"I'm allowing you to leave the house." Sebastian states, crossing an ankle over his knee.

A-allowing? Oh, yes, I'm practically his prisoner. I'd... well I'd somewhat forgotten. He's never locked me up, or withheld food. They've never hurt me. I've grown too comfortable around these supernaturals and they all treat me normally. It's not like I have made any attempts to leave, though. There's just something... stopping me. Or rather, someone. Everytime the thought crosses my mind to leave when they've let their guards down, all I can see in my minds eye is his smile. It flashes to the pain in his eyes, the pain I somehow know I will cause if I leave.

Besides, Remington makes me feel safe. Safe is all I've wanted.

Sebastian, upon seeing my put-out expression, states, "Don't misunderstand me. You are free to leave as you wish, but I don't trust you to be able to not lead enemies directly to us and right into our home. If you walk away without escort, I do not expect you back."

At the moment, we're all gathered in the living room, lounging around on the couches. Sebastian scrutinizes me as though I'm going to attack him or his brothers, though I'm weaponless. He's right to be cautious. I don't always have good control over my powers, my emotions make them go haywire. As I think this, I notice Sebastian's gaze flickering between my own and somewhere around my hands. I look, trying to be discreet, only to see the darkness swirling around my hands and ghosting lightly over my scars.

Speaking of not having good control, I quickly try to send the darkness away, but it simply curls tighter around my fingers, pulling at them to get my attention. I try to subtly shake them off, pretending to wipe my palms on my borrowed sleep pants. Thankfully, the motion disperses them, though they merely fester around my feet instead, half under the cover of the couch. As this is happening, Emerson had spoken up, a furrow of confusion marring his brow as he takes in my odd behavior. Remington remains silent, just as alert as his older brother in watching me, though he looks to be lost in thought instead of actually seeing me. I'm glad for it.

"You'll be joining me on a store trip to get you some actual nutritional food. You cannot live off of sandwiches forever. Sebastian still believes you to be a threat, but I can tell he's warming up to you. Utterly ridiculous considering we're ancient vampires, and no offence, you're a human." Emerson says, a roll of his eyes and a slight twinge of annoyance directed at Sebastian being the only emotion he displayed other than a smile.

"If... if all goes well, can- can I sit o-out on the porch sohm-sometimes?"

I miss fresh, cool air and the lush green of trees and plants. I miss the freedom that living on the run gave me, only because I wasn't being controlled like before. I've been eyeing the small wooden porch situated on the front of the house, viewable from the living room windows, with its dramatic, floral lace trim and intricately carved balusters. The thriving ivy and other climbing plants along the walls and railings also added to the appeal. I would love to simply sit there, and look out at the nature surrounding the house. As long as I'm never confined to a room ever again, then I don't care where I am. This house is as good- actually, its far better than anywhere I've ever lived before. Nothing will ever be as bad as my old home anyway. I don't even care that I have to be supervised on this trip, I trust Emerson, stupidly enough.

"As long as you don't leave the protective barrier set up around the house, then yes, of course. You're free to roam." Sebastian replies with a hesitant agreement.

"We- when can we lee-leave?" I hop up off the couch quickly, practically flying over to Emerson, happy at Sebastian's words.

Taking his hands, I drag him up off the couch too, knowing that he allowed it. I don't catch how utterly surprised the boys are at me initiating contact without hesitation. Nor how the shadows in the room claw their way in my direction as the lights dim, lovingly playing at my feet. Their ancient eyes notice, though, and they all note it.

This is the first time I've willingly touched any of them aside from when I'd spoken to Remington, and when I desperatelywanted some form of comfort after I was so sure Sebastian would be angry with me over a shattered glass. After a moment, self-awareness flares through me like a zap of electricity. I quickly take my hands back, aware of how mangled and ugly they are. My fingers are crooked from where they've been broken and left to heal wrong multiple times. Lacerations and lichtenburg scars lace down my hands from my wrists, leftover from the treatments of my old home.

