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Hello, this is my first fanfiction ever!
The True Blood Characters in this belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Please critique and review. I am here to learn :)
Thanks again to those who have reviewed the first & second chapters. I really appreciate the great encouragement. Don't be afraid to critique please :)
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"RETURNING HOME"
Chapter Three
Eric knelt in front of his Maker, his head slightly bowed, his eyes gazing up cautiously. The rain poured in torrents, drenching them to the skin.
"Godric, I had no idea. Not until I had tasted her," he said solemnly. It wasn't an apology. But, it was the closest thing to one that Eric was ever likely to give.
"What's done is done," Godric replied. "Make sure it is clear however, to all others; that this human is not to be harmed."
If Eric was taken aback, it didn't show in his features. "She is valuable to you then. Do you intend to turn her?"
"I cannot say, at this stage," Godric responded. His eyes flickered to where a moment ago, a young woman had just been standing; and as he had expected, she was already gone. She probably wasn't too far away, but the noise of the rain had masked her retreat. He looked down to where Eric was kneeling and smiled.
"My childe, I shall reveal all in good time. Her name is Elliane." He finished the last word with a softening of his voice.
Eric attempted to suppress the rising jealousy he felt within. "Does she have a family name that I should know?"
"I'm sure she does," his maker replied enigmatically. "I need you to get in touch with Stan, and I shall contact Isabelle. Any attack plans on the 'Fellowship of the Sun' must be aborted."
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1 hour later
Elliane sat at a kitchen table, in a beautifully appointed apartment block in central Dallas. Nearby at the kitchen sink, a good-looking middle-aged man, wrung out a cloth in warm water.
"Okay Kiddo," he said. He wasn't local to the area, his New York accent apparent. "Let's see those bite marks."
As he approached her, Elliane moved the two fingers she had been pressing on her neck, each covering a hole that had been punctured there earlier. The man dabbed at her skin.
"Hrm," he said nonchalantly. "I can't see any bite marks"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Are you sure you were bitten?"
"Of course I am sure," she snapped back. She was exhausted and irritated. "I've never lied to you George, I would hardly start now."
Standing, she snatched the cloth from his hand, and walked into the bathroom. George grabbed something from a kitchen drawer and followed a moment later, leaning against the bathroom doorway as she stood in front of the vanity mirror.
"It's been a very odd night," she stated with a sigh. Elliane tilted her head and neck in multiple angles, looking for the marks.
George approached her. A torch he had grabbed before entering was in his hands.
"Let me look at you," he said and she turned to face him. George shone the torch light into her eyes, and examined her head, feeling over it and noticing her wince as he touched a tender spot near her forehead.
"There is quite a bruise here," he said. "Looks like it was a nasty hit… And," he continued after a pause. "You are definitely concussed. Your eyes are not responding well to the light."
"My head is pounding," she replied.
"Well… Get out of those wet clothes. Shower, eat and get some rest," he stated authoritively. "But don't sleep... Not for a few more hours."
"Okay," she replied wearily. She stepped forward and gave George an affectionate hug… which he briefly returned. "I will be out soon."
After he left, she closed the door and stepped into the steaming shower with a sigh of satisfaction. She was lucky to have someone like George in her life. Although he was her boss he was also like a father to her in many ways. His no-nonsense manner and dark sense of humor were a great comfort to her. As she rinsed her hair of shampoo, she noticed large amounts of bloodied water circling about her feet. She frowned, her mind still foggy on the exact events that occurred in the last few hours.
She towelled herself off and changed into her favourite dark-blue set of satin pyjamas. Wrapping her damp hair up in a fresh towel, she walked out into the living area and handed George a thin, silver, pen-like device.
"I forgot all about this," she said. "Maybe there are some shots on it."
George nodded and hooked up the miniature pen-camera to his laptop on a desk nearby.
"Yep, there is about twenty photos here," he said as the files showed up on the computer screen.
Elliane stood beside him as they browsed through the digital shots. The first few were of the chapel at the 'Institute of Light'. There were a couple of internal shots as well as one external. The next two photos were of the kitchens. Next, there was a photo of an empty security room. The remaining photos featured a medium sized room, which was full of weapons. There were close up shots of various ammunition and weapons, silver and silver shot wooden bullets, all of which were clearly displayed.
George turned to Elli, with a smile. "Great work Kiddo; this is all that was required of you on this job."
Elli nodded, and returned the smile with a look of concern.
