Chapter Three: Anomaly
Far too much time had passed since Aro last visited the tower. He was typically irritated by his ability to reconnect with Sulpicia in a single touch. However, that wasn't the case this evening. He wanted to know that he could read every single thought she'd ever had. Aro was unsure if vampires could lose their gifts over time, but he realized how much of a liability he'd be if there came a day he could no longer read the minds of others. Suddenly a coup wasn't impossible.
He traipsed up the stairs trying to calm himself from his earlier outburst, not wanting to worry his wife. Each step was hesitant as Aro wondered what he would do if he didn't hear a single thought.
But, no matter how slowly he walked, he eventually reached the door, raising his hand to tap against it lightly. Upon hearing Sulpicia's dulcet voice, exhilaration ran down Aro's spine. He was happy to see her, yet he couldn't shake his unease.
He pushed against the heavy wooden door. His eyes scanned the room, finding his wife sitting side-saddle on the daybed, absent-mindedly staring out of the embrasures, watching the city.
Aro allowed the door to swing shut as he walked to the center of the chamber, not daring to get any closer. Sulpicia's brows knit together, curious as to why his arms weren't around her shoulders, as they usually would be by now. She turned, facing him, concern across her face.
"Somethings wrong." She whispered.
Sulpicia instantly moved to comfort her husband, only for him to flinch away from her touch. "I'm alright. I require just a moment."
Aro had never refused her touch before; she'd always been his comfort. Sulpicia couldn't stop a hurt expression from creeping onto her face. He felt guilty. Hurting her wasn't his intention.
"Sweetheart, I'm worried that my gift has weakened. Or that I may lose it entirely." He sighed deeply. "If that were to happen-"
"Aro." Sulpicia interrupted with a smile, holding her hand out. "-If- that happened, no one would think any less of you. You'd only need to put more time into the decisions you make. And I would remain by your side, each step of the way."
Why did she have to be so talented at reading him? She knew each worry that plagued his mind, and she didn't possess any telepathic traits.
Hesitantly, Aro reached for her hand, only for Sulpicia to grab his and cradle it between both of hers, pulling him closer to her. Though her abrupt movement surprised him, he touched his forehead against hers, his opposite hand caressing her cheek as he closed his eyes, letting her memories flood in.
Sulpicia was always excited for twilight. The evening darkness hid who they were, allowing her to watch the town below. She loved watching people, seeing humanity change and evolve over the years. Mostly she watched because there was a part of her that wanted a simple life with Aro.
Night after night, she longed for Aro to visit, understanding the days he wouldn't come.
He saw each conversation she held with Athenodora, Corrin, and even Jane. The two never had many interactions, but when Aro brought Jane into the guard, Sulpicia formed a strange motherly attachment. Jane was so devastated upon awakening as a newborn.
Her memory wasn't like Marcus's; Aro could see every detail. He shuffled through each recollection, as far back as when they first met. Sulpicia's parents passed, and her relatives took care of her but forced her to sleep in the barn with the animals. He'd taken temporary refuge from the sun in the same structure, and Sulpicia wasn't afraid; she was completely enamored by him, curious to where his travels had taken him, where he'd go next, and years later, she agreed to follow him.
He could even see the things she'd purposely forgotten or fragments of her human memory she could no longer recall.
And then it dawned on him. "Che meraviglia! E' dotata."
Linnea huffed, throwing a crumpled piece of paper across the room. It was late at night, and she was trying to draw Marcus by memory. She'd seen him so many times it should've been a piece of cake. Unfortunately, whenever she tried aligning his facial features, she always messed up on either the shape of his eyes or the curve of his nose. It was getting frustrating.
She started again, lightly tracing over the paper. The outline she could handle; it was the finer details that pissed her off. Or so she thought. Linnea's eyes scanned the sketch, noticing the chin was far too pointed than she meant to depict.
Why was she even irritated at herself? It's not like she ever planned on showing or telling Marcus that she crushed on him so severely she drew his photo.
Eventually, Linnea settled on a simple image; Marcus stood on a path with an arch above him and several lining the path. Each structure had vines of pink Zephirine Drouhin rose's sprawling up the column and draping from the arches. Marcus dressed in primarily dark clothes aside from a dark red button-shoulder cloak. A silver chain hung from his neck. The pendant was similar to his current one, taking the form of a V. This necklace lacked a family crest, replaced by amethyst carved into the shape of a bird's wing. In his hand, Marcus held one of the roses, offering it to the viewer.
This drawing made Linnea proud. It still didn't look exactly like him; the sketch held a youthful aura. She wasn't sure how a vampire could appear younger, but comparing this scene to him presently, it just made sense. Marcus seemed older and tired.
