Pandora

Chapter XII:

Rose's Melancholy

Edited by YanaTG and updated on 11/05/2020

I've decided to put original version of Pandora (chapter 1-18) on Dropbox (as PDF). Dropbox has two options you can choose from: with reviews replies or without.

Dropbox links are in my TUMBLR ACCOUNT: sunset-wishes-upon-hill

Thank you to those who have read, reviewed and favourited my story:

, RavenR22- I'm terribly late with this update but I hope you still like this.

Sugermill- Aro' relationship with Jessica will play out similar to the original version but slightly different.

She remembered her mother reading her 'Beauty and the Beast' as a child; how Belle's father was so enchanted by the garden that he spied a single perfect white rose among the others and dared to pick it for his waiting daughter in the cottage – only to hear the booming roar of the beast, raged an intruder had stolen his way into this secret garden. Maybe she should have asked Gianna if it was alright to enter this beautiful garden, to admire these extinct flowers that were just as dangerous as the dazzling colors they oozed.

A petal fell to the ground.

Her convulsing body sprawled on the grass.

Ringing in her ears.

Someone was shouting but the voice was distorted, fuzzy.

Her sight blurred, fuming Jane melting into lines of waving colors of black and gold and wild crimson.

Then nothing.

Her chest heaved with short, gasping breath and cheeks wet with hot tears.

"Stop." She heard someone say, "Sister, stop."

"You're defending her!" Jane's tone was accusing, scathing. Hurt.

"You're killing her."

"She dared to enter my garden!"

Alec simply pulled her into an embrace, muttering comforting words to her ear too low for a human ear to register. She melted in his arms, fury dissipating as his hand stroked her head like a mother calming down an angry child. He was used to this. Consoling her. Calming her down. Protecting her.

She felt her lids drop, forced into a dreamless, restless oblivion.

Second petal fluttered down next to her nose.

Numbing. That's all she could feel. Like her body was sinking deep into the ocean of bewusstseinslage, crushed by the wave and its pressure that the only thing she could do was let it consume her. Sinking and sinking as the light above the water was slowly dimming.

Then she's pulled out of the water, senses flooding back and her eyes snapped open in shock just in enough time to see the shimmery mist retreating back into his hand.

His lips slightly parted, slack jawed as though he's on the fringe of forming a speech but his lips hardened into grim line, unable to find words to say.

"How's your sister?" Jessica asked after a long moment.

"She has calmed down."

"I-is..she still angry?"

"Yes."

Jessica turned her head back toward the ceiling, "I didn't meant to offend her – I should have known better than to go there without her permission."

"I should have warned you beforehand."

"It should have been a common sense without someone warning me." Jessica answered, "I'll apologize when I see her next time."

"My sister nearly killed you." Alec frowned, "Are you not– do you not hate her?"

"I have healthy fear of her but hate? That's a bit..harsh." She grimaced.

"Many have found reason for less." The sad bitterness in his voice ringed in her ears.

"I don't hate your sister if that's what you're worried about." Jessica iterated, reading into his fear that he tried to conceal.

"I have no reason to worry."

Jessica gave a pointed look, a brow raised at his continuous effort to feign nonchalance at – what she thought – normal concern for a family member. What reason would there be to hide from her?

"Alec," She heaved herself up, bringing his attention to her, "Did I ever mention how you and your sister's gifts are just like the person you are, Alec. You don't seem to care about many things; you're calm and often careless toward the world, you only care about your duties and your sister, but you don't have other values. That much I know so I don't really see the point of you lying to me about how you feel."

"Don't presume to know me." His face was taut and stern, eyes hardening with warning and she saw the mist materialize around him, his instincts prepared him to attack before she could realize what was happening.

"I'm sorry if I made you angry," Jessica said wearily, "But I don't lie to you about how I feel and the least thing you can do is at least be more honest!"

