We're All Monsters

Curled up in the corner of the darkened room, Azura's face was covered with the tracks formed by her tears and her chest was hitching with her sobs as she tried to make herself as small as possible. Her blonde hair had attained a greasy texture from not having properly showered and her skin had taken on a sickly pale that almost made her seem a corpse. The winter was in full swing around the cabin she was locked within and the thin blanket that she had been given did nothing to warm her flesh or the bones that it encased.

Tucking her feet as close as she could to herself, she closed her eyes in some hopes of pushing the pain from her mind. She had tried, at first, to imagine that she was with Eric and Godric, but when the cold became too great she instead began to imagine that she was locked inside of a meat locker, in which she was the meat, alone and forgotten.

Coughing faintly as she turned her face into her upper arm to try and hide the sounds, she felt the ache in her chest as sickness began to seep into her very bones. Azura hated the thought that she might just die down in the cramped little space in the middle of nowhere. She knew that there were trees surrounding her; she didn't know where those trees were growing, however. Drugged as she was when she had been taken, not much had been seen from her point of view.

Pulling her feet out from under her, Azura moved to leave her corner when the sharp sound of a lock releasing had her snapping backward so that she was tucked back away, trying to make her body as small and insignificant as she possibly could. Beginning to shake, it was very different than because of the cold.

She did not know the man, never had she seen him or heard his voice. He was a stranger to her, and yet it was clear that he somehow knew her, knew her life. He tried to persuade her into contentment originally, giving her art supplies and books. But at the same time there was venom in what he did the moment that the topic of vampires came to his attention; he had once heard it on the radio and went on a rampage after her, the small woman cowering in a corner to try and escape the sudden anger.

Burrowing her face in her arms, Azura smothered the fit of coughs that broke from her lungs as her entire body shook with the force. It was painful and she was sure that if her ribs didn't crack then the flesh of her throat would at least be torn to ribbons. It already felt that way, but she was yet to cough out any blood so she was remaining as positive as she could.

It wasn't as though there was any chance to hold onto the hope of being saved; it had been so long already. If people had not found her by now, there wasn't much chance that they were going to. But what about Godric and Eric? They were clearly smarter than humans and they had better resources and senses, they were more keen to certain things. Could they still find her? It broke her heart to think that she may never see either of the vampires again, that she was going to die of pneumonia or hyperthermia in some unknown man's basement.

The sound of the door above her opening caused her to curl tighter into herself, her hands moving to grip at her hair as she repressed a sob.

"Child," his voice whispered softly to her from across the room, the soft sound of his footfalls drawing a restrained flinch from Azura each time. "You must be so cold, little thing. So small and fragile," he cooed, brushing her hair as if she was a distraught child. She whimpered freely when she was picked up suddenly, awkwardly, as she remained in the fetal position in his arms. He was warm against chilled flesh and it was almost welcoming, but she would prefer Godric's cold skin to this even if it meant dying of hypothermia.

"No," she gasped, but couldn't draw forth the strength to struggle.

"Shh, it's alright," he calmed. She was just waiting for a blow to come, for him to lose his temper and try to hurt her again. But even as they emerged from the basement into a small cabin, he was calm and seemed more focused on soothing her than frightening her. Even though there was nothing soothing about his actions in her mind. She was terrified.

Soon, Azura was wrapped in blankets and placed on the couch that was facing a large window, overlooking the forest covered in snow and ice. All she could do was stare out the window with wide blue eyes, unable to focus on the man as he moved to the kitchen where she could distinctly smell fresh coffee and what she believed was fish frying in a pan on the gas stove.

Shaking uncontrollably, her body was quickly changing from freezing cold to burning hot. Her feet felt like they were sitting in the middle of a live flame and her cheeks were certainly red from the rush of blood to them, the heat telling her that she would be flushed with colour to her previously pale skin.

Continuing to cough now and again into the material of the blanket, the small woman wasn't sure what to do with herself and decided not to make a move from the couch. Staring out the window, she continued to glance over to where the man had disappeared as she waited for him to make his next move. What had brought him into such a positive mindset?

When he did come back from the kitchen, he was carrying a mug of coffee that was a light beige colour from adding some sort of cream. She shuffled back, away from him, almost as though she was attempting to disappear into the couch. He held the coffee out to her with such a nice smile that it left a disturbed chill running through her body. However, she didn't wish to enrage him once more and instead she carefully took the cup in trembling hands.

