Chapter Twelve: Family Matters
Fantasy Writer: I am in love with how dedicated you are to me! I love all of your alternate take suggestions, and I will take them into consideration. However, right now I am focusing on this story, the four sequels I have planned, and then possibly doing an Aro's persepctive one. But, I might put them in a series of drabbles on special days! As always, here is a wonderful selection thanks to your idea. Lastly, I will not and am not going to reveal ANYTHING about Helen's possible transformation. Sorry, not even you are held to such obligations.
Krister: Glad you love it!
YourEnchantingDesire: Aro has the patience of a fork, he's not really understanding the whole human emotional process.
Hephaestus III: Yes! I put that in so that Helen could have something snarky to say. Frankly, Helen always has something snarky to say.
Lilly Moonlight: I am SO glad that you reviewed my story! I have been dying for you to post something, because I know how busy you are! I am very pleased you found Helen relatable, because I have always worried about that.
Lunaconspiracy365: I am happy you like my work, and thank you for your feedback.
CutieBunny: I went through eight months of research into dance, my freshman French teacher, and various pop culture. Not to mention that I took a year of PE Dance to make sure I was getting my knowledge. Hey, I don't half-ass any of my babies, especially Helen.
I would believe only in a God that knows how to Dance - Friedrich Nietzsche.
Helen and Sulpicia had been talking for quite some time, and Helen was shocked about how genuinely interested the woman had seemed in her. The feeling was shocking, to have a maternal figure make her feel wanted and needed.
Hell, maybe even loved.
"I have not visited the Americas since Jefferson held office, Aro does get worried about me being far from home." Sulpicia had sent out special boxes of chocolate and popcorn for Helen, changed into a white nightgown and lacy robe, and they spread out on the couch with the dull roar of the television in the background. Their own little slumber party. "I enjoyed it, I confess."
"What's your favorite place you visited?" Helen plopped a nasty tasting piece of dark chocolate into her mouth, regretted it, and washed it down with popcorn.
"Greece, more precisely Aro's homeland in Athens." Sulpicia sighed as her husband would, "but that was many a millennia ago."
"Aro's Greek? He acts like he's Italian." Helen rolled her eyes, earning a giggle.
"Aro stopped showing loyalty to his motherland when the common era began, he is such a child. He allied himself with the Roman Empire, but still visits his land every so often."
"Why did he defect?" Helen asked innocently. Sulpicia bit her lip before smiling, perhaps Helen should not have asked. "He has never had pleasant memories during his allegiance to Greece, most notably as a human. He does not speak much of it, not even to myself."
"Did something happen?"
Sulpicia sighed, and when her face fell, Helen felt the utmost guilt. This woman she had barely known, she had already upset. "I will tell you only what I believe is best you know. Before biblical era, Aro had a sister, sweet Didyme. She was the last of the many children Aro's mother had bore, before the woman died of disease. You may as well know, his father was a cold man named Achilles, a wealthy slave trader. His mother was a dirne."
"A what?"
"A prostitute. Forgive my language," Sulpicia said softly. "Achilles had many wives, but Aro's mother was a bed warmer, and she was solely responsible for bearing children. Aro's mother Daphne was the only successful child bearer, for the most. Aro was the last son that lived, but easily the most impressive. He had much talent as a human, but despised his siblings, all of them were described by him as repugnant, ignorant, expendable, and those are the child appropriate words. His four brothers died in combat, his three older sisters had been wed or sold to provide for Achilles' benefit."
Helen couldn't say anything, and allowed Sulpicia to carry on. "Then, his darling sister Didyme was born. The splitting image of her brother, he could not help but love her. She was his little one, and never left his side, that became the undoing to Aro. For you see, he was fifteen years her senior. Achilles began to suspect that Aro planned to perform unfathomable acts to his sister, given their closeness. It would ruin his image, and he attempted to send his son to war. Aro and Didyme planned to run, and only got to the next town, before Achilles caught up with them and sold Aro to Dacia."
"He was a slave?" Helen choked out. How could someone like Aro, who was so strong, free-willed, and tactful, survive that?
"I will not say anything on what he endured, Aro will tell you himself one day. It is not an easy subject for him to speak of. For fifteen years he toiled, and every day he kept his mind fresh with thought of escape. One day, Aro was traded to the coast and broke free from the binds. When night came, he planned to drown himself in the water. He would die by his own hand before being branded once more. A woman appeared before him, he described her as a seductress." Sulpicia frowned, "but assured that I was the more beautiful one. The liar. Anywho, she saw he yearned for death and drank him to unconsciousness, not realizing his heart still beat."
