Romance Fan Fiction / Original Stories Fan Fiction / Fables/Fairytales Fan Fiction ❯ The Blood That Ties ❯ Hatred ( Chapter 12 )

The Blood That Ties

 

“Oh...Hold it. What?” Gabrielle arched an eyebrow at the cold diviner posed in her doorway, crossing his arms across his chest. Of course it was her intent to mirror his pose, and to lean against the doorway to prevent his entry if he so chose. The last thing she needed was for him to barge in and realize she had not one, but two men in her room after hours.

 

“You heard me. I'm taking you to your new instructor.” Venom seemed to fill his every word, his hiss causing a wave of generally unpleasant emotions to shiver through Gabrielle's body. Of course, he had always been cold in the past with her; it would be a far stretch to say they were friends, even on their better days. But something was different about the way he spoke to her that night...It made his earlier tones and comments seem friendly and warm compared to the way he glowered at her now. “If you don't make a fuss about it, I'll forget about the company you have.”

 

Oh, shit.

 

“Damn it!” Groaned twin voices behind her, Gabrielle couldn't help but break into the smallest of smiles as the twins shuffled out of her bathroom. Both didn't seem very pleased at the young diviner's blatant display of his powers, if he had been anyone else, he would have gotten in trouble for exploiting his powers. But not Emeris. No. Never Emeris.

 

“Busted again you guys...” Gabrielle turned inwards to her company, offering the worried set of twins a small smile, attempting to joke in this potentially disastrous situation. Damon and Darien offered sheepish smiles in return, casting a wary glance to the stoic diviner in the doorway.

 

“Catch you on the flip side...” Darien gently grazed the young vampire's shoulder.

 

“...Make her cry again and we'll be paying you a visit.” Damon warned the young diviner. Surprisingly, the threat seemed to crack the icy shield that separated Emeris from everyone at the Order. He almost seemed shocked, before a gust of dark cloud brushed by the former mentor and protégé, signalling that the dark imp could exploit his own powers and vanish into the labyrinth-like halls of the Order.

 

Gabrielle gulped gently as a dark silence fell over the two. At least with the twins lurking in the background, the young red head could focus on something other than the tension between them...But now that distraction was gone, and the two were forced to realize that something was wrong between them.

 

“Are you going to stand there like a lost puppy all night? Because I, for one, have things to do.” Emeris's stern voice snapped Gabrielle out of her horror-stricken trance, her mind halting in its thoughts of how quickly they could go from barely tolerating to hating one another.

 

“Sorry. Lead the way.” Gabrielle's head hung low, like a disciplined child as she moved out of the doorway of her room, closing and locking the damned thing behind her. Following Emeris obediently, the young vampire did not bother sparing any words to the brooding diviner, he had made it clear enough that he was being forced to do this.

 

It was amazing how many fights had erupted between the young diviner and vampire, and how despite them they seemed to have developed a mutual respect for one another. Sure, in the days that he was her mentor, it was not like she was running around with him, having fun as she had done with the twins and Jean...But she could at least rely on him to tell her what she needed to know, without the sugar coating, to remind her that this was all real...

 

Funny how things you could loathe about a person, became the same qualities you missed when they loathed you in return.

 

“Emeris...I—“

 

“Here we are.”

 

Gabrielle hadn't even noticed that they had stopped moving, or that the walls around them had changed from dark stained wood to a lighter chestnut hue, stain windows covering most of the exterior walls. It was much like the lobby where Gabrielle had sat her first day here at The Order. Back when she understood very little of what was going on, and was unsure of how many days the young girl had left.

 

The door before them was almost as grand as the entrance to the Abbot's quarters; however the two statues on either side of the doorway proved that this was not the office where she had spent endless minutes preparing for her fate. Yet, the same feeling of dread managed to creep its way into her stomach.

 

What horrifying new chapter of her life was she starting here? Then again, could anything be worse than the vicious and sometimes violent outbursts between herself and Emeris night after night?

