Sorry for the late update. I know, I last did it on 19th January but I really didn't had much time to do it. Anyway, special thanks to StarTime101, Janka, PiaNoir, Ceelia-17 and Silent Blood Rose for reading and reviewing my story. Some people were thinking that I will stop writting the story, but don't worry, I won't. I already have the next chepter done, I just didn't had the time to writte it down on the computer (because I did my father a Facebook profile and now I can't get to the computer xD). If you are curious, PERKELE (what Amy said when she bumped into Lok) means somethink like damn it! on finnish. Enjoy!
The team was in Dantes house. Sophie was sitting on the couch half asleep. Zhalia was sitting in an armchair while Lok was sitting on its arm.
"I'm really curious about that girl. I want to meet her as soon as possible! I want to know how she looks like, how old is she, where does she come from, did I ever saw her before… I'm really excited!" Lok couldn't stop talking.
"Yeah, I know. I'm too! I want to know how she got in all this, what spells she knows, what titans does she has and such things" Zhalia answered excited just like Lok.
Sophie moved a bit on the couch but went on sleeping.
"She must be tired, she's sleeping for an hour" Zhalia noticed, while Lok just shook his head.
"It's time to wake her up!" Lok jumped up and took a pillow.
"Attack!" he yelled and hit Sophie with it.
"Lok!" she screamed as the pillow hit her.
Zhalia giggled. Sophie took the pillow and threw it on Lok, but he dodged it. Dante run out of the kitchen to see what's going on.
"What are you…" he couldn't finish the question because the pillow hit him in the face. The two teenagers froze down when they saw Dantes confused expression. Zhalia started to laugh.
"Sorry" Lok and Sophie said together.
"Who hit me with the pillow?" Dante asked taking up the pillow from the floor and another from the couch. They said nothing.
"Zhalia?" he looked at her waiting for the answer.
"Lok dodged it but Sophie threw it on him" she answered still laughing. Dante threw the pillows at his protégés and started to laugh. When they saw that he isn't angry they started to laugh with him.
"That means war!" Lok announced and they started a pillow fight, Lok and Sophie against Dante.
"Zhalia help!" Dante called out laughing.
"No thanks. You started it, you get out of it" she answered.
"I give up!" Dante shouted while lying on the floor with pillows all around him. The whole team was laughing.
"Ok, enough. You won" Dante said and got up.
They cleaned up the mess, still laughing. Dante went upstairs into his room, and Sophie went to the kitchen.
"Zhalia, why don't you ever take part in these things?" Lok asked her after some time.
"Why would I?" she asked instead of answering, still sitting in the armchair.
"Because you're part of the team! Dante always takes part" he complained.
"Dante is your mentor and he enjoys playing with you guys. I'm not the kind of girl who will stop with her work and play. You know that" she answered.
"But seriously, would it hurt you?" he didn't gave up so easily.
"No, but it could hurt you" she said with a smirk.
"Oh really? Let's see about that" he said and threw a pillow at her.
Dante was up in his room looking for his holotome when he heard some noises. He run downstairs in time to see Sophie lying on the floor holding her stomach and laughing out loud. Zhalia was sitting on Loks back (who was lying on the floor) while hitting him with a pillow. They were both laughing.
"You had enough?" she asked and hit him, not too hard.
"Yes! I give up!" Lok tried to get up but Zhalia didn't let him. Sophie was still laughing.
"Zhalia?" Dante looked at her surprised.
"What? He started it" Zhalia put on an innocent face. Dante started to laugh.
"Come on. Let the boy go" he stepped to Zhalia and offered her a hand to help her up. She giggled.
"Alright" with that she accepted Dantes hand and stood up.
"So, what did you said Lok?" she helped him up.
"I take it back. You do know how to have fun" Lok admitted.
"You better" Zhalia said. Sophie stood up, still giggling.
"So, what happened?" Dante was looking for and explanation.
"Lok attacked Zhalia with a pillow but she didn't want to play. Then Lok said that she doesn't know how to have fun. But it's more than obvious that she does" Sophie explained and gave Zhalia a high five.
"Nice" Dante said smiling.
He knew that she became good with Lok and Sophie, but he didn't knew that they are this good. Zhalia relaxed after Metz made her a member of the Foundation. Before she would never talk to anyone (only when she had to), never laugh or have fun. It was all before she told them the truth, while she was a spy. But after it everything changed. She changed. She made lots of friends, was more relaxed, had fun, laughed, and the most important thing, she showed her team who she really was. Zhalia was off guard while she was alone with them, was nice with them and showed her emotions and feelings. Sophie and Lok found it strange in the beginning, but Dante was really happy for her.
