O'Conner's School for the Light challenged

[The Madame Red]

Anya remained calm as she listened to Emma's cry. She felt the golden ring hidden beneath her shirt touch her ice cold skin at the promise she had made Oscar long ago. To see Emma so worked up because Oscar was adamant on keeping her distance made Anya feel uncomfortable. Anya petted Emma's head softly before taking a step back, "It's time you start seeing something, Emma."

She spoke softly, "We are much older and much different than you, and have seen far too much that anyone should ever see. Oscar...has previous obligations that holds him back."

Emma was starting to care for Oscar. Anya didn't want Emma to know that she was the one that was holding Oscar back. The human was starting to become one of her closest friends and she feared that Emma wouldn't forgive her.

"Come," Anya took Emma's hand, "Lets forget about Oscar for a little bit and take a walk."  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Emma nodded and followed Anya dumbly. She took slow steps which forced Anya to do the same. The pain in her back and in her belly hurt. She felt dizzy and her hand wouldn't stop shaking. "Anya. . . I don't feel so-" Her eyes fluttered as her legs gave out. A slight thud sounded as she hit the floor. Blood loss and lack of food took a heavy toll on her. Her body started shaking, almost violently. Conrad had gone for a walk with Jess so they would be of no help. It seemed Anya was alone to deal with this terrible development.  

[The Madame Red]

This was a common occurrence to those who had diabetes; lack of food, or hemoglobin, in the body thinned the blood. Anya glanced down at Emma as she noted the common signs and symptoms of Emma's reaction. She casually picked up the human to turn and see Oscar rounding the corner, "Oscar, could you make something to eat please for Emma?"

"What the hell is wrong with her this time?" Oscar rolled his eyes, "If this is like-"

"This isn't a game, Oscar," Anya began to walk to the kitchen, "She has two hour tops to live if she doesn't get anything to eat quickly. Thankfully, she has taken her medication properly or else her scent would've changed with the chemical imbalance in her abdomen."

Oscar went straight to the kitchen and rummage through the fridge, picking out a sandwich that was left in the fridge. He handed it to Anya, "Will this do?"

"For now, but find orange juice or something with sugar in it," Anya answered before making Emma take a bite, "Chew and swallow."

He glanced down at Emma before Anya looked over at him. Oscar and Anya gazed at each other for a few moments before he nodded to find a sugary drink for Emma.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Emma stared through her fits eyes wide in fear. She could feel the tremors slow enough for her to eat and drink whatever was pushed in front of her. Her eyes turned to Oscar. Yes, she'd heard what he'd said and hate filled her eyes for a moment before they flicked back to Anya for comfort. It was decided then that she was not going to be chasing him any more. If he wanted her. He had to do the work now. She was done. She gave a pathetic mew as her pump buzzed for new medication. It seemed today was going to be her day of hell and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Oh god I hope I haven't peed myself. She thought absently hoping that she hadn't or she wasted to just die.  

[The Madame Red]

Anya noticed the pump go off and had Oscar fetch the medication. She then administered it carefully to Emma in the same spot as before before taking a step back, "I'd say you ought to be more careful, but we've all been through a lot the last few days. It's no wonder you haven't gone into shock yet."

She gave Emma the glass of orange juice Oscar had poured for her. Anya then sat next to Emma as Oscar stood by Anya's side, away from Emma. The female vampire noticed the tension before glancing over at Oscar, "Perhaps you could meet me in the library later, i'd like to discuss something with you."

Oscar didn't have to ask. He simply nodded and left the kitchen. Anya then turned her attention back to Emma, "How are you feeling?"  

[Hikari_Mamo]

"Like death warmed up." Emma replied then blushed. "No offence." She added hastily. "Well no not like death more like I've been buried in rubble." She rubbed her chest and grimaced. "Everywhere hurts." She growled. "Everywhere but my head." She frowned a little and looked around. "That's strange. Whenever I have one of these episodes Jess usually comes running. . . I wonder where she is." It seemed that Emma the Diabetic sipping her juice and nomming her bread was already starting to bounce back from her little 'episode' as she called it. Though she was still pale she seemed to be bright eyed and alert. Which was weird for a human. "Go, smack down your grumpy faced brother I'll be fine." She smiled with reassurance. "Oh my god Emma!" Jess cried looking a bit dishevelled. Emma's eyebrows went up and knew right away where she'd been and who she'd been with. Though Conrad was no where to be seen. Jess looked up at Anya and smiled kindly looking a tiny bit high. "I'll take her from here. Thank you so much. My pager didn't go off or I'd be here sooner."  

