Ariana

It had been only a few days since Aro returned from being gone, and since then, he was back to rarely spending any time around me. I wasn't complaining, but I was still curious as to what had been keeping his attention. The only times I really ever saw him now were when he put me to bed at night, and then he left again. I knew because I could hear the outer door close and lock. Whatever it was must have been increasingly important.

I now sat in the study with Chelsea, who was playing with my hair. She had found some styling tutorials online and wanted to try them out on me. I had asked her once why she had an interest in makeup and hair, and her response was that she needed to know how to fit in since she worked more closely with humans than the others in the guard. It was also something that she used to keep herself entertained, and I assumed, to make me feel comforted in a way.

This time found her braiding my hair and doing some sort of wrap with it around my head. I stayed still. Having her play with my hair did actually feel good, and Chelsea and I had gotten along very well since Aro introduced me to her not long after I arrived. She was motherly to me, or at least what I thought a mother would be like with her daughter. To be honest, I couldn't be sure. My mother never really cared.

"You have such pretty hair, but it's so thin," Chelsea commented.

I stayed silent. I didn't really have a reply anyway, and she was right. It was extremely thin, and every time I would wash it, I would end up with strands of hair in my hands or on the bottom of the bath. It was amazing that I hadn't clogged the plumbing here yet.

"There," she proclaimed as she finished up whatever style it was she had been copying.

Chelsea stood up, pulling me up with her, then led me to the bathroom to look in the mirror. It was cute, but I had no idea why she had made my hair a knotted mess in the back. It seemed impossible to get out without breaking more strands of hair along the way. I touched the back and frowned.

"You don't like it?"

Shaking my head, I answered, "I do, but I'm not sure how to take it down."

Chelsea laughed as she turned me back to face her. "They're twisted buns. If you take out the elastic band, they'll fall out on their own." Well, that made more sense.

We left the bedroom and went back into the study, where Chelsea brought out some playing cards. Demetri had actually brought them in a while back and tried to teach me how to play a few card games, but I had never been too successful. The only game I could remotely play was Crazy Eights. I had learned it when I was really young, and Chelsea would play it with me sometimes when she visited. The fact that it was relatively based on chance rather than skill was helpful.

We had only been playing for a short time when there was a knock at the door. Chelsea glanced up. I followed her gaze as she told the person who had knocked to enter. I didn't recognize this man who appeared only slightly older than I was, but I knew he was another vampire by his blood-colored eyes. When his eyes landed on me, my stomach dropped. What was with him?

"Aro is keeping humans now?" he questioned out loud.

Chelsea sighed. "She's a guest." The man shut the door behind him as he walked further into the room. "What did you need, Yevgeni? Aro is currently away."

"I can see that. I don't mind waiting. I've nowhere better to be." Yevgeni looked over at me again. "Aro despises humans. I can't imagine why he would want to keep one. Does he plan on turning her?"

"He does not outrightly despise humans, and I am unaware of his plans, though I think you can fathom her purpose for yourself."

So Yevgeni knew about Aro's blood, too, apparently. I was beginning to feel very uncomfortable listening to them talk about me like I wasn't even there, and there was something about Yevgeni that I couldn't place. Something about him felt off, and it put me at unease. However, the way he made himself comfortable in the chair on the other side of the room caused me to at least think he and Aro were closer than Aro was with the majority of the guard.

One thing I had recognized since being brought here was that certain guard members had more privileges than others. The twins, for instance, were on very good terms with Aro, though they never once came to his room. Demetri was also on good terms, though he only came here when Aro needed him to stay with me or there was an urgent message that couldn't wait. Chelsea and Renata were the closest to him, though, and they came about freely, though Renata never spoke much and sort of entered then left most times.

"If that's the case," Yevgeni started, "I suppose I should feel sorry for her. Aro has always enjoyed his games." Then he spoke to me, "What's your name, human?"

The way he spoke reminded me slightly of Caius, yet he had the authority in his tone like Aro. I swallowed nervously before replying. "Ariana."

He turned back to Chelsea. "Why don't you go? I can babysit until Aro returns."

Chelsea frowned at the suggestion but stood either way. "I have a few tasks to complete on the human side anyway. No harm comes to her. I think you know how upset Aro would be if something happened. He's already not happy about what all has occurred."

"As I told him, I had nothing to do with it," Yevgeni defended. "I don't know why I was in that newborn's memories. I would never do anything that would cause my mother needless pain."

"Aro wants to believe that, but you've been away for four centuries. You have missed time to make up."

"And I will. I have no current plans to depart after this is all settled."

"Good." With Chelsea's last word, she departed the room, leaving me in Yevgeni's care. At least I hoped that's all this was.

I stayed seated where I was on the floor, the cards in front of me that Chelsea and I had been interrupted in playing. Whatever Chelsea and Yevgeni had spoken about was none of my business. Still, at least now I knew I was correct in assuming that Yevgeni and Aro had some sort of relationship. Then there was the fact that Yevgeni had mentioned his mother, and my brain spun. Could vampires have children, was his mother a vampire, or was she human like me, and who was his mother anyway?

