Acacia
★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽
Sunlight infiltrated my eyes, and I immediately awoke, sitting up rigidly and blinking rapidly. Dante stood next to the only window in the unfamiliar room, his hand clutching the edge of the curtain. That would explain the sudden light.
“Sorry to wake you so abruptly, but I figured you’ve had a good four hours of sleep,” he explained, striding over to the side of the bed. Peering at me with a look of genuine concern, he asked softly, “How are you feeling?”
The only thing I could think of at first was my nightmare, the one with things I refused to speak of. With a moment of thought, I realized he was concerned about me fainting in his arms. Feeling sheepish, I decided I needed to answer him, judging by the inquisitive expression that was plastered on his features.
“I’m fine,” I choked out softly, clearing my throat. “I’m perfectly fine.” Skeptical, he raised an eyebrow, resting his hands on the comforter.
“Are you positive?” he demanded gently, daring me to lie. I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “You just passed out while we were nearing the ground. Are you hurt? Please, just tell me what happened.”
“Obviously I was hurt,” I snapped, trying to remain calm; he was only worried about my well-being. “I’ll be fine, though, as long as I get some sunlight and some water.” Biting my tongue, I averted my gaze, debating on whether I should tell him the truth or not. “Look, it was a lot of things that led to me fainting, alright? I... I don’t do heights. I don’t really know why, but they kind of freak me out. I can’t breathe up there. My injuries hurt... well, they hurt a lot. Plus, I had just found an innocent man slaughtered brutally in cold blood. It was understandable.”
He blinked at me, clearly surprised at my confession. To be totally honest, I was surprised, too.
“Don’t you dare tell anyone what I just told you,” I ordered briskly, throwing off the blanket and sliding off the bed. With dismay, I realized I was somehow wearing a pair of cotton shorts instead of my jeans and my ankle had been bandaged. I sincerely hoped it had been Karin or Akira to help me instead of... anyone else.
He stepped back, wisely giving me some space. I saw his eyes noticeably flash to the vines on my legs, but it wasn’t necessary to point it out at the moment. “If you do, I will punch you in the face, and I will not show you any mercy, ne comprenez-vous?” Nodding, he grinned, apparently seeing my words as a minor threat.
“But of course,” he smirked, moving towards the door. “Now, you said you needed some sunlight?” Rolling my eyes, I nodded with a sigh, reaching for the doorknob. “Allow me.” He beat me to it, throwing it open wide. What a gentleman.
It only took a full thirty seconds for me to realize I had no idea where we were. I whipped around to face Dante, my eyes wide.
“It’s kind of a long story,” he laughed. “Don’t worry. We’re safe here. The owner is a vampire.” Yes, because that was so reassuring.
Shrugging, I cautiously made my way down the stairs, noticing that nearly everyone was gathered in the front room, talking quietly. I turned to Dante immediately, nearing causing him to trip over me.
“Is there a back door to your knowledge?” I questioned softly, remaining out of sight of the rest of the club. He nodded thoughtfully, stepping around me and giving a gesture that clearly told me to follow.
The building was huge; it took nearly ten minutes to navigate through the labyrinth-like hallways to the back. I was growing antsy, the lack of my necessary nutrients making my head spin, but, miraculously, I could see a yellow glow peeking through the crack below the door.
Excitement filled me, and I quickly raced to the exit, rushing out and flying off the porch into the light.
It had seemed like ages since I last stood in the sun, and I couldn’t express how marvelous it felt.
Repair me, glorious sun
Rid my mind of wretched thoughts
Heal my wounds and heal my soul
Make it so the memory rots
As I felt my body begin to repair itself and my mind begin to clear, Dante’s sharp intake of breath reached my ears. I spun around, arms still outstretched, confusion settling over me.
“You... you’re sparkling,” he stated, his brows furrowed and his eyes wide. I narrowed my gaze, planting my hands on my hips.
“Ouais, pas,” I breathed, shaking my head. “I do not ‘sparkle.’ What do you take me for, a pixie? Non, I shimmer.” He didn’t seem to see the difference, but I simply assumed he wasn’t up to date with modern culture. He was lucky, if that was indeed the case.