He loved her no matter what, but was afraid to tell her. True, he had lots of girls in the past, most of them just for fun and his own pleasure, but Zhalia was something else. She wasn't like the other girls. Normal girls who weren't seekers wanted him because he was a rich and famous investigator. Girls who were seekers wanted him because he was an elite seeker, the number one. But she was different, she didn't care if he's an elite seeker, she didn't care if he was famous or rich. She was simple in this case, she loved him because he was nice to her, because he was willing to forgive her and give her another chance.
And he loved her also. Zhalia had the most beautiful eyes Dante ever saw. He loved everything about her: her voice, her lips, the beauty of her caramel skin, the way she walked, her whole body, her attitude, just everything about her. In the beginning he thought that he's having only a crush on her, that he likes her as a man likes an attractive woman. But with time he admitted that he's in love. He was truly and deep in love with Zhalia Moon. There were times Dante wanted to hold her, to kiss her and tell her everything he feels for her. But he didn't. He got never rejected from a girl. They would all say yes before he would ask them. He was too afraid to get rejected from Zhalia. He didn't want her to say no. He didn't know her feelings, so he never told her anything. Instead, he told everything to Metz.
Metz was more than a mentor to him, he was like his father. Metz taught him everything he knew and trained him the best he could. He trained him to be a great seeker, and obviously he did his job well. After Dantes parents died, Metz took him and his sister in and brought them up as his own children.
"Dante?" Dante heard someone call his name.
"Yes?"
"Are you ok?" Zhalia asked him standing in front of him.
"Of course. Why?" he blinked, still confused with her question.
"You are standing here for some time" she said with worry.
"I'm good. I was just thinking about something. That's all" he answered with a smile. She smiled back.
'Incoming message from the Huntik Foundation'
Dante went over to the big screen to answer.
"Hello Dante"
"Hello Metz. Is it a new mission again?" Dante greeted him.
"Well, no. Your new member arrived to the HQ a minute ago. Can I bring her over?" Metz explained with a smile.
"I think that we should…" Dante started to say something but got cut of by Lok.
"Of course you can! As quick as possible!" he said with excitement.
"Oh well, alright. You heard it. You can bring her over" Dante said. He wanted to suggest that they go over to the HQ, but Lok cut him of. He knew he can't win if he starts to argue with Lok, so he gave up at the beginning.
"Good. We will be there in about 10 minutes" Metz answered and the screen went blank.
"I can't wait to meet her!" Lok said and started to jump with excitement.
"Oh come on Lok! Chill it! And please don't scare that poor girl. I don't want her to have a break down" said Sophie and pushed him on the couch to sit down.
"Me! How could I possibly scare her? I don't look so scary, do I?" Lok complained.
The team started to laugh again. Everyone knew how hyperactive Lok was when meeting a new seeker. It was a good thing because he would soon make friends with the seeker. Sophie always thought that he is too friendly and naïve, but he always ignored her.
"And Zhalia, please be nice to her. Ok?" Sophie turned to her.
"Don't worry, I will. But you shouldn't start with 'I don't trust her' after you see her. Good?" Zhalia answered with a grin.
"And Dante…" Sophie turned to him to say something, but when she saw his expression she closed her mouth.
"Yes?" he said, provoking her to say something.
"Um, nothing… All good" she said with an innocent face.
She knew that she wasn't allowed to comment anything about him because she would get grounded. Once she did that, and she had to have training after school for a whole week. It made her really tired and she didn't have time for anything else, so she decided that it's better to keep some thing for herself. Dante didn't want to punish them in other ways so he sent them on trainings. That was his way to keep the peace in the team, to have their respect and to show who's the leader of the team.
"Um, what should we ask from her?" Lok asked after some time.
"Well, what would you ask from a new member?" Sophie wondered about it.
"I think we should let Dante talk to her. He's the leader. He should decide" Zhalia answered. Lok and Sophie agreed with her.
"That's why I wanted to say that we go to the HQ but Lok interrupted me" Dante said and looked at him.
"Sorry" "It's ok. You guys go to the kitchen or somewhere so I could talk to her alone" Dante suggested. In that moment they heard someone knocking on the door.
"Come in" Dante said. The door opened and Metz stepped in.
"Hey guys" Metz greeted them and went in. They all greeted him and hugged him. Dante was good with him from the beginning and the rest of the team became good friends with him as well.
"Are you alone?" Dante said wondering.
"What? No…" With that he turned in the doors way and said out loud:
"Are you going to come in on your own or should I come out and pull you in?"
"Alright, I'm coming in" answered a female voice.
She came to the door and stepped in, but when she saw who's in the room she froze down. She stood there like she got struck by a lightening. The team couldn't believe who's standing in front of them. Dante didn't saw anything except her emerald eyes. The same emerald eyes which haven't let him sleep or have any rest. The eyes which were filled with fear, just like the last time he saw them.
