Guilty All The Same (English)

8-Victim and Jailer

"It's a library..." Whispered Yurika. "You are insightful." He said leaving the girl's hand. "What's the point of this? What did I do for you..." Yurika stopped taking a deep breath and trying to conceal the tremor in her voice, but Ferid perceived her agitation and for a moment he believed he had to attend a crying crisis; which didn't happen. The vampire smiled, he hadn't mistaken to try to change 'prey'. "You haven't done anything, you can say that it was the destiny to let us meet... Being able to capture a member of the Moon Demon Company is something that gives its satisfactions. In this boring world..." In this boring world it is nice to distract yourself with something different, something new, something that would help him to overcome boredom, but he didn't expressed his considerations aloud. He returned to dwell on the girl. He narrowed his eyes when, with his gaze, he couldn't avoid looking at her neck. The fact that Yurika kept the hair collected could be a problem for the vampire: They left discovery that part of the body where he could perceive the blood that ran in her veins. He would have made things easier... and more difficult. He laughed at these strange thoughts and found himself observing the frightened eyes of the girl. Here's the thing he loved most about human beings, to see their desperate faces. Yurika continued to observe the vampire, realizing that he was able to understand how she felt. And it was true: she was intimidated in front of him, but that wasn't the real problem. The thing that frightened her the most was having to face the situation completely alone. She would have wanted Kurena to be there with her, she felt the lack of her and this wasn't dictated only by the fact that without her she couldn't fight, but by the awareness that she lost her best friend. She had never seen her as a demon or a simple weapon to exploit, Kurena was the only one to know Yurika in the deep, the only one that could really comprehend her feelings, the only true friend she had. And now that monster took her away and for the first time since the demon had entered her life, she found herself alone. She felt lost. She shuddered thinking about what the friend was going through, especially wondered where the vampire had brought her, but didn't ask for information. Ferid seemed calm, quiet and willing not to bleed her for now, so she thought it was better not to ask him about something that could upset him. Yurika lowered her gaze realizing that she hadn't stopped looking at the vampire in the eyes. "So Yurika. I brought you here because, unfortunately, I will not often have a way to spend the whole day with you, so I thought you could choose some book to read, of course you aren't obliged, but if you want... Do you have any preference?" Yurika kept looking at the floor, increasingly confused about the behavior of Ferid. She was looking for something to tell him when she thought of Kurena and the promise she had done. "There are books that talk about vampires and... Demons?" She asked esitant. The vampire looked at her surprised. "What a singular choice... You're not going to find a way to get rid of me, by any chance?" Yurika's widened her eyes, she hadn't thought of such a response. She grew pale to the thought that the vampire had misinterpreted her words. "Don't look at me like that Yurika, please. I was joking and of course I have books that deal with those topics, follow me, I'll show you where you can find them." Ferid walked into space between the books and the girl followed him. "I thought girls loved the poignant love stories and similar dramas... I guess that's not the case, is it? Not even the classics interest you?" Yurika didn't answer. Ferid sighed. "Here... Here you can find what you need. We range from simple legends to more serious things, in short you can find everything you need!" The girl realized that the vampire always smiled using that playful tone. This thing made her shudder, perhaps because, with his behavior, she couldn't understand if she had to be scared or not. Trying not to look too much at Ferid she slid her gaze on the books that interested her. It didn't take long to understand that it would take time for her to read all of them all. One, in particular, attracted her attention, but it was rather high. She lifted herself on the toes and lengthened a hand. At the same moment, Ferid approached his hand to the book in an attempt to help her and their hand touched. Yurika drew the hand to the cold contact. Ferid watched the girl's hand get away from him. A hot body trying to escape the cold. A living body looking for shelter from death. He didn't look at the girl's face, he knew what he would see in her eyes. So he merely fetched the book by pretending nothing. He remarked the cover with little interest. "You want something else?" He asked carelessly. Although Ferid hadn't said anything, Yurika perceived that something was wrong. "No... Thank you." The vampire handed her the book. Yurika took it to her chest like a precious treasure. Ferid smiled amused seeing the girl in that position. Slightly he shook his head. "Now I'd rather bring you back to your room if you don't mind." Yurika obviously said nothing.

Ferid walked a few steps away before her and never turned, as if he knew that the girl couldn't escape. Yurika began to agitate again when she saw the door of the place that had become a part of her world. Ferid had told her that he preferred to wait and, above all, that he would like her to ask him, but, in the end, what did she make sure that that wasn't just a gimmick like another, conceived by the vampire? No. The only thing she could do was trust that vampire, but she couldn't do it, she couldn't afford it.

When they were again in the room he returned to speak to her. "You remember what I told you earlier, didn't you?" Yurika's eyes widenes thinking that he would break his word. "Well, well. It's a good thing. It means my little lamb listen to me when I speak." Ferid approached her, coming to lock her to the wall. The girl kept her gaze low, but the vampire lifted her chin forcing her to look him in the eyes. "And I won't change my mind. Also..." The vampire was interrupted by the rumbling of the girl's belly, which became red for shame. "I was just wondering this, what a coincidence!" Yurika released a breath when the vampire moved away from her. "You're hungry, aren't you?" Yes, the vampire was right. She was rather hungry, only that, in the situation where she was, the food wasn't her main thought. For a moment Ferid thought to use this weakness of the girl against her, he could have given her food only when she had offered her blood to him. He had to admit that it wasn't a bad idea, but so he wouldnct keep the word given to the girl. And then it was only the first day. "What do you want me to bring you? Do you have any preference?" "So you don't..." Ferid smiled. "Let's say that it isn't very good the blood of someone who doesn't feed or who is sick, it is preferable the blood of a healthy person, that is why I am obliged to have a variegated pantry, if I want to drink good blood. That's why I prefer to have a personal lamb, it's a source of great food." "I'm okay with anything." "Sure that after you don't complain?" The girl shook her head. "I hope for you, it's not nice to waste food." She shuddered while the vampire went out.

She felt like a fattening animal and if she wouldn't have given the required fruits she would have been eliminated. She felt disgust at the thought of asking the vampire to drink her blood, at the thought of feeling his fangs penetrate into her skin, but she realized that she would have been forced to do so if she wanted to stay alive. Ferid kept showing himself gentle, had brought her to eat and had patiently waited for her to finish. Yurika felt particularly uncomfortable feeling the vampire's eyes on her. She hadn't forgotten that for the vampire she would soon become a source of food, his personal escort. "Thank you." She whispered as soon as she finished eating. She also tried to show herself kind, maybe that would help her. "Anything for my little lamb." Yurika blushed. Ferid smiled. "Yurika, for today our coexistence has ended, it is evening and it is time to sleep." The girl said nothing, even though she was delighted that the vampire would be gone and she wouldn't see him again until next morning. "Goodnight Yurika and... Sweet dreams." And he smiled at her. "Goodnight Ferid." The girl drew a breath of relief feeling the door closing. For today it was over.

She went back into the walk-in closet looking for something more suitable for the night. It wasn't surprising to find a series of nightgowns, like the other clothes, very refined. She noticed they were all white. She sighed and took one. She then headed to the bed, melting her hair and slipped under the blankets, in the bed furthest from the door leading into that monster's room. She clasped herself and closed her eyes while warm tears bathed her face.

03/09/2017