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Love never dies,

Bella

Chapter 4

x

The Inner Circle

Daniel had escaped to the library after his classes, sitting at a table near the west wing. His arm shield the book and his head propped up by his hand. He had been reading up on the Civil War, since Mr. Cole had instructed that the student had to do a report on the time period. Daniel had, of course, been alive in that era, but he hadn't been in America. He had been in Nerja, Spain with Gabbe and Arriane. They had read the news on the war multiple times, till the war had ended in April of 1865 – Ten years after Lucinda's death. Daniel remembered moping around for quite some time after Lucinda's death in Helston, and it was the death that made him debate whether or not it was all worth the pain. Of course, Daniel had decided it was.

"Doing some research for history?" A voice squeaked, making Daniel glance up to see who it was. Pennyweather, the girl that had helped Lucinda wash her hair free of the meatloaf. Daniel had wanted to thank her for caring for his love, but remembering that he didn't care. Well, at least he was acting like he didn't.

"Um," Daniel runs his fingers through his disheveled hair. "Yes." Daniel only glanced up at her briefly before looking back down at the book.

"You don't talk much, do you, Grigori?" Pennyweather inquired, pushing her hands into her pockets. Daniel raised his eyebrows, looking back at her.

"And you ask a lot, don't you?" Daniel's tone was clipped. He was in no mood to be questioned at the moment, first of all – He was trying to consecrate on the book. Second of all – He was trying to get his mind of Lucinda.

Pennyweather was taken aback, blinking towards him. "No need to be austere, just say you'd rather not be bothered." And then she walked away from the table, disappearing into the depths of the library. Daniel shook his head and went back to the book, reading it until he looked at the always ticking clock on the wall. Daniel had that damned Social night movie in no less than a half hour away, and he knew he had to get to that – Or else he'd be scolded for 'not being social enough'.

Daniel sighed and stood up, gathering his books and putting them into a neat stack before picking them up and carrying them to the front desk to check them out.

"Hello, Daniel." Sophia Bliss greeted, a warm smile spreading over her lips. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Daniel answer, shrugging. "I just want these checked out." The same with Pennyweather, Daniel wasn't in a mood to converse with anyone at the moment. Sophia then nodded and spoke no more, only scanning each of Daniel's requested books, and handed him a small printed list of checked out books and their due dates.

"I hope to see you at Social this evening, Daniel!" Sophia called as Daniel reached the doors of the library. Daniel looked over his shoulder and nodded once in acknowledgment before going through the doors of the library.

Daniel walked down the hall in silence, before noticing the two figures by the phone, that you were allowed to use for fifteen minutes at a time.

Cam and Luce.

Jealousy filled Daniel, the ache growing in his heart as he watched the two. Cam got to talk to her, he got to touch her, and look into her eyes without the fear she'll combust. Daniel could see the image of Cam's lips meeting with Luce's, hearing her moan into their kiss and her fingers tangling in his dark hair. It made Daniel's stomach curl and caused him to narrow his eyes between them.

Lucinda's hazel eyes were gleaming towards him, a slight fret coming over her as she watched him narrow his eyes. Daniel wanted so badly to kiss her now, to show Cam that she was his true love, as he was to her. But, instead, Daniel resisted the burning desire and nodded in their direction once before tearing his eyes away from the two and continuing to walk to the other end of the hall.

"I almost forgot to tell you. Having a little party in my room tonight after Social. I'd love for you to come." Daniel stilled at Cam's invitation, obviously speaking it loud enough for Daniel to hear. A harsh pain jabbed through Daniel's heart and he slowly turned, looking over at her. Daniel's gray eyes were filled with grief and exhaustion, staring into her hazel one's.

The phone on the wall rang, but their eyes never left their gaze. "I've got to take this, Luce. You'll be there?" Cam asked, glancing briefly at Daniel – A fierce hate burning in his emerald green eyes – before looking back at Luce, to find out her answer.

