25 The Vampire Council

...Anastasia POV...

I cannot believe my eyes; Eva is still alive. How dare Sebastian keep this from me? Here I am feeling terrible for what I have done, only to find out that there was no reason for me to have worried like this. But the question begs, is she human, or is she a Vampire?

I start to pick up my pace to catch up to her and Edward, but I find myself being pulled back by Sebastian.

"I do not suggest that you do that."

"Let me go, Sebastian; you cannot tell me what I can and cannot do."

"When it comes to Eva, then I am afraid I am."

"She is my friend; I need to speak to her."

"Then I am afraid once again, for Eva does not consider you as a friend no more."

"Eva shall never say such a thing."

"Yes, my dear, just as Eva did not think that you would kill her."

"Sebastian, is she...?"

"Use your smell Anastasia, or is that another thing you have mastered yet."

"Ugh. You are impossible."

I manage to free myself from his grip and make my way to where Eva and Edward are outside by the car waiting for us. As she turns around and faces me, I am blown away by how beautiful and radiant her skin is. Her light brown skin is shimmering under the moonlight, and her deep brown eyes are like diamonds sparkling from her face.

I slowly stepped one step forward to ask for her permission to give me one of her warm and gentle hugs. But I am very shocked at the way she bluntly cuts me off.

"Leave me alone, Anastasia; we ceased to be friends the moment you slammed your overeager fangs into me."

"But Eva..."

The next thing I feel, Sebastian is pulling me away from her.

"Get into the car Anastasia; we need to go."

...Sebastian POV...

  It pains me a great deal to see Anastasia having to go through this ordeal. But she has made this bed, and she shall be forced to lay in it. Eva does not want anything to do with Anastasia again. Once Edward has shown her the ways, she shall be moving back to her previous home. Normally I would not leave a youngling on their own like that, but given the circumstances, I am left to allow it.

As for where my relationship with Anastasia stands, I have not yet decided that. For at this moment, three of the Belmont House are standing council tonight. This has not only brought us disgrace but also put me in a peculiar spot as the Master. I am afraid that my desire to feel love has brought more harm than good.

And good is definitely not what the atmosphere in the car is on the way to where we shall meet The Council tonight. The Council never convene at the same location twice. Purely because it is such a sensitive matter and that there should not be any interference from the outside. And tonight will be even more of a delicate matter for the Master is standing council himself.

As I look on over to Anastasia, she seems to have finally taken the severity of this to head. I gently lay my hand on her knee and call her name.

"Anastasia."

"Yes, Sebastian!"

She rather annoyingly snaps back at me, but I do not take bother to it at all.

"Please, under no circumstances, snap back, interrupt or question any members of The Council."

"What makes them so damn special?"

"If you have that kind of attitude, then they shall give you the most severe punishment you can get."

"I don't care. They are probably centuries old and very stuck up."

"Anastasia, just show the respect. That is all I ask of you."

With a big huff, she nods her head, but I know her all too well. She is going to do just as she pleases. I am afraid I have no control over her sentence; if she protests, she shall feel the full wrath under their hands. 

As the clock strikes exactly eleven o'clock, we pull up outside an old abandoned warehouse. It is far south into the city in an area that mostly has warehouses and production plants which is completely empty at night. This very one is owned by myself; it has been empty for the better part of a hundred and fifty years. It does sometimes host gatherings where a mass frenzy on feeding of consenting humans takes place. I, myself, have never taken part in such an event.

I look over to Anastasia once again. She is truly not impressed with me; she believes firmly that I am being unreasonable.

"Anastasia, I am begging you, please."

"Don't worry, Master, your little pet will behave."

"That is really unfair; I am trying to support you as best as I can."

"Yes, which is not really very good at all."

"I am standing council just as you, do you for one second think that I am enjoying it? In fact, Edward is doing as well."

She seems to go as quiet as the alley that we are parked in. There is a slight hint of absolute terror that washes over her face. I think she might have just realized what had happened.

"Sebastian did Edward?"

"Yes, he did, and if anything is unfair around here, then that is for neither one of them asked for this. Anastasia, you fail to understand, when a Vampire makes a mess of things, the punishment is there for eternity."

"I am sorry, Sebastian."

"You know it is too late for that; now, please, can we just get this over with."

As we step outside into the freeze of the night, a slight drizzle of rain falls down to muddle our already somber mood. We follow behind Edward that manages to open the thick steel door with the greatest of ease. The moment we step inside, the smell of dead rotten flesh attacks our senses. Someone has been in here recently and has gone blatantly against the rules and taken a mortal life here. But that is a worry for another day.

We move through the dark, filthy open floor to the entrance of another warehouse on the side. This time at least, the pleasant smell of spring flowers fills the air. There is only one Council Member that likes this smell, and I am afraid to say that we did have a brief sexual relationship over one hundred and eighty years ago. I chose her for her vast experience in knowing human law and the Vampire code. She has always been fair and consistent with sentences, she hands down.

