The first thing Emily felt was her fluttering eyelids, trying to force their way open. In her mind she knew that once they opened they wouldn't close again. Sleeping was in her past, strange as it sounded.

The second thing Emily felt was where exactly she was. A bed. Her head against a pillow, covers pulled up to the middle of her chest. Her body was perfectly straight, her legs together and her hands folded one on top of the other, lying on the top seam of the sheets. Textbook Sleeping Beauty.

Her eyes fully opened and all of her senses were flooded. She could see dust particles in the air with microscopic clarity. A candelabra was lit and she could see the slow burning decay of the fibers the wicks were made of, even hearing a faint sizzle. She felt it's warmth even if it was on a desk at the other end of the room and could smell the wax melting.

To Emily, one of the strangest new things was noticing the rise and fall of her chest yet not feeling any sensation of breathing. Curiously, she tried not inhaling and found her lungs weren't crying out for air. She held her breath for one minute (before, her record was forty-two seconds) and saw the same result. She felt no heartbeat either.

Finally Emily sat up. She felt no tightness in her abdomen as she did so. It took almost no effort. Habitually, she inhaled deeply through her nose, flooded with all sorts of smells. It was almost overwhelming. Above her, she heard a faint scurying sound. A mouse, most likely. Not in the room, but on the floor above. Her nose prickled, smelling something metalic. After years of nosebleeds she was familiar with the smell of blood. Now, though, she could almost feel her mouth water.

It was at that moment, unrelated to the mouse, that Emily suddenly sensed something... off. At first she wrote the feeling off as an obvious. She had just woken up after a multiple day metamorphosis, obviously she was going to feel different. But then she realized this feeling wasn't quite that.

Then it hit her.

For years and years in the back of her mind she had always at least sensed Henry's presence. They had a bond that went past emotions, it was very neural. A link of sorts. She could always sort of tell where he was or what he was thinking and vice versa. It wasn't an obvious presence in her head, but at that moment Emily realized how strange it felt to have it be... missing. Completely alone with her own thoughts.

More things started to stand out to her. At some point she'd been dressed in some kind of night garment. A black nightgown with cinched sleeves and a slightly frilled collar. The new clothes weren't as much of a shock compared to when she rolled the sleeves up.

Emily knew she was pale, the Upside-Down had no sun and she only went to the Overworld a few times during the year. Comparatively, though, that looked like a beach tan seeing as her arms were an almost pasty white now. Then she noticed how... blank her left arm looked. Her vine shaped tattoos were gone save for the faintest of outlines. As for her right arm, the web of scars that ran up it had almost completely vanished as well. To the naked, human eye the old markings were probably indetectable. She didn't even need to check her shoulder to know the rose tattoo was also likely missing.

Nervously, she touched her face. Those scars were gone, too, her skin feeling obscenely smooth, almost like a flexible glass. Then she noticed the lightness on her back. Emily carefully twisted her body and arm so she could roughly reach her now bare shoulderblades. All that was left were a few rough ridges where the tissue of her skin had healed around her now missing wings strangely. With a shakey exhale, Emily touched her fingers to the back of her head as if searching for a missing piece.

Well, there was something missing. Her connection to Henry and the rest of the hivemind had been severed.

Emily wasn't someone who cried. In fact, she didn't express fear or sadness much at all. This was an exception. She still didn't cry (really it almost felt like she physically couldn't anymore), but she let out a quiet yet shrill shriek through gritted teeth.

In the span of a few blinks that Emily no longer was able to give, the door to the room flew open and Caius was by her bedside having clearly run from whatever he had just been doing the second he heard her scream. He opened his mouth, likely to ask her what was wrong, before he stopped short. His lips were still parted, but the look in his eyes shifted the second he got a good look at Emily. She raised an eyebrow as Caius sat down next to her, his mouth now closed. An expression sat on his face that Emily could only describe as lovestruck.

Caius reached for her face, cupping it in his hands gently while stroking her pale cheeks with his thumbs. Emily didn't fail to notice how his skin temperature seemed normal now. The look he was giving her made Emily almost forget what she had been so upset over.

"If I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen before... la mia piccola rosa blu..." Caius said quietly. If Emily could still blush, she would have. "We might need to find a new use for Heidi at this rate."

Emily stuttered out her reply as best she could, getting hit by multiple feelings at once. She started slow, trying to articulate her thoughts. "I... I feel overwhelmed. How long has it been?"

