Pandora
Chapter XIII:
Ruin Your Party
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.
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On my Tumblr, simply search 'PDF' OR Click Story Link on the sidebar.
Thank you to those who have read, reviewed and favourited my story:
Tosha232- Yes and no. While their bond has been weakened, my view on Chelsea's gift is that some people are more susceptible/resistance than others. So while they do work, the degree they do is different. My idea is that Jane is more susceptible while Alec isn't based on my notion that Jane is more 'emotional' (thus swayed by their emotions more) than Alec who is more consistent and stolid. Certainly his distancing has in part to do with Chelsea's interference but there's also a play of his free will in that action. He wants to please and make Jane happy which to her (and him) means he should distance himself from Jessica but at the same time, a part of him is compelled by Jessica and is frustrated by the pull.
Alis-volat-propriis97, , HadeCharon93, Guest#1, - Thank you so so much for your ever so patients and supports! Despite this story being seven years old, I'm still so surprised you guys are still here and reading this! I'll try to update it as fast as I could!
A/N: Hello guys, another update from me! I've been trying to focus on this story to progress them more. It wasn't until few days ago did I realise this story is SEVEN YEARS OLD. Seven. Can you believe it? And still not completed? It really shocked me so my goal for this year is to get this story up to at least Eclipse/beginning of Breaking Dawn.
If you want daily update on Pandora story, please visit my TUMBLR:
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I have been giving daily word counts for chapter 14. I've managed to write from 0 to 5000 words in three days. Expect another update next week!
Vampires preferred to stay within the throne room most of the time, she observed, and not much seemed to go on in their eternal lives other than waiting for their daily meals brought in by Heidi – the only thing they look forward to as much of enthusiasm depressingly bored vampires could gather. Even humans found it arduous to bear the boredom of repetitive, mundane day; she couldn't fathom how torturous it must be for vampires whose time was frozen forever in their world.
For most humans, boredom was a passing, nearly trivial feeling that lifted as soon as your turn arrived, a task was completed or a lecture ended.
At least, it'll be over for me someday. But them… A small part of her felt pity for them; boredom rotted the mind and drove one to the brink of insanity. She wouldn't be surprised if most vampires – if not all – were a little mad.
Insane vampires. That would make so much more sense actually. Jessica mused.
Often, the leaders disappeared into the far-away, isolated turret strictly prohibited for anyone to wander, including Gianna, barring for very few others who were permitted by the leaders themselves. Gianna called it the 'Wives tower', a residing place for the leaders' wives that even she had yet to see their faces despite the two years working for them. They were women shrouded in veils of mystery and it piqued her interest about them; what kind of people would they be? How would they look like? Even though she knew they would be beautiful just like their husbands, it still surprised her to find out they had wives. Even Marcus. Even Caius. She won't deny she nearly fell off her chair when she heard Caius had a wife. He didn't seem like the type to need anyone.
Her room had no clock nor in any parts of the castle. Time did not exist here and every now and then, she would find herself unmoored in their world.
18:59. Minutes changed to zeroes on her phone, hours turned to seven.
Seven in the evening. It was nearly dinner time. Their dinner time.
Just like their changeless world, their meal time followed a strict, fixed schedule: twice a day, early morning and early evening. Seven in the morning and seven at night. Every time at those hours, she was reminded of the faces she had passed at the beginning; the old and the young, men and women, some her fathers' age, some her mother's age, others her age; blindly following their executor disguised as a dreamy, romantic scam leading a herd of lambs.
One day, she made a mistake of being out in the reception with Gianna at around the time of their evening meal, having forgotten to carefully track the time and feebly watching as tourists smiled and chatted away whilst being dragged into the slaughterhouse. It felt as though she had assigned herself as their accomplice. They never came out of that darkness again. Yet she could hear those screams. The screaming of the lambs.
Gianna, the perfect vampires' secretary and human face of the Volturi, greeted them warmly with a genial smile. How longer, how much one must witness such transgression against one's kind before they become desensitized?