“Right,” he replied, drawing the word out. “Well, if you’re finished here, we should probably head back in. I feel like Akira wishes to speak with us, all of us.”
“Fine, I’ll heal another time,” my voice was harsh, but I said it with a smile, showing him I was merely teasing. He had saved me, though I hated to admit it.
With an answering grin, he led the way into the building, the mansion, where we stepped right into the heart of Akira’s speech.
“I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting,” she was confessing, a sheepish expression on her features. “I was acting horrible on my part of everything and I just wanted to say sorry for the way I acted to you guys when you first came into the club. Hopefully, we can actually meet instead of just on plane rides.”
Though I had tried to ignore Akira’s attitude when I had first met her, she was right; with her snappy remarks and incessant oppressiveness, she had been a bit of a b***h. It was a nice change in pace to have her acting humble, so, along with everyone else, I smiled kindly in her direction.
Somehow, she had already fallen asleep on the couch. Figures.
“So, you want to go outside again?” Dante questioned, drawing my attention to him. “You said you wanted to —” At that point, I noticed something strange about him and couldn’t help but cut him off.
“You’re hurt,” I stated accusingly, gesturing to the bloody wounds on his arm and neck. With a look of disbelief, he sighed, brushing off my concern.
“It’s not a big deal, honestly,” he scoffed, averting his gaze with a sigh. As I rolled my eyes, I automatically gripped his wrist, towing him towards the back once more. On the way, I snatched a towel from the conveniently located bathroom and a bottle of peroxide. His scowl never left his face, but he no longer objected my actions. With a smirk I tried to hide, I knew I had won.
Gently, I set to work on cleaning his injuries as soon as we made it out into the midday sun. Grimacing only once, he averted his gaze the entire time, allowing me to work in silence.
As I absorbed more sunlight and began to internally heal my own wounds, I tried to spare some of the energy for Dante; his injuries were rather substantial and could have used some help. However, I found I was unable to spread my energy to him, and, freezing in my actions, I let out a frustrated sigh. Turning to me, a single eyebrow raised, he silently questioned me.
“Sorry, I was trying to ah heal you like I heal myself, but it didn’t work,” I attempted to explain, unsure of how to go about it. “I could do it a few months ago, but...” Trailing off, I bit my lip with a shrug. He appeared suspicious, not necessarily of my words but of the reason I was confused, but, remaining silent, he smiled reassuringly.
“It’s fine. I’ll heal on my own,” he answered simply, reaching for the towel. With a swift tug, I wrenched it away. “I could do it myself, you know.”
“Just let me help you, okay?” I ordered, pressing the cloth to the cut on his neck rougher than I should have. Wincing, he clenched his teeth, and I immediately lightened the pressure. “Je vous dois.” Eyes flashing, he turned to face me, halting my care with an outstretched hand.
“You owe me?” he repeated with a short laugh. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“Yes. You saved my life,” I breathed through clenched teeth, dabbing his wound yet again. “Therefore I owe it to you.” My entire essence burned as that thought escaped my lips, shutting my eyes tightly for a moment. Within an instant, he had lifted my chin, forcing my eyes to flash open quickly.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” he responded kindly, a grin tugging at his lips. “It was my pleasure.” I fought against the urge to slap his hand away and settled with a sigh.
“Quelle que soit,” I barked softly, rising from my kneeling position. As I folded the soiled towel into a ball, I added in a kinder tone, “That’s the best I can do. I’ll get you some bandages; there are some on the kitchen table. Just wait right here.”
I didn’t bother speaking with any of the others as I made my way to the kitchen; most of them were already in the middle of quiet conversations or taking naps. It only took a minute to snag the box from the table and return to Dante’s side.
In silence, I hastily covered his wounds, avoiding his gaze. When I finished, he gave a grateful grin and rose to his feet, stretching his limbs.
“Thanks. You want to go for a walk? The forest looks very ni —” He had already been moving towards the trees, but I cut him off with a forced yawn.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m going to go take a nap.” My voice was monotonous and sharp, and it clearly caught him off guard. Without another word, I whipped around and began moving towards the door.