I stop to take one long deep breath before we make our way to the four chairs that have been placed in the middle of this dingy room. Up ahead in almost complete darkness, The Council Members are sitting high above on three thrones behind a table draped with red velvet and chandeliers.

The moment Genevieve's eyes make contact with my face, she smiles. Her face might be smiling now, but once the proceedings start, she will be completely dead cold. She shows for us to take our seats, and so we do. Once we are seated, she looks at the other Council Members, and she starts.

"Sebastian, Edward, good to see you two again given the nice mess you have made."

"Genevieve, it is always a pleasure."

"As you see, we have Marcus and Damien here tonight, but I will be running it."

She waits for a brief moment and then continues.

"I believe these are or rather were, the two human girls."

"Yes, this will be Anastasia and Eva."

"I believe the one is just a day or two older than the one."

"Yes, Anastasia is the oldest."

"Now, as I understand this, you, Sebastian, let us call it accidentally, bit, and then turned Anastasia?"

"Yes, you are correct."

"Then Anastasia wanted her friend Eva to come with, but she accidentally killed Eva, and Edward turned Eva?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Can you boys see what a mess this is? I believe there is a hybrid and Vampire Hunter also involved, but that is an issue for another day."

I watch as she stops to scribble something down in the records that we keep whenever there is a council.

"Okay, so since you are all in the same mess, who is going to go first?"

Much to my absolute horror, Anastasia's voice is the one I hear first.

"I will."

...Anastasia POV...

I watch as Sebastian's jaw nearly drops on the floor. If there is something he did not expect, then this is it. All the time in the car here, I realized that none of this would have happened if I did not push Sebastian so hard to do the very thing that he was trying not to do, and that is hurt me. My selfishness has to led him and two other innocent people to get hurt, and now they face punishment that they do not deserve.

So I am being irresponsible once again and shall now try to make things right.

"I will go first."

"Fair since you are probably the whole cause of this. So state your case."

"I just want to ask one favor, or maybe two?"

"My dear, you are in no position to ask for favors. You have placed Edward in a bad situation that he does not deserve."

"But that..." much to her annoyance, I go do the very thing Sebastian told me not to do and interrupt her.

"I am not finished, do not interrupt me."

"I just want to..." but she does not want to listen, so I interrupt her again.

"I just told you do not interrupt me."

"Just listen to me then."

Very frustrated, she turns to face Sebastian.

"Sebastian, I suggest you tell your beloved what her place is!"

"Anastasia, please listen."

I don't care what Sebastian told me; this woman is just plain damn rude; how am I supposed to state my case when she keeps on telling me to keep quiet. So I am now going to do everything that he told me not to do.

"Just listen to me! I will take the punishment for Sebastian and Edward's actions."

I hear as Sebastian and Edward gasp almost at the same time as they hear every word coming from my lips. The first to protest is Sebastian.

"No, Anastasia, you are not doing this."

"Sebastian, stop telling me what I can or cannot do."

Next to protest is Edward.

"Anastasia, please."

"No, Edward, keep quiet."

I hear as Genevieve gets up from her chair and comes around the table. She walks up to me in short elegant steps. She does not look half as mean as what she does while she is up there. She looks like a sweet little girl with her soft blue eyes and curly hair. But the minute she opens her mouth, it is like thunder comes rolling out it again.

"The girl stated what she wanted to; you two boys can consider yourself lucky."

Sebastian immediately protests, "Genevieve; please don't; she is still but young."

"Sebastian, you know how this works. I do suggest that you do not further protest."

"What shall her sentence be?"

"You do understand that you as our Master should have set a better example. Yes, there is no harm for you to seek the companion of a human. Where the problem does come is that she is out of control, she cannot even take a simple command to remain quiet."

This does infuriate me even more; before I can think clearly, I go and snap at her. "It is because you don't want to listen to me!"

"Anastasia, be quiet!" Sebastian's voice travels through the air in a thundering roar making the small windows of the warehouse vibrate.

"I do rest my case. I do not wish to hear anything further. Anastasia can clearly not be controlled. She has yet a lot to learn and refuses to even listen to her maker. She shall receive the second harshest punishment that this Council can give."

The entire room goes dead silent; even Marcus and Damien have stopped having their own private conversation. It feels like a thick, suffocating cloud sets over the room. Even Eva that has no idea what they mean has nearly stopped breathing. Then I softly hear as Sebastian starts to stutter, this must be bad for this man that fears nothing is now more scared than ever.

"Genevieve, please."

"Sebastian, you know how this works."

Much to Genevieve's annoyance, I go to interrupt her once again. "It is fine, Sebastian."

Sebastian looks at me with pleading eyes. "Anastasia, you do not know what you are doing."

I swear that this woman is almost enjoying this, as the next words that leave her lips do so almost too easily. "This is settled. Anastasia, you shall be sentenced to the dungeon for thirty days. Now Sebastian, do you want to overrule this sentence?"

I can see the pain on Sebastian's face as he is being asked to choose between the Vampire Code and me.