Chapter 22: What It Brought

I am horrible and I apologize. I have had such bad writer's block these past several months coupled with FF losing my original draft for this chapter and making me start from scratch. This chapter went through several re-writes and edits and was my hardest to write yet as I wanted to capture vampire Helen as best as I could. Book One will be wrapping up soon and then onto Book Two for those still enjoying the story.

WARNING! This chapter contains descriptions of death and is not suitable for the faint of heart. Reader discretion advised, you have been warned.

When you dance with the devil, the devil doesn't change. The devil changes you - Amanda Hocking

Helen Hendricks had known pain before. As a dancer, pain was practically an old friend. Pain tested your limits, pain made you decide whether you had enough. Pain was not merciful or forgiving, but pain reminded you that while you may suffer now, you will recover and make way for more to endure.

This, however, was nothing she could have fathomed.

Her pyre had no end, in fact it seemed as though everything she felt was mutated into a grotesque form of torture designed to destroy her. Her skin seemed to have simply melted off, the flames digging down into her bones, her cells, the most microscopic of places. No part of her was safe, no part of her would be spared. She knew no concept of time, she felt nothing except this breed of agony encapsulating her senses.

Was she dead? Had damnation been her punishment for choosing a monster? Was this Hell?

She could not receive answers to her questions, no, instead she could only wait. Wait and see if this excruciation would grant her the blessing of stopping, wait and see if new pain would be merciful in ways old pain was not.

How long had she burned? Hours? Days? Weeks? Could three days mean three months? The only thing Helen had to interpret was that her heart had begun beating faster, a sign that perhaps her torment would end soon.

Her heart throbbed and pounded very dully in her ears. Thump, thump, thump. Her body was still very much in pain, but she could bear through it enough to move around feel the soft fabric of her bedspread. Feeling around, she believed that she had just tugged onto Mr. Peanut's leg.

'Faithful little elephant aristocrat.'

Helen would've laughed had she been able to tell if she could move her mouth. The flames had begun to die, but apparently wanted to take their sweet time. Her heart took it as a sign to beat faster.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

The sound roared in her ears, consuming her in the places of the flames. As the pyre slowed, she felt her senses start to return. Finally, her heart conceded and gave out with one last final thump!

Helen opened her eyes, everything bright and fuzzy. It took only a few moments before her eyes refocused and she nearly couldn't believe what she was seeing. Everything was so clear, so sharp. It was as if she was seeing for the first time in her life. She turned her head and caught a glimpse of her aqua duvet, able to tell where the green and blue had merged together in the fabric.

Gently, she moved and picked up Mr. Peanut and smelled a new smell she had not sensed before. He was a mixture of old detergent, her perfume - lavender and apricot - from a few days ago and nice plain cotton. She could see everyone of his imperfections, where the tiniest of threads were split, where the tiniest of pilling was taking place. Regardless, she wouldn't change a thing. Turning over, she lightly hopped off her bed, amazed by how ethereal it felt to walk, as if she was the only thing keeping her on the ground.

Inside the bathroom, Helen caught a glimpse of what must've been her own reflection.

The alien in the mirror stared back with bright crimson eyes, eyes that didn't clash with the glorious shade of ginger hair. Hair that had maintained perfect ringlets despite being smushed by a pillow for several days, hair that brightened from a dull red to a wonderfully shiny copper. Her skin was a waxy moon color. No unevenness, blemishes or the faintest shade of blush tint that Helen's skin used to have. Hell, even her freckles were gone. It was as if she had lived her life without ever experiencing sunlight.

Her hands were different, too. Her nails were now like thinly cut glass, yet felt amazingly durable. She was missing a small burn from when she curled her hair for the New Year's Eve party. In fact, it seemed like her skin had been cut and carved out of the same marble as every other vampire she had encountered. The only noticeable imperfection on her body was the crescent shaped scar now present on the inside of her left wrist.

The place where Aro had marked her, the root of her sufferings the past few days.

Lightly grazing over the mark, it was the coldest part of her incredibly smooth skin. Lifting her hairline, she saw that the mole normally hidden had vanished as well, too.

