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The plush carpet is soft against my bare feet, at odds with the freezing hallways of the manor. I pull my cardigin tighter around me, shuddering slightly.
“Cold?” Helena stands behind me, having appeared silently. I open my mouth to reply, when she suddenly begins moving around me, ice cold fingers trailing gently over skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “Do not lie to me, Flower. Lying will make neither of us happy.”
“Yes,” my voice is barely a whisper against the dark hallway.
“Join me,” her words are phrased as a request, but Helena's tone implies they are not. I nod and allow her to pull me into the drawing room. A fire burns in the hearth, casting shadows across her face. She sits on the couch, the black silk of her dress pooling around her. I am, not for the first time, acutely aware of the differences between us.
She sits completely still, as though she was a statue sculpted from marble. Her lungs no longer needing breath to sustain them, and her eyes no longer need to blink. Helena's body does not feel the need to move and adjust, as mine does. She is able to sit perfectly still for hours. I feel as though I am moving too much when I sit down, feet tucked up on the couch in front of me, arms wrapped around my knees. I inhale shakily, the sounds seeming much to loud in the otherwise quiet room.
“I um- I,” Helena’s head turns towards me, the fire making her eyes look nearly black.
“I never said thank you,” she continues to stare at me, “for saving me, in that alley. I just-”
“No thanks necessary,” she has stopped looking at me, but I continue to stare at her.
“Why?” I don't know what part of my brain has stopped doing its job enough to allow the single word to fly out of my mouth. Maybe it's the part that is now obsessed with attempting to figure out how many colors the firelight has turned Helena’s hair. Or maybe it's the part that is wondering if she would let me run my fingers through it. This is the first time that I have seen her hair out of its usual bun, and I can't help but admire it.
“Why what, Flower?” Helena’s voice pulls me away from my fantasies about her hair. “Briar? Flower?” Helena is leaning forwards now, face closer to mine than it's ever been, with the exception of the time she carried me to the manor. “Briar Rose?” Her voice is louder now, tinged with a darkness.
“Why did you save me?” my voice is a near silent whisper, but I know she can hear me. She had heard me when I was trapped in an alley, surrounded by vampires who had been ready to kill me. She had heard me when I was so scared that my voice had left me and the only sound I could make was a whimper. She heard me, and she saved me. She scared off the other vampires, or told them to leave me alone, or whatever. I've never really understood vampire hierarchy, and bleeding out in a dark alley wasn't really the time I wanted to learn. Helena had carried me back to her manor, had wrapped my wounds, and allowed me to stay here, free of charge, for as long as I wanted. At least I assumed it was as long as I wanted. She had made no move to indicate that I owed her anything, but maybe I was wrong. I did owe her my life, maybe she would want something in return.
“Why did I save you?” Helena’s voice is confused, which is unusual for her. “Briar whatever are you referring to?”
“The alleyway, when- when I was cornered by those other vamp-”
“You were on my land.”
“Huh?” It's my turn to look at Helena confusedly.
“You were on my land, Flower. I was not merely protecting you, I was reminding the others of my kind that my land is not to be messed with,” she gives her answer in a steady voice, resolutely looking away from me.
“Oh,” I look down at my knees, fingers coming up to mess with my hair.
Helena is suddenly on top of me, fingers gently grasping my chin, forcing me to tilt my head up and meet her gaze. Her eyes look impossibly darker with her face so near to mine. If she were human I would be able to feel her breath against my skin. She’s so close I might have even been able to feel her heartbeat.
“Briar,” Helena’s voice is music to my ears, “did you want me to be saving you?” she is smiling now, and I can see her fangs, but oddly they don't frighten me. If anything my time in her manor has only proven that she doesn't want to hurt me.
“I expect an answer to my question, Flower.”
“I-” the rest of my brain has joined in the strike from working.
Helena sits up suddenly, pulling me with her. Her hands come to rest on my waist as my knees land on either side of her hips. My hands grab her shoulders in attempt to steady myself. Her hair is right there and since my brain is on strike, I see no reason not to feel it. She drops her head to my shoulder as I card my fingers softly through her long hair. Gold, bronze, and copper melt together to color her hair.
“Flower,” she murmurs against my shoulder. I feel her lips against my neck, and the lightest scrape of fangs against my flesh, before she unceremoniously shoves to the ground.
I scramble to my feet quickly, pulling my cardigan tight around my body, as though it is armor. Helena takes a step towards me, and I take a step back on instinct.
“Briar-” she sounds almost pained to say my name.
“I should go.”