Daniel then realized she was waiting for him, she was waiting for him to help her make a decision – Or maybe to see if he'd be there. Daniel then nodded, an imperceptible look on his face now.

"Yes," Lucinda spoke, turning back to Cam then. "I'll be there."

Daniel turned his head after she replied and walked to the stairs, his mind racing with emotions and questions. But, the main one was screaming above them all;

Could Daniel finally talk to her tonight?

XoXoX

"Gabbe, please – I need you to come. I want to talk to her, I want to see her. I just want you to intervene when you think it gets too much." Daniel pleas, his gray eyes filled with distress. Daniel had gone to Gabbe before Social night, in hopes that she would go to Cam's party to help Daniel try and get close to Luce, and that she would pull Luce or Daniel aside. Gabbe sighed and ran her fingers through her blonde hair, watching Daniel as her eyes fill with remorse.

"Alright, I'll be there. But, you know I can't promise I can stop it, Daniel." Gabbe's voice was gentle, placing a hand on his shoulder and rubbing up and down. Her blue eyes were watching Daniel with a sympathetic look. "You have to be sure you truly want to do this, Daniel."

"I want her." Daniel's voice broke, "I miss her so much, Gabbe – I don't know what to do." Daniel's gray eyes welled with tears, but he quickly blinks them away. It was so easy to be weak around Gabbe, at least for Daniel. She was among the few people who tried to help Daniel every chance she had. Gabbe sighed and cupped Daniel's jaw, making him look towards her.

"I'll try my best tonight to help you, Daniel." Gabbe assures, letting her hand fall to her side. "I have to go now, I'll see you at the party." Gabbe then walks around him and leaves Daniel to himself in the hallway. Daniel sighs, leaning against the wall behind him and closing his eyes.

"Hey, ready to get to Social? We're already late as Hell." Roland said, making Daniel open his eyes to look at him. Though Daniel dreaded Social, and would have skipped – He wanted to watch Cam and Luce. Daniel nodded and slid his hands into the pockets of his jacket before walking with Roland down the stairs.

By the time Daniel and Roland slid into the auditorium, there were no seats left and they were forced to sit on the stone flooring. Daniel didn't bother to look up at the crowd behind him – In fact, he was scared to. Would Cam have Luce snuggled into his side as they watched the movie? Would they be holding hands and whispering to each other? Would they be kissing as if no one else was there. Daniel pursed his lips and tried to pay attention to the movie, but he couldn't.

Memories of Lucinda slithered into his mind, blocking out all the noise from the movie and the laughter from the impersonations being done among the students. Daniel's mind swept over to their memory of their Valentine's Day together.

Their first. And their last.

He wove hundreds of white peonies through the slender branches of a tree stump, vases of the pocks in all the surrounding tree's roots. A golden vase sat in front of the stump, filled with a bouquet of peonies. He'd strewn the ground with the peonies' delicate, white petals. He'd lit dozens of candles in small hanging lanterns all around, so that the whole clearing glowed with a magical brilliance. Daniel had been holding a wreath that he had made for her, a smile gleaming over his face.

Of course, Lucinda couldn't understand the peonies – But, Daniel did. It was something they had always shared since the dawn of time. A white peonies had been the flowers in the meadow where they had their meeting, their first embrace, their first kiss. And they had been Lucinda's favorite each lifetime.

"Oh, Daniel." Lucinda gasped out as Daniel placed the wreath on her head. "They're beautiful." She grasped his biceps, making Daniel smile and swing her around before setting her back down her feet, fixing her hair and wreath. He kisses her forehead, his violet eyes gazing down at her.

"They're called peonies," Daniel explains. "Not traditional Valentine's flowers. But. . .They're something of a tradition." He held his grin, stroking her cheek lightly with his fingers.

"Perhaps we could make them our Valentine's day tradition." Lucinda suggests, Daniel reaching over and picking a peony from the golden vase and pressed it against her heart – As he had so many lifetimes before.