"What truth would you like to hear?" His voice was harsh and vicious now, a sort of tone that she had never heard from him and could ever imagine capable of composing such sound with the angelic beauty he possessed, yet in that moment, in the vivid anger contorted on his expression she saw Jane and Caius's cruel streak merge with him, "That there is nothing more I would like than to rip apart your neck and drink until there's not a drop of blood left or that I deeply regret sparing your life when I had the chance to end it and disencumber myself."

Her hand rose to touch the side of her neck unconsciously and felt the following of his eyes skimming the thin, delicate skin casing her arteries. Jessica felt a sudden impulse to back away from the vampire with much physical distance and obstruction as possible as she saw the bulb in his neck bob as he swallowed down the venom watering in his mouth at the robust sound of pulsating veins that quickened under his gaze. What a lovely image of a feast, ready and ripe, just for him.

He stepped closer to her, unmoving and still, focusing on her shallow breaths and throbbing of her blood that sung to him. Drink me.

She felt her shoulder gently pushed down until she felt the silky sheet beneath her back, eyes wide and rimmed with tears, the ceiling she memorized blurred until she couldn't imagine the patterns anymore. Her mind reduced to white, fuzzy blank.

Then the gold bled into crimson; pale skin, thin lips and a face of an angel with the devil's eyes. His breath was cool and sickly sweet, mingling with her warm ones and she realized just how close their faces were. The startling contrast between warm and cold had never been more pronounced than it is now.

"..Alec?"

His eyes shifted its attention from her neck to her and whatever words that were forming on the tip of her tongue was lost in those orbs. She felt him lean in, No… then he ripped himself off of her, darting to the end of the room and the heaviness was lifted from her and let out a shaking breath she didn't realize she was holding. She heard him hastily retreating out of the room.

Her tears cleared up enough for her to trace the pattern in the ceiling.

Coming to Volterra was just a bad fucking idea.

She had been in midst of 12-hours long 'blissful deep relaxation' she found on YouTube when Demetri decided to make his entrance unannounced. Imagine her surprise when she opened her eyes, finally achieving some semblance of serenity she desperately sought shatter when she found herself staring into same bright crimson eyes. Jessica let out a shriek, jerking away from him and felt the back of her head hit a hard wooden post, stars dancing in her sight.

"Apologies if I frightened you." Demetri said with unrepentant smile, finding her reaction all too amusing although his words went unheard, panicking as her palm quickly touched the injury to make sure there was no red smearing crossed it.

Jessica sighed in relief, chest heaving up and down with each shallow breath she inhaled and exhaled. Demetri frowned as he registered the panic stricken expression, the agitation coursing through her veins.

"What are you doing here?"

"Is it because of Jane?"

Jessica feigned a brave face, biting the inside of her cheeks to keep her face passive, "No."

"You are horrible at lying. You should practice more." He commented.

"It's not because of Jane." She said with conviction, this time more confident of her answer but backtracked. "Wait-how did you know about what happened with Jane?"

"Intuition." He simply said much to her disbelief.

Great, she was the gossip of the centuries.

"Then is it about Alec?"

She froze and it was all he needed to know, "Did he hurt you?"

"Why do you care?" Jessica retorted with unnecessary spite, the same kind she saw Lauren used when someone was irritating her and wanted to end the conversation.

Normally, they'd get the idea then sheepishly scratch the back of their head while muttering their apologies and hastily going about their ways. But him. He just grinned as though she just said something funny and her frown carved deeper. She met his stare; there was something about his eyes, the colour, that just lured her in – get lost in it, drown in it. Then she'd wonder – would her blood be as bright as that? Or dark as his eyes sometime seems to be in certain lighting and angles? Everything about them was colorless and dark and blanched except those crimson eyes of theirs'. Even their unearthly beauty, was overshadowed by those gazes.

"What?" She demanded with a scathing tone, hinting that she was not in the mood for his play.

His lips twitched as though it wanted to say something but he simply tilted his head and regarded her in a way that caused her neck to flush.

"Would it be odd if I find you..joyful to have around."