[The Madame Red]

Anya excused herself to go to the library where Oscar waited. She shut the door softly before walking over to him, "I want to apologize...for the other day when I broke off our partnership."

Oscar pulled out the golden ring that hung around his chain necklace, "I didn't get rid of it."

She pulled hers out as well, "Neither did I."

They placed their necklaces back beneath their clothing before smiling at each other. Anya curtsied playfully before Oscar brought up the reality of their situation, "What about Emma? You know how she feels..."

"About you? Yes," Anya nodded, then glanced out the window to the full moon in the sky, "It would be the right thing to do, wouldn't it? Give a human a chance to have a vampire as a partner or lover? Somehow, knowing her honest feelings, I can't bring myself to do it. Call me selfish, but it's my choice."

Oscar sighed as he scratched the back of his head. He...did have some sort of feeling for Emma. But he was unwilling to let go of Anya first.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

"It's over Jess." Emma said simply staring at the ground as the other fixed her bandages.
"What's over sweetie?" Jess asked smiling brightly as she continued to work.
"My chasing Oscar." Emma stated as if Jess were stupid. "I'm not going to chase any more. I'm not going to fight. He has Anya. I have no business intruding in there." Jess frowned at Emma. She looked so defeated. It was the exact same expression she saw when they first met. Shortly after the first fire. The poor thing looked even worse now. It was obvious she still held feelings for Oscar. "Emma. . .I have to tell you something." Jess sighed and bit her lip. Emma frowned and tilted her head unsure as to why Jess was suddenly down.
"What? What is it?" She asked urgently.
"I don't know if it's my place but it might help give you a shot and I guess that's a good thing. But Conrad. . . it might be best you start addressing him as father." Emma's face fell and her skin paled. Father?  

[The Madame Red]

The two left until they reached the outside of the mansion. The fresh air felt cool against Anya's skin as she gazed up at the moon, "This must be the right decision."

"Is there really ever a wrong decision when it comes to living forever?" Oscar asked as he glanced over at Anya.

"Certainly," Anya answered briefly, "We have to live with the guilt."

This was true. Oscar turned his gaze to the stars above him as he thought of Emma. Maybe it was for the best that things didn't exactly happen even if he was the slightest bit curious.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Conrad walked around the grounds with the strangest feeling in his gut. Like. . . Like something bad was about to happen. He couldn't tell. So that's why he was wondering the grounds like an idiot. He was trying to find out what had him so ill at ease.

"Emma! Emma Come back!" He heard Jess call. His beloved Daughter and his consort were running down the main drive way to the front gates. "Emma! Emma I'm sorry! Don't leave! Emma please!"
"NO!!! No!" She screamed back. "No it's not possible! Stay away from me!" He tensed to run to her. To find out what had her so upset when she spotted him. Her eyes widened in fear and she turned suddenly bolting for the other exit. She was running from him. "Emma!" Jess screamed. "Anya Oscar stop her! Don't let her leave!" Jess prayed that they'd heard her. If Emma took one foot out of the grounds at full moon. She was lost. "Please!!! Stop her!"

The second she had her strength back Emma bolted out the door. She couldn't be here any more. Her stomach clenched threatening to hurl up all it's contents as she ran tears rolled uncontrolled down her cheeks. It couldn't be true! There was no way it could be true. "Emma!" Jess screamed as she chased after her. But she was faster than Jess. . . almost unnaturally so losing her early as she bolted into the dairy farm trying to find somewhere hidden so she could be alone in her misery. She didn't want to be around any one. The voices returned when she pulled open a door to a stable hands rooms making sure that hay and cow poop masked her scent then crawled into the bed after closing the door then started balling her eyes out. She'd never felt more alone then she did at that moment.

Jess stood silently crying near the servants entrance. "What did you do!?" Conrad roared at Jess clutching her shoulders. "What did you say!?"
"I. . . I told her the truth." Jess said Conrad's face turning purple. "No! She was just looking so sad and miserable about Oscar. I wanted to cheer her up. I never thought she'd react like this-"
"This is exactly how her mother reacted!" Conrad roared. "You think they're any different from each other!? Dammit Koeri! If I've lost her forever because of you. . !" He let the threat hang. It was obvious to Jess that he loved his daughter but if the other two vampires saw they'd either be confused or think he's after Emma's affections.  

