Elia had never seen such bright stars before, in fact she didn't remember seeing stars at any time, but now, when it finally got dark and she was able to approach the window, she admired the bright points in the pitch-black sky, whose lights pulsed towards her eyes, as if only for her. Elia didn't even know if she ever thought stars were important, but now she did. Those stars in the night sky were her companions between the iron bars that Alec had placed outside the window. He had not placed bars on the door, for there was always someone at the door, watching her, so that she would not escape.
The room was a destroyed, Elia had broken most of the furniture in the nights that followed her awakening with the clumsy movements of someone who didn't understand her own strength. Elia didn't mind the desk or chairs, but the bed was a nuisance. After stargazing for hours on end, she liked a place to lie down, so she grabbed the clean sheets Alec had brought and made a pile of them near the window along with the pillows. A little nest. That way she could stargaze all night until the uncomfortable feeling of the sun came up.
- You won't burn - that's what Alec said last time when he noticed that the girl was avoiding the sun rays that came through the window. He reached out to demonstrate, but Elia turned her face away. She didn't want to see the sun.
What was the point if she couldn't go outside?
- These are your things; do you remember them? - Alec took clothes and objects from the backpack and placed them in front of Elia, but the girl was indifferent. She took the mp3 only because she knew she could listen to music with it, and in the first few days that was all she did.
While Alec showed the objects that supposedly belonged to her, the monster kept walking in circles outside the room. Elia could hear his footsteps and that alone gave her a feeling of fright, as if at any moment he would get tired of waiting and invade the room, but Alec said that Demetri would behave if she behaved too.
- Why are you afraid of me? - Sometimes Elia would go over everything he had told her after she woke up, his gaze was desperate, but Elia would just hide behind Alec, clinging to his clothes as a shield. - You were never afraid of me...
Demetri's voice failed after many pleas, but Elia refused to look at him. She didn't know why, or if Demetri's statements that they had known each other before were true, Elia only knew that she felt distressed and scared when looking at his face and wanted distance.
Alec said she couldn't feel pain anymore, but when Elia put her hands on the side of her neck, she could feel the scars on her skin and could swear it still burned.
But the burn in her throat was even worse.
There was a human in the house, a woman, and Elia would sometimes lay her head on the floor to listen to her walk. She didn't know how, but she knew exactly where the woman was and what she was doing if she concentrated hard enough. Elia could even hear her heart beating, pumping blood… Blood, blood, blood...
"Stop, Alec said I can't drink from her".
When the door opened, Alec's smiling face was the first thing Elia saw, and he closed the door quickly enough that she didn't see Demetri standing guard outside.
- You're back! Finally... Did you bring it? Where is it? - Elia spoke quickly, sometimes so quickly that Alec had to ask her to repeat herself, but this time he knew exactly what she wanted.
- Yes, of course! You are behaving well and you need to eat.
Elia clapped her hands, more than a normal human could do in a second, then ran back to the window, to her nest of sheets, and held out her hand.
Alec knelt beside her, pulling a glass jar of a viscous, wine-colored liquid from the backpack. Elia couldn't wait and snatched the jar from his hand, urgently opening the lid and swallowing the blood in quick, thirsty gulps.
- Slowly, please - Alec warned her, but Elia couldn't hear him.
It was as if all of Elia's senses were heightened as she drank, but everything was completely connected to that blood, as if there was some kind of substance there that left her completely satisfied. And the smell, Elia loved that smell, so sweet, so perfect... So little.
- Is it over already? - she said, surprised, using her fingers to scoop up what was left without caring that it would get dirty.
That blood, the blood that Alec brought was all she needed, yes, not even the human that sometimes walked through the house had the aroma of that perfect blood that Alec brought to her. Did she need to collect it to be sure? Did she need to store it and wait for it to ripen? She had so many questions.
Elia handed the jar back to Alec, lying down on her nest, sucking the remaining drops of blood from her fingers. Her face was dirty and sticky, and there was still dirt and dried blood on her legs. Elia was still wearing the same dress she had when she woke up, ignoring Alec's requests that she needed to clean herself, change her clothes, and comb her hair, which was still tangled with what had once been her human blood.
Alec stared at the girl for a few minutes, and Elia stared back. He was pale, but not scary pale, his skin was simply perfect, as were his big red eyes with long doll-like lashes. The cupid's bow on top of his full lips was well drawn and his brown hair gave him a youthful appearance.