Walking back into her bedroom, she couldn't believe how different she looked and felt. Despite the fragile pale form she had taken, she had never felt more bulletproof in her life. She could see colors in the wallpaper she hadn't noticed before. The thickness of the heavy curtains on the windows didn't matter at all, she could see the shades of purple and orange that painted the Volterra sky at dusk.

'Okay, it's evening at least. Still, it's only been 193 seconds since I woke up and I can't tell how long I've been out. Why am I alone?'

Curious, Helen left the bedroom and found that her sitting room was just as barren of vampires as well. Briefly, she wondered if maybe she was hallucinating what was happening. Nothing felt real or normal compared to what she had experienced before, and suddenly she felt the flames return brightly in her throat as her vision almost seemed to flash red.

'So dry. I need help, I need it gone.'

Helen couldn't quite put her finger on what her new body wanted, but knew that it wasn't anywhere it sight, so she ventured towards the main door in her quarters. Helen lightly grasped the door handle, or so she thought, as when she turned it and pulled it simply ripped off the hinges and was now raised in her right hand.

Surprisingly, Santiago was guarding the entrance with his jaw now all but dropped to the floor.

Helen blinked and awkwardly apologized. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean-" she blinked at the clear and lovely alto that existed in place of her loud and flat tone. "Is that my voice? Is that my voice?!"

Santiago still looked at her with shock, and she realized she was still holding the door raised in her right hand. Helen thought she gently propped it up against the wall, except all it did was place several large cracks in the foundation. Santiago simply placed his hands over his mouth as though he was trying so hard not to laugh, with her new vision she could see where the lines of his smile were turning upright.

"Well say something! How bad does this look?!" Helen's screech came out as an annoyingly perfect bellow, no detection of roughness or midwestern flatness that usually scratched her throat.

"Forgive me, Lady Helen, I'm trying so hard not to break my composure." Helen noticed the way that Santiago pronounced his r's and t's with a certain crispness that she hadn't before. "Nonetheless I'm surprised you didn't tear the room apart so I'll give you that."

"Don't be an ass." Helen grumbled before she clutched her throat as the flames torched it once more and she choked out. Santiago saw the pain in her now immortal features and she cried out quite painfully. "Help me."

"Renata, Afton, Warren." Santiago called out into the distance as he managed to get Helen back into her sitting room and onto the loveseat. Before her eyes, Renata, Afton and another vampire with ebony skin and high cheekbones graced the room. Each looked a lot more alert and serious than she had seen before. "She woke up a few hours earlier than expected. Warren, go fetch her a glass from today's tour."

Warren nodded and quickly left the premises.

Helen noticed Renata and Afton flank her sides, both looking ready to pounce on her if she got out of hand. "Perhaps it might be best if we call Master Marcus to wait with her while we alert Master Aro."

"Where is he?!" Helen's lovely new voice mutated into that animalistic hiss she had only heard from other vampires before. She didn't mean to sound so angry, but she was pissed that Aro had put her through hell for three days and wasn't at her side to deal with the aftermath. Nonetheless, Renata and Afton got closer and more prepared to restrain her.

Santiago coughed to ease the tension. "Apologies, Lady Helen, Master Aro and Master Caius took their wives to the opera in Florence for the night. We didn't expect you awake for several more hours and it is the last night. We will try and get ahold of them as soon as possible and do what we can in the meantime." He said that like a customer service representative dealing with an angry client, never faltering his calm.

Warren quickly returned holding a silver tray with a large glass of dark red liquid. As soon as Helen saw it, her vision became bright red as she felt what she now guessed was venom flood her mouth. The heavenly aroma emitting from the beverage was stronger than any aphrodisiac in the world. She wanted that drink, she would kill for that drink.

She took the glass from the tray without any restraint from the vampires in the room. The taste, so sweet, so filling, it was as if she had never tasted anything before. She could see herself drinking this forever, never getting tired of the taste. 'Blood, that's what I needed. That's what the flames needed.'

It couldn't have taken her more than thirty seconds to down the whole thing, her vision and senses becoming even more clear as she did so and made Renata and Afton lax ever so slightly.

Helen ran her thumb across the lid of the crystal glass and it finally dawned on her. 'Someone died for me to have this and I don't even care.'