A thought abruptly struck Linnea's mind; should she wash up and change before his visit? Which of her clothes is the best for the occasion? She stared at the drawers next to the desk, silently going through each article of clothing she brought. Would dressing in more appropriate clothes matter? It's not like they were going on a date. He was just a man that she really liked, and he was coming to her bedroom to spend time with her.
Her lips turned to a frown as her brows knit together. Yeah, she definitely wouldn't allow him to see her in dark-gray pajamas with white polka dots.
Glancing at the clock, she noted there were two more hours until she would meet Marcus in the lobby. This was just enough time to shower and change.
She carelessly tossed her sketchbook onto the desk, making a note to throw it in a drawer before leaving as she stripped off her pajamas and headed towards the bathroom.
Once her shower was completed, Linnea carried a fragrance that varied between trees after a storm and flower fields. The most dominating scents being lavender, geraniums, and mossy cedar. Linnea puts on a fresh set of underclothes and dried her hair, tying it back into a twisted ponytail before heading out of the bathroom and into the main room, throwing on black leggings, a white and red, long sleeve Henley crop top, and a pair of socks. It wasn't the ideal outfit, but leagues better than pajamas.
She rechecked the time, only a few minutes remained. Quickly she picked up all the scrap pieces of paper and tossed them into a drawer rather than leaving them to be discovered in the bin.
Grabbing her room key, Linnea headed out the door and towards the elevator. The closer she got to the ground floor, the more anxious she grew. What if he couldn't make it? Maybe he decided not to come? It's not like The Volturi carried cell phones; he couldn't call and cancel. She'd go to the lobby, wait for him and feel like a complete idiot for wasting her time.
It wasn't quite 1:00 am when she arrived downstairs, so she walked across to the gaudy waiting area. The chairs and loveseats were red and pink, one set checkered, the others floral. The curtains also bore the same nauseating colors, but with a brocade pattern. A majority of the hotel reflected these exact colors.
Thankfully, Linnea didn't have to wait too long before her new friend showed up. Marcus also decided to tie his hair back and was dressed in a dark-grey overcoat with black dress pants. Linnea immediately felt as if she should've worn something a little more fancy.
Marcus instantly located his friend, breathing in the aroma of her perfume. The fragrance is a bit stronger than before. A dark red was present across Linnea's face. She smiled as he approached, Marcus lifted a hand to caress her cheek.
"Good evening." His voice was calm and smooth like silk.
She managed to squeak out a soft "hi" in reply.
Linnea's fingers intertwined with his as she pulled on his arm, leading him towards the stairs rather than the elevator. The stairs would have less foot traffic. They both kept quiet while walking through the halls before stopping at a dark oak door. Linnea scanned her room key, opening the door, holding it as Marcus passed through. She latched the lock before following him into her room.
She was thankful to be back in the dark-colored chamber. The colors complemented another rather than vibrantly contrasting.
Marcus headed through the room, pausing briefly at her desk before opting to glance out the windows near her bed, overlooking the canal, remembering back when the city and the world, in general, was a more peaceful place. Small villages instead of crowded cities. Life was simple.
"I'm really glad you showed up," Linnea spoke, breaking the silence. He hummed, "Are you?"
"Yes. I was worried you wouldn't show up."
He snickered. "You should be relieved. The Volturi don't often pardon humans. And if I never returned, that would be beneficial to you."
Linnea stood at the end of her bed, near one of the chairs, partially crossing her arms. "If you didn't come back, I'd be sad."
Marcus turned, looking the young girl up and down with a solemn expression as if he were asking, 'Why'?
She glanced to the floor, her eyes tracing the pattern on the rug. "I know, I probably sound like the strangest human in the world."
"No, not the strangest."
A smile tinged with sorrow played across her lips. "Are you sure? Cause I was gonna ask if I could hug you again?"
Marcus seemed amused by Linnea's question and held an arm out, waiting for her to come to him. Her face lit up as she scurried across the room, tightly wrapping her arms around him. He returned her embrace, being careful not to squeeze too hard.
After a moment, she pulled back, looking up to him, pleased to find that he was gazing down at her. This was only her second time in his arms, and already this was becoming her new favorite place.
"I still need to speak with you," Marcus spoke in a gentle voice, taking a step away from her, heading towards the chairs, gesturing for her to follow him. She followed closely behind, sitting down, prepared to answer whatever she could.
"Will you tell me about the first dream you remember?" Marcus questioned, gently running his fingers through her hair.
Linnea sucked in a deep breath, trying to figure out which dream was the earliest she recalled. "I'm not so sure; my memories are scattered. I can remember things from when I was around 3, but I can't remember what I was doing a month ago. I know they started happening after my first encounter with a vampire."
"You've seen another?" He gave a quizzical look.
