The Pride of a Slave

Mariah smiled, "Oh good, I put that in there hoping she would wear that to the interview."

"The only thing I was concerned with was her hair. She is very understanding of her position in the University, but she does have a bit of a silent rebellious streak."

Victors eyebrows raised, "What do you mean."

"Well," Isadorre chuckled softly into her hand, "She wore her hair up, and did nothing to hide the slave brand. Almost like she was reminding us that she was a slave, and was doing it quite proudly."

Mariah and Victor both exchanged glances before Mariah shook her head a smile on her face, "The girls too much like her mother."

"I would say she's just enough of her mother to get through this." Victor said softly, looking down at the photo again.

Mariah went around the side of the desk and stood on the other side of Victor looking down at the drawing, "Wow, let me look at that."

Victor handed to her and she held it up careful not to touch anything but unmarked paper, "who did this?"

"Seraphina." Isadorre couldn't help but to sound smug because it was her discovery. She waited for the usual response about the technique but Mariah stayed silent looking at the drawing of her son.

"There is a lot of emotion in this drawing." Isadorre was surprised by Mariah's first comment and looked over at the drawing again trying to see what Mariah saw.

"She draws what she sees of our sons. I think even she was aware of how rare it is for those two boys to be so still, quiet, and together, and she drew it with a lot of love." Mariah said softly.

Victor nodded, "Yes, there is a great deal of emotion in that drawing."

Mariah handed the drawing back to Victor and turned to walk out only pausing at the door to say, "Give me a copy when you make yours."

Victor snorted at Mariah as she smiled and thanked him and walked out. Isadorre looked at the empty door way then looked back at her brother, "Let me know when you are done with that so I can give it back to Seraphina, I have a feeling that particular drawing is important to her."

"I will." Victor listened as his sister ghosted through the secret door in the wall and out of his study. He leaned back in his chair and looked out of the window seeing the garden and the exact tree that the drawing had been drawn from.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, standing up and looking at the portrait of his passed wife. He looked at her and said softly, "I hope this work is successful."

***********

I ran up to my room and putting my schedule carefully on my desk I went into the bathroom and washed my face clean. I pulled down my hair, leaving the wavy hair to its unruly ends. I took the jacket off when I first came into the room and stripped my pants off and folded them on the counter and removed the sheer, cream, silk shirt. Leaving me in my dark blue lace undergarments.

There were very expensive, and far more revealing and delicate than I would have ever worn before, but they were comfortable so instead of stripping them off I kept them on, turning in the mirror, taking a moment to look at myself in them, feeling a bit of pride at the idea that I did in fact look very good in them.

I stepped out of the bathroom to cross the bedroom to the closet to grab a pair of pants and a simple shirt. I heard a gasp as I walked out and I turned to see Ryder and Dimitri sitting on my bed staring at me. I looked at them confused at how bright Dimitri's eyes had gotten and how red Ryder's face had gotten. Their eyes were locked on me, and when both sets of eyes looked down from my face I realized instantly what I was wearing.

I screamed loudly and ran back into the bathroom, "DAMN IT DON'T YOU TWO EVER KNOCK?!?!?!?!"

I grabbed the robe hanging on the hook and put it on, wrapping it and my arms around me before walking back out, mortified, horrified, and confused. Both boys were standing up and separated from each other, looking as thoroughly embarrassed as I felt.

I stomped my foot breaking the silence, "No more coming into my room without knocking, got that you two?"

The both nodded still not looking at me, but instead looking everywhere but at me. I snorted in disgust and walked into the closet and closed the door behind me, changing in there. I came back into the room in jeans and my shirt and sat on the floor, resting my back against the bed and held my hands up for my two friends.

The sat beside me, one on each side and I crossed my legs and smiled at them, "So how did it go?"

Ryder moaned, "It was awful Sera, I am being forced to be in the Political program. Its too serious of a program for me, its too serious and its dry."

He sat back with a huff and crossed his arms in an expression too much like his five year old sullen self. I smiled and turned to Dimitri, "And you?"

"The same, of course. It is an obvious requirement that we go through the political program." He leaned back and his jaw tightened, and I could tell he was just as upset about it as Ryder.

I got on my knees and kissed his cheek and then Ryder's cheek, both boys touching their cheeks, "Me too, it seems."

The looked at me stunned, "Really? I was under the impression you were going into Anthropology."

