Yo no quiero hablare espanol... BLAH, can't even say that right.
Enjoy.
The tree still stood solid and tall, an ill-omened being that never seemed to waver as years passed. The black veins pulsed furiously throughout the bark making the ground shiver under its intrusion. Dark clouds loomed closely to the to its barren branches.
Rebecca stared unblinkingly at the sight, her small thumbs twiddling with one another. Occasionally her eyes would twitch to the opaque water that lay around her, fearing a blind attack. Her dark, thick, hair tied loosely into an intricate French braid, her huddled body even more disheveled.
Come to us, foolish child, let us feed you. Come.
Little arms folded over her head, rocking in a motion too familiar to her.
"Just a bit longer" she reminded herself in a hushed tone, always a hushed tone. It was always the same since she could remember, inevitable to many occasions, she tried to stay awake, to elongate the period in which she came to this retched place. It only made her susceptible to the compulsion that the whispers utilized, making her ill and prone to sleep for longer periods of time.
Sleeping meant more torture from the tree. It was the time of the sun she loathed the most.
We only want the best. Come…
"Maman!" a strangled cry tore from her throat as she felt the coldness hurtling her into a numb abyss, the water lapping persistently at her shivering body, "Papa!"
They don't love you. They left you for dead. Left you all alone..
All warmth was jerked away from her, mind and body, leaving her feeling bare for all to see. Rebecca dipped her head deeper into her knees, sobs wracking at her body as negative thoughts swarmed her own, ceasing all the calls to her parents that pressed close to the surface.
That's it. Come to us. We will rid of that emptiness. Nothing can get you. Come to us… feed us.
The water rose with momentum as her soul was overwhelmed by the essence of evil. Fighting against it just resulted into more whispering, more dark offers that didn't help pull her out of her lethargic sleep. She was drug closer to the tree, the shades from the clouds above illuminating scorning faces, ones of pure hatred that stared down at her, promising the wrecking pain that came each time it managed to drag her under its rotten roots…
Come back to us, mon petite, little light.
"Papa!" Rebecca cried out twisting in the water's dark embrace, desperately clawing at the rotting bottom to get away from the tree, "Maman!"
Breath with us, mon petite. Open your eyes, our shining light.
Jaxx held her six year daughter into the shelter of her arms, ignorant of all the locals of Romania who glanced sympathetically at the scene, a misunderstanding being an understatement. It was getting worse with each rising that she refused to sleep, finding aid in the Carpathian Mountains being their only option now despite all the risks that had kept them away as far as this day.
"Wake up, my baby girl" she breathed into her delicately rounded ear, kissing it gently, waiting for the first flutters of her heart, aching for them. It rendered her frustrated that this, this thing seemed to be apart of her child, not a physical being that she could express a mother's rage on. With lightning, tons of it before even disincarnating the heart.
Easy, mon amour, we will deal with it when it comes, I promise you that.
She gave a wary side look at Lucian as warmth brushed at her collar bone, their daughter's first breath to the evening, and the rhythmic beating of her heart flooded both minds with warmth. Rebecca's small head lifted, sleep still evident on her young features as she registered both presences of her parents before shivering and laying her head back down in defeat.
Jaxx's eyelashes covered her shadowed eyes for a moment before she gathered her courage and picked up her pace headlong for the Inn that had been a public meeting place for as long as she could remember from her converted life. Lucian followed closely behind, his large hand on the small of her back for the contact both knew she needed. The moon hung over both of their heads, illuminating grief and anxiety.
"Daratrazanof" A welcoming, though mellow, emerged from the darkness of the shelter of the Inn's roof distinguishing the form of Jacques Dubrinski, "it is good to see you, though I wish this wasn't of circumstance to bring you here" his eyes centered to the bundle in Jaxx's arms.
They have brought others to hurt you, hurry, come, feed us. We will erase all the pain, come, little girl, come and please us.. Come…
Rebecca shuddered hard enough to rattle her teeth as the voices seemed to grow in strength, coming alive in stature, a small figure forming behind her shut eyelids. So dark.. Dark and tempting, the figure took in a more symmetrical form, all disorientations quickly disappearing. A hand reached out from the fog…
Come, feel our torture as they plunged a stake into our hearts.. Come to us..
White laced pain sprouted from her chest, burning into the core of her chest, right beneath her heart, a suffocating feeling pulling at her throat. Immediately her mind went out to her parents to find their hearts and try to follow the calm pulse, fighting back the whispering, the dark image and peeled her eyelids back to have a better advantage of fighting her way into reality.
