A Divine Rose 4/5

[Ashlynn Black]

Hah! The longest chapter of the five so far. Ashice, you may need to bust out the pillows and blankets; you might be here a while. Anyway, Enjoy. This one mainly introduces SLV; and... a New character...

Keh. Enjoy!

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Chapter Four:
The Awakening

Unknown.


He smiled and nodded to me, agreeing to my given name. Somehow the name just came to me, I wasn?t exactly sure why. There were still many questions to be answered, still very many gaps to fill. I still didn?t know what Niklas wanted me to do here, or who anyone else was. I was in a completely new world with demons, vampires, werewolves, and ?geshinkas?. I wasn?t one hundred percent sure of anything around me, not even of if I were dreaming or not.

?Ash,? Niklas said to me with a smile, ?It suites you. Although, it is much closer to your human name.? He said to me oddly, walking over to the bed in the center of the room. He sat down and I heard no part of the bed squeak at all, which was totally new for me. I?d have to get used to it.
?M-my human name?? I asked him with a curious tone, walking to him as I considered sitting down next to him. I thought about it. Really thought about what he was, and what he did to me. I decided to stand.
He nodded, ?Do you not remember?? He asked me, and then a moment of silence rang. ?Oh, that?s right?? He said, looking at me with a faint grin, ?you?re a half vampire? you must have lost some of your memories?? He said, then plopped down, laying down on my bed, ?That sucks.?
I felt my eyebrow twitch in frustration as I glared at him playfully, ?Do you mind refilling my memories, Niklas?? I asked him quietly, ?I would highly appreciate it.? I said to him, gritting my teeth as I watched him. Something about him just? irked me. Made me mad. Maybe it was his careless personality? or his half-asked thoughts.
He chuckled and looked up at the ceiling, which was black. ?I suppose I could tell you your name?? He said to me, and then sat up, trying to face me. ?Your human name was Ashlynn Black.? He said to me, ?That?s all I can tell you.? He said, then avoided eye contact my gazing off to some random item behind me.
Suddenly I remembered. Ashlynn Black? I lived with Christine and Jenna after Michael was killed. It all made sense now. I went to go see Niklas after I ran away. I nodded and sat down on the floor, twiddling with my fingers on the floor. ?I also have other questions.?
He sighed, and laid down on my bed again, but rolled over on his stomach. His head was hanging off the side of the bed so he could look at me, along with his long pale arms that dangled off the edge. ?I have a feeling this is going to take a while.? He mumbled as he shifted his position. After he was satisfied, he replied, ?Shoot.?
I sat cross-legged as I talked to him, moving my feet around, as I felt somewhat nervous. Nervous of the reactions he were to give. ?Uhm? first of all? explain why I?m here at Shadow.? I said to him, ?I?m still a little confused.?
I expected him to crack a smile, but oddly, his expression was completely serious. ?The Shadow League of Vampires makes the weak into the strongest, and makes them fighters to the end. We train all of our members for seven hundred years, to master the art of karate, sword fighting, black magic, the mind?s abilities, and possibly born abilities of strength or intelligence.? He said, ?After you are trained, you are sent out into the human world to an assignment. This assignment is a bad human being, such as a murderer or a thief.? He said, ?The Shadow League was made to kill the bad of the humans, to free them of the pain.?
I narrowed my eyes lightly, ?You want to help humans?? I asked him, ?Why? I thought you- ? we fed off of human blood, let alone kill them.? I said to him, waiting for a logical reply.
He shook his head slowly from side to side to my clever thoughts, ?Humans are weaker when they are in pain.? He said to me, ?If we are to free them of their pain, we can make the strongest League of vampires.?
