SUMMARY: Flashback to when Alexander meets his mentor, and some other
goodies besides. Enjoy, and as always please review. Cheers.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anybody here except Teri, Gavin Karras (brownie points to the reviewer who knows where I got that surname ;-), and James Rice (yes, I decided that would be his last name.). The others belong to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes and her publishers. I just toy around with them.
Alexander walked the streets of New York, thinking about the girl called Teri Mere. She had not become completely speechless, as he had at first expected she would be. There had been too many emotions running through her, so he was not able to gauge her exact reaction. But there was fear there, laced with a little hopelessness and heightened with uncertainty. There had also been a small surge of pride, but it was so tiny as to be almost unnoticeable and was quickly shot down by the all powerful fear. She had asked him to tell her everything, and as he walked her home he had told her all he knew of vampires; the revelations about herself as a witch would have to be put off until she had at least a single night to contemplate her identity without the extra knowledge he would have to impart. It was more important that a girl with no physical training learn about her enemies first. Her friends would have to come later.
As they had walked on, the din of the traffic had acted as a background to the drama which Alexander was slowly unfolding before the silent girl. He told her of the immortal Siete and the seven vampiric lines which carried on his legacy of death, mentioning some of the more notable members of each line as he went along. He told her of the two vampiric establishments most feared by those who did not call them home, New Mayhem and Midnight. He briefly explained the human slave trade and had felt her tense, although from what he did not know. He made a mental note to ask her about it later.
Alexander could not help feeling some measure of regret for the girl. She had been drawn into a world of blood and death at the tender age of fourteen, a world where she would need to learn to fight if she wanted to live. A bit of himself tried to rationalize; after all, didn't the Vidas and Aruns learn to fight at eight, learning to kill by the time they reached Teri's age? He shook the thought from his head. Those witches had been brought up knowing that there were demons who walked the earth in human form, unlike Teri. The girl, until a few hours ago not knowing the origins of her mental abilities, was currently attending school with one of the weaker fledglings of Kendra and a human blood-bonded to Aubrey. No doubt the message that a very young Triste girl with a considerable amount of power was currently attending high school had been relayed the moment James and Gavin had seen Teri. By now, with the sun down on a far from peaceful city, he was sure that the message had been sent up the chain of command. By now, the information was probably known to all but the most insignificant of vampires.
Teri was unremarkable to the casual observer due to her plain features, a trait which would work to her advantage. But he would need to teach her how to disguise her aura. It was strange, he had never seen an aura so strong in one so young. She must have been training her mental abilities from early on, practicing on the people around her. He allowed himself to chuckle when he thought of the confusion and discomfort she must have caused her initial hapless victims.
As he thought about how he would manage to teach the girl all she would need to know, his thoughts wandered back over two hundred years, to the day when he had wandered into the forest by his father's house, searching for answers to a question still not clear in his mind.
(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)
*If anybody out there can tell me what's happening to me, please help me.* Alexander wandered through the forest, tripping over tree roots, oblivious to the brambles catching at his face. The snow was getting heavier and he could see his breath in front of his eyes, but he did not care about the freezing cold. There was too much on his mind for him to notice, and he continued to meander between the trees. His mind was writhing, and his thoughts were all centered around a single, mind numbing idea. *I nearly killed my sister. I thought I could control it. If I just left it alone and didn't think about using it, nothing would happen and I could continue to live as a normal farmer, living off the land. It was all a dream, a foolish dream.*
The fire had been burning steadily lower all day, and a chill was beginning to enter the house. Alexander was sitting at the table, working at carving a design into a piece of wood. His sisters had been preparing supper; Lynette was stirring the pot hanging over the flames, and Rachael had just gone into the cellar for some herbs. He had noticed that the fire was not as warm as it should be, and thought it should be a bit larger, especially for cooking.
Then came the screams.
The fire had - there was no other word for it - jumped from the hearth. While Lynette had been standing over it. Rachael ran to her side, dragging the hysterical girl away from the flames and pouring the bath water over her. Alexander had tried to move, to rush to Lynette's side and comfort her. But he was unable to step forward, only to watch in morbid fascination as Rachael fought the flames which were threatening to overtake the house.
She had pleaded with him to talk to the minister, but he had shaken off the thought. He was damned, a witch who could use his powers to kill. When father had brought Lynette back from the doctor, he had fussed over her like a worried hen. But when all had been asleep, he slipped out of bed, put on his boots and cloak, grabbed a lantern, and escaped into the night.
