Banes (6 page)

Lydia was a couple hundred years old, she was a witch who did good magic. Annabelle was her maid but also a witch even if she was deceased.

Andy was a Vampire, she was six hundred years old and rarely spoke which would have been cool with Ari but she seemed to watch her like she was prey, which was creepy. Andy was a lesbian who hated relationships and was hardly ever at Lydia's.

Brandon was a shifter, this was something exotic and not normal to the rest of the people at Lydia's. At Lydia's being called exotic meant you were a super freak. Ari had thought he was good looking and ridiculously nice but one day he stopped talking to her and barely came to Lydia's anymore. Annabelle had told her it was Lucas's doing, Ari was like the last donut on the plate and Lucas had apparently spit on her.

Aleksander was a regular dude who had been made what he was by something similar to Lydia. He was cursed and completely hot. His kind, but not interested in anything, disposition had Ari intrigued. She knew something had happened between Aimee and Aleks but no one ever talked about it. Not even Annabelle, which was annoying.

Lucas was an unknown to Ari, he had managed to make her fall in love with him without ever sharing any details of himself. It was like loving a complete stranger in secret. She assumed he was a vampire like Andy but she knew he could very well be like Aleksander. He never spoke much and she wasn’t certain how he felt about her, which made New Ari peaceful inside and annoyed Old Ari mercilessly.

Ari smelled breakfast smiling. She knew Lucas was home by the smell of meat cooking wafting through the air. Annabelle only ever cooked sausage and bacon when Lucas or Brandon was there. Aleks never really ate much and Aimee was the same. Ari thought about Aimee and smiled. She had truly become the sister Ari never had. She shopped for her and helped her learn to do her makeup. The few times Ari had been allowed to leave the mansion had been pretty upsetting and if it hadn’t been for Aimee she would have probably been sent to prison.
Ari blushed thinking about the way people had looked at her, or rather her scars and tats. No one saw her all they saw was the damage done to her by a lifetime she'd never actually lived.

The kitchen was empty, the smell of food lingered in the air but who ever had cooked it was gone. She sighed wondering where everyone was.

"Annabelle?"

"Yes Miss Ari?"

Ari turned to see the light of the dark skinned girl.

"Who was here?"

"That be Mr. Brandon, he was here and I cooked him a breakfast."

"Where is he now?"

She shrugged her ghostly thin shoulders, "No clue miss. Not much of a talker that Mr. Brandon. You want I should make you something to eat?"

Ari shook her head and walked out of the room, "Thanks anyway Annabelle."

"Ari is that you, honey come in here." Lydia's voice filled the dark lonely hallway.

Ari walked into the sewing room around the far side of the huge house.

Lydia smiled up at her over her sewing glasses. She appeared to making something by hand regardless of the fact an old sewing machine sat no more than three feet from her.

"Ari I need you to do something for me."

Ari felt her spirits lift, "What, oh uhm sure whatever it is. I'm bored out of my mind."

"We've been doing some tests on your cells and I need you to go to the gym in the back run on the treadmill as fast as you can for as long as you can."

Ari sighed, "Okay."

Lydia's grin grew slightly, "I need to cut you somewhere during the workout to see what your skins response is when your body is exerting itself."

Ari laughed, old Ari cringed at the thought of a cut but it soothed New Ari. The idea of a slash along her skin while sweating and running was tantalizing like a chocolate sundae would be to most other girls.

She ran upstairs and changed into running gear and ran to the gym to where Lydia stood beside the Ron man whom Ari wasn’t fond of.

Ari climbed onto the treadmill as Ron approached her with a small blade in his hand. She felt her hackles rise as his shaking hand drew near her arm.

"It's okay Ari. We will cut you twice for this exercise. I'm sorry honey."

Ari shook her head never taking her eyes off Ron. His older face revealed his discomfort in being near her. Ari couldn’t help but wonder what he was exactly.

A gleam of light whispered through the air as the blade came better into sight. Ron's cold clammy hand bit down on her thin arm and she watched in horror. The other Ari trembled in delight and as the blade slid along her flesh she moaned inside as the pain and stream of fresh red blood. Ron watched the thick crimson blood flow from her arm. He licked his lips slowly as Ari watched his breath increase.

"Ron step back please." Lydia spoke softly breaking the plan New Ari had formulated involving grabbing the blade stabbing it into Ron's neck and watching in joy as his blood was spilled onto the dark grey carpet where hers was starting to drip.

"Start the treadmill Ari, fast as you can in a sprint for as long as you can." Lydia sounded so clinical.

Ari started the treadmill as Ron crossed room getting as much distance from her wound.

Her legs started to push as her feet began to pound the moving platform. She pushed herself to run as hard as she could. She forgot about the wound, she left the blood behind and didn’t even consider the hate she felt for Ron. All she saw in the world was the desert road where she ran as hard as she could. She was lost in thought when she heard Lydia start to shout at her.

"ARI LISTEN PLEASE!"

She looked at the frown on Lydia's face, "Turn the machine off Ari."

She nodded and pressed the emergency stop button.

She was gasping for air, which she hadn’t noticed.

Lydia walked to her taking her arm, "She's healed remarkably considering. Cut her again Ron."

She looked at Ari and smiled softly. Ari frowned, "I'm outta shape Lydia." She tried to take a deep breath but struggled.

"You were running at ten miles an hour for ten minutes. Anyone would have been out of breath."

Ari winked holding her other arm to Ron, "I'm not anyone Lydia."

Lydia laughed.

Ron shook with anticipation and delight as he slid the blade down Ari's other arm again filling the air with the scent of her blood.

"Run again Ari."

Ari again started the treadmill running as fast as she could. She held back for a moment trying to get her stride noticing how her body almost ached from the previous run.

She pushed her legs again increasing the speed.