"Ah, our mon petite has decided to come join us" Lucian spoke putting his chin on Jaxx's shoulder to peer down into her caramel eyes, his smile tight and eyes weary, "ready to meet the rest of our famille?" His hand pressed possessively against Jaxx's waist, the other finder Rebecca's head in a warming gesture.
Rebecca turned her head to the new presence, taking in the dark hair and eyes like her father, a superior essence, as well as a reluctance of a past emotion. His clothes were loose and boots looking brand new. Her eyes stared into his dark ones for a moment, taking in his emotion, the darkness that hid beneath.
Dark like the forever darkness we lived in. Will you condemn us any longer?
Immediately her eyes lowered and she nuzzled her head into the hallow of her mother's neck to find peace. Jacques caught the absence of what a child of her age should be acting like. His eyes slashed his brother and sister-in-law, a child with these set of parents shouldn't be silent in their own solitude. His own child, a mire handful of years older than she, would have acted differently towards his own family, new or not.
Don't start comparing, my child is ill, not defected. Lucian warned through a narrow mental path he had with him, his eyes glazed as they sliced through Jacques's. His lip curled up in a paternal nature to protect his child from a threat.
Forgive me, Jacques replied with a slight bow of his head making Jaxx glance curiously at Lucian while stroking their daughter's hair in a soothing motion, I am just observing, Mikhail needs precise details if we have hope of healing your child.
Lucian met his response with silence, absently kissing Jaxx's temple, the hand in Rebecca's hair rubbing.
Jacques held back a sigh of exasperation, how things were just simpler with just Shea and Stefan. Very well, she will be safe in the lobby of the Inn with the other children while we discuss this.
Jaxon, honey? Lucian asked for permission to let go of their child for a couple of hours alone. He saw her stubborn mouth thin out in fear, her arms tightening around their gift, it is for the best.
This is too much, Jaxx sighed, rubbing her small chin on Rebecca's silky strands of hair, so much like her father's, "Baby? Would you mind if Daddy and me have a small talk with the grown ups? You can meet some of new friends, even your cousins you hear about all the time. Does that sound fun?". Rebecca's head lifted at the question directed to her, chapped lips parting slightly and the bags under her eyes intensified with the faint light of the Inn. Jaxx tapped her button nose lightly to lighten the mood.
"Do I have to play, maman?" her voice was small and wispy.
"No you don't, baby" Jaxx sighed sadly tears catching in her eyes once again. What if we can't find anything, Lucian?
Lucian pursed his lips at his daughter, catching her attention, and he crossed his eyes making the corners of her plump, pink, lips twitch softly in amusement. There is always hope, honey, you have proved that to me.
"Shea will arrive with Stefan in a short while," Jacques announced aloud, "The rest of the children are inside" Falcon and Sarah's little psychics are already here, as well as Savannah's twins, Anya and Anastasia.
"Thank you" Jaxx sighed stepping forward once Lucian's arms fell away from her form and headed to the door which was now held open by Jacques. The room had a soft touch to it with the flames licking at the inside of the fireplace sat in the corner, the older children running after each other in a delightful game that sent their soft laughter throughout the complex. It brought a horrible realization to the pit of Jaxx's stomach, something she already guessed, but it sunk in with an unsettling feeling to actually see the truth.
Calm, honey, we can change this. Lucian reminded her, feeling her emotions of if they were his own, Take her to the front of the fireplace, I feel Shea coming, once she is here, the meeting will commence.
Jaxx hesitated for a moment before her feet lead her to the thick carpet that was in front of the radiant heat, crouching down on her haunches, taking the moment to stare down at her child in concern and love. Lucian laid a hand upon her shoulder, squeezing it, his eyes too on their child. "Don't you leave this room, am I clear?" she hugged Rebecca closer for a moment before gently sitting her down, her hand lingering on her flushed cheeks.
Rebecca nodded her head softly, looking at both her parents for a long moment before turning away from them and staring into the flames, delicate arms hugging her middle in a feminine gesture. She faintly heard both sets of feet walk away from her and up the stairs, a door shutting behind them. All that was left was the crackling of the fire and the chants of giggling from the children older than her as the ran around in delight, probably not noticing her..
