The Trial

Chapter 21

When the door started to open, I stepped back, half ready to bolt past whoever it was. to my relief, Gabriel stepped in, eyeing me over. as he held out what looked like a shirt, he gently said "I thought you might like a new one."

"thank you." I replied with a sigh, letting go of my slight fear and panic. 

"you need to drink this." he added as I took the shirt. he was holding a clear glass with a darker red looking water. as I looked up to argue, he shook his head and quickly added "it will help heal you faster. trust me. please." I shut my mouth and reluctantly took the glass from him. I felt my shoulders sag, and he sighed "please drink it all. I'll wait out here for you." 

he stepped back out the door, pulling it shut, and I stared down at the dark liquid with my stomach churning. I went to the sink and set the shirt down on the counter. holding my breath, I quickly gulped down the liquid, trying not to think about what it was. as soon as I had emptied the glass, I quickly refilled it in the sink. the water was still tinted pink from the previous liquid, but I needed to wash the metallic taste out of my mouth, before it came back up. I quickly downed the water and set the glass on the counter, gripping the edge of the sink to steady myself. 

gradually, I felt the deeper slits on my back knit back together, and I gasped a little at the odd sensation. I pulled my tattered shirt off and turned around to look in the mirror. my back had lighter and darker blotches of pink all over. the four obvious lines looked like the pink skin around a scab. it was tender but was healed over. 

I was physically and mentally exhausted, again, so I pulled the new shirt on and headed for the door, pausing for a moment to collect myself. I still had no idea what to expect when I stepped out of the bathroom. I still didn't know what he expected of me, and that terrified me. 

I stood tall and pulled the door open. he was pacing back and forth between the bathroom and the remade bed. the banging must've been him turning the bed back over and setting it right. the door had also been replaced. all that banging had been him fixing the room back up. I let out a slightly relieved breath, and, as he turned to look at me, I felt that relief lessen. 

"are you alright?" he asked, coming toward me. 

"I'm fine, now. thank you." I replied, trying to keep the nervousness from my voice. 

"come. you need to rest." he murmured, holding a hand out to me and motioning to the bed. I hesitantly reached for his hand and placed my hand in his. a small almost non-existent smile turned the corners of his lips up, and he gently pulled me toward the bed. 

when we reached the bed, he quickly pulled the blankets back and pulled me toward the edge of the bed. I hesitated again, unsure of his intentions. "you need to rest. please. try to relax. I promise. no one will bother you again." he murmured, letting go of my hand and placing it on the small of my back. 

I forced myself to climb into bed. I laid back with a sigh. I was exhausted. he gently pulled the blankets up around me, almost tucking me in, before he went to shut the light off in a blur of movement. he had barely flipped the switch, before I felt his weight press into the bed on the opposite side as me. my heart tried to take off in a sprint, but I quickly stopped it from beating out of my chest. 

after a long, tense silence, I couldn't take it anymore and carefully asked "why did you want me in exchange for peace? don't get me wrong, I'm great ful for peace, even though I haven't seen it. to be honest, you got the raw end of the deal. I'm nothing special."

I felt him move on the bed, turning toward me in the dark, before he gently said "after all you know of me and all you know I've done, you hold no anger, hatrid, or disgust for me. you don't even hold me responsible for anything. even after nearly killing your brother, you still don't. you only fear me, but I intend to change that, if you'll let me."

"that doesn't exactly answer my question?" I heard myself say aloud, before I could stop myself.

his almost silent chuckle shook the bed a little, and he replied "I've never met anyone like you, Rebecca, and I'd truly like to know you."

I let that sink in for a moment, before I said "I still think you got the raw end of the deal."

he chuckled again and said "get some sleep. good night, Rebecca." 

"good night." I breathed a little shakily. I don't know how long I laid there, before my eyes started to get too heavy to keep open. gradually, I drifted off to sleep.

****

when I started to wake up, I felt a heavy weight across my left side. gradually, I opened my eyes and looked down at the weight. an arm was draped over me with a hand tucked tightly under my right side. I realized what I thought was the blanket tucked snuggly against my back wasn't a blanket. it was the body attached to the arm. 

I knew it was Gabriel, but I had no idea vampires slept. I wasn't sure how I was going to move without waking him, if he was actually asleep. as I carefully lifted his arm off me, I slowly inched away from him. after I had slipped out from under his arm, I lowered it to the bed and slid my legs off the side to the floor. slowly, I pushed up off the bed and headed for the bathroom, glancing back at Gabriel, who looked like he was actually sleeping. 

I let out a relieved breath as I shut the bathroom door with an almost silent click. I stood there a moment, trying to figure out my best option, but I came up empty. that had never happened to me. I could always calculate the best option. it was a bit of a conundrum for me; not on my current situation but Gabriel as well. 

after I did my business, I stayed in the bathroom, attempting to think it over, yet again. I came to the conclusion that my best option would be to simply take one day at a time and stay alert and ready for anything and everything. I would continue to train and do as was asked of me to a certain point. I just hoped Gabriel understood that I wasn't interested in being turned. I could handle being a meal, but I couldn't handle loosing my humanity. 

as I opened the bathroom door and stepped out, I told myself that I could do this. i suppose only time would tell what my duties to Gabriel would entail.