"Three days. There's a wonderful crescent moon outside."

"That's... nice." Emily went to touch the back of her head again, grasping for something that was no longer there.

"Is something the matter?" Caius raised an eyebrow with concern, drawing his hands back cautiously as if Emily were about to explode. She sighed.

"It's just... when I woke up I felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness. For as far as I can remember I've always felt Henry's presence in my head. This bond that we had, it was hard to describe. Like we were one, in a way. Now... well, now that's gone. And the connection to the hive mind, too. I had these... essentially these crutches taken out from under me and I... I feel like I'm floundering." The words came out of Emily's mouth faster than she could control them. "I feel like a stranger in my own skin. This feels... off."

"Everyone feels like that when they first turn. But I understand. This connection was very neurological and you essentially went braindead." Caius explained. Emily perked up.

"'Braindead?'" She repeated.

"Well... yes. We're undead creatures. None of your human functions work anymore. No heartbeat, no breathing, no blinking, none of it. All of these things from your old life, they were connected to your brain. That no longer operates the same way. If I had to take a guess, that's probably why those wings of yours are missing. They were a physical aspect of that connection."

"But... but my powers. Those were connected to my brain, too."

"Those might not be gone. Remember, some of us are gifted." Caius pointed to a vase on a desk nearby. "Try and lift that."

Emily stared at the vase. It wasn't very big, a foot tall and half a foot in length at its widest point. It was white with a simple wave pattern just under the brim. She sighed and extended a hand as she'd been doing for most of her life. Emily focused on the shape of it, imagining it floating above the desk.

Her fingers twitched and the vase floated a few inches above the desk. Elated and frankly relieved, Emily drew her hand back and closed it in a fist as if the air had burned her. The vase shattered into several pieces without touching anything. Her eyes widened.

"I hope that wasn't something you wanted to keep." She said. Caius didn't seem to hear the statement. He stared at the shattered pieces of clay with an impressed yet surprised expression. "Are you okay?"

"It's nothing, nevermind. I'll have you test it later." Caius said, turning back to Emily and holding her wrists gently. Emily noticed her inner left wrist was also now missing the 004 digits. All that was left of her constant, mocking companion for almost thirty years was the faintest of outlines. That catharsis alone almost made Emily jump for joy, no longer one of Papa's emotionless, nameless weapons. She hadn't been for a long time, but now there was no number to indicate she had ever been.

Emily pulled her wrists out of Caius' gentle grip and put her hands on the sides of his neck so she could pull him close, kissing him. In her haste she failed to notice the ease of which the action happened. He kissed her tenderly back, but pulled away to Emily's confusion. Neither of them needed to break for air, so why retreat?

"I forgot to mention that you're a lot stronger than I am right now. Newborns exhibit extreme strength, remember? You could crush other vampires with your bare hands, especially much older ones like myself." Caius said. He touched his palm to his neck as if to display pain from her touch. Rather that feeling sorry for it, the corner of Emily's mouth turned up into a smirk.

"So now I'm the stronger one between the two of us?" She asked coyly.

"The stronger one out of all of us, really. In your current state, even Felix--" Caius didn't even get the chance to finish his thought. With her newfound inhuman speed, Emily flew out from under the covers, grabbed Caius by his shoulders, and pinned him down underneath her on the bed. His wrists were stuck by the sides of his head in her hands as she looked down at him with that near trademark cruel smile.

"So there's nothing that can prevent me from keeping you here all to myself?" Emily asked. Caius offered her his own coy smile, barely able to lean up and press a small kiss to her lips.

"Your thirst. You need to feed at some point, and as a Newborn that thirst is ravenous, nearly impossible to control." He told her in a way that indicated he knew he'd won whatever game Emily was trying to play. Her smile faltered, suddenly licking her lips and swallowing hard. She remembered smelling the mouse earlier and nearly started salivating at the thought.

"Do you have food for me?" Emily asked.

"In the throne room, just for you. A welcome present, if you will." Caius offered. He kissed her nose with a gentle smile at her suddenly envigorated expression. "There'll be time for this later, but we need to get you under control first."

"Fine." Emily rolled off of Caius and out of bed, standing on the floor with barely a hair out of place. Caius stood up and offered her his arm as he had once done when she had first arrived not even a week ago. Emily took it as they exited the room. She'd have to get used to the castle at some point, memorize where everything was. She had confidence memorizing Hawkins Lab had been harder, making a note of the second flight of stairs they went down.

