When Vivian woke up, the first thing she noticed was that she was not in her own bedroom. The sheets were way too soft and silky, the room around her a dark blue as opposed to the lavender of her bedroom walls. As she sat up, soreness wracked through her body, a groan escaping her as she threw the sheets off of her. Looking down, she noticed that she was in the same clothes she wore last night at work. Blood was crusted to the shoulder and chest, making her heart race. Was she injured?

Reaching up to her shoulder, her fingers felt around for some kind of wound, but there was nothing. Only dried blood met her fingers. Standing from the bed, she moved towards the large wooden door and slowly opened it.

She was in Viktors penthouse, immediately recognizing the living room and kitchen that she had been in before. Standing in the kitchen, a deep purple bathrobe wrapped around their body, was Viktor. They must have heard her open the door, because they turned and met her eyes. "Ah! Good morning little lady." Viktor said, turning with a steaming teapot in one hand. "Perfect timing, would you like any tea?"

Vivian just kind of stood there for a moment, looking at the witch as her mind tried to work out why she was in their penthouse. The last thing she remembered, her and Kit were sitting in her living room talking, and then everything got blurry and messed up. "W-Why am I here?" She asks, walking towards the witch.

Viktor made a soft humming sound, moving towards the table where the teacups were set up. "You don't remember anything, do you?"

The woman shook her head, entering the kitchen and taking a seat at the table. Vivian watched as Viktor poured a cup of tea for her, the liquid smelling sweet and herbal. "I was with Kit at my house and then... nothing."

"That usually happens with vampire attacks."

"Vampire attacks?" Vivian echoed his words, shock laced within them. "I-I was attacked by a vampire?"

"A rabid, yes." The witch pours themself a cup of tea then sits down across from her. "You're lucky Kit was there."

Vivian's hand goes to her shoulder, feeling the dried blood. "I was bit."

Viktor watched Vivian carefully, lilac eyes calculating. "Do you know what aether is, Vivian?"

"Aether?" She echoed again, the word repeating in her head. "It's like energy or something, isn't it?"

Again, the witch just watched her, taking a sip from their tea. "You are correct, aether is like energy. Rather, it's lifeforce."

Vivian nodded, but was still left confused. "What does that have to do with me being bit?"

"Your necklace." Vivian's hand went to her neck as they said it, the space empty. Panic stirred within her at the realization that it was gone. "When you took it off, you exploded with aether."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" She asked, sitting up in her chair.

"Vivian," Viktors voice took on a serious tone, making the woman uncomfortable, "you're not human, are you?"

The woman was too stunned to speak. The witch's words rattled in her head as she tried to make sense of them. Her, not human? "What do you mean, of course I am?" Vivian said, but even she could hear the hesitation in her words.

"Everyone is connected through aether," Viktor began, "it's an energy that flows through all of us, but only some of us can interact with it. Those that can interact with aether are able to bend it to their will. Take Kit for example. He was able to manipulate the aether within you and take away your memories when you first met. But not everyone can interact with aether, humans for example cannot interact with it at all. Aether simply sits in your body like energy, waiting to be manipulated."

Vivian just sat there and processed their words, trying to make sense of it all. "But I can't interact with it, I-I don't know how to."

"You are correct. You may not be able to interact with it, but when you took off that necklace, your body exploded with it. That's what caused Kit to shift and attracted the rabid that attacked you. Humans don't have an excessive amount of aether within them... but you do. Even now, I can feel the aether leaking from you."

The woman looked down at herself, as if she could see the aether leaving from her. "So what does that mean?"

Setting down the teacup on the table, Viktor let out a breath. "We are not sure. That is something we need to figure out." Standing from the table, Viktor began going through their cabinets, looking for something. "But for now, we need to control the aether coming from you. It's not safe to be out and about like that."

"Because it'll attract more rabids?" She asked.

"More than just rabids." Viktor said in a tone that made Vivians stomach turn. "Ah, here it is!" Viktor pulled a black box out from one of the cabinets and walked back to the table. Setting the box down, they opened the top and searched through the various pendants that Vivian saw sitting in the box. "I know I have one in here."

