Thank you all for your lovely reviews. They've really made me see the story in a diferent light.

This one is for you.

3. At Least I no Longer Smell of Dog

Not much happened during my second day as a captive. Sarah didn't come see me but Brooks did. While he was dropping off food -which I think was leftovers from a barbecue- he made me watch a handful of videos on his phone. They depicted what he claimed to be "evidence of vampire attacks". One was security footage that showed a jogger running down an empty street before suddenly being whisked away by a figure so fast, the video could only display it as a brief blur. Another was a first person point of view of someone interrupting a vampire feeding on an unconscious woman in an alley.

"What do ya think 'bout that?" Brooks asked me, his wide set blue eyes studying me closely. Looking for any sign that I wasn't playing for the team.

"I think it's horrible", I told him, "I really hope those people are okay".

He gave me a nod as if pleasantly surprised that I could answer such a difficult question.

During my bathroom breaks, my escort (a female counsellor) walked in front of me instead of behind. Leading me rather than guarding me, it gave me the chance to look around the compound. The Fellowship of the Sun was built on flat, empty ground with only a steep hill on its south side. One solitary building was all that accompanied ours. It was a great deal larger with a grand sloping roof. Pristine and entirely white, it looked incredibly out of place in the raw nature that surrounded it.

That luckily meant that there weren't too many barriers to get through if we were to escape. It also meant we would be out in the open with no neighbours to help us. I sure hoped Godric could drive.

After missing my shift last night, my colleagues must have realised something was amiss. It wasn't like me to pull a no-show. I rarely even called in sick despite there being a couple of times when I really should have. If they tried to call me, they'd hear my phone ringing in my locker and find that I had left my bag with my purse and keys still inside. That would surely be a sign that something wrong had happened to me. The only question was, how long would they wait before reporting me missing?

The first Fellowship member arrived just before night fell, evidently too excited to have their turn at Godric to wait for him to actually be present. At least there were only three of them this time. Gabe also let me stay seated which was less out of kindness and more out of complete ambivalence. Aside from mild curiosity as to when Godric would lose it and eat me, Gabe seemed completely uninterested in me. A fact I very much appreciated.

After the visits, Godric and I were sitting at a couple of the students' desks. His posture was straight and pronounced as he quietly read through one of the Fellowship's booklets. He was a surprisingly slow reader. For some reason I expected him to be able to read a page at a single glance. I, on the other hand, was slumped onto my wooden desk, head leaning on my hand and gazing at the quotation on the whiteboard.

"They really have a one-track mind" I commented, "I thought churches were supposed to preach every part of the bible like being kind to thy neighbour. Not that vampires are in the bible''.

Godric didn't reply but I wasn't surprised. He hadn't said anything since our last visitor.

That was how Steve Newlin found us.

He looked pretty much the same in person as he did on TV. Overly pressed suit, quaffed hair and an ugly snot-coloured tie. One look at him and you could pretty much see his entire personality. Since he was the new big Boss of the Fellowship, he was escorted by the original kidnapping team. A display of power so overt it swung back round and ended up making Steve look rather pathetic.

The influx of testosterone turned the air stifling. With no room for me, I stood up and took my place against the wall. I clasped my elbows and worked to camouflage myself into the wall.

"Creature of Darkness, we finally meet", Steve Newlin said with a dramatic flourish of his hand, "I hope you haven't been waiting for me for too long".

"I have not" Godric replied as he moved to stand in front of me, partially blocking me from the rest of the men in the room. I instantly felt better. Until I saw the way Steve took note of the action.

Steve did a poor job of hiding how much Godric's flippant response bothered him. "I am sure you have been wondering why I have brought an evil Creature such as yourself to this sacred land", he began as he circled round the room and took a seat at the teacher's desk, "For the past two days and nights, I have been on my knees at His holy altar, praying for His guidance. And it was in His Light that I was shown the way". Every word was an exclamation, something so profound to him that he just had to share it with the rest of the world.