Emerson is quick to take my hands back, unflinching as his own hands make contact with my scars. "Give me a few moments to get my wallet, and make a list with Sebastian." He smiles, giving my hands a gentle squeeze before letting go.

I've been cooped up in this house for nearly two weeks now and I just want out. Don't get me wrong, I love staying inside too. This house is warm, no draft to leave me cold at night, I have an actual bed and there's no bugs but I've been on the run so long that I just grew to love nature, the freedom of it all. It's one of the reasons my shadows look like vines. They're beautiful, my first true taste of freedom once I escaped that awful, scorching desert area.

"T-thank you, thank you, thank you!" I exclaim, louder than I ever have before, overly excited for such a minuscule reason.

For once, I don't try to feel my emotions as silently as I can manage. I let myself feel the happiness coursing through my veins with a vigor I thought I didn't possess. In my excitement, I hug Emerson, whose pupils dilate fondly without my notice, the surprise ebbing away. Then, I hug Remington, though I give him a small kiss on the cheek. I didn't really think it through before I did it, but both of our cheeks go red with a fiery blush. Finally, I hug Sebastian. I do it quickly, not giving him the chance to react. I know he doesn't like me all that much. As I hug him, I whisper my gratitude into his ear, truly thankful. Maybe this means he's beginning to trust me.

Does this mean I'm beginning to trust them too?

I end the hug immediately after that, stepping back from Sebastian so I can see all three brothers' faces. Emerson is smiling joyfully, Remington has this adorable grin and is blushing as much as a vampire can blush, and Sebastian... well, he has a small, hesitant smile. Its then that I truly take in how much I've come to like these brothers, these vampires, in such a short amount of time. I wonder why it took so little time.

I wonder why I don't seem to find myself caring as much as I did before.

::

A deep breath of fresh air fills my lungs after I take that first step out of the house. I trail my fingers along the railing reverently as I take the steps off the porch, doing my best to take in the intricacies of the porch and its floral designs. I twirl back around to wait for Emerson, realizing how silent everything had become. All three boys stand in the doorway, though Emerson quickly moves to stand just before the steps. I watch with a small smile as Remington grins, his midnight spikey hair nearly touching the top of the doorway due to his height. Giving a two finger salute and a jokingly stern expression, he waves me off with a smile. Sebastian smiles lightly, only slightly reluctantly. It's... honestly kind of nice. I... I've never had someone say goodbye before I left the house. I dont remember much of my time before... before my parents gave me up... but it didn't feel as lovely as this. It's like people actually care for me. That... makes me happy.

"I'll show you where the boundary is, and once we pass it, how to see it. So you'll know how to enter if you're ever alone. We don't usually take off the spell surrounding home, but we could, if we wished." Emerson explains, and I follow behind him as we move further away from his brothers.

"It's ten feet from the bottom step of the porch, marked by this deliberate cluster of mushrooms growing on this large rock. This can be seen both on the inside, and outside. It can look out of place, but is glamoured to be uninteresting. Now, do you see this faint golden shimmer on the smallest mushroom?" As I nod, Emerson continues, "Good, that means this will be easier than if you couldn't see magic. You truly are a peculiar human. Reach out and touch the mushroom and focus on the golden magic you see. Now, tell me if you can see how the golden shine emanates as a sort of force field all around the house."

Doing as Emerson wants, I follow the gold shimmer of magic emanating from the small brown mushroom head. Seeing how it arches out from the little fungus in a swirl like smoke, I turn slowly, looking above me as I move to look back at the house. The shimmering magic looks almost like a bubble, coating everything in the small yard, the plants and even the large Victorian styled house. Behind me, Emerson has already stepped out of the barrier. I meet Remingtons gaze, and we stare at each other, unwavering, as I step back. Remington disappears from view, the forest around us all I can see as the barrier does its job and blocks him and the house from view, but my mind stays stuck on the soft look in his eyes as he saw us off. I turn back to Emerson, and after showing me how the barrier is the same on the outside as it is on the inside, we begin our journey into the nearest town.

The everyday noises of woodland animals resounds around me, the quiet crunch of twigs and leaves under my boots calm and nearly repetitive. Emerson, who walks beside me, makes no sound as he glides across the forest floor and takes in everything around him.

