FULL SUMMARY: Life seems to be one secret after another. Everywhere you look, someone seems to be hiding something.
After Erin comes back, Irina seems to be growing distant. Nobody is able to reach her. She has a condition- One that could affect the lives of both Breathers and Vampires. She doesn't know what to do. She doesn't know how to tell her family. Afraid that she will be cast out.
Meanwhile, the Gerandai's have found something. Something that may be able to help Vlad with his peace plan. And a personal secret that could change their lives forever
As Vlad and Ingrid try to find out Irina's secret, they find something, and realise they can't trust anyone but each other. Because they keep living in a world of lies...
AN: So here's the new story! I'm sorry about the long wait, but I've been having serious writers block for all my stories. In no way is this going to be related to series 5 (which was EPIC btw), but I might steal a couple of ideas. Ingrid will be evil(ish) again, because what's a story without evil Ingrid? This story is mainly based on Irina, and the Gerandais. Let me tell you now, it's VERY AU, so if any of you guys change your mind and decide to leave this story, it's your choice. I'm just writing for the love of writing, and I'm not gonna stop the story because of low views. Chapters will probably be slightly longer than usual, but after this chapter. A quick heads up: This story will be complete CANON to series 5. And I won't be updating regularly, seeing school has just started, so please please be patient with me. I promise I'll update ASAP. I kinda rushed to upload this story, but I'll proofread it in a bit :D
Disclaimer: I do not own any Young Dracula characters, but I do rightfully own Irina, the Gerandais and all happenings in this story.
"With a secret like that, at some point the secret becomes irrelevant.
The fact that you kept it, does not."
– Sara Gruen
Chapter 1- New Beginnings
Irina was slumped on her seat, barely paying attention to what her Chemistry teacher was saying. The Christmas holidays were nearly here, and she could hear the excited whispers of what people were going to do. It sickened her really. Three weeks without school, and it would be the worst three weeks of her life. Her life was completely changing because of her scar.
Her scar. Instead of fading, it seemed to have gotten a lot worse. Irina did her best to cover it up, but there was no point. Sooner or later, the transformation would take place, then there'd be no hiding it. The worse part was, Irina never merged with her Dark Side, so the transformation would be even more painful. She had been looking up people who had also had this happen to them. So far, nothing. She seemed to be the only one with this condition. She had read about a few others, but it was the usual story. They all had merged with their Dark Side, they never took too much Vaxulaar potion, and now they were pretty much fine. They were all still Vampires. If things had been different... If she hadn't been scared or worried... She could've survived.
Now her life was hanging on the line. Literally.
Irina hadn't noticed the bell ring, until all the students were filing out the classroom excitedly. She quickly got out of her seat and ran out the classroom like everyone else. She needed to take the last of her potion, before Erin came back. At this point, Irina despised her. She was still able to go outside, even though she had Vampiric powers, but it would arouse suspicion.
"Hey Irie," Ingrid greeted when she entered the room.
"Hi Ingrid. Any word from Will?"
"No, not yet. He send me a letter a couple days back saying he'd be busy, so I don't expect a letter soon."
Irina nodded, though she didn't understand. Why would Ingrid wait for someone who probably was never coming back?
"Where's Vlad?" Irina asked.
"He's pacing in his room. Waiting for Erin."
Of course. Erin. She was coming back from Marcias at nightfall today. After a week of getting the rings out, and then healing, she should be in a great condition. But coming to think of it, in some ways, Erin and Irina were the same. Human, but not human. Vampire, but not Vampire... No. Irina's condition was way more dangerous. She'd have control, yes, but that wasn't the point. That scar decided her fate. She could die... Irina tried not to worry about it, until it came and waved bye to Ingrid and went to talk to her twin. He couldn't know yet either. Too soon. She'd tell them when the time was right. When it actually happened.
She knocked on his door, and heard him open his coffin and close it again. She heard shuffles towards the door, and Vlad opened it with a smile on his face. His smile turned to a frown when he saw it was his sister.