She didn't know why Alec would sometimes study her after she fed, as if he was waiting for something to happen. She didn't ask for more, not after he denied it so many times... Elia had lost count of how many days had passed.
- How strange, I don't know how long I've been here - Elia whispered to herself, but Alec heard it anyway.
The footsteps outside started again and suddenly Elia looked away, she wanted to sleep, she didn't need to, but she really wanted to dream, that way she could ignore the presence of the vampire who was guarding her door.
- You need to change your clothes, please - Alec asked once more.
Elia licked her blood-stained fingers again.
- I don't want to.
- Do you really want to wear rags for the rest of your existence? - Alec put the magic jar back in his backpack. Elia was sad, she wanted more, but Alec said that if she ever wanted to leave the room she needed to have self-control.
Alec lay down next to Elia on the nest of blankets, both of them staring at the ceiling with exposed wooden beams and a few plaster stars carefully placed in the corner of each wall.
Elia heard Demetri mumble something directed at Alec, so she clung to him again.
- It's okay - he caressed her back and the back of her head. Alec remembered seeing the open wound and was relieved that the poison had been enough to heal it. - He won't go in.
Elia nodded.
- But you need to take off those dirty clothes, please - he looked her in the eyes as he asked - I don't want to look at you anymore and see the girl who almost died.
- Don't you want to look at me anymore? - Elia repeated.
Alec wasn't sure if she understood, but Elia soon moved away from him, nodding repeatedly.
He sighed in relief and soon headed for the door that led from the walking closet to the bathroom, turning on the hot water to fill the lion's foot bathtub and throwing in the salts and soaps that Renata had recommended. In a matter of seconds Elia caught up with him, she was still stumbling at her own speed and her appearance seemed to have come out of an amateur horror movie. She was distracted by the lights that illuminated the bathroom for a long time until the mixture of soap and water began to form bubbles.
An awkward Elia leaned against the tub, nearly pushing it over if Alec hadn't caught her in time. She stared at the bubbles the same way she stared at the stars in the sky, and Alec wondered if this would become another habit.
- You control your speed, remember that - Alec said.
- Yes, yes - Elia agreed, but in the silly way a child tells their superiors after being scolded several times.
Alec turned his back when the girl finally took off her dress, he heard her getting into the water, but when he turned to look at her, Elia had dived to the bottom of the tub. She came back to the surface after a few minutes, laughing and brushing the wet hair from her face.
- I can see the bubbles even underwater!
Alec smiled, he took a sponge and began to gently clean her face. Then he handed another sponge to Elia.
- You can't live this new life with remnants of the old one - he said.
Elia just nodded, rubbing her legs while Alec looked for a hairbrush.
- Here - he handed to her. Alec took a stool that was in the corner of the bathroom and used it to sit next to the bathtub, observing carefully whether Elia was really removing all the remains of dirt and blood from her body, focusing only on that and not on the shapes of her body.
That way she could finally exist in this new reality.
Only one thing remained wrong.
- Why don't you take off that ring?
Elia's gaze, again distracted by the bubbles, quickly focused on the silver ring on her finger.
- No remains of the old life - Alec repeated, and Elia noticed his eager look.
She raised her right hand, looking closely at the silver ring with a pearl in the middle.
- But I like it, I like looking at it.
- Elia...
The girl dipped her head back into the tub before Alec could form the sentence. He threw one of the sponges at the wall angrily and bit his right hand to contain a scream he didn't want Elia to hear.
Alec stood by the tub for a while longer, waiting for Elia to surface, but she didn't move. He had put hot water in, but it was already getting cold. Either way, it wouldn't make any difference to her now.
-I must go now - Alec said, holding out his hand over the water - Someone will come and help you get dressed. She's a friend, so be nice to her.
The boy waited, and when he thought Elia was still upset, she reached out her left hand out of the water, holding his.
- I'll be back soon.
When Alec left the room, Renata was already leaning against the hallway, while Demetri continued his nonstop pacing from one side to the other.
- She's in the bathtub - Alec said with relief, staring only at the fragile and small-looking vampire - I brought clothes from her house, I imagine she'll feel better wearing them.