"Yes." Jessica intoned, fully aware the joy he found in her was nothing more than one would feel to a new plaything, "In fact, that would make you a shitty person. I'm not someone's toy."

He grinned at her answer, nodding his head as though he expected nothing less of her response to his statement.

"Alec won't turn you." A pause, "But I'd be more than willing." Then added as an afterthought, "If you so desire."

"I thought vampires rarely turned humans; not many are worthy." She challenged, remembering his caution when they first met.

"I find you worthy."

"Will your masters think the same?" Jessica implored, hoping she could get an understanding on how their coven worked.

"Master Aro would gladly allow me."

"How about Master Caius?"

"Master Caius detests humans. If you are turned, he will not find you a problem."

So he only hates her because she's human? Because she's a human who knows their secret?

"How about your other master?"

"Master Marcus?" He raised a brow, as though he found her consideration of Marcus surprising, "He simply does not care."

So you have one leader who is apathetic and detached, another obsessed with the punitive side of the governing, and Aro, the coven's core decision making force. Two figureheads and a true head of state masquerading as three kings ruling jointly. Not too different from human politics, she thought.

She felt him lean toward her, close enough for her to take a whiff of his pleasant scent and to appreciate his delicate features.

"All you need is to ask."

Oh he was good. So so good. She reckoned had she knew any better, she'd say yes without hesitance and jump into his embrace but the cold V-shaped necklace humming in her pocket and the phone she was gripping in her hand halted her from making any rash decision.

"Why me? I'm not that special. Gianna has more chance to be turned than me. Why would you choose me?"

His eyes softened, losing that sharp seductive gaze as he slowly retreated back, "You do not want to be turned."

"So this is what it's all about? Because I don't want to be turned? Some reverse-psychology thing? A challenge to see how much convincing I need before I say yes?" She wasn't angry but she didn't feel particularly happy that she was considered a mere challenge to be achieved.

"I find that aspect of you fascinating." He said with a small smile, "I admire it. I do not see you as a mere challenge, that would be insulting of my respect toward you."

Jessica knew she was blushing, the sudden hot flush in her cheeks was telling and obvious that he probably could see it but her nonchalant expression didn't change.

"Well, I take back saying you're a shitty person then."

"Thank you." He said sincerely.

"So what brings you here?"

"I've heard what had happened with Jane. I needed to see if you were okay."

She returned his worry with a small thankful smile, "I'm fine now. I think I'll manage with any pain after that."

"I thought you'd have died. You could have died." His voice lowered with a tinge of something akin to fear underlining the tone.

"I'm not.. dead I mean." She shrugged nervously, "I mean if I did die, at least everything would return to normal as before."

His stare lingered at the door for a minute before meeting her eyes, "And if I preferred you alive?"

Jessica tuned her gaze into her fingers like they were more interesting than the vampire who was basically flirting with her, picking at a hangnail on her left thumb before reminding herself that maltreating her poor skin won't do anything and rested it on her knees, painfully trying to form a neutral, almost passive answer to his suggestive question.

"You can't have everything in life." That saying was her grandmother's favourite say when life became difficult or unfair and as tacky as it was, the words had always given her some comfort and kept her grounded, one of the many lessons her grandmother taught her before her passing and for that, she was forever grateful.

"I can." He confidently replied and Jessica couldn't help but think he could, if he wanted. He seemed like the type of person who went after what he wanted and that confident swagger seemed to evince he had never failed in his conquests.

"Good for you."

"You are very difficult."

Jessica let out a huff of a smile, "Wow, uh. I've heard that a lot when I was young. Not much now though. I'll take that as a compliment."

They fell into silence

He stood up, heading for the door as he seemed to understand the awkwardness shared between them was making her uncomfortable.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

Although she couldn't see his face, the subtle lift of his cheek whispered of his smile, "I'm not."

"Welcome back." She said with a smile.

It was then he looked at her with that same stare that made heat rush up from her neck to cheeks and even though everything about him seemed as hard as steel, those same crimson eyes held a sort of tenderness she (oh no) kind of liked.