"She was a vampire." Helen nodded her head in realization.
"He awoke from the change in the ground, as his trader believed him dead when he was discovered in the sea." Sulpicia paused and sighed cheerfully, "I am overwhelming you, my sweet. I do apologize, I should not have spoken."
"No!" Helen insisted, "I want to hear the rest. I feel like I don't even know him."
"Very well," Sulpicia smiled in defeat. "He tracked down his trader, his past owners, and the men who had..." Sulpicia paused again, unsure how to best word her sentence, "well, let's say that they hurted him in a despicable way, mentally and physically."
"I get it, it's in issue in prisons today. Let's not get into it." Helen assured.
"Of course, sweetling. His father had died before Aro took his vengeance, and act he regrets not being able to inflict. Soon he practiced feeding before rescuing his sister from her first husband. She was changed and joined Aro as he, Caius, and his wife Athenodora created the Volturi. Marcus joined after the Romanian's had lost their first battle, and married his sister."
"I bet Aro took that well." Helen snorted.
"I had to keep him away from Marcus for six weeks." Sulpicia admitted with an agitated remembrance. "We were all very happy, and then the worst happened."
Sulpicia looked at Helen with a sad feeling, "Didyme was murdered by Vladimir and Stefan, the remaining members of the Romanian coven. Those bastards."
"What was their deal?" Helen said in shock.
"Our coven took control of our kind, a coup d'état of sorts took place. They were angry, but they needed to be exterminated for the sake of our people. Poor Marcus has never been the same since her death, they had a love that any couple could envy."
"That's so sad," Helen felt tears prick her eyes. "Poor Marcus, poor Aro."
"I should not have told you," Sulpicia said in shame. "Not if I knew you would become this distressed, but I am glad you wanted to know more about us. I think it will help our situation if we are informed of each other."
"Well, what's the chip on your shoulder?" Helen teased.
Sulpicia smiled somberly, "you have had enough woe for tonight. Let us have a calm before the next storm, you will need your sanity for my tragedy. How about we watch a film? My favorite modern actress is Miss Drew Barrymore."
Helen felt her jaw drop in amazement, she gasped in joy. "You like Drew Barrymore!"
"Yes." Sulpicia replied nervously, "is that a conflict with us?"
"No! If Barrymore's in it, I've seen it! What's your favorite movie with her?"
"The Wedding Singer. I enjoyed having Felix pilgrimage to America to buy us the tape, she was wonderful as Julia." Sulpicia giggled softly, "however, like the hopless romantic I am, I always wished to watch Ever After. I was a fan of the Brothers Grimm for quite a period."
Helen narrowed her eyes in a teasing fashion, "you've never seen that one movie, and yet you have the nerve to call yourself a Barrymorian."
Sulpicia, also to tease, scoffed. "And you, dear girl, claim to adore Baryshnikov's work, and yet you not once seen his live work in person."
"Oh, we are going to get along so well." Helen stated with a shrug, earning a laugh from the Vampiress.
"I just love Danielle." Helen said as she and Sulpicia watched Barrymore punch Megan Dobbs, while her and Sulpicia laughed at the snotty sister's attempts to run. "When I saw this as a kid, I literally cheered at this moment."
"The cow had it coming. Marguerite de Ghent had no right making that comment to poor Danielle." She replied, "but I do not like what the stepmother is doing. That harsh creature needs to be taught a lesson."
"Yeah, Anjelica Huston did a fabulous job as the villain. I remember when Sydney and Aggie and I watched this, we were laughing so hard and drooling over Prince Henry like he was Ryan Gosling!" Helen chuckled.
Sulpicia's face hardened as Helen mentioned the names of her two best friends. "Aro did not approve of those girls. He said they were bothersome."
"I don't understand that." Helen assured, "I've known them since I learned my ABCs."
"It's not that we don't trust you." Sulpicia assured, her soft voice drawing Helen in. "We just care about you so much that we worry." The kind lady gently placed her cold hand on Helen's palm.
"Trying to read my thoughts?" Helen rolled her eyes.
Sulpicia chortled with light giggles and placed her other hand over her mouth. "Oh, my dear girl, how you entertain me! To be gifted as your father would be a blessing!"
