‹ Prequel: What You Deserve
Forever, Your Dearest
Left
I felt a shiver ripple down my spine, seeing a vague silhouette in the dark house. My eyes picked out a single, small source of light flickering in the room that she stood, but couldn't identify what - or where - it was.
"I..." a pause lifted into the air, as I couldn't really think of how to answer her question. My mind seemed to scramble for a moment, before I brought out the little note that held her name on it.
Who had written this? I couldn't figure out - having only really seen Frank's penmanship.
"Oh?" her voice chimed, as I could hear more clicking, and the sound of a chain lightly falling against wood. The door opened further, and a hand flew out from behind it, pulling the paper from my grip, almost too quickly for me to notice.
A burning smell rose into the air, but I couldn't identify what was burning. The scent seemed to originate from behind the door, however, the only light was the same flickering one that hadn't been emitting the smell moments prior.
The door creaked open slowly, and the hand reached out, as I pulled the paper from it. That's when I noticed the smell again. My eyes lowered to stare at the hand as it quickly retracted. It hadn't disappeared into the shadows quickly enough, however, for me to not notice how it seemed deformed. Skin seemed to hang from a small gouge, where I could almost see smoke eating at the flesh, even though no blood flowed to cease the burning.
"Come in," Rosi pulled the door open, slipping behind it, and out of sight of the sun. "It's so warm out there - surely coming inside would be much better," her comforting, yet still rough-sounding voice lifted into the air. I nodded, slipping into the house nervously. "Don't worry - I'm not the type to try to take advantage of you. I'm not strong enough to..." she murmured, almost solemnly.
I watched the figure move to close the door, then float across the room, her feet barely making a tapping sound as the toes of her shoes hovered on the floor. "Sit anywhere you'd like," she added, motioning for me to follow, as I found the single source of light - a candle sitting in the far corner of what seemed to be the living room.
Only a second after looking away from the candle, it seemed my vision had cleared and I could see everything fairly easily. Rosi's small, thin frame found a seat in a very large-cushioned recliner that had taken residence beside a small end table with a book as the only item lying upon it.
Hesitantly, I made my way to the chair across from her's - a small couch that possessed cushions that looked as if they would eat me. I could feel my body sink into it slightly as I sat down on it, keeping near the end of the couch, not wanting to rest my back upon the chair that would surely devour my entire body if I dared to lean back.
"What's your name?" Rosi shifted. This single shift seemed to pull her into a new light, as I could see the candle flicker behind her - shining enough light on her face for my eyes to adjust to view details. Her hair looked to be an abnormally light blonde, while her body seemed to be cloaked in white cloth, wrapping in a form fitting manner around her torso and neck, loosening around her chin to stop, and lean away from her small lips that seemed to be carved into a delicate smile. The cloth wrapped around her arms, seeming to lose the tight wrappings and loosely fell around her forearms, leaving gaps where flesh peered through. It took a moment, as I took in the rest of her form - her white sweatpants that flitted out around her ankles, where her feet were only covered with the white wrap around the middle of her foot - which was when I felt myself freeze, noticing a burn on her exposed foot, that soon brought me to look at the skin on her forearms again.
Rosi seemed patient, awaiting me to absorb the terror that seemed to sink in. Her flesh, an inhumanly pale color, was covered in little scars. Most areas that weren't scarred held terrible burns, including one that looked fresh, running along the back of her hand.
I couldn't find the words to bring out of my mouth. My name was lost as I stared at her mutilated flesh, but as I looked at her face, there were no burns. A small scar ran over her nose, from just below her left eye to the beginning of her right cheek, however, aside from this small deformity, her gentle face seemed to be the epitome of beauty.
Hearing her clear her throat, I finally managed to respond, "Jade - I'm Jade. Sorry," I apologized, hearing a small laugh in her throat.
"Don't worry - I've seen worse reactions," her small smile seemed to grow ever-so-slightly. "I'm extremely sensitive to light, almost any amount will hurt me."
"Are you... a vampire?" I tilted my head, thinking about how I had been outside moments prior, and how Bob has talked to me about their abilities at one point in time.
I couldn't help but feel slightly sad, thinking of that time. I missed Bob.
The woman gave a small nod, "in a way, you could say that. I wasn't bitten, nor born this way, though. There is no form of vampire that can be born. Not even if the mother is a human. Keep that in mind," she stared. "I've read books. It's impossible for the people who wrote those fairy tales to even guess what being something inhuman is like." A small pause was in the air before she decided that the topic was to be changed, "what brings you here, Jade?"
I looked down, noticing that I had yet to put away the paper that was held tightly in my hand, before shoving it into one of my pockets. "You know Frank, right?"
Nodding, she shifted again, causing the cloth around her neck to fall slightly, "yes. Part of Gerard's group, if I recall."
I shivered again, not being able to take my eyes off of her neck. Strange puncture wounds seemed to litter her neck, along with a long scar. The only thing that managed to pull me away from it was when she adjusted the article of clothing, pulling the neck of it back up to her lower lip.
"They went missing," I murmured, trying to ignore the strange feeling of my chest being sucked into itself.
A small laugh filled the air, and Rosi shook her head, "no, no! They haven't gone missing. Just on a trip. They stopped by just --" something stopped her mid-sentence as her eyes seemed to lower to my upper chest, staring in silence.
After waiting for a response, I reached up to touch just below the base of my neck, feeling something smooth touch my fingers. A small squeak emitted from the back of my throat, as I could feel tears stinging at my eyes.
When had I put the locket back on?
