CPOV
The next day had gone almost exactly how I imagined it. Alec was gone when I woke up, but was present in the throne room when I showed up. Aro hadn't been happy with what happened, but he didn't blame me for it. He did, however, give a parched glance toward my injured leg. He concluded that I would no longer be part of their pursuit in capturing this rogue vampire, and even apologized for the idea in the first place. He only wanted me to practice my song for the ball at this point, which was the plan for today. His motives still left me suspicious; I knew there was no way he could be happy with me. He asked for my hand again, and looked openly disappointed when he, once again, couldn't get anything out of me.
Alec remained neutral to Aro the entire time, but something was different. I tried not to look at him while Aro was speaking, but my instincts betrayed me and caught his eyes here and there. Alec seemed to be watching me in his strange way again; I was Houdini, and he was the audience. I also caught him giving Aro cautious glances. Jane seemed to notice, by the looks she was giving her brother. She never once looked at me.
After that awkward mess, I plopped myself down at the kitchen island with Ray. Alec had escorted me, but gave no hint as to where he was going. He left us alone. I found this slightly suspicious, but took advantage of this human moment. Ray wasted no time in jumping into conversation.
"You look rough," he commented with an edge, and on cue, my injured hand made itself known. I need to put some ice on that. It wasn't swollen anymore, but boy, did it hurt. I hoped Felix wasn't going to make me train today, and then I wondered if he was back with David yet. I need to see him again, see if he's okay.
"Didn't sleep well last night," I half lied. I hope he didn't see me limp down the steps, because I had no idea how I was going to explain it. I also probably should have covered up the circles under my eyes. I made it a huge point to ask Heidi if she'd spare some of that fancy concealer. I didn't want to look at them, and I didn't want anyone else to see them. Ray flips fresh waffles onto a plate with some sausage links on the side and sets it in front of me.
"What happened to your leg?" he asked tensely. I picked up my fork, figuring out how to answer. Should I tell him? The Volturi can hear everything that goes on in this castle; no conversation is safe. But, it's not like we're sharing secrets...right now, anyway.
"A vampire," I said simply, unsure of how to explain. "Not one of ours."
"What?" he spat, the dishes clattering in the sink. He shut the water off abruptly, marching right over to me.
"I don't want to talk about it," I told him, shoving a mouthful of waffle into my mouth. I tasted cinnamon, berries, and bananas, and it was wonderful. I motioned to them with my fork. "These are really good."
"I can't just let you drop it, Cheyenne. What the hell happened with a vampire? Is that what happened to your leg? And your neck? Did it bite you?" His voice rose in horror at the end.
I put my fork down and shook my head vehemently at him, swallowing my food.
"No!" I exclaimed, and then lowered my voice. "I didn't get bit. It's a cut, Ray. And I said I don't want to talk about it, okay? I'm fine. I'm safe."
He looked at me for a moment, and then gave in with a sigh, patting my shoulder. He made his way back to the sink of dishes and continued to wash them. Though Ray was involved in his own way, I wasn't going to drag him into my own mess. His questions alone gave me anxiety.
"Fine. But if you get hurt again, I may just say, 'Fuck it', and take matters into my own hands next time. I'm sick of this shit," he declared. "You don't deserve this shit, Cheyenne. Not someone like you."
Not someone like you. At this point, I don't even know who I am. So much has happened in the span of almost two months, and I don't feel the same. I have feelings for a vampire, for crying out loud, and I've been exposed to a world that I thought only existed in those teen novels. I'm scrounging my way to survive through this whole ordeal, while trying to save my mortality and David at the same time. I got attacked by a wild vampire, and survived only because of Alec. I messed up a very detailed plan, got in my first girl fight, and ran away from my chance of freedom last night. I'm not the same person I was when I got here. I'll be darned if I'm not completely changed if I ever get out. I'll have to live on blood for the rest of my existence.
"I'm all right," I decided, and then I looked for a way to change the subject. "What about Sophie and Emily? What have they done recently?"
That seemed to work, although by a slim chance. Ray gave a disgruntled look, but then dove right in.
"Oh, shit! I forgot to tell you! It was some crazy shit, man," he said, shaking his head. "Sophie was in town yesterday afternoon, checking out some CDs, and Emily went with her. Well, Sophie went to another store down the street. Emily's just standing there by herself, minding her own business when some gang chick walks up and started fucking with her. She said a bystander stepped up and helped her out, and the two got into a fight. The chick apparently wiped her and her whole gang out. She saved Emily. She didn't even get to thank her, 'cause she disappeared. I'd thank her, if I could ever find her. But, man, I wish I could have seen that fight. Emily said it was crazy! Ha!" He laughed, shaking his head again, turning back to the dishes. I felt my body grow cold as every word continued to fall out of his mouth. My whole world seemed to stop and then crash down on me as I realized exactly what he was talking about.