"You can't read minds?" Helen asked, puzzled.
"No, little bird." Sulpicia collected herself, "see, there are certain vampires, like Aro, who attain a special power after their transformation. Our coven is currently the largest and most gifted of them all."
"Well, like what kind of gifts? Do you have someone who sees the future?"
"Oh heavens no! But that would be the ultimate blessing to Aro. He has always desired someone with precognition, to have the future at his fingertips." Sulpicia smiled coyly, "please don't feel embarressed, but he told me he hopes it is you."
"Why would he think that?" Helen rolled her eyes. "I can barely remember homework assignments, let alone see the future."
"Because you are our future." Sulpicia cleared her throat, "but it does not matter if you have a gift, we will care for you all the same. Aro is just an avid collector."
"Well, what's the coolest power you've seen?" Helen asked in curiousity.
"That would be Chelsea. She is special to all of us, what with her ability to maintain our binds to each other. We owe her for her talents."
"So she's like the glue that holds you all together?" Helen felt embarressed to keep asking so many questions. "Precisely. However, my dear, we are not just a coven. We are a family. When you are cast out from the light, you bond with those in the dark. All of us have each other and then some."
"I'm sorry, I feel like I'm bombarding you with questions." Helen replied.
"Don't fret, little bird." Sulpicia brushed her knuckles against Helen's cheek, causing the ginger haired teen to experience a new feeling of maternal care. "You barely know of our cause, it's only natural you would be curious about us."
"Thanks," Helen said with a small smile.
"I WOULD RATHER DIE A THOUSAND DEATHS!" Barrymore's perfectly presented accent drew Helen and Sulpicia back to the screen. "Than to see my mother's dress on that SPOILED, SELFISH COW!"
"How does she know how to act like that?" Helen said calmly.
"Miss Barrymore is well trained in her craft." Sulpicia replied nonchalantly.
The movie continued on towards the ending, and Helen felt her eyelids close and layed comfortably on the couch, not realizing that she was resting upon Sulpicia's chest. The kind vampire was more than happy to hold her adopted-daughter-to-be.
However, Helen was just too exhausted to care.
The screen kept her partially concious, and soon Helen heard the door click open and footsteps trot on the floor. "And how are my two favorite women in the world feeling at this hour?"
Aro. His rich and feathery voice made her slowly slip back towards unconciousness. "Shh!" Sulpicia replied, "she's asleep."
"Sorry." Aro giggled, "it is a comfort though, is it not?"
"To what do you mean, loving husband?" Sulpicia giggled back.
"Do you not feel at ease knowing that Helen is safe where she belongs?" Helen could no longer care about sleeping and had to listen to the two of them talk about her.
"More than you shall ever know." Sulpicia sighed as Aro would. There was silence until the screen chimed in, "all I ask your majesties, is that you show her the same courtesy that she has bestowed upon me."
"What are you watching, my wife?"
"Ever After, it is a film that Helen enjoys." Sulpicia caressed Helen's cheek, "It is a historical fiction version of Cinderella. The stepfamily is being judged for treason and forced into servitude after previously being threatened with enslavement to the Americas."
"Servitude is a slap on the wrist compared to the second option." Aro scoffed, "not to mention an honor."
"As far as here would go." Sulpicia finshed for him. "Speaking of servants, when are you planning to dispose of Lucita?"
Dispose of her? Helen thought that Lucita was a prospective human they were going to turn into a vampire? That's why the hell she was so blindly working in this house of horrors.
"Does she bother you, my lady?" Aro teased.
"She is as mundane as the whole lot of them." Sulpicia's tone turned harsh and cold, where was the kind mother Helen had been promised?
"I understand." Aro assured, "she shall be gone soon enough, probably during Helen's first meal. I will confess, I do not understand how she belongs to the same species of Lucita."
"She is special, this one." Sulpicia pressed her lips to Helen's forehead, "hard to resist."
"So when do you believe I should turn her? That is something I have meant to discuss with you, my darling." Helen heard a puckering sound and realized the two of them had shared a kiss.
"The sooner the better, lest you want Chelsea to have to keep her here. You were right about her needing me, unlike those children you save for my meals, I didn't have to throw myself at her." Sulpicia traced a finger over Helen's lips. "I told her your story. I think it helped your relationship with her."
"How bad was she crying?" Aro groaned.
