PRECIOUS...

PRECIOUS...
JUNE 15th, 2011
So it took about a day until Alec and Faine realized I was home. Chelsea and Afton welcomed me back warmly, but when Faine walked through the door, I felt a weight being lifted off my shoulders. She knew I was alive and that I was sorry for treating her rudely all those times, and that's what mattered the most.
She came over and hugged me and for the first time ever, I didn't run from that hug. I'm not saying I gave her a real hug, I'm just saying that I let her hug me. Alec opened up his arms for a hug too, why not since I was on a role? Since I didn't make a huge rush of hugging him, he kind of embraced me.....and then pulled me into a head lock (that's a wrestling move for those of you who don't know). I growled a little and he released me. We both laughed and shook hands. We talked a little as they got me up to speed with what I've missed. Apparently, Demetri and Valentina took off on a holiday to London, Lottie left and got a baby named Vera, Bastien is being hunted (it was only a matter of time until that happened), Jordan had a fight with the Cullens and banished them from her and her child.
I held my breath until Faine finally said, "Its a baby girl. Jordan named her Sophia."
I sighed. Jordan must love it, I know I would.
Well, that's all it took. I pretended I was running away again and Faine got nervous. But I peered back around the door frame and said, "Sophia needs a present from her Uncle Gabriel."
With happiness in my heart, I made my way back to Russia. It felt weird being back home after 621 years, but everything looked the same, believe it or not. I wanted to buy the only thing I could think to buy a baby girl, a necklace. I found an antique store and started looking. As soon as I saw It, I knew that was the one. I knew I wanted to watch Sophia growing up wearing that necklace. How could I want that for a child I didn't know? Easy. She was family.
The necklace I chose was from the late 1300s (when I was human), it had a worn iron chain, and it also belonged to my little sister. That's right, Galina wore that same exact necklace every day of her life. It had a sparrow at the end of the chain and the sparrow was holding a rough cut diamond. I started smiling at the memory of it, its a fuzzy memory from my human days but I can't forget it: Galina was turning 10 years old and I wanted to get her something special. Nikolai agreed to help me by raising money with me. We did it all on our own, no help from our parents, and with our own money we bought her that necklace. I remember my 16- year old self walking through her bedroom doors the morning of her birthday, with 21- year old Nikolai. She was still in her nightgown, sitting at her vanity and brushing her soft golden hair, I remeber walking across the marble floor with a real smile of love. She sets down her silver hairbrush and looks at me in the mirror.
"Gavril-" she says.
I kiss her cheek, "С Днем Рождения, Галина." (Happy Birthday, Galina." I whisper in her ear. I pull the jewelry box from behind my back and before she can peek at it, I have it in my hands and am draping it around her neck, finishing by hooking the clasp in the back. She squeals with delight and screams that she loves it. Nikolai gets her to quiet down and then we tell her a story about it.
I get pulled out of the memory and hand the gentleman a stack of money, it counted out to a thousand dollars but I would have payed much more for It. I would have payed the world to hold this little bit of my sister.

I have the necklace in my hand as I race back home and prepare to give it to little Sophia. I already know that I will tell her the same story that I told Galina, and I know that I will feel just as happy giving it to Sophia as I did giving it to my sister.
I came back to Ireland and was soon facing Jordan's finished home. I closed the distance at a walking pace and admired the rest of the work they had done on it. If this were just a visit I would be admiring the inside as well, but this is so I can see Sophia. I knock three times on the door and Jordan has it open in 4 seconds. She is holding a duster and smells like baby powder, "Your back!" She yells. She pulls me into a hug and I wrap my arms around her as well.
When she pulls away, she eyes me suspiciously, probably wondering who I am and what I'd done with 'the real' Gabriel.
"Is Josh home as well?" I ask as I step inside.
"No, he's working. Did you need him for something?" She asks walking towards the kitchen.
"No, no. I, uh, actually came to see Sophia."
Jordan is taken aback, "oh! Well, uh, yeah! Sure! She's going to wake up from her nap any second now and I was goona make her a bottle." I nod and watch her prepare the odd milk. Strangely enough, that milk that babies drink is horribly disgusting and absolutely nothing like the milk that humans drink! .......don't ask how I know that.
Anyway, just as Jordan is done making the bottle Sophia starts crying.
"Right on cue." She laughs.
