Kyle burst out laughing. At this point he really couldn't help it, considering the circumstances. He'd been holding it in for while as well, and Helena's indignant attitude made it really hard to do so. His laughter ended quickly, and left a smile on his face. "Alright, I'll stop." He told her as he walked out the door. Kyle was quite amused over the situation. She seemed to know her way around, implying she'd been out here before. He chuckled again, he was sure her parent's would have a fit if they found out.

It was a bit of a relief having her voice her disagreement with his politeness, as it meant he could drop it without worries. He took this moment to examine the sky and the plants along the edge of the house. They seemed to be quite healthy, which was good. When they had first been planted the flowers had been placed in the sun, which was actually bad for them. These types of plants needed more shade, and so he'd had them transplanted as soon as possible. It was good to see them thriving.

He looked at Helena again, the servants had been a bit relived when he'd told them they could stop following her around. Kyle had wanted to do it when they first got there but her family and his had been visiting them so often he wasn't sure they wouldn't notice. After the first few months the visits started to decrease and he decided it had been enough. At this point he hadn't really cared about their opinion on the matter, and he'd thought the whole thing a bit extreme to begin with.

As they reached the garden another sharp breeze blew by, causing Kyle's bangs to drift across his forehead. He moved his hand, shifting them absentmindedly as he watched Helena approach the marble bench on the porch. He followed, stopping near the edge of the seat and looking out over the garden. Closing his eyes as the wind blew by he let out a deep breath. After a moment he glanced over at Helena. "I take it you've been out here before?" He chuckled. "No harm done, it's your house too. Just figured I'd see how much of the garden you'd actually visited." The landscaping made the plants past the house into a bit of a maze. While it wasn't enough to get lost, it could be a bit confusing for someone first entering. He often enjoyed wondering the various paths seeing where his feet would lead it. All the paths eventually lead to a small gazebo in the middle of the major part of the garden, so generally he ended up there. He let his hand drift across the back of the marble bench, feeling the cool stone under his fingers.

Helena didn't even try to hide her surprise when Kyle started laughing. She was utterly surprised that the other noble had the ability to laugh. Didn't that go against the law of being noble? Helena had never seen any of the other nobles smile, and Kyle's had always been followed being a teasing smirk, so Helena had kind of just accepted him incapable of smiling and laughing.

It was nice to find out that she was wrong. She liked hearing him laugh, and liked him smiling that gentle smile he had on right now. She didn't tell him and she hoped dearly Kyle wouldn't start reading her mind, so he would know that she in fact found him very attractive when he smiled. She would never get out of her room ever again if he found out.

She let her fingers run over the marble, before she sat down on the bench and looked over the garden. She liked this place vary much. The bench was place perfectly. When you sat there you had a clear view, though she was far from seeing the entire garden. It was huge, but Helena had been out there so many times by now, that she could almost guide herself around with her eyes closed.

She winced slightly, when Kyle seemed to have discovered that she had been out here. His small chuckle annoyed her a little, but she was glad he didn't get angry at her. "I have been a little around. Not done much, mostly just sat here on the bench." She said. If there was one thing Helena was goo at, it was lying. She did it all the time, and never once had she been discovered... But then again, Kyle was a mind reader, perhaps he was better to discover lies than her parents were...

As the light breeze continued Kyle contemplated Helena's response. Considering the circumstances it seemed unlikely that she wouldn't have explored some other part of the garden in the year she'd been here. Plus, he'd gotten privy to the subconscious movements people make when they lie. It helped knowing what was the truth, since you could compare and contrast their actions during conversation. While not everyone displayed the same signs, there were similar actions they all tended to have.

Plus, his family had a nasty habit of half-truths and lies, so he got his fair share of practice. He generally didn't take action on it, but it's not like it mattered. For some reason, even though they knew he could read their thoughts they still lied. Even when he would call them out on it they would still lie through their teeth. It got frustrating after a little while, and eventually he just gave up. At least he had the advantage of knowing when their word were false, unlike everyone else. Plus, watching the other nobles was enough practice for his grasp of body language to be pretty accurate.

Kyle looked at Helena for a moment before sitting down next to her on the bench. He didn't say anything, he simply looked thoughtful. After another short moment he turned to her. "I'd prefer if you don't lie." He didn't sound angry, and his voice still held its gentle tone. "I mean, it's not like I can stop you, but I figure if I'm going to drop my noble attitude you might as well stop treating me like one." He smiled, holding her eyes for a moment.

"Besides, I'm sure you'll have a preference for which part of the garden you'd like to visit." Kyle said, looking over the garden. "I personally enjoy walking through the maze, it can be nice for contemplation." He smiled again, looking over the landscape before them. "The gazebo is a nice place to sit, no matter the weather." Kyle paused, glancing at Helena. "Though the view here is much better." His eyes caught hers for a moment before he looked back at the garden. For a moment his mind had gotten the better of him. Looking a bit like he'd been caught doing something a bit embarrassing he ran his fingers through his hair once more. At this point all he could do was wait for her response. He hoped it would be a good one.

