Chapter 7
"Please," she waved her hands over the chairs, "have a seat." She gracefully walked over to her desk and sat down. She placed her hands under her chin and closed her eyes. Claire looked at her with a wondering eye, Amelie was acting strange and she didn't know why. "Now, I know you all have questions to what you are, well we have finally narrowed it down to four general beats from our bestiary."
"You're what exactly?" asks Eve.
"It is our keeper of creatures and we have been searching page after page to find out some idea of what you are." Says Amelie.
Eve looks over at Claire, she has an anxious look.
"Michael," everyone looks over at him, "we have discovered that you are mutated Caladrius. Meaning, you can sense death as well as cure disease." Michael looks over at Amelie.
"But I'm not a bird?" he asks. Amelie smiles and nods.
"Yes Michael, that part has been left out of your mutation. You have just acquired its abilities. Claire, you have been given a great gift. You have been given the privilege of a Seer. You can see the future through another's eyes." Claire frowns but accepts this new found information. She shrugs. "Eve you are a shifter but along with this, you many also aid others in shifter simply by placing a single finger on them." Claire looks at Eve and smiles and touches Shane's arm. He transforms into a monkey. Claire laughs as the Monkey-Shane stares up at Eve unimpressed. Eve shrugs.
"Hey, you were standing right beside me. Not my fault." She snickers. She touches Shane's head and he transforms back into himself.
"Not funny." He simply says. Eve and Claire both Laugh at this. He shakes his head and returns his attention to Amelie, who is staring at them with a sort of an amusement across her lips.
"Now Shane, we have figured out that you have an abnormal amount of strength; vampire or human, but you are a hybrid of some sort. We are not quite sure what yet though. All of you are hybrids or mutations of vampires. You do not drink blood nor does the traditional lore mean anything to you four. I have come across this before, but rarely."
She knew what was wrong with us the whole time.
"So why-"
"I had to be sure Claire. There is a way for you four to die, though you are immortal every creature has a weakness. To be called by your true names, that is how you will meet Death."
Claire frowns.
"And what is that exactly?" she asks. Amelie shakes her head.
"That is information for later. Now, if you please." She gestured toward the door. We got up and left. As we left the building, Claire noticed that there were more guards than usual. Everything and everyone was getting more uneasy with tomorrow night. Claire could feel the tension and uneasiness in the air, just waiting for something or someone to snap.
Claire and Shane went home together and Michael and Eve rode together. Claire stares out the window watching the houses go by.
"What do you think she meant by us being a hybrid of a vampire Claire?" asks Shane. Claire looks over at Shane and shrugs.
"I really do not know." She thought about it for a second though. "Maybe it is because we are different Shane. I mean all four of us are good people, maybe something inside us fought to not stoop to that level. Does that make sense?" she asks. It sounded like a ramble to her. Shane nods.
"Yeah, confusing but makes sense. Why though was Michael a vampire and drank blood but now he doesn't? Can you answer that?" He asks smugly. Claire smiles.
"I have two theories. One; for that part of him to fight, he needed to know he would go through this alone and he is not with the three of us here going through it too. Two; he finally accepted himself for who he is. He may not be the golden boy he was before but now, he has true friends and knows what darkness can hold. What else there is to life even if you're somewhat dead." Claire says.
Shane doesn't say a word. Claire knows he is thinking and is itching to know.
"What?" she asks him.
"Just that what you said makes sense. He needed us with him, to understand you know? That now he has finally accepted himself for all his flaws." He smiles over at her and holds her hand. Claire smiles back.
"That's all I got. Like I don't know how we are vampires at all you know? We don't drink blood, we don't burn up in the sun, and stakes and silver have no huge effect on us." Claire feels very unsure at this point, her mind races through every possibility she could think of and yet, her thoughts come up short with no answer what so ever.
"Hey," he says, "don't beat yourself up, you can't know everything."
Shane pulls up to the Glass House and parks behind Eve's hearse. The sun was just an inch above the horizon, the sun would set soon and the ball would be here. Claire waited for Shane to lock his truck and held his hand as they walked through the door. Michael and Eve were already in the house. Michael was heating up some food and Claire could hear the shower on upstairs. Claire and Shane walk into the kitchen and stop short. Michael is heating up bottles of blood. Claire looks up at Shane in confusion.