"Amy?" Lok asked and stepped a bit closer to her.
"You!" Sophie yelled at her with anger.
"Metz?" Amy looked at him with panic.
"How dare you?" Zhalia growled at her.
"Raypulse!" she yelled and attacked Amy, but Metz was quicker and jumped between the two girls.
"Honorguard!" he blocked the attack and pushed Amy behind himself. Zhalia was so angry that she wasn't able to control herself.
"Bolt…" she wanted to call out but Dante stopped her.
"NO!" he yelled and caught her wrist. He pulled her to himself and hugged her around her waist, so she was still facing Metz and Amy, but couldn't move at all.
"Let me go!" she yelled and started to kick.
"Zhalia, calm down!" he whispered into her ear, still holding her tight against his chest.
Zhalia stopped to kick and fight back and slowly calmed down. There was a heavy silence. When Dante made sure that Zhalia completely calmed down and gained her self-control back he let her go, but he pushed her behind himself. He wasn't worried for Amy but for Metz. Zhalia was a powerful fighter and she could hurt him. Sure, Metz was cured from the curse, but Dante was afraid that he's still weak to block more of Zhalias attacks. Zhalia knew that, and she calmed in the same moment Dante told her so.
"What's wrong with you?" Metz asked her with anger.
"Metz, she's the girl who took the titan in Helsinki" Dante said with a calm voice.
"Amy?" Metz turned to her asking for an explanation.
"Yes, it's true. But I didn't knew you are from the Foundation! And by the way, YOU are the one who attacked ME!" she explained and yelled at Dante.
"Alright. Now everyone calm down. We need to find out what happened. Amy, I gave this mission to Dantes team, so you had no right to take the titan" he told her.
"But I got the mission from Guggenheim! He sent me right away! He said that this is an important mission and that I should get the titan no matter what!" Amy explained.
"Oh… Now I remember. I've told him that I'm going to ask you guys, but also that he should someone as backup. But I thought he will send someone you know!" Metz remembered.
"It's ok. I'm just glad that we made things clear" Dante said.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" he started to apologize to Amy.
"Maybe you didn't mean to but you did. And honestly, I really don't give a damn" Amy turned away. It was obvious she doesn't wants to be here. This was all really tensed for Amy, but for the team as well. Lok decided to react. He went over to Amy, and to everyones surprise, he hugged her.
"You know how much you scared me? I thought you really jumped. You are such an idiotic girl!" he said while wrapping his hands around Amy. She hugged him and put her head on his shoulder.
"I did jump. The titan saved me. I'm sorry for scaring you" she closed her eyes saying this. She knew that she's in trouble and it was obvious that the team is very unfriendly with her, but right now she felt safe. Lok was her good friend and she was hoping that he won't change his mind now. She was sad when she thought that he's her enemy, but it was obvious they are on the same side. Lok let her go, but he stood at her side.
"Ok, I know this isn't a good moment to ask this but I have to. Dante, do you still want her as your teammate?" Metz asked him, hoping he will say yes.
"No" Sophie answered instead. Amy wanted to tell her something, but Lok looked at her like telling her 'Don't make it worse', so she stood silent.
"I don't know. I have to think about it" Dante said in a calm way and looked at Zhalia. He knew he couldn't ask Lok and Sophie, so he wanted Zhalias opinion. Sophie was too angry and didn't trust Amy, and Lok was Amys friend, so he would say yes without thinking. Zhalia was angry too, but she knew the importance of this.
"Zhalia, what do you think?" he asked her. She just shook her head.
"I'm not sure" she said at least.
"I just have to say this. If you don't take her in I must send her to Scarlett" Metz mentioned. He knew Zhalia hated Scarlett for some reasons (for example, for flirting with Dante and for trying to seduce him) and he was hoping that she will react on this.
"To Scarlett? Are you out of your mind? What could she possibly learn from Scarlett? How to be cheap and shallow?" Zhalia got angry at the mentioning of Scarlett.
"I have no other choice. There is no other team I could put Amy in and right now Scarlett is the only one who is asking for a team or a protégé" he answered with sadness in his voice. He knew that in that case Amy would stop going in school here in Venice, and she would have to go to Ireland. She would have to leave her whole life behind. He hated to do such things, but if Dante rejects her he won't have another choice.
"Dante?" Zhalia looked at him.
"You decide Zhalia. But if she stays you'll be responsible for her. And I'll have some rules she must follow" he gave the decision to Zhalia.
He looked calm, but he was really angry. Zhalia saw it on him, he wasn't speaking too much and he was clenching his fists. He was trying to control himself. He didn't want to lose control, especially not in front of Metz and his protégés.