"What are you looking for?" Vivian watched the witch scour the box for something, still processing the fact that she was leaking aether, whatever the hell that meant.

"Found it!" Viktor called out as they pulled a pendant from the box. Vivian couldn't help the gasp that came from her when she saw the same pendant as her necklace being held in Viktors hand.

"That's... that's the same pendant." Vivian breathed out, following Viktors movements as they set the pendant down on the table and went to place the black box back in the cabinets. "How do you have the same pendant?"

Viktor let out a small laugh as they sat back down at the table. "Because it's a very useful pendant. It can be used for sealing away many things, such as aether."

"You're going to seal away the aether?"

"That is what your old necklace was doing." Viktor replied, pushing their tea aside and setting the necklace in front of them, along with a small dagger. "How did you acquire such a necklace?"

Vivian was silent again, unsure of how to respond, simply because she doesn't remember. For as long as she can remember, she's had that necklace, and she never took it off. It's why she felt so weird doing it for Kit. "I... I don't know. I've just had it forever."

The witch made a soft humming sound, holding a hand out. "I'll need a drop of your blood to do this."

"My blood?" Vivian felt herself tense, eyes going to the dagger on the table. "Why would you need my blood?"

"It's only a drop, Vivian." Viktor said, almost annoyed. "I need to attach the necklace to you, otherwise it won't work."

The woman just looked at the witch, unmoving. She doesn't remember having to do anything like this to get the necklace, then again, she doesn't remember getting the necklace in the first place. "How much are you going to cut?"

"Just your fingertip darling, like I said, I just need a drop." Viktor replies, still holding out a hand.

Letting out a sign, the woman reaches a hand across the table and places it in Viktors palm. "Fine, do your worst."

The witch simply rolled their eyes before grabbing the dagger. "This shouldn't hurt much."

"I'm sure it won't-." Vivian began, but was cut off by a sharp intake of breath as Viktor sliced her index finger open. "Ow!"

"You'll be fine." Viktor brushed her off, moving her hand so the blood spilling from her finger fell onto the pendant. When the drops fell, the pendant began to glow a brilliant white before fading. "Thank you for that." The witch said, releasing her hand. They then held both hands over the pendant and began to mutter words in a language she couldn't understand. The thing began to glow again, a brilliant white emanating from the small pendant. After a moment the light faded, and the pendant sat on the table, looking like a regular pendant.

"Is that it?" Vivian asked, a little surprised. She thought there would be more theatrics.

"Is that it?" Viktor repeated her words, a tone of offense to them. "That was a very old spell, one not many can do."

"Really?" The woman asked, tilting her head as she watched the witch pick up the pendant and feed it through a silver chain. "It just seemed really simple I guess."

Viktor just looked at her, eyes narrowed and lips a thin line. "It takes a lot of practice to be able to cast a spell like this one. It may not look like it, but the amount of aether I have to use to place the spell on this is immense."

"You just make it look so easy." Her eyes shifted away from their gaze and down to the necklace.

"Of course I do." Viktor says with a tone of confidence. "I've been doing this for a long time."

Vivian wanted to ask how long, but she remembered how Kit reacted to the question and thought better of it. She didn't want to cause the witch any offense. Maybe she could ask Kit, he had to know. "I see..." The woman finally said, watching as the witch picked up the necklace.

"This is for you." Viktor handed the necklace over to Vivian, who took it delicately from the witch's hand. "Do not, and I mean do not take it off this time." Their words were sharp, lilac eyes matching.

The woman nodded, looking down at the necklace again before clasping it around her neck. Vivian swore she could feel it humming against her skin, the sensation moving through her. It made her shiver. "I won't."

Viktor looked at Vivian for a moment, as if assessing. "Where did you manage to get your hands on a necklace like that?" They finally asked, closing the little box the pendant came from and stood to put it away.

"I," Vivian began, but her mind went blank, "I don't know." The woman touched the pendant for a moment, thinking. "I've had it for as long as I can remember, but I mean I don't remember a whole lot from my childhood so that's not really surprising."

