Broken Soul

The half hour Erick was to wait before going inside was coming to a close. He was about to approach the door when someone appeared behind him. "October?" Erick was confused. "What are you doing here?" He noticed Myra was with her. Both of the girls were wearing ball gowns. "Evan told you to stay at the inn."

"Something wasn't right there," October explained. "It didn't feel safe. I thought if I brought her here, the presence would leave."

"If you're going inside, at least look like a vampire or a donor," he suggested. She took his advice and changed her black eye color to a glowing blue. Erick guided Myra inside, linking his arm with hers. She was still light headed from losing blood.

They were let inside and after sifting through the crowds, October spotted Evan and Dannie waltzing again. They were about to join them but were approached by Leighton. "Hi," he greeted with a smile. "Welcome to my home."

"Good evening, sir," October replied.

Leighton nodded an acknowledgment to Erick, then turned his attention to Myra. His electric eyes expressed concern. "Is that young lady alright?"

"She's my escort's donor," October lied. She wanted to sell the facade that she and Erick were vampires. "She's feeling a bit ill. Would you happen to have a spare guest chamber where she could rest for a few minutes?"

"Yes, of course," Leighton replied, taking Myra's arm. "This way." He led her upstairs and down the hall. The room was dark but warm. Myra laid down on the bed and didn't even bother taking her shoes off or putting the blankets over herself. She was asleep almost instantly. Leighton closed the door and went back downstairs. October was at Erick's side as they entered the ballroom.

Evan and Dannie's waltzing came to an end when Leighton interrupted. "Sorry to disturb you, but we have business matters to discuss."

"Oh, yes." Evan remembered as he stepped back from Dannie. A young brunette woman with a red dress on approached Leighton's side and whispered, "The Jaces have arrived, dear," in his ear before turning her curiosity toward Evan.

"Thank you, love," Leighton replied then introduced her. "This is Amanda, my donor." He held her right hand in his and pulled her closer to him. Her crimson lipstick grin grew; her whole face was radiant. Dannie secretly wondered if she was spelled or if she really did like Leighton. After Evan admitted to entrancing Myra, the thought hardly left her mind.

Evan and Leighton stepped away to converse while Dannie and Amanda stayed behind. "Don't worry, they won't be long," Amanda said to her and then lifted two glasses off of a tray a passing waiter was carrying. She offered one to Dannie. As parched as she was, Dannie hesitated and just stared at the crystal glass with the dark red beverage in it. "Oh... That's not..."

Amanda laughed. She knew what she meant. "No, of course not. It's just red wine."

"Ah, well... You never know around here," Dannie declared and accepted the glass. "What exactly are those two talking about anyway?"

"Business."

"And what kind of business do vampires discuss?"

"My dear, have you ever wondered where Evan gets all of his money?" Amanda inquired. "Because if you have to ask that, then you obviously don't know."

"Property, right?" Dannie felt a little nosy but really, what kind of conversation was expected at an event like this?

"Yes, estates," Amanda replied. "Rumor has it, when your vampire first arrived here, he bought large amounts of land that had been on the market for years. He snatched it dirt cheap. It was soon discovered that time had been kind to the land and now it's rich in resources and Leighton wants to purchase a vast amount of it."

Dannie remembered what Evan had told Dusk when they had talked about territory. "Wait... I thought Evan only owned 50 acres."

Amanda laughed sarcastically. "He owns a lot more than that. What he probably meant was that he only resided on that lot. He owns countless lots all over this place."

"Who knew vampires were civilized members of society?" Dannie remarked then took a sip of wine. She never drank so the taste caused her to grimace in disgust but she tried to hide it.

A tap on Dannie's shoulder startled her. She turned around and grinned from ear to ear when she saw who it was. "Erick."

"Care to waltz, Miss Saroya?" he asked and held out his hand for her to take.

Without hesitation, she set her hardly used glass down on the table a few feet away and gladly accepted, placing her hand in his. He guided her onto the dance floor, both of them locking eyes. They didn't look away from each other once. Their hands were together, and his other hand on her waist and hers, up on his shoulder, and they started to waltz. For the longest time, they didn't even say a word to each other. There wasn't a need for it. Dannie smiled the entire time. She didn't even realize she was doing so.

Erick just gazed at her, his face expressionless like usual. Dannie could see the tiniest hint of emotion glistening in his eyes. He would probably never admit it and but she could see something was there.

When the song was over, Erick took Dannie's hand and led her outside. They walked alongside the backyard terrace in the moonlight. His falsely lit eyes glowed at her. He noticed she couldn't stop smiling, even still. "You're still beaming, Danielle. I don't think I've ever seen you like this."