"Hey, wait a minute! You are deciding about this, but no one asked what I want!" Amy got angry.
"It's not like you can decide about anything right now" Metz silenced her.
"And why not?" she went on.
"Because you are still not old enough to decide and you don't have a mentor or a team. These are the rules, and you know them better than anyone else" he explained. Amy wanted to go on arguing but saw it won't have any effort.
"Alright. You can stay. But there will be rules to follow, hard trainings and you will response to me in every second. Understood?" Zhalia said to Amy with a harsh tone. Amy nodded.
"Good" Zhalia said shortly and than turned to Metz.
"Could you please lead her back to the HQ? I don't have the time for this right now. I'll talk to her tomorrow"
"Of course. Well, goodbye" he waved and led Amy out. She went out without saying goodbye, or saying anything at all.
"Zhalia, why did you do that?" Sophie was confused with her decision.
"Because this was the best choice. That's all" she answered short.
"You know, sometimes I really don't get you. Whatever. Dante, do you need me here for something? If not I'd like to go home"
"No, I don't need you right now. Go home. You too Lok" Dante answered, still angry. The two teenagers said goodbye and went out of Dantes house. Dante sat down on the couch and stood silent. He was thinking about everything that happened in this short time.
Zhalia saw that he's upset. She had to do something to calm him. She went slowly to the kitchen and made a cup of tea. She went back to Dante and held the cup in front of his eyes so he would notice it. Dante looked at her, a bit confused.
"It's for you. I just made it" Zhalia explained.
"Thank you" he smiled at her and took the cup. Zhalia sat down beside him.
"Dante…" she started to say something but he just shook his head.
"What's wrong? Listen, I know I wasn't allowed to do such a big decision so quickly but…"
"Thank you" he stopped her in the middle of the sentence.
"What?" she looked at him surprised.
"Thank you. I was angry and I would do the mistake to reject her. You were the only one who thought correctly in this case. Thank you for preventing me to do a stupid mistake" he explained with a smile.
"Oh. In that case, you're welcome" she smiled back at him. He took a sip from the cup.
"Apple?"
"U-huh. Your favorite, right?" she asked with a smile. He nodded.
"What's your favorite? Wild cherry?"
"You guessed"
"No, I didn't guess. I know. And after wild cherry goes… um… wait a minute, I know it… CINNAMON! Right?" he was thinking hard to remember.
"No, I think it's cinnamon with something" he muttered. Zhalia started to laugh.
"Yeah, it is cinnamon"
"But with what? I know it but I can't remember"
"With everything!"
"Huh?" he looked at her confused with her answer.
"With strawberry, apple, orange… Just everything!" she explained while laughing. Dante started to laugh.
"But right now, I will just take yours" she said and with that took the cup out of Dantes hand and took a sip.
"You little thief!" Dante said laughing.
"Me? Never" Zhalia made an innocent face which made Dante laugh harder.
He put his arm around Zhalias waist and pulled her closer. Without thinking she put her head on his shoulder. They both realized what are they doing, but they didn't want to pull away from each other. They both blushed, but stood at the same place. They knew how they felt for each other. Metz told Zhalia how Dante feels for her when they came back from Helsinki, and the first moment he was left alone with Dante he told him what Zhalia admitted accidentally.
For the rest of the day they were sitting there and talking about things, while sharing a cup of tea and cuddling in each others arms.
XxX Next day
Dante was working on his holotome when his cell rang. It was Zhalias number.
"Yes?" he answered quickly.
"Dante, listen. I won't make it to you today. Sorry" she said silently. She sounded really bad.
"What happened? Are you alright?" Dante asked with worry.
"Nothing happened. I suddenly got sick. I feel awful"
"Can you take care of yourself? Do you have all the medication you need?"
"I think I can. You know I don't take any medications" she said weakly. It was true, she hated to take any medication. She would rather hide somewhere when Dante wanted to give her the pills the doctor gave her to drink.
"Where are you?" Dante asked, ignoring what she said.
"In my flat"
"I'll be over in about 15 minutes" he decided.
"You don't have to"
"But I want to" Zhalia sighed.
"Alright. Just knock on the door and I'll let you in" She always locked the door wherever she was. Sure, anyone could break in because she didn't put any magic barrier on it, but it made her feel safe.
"Ok. See you" Dante said and put down the phone.
He quickly run into his room and started to search something in his wardrobe. He took some medication and put them into his pocket. Suddenly he heard someone in the living room so he went downstairs to see who it is.
"Lok, Sophie! What are you doing here?" he asked surprised.
"Zhalia told us to come here. She wants us to be here when she talks with Amy" Lok explained.
