To The End

Balance

Jade woke up bright and early, extracting herself from Victoria's hold to allow her to sleep a while longer. She sat at the edge of the bed and waited, expecting the hunger to finally catch up with her, but it was still dormant. Jade looked back at the human curled in her bed. Her eyes fell to the ring on her finger. It glinted in a small strip of sunlight. Curious, Jade crawled closer and lifted her hand, sliding the ring off. The intense hunger slammed into her like a freight train, causing her to flinch and drop the ring. A loud snarl ripped from her throat, startling Victoria.

The first thing she saw was glowing eyes and a mouth full of sharp fangs. Jade lunged at her, and out of reflex, Victoria kicked out. She caught her in the stomach and threw her off the bed. While she was dazed by the unexpected counter, Victoria scrambled to find the ring. Its comforting weight was gone, making it one of the first things she realized. She shifted through the sheets and found it right when Jade got to her feet. She jammed it back on just as Jade barreled at her, pinning her to the bed. But her tight grip relaxed, claws pulling away. Her tense posture unwound, and she released Victoria, averted eyes dimming. She held a hand to her head, confused.

"Jade?" Victoria called. She lifted her hand, showing her the ring.

"I think we found out exactly what your mother did to it," she said.

"When I took it off it all came rushing back at once. I couldn't control it," Jade began.

"But when I put it back on you calmed down," Victoria finished. Determination sparked in Jade's eyes.

"Let's get your things so I can look into this now that I know what to look for," Jade urged, jumping from the bed. Victoria couldn't agree more. She was just as invested in finding answers. They got ready for the day and Victoria had a quick breakfast before accompanying Jade to her former house. The thought of going back put a damper on her earlier excitement.

"Father shouldn't be home at this time," she assured Jade, but she remained reproachful. She wasn't keen on running into Victoria's mother either. They entered from the back door, pausing in the doorway. Jade took in the many scents and frowned.

"What is it?" Victoria asked.

"I can tell that your father was here recently, but your mother's scent is older. She hasn't been here in a while," Jade replied.

"She must have left after I did. She's probably with Trina," Victoria reasoned, remembering previous disagreements between her parents. Her father could get very bullheaded. Jade went to Victoria's room and she followed close behind after closing the door behind them. When they reached her room, she stood in the middle of it and just stared. This would no longer be her room. This would no longer be her home. Her face fell, but then Jade was there, holding her hand.

"If it makes you feel any better, I never cared to do much decorating in my room. Feel free to make it your own. I only ask to share the bed," Jade told her, getting a smile from the disheartened human for her effort. With that they began gathering Victoria's things. She didn't have much. They stuffed bags full of clothes and Jade ran them across town until they were all moved. Then various keepsakes and memorabilia were boxed away to be taken over. Jade helped her fit all her media outlets in multiple boxes. Books, movies, and music took up most of the space. Jade teased her about it, but Victoria promised she would enjoy them too.

Which was why she insisted on taking her TV and DVD player so that they could watch movies together. The CD player followed that. Victoria preferred the older forms of media, especially when it came to music. She planned to start collecting records next. While Jade moved her small but sentimental collection, Victoria took down all her wall art and decorations to pack them away. Jade came in to take them, but Victoria stopped her. It was the last of it and she wanted to take it. Her empty room looked sad with its bare bed and gutted drawers. Jade came up behind her and draped herself over her shoulders, arms loose around her neck and nose nuzzled into her.