I shook my head, ?I beg to differ.? I said to him, ?I believe that humans feed off of their pain and stress, which gives them strength and possibly hope.? I said to him, ?Fear is what gives us humans strength, let alone gives us something to be aware of.? I crossed my arms, as I finished my statement, ?If we were to be freed of pain, the vampires would be too weak to experience pain. For example. In a battle.?
He sighed in , and closed his eyes, ?You?re smart, you know that??
I closed my eyes in happiness and smiled, ?Thank y-?
?It?s annoying.? He said to me coldly, as he laughed. ?Any other questions??
I nodded, ?Why did you choose me to become a member of SLV?? I narrowed my eyes in anger, ?I?m not strong? I have no abilities-?
?You have passion, and dedication.? He said to me with a smile, ?You finish what is started, even if it takes you several years.? He rolled over on his back and stared at the ceiling, propping his head up with his hands, which were behind his head, ?It shows in your writing, your fighting style, and you have anger. Which provokes you to continue.?
I looked down, ?You have the wrong person,? I said to him sadly, ?I don?t want to be a half vampire, I wouldn?t even want to have one drop of vampire blood in my veins!? I said to him, shaking my head, ?it?s not all worth it.? I lifted my head and looked at him, smiling, ?You lied.? I teased him.
?Aw, shut up.? He said to me as he rolled his eyes, ?You haven?t experienced the best part of being a vampire. Immortality.? He said to me. ?You never age. You just grow stronger, and more wise. It?s wonderful.?
?But you cant die,? I said to him with a sad expression, ?You cant experience the afterlife.?
?Wrong.? He said, sitting up as he flew his hands in the air, ?This is the afterlife. One of them, anyway.? He shook his head from side to side as a faint scowl on his lips appeared, ?And just because your immortal, doesn?t mean you can?t die.? He said, sighing again.
I felt as if I were an annoying little sister asking pointless questions. I felt kind of bad that I was uneducated on the subject of being a half vampire, I just knew what I had read in books. What I despised. ?That makes no sense.? I said to him, ?If your immortality is pure, than you really cannot die.?
?Your starting to get annoying.? He said with a bitter tone, ?People can kill vampires. Humans, Demons, geshinkas, and mostly vampire hunters.? He said, ?There are special ways for us to die, but since we are wise, and strong, we can get out of those sorts of situations.?
?I see?? I said to him, ?So you?re trying to make the greatest league of vampires, to be the future race, and to try and eliminate humans.? I spelled out, ?that?s what the SLV is all about, right??
He nodded, ?Precisely.?
I laughed, and he seemed somewhat surprised, maybe even scared. I looked at him after a small second of humor, and then rested my hand on my brow, ?That?s really messed up, you know that??
He laughed along with me, sort of in a contemplation. ?You know what?s worse than that?? He asked me, in somewhat of a joking tone in his soft, wielding voice.
I chuckled, ?No? What?? I asked him.
?A young girl who joined Shadow to help, even though she despises vampires from the core of her black heart.? He said with in a twisted, sarcastically funny voice.
I looked at him, narrowing my eyes. I realized. It was ironic. I looked down and sighed, shaking my head lightly, ?Maybe your right?? I said ti him sadly, ?I am pretty pathetic.?
?Bah.? He said, flipping off of the bed as he faced me, his nose just barely touching onto mine. ?Your not pathetic at all,? He smiled, bnaring his large canines and perfect teeth, ?You just need to understand things you don?t allow yourself to know.?
I found myself disgusted, and pushed myself back, laying on the floor as he squatted over me. This was the Niklas I know. Niklas the vampire? the letched, perverted vampire? ?I?m not sure I understand now,? I said to him with a sigh in my voice, ?But eventually, I will catch onto why you need this.?