"With Amy?" Dante repeated.
"Yes, Amy. The new team member. Remember?" Lok asked.
"Of course. When is she coming here?" he asked nervously.
"About…" Lok wanted to answer but Metz knocked on the door and stepped in.
"Never mind" Dante said.
"Hello guys. Um, where's Zhalia?"Metz looked around.
"She's ill. I'm going to her right now. She can't come here. Send Amy back" Dante said and looked at the girl who just stepped in.
"Why?" Can't Sophie and Lok talk to her?" Metz asked.
"I don't care. I have to go" said Dante and wanted to storm out, but Metz stopped him.
"I need to talk to you. Alone" he caught him by the arm and led away to the kitchen.
"What is so important?" Dante asked a bit angry.
"Listen, you really need to know something about Amy" Metz started to explain.
"Just don't freak out" he said and led him back to the living room.
"Amy, we will leave you here with Lok and Sophie, but before it you have to tell the truth" Metz said while turning to her. At these words she became really pale, like she saw a ghost.
"Guys, I know this will sound really strange, but listen to her. Ok?" Metz asked the team. They all nodded.
"Good. Sophie, you said that you felt something strange about Amy, right?"
"Yes, and I still feel it. I just don't know what it is" Sophie said wondering.
"Now you will find out what. You haven't felt it before, because you never met anyone like Amy before" he started to explain. Dante was meantime watching his clock every second.
"Are you late for something? You can go if you want to. You said that you don't want to be responsible for her" Metz said as he saw that he can't ask Dante for support.
"Good because I'm really late. Someone will tell me what happened. Bye" with that he run out and shut the door.
"So, what did you wanted to tell us?" Lok stepped to Amy.
"I...um…" Amy didn't knew what to say.
"It's alright Amy, tell them" Metz put his hand on her shoulder.
"I can't Metz. I just can't" she shook her head.
"Should I tell them?" he asked. Amy nodded.
"Guys, Amy's more than it looks like. Much more"
"Your point is?" Sophie asked.
"Amy is a vampire" he said at last.
Amy closed her eyes expecting some yelling and screaming, but there was nothing. Nothing but a heavy silence. Amy froze down. This was even worse than any screaming and yelling. It was worse, because she didn't knew what are they thinking. She slowly opened her eyes, only to see Sophie sitting on the nearest armchair and Lok standing far from her. Amy knew how people react when they hear this about her, but Loks reaction really hurt her. Lok, the one who was her friend from the first day she met him. He was standing with eyes wide shot.
"You must be kidding! There are no such things as vampires!" Sophie was shaking her head.
"Listen. It's not what you think. Believe me" Amy said in a way that sounded more like apologizing.
"So, what is it in that case?" Lok calmed down and came back to Amy. He looked at her and saw that she's on the edge of crying.
"Hey, it's ok" he hugged her tight.
"Thanks" she whispered.
"Listen, you ask her whatever you need to know" Metz told them. Lok let go of Amy as he saw that she's ok. In that moment Metz's phone rang. As he ended the talk, he looked nervous.
"What is it?" Sophie asked him.
"A seeker got hurt during a mission. I need to get back to the HQ as soon as possible" he answered.
"Amy, you stay here. Lok and Sophie will ask you everything they need to know about you as they new colleague. When you're done come back to the HQ. Ok?" Metz asked standing at the door.
"Ok" she answered shortly. Metz hurried out. There was a heavy silence again. Lok led Amy to the couch to sit down. Sophie followed them, but kept a distance.
"So, you're a vampire, huh?" she asked Amy.
"Yeah, I am" Amy said shortly.
"Amy, can I ask you something? But don't get angry" Lok was curious.
"I won't. Ask whatever you want" she smiled at him.
"Ok. So, you're a vampire, but you're walking by day. How don't you burn out on the sunlight?" Amy sighed.
"It's not true. Vampires don't burn out at sunlight. That's a myth" she explained.
"Oh… That's good. For you, I mean" he got a bit confused.
"And what's with the senses? Are they something special or is that false too?" Sophie asked this time.
"Yes, they have better senses. Better hearing, sight and they are stronger that humans. Not much, but they are" Amy said.
It was strange to explain such things to someone, especially to Lok. The only one who knew that she's a vampire until now was Metz. He is the one who showed her the world of titans and seekers. She still can't believe how quick it all was. It was not more than a month ago!
Flashback
Amy was in school when she heard the loudspeaker: 'Miss Amy Greene, go to the headmasters office immediately'.
Well, actually she was running towards her classroom, she slept and was late for the second class.
"Great! What did I do again? I wasn't even here!" she said to herself and went towards the headmasters office.
