.
"He always seems to understand," Victoria agreed. Jade looked up from her lap and focused on the young human idly picking at the hem of her shirt. She seemed comfortable in her presence. So, trusting even after everything she witnessed so far. Victoria trusted Jade and Jade felt she could trust her too. But could Jade trust herself? Not worth it. Only food.
Jade grit her teeth, willing them to remain blunt. She stood up carefully and moved forward, testing the waters. She stopped on the other side of the bed when Victoria looked up.
"May I?" Jade asked, gesturing to the bed. Victoria responded by giving her room while shifting so that she faced Jade. She cautiously took a seat on the plush surface, highly aware of how close they were. Strike now.
Jade ignored the impulse, closing her eyes and taking a second to ground herself. Victoria waited, knowing she needed time to adjust. Jade opened her eyes and sighed.
"All good?" she asked. Jade looked at Victoria and shook her head.
"No. But I haven't been practicing for nothing. I'll manage."
Victoria moved to the adjacent corner of the bed in order to give Jade as much space as possible.
"Whenever you're ready you can start. We'll go at your own pace," Victoria offered with a reassuring smile.
"No need to make it so easy to spill my secrets," Jade grumbled. Victoria chuckled.
"Sorry."
Jade searched for a place to start and then cleared her throat.
"I suppose we can start at the very beginning," she decided. Victoria eagerly leaned forward with her hands clasped in her lap.
"Sikowitz mentioned something about the witch trials."
"Yes. Witches have always been close to nature. Their relationship with the elements and wildlife is a spiritual bond. They can tap into energies no ordinary human can."
Victoria's eyes widened at the information. Jade carried on, encouraged by her intrigue of the subject.
"They never asked much of Mother Nature besides helping her grow and flourish. In return she provided them with the means to heal the sick and wounded. That and allowing the most powerful of witches to gain her aid in another way so that they could protect themselves from the hate of mankind. People believe the special bond is something unnatural or from Hell, stemming from the devil," Jade explained.
"The creatures were created to protect them and to protect them only then, right?" Victoria inquired. Jade sighed.
"Sometimes protection caused deaths. But they were never used to torture or intentionally hurt anyone. That would upset the kinship with nature."
"So, they were feared because they were misunderstood," Victoria pointed out.
"Basically. But there is nothing unnatural or confusing about it, really," Jade answered.
"How does it work? I mean, what makes someone a creature?"
"I prefer the term beast," Jade corrected.
"What?"
"We aren't creatures. None of us were created this way. We were born witches and nature gifted us with the ability and traits of animals. Each one is different and unique."
Victoria mulled that over.
"Don't hurt yourself trying to think too much into how it works," Jade teased. Victoria rolled her eyes.
"So, you weren't always like this?"
Jade shook her head and looked away. Victoria sensed that her past was a sore subject and decided to change it for now.
"What about you? What traits and abilities do you have? What can you do?" she wondered, meeting Jade's gaze. The haunting glow was captivating. Jade leaned forward, and then in a flash she pounced, pinning the young woman to the bed. She was firm but careful not to hurt her. Victoria's heartbeat skyrocketed and she panted, the air having been knocked out of her in shock. A startled rabbit. Caught. Vulnerable.
Jade let out a low growl, baring her sharp teeth for Victoria to see.
"I'm faster and stronger than the best human. My senses can be focused to detect the slightest change in my surroundings. I can take a lot of damage and recover fairly quickly. My claws and teeth promise a quick end," she shared, raising a hand to show Victoria the nails growing into curved points. The human slowly lifted her hand to match it to Jade's, palms pressed together. They held there for a moment before Jade quickly pulled away, realizing the human under her had already calmed and that they had been sharing space for far longer than was necessary.
"You aren't scared?" Jade whispered.
"No. The idea of someone so in tune with nature is…beautiful," Victoria answered honestly. Jade removed herself and settled back in her spot. She never thought she would hear a human think that way.
"It's not so beautiful when it comes with a price," Jade admitted.
"A price?" Victoria repeated. A small knot of dread was starting to form in the pit of her stomach. It grew when something akin to hesitation crossed Jade's features.
"I don't want to keep the truth from you, but…" Jade began, pausing.
"I know," Victoria assured, sparing her from having to say it.
"I tried to sustain it on animals. But it wasn't enough. It demands more," Jade intoned, serious. The way she said it was almost like a warning.
"The beast and I are one, but at the same time, it governs my instincts and needs without my permission. It's a different part of me, but still me," Jade tried to explain. Victoria was aware of the disappearing townsfolk. There was always some truth to the rumors. The creature was at fault for some things. But she couldn't blame her just as she couldn't blame a fox for hunting a rabbit.
"What happens if you deny it?"
Jade visibly shuddered.
"I've tried that back when I first acquired the abilities. Needless to say, it didn't end well for anyone," she muttered, brows furrowing in remembered pain.
"How did you come to be here? Sikowitz said the sightings started around a hundred years ago," Victoria said, finding it hard to believe that Jade was older than she looked.
"My biological family had been on the run for years before they were caught. I was the only survivor and barely escaped, but I would have died if it wasn't for the Wests'. They found me lost out in the woods, inches from death. They took me in as one of their own and tried to heal me but I was passed help. I couldn't be saved by normal means. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for the woman who became my second mother. She was the strongest in the family and the only one able to create a beast of nature. I'm grateful that they saved me, but I eventually outlived them. I protected the ones who stayed and helped others escape until it was just me and the woman who gave me a second life. She passed not too long ago. But I couldn't leave. The city would prove too much and losing control there would be devastating. So I stayed here, close to nature, where it was safer for someone like me," Jade recounted, saddened.
"People haven't change in all that time, have they?" Victoria asked her. Jade shook her head. She fought herself from comforting Jade with touch.
"Maybe you should look for another beast, someone like you," she suggested instead.
"More than one together amplifies their animal traits. It wouldn't be safe for anyone," Jade declined.
"Then maybe witches. They would take you in. You could protect each other."
"I barely knew anything when I was a witch. I was young and still learning. The transformation stripped me of those abilities and replaced them. In another family I might be nothing to them but a bodyguard. Not everyone is as generous as the Wests have been to me," Jade responded.
"So you'll continue to live here alone? And do what? Be treated like a monster?" the human demanded, outraged at the unfairness of Jade's situation.
"There's nothing else for me to do."
Victoria huffed out a frustrated sigh.
"It's not fair," she mumbled to herself, but Jade heard. She stood from the bed and turned to face Victoria.
"I'm glad to have you on my side. But I have to go now. It's getting late."
Victoria stood up and rounded the bed just as Jade reached the window.
"Jade?" she called. Jade stopped and looked over her shoulder back to her. The young woman only held out her hand and waited. Jade carefully took her hand into her own and held it as if it was made of glass. Both enjoyed the temporary connection between them, then Jade let go to step away. She pushed open the window, glanced back once, and then jumped.
The whole way home she thought of the feeling of Victoria's hand in hers. Prolonged contact without losing control. Not only that, she shared her past with someone. She didn't think she could ever trust someone other than Erwin with such information. But she had. And she found that she wanted to do it again. She wanted to see Victoria again. There was no going back now.
