Isabella wrapped her arms around Aleksei's neck as he carried her, the tears still falling, her despair ever present; yet, like all the other tender moments she had just shared with Aleksei, this particular gesture, as he held her close to his heart, again she could almost remember the same occurrence as a child. She breathed in his scent, the smell of earth on his hair and cold skin, and nuzzled her skull into the crook of his neck. Everything she had ever known was suddenly crashing down all around her, leaving nothing but chaos and confusion in its wake. Nevertheless, she knew there was no longer anywhere she could run, except directly to the source itself. A sigh escaped her lips.
As he placed her on a bed, in a room blossoming with dozens of fresh, beautiful flowers that resembled a Wonderland like garden, she watched him sadly. She could see the sorrow in his demeanor, and feel the shame emanating from his strong form. She reached out to place a hand on his, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be alright, though she was not sure of this herself. She graciously took the water, thanked him and sipped, though still observed him and felt he needed it more than she did.
"You don't have to protect me anymore, Aleksei," Isabella started softly, her small fingers wrapping around his hand. "At this moment in time, I need a comrade... Someone to help me fight whatever future is trying to force itself on me."
She sighed, looking away for a few moments and sniffing pitifully. A single tear streaked her cheek, but she didn't wipe it away; instead, she let it fall and dapple the floral quilt. When she returned her gaze to Aleksei, her smile was still there, unwavering in its efforts to provide him with some kind of comfort. Her free hand moved a few stray strands of his platinum hair from his carnelian eyes, a loving gesture she never thought she would do. That's when she remembered Dean, and how he had tried to make her promise to stay with Billie. She wondered where he had gone off to, and where Selene and her other friends were, and what their thoughts might be on all this madness.
"I... I want to go to Italy," she continued, mindful of Aleksei's sensitivity of the subject. "But I don't want to marry Lorenzo or be royalty or whatever it is he was hinting at. I just want to meet my mother, and find out why this is happening to me... And finish high school..."
Another tear streaked her cheek as she realized that, however futile that ambition probably seemed now, it was an important milestone in every teenager's life. She was determined that, regardless of this calamity, she would live out each of her desires despite the responsibility that would soon befall her. All she wanted was to keep her friends safe, allow them as normal a life as they could possibly have, and move on with her own.
"But I want you to go with me. You seem to be a very dear friend of my family's, and if I am to meet my mother, I would like to have you at my side, in case she isn't as forgiving with me..."
***
Selene was being overwhelmed by the spawning demons that were continuously reproducing from the monster's wounds. At the moment, they were climbing all over her, and her arrows were quickly becoming scattered. They started to rake their nails along her flesh in an attempt to tear her apart, which only angered the newborn vampire; at the same moment, an explosion resounded near her, and then a shower of Holy water rained down on all of them, destroying the demons and consequently wounding Selene as well. She hissed with the pain, but it subsided quickly, and when she recovered she glanced over at Vera to offer her an acknowledging and thankful nod.
She caught a familiar musky scent, and when she turned she noticed Michael standing beside her. With a smirk, she shook her head and began to recollect all her arrows.
"By all means, take your time," she joked, as she positioned the arrow along the bowstring and aimed for the creature, studded with her seemingly futile weapons. "It's nice of you to finally join us."
She couldn't smell Isabella in the air anymore, which meant she had been taken, and it was anyone's guess that her captor was Aleksei. At least, at this point in time, that's what she hoped for. The demons in the schoolhouse were gradually depleting in number, but the hell guardian was only maimed, or so it seemed. Hunting evil spirits and bogeymen was not something Selene listed on her resume, nor a skill she had in her repertoire. This was something different entirely, and she knew that if she was going to face future adversaries of the same nature, she would have to invest in proper weapons.
"When is this damned thing going to die?!"