Helena bit her lower lip as Kyle seemed to see right through her. She actually felt a bit uncomfortable that he could see through her lie that easily, but then again if anyone should be able to do it, it should be him. In the end, she decided not to dwell on it for too long, and instead think of how much of the truth she should reveal.

Should she be all honest, or just tell partly of where she had been. She sighed and looked out at the garden. "I was actually not suppose to be outside, so to be frank, I'd rather not talk about it at all, but since you are going to stop being all formal, I guess I have to make some kind of sacrifice as well."

She sighed and looked back at Kyle. "I must have been just about everywhere in the garden over the last year. some placed more than others. The labyrinth I know by heart." Other part, such as the mini forest was also one of her favorite places.

Then she stood up. "I ... think I'll head inside." She said and then hurried away. She had had her fill for the day and wanted to be alone again... or at least that was what she told herself. Going out so see the garden was one thing, but walking around the garden was something else entirely. She would feel so awkward about it. She wouldn't know what to say, and Kyle mostly seemed to like the silence.

She hurried inside and hid in their bed room, which currently only was used by her. She sighed lightly and slipped down the door, until she was sitting on the ground. Maybe it had been a bad idea to go talk to her jailer. He seemed like a kind person, but from what Helena's former friends had said, (she wasn't allowed to keep them, when it was discovered she had powers and was to marry Kyle) the nobles was manipulate bastards that only wanted someone like her because she could benefit the family tree with her powers.

Kyle was going to say something as Helena ran off, but he didn't get the chance. It was a mixture of deciding against it and the speed at which she returned to the house. He sighed deeply, placing his head inside his hands. Well, that went well. Kyle thought sarcastically to himself, feeling annoyed. It had been going so well, and he had to do something stupid. At least she did open up a bit.

Still, she wasn't allowed to go outside? No wonder she was so closed off! While his interaction with his family was never so extreme, he'd had similar problems. Looking out over the garden he sighed again, standing up and heading back inside. Before he walked in the back door he glanced down at the garden on last time, taking in the sights and smells before heading back inside.

Kyle went to his study first, it was safe to assume Helena was in their- her room from the direction he could feel her in. Looking through his desk for an blank piece of paper he finally found one under a pile of his old notes. Reaching around for a pen he sat down in his chair, pondering how to write what it was he wanted to say. He figured he shouldn't bother her any more for today, but there was still something he thought needed to be said.


Kyle was glad he had a habit of leaving paper in various parts of the house. Pausing, looking over his note he sighed again. He wasn't sure if this was phrased exactly right, but it would have to do. Standing up Kyle put away the pen and ink before heading up to the master bedroom. Slowly approaching the door he paused for a moment before folding the note in half and gently sliding it under the door. He thought about saying something but stopped himself and began to walk back to the study, hoping she would at least read his note.

Helena felt something slip under the door, right next to her, and her first reaction was to jump away from the door. Her eyes immediately landed on whatever it was that she had felt. She lifted a curious eyebrow, when she saw it was a piece of paper. She waited a little before she finally approached it and picked it up.

She opened the door and looked around, but whoever that had delivered the letter, though she was pretty sure she knew who it was, was long gone. She let out a small sigh and closed the door again. once she was inside her little fortress of solitude she looked at the paper again. She wondered what he possibly could have written on it.

She didn't unfold it, though. Not yet. she was a bit scared of what it would say. Instead she lay it on the desk and wondered over to the bed and picked up her violin. It had been the only thing her parents had allowed her to take with her. Everything else had to go. She had been so angry at the time that she had pushed her piano into the wall of their house.

She looked at the violin, but her mind wasn't thinking of playing. Her eyes wondered over to the letter on the desk again, then back to the violin. She bit her lower lip, and damned her curiosity, before she placed the violin on the bed and walked back to the table and grabbed her letter and unfolded it. She read it quickly and then, when she was done, folded it again. She had made the noble think he was the problem in this... which he in some way was, but still .... Helena actually felt bad about making him believe that he was the problem, when it actually, though she hated to admit it, was her. She was the one that didn't want to accept him into her life, and he never seemed to let that bother him.

She threw the letter down in the trash and glared at it. She wished she hadn't read it. Then she wouldn't feel like this. Like she had just kicked a puppy. One huge, slender and very handsome puppy. Helena yelped as she finished that thought. She did not need that kind of thoughts. It was bad enough that he knew she was interested in getting to know him, but if he knew what else she was thinking ...

If Kyle really wanted to know, he would have figured it out by now. Helena sat down at the desk and sighed. How was she suppose to answer the letter? Talk to him again? She shook her head, that wasn't an option. She looked over the table. She could write him a letter back and then slip it into his study, while he was down in the dinner hall to get supper.

As Kyle walked back down the stairs and into the study he couldn't help but wonder the time. It was already after lunch when they had began their walk, but he wasn't sure how long it had been since he'd last checked the clock. He looked up at the large clock hanging above the door and nodded. He had some time before dinner.

Walking back to his book he decided to finish the last few pages of references. Maybe it would give him some ideas of other books to read. As he read through the list his mind began to wonder upstairs, and he had to re-read several parts of the list. Kyle kept wondering if she had actual read his letter, or if she was going to respond, and it took him much longer then it normally would have to finish the book.

