A few notes to start:

Parvulus = Little one

Lamia = Vampire

Enjoy!


Chapter 2: To Have a Friend


Alea's POV


The cool ground that had lulled me to sleep was what woke me from my painless slumber. Pins and needles shot through my body, spreading down every limb, and hitting every nerve, reminding me exactly where I was. It was as though I was floating just above my body, a void of black surrounding me, blocking out all light. It was cold, and the artificial chill left me breathless, I felt unnaturally stiff, and feeble. I didn't feel as though I was in control of my body, it refused to move as I regained consciousness.

"Move," I whispered to myself. It came out strained and cracked in my mind, but my lips never uttered the words. In fact, I couldn't hear anything, it was empty. The fact that I was alive was surprising, I had never felt this drained, this was all so strange, why were none of my senses working. I tried to take a deep breath, but nothing happened my body didn't move. Was I even breathing, to begin with?

Maybe I was dead. Maybe this is what the afterlife was, this haunting, endless hovering over your own corpse. I shuddered.

"Death is not what awaits you parvulus," a voice whispered. It didn't sound as though it was coming from around me, but rather, from deep within my subconscious. I flinched. Was it perhaps the other person in this cell? Or maybe just a figment of my imagination?

"I assure you, I am no vampire parvulus, and I am most definitely not your imagination" I imagined myself squinting questionably, even though my face did not mirror the expression. What on earth was a vampire? Was that what was in the cell with me?

"A vampire is a walker of the night, a lamia, they are hunters." The voice seemed to pause. "Humans are their prey," I froze, so that's what 'last meal' meant. So, this was to be my end then, eaten by some creature of the night.

"You have nothing to fear of Godric parvulus, he will not harm you." The voice sounded so certain, "He will be waking soon, so we must finish this conversation swiftly, the elders have ordered me to inform you of some things,"

Elders? Parvulus? Vampires? What did any of this mean, and where the fuck did all of this come from? I was too astonished to speak let alone to register what was happening, and the mysterious voice took full advantage of that.

"Edger Grey searches for you relentlessly, he will not stop until he finds you parvulus until he has your powers at his disposal. Leaving you with him was the elders greatest regret, we are hoping that Godric can help to rectify that mistake." He paused, and I felt a warmth spread through my body, my limbs reacting, a groan reached my lips. It was audible this time, I could hear it through the ringing of my ears.

I felt what I assumed was a hand on my shoulder, as my mind slowly started fading back into reality around me, to my aching skin, it burned. The pain hit me then fully, and if I could have screamed, I would have, it was unbearable.

A heavy feeling settled in my throat as I tried to reign in my thoughts, to focus on something besides the burning. I needed to know, what had been keeping me locked up all those years. What had led to my isolation?

What am I? That was the key question, wasn't it?

I didn't ask it, but whoever was speaking to me must have understood my unease. The apparition's presence in my mind shifted before one last thought invaded my subconscious.

"You are death parvulus…" I felt his presence leave my mind, and I was left alone in my shock.

The smell hit me then, iron. It was heavy in the air, to the point that I was surprised I didn't notice it sooner. It was thick, and I was astonished at the intensity. I couldn't see it, but I had no doubt I was lying in a pool of my blood. My eyes opened slowly, as the rest of my senses came back to me.

I felt the tears rolling softly down my cheeks now. The hand on my shoulder was now fully apparent. It was surprisingly cold, it felt urgent as it gently shook my no doubt lifeless looking body. I took a sharp inhale, my lungs protesting at the sudden breath, how long hadn't I been breathing?

I groaned in protest as I maneuvered up to my elbows, before leaning up and back, resting gently on my hands and knees. I wrapped my arms around my chilled body as I leaned up, sitting rather awkwardly on my heels, quickly becoming aware of my lack of clothing, and the chill of my cell. I felt the body above me flinch, and the hand on my shoulder tense, as it pulled away. I managed to glance my face up the rest of the way, to meet this vampire. I don't know what I was expecting. A grotesque man, covered in blood, ghostly skin, maybe some broken teeth.