Gabe took his place at Steve's side, an unnerving smirk playing across his mouth as Steve went on, "And it is under His Light that you will be shown the way. This Saturday night, we will have ourselves a Lock In'', he raised his hands to accept the applause no one gave him.

I had no idea what a 'lock in' was. It wasn't mentioned in any of the booklets I was given.

"And when morning breaks on Sunday, the holiest day, named after God's greatest gift to his children, you Creature of Darkness, shall have the opportunity to cleanse yourself in His Light".

My breathing stopped as my brain attempted to process what it just heard. Steve's statement was so implausible that I wouldn't be surprised if other bodily functions ceased as my mind worked to decipher it. It would explain why I felt so cold all of a sudden.

I think Steve continued to speak but I had no way of knowing. I looked to Godric, hoping he would be able to make sense of what he said. To tell me that I was misunderstanding, but Godric remained silent. Indeed, he looked as bored as ever.

"What's your name again?"

Surely Steve just declared that he was going to force Godric to stand in sunlight. One of the most prevalent themes in the Fellowship's booklets aside from how amazing the Sun is, was why it was so amazing. Because it was the best way to kill a vampire. They constantly referenced bringing vampires into 'His Light' as a way to cleanse the world of them. They were planning on murdering Godric. Yet everyone was just standing around. More people waiting for that damn bus.

"He asked you a question, girlie", Gabe said, looking at me for the first time since we met. It took me another second to remember what that question was. So much for humanising myself. They didn't even bother to remember my name.

I opened my mouth to reply but my body had only just been able to regain its ability to breathe. So I gaped at them like someone who had suffered from severe head trauma.

"She is called Leanore", Godric said for me.

"Well Leanore", Steve said my name in a sneer for reasons only known to him, "My wife has requested that I move you to more comfortable rooms. She said that you were a true believer who wished to worship Him in His Light but", he eyed Godric's position in front of me again, "I'm not too sure about that. What do you think Gabe?"

Gabe, who was being more disciplined with his crossbow since his boss was in the room, shrugged one shoulder, "I don't wanna contradict Mrs Newlin, but you know what women are like. A lil' too soft when it comes to making decisions".

"Yes", Steve's face turned lax as his mind appeared to wander to examples of women being 'too soft', "You might be right about that. No, I don't think we will move you. But I will allow you to take a tour of the church tomorrow. Perhaps attend prayer so that you may confess all your sins to Him. If He forgives you, then we shall see. Would you like that?" He quirked his left eyebrow and the left side of his lip at the same time. Apparently very pleased with himself.

"Yes- Yes, thank you Mr Newlin", I muttered, keeping my eyes downcast.

"Reverend", Steve corrected.

I swallowed down my consternation so that my tone would not bring it to life, "Thank you, Reverend".

Steve and his entourage stayed for a while longer but I barely paid attention to what he was saying. He went on and on about how he expected the execution to go. The people who would be there -families with children- and the food and drink that would be served as they sat back in their most comfortable sleepwear to watch a man burn to death. That we would all bow our heads and thank God for giving us such an opportunity. Some of his men commended him for the plan as if Steve were the first person ever to think of killing a vampire via sunlight.

All the while, Godric continued to say nothing.

I waited for a beat after hearing them lock the door behind them as they left before pushing myself from the wall, "Oh God, they're gonna kill you. They're really gonna kill you!", I said as I passed back and forth in front of Godric. I gripped my elbows even tighter as I hugged myself. Dug my fingernails as far into the skin as I could, "They'll kill you and then they'll kill me. I'm nothing but a loose end to them. We have to get out of here". I stopped and looked at Godric, "You can get out of here right? Vampires are faster and stronger than us so there's no way they could stop you". After Brooks' little home movie session, I had no doubt about that.

Godric gave a nod, confirming my assumption.

"So why don't you?" I asked, my voice rising in both volume and pitch, "Why don't you just get out of here? Why did you just stand there while that trumped up asshole boasted about how fun it'll be to kill you?!"

He made what I saw as his version of a sigh, but was really just a flicker of his eyes going down then back up again. He detached one of my hands from my elbow to lead me to our usual spots on the mats. I resisted at first, holding onto too much tension to give up my method of expelling it. But at his second tug, I relented. If someone like him could be insistent, then it must have been important.

