Chapter 8

• An Unexpected Outburst
• Avellana, as a mortal, admired the way the sun would rise up every morning. She would wake up ever four 'o clock and waited for the rising sun. But now, as an immortal, she feared to even spare one glance from it. For her, it was beautiful yet deadly, just like a rose with thorns.
• She hid inside the cave, going further and further till not a single ray of sun reached her. She let her head lean on the cold, hard rock before letting herself think of ways to get into the faeries' domain. She never had been there before, which was scary because she didn't exactly know what to expect.
• There was a portal somewhere, but she didn't know where it was or if it actually worked. Maybe she could try for the places that she was sure had portals in them then she could go from there.
• "Penny for your thoughts, sister?" She turned around and looked at Frederick. His usually clean, combed back hair was messy and his green eyes hinted tiredness. His pale skin showed new, thin scars that were probably received from hard training. Would she tell him? No. She'd figure this out on her own; he had enough problems to deal with in here.
• "Not telling you," Avellana responded, rubbing her forehead.
• Not only did she need to worry about the faeries, but she also had to be a babysitter to the two new recruits who would follow her. She always needed to handle everything. With the thought, her hand crept to her mark, gasping when a cold tingle shot through her. "You're thinking about Blake," he pointed out, almost accusing her. "You're probably angry, or in shock, maybe even confused."
• She scowled, huffing when her brother sat down beside her. It wasn't true, she told herself, but it only made Avellana wonder on why Blake still didn't have the mark. She mentally smacked herself. "If he reject the bond, so be it. I don't need a love that's forced by some mystical magic of some sorts."
• But if it were James, you would've taken it. Her fists clenched, struggling to push those memories that were starting to resurface themselves. Why was it all coming back to her?
• As if noticing her annoyance, Frederick shook his head. "I'm not asking you to fall in love and get married. I'm just asking for you to try and get along."
• It was her turn to glare at him. "I don't need distractions in this mission, Frederick," her voice was cold and detached making him cringe. "Just because you let Olivia slip pass your grip doesn't mean you to toy with my relationships." She
• didn't know what had came over her. A feeling of guilt soared through her when the determined look on her brother's face faltered. His eyes were wide, so was his mouth. Before she could apologize, he stood up.
• "Fine, do it your way," his nostrils flared when he stalked off, leaving her alone.
• Avellana growled, punching the wall in front of her. Why had she brought that up? She felt as if she wanted to pull her hair out or even try to go on a killing spree like she once did a century back. Blake was the one who had caused all of these turmoil, she convinced herself. He was the reason why they were all arguing in the first place.
• This wasn't right.
• She scrambled back up, squaring her shoulders. Training. That was all she needed to get rid of the frustration building up inside her. She continued to walk till she could see the vampires already fighting with their swords while there were others who were throwing spears and some were daggering their opponents to the ground.
• She spotted the new recruits already practicing, but she only concentrated on Julie and Blake. Julie was running, blocking a combatant's kicks and punches while Blake was already trying to dodge bullets. Taking a deep unneeded breath, she continued to walk, ignoring Blake's waving arm when he saw her.
• Glancing at her surroundings, she settled for the lean man who continued to shoot with his gun, bullets flying everywhere, hitting his respective targets-messengers who were running around, avoiding to be hit. "Thomas," she said. Though they may not know each other well, it was required of her to memorize everyone's names.
• "Physical or Power?"
• "Physical."
• Avellana took a deep breath, erasing her mind from everything. She only concentrated at the tall man in front of her. Massaging her knuckles, she crouched down and bended her knees like her father had told her to.
• Without a warning, they both jumped at each other, pushing themselves to the ground as they did so. Stings of pain hit her like pounds of bricks when he clutched her arm and threw her to the other side of the room, her back hitting the solid ground. There were now a few stares, but by the way Thomas was advancing towards her, he didn't mind it at all.
• Thomas aimed his gun at her but before he could even shoot, she quickly ran
• behind him, hands already on his neck. She flipped him over, slamming his body on the stony floor.
• He hissed.
• Avellana smirked, grabbing a dagger that one of the combatants threw a few minutes ago. She was about to slash him or even stab him with it, but a searing pain from her stomach prevented her from doing so. Inhale and exhale, she kept her thoughts straight, the smirk already fading from her lips.
• Merde.
• Her hand went to her stomach, her weapon already shaking, but she only gripped it tighter.
• She jumped again, blood rushing to her face. She wasn't going to back down this time, the pain was enough as it was. Avellana gripped the blade, plummeting it down his throat, preventing him from shouting or even talking. Kicking the gun to the side so it was out of reach, she walked away.
• That was the training she needed.
• Usually people felt fresh when stepping out of the shower, clean in a way. Bloody and sweaty, Avellana somehow felt the same way. Never mind the bullet inside her stomach or even the new gashes and cuts she had received after being thrown to the other side of the room. The bullet would dissolve in her blood anyway, given its poisonous factor.