"Really?" Viktor asked with surprise. They sat back down at the table, picking up the teacup they had set aside. "Tell me more about that."

"My childhood?" Vivians chest spasmed with panic. "I-I don't really like talking about it."

"Why?"

Vivian felt heat crawling up her neck. She hated talking about her childhood, first off because she couldn't remember a lot of it, and second, no one wanted to hear about how fucked up her life was. "It makes me uncomfortable."

The witch hummed, leaning back in their chair. "I see. I won't push." Taking a long sip from their cup, they watched Vivian. She shifted in her chair. "Kit will want to know you're up and about." Viktor said as they set their teacup down.

"Was he hurt at all last night?" Vivian asked quickly, a little too quickly at the mention of Kit.

Viktor eyed her for a moment. "No, you were the only one injured last night."

Vivian let out a breath. "Oh good." She said, relieved. "Where is he?"

"In his apartment." Viktor said, standing from the table and moving towards the entry hall. "I'll give you a key."

"To his apartment?" The woman asked, standing from her chair. "Why would you give me a key to his apartment?"

Viktor disappeared around the corner for a moment before returning, a single key in their hand. "He wanted to see you as soon as you were healed and awake. He'll probably be in his room sleeping, so just go on in and wake him up. I'm sure he won't mind."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The woman looks up to Viktor as they stand in front of her, handing the key to her. "I can't do that."

"Of course you can!" The witch grabbed her hand and placed the key in her palm. "He asked to see you once you were healed, and that's exactly what you're going to do. But before that," they said, placing a hand over Vivians shoulder, "you need to change into something else. You reek of blood."

Vivian looked at the key warily, but the witch seemed so confident that she went along with their plan. After showering and changing into a set of clothes provided by Viktor, she found herself a few stories down, standing in front of an unfamiliar apartment door.

Looking to the key in her hand, she let out a breath and slid it into the lock. It went in perfectly, and when she turned the lock, it gave way. Vivian felt like she shouldn't be doing this, that she should just wait for Kit to wake up and come up to Viktor's apartment. But the witch was so insistent. So she pushed the door open, darkness welcoming her.

"Hello?" She called out into the apartment. There was no reply, only the sound of silence from within greeting her. Pushing the door open a little more, the woman peered inside. A living room was laid out in front of her, a couch pressed against the wall and facing a tv which sat upon a stand. Books were scattered across a coffee table, and a blanket was haphazardly thrown across the couch. "Kit? Are you in here?" Vivian called out again, stepping into the apartment.

A kitchen formed on her right as she moved within the apartment, the smell of bleach invading her senses. She walked closer to the living room, a bar with stools separated the living room from the kitchen, the room looking like it was just cleaned. That would explain the smell.

Standing over the coffee table, Vivian looked down at the books and noticed just how old they were, and the amazing condition they were in. She picked a couple of them up, reading the titles in the dim light. The Raven, Fahrenheit 451, and a couple Shakespeare books were interesting, but what caught her eye was the mint condition copy of The Odyssey. Vivian was gentle with the book as she held it, opening the cover and seeing the copyrighted year of 1795.

"Holy shit." Vivian whispered as she thumbed through the book, feeling like she was holding history in her hands.

"Vivian?"

The woman's eyes snapped up from the book, meeting a pair of dazed crimson hues. Kit stood across the room, in front of a door that she hadn't noticed. The man wore only sweatpants, and the sight of the man's bare chest had red crawling all the way up Vivian's face. She was thankful for the darkness at that moment. "Kit."

The vampire crossed the room in a few strides, coming to stand right in front of the woman, hands gently grabbing both of her arms. "You are alive." He whispered, crimson hues roaming over her face, down her neck and across her shoulders. It almost looked like he was in complete disbelief, his hands coming up to cup her face, but stopping just before skin made contact. That made her chest tighten."You..." He began, but words drifted off.

