3rd chapter
Caroline was nervous, she got up early, ate a little bit and showered. Her eyes checking on her watch every so often. She had to wait another 15 minutes until Heidi would pick her up, so she quickly checked her phone for any missed messages. Another wave of disappointment washed over her at the empty inbox and no missed call from John. She sighed deeply, she hoped that he at least wrote her when he got home, but maybe he was too tired.
She took the photo she had of them both, hugging in an amusement park out of her bag. She framed it, so she could put it on her desk later. A smile appeared on her face at the thought of that day, when she heard a knock at the door. „Coming," Caroline answered and put the photo back in her bag and rushed over to the door, exhaling deeply before she opened it. In front of her stood Heidi, stunning as ever, with a small smile on her lips. „Good morning," she greeted the human and moved aside for Caroline to step into the hallway. „Good morning," she replied and both women walked slowly back to the entrance hall and the huge desk, Caroline spotted yesterday.
Caroline sat nervously next to Heidi at the desk, the photo of her and her fiancé next to the monitor. The woman next to her and her unearthly beauty were totally off-putting for her. She tried desperately to even her breath as she listened to her explanations. She wrote important things down, as Heidi showed her how to handle the reservations for the exclusive guided tours. Caroline wondered why they offered so few tours, only twice a week, but then again it was her first day. She wouldn't ask such a question in her first hours at work.
„Who is the tour guide?", Caroline asked and looked at the blonde woman. Heidi laughed lightly. „Oh, that would be me, mostly. Sometimes it's also Corin and on rare occasions Chelsea. If she's in the mood, that is." Caroline frowned slightly and switched her attention back to the program on the screen. She didn't know the persons Heidi mentioned yet. She hummed lowly and continued to sort the following reservations. „Sorry, I forgot. You will meet them in due time," Heidi continued as she realized the human's behavior. „There are quite a few others you will meet regularly. They pass through this area quite often, but you will get to know them quickly." She smirked a little at the thought, but she couldn't help to get annoyed more by every passing hour. She hoped that the masters will fully instruct her shortly. Heidi wasn't sure just how long she could play along without accidently slipping out of her role.
It was close to her break, when Heidi showed Caroline the work schedule of the companies that worked for them. At this time of the year, there were only cleaning staffs, but they still had to be coordinated and most importantly she had to make sure that no company was present on feast days. Well, another part she couldn't discuss with her at the moment. Heidi wanted to sigh in annoyance when she realized that someone was coming.
Caroline was writing an email, when she suddenly heard footsteps. A few seconds later, she saw a tall dark-skinned man walking though the entrance area. He stopped shortly, his eyes travelled over her stiff form and with a grin he looked at Heidi. „Santiago, meet our new secretary, Caroline." She told him in her honey-sweet voice and unbeknownst to Caroline, she slightly shook her head at her coven mate. The man understood immediately and rolled his eyes in amusement. Their silent conversation was too subtle for the human to notice.
Without thinking, Caroline stood up and since the man didn't come any closer, she didn't lift her hand for a handshake. Instead, she nodded slightly in his direction. „Pleased to meet you," she said with a smile which resulted in a nod of the man in return. To say the vampires were astounded was an understatement. They didn't expect such a respectful behavior from an unknowing human. „The pleasure is all mine," Santiago answered and turned to Heidi before he left the room.
Both women sat still for a few seconds. „Santiago will pass through not as frequently as others. On to other matters," Heidi started. „I don't know if you were already informed that the castle is closed over the holidays. There will be no tours, but you will still find something to do, don't worry."
Caroline nodded slightly. „Ok, shall I put an information at the front door?" She looked inquiringly at the vampire. „Good thinking. We won't offer any tours from today until the 15th January." Heidi paused for a moment, she didn't know if anyone told her about their absence in a few days, but she decided not speak to her about that matter. Just in case.
At noon, Heidi left Caroline alone, so she could enjoy her half hour break. To be fair, Caroline was relieved as soon as she was all by herself. All the input she got from Heidi nearly got her a headache. She eagerly bit off from the sandwich she prepared in the morning. She didn't question that the kitchen was equipped completely, they expected a new secretary. Caroline felt for her mobile phone in her bag to check for any messages. A huge smile spread on her face as she saw the new message from her fiancé. He apologized for not answering her calls, but work was extremely exhausting. She sighed deeply, at least he was sorry. She answered him quickly, writing about her work and the room she stayed in, followed by a heart emoji.
