The escape from the fair

Author's note for the chapter: this is from Aldus's point of view

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We were at the fair, and I could see that Serina was enjoying the seafood until she got distracted by a dirty whelp that was rummaging through the trash.

Oh, great… now she wants to bring him home.

I told Serina that she needs to get used to being immortal while others are not, and that includes the whelp as well.

The reality is that people will change and die, and there is nothing she can do to prevent it. Of course, I don't expect her to be a loner who will avoid mortals, but she needs to understand the fact that they will perish, and she should avoid forming unnecessary attachments.

I could see that her mood dropped, but some of the truths are not easy to digest and the sooner she starts getting used to them, the better. I noticed that no matter how much we talk about immortality, she still acts as if she is mortal, and it's in her (and my) best interest that she gets over it.

I decided to give her a minute to accepts the fact that the whelp will die in about ten years with a note how for us, that amount of time will be no more than a grain of sand in the desert.

My attention got pulled toward the street where the fair was ongoing. Why did everyone stop talking?

I was alarmed to see that they didn't cease only talking but moving as well.

It was as if the time stopped and everyone's focus was on the young immortal girl who was squatting by my side. What is going on?

The way they looked at her was not good. It was like she was a piece of meat and they were very very hungry.

And then I met a few gazes that carried hunger and obsession, and it hit me. 'Is this how Lazarus felt when he met Serina?'

I sensed in the vicinity: one vampire, three werewolves, two demons, and the rest were humans… no, three more demons were approaching us.

Of course, if any of them dares to make a move, I can rip them to shreds, but there are too many, and chances of Serina getting hurt are high… not to mention that it would be difficult to cover up such bloodshed. The best course of action right now is to leave. Quickly.

"Serina, we need to go.", I said as gently as I could.

Her head snapped toward me. "What?"

I noticed that some females were responsive, and they looked at their partners with confusion.

"Massimo, cosa sta succedendo?", one young woman asked while tugging the arm of her partner and I realized that we are out of time.

"Move, now!", I shouted while pulling Serina up.

To my dismay, I realized that all those people are not willing to let Serina out of their sight, and they started following after us.

I thought about where to go.

Car is not a good option, considering that the gap between us and our pursuers is not much. That means there was only one safe spot we can go to.

I wanted to show her this later, but the situation was dire. My priority is to get out of here, and then I will think about anything else.

Street by street, we maintained the distance from our pursuers. Luckily, I know the shortcuts, and I felt a relief when a familiar church came into sight.

Serina assumed we are going for the main entrance, but I pulled her to the side, into the alley.

I was glad when we reached the wall of the church that only I can open, and we had a few seconds to spare.

The bricks moved at my command to create a passage, and I pushed Serina inside before she got a chance to voice her thoughts on the wall opening in front of her eyes.

The bricks swiftly returned to their original place, and we found ourselves surrounded by darkness, listening in silence to the commotion on the other side of the wall as the throng of our pursuers thought that we passed into the next street.

I was ready to answer any questions Serina might have, but first… I had questions of my own. "What happened?"

"How am I supposed to know?", Serina responded with a question, and her voice was shaky.

I let go of her arm I was clutching so far. I wondered if I hurt her, but I dismissed that thought because even if I did, she would heal within seconds.

The darkness was thick, and I guessed that Serina can't see anything, but for me, that was not a problem and I could see that she was uncomfortable.

"Serina, almost everyone stopped whatever they were doing, and they were looking at you. I need you to tell me what happened."

"I don't know…", Serina said before asking: "Can we get some light?"

I reminded myself that she is probably too distressed to think clearly and I should give her a minute. I reached for the lantern and she relaxed at the sight of light.

Serina curiously observed the narrow hallway we found ourselves in before looking at me with curiosity. "What is this place?"

I gestured to my left, toward the end of the hallway which was obviously a dead end. "There used to be a door at some point, but I got it walled in." I gestured toward my right. "That is the passage that leads to my lab."

"Your lab?"

"Yes. My real lab.", I clarified.

Serina blinked. "What is the one in the mansion?"

I was not sure how to answer this. The one in the mansion has modern equipment, but my real experiments don't happen there. It would be like comparing a small test site with a comprehensive lab where atoms can be split and the real magic happens.

"Let's talk about the labs later.", I said. "Serina, I need you to think. You were feeding the dog and we talked about taking him home, and then it happened. At first, I thought that I imagined, but a few seconds later, every male on that fair had their eyes on you and most of the females. Young and old. Humans, werewolves, and several other creatures, and I can't imagine what would happen to you if we didn't come here."

I had no intention of scaring her, but I wanted her to understand the severity of the situation.

"Give me a minute.", Serina responded. "I'm sure that I will remember, but it happened fast and… I remember that I was sad."

"Because I told you that it's not a good idea to take the dog?", I guessed.

She shook her head. "No. Because you watched your loved ones die. I thought about how you must be lonely, and my heart ached."

"Your heart ached… You were sad…", I murmured.

I didn't expect that she would be sad for me, as I accepted my reality a long time ago and I learned to detach myself from useless emotions that only hindered me.

I remembered what Serina and Lazarus told me about their first encounter, and then the idea hit me. When Lazarus approached her, she was in distress. Is it possible that Serina's power over others manifests when she is emotionally compromised? That made sense, actually… Some creatures display their abilities under certain conditions, especially at the early stage before they learn to control them. But before I made more assumptions, I wanted to test this theory, and the place ahead of us was the perfect one for such experiments.

"You wanted to know about my labs…", I started, and I saw Serina nod. "I don't know how to explain the difference, so allow me to show you." Her eyes lit up. "But you must understand that no one should know about this. No one." I emphasized these last two words.

Serina pressed her lips into a line and nodded. "Your secret will be safe with me. It's not like I have friends with whom I can talk about things."

"You will have friends, Serina, and you will feel the need to share things. But you must always keep in mind that some things are secrets so that we can be safe. No matter how deep a friendship you create with someone, do not disclose how you became immortal. Do you understand?"

She smiled. "Yes. But I will need your help in coming up with a believable story about my origins. In front of Lazarus, you handled the tricky questions. I want to know how to respond to those situations regardless if you are next to me."

"Let's think about it when we return home. First, I will show you my real lab. Without it, it would be no you, and as such, that is one of the topics you should NEVER talk about.", I warned her.

Serina agreed and we walked in silence down the dark hallway.

When we were close by, I sent a telepathic message: "Krob, stay out of sight until I call you. We have a visitor…"

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