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AN ACCIDENT

NO VAMPIRE ESCAPED THE NEWBORN PHASE WITHOUT HAVING AN ACCIDENT OR TWO.

And despite her usually docile nature, Billie was not exempt from this unspoken rule.

Another month had passed in Volterra, and the blonde girl had started to grow restless from her place beneath the city. She wanted out, and because Aro could quite literally never say no to her, she was granted two hours of freedom each night when the humans were tucked away in their beds.

These two hours could be spent outside which would satiate her desire to explore, but she had to stay within the confines of the ancient city and have at least one member of the Guard with her. If she had it her way, Jane would've been her chaperone each night— but unlike Billie, she had proper duties to fulfill, which meant there had to be a rotation of vampires who could accompany her.

That night in particular, the lucky soul who was tasked with watching her was Alec.

It wasn't a surprise that Billie and Alec started to get along after she'd introduced the twins to human board games. He'd sought her out on numerous occasions just asking to be shown different ones that he could try, just so he could master the skill and watch his sister burn up with agitation.

But at the end of the day, their budding friendship was really rooted in Billie's bond with Jane. As much as Jane would never even dare to admit it aloud, she liked the blonde newborn immensely. It was nice to have another female face around, and Billie always made sure those around her felt wanted— special, even. And boy, did Jane absolutely eat that up.

Unlike his sister, though, Alec did start verbally expressing how much he tolerated the girl. He'd brag about how she was always good company to keep in an attempt to make Jane jealous; a plight that usually worked. Sibling rivalry still persisted, even among the world's oldest vampires, it seemed.

"When we return, we shall play that game where we must pretend to be a surgeon and save the large man from dying," Alec stated, as though it wasn't up for debate.

Billie hummed as the pair continued weaving their way through the streets on foot. "You mean Operation?"

"Yes!" Alec responded excitedly. "We've yet to open that one, and I'm curious to know how I can claim victory once more."

"It's not that hard if you have a steady hand," Billie told him, reminiscing of a time where she had played that very same game in her youth with a hazy figure in her mind, "which I'm sure you do, because you're good at literally everything, but I—"

Her words were lodged in her throat at the smell that just flew into her nose. The only plausible way she could've described it is that it smelt of sugary syrup. It was something too good to pass up.

A figure with an arm drenched in crimson entered the town square, emerging from another cobblestone alley to the pair's left. Her stomach would've rumbled if it could, her eyes zeroed in on the person's arm, unmoving.

Until Alec took her by the shoulders and forced her behind a wall, out of sight from the drunken man who'd obviously had quite the tumble. It was late— he shouldn't have been out and about.

"Let's go back, Billie," Alec suggested, his grip unwavering from her now shaking shoulders. "I'm eager to start using my steady hand to—"

"No."

Alec merely blinked at the girl whose head began to crane around the wall, like she was trying to catch another glimpse of the bloodied man. The blonde girl was never combatant, and she really never disagreed with anyone or anything; so why had that changed all of the sudden?

A cold feeling rushed over him. "Billie, we're leaving now," he reiterated, a bit more firmly, once he finally clocked in on what was happening. Due to her calm demeanour and the fact that even in her undead life, she likely wouldn't hurt a fly, he'd forgotten just what she was. She was a newborn, and this was likely the first meal walking on its two legs that she saw face to face.

She began fighting against his hold, using her strength to overpower him for just a moment. Aro would kill him for what he was about to do, but it had to be done.

Black mist began sprouting from his fingertips in his attempt to subdue her sense. Really, it was a genius thought because if she couldn't smell nor see the man, she would hopefully calm down. Only, Alec hadn't accounted for the fact that maybe she wouldn't go down as easily as others did.

Instead, Billie's hands grabbed Alec's head, her palms pressed harshly against his temple as she let out a guttural sound.

Instantly, Alec was no longer in the square— no, he was reliving a memory he'd shared with Billie, as though he was some sort of third party spectator watching the blonde and himself sit across from one another in Caius' study once more.

"Okay, if you draw the add four card, you need to pick up four more cards," Memory Billie had explained to him, pointing at one of the array of cards she was holding.

"But... then I will have more cards than you, meaning I am now losing," Memory Alec had deduced with a frown.

Alec was puzzled, watching the two of them converse as though it was playing out once more in real time. The edges of his vision were blurred, a reminder that this wasn't real. 

"Wake up, Alec," he scolded himself, glancing around the hazy study as he willed himself to get it together. "Wake up!"

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Alec didn't know how much time had passed before he snapped back to reality, but knew it had been enough time for him to be alone in the alleyway— knew it had been enough time for Billie to be up to no good, that's for sure.

And he found he was right the minute he looked back into the square, spotting the blonde girl who'd used some foreign power on him to transport him back into his own memory with her. He didn't have time to think about how peculiar it was, because once he saw the unmoving body at her feet, he sprung into action.

"Dio santo," he mumbled out anxiously, noting the way her body was stood rigid above the man. Her eyes never left the body, not even when Alec sped up to her. "Billie... are you alright?"

He earned no response from the girl, and really there was no flicker of acknowledgement in her eyes; and that was something that alerted him that she hadn't heard what he said. Even as he placed a hand on her shoulder, there was no physical reaction.

This was getting weirder and weirder, truly. "Billie?" he tried once more, a sort of desperation in his tone. Aro would fucking dismember him if he didn't fix this problem quickly, and sure as shit would never trust him around the girl ever again. "Puoi sentirmi bene?"

Can you hear me okay?

That seemed to stir something within her— but for the wrong reasons. However, Alec knew what was happening this time around, so by the time she attempted to lunge in his direction, she was surrounded by a massive of black mist. He'd taken her senses, and the moment it really kicked in, Billie's entire being slouched in relaxation.

Still controlling his power around her, he knew he had to get her back to the others. Jane would know how to proceed, would know how to approach Aro with the happenings of the night.

And he also knew that Felix and Demetri would dutifully clean up the mess in the square without alerting the humans.

But shit; he was going to be in so much trouble.

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[ wyn's note ]

update 2 of the pre-scheduled chaps!! :) alec's gonna have the scolding of his life... rip to my man fr

all my love xx