 

“W-What is here exactly?” Gabrielle gulped very gently, gazing at the stoic boy's back as he delivered a swift kick to the door, opting not to be like any normal person within the Order and knock. Unfortunately, the cold brunette offered no words or hints at an explanation to the confused young vampire, he simply kept his back to her as he glared at the door.

 

“You're late. She was supposed to be here an hour ago.”

 

Gabrielle jumped violently, bumping into Emeris once again as she spun around rapidly. The voice had emanated from just behind her ear, just barely over her shoulder, close enough that the breath of the speaker had ticked her neck, causing goose bumps to ripple over her skin.

 

Andrea.

 

Was she her new mentor?

 

“Bullshit Andrea. The sun just set. What time would you rather me bring her? I don't know why you couldn't have the `Wonder' Twins bring her to you. You lazy cow.” Emeris growled at the raven haired female, apparently choosing not to enter the room whose door was rudely kicked open. And a muffled cough soon after quickly alerted Gabrielle of this, signalling for her to calm down and step out of his personal bubble. Gabrielle complied without comment, her eyes locked onto Andrea's.

 

For once, the raven haired woman was smiling.

 

“I'm sorry, I don't make the policies around here, but you're welcome to fuck off any time. I'm sure Gabrielle doesn't need you looming over her, you've made her life hell enough.” Emeris was growling behind her, visibly seething at the cold words that slipped right off Andrea's smiling red lips. It was a miracle that he was taking this all in stride, if this had been Jean, Emeris would be damned to last thirty seconds into the ordeal without blurting out some negative comment.

 

Instead, Emeris seemed to simply stare at the young beauty. Well, Emeris never could simply stare at someone, so of course the eyes were narrowed, scowl permanent as always. But no more words were spoken between them, at least not out loud.

 

To Gabrielle, it felt as if she was eavesdropping on a private conversation, even though no sounds emitted from either party. And it wasn't until the sole of her sandals squeaked across the floor that the two seemed to realize the young vampire's presence. Emeris coughed awkwardly, his back straightened, only a quick, precise mutter escaped him before he spun on his heel and vanished from sight.

 

“Enough of that. You're late. We're late.” Andrea's china doll-like features seemed to light up after the brooding diviner's awkward, sudden exit from the already awkward, sudden situation. Dark orbs seemed to glisten as Andrea's usually stoic face broke into a gentle smile. Even though a smile was usually a comforting notion, a part of body language that usually screamed contentment, the way the young beauty's lips curled only stirred odd emotions in Gabrielle.

 

How was it possible that she could smile coldly?

 

Mirroring the small smile that graced Andrea's lips, Gabrielle finally managed to find her voice.

 

“Is...Being late really a problem? I mean it is night and all...”

 

“Dear Bloodsucker, only a small percentage of the world's species are day-dwellers. Most of the Order is nocturnal. But I suppose Freakazoid didn't bother taking you out on field trips, isn't that right?”

 

“...He preferred a more...Textbook approach.”

 

“Of course he would. Why focus on interaction when you could shove your nose in a book all day. Pathetic freak. He's setting you up for failure.” Andrea scoffed at this, her fingers snaking around Gabrielle's wrist, clamping on before tugging the vampire into the alcove of...Whatever room Emeris had brought her to in the first place.

 

He never did answer her did he?

 

“Well, was setting you up for failure.” With that, the heavy wooden doors flung open, flying away from the touch of Andrea's fingertips. As if the entire foundation of the Order would much prefer not to be touched by the odd girl.

 

If Andrea hadn't practically have been dragging Gabrielle into the room, heaven knows how long the young vampire would have stood in the doorway of the immaculate room for several minutes longer than acceptable. Maybe hours. Any room Gabrielle had previously entered in the Order had paled in comparison to this, this lavished arena they had found themselves in the center of.

 

The room in itself was oval shaped, the walls having more of a steep incline, rather than consisting of right angles. Bleachers stretched their way up the steep inclination, creating enough seating for hundreds of people, if not the entire Order. In the center of the arena, where Gabrielle and Andrea has just entered, a soft, mat-like floor laid under their feet, and the eight feet of wall between the center and the first row of seating was littered with weaponry from every era imaginable. Swords, sais, strangely enough a hand gun or two hung neatly and organized on the wall, greeting the two girls as they made their way to the center of the arena.