They don't notice you at all, vampires will chase you and lock you away, we will set your soul free. They will burn you from your hearts out. Come to us, we can take it all away…
She dunked her head so that her hair slid as a veil to cover her pale face, the firelight showing shadow in her depthless eyes. The tendrils of cold appeared again, sending sickly sensations over her ankles, compelling the darkness into her conscience body. Her shoulders sagged into themselves, the flames becoming branches, stemming out, reaching for her…
That's it, come to us, they won't care, they won't notice….
Rebecca's hands fumbled with one another, white teeth chewing on her lower lip, confusion stressing out her mind. Questioning things became a lost cause years back as the days and hours just dragged on with no meaning except the whispering and the waking. A repeating cycle.
Yes, a cycle. Death is apart of this cycle, make it quicker, let us help you…
She coughed to rid of the dryness that filled her throat, rubbing at it, staring endlessly at the branches of fire, the radiation turning into fog, reaching forward, pushing out of its boundaries. Ashes started whirling into a small tunnel, elongating, forming skin of a black hand and long black finger nails, reaching out and-
It all stopped.
Rebecca blinked, her heart pounding in her ears in anticipation, ready for the false hope to be smashed. The whispering ceased, a peaceful silence greeting her heavy head. Her eyes stared back at the crackling fire, the light splashing her figure in color, not one ounce of darkness seeping from it. Her hand clenched on the long skirt that her father had put her in for the occasion, searching her mind for the darkness, seeing if it was just a sick trick, but the tree wasn't there, and the fire remained unchanged in front of her.
In wonder Rebecca reached out towards it with her hand, relishing in the freedom of the action, no voice whispering to her all her flaws, confining her into a hard shell.. Her hand was licked with intense heat, but she didn't process it, her fingers reaching deeper, amazement flowing through her brain in childlike wonder-
Baby?
Her hand snapped back as another presence brushed against her own and almost cried when a hand clamped down and yanked her away from the bright colors of the fire. No, no, no, no! She needed the color, the freedom-
"What were you doing?" A red haired woman questioned in a panicked voice, kneeling down in front of her and gently clutched her pale wrist for inspection, a rich flowing river gleaming back at her, "any farther and it would have left a permanent mark- are you alright?".
Rebecca stared down at her own hand, the pain numb, then up at the women, a complete stranger and then at the small head of hair that was poking over the woman's small shoulder. Her head cocked to the side in curiosity, still at wonder at the freedom, relishing on the silence.
"May I?"
Her head snapped up in attention, confusion written on her face as she looked at the woman leaning over her palm, eyes worrying over her face. Realization dawned on her and she tried to rip her hand away, the dark promises of the whispers still evident in her mind, that they would feed off of her, take her away from her Maman and Papa. She vigorously shook her head in denial.
Something pushed at her head, her thoughts, trying to force its way in-
"Who're you?" A cautious voice asked and when Rebecca focused her eyes she was looking into dark, shining eyes of an older boy, "and what did you do?" he eyes lingered to her gaping wound, "why won't you let my Mother help you?".
"Easy, Stefan" the woman hushed, brushing her lips across the boys brow without releasing Rebecca's wrist, "don't give her a fright, she's family".
"I've never seen her" Stefan murmured rubbing his neck, but then his eyes went far off and a small blush crossed his cheeks and he averted his eyes, "I apologize, that was very rude of me".
"Don't distract you father, go contact Lucian and his life mate so they can help" the women instructed lightly.
"I don't know Lucian, Mother" Stefan denied with a shake of his head.
"Gregori's brother, sweet pea" the woman smiled in warmth when Stefan's face went a darker red at the nickname and he immediately scampered up the stair across from them. Once he was gone the woman turned back to Rebecca, "my name is Shea Dubrinsky, what's yours?"
Rebecca finally jerked her hand away from the woman's grasp but winced as it pulled on the burned skin of her palm, the pain pulsing.
Shea opened her mouth and was about to grab her wrist again when Stefan came running back, "I can't find them, Mother, father tells me to be patient, the others are in a conversation"
Shea sighed and looked at both children, "stay here, and don't irritate that wound, I'll be back with your parents as soon as possible to heal that nasty wound".
Nasty.
Rebecca clenched her eyes shut at the dark thoughts that came without the aid of the whispering.
"It's rude to just stare" A younger sounding voice echoed in her ears.
"I'm not trying to be, Trigovise" Stefan grumbled and his footsteps went away from Rebecca's body and a new presence loomed over her. A taller boy, though still younger than Stefan, stood over her, dark eyes staring curiously down at her, a brown sweater and loose pants fitting his lanky figure. Her heart stuttered and a foreign feeling seeped its way into her head making heat rush to her pale cheeks.
