Laurel

12

Delia had texted her mama before leaving Laurel's apartment, letting the older woman know she was on her way back home and a guest bedroom was going to be needed. Laurel got into Delia's car never making a sound and moving like she was a puppet barely held up on strings. The two drove in silence. Delia was at a loss for how to comfort her friend, Laurel was too overwhelmed by everything to be able to speak.

Delia's coven lived in an estate on the northern edge of town, practically in the country. Laurel found the tall lush trees and wild roses in the area soothing, helping to calm her racing mind. Oddly feeling more like she was heading home, than her home with her mom had ever felt to her. Maybe it was just Delia's comforting presence though.

When they arrived, Laurel followed Delia into the main house, eyes on the ground as her friend led her up the steps. Delia stopped at the threshold to turn and look at her friend. "Ok I need to warn you a little bit before we go any further." Delia took a deep breath to steady her racing heart, "First, I am going to enter my home, and then I need you to follow me, it's a requirement to make sure no vampires get inside. Second, Mama, Caroline, she, she doesn't have much of a filter? I guess is the best way to put it. Once I walk you through these doors, you will be basically considered family, and she will want to know everything, all your secrets, everything you have ever done. But it's all to learn more about you to help you. Are you ok with that? Because you can still go home, bury your head in the sand with what you know and just pretend life is still the same as it was before yesterday. Or we can go forward and learn some hard truth."

"Truth. I want truth." Laurel said. Painfully earnestly. All she ever wanted from life was truth. Well truth and sex. Which really, who a person was at their core sexually said an awful lot about them as a human. Laurel froze, realising freshly that she wasn't human, never had been, that she wasn't thinking of herself as human anymore. It hurt, but not as much as the first time Delia had told her. This new truth was settling. Laurel was scared to see where this would take her.

Delia burst through the large entrance, accepting Laurel's agreement to move forward and called out "Mama we're here, which room is ready for Laurel?"

An older version of Delia came around the corner, Delia's mother. She radiated a powerful calm over Laurel as she drew closer. "You must be Laurel, Delia did not do you justice when she described your beauty to us child." The older woman reached out to gently touch Laurel's shoulder in a motherly like gesture. For the briefest moment, one eyebrow flicked upwards in surprise as she made physical contact. But the tell was quickly smoothed away and her face returned to being kind and welcoming. Laurel was so caught up in her own feelings that she hadn't noticed. "I know you've had an exceptionally hard day dear so I'll leave my questions until after you've had a chance to rest. Delia, I've opened the green room, could you show her the way?"

"The green room" Delia repeated, "Of course mama, Laurel, come with me and I'll show you to your room ok?" All Laurel could do was nod her head and wordlessly follow her friend like a broken doll up the stairs to a beautiful room painted a deep forest green with white carpet. The east facing windows looked over a traditional victorian garden, complete with a heart shaped duck pond and fountains lining the paths around meticulously maintained garden beds and ornamental trees and shrubs. Laurel imagined it would be even more beautiful at sunrise with the sunlight rising up to reveal the beauty as the light chased away the dark. Along one wall was a massive antique four poster bed with an intricately carved headboard depicting a riot of wild flowers and vines. Sheer white silk organza draped elegantly over the posts and matched the plush white bedding and pillows on the bed. There was a small sitting area in front of the windows and two closed doors on the opposite wall. Laurel's gaze stopped as she looked at the matching closed doors.