Chapter 12:
So... 2 weeks since I updated. Sorry about that. If you've looked at the front page of MV fics, I seem to have a few too many (Bite Club fics help with that) so I thought it would be prudent to not update this for a while... enjoy this riveting chapter as a payment though... and I'm almost done with chapter 16 as well!
Winner of the competition is... DestinyVampSerena! Review and tell me what oneshot you want!
Claire's POV:
After spending the morning vigil at Eve's bedside, I leave the hospital to go to Common Grounds. It's nearly noon, but surely Oliver won't be really mad if I'm a little late, no? Then again, this could be a step towards him having an excuse for disposing of me...Ever since Michael put that fear in my mind, there has been a part of me that has been worrying that anything I do will be scrutinised beyond belief, him looking for me to have made a slip up worthy of my destruction. I can only hope that... No, let's not go there, even in my head. But there is a part of me that wishes I hadn't succumbed to signing with Oliver; I wish I had waited for Amelie's offer that I know would have come. Yet I am now Oliver's, body and soul, for my entire life and the only option other than this contract is death. Yay!
I sprint down the roads and arrive, sweat ridden and exhausted, ad 11:59am. I'm just in time - it looks as if I've planned to arrive now, rather than simply rushing. It would have looked better if I didn't have the obvious signs of rushing on my face but that cannot be helped. I've arrived on time - early, in fact - and that's all that matters.
"Hello Claire… how is Eve?" Oliver asks me as if I have simply dropped by for a chat with an old friend, rather than being ordered the way I was. Whilst he talks and I think, he is already moving around and making my drink for me, the café mysteriously empty. I cannot say that I have ever been in (not that I have been in optionally much recently, since Oliver's true nature was revealed… or been in and not lost some memory or another) and not seen another person - strange! It's normally the busiest place in Morganville!
"She is unconscious and the doctor says her chances of waking up soon are next to none," I sigh, sinking into one of the chairs in front of the counter. He shakes his head and actually looks sincere when he says he is sorry for this to have happened. I never thought I would say that about Oliver, but he really looks as if he means what he is saying… unless he is manipulating and mind controlling me. But, no. that's impossible – I'm too clever and alert for that!
"Who did it?" Oliver asks, handing the coffee cup over to me and waving a hand as I make to pay him. I suppose the gossip is good enough for him – at the minute.
"They believe that it was her brother; when I'm finished here, I'm going to go over to the police station and try and find out some more information," I explain, my eyes lowering to hide my anger. I mean, for god's sake! He is her brother; he isn't supposed to try and kill her! They may not have gotten along very well (her putting him in jail won't have helped at all, I don't think) but that doesn't mean that he could go and shoot her!
"Come through to my office, Claire, I need to talk to you," he says seriously, sounding just like I was when I was discussing Eve and her condition. No matter how much I don't want to follow him, I have to: the bracelet seems to be pulling me along in the wake of its master – he isn't my master, even if he is my 'owner' – so I sigh and walk through. "Close the door," he instructs me, a slight bit of humour evident in his voice for some apparent reason. I don't know why – this can't be anything funny, can it? – but I am not going to question someone who I know to be the most dangerous vampire in Morganville; Amelie isn't anything! She didn't rescue my Shane, risking death, something that only a dangerous vampire would do incase they were caught. No, she didn't do anything to help the world or the people here… she is just a fraud.
I cannot help but be in awe of her, and feel some sort of kin with her – I can relate to her thoughts somehow, and recognise the situation she is in, even though I have never been there myself. No, I do respect her… just recent actions haven't made me think this way towards her much.
I settle down in the chair in front of Oliver and hesitate as he leans forwards. He places his elbows on the desk and presses his chin into his hands, frowning slightly. The such human gesture makes me relax a little, although my brain is telling me that you don't do that in the devil's lair, do you?
"I have made enquiries in the university in order to change your classes to a harder level," he shocks me by saying. I cannot believe that he is actually bothered about the fact that my classes are way too easy for me – it just seems as if he has had a personality transplant! "I believe that you have already completed the harder level science core classes, so the Dean recommends that you take your lab classes and then other subjects so that you can have two degrees when you leave."
"What subjects are on offer?" I ask, not sure if there'll be any restrictions on this. If Oliver wants, I can be studying some martial art even though it's against my wishes. He owns me, body and soul, so he gets to make the executive decision. It's a good thing that he's even considering letting me choose what subjects there are.