She entwined her arm with his as they walked. "It's just this...This place and this whole evening, attending a ball in a palace; it's like every little girl's dream. I used to read fairy tales and books about things like this when I was little and wished I could be Cinderella or one of the 12 dancing princesses. And, as time went on, I guess I forgot about the stories and just...grew up. But now, it's happening. And I'm not even sure how I should really feel. I mean, the eight year old inside of me is thrilled. But the 24 year old me still doesn't completely believe this is real."

"So, you feel conflicted?" Erick asked.

"Maybe just a little," she admitted. "I never really thought I'd ever be waltzing with a demon in a palace full of vampires. But, this evening turned out a lot better than I hoped it would."

Erick was silent for a long moment. He was thinking something over while Dannie stood at the edge of the terrace, staring up at the starry night sky. "Danielle." She looked at him once again. "I think the time has come."

Dannie's heart literally skipped a beat. She froze, expecting him to do something. But he didn't. "The time for what?"

"To show you how to use some of the abilities I gave to you," he said, taking her hand once more and led her out into the woods beyond the terrace.

"Wait, are you sure we should go outside of Leighton's property?" Dannie asked him. She was having a little difficulty walking through grass and over sticks and rocks in her heels. Luckily, she didn't fall over.

"Don't worry," he replied. "You're safe as long as you have that cross." It was still hanging around her neck.

They walked a little deeper into the woods until Erick decided to stop. "Erick, they won't need us, will they?" Dannie worried.

"We're fine," he promised and turned her to face him. "Now. One useful skill is making your own light."

"Light?"

"Just do what I do." Erick set his hands in front of him side by side, palms up. She repeated the act and awaited further instruction. "Now, concentrate and picture light inside of your mind. Do you feel it?"

"I feel...ridiculous," she admitted.

" Danielle, listen and it will work," he promised. "Just trust me."

"Fine," she sighed and tried again. This time, she closed her eyes and attempted to put all of her focus on to his instructions. He stepped behind her and grasped on to her hands, almost, causing her to open her eyes but she refrained. Dannie froze at the sense of his ice cold fingers touching her. She suppressed a shiver.

"Feel the energy inside of you and let it flow to your palms," he said, his words spoken softly against her ear. Again, she cringed away a chill. He really wasn't helping as much as he intended to.

Dannie shook off every emotion she was feeling and finally concentrated. A rush of warmth surged through her, pushing its way down her arms. "I think it's working..."

"Good, don't let it go." Erick released her and moved in front of her to evaluate her.

Dannie's eyes opened just in time to see her palms turn electric green. The light inside of her rose up through her skin in the shape of a sphere. She couldn't believe her eyes. The warm orb hovered an inch above her palm, illuminating her face. A victorious smile appeared on her lips. "I did it."

"Well done," Erick said. "Now try throwing it."

"Really?"

"Yes."

She didn't question him further and winded her arm back and tossed the orb away. It left behind a green streak in the air and clashed into a tree and pieces splashed off of the bark and vanished like fireworks. A green spot remained on the tree where it had been hit. It was still glowing and looked like it had burned into the tree, sinking a round black singe into the bark. Dannie curiously stepped over to the tree and lightly tapped on the green burn, jumping back after feeling that it was still hot. She checked her finger for a blister but it didn't even leave a mark. Before she could even ask, Erick said, "It was your light, it cannot harm you. But it can be fatal to others if necessary. Only humans though."

"Oh, how lovely," Dannie remarked sarcastically. "Evil vampires and demons are after me, what good does that do me?"

"Your light can easily distract or slightly injure them," he explained. "You can also make your own darkness."

"Excuse me?" She wasn't so sure about this one.

"Extend your arms up." Dannie did as he asked. "Now move them as if you're painting everything you see with black."

As silly as that sounded, she gave it a try. Dannie moved her right hand first, imagining the view of stars and tree branches above her was a canvas she could cover with black paint. The silver stars melted away from her sight and she froze in disbelief at what she had done. "Don't lose focus, Danielle," Erick spoke up, snapping her out of her brief daze and she continued to cover the rest of the world with shadows. Everything was pitch black until Erick told her to make light again. She did so flawlessly this time. Dannie saw Erick's face looking at her in the green fabricated glow and she couldn't help smiling. It felt like they were the only two beings left on Earth. For a moment, she had forgotten about everything else.

"Erase the darkness now," Erick said, breaking the silence. "Throw the orb directly up and it will turn everything back to normal."

Just as he said, once she threw it, the orb silently exploded like a firework again and the sparks diminished the shadows and allowed the stars and blue moonlight to bestow the world with warm illumination. Erick didn't want to waste any more time. He had to show her how to defend herself now.