She should feel bad, she wanted to. It was just that her throat burned so greatly, she didn't know if she could take anymore of the fire.

"I'll go fetch Master Marcus." Santiago stated, not even being bothered by what had happened. Helen could tell everyone was staring at her and she just wanted for once to stop being the focal point of a room full of vampires.

"So anything new happen today?" Helen snickered to ease the tension, earning her an eye roll from Afton and a smile from Renata. Within moments, Santiago managed to return with a completely emotionless Marcus, who seemed rather uninterested with what was going on. She had never really interacted with him before, neither of them showing much interest in the other. Regardless, she reminded herself of his own issues and felt sympathetic.

"Hello Marcus." She said calmly as he sat down lazily in an adjoining chair. "How are you?"

"It rained earlier today." He replied with a breathless voice. "I am not bothered by the sound." Helen studied his features with her new and improved vision and realized that Marcus was actually quite beautiful if he had bothered to look so. His sculpted cheekbones drooped with boredom and his chocolate brown hair was matted and unkempt. He truly was hanging on by a thread, a thread Helen could immediately identify as Chelsea.

"You can leave us." He motioned to everyone but Santiago, leading to a minor protest from Renata. "Master, she is fresh from the change, allow me to protect you."

"Now, if you please, Renata." Marcus said as though it took great effort just to speak. The vampires obliged and Helen now found herself alone with the desolate immortal. He studied her for a moment as well, probably deciding on if she interested him as well. The silence in the room was absolutely painful, and Helen decided to interject.

"Did you do anything today?" Helen's innocent question seemed to shock Marcus, as he always appeared to be left alone and unacknowledged in the Family Room. His presence was almost ornamental, a living statue only called on when needed. She felt really bad for him.

"I went to my wife's aviary and fed the birds like I do everyday." Marcus examined his fingers, "she loved the birds."

Helen appreciated his acknowledgment and went ahead and addressed the elephant in the room. "I don't think I ever told you, but for what it's worth I'm sorry for your loss."

Marcus blinked for a moment and then responded with a shrug, "I can tell you mean that."

Several minutes went by as he seemed to ponder as to what to say to her, realizing that she was hell bent on having a conversation with a man who might as well be a corpse. "I don't believe I expressed my condolences to you either."

"For what?' Helen responded in confusion.

"You having to leave your family and come here." Helen almost felt her jaw drop at that statement, amazed that he had the similar tenacity to address it as well. "I am sorry for what happened to you."

"I didn't think anyone else saw it that way." Helen admitted with a small smile, appreciative of his compassion.

"You still have bonds to them." Marcus replied with dead eyes.

"I-I..." Helen bit her lip in worry, worry that he would communicate that to Aro and receive anger that even as an immortal she was still caring for the Hendricks family.

"It's nothing to fear, no one expects you to not." He admitted with as much assurance as he could muster, "however much it may infuriate my brother and sister."

"You're nice, you know that?" Helen smiled brightly and it almost seemed to get a familiar reaction out of Marcus, as though it might have awakened part of him that had long been dead. Instead he recoiled back into his eeyore like state and sighed.

"I suppose."

Eventually, Helen heard the pitter patter of new sounds along the floor outside her quarters. Two sets of footprints, one the lovely tap of stiletto heels and the other so light and ethereal it was as if someone was floating across the floor. Helen saw Santiago stand at attention, signifying who was about to enter the room.

When Aro and Sulpicia did appear through the cracked door frame, Helen lightly gasped at what she now saw. It was as if she had seen their faces for the first time. Every fine detail her human eyes could not comprehend was exposed. She could see how many long eyelashes Aro had and the golden subtlety in Sulpicia's hair that had made it even more beautiful. She could tell they were doing the same thing. Studying her immortal face and wondering how she could look even more than what they had imagined.

Helen was the first to break the silence. "Sorry about the door."

They both blinked, also registering what her new voice sounded like. "Oh don't be, darling." Aro dismissed with a jovial wave of his hand. "It needed replacing anyway." His voice was still as feathery and sweet as she remembered, possibly even more slick with charm. His comment was like that of a parent not wanting their child to feel bad for accidentally spilling a glass of grape juice.