- Are you sure? - Renata dragged a suitcase with her - I brought clothes just in case, since I don't know her size I also took some from Heidi and...
Demetri's laugh sounded more like a wolf's roar. He had checked Heidi as soon as Elia woke up, but found nothing.
- You look terrible - Renata said - I feel like I've been saying that a lot.
- You can't handle a newborn - Demetri took a few steps forward. His hair was a mess since he kept fidgeting with the strands as he walked, and his clothes were wrinkled and unkempt. He looked at Alec. - Are you sure she's the right person?
- I can take care of a woman - Renata raised her hand. She had her hair tied up and was wearing a black coat and gray linen pants - and as for security, I'm a shield, and she's just one, not an angry horde, I can handle it.
Demetri didn't look convinced, but Alec was confident.
- We have no choice, we need to go anyway - Alec said.
Demetri snorted, he hadn't left Gianna's mansion since Elia had been brought here. - Good luck - Renata said before entering the room - I hope Master Caius is in a good mood.
xxxxx
- I still don't trust you - Demetri told Alec when they both arrived at the castle.
It was still night, but they still took the path underground.
- What do you mean by that? - Alec replied, not even hiding his playful smile.
- Elia's accident - Demetri rubbed his face like a tired man - she woke up scared of me, with no memory, of course there's something wrong...
- Humans lose their memories all the time, Demetri - Alec sighed. They had already had that argument dozens of times - it's not my fault she associated fear with you.
- We'll see - Demetri replied, without giving in.
Alec wanted to rip his head off, but it wasn't time yet. Master Caius was waiting and they both needed to protect Elia from his wrath now.
The hall had a gloomy appearance at night with poor lighting and Caius's rabbit eyes were attentive to every word that Alec and Demetri said, and they noticed that the elderly vampire had to restrain himself several times to avoid throwing the furniture over the walls. Jane had taken the liberty of sitting on the throne next to him like a princess who was learning her father's business, gaping at the story her brother and Demetri were describing. Gianna was also present, but she was just a tool, so Caius didn't ask her to give her side of the story. He was already pissed off enough with those two.
- I need to breathe - Caius said, standing up as soon as Demetri finished telling about the newborn vampire who was now in Gianna's mansion. He fanned his face with his hands, walking in circles like an old habit - how ridiculous, I don't need to breathe!
He looked at Jane, who was still quiet, with a blank stare.
- What would you do with them, Jane?
- Me? - the girl was visibly upset and Alec knew he would need her support - If Alec wasn't my brother I would ask for his execution right now.
Alec was shocked by those words. It was the first time Jane had addressed them to him.
- Correct - Caius replied, massaging his forehead - but Alec and Demetri are essential to our future plans, so I think we can just kill the girl.
- No! - Alec and Demetri said at the same time.
- Why not? She's the source of all our problems! - Caius began to speak - Your distractions, disobedience and rebellion!
He pointed at Demetri and Alec as he spoke, especially at Alec. Behind him, Jane just shook her head, until she finally left the hall without even saying a word of support to her brother.
- What were you thinking? We're being attacked, have you forgotten that? - Caius looked at Gianna for a moment, enough to make her shiver - A newborn, a girl with no skills and no memory!
Caius started to laugh, then he walked back around the hall until he sat back on his throne.
- Just look at you two - Caius sighed as he stared at both of them - Demetri looks ready to jump at my throat and you, Alec... I see the mist on your hands.
Alec looked at the vampire beside him, Demetri seemed to be calculating how long it would take to kill Caius and leave the underground, then he looked at his own hands, the mist was actually forming without him realizing it.
- What a disappointment - Caius said - and the delay in coming to see me only made everything more difficult... My plans...
He stopped talking and Alec heard more people approaching the hall, one of them was Jane.
- I can't wait for this girl to get tired of you two! - Caius gave them a scary smile, which looked more like a clown's mask that didn't suit his young, delicate face at all.
Jane finally returned to the hall, holding the heavy door for the person who was following her, a vampire with translucent skin with a welcoming smile that usually hid ulterior motives.
Alec gulped and quickly hid his hands in his pockets. He soon understood why Caius was so angry. The delay in his plans and the turn of a Volterra resident, along with Alec and Demetri's refusal to continually return to the castle to care for Elia, all contributed to his downfall.
And now Aro was back