Innocent Seduction

It was after two when we left Edwards house, we had both worked hard and were tired. Even still, when we came to the end of the street that would take us in different directions neither of us wanted to go. We stood there for the longest time, holding hands and just looking at each other.

“I guess we’ll get to do this again tomorrow night, huh?”

Kevin says, breaking the silence.

“Yeah.” I look up at him, at the way his eyes seemed to sparkle at the idea of continuing tomorrow. What had I done to deserve someone so trusting? I should of gotten someone who hated the whole situation of belonging to me, that I deserved.

“Why so serious? I hope it wasn’t something I said…”

I try to smile but know it doesn’t quite reach my eyes. I move my hand up to cup the side of his face, he leans his head against my hand, his eyes on my face, waiting.

“I just can’t believe how lucky I am, that’s all.”

I lean up on tiptoes and kiss his lips gently, my hand slipping back to hold his neck. He leans into the kiss, deepening it, and I answer back. His arms move around me, holding me close to him as we melt together. We pull away gasping for air and grinning like idiots.

“See you tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow night!”

And we go our separate ways, or at least he does, I stand at the end of the sidewalk watching him walk away. It is, quite possibly, the best view I’ve ever seen. I chuckle aloud at my behavior as I make my way home. I feel really good about everything right now. I had spent the last few hours learning about my new powers, learning how to use them. All with Kevin’s help and Edwards’ guidance.

Tomorrow we get to go to a club or two, there Edward says I’ll use my powers on the population at large. Learn to take energy from large groups. This part excites me a little, to think that I can feed in a building full of people and not even be noticed. Before I realize it I find myself home all ready.

I change into my night cloths, after putting the screen back on, and climb into bed. The moment my head hit’s the pillow I sit up, I had forgotten to ask Edward! I had been so tired after all the work that I had forgot I was going to try and ask Edward again about the history of his people. My people, now. I lay back with a sigh, I guess if I didn’t remember then it wasn’t meant to happen tonight. But he won’t escape that easily.

I awake the next morning a couple minutes before my alarm goes off, about four hours since I laid down. With a yawn I stretch and get out of bed. I can hear my parents moving around in the house, mother would start making breakfast soon, then she’d call us all in and we’d sit at the table in silence. Normal families talk at the dinner table, we stare at our food.

I shower and get dressed in record time, even going so far as to put my towel in the laundry basket mom likes to keep in the bathroom. As I make my way down stairs I hear the skillet sizzle, that can only mean that mom has started cooking. Inevitably I find my way to the kitchen, but the sight that greets me only seems to make me a little depressed, rather then homey.

I stand in the kitchen doorway, watching my mother move about the kitchen, cooking breakfast. For as long as I can remember I’ve watched her work around the house, doing different chores. I’ve never been allowed to help, the few times I’ve managed to convince her to let me I couldn’t do it fast enough, or perfect enough. I feel sad as I watch her, she seems so happy as she cooks and makes certain the table is set.

I have the memory of being read to when I was very little. It had been something that helped me through the years, knowing that even though mom is distant now, she had once been close to me. And then I had made the mistake of mentioning it to her and all my illusions had crashed. She told me that it was my grandmother, her mother. Her mother had died when I was five from a heart attack. Mother told me how her and my father had worked day and night when I was born and how my grandmother took care of me.

I have the most perfect parents in the world. The perfect daughter to the perfect couple, or so everyone believes. But at home, I’m all alone. At home, away from everyone else, I only exist in my own mind.

“Breakfast is done!”

Mother calls out cheerfully as she starts placing the food on the table. With a sigh I walk the rest of the way into the kitchen and take my seat at the side of the table.

At one time I had believed that my parents were like Sir Percy Blankeney. That they were spies masquerading as normal people. Or something equally as exciting. And one day, when I was old enough to understand, they would tell me. But the more I thought about it, and the more time went on, the more it all seemed wrong in a way.

Now I feel as if I am Sir Percy, playing a part that is almost the opposite of who I really am inside. And my parents as nothing more then English peasants who know nothing of the things that go on around them. In this imagery, my parents aren’t even important enough to be citoyen from the Committee of Public Safety, those who tirelessly sought out the capture of the illusive Scarlet Pimpernel.

Maybe this is how I will spend the rest of my life, cursed to forever hide who I really am. Cursed to always play a part, as if I were an actor on stage.

Not soon enough, we climb into our respective vehicles and make our way to the store. As the first ones there, we have to make certain that everything looks good and that the doors are open for customers. I’ve always loved the feel of the store early in the morning before the customers and employee’s arrive. It’s so quiet and peaceful and it seems to rub off on me a little. Today I need it after trying to completely depress myself over breakfast.

Thankfully, the thing about working on a Saturday is that it’s busy. Very busy. About half way through my work day Carin comes through my line buying a few groceries.

