12th chapter
The days went by quicker than Caroline expected. It was Friday once more and she still had no word from one of the masters, regarding her changing. Not that she minded, as long as they wouldn't set a date, she could live more or less freely. Her bruises got a little lighter and started to appear more yellow over the last few days, though they were still clear to be seen. The ones on her arms and wrists still hurt as soon as she accidently touched them. But they would heal soon.
A small smile formed on her lips, she hoped she could get into the city next week, she definitely needed to try a few Pizza and Pasta dishes from the local restaurants. But that weekend she would stay inside as well; just to avoid suspicious looks and questions, she didn't want to answer.
Once her shift was done, she took off the shawl and stored it in her bag, as she made her way to her room. She met no one on her way back and as soon as the door closed behind her, she took her mobile phone. Her happy façade shackled a little at the empty inbox and no missed phone calls. She was nobody, no one was interested in her well-being. She could die today and nobody would care. She wondered if John would mourn her, if he would hear about it. Her rumbling stomach broke the tension, her thoughts evoked and she couldn't help but laugh lightly. Caroline put on her slippers, but didn't change out of her working clothes, yet. She stepped into the bedroom and threw her bag, closely followed by her jacket on her bed, before she went on into the kitchen. She didn't feel like eating much that evening, so she got some apples and a knife. She still had some yoghurt in the refrigerator, she could mix the apples with.
Caroline just made the first cut through the apple to halve it, when a knock on her door interrupted her doing. She furrowed her eyebrows, dried her hands on the towel next to her and went to the wooden door. For a moment, she hoped Heidi would have come to talk but when she saw the man in front of her, she tilted her head in confusion. Maybe the masters would summon her now. "Hey," she started, not sure how she should address him. Demetri eyed her for a moment. "May I come in? There are a few matters we have to discuss," he said and looked distinctively in her eyes.
The woman wetted her lips nervously and nodded. "Of course, come in," she said and stepped aside. Caroline closed the door behind him and immediately went to the couch. She took the remote control and shut off the TV. She knew it had to be something important and she didn't want to be impolite, by letting the TV on; even though it was just a news channel, it seemed rude to her.
Demetri eyed her behavior for a few seconds. He recognized the apples in the kitchen and assumed she was preparing something to eat. "Did I interrupt you?", he asked and looked back at the woman, who just shrugged at his comment. "No, not all. But if it doesn't bother you, I'd like to continue preparing my dinner." She went back behind the counter, without even waiting for his response.
"Of course," he answered with an amused smile and strolled over to the dining table. It was a clean, oval wood-made table, the only decoration on it, was a big fake candle on a plate with a few fake flowers around it. It wasn't much, but it made the room livelier. Caroline continued cutting the fresh apples and waited for him to speak up. She glanced at him, when he said nothing, only to find him staring at her doing with a mixture of fascination and disgust. She chuckled lightly at his behavior, she didn't know when he had been turned, but by the way he reacted, it must have been a very long time ago.
The vampire cleared his throat and forced his attention away from the apples. "Regarding your transformation," he started and he immediately got her attention. She lifted her gaze to meet his in a curious, but also slightly frightened manner. "The masters informed me, that the exact date isn't set yet, but it will happen at some time in February." His voice was calm and collected as he spoke, she nodded in response. "Okay," she whispered barely audible, signalizing him that she listened. "I assume, you have a few questions about that." He looked at her, waiting for her response.
Caroline gulped and put the knife on the cutting board. "Well, um," she started as her eyes roamed the surface in front of her. "How does it work? I mean, do I have to die first?" Her voice got lower at the end and her left hand clawed slightly on the stony counter. The pain that shot through her nails, made her hiss slightly and she put her hand into a more relaxing position. Demetri eyed her acting; he knew she was afraid about it. He put his hands on the back of a chair, surrounding the dining table, while a small smile formed on his lips. "You need to be bitten and the venom will turn your body within three days until your heart stops." He didn't want to sugarcoat it, she had to know what would await her. Caroline gulped once more at his response. To distract her racing mind, she took the knife again and continued cutting the apple in front of her, even though she did it at a much slower pace than before.
She let out a shivering sigh. "Will it hurt?" Her eyes looked almost pleading at the man in front of her as she looked up for a second. Demetri sighed at her question and closed his eyes for a moment. "Yes, it will be worse than anything you have experienced so far, and probably what you will after," he answered in a low voice and he clearly noticed her slightly trembling form. "But the masters may ask Alec to lift that pain from you." Once he ended, Caroline's eyes shot up. "Is that possible, how?" Her voice sounded excited and full of hope, which made Demetri chuckle. "It's a gift, like some others possess as well," he explained and she nodded in understanding.
His comment made her frown a little, she completely forgot about those potential other abilities. She put the knife aside again and looked at the vampire. She had a playful smirk on her face and tilted her head lightly. "What is your ability?", she asked nonchalantly and he was taken aback by her direct way of asking. He lowered his gaze and let out an amused laugh as he continued his stroll around the dining table. "Why do you think I have one?" The smirk on his face widened and he lifted an eyebrow. Caroline looked at him through narrowed eyes; he wanted to play, fine they would play.