Neither of them acknowledged Marcus sitting in the chair

"Apologies for us taking so long." Sulpicia said with her usual motherly sweetness as she discarded her mink shawl. "We didn't expect you up so quickly. How are you feeling? Is your vision settling in?"

"I don't know." Helen admitted with a shrug when suddenly her throat burned with renewed fervor. Aro immediately rushed to her side, expecting this to happen but nonetheless gaining an excitement in his eyes.

"Has she fed at all?" He asked with what almost seemed to be a smirk, something Sulpicia gained instead.

"We gave her a glass earlier to help satiate before a feed." Santiago explained, "it didn't seem fair to let her suffer until you arrived."

"Quite right." Aro slipped out of his dinner jacket and removed his tie, his eagerness becoming more apparent. "Will you join us, Sia darling?"

"If it's all the same, I'd prefer to get her room ready for when she comes back." When she came back? Why would Sulpicia need to adjust her room?

"Of course, my love." Aro began walking towards Helen's bedroom and she heard the *click* of her balcony doors open as he called back into the sitting area. "Come here, Helen darling."

Helen rolled her eyes at whatever they were planning and simply walked towards the bedroom, where she noticed that the balcony was now unlocked and the cold breeze circulating Volterra did not have the slightest effect on her discomfort. Aro appeared in her vision, draped all over the railing of her balcony, staring out into the stars

"Enjoying the view?" Helen asked with her usual snark, pleased that she hadn't lost that in her new voice.

"It's my favorite sight in this world." Aro admitted with a sort of hungry look in his dark eyes. "I now get to share it with you, my daughter." Helen knew she would never get used to him calling her that, but she couldn't help but feel in awe as he offered her help in her new life. Suddenly, he hoisted himself over the edge and leaped into the air. It made her pause momentarily as she saw him cascade down several stories into Castello Volterra's courtyard.

He landed with all of his damn grace and elegance, as though he was expecting a perfect score from the Olympic judges. Helen couldn't believe what she just witnessed, that jump would kill her, it should have killed him. She could make out his form in the black night, as if he was standing right in front of her. She watched the corners of his mouth curve into a wicked grin.

"Come down here, little one." He called after her softly, her ears picked it up with ease, as though once again he was standing right in front of her. "It's not that far of a drop."

Helen scoffed with a smile and rolled her eyes. "You're crazy!"

"I shall catch you." He offered, arms outstretched and accepting. "Trust me."

She grabbed the railing hard in her tiny but strong hands, the force of it sending little cracks and crumbles rippling through the surface of the stone balcony. The flight down looked deathly, dangerous, something that should have filled her with adrenaline and made her heart pump so loud it would have gladly throbbed in her ears.

Instead, she hopped over in a quite literal leap of faith, watching as the world instantly changed before her as she dropped down to face Aro. She felt as though she was the only thing holding herself to the earth, as if gravity had simply ignored her very presence. His eyes looked at her with renewed satisfaction, yet he chose not to comment on her change in status, not yet anyway.

"You need to hunt, do try and keep up, my dear." He gave her another smug smile before speeding away and hopping over a nearby ivy clustered fence. Helen felt her own lips curve into a smile as she followed behind at what she assumed was now an extreme pace. She could see everything so clearly as she hopped the gate behind him. She saw where the lightning bugs landed on the wet leaves, she could smell traces of where the fresh rain beat down on the remaining flora in the gardens.

Helen's already heightened senses took in her surroundings and she knew that this was a truer way to live.

Aro lead her through the hills and fields of Tuscany. Intentional as the Volturi are adamant against hunts in Volterra, no, he was luring her as far away from the city as he could. The evening sky concealed the two immortals, but Helen swore that her skin slightly glowed whenever the moon peaked through openings in the clouds.

Soon she could smell and taste sea salt in the air, the waves crashing in the distance but getting closer by the second. Helen remembered Aro mention something about the beach before, but it was harder to remember finer details from before. Her immortal mind, while sharp, had difficulty recalling specifics from the past few days.

As they got closer to shore, Helen did notice the roar of voices emitted from the nearby town. The bright lights and loud music created a dull pain in Helen's senses, but also a vague wonder on if she should venture through to get what she needed to stoke the flames. Instead, Aro lead her close to the water and paused overlooking the ocean.