She stepped into the secretary office, but strangely there was no one. The headmasters office wasn't unknown to her, she was here lots of times. Too many times. Without greeting she stepped in and started her speech.
"Sir, whatever is it about it really wasn't me! Yes, I slept again, but I assure you it won't happen again!"
Just then she noticed the headmaster wasn't in the office. Instead, there was another man. He was tall, with short black hair and blue eyes.
"Um, hello. Do you know where the headmaster is?" Amy looked around. The man smiled.
"Well, actually I called you Miss. The headmaster has nothing to do with this" Amy looked confused.
"Well who are you than? From the police? I haven't done anything wrong. Well, at last not for some time" she said with attitude. The man shook his head.
"Or from the orphanage? Cause I'm really not going back there" with that she kicked a chair before the man and run out of the office.
She run as fast as she could. Soon she was out on the streets of Venice. The man could have followed her, so she turned into a little street. A big mistake. She realized it in a second, but she was panicked. She thought that he's one of those guys who were looking for her. True, they were wearing black suits and this man wasn't, but she couldn't risk it. One day they almost caught her, there were three of them. They told her that they want her in some organization. She managed to kick two of them and run away. Now she was running quicker than ever before, but soon she was out of air and she had to stop. And than she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was that man she saw in the school.
"Listen…" he wanted to say something but Amy smacked him with her school bag and went on running.
She was quick, but she couldn't run for long. She got tired from running, so she decided to check if he's still following her. She looked behind, and in that moment run into something and fell on the ground. She run into that man.
"But how?" she asked him. She was sure he was behind her.
"Listen to me for a second! I'm not here to hurt you!" the man put his hands up. He didn't want to scare her away.
"Than what the hell do you want?" she screamed at him.
"I want to help. Come on, stand up" he took her hand and pulled her up on her feet.
"What do you want from me?" Amy asked, still scared.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Metz. I come from the Foundation" he shook Amys hand.
"What foundation?" she asked confused.
"From the Huntik Foundation. Come with me, I'll tell you everything" Metz offered her. Amy thought about it for a moment, but accepted.
After it Metz explained everything about the Foundation, the Organization (the Professor was gone, but there were still some suits left that were attacking other seekers), powers, spells and titans. Metz was surprised how quickly Amy got it all.
"Amy, you aren't an ordinary girl, are you?" Metz asked her a week after he first met her. Amy wasn't sure what to answer. At the end she decided to tell Metz the truth. After all, he showed her this completely new world. At first he was surprised, but he accepted it quickly.
"Amy, you remember what I've told you about getting into a team and having a mentor?" Metz asked her one day. She was in the HQ learning about the Foundation and a life as a seeker.
"Yes, I do. You told me that I must have a mentor because I'm too young" she nodded.
"I think I found you a mentor. He already has a team, another seeker and two protégés, but he might take you in" Metz smiled at her.
"Thank you" Amy stood up and hugged him. In these two weeks he helped her a lot. He made her a member and gave her a room in the HQ. He didn't know it, but doing so he gave her a sort of home. Until now she was living in a small flat with three other girls. She was paying the rent every month, but after it she barely had for anything else.
"So, when will I meet them?" Amy asked exited.
"First I have to talk to them, but don't worry. I'm sure they will take you in" he smiled. She was really happy and exited about this.
Flashback end
And now she was here, with the two people who she expected the least to see as seekers, and especially as her teammates.
"And what's with, um…" Lok started to ask something but suddenly stopped.
"With what?" Amy asked.
"It will sound stupid but… Can you transform into a bat?" he asked at last. Amy rolled her eyes.
"No, vampires don't do that. They never did" Amy got tired of answering such questions.
First she got angry with the behavior of Dante, her mentor-to-be. And now Lok and Sophie are asking her about vampires. She really hated to talk about vampires. Sure, she was one of them, but she hated it. She never asked for a life as a vampire, she just got it. And she hated every second of it. And now she had to explain everything about vampires.
"And what's with the garlic?" Lok was too curious, as always.
"Vampires aren't afraid of it. They are allergic. When they smell it they start to sneeze. But they can be cured. They have to eat some garlic. After it they are a bit sick for a day, but they aren't allergic anymore"
"That's weird. Never heard something like this before" he said. He was obviously amazed with vampires. Unlike him, Sophie wasn't.
"And what is with the blood drinking part? Do vampires do that?" Sophie crossed her arms on her chest and asked.
"Yes, some of them drink blood. There are two types of vampires. Vampires who drink blood, human or animal, and there are the ones who eat normal food and don't need blood. It's easy to recognize the first type. They have blood-red eyes and can't control themselves when they smell blood" Amy explained like an expert.
"And which are you?" Sophie provoked her.