She put her phone away and continued to eat her sandwich, her eyes roamed over the papers on her desk and landed on her handwritten explanations. She read them while finishing her meal to memorize everything she learned. The next time she looked at her watch, she realized she had another ten minutes left. Since she felt a bit bored, she decided to write the note for the front door, she had discussed with Heidi earlier. Luckily, she found older notices saved on the computer. She changed the dates, saved the file and printed the page.
Caroline looked proudly at her first work she could show-off, even though it was only a notice for the front door. All too soon, she heard heels on the stony ground and shortly after, Heidi joined her once more. „I printed the note we talked about; I hope that was alright." Caroline looked at the goddess next to her. A small laugh escaped her lips as she took the paper in her hand. „That's alright. Just laminate it before you hang it." A smile spread on Caroline's lips and she nodded eagerly, immensely satisfied that her work was approved of.
The next time, Caroline was able to take a look on her watch, it was already 3pm. Only 1,5 hours left and she survived her first day at work. She smiled at her thought when she heard distant footsteps. She finished another email, as the door opened and another man stepped into room. Caroline switched her attention from the screen to the newly arrived person who already made his way to the women.
„Demetri, please meet our new secretary, Caroline," Heidi introduced her. She immediately rose to her feet and since that man walked to them, she held out her hand to him. Once he reached the desk, an amused smirk on his face, he took her hand. „Pleased to meet you," Caroline said with a smile on her lips, but something about that man made her nervous and not in a good way. She couldn't really put a name to it, but she sensed danger around him. She wondered if her ‚little gift' would kick in tonight.
Opposite to what Caroline expected he turned her hand and kissed her knuckles without looking away. The flirting smile on his lips only let her blush deepen. „What a luck, to meet such a delicate flower in such a dark place." His voice was dark and alluring as he slowly straightened his posture, he released her hand a few seconds later as he looked at the smaller human. He knew full well the effect he had on women, especially on human women, and he loved every bit of it.
Caroline would by lying, if she thought he was unattractive, combined with his charming acting it was only natural to get flustered. She knew it was just a façade, the way he carried himself, he knew exactly what he was doing. Besides, Caroline was engaged, she already found her other half and didn't need to flirt with other men, she was loyal. She wouldn't deny the fact, that it felt good to get compliments, though.
The smirk stayed on his face as he listened to her uneven heartbeat and growing blush on her cheeks. Unlike the human, he noticed Heidi's slow shake of her head. Most of them enjoyed watching and slightly teasing the new secretary, even though the masters made an unofficial rule of not startling the secretary by using vampire speed around her. Except for her execution, of course.
As Demetri turned to leave, he stopped at the door, turning around once more. His red eyes were fixated on Heidi. „The masters want to see her after her shift." By the way he looked at her, Heidi knew they wanted to fully inform her about their race and the rules. She nodded slightly and the man disappeared through the door.
Caroline cleared her throat and only then realized, that she still stood. She quickly sat down, the blush still prominent on her face, and she tried to concentrate on her current task. Her mind raced, he said that the masters wanted to see her. She couldn't help herself but to grow more and more nervous by every passing minute. She rubbed her hands over the fabric of her jeans and took a deep breath. After a while, she glanced at the clock on her computer. Only 45 minutes until her shift was over.
„Well," Heidi started and stood up, „since the masters want to see you, you can shut down the computer and I'll show you around." She looked at the still sitting woman and moved around, letting her eyes wander around the hall. „Ok," Caroline answered and in a shaky motion she moved the cursor to close all tabs and programs after saving. Once the machine was shut down, she stood up and took her bag. She made her way over to the still off-putting beauty of a woman and she let her guide her out of the room.
They walked through the corridor; they were in yesterday. Caroline remembered the door on her right where she had her interview. The walked slowly and Heidi explained some areas that could be interesting later. She showed her the way to the nearest library, which she technically was allowed to use, though no secretary used it so far. With confident steps she led the human deeper into the castle, showed her several areas that were restricted without a further explanation. She had no time to take a look at her watch, as she suddenly stood in front of two huge double doors. They looked heavy and old and somehow Caroline felt as if she was in some sort of medieval movie.
„And that is the throne room, where the masters reside often," Heidi ended her tour and pushed the doors open without any visible effort. Caroline blinked a few times; she had no chance to ask the woman next her anything. Her mind couldn't comprehend the information of a so called ‚throne room', before she was led into said room and looked at three figures sitting in stony throne-like chairs on some sort of podium.
As soon as she heard a loud thud as the doors were closed behind her, she twitched immediately. Her eyes darted around only to find Heidi standing at the door, which meant she was left alone in the middle of the huge round room. She gulped and her right hand started to fumble on the lower part of her vest. She looked back at the men in front of her but her slightly worried eyes stayed at the man in the center, whom she already knew.
