Searching for the One

Chapter 8 - “I Saw it With my Own Eyes!”



Sewenna took her hands to her temples. It was too much, too hard, the pain was almost unbearable. She could see



it so clearly, so precisely, so vividly, that she could almost feel it herself. Not only the physical pain, the



broken ribs, the bruises, but also the suffering, the loneliness, the terrible fear. The humiliation, the hunger,



the rage against that monster of a man who would very likely starve her to death if he felt like it. Why, oh why



did she not die as well?

The blinds weren’t closed so the vampire girl could see through the glass doors. There, on the room’s floor,



curled into a tight ball, racked by her sobs and shaking and shivering, was the poor, broken and mistreated



creature which Melusine had advised her to come see. Sewenna wanted oh so desperately to go to her and hold her and



clean her tears away, she wanted to take her in her arms and tell her that everything would be alright, she wanted



to whisk her away from this living hell. But she couldn’t do that. She had the will to break that glass and tell



the girl to let her in, to carry her away to the mansion, but that wouldn’t be possible. Actually Sewenna would



have done it, she’d have acted like a reckless heroin but there was that voice in her mind telling her «don’t be



foolish girl», the voice which belonged to her familiar, Misty Dawn. She had seen it all right, through the eyes of



her cat friend, but now, seeing it just before her, almost at arm’s length, now that felt so more real, all the



more terrible. If she had wanted to help the girl before, now she wanted to wrap her upin cotton wool and coddle



her until all the pain was gone. This was just… She was hardly more than a child!

And when Sewenna could master the courage to get away from there she was literally seeing red. She almost forgot



to take Misty Dawn into her arms before flying away, her tears blurring her vision, she was shaking, teeth greeted



in rage against a man who could be so vile. She wanted to be able to torture him in every way possible, make him



feel twice or thrice the pain he had made the girl go through. What could she have done wrong, for him to punish



her in such a way? How was it possible that a man had so cold and devilish a heart as to do this? She was just a



girl, helpless, defenceless, how could she ever deserve this?

Ashena was startled as she saw her child storming into the house, letting the cat go from her arms and breathing



with difficulty and, most alarming of all, were the tears streaking down her face. She immediately decided to put



off her hunt for some more hours. She strode towards her little one and put her arms around her.

“My dear, what is the matter!?”, she asked. “What happened, are you hurt? Did someone come after you to harm



you?”

Sewenna tried to calm herself so she could speak. She leant into the other girl’s embrace, her dishevelled hair



hiding her face from view. Ashena took them to a wooden trunk which decorated the entrance hall and they sat down



on top of it.

“There, there, my little one... Easy, that’s going to be alright. Calm down sweetheart.”

“Oh mother...”, Sewenna managed to choke out. Ashena pulled her closer. Very seldom did her child use this term



with her, and whenever she did it meant that whether she was very happy or very close to a nervous break-down. In



this case it certainly was the latter one.

“Yes, my love, I’m right here...”, she whispered soothingly. “I’m not going anywhere... There, tell mother



what’s going on my angel.”

Sewenna had to wait some more minutes until she was able to gather herself. Ashena waited patiently with her,



stroking her back soothingly and murmuring gentle words to try and calm her. When she thought that she could safely



speak, without breaking into tears again, she lifted her face from her mentor’s soaked shoulder and pulled her hair



back. She cleaned her wet eyes with her sleeve and took a deep breath.

“If you could have seen...”, she said, her voice still shaking. “I saw her, the girl... She was lying on the



floor... Her stepfather has beaten her because she ate a yogurt without his permission... She was c...curled



in...to a b...”

She was going to break down again. Ashena knew her child was very sensitive to the suffering of others and she



was easily affected by it, this had already meant many conversations trying to explain to her child that she alone



couldn’t change the world and that there would always be suffering, hunger, poverty and such things. That meant



rivers of tears as well. But this once Ashena thought there would be something they could do.

“Oh...”, she said concerned. “Poor girl... I can see why you look so upset. But now, my dear, right now there’s



nothing you can do. Maybe tomorrow.”

“How can you be so calm! She was...”