We both sat on the mats with our backs leaning against the wall. Sitting in this position, I realised that he had chosen that spot because it gave him a clear view of the entire room as well as our only entry and exit. I watched the shadows of our guards pass the window as Godric began to speak.

"You are correct. I can leave at any point of my choosing, however, I do not wish it".

I closed my eyes, fed up of watching our captors freely walk around while I was trapped in that God forsaken room. "Then why don't you?"

"I cannot tell you when it started. Time for me moves both slowly and quickly. I also cannot give name to it, but for the past few years a feeling has overcome me".

"A feeling?" I prompted when he trailed off.

His voice was so soothing, I would have found it peaceful if not for the subject matter. "I have not been able to find another vampire that shares such a feeling. But then again, vampires as old as I are very rare in the New World". Godric paused. "I began to deteste everything vampire.

"Vampires which I might have once respected, appear as rabid beasts before me now. The hunt, which I had reveled in in the centuries after my turning has become a chore. I cannot even bring myself to feed anymore, that which brings a vampire the most pleasure".

I opened my eyes and looked at the Tru Blood bottles on the teacher's desk. He had not taken so much as a sip from them. They looked forlorn in their uselessness.

"Why do you think that is?" I whispered, studying his profile.

"I am…tired. I am very tired".

I took in a sharp breath. Felt his words hit a place deep within me. A place that, despite my attempts to ignore, thrived more and more as I aged.

"I understand that you believe yourself safer in my presence than you do in the Fellowship's", Godric went on, "But that is foolish to do so. You know not what I am".

I was going to point out again that they were the ones who kidnapped me but that would have been insulting his intelligence. Besides, he clearly meant something deeper than that. "So tell me. What are you?"

Tell me he did.

When Godric was first turned into a vampire, there were only two things he did: glut himself in as much blood he could find, and provide for his maker. A man whose name he did not utter, Godric's maker had an affinity for children. Especially boys just under ten years old. "At first my maker could simply buy children that he desired, but as Rome fell, so did his access to slaves. Thus he tasked me to hunt children for him. As I turned just before I reached my majority, I found it easy to lure young ones. I had become adept at acting the elder brother.

I took them to my maker for his enjoyment. There were times that I would participate as well. It pleased me to please him. If the child was lucky, they would not live more than a day".

Godric then jumped in time and told me about what he did during "The Great Plague". What I quickly came to realise was his name for the Black Death. At the time it had been difficult for him to find a healthy human to feed off of. Unsurprising since Europe lost almost 50% of its population to the disease. To lessen the risk of ingesting the illness, he would hunt and capture heavily pregnant women. After they gave birth, he would kill them and keep the newborns to feed from. A little snack to tide him over during his travels to find somewhere the plague had not reached yet. Like a trail mix.

One baby he enjoyed drinking from so much, he kept it for years. In a little wooden box strapped to the back of his cart. Gave it little scraps of food every once in a while to keep it alive. Godric did not know what happened to the child (he couldn't even remember its gender). One day he just left it, no longer in need of its blood. Left it locked in its box.

Once Godric started his stories, he couldn't seem to stop. On and on they went. Sometimes blending into each other. Sometimes jumping to a new one without warning. The woman he had passed amongst his nest mates to be abused turned into the lodge full of guests that he burnt down because he wanted to see if it was possible to drink from a burnt corpse. While I felt tears slide down my cheeks, I desperately wanted to ask him to stop. To beg him. But he was right that I needed to know. And he needed to tell me. Besides, my throat had become too clogged with grief to speak.

He did eventually stop. Doubtlessly from lack of will rather than lack of stories. We sat in silence. Stared blankly at the empty room.

My first thought was to run out of the room. To get as far away from Godric as I could. How I could ever see him as a placid man, I had no idea. But then I started to think over everything he had said. Or more specifically what he had not said.