"I threw up the first time," Gianna mentioned in a blasé tone one would use to blather a trifling matter. "You'll get used to it."
Jessica wordlessly agreed, humans adapted; that's how they survived this long. Yet there was a line she was unwilling to cross and that was becoming phlegmatic toward any atrocities; to be corrupted and shaped into an apathetic onlooker to tragic loss of lives. Yet like the coward she was, locked herself away during those hours and far away from the feeding hall as guilt and fear gnawed at her conscience, tormenting her with their cries and wails. Their accusing eyes full of blame and loathing at her.
Almost every day, she dreamed of those screehing sounds. Hers'. Bursting out from her throat as a cold hand exploded out of her chest in a cloud of viscera. In her dream, Jessica was an oblivious, naïve girl who knew nothing about vampires. Mesmerized by their tour guide's beauty, she would huddle along with other tourists, excitedly taking pictures of the grand, timeless castle until they were all ushered into a white marble throne hall. Strange but frighteningly beautiful people were in there with glowing red eyes dressed in various tone of dark black and gray clothing.
Sometimes she was the first to die. Other time she was the last to die.
Sometimes it was Alec who killed her.
Sometimes it was Demetri.
Sometimes it was Aro.
Sometimes it was Caius.
Other time it was Felix who sunk his teeth, without fangs, into her neck. On rare occasion, it was Marcus.
Recently, it was Jane who was her tormentor. Unlike other vampires, she played with her victims before eating them. Jessica remembered writhing on the ground, crippled by the fire but the suffering in the dream was only a pale echo of the burning pain she felt in reality.
A day later after the incident in the garden, noticing hundreds of missed calls on her phone screen, Jessica made a call to Bella. Everyone was distressed, thinking she was dead but Jessica insisted she was fine and all right despite what Alice must have saw, sharing few dry banters with Alice about pros and cons of living with vampires.
The castle was freezing and the room was cold but warm if the fireplace was on.
Free food and stay. She loved the suite room she was staying because she'd probably have to sell her organs to afford one at the hotels.
Vampires have no social skills. Or humour.
Vampires were worse for her self-esteem than it was for her life.
They were the quietest neighbors you could ask for.
On the other hand, they were also the most dangerous neighbors you could ask for. Jessica omitted this thought.
Before ending the phone call, she managed to speak with Dr. Cullen who was apprehensive about the potential effects Jane's power could have on humans whose bodies were less tenacious than a vampire's. He had seen humans' mind shatter and breaths expire under Jane's prolonged tortures. Icy chill ran through her spine as a vision of staring into her own lifeless eyes passed by. A minute pause, Jessica contended she was perfectly fine. He didn't seem to believe her.
That was also the first time she spoke to Esme. The matriarch vampire was a genuinely kind, warm and maternal woman to a fault who, like her husband, expressed her concern about her well-being. Esme reminded of her mother and how heavy the price of revealing the secret would be to her family's safety that she had to feign a façade of Jessica Stanley who was blissfully ignorant about the vampire world. But with Esme, nothing held her back and she ended up uncontrollably sobbing over the phone for an hour, spilling out her fears, insecurities and remorse she felt for bringing Bella and Esme's family into her mess. Yet Esme never faulted her once, patiently listening and soothing her guilt.
Later that day, Jessica pondered what Aro could be planning by trapping her here, constantly dangling the precarious standing of her humanity and fueling Jane's and Caius' ire by such blatant disregard for the laws they stood for. Their laws were clear: any humans aware of vampires' existence – fortunately for Giada's case who remained tight-lipped about such information and may live to die an old age, and unfortunately for a foolish idiot like her that confronted one must either be killed or turned.
From Alec's and Caius' reaction, Bella was a special exception to this rule and Caius, especially, disliked this deviation. And now her.