They took an extra turn so they would enter through the main double doors. Emily moved her arm to open them herself, but the doors opened on their own. Stepping inside, she peeked around and saw two vampires having been the ones to let them inside. She smiled softly, feeling important.

"Immortality suits you well, Emily dear." Aro's voice came from the head of the hall. Emily spotted him quickly enough, her enhanced vision able to spy his smile instantly. A woman stood next to him, perfect chestnut ringlets adorning her ovlong face. Emily paid it no mind, the burning in her throat increasing.

"Caius said you had food for me." She said. She didn't phrase it like a question, more like a demand.

"Straight to the point she is." The woman said, an amused smile on her face.

"Very well. You see these two doors either side of us? Behind one of them is a freshly caught human, the other nothing. Use your senses to pick the right door and you can have it all to yourself. Choose the wrong door and Sulpicia here will claim the kill and give you half." Aro offered Emily a shrug. "It's plenty for a newborn, but--"

"The right door." Emily said, pointing to the door to her right. Aro blinked. "My right, your left."

"You're certain?"

"It's a male. Stocky build. If I didn't smell the blood first, I'd hear his heartbeat. It's rapid, indicating fear or exertion, probably both." Emily paused. "He just screamed 'vaffanculo' if that means anything."

She saw Caius cover his mouth slightly to stiffle a laugh. Aro sighed, gesturing for Jane to open the door. She obliged, a figure bursting out and falling to the ground due to the ropes binding his limbs. Emily's assessment had been spot on. The man continued to spit foreign profanities whilst fighting to break free. Emily scanned him momentarily, zeroing in on the jugular. She heard it pounding, saw the bluish vein pulsing.

The smell overwhelmed her, the burn in her throat becoming unbearable. In the blink of an eye, she pounced. The man gave one last scream before Emily's teeth found the vein and sank into it. In her haste, she completely ripped open the man's throat causing blood to spurt out. Her prey gave a few pathetic gurgles before growing still. Greedily Emily consumed everything he had, satiating her thirst and the burn in her throat dissipating.

Almost as quickly as she had started, Emily was done. There was still blood left, but for the most part Emily had consumed it all. It covered her lips and chin, a few lone drops cascading down her throat. Color briefly touched her cheeks like a natural blush. She stood back up and looked at her astonished onlookers. Emily smirked, wiping her chin with the back of her hand.

"Sorry, did you want any?" She asked, only semi-sarcastic.

"I must say, you have a newborn's thirst but... well, most newborns aren't as... precise, shall we say?" Aro said, walking to stand in front of her. Emily shrugged.

"I'm not new to killing. I could pinpoint a human's jugular before the sense boost. Admittedly I didn't intend to nearly decapitate him completely..." Emily shrugged, not seeming remorseful. Caius came up behind her and pulled her closer to him, almost protective.

"We'd better keep the secretaries away from her until she can control herself. And no human attendants for the time being." He said, pulling a red cloth out from his inner jacket pocket. Caius started gently cleaning her face, wiping the excess blood away from her chin and lips before traveling down her neck. His eyes never left her, the most loving expression on his face.

"I'll assign Heidi to her care." Sulpicia said, stepping down from the dais and exiting through the left door.

"I don't need a babysitter." Emily huffed.

"Not a guardian per se. Think of it as more like... a companion. Someone to help you adjust, do things with you, learn and train with. I have duties and as such can't always be around with you, much as it hurts me to admit." Caius curled and uncurled a strand of Emily's hair around his finger.

"Speaking of training." Aro interjected. "Does our dear Emily possess a gift? Or, rather, still possess her gift?"

Emily opened her mouth to answer, but Caius beat her to it.

"I actually wished to try something in regards to that. Do we have any prisoners awaiting exexution? Of our kind?" He asked. Aro raised an eyebrow but nodded once.

"Jane, Alec, fetch Samuel, please." He said to the twins. Jane nodded, running at super speed out the door with her brother. Ten seconds later they returned with a dark haired vampire between them. He struggled, though not as much as the human had. "Brother, may I ask what you plan to do with Samuel here?"

"Emily, do you remember what you did when you used to take a human's soul? Breaking their bones and stealing their eyes, correct?" Caius asked her. Emily nodded, a little confused. "Do that exact same thing, but remove the head instead."

