Disclaimer: I do not own anything that appears in any of the Amelia Atwater-Rhodes books. Any characters you do not recognize are mine.
Tears rolled down the frozen, perfect face of Adianna Vida, as she watched her daughters' body be consumed by hungry flames. She had thought that she had lost it all when her husband had died of a heart attack, only two weeks before her mother had been slain. Now, only two short years later, Adianna had lost two of her three daughters.
As the fire consumed Reline, her eldest daughter, and Vivara, her middle daughter, Adianna studied the small crowd. Only her nearest friends had come—a gathering of ten or so witches, including Caryn, who had been her support pillar recently, and Larina.
Larina Alanna Vida was the youngest and only daughter of the Vida line, now. She was seventeen, small, and extremely slender. Her face, always pale, was so white that it appeared to have never seen the sun. Vampiric, Adianna thought, her mind spitting the hated word.
Yet even as she thought the word, she knew it wasn't true. She had been raised to detest vampires, yes. No one could grow up as Dominique Vida's daughter and not hate vampires as naturally as breathing. Or so Adianna had thought.
When Adianna was young, her sister had been turned into a vampire. That reality, that her loving sister could become so cruel, such a thing of evil, had rocked the foundation of Adianna's world.
Adianna's eyes searched the crowd. There she was. Face as pale as Larina's, eyes blacker than empty night, was Sarah. Adianna hadn't seen her sister in over twenty years.
Adianna swallowed as the flames engulfed the remains of Reline and Vivara. It seemed only yesterday Adianna had held them in her arms, reading them stories. Only yesterday that Adianna had introduced them to the terrible world of unreality in which all witches lived. Only yesterday that Reline, Vivara, and Larina had raced through the garden, trampling all of Adianna's rose bushes. Only yesterday.
Adianna's eyes swam with tears, blurring the world. She could barely make out the fact that everyone was crying—even Sarah, the cold, unfeeling vampire. The only person in the entire assembly with dry cheeks was Larina.
Larina stood as a statue, even as the flames died, and only the glowing embers and pale gray ash remained. Stood as the guests left, bowing their heads in silent sorrow.
Adianna let Caryn lead her to the car—she knew that Larina had to be alone. Sarah had disappeared, but Adianna knew that she'd be at her house, waiting for Adianna to arrive.
LARINA:
Larina watched the car drive away, taking with it, her mother and. She swallowed hard, but the tears just wouldn't come. Sometimes, it takes us a while for our shock to leave, and our tears to be free, her mother had said, after her father's death, in answer to Larina. Larina vividly remembered being the only person she knew who didn't cry—her mother had assured her that she would, but as time passed, and everyone else healed, Larina's tears had remained, tucked away in some packet in her heart.
Damn it! Why couldn't she cry? Why couldn't she sob her heart out for Reline and Vivara? Why was she as cold and unmoving as stone? What was wrong with her?
Larina pulled a small vial, swinging from a delicate silver chain, from the inside of her black shirt. Uncorking the vial, she dipped it into the ashes, filling it completely with the soft ash and glowing embers. Larina tucked the vial away, and knelt on the ground.
She sat there for minutes, her head bowed, her body still. Finally, she stood up, bowed, and turned away from the still-glowing embers.
Larina fumbled with her car keys as she turned the ignition in her slick black car. Catching sight of herself in the mirror, her grief-stricken face split subtly into a small smile.
Her face was paler than a vampire before its first feed, and her eyes were huge against her face. Her eyes were violet, but a washed out color that was muted and slightly chilling. Her long, pale hair was wind-blown and wild, and, dressed in all black, her slim figure looked wraith-like.
Larina got the car going, and drove away, looking back at what was left of her sisters.
ADIANNA:
Adianna had known that Sarah would be at the house, waiting for her.
"Are you going to be all right?" Caryn asked, as Adianna let herself out of the car.
Adianna managed a tiny smile. "Yes, thank you." She waved good-bye to Caryn, and let herself into the house.
The house was dark, and, at first glance, empty, to human eyes. But Adianna could feel an aura of power humming, only feet away from where she stood.