Then there was this unconventional friendship between Aro and Dr. Cullen. She had never imagined Dr. Cullen would have befriended Aro. Having witnessed their short, momentary conversation with each other, they seemed to share a different type of close bond that Aro didn't seemed to share with others from her brief observation with his 'brothers'. The three leaders clearly relied on each other heavily and shared great, familial bond, but she suspected, lacked something which he seemed to have found within his friendship with Carlisle.
That friendship was one of few reasons why she was still alive and human. So what could other reasons be? It simply did not make sense for Aro to risk such liability in the name of friendship with such bold, political move. They may not be human, but political system did not discriminate against species. As long as struggle for power exist, politics stayed the same, if not cognate.
Volturi were a powerful coven in the vampire world. The governing body maintaining order and constitution.
Think like a politician. Jessica mused, If I were Aro, having lived for thousands of years, seen and experienced all sort of things, what reason would I have to invite a human into my castle with privilege not given to other humans? Why let it be? Why not follow the rule? It's simple: turn or kill. Bella is to be turned, that's confirmed. But me? Why allow me to remain human for so long? Why am I undecided?
What was considered true power to vampires who were equally supernaturally enhanced? How could one be considered more powerful than another? How was it measured?
Having all these powerfully gifted vampires must be nice. Jessica contemplated. It was times like this she wished Alec was here to take away all her senses and numb her from this migraine. And Demetri to track down this really nice pizza she had in Venice because nothing made her happier than food.
Gianna briefly mentioned in a passing by comment there were more than 30 members in the coven, most who possessed 'gifts' that set them apart from normal vamp–
Gift? Jane's burning pain, Alec's sensory deprivation, Demetri's tracking, Aro's mind reading, Felix..what could be his gift then?
I might not have much to go on, Jessica brooded, But there's a pattern.
She quickly dialed Bella; it was three in the afternoon in Forks so she should be in school. The call was picked up in its second dial tone and Bella's hopeful voice crackled through the microphone,
"Jessica?! Hello?"
"Bella, are you able to speak? I just have few questions I want to ask you about vampires."
"Um yeah, sure."
"Is Edward there?"
"No, he's in class at right now; I'm waiting for him to finish. Why?"
"Okay, so Edward has a gift right?"
"Yeah, mind reading."
"And Alice also has a gift too."
"Yep. So do Jasper but Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle and Esme doesn't. Apparently I might get one because Edward can't read my mind."
"You have a gift?!" Jessica gasped, shocked by the new knowledge, "How come you are telling me this now?"
"Well..it's not something you tell to everyone..I can say this to you now because you know about everything."
True.. Jessica thought, If she said that before all this shenanigans, I'd have called the mental hospital on her.
"Okay I'm gonna ask more questions about that later but is it common to have those kinds of gifts? I know you get all these strengths and resilience when anyone gets transformed into a vampire, but can anyone develop gifts like Edward and Alice?"
"No. I don't know much in detail but Edward said it's really rare for someone to develop the gifts he or Alice has. When I and Alice went to Volturi to stop him from killing himself because he thought I died–"
"Why the hell did Edward think you died?"
"Long story I'll tell you later, anyway Aro thought it was a waste of his ability and asked him and Alice to join the Volturi. He even wanted me to join as a vampire but we said no..why the sudden question?"
"Because I think Aro is keeping me alive for another reason other than doing Carlisle a favour."
"..Everyone thinks so too. We have several theories on why but we are not too sure on any of them."
Jessica closed her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek, "I'm going to find it out."
"Jessica, don't do anything stupid–"
"I won't, Bella, I'm not stupid like I'm the future valedictorian of our year. I'll be careful. For Dr Cullen's sake."
"What's your plan then?"
"A calculative and political move that won't reveal my agenda to the opponent while I discover his motive. The Art of War style."
"…" Bella let out a heavy sigh, "So what exactly is that plan?"
"I don't know. I'm still thinking."
"He's thousands and thousands of years old, Jess, and incredibly powerful and intelligent who could also read every thoughts and memories you have from a single touch. How will you beat that?"