"Emerson, w-what state are we in?" I ask, as I hadn't bothered paying attention to where I traveled in terms of specifics.

There was no point remembering, I was always on the move. After my initial escape sent me the farthest distance I'e ever managed to travel, I was lucky enough to get a few days rest in the woods of Nebraska. My escape nearly killed me. I laid there, staring up through the trees, in quiet awe at the stars above me, as my body slowly healed enough for me to move. After that, I traveled in short distances, and tried to avoid towns as much as possible no matter how my body ached as though every atom was rebelling against me, no matter how thirsty or how starved I was. I wasn't immediately hounded by my old home, something that still baffles me. I stayed in one place no longer than a night, maybe two depending on the circumstances. Whenever it was absolutely necessary to make a quick getaway or I would most definitely be taken back, then I would travel using my shadows, farther than I usually dared. It always takes a lot out of me, especially if I use it more than twice within a day.

Emerson glances over at me as he traces his fingers lightly over every tree trunk we pass, the rough texture of the bark scraping against the pads of his fingertips. He gazes appreciatively at the scenery, taking everything in with an artist's eye. "Somewhere in Oregon I think."

"Hm." Okay, Oregon, I can... I can totally remember that.

"We were in Nebraska before Sebastian kidnapped you." He states with a laugh, though his statement leaves me confused.

"D-did you guys recently move h-houses?" I inquire, brushing my arm against his lightly, a small smile on my face at the peace filling my lungs.

"I guess Seb and Rem haven't explained the workings of our house to you yet. Our mother, a witch, had placed a spell on the home back when we were all just young boys. It's called Itinerantur, latin for Travel and allows us to move the house anywhere we wish in the world, to put it simply. Sort of like teleportation, but only to places we've already been. Though, we only travel once a month or so, if we move the house at all. Oftentimes, we'll stay in one place for decades. There's a neat little trick we'll show you next time. When Sebastian found you, we were planning on moving again anyway. That barrier is placed within ten feet of it to protect it from the sight and entry of humans and other supernatural creatures, unless we allow it."

"The house looks Victorian now, but it was a small shack when we were children. Our years has caused us to add on with time." He explains further.

This is all very interesting, I didn't know magic could do so much. "Oh... o-okay. That's really c-cool Emerson. T-thank you for e-explaining."

Emerson smirks sweetly, though with a touch of mischief. He is quiet but funny, sweet and a huge troublemaker. He's sorta like Remington, now that I think about it. Remington is also sweet and funny, but much more shy. He can be quiet sometimes, for what little time I've spent with him. I'm entirely unsure of Sebastian's true personality, as he doesn't often let his guard down when around me. I've seen him with his brothers though. He's kind, stern, but he has a sense of morality and humor. They're perfect together. The brothers argue sometimes and roughhouse (like, intentionally bruise each other kind of roughhouse) but they never truly mean any of it. In the end, they love each other. I think that's why Sebastian is so rude and stand-off-ish in regards to me. He wants to protect his brothers and he views me as a possible threat. I understand, and it's okay. I understand.

::

The store trip was uneventful aside from when I slipped on the linoleum floor and almost fell on my behind. Emerson, the little shit, had merely laughed and continued on ahead of me, though he made sure not to leave me behind. It was a short run, but we got a few more items that will actually be a bit more healthy than what I'd been eating. But Emerson let me get something I've never tried before. Chocolate. It was always expensive in stores and I only stole things like canned preserves or water. I hadn't been free of my old home long enough to really gain courage to broaden my horizons when I stole food.

We've begun the walk back to the house, the sky darkening quickly under an overcast of clouds that blocked out the moon. I could have shadow stepped away at any point. I could have left. Easily. Emerson hardly kept a watchful eye on me, at least not one with intent of stopping me from escaping. He trusts me. I like the brothers, but I- I don't know if I trust them fully quite yet. I want to though, I want to so badly.

