Learning Curve

My new life was surely challenging. Not that I hadn't faced challenges in my old life. In my orphanage I had been stuck in a room of ratty kids my own age, smothered in flea ridden blankets and rickety old beds between us. I always knew that my name was Atley but the other children laughed and suggested that it was a good thing that my parents had left me. That no parents in their right mind would choose the name Atley. And so I was dubbed William by the newly widowed Sister Jones, after her husband. It seemed that William Jones was looking after me and I got lucky three days after. The Donaldson's had lost children and couldn't have anymore so I became like their own. Their grand manor house became my playground and I became the little prince. I never yearned for anything from then on and my orphan life, seemed nothing but a bad, but very vivid dream. But my life was nothing until I met Adelaide Green. She stunned me from the minute I saw her, begging on the street. I was immediately reminded of my orphaned life. I had found another abandoned soul and it was my duty to look after her. She didn't believe me at first. She thought that I would hurt her, but eventually she came to trust me. I secured her hand three weeks later, much to the shock of my parents. Although I was adopted, they still looked down their noses at her and yet like Romeo and Juliet, we were married by morning. Twelve months later, Adelaide gave birth to Vasilli. I had everything in life that had seemed important just melted away when I saw my son. As he grew, he had perfect small features and vivid blue eyes like his mother, yet his hair was straight sleek and black just like mine. I loved my life with Adelaide and Vasilli and finding her pregnant again was more than
I could have dreamed. But like with all dreams, sometimes you just have to wake up to the cold hard reality. One morning I awoke to hear her screaming, anxiously for me to help. She had gone into labour. I called the chamber maid and gathered all the warm clothes that I could find. Vas helped me anxiously though he was more a hindrance than a help at just two. And then Adelaide screamed again, but this time it was different. I dropped the towels and tore into the front room. The maid was delivering the baby and then suddenly Adelaide was silent. She slumped forward limply. I shook her and tried to wake her to no avail. I had truly woken. It was only then that the maid brought a small bundle towards me. My child. But something was wrong. Where was the face? But then I realised. I had lost two members of my family. She slowly unwrapped the bundle, revealing a perfectly still little girl. Mary. Adelaide had been right. But they would be together again now, but we would not be with them. I tried to be strong for Vas but the emotional scars ripped me up inside. We paid our respects to Adelaide and Baby Mary and continued somewhat with our lives. But it was never the same.

I struggled with what I had become. I knew before that I could live my life, that maybe I would have found someone else and loved her. But what really kept me going was the fact that when I died, we would be a family again. But now I could not die and would be stuck here forever. Sasha explained that she was indeed my mother. She was beaten by my father and had to leave me. That she trusted a beautiful man with her life and he betrayed that. She had spent the past 22 years perfecting her self control so that she could come back for me. She told me that she preyed on humans, but that she always made sure not to hunt those men with black hair, she was so sure she would find me? Like i should be flattered that she loved me that much. But I could not tear families apart because of the dull ache I urged to satisfy. I hated my life and what I had become.

At that point it came to me. I would drink the blood of animals. But it only occurred to me later that I had what Sasha called a gift. I could find the best possible outcomes for bad situations. It was like seeing the future, or a heightened sense of intuition. But only dire situations. I couldn't find any help when my clothes didn't match but at least I had saved the lives of many humans. These problems seemed nothing compared to my fights with Sasha. She had done to Vasilli what she had done to me. Wrecking any chance of having a normal happy life. But my self control was not matched by him. My little boy, always had a temper but before the worst that could happen was that I would lock him away for a minute while he calmed down, but now, innocent lives were being ruined. Sasha loved him unconditionally but to the extreme that she forgave his mistakes. Though I loved him, he had his problems, though through and through he was my son.