Part 6

Author's note:
Apologies for the abrupt character design changes, as I discovered custom content and did makeovers for everyone. I tried my best to keep them as loyal to the original designs as possible, but the clothes and hair may be quite different in some cases. I know this can cause the immersion to suffer a bit for readers, and I do hope you'll forgive me! Please check out the character page here for more information.

~

     After their study session, Saint Germain had escorted Aylin back home. Noah stayed behind to prepare dinner. Saint Germain didn't need to eat real food, but he insisted upon it for the simple fact that he couldn't bear to see Noah eat alone.

Noah waits for Saint Germain to come back to the mansion, and as he does he recalls his first meeting with the strange man he had seen in the parlor just a few hours ago.

He hadn't thought to ask for his name at the time, for he was mentally exhausted from the revelation that Aylin would soon be a student of Saint Germain's. The way that man had looked at him made Noah feel insignificant. He was merely in the way of the man getting what he wanted. Unfortunately what he wanted hadn't been home at the time.
When Noah had sent the stranger away, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had done something wrong, but the reason for this feeling eluded him.

As soon as Noah had told Saint Germain about the visitor that night, he came to Noah demanding an explanation; What did the man look like? What did he say? Noah was taken aback, and he described the situation plainly.
"He was... blond. He had intensely dark eyes. He did not introduce himself, so I'm afraid I do not know his name, but... he knew yours."
Saint Germain looked troubled.
"What was I to do? He knew you by name... he merely asked to speak with you." Noah's voice trembled slightly, "It was raining and quite cold outside. I thought that... to be a good host, I--"
"Do not ever invite anyone into this household that I have not first invited in myself." Saint Germain had locked eyes with him.
"Do I make myself clear?" he asked.
Noah nodded. His heart was close to bursting and for a moment, the possibility of Saint Germain sending him away forever entered his mind.
He felt the panic start to creep in.
"Yes, master. I am sorry if I have done something wrong."
Saint Germain's face softened, but a concerned expression still lingered. He placed his hand on Noah's shoulder.
"I am not mad at you. I am mad at myself for not adequately explaining the dangers of this life we live. The fault is mine."
His frowned as he looked at the boy.
"When he comes around again, I will speak with him. Let us hope my worries are unfounded."

A creeping sense of dread engulfs Noah as he thinks. Until today, he hadn't understood why Saint Germain was so upset with him.
Now it was all too clear--the man had actually been a vampire.
The implications of this revelation almost bring him to his knees. He feels weak.

Then, a man's voice brings Noah back to the present. He remembers that he's supposed to be paying attention to the food that's threatening to burn on the stove.

"Aylin has arrived safely at her home." Saint Germain says. "She really is an intelligent young woman. She reminds me of someone I knew long ago."
Noah thinks he has an inkling as to who that "someone" might be. Then he realizes that his presence in the parlor earlier must not have gone unnoticed. He doesn't know what to say. He almost drops the frying pan.
"Dinner is ready." Noah manages to croak out.

In the dining room, they sit by one another in silence. The table seems too large for a house with only one person that eats food regularly. Saint Germain always seems to enjoy Noah's cooking, although Noah suspects that it's just a formality.
He knows I was there, that I heard everything earlier... Noah worries. He continues to eat but his taste-buds don't seem to be working. I should just bring it up now, so it won't look as if I am lying about knowing.
He swallows his food.

"Master..."
Saint Germain keeps eating, his gloved hand working the silver delicately.
"Master, I-- I couldn't help but overhear earlier. You mentioned you had a wife."
Saint Germain doesn't react to Noah's words immediately, but finishes what's on his fork and then silently lays it down on his napkin.
"Yes. Yes, I was married only once. It was many, many years ago. Centuries, in fact."
His look is far off, seeing something only he can see.
Noah is silent as he waits for him to continue.

"What I said to that young man earlier was true. She died, and yet I continue to live on, ever lamenting her absence.
"You probably think me foolish. I was a vampire long before meeting her, and of course I knew the price for that which I most longed for but could never bring myself to have. When we met, I was immediately enchanted by her beauty and wit, her grace as she moved across the dance floor. She was a daughter of nobility and still she dared to steal away with a man such as I. I tried my best to escape the hold she had on my heart, but in the end it was futile to resist. Our love surpassed boundaries I never imagined possible. We traveled the world together, went to extravagant parties and danced until dawn. We never tired of being together. I think perhaps we both preferred to live in the moment, every moment, rather than face the inevitability of what our future would hold.
"We built this mansion together. She wanted many rooms in which to store her treasures and trinkets from various exotic countries around the globe. She loved to throw magnificent parties and thus wanted ample space for her guests to rest before heading back to their homes. She had a particularly strong lust for life, and it was intoxicating."

Noah listens intently as he envisions such a person. That Saint Germain would fall in love with this woman... she must have been something out of this world.
What came next, however, would shatter that vision to pieces.
"There is something I refrained from telling that young man earlier," Saint Germain says, placing his hand upon the table.
He pulls his gaze back into the large dining room where Noah sits in anticipation.
"She did not die of old age, as I always imagined would be her fate."
The air next to them gets unimaginably cold.
Saint Germain looks into Noah's eyes.
"She was murdered."

The rest of the meal is spent in silence, with minimal eating. Noah takes the dirtied dishes into the kitchen as he plays the conversation over again in his mind.
Murdered.
There are so many questions left unanswered. None of them feel right to ask.

Saint Germain follows Noah to the kitchen. He thinks for a moment and then speaks.
"Our new friend is struggling intensely with himself," he says, "I have told him what I believe he needed to hear, but most likely it was not what he desired to hear. Many seek advice but few actually follow it."
He stops to consider a moment, then continues.
"I do not believe he is a threat to us, but there is no way of knowing what he may decide to do next," he says.
"Let us pray for the best."

Continue to Part 7...