Oh, how wrong I was. I could only stare at him, the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen. His green eyes bore into my own. I could see the shock on his face, in his eyes. He was probably shocked at my tears; they were haunting after all. Before I could move to wipe them off, he spoke.

"How?... How are you alive little one?" I stared at him with a question, how was I supposed to answer that?

"Just lucky I suppose," was all I managed to get out. I didn't speak often, the words came out quiet, and I was surprised that he had heard them as he shook his head, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Little one, you were dead," the shock in his voice made me shake, dead? "Your heart was stopped, and blood didn't pump through your veins, you were dead. Your heart just seemed to start itself once again, and life flowed through you once more. You should not be breathing little one."

I felt cold, as though I had just been slapped, that was impossible. How could I possibly have died? A sudden shock hit my body as my eyes went wide, this vampire seemed to notice as he shifted closer. His body was imposing, but not in the way that I was used to. It felt, safe? He smelled heavily of something intoxicating, I couldn't nail the scent down, there was a good chance I had never smelled something even close to it. I marveled in it as I tried to calm down and rationalize my thinking, wiping my eyes clear with my left hand.

'You are death parvulus…' I thought the words cautiously. Whoever I had been talking to told me I was death. Did that mean I couldn't die? Or did he bring me back? I shook my head, I had never been this confused or afraid, I just wanted to be free, why did I keep getting dragged through one hell after the other.

'I just want to see the sun,' I thought to myself, leaning back into a sitting position, my back pressing against the wall, I hissed. The gouges gracing my back protested my movement. There was a shirt in front of my face in the next instance. This vampire, Godric, was holding it out in front of me. His eyes showing compassion, and rage.

"I am sorry they did this to you little one," he said, his voice betrayed his eyes. His voice was soft and melodic, his eyes held malice. A spike of fear shot down my spine at the sight. He seemed to notice and sighed, backing away softly before standing and turning around, no doubt giving me space to pull the shirt on.

"I will not harm you, little one," His voice was soft, and his shoulders were slumped forward. He looked broken. I tried to shake off the look, but it was sticking with me, what had made him upset?

After a pretty good deal of effort, I managed to get the shirt over my head, I leaned back with a pained grunt.

"Thank you, Godric," Godric flinched at my voice, before he turned swiftly, surprise once again evident in his expression. Was he not used to being surprised?

"How do you know my name?" I paused, he had never told it to me, so it was understandable for him to be confused. I sighed, how do I explain this, would he even believe me? I sure as hell wouldn't.

"Someone told me, while I was laying on the floor," I glanced to the puddle of blood to my left and frowned. Was this even real? Or was I still trapped in my basement hell, imagining this? As I glanced to Godric I knew it had to be real, how could I possibly have imagined someone so beautiful. If I still had blood in my body I probably would have blushed.

"Who? I did not sense anyone else's presence in or around this cell, and the only other scent is that of." He paused, his eyes darkening. "The man that brought you here."

"Well, I'm not really sure who he was, I didn't actually see him." Yep, definitely sounded crazy. "He was here, but not, at the same time. It was like he was speaking directly into my head." I looked at him with a small stressed smile, expecting a look of distrust. Instead, I was met with a breathtaking smile. I felt my heart skip a beat, what on earth was happening to me?

"I like your smile," I practically blurted out, my voice slightly louder. Godric looked at me, smile still firmly on his face though it no longer reached his eyes. They were sad, their green hues dull. I frowned.

"You certainly are an interesting little human." He said as he stood, crossing his arms behind his back. He stood tall, but he almost looked defeated.

"Why are you in this cell?" I asked, leaning more of my weight against the wall, the dizziness returning. I wanted to hear his voice again, to hear its soothing melody.

"I am here voluntarily." He said, his head dropping, I could just barely see the sorrowful look on his face from my place on the floor. Defeated.

I tensed, why would he want to be here. There must be better places to be. Hell, I had only been outside my basement for a few minutes and I knew that.