"Not at all. I think Helen felt like she didn't even know anything about you, she wants a relationship with you, sweetheart. However, no more lies, no more tricks. She is here now, we don't have to pretend anymore."
"Do you want to keep her human for much longer? It would be an advantage to us, keep her in line in case she decides to act up, like when she had the nerve to refuse me." Aro gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Calm yourself, Aro. Although, that is an excellent point. I believe we should wait a month, if Helen still wants to escape after then we will keep her human. We cannot make the mistake of giving her the power to leave us."
"A fine conclusion, my queen." Aro pecked Sulpicia on the cheek, "how I have missed you."
"I told you not to take so long, you know how much I miss you when you are away. You should have just grabbed her when she threatened to cut off the funds, as you had planned."
'As he had planned?! No wonder Aro was just conveniently in the neighborhood when I was assualted!'
"It was better to let her calm down after she had been attacked. Not to mention how I managed to benefit as the comforter to her trauma." Aro chuckled, "it resulted in her trusting myself more."
"Humans are easy to manipulate. They are like our marionettes, to which we pull the strings." Sulpicia giggled in delight, "I still love her, though."
"Not as much as I do." Aro teased back, "I will turn down her bed. Try to make sure she doesn't wake up." Helen felt Sulpicia cup her face with one hand, "I know you probably could not hear us, thank the heavens if you did not, becuase these are not child appropriate discussions. However, I want you to know, that even as you sleep, we love you more than anything."
Sulpicia kissed her temple once more, "So please do not do try to leave, lest you want to regret it."
As she carried Helen towards her bedroom and laid her down on the soft comforter and pulled the covers over her freezing form, lit the fireplace, and kissed her once more, Helen realized the painful truth.
Her life was no longer in her hands.
The fire had been poked out when Helen had woken up from her strange dream about Aro and Sulpicia. Her room had been lit by the overcast sun, and when she turned towards the windows, she gasped at how magnificent the Tuscan fields looked from the castle.
Aro wasn't joking about that view.
Helen sat up and cracked her neck and shoulders. That was the best sleep she had ever had, not to mention that the bed was practically a cloud below her back. The clock of the fireplace mantle read 9:26, Helen had gotten a lot of sleep since last night and yesterday.
She dreaded to think if Aro was going to have her up all day, from the conversation that happened last night, Helen was shocked at how the two of them acted when she wasn't in the room.
Helen could not believe how much Sulpicia was like Aro. His female equal. Helen rolled out of bed and stretched, she lazily walked towards the sitting room and found another satin table with a silver platter and a mug and coffeepot. A note had been attached to the luminous tray.
Good morning,
I trust you slept well. Sulpicia enjoyed spending time with you last night, as was I. Today is cloudy so we are able to go into town later this afternoon. However, I am sad to inform that I have prior engagments before we leave. No matter, you can relax before we take our stroll. You will be fitted for your ball gown today, I forgot to mention that we will have a Halloween social within the week. Before you panic about being in a room filled with vampires, rest assured that you will be protected at all times. Unfortunately, I will not be condoling your diet any longer. I am sorry, but you need meat, it satisfies you. Not to mention that you look starved to death. Please take care for now.
All my love,
Aro
"I need meat?!" Helen rolled her eyes, "no I don't you glorified bat!" She removed the tray to reveal a t-bone flourentine steak, bread and butter, and a vegetable medley. Not exactly a traditional breakfast, but when has Helen ever eaten that?
"You're probably just trying to fatten me up so that my blood tastes better!" Helen grumbled to herself. "Inglorious bastard! Doesn't even care that I don't like meat!"
Helen took the silver fork and plunged it into the vegetables. She took several bites and then put some hazelnut cream into the coffee and ate some bread. All that remained after a while was the steak. Helen gulped, as she had gone pescatarian when she was eleven.
Reluctantly, Helen ate her steak, and it was surprisingly good. Not good enough to make her quit eating only veggies, but enough to fill her up. She covered her mouth as she lightly burped and finished her coffee. Mmmmm, coffee.
Helen turned on the television and began to flip through the channels, and her heart stopped on the FOX News channel. There, on the muted screen was a reporter and Helen's eighth grade school photo.
"...the search still continues for Helen Hendricks. An AMBER alert was placed yesterday afternoon when the daughter of St. Louis Special Victims Unit public defender Richard Joseph Hendricks went missing. There have been no new leads, but sources believe that the child has not been kidnapped, as her two classmates had spent the night the day before she went missing. If you have any information about her whereabouts, please call this number. This is Avery Pupil, FOX News St. Louis."