 

“This is the Combat Gym.” Andrea paused, waving her hands around them to the vast space that surrounded them. “This is where we train, where we are tested, where we are graded, where you will be spending most of your time if you want to prove to the Abbot that you're worth letting out of here...With his permission this time.”

 

“...So...Safe to say you're more of hands-on teacher?”

 

“You're my first real student. So I'll guess we'll see if I can't keep you alive these next few days.” Another soft, velvet laugh escaped the raven haired girl, echoing throughout the empty arena. Gabrielle found herself laughing along, though straining to smile. The young vampire was trying to succeed in that goal herself, it was at the very least comforting that she would now have a mentor that would actually watch out for her.

 

Suddenly, the playful laughter stopped abruptly, the smile on Andrea's flawless face wiped clean, and a vacant look in its place.

 

“Enough fooling around. Time to get down to business.” Gabrielle knew that tone all too well; she had lost count how many times Emeris had snapped into the strict, colder teacher act.

 

“The Abbot needs to see your gifts, what you can bring to the table. And frankly, just being a vampire doesn't cut it. In reality, a fledgling is more of a liability than anything else...” Slender fingers slowly worked themselves through Gabrielle's crimson locks, causing shivers to ripple down the young vampire's spine, her body freezing at the sudden invasion of personal space.

 

At least now she would understand why Emeris would become so offended when she stood a little too close to him, though she was hardly affectionate with the cold diviner. Not like Andrea in the least, a woman that would previously never stand within arm's length of the girl. Now, they were a mere foot apart, the young vampire's emerald gaze seemingly frozen on the indigo-like gaze of Andrea's.

 

“But... Jean told me a little secret...That you have a little...Added gift.” Tapping gently Gabrielle's cheek, the deer-in-headlights spell that the woman seemed to have over her quickly faded. Indigo faded away from Emerald, and Gabrielle's mess of stiff limbs seemed to finally return under her control. The vampire couldn't seem to pull away fast enough; using the liberated freedom of her arm to put some much needed distance between them.

 

“You're telepathic. Do you even know why?”

 

“E-Emeris said it was an Affinity...Something I was born with...”

 

“Heh. He would say that.” The raven haired beauty shook her head slightly, smiling an almost sympathetic smile towards the girl who apparently been wronged by her previous instructor. Was Emeris really off about the things he had told her? Was her trust in the wrong person? “He thinks he's so smart. It was cocky mistakes like that that got Desmona killed.”

 

“But enough of that. Let's fight. I work better when my hands are busy.” Andrea smiled softly to the girl, moving to the wall and plucking a long sword from its place on the wall. “Grab something. Or use your powers.”

 

“I can only use them when I'm—“

 

“Angry? Oh well. No matter, we'll condition that later.” Spinning the metallic weapon in her hand, Andrea's seemed to take on a whole new persona.

 

Already, Gabrielle knew this was going to be a long night.

 

~*~

 

Gabrielle was unsure how long they had managed to spar, how many hours they had killed taking turns swinging objects at each other, attempting to catch the other off guard, to see how much fight the young vampire had in herself.

 

But it all ended the same way; she was on the floor, the staff she had been using as a weapon now lay uselessly several feet away from her grip. Perched above her, Andrea stood victoriously, tip of her sword pointed directly at her neck, where the mark of the Order now stained her skin.

 

“Not too bad. At least you didn't cower away as you had the first round.” What did Andrea expect her to do? She had a sword for crying out loud! A weapon Gabrielle had never seen used in combat first hand. “Now, deflect me already. I would hate to carve up that pretty face of yours.”

 

Gabrielle did not appreciate the dark glint in the woman's eyes as she teased the younger girl, pressing the side of the sword slightly against her face. As the cold metal made contact with her cheek, Gabrielle forced her aching body to roll away from the offending object, taking out one of Andrea's legs in the process. Grabbing the staff she had lost not too long ago, Gabrielle focused her remaining momentum on pressing the tip of the staff into her solar plexus. Not too bad for someone for had skipped every self defence class her parents ever enrolled her into.