He pushed himself above me, his arms pushed against the ground, near my neck. The position he was in, basically, was him doing a push up. except, I was directly under his body. He was too persistent, possibly even ignorant. His personality, nevertheless, was still somewhat of a frat boy. Serious when he needs to, but when he?s around girls? ugh. Thinking about sex every seven seconds.

I scowled, and pushed him off of me. ?Stop screwing around.? I said to him coldly, ?If you really want me to understand about this? Shadow thing, then you can at least get your mind out of the gutter and think clearly.?
He pushed himself up from the floor and made his way to sitting next to me, actually being polite. ?I?m sorry,? He said to me, complete honesty in his voice, ?You have to realize that explaining about Shadow is just as an enigma as being in the dark.? He smiled, ?It?s the kind of thing you learn to love, but have to experience first.?

I raised a curious brow towards him, and still didn?t feel comfortable around him. That same irking feeling was coming over me; I hated when I didn?t know what was going through his mind. He kept me wondering about him, and I hated that. Of course, I didn?t know him as well now, but I have a feeling after seven hundred years, I?ll learn to know him a little better.

And yet, somehow I found myself believing him. It?s the true experience of doing a good deed, saving humans. That much joy can never be explained in such words; even the highest of reality. One?s view is diverse on certain things, as I knew. This was just another? life. I had to experience the basics of this world, as I did my own.

I nodded to him, and stood up. ?Alright. I understand.?
He laughed, standing with me as I began to walk to the door of my room. ?That was awfully fast on grasping such a thought.? He said, and then stopped me as I touched the door knob. ?Woah, now??
?What?? I asked him, ?Hoping to try your luck again?? I flew my wrist from out his seize, ?Give up, Buddy. Not interested.?
?Aww? darn.? He said, a shadowed snicker inside his tone of voice, ?And to think I might have had a chance?? He rolled his eyes, ?I was actually going to inform you about the people in shadow.?
I widened my eyes, ?Oh, really?? I asked him, ?Watching my back, are you?? I asked him, and cocked my head to the side a bit in antagonism, ?How sweet.?
He let go of my hand. ?Go nuts.? He said to me, ?Just don?t get killed. You have ? potential.?

I raised another brow, and then turned to the door once again touching the brass handle as I opened the door, stepping outside. I walked down the spiraling black stairs to the room beneath me, the room I had awakened in. I stepped down and saw Haruko there sitting on the couch, staring at the black table; with a simple red rose on in a clear vase placed creatively in the center.

Even though I didn?t know her very well, I oddly, wanted to. She was the first person I knew of in Shadow, the only one so far who seemed to care for me. Niklas, he just uses me as some toy to get what he wants. But, obviously, he is much more powerful, and I cant take that title from him just yet. As for this Haruko girl, she seemed distant, but also somewhat? kind. If she was willing to take care of me until I awakened, and be kind enough to inform me of my surroundings, she had to be the least bit caring.

I slowly made a step over to her, and then saw she quickly turned her head to stare at me; as if she were preparing to defend herself. I narrowed my eyes and brought my hand up to show her I didn?t want to harm her, but merely talk. She sighed and turned her head, looking out the window. She seemed some embarrassed of her mistake, but it?s only right to be aware of your surroundings when in a place like this.

I kept walking towards her until I made my way to the leather couch, and then sat down next to her. My presence seemed to make her uneasy, as if she didn?t know what to do; a little child in the room of their crush, so to speak.

?Hi, Haruko?? I said to her kindly, not knowing of any way to start the conversation. I leaned back onto the black leather and tried to relax at my first attempt of making a friend.
She turned her head over to look at me in the corner of her eyes. ?Hello?? She said; her tone deadpan, if not annoyed. She shifted her position on the sofa to make her more comfortable, as if bracing herself.
I smiled, and tried to bring up a decent subject. ?I? uhm? thought of a name for me.? I said to her kindly, ?Niklas told me my old human name, too.? I smiled kindly, baring my new white canines as I talked.
She sighed and continued to look outside of the window, as if not amused or entertained. ?That?s nice.? She said with the same tone, and I began to wonder if I were being annoying, or if she was merely going to ignore me.
I looked down to my fiddling thumbs in my lap, searching for answers. I took in a deep breath and turned to her, and just as I opened my mouth, she spoke.
?is this some type of pathetic attempt to be friends?? She asked me coldly, looking me in the eyes; her eyes narrowed showing me an ice blue color.
I let the breath slowly escape from my mouth, and then realized I had totally crashed and burned. ?It was?? I said to her, and then began to stand, ?But I guess you don?t seem interested?.? I began to walk away, as I suddenly felt a tight grip around my left wrist. I turned around to see Haruko facing me, standing with her hand wrapped tightly around my wrist.
Her eyes widened as she realized she was gripping harshly, and then let go of her grip on my slowly, sitting down as she smiled, still looking up at me. ?Call me Haru.? She said to me,.
I smiled. Maybe it wasn?t a total crash and burn after all. I sat down next to Haru, facing her as I bit my inner lip. ?Call me Ash.? I said quietly, nodding to her a bit. I think? I may have just met my first real friend.
?Ash?? She said quietly, ?It suites you.? She said to me, ?Your style, anyway.?
?Thanks?.? I said to her, and then looked at her outfit, trying to figure a personality from it.