"What do you hear?" He asked her with curiosity, taking her hands in his. His gaze had at times often lit up when he began to read her mind, but at this moment it acquired such a tenacity she had never seen.

"Everything I didn't think I could."

"You will need to learn to control yourself, but I shall help you." His fingers grazed her throat slightly, "I know it hurts but you will have your meal now." Before Helen could ask exactly what he meant, the aroma hit her.

It smelled like all of the wonderful things in the world. A sweet, honey mixture begging to be sampled, just a small morsel wanting to be consumed. Helen felt a low growl emit from the back of her throat and her mouth flood with venom again. Her vision became even more clear and precise as she found the source of the what she desired.

'Blood, I want blood.'

In the distance she heard a man calling out in the distance, she could smell alcohol on him as he slurred into a phone, "juss... taking a walk to clear my head, long day, honey."

Helen sped toward his direction, still concealed by shadows and darkness. Nothing mattered more in the world that she get what she wanted, that she do what her newfound thirst commanded of her. The man was in his forties, he had a bit of a higher and nasally pitch to his voice, probably from somewhere in Canada. She could make out all of his details, brown hair and brown eyes, average weight and height for his age. He was wearing white sneakers and Helen giggled at how much of a tourist it made him look like.

She was hiding at the bottom of a small hill, waiting for him to get just a little closer, waiting to see how much longer she could take the sweet perfume tempting her. He finally got off of the phone and just as Helen was about to pounce, he suddenly called out while looking down the bank.

"Oh hey, you okay down there, miss?" That snapped Helen out, and for a moment she stopped caring about her burning desire to rip through his flesh and start drinking, for a moment she didn't bow to the flames.

"What?" She sounded more aggressive than she intended to, and looked at his face recoil with surprise. He looked like a nice guy, wearing a gold band on his finger. He was married, probably had a family, in Italy for work or maybe vacation.

"You need any help?" He slurred again but lazily offered his hand. "Parli inglese?"

'I don't want to hurt him, he didn't do anything wrong, he's trying to help me.'

Maybe he could help her with her thirst, maybe he could find her someone else who wasn't so innocent. 'Maybe I could just have a little taste, just something to hold me over.'

She grabbed his hand as carefully as she could and he tensed at what she guessed was the coldness of her new flesh. "What's your name?" He gasped at how sweet she sounded now, how welcoming and melodic her voice made his heart pound calmly.

"Brett Malone." He said with his eyes still glassy from alcohol, his guard completely open.

Helen didn't know when she lost herself in that moment, when she felt her thirst take over every ounce of her morality, her conscience and her desire not to hurt the man in front of her. No, the only indicator she had that she was gone was when she spoke her next sentence.

"Thank you Brett."

Helen pulled his arm so quickly she barely registered it popping out of its socket until she heard Brett release an earth shattering scream. He tried pulling away but wasn't fast enough since Helen forced his entire body weight down into the sand with her other hand. This was too easy, he never stood a chance against her. Dully, she heard his pleads to take his wallet or whatever she wanted if she would just stop hurting him.

She smiled at that thought, whatever she wanted. So she did as he requested and bit down into the exposed artery on his neck. Whatever she was served at back at Castello Volterra was nothing in comparison to the hot and absolutely wonderful red liquid that she greedily devored. This was amazing, this was absolutely heavenly. Helen only paused for a minute to get an annoying piece of hair out of her mouth and when she did she looked down and finally saw Brett the human again.

She gasped at the large gaping hole in what was at once his carotid artery. He was just laying there, lifeless and still, as if he were sleeping. His fingers were buried deep in the sand as though he had been trying to hold on to something. His eyes were no longer relaxed and glossy from being buzzed, but instead had a lifeless haze to them. His heart was barely pumping at all before it finally grew silent all together.

He was dead, she had known him not five minutes and he was dead. Dead, because she killed him.

Helen sat there and stared for a solid seventy seconds, as though she couldn't bring herself to finish especially now since she had stoked the flames entirely. She was completely aware of herself now, aware of how she gladly and eagerly just killed someone because he tasted just so good.

The worst part? She knew that if someone else showed up she would do it again. The taste of blood, the thing that now sustained her, was too appetizing to pass up. She simply needed it more than they did.