"Yeah, I guess I'm actually pretty lucky. It was summer and very late at night. My parents had my window open and a fan placed in it to draw the cool night air in because we didn't have air conditioning. After hearing a strange noise, I woke up, and I saw him halfway out the window, pausing to look back at me, probably because he heard me move. The only details I remember were his eyes. Obviously, they were red, but I almost remember them glowing." Linnea fidgeted in her seat, kicking her legs back and forth while explaining.
Marcus began to ponder why a vampire would go through the trouble of breaking into a home and leave the residents unscathed, especially when he'd been caught?
Linnea stared at the wall, watching the seconds tick by on the clock while trying to recall as many dreams as possible. "I remember sitting under a small group of trees, near a small pond. There were poppies and yarrow flowers all around the field, over every hillside."
The memory of the dream slowly started to piece itself back together. Hills of wildflowers as far as the eye could see, fog drifting across the land, blue skies, cloudy skies. The terrain seemed to change frequently. She likely had this dream several times.
"Do you remember seeing a residence?" Marcus questioned, his gaze drifting away from Linnea and towards the television, which remained off. "Yeah, way up on one of the hills. I don't remember ever going to the house, though."
His eyes trailed back to the desk, where he'd seen Linnea's sketch before. "When did you dream about the garden?"
"The garden?"
"Your sketch?"
Linnea's eyes flashed over to the desk where she'd hurriedly left her sketchbook, seeing it open with the drawing of him displayed. Again her face flushed red with embarrassment. "O-oh, that was a while ago too. I don't know much about the area. It was always the same few seconds playing over and over again. But that was the dream that made me realize…." She trailed off, getting lost in her thoughts.
"What did you realize?"
She inhaled deeply, holding her breath a moment before letting it out. "That I was watching someone else. At first, I thought it was me or who I'd grow up to be. But, I don't look anything like her; I'm nowhere near as beautiful."
Marcus knew the woman Linnea watched was Didyme, the dreams she'd told him about closely matched his memories with his wife. "You are beautiful, Nea."
'But not like her' is what she usually would have replied, though this time, she decided to let it go. She knew Didyme's fate, and she couldn't imagine what pain Marcus suffered.
"I have one more question for you." Marcus alerted as he stood from the chair, his mind set on leaving.
Linnea could tell that he'd grown somewhat uncomfortable with their conversation. She knew too many personal details about him, and the time he spent with Didyme. In comparison, Marcus knew almost nothing of her life. She decided to remain silent until he spoke again.
"Given the chance, would you choose an immortal life as opposed to your human one?"
Lately, she'd asked herself that question time after time. Her human life wasn't great; she would leave very little behind. Fake friends, toxic family, co-workers she hated, but felt forced to interact with. Yet, there was nothing to gain aside from immortality. Perhaps she'd have Marcus's affection and one day maybe even his love, but that wasn't a guarantee. There was nothing proving that an eternity would benefit her. There's no reason Aro would want her in his coven; she'd be expendable.
"I don't know." She huffed. "I've been thinking about that a lot these last few days, and I've come to the conclusion that it's not my decision to make. I don't know everything about The Volturi, but I know that Aro has already decided my fate. Either I will be silenced or turned."
Marcus turned, beginning to walk through the room towards the hall. Linnea stood up and followed behind him, grabbing his hand. "I don't regret meeting you. I've always wanted to, I think."
He harshly pulled his hand away. "Our meeting was an unfortunate circumstance. I should not have pursued you."
The next thing she heard was her room door slamming; Linnea hardly had time to register his exit.
Her first response was to feel upset, but she quickly rationalized his abrupt leave. He'd endangered her life when he hadn't meant to, and now it was too late to do anything about it.
Thousands of thoughts rushed through Marcus's mind. That was one of the many downsides to being a vampire; a single train of thought could be completed and overlapped within the same second.
This was the sole reason Aro valued any telepathic gift, understanding every thought a person had in under a minute while devising his counter-thoughts against them.
But sometimes, no matter how many scenarios ran through the mind, none of them held the winning play.
As Marcus returned to Volterra, finding his way through the labyrinth, he knew he'd lost whenever Aro passed by with that goddamn unsettling grin, not even bothering to read Marcus's mind, already guessing where he'd been.
To Be Continued…
No matter how many seconds tick away, how carefully you plan the next step, never forget that the house always wins.
A/N:
The entire time I wrote this chapter I was listening to: 'With you' and 'always'. You can listen to this on youtube the video is titled "I am happy to be with you" by Music Drawing.
The rose garden is based on: "hgtvhome David Austin Zephrine Drouhin Roses" it should be the fifth image.
The field of poppies and yarrow flowers is based on: "Tuscany Meadow Wallpaper" it should be the first image.
I also envision Didyme to look similar to young Crystal Reed and Linnea as Emily Rudd