In a split second, Yevgeni appeared on the floor in front of me where Chelsea had initially been seated. I startled back, my heart pounding by the unexpectedness of it, and he chuckled. "That sound never gets old," he remarked more to himself than me, I imagined. "Are you enjoying your stay here, or has my adoptive father figure made your stay at all unpleasant?"

My heart skipped, and I knew he heard it. Did he say, adoptive father? "You were wondering about us, weren't you?" Yevgeni continued, and I bit my lip. I had been. Could he read minds like Aro, too?

"Sorry," I said apologizing.

Yevgeni frowned. "Sorry?"

"It doesn't concern me."

"It's natural to be curious. Even I was curious the moment I came through the door. I could smell your blood on the other side, but I thought perhaps… Then again, Aro has never been liking to such activities. I should have known. A readily available, reusable blood bag makes much more sense."

I wasn't sure why, but what he said stung. I knew what I was and why I was there, but there was also more to it than Aro merely drinking my blood whenever he wanted or needed it. Or was that thinking only causing me to fall further into the trap? I still had no answer to what Aro had planned for me, and thinking about it made me feel slightly ill. There was always so much that happened in that man's mind; it seemed that even I couldn't keep track of it all whenever the subject of me was brought up.

Yevgeni peered down at the cards between us and grinned. "It's been at least a decade since I last touched a deck of cards. What were you and Catherine playing?"

"Catherine?" I asked, confused.

"I forgot that she goes by Chelsea now. When I met her last, she was using the name Catherine. She changes her name every so often to better blend in with the current times."

"Oh."

Yevgeni began to pick up the cards and shuffle them in his hands at a speed that my human eyes couldn't comprehend. I had to look away because it started to make me feel dizzy. He chuckled again, and when he stopped, he fanned the cards and held them out to me. "Do you like magic tricks? Go on. Pick a card."

I entertained him by doing so and followed his next instructions. This continued for a while, new tricks each time, and he was very good at them. Perhaps if he couldn't read minds, then maybe his real gift, so to speak, was to make magic. Vampires were real, so why couldn't magic be real, too?

But I was growing nervous every passing minute. I didn't know this vampire, and although I figured he must be safe enough if Chelsea left me alone with him, the feeling that something was wrong never went away. Thankfully, the door opened not too much later, and Aro entered his study, pausing to watch us.

"I did not expect to see you here." Aro closed the door behind him and made his way further into the room, passing us on the floor, and heading to his desk where he sat behind it.

Handing me the deck of cards, Yevgeni stood up and followed Aro to the desk. "I was hoping to speak with you about my mother."

I saw as Aro's eyes flittered over to me for a brief moment before focusing again on Yevgeni. "I believe this is something we can discuss at a later time. Though perhaps it would be best if you went to visit her rather than speaking to me."

"What I need is your advice."

After putting the cards back in the box they came from, I stood up and placed them on the shelf where we had been keeping them. Apparently, the two needed a bit of privacy, so I decided to go into the bedroom and lie down. Now that Aro was back, a comforting feeling flowed through me again, yet it was still mixed with the uncertainty the other brought with him. I knew Aro would find out later when he touched my hand, so I wouldn't ask outright. There was no need.

I went and lay down on the bed and waited for Aro to check in on me, which I knew he would. I wanted to ask Aro about what Yevgeni had said, but as I told the latter, it didn't really concern me. I also still wondered about Yevgeni's mother and who she was to Aro. Was Aro married? I realized for the first time that even though I had been here for well over a month, what I knew about Aro was only related to the guard and our arrangement. All the other details of his life were left out, yet he knew every single detail from mine.

After some time, the bedroom door opened, and Aro stepped in. I sat up on the bed as he came over to sit down next to me. The first thing he did was reach up and touch the braids in my hair with a soft smile on his face. "Did Chelsea do this?"

"She was bored, I guess," was my response.

Aro chuckled before reaching out for my hand. Against better judgment, I pulled back before he could grasp it, and he frowned at the action. "My dear…"

I quickly interjected. "You can, I just wanted to talk to you about it first."

Thankfully, he nodded and put his hand back on his lap. "What would you like to speak about, little one?"

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

He seemed to stop and think for a moment before answering, but I also had the feeling that he knew already what I had planned to ask. "If you must."

"The person who was just here, Chelsea called him Yevgeni. He called you his adoptive father." It wasn't so much of a question as it was curiosity coming out in thought for him to confirm or deny.

"I have never been Yevgeni's father, though he is my wife's son. It is a complicated history, very much like yours in some ways."

Like mine? What did Aro mean by that? "You're married?"

"I am," he stated simply.

"Your wife doesn't stay with you?" It was a risky question. I knew that, but since he was talking, I wanted to know more.

I wasn't sure why my interest was suddenly so strong, but having Yevgeni appear brought many things into perspective. The arrangement Aro and I shared would never be balanced. The scales would always be tipped in his favor, but maybe I could level the playing field a bit by filling in pieces of information I didn't know. I wanted to understand him. There was a part of me that needed to, maybe to understand why people did the things they did just like Aro was studying me to understand more about the human mind. Or so he said.