"Do you remember taking these?" he asked her.
"No," she replied. "I will go over what I recall," and then she closed her eyes to clarify her memory.
She had been at the Light of Day Institute for two weeks. Entering under the premise that she was to study at the leadership camp, George had also arranged that she was to work in the kitchens, to help 'cover her costs', although the real reason was to grant her better access to the compound area.
"I rang you yesterday morning at 9:30am, when I took a walk to the park," she started, looking at her watch to concur that it was currently 3:30am of the next day. "I updated you and said that I had found the lower level. You said to look out for a Vampire called Godric, that there was rumors he was there."
George nodded.
"Then," she continued. "I spent the morning listening to a lecture. Had lunch, did a fitness workout, returned to the kitchens to help with the suppers." She took a pause. "After supper, I had to help clean up. I went downstairs and noticed the security cameras. A guard found me and I told him I needed a mop. I waited. It was after midnight, when I went back. 12:45am I think. This is where it starts to get foggy."
George nodded again. "Just take it slow," he said.
"The upstairs door to the cellar level was locked this time. I got it open and went down. I went to the first door on the left and got that one open." She paused thoughtfully "It was full of mops," she said with a wry smile. "I can hardly remember anything else. Suddenly I was frozen, I was trying to breath, but my body wouldn't work. I heard something… something strange yet beautiful. Soft singing," she continued. Elliane's eyes had become alight with a rapped wonder.
George raised his brows. "Try to continue…"
"Okay, then I remember being in the woods. It was dark and I couldn't see. Someone spoke to me, and said I had an accident, but they left me there. I was confused. I thought that I was young again, and that my mother and father were still alive. The alarms at the compound were sounding. I got your text message and left. I climbed over the fence, which, was ten foot high at least; even though my head felt like it was splitting in half and when I landed, I scraped my knee." Elliane quickly pulled up the leg of her pyjama pant to examine her knee. It was unmarked.
"I got about a block away before I rang you, and you pretty much know the rest" she finished.
"Right, so after that call, was when the Vampire bit you," he confirmed.
She nodded, and suppressed a shiver at the memory. Elliane really wasn't that fond of Vampires. She agreed they had their right to life, an oxymoron in itself, surely, but she avoided them whenever she could. Something that was becoming harder to do in her line of work. Simply put. She did not trust them.
"It's important that you do at some stage accurately recall taking the photos," George stated. "They can't be used as evidence until a witness statement is attached to them." George saw the look of strain about her eyes. "Don't concern yourself with it now, a good nights rest might help."
After she went to her room to sleep, George opened up a bottle of whiskey and poured himself half a glass. His thoughts were troubled. He hated that Elliane had been harmed. He had been warned about becoming too attached to her. It was the whole reason he never married and had children of his own. This was the kind of job you got married to. She was only 14 when she came to live with him. She was a skinny, scruffy street-kid then who had lost her parents when she was 12. She was left then in the care of her elder sister. Things had gone bad there, so he had taken her under his wing, teaching her all that he knew and arranging for her to be sub-contracted for jobs that she was particularly skilled in. And, she was very skilled. She had a natural gift for this business. She was a master of disguise, an excellent pickpocket and stealthier than a cat.
He remained seated for a long while, before he stood up and headed to bed, taking with him, a bottle of whiskey.
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When Elliane awoke the next afternoon she entered the living room in good spirits.
George looked up from laptop he was working at, and returned her smile. "You look much improved. How is the headache?"
"I feel great," she replied noticing that George though, look rather tired. "How about yourself?"
"I'm fine," he said. "Your next assignment has been sent through."
"Already," she answered surprised.
George nodded. "Would you like the good news or the bad new?"
"Better gimme the bad first," she grinned. She felt top of the world today.
"Well… Bad news is… You're going undercover again."
Elli pulled a face.
"Okay… that's fine," she stated with nod. "I'll be as mad as hell though if I have to mop floors and scrub pots again."
"No… it's investigation only this time, name grabbing."
Elliane nodded. "Is that all the bad news?"
"Umm… most of the investigation will be done at a bar."
"Oh really?" she said cheerfully, an amused smile crossed her lips. "You will have to get my fake ID sorted out then."
George laughed. "Ah yes, I kept forgetting your only nineteen."
"So what is the good news?" she asked. It was part of an on-going joke between them. The good news was usually the bad.
"You're going to go to Shreveport, Louisiana."