 

Well, at least it would have been if Andrea's hand wasn't already wrapped around the base.

 

A crack of her wrist, and it seemed in one signal move Gabrielle was back to her original position, though this time Andrea had the sense to slam her boot-clad foot into the young vampire's chest, the cool metal of her sword resting at the base of her throat.

 

“Oh my goodness Gabrielle!”

 

The sudden additional voice that echoed throughout the Arena caused both girls to jolt in fright. Staff and sword clinked together as they slipped out of their respective owner's grips. Within half a second Gabrielle had leapt to her feet, her eyes scouring the bleachers for the origin of the voice.

 

Neither one of the girls had to look far. Jean himself was only a few metres away, perched atop the wall that separated the bleachers from the arena. Regal as always, the blonde diviner bowed his head slightly in greeting before leaping from his position on the wall to level with the two tired girls.

 

“How long have you been there Jean?” Andrea cleared her throat softly, her original tone coming out more like a hiss than anything else. Her body seemed to stiffen, as if she had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, something that Gabrielle could not ignore.

 

“Long enough to see that our Gabrielle has a glimmer of potential as a field agent!” Jean seemed to ignore the aggravated tone in Andrea's voice easily, brushing past the dark haired woman to drape his arm around Gabrielle's shoulders. “Such speed and agility! Looks like you're really coming into your own, dear Lady Gabrielle.”

 

“Well it's about time. How long as she been here? Apparently Emeris never bother to condition her to reach her full potential.” Still clearly aggravated at the sudden interruption, Andrea huffed out the sentence, working her fingers through her hair.

 

“Well then now is a time of celebration! Not only have we unlocked the core of our darling Gabrielle's powers, but we've freed her from the oppression of that commoner.” Even with such a regal voice and carefully chosen words, the hatred for the diviner was made all too obvious in his tone. Gabrielle has to bite the inside of her cheek to restrain herself from rolling her eyes.

 

Boys will be boys, no matter what species or social standing.

 

“Yes yes, that's all fine and dandy. Rally the troops if you must, My Prince. Just let us finish our training in peace!” The sudden irritation in Andrea's voice seemed to finally sink in to Jean, whose arm uncurled from Gabrielle's shoulders instantly.

 

The mildly miffed expression on Andrea's face had darkened considerably, almost seething, garnering more than one odd look from the duo before her.

 

“Uhm, Andrea? You okay?” Jean laughed, though it was unclear whether it was from genuine mirth or nerves, his lean body shifting from the anxious young vampire to the visibly seething woman, his hand resting on her own shoulder.

 

With that simple motion, a wave of calm seemed to ripple throughout Andrea, her body slumping slightly. Not stiff and guarded as it had been moments before. With a soft grumble, what was almost a vindictive expression relaxed into a calm one, though her eyes remained dark and wild.

 

She gazed off into the void between Jean and Gabrielle, seemingly calming herself before bothering to address them again.

 

“Sorry. I suppose the adrenaline wasn't done with me yet. You know how I get, Jean.”

 

“I understand.” Another princely smile, though directed to both of the girls present. “Just put away your claws now, we're all friends here.”

 

A silent gaze was shared between Andrea and Gabrielle. Something wasn't right; she could feel it in her very core. A shudder threatened to emit from the young redhead, and her gaze quickly dropped from Andrea's. Suddenly, Gabrielle would have traded anything to be with Emeris right now, even if it meant bickering with the diviner until her wit's end.

 

“Let's just put away our toys, Gabrielle. Apparently our play fighting is bothering the royalty.” An uncharacteristic wink from the raven haired woman caused a small laugh to emit from Gabrielle.

 

Maybe she was overreacting. It wasn't like any of them were enemies here. Strained acquaintances yes, but enemies?

