We took the new borns home, barricading them in the basement. Their screams passed through the walls easily, unnerving the older newborns. They writhed and cried out in pain, some even scratching at the door to break free. They were in such torment, and I pitied them, but I had been around newborns long enough to not linger on pity. The process went quickly for some, longer for others, but either way I couldn't bear to be near the house when they transformed. It was just too painful, feeling their pain as if it were my own. Instead I stood at the gate with a few of the older new borns flanking me just in case we were attacked. Not like it would have made a difference, I was stronger and faster than any of them.

I looked up as Maria approached, dismissing them silently. As they disappeared from sight, she stopped in front of me, looking up into my eyes.

"What is it?" I whispered as she continued to stare.

"I have a task for you". She said slowly as I shrugged.

"Training the new borns has always been my task I am well accustomed to-"

"That's not what I meant. I don't want you to train all of them, just one. Focus on him."

"Just one"? I said as she nodded slightly. "But why"?

"I think he will be good under your care. He isn't like the others I can sense it. I want you to train him exclusively." She said looking back over her shoulder. "Peter". She said softly to the air as a man walked forward hesitantly.

He was the same man I'd seen her with when we went searching for new borns, I knew that instantly. He was much more handsome now that he was made into a vampire. But we all became beautiful when given this devilish gift. His red eyes turned to me quickly, his entire body tensing.

"Peter this is Jasper, you will answer to him from now on understand"? Maria said coldly as Peter nodded slowly.

I could already tell he sensed my strength, and I'm sure the many scars on my skin were some indication that I could easily kill him. He looked up at me slowly, defiance glimmering softly behind his eyes. I didn't mind. It'd been so long since I'd fought a worthy opponent that if he challenged me it'd be a good fight. But I didn't want to think about killing him, something else in his gaze showed that he deserved to live.

Maria kissed my neck quickly before she disappeared back into the house, leaving Peter and I to stare each other down.

"Come." I muttered as he remained motionless.

Slowly he moved as I turned away, leaping over the gate onto the dirt road. He followed a few paces behind me as I walked out to the fields far from the town. I didn't really feel afraid that my back was exposed to him, a little weary yes, but not afraid. My instincts told me to be weary of newborns as did my many encounters with them. But I had faith that he wouldn't attack me. And I was right as I remained unharmed the entire way to the fields.

Turning to face him, I gestured him to sit. He looked at me for a moment, his expression confused before he lowered himself onto the grass.

"You aren't going to teach me are you"? He said carefully as I shook my head.

"There is plenty of time for fighting. Truthfully I don't feel up to it right now." As I spoke I could feel a pounding in my head, even though as a vampire I shouldn't have head aches. It was the mental strain of always having to suffer people's emotions that weared on me. It got quite bothersome and I needed to seek out a quiet place to calm myself down. "Besides much of what I learned could have been learned in conversation rather than fighting. What I can offer you is different than what she would."

"What is that"? He said folding his hands on his lap as his brows rose.

"Insight." I said simply, closing my eyes and letting the wind sweep across my face.

"Insight"? He mimicked as I nodded.

"Maria did a well job of leading me into this lifestyle, but I suppose I could do a better job. She didn't really prepare me for everything I would be subjected to. If you choose to listen then it should make your life fairly easier."

I could feel his apprehension and tried to calm him. His emotions instantly became more at ease and I knew he would be ready to listen to everything I had to say. I opened my eyes and looked at him as he sat perfectly still, not breathing or blinking for several minutes.

"First of all, what are we"? He looked into my eyes, a glimmer of intellect appearing.

"Devils really.." I said softly without even meaning to. "Cursed creatures wandering in a world we should have been gone from the moment we died."

Peter nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "Were you killed as I was"? He said suddenly to break the silence. I watched him touch his hand to his neck unconsciously, obviously thinking about the pain he felt when Maria bit him.

"Yes. I was killed because I was naive. I believed Maria and the other two were refugees," I felt a dull ache in my chest as I thought back to that moment. Was it perhaps because I mourned the loss of my human life? Or was it because it reminded me of the two comrades Maria had slaughtered before my very eyes? Hard to say. I looked up at Peter as he sat silent, expecting me to continue. "Anyway it doesn't matter now." I rose to my feet, watching him do the same. "Come with me. I'll try to explain everything to the best of my ability." I muttered as I started walking, Peter cautiously coming to my side.

That night I took Peter to hunt, and was pleasantly surprised. He didn't attack as wildly as the other newborns I trained. He was graceful and civilized, drawing the humans to him effortlessly, just as I showed him to do. He looked to me like I supposed I looked to Maria that first night, and his quick progress satisfied me.

We walked home just before dawn, Peter questioning me the entire way. He asked me of previous battles we'd fought and about every scar across my preternatural skin. He wanted to know the name of every vampire victim I killed and how powerful each of them were. His questioning unnerved me. I never liked to think about the ones I killed, much less humanizing them by acknowledging them by name.

He seemed to sense my unease and quickly fell silent as we entered the house.

Maria was thrilled when I told her of Peter's progress and she rewarded me handsomely.

The next nights passed swiftly, and Peter and I grew closer. We spoke of philosophy and religion, trying to decipher the meaning of our existence. We pondered different questions, our conversations lasting well into the night. But besides me Peter enjoyed the company of a beautiful woman named Charlotte. The two of them grew intensely close, and their relationship did not bother me as much as it did Maria.

But there wasn't any time to focus such trivial things, and tensions arose oncemore among the covens. The battles begun again and the peace that I had recently found, was quickly destroyed.