"Oh. It's you."
Irina rolled her eyes. "What a polite way to greet your twin!"
"I was expecting Erin!"
"She's not coming until nightfall Vlad. No sooner, no later. Well, unless something drastic happens, but I highly doubt it."
Vlad sighed. "I know! I've just been getting this weird feeling."
Irina sat down next to him. "Care to elaborate."
"What if when she gets back, everything changes again. What if she hates me again? What if she doesn't like the fact that she's now part Vampire?"
"It's not as bad as being part Breather," Irina muttered under her breath, "Nothing!" She quickly added, when Vlad gave her a strange look. He knew something was going on. he just didn't know what. Ever since she'd come back, Irina had been acting different. He'd noticed it from the start. She wasn't as... Vampiric. Maybe it was because she hadn't taken the transformation. Maybe after a while the effects of being a Vampire wore off.
"Anyway, are you coming? Dad has this huge feast planned out. Some announcement of some kind. Probably one of his usual celebrations."
Vlad snapped out of his thoughts. "I think it's something more than that Irina. It may seem ages away, but with Dad, a lot of planning takes place for these types of things."
Irina pretended to think about it. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she lied.
But of course she knew. It was coming in a month.
Ingrid wasn't happy.
In fact, she was far from it. Ever since her dad had come out with the truth, he'd been acting too lovey dovey. It sickened her. He was checking up on her every second of the day, making sure she was okay now that Will left. She didn't mind it at first, but it was getting annoying. She felt like throwing him in the Blood Mirror with Elisabeta.
Ok. That was out of hand. But she wasn't sure what to think. Especially since Irina was acting all weird.
One problem at a time, she told herself, and right now, Irina's the main issue.
There was a knock on her door, breaking Ingrid out of her thoughts. She pulled the door open to find Vlad.
"Dad's having a meeting. You know what it's about.
Ingrid rolled her eyes. "Obviously. I didn't get a big party when I turned eighteen."
Vlad laughed. "You were too busy trying to kill everyone. Maybe you could take Irina's place. She doesn't seem so excited."
Ingrid checked if the corridors were clear, before pulling Vlad inside. "We need to talk about her. She's been off ever since Erin left!"
Vlad nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean. A guy asked Irina for a pencil, and she yelled at him! It's just not like her. I'm really worried."
"So am I Vlad. She's pushing us away. It's like she wants us to hate her!"
Vlad put his face in his hands, frustrated. He usually could read his twin, just like that. But her constant mood swings, her change in behaviour was unusual to him. Ingrid, sensing his frustration, she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Let's go. It's never a good thing to keep Dad waiting when he's psyched up about something."
When they got to the throne room, they weren't surprised to see the table already packed. The Count was sitting at the head of the table, with Wolfie to his right. Irina sat next to Wolfie, so Ingrid and Vlad took the two spare seats on the other end. You could see the excitement in the Count's eyes. Ingrid braced herself.
"So?" She asked.
"What?" The Count replied, clearly confused.
Ingrid rolled her eyes. "Aren't you going to tell us what all the fuss is about?"
"Soon. We're just waiting for our guest."
Vlad's eyes lit up. Ingrid laughed. He looked like a lovesick puppy. It was kind of obvious who was coming. Ingrid looked outside.
"It's nightfall. She should be here-"
She was cut off by three loud knocks on the door. The whole atmosphere of the room changed. Vlad seemed happier than usual, Wolfie was bounding up and down, Irina actually smiled and the Count was just the Count.
Erin walked into the room, a whole new personality on her face. The shards were out, but there were a couple of scars. Marcias followed closely behind, a small smile on his face.
"Erin," Vlad said, a grin lighting up on his face. He thought about going to kiss her, and hug her, but then he remembered his place.
"It's good to see you," he continued, "How have you been?"
"Pretty beat up for the most of it," Erin replied, truthfully, "But other than that, I'm so happy to be back."
"And now that everyone has arrived, we may start with the announcement!" The Count stated.
