Gianna's days began silent and peaceful. She lived in a large house, too big for one person alone, but it hadn't always been that way. All the cleaning and gardening were taken care of by employees who came twice a week, even so, she made sure her things were well organized. When it was sunny she would exercise in the morning in the sun, but in the rainy season she was content with the breeze on her face and the sight of freshly cut roses from her garden as there was no nature on the underground, at least not for her, just icy stone walls.
She ate enough in the morning to not have to worry about eating at least until the evening, as the smell of food bothered her masters. It was difficult to get used to at first and having to mask the sound of her stomach growling, but now her body was adapted to her new meal schedule. She always chose elegant clothes, and recently she had started wearing glasses, today she had chosen a dark green set with a skirt that went to her knees.
Gianna enjoyed her last sip of hot coffee before leaving for the palace. As the only human allowed in lately, all the work of those who previously occupied the upper floor had passed to her, so Gianna now needed to take care of matters related to the city above, and its true rulers below.
She made her way to the palace on foot on sunny days, but in the rain she used to take her father's old car, parking it on the street opposite the piazza, entering through the door at the back of the castle, where she attracted fewer curious glances from the residents who wondered why the building had been closed for almost a year now.
Without the staff upstairs, the underground residents could roam freely, but Gianna was lucky not to run into anyone this time. She hummed to the elevator, which played an old opera, bidding farewell to the human world, and entering the world she was so eager to be a part of.
Gianna walked across the corridor without rushing, lighting the lamp on the table and laying out the documents she would need to work on during the day. She was allowed to bring in water from outside, so she restocked her minibar with new bottles.
As soon as Gianna finished making the list of tasks for the day, she was interrupted by one of the Guard members. Demetri suddenly appeared next to her, pulling out a chair and sitting next to the human. It was the first time this had happened, as she hadn't had much contact with him, nor with anyone other than the masters. The most she received was a look of contempt, so Demetri's words surprised her:
- I need help.
Gianna blinked for a second, not understanding. She knew Demetri was an efficient member, she had studied everyone's file, but this was the first time this specific vampire had asked her for something.
- What do you need?
- The contact lenses that Heidi uses to fish, I need a pair.
- I see - Gianna's mind spun with so many possibilities. She knew that Caius was in charge lately and that the Guard were forbidden from feeding, therefore Heidi was forbidden from "fishing" as the others called it, but here was Demetri, with pure burgundy eyes.
And now he needed contact lenses, but for what?
- I'm sure Heidi still has some in perfect condition, you could ask her.
Demetri shook his head.
- She can't know they're for me, she would consider it... Impolite of me to ask.
Gianna finally understood. Despite not speaking much with the members of the Guard, she was needed as a contact with the outside world, and ended up discovering several things about each one, which she added to the file. For example, she knew that Heidi had feelings for Demetri, but she didn't know if they were romantic feelings or just a physical attraction, and that Demetri had never given in to her attempts at romantic relationships, something difficult considering that her gift was attracting people. If Demetri was asking Gianna for that, it means there was another woman involved. A human woman. After all, if she weren't human, why would Demetri need contact lenses?
The secretary still remembered the first time she was introduced to one of them, the sight of the red eyes was what scared her the most.
- I must have an extra pair in storage - Gianna said - for when you...
- I need them now! - Demetri replied, hitting the table for what she considered a nervous reaction, his face soon contorted into a grimace. She's never seen Demetri act like that before - Please.
But the 'please' was what shocked her the most.
Gianna took a pack of keys from the drawer. She would look for the contact lenses, then update her file on Guard members. It seemed that problems would soon shake the clan again.
- I'm going right now.
There wasn't much to do on Saturday, but Elia believed that her brother needed to rest and she needed to be useful since she had moved with him without prior notice, so she used the weekends to play with her nephew anywhere outside the house. There was a park for children a few blocks from her house, it was the best thing she could do on rainy days, but as she was arriving too late to pick up Luigi from school she decided to do something different at least once.
- Remember, don't tell your dad we're having ice cream - Elia said.
- But you said that lying is bad - Luigi replied.
