Jared Whitlock; Daughter of Jasper Hale

Chapter 72: A Wall Between Us

Reeve P.O.V

I've reverted back to sitting with my headphones in, eavesdropping on my father and uncle's conversations secretly. It's becoming my way of 'coping'. These days you'll find me underneath the huge table in the throne room, watched by Uncle Marcus's observant eyes, as he guards me protectively, giving anyone evil glares if they try to bother me.

Mom calls occasionally, asking me when I'll come home, but I don't want to go back to America; the further away from Jared the better. As for Aro, he continues to dote on me as usual, careful never to mention Jared's name, almost as if she never existed.

"Hush my girl, the feelings will pass." He frequently tells me, while Marcus will give me symphathetic looks, as if only he feels the way I do.
But Aro doesn't understand, he still has that bitch of a wife, Sulpicia.

"Oh speak of the devil." I mutter under my breath as Sulpicia waltzes in, flanked by Aro, who crouches down to peer at me under the table. "Hello Reeve." He smiles at me, as if it's the most normal thing to sit under a table. He crawls beneath it. I blink at him, he's never come to sit under the table with me before.

He forces his legs crossed, although it's a struggle because they're so long. His head touches the 'ceiling' if we count the table as a ceiling. "So, darling, how are you this fine morning?" He cocks his head to the side. I stay silent, looking down at my phone.
"Darling?" He asks, looking pitying.

I lift my head to awkwardly acknowledge him, and he gives a small smile. "How about a walk? Fresh air will make you feel so much better." He persuades the best he can with his smooth voice. "Just leave her be, Aro," Sulpicia's whiny voice comes from above the table. "She clearly doesn't want to come out." She sounds bored as usual.

Aro's face twitches slightly with irritation, but masks it with his manic smile. He turns to address her the best he can. "Hush, my love. Reeve and I are talking." He looks back at me. "Aren't we, darling?" He smiles.
Before I can answer (not that I was planning to) Sulpicia cuts in. "It doesn't sound like much conversation is going on." She snarks.

Aro's head ducks out from under the table to speak to her quietly. "I'm trying to get her to talk." He explains, before coming back underneath the table with me.
"So, Reeve, how about that walk?"

He always takes me out for walks when I'm sad. It's like he doesn't know what else to do. It's as if he feels walking will erase all the negative emotions. He could take me out for ice cream, not that I eat much anymore, or we could go and see a movie, though I doubt movies these days would suit Aro; he's the type of guy that'll critisize for all he's worth.

Hmm..maybe walking really is the safest and most 'normal' option.
"Reeve? What do you think?" He peers at me. I blink at him. "You've been silent for at least two minutes." He comments quietly.

I open my mouth to say something and he looks hopeful, before I shut it again, and he sighs. "Why don't you show me how you are feeling?" He suggests, holding out his hand.

Good idea. His gift. Why didn't I think of that earlier?

I reach out towards him, ready for him to hold my hand in his. He waits, palm outstretched, looking eager. I look up at him nervously. He nods encouragingly.
My hand comes into contact with his and his eyes flash as he reads my thoughts.

He stays still for a second or two before looking me in the eyes. "You'd like to go to the cinema." He concludes. "The cinema." He repeats again to himself.
He smiles softly. "I haven't been to a theatre of any sort since....the late 1940s to see Hamlet in London." He states, looking at me.

"By William Shakespeare." He adds. I know that. I place my hand in his once more.
He smiles. "Are we having telepathic conversations now?" He checks.
Yes.
He sighs at me. "What film would you like to watch?"

Denial. It's about a man who denies the holocaust happened.
"You've always been keen for history. You and your world war II novels." He shakes his head smiling. "The war was a terrible time." He adds softly.
I can imagine.

"Speak to me, Reeve." He sighs in frustration. "I want to hear your voice."
Tough. I don't care.
He frowns. "So much like your mother. So stubborn." He grabs my chin and holds my face upward. "But you have my features. All three of you." He adds, stroking my black hair. He fingers the red streak running through it and sighs.

"You should get rid of this. Why would you want red and black hair?" He enquires.
I think it looks nice, Papa.
He nods. "I know you do, but respectable people like you and I do not colour our hair." He insists.

He looks at my stripy purple and black jeans. "Thankfully, most of your clothes blend in with the Volturi uniform." He glances at the jeans again. "Most of them."

I sigh at him and he looks apologetic. "I'm just saying. You are the daughter of a powerful vampire leader. Unfortunately you don't have as much power as LeeRoy, because of gender, but that doesn't matter. Not really. Males have always had more power." He looks away in thought.

"That's probably why Lily switched to male." He decides.
I glare at him.
Lucifer didn't do it because of 'power'. He did it because it's who he is. A boy.
Aro sighs at me and an uncomfortable expression crosses his face. "I know that, Reeve, but...it's not the type of thing people appreciated back in my time." He says carefully.

Your time has come and gone. It's the 21st century now. Transgender people live among us because they're human beings.
They're not 'things' to be ashamed of.

Aro crawls out from beneath the table and walks to his throne. "I've had enough of this....conversation, Reeve." He ends it there and then.
I walk out of the throne room and stop in my tracks. My brother stands in the hallway, grinning at me. He's come all the way to America to see me. Hendrix isn't with him.

I rush back into the throne room at high speed and speak my first words in months.
"Papa!" He glances up.
"Lucifer's here!"