The forest was quiet, too quiet, no rustle of critters in the trees or along the ground. I couldn't see much, as it was too dark at this point. Just because I can control shadows, it doesn't mean I can see in the dark. I'm not nocturnal. Not like vampires.

The darkness causes paranoia to bleed slowly into my mind, every rustle of the tree branches above, every whisper of wind through the canopy of leaves, every crunch of twigs under my feet causes the fear to grow. I'm scared. I've never liked the dark. It was always so lonely, and my mind could only ever conjure dastardly visions of my caretakers, come to drag me off.

"Do- do you have a flass-shlight?" I ask, hoping beyond hope that he does.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't think we'd be gone this long, and I forgot humans can't see in the dark like we can."

I stumble over a tree root, letting loose a gasp as air whooshes past my face. An arm catches my own by my bicep, the grocery bags I was holding hitting the ground with a dull thud. "Your heart is beating really fast, are you alright?" He asks, helping me get my balance back.

I struggle to speak past the knot in my throat, my fear of the dark ricocheting off any coherent thought I could manage and tainting them. I could remain silent about my fear, I could just say I was fine, and we could move on. But I don't want to push him away right now. I don't want to struggle to pull myself out of this.

"I'm afraid of the dark."

Emerson moves to reply, making an aborted motion to pull me closer before stopping all movement entirely. Images dance along my vision, flashes of lab coats walking away, padded doors shutting me in as the light overhead flickers off. For a moment, the sound of feet running loudly on the forest floor jars me, my brain not quite registering the sound. No sound is ever heard in that room, nothing except my quiet sobs and labored breathing. So, what is it?

Wait. That's not from my memories.

We'd been gone for too long, and of course, my bad luck has ruined this lovely little outing.

I'm a magnet for trouble. So I can't say I was surprised when vampires showed up. And no, they weren't Remington and Sebastian sadly. I'd have liked them much more. The strangers are most definitely here for me, for what I can do. Either to kill me or to take me.

They watch me, though they address Emerson who moves closer. I can feel the soft fabric of his suit jacket against my bare arm as he keeps his firm hold on my bicep. He moves to stand further in front of me, trying to block my body from the strangers' vision, letting go of my arm in the process.

"You're one of us, Dr. Strangebomb. Hand her over and I don't have to kill you for her."

There's only one, a man it sounds like. I can just barely make out short hair and glowing green eyes as the moon shines briefly through a crack in the clouds.

I watch silently, struggling to see anything in the darkness as Emerson does his signature smirk/smile, pearly white fangs glinting in the dim moonlight. His eyes flash gold, a word is uttered, "I'm honored little fledglings like yourselves know me. Alas, bold of you to assume I'd let such lowlifes kill me. *Conpulsio." and suddenly the vampire is bound in golden chains, the glow lighting up the foliage-covered clearing.

Quietly, and as slowly as possible, I lean the bag of groceries in my hand against a nearby tree. I really hope that doesn't fall over. The chocolate will melt.

In one movement, quick yet stiff, Emerson is in front of the bound vampire. He struggles in his chains as Emerson watches, uncaring as the vampires yells out curses.

A hand shoots out, striking the fledgling straight through the chest. I'm thankful I can only hear the sound, the splintering of ribs and the squelch of parting flesh and organs. The fledglings heart beats, strong with the blood of whoever he fed on recently. The heart shimmers with a golden glow, the magic connected to the vampires lifespan spurring on the human appendage functions.

Emerson is quick to remove his hand from the fledglings body. As he does so, the chains binding the corpse break away into golden dust. He turns golden eyes glowing, the only speck of light in the dark clearing. Behind him, vines have started to crawl on the body like ivy. Purple flowers bloom beautifully from the space his heart should be, the plant filling in all available space. The flowers bloom from his eyes, overcoming the blank green with a harsh purple.

Its beautiful, and despite the gore, Emerson wishes Elizabeth could see it. Wonders if she would find it morbid, to enjoy the majesty of the flower that causes such damage to a vampire.

::

Google translate says *Conpulsio means Constraint in Latin. Please don't be wrong Google Translate.

Pictured below is deadly nightshade =D