"Gee cut me some slack, Bella; don't you think I need more than five minutes to come up with a great and effective plan several thousand year old vampire hasn't seen before?" Jessica retorted, "If the stingy Mr T can give us two hours to plan a thousand word essay for his class, I'm sure you could spare me at least a day to do some proper planning!"
"Why the hell did you choose Volterra out of all places?!"
"I have no fucking clue and frankly, I'm having the biggest regret in my entire life. The record previously held by my decision to pursue a relationship with Mike. If I can, I will pack my bag and go to Antarctica. I'll swim from Italy to the Southern ocean right now. To be fair, you could have given me a warning when I said I was leaving for Italy."
"You never said it would be Volterra. I thought you were heading for Rome."
Rome. That had been her actual destination of choosing. Had she stuck to her choice, her life wouldn't have spiraled into a mess it was in. Her life would have been at a completely different point; shopping, sightseeing, drinking and enjoying her youth and what life has to offer; not stuck in this castle, enduring agonizing nightly panic attacks and never-ending insomnia, surrounded by vampires who could decide she'd make a good night snack any time they wished.
Jessica sniffed before bawling out the ridiculous truth she had denied herself for a long time, "Because this woman I met on tour said hotels in Volterra was much cheaper than the city! If I meet that woman one day, I'll fucking stab her with a spoon!"
"..Cheaper hotels..that's what made you choose Volterra?! Oh Jess!"
"And you know what's unfair, is that the hotels aren't fucking cheap because they recently had an anti-vampire festival and prices are at its peak!" She didn't care the vampires heard her cries which people often commented it resembled a yelling donkey.
"Jess, don't stab that woman with a spoon! Hang on there, okay?" She could hear Bella's voice trembling with tears.
Jessica managed to stop crying, wiping away the falling tears with the back of her sleeve, and composed herself. Thank god I'm not wearing any makeup,
"…I got to go. Thanks Bella.. really." Jessica wished she could take back all the nasty and backstabbing thoughts she had about Bella, really she did. About how envious and loathsome she was of Bella who was so lovingly embraced, loved and founded her place among Forks so easily compared to her.
"It's fine. Call me back soon."
"Okay, you hang up."
"No, you hang up."
"Seriously, you hang up. I'm busy wiping my tears."
"Talk soon, okay? Promise me you'll call me soon."
"I will.. bye."
I'm a fucking bait, Jessica came to realize. Giada's story about gifted vampires. Alice and Edward's gift. Bella's potential power. Everything seemed to make sense now. A storm of feeling swept over her: shock, confusion, disbelief, rage, helplessness and a terrible impotence.
It was half past nine by the time she checked her phone clock and emerged from her room, armoured to declare what would be a tiring, relentless war and set out to track Aro down. She could ask Demetri but she'd rather avoid him for now. Or anyone for now. Forever. The idea of swimming and settling down in Antarctica has never seemed as appealing as of now.
It wasn't difficult to track Aro down, Jessica came to realize, he rarely – probably never – left the castle, albeit when he wanted to be elusive, that man was damn hard to find. He tended to linger in his favourite places, either a library, throne room or at the Wives' tower.
Just as she hoped, Aro was in the library seemingly searching for something within various books laid out on table in front of him along with Caius and Marcus. Demetri stood by his leaders' side, tall and lean like the deadly sword of steel.
Sure, at times like this they gather around in groups. She might as well wave her white flag now. But it was too late to back out.
"Aro!" Jessica shouted with a moment of confidence she gathered, stomped toward the said vampire who stood up from his seat with a smile and welcoming extend of his arms to greet her. Before he could mutter out his cheery acknowledgement, Jessica grabbed his hand closest to her, vice like grip with as much human strength as she could muster and proclaimed:
"I know what you're trying to do and I'm not going to be a pawn in your game and I'm not going to play in it either! You're enjoying playing with my life but I won't let you win. I won't let you have them. I won't let you have the satisfaction."
Without waiting for the stunned vampire's reply, she backed away, chest heaving from the powerful proclamation before dashing out of the library that had fell into a heavy silent. As she rushed out of the door, Jessica thought she heard someone's laughter, a deep amused rumbling.