He seemed content with her acceptance as he offered a smile before he moved back toward the kitchen to continue cooking. Azura looked down at the coffee in her hands; there was the faint smell of vanilla that told her of a flavoured creamer, and the warmth that came from the cup was so wonderful on her hands that she lifted it to press to her cheek as well.

Closing her eyes to the warmth, she didn't dwell more on his actions and instead chose to enjoy that moment of warmth while she had the chance. She didn't like the fact that what she had come to expect from him had changed, but she could take the time of peace while it was there. So long as he was not beating her, she supposed that it was best she revel in what warmth she could have.

Though not the biggest coffee drinker, she felt that she was walking on eggshells as it was and sipped at the vanilla creamed beverage, letting the warmth travel down through her throat to enflame her chest. It was a change to the boney chill that she was accustomed to and that made up for the fact that she didn't completely enjoy the bitterness of the coffee. Glancing over to the kitchen door for a second time when the man emerged once more, she leaned back into the cushions and lifted the cup up to block her face.

"Come now, little one, I made us dinner," he soothed, reached forward to take the cup from her hands and place it on the table next to a plate of buttery fish with a sauce that was wafting a beautiful aroma into the air. Azura's stomach growled desperately for the food and she leaned forward hesitantly as she inhaled again. "Eat, eat," he man encouraged, waving at the food with a broad grin that showed his pleasure to her reaction. Azura's movements were slow and calculated as she used the fork and knife to cut a piece of fish free before taking the meat into her mouth. Immediately, there was an explosion of flavor on her tongue and the young woman continued to eat the remainder of the fish, trying not to focus on the man that was standing on the other side of the coffee table, watching her.

Once she was finished, she took the coffee back into her hands and once more curled up on the couch, nodding her thanks to her abductor so as not to anger him with a lack of respect. The coffee was almost cold, but she drank the rest of it and continued to hold onto the mug, in case she accidentally angered him and perhaps could use the thick glass as a weapon. He was bigger than she was, stronger than her; if he was to attack her, she knew that it was just wishful thinking that she would be able to fight him off.

"Are you feeling well, little one?" he asked once he came back without the dishes, smiling to her like she was a loved one.

"…Yes," Azura answered after a moment, flinching back when he reached for her. Instead of touching her, however, he instead took the cup from her hands and placed it on the table. Azura's entire body stilled and tensed when he moved to sit next to her, leaning toward her before she was drawn into a loose embrace.

"I have a present for you," he said after a moment of sitting with the frozen woman in his arms. Azura's eyes were wide with fear and she sat as still as a stone, afraid of even twitching a muscle against this man. Glancing upward to him, he was smiling serenely before she was released and he moved to grab a box of something from a shelf on the wall to Azura's right. "I missed your birthday, Azura, and for that I am sorry," he offered as he sat down once more, placing the box on her lap. "Open it," he encouraged, nudging her leg.

She jumped at the contact and reached for the box before he could do so again, pulling the lip off carefully. Inside, there was a picture. A picture of her.

Framed in silver painted metal, the still image inside was of her on that cold night when she had first met Godric. She had remembered everything from that night, right down to the temperature outside. She was wearing her large, insulated sweater and her hair was loose around her neck for warmth. She was ducking her head against a gust of wind and she could see the shine of headlights against her left side, where the truck that had nearly hit her was coming from.

"Do you remember this night?" the man asked, a sudden chill taking over his voice. She couldn't bring herself to look at him with the fear of seeing rage in his eyes, and only nodded her head to answer his question. "Do you remember what happened?"

"…He saved me-"

"No!" the man shouted, causing Azura to flinch and drop the picture and box off of her lap, letting them fall to the rug in front of the couch. Thankfully, the frame did no shatter because of the cushioning on the floor. "Those things save no one," he continued in a softer tone, as though he was trying to explain something to a child. "They are monsters, little one. Nothing more than that."

"I'm so sorry," Azura sobbed, unsure of what to do. Her mind was a mess of things that could happen as she was left unsure of what to say or do that would keep her safe and prevent his anger from increasing.

"Don't worry," he assured, moving to stand behind the couch so that he was closer to her, reaching down to pet her greasy hair. "I forgive you," he whispered before a kiss was pressed to the crown of her head. He turned to leave after that, disappearing into the kitchen before the clattering of pans and plates told her that he was cleaning the dishes.