Emily nodded again and glided to the middle of the room. Jane and Alec stood either side of Samuel, the older vampire looking up at her strangely. She hardened her face, raising a hand with spread fingers. Samuel floated a few feet above the ground, struggling to move. He yelped a few times, but all it did was spur Emily on.

She twitched her fingers, one arm bending and breaking. Usually a human's arm would snap and remain attached, however this time the limb flew completely off. She twitched her fingers again, the other arm flying away. She did it twice more, the legs snapping off. Finally, Emily focused on the head. The motion was different than what she was used to. Rather than pulling, she threw her wrist upwards, the old vampire's head flying off at the neck.

Emily let the torso and head fall, all the pieces in a small pile between the twins. They looked at her in disbelief, Jane in particular with her jaw hanging open. Surprised, yet the girl's eyes shined with a palpable respect and even admiration.

"Shatter the head, love." Caius said to Emily gently. She stared at Samuel's head, staring ahead at nothing with a permament scream etched on his features. Not an unfamiliar sight. Emily held her hand over the head and focused on it before squeezing her fist together. The head broke into a thousand little pieces, small flecks of marble tinkling on the tiled floor.

Emily turned to look at Aro and Caius, the former letting out a giddy laugh with an excited clap.

"Her gift is telekinesis, we knew this. However, given the marble properties of our skin, it has the unintended effect of allowing her to shatter vampires with her mind. She already has decades of practice as it is." Caius described, his own loving pride in his eyes. Jane and Alec cleared the pieces away, swiping the shattered head pieces down the drain in the middle of the room before leaving with the limbs and torso.

"Oh, splendid!" Aro said excitedly as Emily moved back to Caius' embrace. "Had she not been your mate, we would have found a permanent place for her with the Guard."

"Which reminds me..." Caius said, unfolding himself from around Emily to stand in front of her with her hands in his. "Emily, I would ask you to be my bride. My mate, my queen, my wife."

Emily's breath still hitched even if she no longer needed to breathe.

"Like... marriage?" She asked. Caius nodded, a warm smile on his lips which faltered seeing her forlorn expression.

"Is something the matter?" He asked.

"Well... I just... I never understood marriage as a concept. I always saw it as just another expectation society puts on people, this perceived ultimate goal. Henry and I were as close to married as one could get without slapping the meaningless title on it. Is it not enough to just remain eternally and wholy devoted?"

"It makes more sense for our queens to be wedded to us officially. It makes us appear stronger, complete and immovable pairs." Aro cut in. Emily's nose wrinkled.

"Stiffling, isn't it? What are you, Mormons?" She asked sarcastically. When neither of them responded, Emily chuckled. "Nevermind."

"Emily." Caius pressed, gently cupping her cheek with one hand, the other still holding on to hers. "I understand your thinking. In fact, I completely respect it. Never in my thousands of years have I ever seen a woman so... unbound. It's a meaningless title, but I want you to have it. We can stay completely devoted regardless. I want you in my family with my name officially. I want you by my side as my wife, my queen, my equal. The Fates brought you to me, I believe that, and I want to be yours completely as you are mine. Wed me, please."

Emily digested this, running her tongue over her eye tooth in thought. She sighed, a smile crossing her lips.

"I suppose so." She replied. Caius smiled wide. "It's just a title. I'd stay devoted to you either way, I made that choice the second I chose to stay and have you turn mw. But if this is how, then I guess it's not the worst condition in the world."

"Wonderful!" Aro said with a small, excited clap. "You can pick whatever ceremony you two please. I'll recognise it as official regardless of what you choose."

"I don't want anything austentatious. It feels weird enough marrying someone in the first place." Emily said.

"We had traditions in my homeland that we could simplify. All we need is just..." Caius bent down to the man's lifeless corpse and dipped his thumb in some of the little remaining blood. Part of Emily felt compelled to lick it, suddenly feeling a bit parched again. She held back after Caius moved to run his thumb down her forehead in a single, short line. He collected from the corpse again, this time using his thumb to draw a point on his own forehead. He dipped one more time, putting blood on his and Emily's lower lip.

"What's all this mean?" She asked.

"There were usually more ceremonies and rituals, but where I come from, there was a sacrifice done on the wedding day to the gods for blessings. The blood was used to draw these glyphs, the bride's meaning "blood" and the man's meaning "fire." Normally they would cut their lips to mix their blood, but that's not a luxury we have." Caius explained to her. Emily's eyebrow quirked up.