“I see no benefit in not being calm, child.”, Ashena interrupted sternly. She almost never raised her voice to



her child but in situations like this she had to, for most that it pained her. It would be just a breath from here



to hysteria, she knew her little girl well.

“I swear to you, my love,” she continued in a much gentler tone. “I will help you in everything that you need to



solve this and... To do something. But right at this moment you have to feed, because yesterday you didn’t. And



then and only then will we talk about it. Deal?”

Sewenna sighed. She knew her mentor was right and meant only the best for her. So she nodded.

“Good! This is my girl. Come now, we’ll go together. You may tell me everything in detail on the way.”

She let herself be led outside by the elder vampiress, who had before taken a black velvet cloak from a peg



behind the main door and fastened it around her shoulders. Holding her hand, Ashena took flight. The cool night air



dried the tears staining the younger one’s face and helped ease her somewhat.

“Now, my beautiful”, Ashena started softly. “Tell me what happened, everything from the beginning.”

“I had sent Misty Dawn to investigate things, to show me the situation… And when she came back… I saw his aura



but I could never have imagined… He’s so cruel to her, he treats her worse than a cockroach…! He starves her Ash,



he calls her filthy names, «bitch» and «whore» and… The poor thing was so hungry that she ate a yogurt and he found



out, and he has beaten her senseless! He broke some of her ribs, she’s bruised and hurt and she was sobbing…



Ashena, she was asking herself why she didn’t die with her mother... I wanted so much to enter her bedroom and take



her but… I couldn’t do that now could I?”

“Oh my sweet… I see why you look so troubled. But you did well not going in, she’d probably not invite you and



she’d be scared if she found some unknown girl in her balcony… But you’re right… Something must be done, and



quickly. But before deciding on what to do you must try to know her a little.”

“But how?”

“Well, go to her, arrange for you to meet accidentally outside school, or something like that! You must follow



her around and when you have the chance… You’ll know what to do, these things can’t be planned out. Then you’ll



know if you would like to help her.”

“I want to help her, I’m absolutely certain of that.”, Sewenna stated fiercely.

“You may. But when you know her you will know in what way you will want to help her. Are you following me



darling?”

“Yes, of course. You’re right, like always…”

The elder embraced her and they flew holding each other until they reached their destination, the biggest city



in the vicinity.

“Don’t forget, darling, be careful when you go out in the sun. Don’t forget to smear yourself all over with that



lotion which protects against UV rays and take your sunglasses. And no t-shirts, mind. I don’t want you coming back



with nasty burns on your lovely skin.”

"Yes, yes, I won\'t forget..."

Ashena picked a person for them to feed on. It was just one of those nameless ones, those who mingle with the



crowd and are just like so many others, Sewenna couldn\'t even remember if it had been a man or a woman. It might



seem strange that they, especially Sewenna, didn\'t remember. But they were careful, like they always were, not to



take too much, not to abuse on their victim. It was just a victim nonetheless, a victim like all the others. And



then, more than ever, Sewenna felt lonely. You know... Not alone, but lonely. Like when you\'re in a room full of



people laughing and joking and having fun, but you feel lonely, like something, or rather someone, is missing? You



know you are loved and cherished, but still you feel as if you were alone? She felt that. She remembered her last



girl, a beautiful blonde-haired little thing, full of curls, pink cheeks and heart-shaped lips, just like a little



doll. Sewenna remembered how it felt to be enveloped in her warm embrace, letting her take charge, just for a



little while, of things, her unsure moves, her reluctant caresses... Just to die in the end, poor girl. Helen, had



been her name. Sewenna had taken her from the streets where she used to sleep. Yes. A poor homeless girl, and so



beautiful and delicate. Sewenna didn\'t like steeling them from happy families. And this one had been such a treat,



so beautiful... She hadn\'t forgiven Thomas, no. He would have to make it up to her, he would have to try very hard.



She knew some young ones could be reckless, but she didn\'t have to put up with it. Ashena had been furious. She had



not agreed that Melusine had bitten this particular boy, he wasn\'t good for this, she had said. But there was



nothing she could do, he had been turned and she wouldn\'t put him out.

When they came back to the old mansion Ashena had been able to calm her child down. And with a clearer mind,



Sewenna finally decided what her course of action would be.