Thank you HunterRaven and Dragonhuntess22
Chapter 6: Black and White Memories
In the world many people believe in a grey area, vampires and humans alike. The grey area is like, for example taking good versus evil, the people who are neither bad nor good. They sit there never taking sides.
But it's a lie. A lie that everyone believes in. You are either good or evil. But this is where things get complicated. Just because you are on the evil side doesn't make you a baby killer. It's like a spectrum; some are more evil than others and others are so close to the side where good resides. There still in that category but their actions are not as harsh or cruel. Sometimes all it takes is one moment to put you on one side. Inhabiting both is blasphemy.
That was how Calandra saw it and that was the conundrum in her life. Most aspects of her life were clearly on one side, in most people's perspective the unfavorable ones. But her very self, right now, was in that imaginary grey land.
The human and vampire world. She was part of both. Even if she was technically a vampire, she still breathed and cried. Three weeks without blood was torturous struggle for her.
Calandra had been staring at her ceiling for who knows how long. Her usual complicated thoughts did not interest her enough to take away the burning in her throat.
Calandra coughed already knowing it was futile to try and get rid of the pain. She had tried to ease herself up earlier but fell back into the covers. So now she lay there with no more strength to move.
"Merde," Calandra whispered in French.
She tried to look around the room but she could only spot the tops of the furniture and a very familiar face. If she could have jumped she would have but her body was like a rock.
He walked idly to her side, and fully took in her close to comatose state.
"Can you walk?" he said sardonically. Calandra tried to return his tone through an equally matched smile but was only able to twitch the sides of her mouth.
He grabbed her and set her down on the floor. Calandra stumbled badly, like a newborn foal, trying to get up. She almost kept her balance but her knees gave in and she tumbled to the ground. He grabbed her by the collar of her frock, too impatient to let her try again.
"Alec where are we going?" she asked him curious as why he was dragging her out of her room.
"We're going to eat," He said becoming the same man he was when she had first come here, the silent guide on the river Styx. Her eyes widen at the word "Eat".
"Really?" Calandra felt so much stronger now. She prayed it was not a joke.
"Aro's orders," Alec said simply.
The imposing oak doors of the throne room appeared. Heidi stood in front of them with her same aura of roses surrounding her. Her lips parted in a half-smile seeing them and she gracefully glided over.
Alec plopped Calandra onto her feet and approached Heidi.
"Alec, I was wondering why you would need so many-"Alec held Heidi's delicate chin in his hand, pulling her close, and cutting off her sentence. Calandra stood dumbly watching them, but a stray wind flew through the throne room dragging along the delicious scent to her. Venom built up in her mouth and she could barely hold herself back.
Someone nudged her from behind encouraging her to give in to her temptation. She walked mindlessly allowing the scent to become her crutches to walk. At the door she stopped holding the cool handle that contrasted greatly with the fire that rage along her throat.
"I hope you have a wonderful meal, precious," Heidi's alluring voice slid into a girlish giggle. If Alec had said something, it was for the walls and the wind because Calandra had already opened her box. The only thing she would listen to was the stop of her meals' heart.
Words flew past Alec's eyes while he flipped through his book. After rereading it so many times the book became jaded to him. His foot tapped against the leg of the chess table in front of him, as he thought deciding whether it was worth it to read his book again.
The snow still persisted late into December and compelled everyone to wear their heavier clothing. He could hear the voices of the juvenile guard members laughing about something felix their ring leader said or had done. Alec rolled his eyes and flipped to a random spot in his book.
Only a short time after, he heard the patter of footsteps and upon looking up caught Calandra's eye as she turned the corner. She stopped slightly surprised by him and quickly retreated before she completely turned. He dismissed the scared look in her eyes and went back to his book.
A few sentences later he heard a loud clink of marble hitting marble. Alec dropped his book in his lap staring at the white queen floating hesitantly in the air. It was the most out of the ordinary thing but was not the only change in the table. Pawns and other pieces rushed each other in a strategic war to save their monarchs. It was the midpoint of the game and evenly matched for an elementary level player.
Alec refocused his attentions on the ivory queen who floated in the air by itself.
"Come out," he said sounding extremely bored. A tiny child's hand materialized from the queen revealing Calandra, looking a bit more frightened than she was before. Alec took the queen from her hand and placed it back in its proper spot. He did the same with the other pieces until they all looked untouched.
"Are you bored?" Calandra nodded. "Then why don't you go play tag or something with Adede?" Alec complained.
"I tried." Calandra showed her knees scraped and bruised from when she tried to play tag with Adede. The fast vampire quickly caught up with her and had accidently slammed her down with her speed. The opposite had Calandra running for hours never being able to catch her.
"Do you know how to play?" he asked her. Calandra nodded yes choosing to remain silent. The black pawn was moved two spots ahead challenging the white army. She took in his move, and tentatively advanced her own pawn three spaces from his.
Each game only lasted a few minutes as Calandra had not seriously played chess before. The sun had long set and the hallway was now aglow with the candle light. Only a servant had passed by to light those candles, but otherwise they were undisturbed.
During the games there was a very light conversation, which usually consisted of one word answers and mocking looks. Alec picked up his piece and lifted it in the air ready to finish the game. Calandra stared at it knowing fully what he would say.
He leaned back and propped his head on his left hand. He smiled slyly at Calandra who fidgeted nervously at the wait. Alec opened his mouth while placing his piece down.
"Check-