And now he was here, alone, his back against the trunk of a skeletal tree and all hope gone from his heart.
"I believe you called for somebody, young man?" Came a high, reedy voice from behind him.
Alexander whirled around to see a middle aged woman wearing full skirts and a worn looking fur lined cloak. "What. how. who are you?"
The woman shook a finger at him. "Ah, you would like answers, would you not? P'raps I shall give you them." Her lips curved into an unnerving smile. "But only if you ask them of me properly." She leaned against a tree and waited expectantly.
"Pardon me, ma'am. But I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh really," she had a strange twinkle in her eyes. "Shall I give you a hint?"
"Yes, please." Alexander was nervous. He didn't like the way this woman was looking at him, half amused, half disappointed.
*Like this.*
Alexander nearly jumped out of his skin. He had been prepared for anything, not that. *What are you?* He was alarmed. Was this a demon come to torment him, to initiate him into some profane religion of Satan? Did he really want to know?
*A witch much like yourself. But you knew that already, didn't you my dear.* She smiled and Alexander was dimly aware of a desire to run far away. But he found that his legs would not obey him. *Come here, child.* His legs walked him toward the strange woman, propelled by a force other than his own will. *Take my hand.* He complied, and suddenly he was in a different place entirely.
"Do not make a sound," she whispered. "You would do well not to let them hear you." She crept through the trees, motioning for Alexander to follow her. "Watch." They were at the edge of a town which seemed to be crawling with people. All of them had eyes black as pitch. And they all had an air of malevolence that seemed almost physical. As he looked on, somebody went flying out the door of one of the buildings close to him, his blond hair in disarray. Another person ran down the steps to the man lying helpless on the ground. The distance the blond man had been thrown and the force with which he had hit the ground must have broken several bones, but Alexander had to stifle a gasp as the man got up again and pounced on the person who was coming up fast behind him. The two sparred for a bit, and the blond man went down once again. The person who had him pinned down punched the blond man in the face before looking him squarely in the eyes.
"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you now, and I just might let you go." The voice was like honey, and to Alexander's infinite shock, it was the voice of a woman. Now that she was still, he could see her elegant, slightly curved features. There was no way she could have been strong enough to do what he had just seen her do.
"Because I would give you my blood," came the impassioned plea from the now helpless man. Alexander wondered briefly what the man meant. He didn't have to wait long for an answer.
"Hmm. A tempting offer. Very well, I accept." The woman sprouted fangs and bit into the helpless man's neck. Alexander felt the world fade to black. (===================================================================)
"You really must get used to that, you know," came a distant voice.
Alexander's eyes snapped open to see the woman who had brought him to that place of demons. He was sure that was what they were, what else could they be? He stood up, briefly noticing that they were on the edge of the forest outside his home. The sun still had yet to rise, and the stars shone merrily overhead. The snow was as milk under the shimmering moon.
"You are wondering what that was, are you not?"
"Were those," he paused, afraid to speak the word, "demons?"
"Very good." She looked pleased. "They are indeed. They are called vampires, and they suck the blood from the living to survive." Alexander shivered, an involuntary spasm which had nothing to do with the cold winter air. "They are not alive; their hearts do not beat within their breasts, their blood stagnates in their veins. They heal with incredible speed, the weakest among them has the strength of ten men, and they are immortal." Alexander's jaw dropped at the last statement. "You do not believe me? My sweet child, did you not see them? Was there a single one who looked to be over thirty years of age?" Alexander shook his head. "Besides, you will have an eternity to observe them for yourself.
"I must leave you now, Alexander. Call for me a week from tonight when you are quite alone. My name is Desdra. Good night." With that, the woman Desdra vanished, leaving Alexander to contemplate her last words in silent fear.
"You will have an eternity to observe them for yourself."
(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)
Alexander pulled himself from his reverie. He could sense somebody vampiric nearby, somebody painfully familiar.
"Hello Rachael."
He turned to face his twin, taking in her striped hair. She had not changed it since the last time they had met. Her eyes betrayed no emotion at the mention of her old, human name. Two hundred years had turned his sister, once so innocent, into a hardened killer. Whatever emotion she felt, it was buried deep in a place where nobody could find it, not even the brother who had been closer to her than anybody. She was thoroughly businesslike.
"So, Alex. I hear you have found yourself a student." A hint of a mirthless smile played about her lips.
