Light had filled the bedroom already when Lucia awoke to gentle knocking on the door. She blinked a few extra times to clear her eyes and shuffled her body up a little to allow her to sit up a little higher to slouch across the many pillows she had been provided.

“Who is it?” She called with a heavy slur, patting her puffy face with her hands in an attempt to wake herself up quicker.

“Elijah.”

Alertness hit her like a wave in the face as her anger was ignited at the sound of his voice. She suddenly felt a hell of a lot more awake, she felt ready to fight.

She let him wait outside, in silence, for a few minutes while she made sure her body was covered by her pajamas and the blankets, that her dark curly hair was scraped into a high ponytail (if she had earrings on she’d have taken them off just in case) and pulled herself up further, gifting herself a few extra inches of height with a straight back.

“Come in.” She said clearly and with all the authority she had, in this room, in someone else’s house, in an unknown area of England…

Elijah opened the door and slid inside, much to Lucia’s disappointment he didn’t appear to be carrying a tray with breakfast foods on it.

"Morning." He greeted cordially.

"Morning." She replied, keeping her face and voice blank.

"I brought something for you." He stepped into the room fully, gently pushing the door to behind him, and walked to the bed. Lucia watched him carefully, she didn't trust him or his 'something for her'. She pulled her covers to her chest defensively and watched him approach. He was moving with deliberate plodding steps, she almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of how slow he envisioned human speed.

When he finally reached her he pulled a small, black velvet box from his trouser pocket and opened it to present her with the contents. Lucia’s curiosity got the better of her and she leant forward ever so slightly to peer at the ring sitting on the velvet cushion inside.

The ring itself was shaped with bright, shining silver that had been immaculately cleaned. The gem in the centre was a large blush-coloured sapphire while the smaller stones framing it were diamonds, he explained. Then he gave her a brief history of the ring, how it had been passed down through generation after generation, the last owner being his grandmother who had given it to him when she passed away so that he could propose to his future wife with it.

“So, you came to give it to me?” Lucia said with little enthusiasm. She felt like a moron sitting there and staring at the sparkling antique as though it had crash landed into his hand from another planet.

His hand didn’t falter, he continued to hold out the small box as he added, “I was hoping it would make you feel more a part of this family.”

“Why would I want to be part of this family?” She snapped, but she couldn’t meet his eyes when she said it.

“Because your own sold you?” He snapped back just as quickly. The words bit at her with a sharpness she hadn’t expected, an acidic burn sat in the pit of her stomach. “Sorry,” He blurted, “I shouldn’t-”

“No,” She cut him off, “you’re right, they did.” she still refused to make eye contact with him as she spoke. “I don’t want to be part of that family either.”A lie, a blatant lie, but she didn’t need his pity. She would always be a Martinez whether they wanted her or not.

A sickly silence sat between them for an awkwardly long time.

“What do you want?” He asked quietly.

“To leave.”

"Where is it that you wish to go?" He asked, placing a hand on her lower leg over the covers. "I will take you wherever you want, once we are married."

"I don't know." She whined, running her hands through her hair. "But wherever I want to go, I don't want to go with you!" She knew she was being a brat but she didn't care. He was simply trying to placate her, he didn't care about what she wanted. 'Once we are married' her left butt cheek! She wasn't signing her name on anything, she wasn't wearing a ring and she certainly wouldn't be consummating the marriage!

He sighed and pulled his hand back, “I hope you change your mind, eternity is long enough without an angry wife.” he said irritably.

“I hope you see how ridiculous this all is and have the decency to let me leave.”

“I can’t disobey my parents.” His voice dropped and she hoped it was from shame.

“Coward.” She spat.

She pulled the covers over her head and curled up onto her side, signalling that the conversation was over. She heard him sigh again but also the door opening and closing.

When she peeked out, he was gone, and he had taken the ring with him.

~

Lucia had been all but dragged into Mrs Bonnet’s private sitting room, she was learning more and more every day with dread just how strong vampires were. The room was filled with self-indulgent artwork, everything was black and white and modern, the woman to blame was dressed to match in a black pant suit.

Lucia was pushed by the shoulders into a stool facing the matriarch and the older woman began pulling out mood boards and fabric samples.

“It is time to begin making decisions about the big day.” She said with a wild smile that didn’t fit her harshly angled face.

~

There were no clocks in the room, Lucia had looked, she had scanned every inch for a way of calculating the time passing her by but there was none. She felt as though she had been sat on that puny stool for hours as Mrs Bonnet poured over photos of cakes and table decorations and flowers, so many fucking flowers. Lucia wasn’t interested when they started but now she was on the verge of falling asleep, or maybe bursting into tears. Or both, who knew at that point.

She had managed to avoid giving any real answers so far, just shrugs and ‘hmm’s, but Mrs Bonnet was beginning to grow tired of these non-committal responses.

She had begun to lecture her about the importance of these decisions…

“You have to take part in the preparations at some point,” Mrs Bonnet rambled on, “don’t you want to make your special day… special?” as if they weren’t both well aware that they had been going around in circles since she was placed before the matriarch. Lucia had no interest in playing wedding planners with this woman. “You’ll regret it for the rest for your life if you don’t!”

“As long as I survive to my divorce it makes no difference to me.” Lucia groaned with an eye roll that Mrs Bonnet ignored with a sympathetic smile.

“I don’t mind taking full creative control over the day if you truly don’t want to organise anything.” She said with a voice pumped full of artificial sweetener. Despite her pitiful expression Lucia could feel the excitement almost rolling off the woman in waves, as she shrugged her indifference she knew she had just given her mother-in-law the greatest gift she could have ever hoped for. “Wonderful! I will create the fairytale wedding of your dreams, I promise!” Lucia wondered what exactly Mrs Bonnet thought she dreamed about… it definitely wasn’t fairytale weddings. “The only thing you’ll need to choose for yourself is your dress! We’ll get you measured and you can describe what you want to our dressmaker, Britney, she’s a lovely lady, I’ll send her round this afternoon.”

Lucia perked up instantly, sensing an exit, “So, I can leave now?” she asked hopefully.

“Mmhmm.” Mrs Bonnet had never looked so pleased in front of Lucia as she did now that she had full control of the wedding - oh, what a great dictator this woman would make, Lucia mused. But Mrs Bonnet was no longer interested in her, her eyes raked over the colour swatches with a new-found excitement and energy.

Lucia scarpered before the crazy old hag could change her mind.