With the vampire being so close, Vivian couldn't help the way her skin heated even more. His hands were so close to her face, if she tilted her head one way, she would feel his fingers on her cheeks, but she stayed perfectly still. "I'm alive." Vivian whispered, feeling like anything louder would ruin whatever was between them.

It happened so quickly she barely had time to process it, but she was suddenly wrapped in Kit's arms, one of his hands tangling in her hair while the other wound around her back. His skin was cold to the touch, and she couldn't help the quick intake of breath from the shock of it. Vivian's arms hovered at her side, shock holding her in place. Before she even had time to respond, the vampire released his hold, pushing her back until she was at arms length.

"I-I apologize." Kit said swiftly, taking his hands off of her. "I should not have done that."

Vivian stood, speechless. She shook her head. "It's fine. You don't have to apologize. I kind of did the same thing to you." The woman finally said, remembering how she lunged at him back at the cafe that one night. "I guess we're even now."

That caused a shy smile to pull at the vampire's lips. "I suppose we are." He said, looking down at her with an expression that she could only read as fondness. It was quickly replaced by confusion. "Why are you in my apartment?"

"Oh!" Vivian said, pulling the key from her pocket and showing it to Kit. "Viktor wanted me to come see you as soon as possible. You asked to see me once I was healed, and here I am."

"Here you are." The vampire repeated, the fondness from his expression leaking into his tone. He then cleared his throat, scrubbing that fond expression from his face. "We should go back up to Viktors. I am sure they will want to talk about what happened."

"Should you get dressed first?" She asked, trying to keep the teasing tone from her words.

Kit looked down, and immediately seemed embarrassed. "Yes. Let me get changed."

Back at Viktor's penthouse, the three of them sat on the couches in the living room. Viktor was sipping on a cup of tea, which at this point Vivian assumed they were always doing, while Kit sat back on another couch, arms crossed over his chest. They all sat quietly, Vivian on her own couch, hands tucked in her lap. "So..." Vivian broke the silence.

Setting down their teacup on the coffee table in the middle of them, Viktor released a breath. "So you really don't remember when you received your necklace?"

Vivian shook her head. "No, I-."

"Don't ever take this off, Vivian." Her mother said in a stern voice, standing tall above her. From behind her, someone placed a necklace around her, clasping it against her neck. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes." Vivian replied, her voice tiny and afraid.

"This necklace will protect you. Never remove it."

The woman blinked, taken aback by the sudden memory that flooded her mind. "It was my mother." Vivian said, replaying the scene in her head. Never remove it. "There was someone else there, but I don't know who."

"Your mother?" Viktor asked, leaning forward. "Now that is an interesting development."

Pressing a hand to her new necklace, she felt the pit of her stomach drop. Had her mother known? That she was something else, something not human? Was her mother aware of the world outside of their own? "She told me to never remove it."

"So she knew." Kit was the one that spoke up this time, leaning forward and putting elbows on his knees. "Your mother knew about the protection of the necklace."

Vivian shook her head. "There was no way." She said, her stomach twisting. "How could she have known?"

"Interesting indeed." Viktor said against the rim of their teacup. Placing it back down on the small saucer, the witch kept their gaze on Vivian. "There must have been a reason why your mother knew about the protection of the necklace."

"But why can't I remember anything else?"

"Your memory could have been wiped." Kit says from his couch, pulling both of their eyes to him. "It is possible."

"It is." Viktor echoed, placing a hand to their chin, thinking intensely. "Vivian, you said you don't remember most of your childhood, correct?"

"Yes." She replied, unsure of where this was going.

"It is possible your mother knew but kept it hidden from you." Viktor's words caused the woman's stomach to twist even further.

"Why would she do that?"

"To protect you." Viktor spoke matter-of-fact, picking their teacup back up. "Parents will do anything to protect their children."

Vivian shook her head. "There's no way."

Kit and Viktor exchanged a look, one that Vivian wasn't able to decipher. "Where is she now?"

"Who?" Vivian asked, confused.

"Your mother."

"Oh." The woman looked away from both the witch and the vampire, eyes glued to her palms in her lap. "She died when I was sixteen."