She wore long, lightly colored blue jeans, which had a tear at each knee, along with a few stains around it. They were mostly from blood, I could tell. She must have been here while. I looked at her shirt and saw it was a beautiful silk shirt; with the color of dark blue; which matched her completion well. Her skin was fairly tanned, which made her almond shaped ice blue eyes pop out; be more noticeable. Her nails, though, were long and sharp; as I could guess it were her weapon. I could tell that where was blood underneath them by merely glancing, and then looked at her long, stringy hair. It was a white, almost silver, hue; falling down to her lower back like mine. She really was, beautiful, but her personality didn?t fit the appearance. Rarely, it doesn?t.

I blinked several times. ?If you don?t mind me asking?? I asked her politely, trying to put this as kind as I can, ?But? what exactly? are you??
She cackled as this, baring sharper canines than I. ?I?m a half demon, half wolf geshinka.? She said to me oddly, her voice sounding somewhat? amused.
My eyes widened as I remembered what Niklas had told me. Geshinkas were a rare case, and normally they are nice? but? often misjudged. ?Wow?? I said in awe, then wanted to take it back, ?A geshinka, huh??
She sighed, ?It?s not all that great.? She said in her normal tone; rudely. But I realized that this was what she was used to, and I wasn?t insulted. ?People look at you differently when you are a geshinka? treat you like an animal?? She sighed, ?Of course, I can really say that I?m not one?? She looked back over to me, ?But, sure, we have our advantages. Our senses are much stronger, but not many people think about that. Most people just believe I?m some mutated mutt.?
I narrowed my eyes, realizing why exactly she was being so cold. She, too, never really had the luxury of friends, and I?m guessing a kind family. ?I don?t think that about you?? I said to her kindly, trying to build her self confidence, ?I think you are really cool.?
She chuckled, and shook her head. ?Not many come to know me very well.? She looked down at her fiddling hands in her lap, ?Around here, I?m known as the distant bad-ass.?
?Bah.? I said to her, laughing, ?Sure, I believe you?re strong, and more than likely talented, but I also believe that you are caring.? I smiled to her a bit, and nodded in kindness, ?Most bad-asses just think of themselves, but when I look at you? I see a reflection of me.? I sighed, not believing I was to open up about my past so soon. ?My father was killed by a vampire when I was young, and he was the only person that I really trusted. My mother, Christine, was a drunk? and my older sister, Jenna, beat me.? I suddenly felt a ray of sadness, ?I always shut the world out of my life, and spent my time singing, or writing. Being alone, just having me for company, you know? So, one day, I just decided to run away? and then I met Niklas.?
?I see?? She said, ?We do have a lot in common. Deprived of our families, and friends.? She smiled a bit, and I realized it was warm, not threatening smile. ?I was the father of a famous demon, and my mother was? well? a wolven of the sort.? She said, ?My father expect so much of me, that he pushed me too hard, and cause me to fail more and more. And each time I failed, I was beaten. Because of this, I became cold and unforgiving? I never really knew kindness too well.? She sighed, ?Because of this, my father found my failures a disgrace, and I was banished from the clan of demons I was born into.? She shook her head slowly, as if breaking the memory from thought, ?I wandered the world for so many years, and used my pain and emptiness as an excuse to my existence.? She smiled, ?But then I met Niklas.?
I looked at her, and then saw that we locked eyes. There was silence for a while, and then we both cracked a smile. ?We do have a lot in common.? I said to her, and then stretched out a hand her to kindly, ?So? friends??
She looked from my eyes, to the hand, and then back to looking me into the eyes. She smiled and took my hand, shaking in kindly. ?I have your back.? She said.