Helen couldn't breathe, couldn't even think. She had seen her own AMBER alert, and finally realized that the entire city of St. Louis was probably looking for her.
"Thank you, Avery. Here is the press conference with the St. Louis police, hosted by Helen's father." Helen touched the screen, hoping she could fall into it and reunite with her real father.
"I know my baby girl, my Flapjack. She did not run away, someone took her from me. I know that this person is her patron named Aro, no last name given. He tried to kidnap her a few nights ago, and succeeded this time. This man is dangerous and a predator, he stalked my daughter and broke her trust in every way. Aro, if you are watching this, I hope you realize that I will go to the ends of the earth, I will give you anything you want, I will do anything if you give me Helen back. Please! She's a kid, she doesn't deserve this. Lastly, Helen, sweetie I love you. I really do, and I promise that I will come for you very soon."
Helen broke down in front of the TV with a series of glass-shattering sobs. Richard thought he could find her, when the truth was, he never would. Helen was stuck here, she would never escape.
Helen cried herself out and threw on a dark blue pullover, blue jeans, and brown boots.
She rummaged through her incredibly large jewelry box and was startled when she found a gold Volturi crest hidden in a large and ornate secret compartment. Helen shuddered as the necklace glared at her intensely, mocking her trapped position. Nervously she closed the compartment and waled back into the bedroom.
Surprisingly, the bed had been made and the room was tidied up. Helen felt disgusted that someone was in the room while she changed clothes, these were people she didn't even know. What if Felix had been peeping on her?
Helen walked into the sitting room and the table and trays had also been cleared, she gulped and turned the TV on and switched to the Italian dub version of Breaking Bad. All she could do for the time being was wait and try to survive living with Aro.
After watching a few episodes, Helen turned off the TV and went to her desk. She pulled out her MacBook and groaned when she discovered that the WiFi password was locked. Helen doubted that Aro was stupid enough to give it to her, escape plan number one: failed.
So she closed the lid on her computer and pulled out her iPod. After a few minutes of Arctic Monkeys, she got bored and began reading her copy of The Princess Diaries. All the while, wondering how the hell she was going to get out of Volterra without being in a body bag.
There had to be a way. There must be some solution to escape this shithole; screw Aro and his bargain, she was not going to spend all of eternity with him. Helen would not be his creepy little vampire princess, and why the hell did they even pick her?! Surely there were other Helen Louise Hendricks' in the world? She remembered the conversation she eavesdropped on last night. Okay, all Helen had to do was convince Aro and Sulpicia she was happy here, they'd turn her and she could escape. Simple as that, and then she'd head back to St. Louis and find Ruby and figure something out.
And be sure to avoid Chelsea manipulating her bonds with her family. But wait, major problem. Aro could read every thought she'd ever had with one touch, how could she avoid that? Aro enjoyed hugging and kissing her, there was no way she could go a whole month without him attempting to hold her or caress her face, and then once he did he's figure it out.
She was so screwed over.
Well, she could always take the easy way out...No! No, that was a terrible thing to consider! Besides, Aro would find a way to stop her before she did anything lethal, and then Helen would wish she was dead.
Okay, then she was going to have to sit tight and hope for the best. Aro said he was going to take her to town today, Helen doubted that no one in this city spoke English or French. She would find someone and try to call for help, all she had to do was ditch Aro.
'Great, all I have to do is get rid of the guy who watches me like a hawk.'
Helen was half-way through the book when the door unlocked with a sharp click, she jumped in surprise and tried to keep calm. 'Act cool, don't look suspicious.' Aro had changed into a more casual looking outfit. Actually, casual was a bad word, try comfortable looking. His dark grey jacket looked like something out of a spy movie combined with his black sweater and form-fitting slacks. His hair had now been pulled in a half-up style and his Volturi crest was the most prominently pronounced it had ever been.
"Hello darling." He cooed calmly as he shut the door behind him, "I trust you slept well?"
"Yeah." Helen choked out nervously. 'Wait to go, Harriet! Now he knows you're hiding something!'
"I'm sorry if I kept you waiting, but I had an urgent matter to attend to. Nothing too time-consuming, but still a very boring requirement of my job." Aro sighed as he walked over to Helen. "I would much rather be with you all of the time, but I don't think you have the patience for the audiences."
"Audiences?" Helen looked up from her book.
