End of Part 20:
Alec’s POV:
I walked down the corridor, until I heard voices. I pushed the heavy wooden doors open, and on seeing Aro, Caius, Marcus and Didyme gathered in the middle of the room, I grinned. They looked so shocked; it was hilarious.
“Where’s Jane?” I asked, coming to a stop when I reached them.
No one answered me.
“Well?” I demanded. “Where is she?”
Aro cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “We don’t know. She left, and she’s not planning on returning.”
“No! No, no, no!” I shouted, my shock fuelling my anger, my despair calming my panic. I was unable to think clearly, but I did know one thing: Jane was the reason I’d escaped. I wasn’t about to lose her, not now.
…………………..
Part 24:
Alec’s POV:
My eyes felt strange, like they were burning. I blinked, but it didn’t ease the irritation. I growled in the back of my throat, partly because I was annoyed by the burning sensation in my eyes, and partly because I was frustrated and furious that Aro had let Jane leave. I had trusted him to look after my sister, to keep her sane. Now she was gone, and she wasn’t coming back. I knew why she had left; I also knew I would have done exactly the same without a thought. Now it was my job to rescue her before she did something stupid.
I remembered what my mother had said to me the last time I’d seen her, as Jane and I were dragged away to be burned at the stake for suspected witchcraft. Human memories were hazy and imperfect, yet I could recall perfectly what she’d said to me.
Alec, she’d said. Promise me that, whatever happens, you will always look after your sister. Promise me that you will devote yourself to her. Please.
I’d agreed.
Remembering this made the burning sensation in my eyes stronger. I knew this feeling; I’d felt it before, when I was human, but never as a vampire… then, with a shock, I realized that this was crying. I was suddenly embarrassed. I needed to be strong - for Jane, for myself, for mother.
Running my hands through my hair, I turned around slowly, taking in the whole room. I turned full circle, turning back to face Aro, Caius, Marcus and Didyme.
“Who was the last person to see her?” I asked. I didn’t know where I was going with this; maybe I needed to blame someone, or maybe I was just grasping at straws.
“It was Didyme and I,” Marcus answered. “We saw her in the corridor.” He pointed to the door at the back of the room, opposite to me.
“How did she leave?” I kept my eyes on the door as I asked this question, considering walking over to it.
“She jumped out of the window, into the courtyard.” Didyme answered this time, her voice weak at the memory.
“And what did she say before she left?”
I started to walk toward the door.
“She said, and I quote: ‘I won’t be returning. However, it doesn’t matter, because I’m half dead already.’”
I winced at the thought of her pain; I could imagine what her face would like, and I couldn’t force the image from my mind. I was failing; I couldn’t look after her. I had reached the door now, and was gripping the wrought gold handle.
“Why would she say that?” I wondered aloud, as something occurred to me. I stepped into the corridor, striding over to the window. “Why would she tell you she was going?”
“I don’t know,” Marcus mused. It sounded like he was following the same train of thought to me. I was aware of him standing just behind me. “Unless…”
“Unless she wanted us to find her,” I followed, the sudden joy shocking me. I threw myself through the window, taking off at a run across the courtyard. I could hear footsteps behind me; more than one set. They were all just as desperate to find Jane as I was. I couldn’t help but question the reasons behind Aro’s worry, though.
I pushed the disturbing thought away. The main thing was finding Jane, before… I shuddered. The thought of what she planned to do… it terrified me. It terrified me more than being dragged off to be burned at the stake, and more than the moment I was bitten by Aro. Because, then, I hadn’t been alone. I’d had Jane. Everything we’d suffered, we’d suffered together. It was wrong for us to be apart. My eyes were burning again. I didn’t blink it away now.
Alec’s POV:
I walked down the corridor, until I heard voices. I pushed the heavy wooden doors open, and on seeing Aro, Caius, Marcus and Didyme gathered in the middle of the room, I grinned. They looked so shocked; it was hilarious.
“Where’s Jane?” I asked, coming to a stop when I reached them.
No one answered me.
“Well?” I demanded. “Where is she?”
Aro cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “We don’t know. She left, and she’s not planning on returning.”
“No! No, no, no!” I shouted, my shock fuelling my anger, my despair calming my panic. I was unable to think clearly, but I did know one thing: Jane was the reason I’d escaped. I wasn’t about to lose her, not now.
…………………..
Part 24:
Alec’s POV:
My eyes felt strange, like they were burning. I blinked, but it didn’t ease the irritation. I growled in the back of my throat, partly because I was annoyed by the burning sensation in my eyes, and partly because I was frustrated and furious that Aro had let Jane leave. I had trusted him to look after my sister, to keep her sane. Now she was gone, and she wasn’t coming back. I knew why she had left; I also knew I would have done exactly the same without a thought. Now it was my job to rescue her before she did something stupid.
I remembered what my mother had said to me the last time I’d seen her, as Jane and I were dragged away to be burned at the stake for suspected witchcraft. Human memories were hazy and imperfect, yet I could recall perfectly what she’d said to me.
Alec, she’d said. Promise me that, whatever happens, you will always look after your sister. Promise me that you will devote yourself to her. Please.
I’d agreed.
Remembering this made the burning sensation in my eyes stronger. I knew this feeling; I’d felt it before, when I was human, but never as a vampire… then, with a shock, I realized that this was crying. I was suddenly embarrassed. I needed to be strong - for Jane, for myself, for mother.
Running my hands through my hair, I turned around slowly, taking in the whole room. I turned full circle, turning back to face Aro, Caius, Marcus and Didyme.
“Who was the last person to see her?” I asked. I didn’t know where I was going with this; maybe I needed to blame someone, or maybe I was just grasping at straws.
“It was Didyme and I,” Marcus answered. “We saw her in the corridor.” He pointed to the door at the back of the room, opposite to me.
“How did she leave?” I kept my eyes on the door as I asked this question, considering walking over to it.
“She jumped out of the window, into the courtyard.” Didyme answered this time, her voice weak at the memory.
“And what did she say before she left?”
I started to walk toward the door.
“She said, and I quote: ‘I won’t be returning. However, it doesn’t matter, because I’m half dead already.’”
I winced at the thought of her pain; I could imagine what her face would like, and I couldn’t force the image from my mind. I was failing; I couldn’t look after her. I had reached the door now, and was gripping the wrought gold handle.
“Why would she say that?” I wondered aloud, as something occurred to me. I stepped into the corridor, striding over to the window. “Why would she tell you she was going?”
“I don’t know,” Marcus mused. It sounded like he was following the same train of thought to me. I was aware of him standing just behind me. “Unless…”
“Unless she wanted us to find her,” I followed, the sudden joy shocking me. I threw myself through the window, taking off at a run across the courtyard. I could hear footsteps behind me; more than one set. They were all just as desperate to find Jane as I was. I couldn’t help but question the reasons behind Aro’s worry, though.
I pushed the disturbing thought away. The main thing was finding Jane, before… I shuddered. The thought of what she planned to do… it terrified me. It terrified me more than being dragged off to be burned at the stake, and more than the moment I was bitten by Aro. Because, then, I hadn’t been alone. I’d had Jane. Everything we’d suffered, we’d suffered together. It was wrong for us to be apart. My eyes were burning again. I didn’t blink it away now.