"Cut your wrist and I'll show you" Amy said with an evil smile. Sophie turned pale.
"So you have fangs"
"Yes I do" Amy grinned. Sophie was watching hard to see them, but she saw nothing.
"What, looking for a knife? Or are you waiting for me to jump at you and bite you?" Amy provoked Sophie. Sophie quickly jumped up and took some steps backwards.
"You can only try" she said and prepared to be attacked.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I don't bite little princesses. They scream too much" Amy stood up as well, still grinning.
"With what would you possibly bite me? You don't have fangs!" Sophie yelled.
"Oh believe me, I do" Amy said in a calm way.
"I don't believe until I see them with my own eyes. I demand from you to show me your fangs!" Sophie pointed at her.
"Watch it girly! You can't give me orders. You are a nothing for me! If I would like to I could easily break your cute little neck!" Amy threatened. Sophie decided to attack no a level that would surely hurt Amy.
"So what if you do? At least I would have my family and friends at my funeral that would cry for me and miss me. Can you say the same for yourself?"
"Sophie, Amy, stop it!" Lok begged. Amy got really angry. Not because the words hurt her, but because they were true. She had no one. She was alone.
"You know what? I don't have to listen to this! We're done!" Amy yelled and stormed out and slammed the door.
"Good job Sophie. And now what?" Lok asked a bit angry.
"I don't care. I'm going home" she said and simply walked out.
"Great. And what now?" Lok asked himself and sat down.
Meanwhile in Zhalias flat
Soon after Dante run out of his house he got to Zhalias flat. It was in a little street. It was dark and the stairs were almost completely ruined. He carefully headed Zhalias door. When he got there he knocked on the door and waited for Zhalia to open it.
"Who is it?" he heard a weak female voice.
"It's me, Dante" he answered. He heard how the door got unlocked and it slid open.
Dante opened his mouth in shock and disbelief. Zhalia was standing in front of him in a night gown, her hear was a mess, she looked awful and she was shivering heavily.
"Oh my! Zhalia!" he stepped in and hugged her.
"Thank you for coming over" she softly whispered.
Dante shut the door and picked her up bridal style. On his great surprise, she wasn't complaining. She was too weak to do so. He gently put her in the bed and tucked her in. It was cold in the whole flat (as small as it was). Obviously Zhalia didn't have enough money to pay the heating.
"How do you feel?" Does it hurts somewhere?" he asked with worry.
"I'm good. I'm just having a really bad headache" Zhalia answered quietly. Dante put his palm first on her forehead, than on her cheek and at last on her neck. She was burning from the fever.
"And you're having a fever" he corrected her and pulled away his palm from her neck. He just took the medication out of his pocket when he heard Zhalias voice.
"Please Dante, put your hand back. It feels so nice" He couldn't say no, but he had to give her the medication he brought. Something for the fever and a painkiller to stop the headache.
"I will, but first drink these" he put the pills on her night table and went for a glass of water.
He noticed that she doesn't have much stuff. Some clothes, magazines, some make-up on the table and a hairdryer in its box. That was all she had. He couldn't let her stay here. He went back to her. He gave her the glass, but she was refusing to take the pills.
"Zhalia, you have to take them. You will feel better" he was assuring her.
"No, I don't want to take them" she was stubborn.
"You can't stay here. Take these pills and you will feel batter in about 30 minutes. Than I will help you dress up and we will go to my house. It's quiet and nice warm there. You need to rest and you can't do it here. Trust me" Dante wasn't going to give up so easily. After some more talking, Zhalia gave up. She sighed and drank the pills.
She lied back in the bed and Dante put his palm back on her neck. He was caressing her gently and it made her fall asleep in a few minutes. She woke up two hours later, and Dante was still sitting besides her holding his palm on her neck caressing her.
"Thank you" she whispered gently and sat up.
"Good morning beauty. How do you feel?" he smiled at her.
"Much better. Thank you" she smiled back. It was true, she felt much better, but she was still weak.
"Can you get up?" he asked. Zhalia nodded her head and slowly got up.
"Can you dress up alone?" he asked with a smile.
"I can. But thank you for the offer" she smiled at him. Zhalia dressed up and went to Dante.
"Good. Let's go" he said and went out of the flat. Zhalia locked the door and went after him. She was walking in zigzag, so Dante put his arm around her waist and led her to his house.
When he tried to open the door, he got surprised because it was open. They went in and saw Lok sitting on the couch and thinking.
"Dante, Zhalia! It's so good you're here!" Lok run to them.
"Stop yelling" Zhalia said quietly.
"Wait here. I'll be right back" Dante told him and led Zhalia upstairs. He placed her in the warmest room and in the softest bed, into his.