"Mike," he says, "why are you heating up blood?" Michael looks back at them and looked like he was conducting an experiment. It clicked in Claire's head.
"You're trying to figure out what blood does to us." She says. Michael nods.
"I don't know why but after I healed Claire, something felt weakened in a way. I thought maybe it was because we didn't drink blood at all. Maybe, just maybe, we drink to help ourselves heal and build up energy but we don't have to rely on it for our only source of hunger." Claire knew this is why they were considered vampires. Before the microwave dinged she knew this was what was going to happen.
"It's true." She says simply. Shane and Michael both stare at her.
"Are you sure?" asks Michael. She nods.
"I can see it, just looking at you I know what will happen. Drink it." She says. He looks up at Shane, who just shrugs. Michael unscrews the cap and takes a sip. The irises in his eyes suddenly go white and he smiles.
"Whoa." He places the bottle down and his eyes go back to their normal blue. She smiles.
"Told ya." Claire picks up the bottle and stares at it. It doesn't look appealing at all. She looks at Shane and sees the fear he has about drinking it. "Shane, remember this is only to help us be stronger. We may need it for Ysandre and Francois, we don't know how strong they are now." Claire grasps his hand and squeezes it. She takes a tiny sip and feels a rush go through her entire body. She feels every aching pain from the past days disappear and her mind becoming more focused. She looks at Shane and sees that her eyes have turned to a deep green colour. She hands him the bottle. He hesitates and stares at the bottle in her hand.
"Shane, please." She says. He lets out a grunt and takes the bottle and sips it in one movement. She sees his eyes turn to a light orange and he looks at Claire with a weird smile. "How do you feel?" she asks.
"I don't know, it felt weird. I drank blood for Christ's sake!" he says. Michael pats him on the shoulder.
"If it helps bud, this isn't what it felt like when I was a vamp. This is much more intense and we don't need it Shane. Remember that." He says. "Claire your father left a message. He seemed very out of the ordinary. Anything you'd know about?" he asks. She nods, knowing that she will have to go see them before the ball tomorrow and at least try to figure out what is wrong with her father.
Claire suddenly feels woozy but she doesn't let the boys see it.
Claire walks past the two boys and heads upstairs to the shower. She knocks on the door and hears nothing. She opens the door and locks it. She needed a shower. She knew too much. It was starting to overwhelm her. She could feel the blood push her premonitions to a new level. It was showing her scenes. Scenes she did not want to see. She shook her head and turned on the shower. She still had blood on her and wanted it off.
The blood was scaring her she sat in the shower, letting the hot water hit her body and sooth her pain. She was frightened. She didn't want it to happen, but it would. It would happen.
After twenty minutes she got out of the shower. She wrapped herself in a towel and unlocked the door. She walked to her room and shut the door. She needed to be alone right now. She needed to think this through.
Claire lay in bed for a while before there was a knock at the door. She expected it to be Shane, but it was Eve. She walked over to her and sat down beside her.
"Hun, everything okay?" she asks. Claire nods.
"Why wouldn't it be?" she asks. She needs to do this alone. It is her responsibility. Eve just stares at her when she knows Claire is lying. Claire rolls her eyes. "Can you come with me to my parents tomorrow? In the morning like ten o'clock." Eve groans.
"Ten! Seriously? Yeah, I'll come CB." She gives her a hug and leaves the room. Claire pulls herself under the covers and drifts off to sleep.
Claire awoke to the sun shining through her window, she smiled at the birds sang. She sat up and looked over at her phone. It was nine-thirty.
She got up and got ready to see her parents. She knew she would have to do this eventually, just not this way. She threw on a hoodie and jeans and her sneakers. She opens her door and hears yelling from downstairs.
Claire groans as she enters the kitchen and sees Shane and Eve yelling at one another.
"…going to find us Shane! I'm serious! What we have picked out will shock you." She winks over at her. Shane looks over and smiles.
"She doesn't think I'm going to be able to spot you at the ball, but I have my ways." He says. Claire shrugs.
"Oh boy, I don't know Shane. Eve works magic sometimes." She takes a sip of coffee with a sweet smile. "Seriously though Eve, we should go." Eve rolls her eyes at Shane and heads out of the kitchen. Shane looks over at her confused.