I smiled, closing my eyes as I did so. I had finally made myself a friend, and in this situation, I was more than likely in need of one. I opened my eyes to see her staring back at me randomly. A smile on her face.
?So?? She began, walking close to me, ?What gave you the guts to come down here to talk to me?? She said; her smile fading as Niklas began to walk down the stairs. With my back to him, I saw her reaction; awe. She tried to hide it, but she failed miserably.
I smiled; seeing the distant one blush. I pointed behnd me, to Niklas who was clearly breathing on my neck. ?To get the hell away from him.? I said, then wanted to strike him as I felt him wrap his arms around my waist, pulling me to him. Pervert.
Her eyes widened, as she looked behind me. She narrowed them quickly and stared Niklas in the eyes coldly, ?Clearly.? She replied in a deadpan voice; shooting a fake glare at the letch behind me.
I heard him laugh, and then felt his grasp slowly let go as he walked around me to face her. ?Ah, Haru?? he said to her kindly, his voice soft and tender. He stood before her in a straight stance; tense. As if he were in the military. ?My number one geshinka.? He smiled at her, ?Have you finished the latest assignment?? He questioned her.
She nodded, her silver hair slipping over her shoulder and falling from her face as she did so. ?I did.? She said, practically growled. She watched him walk away, to another room, which seemed to have a lot of people in it. She had kept her eyes on his every move, and then looked at me; her face back to being pale.
I laughed. ?Pathetic.? Shaking my head, I looked her over, ?And I never would have thought you to be the love-struck type.? I cackled, ?So much for your bad-ass reputation.?
She rolled her eyes, as a slight shade of pink appeared slowly on her pale, white face. ?Is it that obvious?? She asked me in honesty, playing with her claws.
I nodded. ?He definitely knows.?
?Damn.? Haru scratched the back of her neck uncomfortably.
?How can you love a man that?s so forwa-?
?What is there not to like?? She asked me, ?He?s plain? gorgeous?? She said, her eyes zoning out as she turned to the door, where Niklas had stepped through. ?He?s smart, kind, tricky, mysterious??
I laughed. ?And a really, really obvious letch. Pervert. Peeping tom.? I began to make my list, ?But yes, I agree. When it comes to looks, he?s a god.?
She cackled, ?And you seemed so disgusted when he pulled you to him.?
I rolled my eyes and pressed myself against the ebony, metal stairway, ?I hate him.? I looked down, trying to find something to focus my eyes on,? He took my life from me. Made me? a? a monster.? I looked at my hands, trembling, ?I could never love a blood-sucking leech such as him,?
?For a blood-sucking leech?? She began, walking over to the door where Niklas left, ?He sure does care.? She smiled, ?He took the pain away from you, Ash. Gave you something to live for.? She placed her hand on the brass doorknob and twisted it, ?As he did to me. You should be grateful.?
I sighed, and began to follow Haru to the door, standing a few feet away from her as I felt my bare feet on the carpet. I said nothing, but looked at her, and tried to being up another subject. ?So, what is behind that door??
She stepped back and moved her hand to accent on the door, as if showing it off, ?Open it. Find out yourself.?
I rose a brow as I trailed my eyes from her hand to her ice-blue eyes, ?It won?t bite me? will it??
She cracked a smile. ?Maybe.?

I smiled faintly and turned my gaze back to the brass handle, looking at it with narrowed eyes as I wondered what was beyond it. I shook my head, knowing that it was merely a joke, and placed my hand upon the knob, grasping it lightly. I turned it to the right and heard something ?pop?, then held in a breath as I pushed upon the door, revealing what was beyond it. My eyes widened.

There were several people, if you could even call them that, around the rather large room. The room, I noticed off the bat, was red and silver. I had just walked into the den of a vampire?s hold; couches, a stereo system, a kitchen, and absolutely no windows. I smiled and looked around at the people around me.

