Chapter 6: Understanding Emotions
"You should find a place to stay." Selene advised, "A hotel should suffice." She told him where the nearest hotel was. She had begun to care for this mortal; this human. This was the first actual human she cared for. When she met Michael, he had already been bitten, thus he was not a mortal human.
Although Gabriel was as talented in hiding his emotions as Selene was, his eyes bore a glint of worry and sadness. Selene felt obliged to comfort this human. She realized he was almost like her and experienced loss as she did.
"Don't worry so much. I know the feeling of Anna's soul releasing from my body feels horrible, but I will take whatever pain that must come to bring her back." She reassured.
"Why are you so caring? The vampires that I've met seem to always be blood-thirsty and carnivorous." Gabriel asked. He paid attention to the comfort Selene had attempted to give him, but he did not wish to acknowledge it. There was a long pause before Selene finally replied.
"You are the only human I care for… because of what you've experienced. We've both experienced loss. You lost Anna and I lost Michael. One of us should at least have the opportunity to have someone returned to us." She explained. Gabriel simply nodded.
Selene was just about to leave when he asked a very important question.
"When is the next time we'll meet?" he inquired.
"In a week. I need to gain the trust of the vampire clan, still and you need to get used to these unfamiliar years. I can tell that you're from a different time. In exactly a week, come to this forest clearing at night." She answered. She gave him a wad of cash and told him to use it for only the necessities and then walked away. Gabriel took one last look at the one whom bears Anna's soul and then set off to find that hotel.
Selene experienced throbbing pains in her head the whole way back to the Valerious Manor. That was all she wished to know it as. Somehow, it made her feel at home by calling it that one particular name. Or maybe it was Anna that had the comfort and it was just her feelings being passed on to Selene. Selene was confused. Since Anna had awoken, her mind was a mix of two people. Sometimes she didn't know who she really was.
Even though it was night, Selene was drained of all her energy. She needed rest and had to find Vaughn. She shuddered right at the thought of the vampire. Something about him made her feel something familiar. It was something that had disappeared after Michael died.
'No, he didn't die. He was murdered.' Her mind spat. She was glad that all those bastards in America died. She was glad that Marcus had died and that Victor had, too. Both vampire elders she had killed. She didn't even feel the slightest hint of guilt.
Clearing her mind of the murders she had committed – with good reason, though – she continued to contemplate about the feeling she had inside her. It couldn't be love, because her love for Michael couldn't disappear just because of his death. Anna died and Gabriel stilled loved her so much.
She thought about hate, but she had no reason to hate Vaughn. She had no reason to stop hating after Michael died, either.
She thought about many other emotions, but only came back to love. Then a thought struck her. Maybe it wasn't love she felt for Michael at all. That had stopped her in her tracks. She just realized that an illusion had been deceiving her all this time. She never loved Michael. It was all pity for him. He did seem lost and confused. What drove her to kill Victor and Marcus was not for threatening Michael. It was for the vengeance for herself.
Suddenly, she collided with a firm chest. She looked up only to see Vaughn and his dark brown eyes. She stared for moments and, most curiously, he never bothered to look away or make a sarcastic comment. They stayed in the same stance for a while before Vaughn finally broke the silence.
"Where have you been for such a long time?" he asked.
"I took a long walk through the forest." Selene replied in a half-lie. Vaughn eyed her suspiciously before nodding and moving aside to walk off. Before he could take another step, Selene grabbed his wrist and asked, "Where am I staying, tonight?"
There was an awkward silence. Vaughn turned his head to meet Selene's eyes once again. He was the one to break the silence, again.
"There's only my room to stay in. Just stay in my room." He replied. Selene felt awkward being told to stay in his room, but she guessed that there was no other choice. Besides, she was utterly exhausted.
She found the staircase and ascended them to Vaughn's room. Once she hit the bed, she immediately fell into a deep slumber. That night, she had nightmares. They were the same haunting images from Anna's past, she supposed. The more she experienced the realistic memories, the more she understood her.
Selene saw how the vampires attacked her family. She saw the loss of her brother Velkan and she saw how Anna died. Gabriel had murdered her, and that surprised her. Selene then realized that he murdered her without realizing it. And she understood that Gabriel's loss was more painful than she could ever imagine.
Suddenly, she shot up from the bed. It was already daylight outside, but she saw Vaughn resting peacefully in the same armchair as before. Selene smiled when she saw him. Maybe she was in love. Maybe this was what love really felt like. If this was true, then she really enjoyed it.
Then a thought hit her and absolutely disturbed the good ones. She needed to befriend the other vampires and make them believe that she'll be trustworthy. She knew that had to be a difficult task, but she knew it was necessary. Selene quietly exited the bedroom and strolled down the hall. She found the staircase and descended them.
The night before--
Vaughn was strolling down a hallway. Where was Selene? It had already been hours since she left the manor. Did she simply deceive their clan? He certainly hoped not. Something about the vampiress… appealed to him. He looked down at the cold floor and smiled before feeling someone bump into him. He saw the one person he was thinking of: Selene.
She looked up at him with her dark eyes. 'Is she staring at me?' he thought in amusement. Vaughn didn't bother to stop her though. He let her continue her gaze upon him. It brought a sort of comfort to him.
When she did stop staring, he asked her where she had been for such a long time. Her response was simply that she had taken a long walk through the forest.
'I know you're lying to me, Selene. I'll pretend to believe you… but only for so long.' He thought to himself in suspicion. He took one last look at her before taking a step to leave only to be pulled back.
"Where am I staying, tonight?" she asked him. He went silent. There was no where else for her to go but his room. He wouldn't allow himself to get any ideas, though. He remembered that she had lost a special someone recently and e didn't want to do anything to hurt her. He then explained to her were she would stay and then left.
After a while, he ascended the old wooden, but sturdy, stairs. He wasn't tired, but felt that he needed rest. He came to the door that entered to his room. That's when he remembered that Selene was in there. He had a few thoughts before shaking his head, clearing them out and knocking on the door. There was no response, so he assumed that Selene was asleep.
His assumption was correct, for when he entered his room he saw the beautiful vampiress sleeping on his bed. 'I guess she was pretty exhausted. She must have been doing more than just walking in the forest…' he thought. He just shook it off. He was beginning to bear feelings for the newcomer, but he wouldn't allow them to take him over. At least… not yet.
He smiled and walked over to the bed and scooped up Selene in his arms. She didn't wake or even rouse. She was light, he noted. He settled her head down on a pillow and then took one look at her lovely face before sitting in his armchair. He watched Selene for a while before drifting off to sleep.