"Where will you sleep?" Zhalia blinked at him from under the soft and warm blanket Dante just put on her.
"Something is telling me that I won't sleep at all. Don't worry. Have a good rest. If you need anything just call me or Lok. Good?" he caressed her cheek.
"Alright" she said shortly and blushed a bit. Dante went out of the room and she fell asleep again. He got downstairs back to Lok.
"What happened? How went the talk with Amy?" he asked with curiosity.
"That's what I need to talk about with you" Lok scratched his head.
"Oh no. What happened?" Dante was sure something went wrong. They sat down and Lok told him everything that happened, including that she's a vampire, what they asked from her and her fight with Sophie.
"But what did Sophie told her to make her run away? She doesn't looks like a girl who would simply run away because someone told her something rude" he wanted to know the truth.
"Well, do you remember when Sophie made Zhalia cry? She did it with Amy in the same way" Lok explained with sadness.
Yes, Dante remembered it.
Flashback
Zhalia and Sophie were having a really bad fight again. They were yelling at each other and were saying rude and mean things. Dante and Lok were trying to calm them, but with no effort.
In one moment Zhalia couldn't control herself anymore and threatened Sophie that she could easily kill her if she'd like to.
"Oh really? So what? I would have my family and friends on my funeral crying after me and missing me in their lives. Can you say the same for yourself? You think anyone would cry after you or miss you?" Sophie yelled in a moment of anger.
As she said those words she realized that she shouldn't have said that, but it was too late. She did. Zhalia froze down in place. It looked like she's going to jump to Sophies throat or attack her with a spell, but she didn't. She was just standing there like a statue. The situation was really bad.
After some time Zhalia clenched her fists and bowed down her head with closed eyes.
"Zhalia… I'm so sorry! I didn't meant to…" Sophie wanted to apologize, but couldn't find the words for it.
A tear rolled down Zhalias cheek and she softly started to sob.
Without any words Dante went to her and hugged her tight. She wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face into his chest and started to cry. She didn't want to cry, but she couldn't hold it back. She looked completely broken.
Sophie put her hands on her mouth, not believing that she did this to Zhalia.
"I didn't mean it so…" Sophie said, but her voice broke at the end of the sentence.
Zhalia tightened her arms around Dantes neck and started to cry louder. She even started to shiver.
".NOW!" Dante said while his eyes were burning with anger. Lok grabbed Sophie by her arm and quickly led her out.
"It's alright Zhaal. Calm down. You know it's not true" Dante whispered into her ear while caressing her back.
He never saw her cry so much. It hurt his heart to see her like this. It took him two hours to calm her down and convince her that Sophies words aren't true. He was right. There were people who would miss her. Especially he would.
After she calmed, she went outside to make up with Sophie. They made up, but it took them a few weeks to get back in the same way they were before.
Flashback end
Dante thought for a moment.
"And how did Amy react?" he asked Lok.
"She said that she doesn't have to listen to it and stormed out. And I don't know where did she go" Lok explained.
"Well, I suppose she went home to her family"
"Dante, she doesn't have a family. She's an orphan" Lok said with sadness.
"So in that case Sophies words hurt her even more. Does she have friends she could go to?" Dante asked, but wasn't sure if he's going to get a positive answer.
"No. As long as I know she has only me" Lok answered and bowed his head down. Dante sighed.
"Listen, I'll go to find her, but you have to stay here" Dante stood up and wanted to go but Lok stopped him.
"Why should I stay? If we all go we will find her sooner! Where's Zhalia by the way?" he asked looking around.
"She's up in my room, sleeping. She's sick. That's why I run away when Metz arrived with Amy. Zhalia called that she doesn't feels well so I brought her here" Dante explained.
"So, it's just the two of us" Lok concluded.
"No Lok. You are staying here to take care of Zhalia. If she needs anything she will call you. I'm going to find Amy" said Dante as he stepped to the door.
"Dante" Lok called him back. Dante looked back at him.
"Please find her. Don't let her go. She's been thru so much. Bring her back" Lok said with a begging voice.
"I will bring her back. Don't worry" Dante nodded and went out.
Soon he was walking on the cold streets of Venice. He must find Amy as soon as possible, before she gets hurt. She might get attacked by suits or other seekers. It won't be easy to find her, she could be anywhere in Venice. Dante was looking for her in every street.
It was now really late and Dante was loosing hope, but he promised Lok to bring her back. But will he find her at all?
What is with Zhalia? Why is she sick? What will Metz say when he founds out what happened? Why does Amy hates to be a vampire? Will Dante find her before she gets hurt? These are the questiond I'd like you to answer me, and I'll answer you if you're right or not. :D Please review. Thank you!