"Now where are you two going?"
"My parents. I want to see how they are doing. Well mainly my father." She says. Shane nods and kisses her forehead.
"Be careful."
"I always am." She says.
They got there just in time to hear a scream. Claire didn't wait for the car to stop, she ran into the house but the door was locked. Claire reached into her purse and grabbed the spare key. She unlocked the door. Eve had caught up and they ran upstairs. Claire opened the door and sees her dad with a knife in his hands, he saw us and smiled. This was not her dad. Eve transformed into a wolf again and Claire raced for her dad. He swung the knife but Claire knew that would happen so she dodged it easily. Everything she saw was coming true. She slammed him to the wall and banged the knife out of his hand. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and concentrated on the darkness in him. She could see it but it was so far away and strong that she didn't know if she was strong enough to break the hold it had on him.
There was an aura around the darkness, a familiar one. It was frightening and then she knew she could break its hold in her father. She knew she would discover who did this, their scent would be there. Though she wouldn't be able to smell it, she could see it and it would signify to her who possessed her father. She could feel him struggling but she refused to let go of her father's wrist. She looked deeper into his mind and with all her strength she pushed through the barrier.
She saw the scent and she knew who had done this. She could sense rotten blood. She pushed deeper till she found the locked away soul. She pulled the chains off and a ball of light released into his mind and body. The darkness faded away and she returned to reality. She looks in his eyes and sees the hatred disappear from his eyes and a sigh of relief escapes her. Claire slumps to the floor exhausted from breaking Francois' grip on her father. She knew it was Francois the moment she had his scent. She could still sense it now. She looked up at her father. He was crying. Claire inched herself over to her father's side and gave him a hug. She held him for a while. She knew this was going to be hard, but she didn't know if she would have saved him. She didn't know that part. She just saw herself crying and holding her father. She didn't know she had saved him. She thought she actually killed him. She hadn't though.
"Dad," she says, "I know you didn't mean any of that stuff you said. I know you were possessed."
"By some vampire named Francois. Do you two know him?" he asks. Claire looks up at Eve, Her body changing back into her human form.
"Francois, that slimy little bastard."
"How though?" asks Claire. "How did he possess you?"
Her father shrugs.
"All I remember is going out for my walk and tripping over a ledge." He probably tripped him somehow. Claire shakes her head and smiles.
"Well, all that matters now is that you are your old self again." She says. Her dad smiles and her. Claire stands up and walks over to Eve. Claire and Eve stay with there for a couple hours, just monitoring her father's moods and actions to make sure he still isn't possessed. Around Three o'clock Claire looks over at Eve.
"I think we should give them privacy." Claire whispers to Eve. Eve nods. "Hey guys, we should go and let you guys talk and stuff." Claire runs over and hugs her parents. She kisses them on the cheeks and makes her way down the stairs.
"You think it is a good thing that we are leaving this soon after he was, well exorcised?" Claire nods.
"Yeah, he is in a better place. I don't think he'll remember much of what Francois had planned but he will remember some things unfortunately. He needs my mom right now, so he'll manage." Eve shrugs but doesn't protest. They hop into the hearse and drive back to the house.
Back at the house, Claire and Eve find the boys on the couch playing video games. Eve rolls her eyes.
"Boys. I don't get them. Well," she walks past them, "Claire and I are getting ready. If you dare come up and try to get a peak," she looks directly at Shane, "I will cut you and Michael will not heal you." Shane looks back over his shoulder. He raises his hand in the air and fingers Eve. Eve doesn't even pay attention to Shane. Instead, she drags Claire up the stairs and slams her bedroom door shut.
"I'll grab the make-up and hair utensils! You grab the costumes! They are under my bed." She points toward her bed. Claire walks over and grabs the bag with their costumes in it. Claire goes through the bag and grabs her Jane Porter costume. She looks at it and frowns.
"Did you make the skirt shorter?" she yells to Eve. Eve comes into the room with a sneaky smile.
"Maybe. Okay, so what I am going to do with your hair is straightened it and then twist the front bangs back into a type of halo-pony tail thing." Claire smiles over at Eve through the mirror.