Elia pinched one of his cheeks.
- It's not lying, it's omitting, it's different. Listen to your aunt.
The rain had stopped a little before they left the house, even so the sky was still gray, so Elia packed Luigi with a yellow raincoat for the walk, as it was easier to see him on the street that way.
- Wait - Elia took a napkin to wipe Luigi's face, which was twitching as she removed the chocolate from his cheeks.
The streets weren't as lively as on sunny days, but they weren't empty, and according to what her brother said, Elia knew that when the festival time arrived the city would be vibrant and red. A cat walked past the table where they were sitting, wearing a blue collar similar to Luigi's eyes. The cat made Elia think of Alec and what he was doing and where he lived.
He looked impeccable, as if it had come out of a painting, and Elia never guessed the direction he was heading. He was always too fast, maybe...
- Can I play a little now? - Luigi asked after they left the ice cream shop. They would have to walk a long way to get to the children's park they frequented, so Elia decided that they could get a little closer to the piazza this time.
- Of course - Elia said, helping Luigi take off his raincoat so he could run with the other children who were also venturing out in that weather.
Elia wanted to go with Luigi and be another child without worries, but when she thought about having to grow up again the idea soon seemed painful. She had to be content to just sit on a bench and watch him play.
- Which one is yours? - a man suddenly asked Elia. She hadn't even realized that the bench was occupied when she sat down, on the contrary, she was sure that she had chosen this one because it was empty, all the real parents were on the other side and so she wouldn't have to worry about small talk.
- The boy with the dinosaur shirt - she replied, then tried to look at Luigi right away, but she simply couldn't take her eyes off that man.
He was very tall, Elia noticed this even when he was sitting due to his long legs. His hair was black and reached a little below his shoulders with small curls at the ends, framing his perfectly pale face, crowned by his straight nose, slightly raised at the tip. He wore very chic clothes, with a long black overcoat that matched his pants and shoes. But what surprised Elia most were his violet eyes.
Elia couldn't say how long she stared at him, but she started to feel dizzy, using all the willpower she still had to turn her face towards the children. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for five seconds fearing again that it was just imagining things, but the man didn't disappear, she felt his presence right next to her.
- Are you Alec's friend? - was the first question she thought of asking, because somehow that man was similar to Alec.
He seemed to be controlling himself, perhaps that's why Elia thought he was so still, with an almost statuesque posture. Even so, a beam of a feeling quite the opposite of delight passed across his face when she mentioned Alec's name. Anger, perhaps? Disgust? Elia couldn't say for sure
- Yes - he replied, calm and composure returned to his face - my name is Demetri, and I would really like you to call me by name.
The girl nodded. She knew Alec was different, she just didn't know exactly what he was, and now another one appeared, but what did this one want?
- Oh - Elia realized that she hadn't introduced herself yet - my name is...
- Elia De Rossi.
She was surprised that he knew her full name, but the way he pronounced it, as it wasn't just any name, it wasn't a common name, it was her name, and that seemed to be special to him.
- I don't have a surname, just like the other one - Elia noticed that he avoided saying Alec's name - I'm just Demetri.
- Demetri - Elia said his name once, but it was enough for the man to open a wide smile that made the girl look away again. When Alec smiled she felt a sense of danger, but with this man she feared wanting to smile back.
Elia managed to move away from him a little, settling herself on the opposite end of the bench. It was necessary so she could breathe again. Her head was spinning a little, and she was sure it wasn't because of the meds.
Elia's heart started beating very fast, and suddenly it was all she could hear.
- Are you feeling well? - Demetri's voice seemed full of worry and care, he soon ended the separation between them, approaching Elia, holding the back of her head and her left hand.
The girl didn't see that, she didn't see how worried Demetri looked, as if the girl was being taken over by some strange evil he couldn't see, she also didn't know how useless Demetri was feeling for letting this happen. Elia only felt how cold his hands were, moving away from him in one leap, automatically touching the back of her head where his fingers had touched her skin. His fingers were cold and hard as stone.
When the girl turned to face Demetri, he was no longer there, leaving the same way he had arrived, without being seen. Just like Alec.