• "Are you okay?" That deep voice sounded once again, and she found herself looking at Blake once more. His face was covered with dusts with a cut sliding from his cheek to his chin. He winced awkwardly, almost finding it uncomfortable to move. "I saw you fight out there and-"
• Anger. Worry. Confusion. Amusement. Annoyance. If anyone had asked Avellana what she was feeling at the moment, pain really wouldn't be the first on her list. She looked at him straight in the eye, cutting him off from his rambles. "I'm fine."
• Blake tilted his head at her response, frowning. "Are you sure? You look like you're not."
• That was what had done it.
• Avellana didn't know what had came over her. Maybe it was because that was the same line James had told her when Olivia had left them. Maybe it was because of the fact that he was trying to act like he knew her or anything. She honestly did not
• know, but when she her vision finally cleared up a bit more, she found her hands around his throat and whispering to him, her voice sounding as if it had been dropped in a bowl of ice. "You think you know me?" she said. "I wouldn't really expect much from an ignorant person like you, but for a few hours, do you really think you have it in yourself to contradict what I've just said?"
• She let him go, and he stumbled backwards, surprised by her outburst. "I'm..."
• "Get out my sight."
• Avellana stalked off, not really noticing the glances that were directed her way when they could already see her mark on the blade of her shoulders. Why was she feeling this?
• Why had she done that?
• Even if there was a tiny bit of her that felt regret, she merely breath a sigh of relief. The feeling washed over her. It was like she felt light, something that she never really felt often.
• She pushed them away.
• No, I will not think like this, she told herself. It's a sign of weakness.
• She lied down on the cold surface; already back in her spot like a few hours before, letting her mind rest. She closed her eyes and let darkness take over her even if it was a short time. God knew she terribly needed it.
• * * *
• "Avellana?" A melodic voice pushed her out from her slumber. She glanced up to see blonde hair tickling her neck. All thoughts of swearing at the person who woke her was completely gone, and the said woman smiled.
• "Hello, Lizzie."
• "I learn to do flips!" Without another word, she did a back flip in front of the older vampire and she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, impressed. Lizzie wasn't really supposed to go out of her 'hide out', so she probably trained there. Maybe Frederick taught her. At the thought of her brother, Avellana looked down, staring at her hands.
• "That's great!"
• "He told me his name was Frederick and he told me I was awesome!" The little girl pumped her fists up in the air, but then her jaw dropped. "Oh no, I forgot to say thank you!"
• "Well then," Avellana stood up. "Let's go find him, and you can say thank you."
• They walked slowly in the dark corners of the cave, and Avellana observed Lizzie unknowingly. She was more and more like Olivia the more Avellana talked to her. She could sense maturity from the young girl, and from the way she skipped and bobbed her head, she was more like Olivia than ever. Probably a copy-paste version if it wasn't for the green eyes.
• She shook her head from the comparison, hoping that it'd dissipate soon. She didn't want to think of Olivia, not now anyway.
• When they reached the small opening, they saw a tall figure of a man resting his eyes on a makeshift stone-table, his fingers tapping on the surface over and over again
• "Brother, we have a visitor." She spoke up, leading the young girl inside. Avellana avoided his startled gaze, staying put.
• His face broke into a small smile and his eyes twinkled, something that happened quite rarely around here. "Hello Lizzie." He said kindly, motioning her to sit beside him. "How are you?"
• "I'm fine." Lizzie smiled. "Thank you for teaching me how to do my flips!"
• He nodded and they continued to talk as if Avellana already disappeared into the background. They looked as if they were in their own little world. Her gaze shifted to the small little circle at the corner of the room and her expression lit up right away. That was it! Inside the circle were blood bags (in case of emergency), weapons, bags, and even a map.
• The map, from what she had remembered had the small list of all the portals. It may not lead them to the faeries, but it was worth to give this a try.
• "Could I see mommy?"
• Her head turned to Lizzie then at Frederick who's gaping at her as if she had just asked if they had a three-headed dog. "Of course," he said before Avellana could even answer the girl. "Yes, I'll contact her right away."
• Lizzie squealed. "Yey! I'll meet mommy again. I'll go tell my friends." She didn't gave them a time to change their answer before she ran off leaving them.
• "I'm not bringing her mother here. I'm bringing Delia here." Frederick said before she could shout at him, and everything fell into place. Delia! Avellana grinned at the mention of her name, of course. The vampire could just change into anybody as long as she had seen them.
• She nodded, rubbing the back of her neck, "Okay, just don't let her come find me. I have things to take care off."
• The awkward atmosphere was still there, but it didn't look like it was bothering her brother. "Fine."
• He left.
• She sighed, not letting Frederick get a hold of her. She was just going to apologize later, besides, knowing him, he didn't had a bone in his body to hold grudges. Avellana walked to the circle and knocked on it three times.
• It swung open. She grabbed the map and stuffed it into the satchel she had in there too. She grabbed five bottles of blood. This wouldn't give her enough strength as it wasn't fresh, but it would heal their thirst if the need arose.
• She grinned, satisfied from the way she packed, and sat on the rock, drifting off in the process.