"Silly and pathetic vampires, can't even handle their own problems. I tell you, some are not deserving of immortality, unlike me." He played with one of her fiery ringlets, making Helen gulp. "Unlike you."
Helen was seriously freaking out. She did not need to be reminded that she was going to become of the same species of this pallid-pored psycho in a month or so. "Now, are you ready to leave? We have a long walk to town at your pace."
"We drove two nights ago."
"That was at night, even during the cloudy days we cannot cause any attention. That is why I dressed casual for today." Aro said in an amused voice.
'That's casual for you?! Dear God, I would hate to see what you consider to be formal!'
After heading out of the room and exiting through the throne room, to which Helen and Caius had another pleasent encounter, where Helen exited the door while calling him a foofy-haired prick, the two of them had a long walk into town. Silent as the car ride, and just as unsettling. Aro had adorned a pair of blinding black sunglasses to cover his unhuman eyes. Helen thought that was silly, she already knew what he was, and he went without them in St. Louis. Then again, maybe he wouldn't take any chances here.
"Where do you want to go first?" Aro said as he interlocked his arm with Helen's to keep her from getting sucked into the large group of tourists going past them, almost as if they were heading to the...no way. She was just being paranoid. A little boy in the group bumped against her hip and lost his hat, which Helen quickly picked up and handed to his mother, earning a smile from him.
"Um, I don't know..." Helen's thoughts were interuppted by Aro quickly grabbing her and pulling her with him into a dark alley. "How about not here?"
"Be quiet!" Aro hissed as he looked up to the sky where a small ray of sunshine was poking out of the clouds. "Damn it! The forecast ensured rain!"
"What, will you burst into flames?" Helen snorted and watched people nervously look at her and Aro.
"No, my darling." Aro laughed lightly, "but I must remain as inconspicous as possible."
"Tell that to the people watching the two freaks in the alley." Helen rolled her eyes and saw Aro slowly drag her out of the dark area once the clouds hid the sun again.
"I apologize for that, love." Aro replied sheepishly, "now, if you are in the mood for sweets, I know a charming little bakery around the corner."
Helen waited outside as Aro ordered from the vendor in slick and flawless Italian. He did not keep her waiting long and returned outside with a bulged piece of bread. "Panettone, just something small for you if you get puckish. It is sweet, like you."
"That is corny, but thank you." Helen giggled and took a bite of the delectable delight. Helen loved foreign pastries, but Kathleen always insisted they were too fattening and high in calories. Despite the fact that Kathleen was a chef, she didn't have the best food mindset.
"Is it satisfactory?"
"Mmmhmm." Helen replied after taking a large bite. "Do you want a taste?" Wait, that was a stupid question! Aro drank blood! However, he gave her a devilish grin and snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him and placing his lips on the side of her throat. Helen was shaking, was he going to kill her?!
"Oh, how silly of me." Aro chuckled darkly, "you meant the bread."
"Yeah, ha-ha, very funny." Helen shrugged away and rolled her eyes in annoyance. Aro patted her head as he continued laughing, "forgive me, but I simply had to do that."
"Sure you did." Helen snorted. "So where are we going now?"
"I thought we could take a stroll, see where the road takes us."
"Okay." Helen shrugged, "so you're from Greece?"
Aro's face turned sour, remembering that Sulpicia had shared information about his past with her. "Yes, and it is in the past, do not worry about such things." He dismissed her quite rudely.
"If your father wanted Daphne to have his children, why didn't he just marry her?" Helen sort of blurted out, not thinking about what the question meant to Aro.
"I don't know, Helen." Aro sneered in annoyance, "why did Richard Hendricks and Kathleen Danton conceive and birth you and your brother out of wedlock? Why didn't they marry until you were born?"
"Because Kathleen is opposed to the idea of marriage and took too long to realize that it would make the situation easier, especially considering her visa was about to expire." Helen retorted.
"That's not the point." Aro warned her, "in my days things, were not as pleasent and respectful as they are now. Prostitution is not called the oldest profession for nothing, understand? My own mother, a whore, she was nothing but cattle to my father," he spat on that word with absolute hatred. "Believe me, he did well to remind me of that."
"Why did he sell you into slavery? I mean, he was angry at you for running away, but why that?"
"Helen, my father was not a nice man!" Aro growled at her questions, "So long as we lived under his roof, he ordered my siblings and I to live under his law. Anyone who failed to do so, paid the penalty." He pointed his index finger to his chest. "Myself, fifteen years."
