Things were explained over diner. Seleena wasn't evil. They didn't trust her. The mansion was so big, they didn't even give her a room. They said she could have the couch. She said she didn't need it. There was an empty spot at the table—some one missing. He was elsewhere.
She didn't need the couch; she slept on the air. But she did need a shower. The water warmed her skin form the outside, no the way a kill would. She shut that part out.
She walked back to the common area in a tank top and black jeans. She heard a small voice. And child's voice. She stopped and listened. It didn't affect her that it was in Russian.
"Piotr Nikolievitch, tell me a story." The young voice begged. Seleena smiled at the child's insistence.
"I'm out of stories Illyana Natalaynovna. And you know it." the man of steel explained slightly irritated. "Now go to sleep."
"Have Katya tell me a story." She persisted.
"Katya is in the danger room. Go to sleep I beg you." He looked like he was about to crack.
"Then I want the pretty new lady to tell me a story." Seleena frowned outside the door. She hadn't expected to be part of the cute little fight.
"I don't th--" Piotr started.
Seleena decided to make her presents known and stepped into the doorway. "It's all right." She assured Piotr. She knew that he didn't want his little sister exposed to a vampire…but she pretended that he didn't want to inconvenience her. The look of shock though, was unexpected. Only then did she realize that she had not only been listening but was now speaking in Russian. Instead of acknowledging that this was an out of place occurrence she turned her striking lavender eyes to Illyana. "What kind of story do you want to hear?" she asked sweetly. And was therefore as unprepared as Piotr when she got the answer.
"I want a scary story tonight!" the small child replied with enthusiasm.
Piotr paled, the six year old didn't realize what Seleena was and…well a scary story could lead to disaster. "How about one with a happy ending." He suggested weakly.
"A scary story with a happy ending…" Seleena mused. "I think I might know one you'd like."
She closed her eyes and remembered. "a long, long time ago--" she began.
"How long?" Illyana asked.
"Hundreds of years…before there was a United States…even before your parents were born." That got a laugh. "That long ago there was a little girl. She was about your age, and she was very happy. This little girl loved to play in the sun, even though her name was Chosen For Darkness. She would play for hours. Her hair was like two dancing snakes down her back, and she loved to get covered in dirt and dust and blend them with her brown skin. This little girl could fight. She had to; she was going to protect her people when she grew up.
In her village there was always a Dark Princess. The Dark Princess lived for one hundred years and then she found some one to take her place. Chosen for Darkness was to follow her. The Dark Princess couldn't come out in to the sun…and she couldn't where the pretty silver jewelry that the people gave her. And she had to drink blood. But for the protection that she offered none of the people in the village minded sharing as long as no one got really hurt. Every thing was good then.
One night, when Chosen For Darkness was a young woman. She was 19; she was summoned to the Dark Princess' hut. There she was told that it was her turn. Dark Princess drank from Chosen for Darkness and Chosen drank form her blood. Then came the hardest part. Chosen had to kill the Dark Princess. She didn't want to. But it had to be done, and Chosen for Darkness was the only one that could. The Dark Princess understood.
That night Chosen for Darkness changed." Seleena was interrupted again.
"Did she turn to metal like Piotr Nikolievitch?"
"No, not exactly…" she paused. "Do you know what a vampire is?" as and answer Illyana hid under the sheets in pretend fear. "Good, well Chosen for Darkness turned in to a vampire, and with that, she became Dark Princess.
She had only been protecting her people for 2 years when the pale skins came to her village. They attacked in the daylight while she was sleeping. She fought every night, and tried her hardest, but as strong as she was, there were some things she couldn't fight. Her people got sick, very sick. And they died. She was all-alone. And she had nothing to fight for. One day, as she was sleeping, a pale skin cut threw her heart with a silver knife. But she did not crumble into dust as the former Dark Princess had, maybe it was because she was so young still. Or maybe because she wasn't evil, whatever the reason, Chosen for Darkness didn't die. Instead she merely woke up.
She ran away… somewhere where she couldn't be followed. To the field she had played in all her childhood. She spent every day after that playing in the sun by herself, and then later with her children. She was a vampire no more. And she was happy."
As soon as Illyana thought the story was over, she was asleep. Seleena and Piotr crept out of her room.
"Chosen For Darkness, she was you?" he asked lowly.
"Da." She replied.
"Your Russian is very good." He said switching to English.
"I was speaking it before you were born." She explained. "And I return the compliment. Your English is almost perfect."
As they walked down the hall, for once in too long, it wasn't the heartbeat of her companion that she noticed. But the trust that radiated from his aura.