We walked down the hallways of the mansion.
Windows were lined against the left-hand side of the wall, allowing the newfound moonlight to shine throughout the corridors.
On the right side, doors were placed evenly across the entire wall, with a few meters of space in between each.
"Tell me about yourself, Jacob," Elara calmly said as we walked. She placed both her hands on the lower end of her back, mimicking what kids do when moving throughout the hallways in preschool.
"What do you want to know, exactly?"
There were not a lot of interesting things that I could say about myself. Sure, I had a dark background, but that was about it.
"Why were you at that church?"
"To be honest, I think Valerius wanted me to get experience," I said. "Pretty sure he didn't know you were there, either. He seemed surprised when we saw you."
"They don't tell everyone everything. My father finds his lack of strength embarrassing, especially compared to the other families," she said with a hardy sigh. "He probably didn't want word to spread that his only daughter went missing."
That made sense. If I was a powerful figure like Sebastien, I would not expose my weaknesses.
"Probably." It took a second before another word came out of my mouth. "About myself, though… As you already know, I'm Jacob Lavua—orphaned. It doesn't affect me too much after I found out what they did."
"And if you don't mind my asking," she started as her voice tried to slow down and show a hint of sadness. "…What did they do?"
I rubbed the back of my neck, debating whether or not to actually reveal what they were.
"They were Apostles," I said with a slight chuckle.
"They got executed shortly after my birth. At least that's what Valerius said."
"Oh…I'm sorry," she said with an empathetic sadness.
"Why are you apologizing? That was years ago. I don't even know what their faces look like."
"Because even if they were Apostles, they're your parents. You cannot change the love for your child, no matter your background," she said as she repositioned her arms to her front, aligning them somewhere near the middle of her check.
"I know you've told me about the garden already, but tell me more about yourself, too," I said in response. I wanted to try and avoid the topic with my parents as much as possible.
"Okay," she said, composing herself. "I hate being treated like I'm above everybody… At my old school—Firus Aquarius—they'd bow every time I walked into a room. No one spoke to me like a friend, only a distant respect. No rumors about me. Nothing to humanize me. I was just a nobility… Ugh! It's so annoying."
She clenched her hands into fists.
"I hope Umbra is better. I've heard they don't care whether you're noble or not there…I just hope that's true."
"Don't worry," I said as I got side by side with her. "If nobody treats you like a friend, I will, okay?"
Elara looked over at me, eyes wide.
Slowly, she slid her hair out of face. Combined with the moonlight, and her light colored red hair—I couldn't help but be enchanted. It was if those vampire fairy-tale stories that you'd hear as a child came to life.
"T-T-Thank you…"
We continued talking as we made our way to the guest room. The more we talked, the closer we became—even if it was slight.
"We're here," she said as we stopped at a set of double doors. "My room is this one." She pointed one door down to the left. "If you need anything, just knock."
She turned and headed toward her room, her steps slow, almost as if she was hesitating. Before she disappeared behind the door, she looked over at me one more time. She gave a soft smile in my direction. Not the kind of smile you force yourself to make, no—it seemed genuine, real.
Then, without saying a word, the door shut.
I stood there for a few seconds staring at the closed door. I didn't know why I stayed there. Maybe I was waiting for it to open again. Maybe I was praying for her to come out and talk to me more.
And for those moments, the thoughts of Aeshma, the thoughts of my first kill—they dissipated. I wanted to talk to her more. I wanted to see her hair, her eyes—I wanted to look at her, talk to her.
The hallway felt colder. Quieter.
I turned to the guest door. With a deep breath, I opened it and stepped in.
The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of the moonlight seeping through the curtains. It wasn't much besides the basics of a guest room: a bed, a desk with a lamp sitting on the right-hand corner, and a lump of silence.
I closed the door behind me, a soft click echoing as it nestled itself into place.
I stood there, staring up at the ceiling with my hands up to my cheeks. Sliding them down, I felt my skin stretch with the motion. "Ugh…" I muttered.
I just met her, why am I feeling like this?! I thought to myself, tugging at my face as my palms dragged lower. This is stupid. I don't even know her that well. We just met today!
I didn't understand what was happening with me. I wasn't that type of person. I wasn't an easy person. Yet there I was, being entranced by a woman I met that same day.
I plopped into bed, still in the slightly bloodied clothes I had been wearing all day. The mattress creaked under me as it showed its age. My eyes stayed locked on the ceiling, tracing the random patterns that were engraved in the grain of the wood.
What is wrong with me? I continued thinking. I'm not supposed to feel like this. Not now. Not now!
Earlier in that day, I was drinking a woman's blood, filled with nothing but lust for that woman's blood, and now I'm fawning over Elara's smile. What was wrong with me? Why was I thinking like that?
Maybe I really am a monster.