"Not just yet sir," Marcias interrupted, "I need to have a word with Irina outside."
Vlad and Ingrid shared a look, as Irina walked outside. "We'll only be a couple of minutes," Marcias promised.
Irina closed the door behind her and turned to Marcias. "What do you want? Are you going to rub it in my face? That I'm going to die soon? Is that it? Well, the world must hate me Marcias, otherwise I wouldn't have been cursed like this!"
Marcias sighed. "It's starting."
"How do you know?"
"You're yelling at others. Your constant frustration. It's not like you. The effects are taking place, and I-"
"How long?" Irina's eyes were down, and the question was more of a statement.
Marcias sighed. "A month. Maybe less, or more, it's hard to tell. Irina, I'm sorry but-"
Irina sat against the wall, tears forming in her eyes. "It's my fault. I know it is. I was stupid and scared. I thought that taking the Vaxulaar potion would help, but it just made things worse. I'm in a worse state than I ever was before."
"I told you what would happen! The potion is mainly Black Magic, having that much in you is poisonous!"
"I know. And I'm sorry. I haven't even told them. Maybe I can make it look like an accident. I step into the sunlight and just die. Turn to dust."
Marcias shook his head. "Black Magic is like poison. Once you've had to much, that's it. Black Magic drains your life force away, and it's painful. You won't turn to dust. Especially if you haven't taken the transformation. You're still a breather, meaning that it will kill you. Irina, I'm sorry, but..." Marcias trailed off, not wanting to make things worse.
"But what?" Irina snapped.
"If you were a Vampire, you still would've died from that much poison. But it would've been a long time until the effects took place. You would've been in your mid-hundreds, and even after that, you would've had at least another ten years until death! But you're a Breather, a human, still not fully a Vampire.
There was silence, before Marcias suggested that Irina went back inside. He handed her Erin's medication, before bidding farewell. Irina watched him leave, and taking a deep breath, she walked back into the room. It was obvious they had been talking about Erin. Vlad had an arm around her, Ingrid and Wolfie were having a wild thumb wrestle and the Count just seemed to be taking it all in. Happy that his family was getting along. Soon they'd all be mourning Irina's death.
"Ah Irina!" The Count greeted, "Great that you're here. Now as you all know, Vlad and Irina's eighteenth birthday is coming up, but I want to add Ingrid's 21st birthday, seeing as that's an important age for her. Officially out of her slow years, ready to be an amazing Vampiress."
Even though Ingrid felt mad at her father, she couldn't help but smile a little at this statement. "Thanks dad."
"I'd rather not," Irina interrupted gloomily. "Celebrate Vlad and Ingrid's, but leave me out of it. I'm not going to be around for much longer anyway."
"What do you mean by that?" Count asked. "You're not moving away, are you."
"Maybe I should," Irina replied. "It would be better for the lot of you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be."
Irina shut the door to her room, cursing the tears that were falling down her face. She had just told them that she was going to die. All that talk, about celebrating and parties, just got to her head, and she couldn't take it. She knew she wasn't going to be around for her eighteenth. But the talk of it, just made her so mad, so annoyed, that she was so careless and stupid.
"Having trouble in Family Land, are we?"
Irina spun around, finding the source of the voice. Standing there was a ginger haired girl, with light brown eyes. Irina recognised her immediately.
"Rachel. How... What are you doing here? How've you been?"
"I'm fine thanks!" Rachel replied, a smile on her face. "I think I should be asking if you're okay. You look like you've been in a fight!"
"It's complicated. I'd rather not talk about it. But we're not here to discuss my problems. You came here for a reason. You didn't just pop by for a chat."
"How do you know that?" Rachel asked.
"Are you serious?" Irina sighed, before continuing. "You haven't been in touch with me for weeks, and suddenly you pop in on random day. I don't think you've come here to say 'hi'."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Fine, you've caught me. I'm actually here for another reason. We might've find a way to help Vlad with his peace plan."
"Are you serious? How?"
Rachel glanced at a chair. "I think you should sit down. It's quite a story to tell.