I smile awkwardly and follow Jordan upstairs to the baby's room. The pink walls glow with the soft afternoon light coming through the window and Sophia's cries faded into little gurgling sounds. Jordan rushed to her baby but I took my time taking in the atmosphere. The smell of a baby, the innocent pictures and drawings on the wall, diapers stacked neatly under a changing table, and toys. So many toys.
First, her name in simple letters over the crib, then blocks and pacifiers, stuffed teddy bears and dolls. About 3 dozen fairy tale books lined the 2 shelves and then, a rocking horse alone in the corner. A rocking horse. Its a wood one with painted eyes and strands of wool hair. I stare curiously at the odd creature and find myself thinking of my childhood:
My brothers, sister and I grew up with one just like it. As small children we all fought to play on it. And boy, did I love that toy or what! It captivated me for hours on end and made me feel like a cowboy. As soon as I got bigger, I wanted a real horse though. I really wanted to feel the wind in my hair and see the country side rush by. My father bought me to the market to purchase a horse. My brothers were there as well. They all encouraged me to get pure breeds or the white one. Nikolai said nothing but gazed at me.
"'у этого есть плохие кости, что никто не будет жить в течение трех лет больше, и, что имеет плохие зубы.'" (this one has bad bones, that one won't live for three years more, and that one has bad teeth.) I said matter of factly.
It got better when I saw three men trying to pull a horse out of the stable and into a coral. Let me tell you, that horse was big, it was powerful, and it was mean. Strong enough to pull all three of those men, and mean enough to run up to the fence and chase onlookers away. I was enchanted with that horse and before my family could stop me, I was approaching it! I climbed onto the fence post and when it ran by, I grabbed onto its neck. Somehow I was able to get my leg over its broad back, the horse by that time realized it had picked up a passenger. It stopped and all became eerily still. My father in the distance was yelling at the vendors to do something. That horse moved its head to the side and I stared deep into its eye, like he was pulling me in trying to distract me. All the sudden it bucked, and reared and galloped, it threw itself against the post, anything to get me off. But I clung tight to the horses mane and I squeezed my legs tight, feeling the powerful muscles below his skin. He stopped again and this time, I slid off and stood in front of him.
We both were breathing deep from the adrenaline and energy.
This time, the horse appeared to be staring into my eyes, and almost like he knew there was a power, a dark desire, within me, he bowed his head and let me mount him. I did so and smiled at my father. Nikolai beamed at me.
"'Английское определение,'" (Is this your horse then?) He asked me.
"'это'" (It is) I replied happily.
My father paid the man and then smiled proudly, "'он не красивый вид на спине, что жеребец. Коллектор мелких вещей вашего брата будет.'" (Doesn't he look handsome on the back of that stallion? A collector of fine things your brother will be!)
I grinned from ear to ear and I rode my stallion bare back all the way home. I got to feel the wind in my hair, the sun on my cheeks, and see the country rush by for years after that day. That horse never grew weaker or more tame...and neither did I.


I pull my gaze from the rocking horse and turn to look at Jordan who is sitting in a rocking chair feeding Sophia. I pull a chair from the other corner and sit right across from them. The little girl is sucking hungrily at the bottle and Jordan is smiling at her.
Look at how small her hands are! And her tiny eyes and chubby legs! Its hard to believe we were all once that size.
"So how have you been? WHERE have you been?" Jordan asks.
I run my hand through my hair and start telling her all about Rodrick and Stormy, Reaper, Lara, Arion...and Brielle.
I didn't say this then, to Jordan or anyone else, but I've been thinking about it: Brielle seems so lost there. She fits in fine but she also doesn't. She wants more than she has but doesn't exactly know how to get it. For some reason, I don't think she knows that she can be out in the daylight. Rodrick made them all, is he hiding that from all of them? I don't want to make Rodrick the bad guy, I felt closer to him than the others, but there is always a hint of doubt in everything.
Jordan nodded and added her opinion here and there.
"Sounds like you've had fun." She says.
I shake my head, "No. I got bored...." She is kind of shocked after the gruesome Stories I told her, "...bored of being the bad guy. A little kid told me that he wanted to be just like me before I killed him. A little kid who wants to kill people, could you imagine? I don't understand that he could want to be me when I don't want to be me."
Jordan put her hand on top of mine. She had no answer, nothing to make me feel better, but all humans need is contact. A hand on a shoulder, a hand holding yours, just to let you know that they want to help you.
"So, tell me what has happened while I was gone."
Jordan dives into the story of finishing the house, and Jez arriving so Jordan could look after her at the end of the pregnancy. What got Jordan really excited about was the baby shower and all the precious gifts and how the Cullens hid in Sophia's closet to surprise her. Jordan finished her story on a sad note, the one where Jez dies.
