New Start (Morganville Vampires)

Chapter 8

I woke up to my phone ringing. I was asleep on the floor to Myrnin's lab, I must have fallen asleep last night when I went around there.

'Where the heck are you?' Eve's voice came down the phone.

'I'm sorry.' I said groggily. 'I fell to sleep. I'm at Myrnin's.'

I sat up on the floor. Most of the glass was cleared up now apart from the odd small glittering shard. Myrnin had noticed that I had woken up, and he walked over. I held out my hand so he wouldn't talk.

'Are you okay? He hasn't done anything to you, has he?' Eve asked in a rush.

'Eve, I'm fine.' I said. 'I'll come 'round at some point and pick up some of my things.'

Eve sighed. 'You staying at Myrnin's then?'

'Just until my parents have gone.' I said. 'Or until it's all cooled down with them.'

'Okay.' Eve sighed. There was yelling in the background. 'I'm going to have to go. Your parents are yelling saying that they want to talk to you.'

'Thanks for understanding, Eve.' I said, and then she put the phone down.

Myrnin stared down at me. I looked up at him and smiled reassuringly. The expression on his face changed from confusion to kindness.

'You don't mind me staying here do you?' I asked him, grabbing hold of his hand to stand up.

'Of course I don't.' He says. 'Oh, I got a text from Amelie earlier.' He said. 'She wants to see me.'

'What, now?' I asked, running my fingers through my hair to brush it.

'She said it was important, she's sent one of her guards to pick me up.' He said.

'Okay, I'll just...'

'Come.' Myrnin said. 'Please,'

'Sure.' I smiled at him, picking up an umbrella out of the corner of the room.

We walked outside and put the umbrella up. It was full daylight. My skin was still slightly more resistant to it - a bit like an older vampires - but it was still smoking in the strong Texas sun. I ran and threw myself into the tinted car. Myrnin got in next to me, hardly smoking.

We pulled up outside the building with Amelie's office in it in Founder's Square. I put the umbrella up and dashed in. We had asked the guard to use the underground parking, but he said he didn't have enough time or something.

Another guard was waiting at the door.

'I'm sorry.' He said. 'Only Lord Myrnin has been asked to enter.'

'I know.' I said. 'But I'm going with him. If you have a problem with that, talk to the Founder herself.' I said, and carried on walking with Myrnin.

'What the hell was that?' Myrnin asked on the lift on the way up to Amelie's office.

'They listen to me now.' I said.

Myrnin laughed. 'A kid telling them what to do.'

We waited outside Amelie's office for a while before she appeared. Myrnin kept looking at my nervously. I gripped his hand to reassure him. No matter how old you are, seeing the Founder will make you scared.

'Child, what are you doing here?' Amelie asked as soon as she exited her office. She looked annoyed - probably by me.

'Myrnin wanted me to come with him.' I said back. A risk that a lot of older vampires still wouldn't take.

'Come through.' She said. 'Both of you.'

We walked through into Amelie's office and sat opposite her desk. I had been here many times before, and I still found it intimidating.

'I gather Myrnin has told you why I wanted him here?' Amelie asked. I looked over to Myrnin and he looked away from me. 'Oh, so he hasn't.' Amelie said. 'Well actually, it was to discuss your relationship.'

I sighed. 'Amelie, look-'

'Child,' she said. 'You are only a child. The sheer point of how much your skin burns in the sun is a point of that.' She said, looking at the red marks on my arm. 'You are young. Yes, at your age I was married, and I had Morganville, but that is different. That is history.'

'It's not different.' I said. 'I love him.' I said quietly, almost in a whisper.

'Love is such a foolish word, child.' She said. She stood up.

I was fed up of people thinking they knew what was best for me. No-one knew me. The only people who knew me were Michael and Myrnin. They did what they knew what was the best for me, and it was. Even if me and Myrnin had different ideas.

'Myrnin,' Amelie said. 'Why did you bring the child along?'

Myrnin looked towards her for the first time while he had been here. 'Because I want you to see she is not a child.' Myrnin said.

'She will always be a child.' Amelie said.

'Please,' I said to Amelie. 'I want to marry Myrnin.'

I saw Myrnin slightly shaking his head out of the corner of my eye. He kew it was a risk for me to talk to Amelie like that. Most people wouldn't survive that.

Amelie sat back down at her desk. 'I'm not saying you can't marry him.' Amelie said, softer. 'I asked him to come because I wanted to discuss your wedding, and how committed you are to each other, and I think you have just showed me that.'

I smiled at her. 'Thank you.' I said.

'There is just one condition of you getting married.' Amelie said, and I was nervous all over again. 'I like traditions, but I want Elizabeth to keep her last name. If she is going to take over from me, I need someone with a name the people trust.'

I looked at Myrnin, who raised his eyebrows and shrugged as if he didn't mind. I nodded at Amelie. 'Okay, sure.' I said, and smiled.

Myrnin and I stood up. We turned around to leave Amelie's office when she inferrupted us.

'Myrnin, Elizabeth?' She said, and we turned around to face her one last time. 'Congratulations.' She smiled.

Amelie - in her own way - had just given us her blessing to get married. That was more important than my parents blessing.