Chapter 4 – Supervised Freedom
I thought it would be hard to adjust to living in the castle with a vampire and it was, but really only in the aspect that I was under house arrest and unable to leave. We made due and grew used to one another.
We became friends, of sorts. To my surprise, it was quite easy to learn to trust him and he looked after me with probably more concern than I would have thought, though at times I did feel much like I thought a pet would. He spoiled me and I let him. If I was going to be forced to live here, it had to have some perks and I shamelessly took advantage of them.
He brought me books and paper, pencils and inks when I asked – and promised not to try to get word out of my kidnapping. He even got me a treadmill, when I noticed how soft I was getting on the European tourist diet that I hadn't been able to give up and not being able to walk it off. I think I lived on mostly bread and cheese and, being in Italy -- gelato. It was delightfully pathetic.
At first it was difficult to sleep with him staring at me and I had nightmares about red eyes, but I grew accustomed to that and the nightmares stopped. He grew used to my constant bantering and sudden mood swings and I grew used to his stoic nature. He worried over me and I laughed at him.
Some days it was harder to be happy than others. I worried about my family. By this time, they knew I was gone, but had no idea where I had gone to. But there still hadn't been enough time for them to think that I was dead. That was both good and bad. The guilt gnawed at me … and the sorrow. I missed them, especially my mom and sisters.
I drew pictures of them and stowed them in a book he had brought me. My drawing fascinated him and he couldn't help creeping closer and peering over my shoulder as I sat and sketched. A few of him even found their way into my book. Which he said was entirely unnecessary. I laughed and told him that didn't matter what he thought as they were for me and my drawings were sort of like my diary.
"Hey," I said one morning as I sprawled across the bed. He looked up from a book – I had been right, the bookcase had magically reappeared one night as I slept, he was reading. I waited until his eyes cleared and focused on me. "Where were you born?"
"Here, in Volterra."
I waited for him to elaborate. Sometimes it felt as if I did a lot of waiting. He finally answered when he realized I was not going to leave him alone until he did.
"I was the fourth son of an indigent farmer. My talent for finding lost people caught the attention of my masters." He paused and his eyes tightened. "In that time it was not hard to persuade fathers to hand over their children. My father was given a tidy sum, which he immediately squandered, and I was changed. I have been serving them ever since."
"Even though you were a man?" The thought horrified me and I could not imagine anyone giving away any of their children for money -- especially their grown children. Had he had a family of his own? Of course, I couldn't imagine being the type of person who thought they could buy another either.
He shrugged, "He was my father."
I thought about it for a second more, then rolled to my side and propped my head on my elbow, "Have you seen a lot of the world?"
"Some."
His answer was too brief and I had to catch him before he disappeared back into his book and my moment was lost. Time seemed to mean very little to him and often he would look up in surprise after the sun had set and I had turned on the lights because I thought it was too dark to read. For me, time marched on and today was a bored day. I was not about to let the day flow by without some of diversion.
"Oh, come on. No short monotonal single phrase answers." I reminded him.
He heaved a sigh and carefully marked his place in his book, "Fine, in my duties, I have seen much of the world."
"What are your duties?"
"I track for my masters."
I had no idea what he meant so I waited for an explanation.
He frowned, but went on, "Sometimes there are vampires who don't always follow the rules. When they get out of hand, I am one of those sent to find and help deal with them."
My eyes widened, "By deal with, you mean, you kill them."
"End their existence is a better way to term it, technically, since they are already dead. But, yes." His lips twitched,
I rolled my eyes at his sense of humor, "Same difference. Isn't that dangerous?"
He thought about his answer for a moment, "Not really. I have been doing it for a long time. I know what I am doing by now and I am never alone."
"How do you track them?"
He was slightly perturbed with the turn the conversation had taken.
"No single monotonal phrases." I chanted in a sing-song voice.
His frown deepened but he humored me as I knew he would, "Along with our obvious differences from the human race, many of us, when we are changed develop certain talents. I can follow a vampire -- or human -- by the feel of their mind."
I sat upright, intrigued, "Really? You could find me anywhere in the world by my mind?"
He nodded impassively.
"Is that like reading thoughts?"
"No. Each mind has a certain flavor to it, similar to a personality. I recognize it and am able to sense and follow it no matter the distance."
"That is so cool."
He smiled ruefully, "I am not sure the person I'm tracking would feel the same as you."
"Well, yeah," I stated a bit vigorously. "If you had to track them that meant they were in trouble. I wouldn't bring that down on my head."
A dark eyebrow rose, "You have, though."
I waved it away dismissively, "No, you were just annoyed, not mad. There's a difference."
"That could have turned very bad, Sarah." He said quietly and I felt the usual twinge of guilt at getting him angry enough to attack me -- followed by the shiver that went down my spine at his mention of my name.
I played up the nonchalance, "I wasn't worried."
"I'm serious, Sarah." His eyes were sharp as he watched my reaction.
I got goose bumps now when he said my name.
"So am I." He was being too serious for my mood so I changed the subject. My other questions would have to wait, "Can I go outside today?"
