Part 6
Xalaria was becoming increasingly annoyed trying to figure out what was worse - having no idea who she was, or her irritating bodyguards. Linus barely said a word, where Gillian couldn't seem to shut up, talking constantly about how her life had changed since she'd met her soulmate.
"So Amy finally broke up with Eugene, Darryl hooked her up with some French guy, then I heard the other day that Tanya Jun was arrested for possession of illegal drunks." She sounded rather smug about that.
Xalaria wondered why the hell she should care. "Why are you telling me all this crap?" she snapped.
Gillian looked over at her, surprised. "Well - we - we thought telling you about our normal lives might help you remember something about your own."
Xalaria snorted. From what she had gathered, these people didn't *want* her remembering. Most of the people she had met seemed nice enough, but it soon became obvious the politeness was forced.
These people were *afraid* of her. It was such a peculiar feeling to know that people were scared of her. It certainly didn't give her any good feelings, she just felt even more uncomfortable.
"Listen, if you want to help, go and find Tristan Abforth for me," Xalaria said. "He spoke to me when I was wandering around after I woke up. He seemed to actually know me."
Gillian turned to look at Linus. "I'll go shall I?"
He just shrugged. "Whatever."
Gillian glanced at him again, seeming kind of nervous, then hurried away. Linus breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God for that. You need a switch on that girl to shut her up. I heard before she found her soulmate she barely said a word."
It was Xalaria's turn to shrug. They were sitting in her room, as she had tired of endless stares and whispering at the poolside.
"Someone had better get word to Unas that you're still alive," Linus said.
Xalaria snorted. "Who's Unas?"
"The guy you work for. Sooner we get you to him, the better."
"Oh." So from what she figured out, this guy was some sort of spy for this Unas person. Had he deliberately tried to get the bodyguard job? "How do we get out?"
"Well, I guess I'll have to talk to Neve. Then again, I don't know how happy she'll be." There was a slight spark of amusement dancing in his blue eyes.
Xalaria remembered the bitchy blonde who had refused to give her name, whining that Xalaria was on her turf. "How am I going to get past Thierry and everyone?"
Linus shrugged. "We'll have to work that one out."
There was a knock on the door. Xalaria drew in a deep breath. She didn't know what to expect, even if Tristan was willing to talk to her. "Can I talk to him alone?"
Linus shrugged a third time. "I guess. We'll be right outside."
Xalaria remained where she was on the window seat, waiting nervously. She was getting pretty tired of having no idea what to expect. She was beginning to believe that having no memory was far more work than actually having one. If you *had* a memory, then you didn't have to think so hard about what your life might really be like. You didn't have to be afraid of what you might turn out to be.
Tristan finally came in. They just looked at each other for what seemed like a very long time to Xalaria. "I didn't expect you call this soon," he said.
"Well, I didn't really know what else to do. You actually seem to like me." She wondered if that were actually true. Then again, he had told her they had been *involved* at some point. Involved in what, was what she wanted to know.
"It's kind of awkward," he said. "What do you know about yourself?"
"I know that I'm an assassin, I work for a man named Unas, everyone here seems scared of me, Rashel hates me and so does someone called Neve."
An expression of surprise crossed Tristan's handsome features. "Unas who?"
Xalaria shook her head. "I didn't catch his last name." She decided it would be smart not to mention that Linus was the one who had told her.
He sat on the edge pf the bed. "How'd you hear that?"
"I overheard some people talking, I didn't get a look at who, I heard them from round a corner." A reasonable lie. Xalaria was disturbed at how easy it was. "So tell me about us."
Tristan smiled. "It's kind of a weird thing. I was hired to take you down. I was a spy on your group, when I went to seduce you we discovered our soulmate connection. Soulmates is - "
"I know," Xalaria cut him off. She didn't feel like listening to the explanation again. She hadn't thought she'd have one of her own. From what she'd been told it sounded like it took a touch to spark the whole thing off. She wasn't sure if she was ready for it yet.
"Anyway, neither of us were very pleased at who I was. We decided to call it quits, faked my death to the Night World council, then I came back to Daybreak."
"And they just accepted you failed?"
Tristan nodded. She got the impression there was something else he wasn't telling her. She couldn't really explain why she felt that way, so for now, she decided to keep her mouth shut.
"Some blonde named Neve seems to despise me," she said, deciding to change the subject. "When I first woke up and was wandering around I ran into her, and she seemed furious that I was on her turf."
"Neve Winterson," Tristan told her. "Vamp/witch half breed. I'm not to sure on who she is."
"How come Rashel hates me as well?"
Tristan shook his head, black hair falling across his eyes. He stood up and started to move over to her. Xalaria felt her skin begin to tingle. "I don't know. I sort of keep my distance from you, at your request," he told her.
Xalaria stood up, moving away from him before he could touch her. She glared at him, not sure what else to do. "Okay, thanks. You can go away now."
He looked hurt, then sighed and nodded. "Fine." He left the room.
Xalaria felt relief washing over her once he was gone. She was also glad to finally be alone for once. She was sick of being cooped up. She wanted to get out of the mansion, without her bodyguards following.
She got up and pressed her ear against the door. She could hear Gillian's voice talking with Tristan. Then she walked back to the window that opened. It wasn't *that* far to the ground. And she was a vampire, after all.
Telling herself not to think about it, she sat on the windowsill and dropped to the ground below, bending her knees and landing neatly like a cat. She slipped in and out of shadows, looking for a back exit, dodging people and staff, and finally managing to find one. Allowing herself a satisfied smirk, she ran though.
