16th chapter
A small chuckle escaped Minna's lips as she watched the children running around the park, desperately searching for eggs, chocolate and even little gifts. The vampire was never really fond of Easter as a holiday but observing others during those traditions amused her. She sat on a bench at the end of a small park, she didn't even pay attention to the city she was in. Minna inhaled deeply, the air was refreshing and she enjoyed the chirping of the young birds. The sun wasn't out for a few days and she was glad to spend some time watching and observing.
A grin appeared on her face and inwardly she laughed at her thought. It's been a few months since she returned home, but she changed so much. All those years before, she didn't even dare to set a foot in a city and after her return she did it from time to time. She still loved being in nature; forest and fields were her favorite places but somehow, she wanted to know how much a human life changed since her transformation.
Her eyes darted to a young family; the father looked rather tired despite it being Sunday in the early afternoon. It was a lanky man who wore black glasses, but the smile on his face was full of love. The woman kneeled next to her daughter, who just found some chocolate. The boy was still running around but the way he ran he would probably never find anything.
Minna sat there for several hours, when the sun began to sink behind the horizon, she slowly stood up. Her eyes glanced at the grey clouds in the sky and she smiled. With graceful steps she went deeper into the forest. As soon as it was dark enough, she sped off. It didn't take her long to reach the Black Forest again. The sceneries from the park still in her mind, she couldn't remember what they did when she was just a child but she didn't mind too much. Her human life was gone, she just cherished her most favorite moments, such as those with her sister.
When Minna was about to jump up on the branch of a tree, she stopped in her tracks. Her left hand laid on the bark of the tree and she concentrated on her senses. Behind her, she heard fast footsteps on the old and dry leaves on the ground nearing her location. Her nose caught a smell that indicated her that whoever was coming definitely wasn't human. She let out a small breath and moved closer to the tree as she looked behind her. Her nails dug deep into the bark, leaving four scratch marks, but she left her hand on it for comfort. She waited a few more seconds, she couldn't concentrate enough to tell how many people would actually come, but she knew it had to be the Volturi. Her eyes wandered through the dark behind her, waiting for movement, but she didn't turn around completely. She needed to be ready to run at any moment. Siobhan's words echoed in her mind and she braced herself.
With every passing second, her nails dug deeper into the bark and her posture became eager to sprint off. She was about to lunge away when she saw the first movement in the dark but in the next second, she felt as if she got struck by lightning. Her right hand shot at the tree for support and she turned slightly, her eyes still widened in shock. What was he doing here? The person in front of her stopped at the other side of the clearing, roughly 20 metres away. He looked at her, his face almost blank for the untrained eye but his posture was calm and confident. Once he made a small step in her direction, Minna instantly made one back, as if she tried to hide behind the tree next to her. She couldn't believe her eyes, her mind screamed at her to run, but something in her chest made her stay.
Hurt filled her eyes and the well-known pain she tried so desperately to push away was heavy in her chest. She gulped but couldn't bring herself to form words. He sighed soundlessly, his eyes trained on her and her behavior. "Please listen," he started in a low voice, the sincerity surprised Minna for a moment. She furrowed her brows and waited for him to continue. He made another step forward, which resulted in Minna walking one step back again. "I shouldn't have left without a word," Vladimir continued in the same tone. Minna just shook her head; she needed a moment to sort her thoughts. "Why? You don't need to apologize; you don't owe me anything." Her words came out far different than she wanted them to be. Her voice was just above a whisper, each word pressed out through trembling lips. She was far from over it. "You can do as you please," she added even lower and if he weren't a vampire, he wouldn't have heard it.
Vladimir made an attempt for another step but decided otherwise. For a few minutes, no one said a word. It was almost completely silent, except for some owls and the soft rustling of the leaves. Minna turned slightly. "If that's all, I'll take my leave." She resisted the urge to stay but she didn't get far. "Wait!" His voice was louder than before and for a moment Minna thought it sounded almost pleading. When she looked back at him, he stood only ten metres away, but this time she didn't go back. The sadness and hurt in her eyes were still clear to be seen. "I'm sorry." The words hung in the air for a while. "I didn't realize what I was doing back then," he continued and Minna closed her eyes for some seconds. Of course, it was about him, he wanted to feel better, so he told her how sorry he was and he'd be gone for good in a few moments. Once again, she was just good enough to be the person you tell your problems to get them off your mind.