Adianna flicked on the light, coming face to face with an extremely pale man with dark eyes and hair. A knife rested at his hip, and his open face told her immediately which twin he was—and made her immediately wary.
"What do you want?" Adianna asked, sharply, her body already moving into a position to fight.
"Touché, Adianna. After all these years, have you forgotten?" Christopher Ravena asked, mock hurt.
"No." Adianna said, stiffly.
Silence followed. "I'll leave you two to it, then," Christopher said casually, brushing past her. "I'll see you soon, Adianna."
Adianna didn't turn her back on him until he was out of her sight. Then she turned to face the other vampire, whose aura told of less violence than Christopher's, and whom she had not noticed before, distracted as she was by Christopher.
"Sarah."
She was just as she had been before changing, Adianna saw, with her long, pale hair, perfect complexion, and open face. The only difference was her eyes. Gone were the dancing, bright blue eyes, and, instead, black dead ones filled their spot.
"Why did you come back?" Adianna said, her voice tired, and unfriendly.
Sarah looked hurt. "They died," she said, as if it were the most natural explanation in the entire world.
"But they weren't your children, Sarah. You didn't come to Mother's funeral—why did you come to theirs?"
Sarah bit her lip. It was uncharacteristic of a vampire, but then, Adianna knew that Sarah was not the typical vampire.
"I had to come back." Sarah whispered.
"Why?" Adianna's voice shook; she was rapidly loosing her control. "Why didn't you come back sooner? Mother knew what happened. She called for you before she died. She called and called, for days. She spoke of nothing else but seeing her Sarah again. Why didn't you come?" With each word, Adianna's voice rose, and soon she was screaming. "Why, Sarah? How could you stay away, and let Mother die, without even saying good-bye? Was it too much to come by, even for a minute? Where you too wrapped up in Christopher that you couldn't come to your own mother's deathbed, or even funeral? Are you truly so cold?"
Sarah looked away.
The door slammed, and a figure stood, outlined in the doorway, her hair blowing in the wind.
LARINA:
Larina stood stock-still for barely a second, before taking in the entire situation. Her sharp violet eyes flicked from her mother to the vampire and back, knowing immediately who each was.
Larina took Adianna by the arm, and led her to sit down on the couch. Closing the door to the family round, she turned to the vampire.
"Just what do you think you are doing in my house?" The words were frigid and steely, a threat that was not a joke, or even exaggerated. If there was no answer, then the vampire would be dead, and they both knew it.
"I had to see her," the vampire said softly, tears filling her dead eyes. Her deep eyes caught Larina's, and Larina looked away—how she feared the eyes of the vampire!
Larina's face didn't soften. "Who are you." It wasn't a question—it was a demand.
"Sarah." The vampire took a breath. "Formerly Sarah Tigress Vida."
Larina took a step back, as though she had been slapped. So this was the witch who had caused her mother so much heartbreak.
"Why did you come back?" Her face softened, and the transformation was instant. Larina knew that the vampire could see her now for the scared, vulnerable, seventeen-year-old girl that she was.
"They died."
Larina didn't have to ask who. She knew. "How do you know about Reline and Vivara?"
"They came, often, to visit me. They talked of their mother, of you, and of the war against vampires."
"Why didn't they tell me?" Larina whispered, half to herself.
"They were going to. I can see now why they didn't. You really hate vampires, don't you."
Larina nodded. "They killed everyone I've ever loved. You even killed my mother—you took her soul as surely as if you had changed her yourself."
Again, Sarah looked hurt—and taken aback. But she didn't deny it.
"What do you want?" Larina asked.
"What do you want?" Sarah asked in reply.
"I know what I want," said a voice from the door. Adianna Vida stood calmly, watching her sister and daughter's argument serenely.
Larina and Sarah spun to face her.
"I want peace." Adianna whispered, "I want the end of bloodshed. I'm sick of it. And I don't care how we get it, but I want peace."
Author's Note: Soooo… how was it? Good, bad, extremely bad? Review and tell me what you think! I love ideas, and even criticism, but no flames please. ;-)