Looking to the front door beside the window she had been looking out of, Azura glanced over to the kitchen entrance one more time before she rushed off of the couch toward the door. Stopping just in front of it she cursed silently in French when she saw that there was a lock on the door that could only be opened by a key. It seemed that he had two locks on the door, one for when he was inside and another for when he was out, preventing her from ever opening the door without one or both of the keys.

Moving away from the door before she could be caught, she instead stood at the window and glanced around to see where she was, hoping for some sort of sign that might tell her where they were. Even if it was just a mailbox with a name and number on it. However, there was only a line of trees and a long driveway that twisted and disappeared in the distance, the light layer of March snow left on the ground.

"What are you doing?" the man asked, causing Azura to jump and spin around, her numb feet nearly giving out beneath her.

"I was just wondering where we were," she admitted, keeping it sounding as innocent as possible. "I've never seen this place before. Is it your home?"

"Yes," he answered, smiling faintly. "I inherited it," he added on before he returned to the kitchen. He knew that there was no way she could get out, clearly, if he was leaving her to move about as freely as he was now. Swallowing thickly, Azura turned back to the window as the cold wafted forward against her skin, chilling her nearly to the bone. She couldn't stop herself from closing her eyes and trying to imagine it was Godric's touch that was on her skin, cool and familiar.

Turning away from the window after a couple of moments and turned her attention to the bookshelf that he had gotten the box with her 'present'. He had several dictionaries of different languages, as well as a handful of encyclopaedias and other French books that Azura had either read or never heard of before. Beginning to shiver once more, even though the upper floor was far warmer than the cellar, she moved herself back over to the couch as her eyes began to sting with unshed tears.

If ever, in her life, she had wished to call for her parents or loved ones to save her. Wiping at her eyes to try and stop the tears from falling, Azura ducked her head down against her knees, turning her head to look at the knit pattern of the back of the couch. It was old, she could tell, because of the faded colour of the stitching. Closing her eyes and trying to keep her body from shaking too much, Azura focused on the sounds that the man was making to be sure she knew when he was going to come from the kitchen once more.

Against her better judgement, the warmth of the upper floor soon began to get to her and Azura found herself drifted toward sleep. With a full stomach and something warm to drink, she was comfortable enough that she was able to slip into a calm sleep as the tinkering from the kitchen quieted down. She was only wakened later when there was a blanket of darkness over the world, the winder across from the couch was lay upon black with the night. Her reflection was shining back at her, but her mind was focused on something else; not on the dirty and disarrayed body she inhabited. The man was picking her up.

"No!" Azura shrieked as he lifted her from the cushions, her hands slamming against his chest in fists with the hopes that he would drop her. But he held onto her only more tightly, carrying her back toward the cellar door that they had emerged from. "No! Not down there!" she was screaming in hysterics, twisting her body about as she fought to escape his hold.

He said nothing in return and silently returned her to the cold basement that had become her prison over the past two months. Azura's face was streaked with tears when she finally went limp in his arms, shaking with her sobs as he placed her on a bundle of blankets on a cot that had not been there before.

"Don't cry, little one," he whispered against her hair when he hugged her one last time. It was a goodbye that he did not deserve the right to and Azura lashed out at him for it. In return, the back of his hand met her cheek in a stinging blaze of power. Her head was thrown to the side from the impact as a crack sounded from her neck from the speed her head had been turned.

When her eyes looked to him again, he seemed to be struggling between revulsion at his own actions and rage at hers.

"I'm sorry, little-"

"Get away from me!" the blonde screamed loud enough to crack her voice, beginning to scramble backward right off of the cot. Thankfully it was on the floor, preventing her from falling and hurting herself. Her cheek was already burning and she knew that it was due to swell and bruise with the force he had hit her with. "He would never strike me! You're the monster!" she continued to yell as she crawled backward, stopping only once she had reached her corner. "Get away!"

And so he left, without another strike or word, he turned his back on her and fled back upstairs to the warmth of his cottage. Azura was left to sit in the basement, curled up in her corner as she pressed her cheek to the icy stone wall with the hopes of stopping the inevitable swell.

I am so sorry, you have no idea. I'll admit that I completely lost interest in this story for a while—I stopped watching the show when things got a bit…weird. At least, weirder than it already was. I'm thinking of finishing it(the show), but this story won't really follow the plot of True Blood past Godric's death, so maybe not.