Maybe she was just telling herself that in the hopes she would start feeling bad, just so she would get some kind of reaction from the human conscience she hoped still existed.

'Or maybe the truth is you enjoyed yourself, now what's so bad about that?'

No answer. But she did hear the soft and ethereal footsteps approach her form again. "Helen, sweetling, it's going to stop being fresh soon. You don't want to be wasteful, hmm?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder in encouragement, as if he sensed her turmoil.

"Aro, is he dead?" Helen asked innocently, and she heard a dark chuckle from behind.

"That is generally what happens, yes." He replied with an obvious smirk, amused by her naivete. "You did beautifully, though, nice clean bite. Sometimes they resist and it can make quite a mess."

He tugged the neckline of her sweater up and it revealed a large stain that trickled down to her abdomen. "Not that I expect you to be spotless at first."

"I think I'm done with him." That was all Helen could say as she looked down at her hands like a child. The hands that just killed another person, the hands that felt no guilt or remorse in the process.

"Are you sure? He's not fully drained, though most vampires don't drain the whole thing." It was as if he was trying to get her to eat another bite of vegetables at the dinner table, not even regarding the dead body in front of her.

"Yea I'm sure, I feel better." That was the truth, she felt much more clear headed than before, finally able to process all of the surroundings that her heightened senses picked up on, such as the dozen crickets chirping or the three thousand five hundred seventy eight blades of grass in front of her.

"Alright, if you get thirsty again we can stop somewhere else. Felix, Demetri will you dispose of this, dears?" Helen hadn't even noticed the two shadowy vampires emerge from behind her or how long it was that they had been present at the scene. Nonetheless she saw Demetri pull a large cloth out of a large travel bag and Felix begin wrapping what had once been Brett Malone in it, but not before removing his phone, wallet and keys, placing them in a plastic bag. Aro helped Helen up to her feet, watching her take everything in.

She was a murderer and this was the clean up crew covering her tracks, she thought as the sickly sweet smell of gasoline flooded the cloth. As the body of Brett Malone burned, the vampires began their trek back to Volterra.

Vampire, that's what she was now.

Upon return to the castle, Helen found that her old room had been cleaned out of her belongings, which had now been placed in an entirely separate wing of the castle. The Family Wing, where everyone in the core group resided. The room was smaller, but this was intentional as it was explained that the previous room was for any elite guests the Volturi invited to stay, supernatural or otherwise, who needed certain accommodations.

Helen was no longer a guest, but a resident.

The room was located in a corridor wedged in between Aro and Sulpicia's and Caius and Athenodora's rooms, with Marcus adjacent. The thought of being so near the second pair of vampires made her feel ill, if vampires could feel ill that is.

It was much more ancient looking with a cobblestone window and perch bench, special screen over the glass as to prevent anything or anyone from seeing her now sparkly skin in the sunlight. All of her clothes were now condensed into a still gigantic, but not as large walk in closet and an armoire. The bathroom was just a beautiful but more modern looking, as though it had just been installed. There was floral wallpaper now with Lily of the Valleys soothing her sight, a gift from Sulpicia no doubt. No TV, but plenty of bookcases filled with writings new and old.

She would see that the TV got moved at some point, though, no matter how much everyone claimed they hated it. The giant bed from her old room had been moved though, with Mr. Peanut's good eye watching over her from the throw pillows. There was a desk, a chair and what had once appeared to be a chandelier from the ceiling, that Helen could only tell from the marks that it left.

The sun was coming up now, she watched rays lazily dance through the sheer screen. It innerved her that the Volturi family now completely encased her, no part of her life now private, if it had even been private before.

"You need to be here, because humans only come to these apartments when summoned." Sulpicia insisted while hugging her close as though she needed soothing, not that Helen had shown any other protest than an eye roll. "We can keep you safe here."

Safe, as though she was the one that needed protecting still. Like she wasn't some completely bulletproof and nearly indestructible supernatural creature, just like them.

Just like them.

As the day began in what was now January fifth, Helen had already finished twenty five books. Seven of which were Harry Potter that she read twice over, because once is simply not enough. Sulpicia came to summon her to spend time with the women and Helen momentarily just wanted to will herself away and not be noticed. It was like freezing before a snake, hoping they wouldn't see you.