His maker enjoyed assaulting children. With how handsome Godric was now, I could imagine that as a child, he was very appealing to the abuser. Perhaps he was one of the slaves his maker bought. The children who died quickly were the lucky ones. So how horrific it must have been for the one who was made immortal. Used so brutally for an insurmountable number of years only to then be forced to stay and help do the same to others. Did that make Godric a victim? A monster? Both?

It would explain why most of his victims had been children. As if he felt a deep seeded contempt for them. Those who got to have a childhood when he didn't. So he took it away from them. As his was taken from him.

"Godric, how old are you?" I asked in a croak.

He thought for a moment, "I am unsure exactly. I come from a region your historians call Gaul Celtica which the Romans did not conquer until the first century BC. I must be a little over two thousand".

Two thousand. Two thousand years of regret. Of poisonous memories. I could not fathom it. I had spent many a night unable to sleep as I thought of the things I had experienced in my earlier years. I could not imagine what it must have been like for someone with two thousand years of trauma. At least some of my memories had become hazy or forgotten. Was it the same for vampires? Or were all of Godric's still clear and strong. A never ending, high definition film of pain and anguish that looped over and over again in his mind.

"How long has it been since you were…last like that?" I asked.

Please don't let it have been recent.

"I have not felt pleasure in a kill since before my last journey to the New World. I believe it was the late 1940s".

My tense shoulders sagged slightly in relief. My mother had not even been born yet. I could work with that.

My hand lifted. I thought of all the people he had hurt, both directly and indirectly. All of which were dead but still existed in some way if the Fellowship's teachings were correct. I thought of the pain and fear that they must have felt as my hand moved towards Godric. All of which would have been lost in history if they had not lived on in him. I ached for them. So strongly it was if I known them. I wanted to go back in time and hold them. Protect each one from Godric as I placed my hand on his.

I did not know if they would ever forgive him so I did not do so in their place. Instead I picked up his cool hand and moved it to my lap. Let it rest there as our fingers locked together. Godric had been preyed upon by a monster and at the time he was a victim. Godric had done monstrous things and at the time he was a monster. And Godric had been a comfort to me and now he was my ally. Each version of him was as real as the other. As important as the other. And each version was working to kill the other.

I did not reject him. But I did not dissuade him from suicide either.

2.

"I would like you to take some of my blood".

By now, I should not be surprised by his sudden proclamations, but I was.

We were still seated with our backs against the wall though it must have been well into the night by now. The passing shadows through the windows had decreased in number as we drew nearer to dawn.

His hand was still in mine.

"They wish to take you from this room", he said.

Oh yes. Steve did throw that little titbit in while he was here. I had forgotten in light of the public murder plot. "So you want me to carry your blood around while I'm out?"

The corner of his lip twitched, "No, Leanore. I would like for you to ingest some".

I let both brows lift at that, "You want me to drink your blood? No offence, but that's not really a part of my diet. Besides", I dropped to a stage whisper even though no one else was there to hear me "There isn't a drug out there that's more illegal than V".

Godric went very still before his mouth curled in distaste, "V in a pox upon both human and vampire alike. Do not go near it".

"I wasn't planning on it. That's why I'm confused about why you're offering me your blood".

"V is the blood taken without consent. It is why it attacks the body, makes the human crave it insatiably. It is worse if the vampire was killed during the process".

"Vampires die making V?" Because the drug was produced directly from vampires, I had just assumed that they were the ones who distributed it as well.

"More often than not", Godric replied. No wonder he looked so disgusted by its mere mention. "The blood will enter you at my will. You will not feel the adverse effects of V. It will, however, allow me to be aware of your location".

"Like a GPS?"

"Is that the device drivers own in their cars that shows them the way in which they should travel?"

I nodded.

"Then yes. It is like a GPS. It will also tell me if you are in distress and require aid".

That got my attention, "How does it do that?"

"The Blood within you shall call to The Blood within me", It was this statement that made me realise that whenever Godric was talking about vampire blood, he was doing so with a capital 'B'. As if their blood was something sacred, "I shall also be able to feel your strongest emotions. I am apprehensive of you leaving while I am dead for the day. If something untoward happens to you, I can come to your aid as long as you stay alive until nightfall".