“You want to sleep?” He questioned automatically, his voice growing louder as he moved closer. “But it’s the middle of the day. Didn’t you just have a nightmare?” My blood ran cold as I froze in my tracks. How could he know? How could anyone know?
Slowly, I turned around to face him, my eyes wide with fear. It was rather obvious he regretted his words by the way he had covered his mouth, but it was too late for him to take it back.
“How do you know about that?” I demanded harshly, stepping towards him and prodding him forcefully in the chest. Though I tried to prevent it, my thorns began to appear.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized sincerely, his hands raised in surrender. With a sharp exhale, I stepped away, trembling only slightly. “I stayed in your room when I brought you up there.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he continued in a soft voice. “I was worried about you.” All my anger fled, leaving only guilt in its wake.
“Thank you for your concern, just don’t bring that dream up ever again, alright?” I ordered fiercely, my voice not nearly as loud as it had been. As he nodded obligingly, I turned on my heel and headed up to the room, a weariness settling over me that I hadn’t experienced before. In the nick of time, I made it up to the bed, and, as soon as I collapsed on the mattress, my mind went completely blank. Well, almost.
Eyes as blue as the ocean
With depths that hold so much
Secrets both kept and hidden
Communicated with a touch
★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★
When I awoke again, it was completely dark; the curtains were open wide yet no light entered. It had been another nightmare, but this had been less clear. It was already fading from my memory, and I was rather glad.
Groaning, I rose from the bed, stretching my back as I made my way to the door. My throat was nearly dry, and it was a struggle not to cough.
There was no light to guide me downstairs, but I managed by gripping the banister as if it were my lifeline.
Out of nowhere, the bathroom light flickered on, and Akira’s frame was visible. She had been injured in the fight, and, like many of the guys, she had refused any care. Figures. I snatched a towel from the pile in the hallway and made my way to her, hoping she wouldn’t be as stubborn late at night.
“Need help?” I asked from the doorway, cradling the towel. She grinned, to my surprise, and retrieved the cloth from me to press against her nose.
“Thanks, Acacia, right?” she questioned tentatively. With a broad smile, I confirmed she was correct. I hadn’t thought she’d known my name at all.
“I don’t think we’ve properly met,” I began, hoping to insinuate an actual conversation. She turned to me, appearing to be holding back a laugh.
“Well, I’m Akira,” she replied with a chuckle, and, laughing once, I nodded. With a quick observation, I saw how badly she had been injured, and immediately dug the bandages from my pocket that I had used for Dante.
“Here, I grabbed these from the table from earlier. I couldn’t sleep so I came down for some water when I noticed you were getting up. I was surprised that you were getting up now,” I explained quickly as I handed her the box.
“Why?” she demanded gently, and, shrugging, I dismissed her question. I had simply assumed she’d be out for much longer, seeing as she had gone without sleep for quite some time.
“Where are you from?” I couldn’t help but ask, immediately fearing her response. When she didn’t react, I continued. “You know where everybody’s from, but we don’t know where you’re from.” Curiosity had overtaken my mouth.
“Japan,” she responded, catching me by surprise. I will admit, she had some Asian features, but she seemed so... American. “But I grew up in Virginia. I still know some Japanese.” We planted ourselves on the couches in the front room, and, one way or another, we began a conversation about our homes. It was nothing about our pasts directly, and I found it refreshing.
At one point, Griffin was entered into our conversation, physically at first, but, as it progressed, Akira’s confusion about him in more ways than one were brought into play. It was obvious to me how she felt, and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Griffin held some of the same feelings.
Yet neither of them would accept it. Why did they have to be so stubborn?
On second thought, their obstinacy made them perfect for eachother. Maybe they would figure it out on their own one day.
Hidden emotions not my own
Is the truth not clear as day?
Love be lost or love be found
Into fate’s hands they sure will play
★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽
Ta da! Sorry about the lack of dialogue towards the end; Akira’s post has it all. I was feeling lazy. Sorry!
Either way, I hope you like it! :3