"People die all the time and usually for really crappy reasons. But what really matters, especially to them, is that you changed their life while it lasted. If you made Jez happy and let her know how much she meant to you, then you shouldn't have any regrets about your time with her." I said. That was my way of trying to make her feel better, I don't know if it worked.
Sophia turned her pretty blue eyes to me and blinked once. Maybe she understood what I said. I couldn't help myself, I slowly reached out my hand and touched her tiny brown curls. She didn't cry, didn't fuss, she just looked into me and I felt like she was checking to see if I was worthy to touch her.
"Speaking of Jez's death," Jordan says getting up, "she gave me a note before she died and well, since your a master of dark things," I chuckled at her open mindedness, " I thought you could tell me what you think?"
I agreed and followed her back into the kitchen. First she left Sophia in a play pen with a couple toys in the living room, then she showed me the note.
"Well? What do you think?" She was nervous.
" I haven't the slightest idea what she is saying Sophia is-er, will be- it could be so many different things. I've seen a great deal of evil creatures, even some that we didn't know could exist!" Jordan didn't look much more at ease, if anything she seemed jumpier. Sure! Just cause the blood thirsty assassin doesn't know!
"The man that's after her is what you should worry about. He sounds ten times worse than Sophia."
Jordan looked really scared again.
I stopped with the scary parts, "Hey, we're going to protect her. Nothing will hurt her, I promise. And I'll ask around about all this."
"There was this too," Jordan pulls out her laptop and shows me the tape of baby Sophia, "I really wanted a distraction. Look what happens."
Sophia opens her eyes and let's out this shrill cry, it kind of broke my heart.
"Well, this tells me that Sophia is special in more than one way."
"I think she can read minds."
I look around the wall and Sophia has her eyes wide open, looking directly at me. It kind of creeped me out a little so I look back at Jordan. The phone starts ringing and Jordan dashes upstairs to get it.
I look back at Sophia who is gurgling, i walk into the living room where she is laying. I crouch down to tickle her belly, "Well, only two weeks old and already causing a whole bunch of trouble." She smiles her toothless smile.
I listen for Jordan but she is still on the phone, "I guess your wondering where your present from Uncle Gabriel is, huh? I hope you like it," I open my hand and dangle the necklace above her.
Sophia squeals in delight and watches the rainbows the diamond makes.
"There is a story to it, kiddo." I lower my voice to that of a story teller, "Once upon a time, in the time of kings and queens, knights and dragons, there was a beautiful princess with long wavy brown hair and kind, beautiful blue eyes." Sophia blinks hers and I laugh, "this princess was so beautiful and loved by all her people. She could have anything she wanted, but chose only to have what she needed. A modest girl she was, when told she was gorgeous, she replied that she was just as pretty as any other girl. When told how smart she was, she replied that there were things her people taught her every day that she did not know. Anyway, so the princess grew up," I pull a porcelain doll from behind my back. It has Sophia's eyes and hair color, "but her family was different from other families. They sparkled in the light and were stronger than others. The princess was afraid of their differences and decided to run away. While she was gone, each day her family and friends would cry for her. The princess felt those cries of sadness and cried herself. After a couple of months, she noticed that a sparrow had been following her. In fact, it was the same sparrow that used to sing to her outside her room at the castle. One day, when she wasn't sure where to go, she decided to follow that sparrow hoping it would lead her to where she belonged. Many days later, she was walking up an dirt road and into a garden. She started crying and realized it was because she was home again. She rushed to find her parents and family. They greeted her with open arms and tears of joy.
'Where did you get that beautiful necklace?' Her mother asked. Well, the princess hadn't been wearing a necklace so she looked down at it. The sparrow that had led her home was now an iron carving on a chain and it was holding a diamond to match the skin of her family."
Sophia smiled at my story. And, you can guess that this story wasn't the same as I told Galina. But it seemed better suited for this case.
"Sophia, what I'm trying to say is this. Your going to grow up and want to discover things on your own. Your going to blossom into a beautiful young lady and feel the need to go away for a while. You will do that, but you'll always have us with you. And that sparrow will lead you home no matter where you are and no matter what happens."
My voice must have lulled Sophia into sleep.
I look up and Jordan is leaning against the wall looking at me with admiration.
"The end, my beautiful niece. Your story is just beginning." I kiss her forehead and join Jordan in the kitchen.
-Gabriel