The Gift.

3

"Come, little one, first have you eaten?" Jesse asks the intimidated child in his arms.

She shakes her head. "My parents said it was a waste of food since I was going to be sacrificed." 

Jesse hadn't thought there was any way for her parents to make him even more angry, but those words did it. "Carlo, order her some food. Desanto get the servants to make her room. Put her in the one next to mine and across from yours. That way she will be surrounded by us if she should need us. Santo, see if you can find something better than these rags for her to wear. She'll stay in my room tonight." As Jesse gives orders to his brothers they nod and leave to do as he orders.

They are just as horrified as Jesse is at the girl's words.

Jesse takes the girl to his room. "Tomorrow we'll take you shopping and get you some decent clothes and shoes. For tonight you'll bathe and eat before you sleep."

The girl is too overwhelmed to say anything as Jesse takes her to a huge room. A room that is as large as the hovel she grew up in. "Where's the stream?" The girl asks once she manages to make her voice work once more.

Jesse looks at the girl confused. "What stream?"

"The one to bathe in. You said that I will have to take a bath tonight." Just the thought makes her shiver. The night has gotten more than a little chilly. She isn't looking forward to bathing in cold water.

"We don't bathe in streams unless we are cooling off." Jesse takes her into a separate room with a large stone tub. "We use a bathtub." The girl looks at him with confusion. The only kind of tubs she knows of are the kind used to wash laundry in. The kind her mother uses to earn money.

She watches Jesse carefully as he goes over to the large stone tub and turns some strange looking knobs. Her eyes open wide in shock as water comes out of a spout over the tub. She places her hand under the water and pulls it back rapidly since the water is hot and burns her hand just a bit. "What magic is this?" She whispers in wonder.

Jesse smiles slightly. He's been so used to the luxuries that he'd forgotten that she wouldn't have known about any of it. "It isn't magic, little one, but science."

The girl looks at him inquisitively, "What is science?"

"It is the study of how the world and heavens work. There are all different kinds. The study of life, or biology. And that could be broken down into the study of plants and animals and all about them. There are the studies of the maths and how things work, which is what this is," Jesse motions to the water filling the stone cistern. "There are other studies that are dedicated to the heavens, stars, moon, and sun. There are magics in this world, but most things are actually science rather than magic."

The girl stares at him in awe. "You are very smart."

Jesse smiles widely at this. "You will learn as well. First you'll learn to read and write." With those words the girl's eyes open wide and she smiles broadly.

"I get to learn, go to school?" Her family had been too poor, only the richest in her village had gone to school.

Jesse smiles softly, "Yes, or rather you'll have tutors come here to teach you. After you learn to read and write you will be allowed to read any of the books in the library. As you get older you'll also be allowed to ask for your own books if you wish. You'll also learn the etiquette necessary for going with me and the others to events held by the vampires."

"You have a library?" Jesse didn't think the girl's eyes could get any more wide.  "You have books?"

Jesse nods, "Quite a few, actually."

Then the rest of his words sink in. The girl shrinks away from Jesse and he frowns. "The other vampires will wish to kill me."

Jesse turns off the water. He kneels in front of the human. "You are under my and my brother's protection. There is only one that would dare to harm you and he won't, unless he wishes me to challenge him."

"If he does?" The girl isn't so sure what she hears in Jesse's voice.

Jesse smiles a very twisted smile, "Then, Little one, we will find out if the king is stronger than me still. But if he is, then we both will be dead. Seeing as he made me his heir, I don't think that is likely."

Not very reassured the girl allows Jesse to help her out of her rags that she calls clothes. She doesn't see the sneer that Jesse has when he looks at her clothes. He wouldn't use those clothes as cleaning rags. He'll have them burned. He sets them aside and only then sees the bruising on the girl's body.

"Who hurt you?" Jesse does his best to keep his anger from her but is afraid that his control wasn't strong enough.

The scars of whipping are evident on her back as are several bruises, some new others fading.

"My father likes to whip me with his belt when he is angry. I try to avoid him, especially when he's been drinking. When it comes to me he's always angry. Only when the elders paid him for me was he happy with me."

Every time Jesse thinks he couldn't hate them any more, he finds more to hate. Tomorrow night her parents won't die easily. But he doesn't need to let her know that.

He helps her into the water and washes her hair probably for the first time in her life with soap. It takes more than one washing to get the matted hair to lose their grip on the leaves, and other debris lodged in her hair. He has a special item to help make her knotted hair relax and he gently and carefully works the knots out. Tomorrow he'll have her hair cut properly.

Hopefully there will be someone able to work as a personal maid to her.

By the time he gets the worse of the matted mess taken care of she is falling asleep. "Hey, little one, you need to stay awake for just a little longer. Carlo has brought you something to eat and Santo has clothes for you for tomorrow. For tonight you'll wear this." Jesse hands her one of his shirts.

"Master, this is far too fine for me to wear." The girl can feel her work rough hands snagging on the fine material.

Jesse shrugs, "It is yours to wear for as long as you wish. And don't call me master, don't call any of us master. You are our honored guest here. This will be your home for as long as you wish."

The girl finishes putting on the shirt and then gives Jesse a huge hug. Jesse can feel her tears falling down her face. "Thank you, no one has given me any clothes as nice as this before." The shirt falls down below her knees she's so small. Very likely due to lack of food.

Jesse forces back his own tears. "Come and eat little one. I think that we will find a name for you while you eat, would you like that?"

The girl nods her head enthusiastically, "I would very much like a name."