"I came back to my senses days later, when we were back." Minna remained silent, praying inwardly that he would be done soon, so she could try once more to forget him. The pain inside her was nearly unbearable, but she tried her best to hide it. When the woman wanted to ask if he was done, he spoke up again. His eyes pierced into hers. "I had to make things right," his voice grew softer, "but I didn't know just how much I hurt you." Minna opened her eyes in surprise. She looked at him and she could see clearly how sorry he was. It didn't change the fact that she was hurt deeply, but he didn't know back then. She didn't confess any feeling to him.
Vladimir made a step forward and that time, Minna didn't flinch back. "Maybe, if I had only realized," he made a gesture between the two vampires, "what happened there, I had acted differently." A sigh left his lips, his eyes wandered around as he tried to sort his mind. He scoffed slightly at his thoughts. "You were the first person in centuries that showed us some kind of kindness. You were open hearted and not judging at all." His eyes fixated her as he made his way to her slowly. "You are a very fascinating being," he paused with a low chuckle, "it is far from surprising I could never get you out of my mind."
Minna looked at him in shock. She barely noticed how he got closer, but by then he was only two metres away from her. She carefully made a step from behind the tree. Her right hand still on the heavily scratched bark. The woman opened her mouth but she couldn't form a word. Both vampires remained in their positions for a little longer. Vladimir wouldn't make another step; he knew that Minna would run at any kind of danger. If his instincts were right, she would come as soon as she felt comfortable doing so.
"I," Minna started, her voice shaking slightly, "I'm sorry? I mean …" He raised a brow and a small grin formed on his lips. The woman gulped once more and took a deep breath, while making a small step in his direction without even noticing. "I was hurt, I couldn't help it, but something inside me changed whenever we talked," Minna started slowly. "I never put a name on it, but I felt safe around you. I never admitted it but when you left, I," a shaky sigh left her lip and she took another deep breath, "I felt empty, broken. I tried to forget you, to forget whatever happened in America." She scoffed and shook her head lightly, while biting her bottom lip. "But I couldn't." She looked into his eyes; the pain still prominent in her red orbs. By the time she ended she was standing right in front of him.
"It was never my intent to cause such feelings to a wonderous being like yourself. I will only ask once." He straightened his posture and for a split second his eyes showed how unsure he was. "Will you forgive me?" His words surprised Minna once more. She needed a moment to answer and looked down at her hands, which fumbled nervously on her jacket. "I will try but it will take some time," she answered honestly. "But I have to apologize as well. If I had been more observing about my or anyone's feelings, it wouldn't have come so far." She sighed once again, her eyes still searching the ground.
With a careful motion Vladimir took Minna's right hand in his', he laid his other hand on top of hers without any pressure. "Let's start anew, cause whatever this is, it feels nice." Minna looked at him with wide eyes, but she quickly relaxed in his touch. "I'd love that," she responded with a smile. It was only then, that she realized, he didn't come back to ease his mind, at least not only for that. He came also back for her.
For a while both vampires stood like that before Minna moved slightly. "Care to go for a walk?" The Romanian grinned at her and they both walked aimlessly through the forest. "How did you find me?" Minna looked at the man next to her. "Oh, it wasn't easy," he chuckled. "I almost searched the whole Black Forest, after looking at the northern coast." The woman looked at him in surprise. She couldn't believe that anyone would look for her in all those places. "I'm sorry that I made you so many problems." She said but inwardly she felt better than ever, that someone really took so much effort in finding her.
She didn't expect his next movement, though. Within the blink of an eye, he turned to her, his fingers on her chin, forcing her to look at him. His face was close and a playful smirk on his lips. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop that, dragă?" She gasped slightly and the well-known feeling in her stomach appeared again, she didn't know he had such an effect on her by simply using his voice. She looked deep into his red orbs, her eyes were full of uncertainty and curiosity, where his showed pride and confidence once more.
"What am I to you?" Her voice was nothing more than a whisper and the smirk on his face grew a little wider. "Let's say, the woman on my side doesn't need to apologize," he answered. His accent grew stronger as his voice got softer, but the possessiveness in his words couldn't be overheard. He carefully laid his hand on her cheek as if he was afraid, she would break under any pressure. She couldn't help herself but close her eyes at his touch. Minna couldn't describe it, but she slowly started to relax. She would still need time to completely forgive him or herself. By the time she wasn't sure anymore, who to blame. But one thing was for sure, she could grow to get used to the current feeling inside of her and the soft touch of his hand.