Shiitake mushrooms. That was Emily?! Crap, crap, crap, crap. He can't know that was me.
"...hope she doesn't show her face in town again after that. I told Emily to stick close to Sophie from now on." He's still rambling.
"Yeah," I mumbled out, and then cleared my throat. "That's crazy. Glad no one got hurt."
Except my fist. I wonder if Julienne is keeping her little gang together after last night.
I looked down at my hand, and panicked even more. Why didn't I notice the bruise forming on my knuckles? It doesn't look that bad; it's not that purple, but it's enough to be noticed if one looked close enough. I'm going to have to wait until Ray is gone to get the ice.
"You all right?" Ray asks, finished with the dishes and facing me now. I ripped my eyes away from my hand and shoveled more waffles into my mouth with a nod.
"Did Emily see the girl who kicked the other girl's butt?" I asked, hoping she didn't describe me to either of them.
"Well, of course she saw her. She didn't get her name, if that's what you mean. She said it was like watching Mr. Miyagi beat up the Cobra Kai gang in The Karate Kid." Ray says with a burst of laughter while shaking his head. I drop my shoulders in relief. It was enough that Ray knew that Aro eventually wanted to change me. It was another story for him to know everything that's happened.
I give a watery smirk at Emily's comparison.
~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~
After breakfast, I was met with Felix. I bombarded him with questions, asking about David, apologizing for messing up last night, and wondering if Alec was truly mad at me for it. He didn't seem too angry last night with his touches and his bedside manner.
"Whoa, whoa, little woman," Felix says in his baritone voice. His large hands came down onto my shoulders when we stopped outside the soundproof room. I haven't been there in a while. Does it mean what I think it means?
"Everything is fine. Sort of," he says. "Aro isn't happy about last night, but there is no need for you to worry about that now. It's in our hands. It was a simple mistake, and it won't happen again. Alec..." he stopped, and unnecessarily sighed. "He's angry, but not with you. He's mumbling to himself again, but I'm one hundred percent positive that he is more livid with the three newborns who tried to kill you, than with you in general. He's going crazy right now, but don't worry yourself about it. You've really awakened his...protective side." He grinned.
My shoulders deflated with relief, but I wasn't saved from my stomach doing a flip at his last words. Last night came back to me in flashes, remembering how animalistic Alec was upon rescuing me. I heard the words once again.
"Don't. Ever. Touch. What's Mine."
"She is mine."
I shivered, unsure if it was out of pleasure or fright.
"Why is he mumbling to himself?" I asked. His answer was a booming laugh that echoed all around me.
"Because he can't think straight! This is new for him, little woman. He's never experienced this before. He was always so sure that he would never have a mate. Jane was all he ever needed, and he was content with that. But now..." He pursed his lips at me with his brows raised, and broke down in a spluttering laugh again. Before I could answer, he continued seriously.
"Don't worry about the immortal, okay? We're going to find him. He won't be able to hide from us. Consider last night forgiven, all right?Aro plans to have him caught before the ball."
The ball. That was coming up in under a week, maybe five days now. I had no doubt that they could get it done in that time. I just wondered who it was, and what they wanted with me.
Felix removed his hand from my mouth, and I didn't say anything else. I was consumed with the little plan that I devised that David was no longer on board with. Switching the songs still seemed like a pretty good idea, a slap to the face, but now I wasn't so sure. If I were to do that now, it would make Alec even angrier with me, and get David in trouble. But, I still had no plan to get David and I out of here. Maybe we could sneak out during the party...?
Maybe. Why didn't I think of that before?"
"You just need to do everything we say from now on, all right?" He told me seriously, leaning toward me. I nodded, but his piercing gaze didn't escape me.
That means let him do all the talking. We don't need Jane almost catching us again.
"And as for David. Well...why don't you ask him yourself?" Felix smiled he righted himself, pushing the door open. Surprise overwhelmed me when I saw him standing there, waiting for me. As fast as I could muster, I ran to him and crushed myself in the embrace, although my strength did no justice on his. He was careful with his arms, returning the gesture slowly. I looked at him, half expecting to see anything different about him, but he's physically the same. He looks over my face, like he's searching for scratches on a car.