She didn't dare to look back.
'Cause I'm about to ruin your party
Ain't that how you like?
Some chaos and heartbreak, you like to break mine
'Cause I'm about to ruin your party
I'm not even sorry
Hope the cops pull up when I yell from your rooftop
When I ruin your party
Monday was the slowest day for any bars which meant there were very few people drinking and your orders were more likely to be taken quickly. Luckily, they let her in without checking her ID, assuming by her beaten-down-by-life appearance that she was of legal age and in desperate need of hard-core drinking. Jessica waited for the bartender to finish serving up a lone man's drink, who looked just as miserable, at the far left corner before calling her over.
"Can I get like five of the strongest shots you have?" She shouted above the music, making five with her fingers.
"You sure you can handle it?" The bartender, a young, brunette by the name of Sofia on her name tag, asked tinged with heavy accent.
"I just fucked up my life..don't worry, I have high tolerance."
"Oh." Sofia nodded, wordlessly fixing up the five shots in small glasses, "I'll take your payment later then, you look like you're going to order more."
Jessica cheered to that as Sofia walked back to another customer wanting another refill.
Two more shots later and happily moronic, Jessica took out her phone and pressed call to Bella. Sniffing back the tears, there was the tell-tale click indicating someone had picked up and Jessica broke down.
"Oh my God, I fucked it up! I'm so sorry! I know I promised I wouldn't let you down and you know I can be impulsive most of the time, I fucked it up I'm really sorry gosh I'm such a bitch! I'm so stupid!"
There was a forbidding stillness on the line and for a minute, Jessica thought it hadn't connected until the receiver spoke and she went cold.
"..Jess?" The voice on the line was soft and masculine and definitely not Bella.
The shock of realizing that she had dialed the wrong number quickly sobered her, straightening up from the table she was laying on, "..Hello? Who's this?"
"It's me, Mike, Jessica!"
Son of a–
"I'm sorry too Jess! We both made mistakes, please come–
She hung up, nearly falling off the stool, her fingers frantically searching for the off button just as Mike flashed up on her screen.
I don't mind being alone
I'm a giant inside of these walls
No, I never met one worth the fall
So I'm not fucking with any at all
Tears were falling down her cheeks uncontrollably, cheeks red from intoxication and mortification. She had long forsaken any care she had for her appearance and without checking on the mirror, she knew her face was bloated like a pufferfish, eyes puffed red and hairs tangled and messed up in I-just-escaped-from-a-mental-hospital look.
'Cause on the outside, I'm smiling like I've never been stung
But on the inside, I'm screaming at the top of my lungs
You know I like to play it off, but don't pretend that I'm dumb
That's why I run, that's why I run-run-run-run-run
Waving to Sofia, she shouted, "Sofia can I get another shot?!"
I'm not afraid of love, I'm terrified
It never feels like how they advertise
It's got big teeth, it's got an appetite
"Wait, is that you Jessica?" Cheery, falsetto voice called behind her.
Now what?
Jessica turned the stool around, confronting the familiar attractive, blonde girl with a dazzling straight-teethed grin adorning flattering dress and heels. Esther, like her, was alone without her friends this time.
"Hey, it's me Esther? Remember?"
Kill me now.
Jessica plastered a big, fake smile as though she was eager to see her and leaned in for a friendly hug, "Hey! So nice to see you!"
Why was it that when she was at her ugliest and worst moment she encounters everyone and their dogs from long forgotten past and present?
"Are you drinking alone?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Bad day?" Esther mentioned pointedly with a smile, motioning her smudged, tear-stricken face.
"Yeah." What you can't see?
Esther slid into an empty stool next to her and Jessica suppressed the urge to pull the stool out because she was not in a mood to entertain a stranger who was clearly in for a gossip.
"I'll have the piña colada." Esther ordered, sliding a twenty euro to the counter.