"She does not. She is in the building but has her rooms elsewhere." Aro tilted his head as if he were thinking, then asked, "Why do my personal affairs interest you?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"I am not offended at the questions, merely amused at why you inquire."

"I just realized that you know everything about me, and I know nothing about you."

Reaching out, I put my hand on top of Aro's this time, and he smiled, clasping it in between both of his hands. He held me there, searching, I suppose, through my more recent memories. I wasn't really sure how this ability of his worked, and I didn't really want to know. The only information that I needed was that it did work.

Aro laughed slightly. "Searching is rather accurate. It is similar to using a search engine on the internet. I ask the question I seek, and I'm able to immediately pull up all the memories related to that question. I can also simply search through the most recent history."

"So you're the vampire version of Google?"

I didn't expect the giddiness that came after my comment as his laughter grew. "I have not heard that one yet, but yes, that comparison works nicely." He released my hand before meeting my eyes, and in a more serious tone, he asked, "Something about Yevgeni disturbs you?"

Nodding, I pulled my knees up into my chest as I rested against the headboard of the bed, my arms around them. "I don't know how to describe it. I imagine he must be okay if Chelsea left me with him, but he doesn't feel safe."

"Yevgeni will not harm you, but it is peculiar that you could feel the change in him as well. His mind is no longer readable to me." It was quiet for a short moment before Aro clapped his hands together and stood. "But you do not wish to know about such things. Come, I'll run you a bath. The warmth will do you well."

About one thing, Aro was wrong. I actually did want to know what it meant, especially since it wasn't just me that felt something off. However, I locked the question away for now as I followed Aro into the bathroom. He had already started the water, and I sat on the counter while I waited for it to fill.

Aro was moving about as usual, and I suddenly remembered only a few nights ago, while Aro was away, when Caius had run a bath for me in his rooms and stayed to wash my hair. Aro had all of those memories as well. Since he touched my hand after returning, he had never said anything about it to me, so I took that as a good sign. He hadn't said much about anything of mine and Caius's activities while he was gone.

I knew Aro wasn't ecstatic about the fact that Caius had let me engage in certain behaviors that my school counselor would call maladaptive, but he had agreed in allowing them under supervision. I wondered if he understood how strange that would be. It was one thing with Caius. He also performed such behaviors but for different reasons, according to Aro. Either way, it was the first time I had felt understood.

Once the bath had filled, I expected Aro to turn around and leave like he usually did. Instead, he didn't move. I waited, not really sure what was going on or what to do. He took a few steps forward finally, but instead of passing by me to the door, he stopped in front of me and reached out for the light sweater I was wearing, which he eased off of my shoulders and off of my arms.

I tensed. What was he doing? I still sat seated on the counter, so my eyes were slightly more at level with his. I had to look down at my knees, my hands gripped tightly against the counter edge and beginning to turn white from tension. He placed his hand on my right one and almost as quickly removed it.

"I only want to try something. I don't wish to make you uncomfortable. You appeared to do fine with Caius. I was hoping I might induce you to the same," Aro told me gently.

"Why?"

"To abate your fears, nothing more, nothing less."

Having nothing to say, I stayed silent. Aro carefully guided me off of the counter, so I was standing in front of him. Not seeing much choice at the moment, I asked, "Can you turn around at least?"

Aro did so, and I undressed before stepping into the bath. Like when I had been in Caius's rooms, I pulled my knees up so I was covered. After a moment, Aro turned back around and knelt down beside me. Him being so close was unnerving, but I didn't mention it. Instead, I stared at the bottom of the tub a couple of feet in front of me.

"Is the water warm enough?" I nodded, and sensing my discomfort perhaps, Aro went to go sit on the counter like I had been doing earlier. His next words gave me pause, and I frowned. "My wife, she was your age when I bought her."

"When you bought her?" I asked, my words not wanting to form from my own memories rushing in.

"Yes. She and her son had been slaves, her master selling her off to different men to make a profit. You understand what that is like." My toes curled as Aro continued to speak. "Over time, she began to trust me and know that I would never harm her. Though I chose her to be my wife, for reasons that are rather unimportant, we did grow to love each other very much, and her fears subsided."

"I don't understand what you're telling me or why you're telling me this."

He sighed. "From what I have researched, it is supposed to be helpful for those who experience a traumatic event to know that they aren't alone."

The fact being, however, Aro had just compared me to his wife. We had been the same age. We had a similar experience. What in the world did Aro want from me? Is that why he had been interested in the first place in keeping me alive? Is that why he behaved differently with me than previous humans he kept to feed on? Demetri mentioned only the second night of me being there, when he took me around the city, that such a thing had never happened before.

I bit my bottom lip. "What do you want from me? Why am I really still alive?"

Hearing Aro's shoes touch the floor, I peered up to see him standing there and studying me. It was a swift moment before he left the bathroom, and the door closed behind him. My heart continued to pound in my chest so loudly that I could hear it as if it were in my ears. The only response he had given me, in answer to my question, was a sly grin, and suddenly, I wasn't so sure if I really wanted to know at all.