Rachel coughed, as the dust filled up her lungs. The house they were in was dark, and hadn't been used in a long time. Everything was thick with dust and cobwebs. Rachel looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Michael shiver.
"What are we even doing here Will?" Rachel asked her brother. "Face it. We've found nothing about what happened to Dad or why he did. What can a stupid house that tell us."
"There must be something here," Will insisted. "Dad and the Count used to be best friends, and they lived together didn't they? Like roommates. So, I looked at Dad's old files, and he lived here with the Count."
Michael rolled his eyes. "Stop being smart and just see if you can find anything."
They split up into different parts of the house, Rachel not understanding why two people needed to live in such a big space. But then again, Vampires always had something for castles. But she could never imagine the Count not living in a glamorous castle. He was so high in power, it was kind of surprising that he briefly gave it up to live with his best friend.
Rachel walked into an old room, which was empty. She walked into the next room, with nothing their. The next two rooms were exactly the same. Why would someone live in a house, with half the rooms emptied?
She checked another room, which had nothing except an old desk and chair in it. The only bit of furniture she'd seen in the entire house, which seemed strange...
"Guys!" She called to her brothers. "I think you should come down here!"
She heard the thundering sound of footsteps, rushing towards her.
"What is it? Are you hurt?" Will said, worried.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm hurt. I'm bruised all over and crying on the floor. What do you think?"
Will sighed at his sister's sarcasm. Matt just chuckled. "So what is it Rache? Are you gonna tell us, or do we have to guess?"
"Look around you. All the rooms are empty in the house, except this one. Do you think there's something in here?"
"Well why don't we have a look?" Will suggested.
The three siblings stepped in and looked around. The desk and chair were right in the middle of the room, and there was nothing else there. They opened all the draws, every cupboard they found, yet they still found nothing. Matt didn't understand it. He felt his anger channelling through his body, every ounce of him frustrated and annoyed. They had found nothing, nothing at all. He felt his anger rise even more until...
BANG!
He looked at the wall in front of her, seeing what he had done. Matt had blasted a hole through the wall.
"Rachel..." Matt said. "What did I just do?"
"I think you just unlocked an ability," she replied, not able to believe it. "You've unlocked one of your hidden abilities!"
"One?" Matt asked. "So I can get more?"
"Some Vaxians can," Will explained. "Others can't. We've just got to wait and see. That's the problem. They come at your deepest point, whatever emotion."
"But I was feeling angry and annoyed that we couldn't find anything! I've felt like it before, so why didn't it come then?"
"I have no idea."
Irina waited for Rachel to continue explaining. She had no idea where this was going, or how it was any relevance to the Peace Plan.
"Listen Rachel. I know you mean well, and I'm happy for Matt's new powers, but I don't understand what's going on!"
Rachel sighed. She had a feeling it would happen. "Matt's not the only one with hidden abilities. Before him, I managed to find my ability. I can look into the past. Well, my past anyway, and my memories. That's how much I've got so far, but Will says I can do more. And that's my point. We can look into my past, or my dad's past, and find out what that secret was! They both had an idea of uniting Breathers and Vampires, so if they had something that could help us-"
"We could find out what it is and unite the two worlds together!" Irina finished. "Oh Rachel, you're a genius!"
Rachel flipped her hair back. "I've got to go. I'll visit soon. Keep this-" she gestured to herself and Irina- "a secret, okay? Matt, Will and I will come back when the time is right. Until then, make sure no one knows about our little chat. We'll be back with answers. We're just not finished yet."
Irina gave a mock salute."Understood. Hey, did you ever find out what was in that room?"
Rachel shook her head sadly. "Not yet, no. But that's why I need to go, and why you need to keep this a secret. You got it?"
Irina nodded, more serious this time. She watched as Rachel flew off sighing to herself. "Looks like there's another secret I have to keep.
Did you like it? I accept criticism, but flames aren't allowed. Next chapter will be up soon :D Reviews will make my day :3