With the drink served, Esther turned her attention to Jessica who was barely resisting a very alluring temptation of ordering ten more shots so that she would have a feasible excuse to black out and not remember this was happening.
"So.. is Alec still sad?"
"His hamster of two years died, what do you think?"
Esther shrugged, a tiny frown puckering on her groomed brows, "I mean, it's just a hamster..how long does he need to mourn?"
"He's a sensitive kid."
"Kid? How old is he?"
"Fifteen."
"Really?! But he doesn't look fifteen." Esther gasped in surprise.
You and me both.
"He's mature for his age." Esther noted, sipping on the creamy cocktail.
You have no idea.
"So how did you guys meet?"
"Family friend." It wasn't a complete lie but it wasn't the whole truth either. She really wished Esther would drop the subject lest she say something incriminating under the influence, putting both their lives at an unnecessary risk. I'll be damned if I actually fuck up my life because I was drunk-gossiping with some girl I met in a bar.
"Do you like him? Like like-like him."
"No. He's fifteen."
"I'm seventeen, nearly eighteen in like six months." Ah, fellow law breaker, "Two years of age difference isn't that much. He'll be a total heartbreaker when he's older."
Jessica snorted; simply because that reasoning was absolutely ridiculous since Alec would never grow older, just age.
"So what happened to you? No offence, but you look like fucked up Joker."
Jessica bit down on her tongue to stop herself from unleashing profanity-filled diatribe and instead settling for a wide, agreeing smile, "I just drunk dialed my ex thinking it was a friend."
"Shit. Bad break up?"
"I ran away. To here."
Esther gaped, exhaling a shocked tittering, "Woah, oh my god, are you serious?! You ran away to Italy because of a break up?!"
"And I've been trying to avoid his calls and texts and needed to get drunk before I drunk called him."
"You're really living up to that biggest L goal, aren't you?"
"What about you? What are you doing in Italy?" Jessica asked, ignoring the jabbing comment.
"Just a three week holiday with my friends, nothing special. I've heard Italian guys were hot and I'm so glad I came here because I got to meet Alec."
"Why Volterra? Rome is more popular."
"Oh, well, cheaper hotels. Besides countryside is a bit more romantic but boring though."
That stupid cheaper hotels thing! "Well, hotels aren't cheap with the recent festivals and stuff."
"Oh yeah, that Saint Marcus day right? Apparently this town used to be a vampire city or something and this guy named Marcus got rid of them. Interesting history but I think it suits the town with their gothic Roman style buildings. Imagine walking through an alleyway and a vampire appears."
Jessica nearly choked on her drink, breaking out into a fit of coughing as Esther handed her a tissue.
"Oh gosh, are you okay?"
"I-cough-I'm-cough-fine!"
"What? I think you need 911!"
"It's fine." Clearing her throat, Jessica waved her hand to contend she was all right.
"You sure?"
"Mmm-hmm." Jessica nodded.
"So..where are you and Alec staying? We should meet up and travel together."
"Ha! I don't think he'd stop grieving anytime soon!"
An hour later and few more rounds of drinks at the small two person booth in the corner, their beginning awkwardness settled in to a more comfortable tone as Jessica and Esther broke out into fit of giggles over something someone said. Jessica couldn't exactly remember who or what was said only it was funny and that was enough.
"I double dare you to one shot it without using your hands!"
"If I succeed?"
"I bet you can't."
"I can! Don't underestimate my skills!"
"Fine, I'll bet ten euros!"
"Fine! Half half!"
They each put ten euros into the middle of the table as Jessica positioned the shot glass in front of her, lowering her head to grab it between her teeth and tipped her head back as flood of bitter alcohol rushed down her throat.
She gagged, coughing back up the vodka to spurt toward poor Esther who was unfortunate to sit across her. Jessica wiped the vodka escaping out her nose.
"EWW!"
Howling with laughter, Esther slid another shot of vodka, "Try again, this time aim for the ceiling!"