Well, that was exactly what happened.

Sulpicia opened Helen's bedroom door as she remained seated on the window perch, her new favorite place to sit and stew, and the blonde vampire shrieked in terror while looking directly at her, the action freaking Helen the fuck out.

"Aro! Helen's gone!" Sulpicia screeched in terror down the hallway. Within seconds, Aro appeared dressed in his black robes, a sign that he had been prepared to venture to the throne room.

"Felix, get Demetri! Damn her for doing this!" Aro growled as he curled his fist tightly, the action snapping Helen out of her feeling of wanting isolation.

"Calm down! I'm right here, I didn't go anywhere!" Helen shouted in exasperation, making both of them blink in utter confusion and shock. There was a loud, thumping pause in the room as everyone tried contemplating what just happened.

"You weren't here." Aro said softly in shock, "now you are."

"No, I was here." Helen insisted, "I was sitting here, heard her come in and then World War IV happened."

"You mean three, dear." Sulpicia corrected while clasping a hand on her head in relief. Helen huffed. "Oh no. A full on nuclear holocaust began, launched, ended and restarted in that entire scream. I just lost ten years off of an immortal life, I kid you not."

Aro, as usual, laughed lightly before realization made him gain a somewhat possessive and satisfied grin. "Helen, do that again."

"Do what?" She parroted back, standing up and brushing off her olive green dress. Oh yes, she had forgotten to mention that all of her pants and jeans were nowhere to be found, another sign she no longer lived anywhere else.

"Whatever you just did to make your lovely self disappear and reanimate before our eyes." His eyes were possessive and hungry, too, like he had just discovered something precious. "You did something just now."

He approached her like a hawk circling a mouse, "my darling gifted child."

He took one of her hands in his, wanting to know whatever might have transpired that exposed a talent in front of him. It made Helen nervous and fearful, that her already alien existence might have something new to figure out. "Helen, my love, you wanted to feel unnoticeable, no? Not that anyone could not notice you." Aro said with a dark laugh.

He was teasing her, mocking her, and it made her annoyed faster than normal. She nodded once.

"Do it again, if you can." He made his 'c' sound crisper and released Helen's hand. Helen breathed lightly, trying to focus as now Caius and several guard members peered through the doorway. It did help, by making her want to disappear more but it created such pressure. She saw Aro's face begin to fall slightly in disappointment, as though his mind had tricked him in someway and he had gotten his hopes up for nothing.

Helen exhaled and let go of herself and insecurities, as though she had found the piece of her mind that could allow her to disappear and remain hidden from all those she would give anything to hide from. But she knew that part of her, the part that she had grown afraid of since her change, wanted to please and love Aro, wanted his approval. The vampire daughter part of herself that had remained dormant in her human body.

"Brava." He giggled to himself, if men giggled at all. Sulpicia looked dumbfounded but happy, as though she had been a willing participant to a magician's trick.

Helen didn't notice anything different about herself, her entire body looked the same. She was curious about what it was they were all gawking about and spoke up with a desire to be seen.

"I don't get it, what did I do?"

His response was simply to kiss her hairline affectionately before clearing his throat. "If I were to guess, I would say that you affected how everyone saw you, no perceived you I should say. You did not just become invisible, not one person could sense your presence at all, like a little thief in the night. I wonder if the effects go both ways? As if you can make your presence known greatly and capture a room.

"Yes that would make sense, your talents as a dancer were extraordinary in that regard, how you affected what people saw." He was rambling now, like a mad men who got his monster alive. "This is an interesting development, Sia I will need to see Helen for the rest of the day if you don't mind."

"Of course, loving husband." She kissed his cheek in happiness, "our daughter is an intriguing immortal."

"That she is." He replied with a dark smile, the cogs in his mind tinkering as to how he might add this potentially useful talent to his collection of extraordinary things. If Helen had any chances of escaping now they were gone, for although Aro might love her, he would not let such a raw and useful talent slip through his fingers, not without a fight.

That was what the change brought, another desire for him to keep her forever.

Forever, fortunately, was not as long as he had hoped.

R&R lovelies!