Slowly, Rosi met my eyes, her mouth moving without words, but only for a moment. "You're the one..." she paused, her expression seeming horrified, "you... They left you..."
"I..." a pause lifted into the air, as I couldn't really think of how to answer her question. My mind seemed to scramble for a moment, before I brought out the little note that held her name on it.
Who had written this? I couldn't figure out - having only really seen Frank's penmanship.
"Oh?" her voice chimed, as I could hear more clicking, and the sound of a chain lightly falling against wood. The door opened further, and a hand flew out from behind it, pulling the paper from my grip, almost too quickly for me to notice.
A burning smell rose into the air, but I couldn't identify what was burning. The scent seemed to originate from behind the door, however, the only light was the same flickering one that hadn't been emitting the smell moments prior.
The door creaked open slowly, and the hand reached out, as I pulled the paper from it. That's when I noticed the smell again. My eyes lowered to stare at the hand as it quickly retracted. It hadn't disappeared into the shadows quickly enough, however, for me to not notice how it seemed deformed. Skin seemed to hang from a small gouge, where I could almost see smoke eating at the flesh, even though no blood flowed to cease the burning.
"Come in," Rosi pulled the door open, slipping behind it, and out of sight of the sun. "It's so warm out there - surely coming inside would be much better," her comforting, yet still rough-sounding voice lifted into the air. I nodded, slipping into the house nervously. "Don't worry - I'm not the type to try to take advantage of you. I'm not strong enough to..." she murmured, almost solemnly.
I watched the figure move to close the door, then float across the room, her feet barely making a tapping sound as the toes of her shoes hovered on the floor. "Sit anywhere you'd like," she added, motioning for me to follow, as I found the single source of light - a candle sitting in the far corner of what seemed to be the living room.
Only a second after looking away from the candle, it seemed my vision had cleared and I could see everything fairly easily. Rosi's small, thin frame found a seat in a very large-cushioned recliner that had taken residence beside a small end table with a book as the only item lying upon it.
Hesitantly, I made my way to the chair across from her's - a small couch that possessed cushions that looked as if they would eat me. I could feel my body sink into it slightly as I sat down on it, keeping near the end of the couch, not wanting to rest my back upon the chair that would surely devour my entire body if I dared to lean back.
"What's your name?" Rosi shifted. This single shift seemed to pull her into a new light, as I could see the candle flicker behind her - shining enough light on her face for my eyes to adjust to view details. Her hair looked to be an abnormally light blonde, while her body seemed to be cloaked in white cloth, wrapping in a form fitting manner around her torso and neck, loosening around her chin to stop, and lean away from her small lips that seemed to be carved into a delicate smile. The cloth wrapped around her arms, seeming to lose the tight wrappings and loosely fell around her forearms, leaving gaps where flesh peered through. It took a moment, as I took in the rest of her form - her white sweatpants that flitted out around her ankles, where her feet were only covered with the white wrap around the middle of her foot - which was when I felt myself freeze, noticing a burn on her exposed foot, that soon brought me to look at the skin on her forearms again.
Rosi seemed patient, awaiting me to absorb the terror that seemed to sink in. Her flesh, an inhumanly pale color, was covered in little scars. Most areas that weren't scarred held terrible burns, including one that looked fresh, running along the back of her hand.
I couldn't find the words to bring out of my mouth. My name was lost as I stared at her mutilated flesh, but as I looked at her face, there were no burns. A small scar ran over her nose, from just below her left eye to the beginning of her right cheek, however, aside from this small deformity, her gentle face seemed to be the epitome of beauty.
Hearing her clear her throat, I finally managed to respond, "Jade - I'm Jade. Sorry," I apologized, hearing a small laugh in her throat.
"Don't worry - I've seen worse reactions," her small smile seemed to grow ever-so-slightly. "I'm extremely sensitive to light, almost any amount will hurt me."
"Are you... a vampire?" I tilted my head, thinking about how I had been outside moments prior, and how Bob has talked to me about their abilities at one point in time.
I couldn't help but feel slightly sad, thinking of that time. I missed Bob.
The woman gave a small nod, "in a way, you could say that. I wasn't bitten, nor born this way, though. There is no form of vampire that can be born. Not even if the mother is a human. Keep that in mind," she stared. "I've read books. It's impossible for the people who wrote those fairy tales to even guess what being something inhuman is like." A small pause was in the air before she decided that the topic was to be changed, "what brings you here, Jade?"
I looked down, noticing that I had yet to put away the paper that was held tightly in my hand, before shoving it into one of my pockets. "You know Frank, right?"
Nodding, she shifted again, causing the cloth around her neck to fall slightly, "yes. Part of Gerard's group, if I recall."
I shivered again, not being able to take my eyes off of her neck. Strange puncture wounds seemed to litter her neck, along with a long scar. The only thing that managed to pull me away from it was when she adjusted the article of clothing, pulling the neck of it back up to her lower lip.
"They went missing," I murmured, trying to ignore the strange feeling of my chest being sucked into itself.
A small laugh filled the air, and Rosi shook her head, "no, no! They haven't gone missing. Just on a trip. They stopped by just --" something stopped her mid-sentence as her eyes seemed to lower to my upper chest, staring in silence.
After waiting for a response, I reached up to touch just below the base of my neck, feeling something smooth touch my fingers. A small squeak emitted from the back of my throat, as I could feel tears stinging at my eyes.
When had I put the locket back on?
Slowly, Rosi met my eyes, her mouth moving without words, but only for a moment. "You're the one..." she paused, her expression seeming horrified, "you... They left you..."