"And that would be any concern of yours because?" She might be Rachael somewhere deep inside, but for all intensive purposes she was still the vampiress Risika, and she had a reputation in the vampiric world after only two centuries. That in and of itself was a reason to fear her. "Tristes, as you are no doubt aware, are not the most loved creatures among my kind. There are those who would wish her harm, more so because she is being trained by Risika's brother. You are not with some amount of renown in vampiric society, and you have enemies who would love to get to you through the wonderful opportunity which the girl presents to them. Guard her carefully, Alex. Our kinds may not see eye to eye, but that doesn't mean that I wish to see my brother hurt."
"My thanks, Rachael." He still refused to call her by her new name. It was predatory, and he knew that he would never be able to think of her in that way.
"Happy hunting, Alex." She smiled, and blinked out. She had probably gone to New Mayhem, the home base of Silver's line. No doubt Aubrey, as well as a few others, would be wondering what new information she had brought to light.
Her parting comment had almost made him laugh out loud. Fancy a vampire telling a hunter to go about his duties. Alexander was not the most skilled with a blade, he would gladly leave that title to Dominique Vida. Yet his mental control and the grasp of the abilities which that facilitated made him a menacing enough foe that only a few dared to seek him out.
Alexander opened the door to his apartment building and walked upstairs. He did not hunt as much as he should during the height of the school year, there were too many papers to grade. When he entered the modest one bedroom that was his home, he dropped the bag he had been carrying and went over to the closet. He changed into a more serviceable shirt and pair of pants and put on a leather jacket which had become soft with use. Before exiting, he removed the silver knife from its hiding place above the doorframe and slipped it into a sheath at his hip.
(===================================================================)
Meanwhile, Teri was scanning the book Tiger, Tiger, looking for any information on Triste witches. She had already gathered that they could manipulate fire, and that their blood was poisonous to any vampire who drank it. But that was it, unless.
Teri felt weak, and a few barely cohesive thoughts flashed quickly through her mind before a blessed unconsciousness overtook her.
*He's still alive after two hundred years.*
*I'm like he is.*
*I wont die.*
(===================================================================)
A/N: Ok, I know what you're thinking. "What the hell? You made Risika sound like she had a stick up her rectum!" Well I'm sorry, but she really has pushed her emotions down pretty far, and.and.and I think I'm trying to rationalize it to myself. Very bad. Oh, and before I foget, thank-yous must be given to the following people who flattered me into a sort of giddy, bouncing off the walls type elation: Shattered Destiny, Krikoris, and Aya.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anybody here except Teri, Gavin Karras (brownie points to the reviewer who knows where I got that surname ;-), and James Rice (yes, I decided that would be his last name.). The others belong to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes and her publishers. I just toy around with them.
Alexander walked the streets of New York, thinking about the girl called Teri Mere. She had not become completely speechless, as he had at first expected she would be. There had been too many emotions running through her, so he was not able to gauge her exact reaction. But there was fear there, laced with a little hopelessness and heightened with uncertainty. There had also been a small surge of pride, but it was so tiny as to be almost unnoticeable and was quickly shot down by the all powerful fear. She had asked him to tell her everything, and as he walked her home he had told her all he knew of vampires; the revelations about herself as a witch would have to be put off until she had at least a single night to contemplate her identity without the extra knowledge he would have to impart. It was more important that a girl with no physical training learn about her enemies first. Her friends would have to come later.
As they had walked on, the din of the traffic had acted as a background to the drama which Alexander was slowly unfolding before the silent girl. He told her of the immortal Siete and the seven vampiric lines which carried on his legacy of death, mentioning some of the more notable members of each line as he went along. He told her of the two vampiric establishments most feared by those who did not call them home, New Mayhem and Midnight. He briefly explained the human slave trade and had felt her tense, although from what he did not know. He made a mental note to ask her about it later.
Alexander could not help feeling some measure of regret for the girl. She had been drawn into a world of blood and death at the tender age of fourteen, a world where she would need to learn to fight if she wanted to live. A bit of himself tried to rationalize; after all, didn't the Vidas and Aruns learn to fight at eight, learning to kill by the time they reached Teri's age? He shook the thought from his head. Those witches had been brought up knowing that there were demons who walked the earth in human form, unlike Teri. The girl, until a few hours ago not knowing the origins of her mental abilities, was currently attending school with one of the weaker fledglings of Kendra and a human blood-bonded to Aubrey. No doubt the message that a very young Triste girl with a considerable amount of power was currently attending high school had been relayed the moment James and Gavin had seen Teri. By now, with the sun down on a far from peaceful city, he was sure that the message had been sent up the chain of command. By now, the information was probably known to all but the most insignificant of vampires.