* * *
Xalaria was becoming increasingly annoyed trying to figure out what was worse - having no idea who she was, or her irritating bodyguards. Linus barely said a word, where Gillian couldn't seem to shut up, talking constantly about how her life had changed since she'd met her soulmate.
"So Amy finally broke up with Eugene, Darryl hooked her up with some French guy, then I heard the other day that Tanya Jun was arrested for possession of illegal drunks." She sounded rather smug about that.
Xalaria wondered why the hell she should care. "Why are you telling me all this crap?" she snapped.
Gillian looked over at her, surprised. "Well - we - we thought telling you about our normal lives might help you remember something about your own."
Xalaria snorted. From what she had gathered, these people didn't *want* her remembering. Most of the people she had met seemed nice enough, but it soon became obvious the politeness was forced.
These people were *afraid* of her. It was such a peculiar feeling to know that people were scared of her. It certainly didn't give her any good feelings, she just felt even more uncomfortable.
"Listen, if you want to help, go and find Tristan Abforth for me," Xalaria said. "He spoke to me when I was wandering around after I woke up. He seemed to actually know me."
Gillian turned to look at Linus. "I'll go shall I?"
He just shrugged. "Whatever."
Gillian glanced at him again, seeming kind of nervous, then hurried away. Linus breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God for that. You need a switch on that girl to shut her up. I heard before she found her soulmate she barely said a word."
It was Xalaria's turn to shrug. They were sitting in her room, as she had tired of endless stares and whispering at the poolside.
"Someone had better get word to Unas that you're still alive," Linus said.
Xalaria snorted. "Who's Unas?"
"The guy you work for. Sooner we get you to him, the better."
"Oh." So from what she figured out, this guy was some sort of spy for this Unas person. Had he deliberately tried to get the bodyguard job? "How do we get out?"
"Well, I guess I'll have to talk to Neve. Then again, I don't know how happy she'll be." There was a slight spark of amusement dancing in his blue eyes.
Xalaria remembered the bitchy blonde who had refused to give her name, whining that Xalaria was on her turf. "How am I going to get past Thierry and everyone?"
Linus shrugged. "We'll have to work that one out."
There was a knock on the door. Xalaria drew in a deep breath. She didn't know what to expect, even if Tristan was willing to talk to her. "Can I talk to him alone?"
Linus shrugged a third time. "I guess. We'll be right outside."
Xalaria remained where she was on the window seat, waiting nervously. She was getting pretty tired of having no idea what to expect. She was beginning to believe that having no memory was far more work than actually having one. If you *had* a memory, then you didn't have to think so hard about what your life might really be like. You didn't have to be afraid of what you might turn out to be.
Tristan finally came in. They just looked at each other for what seemed like a very long time to Xalaria. "I didn't expect you call this soon," he said.
"Well, I didn't really know what else to do. You actually seem to like me." She wondered if that were actually true. Then again, he had told her they had been *involved* at some point. Involved in what, was what she wanted to know.
"It's kind of awkward," he said. "What do you know about yourself?"
"I know that I'm an assassin, I work for a man named Unas, everyone here seems scared of me, Rashel hates me and so does someone called Neve."
An expression of surprise crossed Tristan's handsome features. "Unas who?"
Xalaria shook her head. "I didn't catch his last name." She decided it would be smart not to mention that Linus was the one who had told her.
He sat on the edge pf the bed. "How'd you hear that?"
"I overheard some people talking, I didn't get a look at who, I heard them from round a corner." A reasonable lie. Xalaria was disturbed at how easy it was. "So tell me about us."
Tristan smiled. "It's kind of a weird thing. I was hired to take you down. I was a spy on your group, when I went to seduce you we discovered our soulmate connection. Soulmates is - "
"I know," Xalaria cut him off. She didn't feel like listening to the explanation again. She hadn't thought she'd have one of her own. From what she'd been told it sounded like it took a touch to spark the whole thing off. She wasn't sure if she was ready for it yet.
"Anyway, neither of us were very pleased at who I was. We decided to call it quits, faked my death to the Night World council, then I came back to Daybreak."
"And they just accepted you failed?"
Tristan nodded. She got the impression there was something else he wasn't telling her. She couldn't really explain why she felt that way, so for now, she decided to keep her mouth shut.
"Some blonde named Neve seems to despise me," she said, deciding to change the subject. "When I first woke up and was wandering around I ran into her, and she seemed furious that I was on her turf."
"Neve Winterson," Tristan told her. "Vamp/witch half breed. I'm not to sure on who she is."
"How come Rashel hates me as well?"
Tristan shook his head, black hair falling across his eyes. He stood up and started to move over to her. Xalaria felt her skin begin to tingle. "I don't know. I sort of keep my distance from you, at your request," he told her.
Xalaria stood up, moving away from him before he could touch her. She glared at him, not sure what else to do. "Okay, thanks. You can go away now."
He looked hurt, then sighed and nodded. "Fine." He left the room.
Xalaria felt relief washing over her once he was gone. She was also glad to finally be alone for once. She was sick of being cooped up. She wanted to get out of the mansion, without her bodyguards following.
She got up and pressed her ear against the door. She could hear Gillian's voice talking with Tristan. Then she walked back to the window that opened. It wasn't *that* far to the ground. And she was a vampire, after all.
Telling herself not to think about it, she sat on the windowsill and dropped to the ground below, bending her knees and landing neatly like a cat. She slipped in and out of shadows, looking for a back exit, dodging people and staff, and finally managing to find one. Allowing herself a satisfied smirk, she ran though.
* * *