Jessica nodded, cocked the back the glass in her mouth and this time managed to succeed without shooting out the vodka through her mouth or nose, only her weight leaned too far back and the chair balanced precariously on the rear two legs before there was a snap and Jessica felt herself fall back with a gasp. She clenched her eyes shut, bearing for the pain to come.
Suddenly, the chair halted in mid-air meeting a powerful resistance against the momentum as it gently swung the chair forward, bringing its four legs back onto the stable ground. A long arm appeared over Jessica's shoulder and felt a sturdy, sinewy body leaning down on her, almost like a wolf standing above its prey.
Jessica stared at Esther whose attention tuned into the person above her with unattractive gaping of her jaw, shot glass loosening in her fingers and spilling onto the table and her dress. It only took a small whiff of their scent for Jessica to realize who it was and cold dread trickled down her spine, body frozen like a deer caught in headlights.
His cold hand fluttered down her arm until it came to hover over hers', not touching but almost like a feather grazing her skin. It made it impossible to ignore him and she could feel his exuding temperature mingling with her own.
"Jessica, I suggest you stop for today before you hurt yourself."
"How about you mind your own business, Demetri?" Her usual inhibition saved for self-preservation had long wasted away thanks to the alcohol in her system resulting in this drunken man's false confidence (or courage), whatever people called it.
Jessica slapped away his hand and pushed his chest back with her head, "Give me some space, dammit!"
She reached for another shot glass as Demetri caught her stretched wrist lightly. Drunk or sober, she was no match against a vampire's strength even if he barely held her.
"Umm, Jessica, you wanna introduce me?" Esther smiled suggestively.
"Oh! Him?! He's a stalker, the greatest stalker in the world." Jessica giggled, "Say hello to Alec's 'brother!'"
"Oh yeah, I can see the resemblance. I'm Esther, nice to meet you Demetri." Then turned to Jessica with anticipation, "Do all their family look like this?"
Jessica nodded.
"Gosh, their family's genes are no joke! Tell me you have more brothers!"
"Pleasure to make acquaintance, Esther. I apologize for cutting our meeting short but I have been tasked to bring her back home."
"It's not my home!" Jessica affirmatively denied. That castle is a damn prison.
It wasn't until she stood up and the whole world seemed to spin out of control did she realize she was more drunk than she had anticipated. Her stomach sunk then made turns and jumps as though she was on a wild roller coaster ride. She felt the acidic bile rising from her throat.
"I volunteer!" Esther stretched up her arm with glee. Compared to Jessica, she avoided drinking too much and anything she had tended to be on a lighter, 'healthier' side.
Esther was aware of this mysterious, handsome stranger who seemed to have appeared out of thin air but it was easy to be stealth in darkly lit, clamorous bars that made it exhausting for someone to focus on something other than alcohol. The man snaked his arm around Jessica's waist, holding her weight effortlessly as he studied her face with passive expression.
"Jessica, come." He ordered, lowering his lip to her ear. Esther could barely hear him over the music but few fragments of his sultry voice she had heard were enough to make her knees buckle.
Gosh that voice is the epitome of sex in a voice. Esther thought, How the hell did Jessica found a family like them?
"I can walk on my own! Don't touch me!" Jessica growled angrily, thwarting his arms from her and staggering out of the bar but not before taking the betting money in the table. "I won!"
"Yeah, you won," Yep, she's gonna regret it in the morning.
Demetri gave her a curt nod before following Jessica out of the bar with graceful elegance that suggested the man was born into a cultured, upper family. Esther blinked, staring at the empty seat across her and the man that materialized and vanished like the wind, never lingering in one place for long.
I forgot to give him my number. Esther groaned with regret.
Jessica knew he was there. Somewhere in the dark, closely trailing her with his eyes following even the tiniest movements of her fingertips but there were nothing to prove the shadow behind her. There was not even a whisper of clothes brushing against his movements.
She found a bench beneath a lamppost and decided to take a rest, slumping against the back with the languid of a lazy cat.
"This is all your fault." She accused.