"I'm sorry." Helen stated simply, "this is a touchy subject for you, isn't it?"
"You may ask me anything you want about my past." Aro said somberly, controlling his anger. "Except my human life. If you really must know anything, then I will tell you myself one day. Until then, I ask that you refrain from the subject."
"Alright." Helen shrugged. "Hey Aro."
"What?" He answered irritably, displeased that she hadn't shut up yet.
"So, did Nero really fiddle while Rome burned?" Helen joked.
"Caius gave him the lyre, what does that tell you?" He smirked back at her.
Helen stood impatiently on a stool as a ghastly looking woman began to poke needles into the dress for her fitting. Her measurments had already been recorded, so now she was modeling for the base of the dress. According to the old bat's shoddy english, the dress was going to be dark colors.
"Can't we do something lighter?" Helen suggested. "Pink really compliments my skin tone, and my favorite color is a soft green."
"Tenere la lingua!" She spat and poked her once more. "Pink is for babies! Not to mention that the master ordered me to dress you in black!"
"Alright, alright. Sheesh." Helen grumbled back. The woman began finishing the last of the poking and prodding, and swatted Helen on the leg when she had finished.
"Step off and see how it looks, the highest needle will give you an idea for the hemline." She growled impatiently. Helen rolled her eyes and stepped off the stool. The floor length mirror revealed a stunning, strapless cream colored petticoat with an below the knee hemline. The skirt was poofy and very soft fabric, and the form-fitting material felt like a second skin.
"It's perfect." Helen beamed.
"Then it is too short." The woman barked, "if you are pleased with it, then I have dressed you scandoulously! Girls this age wear nothing conservative, back to the stool."
This was going to be a long fitting.
Helen ignored the dull roar of the TV as she sat on the couch. Her mind was going in every direction thinking about ways to escape. 'Someone has to have some kind of idea where I am. I seriously doubt that the school didn't have some kind of record of where Aro lived. Not to mention that Richard practically APB on me, so that has to cout for something. Okay, well here's the facts. One, I am being held hostage by a family of ancient bloodsuckers. Two, they have no intention of letting me leave this city alive. Three, in exactly one month I may or may not become a vampire. Four, I am screwed over in every way possible thanks to one, two, and three. I mean, for Christ's sake, I can't even leave the room without Aro! Or, wait...'
Aro had never said that Helen couldn't leave her room. If he really wanted her to feel comfortable here, he would allow her to explore this castle. Helen changed out of her bathrobe and into a floral lace rust-red dress with form fitting longsleeves. The hemline was a combination of chiffon-and-mesh with intricate embroidary. She matched it with a pair of ivory tights and knee high brown boots.
Helen lightly brushed her ginger ringlets and cleaned up her face. The last thing she needed was for Caius to insult her hideousity, especially since Aro wasn't there to protect her from Count Crapula.
She took a deep breath and was relieved when the door opened with little effort. Great! She was out in the hall! This was progress! 'Ok, the throne room is down the stairs to the left, must avoid. So, let's go right! Alright, honey, chill out. We're going to get through this! All I need is to find some way out of here without running into any-'
Umph! Helen collided with a marble-like surface. When she looked up from the floor, an unfamiliar inhuman beauty with strawberry blonde hair and angelic features.
"I'm sorry." She apologized sweetly, trying to hide how nervous she was, "I wasn't paying attention."
"It's fine, Helen." She beamed and helped her up, "I am Renata, Aro's bodyguard."
'Bodyguard? Why the hell would Aro need a bodyguard? He could tip over a fourteen-wheeler by blinking at it, probably.'
"Nice to meet you." Helen replied, "wait, how do you know my name?" Renata laughed at her as though she had said something stupid. "Silly girl, everyone within these walls knows who you are."
"Oh great, I'm famous. Woo-hoo." Helen said bitterly to herself.
"Were you looking for Aro? I am sorry, but he had an inconvenience to attend to. Those bothersome fairies do not understand the meaning of treaty boundaries."
"Oh, um, that sucks." Helen said sheepishly, realizing how little she knew.
"Indeed. Now, what were you looking for?"
'How to escape.' Helen thought to herself, "actually I don't really know where anything is. Do you know any cool places here?"
"Follow me, dear." Renata smiled angelically, despite the fact that it made Helen even more nervous