Jessica let out a keening groan after Demetri had left, the calm guided meditation voice fruitlessly playing in the background as she took out the V pendant necklace, the red ruby staring mockingly at her before letting her neck hung to stare at the ceiling, praying whoever was up there for mercy.

He liked arts. Jessica found out later that day. She needed to get out of that castle, away from Alec, away from Demetri, away from Jane.

There was a radiating sense of calm about sitting on a bench alone in the middle of the gallery, surrounded by resultant collection of sculpture, ceramics, prints and paintings and echoes of overlapping murmurs she preferred rather than sentence herself in complete silence. But that day, there were very few people, adding a more air of eeriness to these thousands of years old Roman style buildings with grand Greek Revival façade entrance. There were total of four wings, each categorized to their respective timeline and era with its own distinct design suited to what it housed with labyrinth-like hallways connecting the four houses together that a left or right turn would welcome her to different departments of lost kingdoms in their raw, fallen glory.

Very little people visited there at night after six and it was less busy during beginning and extending to midweek that it was more likely for her to find herself alone among comprehensive collections of antiquities and occasionally one or two other people in the room with her and she preferred to avoid the chock-a-block.

Lone and exuding an air of someone unapproachable, he sat by the marble bench in the centre that allowed the viewer unobstructed 360 degree landscape of the room. Jessica nearly collapsed if not for the column beside her, although not as much from fear than it was from shock to see him out of all vampires she could imagine in this kind of place that was as public and bustling with humans as it could get.

Holy–

The cruel vampire turned to face her, allowing her to catch the violet coloured eyes as it narrowed in glare and lips slightly bared back in disgust. For a moment, she was sure he'd attack her like he had; cold, stone-like grip around her neck. Breath hitched in memory.

He only acknowledged her for a second before turning back to the large canvas hung in front of him in wordless assurance that her death – most likely painful and hopefully swift – will not be today.

So does she play blind and turn back to where she had come from, go about her way?

Jessica wondered what artwork captured his attention and shifted her attention to the frame.

Deposition by Rosso Fiorentino.

The removing of crucified Christ from the cross as men and women wept by his feet painted upon a sombre, barren landscape. A maelstrom of grief and violent suffering so common in religious works, it was something she could see him appreciate.

"Were you there?" She couldn't help but wonder. Thousands of works has been made and written and drawn to depict the most famous execution of all time yet nothing was ever certain what it would have been like at the actual happening without a present witness to come forth.

"I do not like to be disturbed." He snarled, ignoring her.

She waited by the entrance, waiting for a chance to ask the ever so bubbling questions she had for the ancient vampire.

"I.. well I'm just curious, I study philosophy and I want to major that in university but lots of people says it's a useless degree to have."

It was then he decided to glance at her, a neutral expression this time, "And why bother telling me all this?"

"Just trying to make conversation." She shrugged.

"Don't." She hadn't notice he was gone until he reappeared behind her, striding out of the room, his long, dark shoulder draped coat fluttering around him.

"Well let me ask you one question then: why do you hate humans if you were one before?!"

He halted in his steps and the slight movement of his head toward his shoulder suggested he was eyeing her although from her view his face was shielded by his hair, "Hate? When humans see pigs and cows, they just see pigs and cows. It's hard to pick out a better looking pig or a better looking cow. It is the same for me. In my eyes humans are the same."

Perhaps she misjudged his view toward her kind. Rather than hate, it seemed more of indifference and the fact Aro seemed so carefree about her knowing the existence of them, going against his advice and the laws they created. She was everything he stood against.

Well at least it wasn't personal.

"Hey, wait up!" Jessica called after, running to the direction he had disappeared to. It was night and she rather avoid the drama she had with the drunk man last time, what's more safe than have a vampire with you who could see well in the dark and had superpowers, even with his distaste for her.

Edited by YanaTG and updated on 11/05/2020