Amaline (Under Construction: HARD HATS REQUIRED!)

3 ((re)edited)

      ~Viviette~

I heard the Princess laugh at me as I moaned against the fresh bakery bread at my mouth. I blushed, but couldn't help myself. I've never had fresh bread before. I inhaled the warmth into my chest, barely paying attention to the tears that trailed down my cheeks. Mary had set my tray down at the table by the sofa. I sat on the floor, digging sloppily into my first meal in days. There was potato soup, much different than the bland, boiled potatoes I was used to. There were spices and cheese and some other colorful pieces I couldn't give a name to.

This was definitely strange, being served food by a vampire as opposed to serving vampires food. Mary didn't even give me a bad look, likely because the Princess would have been watching, handing me my food and disappearing out of the room. I just hoped the reason was that she was a kind person. 

The Princess sat on her stool by the mirror table, undoing her long braids. Her slender hands moved quicker than my eyes could follow. She saw me watching her in the mirror and smiled. Her fangs were white like the rest of her and tapered to a dangerous point. I knew how much they could hurt me. 

And yet... I couldn't imagine the Princess hurting me. Every time she looked at me, it was warm and kind. I couldn't picture her biting me like the rest of them.

I tore off a piece of the bread, hearing the crust crackle under my fingers, and dipped it in the soup. It was like a dream. I focused on the feeling of the food going down my throat, feeling my stomach stretch for the first time. 

The Princess's head turned excitedly toward the door several seconds before I heard the knock. "Come in," she called, loud enough for the vampire guard outside to hear. He opened the door and let in another person. I barely had time to look at him before Amaline had dashed across the room and thrown herself into a pair of arms.

She laughed as a tall man picked her up and twirled her in circles, hiding his face in her neck. He finally put her down and I could see him. He was a contrast to Amaline's milky complexion. He was darker than her in every way. His skin was a tanned vanilla color, his hair dark brown and wavy. His eyes were dark, too. He was tall and slender like the princess.

Amaline put her arm in his and started leading him to where I was sitting on the floor. It took them laughing at me to realize that I had soup all over my lips and cheeks. Mortified, I snatched the folded cloth napkin off the tray and wiped my face with it. I felt my cheeks flush, embarrassed that there was nothing I could do about my racing heartbeat they could undoubtedly hear.

"Viviette, I want you to meet Reece, my best friend." I nodded at him, completely unsure of what to do. He was dressed in a servant's uniform, so he wasn't royalty, and being a slave, I was still lower on the totem pole than him. So I stood to my feet, the fabric of the gray dress falling about my slim frame, and bowed to him, not saying a word, unsure if I should bow at all, or if there was a different custom in a castle. 

He bowed as well, which was astounding. I expected nothing more than a head nod.

"Reece," the Princess continued, "this is Viviette, my new friend." 

Any coherent thought I was thinking dissolved at that moment. She hadn't said "slave." She called me her friend. My outward expression hadn't changed, but my mind was getting whiplash from all the different emotions occurring in quick succession. Reece smiled, his fangs long and sharp in his mouth. For the same reason that Amaline didn't scare me, this stranger's eye teeth, which would normally mean the doom and suffering of my kind, were only a pleasant part of his smile. They were both smiling at me. What a strange world.