The other two in the room were silent for a moment, which is exactly what she expected. It was the usual response when she first told someone about her mother. "I'm sorry to hear that. What about your father?" Viktor's voice took on a soft tone, but it did nothing to ease the dread that was building in Vivians stomach.

"He left when I was ten." She said, still looking down to her lap. "I haven't seen him since. I don't know if he's alive or not."

The room fell silent for a moment, and when Vivian dared to look up, the vampire and witch were looking at once another, having a conversation with only their eyes. When they looked back at her, she could see the pity in their expressions. "That's terrible Vivian, I am so sorry you had to go through all that." Viktor offered her, but it sounded the same as every person who gave her pity when they learned about her past. Pity she didn't want.

"It's fine." She said, taking a deep breath. "It's been a long time since then."

"Well," Viktor began, his tone clearly trying to lift the mood, "there is only one explanation for someone to have a necklace such as this one."

"Viktor." Kit's voice sounded like a warning.

"I'm not saying she is one, I'm saying it's a possibility." Viktor defended.

"What's a possibility?" Vivian asked.

Again, Kit and Viktor shared a look. "The possibility you are an aether reservoir."

Vivian looked at the two of them, blinking. "A what?"

"It's a human born with a well of aether inside of them, constantly creating more than the body can withhold." Viktor spoke, pulling Vivians eyes to them. "Others can access the aether, but the human cannot."

Vivian sat there, mulling over the witch's words. "An... an aether reservoir?" She asked, Viktor nodding. "And that would explain the necklace?"

Again the witch nodded. "Correct." Vivian looked at Kit, but the vampire sat on their couch, quiet with arms still crossed over his chest. Something seemed off about him, but Vivian couldn't place it. "There's a spell we can do to see if we're correct, but that would require some preparations on my part."

"So what you're telling me is I'm not human?" The woman looked between the two. Her mind didn't process her words, or theirs for that matter. It was like they kept hitting a wall, over and over, nothing getting through.

"Not quite." Viktor said, setting their teacup down again before standing. "An aether reservoir is a very rare occurrence. They only come around every five hundred years or so." Vivian caught the witches' lilac eyes snap to Kit for a moment, the vampire shifting uncomfortably. "And for good reason."

"What's that?" Vivian couldn't help but ask.

"With the amount of aether they have stored within them, they are highly sought after by many creatures. Most willing to kill or wage wars to get their hands on an aether reservoir." Viktor walked to the balcony and stared out the glass. "They do not usually like very long lives."

Vivian sat on the couch, terrified. If Viktor was saying what she thinks he's saying, then... "My life is in danger."

"Only if you're found out." The witch rushes out as they turn to look at her. "With that necklace, you should be safe."

The woman nodded, pressing a hand to her necklace. "So what now?"

"Now you go home." Viktor spoke, rounding the couches to stand in front of Kit and Vivian. "As I've said, I have preparations to make. I'll be sure to send Kit for you when I'm ready."

And like that they were out of the penthouse and on the way back to her home. Kit and Vivian sat in the vampire's car, a red light halting their progress across town. They both sat in silence as Vivian processed the events since she first woke up in Viktors penthouse. Her fingers idly played with her necklace, hazel eyes looking out the window as the car began to move again.

She was an aether reservoir, or at least they thought she was, and she still didn't understand what that meant for her. Was she in danger? They made it sound like she was, but then why would they just send her home? Wouldn't they want to keep her somewhere safe? Vivian looked over to Kit, eying him warily. "Will I be safe at home?" She asks, her voice low and shy.

"Yes." Kit replies, almost instantly. "As long as you keep the necklace on, no one will be able to detect the aether coming from you. Plus," the vampire begins, looking over to Vivian, "I will be keeping an eye on you." Vivian and Kit look at each other for a moment, something tense forming between them, but then the vampire looks away, back to the road. "I will have to report this to Niccolo."

Vivian felt a pang of panic go through her. "Niccolo? B-But why?"

