The Chosen One

Thirty Two: Original

Jessica

            I was enclosed in darkness, not aware of anything else at first but then gradually I began to notice a million little things. I could hear the sweet melody of a bird's song. I could hear the sound of distant cars on a road. The gurgling and calming sound of water flowing from an outdoor fountain, was even audible to me. There was an incessant buzzing of electricity running through lights. There was the sound of steady breathing and a steady heartbeat nearby. All of this and more I heard clearly, even before I opened my eyes. And when I did open my eyes, I was overwhelmed with the clarity of my vision.

            I was lying on my back on a large and very comfortable sofa. Above me, I could distinctly see the grooves and pattern of the ceiling despite it being mottled with a mixture of light and shadow. Sitting up, I noticed a painting on the wall and in amazement realized that even from this distance, I could see the texture of the brushstrokes the painter had made against the canvas. I noticed every little detail on all objects that I set my sight on, from the pictures on the wall to the pattern and texture of the floor. It made me feel like as if I was seeing for the first time. With the clarity and detail of my vision now, it made my previous quality of sight seem as if I had been looking at the world through fuzzy and blurred lens.

           The feeling of an intense gaze on me had me turning to the person kicked back in a sofa chair next to me. Upon seeing him, his feet propped up on the coffee table and his arms lying atop the armrests casually, my emotions erupted into a swirling maelstrom within me. I cast my gaze over him, catching more detail than I ever had before. His lean but muscular frame. Those sculpted muscles beneath his clothes. I could see the rough fabric of the black jeans and the softness of the light blue V-neck shirt that he wore underneath a brown leather jacket. I raised my gaze to his face, seeing each of his facial features and meeting those eyes that seemed to always threaten to be my downfall. As always I hated to acknowledge, but I couldn't deny, that this arrogant, egotistical, temperamental, infamous Original hybrid was handsome.

         Looking into those eyes, I saw them more clearly than I ever had before. I could see the blending of the blue and grey color in them. They held much within them, but not all of it was obvious. Per usual I could see the determination, possessiveness, and arrogance within them. Now though, I could decipher glimpses of longing, loneliness, and anticipation. Almost as if he were anxious and excited at once.

          Part of me felt sympathetic for him, wanting to heal the wounds within and show him that life could be better than all he had endured. That same part didn't want to hide nor deny my attraction to him. It wanted to revel in it and share it with him. However, as my memories rushed to the surface, playing like a movie within my mind of all that he had put me through, rage and resentment filled me.

         Unknowing to the internal storm raging within me, Klaus dared to give me a warm, meant to charm, devilish smile. "Morning, love."

          I didn't even have to turn to look at the window to be aware that it was morning. Probably eight o'clock. The fact that I seemed to automatically know this was odd but then again I was no longer the same as I use to be. My senses were highly acute and definite. I felt physically stronger, energized.

          "I'm in transition?" I questioned. I didn't look any different. I wore the same clothes as I had last night. The only thing different was that on my ring finger on my right hand, there was a beautiful gold ring with an antique Victorian lapis lazuli stone and two small diamonds inlaid on either side. Staring at it, I realized that it was a daylight ring.

          "No you are a true vampire. An Original." Klaus smiled proudly, victoriously. "I fed you blood while you were still under."

          Slowly I stood, but my mind whirled as the truth of it started to sink in. I was no longer human. He had succeeded in making me something that I had never wanted to be. I was a vampire like him. I was an Original, created by doppelganger blood and one of the strongest vampires alive.