They were unusual people; they looked as if they had just jumped out from a comic book. Not like I could really talk; with my blue-violet hair, I fit in perfectly with the crowd. Sighing as I took a step inside, Haru behind me, I saw Niklas standing a few feet in front of me. He was facing me, a sly smile on his face as she slowly crossed his arms. I scowled and looked at the people around him, only three other than us in the same room.

One was a male, a little older than me, maybe in his early twenties. He had auburn hair cut short; and there seemed to be a strange aura coming from him. It seemed extremely strong, as if he were hiding something. He wore blue jeans and a green T-shirt; fitting him well. His skin was mostly tanned; and he was smiling, revealing no fangs. He was definitely not a vampire. He also hid his eyes behind sunglasses, as I saw that there was something? different about him. There was blood seeping out from below the black shades; rolling down his face slowly. His eyes were? bleeding.

I blinked a few times and realized I was staring, and then looked to the left of him; a rather attractive female. She was smiling and talking to the man with bleeding eyes; as if they had something in common, or they had known each other for a long while. She had long, brown hair that fell a few inches passed her chest; and beautiful jade green eyes. Her skin looked soft and somewhat tanned; a little darker than fare. She was wearing a long leather skirt that was a tan color, along with a pale blue turtleneck sweater.

Behind her, there was a man leaning against the wall. He was about my age, and looked quite familiar. Something about him seemed like I knew him from somewhere; like I had seem him somewhere. He had short brown hair; and rounded brown eyes. He had a distant look on his face; shock, maybe. He wore his hair spiked up in the front; bits of blonde in his bangs. He was wearing baggy blue jeans and a dark red shirt; on the verge of maroon and red.

I held my breath as my faced flushed; every conversation stopping as I walked in the room. The next thing I know, I?m being pushed, and Haru walks over to the man against the wall. Faint whispers rang throughout the air as I felt a tug on my left elbow; pulling me away from the door. I turned and saw Niklas, holding me with his arm around my waist. I tried struggling away, but thee others were looking.

?Everyone?? he said loudly, stopping the talking immediately, ?I would like for you to meet a new member of Shadow.? He smiled, and began to rub my hip playfully, ?Her name is Ash; she?s a half vampire. She?s going to start training soon here; so be nice to her on her first day.?
I rolled my eyes, and broke away from his arms. ?I thought you said there were thousands.? I said simply, sidestepping so he couldn?t touch me.
He nodded, ?This is merely the fourth floor of the Tower,? his voice echoed through the den?s walls, ringing back to greet me for a second time, ?There are about ten in every level.?
I sighed, and walked over to an empty couch; across from the two I had caught eyes with earlier. I knew I was nervous; it was like I was on my first day of school all over again. Except, this time, I was in a different world, a different position. I was the ?new girl?, and I wasn?t used to seeing people- creatures like this. My hands were rested neatly in my lap as I let out a shaken sigh, biting the inside of my bottom lip with my new fang.

I heard something move and looked up, seeing that the man with bleeding eyes was walking over to me. My eyes widened; I sensed a strong aura from him, somewhat dark. I held my breath and watched him carefully as he stopped in front of me, looking me with a smile hidden on his face. I winced as I saw his hand move near my face, and then opened my eyes slowly to see that I wasn?t being hit, but merely a suggestion to shake hands.

He laughed at my reaction, and brought his hand back to his side. Moving his way over to my couch, he sat down next to me, looking at me kindly. I blinked several times and looked at him, afraid of his bleeding eyes. They were covered by a pair of sunglasses, but I was still wondering what caused them.