Now that was a very attractive feature. I hadn't had a chance to think about what might happen tomorrow while they took me for the tour, but speaking about it now brought on an anxiety that prickled against the back of my neck. The entire thing was clearly some kind of test; a way to see just how devout I was to the religion. How willing I was to participate in a vampire's murder. Who knows what they would do if I wasn't convincing enough.

"Can your blood do anything else?" I asked.

"If you are sexually attracted to me, it will increase that attraction. Most likely in the form of vivid dreams". Godric replied so bluntly that I couldn't help the flush that drained my cheeks. "It shall also heal any wound you already have both internally and externally, as well as increase your general health".

I took a moment to consider his offer. One of the things I have already found enjoyable about talking to Godric was that he was never in a rush to hear me respond. I felt like I could actually take the time to consider what I was saying without him becoming impatient.

"How long does it last for?" I asked

"The Blood is too old for you to need more than a drop. Thus, it should last no more than a month. Perhaps two". One drop of his blood could last for two months?! He must have had steroids mixed with straight up magic flowing in his veins.

There wasn't anything jumping out and telling me that I should not accept his offer. Before, I might have been daunted at the thought of a certifiable stranger being able to feel and find me wherever I was, but now I was just grateful that he would want that. That I would be taking a piece of him with me to keep me company while I was surrounded by those who wish us harm. I saw no negatives, only positives in taking his blood. If he was telling the truth. For all I knew, Sarah was right in saying vampires inject something in humans to enthral them. Maybe this was how they did it.

It all boiled down to whether or not I trusted this strange vampire who had just told me about the numerous people he had raped and murdered. Whether I trusted Godric.

"Alright", I said, "I'll take a drop of your blood. Thank you".

I think he was pleased with my acquiesce. Not in the 'haha, the silly human is falling for my evil plan' sense, but in the sense that he had one less thing to worry about. Like my safety was something he was worried about.

Godric's long fangs clicked down. This time I found them more fascinating than frightening. It was strange that I could hear it so clearly and wondered what they were hitting against to make that sound. It did not appear to hurt him to bare them, but perhaps he was just used to the pain. Like Wolverine and his claws.

He gave me a long look, "Ready?" he asked.

I nodded, his asking for consent one more time made me feel even more positive that I was making the right decision.

Godric used one of his fangs to prick the index finger of the hand I wasn't holding. A small bead of blood quickly bloomed on the tip. The red shined prettily against his finger, turned rough from the life he led before his turning. He lifted it up to my mouth but waited for me to take the blood myself. Feeling incredibly awkward, I gave his finger a quick lick before retreating back a bit. There was no wound on his finger.

I did not feel different at first. Considered telling him that I didn't think it worked. Then I was suddenly on my feet flapping my hands up and down as I paced again. The sudden rush of energy was almost too much to handle, "Is it supposed to feel like this? I feel like I've just downed every shot of coffee in every cafe in the world. Like I'll never go to sleep again. Like maybe I really am one of those people that can leave the house at 5am to go for a 10k run before work", I babbled.

Godric was not put off by my manic behaviour, "Reactions do vary, but yes, what you are feeling is to be expected".

My pacing extended until I was speed-walking from one end of the classroom to the other, weaving through the desks in an impromptu obstacle course. "I don't think this was a good idea. They're gonna know something's wrong with me. They're gonna know I took some of your blood and then they'll probably burn me at the stake for witchcraft. For being the whore of Satan or any other such bullshit they manage to pull from their sanctimonious asses", later, I'll be embarrassed for the way I spoke in front of him.

"You shall settle soon. The Blood is working its way through your system. I can feel it". He tilted his head. I should have asked him why that seemed to intrigue him.

Instead I started jogging. The sooner I calmed myself down, the better. A Fellowship member could come in any second and I couldn't let them see me like this.

I have no idea how long I was running for, but eventually I did start to tire out. In this case, 'tire out' meant that I no longer felt like I could shoot up into the sky like a rocket. I was still very much awake as I sat down with Godric again. "Sorry", I muttered, feeling bashful.