[The Madame Red]

Both vampires heard the scream and glanced towards the source to see Emma running away from the castle. Anya took off running at top speed towards Emma as Oscar followed close behind. Oscar caught up from behind Emma before tackling her roughly to the ground, pinning her beneath him, "Why the hell were you running this time!?"

Anya looked over at Conrad and Jess, but the subtle differences between Emma and Conrad became clear. Then, hearing the words straight from Emma's mouth made her cringe slightly. This..human...was the Princess of all vampires? Oscar quickly got off of Emma before backing up. Seeing her in a new light made him feel as if he were touching something very fragile and feared he might break her.

The female vampire cleared her throat and Oscar walked to her side as both stood in front of Emma so she wouldn't make any type of escape. Anya glanced away, she couldn't see Emma as being an actual Princess, but was still happy that she was given a safe title that could afford her any type of treatment she desired. The female vampire smiled back at Emma, "Surely you're not upset by knowing your birth father now, are you? Think about the life you'll be living. You're going to have everything you've ever wanted in front of you."

"But she's a human..." Oscar glanced over at Anya, "A human is a princess over our kind? That's not even near right at all."

"That's the situation as it is," Anya commented over to Oscar, then turned her smile back at Emma, "Being a Princess isn't so bad, you can have a royal court now and have ladies-in-waiting always around you so you won't ever be alone, and you can choose almost anyone to be your suitor."  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Emma struck out blindly tears still rolling down her cheeks. "Let me go!" She screamed scrambling up to run again. She tripped not too far away and heard her pump break. She didn't bother getting up with time. She just layed there sobbing. Everything was a lie. The reason she was at that school, her mother moving here and even this castle was all a lie! Everything she knew a Lie!!! When she felt Anya's touch again she screamed in anger. "Don't touch me!" She screamed shrinking away. She couldn't do it any more. "My life is a lie." She sobbed in the dirt. "A huge lie I can't keep doing this any more." Dirt streaked her face before she stood up. Blood seeped through the bandages from where bits of the pump cut her skin. "Just. . . Leave me alone." She choked limping away back toward the dairy farm. "You're all apart of the lie."  

[The Madame Red]

"Now just wait a second!" Oscar stormed over to Emma and angrily grabbed her wrist, "You aren't just going to act like this knowing what you are now!"

He forced her to turn and face him as he gripped her upper arms, "I'm not going to have the Princess of my own race act like a spoiled brat just because things are totally different now! How do you think the rest of us feel when we were changed from a living person to an undead creature!? I haven't felt my own heart beat in centuries, I don't remember what it feels like to be warm, Anya can't have children as much as she wanted to be a mother, and yet you're crying because you get to be a Princess and you get to remain human?"

Oscar released her and took a step back before glancing down at the broken pump on her stomach, "And get that fixed up."

The male vampire turned and walked off, but Anya remained where she stood. She felt sorry for Emma as well as agreed to most of what Oscar had stated. Anya took a few steps towards Emma and asked, "Would you like company?"  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Emma's face was murderous. Her chest was heaving up and down as she tried to draw in breaths. "It's all a lie to me Oscar!!!" She roared. "All of it! My whole LIFE!!! Don't compare me to you!" She threw a rock at him and continued to walk ignoring Anya kinda giving her permission to follow. She tore off her shirt. What hurt the most was that if he was her father why hadn't he protected her from the wolves in the first place? It was all a lie, everything her mother told her about her father was a lie. She stared at her reflection in the outside pool watching as drops of tears hit the surface. "Unprotected, unwanted, Alone." She muttered over and over the more she cried the more she bled out and she didn't care. She felt that familiar aching in her chest. The feeling of never belonging.  

[The Madame Red]

Oscar cursed in French angrily as the rock hit him in the head. He turned and was about to do the same to Emma until Anya stopped him, "She needs to be beaten! She gets to live and cry because she's a damn princess now!? What about all the others who unwillingly were changed into this curse! What about those who wanted to live and now we get to walk around forever while our families and friends die off!? How's that for living a lie!? You live a lie and we live in a god damn curse!"

"That's enough, Oscar!" Anya shoved him away, "Just go!"

Anya forced Oscar to leave before slowly walking to the place where Emma was at. She creaked the door open, only to start receiving blunt objects being thrown at her. The female vampire kept walking in, allowing all the objects to be thrown at her by Emma until she was close enough to softly wrap her arms around her, singing a soft lullaby in Romanian.