She saw a movement of color around her as something black shot around the room in her peripheral. She pressed the stop button again panting and gasping for air. Her heart pounded in her ears.

Lydia's voice spoke softly in the background of her pounding ears, "Lucas it's okay. We were just testing her healing capabilities. Remember it's part of the process. Lucas please calm down."

Ari looked to see Lucas holding Ron against the wall. Both men shook as if fighting themselves instead of each other. Lydia stood behind them speaking soothingly.

Ari wheezed nearly tripping off the treadmill, "Lucas it's okay. I'm okay." She held out her arms, which were nearly completely healed.

He turned to see her bright red face covered in sweat smiling at him. He sighed letting go of Ron and walking to Ari, ignoring everyone else in the room. He wrapped himself around her, "You're okay?" He whispered in her ear. She nodded overwhelmed by the sudden show of affection.

Lydia smiled at her while poor Ron looked confusedly at the embrace.

Lucas didn’t wait for her to speak to him or respond, he took her hand in his and walked her from the gym. She looked back at Lydia and shrugged, "The other cuts healed as much as the first one Lydia."

Lydia laughed, "Thanks sweetie."

Lucas dragged her through the house to the second floor where his bedroom was. He pulled her through the dark blue bedroom, which she had never seen before, into his bathroom. He sat her on his large marble counter top and knelt below. She felt awkward being around him alone.

"I'm sorry Ari. I didn’t mean to act like that." He spoke softly from the large bathroom cabinet below where she sat.

He pulled out a medical bag and stood up towering over her.

He looked into her eyes, "I feel something I've never felt before, I feel protective of you. I can't seem to get a grip on myself where you're concerned."

His green eyes sparkled as he took her small hand in his and began cleaning her cuts. He washed the blood off revealing nearly fully healed wounds. She watched him tenderly wiping each part of her arms and clearing away the blood

The tension and heat in the room was overwhelming. Ari stammered, "Y-y-you're bathroom is really big and nice."

He laughed, "I chose the room because of the huge shower. It's a two person shower."

She blushed making him blush.

His eyes grew wide realizing what he'd said, "Oh uhm I didn’t mean. Like I'm big so a two-person shower is awesome for me. Uhm by myself."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

He face palmed himself, "Oh my god, I mean. Uhm anyway."

She laughed. New Ari wanted to toy with him and be sarcastic but Old Ari loved how awkward he was with her.

She smiled softly, "Thanks for cleaning up the blood."

He blushed and nodded. Ari slid off the counter pressing herself against him. New Ari panicked making Ari walk from the bathroom quickly. She didn’t look back.

Chapter Six- Port Mackenzie Part Deux

"It's been three months Lydia, she's ready to snap. I honestly can't imagine being here with you guys for three months with no break. Everyone else leaves for a week or a day or a month but Ari has been here day in and day out for three months."

"I know Aimee but we don’t know enough, Ron's been doing tests on her samples. Every time she sends someone back she gets the life they had left. It's like a bank account, they go back but they deposit the years they would have lived if she hadn’t sent them back. She's virtually stopped aging. He's testing her DNA to see if she's strong enough to join the Roses, we cant just put a regular human out there. She heals fast but we don’t know if her talents can send back any immortals or if she can do anything else that would help her defend herself."

Ari sat on the stairs listening. She knew Lydia knew she was there but she didn’t care. She had started to sink into a depression. Lucas had been gone a lot since the bathroom incident.

"Just let me take her, what's the worst thing that happens? I can wink up back here within seconds. She can't get away from me. I'm going home, honestly nothing happens in Port Mackenzie."

Lydia laughed, "Yeah right, you became what you are just by freak accident."

"I became this in the city."

Lydia snorted, "Technicalities." She sighed, "Fine if you want to go with Aimee you can."

Ari felt her cheeks blush knowing she'd been busted eavesdropping but she was grateful to be leaving the mansion.

"Well guess you'll be needing a bag packed won't ya Miss Ari?"

She turned and smiled at Annabelle, "Guess so." She paused for a moment, "Uh Annabelle where is Port Mackenzie?"

Annabelle shrugged, "How should I know? Why I came here from Georgia with Miss Lydia. I don'ts know where nothing is here."

Ari searched her database or new Ari knowledge but unfortunately she didn’t know where the town was either.

Aimee rounded the corner beaming, "So I want to be going now."

Ari smiled back, "Thanks Aimee."

Aimee grinned, "Hey no worries. Lydia kept me here for five months when she found me. I couldn’t get these bad boys under control." She held her hands up, "Be downstairs in five k?"

Ari nodded and turned and ran up the stairs. She tried to hide her excitement but she couldn’t. Trapped in the rainy winter in a mansion on a lake was about as depressing as a girl could get. New Ari argued that point but she ignored her, as usual. She had learned to control the feelings and emotions of new Ari, the scars still proved the pain was real but she chose not to acknowledge it.

"Now Miss Ari remember a lady doesn’t cuss in front of people and she doesn’t wear her pants so tight that people can see her god given birthmarks on her behind." Annabelle ranted as she packed the bag.

Ari smiled at her, "Annabelle, I don’t think either me or the other Ari has ever been a lady."

Annabelle raised an eyebrow at her making Ari laugh, "Okay okay I wont wear my jeans crazy tight. No skinny jeans out of the house I promise."

The trip to Port Mackenzie was not quite what Ari had thought it would be. She held hands with Aimee for half a second and then they were in another town.

The 'ride' made her stomach queasy, which in turn made Aimee laugh.

Ari looked around at the small town, they were standing on a dock in between a couple old looking boats. The rain drizzled on them making Ari frown.

"Yeah it rains a lot here. Lets go to my dads place. I haven’t seen him in a long time." Aimee spoke softly.