In lieu of responding to my apology, Godric said, "Sleep when you are able".

I did not think it would be possible to do so, but not long after Godric died for the day, I somehow managed to take a half hour nap. Rather than feel groggy after going for so long with so little sleep, I felt wide awake the second I opened my eyes. Ready for whatever the day had in store for me. Much like the dogs I looked after, I was sleeping on the mat one second, and up on my feet the next.

Who needed coffee when you had vampire blood?

During my morning bathroom break, I made an effort to look less deranged. Since this was clearly a test to see if I could integrate into their cult, I had to look the part. So after washing myself as much as I could at the sink, I finger combed my hair up into a high ponytail, hoping its height would make me look perky and approachable. I also squeezed colour into my cheeks and rubbed my lips together so I didn't look as sick anymore. It might have been my imagination, a trick of the eye born from Godric's suggestion, but my skin looked clearer. Closer to how I looked before I hit puberty and discovered that I'd have to worry about pores for the rest of my life.

Brooks was the one who retrieved me for my tour. When before he had looked overly serious , today he appeared closer to bored. His dark blue eyes passed over me the same as any other piece of furniture in the room. He did not lead me by the arm as we turned left instead of right outside of the classroom, but he did make sure that I walked in front.

As we walked towards the large white building, I noted that the Fellowship's security drastically dropped during the day. Likely due to a mixture of feeling safe under the sun's rays and wanting to look like an actual church. I saw some fellow Yellow Shirts but they didn't have any visible weapons and were simply milling around outside rather than patrolling.

Brooks led me through the church's rear entrance and directly into a small industrial kitchen. A handful of women were in there prepping food, ranging in ages from middle-aged to elderly. Each one in modest dresses, they chattered away with a familiarity that only people who had known each other for a long time could achieve. All I received from them was a couple of curious glances and a "Mornin'!"

Not knowing if I was allowed to respond, I simply nodded and smiled back.

Our destination was a cafeteria that conformed to the school theme the church was playing with. Rows of long tables were adorned with bench seating. The side table of food, however, was more like a continental breakfast you might get in a hotel. The kind that trusted you to serve yourself. There wasn't much left on it as we arrived at the tail end of breakfast. The small collection of people in the cafeteria finishing off their meals. The timing was likely done on purpose so I would not be able to interact with someone who might help me.

Still, I cast a furtive glance at the people there in the hopes of finding one. I didn't.

At the breakfast table, I stood there awkwardly, staring at the sparse food.

Brooks lifted a brow, "Well? Aren't ya hungry?"

Since he had spoken to me first, I risked asking, "What about you? Have you eaten yet?"

"I'll eat when I'm off duty", he said while wearing his overly serious face again.

"It doesn't seem right that I get to enjoy such a lovely breakfast while you have to sit and watch me. My Mama always said that was rude", a little white lie to make me appear more endearing towards him. It was something I heard an old friend's mother say once upon a time. I had never even referred to my mother as 'Mama' before.

Brooks considered what I said. He was very easy to read which was probably not a good trait in a guard.

"And with how hot it is today, it wouldn't be good to wear yourself out", I added

That was all he needed to hear because he said, "Yeah, you're right", before grabbing himself a plate. He passed me one too so I smiled and thanked him.

I was picking at a buttered piece of toast when Sarah Newlin entered the cafeteria. She scanned the room before finding Brooks and I seated at the far corner of the room. She was in pastel green that day with gold jewellery instead of silver. Her expertly curled hair made me think I should not have bothered with the mass sitting on top of my head. As she walked towards us, her heels click-clacking away, the sunlight streaming through the numerous windows caused her hair to shine the same gold as her jewellery.

"There ya are! I thought I'd have to search all of God's green Earth for the two of you!", Sarah proclaimed in her usual pleasing lilt.

Brooks shot up from his seat across from me like he'd been caught misbehaving by the teacher. I took his plate and slid it to my side of the table. He gave me an appreciative glance.