"Yes, our very own Valentine's tradition," He muses, "Peonies and. . . Well, there ought to be something else. Oughtn't there?" Daniel questions, their forehead's pressing together.

"Peonies and. . ." Daniel watched her ponder for a moment, biting her lip as she thought about it. "How about peonies and a kiss?" Lucinda's face lit up, and Daniel couldn't help but smile as well, nodding in approval.

"That's a very, very good idea."

His lips, then met with her's. This kiss was unlike any other, but then again – Each kiss they shared was different, every kiss that was shared between them ignited a new feeling, a new discovery. It was nearly feral and it was as if they had never kissed before, which it was. This was their first kiss.

They were lost in their kiss, their hands exploring their bodies, his lips on her neck and his hot breath panting on her skin created a new found sensation for both of them. His lips continued to her collar bone before meeting back with her's. Neither of them cared for their need to breathe, for the need to no longer mattered. The only thing that ever mattered anymore was their endless love, the one thing that was worth everything.

Daniel could feel the heat bloom under his fingertips as they slid down her neck, his lips retreating. A nervous look spread over his face, scared that this could be their last kiss.

"Is anything the matter?" Daniel asked, taking this moment to breathe though his heart was thrumming anxiously. Lucinda stared into his eyes, as if she was deep into her thoughts before shaking her head and holding his face in her hands.

"Nothing's wrong. Just kiss me, and kiss me again, and again, and again."

Daniel smiled, but an urgent feeling rushed through him – Fear of having this be their final kiss. He lifted her off the ground, cradling her in his arms as if she were as delicate as a feather. His fingers traced small circles along her side as she wrapped her arms around his neck. It was a beautiful scene, their love radiated so brightly it almost seemed the lanterns were unnecessary. When they finally broke for air, they laughed softly, their eyes gazing into each others'.

"Happy Valentine's, Lucinda." Daniel murmured, kissing her cheek lightly.

"Happy Valentine's, Daniel. And to the many more to come."

A feeling of guilt filled Daniel but a small smile bloomed over his lips and he nodded. "I promise."

"Yo, Dani – You look like a fool." Roland nudged the daydreaming Daniel, who had a wide grin on his face as his eyes stared at the brick wall in front of him. Daniel blinked back into reality when he realized Roland had spoken and nudged him. The movie, 'Starman' was over, and the students were filing out of the auditorium.

"Oh. . . Right." Daniel murmured, and stood to his feet, stumbling back, and running both hands through his unkempt blond hair as his gray eyes lingered to look through the crowd – In hopes he would see Lucinda.

"So, I assume you're going to Cam's party?" Roland caught Daniel's attention, making him look back at Roland. Daniel nodded once, his arms going slack at his sides as he realized Lucinda had already left.

"Ya." Daniel shrugged and kept his head low as the two walk through the crowd of students, heading upstairs to Cam's dorm. Yes, they were more than likely to be early – But, Daniel didn't care and he didn't have anything better to do at the time anyway.

Cam smirked as he approached the two that were leaning outside his dorm door. "I knew my little brother couldn't resist." Cam unlocked the door and went inside, leaving the door for Roland and Daniel. The two went inside, Roland going straight for a drink, while Daniel silently sat on the bed.

What are you doing here? He asked him, a question he couldn't answer. But, he knew the source of the answer; He wanted to see Lucinda.

"Here, drink-" Roland pushed a red plastic cup that was only midway filled with vodka mixed with orange juice. "You need it and you know it." Daniel wasn't going to deny it, he did need a drink right now. So, he took the cup and swigged the rest down before handing the cup back to Roland and leaning back on Cam's bed, rubbing his didn't move, hearing people knocking, the door opening, and people filing into the small dorm.

"You made it," Daniel heard Cam say, making him sit up and look at the door.

Lucinda.

Daniel quickly glanced at his watch, furrowing his eyebrows. Where is Gabbe? Daniel then stood up and tapped Roland's shoulder.