"I am up for whatever you have planned Eve! Just don't screw up." She teases. Eve combs out Claire's hair and starts to straighten it. Claire frowns as Eve starts on the first section.
"No music?" she asks. Eve runs over to her IPod doc and puts on some beats.
Both girls start to jam out to beats and move to the music. Soon Eve finishes straightening Claire's hair and twists part of the front back with a small plastic hair elastic. She turns Claire around so she faces Eve. She looks at Claire biting her lip. She nods.
"Perfect. Now I'm not going to do much with your make-up. Keep it simple and elegant because you are going to have vines all over your body, you're lucky I can draw somewhat." Claire laughs.
"I didn't know you could draw!" Eve pushes back her hair.
"Well I don't like to brag but ya know." She starts to make her eyes smoky and mysterious.
"Because of the masks, I have to make your eyes blend in with the colour. Hmmm," she looks at Claire, "I think we need to use these masks instead." She brings out two masks. One a golden yellow colour with some royal blue vines around it. The other one was a burgundy mask that covered a little bit more the left side of the forehead. Eve hands her this one. Claire looks at it in amazement.
"These are gorgeous Eve!" Claire puts the mask on and smiles. Shane wouldn't know it was her with these make-up and messy hair. Eve had tousled it a bit to make her look more mysterious. Eve claps her hands.
"Ahh I'm good and it's only been," she looks at her IPod, "and hour and a half." She says. It was four o'clock and Eve still had to do her make-up and hair after she painted on the vines. Eve looks at Claire. "Put on your costume." Claire rolls her eyes but grabs her costume and goes into the bathroom. The top looked ragged and dirty but not too low cut at the top. The skirt though, it was barely mid-thigh. She walked out to Eve who just winked.
"Hot." She walks around Claire and shakes her head. "No bra." Claire whips around at Eve.
"Seriously? What if I pop out?" she asks. Eve laughs.
"Doubtful my dear. Now, it is time to get painted up!" Eve grabs her body paint and goes to work.
Claire can't think of anything else than how she is going to look. Will it just look like she has snakes all around her body? She hoped not.
It was about thirty minutes later that Eve finished. Eve stood up and went to the bathroom.
"Look in the mirror and see how they look would ya." So Claire went over to the mirror and smiled. They were perfect. It didn't look cheesy and looked like she was Jane swinging through the trees with Tarzan. Claire sat around after, letting the paint dry or else it would smudge all over her costume and Eve's room. So, she was in charge of the music.
"I swear Claire." says Eve as she straightens her short hair. "If you put on country…" Claire smiles and presses play. Stay by Florida Georgia Line hits the speakers and Eve groans.
"This song is cute though Eve. I mean it's cuter than other country songs." Eve groans but allows the music to play. Eve ties the red ribbon around her head and already with her pale skin and already blood red lips she looks like Snow White. Eve stands up after another hour and grabs her costume.
"You'll need to be quick! Our ride will be here within the hour Eve!" she yells.
Claire had already heard the boys leave about five minutes ago with a chaperone. She wanted to know what they had dressed up as but she wouldn't know till she got there. Stupid boys.
"You ready for this Claire?" asks Eve.
"Oh hell ya Eve! Get out here!" she yells.
Eve comes out in a hot Snow costume. She has the traditional Snow White costume but she has added a corset and knee high socks with red heels.
"Dayummm girl," says Claire, "Michael will be all over you." Eve blushes.
"Well Shane better be all over you, I mean common," Eve places Claire in front of the mirror, "mysterious and damn hot."
Eve and Claire head downstairs all ready to go. Eve has her mask on and Claire hers. They still had to talk though, Ysandre and Francois.
"You think they'll be there?" asks Eve. Claire shrugs.
"Most likely but of it being a masked ball, we won't know who the fuck they are."
Eve just stares at Claire.
"My CB has gotten so feisty," she smiles, "I like it." Claire rolls her eyes.
Around six-thirty the doorbell rings. Bothe girls jump as it rings through the house but are ready to go as soon as they open it.
"Hi girls," says Hannah, "I'm your escort this evening. Oh my, don't you two look…mysterious." Eve laughs.
"Thanks Hannah. Common," Eve grabs Claire's hand, "it's time to start the fun."
