Silly Little Games

Chapter Sixteen

I decided today was the day I confront Snow and tell him that I was not going to kill anymore vampires; my slaying days were over now. I pulled a hoodie on and noticed how baggy it was. I had lost weight since I last stayed here, and I knew that was because of my depression over Elliot. Everyone thought he was the reason, but I had to explain I got depressed easily anyway. They didn’t understand, they just pretended they did. It was a month today since Brian died, so I wasn’t in the best of moods today anyway.

I remember when I first met him, and he gave me a tiny silver necklace. I wore it every day until a vampire broke it when I was out. I remember crying for hours, and I felt the place on my neck where it used to be. My eyes filled up with tears when I realised it was my fault. I should’ve refused to be a slayer. Ever since that, I was never really myself. Every time I was around him though, I felt like I was myself again, and he made me feel like I was special. Even if that was just to him. I found out from Trent that Brian was considering proposal, but that can’t exactly happen now. Seeing as he’s dead.

I took a deep breath in and took the three parts of the necklace, using glue to attempt to stick them back together again. I left it in the sunlight to dry the glue, but I didn’t have a lot of hope for it. It was like bringing him back to life, which was never going to happen. I used the stake’s end to fix the chain loops and thread the other part through. It didn’t help because it was so small and I had big hands.

I jumped slightly as Snow appeared in front of me. I looked up and sighed, then returned to fixing the necklace on my pillow. I rested the pillow against my knees and Snow sat on the bed carefully so it didn’t fall off. He sighed and watched as my face stayed fixed with concentration and I didn’t even look up to say hello. “The Queen is next, Leila. I’m sorry but now you’ve killed one you can’t stop. It’s like a contract with us.” He sighed, he seemed so calm about the arranged murder of his sister, and that was something that unsettled me.

“I don’t care, I’m refusing to stake anyone else. I give up. It basically corrupts you from the inside out and makes you kill when you don’t want to. Look, find someone else” I sighed, carefully gluing the clasp to the chain of the necklace. He shook his head and grabbed my wrist tight, I cringed as he pressed down on the silver bite scar. It oozed black again and he smiled, ripping the last part of the scar open with his fang. I screamed. The liquid dripped onto my jeans and trickled down my arm, and my vision went blurry almost immediately.

“You refuse and I’ll kill her, and then blame it on you. Actually, that sounds like a better plan” he said half in thought, half smirking. I shook my head and he disappeared, and I bandaged my arm up yet again. With a long sigh I sat on the end of the bed, holding the now fixed necklace up. I smiled, and pulled it on carefully. It still shone like the day I wore it for the first time. It was still sparkling after I had carried it around for the last few years. It made me feel like I would always be carrying a part of him around, and a part of him would be watching over me in everything I did.

A servant girl knocked on the door, so I got up and opened it with a small yawn. I covered my mouth and then looked at her. She was the same height as me, but with long pink hair. She was petite and skinny and her eyes were a startling icy blue. She swallowed and wringed her hands before looking up at me. I looked at her confused. “You knocked? You’re allowed to talk you know” I smiled softly so she knew that I wasn’t going to drink from her or whatever.

“Sorry Miss, but Prince Damien asked if you would accompany him on his evening walk this evening” she sighed, saying it still with a smile even though she had no enthusiasm in the subject. She messed with her hands and waited for my answer. I had no idea, I guess it couldn’t be that bad. It was only a walk. By that point anyway I had completely forgot about the piece of information that he shared with me regarding the relationships a vampire and slayer could have. I nodded at the girl and she walked off down the corridor. I shut the door and stood against it.

My heart fluttered slightly when I thought about this walk though. I smiled and twirled my necklace before picking out more suitable walking clothes. I picked out some red skinny jeans and a black tracksuit top, and some of my more battered Converse. I pulled them on and shoved my other clothes under the bed and then tied my hair back because it was dirty. I tied my laces up and pulled my jacket on before leaving the room. I walked down to the main corridor and found Damien, in casual clothes too.

He was wearing grey tracksuit bottoms and a black t-shirt. It seemed to be a band t-shirt, but I hadn’t heard of the band before. He had a thin black hoodie in one of his arms as well and Converse. I smiled and tapped his shoulder, and he smiled. “Come on, long walk tonight” he smirked before linking my arm with his. We strode out of the castle.

I looked at him as we walked, and stopped for a second. He walked a further step which nearly made me trip over. He blinked and stopped, standing opposite me. “Why did you stop?” he asked, kind of angry. I teared up and looked down, looking at the necklace. I held it between my thumb and index finger as it broke and fell to my knees sobbing. He knelt by me and wrapped an arm around my shaking body but I pushed him off and sobbed into my hands until they were soaked with tears. I wiped them down my jeans but he tilted my head up so that he could see my face. I swallowed and tried to look down but he forced my head up. “Tell me what’s wrong” he said with a low growl, which made me shake even more.

“I miss Brian so much” I sobbed. “I wish I could say goodbye again” I sniffed between sobs, and nuzzled into him. He rubbed my back and sighed as I sniff. He looked at the necklace and frowned before placing it back into the open palm of my left hand. I gripped it tight to stop my tears from hitting it. He wiped the tears from my eyes and cheeks before standing me up and holding me as I stumbled.

“There might be a way to bring him back. We’d need a blood relative and the witch who lives by the palace though” he sighed, taking the necklace back from me. My eyes sparkled slightly at the idea and I looked at him. “I’ll get the witch, you get the relative” he added before running off. I always thought vampires could run at inhuman speeds, but if anything he jogged. I blinked and fretted as I tried to remember who he was related to and then it hit me. He was related to him. Elliot.

Elliot sat up in bed and held his head. He was extremely overtired and wasn’t getting a lot of undisturbed sleep during his stay at the palace. He was frequently awakened by nightmares that seemed too real and most of the time would wake up screaming or crying. The worst was the recent one of Brain, half mutilated, coming to get him. He refused to think of his brother as a monster but his nightmare version’s flaring red eyes would make him question that. He looked down at Drella as she slept and breathed softly, curled up slightly. She was wearing red pyjamas with bunnies on and he giggled quietly, she really wasn’t like a monster. She may have enjoyed her hunts, but besides that she was the average girl. He pulled a t-shirt on and curled up against her, smiling as her hair tickled his cheeks. She yawned and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight and protective hug. All until I burst into the room.

“ELLIOT!” I yelled, pulling him out of bed. He blinked and Drella growled at me before simply falling asleep again. He pushed me away and teared up, which made me whimper slightly. I let go of him when I realised my grip was pretty hard. He looked up at me and shook his head with a sigh, looking almost disappointed. He would help me when I told him that this was for Brian, he had to. He just had to. “I can get Brian back; Damien said I need you and a witch, because I already have the memory needed”

“Come on then” he said with a sudden enthusiasm, and jumped out of the bed. He kissed Drella’s forehead before pulling a jumper on and my eyes dripped with tears, before I pulled him out of the room.