Teri was unremarkable to the casual observer due to her plain features, a trait which would work to her advantage. But he would need to teach her how to disguise her aura. It was strange, he had never seen an aura so strong in one so young. She must have been training her mental abilities from early on, practicing on the people around her. He allowed himself to chuckle when he thought of the confusion and discomfort she must have caused her initial hapless victims.
As he thought about how he would manage to teach the girl all she would need to know, his thoughts wandered back over two hundred years, to the day when he had wandered into the forest by his father's house, searching for answers to a question still not clear in his mind.
(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)
*If anybody out there can tell me what's happening to me, please help me.* Alexander wandered through the forest, tripping over tree roots, oblivious to the brambles catching at his face. The snow was getting heavier and he could see his breath in front of his eyes, but he did not care about the freezing cold. There was too much on his mind for him to notice, and he continued to meander between the trees. His mind was writhing, and his thoughts were all centered around a single, mind numbing idea. *I nearly killed my sister. I thought I could control it. If I just left it alone and didn't think about using it, nothing would happen and I could continue to live as a normal farmer, living off the land. It was all a dream, a foolish dream.*
The fire had been burning steadily lower all day, and a chill was beginning to enter the house. Alexander was sitting at the table, working at carving a design into a piece of wood. His sisters had been preparing supper; Lynette was stirring the pot hanging over the flames, and Rachael had just gone into the cellar for some herbs. He had noticed that the fire was not as warm as it should be, and thought it should be a bit larger, especially for cooking.
Then came the screams.
The fire had - there was no other word for it - jumped from the hearth. While Lynette had been standing over it. Rachael ran to her side, dragging the hysterical girl away from the flames and pouring the bath water over her. Alexander had tried to move, to rush to Lynette's side and comfort her. But he was unable to step forward, only to watch in morbid fascination as Rachael fought the flames which were threatening to overtake the house.
She had pleaded with him to talk to the minister, but he had shaken off the thought. He was damned, a witch who could use his powers to kill. When father had brought Lynette back from the doctor, he had fussed over her like a worried hen. But when all had been asleep, he slipped out of bed, put on his boots and cloak, grabbed a lantern, and escaped into the night.
And now he was here, alone, his back against the trunk of a skeletal tree and all hope gone from his heart.
"I believe you called for somebody, young man?" Came a high, reedy voice from behind him.
Alexander whirled around to see a middle aged woman wearing full skirts and a worn looking fur lined cloak. "What. how. who are you?"
The woman shook a finger at him. "Ah, you would like answers, would you not? P'raps I shall give you them." Her lips curved into an unnerving smile. "But only if you ask them of me properly." She leaned against a tree and waited expectantly.
"Pardon me, ma'am. But I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh really," she had a strange twinkle in her eyes. "Shall I give you a hint?"
"Yes, please." Alexander was nervous. He didn't like the way this woman was looking at him, half amused, half disappointed.
*Like this.*
Alexander nearly jumped out of his skin. He had been prepared for anything, not that. *What are you?* He was alarmed. Was this a demon come to torment him, to initiate him into some profane religion of Satan? Did he really want to know?
*A witch much like yourself. But you knew that already, didn't you my dear.* She smiled and Alexander was dimly aware of a desire to run far away. But he found that his legs would not obey him. *Come here, child.* His legs walked him toward the strange woman, propelled by a force other than his own will. *Take my hand.* He complied, and suddenly he was in a different place entirely.
"Do not make a sound," she whispered. "You would do well not to let them hear you." She crept through the trees, motioning for Alexander to follow her. "Watch." They were at the edge of a town which seemed to be crawling with people. All of them had eyes black as pitch. And they all had an air of malevolence that seemed almost physical. As he looked on, somebody went flying out the door of one of the buildings close to him, his blond hair in disarray. Another person ran down the steps to the man lying helpless on the ground. The distance the blond man had been thrown and the force with which he had hit the ground must have broken several bones, but Alexander had to stifle a gasp as the man got up again and pounced on the person who was coming up fast behind him. The two sparred for a bit, and the blond man went down once again. The person who had him pinned down punched the blond man in the face before looking him squarely in the eyes.
"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you now, and I just might let you go." The voice was like honey, and to Alexander's infinite shock, it was the voice of a woman. Now that she was still, he could see her elegant, slightly curved features. There was no way she could have been strong enough to do what he had just seen her do.
"Because I would give you my blood," came the impassioned plea from the now helpless man. Alexander wondered briefly what the man meant. He didn't have to wait long for an answer.
