Chapter Text
“I’m just saying, wandering around old ruins isn’t exactly what I expected when you suggested we take a family vacation,” Alice frowned, tapping on her phone. As far as their small North Dakotan community college was concerned, the Cullen siblings were currently off on a “study abroad trip”, leaving their parents with the whole house to themselves. In reality, it was just an excuse to get in some traveling during the semester, since most of them only had a couple interesting classes to begin with. Edward, apparently, hadn’t completely understood the plan to avoid learning. Why was she not surprised?
“They’re not just old ruins. It’s history! Our history! Maybe if you payed attention, you’d learn a thing or two.” Edward rolled his eyes. He had been busying himself studying what little history of vampires he could find, and now was his time to show off what he had learned. Emmett laughed, clapping Edward on the shoulder.
“Come on, man. Just tell us what weird vampire thing happened here forever ago so we can head out. I think I heard something running around the woods up top and I wanna see if I can catch it.” Emmett grinned, kicking a loose stone across the cave floor. He was a man of simple pleasures, but always quick to resolve conflict. A perfect balance to their little group.
Edward cleared his throat, annoyed, but not enough to miss an opportunity to share his knowledge. “The Hellfire Club was a prestigious group of England’s elite, and was started by-”
“Cliff notes version, please,” Rosalie interrupted, rolling her eyes.
“Fine. There was a group of rich nobles in the 18th century who had an organization called the Hellfire Club, in which they would participate in socially perceived immoral acts-”
“Kinky.” Emmett put an arm around Rosalie’s shoulder. Alice looked up from the back of the group, sliding her phone into her pocket. Maybe this story wouldn’t be as completely boring as she had thought.
“And there were rumors that they had hold of a demon who ‘fed on the blood of innocents’. They kept the demon locked away, offering it sustenance only if it would do their bidding. Eventually, realizing they couldn’t control it, they sealed it away for eternity.” A chill ran through them. Eternity was a very real thing to four vampires, and wasn’t something they took lightly.
“That’s a load of bullshit,” Emmett said, coming to a stop. “Humans enslaving vampires? Come on, Eddie. Even you have to admit, that one sounds pretty fake.”
“I’m not saying it isn’t. Just that it could have been. I know not everything in books is fact.”
“You sure about that? Because sometimes I’m not so sure you do.”
Alice tuned her brothers out, choosing instead to think on the end of Edward’s story. Trapped for eternity. Alone. In the dark. Down here where you would never be found. It was a haunting thought. But it wasn’t the fear of madness or starvation that frightened her. It was the loneliness. The idea of being completely isolated in the dark, with no one to talk to. No one to look at. Just you alone with your mind for company. She wasn’t sure why, but the image left a sinking feeling of dread in her stomach. Suddenly, her senses shifted around her. It was a slightly unnerving feeling, one that she knew preceded her visions. Her mind was a flash of quick images, trying to take in as much as possible. Through the tunnels. A wall. And…
She gasped, her thoughts bringing Edward’s argument to a halt. The two made eye contact and, without another word, took off through the caves. Emmett and Rosalie followed behind, hesitating a fraction of a second behind the other pair’s confident movements. They turned through the winding cave system, completely sure of their path. Alice was at the head, the others having to duck when the ceiling got lower. Eventually, it opened up again into a series of diverging paths.
Alice pulled to a stop at a seemingly dead end, turning quickly to look at Emmett. “Behind that wall! Quick! He’s in there!” Emmett didn’t hesitate, throwing his shoulder against the stone. Their was a loud crunch, a deep crack curling its way up the wall. He slammed again, and Alice continued to give out orders, telling Edward to move the fallen stone away and Rosalie to find something to eat. The others nodded, knowing better than to question her when she was so confident. Never bet against Alice. She moved closer to Emmett, pulling at the rock with her bare hands, fingernails leaving long gouges where they raked blindly for purchase. She could just make out an arm, torso, blonde hair…
“Shit, there’s actually a guy in here!” Emmett exclaimed, moving with a newfound vigor.
The four stood, piles of rubble around their feet, and looked in horror at the man in front of them. His skin was a pale grey, pulled tight over every tensed muscle. His blonde hair hung limply in his face, covered in a layer of dust and hiding his expression. A stake was jammed deep into his chest, a splintering spiderweb of gashes spreading out from his heart. Alice was the first to move, stepping silently towards him. She reached out a hand to gently brush his hair out of his face and tensed at the sight of his eyes. They were black as pitch, the darkest she had ever seen on anyone. But what startled her was how alive they were. He was watching her, his eyes so full of pain that they seemed to stab into her. She turned quickly to look at Edward, who’s gaze had never left the mysterious figure.
“What happened? I thought stakes were just a legend.”
“Torpor.” The word was almost a breath on his lips, the shock evident on his face. “Some say that stakes won’t kill vampires, but they keep them in a paralyzed state. Their muscles tense up and they can’t do anything until it’s removed. They still feel, hear, sense everything. But they’re…”
“Helpless,” Alice finished, turning back to the man. “Rose, can you bring that rat up here?” She heard her sister move up beside her, holding the rat still in her long fingers. Alice placed a hand lightly on the stake, not breaking eye contact with the other vampire. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered, and pulled the wood out in one smooth motion.
The movement was so fast that, had any humans been in the room with them, they would have missed it in an instant. But the other four saw the blonde tear the rat out of Rosalie’s hand, draining it completely dry in a matter of seconds, and then fall to his knees in front of Alice.
“Master.” The word came out hoarse and gravelly, a voice that hadn’t been used in centuries. Alice knelt down and tilted his chin up, looking him in the eyes. A sudden and unrelenting wave of emotion ran over her, startling her. She had never felt something so strong before. And in her core, she only had one word for it. Hope.