She shifted her attention back to the apples in front of her. The already cut pieces turned brown slowly and she knew she should hurry a little. "Oh, I just assumed. Beauty is already Heidi's special power, so maybe finding damsels in distress?" She cocked an eyebrow and couldn't help but grin at her own comment. Demetri's inner beast was pleased at her remark, but his mind kept thinking further. He really enjoyed the direction, that the conversation was taking. He took a few steps closer to the her, each one with the majesty of a proud lion. "Not really, but it's getting warmer," he said in a low but amused voice, Caroline's lip twitched at his words. She was proud at herself, she would show him, that she could play that game as well. She hummed lightly; the grin still visible on her face. "So, what could it be," she mused to herself and tipped with the blade of the knife against her lips. She observed him and how he got closer. She hummed further and took the next apple to cut it. "You really want to know?" He spoke even lower this time, knowing full well what she was up to.
Demetri didn't leave her time to answer as he arrived on the other side of the counter. "I am a tracker, the best one at that," he explained and watched her thoroughly. His eyes grew a bit darker and their expression seemed almost predatorial. He started to draw mindless circles on the stony counter with his right hand, but his eyes stayed on her. "Oh really, that means I could never hide from you?" She held his gaze for a few seconds, before she put her attention back to the task at hand. Demetri let out a deep breath and suppressed the emerging low growl. "I would always find you, little doe." He started to play with his voice, making it even more alluring and seducing than before. He straightened his posture and an almost arrogant smirk appeared on his face.
"Do you really think you should play this game?" His voice was playfully threatening as he spoke. Caroline tilted her head and met his gaze with a challenging one. "Why, did you invent it?", she asked and put her hands on the cutting board. A dark chuckle left his throat. "No, darling. But I perfected it."
Caroline made a mental note and continued to cut the last apple. "So, does that exclude me from playing it then, sweetheart?" If he could use nicknames, she could do as well. She knew that he was far better than her at this, but she enjoyed the playful atmosphere. Demetri's eyes darkened a little more at the nickname she gave him, he could hardly suppress another growl, but he forced his instincts to retreat for now. His eyes followed her movements and he knew her attention was on the knife in her hand, to not accidently cut herself. The smirk on his lips widened.
With his inhuman speed, he stepped behind her; his hands on the counter on each side of her. His body only a few centimetres behind her; he trapped her in her position. Caroline gasped in surprise and almost dropped the knife; as she realized that she had nowhere to go, she stilled in her movements; the knife still firmly in her hand. Demetri let out another dark chuckle as he listened to her uneven heartbeat, how it skipped once only to race after. He lowered his head to her level, his body getting a little closer to her in the process. He inhaled her scent and exhaled deeply after, his breath brushed her ear and she shuddered immediately. "What's wrong, darling," he said in a low voice, his amusement was clear to be heard. He stretched out the pet-name and chuckled at her tense form. "Is that not what you had in mind through all the teasing?" His chin almost accidently brushed over her hair as he leant over to her other ear. With his right hand, he started to travel ever so lightly over her right arm, careful though to not touch her bruises, until he reached her hand with the knife. At the same time, his left hand moved a little closer, so she could feel his arm at her waist. Caroline sucked in her breath, her eyes were widened and she looked at his hand on her wrist. Almost tenderly, he stroked over her hand and couldn't help but grin widely as he noticed the goosebumps building up on her skin.
"You know," he started after a while, still teasing her with his touches. "You shouldn't play the game if don't intend to play it until the end." By the way spoke those words, a cold shiver ran down Caroline's spine. She knew, he was better than her at the game, but she didn't know just how much better he was. "We will continue our discussion soon," he continued after a few seconds, before he disappeared. The door snapped shut and by that sound, Caroline jumped a little. It was then, she realized, he was gone; his last words a promise.
Slowly, but steadily her racing heart calmed down. She looked at the apples in front of her and gulped hard. The goosebumps on her arms were still visible and she shuddered slightly when she thought of his touch. Caroline clearly underestimated him, that was for sure. But she wouldn't deny the fact, that she enjoyed their little game. Of course, he won, she wouldn't have expected anything else, but she could have fun as well. Then she remembered his words. He said, she shouldn't play the game, if she didn't intend to play it through. Her cheeks reddened in an instant, in her womanly mind she didn't think so far, but now it was obvious to her. He probably had lots of lovers so far and all of them were tangled up in such a game; she was sure of it. The heat in her cheeks only intensified and she shook her head on her own ignorance. It wouldn't stop her from playing along, when they spoke next time, though.
Caroline breathed deeply and went over to the refrigerator to finally finish her dinner. The apples were already starting to get brown and her stomach really needed some food. Once she mixed the yoghurt with the apples, she went into the bedroom to change her clothes. It was already late and after her shift and the intense conversation with Demetri, she needed some stupid boring time in front of the TV. She sat cross-legged on her couch, eating her dinner while she listened to the news reporter. It was the usual chaos on the globe, nothing extraordinary, so she switched to another channel. On one channel, there was a movie from a series, she loved to watch with her dad. It had to do with magic, family drama and dark forces and she loved every bit of it. She watched each movie in the cinema with her dad, her mother didn't like them, so it was something special for the already close father-daughter-duo. A smile formed on Caroline's lips at the thought, she put the remote control aside and leant back on the couch. She ate her dinner and let herself be consumed by the still enchanting movie and her childhood memories.