It was then the vampire made himself known to her, venturing into the harsh artificial light. She assumed artificial light worked differently than the sun to their skin; under the lamp, he was utterly transparent and smooth, as if he were carved from bleached ivory and his face was inanimate as a statue except for those two violet eyes gazing down at her.
He made a wistful smile and she noted the absence of grooves in his face as the facial muscles flexed. It reminded her of Lauren's mother who came to pick Lauren up after one of her regular session of Botox injection and when she tried to smile or even make any expression, it ended up giving what was supposed to be a friendly smile a strange, slightly sinister curve. But his smile was natural and fluently done, perfectly balanced half-moon in width and curve.
"Why?" He asked gently, approaching until he was standing beside her and settled close to her.
It was also her fault; she was stupid to dig her own grave but there were a part of her that cast off some blame to Demetri, the very man who had dragged her into their world. Her arms shot out to grab him by the collar, giving good shakes as a testament of her strength to his surprise.
"I wish I haven't met you!" Jessica cried, her eyes watering as hot tears fell, "If you haven't..if you just didn't take me to them, it could have been different! I'm so scared! I'm scared of you, of Alec, of Caius, of everyone in that castle! It's that woman's fault! She said there would be cheaper hotels and it isn't that cheap!"
Demetri could have avoided her clumsy attempt of seizing him and he was strong enough to free himself from her yet he remained, still. "You are wrong. If not me then someone else would have been sent to bring you in my stead."
"Why you?"
"Jane asked me."
"You do whatever she tells you?"
"Within reasons."
Disheartened, her fingers slipped down his neck to his chest before limply returning back to her side, "Marcus is alright but Aro and Caius are just..so mean! Like the meanest person I thought existed in this world was Lauren but holy shit, they take the cake!" Jessica protested then added with panic, "Please don't tell them I said that!"
"Promise." He said.
"And now Alec is mad at me because Jane is mad at me and holy shit, I challenged Aro! I challenged thousands years old vampire! I'm going to die, aren't I?!"
He paused before asking, "Why is Alec mad at you?"
"I don't know. I don't know why. He tried to eat me; I think he tried to kiss me? Crazy right? Yeah he was probably going to eat me but he didn't. Great(!)"
"Do you like him?" Something in his face changed subtly.
"He's fifteen."
"Human age means little to us now."
"Well it means a lot to me! Cuz I'm human?!"
"How about me?"
Jessica blinked then looked up from the ground, confused, "Huh?"
"What do you think of me?"
"You seem like a good person, but you're a shitty vampire. You kill people."
His smile broadened as he sat down next to her, "An order is an order and a law is law. I have little say in that matter."
"I know, I know. Like you can be a good person but a shitty human being."
"I am old enough for you – in human age, how about me?"
"What about you?" Jessica frowned; her brain had shut down to stupor at her sixth shot to process any intelligible comprehension of the conversation.
"You are not afraid of me and I am interested in you. Would you be willing to reciprocate my attention?"
"Then can you get me something from Rome?"
"Anything you want."
"Okay, so there's this thing with red colors on the bottom and on top there's different designs.." Why was it that I always forgot the names of the food I want to eat when I'm drunk?
"How many do you want?"
She made wide arcs with her arms, grinning, "Like twenty boxes!"
"Anything else?"
Jessica shook her head, "Nope."
Taking one of her hand in his grip and pulling it toward his face, he pressed his lips on her palm with a smile. "You're mine now then."
"Yup!"
Edited by YanaTG and updated on 11/05/2020
A/N: If you want daily update on Pandora story progress, please visit my TUMBLR:
sunset-wishes-upon-hill
Song played in the bar (in order of appearance):
Sval – Ruin Your Party
Terror Jr- Terrified (I absolutely am in love with this band. If you're into Kiiara/dreamy pop genre, check them out! I love all their songs but my absolute favourite are: Losers R Lovers, Loner, Caramel, A-OK, Terrible, Sugar, 3 Strikes and Useless)
Chapter 14 of Pandora will be released next week.