Elia sat back down on the bench, picking up Luigi's raincoat from the floor.
How to summon a demon?
Elia felt stupid right after searching for that on the internet. So she decided to change the search phrase.
Did I summon a demon?
She read some occult stories, some were straight up fantasy fanciful, others that seemed very real, and began to compare them with what she had done in the last few months. The thing was, Elia hadn't done anything out of the ordinary, nothing spectacular. Volterra was just a place she'd chosen to hide from the world for a while, she hadn't gone there with many expectations.
Elia closed the search tabs as soon as she heard her brother knocking on the door.
- What have you done? - she asked a little dramatically when Andrea entered the room cleaning his face. The beard that helped differentiate them had disappeared and his face was clean.
- I don't know, I think it turned out good.
- Now everyone will ask if we are twins - Elia joked while rolling her eyes. Andrea sat on the edge of her bed as she occupied the desk chair.
She knew why he was there, he wanted to check on how the day had been.
- What were you researching? - Andrea asked.
- Normal things - Elia replied, she didn't know how to lie to him, so she remembered what she had taught Luigi: to omit.
- Normal things like going back to college?
- We were doing so well - Elia sighed, then closed the notebook.
- I'm not pressuring you...
- I know you don't think so.
- I just want you to have a normal life, without hiding.
Elia nodded, she wasn't looking at Andrea anymore. Avoiding eye contact was one of her shields.
- This week was better - she said - I think I made a friend.
- A friend? That's nice.
She held out her hand, so Andrea shook it. When they did that it meant the difficult part of the talk was over.
- Remember we have a wedding in Siena next month, so I thought it would be good to try out a new look.
- Yeah, social conventions, great. I'll tell dad you're acting weird.
- Go to sleep - Andrea said as he left, then closed the bedroom door.
Elia enjoyed the seconds of silence that followed after the conversation.
- Good night, brother.
She took a deep breath, she wanted to try something. She turned off the light, being at the mercy of the full moon and sat at the window bench, which she thought it was the coolest thing in the house since she had moved in. She spent many afternoons reading on that bench as Andrea brought books about history and any other subject he found interesting so she could enjoy them while looking at the city walls. And now there were the drawings. Elia had tried to sketch Alec after she'd seen him, but none of it had turned out well enough. She hadn't touched them since.
Keeping her hands busy kept her head busy and that was good.
But she really wanted to know what Alec was. And now there was the other one.
- Maybe he'll show up if I call him.
Elia opened the window, even though she had a feeling that Alec could open it if he wanted. The night was cold and she concentrated as if she were actually in some kind of ritual, first visualizing his face in her mind, then saying his name out loud:
- Alec - Elia thought her voice had sounded too normal, so she added a little more depth. - Alec, are you there?
She knew she was putting herself at risk by doing this, inviting an unknown creature into her home. But at the same time it would serve to confirm that Alec was a creature.
She felt as if something passed by her at high speed, making her hair sway. Elia said nothing, keeping her eyes closed, then reached out, feeling a thick fabric, until she finally had the courage to open her eyes.
There was the boy, pale and with eyes as dark as the void, which somehow got even scarier at night. He wasn't wearing gloves this time, but he was holding Elia's mp3 in his hands.
- Were you nearby?
- Is that really the first thing you're going to ask me? - Alec replied, he looked serious for a second, then smiled. He dropped the mp3 on the padded bench, then began to walk around the room that seemed to be at his disposal.
Despite wearing leather shoes he didn't make any noise when he walked. Alec passed by the desk first, analyzing the notes that Elia had left, even picking up Claudio's letter that she hadn't opened yet, but dropping it right away. He then looked at the small bookshelf and the books that were abandoned on the floor and near the window bench. Finally he seemed interested in the bed and the piles of clothes that she had accumulated on the sheets.
- It stopped working - he said, pointing to the mp3.
- It must need charging - Elia replied - I forgot to tell you that the battery runs out.
Alec nodded, interested, then sat down next to her again.
- I met someone new today, a friend of yours.
- I know, I should have followed him, but I couldn't, we would have ended up fighting.
