[BOOK TWO]
"Anniversaries to some are like counting the years spent doing something great, years spent together, or years spent alive." I started slowly, voice dropping to a drawl as I peeked cautiously out of my bedroom blinds, scanning the road to...
HELL WAS BEAUTIFUL at night. Stars dotted across the horizon, forming constellations in which I could not even fathom. There were perhaps a thousand different lights glittering around, and with how dark the land was, the skies could only be brighter. Peering down from the window, there was a bonfire by the sands, a group of young souls dancing as faint music thumped in the air. Laughter echoed like a thousand wedding bells, bringing joy and happiness. Only, I felt nothing like that.
I felt confused. Betrayed. Perhaps even lost.
Everything in which I had thought I knew was a different theory altogether. Hell wasn't bad like I had imagined, but was instead a place of eternal wonder and comfort.
Minnie slept soundly in the room connected to mine, her light snores drifting into my room by the opened connecting door. She had shut her eyes without any worry in the world, her stomach full of delicious treats Dimitri had ordered the cook to prepare, and head giddy with delight from seeing me again (her words, not mine). In fact, I had never seen her so peaceful before today. After the horror nights of New Year's Day, Minnie could never sleep as soundly. Her nights were more often than not filled with nightmares. Some vague and easily forgettable, while others so vivid she would wake up crying.
Dreams and nightmares are easy to forget. But the emotions in which they brought along with them weren't as much so. The emotional trauma placed upon all of our shoulders had become a burden to bear, and with each passing day, I was only getting more and more tired from the weight.
As I lay in bed at night, the silk covers laid over my neatly, I couldn't help myself but let my mind wander. The canopy of the king-sized bed was draped with luxurious white silk, white the sheets were made with a combination of the other monotonous colors. If it was even possible, the room was even larger than my bedroom back home. The floors were carpeted an ebony black, and the door leading to the washrooms sat in a far corner by the wall facing the bed. A dresser made of white-painted mahogany was placed within the enormous walk-in closet that was filled to the brim with clothing, and there was even a mini 'living room' setting placed by the upper left corner of the room, complete with a fireplace and white marble coffee table.
"Can't sleep?" I jolted upright from the sudden noise that ruined the peaceful quiet, eyes scanning the large area before finally landing on a figure that blended almost perfectly within the shadows.
Dimitri had his arms folded across his chest, his expression covered by the dark like a curtain against a window. His movements were so silent, so stealthy that my heart was still thundering wildly from that mini scare of his sudden appearance. All I could see of him was from neck and below, the moonlight shining off the reflective surface of his perfectly polished shoes.
"I don't usually sleep well in a foreign environment," I admitted, hand slowly reaching for the pistol I had tucked under my pillow. "And I especially won't sleep well if I'm in the same building as a killer."
A small chuckle rumbled from Dimitri's chest as he shook his head, the movement of his hair slightly visible even though it was dark as night and blended with the lack of light. Standing to his full height, Dimitri crossed the area and headed towards my bed within seconds. From his newfound close proximity, I could see a glitter in his molten silver eyes, shining as brightly as the north star.
"I'm not the real killer here, Addison. There are beasts, celestial beings that are even crueler than I am made to be. I take the lives in which have met their due while they take as they wish."
"So are you saying that I've met my due? That I was supposed to die?"
"The thing is," Dimitri drawled, gently lowering himself onto the bed as he leaned on his supporting arm so that his face was inches away from mine. "You've met your due long long ago. I stalled your death for over eighteen years."
There was a flash of memory passing my mind, almost like a fast forwarded movie clip that lasted a fraction of a second before it disappeared. I could hear children's laughter echoing into the distance along with the appearance of the memory before I frantically shook my head, willing the voice to go away.
He must have noticed my anxious expression for Dimitri smirked, but it was much softer than his usual sinister grin. "Loss of words? You should be. I've not done anyone that favor before."
"I think I'm feeling a little tired, actually." Faking a yawn, I stretched my arms high before sighing deeply. "I wish to go to bed if you don't mind."
Lowering myself, I pulled the pillow closer to my face before tucking the pistol back under my pillow as quietly as I could. My face was away from Dimitri, but I could feel his ever presence looming over my figure. We stayed that way for far too long, and yet, his presence never left my side.
Tonight, I was gifted with a whole new perspective to the world. Things in which I had once thought of as vile and malicious was switched into something that could be beautiful. The world was a flipped image, the different side of the same coin. For so long, I had thought of it as black and white, where they could be nothing more in between. And yet, now I am told that there could be gray, and multitudinous other shades of gray in between. There is no good and evil. There are only choices made by people in which in turn lead to different outcomes.
I've now made the choice to be more open about the world for when one is most humble only do they learn the most.
There was a small breeze drifting in from the windows, lightly caressing my face as my mind started to feel lighter from sleepiness. From the corner of my mind, I could faintly register Dimitri's body weight lifting from the bed before I was hit by a strong and yet comforting wave of his cologne. He bent over, lips gently pressing a kiss to my temple before withdrawing completely.
When I turned around, I was only greeted by the cold of the empty room, his figure completely gone into the night once more.
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