I shook my head, "My classes were already picked out for me and everything before the meeting. But that aside, what are you guys doing for your secondary majors?"

Ryder flexed and wiggled his eyebrows at me, "Athletics! Its awesome, because I get an automatic slot in every team, because I'm majoring in it."

I nodded, the major fit Ryder perfectly, he was the only person I knew that had gotten upset because there hadn't been enough sports played in school. I turned to Dimitri who shrugged, "Classic Literature."

I smiled and bumped him with my shoulder, "Promise you will take a sport as either an elective or an extra curricular, you need to work out your energy if you are going to be so focused on studying."

And I pointed at Ryder, "And you take at least one literature class, so that your not all politics and competition."

Ryder groaned and I smiled at him, "There will be more girls in a literature class than in any of your athletics and political. They are the romantic classes that draw females in."

Ryder perked right up and I rolled my eyes at him as he jumped up telling me he needed to log onto the computer and change a class. Dimitri stood up saying that he needed to do the same and I sat quietly watching the both of them murmur over each other about which classes to take, each one asking the other for advice.

In the end Dimitri ended up on the track team at Ryder's suggestion and at Dimitri's suggestion Ryder ended up in classical romance authors of the second millennium. When both were finished they sat in front of me.

"So what is your secondary major." Dimitri tried to sound off handed but I knew him too well not to notice the curiosity.

"I don't get one. They think the load of two majors would be too much for me."

Both boys blanched, "You mean all you are going to be studying is political?"

I nodded but smiled, "On a bright side though, I'm going to be doing art as my electives."

They smiled, having already known my passion for drawing. I leaned back against the bed feeling tired, I pulled my knees up and rested my arms on them, "This is all kinda scary."

"For you maybe, I feel like I finally get to have a life now. I get to live in the dorms, and party and mix it up, and meet girls, and date." Ryder's enthusiasm refused to settle on me and instead made me feel less secure and more worried.

"You guys are staying in the dorms?"

Both shook their heads, "Nope, we have to stay at home, safety reasons and all that, but that doesn't mean we can't go to parties, the curfew is gone for University students."

I smiled because both seemed genuinely excited about the social life and I chuckled, "Well good, that means I don't have to figure out ways to keep you two occupied while I'm studying anymore. What a relief."

The boys laughed and both stood up and walked to the door, and out. Dimitri popped his head back in, "You know you're staying here too right?"

I nodded having already figured that out, "Also, classes start tomorrow, so I'll come back tonight and compare schedules and see where we have classes together, Ill check Ryder's too."

"Okay, okay, go off then, you both reek of mischief, go to the party I know your both dying to go to." I was secretly hoping I was wrong, and that they would want to spend the night watching movies or something with me, but as usual my feelings were never wrong and I instead received a laugh and a wave from Dimitri as they disappeared.

I sat on the floor for a little while longer and then gathered myself up and quietly walked to the garden, sitting outside on the grass. I pulled a few blades of grass thinking of my mother. I felt tears well up in my eyes and I let them fall silently, not bothering to wipe them away as they fell.

I looked at the earth and spoke softly to the breeze, trying to imagine my mothers soul as being the one caressing my cheek rather than the breeze, "I feel really alone mother. I've always had you to get me through and now your gone, and I feel crippled."

The wind picked up a bit and blew my hair around me, tangling it and pulling it around me like a chestnut cloud caught at the whims of the wind. I closed my eyes and breathed in the clean, crisp air. I thought of what my mother would say,"Just remember who you are, you are my daughter, and nothing can stop you. Now no more fear, you have indulged it long enough."

I picked a dandelion from the grass and looked at it, the color of the flower was the exact same color as my mothers hair had been before she had gotten sick, "I wont even be able to go to your burial."

"It just the body that left. I will be in the wind, instead of stuck in this rotting old thing. If you are lucky enough to be busy when my rotting husk is buried I don't want you to be sad, instead spend a day in the sun, outside, and I will be the wind, free and dancing in celebration."

We had spoken of her death often and my fear of not being able to be with her after she died had always resulted in the same statement. Maybe that's why I had found myself outside in the twilight, the wind now cool and cutting through me would have normally drove me inside. Instead, I was sitting out here, taking all the strength I could from it and saying my goodbye to my mother.