?So, you?re Ash.? He said to me with a smile, ?Sorry if I scared you with my appearance, I?m really not that bad of a guy.? He smiled, and stretched his hand out to me again, ?Let?s try again??
I outstretched my hand and touched his, shaking it with a light grip. After a second or so, I let my hand down to my lap again, and said nothing. I was too embarrassed. I didn?t know what to say.
He caught the sense of awkwardness, and smiled at me, ?I?m Fenris.? He said, nodding. ?I?m a werewolf demon.?
I blinked a few times, ?Really?? I had always wondered what it would be like to become a werewolf; and never in the world thought I would meet one. I kept looking at the blood dripping down his face, and wondered if that what was what was causing it.
He shook his head, ?No, the blood isn?t from the werewolf gene.?
I blinked; my eyes widened, ?H-how did you know I was thinking that??
He smiled, ?I can read your mind; you?ll learn, too. Niklas trains everyone about the same abilities.? Nodding, he went on with his story, ?I?m a demi-god; my father was the demon lord Abbadon, keeper of the devil himself.?
I blinked. Was he serious?! ?Uhm? Wow?.? I said in surprise, ?A demi-god?? that wasn?t expected at all.
He nodded, ?Because of that, I am trapped, and have to obey him?? he sighed, ?A side effect of all of this, is my eyes, of course. And when I turn into my demonic werewolf side, if you get me mad? flames. Everywhere.? He smiled, ?Which is actually quite cool.?
I laughed, ?That seems like it would be hard on you?? I said to him in a quiet tone, listening to his entire story, ?I bet being a demi-god is a hassle.?
He nodded, ?You have absolutely no idea.? There was a moment of silence, as if he were thinking about something serious. Finally, he broke the sentence with another question, ?So, do you know of anything you can do now? Power-wise??
I shook my head, ?As of now, I?m a sitting duck.? I sighed with a faint smile appearing slowly on my lips.
He stretched a bit, arching his back a little. ?Don?t worry, Niklas will find things out. He may seem like a little pervert, but when it comes to fighting, he?s pretty good.? He cackled quietly, and leaned in to whisper something in my ear, ?But I can whoop his ass by merely stepping on him.?
I blinked a few times, and laughed, ?Somehow, I believe that. A vampire doesn?t stand a chance to a demi-god.? I said, showing my fangs as I smiled to him kindly, ?I bet you?ve been tempted to do it a couple of times.?
He chuckled quietly, and laid back, relaxing, ?Yeah, actually. I have. But I have to keep remembering, that he?s a High Vampire; he has a lot of friends.? He smiled, and looked over at me to realize my quizzical look.
?What is, exactly, a High Vampire?? I asked him oddly, curious of the answer to my inquiry, twiddling my thumbs out of boredom.
His brows raised a bit in surprise, ?A High Vampire is one of the original forsaken.? He said, ?One of the eight purest of vampires. You see, a very long time ago, there was a war. There were only a few survivors, eight from one side. There were miles on top of miles of dead bodies; and they were searching for a way to go back to their homes. On their way, they met an older man, Lucifer in disguise. Lucifer told them that if they were to drink human blood for three days straight, then he would make them immortal. They did so, and when they died the third day, they were brought back as the original eight vampires. They call the eight ?The Forsaken?, and Niklas is one of the eight.?
I blinked a few times, and pictured the story in my mind, ?Wow? Niklas is one of the forsaken, eh?? I looked over at him warily and sighed, ?And they were left to create a new species.?
?Precisely.? He said with a smile, nodding a bit as he yawned, ?I figure I?ll let him live for a little longer. He?s not that bad of a guy, once you get to know him.?
I rolled my eyes, ?Apparently he likes women,? I said with a sigh, cracking my knuckles absentmindedly.
?Actually, this is the first time I?ve ever seen him act this way against anyone else,? He raised his brows again, ?But as far as I can tell, he must know more about you than you think.?

My eyes narrowed as I looked into his ey- ? erm? glasses, wondering if there was possibly something he was from hiding me. I then reminded myself that he could read minds, and stopped myself before I started jumping to conclusions. Fenris seemed like a pretty nice guy, as odd and as sarcastic as he might be.