Kit spared her a quick glance. "Are you afraid of him?" He asks, surprising Vivian with his question.

"What?" She breathed out, sitting up a little. "No, I'm not scared of him. He's just... intimidating."

The vampire hums in agreement. "That, he is." Kit said in a quiet voice, turning the car down the road her home was situated on. "But he is not cruel. I have never known Niccolo to be cruel."

"What do you think he'll do with me?" Her voice remained low and quiet, almost as if she were afraid to ask.

Kit remained silent for a moment, clearly thinking. "He will probably want to keep your existence a secret." He says finally, pulling the car to the curb in front of her home. "Besides that, I am unsure."

"He wouldn't... he wouldn't kill me, would he?"

Kits' eyes snapped to her. "What? No, no he would not go that far." He said quickly, about to say something else but stopping. "Is that your roommate?"

Vivian turned her head to look out the car window, watching as Ophelia barrels from the front door and towards the car. "Oh, shit." She said, unbuckling and opening the car door.

"Where have you been?" Ophelia almost screamed, worry and panic clear on her face as she reached Vivian, grabbing the woman's arms. "What the hell happened? Why is the window broken? And whose blood is on the floor?"

Vivian stood there, completely frozen. She hadn't really thought about what she would tell Ophelia or Elias when she got home. Honestly, the woman kind of forgot about the scene that would be left behind for her two friends to discover. "Uh..."

"Sorry," Kit's voice sounded from the other side of the car, grabbing both of the woman's attention, "Vivian spent last night with me."

What? Vivian stared at Kit, eyes wide.

Ophelia's eyes narrowed as she looked at the vampire, something knowing on her face. "You're from the cafe and fair."

"That's right!" Vivian spoke up before the vampire could damn her any farther. "I ran into him again and we exchanged numbers."

"And then you spent the night at his house?" Ophelia was clearly bothered, if not about the window and the blood, then definitely about Kit. "Vivian, you know I would never judge you if this guy was just a one night stand. You don't have to lie to me-."

"No! No, no, no it's nothing like that!" Vivian quickly insisted, feeling her cheeks heat from Ophelia's comment.

"No!" Kit said at the same time as Vivian. "But I think the broken window and blood is more important."

"Right!" Vivian said, whirling around to face Ophelia. "You said the window was broken? And there was blood?"

Ophelia just looked at the two of them, her eyes hovering on Kit longer than normal. "Yes, the window in the living room was broken like someone outside was thrown into it." Ophelia said, looking at Vivian. "And you were gone when Elias and I got home, and when we saw the blood, we assumed the worst. We called the police after we couldn't get a hold of you-."

"You called the police?" Vivian asked, her voice ringing higher than she expected.

"No shit, Vivian! We came home to a broken window, blood on the floor, and you missing! We tried to call you, but you left your damn phone at home!" Ophelia was yelling, clearly angry at Vivian. "What were we supposed to do? There's missing people Vivian, missing people, and we thought you were about to be the next poster!"

"I'm so sorry, Ophelia." Vivian says, unsure of what else to say at this moment. "I didn't mean to cause you and Elias so much worry."

Ophelia rubbed her face with her hands, letting out a frustrated breath. "I'm glad you're okay, but that doesn't explain the window and the blood."

"I don't know. When I left last night, the window was intact." Vivian lied, hating how it tasted on her tongue. She didn't enjoy lying, but the woman did it when she had to.

Ophelia's eyes moved back to Kit. "And you left with him." She said, incredulous. "When did you even get his number again?"

"I ran into her the other night while she was walking home." Kit began before Vivian could even begin to formulate her lie. "I offered to walk her home and we exchanged numbers."

"Exactly!" Vivian said, a little too quickly. "I went to his place last night and forgot my phone. I ended up falling asleep on his couch."

Ophelia just stares at the two of them, as if processing their lies. But then she released a breath, her shoulders relaxing. "Well I'm glad you're not dead. Elias has been completely out of his mind with worry. We both were."

"I know. I'm so sorry. It won't happen again." Vivian said, and she really hoped it was the truth and not another lie.