"God, I'm glad you're okay," I breathed. "Did he hurt you? Have they been hurting you?"
"Are you okay? I heard Ass-lec took you on some sort of mission and you got hurt?" he demands, stepping back to assess me further. I heard an animalistic sound come out of his mouth when his eyes landed on my leg. "God damn it, Cheyenne, what the hell? Are you hurt anywhere else?" His eyes narrow at my neck, and I self consciously bring my hand up to cover it.
"It wasn't his fault, it was mine. They had a plan, but I opened my mouth and suggested something else. A...vampire caught me. I was..." I paused, wondering if I should tell him. Was it safe to tell?
"What? What happened, dudette? Tell me," he urged, holding the tops of my arms. "Did Alec do something to you?"
He was much more composed than the last time I saw him. He wasn't yelling; in fact, his voice was pretty even. I wondered then if he got better control over his thirst.
"Can we sit down first?" I asked, eyeing the piano bench. He straightened up quick, grabbing my hand, and marched me to said bench at a much faster pace than humanly possible. I sat, and he sat across from me, keeping my hand hostage.
"Tell me," he said slowly. "I can't stand it that he's around you all the time, and I get no time with you. All I've seen is you get hurt the whole damn time we've been here, so I need to know if he's allowing this to happen. I can tell Aro, and he can-"
"David, it is not Alec's fault!" I snapped. My stomach ached again like it has been. I couldn't help but defend Alec now, and my emotions got the best of me. "Every time I've been hurt has because of me and my choices, not Alec's. Yes, I got hurt last night, and Alec wasn't around when it happened. He saved me. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here right now. And as for these..." I held up my hand, and gestured to my neck and leg.
"I got into a fight with a girl in town when Alec took me out yesterday. It was an accident. I couldn't get out of it; it was self defense. The vampire I ran into grabbed my neck, and I cut my leg trying to get away from him. None of this was Alec's fault. If anything, he's been trying to protect me from anything and everything, but I keep getting into trouble. I'm fine. He took care of me, too. So, you might want to thank him instead of beating him up, okay?" I explain sharply. Then I add, "Why would you want to tell Aro?"
The only thing telling Aro would do is...well, a whole bunch of nothing. Aro accepted everything that Alec does. He loved Alec almost as much as Jane.
David's hard expression never changed during my rant, but his eyes burned with anger. His eyes screwed shut, and his eyebrows furrowed.
"This is what I was afraid of," he whispers to himself, and I almost miss it. He opens his eyes and looks at me again. "Aro is our boss now. We have to run everything by him, and I'm not letting you get hurt, no matter if he is 'the most dangerous vampire in the world'. In fact, that right there is exactly why you shouldn't be around him!"
"Jane is dangerous," I remind him. "Probably even more dangerous than him. Their gifts don't work on me anyway, remember? Hasn't Jane hurt you? She's as vicious as he is; she hates me, too. I'm worried about you just as much as you're worried about me. I hardly know what they've done to you, and I don't know if Aro has hurt you, or if they torture you..." I trailed off, hoping he'd tell me something, anything. He opened his eyes, avoiding my gaze.
"Yes, Jane does use her ability on me, but it's only so I can be trained and useful around you. I don't want to hurt you. I'm stuck this way forever, dudette. I have to accommodate with it," he explained painfully, his eyes expressing something he wished to forget. "I...couldn't live with myself if..." His fists clenched.
"Are they hurting you in any other way?" I ask softly. He shakes his head decidedly, his expression now guarded, and turns to face me.
"No, and that's not what matters. I'm going to protect you in any way I can, dudette. Even if it means living under Aro's rule for the rest of eternity," he said gravelly, placing his hand gently on mine. He hinted at a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. My stomach dropped. He was really giving up.
All the more reason to try even harder to get us out.
"Could you at least try to get along with Alec? He's done a lot for me lately. He's really been nicer to me, David. Really. I never talk to Jane, but I'm gonna have to deal with her, too. Felix and Demetri have been good to me, and they take care of me when Alec's not around. Aro?" I blew out a breath, feeling my muscles lock up. Aro was the one I disliked the most. There was never going to be a chance that I'd like him in any way. He was too evil, too powerful, and too greedy. He may fool everyone else with his false facade of sweetness, but he didn't fool me. I knew what he really was. And I knew David was falling prey to it.