"What remote part of Greece were you even from?" She asked, half jokingly.

"A small island that was consumed by a volcano long after I fled. The doom was foretold by an oracle generations before."

"...got it." Emily replied, pursing her lips awkwardly. Caius just chuckled, tilting her chin up with his fingers. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking permission to kiss her. Emily knew this would be binding to a degree she never imagined she'd experience. She relaxed. This was just yet another silly little ritual for a silly little title that didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things.

Although as she thought that, she knew she thought it in Henry's voice.

Regardless, she nodded with a smile. Emily met Caius' lips in the middle, tasting the blood as their lips touched. Her throat started tingling again, but she restrained herself, instead basking in the moment.

A side door burst open the moment they pulled away. Emily licked the blood away from her lips and turned to see a woman with dark hair in a red dress approaching her with a wide smile. She wore black, opera-length gloves and held a small box of black stained wood in her hand. Emily caught a glimpse of something shiny on top before the woman shifted her grip on the box so she held it to her body with one hand while the other raised high. A showy, excited greeting.

"Sulpicia just gave me the good news!" The woman said. "It's an honor to meet you, Miss Emily. I'm Heidi, your companion for the next little while."

God, they gave me the most high octane woman in this damned place for a companion... sweet lord, she's gorgeous, though.

"Right on time, Heidi." Aro said. "Would you mind escorting Emily back to Caius' chambers and getting acquainted with her? There are a couple of trials that we can't put off any longer."

"Of course, Master Aro." Heidi said, taking Emily's hand. Emily looked to Caius, her eyebrows raised in a faux-frightened look. He just chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I'll come and find you after." He promised. Emily smiled before Heidi practically dragged her out of the room.

"Don't worry. Soon enough you'll get your thirst under control and I'll be out of your hair." Heidi chirpped after a long silence.

"I wasn't protesting your presence." Emily replied flatly.

"Well, you're not the most enthusiastic vampire I've ever seen, dear. If you're anything like your mate, and we all know you are, grandiosity and lavishness isn't your forté." Heidi opened the door to Caius' chambers. "You'll eventually have humans tending to you."

"I thought humans weren't--"

"Supposed to know? Yes, but sometimes the unavoidable happens. They seek us out, we offer them protection and tasks. Some may be turned, most end up as... dessert, as Jane likes to call it." Heidi directed Emily to a desk she didn't remember seeing the last time she was in the room. It was also a dark wood, a few mirrors against the back edge with deep purple fabric rolled over the tops. Heidi sat with Emily on the plush bench in front of it.

"Why do I need a vanity?" Emily asked.

"We thought you might like a place designated for your personal care. Hair, a little jewlery, makeup--"

"Heidi, I don't know who you think you're talking to, but in nearly fourty years of living, I've never even touched a tube of lipstick, I don't wear much jewlery aside from a pendant on occasion. I barely brushed my hair."

"So I heard. Our stylists were practically weed wacking your hair." Heidi set the box on the top of the vanity and took Emily's hands in hers. "I've heard a lot about you. Where you came from, what you've done, all that. I admire your goal to break the system. But you shouldn't feel obligated to reject feminity as a whole with it just because you were told women had to look pretty. Sometimes it's fun just to do things for yourself."

"Honestly, before I got here I don't think I ever did anything self-indulgently that wasn't for a greater purpose. Besides, it's kind of hard to 'look pretty' when your face looked as messed up as mine was."

"You were unique! And you still are! Emily, believe me when I say that you look beautiful. I'd argue you're one of our most beautiful, even without any makeup. But, you know, we all kind of look the same at a basic level." Heidi opened a drawer and pulled out various brushes, tubes, and palates of colored circles and squares. "You're whole thing was rejecting conformity, being an individual. Consider this as like a freedom of expression."

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it." Emily conceeded. Heidi grabbed the black box she arrived with and flipped the lid open. Emily didn't see what was inside, but she did see the lid was decorated with the gold V shaped crest everyone wore.

"Besides, you deserve to be a little more grandiose with how you present yourself. You're Lord Caius' mate and wife, that makes you one of the most powerful people in our world, let alone with the gift you have." Heidi slipped a gold chain necklace around Emily's neck with a warm smile. Emily rested the pendant in her hand to get a good look at it. She realized it was the same gold pendant the others wore, one to call her own. She'd been close to Caius' chest enough times to recognise it instantly. "You're one of us now, part of the family. You're Emily Volturi and Emily Volturi gets to splurge and put color on her eyes."