"Well ain't you lookin' mighty fine this mornin'", Sarah said as she perched herself onto Brooks seat. Though only after he pulled it out for her.

I took a sip of milk to give myself a second to quell my new onslaught of nerves, "Thank you, Sarah. You're looking very well yourself".

"Ya ain't mad at me for not moving you out of that classroom yet? I did talk to Steve about it, honest, but it's hard for him to trust people these days you understand. After the tragic murder of his family by those vile demons, he's dedicated himself to protectin' his flock. And as the good book says, a woman must abide by her husband's words", Sarah finished with her hands to her chest, looking very much the victim of circumstance.

"Of course I'm not angry at you", I said quickly, "You've all been taking such great care of me. I'm just so thankful". My second lie of the day.

Sarah bestowed the smile of a socialite upon me, "Oh I just knew you'd understand"

No longer able to eat any more of my food, we began the tour with Brooks trailing behind us. He had gone from guard to third wheel as Sarah easily recited various facts of the building we were in. It was clear that it wasn't her first time giving the tour but she still gave it her all, enjoying it the most out of the three of us. I was the perfect listener, nodded along while she was on a particularly long tangent and asked the expected questions during her brief pauses.

Sarah, the showwoman, left the best for last. It was a grand hall fit for a king. It was so long that it must have taken up an entire side of the building with a high, sloping ceiling that made the click of Sarah's heels echo loudly. Pillars adorned with ornate buttresses ran along either side and pews sat facing a slightly raised stage where Steve must have taken his sermons.

But none of that compared to the floor-to-ceiling window that acted as the backdrop to the stage. It was not stained with colour as one might expect from such an ostentatious church. Instead, beams of pure white criss-crossed at its peak in a pleasing geometric pattern.

We slowed slightly as we approached it.

"Ain't it just the grandest thing you've ever seen?" Sarah said, a little too loudly for the moment.

But grand it was. I could imagine how beautiful watching a sunrise through the window must have been. The way the kaleidoscope of colours would be amplified by the sheets of glass before bathing the hall in them.

It was not until we were walking through the centre of the pews did I notice her. Her head bowed and hands clasped. I could not hear what she was saying, but from how quickly her lips moved, I could tell that her prayers were fervent. I stopped mid-step.

Allicia was the last visitor to cast their condemnation upon Godric. Where Mrs Stanley's tale could have been chalked up to an overbearing mother who refused to accept her child's independence and sexual orientation, Allicia's was anything but.

When she had first entered the classroom, she did not sit on the offered seat, giving the impression that she did not want to touch anything in the room. Though she did not speak at first, she did not need to. The abject loathing in her eyes told me much about her. If she could have killed Godric with her bare hands, she would have. There was no doubt in my mind. The others might have enjoyed the thought of killing him, but I was not truly worried for Godric's safety until her.

And then she told us why.

Allicia had dated a vampire once. She had not known at the time because it was years before they all came out of the coffin. It was only a few months in that she realised that the relationship was not for her since her ex had clearly not cared for her as much as she did him. So they broke up. There was little fanfare in the separation, a sure sign that she had made the right choice.

Allicia moved on over the years and thought little of the vampire she had once been with. Eventually she got married (to a human) and gave birth to a beautiful pair of twin girls. Life had not been perfect, but she had been happy. That was until Allicia started losing time.

She had not noticed at first. It mostly happened when she should have been sound asleep anyway. It took her going to bed one night only to wake up sitting on a bench a couple of streets over from her home. Initially, she believed it was a bad case of sleepwalking, but the blank periods became longer and more frequent, sometimes bleeding into the day.

It all came to a head in a facebook group chat of all places. A cousin of hers, one she had never gotten along with, posted in the chat a picture of Allicia in the arms of a man. A man who was clearly not her husband. She was all but climbing on top of her ex like he was a tree in the middle of a busy bar. Every family member and their spouse was in that group chat. What was once a way to arrange wholesome gatherings immediately became something incredibly painful for Allicia.

