Ultimate Dream

Lucia was lounging on the seat before she stole a few berries from the bowl while Charlotte had her back turned. Charlotte busied herself with cleaning up since she knew that she would be too tired to do it later.

Rinse and repeat before putting the pots and pans into the dishwasher, she motioned for Lucia to help her place the completed meal onto the dining table.

Charlotte sat down in one of the dark mahogany chairs that were carved to have intricate designs along the rim and edges and placed her chin on her propped-up hand. Lucia sat down next to her before muttering, "You know I haven't seen a phone in ages, right?"

She hummed in response and randomly passed her the phone that Vincent had for her. There was no internet on the phone or anything important for that matter besides the only phone number in the contacts. "Oh really?"

Lucia held the phone in her hands weighing it. "I'm surprised that they didn't get rid of this one."

Charlotte shrugged. "The guys still have theirs, so I would assume that our phones won't get tracked. Besides, they still need to contact that one person."

"Right," Lucia drawled out. "Hendrey."

"Another vamp in the mix," Charlotte slowly muttered.

"Will you guys tell me?" Lucia asked.

Charlotte knew that it wasn't her place to answer. No matter how much she wanted to say her part, it wouldn't be a good idea. But she did really wish that Lucia wouldn't be kept blind while they were all trying to do their best. Lucia was a part of the team as well, so she would need the information to be able to do well.

"I want to," Charlotte slid her a sharp look since Lucia kept on going in circles. "You already know that if you step in too deep, you can't go back."

Lucia cut her a glare. "I'm already in too deep."

"The life you want to live, you won't be able to experience it," Charlotte explained.

"The one that you were begging for as we took in against your will, you will be with us until the end. That isn't what you signed up for, nor is it your dream."

"It's not your dream either."

Charlotte gave her a bitter smile. "I never had a dream."

It was true. All she truly wanted was to have a quaint life. A large dream wasn't in the cards. That wasn't so much to ask for back then, but nowadays, it was what she was chasing despite being out of reach.

It wasn't so much of a dream as it was an ideal. There was nothing that she was invested in or of interest. Being with her family was the highlight reel.

What Lucia was chasing was attainable. However, once Lucia stepped in, it would be hard for her to reach her ultimate dream. It made Charlotte feel bad that she helped Lucia out, and gave her a reason to get out, only to derail her from what she needed to do. Yet, Lucia also didn't seem to know what she was asking for.

"Don't do something that you will regret," Charlotte said.

"Don't baby me," Lucia said. "I can make my own decisions."

Charlotte leaned to the side to whisper her thoughts. "It's exciting isn't it?"

"What is?"

"To be wanted."

Charlotte wondered if she caught onto why Lucia wouldn't let go only for the vamps to come in from the other room, not needing to be called over because their senses likely already figured it out. It made it easier on Charlotte's end since she didn't want to act like a mother to gather her children for dinner.

Vincent sat across from her while Stone took the end of the table. Charlotte shifted over the plates, and they dug in. Lucia's lack of a response was noted, and Charlotte figured that it wasn't a good time to talk about it.

They ate in silence, but the flavors were good with the balanced meal. Charlotte was content with that.

Lucia on the hand was kicking her feet in protest. "Tell me, vamps. You don't really need to keep me here, do you?"

Stone wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "Both prospective blood bags."

"What an eloquent way of saying it," Charlotte drawled.

Lucia snickered. "Oh, please. Even if I say that I saw vampires, no one would believe me."

"We're here to protect you." Stone's eyes flashed golden. "I didn't think that you were into torture, Lucia."

Lucia clenched her fists. "I'm not."

"We're keeping you hear for the off-side notion of your safety," Stone said. "If vigilantes catch you, they will torture information out of you. Even if you don't say anything, they will kill you. Charlotte here, wants you to be alive with Vincent being one of the most useful vamps of my jurisdiction. I should give to be people sometimes, yes?"