Emily looked at the pendant and then back to Heidi with a warm smile on her face. Her new name sounded strange to her, but she liked it.

"Besides, imagine the look on Caius' face when you look even prettier than you already are." Heidi added.

"He already said I had you beat." Emily chuckled. Heidi feigned a hurt look.

"Of course he said that, he saw you as Aphrodite's equal before you even turned. But last I checked your gift isn't enchanting beauty and mine is."

"True, but I can make your head explode with just a gesture." Emily shrugged. Rather than being perturbed, Heidi laughed.

"I'm glad you're on our side, that's all I'll say. Now, as your companion for the next several months, I get to be the one to do your hair, do your make up, accompany you around the castle or city when Caius is busy, and any other personal services you need. All except taking you hunting. The twins will accompany you most times. You have to go far away from here to do it." She explained.

"I'm glad I have you for that. Vampires may have incredible memories and can learn how to do things very fast, but I doubt I'll ever learn how to do this properly." Emily grabbed a rather large brush off the table and stroked her hand with it.

"It's more fun to have someone else do it anyways." Heidi replied. She grabbed one of the colored palates and held it up to Emily. "Any color would work with you, but right now I'm thinking a reddish gold would suit you."

***

Conversations with Henry usually ended up being existential yet whistful. Humanity's pitfalls, how many colors they would be able to see in the sky as the sun set behind the trees in their perfect paradise. Gentle, loving reassurances.

Conversations with Eddie often ended in silent treatments after bickering about god knows what. Turn down your music, stop talking to me like I'm a kid, do not try to climb up the Mind Flayer's legs, I didn't ask to get stuck down here with you.

So, to Emily, it felt strange when conversations with Caius turned out to be so... relaxed and amicable.

"No, I know it doesn't sound as good, but you're closer to consuls than kings. The Romans had multiple rulers at a time to keep one person from seizing too much power. In fact if I remember right, many of them shared your name." Emily said with a laugh. She curled up closer to Caius as they lay nude atop the fur covered bed. Caius let out a low chuckle as he curled a lock of Emily's hair around his finger.

"Well, then if I'm not a king, does it still make sense to call you a queen?" He asked her.

"No, it makes perfect sense because I am a queen." Emily replied impishly. Caius laughed before letting out a contented sigh. Emily stretched upwards to reach his lips, kissing him softly. She pulled back, nestling her head back on his chest.

"Did you read a lot? You seem to know a little about a lot of things." Caius asked her after a silent moment.

"When I was living on the streets the library was the best place I could go when I needed to seek shelter for a while. Unfiltered access to a large collection of books on whatever you could think of. Unfortunately I lost that luxury when I found the lab and I haven't read much since."

"We have an entire library of ancient books full of art, history, stories even beyond what I keep in here. Hundreds of years worth of literature. Not many of them are in English, but I can translate for you. Maybe even teach you to read them."

"Well, I have millenia to learn."

Another short pause echoed, broken only by the faint crackle from the fireplace. They didn't need it to stay warm, but it was a nice touch.

"Can I ask you something?" Caius asked.

"Sure."

"This abandoned children's home you lived in--"

"Orphanage."

"Right. Why would you leave it to survive on your own in the elements? It was a roof over your head, why run away?"

Emily laughed.

"A multitude of reasons, but if you can believe it, I ran away because I set something on fire and nearly burned the place down by accident." She said. Caius gave her an amused smile.

"So this fascination with fire isn't new."

"Nope. I was always trying to set something alight. No matter what the caretakers did, I always had matches or a lighter on me. It started out as just striking the matches and watching them burn, but then I started charring the corners of papers or burning small holes into the sheets. That time, I set some curtains on fire and it got out of control quickly. I didn't want to get punished for it, so I ran away."

"Torching curtains was the worst one?"

"Well... not exactly. That was bad because I could have gotten a lot of people hurt and potentially destroyed the building. But there were a few times I almost hurt some of the others."

"Do tell."

"Well, we had bunk beds, one bed stacked on top of another to have more room for kids. I was on the bottom and this girl named Clarissa was on the bed above me. She was a real bitch even for an eight year old. Thought she was basically an angel even if she was no better than the rest of us. So, one time she was being particularly annoying and I lit the bottom of her mattress on fire since it was above my bed. That was a good whipping for me, but the bright side was that I didn't have a bunk mate after that."