None of her relatives believed her when she said that couldn't be her in the picture. That she had not seen her ex for the better part of a decade. Her husband, who was aware of her spells of missing time, was understanding at first, or at least tried to be. Sightings of Allicia with her ex became too frequent for him to bear no matter how much she insisted that she had no memory of going to see him.

Her family did not truly break apart until, one day, her husband arrived home from work to find that Allicia had left their toddlers alone for hours. The fact that she did not remember leaving them in the first place did not matter. Only their loud wails of hunger and abandonment. He filed for divorce and easily gained full custody of the children on the grounds that they were unsafe in her care.

Not long after, The Great Revelation took place. It was then that her ex found her. Walked right up to her with his large, fanged smile and finally explained everything to her. A year before, he had happened to see Allicia while she was out for dinner with her family. He found himself vaguely bothered that she could be happy without him in her life. So on a whim, he decided to insert himself back into it. He had glamoured her to meet him, had his fill of her then glamoured her to forget it ever happened. He'd even used his own blood to heal any wounds he left on her body. In between her legs.

He had found the dissolution of her family to be especially amusing. But after the divorce, he was done with her. Bored. The vampire had ruined her life for amusement until he was bored. He had only found her to tell her because he thought the expression she would make would be funny. Which it apparently was.

My babies! He took my babies! And all I could do was stand there as he laughed!

My heart broke for her when she said that.

Allicia paused her prayer when she sensed me watching her. Turning her head to look, she could not place me at first. When she did, her eyes hardened. Not with the same level of loathing she gave Godric, but like she was ready to hate me if I gave her the slightest cause.

Allicia broke eye contact with me in favour of the large window. The expression on her face told me that she had not been praying for salvation. But from destruction. Which is when it clicked for me. This was where they were planning on doing it. Where they planned to murder Godric.

I joined her study of the window. It really was a wonder of architecture. Whoever had designed it must have been proud of it. Would they also be proud of its intended purpose? Would they be proud that instead of being a mode of light and warmth it was to be used as a weapon? That instead of families laying out blankets before it to have an indoor picnic, they would be laying them out to watch an execution? Instead of a woman curling up at the windows base to read a comforting book, it was given to a woman praying for the death of another?

If they manage to kill Godric on Sunday, the hall would no longer be a place to find peace. In the days, months, years following his murder, every witness would enter the room and see only death. All because of Steve Newlin's madness.

"Lenore?" Sarah broke in. "You alright?"

And this woman, in all her kind smiles and polished heels was going to help turn this place ugly.

Allicia thought that only vampires brought pain into this world but she was wrong. Humans were just as capable of taking something that was good and beautiful and turning it into something ugly and horrific.

I stepped forward and grabbed Sarah by the hand with a little more force than she had during our first meeting. Brooks jerked in alarm at my sudden movement but I ignored him. "Sarah I need- I need your help with something".

3.

I was already sitting with my back against the wall by the time Godric stepped out of the closet.

From my peripherals, I watched as he approached me. Too nervous to catch his eye or make a sound, I kept my eyes on the floor and my mouth shut. The room itself seemed to grow quieter. Waiting. Waiting for me to tell him what I had done as he slept.

Godric quietly sat down next to me. "You smell of the outside", he stated.

I almost laughed. At least I no longer smelled of dog.

"Something has occurred", Even though Godric acted like someone who was entirely out of touch with modern social cues, he could still tell something was wrong.

"I've done something I don't think you'll like", I muttered.

He waited for me to elaborate but I couldn't. A part of me, a big part, still could not believe what I had done. How could I make him understand it when I was still trying to understand it myself?

"Tell me", he said without inflection.

I drew up my knees but refrained from resting my chin on them. My own hands became manacles as I wrapped them around my ankles. Weighing me down so that I could not get up and flee. "Sarah-" I paused as I searched for the right words, "Sarah Newlin took me to where it's gonna happen. Where they'll force you to meet the sun".

Godric did not react to his possible death but I had already grown used to his blase attitude. I wished he would so I could hold off from telling him what I'd done. Then again, I also just wanted to come out and tell him.

"While we were there… while we were there, I asked if they could tie me to you as you burn. She said yes".