I laid back and watched the now pink and purple clouds dash across the sky, the wind commanding their movements. As I watched them I began to wonder who was the wind blowing me around like the clouds, it was strange enough that I had been accepted into the University. But as I thought more and more about Isadorre's and Jizelle's comments as to why I couldn't go into Anthropology but instead into politics, it didn't make sense. Wouldn't politics be even worse?

I felt my eyes close as I focused on the problem, but instead of finding the answer, I found myself thinking back to when I was a child in the nursery with Ryder and Dimitri. They were fighting over some stupid toy and being unable to take their bickering anymore I stood up and smacked the pair of them, scolding them about how silly their fighting was. I had burst into crying telling them that I hated them fighting and only wanted them to love each other like I loved them.

Of course the nanny had grabbed me and I was put into another room for attacking the two princes. I had been saved an hour later by Victor, who seemed amused as he picked me up, and carried me back to my two friends, both of which had tied the nanny to her chair and had gagged her, yelling for my release.

I had dried my tears quickly and had scolded them softly as I untied the nanny, but spent my time with the boys playing with the boys until we three fell asleep, all three of us cuddled closely together, even Dimitri had snuggled into me. I didn't realize until now that Victor had sit back and watched the whole thing, and not once did I remember him doing anything but asking the nanny to leave. Now that I think about it, that particular nanny never came back and was soon replaced by a human nanny.

I shivered and opened my eyes seeing it was pitch black outside, and the wind was now bitter cold. I shivered and held my arms and stood up and stumbled half asleep back into the Palace, thanking my luck that someone had thought to leave the garden doors unlocked. I walked into and found the first couch I could and laid down and fell back asleep.

I heard giggling in what seemed like moments later and sat up rigidly forgetting where I was. I didn't recognize the room I was in at first and didn't get a chance before the lights were thrown on and I could make out Dimitri and another immortal standing in the door way. I rubbed my eyes and looked around realizing I was in Dimitri's parlor.

"Sera? What are you doing in here?"

I turned to Dimitri's voice, his words slurred slightly. I managed to clear my eyes and saw the tall, dark haired girl next to him. She was only an inch shorter than Dimitri and was overall very pretty, except for her eyes, they were too light and her pretty lips were turned down in a frown.

I looked at the both of them and then around me, "Figures." I stood up and straightened myself up before walking past them and out of the door. I paused outside of the door to get my bearings, scolding myself for having followed my feet to his rooms. It would figure I would go there before anywhere else, I needed to spend time leaving and coming to my new room before my half asleep self would take me there.

I had paused too long at the closed door because I heard the girl giggle to Dimitri, "Who was that? Since when do your servants talk to you like that?"

"That wasn't a servant, that was my slave Sera."

I frowned at his statement, he was obviously drunk, "Oh my god, she's living with you? I heard about the slave that got in. Why is she living here?"

I waited for his reply, "I dunno, I don't care really."

I sighed feeling a bit hurt by his reply, but I didn't expect him to defend me being that drunk. I also really didn't like the idea he was already pulling girls into his room, especially one that didn't seem very nice.

I saw Ryder disappear into his room, not surprising with a girl on each arm. I sighed and passed his door hearing him laughing drunkenly, and the girls squeal in reply. I walked to the end of the hall and noticed Victor stalking towards me. I lifted a hand and he stopped looking me over, "Where have you been?"

I sighed, "I fell asleep outside in the gardens and then wandered in half asleep and guess where I end up."

A look of relief flitted across his face, "I didn't know if you were with Dimitri and Ryder or not."

"At the party? Not a chance." I shook my head and yawned, "I surprised the heck outta Di though, he brought a girl home."

Victors face pinched in annoyance, "Well, boys will sport. I guess I was hoping Dimitri would forego this part of manhood, especially since Ryder seemed to embrace it enough for the both of them."

I yawned again, not quite understanding what he was saying and he noticed, "I'm keeping you from bed, I will see you in the morning."

I nodded and walked a few steps down the hall before Victor called to me, "Seraphina?"

"yeah?"

"What did Dimitri say to the girl as an explanation of why you were here."

"He just called me his slave and said he didn't know why I was here, then I guess he got distracted by other things." I yawned again struggling to keep my eyes open.

Victor audibly sighed, "Alright, good night Seraphina."

"Night." I mumbled and made my way quickly to my bed and fell asleep.