 

“Y-yeah! I think a few hours are more than enough for one day... We'll meet up with you at the Spot right?” A small nod from Jean caused a smile to spread on both girls' lips, the air of tension quickly dissipating from the arena. A silent goodbye in the form of curt waves was shared by the trio, backs turning back to the job at hand.

 

“So Andrea, Where do all of these things go?” Gabrielle called out, picking up a stray long sword, one of Gabrielle's first choices of weapons in their exhausting battle. Of course, the weapon had not remained in her possession long before Andrea simply knocked it out of her grasp, lunging at her far too quickly for Gabrielle to repel.

 

“Storage room. It's through the door in the far back.”

 

“Oh. Okay.” So much for conversation. It seemed as though Andrea was still lost in her thoughts, her eyes remaining locked on...Seemingly nothing in particular as she numbly picked up the tools they had used. “Uhm...Is everything okay Andrea?” What a dumb question to ask.

 

Andrea only snapped her head up at the sound, apparently more lost in her thoughts that Gabrielle had anticipated.

 

“Hu-What? Of course I'm fine Gabrielle. You silly girl.” Another cool, border lining on cold, smile spread along the raven haired girl's lips. “Be a doll and put those away.”

 

“Huh?” She meant the various weapons gathered in Gabrielle's arms of course, but it took the girl a moment to adjust to the sudden change in tone until she realized that herself. “Oh, yes, of course.”

 

A relieved sigh quickly escaped Gabrielle as she turned towards the double doors along the farthest wall in the Arena. Of course she was being silly about Andrea. Anyone who had gone through half of what she had would be twice as paranoid about people. So why would Gabrielle be an exception?

“How could I be so silly?” Gabrielle smiled to herself. Pausing to shuffle the items in her arms for a moment in order to open the door. Freeing a hand, finally, Gabrielle leaned forward awkwardly to grasp her hand along the cool metal of the handle.

 

However, her plan was thwarted by a sharp pain through her head, and a plunge into darkness.

 

~*~

The transition back to consciousness was not a smooth one, in fact just the opposite of that. A burning, stinging sensation seemed to rip through Gabrielle's body, stemming from her wrists and shooting up to the top of her head. It had been dull at first, almost a numb sensation...But soon enough the pain became enough to force her heavy eyelids to open, to gaze upon the newest mess she gotten herself into.

 

“The sleeping beauty is finally awake...Here I thought you might miss the show...”

 

Well, that couldn't be good. Now, who exactly was speaking?

 

Unfortunately, consciousness and awareness resided in two different realms at the moment. Sounds came out warped, vision was blurred. The young vampire was so dizzy and disoriented she could hardly register whether she was sitting up or laying down. Though as she moved to cradle her throbbing head, she found frigid metal biting into her wrists, keeping them pinned in an awkward position behind her back.

 

Correction; this wasn't good.

 

“W-What's going on...?” At least she could get out a coherent sentence. Who needed to hear or see when you could blabber like an idiot in an already bad situation?

 

“Oh Bloodsucker. I was hoping you would have been anticipating this...” The odd nick-name seemed to shock Gabrielle's system into reality, just like breaking through the surface of the water after a dive. All at once, she seemed conscious of her surroundings. She was sitting, propped up by pole plunged deep into the mats of the floor. She was in the backroom of the arena. She was bleeding.

 

And Andrea had just tilted her head up. Her indigo fringed eyes burning into Emerald.

 

“A-Andrea...?”

 

“Good girl. Now, how many fingers am I holding up?” Gabrielle hardly had time to count the blur of fingers Andrea teasingly held up for her before they connected her with cheek, emitting a loud smack into the small space. Gabrielle's head cracked to the side, the pain in her head doubling from the sheer force of the slap, the taste of copper overwhelming her taste buds.

 

“Why are you...Doing this...?”

 

“Isn't it obvious, my little Bloodsucker?” The smirk reappeared upon Andrea's lips, her fingers tracing down Gabrielle's neck, grazing the pale skin, only tainted by the swirl-like mark of the order. It was only then that Gabrielle's gaze dropped to the hand caressing her, locking on the like-wise mark splattered across Andrea's wrist. “You're a liability. A problem. You must be dealt with accordingly.”