Caroline barely noticed the two men next to Aro. Marcus was looking slightly interested at their new secretary, he hoped she would last longer. Meanwhile, Caius observed the human nonchalantly, his brows were furrowed and his fingers drummed on the armrest in low annoyance. His mind was occupied with the upcoming confrontation with the Cullens; introducing their new servant was his lowest priority.
„My dear brothers, please welcome our new secretary, Caroline." With these words, Aro slowly rose from his chair and a wide smile on his face. He spread his arms in a welcoming manner, but none of his brothers reacted to his theatric. Aro looked distinctively at the woman as he told her their names as introduction. Caroline switched her attention from to another. „It's a pleasure to meet you," she said as formal as she could. The low scoff from Caius was barely audible for her human ears, but the others heard him perfectly. He sent Aro a glare and the latter quickly understood. Caius patience was running thin once more.
Aro slowly walked down the few steps until he stood in front of the woman. He studied her every moving muscle, though he wondered how she would put the news. „As I already told you yesterday, we take discretion very seriously. That comes with our condition." A quick smile appeared on his lips at the last word. Caroline just nodded, waiting patiently for him to continue. „You already presume that there is something different about us and you are right," he paused for a short moment, his eyes meeting her insecure gaze.
Caroline gulped at the tension, but she remained silent. She took the opportunity to take a closer look on the man in front of her and only then, she realized his strangely red eyes. Feeling caught, she looked away immediately and, in all honesty, she would love to turn around to see if Heidi shared the same feature, but she didn't dare to move. She was never too observant when it came to looks. She recognized hair colors and faces in general, but she never minded the details. Names were another thing; she could hardly remember. She tried to remember what else he could mean, but her thoughts were completely nullified at his next sentence.
„We are vampires." Aro observed the young woman closely, of course the shock would come at first, closely followed by either denial or fear. He straightened his posture and held out his hand in front of her. The demand was clear to be seen in his behavior, while the small smile still stayed on his face.
Caroline widened her eyes in shock, totally taken aback from his statement. In any other circumstance, she would laugh even at the thought, but everyone around her didn't seem to be in the mood of joking. Her eyes switched from one master to another but as she noticed the hand in front of her, she gulped and looked back at Aro. Her gaze travelled from his hand to his eyes and back again and by the intensity of his stare, a cold shiver ran down her spine. Without thinking further, she slowly obeyed his silent command and lay her hand in his. The triumphant smirk on his face was left unnoted by her as she kept her head low.
Even without his gift, he knew her inner struggle; the fiercely dance between ‚believing the shocking news' and ‚amused denial of something so abstract'. But soon he discovered in the depth of her mind, that she believed him, even though she wouldn't admit it by now. „You see, some of us have special abilities," he started, her hand still in his grasp. „I can read every thought you had with a single touch." Aro let go of her hand and her eyes immediately darted to his, widened in shock once more. But no word left her lips, she hardly managed to nod slightly.
„We have few but very strict rules regarding our kind." Aro stepped back and returned to his seat. „You must not tell anyone, not even your fiancé. Break this rule and the consequences will be severe." His voice was calm which made Caroline even more nervous. „Of course," she answered with as much confidence as she could muster in that situation, which resulted in a nod of approval by the man she spoke to.
Suddenly a wide smile spread on his face. „Now that we got that over with, I must inform you that most of us will leave tomorrow. We will return in January. Heidi will instruct you further." After these words he made a dismissive gesture and Heidi was next to Caroline. She bowed her head respectfully. „Of course, master." She put her hand on the human's shoulder and led her out of the room. Caroline's mind was still racing, she followed Heidi automatically. The vampire led her to her current accommodation. „Do you want to talk about the situation now or tomorrow morning?", Heidi asked her.
Caroline wettened her lips in a nervous manner. She opened the door and stepped aside. „While it's all new and fresh," she answered and looked at the taller woman. Slowly her nervousness vanished and she was back in the state of awe, which let her confusion rise once more. She wondered if that was some kind of ability, Aro mentioned.
„Please come in." Heidi followed her inside and both women sat down on the couch, where Heidi explained the reason for their leaving as simple as possible. She also answered Caroline's unasked question and talked a little about her ability. She didn't go into detail as she would have enough time for that after their return.
Late at night, Caroline lay on her bed, her thoughts spinning on everything that happened today, but especially the shocking news she heard in the throne room. She would be lying if she said she didn't believe his words, but it seemed so unnatural to her. Before the tiredness got the better of her, she wondered why her ‚little gift' didn't warn her up ahead.