"That's a nasty burn" the boy noted squatting in front of her and held out his hand, a warm smile on his lips, "I am called Horatius Trigovise, who are you?". His hand was still outstretched when Rebecca didn't immediately take his offer, but something urged her to trust him, to give him at least her name, he probably already knew, she concluded.
"Rebecca Daratrazanoff" it came out scratchy but at least she got it out, it felt too long since she last had spoken, not screamed, and she let her uninjured hand grip his, shyly. His answer was brilliant, white teeth flashed at her and dimples appeared on his left cheek, his face lighting up with a happy glow that made the pulsing in her hand go numb once more.
"A pleasure, Rebecca" his hand tightened around hers, "may I?" he gestured to her other hand,, "I promise I won't hurt you, my father would chase me around the mountains if I did" he winked at her and more heat seemed to go up to her cheeks and she just nodded quickly before she lost her nerve and embarrassed herself. These new feelings were scary and.. Pleasant. She used to feel detached but now everything was unloading, a wave of excitement, how a child her age should feel.
She placed her burned hand in his gentle hand and his head dipped forward, sniffing delicately at the wound before his eyes flickered to hers, "how old are you, Rebecca?"
That got her thinking, "..s-six" she licked her lips, dipping her head forward shyly.
"I'm fourteen" Horatius said with a grin, "though mother thinks I act five" he lapped gently at the wound, gouging her reaction to see if it caused her pain and when it didn't he ran his fool tongue over her palm, closing the skin with his saliva's healing property, "all better".
Rebecca flexed her fingers, her skin tingling with awareness instead of numb pain, "thank you".
He chuckled and patted her shoulder affectionately before taking a seat down beside her, his shoulder brushing against her smaller body, "This must be your first time to the mountains, I hope you are enjoying yourself".
Her lips twitched upward, a long forgotten muscle that she thought would never build, but words just began to tumble out of her mouth, and soon enough they were having a conversation about the mountains, the sights around it, the stars, the moon.. It felt nice. As time progressed her eyes started to get heavy, and his smooth voice soon sounded like a perfect lullaby, filled with warmth and happiness. The heat of the fire became a safe cocoon, and soon her head was pillowed by the warmest object, and it smelled like..
Rebecca took a small sniff, snuggling deeper into the cushioned object, feeling arms surrounding her.
It smelled of mango and peach…
Rebecca..? Baby, are you all right?
"Rebecca.. Wake up" Horatius's voice pushed through the heavy weight of sleep that had put her under. Her eyes fluttered, struggled, and finally she was met with more than the pair of eyes she was secretly wanting to see. Jaxx and Lucian accompanied Horatius above her leaden body, though it looked like Horatius was also feeling the affects of the breaking dawn.
She opened she mouth but decided better of it and closed it, choosing just to stare.
Jaxx suppressed the urge to glare at the boy, jealousy ringing its ugly bell. Lucian put a restraining hand on her shoulder, his feelings raging just along hers, but the boy didn't even realize what their daughter had given him, and taken away from them. They both could smell Horatuis's scent cocooning their daughter, as well as the dried saliva on the hand that Shea had shown them was burnt. The one time that their child had been in physical danger they hadn't been there.
"We have some bad news, baby" Jaxx whispered as gently as she could touching her child's warm cheek, stroking it when Rebecca made no move to shut herself away from them, "but we get to go back home, is that okay with you?"
Lucien's jaw clenched tightly at the reminder of what Mikhail had ordered of them. Their child might be a threat, a threat at the age of six, just because of the psychological illness she carried. Most had agreed it might have been the parasites that had earlier made Jaxx's pregnancy a struggle and that the vampires were using Rebecca as their ears, by her mind, like Razvan had once done to his twin when he was imprisoned. They had been ordered to go back to the states, away from the Carpathian mountains until a solution could be constructed.
Rebecca's eyes strayed to Horatius, her heart clenching at the idea of leaving him for comfort and protection towards her and that he held the whispers at bay, letting her have reign her own thoughts. If she went away, would the whispers come back? Probably. Would she ever see him again to feel the taste of freedom?..
She looked at her parents and urged herself not to choke. Pressure came into her eyes…
"..Hope to see you soon, Rebecca"
His warm eyes and wafting scent drifted away as she was carried away, as the whispering once again laughed.
..they will always steal from you.. Come to us, we will take the pain away… feed us
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