"I was planning on meeting the sun, a sacrifice so my kind can live in peace with humans." His voice held no conviction. He knew this plan wouldn't work, so why was he still following it? My eyes met his, and surprise laced his face once again. What had I done this time?

"I take it meeting the sun means dying?" He looked at me with solemn eyes, before nodding softly. "I don't know much about vampires," I chuckled harshly, "I don't know a lot about most things to be honest." He looked as though he was going to ask what I had meant, before he stopped himself, looking at me to finish my thought.

"Why, why do you want to meet the sun? Why would you want to die?" It was a foreign concept to me, even having been locked away I still had a will to live. A will to see the sun, to see anything except that room. I must have sounded distraught, because Godric sighed softly, before sitting next to me in one graceful motion.

"There is nothing left for me in this world, I have been around too long." He glanced up at the ceiling. "I have lived countless lifetimes; I have claimed countless lives. I am a monster at best, death at worst." He paused, as if questioning himself, perhaps questioning why he was sharing this with me. He continued regardless.

"Why do I deserve to continue living, after all my wrongdoings?" He was tired, tired of being this monster that he has portrayed himself as. It must be terrible trying to keep up the façade. I impulsively laid my hand on top of his, the coolness making me flinch before I settled into it. Being near him, touching him, was comforting. Maybe it was due to my lack of kind human interaction, but I felt close to him. Like he was a missing piece of my soul.

I didn't know what to say. To this man who had accepted defeat, all I knew was that I couldn't lose him. I didn't know why, but I knew I could not bear this world without him. Strange, how things work out. I looked to him slowly, he was examining my hand that was lain over his. I looked so delicate, breakable. Godric felt the same to me, perhaps we both needed saving in this case.

"Do you think dying is the answer? With all the pain you caused, you would think you would spend your time trying to make up for your wrongdoings, not run from them." He was watching me intently, thoroughly analyzing my words. He leaned back and sighed again.

"All I have ever done is run, run to survive. That has always been my way, and I have grown very tired of it." I squeezed his hand tightly, drawing his attention to my eyes. His gaze bore into my own.

"Then perhaps it's time to find another way to live," he looked at me thoughtfully, before smiling once again. It stayed on his face this time, as he analyzed me.

"You may be right, little one," He paused, "Why are you here?" He said, obviously trying to change the subject. The memories of the past few days hit me. It took my breath away and I had to stop myself from shaking.

"Guess you could just call me unlucky," I sighed, running my free hand through my matted hair. "I had just escaped from one hell only to be thrown right into another." Godric looked at me confused. I already knew what he was going to ask, so I resumed talking, my words coming out shakily.

"For as long as I can remember I have been locked up, in fact, my first time being outside was just a few days ago. I finally got to see the stars." I looked away from his piercing gaze, he looked angry. I couldn't tell with what, I gulped and continued talking.

"My, father I suppose you could call him, was hell-bent on unlocking some 'powers' that he was convinced I had. So, he never let me leave, he kept me locked up downstairs. He would do everything from starve me to beat me to try and get his wish." I didn't like talking about this, it was raw, and it still burned at my soul. "He will never know now," I added, a venomous sting to my voice.

"A few days ago, I managed to escape, I unlocked my door with some springs from the mattress I was allowed. As I was walking down the road away from that house Gabe found me, he thought I was a fang banger." I laughed dryly. "I didn't even know what that was, I still really don't." Godric was shaking, physically shaking.

"I have been here ever since. They have tried everything to get the name of my 'master' out. I guess yesterday they were finally tired of not getting an answer. Now here I am." I pulled my hand away from Godric's, suddenly feeling very small. I just wanted to hide away, Godric's stare bore right through me, I could feel the anger coming off him.

"They will never harm you again little one," His voice was so confident and firm, I trusted every word, I couldn't help but turn my gaze back to him. His eyes were fierce, and he looked ready to tear someone apart. "I swear it." He looked so strong and so determined. That's when I realized what he had been missing, what he needed.

He needed purpose, something to keep him going and I needed a friend, someone to help me through this world, perhaps we could help each other.

"Alea," he looked at me with surprise and confusion once again, his head tilting to the side. He looked, cute?

