Nicole
Nicole didn't have a single clue about what to do, so she did what Thanatos told her to. She carried Shaylin down back into the basement, careful of the mild sunburn she got because of the small amount of sun that touched her skin when she dropped from the protection of their blanket. When she laid the unconscious fledgling onto her bed, she simply stood there, looking down at her with adoring eyes, unsure of what more to do.
She'd kissed Shaylin and hadn't been rejected the way she thought she'd be. It was exciting and nerve wracking at the same time, causing her to stumble over her actions and words. She worried that she was dreaming and she'd wake up to an empty bed. Her parents had drilled it into her head that she was an abomination, something that could never be truly happy. It hurt her thinking of them, remembering the nights she'd spent sobbing her heart away after she came out to the two people who were supposed to love her no matter what. Nyx's touch saved her and she regretted losing sight of how much she'd loved the goddess for doing so. Thankfully, Shaylin helped her see again.
Shaylin.
It seemed that Nicole couldn't go long without thinking of the girl, smiling goofily when her mind flew back to the sensation of their lips touching. But that wasn't all she recalled when she thought of her, no, there was so much more. There was the way she would seem so lost in thought at times only to fix her eyes on Nicole and smile as if she were given the greatest gift ever. There was the way her nose scrunched and lips pursed when she heard something particularly rude from Aphrodite. Oh and there was that look in her eye whenever she stood up for Nicole against her friends that made her want to melt.
Nobody had ever done that for her before, not ever.
"You're something special, Shay," Nicole whispered, brushing hair from the girl's face.
With a last, lingering gaze, she made her way back upstairs, keeping the blanket wound tight around her body. She'd felt the pain the sun could cause when Neferet decided to use her as an example when she failed to execute a plan and there was no way the fledgling wanted to feel that again.
"How is she?" a voice called out once she was back in the dorms. She turned to see the gentle gaze of one of Zoey's best friends focused on her, Damien.
"She's okay, a little sunburned and possibly overwhelmed but okay," she replied, uncomfortably shifting her weight from foot to foot. She didn't really feel right talking to him, or any of the others in Zoey's circle of close friends, because of everything that had happened between them. Stevie Rae was the only one that felt… right. And of course Shaylin, but well she wasn't as close to the fledgling priestess as Damien.
"What about you?" he asked.
She looked at him, unsure why he was being so nice and lax about everything considering his close friend and priestess was being hauled off to jail for the murder of two humans.
"I'm alright. Don't worry about me, worry about your group," she snapped. Almost instantly did she regret the harshness behind her words but she couldn't help it; it was a defense mechanism she'd used her entire life.
"I am worried about them, but you're worrying me too." He stepped forward, gesturing to the couches in the common room. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded and went to sit down, watching silently as he took a seat in front of her.
"It's hard trusting you," he said, shrugging as she frowned at him. "I won't lie. Part of me still doesn't accept you but I see you're trying."
"Shaylin knows I am and that's all that should matter," Nicole ground out, clenching her fists at her sides.
"I agree, Shaylin seems to see something in you that none of us even had a clue existed."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She stood up, glaring at the boy and his calm composure.
"It means her Sight is true. We trust her so we're doing our best to see passed what you did to us. All of us, possibly all vampyre and humankind alike, will be put to the test soon. I simply want to take this moment to tell you that we're a team. Trust goes two way; the more you trust us, the more we trust you. Shaylin trusts you, we trust you. Shaylin trusts us…"
"I should trust you." He nodded, stood up then walked outside, most likely returning to the rest of his friends.
Nicole blinked a few times, furrowing her brows as she got up and shook her head. She hadn't realized how heavy the realization of their situation would be; it felt as if the world rested squarely on her shoulders. No, wait, that wasn't true. She had Shaylin and by extension, a group of Goddess chosen fledglings. The Goddess had even given her an ability as well, to peer into people's' minds, and she'd never abuse that again.
She'd do what she could to help, even if it wasn't much, she wouldn't let their trust and her gift go to waste. She had to prove to them, all of them, that she was with Nyx and never leaving again, especially if that meant she got to stay beside a certain brunette with magical eyesight and an affinity for water.
Grinning to herself, she followed Damien's lead and went back outside, set on visiting the stalls. A bit of time with the horses, Diva in particular. would do her some good before going back to check on Shaylin. Halfway there, she ran into one of the most annoying vampyres she'd ever known.
"Have you seen Shaylin?" Erik Night asked. His startling blue eyes bore into her for a moment before he shook his head and began to walk away. "Nevermind, like you'd know," he said over his shoulder.
"She's resting," she snapped. He turned on his heel and frowned at her, glancing at their surroundings.
"She should be awake with all that's going on. Where is she?"
"Resting, like I said. She got up earlier than usual today so she went back to sleep." She felt her temper flare as he nodded.
"I'll go see her," he announced.
"Let her sleep."
"I'm going-"
"To let her sleep, as per Thanatos' orders," she interrupted, fighting a smirk.
He huffed angrily then gave a curt nod, storming off before Nicole could say anything else. She watched with a frown, wondering why he would show such interest in the fledgling and frowning more the longer she thought about it. If a guy that good looking had feelings for Shaylin, how could she ever compete for the girl's affections?
Shaking her head, she continued her way to the horses, looking forward to the peace they brought her. They always cleared her mind of the unnecessary crap that happened in her life and that was one of the greatest blessings Nyx bestowed upon her. Another had to be Shaylin, she thought to herself.
A few hours passed and before she realized it, the sun had faded away into night. With a final pat to the mare she'd been grooming, Nicole put away the brushed and made her way back to Shaylin. There was an excited type of nervousness coursing through her veins that made her heart beat a little faster than normal and palms sweat.
When she saw her there, sprawled on her bed, Nicole felt herself melt a little. It was a cute sight, Shaylin's lips parted a little with her teeth barely showing and tongue peeking out. She looked peaceful and heart breakingly beautiful.
With as much gentleness as she could muster, Nicole pulled the other girl into her arms and held her close. It felt right, laying like that, enveloped in warmth and so at peace. She felt her eyes droop a little and began to hum, patiently waiting for the girl of her dreams to wake up.
A/N: Whoa, so it's been a long while since I last updated, my bad. I hope you guys liked this chapter. I'm pretty sure it's the longest and fluffiest. Any comments, feel free to review or PM or whatever floats your boat (:
