A Sealed Fate (Watty's 2017)

14.

Tricia looked to her clock, 7:15. She blinked at it. "It's already morning?" She looked to Katie who blinked and nodded. "Apparently... I can smell food." Tricia laughed and hurried to get changed while Katie went to her own room to change.

Tricia sighed taking her seat at breakfast. Katie right beside her. Katie chatted aimlessly about her plans for the day.

After breakfast Tricia requested that she have a ride to the village. She rode in the back seat in silence. Upon arriving, she walked to the castle.

She stood at the door and stared at it, looming over her. She took a deep breath in and pulled the nob to announce her presence.

The butler answered the door and looked surprised that a school girl stood before him. "What brings you here? It's not Saturday." "Yes I know this sir. I wish to see Vladimir." She spoke his name, it felt so familiar on her tongue.

The butler let her in and lead her to the dining room where Vladimir sat. He was mid-bite reading a local news paper. The butler cleared his throat. "A miss Brennan from the academy to see you sir." The butler announced, when Vladimir looked up he blinked at her.

The butler left immediately. "What brings you by on a Sunday?" Vladimir asked staring at her. Tricia gulped almost and walked to him. She slapped him across the face, causing him to freeze into place.

"Vladimir Valentine I presume..." She stared at him waiting for a reaction. He simply sat there in shock that she randomly smacked him across the face. He looked at her finally after what seemed like forever in silence. "You came to smack me and say my name?" He asked, a bit of shock in his voice as well as confusion.

Tricia wasn't sure she would make it this far so she hadn't had a plan beyond that. "Y.. Yes!" She stated "and now ... Now that I've done just that... I shall leave!" She attempted to walk away quickly but when she reached the door Vladimir stood in her way.

"Your plan to shock me has succeeded I suppose. But that doesn't excuse you to.." "Like hell it doesn't. You lied to me!" She retorted "I never lied to you, I simply didn't tell you. There's a big difference in the two." "Hah! So you admit you lied." And with that she shoved her way past him out the dining room.

"What on god's green earth is the problem?" He'd ask following her to the front doors. Before she could pull it open he pinned the doors shut. "You! .. You.. You... VAMPIRE!" And she whipped out a silver cross and held it at him. He stared at it, and blinked confused even more. Is this supposed to do something to me? He looked at her and she gasped. "Why are you not cowering in fear?!" She snapped and he pointed to the wall above the stair case. "Those do not work on vampires..." "So you .. You admit to being a vampire?!" "Yes, I am. But that's besides the damn point of what on earth is the problem!"

Tricia seemed to calm down, "why didn't you say anything, yesterday." She seemed to tear up again, falling to her knees. Vladimir knelt down and held her close. "Because... When a human's blood pumps fast for what ever reason, I can smell the blood. And yours smelled so sweet yesterday. Intoxicatingly sweet." Tricia looked at him. "So you shoved me back to do what?" "Protect you..." He looked down and sighed. "My brother was right.. You need to stay away from here. I'll make sure to have Alfred request you not come back." He stood and walked to the nearest phone, dieling the number to the academy. As it rang Tricia pushed the receiver button to end the call.

"I still need a model.." She determined, and he sighed. "Find someone else..." He said calmly, removing her hand from the end call button. "Absolutely not." She'd say in protest. "I'm not a common human.. I don't take no for an answer. You are my model.. And that's that." She'd say as he'd place the phone back.

Her mystery vampire was no longer a mystery. That she was thankful for, considering she liked Vladimir and didn't wish to feel torn between him and some person she didn't know.

He rolled his eyes and walked back to the dining room. As Tricia followed she snatched her bag up and followed.

She allowed him to eat his food in peace as she began working on her drawing. Glancing up every so often. She'd catch him looking frozen as he'd read with a coffee cup in the opposite hand. "So... Tell me how a vampire can eat food like a human? Wouldn't you get bored of it after so many years?" She'd finally ask breaking the suffocating silence. "I'm letting you draw me, talking is not nessicery..." He'd reply without looking up.

She mumbled something under her breath, growling almost. "What?" Vladimir looked at her "nothing..." She said and worked on her drawing. "It clearly wasn't nothing. Besides, you already smacked me across the face and said my name. What's next on your grand evil plan?" A maid entered and removed everything from the table.

Tricia looked up from her work and sighed, "I called you a jackass." She tried hard to keep a blush from her face at his sarcasm. "A jackass? I already told you..." "You don't want me around for my protection... Yeah I got it, but you see I'm not some little girl who can't handle herself."

Vladimir stared at her for the longest time while she worked. Propping his head with his elbow against the table. "You're strange, I'll give you that much..." He said softly, looking almost bored.

Three hours passed, and she still wasn't finished. She had worked on three different pictures. But wanted to get as many as she could done before six. Which was curfew. Her stomach growled in hunger. Vladimir called for a maid to bring her some lunch.

She paused her work long enough to eat, and Vladimir watched her. "You never answered my question." She stated mid bite. "Occasionally yes, I do." He'd state vaguely. Causing her to sigh and glare at his irritancy, "specify please?" She'd ask.

Before he could answer a knock came on the dining room doors. "Enter..." Vladimir seemed to bark the order more than ask. Tricia nearly jumped from her skin, it was his brother Vincent.

Vladimir stood as Vincent walked in calmly. "Oh calm down brother. I'm not here to hurt her, I simply came by to see you." He smiled eyeing Tricia. Vladimir sat back down, keeping his guard up. Tricia tried to focus on her drawing while the two talked.

Vincent had a slight smirk on his face, as Vladimir held a slight glare on his face. The two had considerable amount of differences. Surely they aren't actually related. Tricia looked between the two. She realized that Vincent had a blond head of hair and Vladimir's a dark chocolate brown. Even their eyes were different.

Vincent looked over and caught her staring. "Try not to focus to much on our conversation, beautiful. It's none of your business anyways." Vladimir's jaw flexed from irritation, he stood and motioned for Tricia to follow him. "I'll return in a moment." He spoke calmly to his brother. "Look it'll be safer if you go on home. We can continue later..." He gave her a soft kiss on the head and sent her home.

Tricia huffed almost that she was being sent home so soon. She walked to the village and found the limo driver flirting with a sweets baker. "Can we return home?" Tricia asked politely. He nodded and left with her.