 

A liability? That was the last thing she needed to be called when she was bleeding out, chained to a pole.

 

“Is...Is this about Jean?”

 

Gabrielle braced herself for another slap, screwing her eyes shut tightly, parting her lips slightly so that she wouldn't bite down on her tongue and cause her to bleed even more. Fortunately, the anticipated slap never made such contact with her cheek. Unfortunately, a dark, hollow, sinister laugh echoed off the walls of the backroom, the sound of which was more destructive than any slap the girl could provide her with. Even if she was not bound to her position on the floor, the laugh emitted from Andrea that bordered on the menacing and insane would have pinned her there all the same.

 

“Foolish girl...” Slender fingers graced their way back up Gabrielle's neck, sending sickening shiver down the girl's spine in the process. Andrea's fingertips brushed along her chin, smearing the blood that had oozed from her mouth. “Vile creature.”

 

Another, shorter laugh escaped the dark-haired woman this time. The sound came out more like a scoff, a chop of a knife, than anything else. But its effect on Gabrielle was no less. This time, her body involuntarily shuddered, her stomach beginning to turn, the taste of bile was fast becoming predominant in her mouth, along with the taste of copper.

 

“You lure every man in your path into you, again and again, using your powers, your charms, and your body.” The touch of Andrea was quickly turning from gentle to rough, her fingers curling slightly to dig their nails into Gabrielle's skin. A soft cry immediately leapt forth of Gabrielle, and she made an attempt to pull herself away from the pain Andrea brought her. But the dark haired woman was all too inclined to allow her that, using her grip on Gabrielle's chin to ram her head into the pole.

 

“Ah-!” A louder cry this time broke from the vampire's lips, the pain in her head was unlike anything she had ever experienced, as if her entire head was threatening to cave in upon itself. “W-What are you...Talking—“

 

Crack.

 

Gabrielle hadn't even seen Andrea's hand that time. But she could only assume she had been slapped yet again. The sharp inhale caused by the pain itself had cough the foolish vampire to inhale the pool of blood forming in her mouth, reducing her sentence to a series of cough and gags as she curled her body away from Andrea.

 

“All of them. You cannot seem to pull them close enough to you. And you're allowed to do that. Because you are a precious, precious aristocrat's daughter. A princess want-to-be. And princesses get what they want...” At this point, Andrea grabbed at Gabrielle's chin again, forcing her to maintain eye contact with the insane woman.

 

“Even if their family perishes in the process.”

 

Gabrielle's head jerked at the utterance of her family. Jaw dropped, coughing halted in its tracks. Blood was dripping from the young girl's mouth, staining her shirt, and her body had erupted into trembles. But she lacked the energy to care at that moment in time.

 

Andrea knew.

 

“Vile creature. I can't see why he chose you.” Gabrielle struggled to find her voice, to see past the shaking of her body, the swirling pain in her head. She was barely clinging onto consciousness, fighting back with words or a sudden burst of telepathy was a pipe dream now. Not when she couldn't even see straight.

 

But, who had chosen her? Nothing had happened between her and Jean...

 

“W-Who—“

 

“Don't bother asking. You won't be alive long enough for me to explain.” That smile was back. The one that had been painted across her lips when Emeris first brought Gabrielle to her. The one Gabrielle had mistaken for excitement over seeing a friend, instead of excitement over seeing an enemy.

 

An enemy she would soon defeat.

 

Andrea slowly pulled away from the broken vampire, lifting herself gracefully to her feet as she moved over to the wall to Gabrielle's right, her heels clicking along the marble floor just before stopping herself in front of one of the many windows.

 

“Oh, foolish me. I forgot to tell you!” A slender hand reached for the latch on the window, a simple action that caused Gabrielle's head to fade away in an instant, her stomach dropping, and her body feeling as though someone had just dropped a ton of bricks on her. It only took Andrea a few, suspenseful second to get the rusty old latch to work, allowing the window to be opened fully.

 

“Good morning.”