Elia looked at the clothes Alec was wearing, they were different. They were always different. That meant he had a home, didn't he? And if he and Demetri knew each other, where was that place?
She touched the beautifully crafted buttons on Alec's coat. There were six on each side, surrounded by black embroidery. And in the middle of his neck, there it was, the golden 'V' pendant. Demetri didn't have one.
- I think I hurt him.
- From his reaction I figured something had happened - Alec tilted his head - what did he do?
- I felt dizzy, he touched my hand, but he was so... - Elia stared at Alec for a second, they both knew what she was about to say.
Alec seemed to understand.
- You wouldn't be the first to find this strange - he held out one of his hands, expecting Elia to take it, but nothing happened - what? You called me here, did you lose your courage?
- Maybe - Elia looked away, she didn't want to have another crisis like she had earlier.
Elia had intended to take it slow, but Alec forced his fingers to intertwine with hers.
- It's better this way to get used to it - he said when Elia tried to withdraw her hand.
She struggled a little against her senses, but then she gave in, her breathing calming in the process. Elia didn't know why, but the fact that Alec was cold suited him.
- See? - Alec smiled again, as if he was teaching her something very basic - You didn't die doing that.
- I didn't die - Elia repeated, smiling like a fool.
A single tear eventually fell from her left eye and Alec wiped it away. He didn't know why she cried.
When Alec finally let go of her, Elia felt her hand a little numb.
- What are you? - she asked the question she had been putting off asking. - And I don't take "I can't tell you" for an answer.
Alec was silent.
- Are you a demon?
She was afraid he would start laughing, but again Alec didn't.
- I haven't heard that assumption in a long time. - he said.
"A long time could mean a lot of things", Elia thought. That didn't answer any of her doubts.
Alec suddenly turned his face to face the window.
-What happened?
- I wanted to make sure no one was listening.
Elia hurriedly closed the window, much to his amusement.
- That won't help.
The girl looked frustrated, which made Alec feel more at ease, as she was no longer acting like an enchanted prey, but like someone with whom he could share a secret.
- I can't tell you now, only when you are ready. If I say something I'll be breaking the eighth law.
- What's the eighth law?
The girl was hungry for information, Alec could tell.
- It's the law that forbids me from telling you what you want to know.
- And what happens if you tell me?
- I'll have to take you with me - from Alec's expression, he didn't seem too bothered by that, which sent a shiver down the girl's spine - but you're not ready yet.
Elia nodded, silently wondering if the way Alec spoke meant that one day she would be taken.
- Are you sure you're not a demon? - she whispered to him - Because you're talking like one.
- I swear I'm not - he whispered back, seeming to enjoy it.
Alec took the golden necklace off his neck, placing it in Elia's hands.
- Take this with you if you leave the town, it will keep you safe.
- So, it's a good luck charm then.
- Something like that - Alec smiled watching Elia stare at the golden pendant with interest.
He really didn't want to leave, but it was too risky to spend time inside one of the houses.
- Let's do something tomorrow - Elia suggested - you still owe me an adventure, and it's Sunday.
The boy nodded enthusiastically. As much as he had more information than Elia, they both seemed equally lonely.
- Of course! Meet me at the entrance to the city, I heard it's going to rain and it'll be perfect!
- At the entrance? Do you mean the main gate? But it's too far and...
- Tomorrow, four o'clock, before the sunset, promise me.
Elia sighed. She wanted this, didn't she? Something that would change the way things were going.
- I'll take the mp3 – Elia replied. She didn't know why she hesitated - charged this time.
Alec held her hands again, and Elia noticed more and more how young he looked and how strange that was. He really was a person who walked between walls.
- Can you do me a favor? – she finally asked.
- Anything you want.
Elia reflected a little. Even though she didn't know exactly what was happening, she thought about what would be the right thing to do.
- Can you apologize to Demetri for me?
Alec rolled his eyes, then kissed Elia's hand. His glossy, thick lips were as cold as his fingers.
- He will be ecstatic about it, and probably will start following us now, be aware of that.
- But why?
Alec didn't answer, and Elia could tel