I will fully admit that being told that Pandora has risen from the grave a few years early was somewhat worrying, but there was not a lot that I was willing to do about it. Mother could and would do what she wanted, and no one would ever be able to fully stop her.
I was in a hard position… I knew that I would be able to put a stop to her, but that would require me killing my own mother, and I just didn't think that I would be able to. I would not stop someone from killing her, or if she was sick or anything like that… but I just couldn't be the one to kill her.
I sighed as I looked out of the window of Viktor's SUV. The two of us have been quiet since we left the precinct… well, that's not true.
He has been quiet since I told him that Pandora was a him problem and not a me problem. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to get him to take over my responsibilities because I don't want them or can't do them… but that's… mom.
I closed my eyes, self-loathing coming up from my monster and infecting every part of my body. I know that she never treated me as her daughter since the moment I was born… but there was that one time… the first time I lost my head… that she seemed to care… a little.
I could feel my monster's disbelief and hatred towards my mother and I couldn't blame it. The whole reason I had rejected it for so long was because my mother told me to…
I wonder why she didn't want me to accept it.
"Where to now?" Came the deep timbre of Viktor's voice was enough to knock me out of my melancholy.
"Viki, I guess?" I said, not overly sure about where to go or what to do next. The hunters have thrown a curve ball and as badass as I thought I was, it is apparently taking me more time than I thought to get over it. "I need to get that condo on your floor and try to figure out a mansion."
"I can deal with getting you the condo on my floor," said the man as he spoke softly to the driver in front of him. "And a mansion can wait. How about some lunch?"
I must really be out of it if Viktor Van Helsing was willing to take me out for lunch. But hey, free food! No way I was passing that up. Okay, so maybe a smallish part of the reason why I was living way below my means was because I was a huge penny pincher and hated to spend more money than I had to.
I perked up and looked at the man who was already looking over at me and smiling. "I could go for some food."
----
After a fantastic lunch of pizza, fries, and chicken fingers, I was ready to take on the world. What? I never said that I was an expensive date… and there is nothing wrong with a good New York-style pizza.
Viktor, being Viktor, sent out a few texts and by the time we were done eating, the condo was all ready for me to move into. A big part of me was happy and relieved that I would be living down the hall from Viktor, I would fully admit that.
I grabbed my stuff and Viktor took me back to the condo building and up to our floor.
Opening the door, I couldn't help but gasp. It was beautifully decorated, with modern lines and an open concept that let me see the whole of the kitchen, living room, and dining room as soon as I step inside. I was lucky enough that it was almost a mirror image of Viktor's apartment, so I felt that I already knew my way around.
Hell, the kitchen alone made me want to learn to cook and that was not something I ever thought I would say.
"Are the previous owners coming back for their furniture or is this all mine?" I asked, not sure about the proper procedures. When I got my apartment, it was completely empty, as in, if I wanted a fridge or dishwasher, I would have to get those myself, empty.
"There has not been any previous owner," came the gruff reply as Viktor stepped in and closed the door behind him. His eyes swept over the place like he was making sure that everything was up to his exacting standards. When he grunted again, I could only assume that they were.
"I'm confused," I said. I thought he said that this place just came up for sale.
"This building belongs to Knights Security, only employees can live here," said Viktor as he walked down the hall toward where I knew the master bedroom was. He was holding my bags full of clothes and other necessities in each hand.
I paused when his words sunk in. This building of probably over 800 apartments in it, not including the gym, pools, and rec rooms. I mean the building alone could be classified as a skyscraper. And here was little old me, moving into the middle of a building, owned, operated, and occupied by Knights Security. I don't think that even the President of the United States is this well protected.
I walked over to the standard floor-to-ceiling windows that were right across from the entrance and just took in the view. It was a beautiful fall day; the sun was shining and any clouds in the sky were just a wisp of white against the pale blue sky. If I looked down, I was sure that I could see the busy streets and the ant-sized humans as they scurried along, but that was not where my eyes went…
My eyes went straight to the horizon and the water that was stretching out to meet the sky. I could see the cargo ships and cruise ships out in the distance, but everything seemed so far away and unimportant. I closed my eyes as I felt Viktor coming up beside me.
"Beautiful view huh?" He asked as he too look out at the view.
"Yeah, and I finally realized why humans built their buildings up this high," I said as I rested my hand on the glass.
"Yeah? And why is that?"
I smiled as I looked over to the man at my right, "What? You don't feel the power of being able to look down on humans like this? I feel like the most powerful being in the world, and it is a heady feeling."
Viktor chuckled and shook his head. "No, I don't feel that, but then again I rarely look out my windows anymore."
"It's a shame," I said as I dropped my hand.
"Any why is that?" He asked, confused.
"Because even though we can live forever, we still need to stop on occasion and enjoy just being. Otherwise, what is the point of everything?"
"What is the point? I guess you are right. I'll have to start trying to figure out what my true purpose is in this life." The sound of his voice vibrated through me as he turned around and sat down. "Now, what is your next step, Puiul meu mic."