"I could choose for you, but I find Protection works better when the Protectee is offered a choice - to a certain extent - on what they do," he sort of fills me with a little confidence about the choices. "You have to choose four of these: maths, English literature at night, UK history, geography, French, Spanish, German and law. Personally, I would stay away from the law since it is rather mundane, I having the personal experience, as is Spanish, with the three past tenses and being the only language of the three choices to have a present continuous tense. Yet it is your decision," he shrugs, but I had a little trouble following. So of the eight, I have to choose four?
"Why is English literature taught at night?" I ask, a sinking feeling in my stomach indicating I most probably know the answer: books aren't limited to the night.
"It is taught by a vampire," Oliver says simply, confirming by beliefs. "Yet the teacher is Samuel Glass - Michael's Grandfather. It is a small class and he only accepts absolutely well behaved vampires for the odd human resident who decides to learn from him. I hear good reports from it," he continues - wow, Michael's Grandad is a teacher! I heard he was a 'good' vamp, but nothing more: Michael's never really spoken about him and I don't think he wants to.
"Ok then... Well, I choose English lit, French, UK history and German," I say rashly, deciding that this could be a good chance to get to know Sam without any influence from Michael over his feelings that his Grandad has been a vampire since before he was born. I know a little of the two languages from school, which is helpful, and since I've always wanted to go to England what with the incredible history it has had, I may as well study that! Maths has always bored me, as has geography, and I am heeding Oliver's warnings on the other two! That is something I never thought I'd be able to say without feeling as if I was being sarcastic, but it is the truth right now.
"That is a very good choice, Claire, I shall put that in for you tomorrow," he says, and somehow his words remind me that Eve is still in hospital and here I am, getting excited over school lessons! She may never wake up and I'm going whoopdedoo regarding getting to study the Tudors… I disgust myself sometimes.
"Can I go now?" I ask him in a pleading tone.
He stands up and walks around the desk to me, pulling me up in one fluid movement. Oh my god, what is going on? Why is he making me stand up? Is he, like, going to kill me or do something to me? Oh god, please help me!
His lips press to mine and I push as hard as I can against his hard chest as his arms pull me closer to him, but he doesn't budge an inch. He, instead, seems to simply get more into the kiss… and I'm embarrassed to say but my lips kiss him back. Oh my god, why is he kissing me? God, I don't know why but it's horrib—oh, this is rather nice…
I begin to kiss him back and realise that he is rather nice to kiss… it isn't disgusting; it's pleasant…
Oliver's POV:
She had me worried for a minute then, when she tried to fight me off, but then I realised that it was simply her normal, fighting, self… that is, however, until she submits (inside her brain) to my power and dominance over her and begins to kiss me back. Once she has submitted, the part of her that thinks kissing me is disgusting seems to disappear and she simply admires the brilliance of my kissing and gets herself deeper into it.
I lov- NO! Do not go there, Oliver, as otherwise you may find it hard to get her to do what you have to get her to do! She doesn't feel anything for you; she simply thinks she does because she admires the kissing skills you have when she is under your control!
I pull away abruptly, wrenching my tongue from her mouth, and she pouts as her arms wrap themselves round my waist as she removes them from my hair.
"Why did you do that?" she asks, in a dreamy tone that shows she is still under my control.
"I have a mission for you," I say, breathing heavily since I had to pull away when I was so enjoying myself. "You have three days to complete the making of this device. It then must be planted in the City Hall on Saturday evening, when every single person is in the Founders Square for the party. The trigger must be sophisticated and look as if a professional has made it, rather than a child. It must be rigged to go off at exactly 4:45pm, not a minute earlier. Do you understand?" I stress the point about detail and accuracy.
"What am I making?" she asks, confused. Oh! I forgot to actually tell her what to make.
"You," I say separately, stressing the point here once again. "Are going to be making… a bomb," I leave it on a slight 'cliffhanger' for the impact to hit her.
Unfortunately, given the fact that she is under my control, she doesn't waver at the strangeness of this request or question the specific detailing of it.
She simply smiles and nods without a word, willing to do this without a single word of complaint.
This is what everyone needs!
So, betcha thought that since the whole action with Eve thing happened over the last few chapters that there'd be a little lull inbetween that and the next peak of excitement, right? Well WRONG! I decided that this story needs to be fast paced and edgy… and with the new idea I've just had for another twist, you will SERIOUSLY be expecting frantic and such!
So, yep, review please! 5 reviews and I will run the competition again! It's EASY! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
Vicky xx
P.S... I have rather a lot of stories and I have the horribleness of exams starting in TWO WEEKS (ARGH!) so if I don't update, I'm not dead... I'M ACTUALLY REVISING :(