Heir of the Forgotten

~Lineage~

Selene steps into the restroom and turns the water on. She scrubs her skin. She scrubs until her skin is raw and she bleeds. When that does nothing, she drops to her knees, holding onto herself while she weeps. Blood turns the water red as it flows off her body. In her desperate tears, she takes the knife he'd used to cut her clothes and starts trying to remove the jewelry. She tosses the knife in frustration when it doesn't break. No matter how hard she tugs and yanks, it doesn't budge. She sits under the water after she washes the blood out of her hair and has scrubbed her skin.

It's not fair. She did nothing to deserve this sort of karma.

Eventually, she forces herself out of the tub and avoids drying herself off. She dresses herself in simple clothes and avoids looking at the mirror. With her hair soaked, she walks to the hall.

Selene finds the body and reaches for it. "He's dead, Selene."

She turns to Vincent with a shrug. He was probably sent to make sure she was alive.

Vincent sighs, keeping a distance from her. "What are you looking for?" He steps beside the body.

Selene shrugs, but her hand tugs at her jewelry.

Vincent approaches her slowly. "Could I look? I need to touch you to see what I'm dealing with. You can say no. Just shake your head. I'll search every inch of this damn building to find anything." He's delicate in this situation. She killed to protect herself, and with how she was found, he can assume what might have happened.

Selene holds out her hand and looks away. Her heart thuds, and she feels tears flow down her cheeks. She feels weak. She's not weak. This isn't new. This isn't a situation she hasn't been through already. Why does this time cause such pain? She killed him the same way she killed the last four. It was a strategy she and Alex had. She never minded that part. Alex would sit by the fireplace with her, assuring her of her miraculous nature. He'd tell her so many sweet things. He assured her she was no object.

Perhaps it hurt because it was impossible not to feel betrayed. For nearly four years, he had been her entire world. Then, when she remembered him, she still wanted to hope.

Vincent was careful in what he was doing. He turned her wrist over a few times.

He had an idea of what she was wearing. "Alright," he spoke softly then bent to the corpse. He searched through the pockets and found a small box the length of his thumb with a dial and switch. "Here, could you open your hand?"

Selene nodded and opened her hand, still looking away. She knew what she held without looking.

Vincent resumed his search. Coming up empty, he sighed. "Did he have a bedroom?"

Selene shrugged.

"Okay, what about a pin? It would probably look like nothing?" Vincent was patient. She wasn't talking. He doubted she would.

Selene tilted her head and held the box to her chest as she stood in front of the living room door.

Vincent used his gloved hand to open the door. "How are your hands healing?" He looks back at them. There are still large gashes, but they seem to be healing.

"Okay," she smiles and opens the drawers of the vanity. She freezes up, taking a step back. He's gone, so why does she still feel like she'll look over her shoulder and he'll be there?

Vincent is quick to overtake, looking through the vanity. "Don't push yourself."

Selene shrugs as she watches him dig around. He pulls the pin she'd found a week ago. Had she truly held freedom in her hands and let it go? If she'd known that would free her, she would have done that. She could have killed him before he touched her.