"Hmm. A tempting offer. Very well, I accept." The woman sprouted fangs and bit into the helpless man's neck. Alexander felt the world fade to black. (===================================================================)
"You really must get used to that, you know," came a distant voice.
Alexander's eyes snapped open to see the woman who had brought him to that place of demons. He was sure that was what they were, what else could they be? He stood up, briefly noticing that they were on the edge of the forest outside his home. The sun still had yet to rise, and the stars shone merrily overhead. The snow was as milk under the shimmering moon.
"You are wondering what that was, are you not?"
"Were those," he paused, afraid to speak the word, "demons?"
"Very good." She looked pleased. "They are indeed. They are called vampires, and they suck the blood from the living to survive." Alexander shivered, an involuntary spasm which had nothing to do with the cold winter air. "They are not alive; their hearts do not beat within their breasts, their blood stagnates in their veins. They heal with incredible speed, the weakest among them has the strength of ten men, and they are immortal." Alexander's jaw dropped at the last statement. "You do not believe me? My sweet child, did you not see them? Was there a single one who looked to be over thirty years of age?" Alexander shook his head. "Besides, you will have an eternity to observe them for yourself.
"I must leave you now, Alexander. Call for me a week from tonight when you are quite alone. My name is Desdra. Good night." With that, the woman Desdra vanished, leaving Alexander to contemplate her last words in silent fear.
"You will have an eternity to observe them for yourself."
(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)
Alexander pulled himself from his reverie. He could sense somebody vampiric nearby, somebody painfully familiar.
"Hello Rachael."
He turned to face his twin, taking in her striped hair. She had not changed it since the last time they had met. Her eyes betrayed no emotion at the mention of her old, human name. Two hundred years had turned his sister, once so innocent, into a hardened killer. Whatever emotion she felt, it was buried deep in a place where nobody could find it, not even the brother who had been closer to her than anybody. She was thoroughly businesslike.
"So, Alex. I hear you have found yourself a student." A hint of a mirthless smile played about her lips.
"And that would be any concern of yours because?" She might be Rachael somewhere deep inside, but for all intensive purposes she was still the vampiress Risika, and she had a reputation in the vampiric world after only two centuries. That in and of itself was a reason to fear her. "Tristes, as you are no doubt aware, are not the most loved creatures among my kind. There are those who would wish her harm, more so because she is being trained by Risika's brother. You are not with some amount of renown in vampiric society, and you have enemies who would love to get to you through the wonderful opportunity which the girl presents to them. Guard her carefully, Alex. Our kinds may not see eye to eye, but that doesn't mean that I wish to see my brother hurt."
"My thanks, Rachael." He still refused to call her by her new name. It was predatory, and he knew that he would never be able to think of her in that way.
"Happy hunting, Alex." She smiled, and blinked out. She had probably gone to New Mayhem, the home base of Silver's line. No doubt Aubrey, as well as a few others, would be wondering what new information she had brought to light.
Her parting comment had almost made him laugh out loud. Fancy a vampire telling a hunter to go about his duties. Alexander was not the most skilled with a blade, he would gladly leave that title to Dominique Vida. Yet his mental control and the grasp of the abilities which that facilitated made him a menacing enough foe that only a few dared to seek him out.
Alexander opened the door to his apartment building and walked upstairs. He did not hunt as much as he should during the height of the school year, there were too many papers to grade. When he entered the modest one bedroom that was his home, he dropped the bag he had been carrying and went over to the closet. He changed into a more serviceable shirt and pair of pants and put on a leather jacket which had become soft with use. Before exiting, he removed the silver knife from its hiding place above the doorframe and slipped it into a sheath at his hip.
(===================================================================)
Meanwhile, Teri was scanning the book Tiger, Tiger, looking for any information on Triste witches. She had already gathered that they could manipulate fire, and that their blood was poisonous to any vampire who drank it. But that was it, unless.
Teri felt weak, and a few barely cohesive thoughts flashed quickly through her mind before a blessed unconsciousness overtook her.
*He's still alive after two hundred years.*
*I'm like he is.*
*I wont die.*
(===================================================================)
A/N: Ok, I know what you're thinking. "What the hell? You made Risika sound like she had a stick up her rectum!" Well I'm sorry, but she really has pushed her emotions down pretty far, and.and.and I think I'm trying to rationalize it to myself. Very bad. Oh, and before I foget, thank-yous must be given to the following people who flattered me into a sort of giddy, bouncing off the walls type elation: Shattered Destiny, Krikoris, and Aya.