Once he managed to contain the information listed in the last few pages he stood up. He wasn't sure that any of the books listed were in the library, and the few he recognized he'd already read. Sighing he began looking over a nearby shelf for anything that looked worth the read. After some time he managed to find a book that looked vaguely interesting and as he set it on the desk he heard the clock chime. Glancing up at it he nodded absentmindedly, looks like dinner had snuck up faster then he would have expected.

Exiting the study he heading toward the dinning room. Dinners with his family were often right at the hour, so he'd gotten into the habit of heading out right when the clock chimed. Walking past the staircase which lead to the master bedroom he caught himself glancing up the stairs but shook his head. She probably wouldn't be coming down tonight, and anything he did would probably just make her less likely to. Walking away and toward the kitchen he wondered what would be on the menu tonight.

Helena took far longer than she had ever thought she would on the reply to Kyle. She glanced at the clock and noticed Kyle already was heading down to dinner. After that Kyle had mentioned earlier some meeting he had to attend to with his family, which Helena had found boring. She looked down at the paper again.

She had crossed a lot of what she had written and changed far too many times and some of it was practically unreadable, but she was done. She took it up and read it for herself.

---

dear Kyle

There is not rea I'm sorry that I I don't know what happened today, but in any event it is not your fault. Just wanted to let you that. I enjoyed Thank you for giving be permission to walk around the house and garden.

Maybe we could go out there some other

Helena

---

It wasn't perfect, but it was goo enough for her. She sneaked out and looked around to make sure she wasn't spotted by the servants and hurried down to the study. She hesitated a little when she reached the door. Was he still in there? She slowly opened the door and was greeted with an empty room. A sigh of relief left her lips and she wondered inside and placed the letter.

She was about to exit, when she suddenly felt dizzy and had to lean against the wall. Her hand went for her head, which felt like it was going to explode any minute. She was going to have a vision. Helena slowly lowered herself to the ground of the study and soon enough she allowed herself to pass out and let the vision overwhelm her.

---

She was somewhere.
It was morning. The time she usually slept in.
There was a rustle.
Not everything was clear.
Suddenly a shadow appeared.
Dark eyes looked down on her.
Then red everywhere.
She heard a scream.
Then the shadow was gone, as well as herself.
But it wasn't herself she was looking at.

---

Helena gasped and woke up. She quickly look at the clock. She felt her heart drop. Kyle was going to the meeting, meaning she would be all alone. She stormed out of the study and into the hall to the front door, and just in time to see the front door close. "Kyle!" She called out and ran over to the door and opened it, and immediately her eyes landed on the tall vampire.

"Kyle, please don't go." She all but begged as her hands grabbed the other's arm tightly. She knew this meeting was suppose to be important, but.... "Please, I need you to stay here." She begged. "I'm not lying. Read my mind if you have to, just please" Her grip on Kyle tightened. "He ... it is going to kill you."

After dinner Kyle had prepared for the family meeting and headed for the front door. Sighing as he'd pulled on his coat he'd exited and closed the door behind him. The was likely to be a boring night, but it was the kind of thing he had to do. Just as he was about to leave the house he felt Helena moving here from the study, that in and off itself was weird, but when she yelled his name he almost jumped out of his skin. He had already stopped in his tracks when he'd felt her coming but this made him turn around and approach the door.

Helena had thrown the door open and began begging him to stay, latching herself onto his arm rather tightly. For a moment he was taken aback, but the look on her face and her words knocked him back to reality. As she tightened her grip he nodded, a slight but sad smile crossing his face. He looked down at her frantic eyes and smiled wider, trying to comfort her. "Don't worry, I'll stay." He paused. "I also don't really see the need to read your mind about this... unless you want me too I mean. I trust you."

Kyle looked back at the house for a moment before looking back at Helena. While he wasn't surprised over the possibility of being killed it was a little unnerving for her to be the messenger of bad news. Besides, he'd already done exactly what his family had wanted from him so he wasn't sure what they would want him dead over. Then again, she hadn't said who it was, so he had no way of knowing why or if it even was his family. He placed his hand on her head and rustled her hair, though moved his hand away when he realized what he was doing. He looked a bit sheepish. "You hungry? I imagine you haven't eaten yet. Shall we?" He motioned toward the dinning room, which was visible from the open doorway.

Upon hearing Kyle was going to stay relief flushed through Helena's body. She barely registered anything else after that and didn't even get bothered when he ruffled her hair. "Thank you." She whispered and before she could stop herself she moved in and wrapped her arms around Kyle's waist, hugging him tightly against her. "Thank you for believing in me." She said.

To be honest she had actually thought Kyle would have thought of her as a liar and someone who only pretended to see the future, since she hadn't had any vision the whole time she had been living with the noble. Like her brother had thought, and possibly the nobles too. She had tried to warn him about his own death and he had just laughed her in the face and spat at her, saying she was a freak. A week after that he was killed by a vampire slayer in the east.

Helena finally realized what she was doing and quickly got some distance between them. Her eyes darted to the ground and she could feel her cheeks heating up. She bit her lower lip. "I ... Umm ... Food would be nice." she finally said.