Where She Belongs

History Repeating

Late afternoon sunlight filled the bedroom and sitting in the middle of the rather enormous bed, I try to work out what to do next. I obviously wasn't in my house, or anywhere I'd been before and somewhere on the other side of that door my biological father had clearly lost his mind and kidnapped me. Although, was it counted as kidnapping once you were an adult?

The room was rather empty of well anything more than the bed. My shoes and purse were missing and the bathroom, thankfully, had toilet paper. Deciding I couldn't hide forever, I get up and trying the door, it opened. Plain white walls, the same as in the bedroom greet me. There isn't anything on any of the walls, though the hooks that remain prove that there once had been. The dark wooden floors creak as I walk along them, and I don't bother trying any of the doors as I go by. Reaching the top of the staircase, the house is silent and seemingly vacant of any kind of decor. I wasn't here to judge his decorating skills, so going downstairs I ignore how cold and abandoned the place felt, finding some comfort in the sunlight. Had it been dark, this place would be a million times creepier.

"Hello?" I finally call, after determining the whole lower level was empty. "David?"

Nothing.

The fact he was a vampire and the sun was still out probably had something to do with that, but it didn't really help me at all. Trying the front door, it was locked as were the back and kitchen entry ones. The windows wouldn't open and as I bravely tried to smash my way out of them, I merely ended up hurting my hand as that glass wasn't going anywhere. Breathing in, I caught a whiff of a strange smell, kind of dusty and off yet exotic. It was like a spicy mould if that was even possibly a thing and paying more attention, it was strongest around the windows and doors.

"Magic?" I asked out loud, not really expecting an answer, yet I got one.

"Yes." David emerged from a door by the stairs, that also wouldn't open for me and very obviously looking over his shoulder, I figured it led to the basement. "Good evening."

"Not sure what's good about it." Folding my arms across my chest, I'm not sure what to do now. "Why am I here?"

"I'm fairly sure you know why."

"I do, but why? You could have just stopped by like you have been."

"With him lurking around the place? I doubt you'd want to explain the dead wolf in your front yard to the neighbours." He shrugged.

"You didn't-" I started, unable to ask the question. I'd never considered that he would actually hurt Aiden, or even Gwen, but then again - here I am, so what did that mean for them?

"For now, they remain very much alive. Consider it a christmas gift."

"Considering how my actual Christmas went, that's quite an improvement." We don't move, or say anything else. We just literally stand there looking at each other. "Why didn't you say something? You had plenty of chances!"

"I wanted to be sure."

"When were you sure?" I demand.

"Honestly, the first time we met. You were so, human, I wasn't sure if that should have been possible, but I knew who you were. I've been looking for you and then, there you were, not at all what I was expecting."

The sadness in his voice made my chest tighten as the lifelong battle of never having been good enough returned. "Sorry for the disappointment."

"That's not what I meant, you are not a disappointment to me. Not ever. Not at all." He sighed, looking almost defeated already. "Look at you. You're a beautiful, smart, and funny grown woman, whose life I had to sneak into by trying to create some kind of friendship with as you had no idea who I was! I had no idea what to do once I found you, so that was just easier. To be honest I still don't."