"Hey, do you know where Gabbe is?" Daniel whispered into his ear, and was responded with a shake and a mouthed 'No'. Daniel nodded slowly and sat down on the bed. Daniel could hear Lucinda's voice, and it made him look over.

He couldn't watch as Cam wrapped his arms around her, their faces only inches apart.

He had to watch, he wanted to see how Lucinda would react – How she felt.

"I'm really glad you came," Cam whispered to her, his hand trailing down her back. Daniel could see Lucinda's eyes were looking at Cam's lips, and it made feel a knife stabbed through his heart. "I jumped every time someone knocked, hoping it'd be you."

Lucinda's laughter at Cam's compliment, and it killed him. The laughter wasn't for him – It was for someone else. It didn't belong to him. He watched as Cam pulled Lucinda into another hug, one that lifted her off the ground and made jealousy burn Daniel's heart.

But, once she was on her feet, her hazel eyes wandered to Daniel's – Their gazes locking. Daniel couldn't figure out how she was feeling about Cam, if she had only laughed because it was awkward, or if she personally liked Cam. He couldn't decide if she came here to see him, or to see Cam. Their eyes never wavered, as if their souls were embracing secretly.

"To Luce," Arriane interrupted Daniel's gaze, making him glancing up to her as she stood on a desk. "Who was obviously zoning and missed my entire welcome speech and who will never know how utterly fabulous it was – Wasn't it fabulous, Ro?"

Daniel dragged his eyes away from the group, glancing once more at his watch – Sighing.

"Where the Hell are you, Gabbe?" Daniel muttered under his breath, leaning back against the wall, watching Roland step forward and turning down the record played so it was only static between two different songs.

"Okay, all you rejects," Roland called, his tone all playful but loud enough for everyone at the party to hear. "We're going to start the open-mike portion of the night, and I'm taking requests for karaoke."

"Daniel Grigori!" Arriane called from the other side of the room.

"No!" Daniel called back back, without missing a beat.

"Aww, the silent Grigori sits another one out," Roland pouted, "You sure you don't want to do your version of 'Hellbound on My Trail'?"

"I believe that's your song, Roland," Daniel spoke, an embarrassed smile spreading over his lips as the memory of a very drunk Daniel and a Karaoke night at a bar he and Roland were. . .

"He's got a point, folks." Roland chortles. "Though karaoke-ing Robert Johnson had been known to clear out a room." He picks up a record that was by 'R.L. Burnside' and placed it on the record player. "Let's go down south instead."

Daniel checked his watch once more, sighing as he shook his head angrily. Dammit, Gabbe! Daniel glanced up at the party and pulled himself off the party and maneuvered himself through the crowd then out the door. Daniel walked down the hall, looking around before seeing the blonde.

"Gabbe!" Daniel growls and strides over to her, his eyes narrowing. "Where were you?"

Gabbe blinked slightly and frowned. "I ended up having to take care of something, Daniel." She tells him, sighing. "Ah'm sorry."

Daniel glared down at her, but before he could speak, she continued on. "It won't happen again, I swear to-"

"It can't happen again," Daniel rushed out, interjecting in a quiet tone. "You promised me you'd be there and you weren't." Daniel stepped back, running his fingers though his hair until Gabbe grabbed his hand and her large pale eyes stared into his.

"You're going to have to trust me, honey. I'm the only one you got." Gabbe was speaking the truth – She was the only one that Daniel truly had. Someone who understood Daniel's pain, who didn't try to shove him to Luce as Arriane and Roland did, and didn't want to hurt him.

A single tear slipped from Daniel's eyes and Gabbe sighed, her hand curling around his jaw and brushing the tear away with her thumb.

"Always maintain hope, Daniel." Whispered Gabbe, her hand falling to her side and giving him a gentle smile. Daniel looks up at her and nods, sighing softly before turning away from her and going down the hall.

Away from the party.

Away from Gabbe.

Away from Lucinda.