He rolled his head in mock annoyance; it was a daily question. I was all ready for the normal 'it's too dangerous' speech, but he surprised me.
"Actually yes, you can go outside today. I received permission to take you out. The garden is to be cleared."
I jumped off the bed, squealing a bit, "Really?"
His eyes softened in amusement, which was all I ever got. I don't think he really ever smiled at least I had yet to see it.
"Really." He affirmed.
I could scarcely contain my excitement, "When?"
"Now, if you would like."
I put my hands on my hips and scowled at him, "And you were going to let me waste the day talking?"
He held his hands up, palms forward to fend me off, "I was just waiting for the question."
I slipped on my flip-flops and grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the door. I could have been trying to move a glacier for all the distance I got. I turned and looked back at him, he was looking at our hands and I couldn't read his expression. I dropped his hand and shrugged helplessly. He never tried to touch me; I figured it tempted him too much.
"Sorry."
"No need to be. You are warmer then I thought. It was … unexpectedly pleasant."
I laughed at his reticence and grabbed his hand again. It was cold and hard and made my skin tingle, "Come on then."
"Wait, Sarah," He said gently, pulling me behind him. "Let me go ahead, just to be safe."
The thought of needing to be safe quelled my enthusiasm. I had been captive for so long it was all too easy to forget were I was and who I was with since I was no longer afraid of him. I didn't even notice his red eyes anymore, though I still couldn't look directly into them for long without forgetting everything and even that was becoming frighteningly pleasant, to use his terminology.
I followed him closely, jumping at every sound, as he led the way to the garden. To my relief, we saw not another soul and he never tensed, so I felt safe as he let me step into the sunshine.
The garden was more beautiful up close then it was from our window, though that could have been because I was out in it as opposed to above looking down. Flowers of every hue and shape waved in the breeze, cheerfully greeting everyone who came through the door as they reached ever higher to the sun.
Roses grew everywhere, draping the walls in bright splashes of color. They alone would have won any horticulture award there was. Their heady scent filled the enclosed space and swirled around me, calming my soul. I felt three months of tension ease as I breathed in the warm, perfumed air.
The splashing of the little fountains was soothing and the sun was shining brightly. I lifted my face to feel its heat on my face. When I looked down again I saw little rainbows of light dancing along the ground. I turned, perplexed, to learn what it was and stopped short.
It was him. He sparkled in the sun like his skin was made of cut glass or diamonds and I couldn't help touching his cool skin to see if it would transfer to me.
"I thought vampires couldn't go outside in the sun." I said in amazement. The sunlight from the windows in his room had never reached him where he usually sat in his chair reading, so this I had never seen -- never expected. It was fascinating.
He actually chuckled -- a low, luscious sound that caused my heart to respond with a strange little squeak, at my astonished expression. "We can't in front of most of the population, but it doesn't hurt us. That is only in the stories."
"It's amazing."
And it was; even more so then the lush flowers or the sound of the fountains. I wanted to stay and watch him glitter in the sun, but he shrugged me off telling me I could see that anytime from our window, but I only had this one day to be outside and as I had begged for it for so long, I really shouldn't waste it on staring at him.
Then he went to sit on a bench under the roses and allowed me to explore on my own. The garden was expansive and carefully cultivated. I had always been attracted to gardens and the colors and textures of this one were dizzying. Even with my limited knowledge of horticulture, I knew whoever worked it were true masters of their art.
I spent some of my time lying in the soft manicured grass watching the clouds in the sky, feeling the breeze on my skin, listening to the birds as they sang sweetly in the trees and bushes. It had been a long time since I had felt so free.
But all too soon the sky was darkening and the sun was setting and he was calling me back. I debated pretending I hadn't heard him, blaming my weak human ears, but ultimately I didn't relish the risk of losing my one true privilege. Perhaps if I was good I would be allowed to return. I hoped so.
I ran back the way I had come, luxuriating in the feel of the almost forgotten movement, and caught my foot on the bumpy cobblestone path. I would have gone sprawling if he hadn't been there to catch me and set me on my feet with an expression of long-suffering.
On impulse, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly, "Thank you, oh, thank you, so much." I exulted.
He was too still and so I backed away ready to apologize for again overstepping my bounds, but he stopped me by very carefully wrapping his arms around me and squeezing gently.
"No, thank you, Sarah." He breathed and I caught my breath at the smell. It was better then the roses. In fact, it was several seconds before I could even remember the roses.
His arms felt good around me -- even if they were cold and hard, and it was nice to have that kind of contact with another being. I had come from a loving family; we were affectionate and had thought nothing of it. Isolation was not so good for someone like me and it took this to remind me of what I had not realized I had been missing.
I pulled back and smiled up into his face. His eyes softened and when he let me go a moment later, I was surprised and a little frightened at the emptiness I felt -- and the warmth.
"Come," he said diffidently, gently taking my hand in his. "The others will be here soon and you cannot be here at the same time."
I nodded, my head spinning, and allowed him to tow me back inside wondering what exactly it was I was feeling.
