Metanoia (Part III)

Winchester, England.
2010.

“You’re getting the hang of it,” Sarah Nakamura encouraged, watching as the slender woman in front of her set the floating branch on fire. “Excellent! You’re the first supernatural being I know who could manifest all four elements,” she mused. “Earth, Water, Wind and Fire. You’re excellent. The one who Turned you knew what he was doing,” she continued appreciatively. “Daniel’s going to be pleased to hear this.” Extinguishing the flames with a single finger flick, Sarah watched as the vampire lowered the branch onto the soft grass.

“When’s he coming around?”

“Maybe tomorrow, if we’re lucky. He tracked that other guy in LaFont,” she explained. Sarah shook out her wild blonde hair, eyeing her friend with curious crimson eyes. “Some business with his clan and all that. Why?”

“I’m going to need him to track someone for me.”

“…you don’t mean-”

“Yes. Him.” the woman turned to her, her own golden eyes gleaming in the sunlight. “He owes me an explanation for what he’s done. And I can’t forgive him so easily for that.”

“But you have to let him go,” Sarah tried. “It’s his fault he left you behind! Why would you even chase after him after all that he’s done?”

The woman sighed.

“He’s my Mate. Simple as that. Either I break it off with him myself, or wait until he fatally dies and melts in the sunlight.” She answered bluntly.

“Let’s hope the latter happens-” Sarah stopped mid sentence, seeing a younger girl run up to her friend, hugging her legs. “…is that…?”

Smiling, Arianne Marie picked her up and cuddled her in her arms.

“Woman, where have you been hiding this bundle of joy?” Sarah cooed, pinching the smaller girl's cheeks.

“Adopted. Ever since…you know, I decided to take her in,” she replied. “Erica Mae.”

“So she…”

“No. Never. I won’t.”

“But what if-”

“I won’t.”

Her reply was icy this time.

Biting her lip, Sarah could only nod.  

A rustle from the trees made them look up, the look on Sarah’s face changing.

“I think that’s him.”

Arianne Marie looked up as well. Erica mumbled something and she let the small girl down, she running back into the house, most likely to go back to rest.  Focusing on the trees, the golden-eyed lady saw a shadow quickly jumping from tree to tree, Sarah smirking and lifting her hand.

The branch under the person’s foot snapped and they both heard a sharp yelp, the man falling and landing on a pile of leaves.

“Sarah, that wasn’t nice!” he whined, standing up.

“Neither is sneaking up on us like the sad stereotype Dracula,” the other retorted.

“Oi, oi. No dissing the Dracs.” Daniel Hemmingway’s golden eyes fell on Arianne Marie and he grinned widely, opening his arms for a hug. Rolling her eyes, she walked up to him and gave a tight hug, Daniel hugging back almost immediately. “Missed you, kid. Hope Sarah’s been teaching you well.”

“She has, don’t worry.” They broke away from the hug and he smiled at her, looking back at Sarah for a quick second.

“Go hunting for a bit, Sar. We need to catch up on things.”

“I thought you’d never say that.” Winking at Arianne Marie, Sarah launched into the trees and eventually disappeared as well.

“Now that she’s gone,” Daniel started, glancing over at her, “Why don’t we head inside and eat something? I’m sure we’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

* * * * *

“Were you able to track him?”

“Yeah, I was – it was hard to, though. But I got him. Got things solved and everything’s cool now, he won’t be bothering me again,” Daniel replied with a grin. “In case you’re wondering, I didn’t kill him, hell no. But I’ll save that tale for another day. Why do you ask?”

She looked away, glancing over at the living room where Erica Mae was simply coloring.

“I need you to track someone for me, Daniel.”

His brows furrowed. “Who?”

“You know who.”

Daniel thought that it would be the best time to joke, but at the look on her face, he found himself being serious instead. “…are you sure you want to-”

“I have to end it with him, Daniel. It’s either he dies, or I do it myself.”

“That’s right…” he spoke slowly. “Like Elena.”

“Yes. Like you and Elena.”

“But do you know where he went?”

“That’s the problem,” she pinched her temples, “When I did the tracking myself, I lost him ten miles away from here. His scent must have been dispersed by the wind or something. So unless I travel the world myself just to find the bastard, I won’t be able to find him and do it properly. Plus, I can’t leave her here alone.”

Daniel’s eyes went to the small girl as well. “Yours?”

“Adopted.”

“And she hasn’t met her father,” he mused quietly.

“I don’t think he’ll ever be a father to her.” Daniel gave her a sad smile. “I mean, Sarah’s much more of an aunt to her. Maybe you’ll be some kind of uncle. But as for him? I won’t let him.”

“So if I find him, you’re just going to end it. Nothing else.”

“Nothing else,” she promised.

He studied her.

She merely stared back.

Giving in, Daniel chuckled. “Alright. You’ve got yourself a tracker.”

“When do you think you can do it?”

At that, he hesitated slightly.

“I can do it within one, two weeks at most. But that only depends if I have something that still has his scent.”

The look in her eyes changed.

“…I have something. Follow me.”

They rose from the chairs in the dining room and went up the stairs, Erica merely lying on the couch with her eyes half-lidded at this point. Daniel followed her as she walked down the hallway, stopping at a room at the very end. She opened the door and stepped aside to let him in, Daniel walking inside the bedroom with a blank expression on his face.

“Which one?”

“Just get whichever is strongest.”

He nodded, and after some quick inspection, took hold of a few shirts, neatly folding them and putting them inside his bag. After going out, she slammed the door and went down the stairs without another glance behind her, Daniel sighing quietly and only following.

An hour later, Sarah was back, playing with Erica.

Arianne Marie merely watched.

He nudged her and she nudged him back, and their eyes met.

Gold to gold.