"David, the only reason Aro wants us here is because of our 'gifts'. He doesn't even care about us. He just wants to stay in power and become invincible. I don't think I'll ever like him or accept him. And, even worse, he turned you so that I couldn't get away. This isn't any way to live. Even Ray is trapped here. We're all trapped here. And Ray may not even make it out. Gianna has even less of a chance. I'm not blaming you for all of this, but..." I continued, shaking my head. This couldn't go on. Something inside me was begging to acquire freedom for all of us. I refused to believe that I couldn't see my friends and family again.
"Cheyenne, there's no way we're getting out of here," he responded angrily, his voice low and lethal, like Alec's. "We're under the control of Aro. It's better if we just listen to him. I've already said my goodbyes to Travis, and everyone. I've accepted our fate. Once you're a vampire, you'll understand. There's no escaping this."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I could hear the whoosh whoosh of blood in my ears, and the thump of my heart as my disbelief grew, and my body froze. This was not David. Aro really had sunk his claws into him. He was controlling him, doing something. I was sure of it. My heart felt like it would shatter if I were to move from my spot. I stared at his form, his angry face, his now hard, red eyes staring into mine. I did not recognize this guy. I felt true and utter horror flood through me as I realized I was even more alone in this now than ever.
I shook my head slowly, spluttering for words.
"You-what-Dav-why-"
He shot up from his seat, his hand leaving mine.
"I'm not talking about this. I'll give you some time. But you need to accept what is, Cheyenne. We can't play around anymore. This is real life. There is zero chance of us going back to our old lives. It's over. I love you. You're like my sister. And this is the only way I can protect you now. The quicker you realize that, the faster we can move on with our lives. Our new lives, anyway." He finished with a dead voice. I followed suit, stumbling over to him. I gripped his arms so tightly; I felt like I would fall if I didn't. I couldn't help the fresh torrent of tears that streamed down my face. This was not my friend. I had to get him back. A small sob overcame me as I tried once again, to speak.
"I don't get it. This isn't you! You're scaring me, David! You're scaring me," I sobbed, unable to say anything more. His eyes snapped to me, then, softening with a glaze. He was quick to swipe my tears away, his tortured gaze meeting my own. I stared back, spotting a struggle in there, trying to find my friend. I could see the fight he had between choosing me or Aro. This was hard for him, too, more than he just let on. He really was trying to protect me, but failing miserably.
"I love you," he whispered, his lips a grim line. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to scare you, dudette, it's just..." He stopped abruptly, his form frozen and his hands cradling my face in an iron grip. His eyes bored into mine, another struggle swimming around in there. They weren't hard and cold like they were a few moments ago. But, something was different. I didn't recognize this look.
My chest rose and fell roughly while I attempted to calm my own sobs. I shook my head vehemently, my heart hurting, begging to have him back.
"Just what? You're the only person I have left," I choked out. "I can't lose you, too. Not to Aro. I know you want to make this easy for us, but-"
"You think this is easy for me?" he ground out. "It's not easy. It's the hardest fucking thing I've ever had to do. You don't know what it's like on the other side, Cheyenne. I-" he pressed his lips together, and I was almost afraid that they'd crumble and break from the pressure. He didn't finish; he just pulled me into his chest and held me in an iron grip. I allowed myself to sob into his chest, and held him right back.
There was still hope. There had to be hope. I wasn't going to give up. We were going to get out of here, even if I die. I'd gladly take that if it meant David escaped back home. I just wanted freedom.
But what about Alec? the small voice asked. I pushed it away desperately, not wanting to think about it. I couldn't go there.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I heard him chant into my ear. "All I do is keep hurting you, and all I want to do is protect you. I..."
I shook my head against his chest, feeling it rumble beneath my tear-sodden cheek. I didn't want to talk anymore. And we didn't. We just held each other, and I was certain that we were both afraid that the other would fall apart if either of us let go.
I didn't even practice my song. I only formulated and thought harder on how to escape this. I would. I would. We would. I would make sure of it. No matter what. Nothing was going to stop me.
Not even Aro. But, I promised my friend one last thing.
"I won't switch the songs. You were right."
I felt him sigh in relief, his body following suit. His sweet, cool honey breath blew over my hair as his lips pressed into my head. His soft voice became muffled in my hair, but was still just as clear.
"I knew you wouldn't, dudette. I knew you wouldn't."
Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long. I made this a little short so that I could continue writing the next chapter. Cuz you know what's next? That's right...THE BALL! This was a drabble chapter, tbh with you. I just winged it lol, and this is what I got. I hope you all enjoy it, and I'll try to get the next chapter up. This is what you've all been waiting for. Camilla's arrival! I've kept you waiting long enough lol.