"Because they were scared of you?"

"Something I took pride in. The other kids and even the caretakers thought I was some demon spawn. A witch or heretic."

"That's something you have in common with the twins. They were burned at the stake for witchcraft. We were lucky we got there in time." Caius recalled.

"Maybe that's why Jane's so partial to me." Emily wondered aloud. "Anyways, there was this other time I was feeling particularly bothersome and I set a girl's pillow on fire... it set her hair alight, too."

Caius laughed loudly. "Why would you go and do a thing like that?"

"I honestly don't remember. All I do know is that Dora had bald patches for the rest of the time I knew her, likely beyond that."

Instantly, Emily could feel Caius tense up. His demeanor completely shifted, suddenly seeming reserved. Concerned, Emily shifted her weight so her chin was on his chest, looking right at him with worry.

"Is everything okay? You seem... agitated." Emily asked.

"What did you say her name was?"

"Dora. Why?" Caius still stayed silent, forcing Emily to think. After a second, her lips formed an "o" shape before pursing. "That was her name, wasn't it?"

"Athenodora. Yes." Caius replied shortly. Emily knew he was once married before. She didn't know much beyond the fact that it was untimely and long ago. The silence remained, so Emily chose to break it.

"When I was younger, I read a book about mythologies. Athena was the first one I gravitated towards. I looked up to her to some extent. Childlike innocence, I suppose."

"She was like that. Wildly intelligent and a no-nonsense attitude about most things. But she was kind, too... and a large part of my impulse control."

"One thing I don't happen to be." Emily smiled a little. "If anything, I'm an enabler."

"Yes, but it's more fun that way." Caius returned her smile, pulling her closer to kiss her forehead. Emily hummed, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He smelled of vanilla and a smokey musk. Emily thought for a moment before sighing.

"What happened to her?" She asked. Caius stared at nothing for a moment, not answering right away. Emily would have taken the question back, but her curiosity was too great.

"After what happened to Didyme, Aro and I grew concerned about our own mates. We kept them safe in their tower, although looking back it was a sad existence for them. They rarely ever left. One day we heard whispers of werewolves lurking in the woods a ways away from here and I was tasked to deal with them. Dora begged me to let her come along and I had a hard time saying no to her. It had been a while since I had spent time with her alone. I grew more worried the deeper into the woods we went, but we had to keep going.

"I trusted her enough to look for a water source. We would need another day and she wanted to clean herself." Caius paused, taking a breath. "Those werewolves happened to be right there and it was five against one. She could put up a fight, but it was too much. I heard her screams but I couldn't find her until I found her body covered in scratches and her head separated, also slashed. In a blind rage I took care of the last three of the wolves, but it wouldn't do me any good. Ever since then it's been my mission to eliminate all the Children of the Moon. I won't be satisfied until I do."

Caius gestured to the three mounted wolves heads on the wall of the reading nook. Emily digested this, chewing the inside of her lip. She opened her mouth to say something, but Caius continued.

"And, I think, that's one reason why I was so drawn to you. The scars on your face looked like those on hers. I wondered if you'd been in a similar altercation, but you said that wasn't the case. By then, though, you had pulled me in in more ways than one. Your attitude, la tua cantante, my singer but also I knew you were to be my mate. A perfect storm, really."

"'La tua cantante?' What's that?" Emily raised an eyebrow.

"A singer. It means your blood called out to me. Had I not fallen for you already, almost nothing could have stopped me from draining you. It happens very rarely, but such a discovery is usually cultivated." Emily would have laughed harder if she didn't know Caius was being completely serious. She still laughed, though.

"Every time I think I've heard the strangest thing about your way of life, and then I hear something like that. Crystal skin and now blood soulmates. Next you're going to tell me that vampires can have children with humans. Little freaks of nature they must be." Emily said, shivering.

"I've never seen one. I think they don't exist at all."

"I hope not. I've killed small children before and I'd do it again if I saw any of those."

"You'll have fun if we ever find an Immortal Child again."

"I think I'll find plenty of fun things while I'm here." Emily curled up close again. "Thank you for telling me. I can't imagine that's easy to talk about."

"You had a right to know. But I don't want you to think you're just Dora's replacement. I do truly love you. I don't honestly know what I would have done if you hadn't stayed here. I am yours just as you are mine." Caius said softly. Emily rolled her eyes with a smile.

"You're such a sap." She said, cupping his face to kiss him with a smile.