"My name is Alea," the smile that lit up his face was breathtaking.

"Alea," he tested my name, and it sent a shiver down my spine to hear him say my it. It sounded foreign on his lips.

"Godric? Would you be my friend?" He looked shocked. I guess I was just good at surprising people.

"I've… I've never had a friend before." His hand grabbed mine as I finished my sentence. He squeezed it gently.

"I would love to be your friend little one," his voice was so sincere, I couldn't help the smile that graced my lips. This was perhaps the first real good thing that had happened to me. Now we just had to figure out how to get out of here.

Godric was still staring at me when we heard the scream, I felt a shiver go down my spine, my head snapped to look in the direction of the bloodcurdling noise, I was up in the next second. A harsh gasp came to my lips as pain shot through my body, Godric was at my side in the next second.

"There's a woman Godric, she needs help," I managed to get out, still gasping for breath as tears clouded my vision. Godric's presence was the only thing keeping me sane.

"I know little one," He stared at the cage's door, before simply walking up to it and kicking it down. The pure strength left me gaping in awe, for a moment I forgot the pain. He was amazing.

He was gone in the next second, through the door and towards the scream. I shakily rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my vision, my tears not making it easy as I did my best to hobble after him, my entire body protesting. I rounded the corner just in time to see Godric snap Gabe's neck, he tossed the giants body to the floor effortlessly. I swallowed harshly but couldn't find pity for the man. After all, he had done, he deserved worse. Godric was at my side again, a frown on his face.

"It seems as though we are going to be making our escape little one," I nodded, "You are too weak to travel in your current state, and I need you to trust me." I furrowed my eyebrows, what was he planning?

In the next instant there was a wrist, check that, a bleeding wrist in front of my face. If I could go any paler, I would have.

"Uh, what?" I raised my hand in question, trying to move his arm but he kept it firmly in place.

"It will heal you little one, you need to drink it." His face was serious, and I was stunned. So, I did the only thing my little brain could come up with at the time.

I laughed, and it hurt, badly. Godric's frown was the only thing that kept me from breaking out into a full-on laughing fit. I stared into his eyes and saw no deceit, before nodding. As I reached up to grab his wrist, I heard a sudden gasp, there were other people here? It clicked as I looked around the room, my eyes landing on a petite little blond woman, she was who Godric had saved.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you girly!" I looked at her questioningly before looking back to Godric, and I knew exactly what to do.

I flashed the girl a quick smile, before grabbing Godric's wrist, and drinking.

Drinking the blood wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It was thick and rich. It was far more divine than anything else I had ever tasted. I got lost in it, swallow after swallow. I felt the wounds on my back slowly close, I felt strong. Far before I was ready the wrist pulled away, Godric's hand settling softly on my head as I licked the remainder of the blood off my lips.

"I feel, better," I whispered, looking to Godric, he simply smiled before turning his head towards the stairwell behind me.

"I am down here my child," Godric said, it was soft, almost loving and I-. Wait a minute. Child? I turned my head around to face the door just in time for this absolute brute of a man to appear. He was almost as beautiful as Godric, his tall stature towering over all of us, his blue eyes completely ignoring everything in the room except for Godric. The admiration and love in his eyes left me speechless.

Now I may not know much about genetics, but there is no way these two were related. I glanced between them questioningly, trying to find the words to say.

"Oh, they aren't human-related sweetie, more like a Godric made Eric type relation." The little blond said, how did she know what I was thinking? How was that supposed to help my already jumbled thoughts? I went to open my mouth to speak before this, Eric, beat me to it.

"What happened to, 'the blood is sacred'?" I stared at the tall male. This was all far too confusing, but at least I can stand without fear of falling now.

"We will discuss this later, for now, get these two out of here, and Eric," Godric's tone shifted ever so slightly, and it seemed as though only Eric and I picked up on it. "Spill no blood on your way out."


And that is chapter 2. I am really enjoying how this story is turning out, and I hope that you are enjoying it as well. Please let me know what you think! Je t'aime my lovelies.