“Leona! What a surprise seeing you here.”

Her eyes twinkle with mischief and I can only shake my head in reply.

“What do you want?”

“What? That hurts, that really hurts... No ‘hello’, or ‘how are you doing’. I thought we were friends!”

I roll my eyes, “Hi, how are you doing. I’m in the middle of work and you need to hurry up. There are people waiting behind you.”

I total up her order and tap my fingers on the register while I wait for her to dig the money out of her purse, frowning when she hands me a wad of bills to straighten.

“You still grounded?”
“Yes.”

“That’s sooo not right. Want me to have a talk with your folks, see if they’ll suspend it? I thought we could go and do something.”

“Please, don’t talk to them, if they even so much as see you I think they’d flip. Just give it till this summer, once school is out they’ll forget all about it, trust me.”

I place the money in it’s respective space and shut the drawer, then turn to the next person in line.

“Okay, I’ll wait, I’m patient.”

Carin grabs her bags and waves to me as she leaves. I wave back then put my full attention on the customer in front of me. I won’t get out of being grounded if Carin keeps coming around and bugging me.

Since I’m still a junior partner, promptly at five o’clock I’m returned home to spend the rest of the evening alone. I think about staying inside and reading, I haven’t read my favorite book in over a month, but today I feel like getting outside. Maybe I’ll see if there are any weeds in the flowers, see if there is any trash that needs cleaned up. Anything to keep me busy and outside.

After spending half an hour trying to unsuccessfully find something to keep me busy I end up laying on the grass in the backyard. I stare up at the sky and marvel at it’s almost perfect shade of blue. There are hardly any clouds to disrupt the sky. It really is beautiful. My eyelids feel suddenly heavy and I try to keep them open, to continue admiring the sky.



I move about the kitchen whistling as I clean. I’ve always enjoying cleaning, the simple pleasures that come with knowing you’ve made something shine. I hear a noise behind be and turn to see my master coming into the kitchen. It’s not uncommon for him to come and check on his servants.

“Mi Lord, is their anything you need?”

There has always been something about my master that I never liked. His eyes have always seemed shifty, evil in their expressions. He’s been nothing but kind to me but never the less I’ve never felt comfortable around him, never fully trusted him. It could just be that my parents were killed through betrayal and I don’t trust anyone who would try and get close to me.

“No, just came down to see how things were.”

He moves closer to me, his eyes staring at me and not at the condition of the kitchen as he should. What can be wrong? I take a step back, willing him to stop coming closer and to leave.

“Are they to your pleasing, mi lord?”

He keeps coming closer and doesn’t stop until he’s effectively trapped me against the wall.

“Yes, my dear, it is quite pleasing to me.”

He reaches up and touches my face, I force myself not to let him see how much it bothers me.

“Mi lord…?”

“Shh, words are not what I want to hear right now, but screams are welcomed.”

My eyes go wide and I frantically seek a way out but before I can do anything he grabs hold of my arm, squeezing it painfully. Tears threaten to fall but I refuse to allow them. I struggle to free myself but his grip only tightens and then he does something so shocking I cannot even breath, or think. He takes his free hand and rips the front of my dress, exposing my breasts.

“No…”

I shake my head, trying to deny it, trying to make it all to away. The slap is so unexpected that it nearly puts me on the floor, his hand on my arm is the only thing keeping me up.

“I said, I don’t want to hear words, I want screams.”

He squeezes a breast painfully, trying to get me to scream, but I refuse. I have fought too hard and too long to live to allow him the pleasure of breaking me.

“I will never scream.”

He punches my stomach while his other hand forces me to stay standing, instead of collapsing from the pain.

“You will scream for me, slave!”

He hits me again with even more force, but this time I had my tongue between my teeth. The force of the hit makes me bite down on my tongue and blood starts to leak out of my mouth.

“Stupid wretch.”

Realizing what I’ve done he throws me hard to the floor. I try to crawl away but he’s on top of me before I can move, tearing at my cloths. I want to scream, I want to die, but mostly I want him to die.

My gods, where are you? I need your help, please… Please, help me!

A tear escapes and I close my eyes, refusing to feel, refusing to let him see the pain in my eyes. I feel a hand, warm and gentle, and know that it is the gods. They have answered my prayer!



I sit up suddenly, sweat pouring from my body. I’m shaking all over from the force of the dream. Never in all my life have I dreamt of something so vivid, so terrifying. It had been as if I were that poor servant girl, being attacked by her evil master. I have to get inside, get warm…

I struggle to stand and practically run inside. I pause in the foyer, by the mirror near the door, and stare at my tear streaked face. Tentatively I touch my cheek, at the wetness there. With a whimper I run to my room, burying myself under the blankets and hug myself. At this moment I don’t feel as if I’ll ever be warm again.