?Oh, really?? I said to him with a smile, turning my gaze to see Niklas in the kitchen to his back to me. He seemed to be talking to a newly-entered person in the room, and from what I understood, it was definitely not a girl. I could tell by his body frame.
Noting the fact that I rudely moved my eyes to another person in the room, Fenris waved his hand in front of my face. ?Really.? He said with, somewhat, of a faint smile as I turned my vision back to his glasses.
I smiled and chuckled a bit under my breath, ?Sorry about that,? I said to him kindly, my tone somewhat apologetic, ?I?m just trying to remember all the observations I make. I noticed the guy that just walked into the room; and I was curious to see who he was.? I smiled and looked down to my twiddling thumbs uncomfortably.
?I understand.? He said, leaning back farther into the sofa, ?It?s hard to get used to an incredibly new world. If you want, I can introduce you to everyone around here.? He said humbly, nodding to me in return.
I shook my head, ?That?s awful nice of you, Fenris, but I want to introduce myself.? I smiled, and then felt a little cold after saying that. After all, he was only trying to help. As a result, I decided to split a bit between, ?But learning their names and basic stuff wouldn?t be too bad.? I smiled to him, ?Just so I don?t start off on the wrong foot.?
He nodded and pointed across the couch to the girl I had seen earlier, with the brown hair. ?That?s Saati.? He smiled, and then put his hand back down onto his knee, ?She?s a werewolf, although she can control when she changes.? He said to me kindly, ?She?s an interesting one, that girl. Always quiet, and putting herself down.? He shrugged, and then looked back over to me, ?But once you get to know her, she?s a pretty good gal.?
I nodded and then brought my eyes to the man who was leaning against the wall, watching me carefully. He seemed somewhat paranoid, but very familiar. I then looked to Fenris again, and said very quietly, ?And who is he??
Fenris narrowed his eyes, I could see once he had his head turned to me; looking out to him. He slowly turned his head back to look at me, and shrugged. ?That?s Aubrey.? He said to me kindly, ?Niklas?s main man. He?s a full-fledged vampire, and is hardly ever seen quiet.? He leaned in close to me, and then backed away. Oddly, I heard his voice in my mind.

I?m not exactly sure why he is acting this way. Maybe he has something to do with your coming here?

I turned my eyes to him, and shrugged. I hadn?t the slightest clue.

Sure he seemed somewhat familiar, but I don?t think I knew him. He didn?t seem to be very friendly, at least to me. He may have been a part of me becoming the way I am, and if I did know him when I was human, he certainly wasn?t a good memory. That, or it was someone I was meant to forget.

I nodded to Fenris and turned my eyes back to him once more. There was only one other person I needed to know about, and that was the newly entered male. All I saw was his shoulders, for he was standing before Niklas when I first had my glance at him. I hadn?t any clue otherwise of his appearance, just that he was male and slightly taller than Niklas.

?And him?? I asked the demi-god beside me, smiling as I bit my bottom lip.
?Oh, that guy?? Fenris said to me with a smile, pointing over his shoulder to him.
I nodded, ?Who else??
He smiled and cracked his knuckles absentmindedly, ?I don?t know much about that guy. All I can give you is a name.? He said with a quiet tone, as if he were afraid of someone else listening in.
I cocked my head to the side curiously, and shot him a sly smile. ?And it is???



?Dante.?

[The Elelmental Paladin]

This chapter is very interesting. I love that Ash's personality seems to effect the being around her, and she has finally making friends. I think that I just ... nevermind. I can relate to Niklas!?! BTW how do you pronounce his name? :-? Post the last chaoter your posting soon!! You're mean.

[Ashlynn Black]

-Laughs-

You pronounce it Like: Nick-las.

And you can relate to him? God, I hope not... -Eye twitches-

[The Elelmental Paladin]

Well, a littlelot like him in my view of him. Although I have yet to get a firm grasp of his charactor. And TY for the clearifation.

[Ashlynn Black]

He really starts to get evil when training starts, and Chapter Six throws in a huge-ass throw off into the story. -points and laugh- But you'll never read it!

And no problem, love. Any questions? Feel free to ask anytime.

[The Elelmental Paladin]

I'll read it if I can find the acual book once it's published. jerk.

[Ashlynn Black]

Hey! Be nice! I think I'll at least post chapter six, just for you. ^__^;

[The Elelmental Paladin]

Hooray!!!! *glomps* Thanks!

[Ashlynn Black]

of course! ^-^

[dragonmaster892005]

great ready for the next one great job i think i might to try printing these to read at school