Chapter 11
Later the next day, as I lay in my bed comfortable and warm there was an obnoxious pounding and loud voice at my door destroying my perfect euphoria.
Rachael opened the door. "Rebecca? Do you ever plan on waking up today?"
I responded by throwing a pillow at her.
"C'mon it's almost dinner time!" She started shaking me.
I rolled over. "You realize how early this is for me?"
"Let's go!" She pushed me playfully off the bed. I landed with a big oof on the floor. She became silent for a few short moments. "We don't have much time left with you." Her tone was serious. "Hurry up I'll see you down stairs. Aaron can't wait to see his Aunt Rebecca." She smiled and walked out.
The last time I had seen Aaron, Rachael's little boy, was before Athan ad taken me. He had barely learned to walk at that time who knew what he was capable of now. I quickly put on my white dress. Looking over at the long white cloth draping from my "neck protector" it was muddied by travel and very grimy. I looked through the other clothes Alima had packed and to my delight found a second neck protector but with no cape and was immaculately white.
I came down stairs to see Rachael with her young boy Aaron and her Husband Cedric. Cedric hadn't changed at all since I had last seen him. He was a captain with James and was very strong in his build. He was one of the kindest men I had ever met. He took pride in his family anyone could see that when he was around Rachael and Aaron his face was always bright around them. Aaron had grown so much since I had last seen him. He was walking perfectly and I could see features of his mother and father peering out of his baby like face. He already had his mother's green eyes and his father's light brown hair. As I came into the room Aaron looked directly at me. He didn't make a sound or move he just stared.
"Aaron, that's your Aunty Rebecca." Said Rachael in calm tone.
I walked slowly up to him. "He's grown so big since I last saw him." I got down to his level and reached out to him. The little boy moved as fast as his legs could carry him and took refuge behind his father.
"Well that's odd he's such a charismatic boy. He loves everyone. This is not like him."
Cedric picked up his little boy. "I'm sorry Rebecca."
"That's alright. He just doesn't know who I am."
Rachael took Aaron from her husband's arms. "Well, it's also his bed time maybe he's tired. I'll be right back." She walked out the door with her son.
"He looks so much like you Cedric."
"You think so?"
"Of course."
"Look Rebecca, don't take that incident to personal."
"Why would I?" I questioned.
"Well…because I did in the beginning."
"You mean he avoided you?"
"Yeah he would do the same thing to me after I've returned from missions. It's strange." He moved over to the table and took a drink from a cup on the table. "He always warms up to me after a day or so."
"Cedric something has been bothering me since I came back."
"And what's that?"
"Well you're usch good friends with James and…just what happen to him? He's so different. He used to be so kind and gentle and now he bursts out in anger and…it's just I never thought he'd act this way."
He swirled the liquid in his cup around. "There's really nothing I can say really expect that he changed after you disappeared."
"That's what I keep hearing."
"Rebecca you have to remember he watched the lip body of the woman he loved get taken away with ease and he couldn't do a thing about it. If that had happen to me with Rachael believe me I would be handling this situation at lost worse than he has."
I felt a heavy sense of guilt hang over me. Again James had gone through so much that the whole experience had changed his personality and here I was the same as I had been before meeting Athan. Why was it so easy to forget about him?
"Well Rebecca I need to go." Cedric got up from his chair and made his way to the door.
"What?"
"I have to lead a mission and we leave in an hour."
"Well…good luck…and be careful!"
"Are you coming back anytime soon?"
"Yes Athan said I can come back once a month."
"Well then I'll see you in a month." Before Cedric walked out the door he placed a soft hand on my shoulder. "You know Rachael is ecstatic to have to back. Take care of her while you're here for me, alright."
"I will."
"Thanks and be careful Rebecca." He stepped out the door and turned around. "Rebecca I need to warn you about something."
"What is it?"
"It's just everyone is a little…well the only word I can use is appalled on how you talked about that Vampire and supported him. I know your father would never tell you that and James would probably just scream it at you. We just want you to be careful. He may seem human but…"
"I know Cedric."
"Yeah…just be careful with what you say. Alright?"
"I understand. Thanks Cedric." He nodded to me and walked out into the darkness.
I sat at the table and buried my face into my arms. It seemed every one was under the impression that I had no idea what Athan was. I knew exactly what he was because he had shown me. He was caring and troubled with what he was. From what I could tell he wanted to be human again.
"Rebecca, are you alright?" I lifted my head and saw Rachael with a very worried look on her face.
"I-I'm fine."
She sat next to me. "I just said goodbye to Cedric. He'll be gone for a week."
"Will you be alright?" I asked her.
"Of course it's become part of daily life, He leaves for a short period and I stay at home with Aaron." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's just normal life."
"A life I will never have." I sighed.
"What do you mean?"
"That night Athan took me he sealed my fate to be a Societas till the day I die."
"And you just gave in like that."
"Well there's not much I can do, Rachael. No matter what people say it's really not that bad." We sat there in silence for some time. I could tell Rachael had something on her mind she just didn't know how to ask it.
"Rachael, what is it?"
"What's what?"
"You want to ask me something, I can tell."
"I just…what happened that night?"
"What do you mean?"
Rachael paused. "All we know is that James saw your limp body in the arms of a monster and that you disappeared for two months. Something had to of happened in that time."
"Well a lot happened."
"Well start by telling me what happened that night."
I took a moment look back through my memories. "As you know I left for Rekine and James went with me. He was concerned I had left to late and…he was right. We were about halfway there and then we were attacked by these rotting…things and James ended up rolling down a cliff wit one of them. I thought there was only one but there was a second and it was trying to kill me I guess. Then from below the cliff it sounded like other one was calling out to my attacker and it left me. As I got up there was Athan in front of me just starring at me and then everything went black. It was all very fast. I woke the next day or night rather in an extravagant room and instantly tried to escape but Athan soon found me and saved me from a group of more rotting humans. I later met his sisters and after that it all became very…natural."
"So…just like that it all became normal?" My sister's tone was confused and yet disgusted.
"Well no. It was only after Athan had told me about the deal that I guess I came to accept everything."
"What deal?"
"As long as I serve him everyone I love, meaning you, dad, James, are safe from any kind of Vampire bite and are under the protection of the royal family."
"And you trust him?"
"Well I kind of have to."
My sister quiet for a few moments as though she was thinking over her words very carefully. "Look Rebecca…we all understand how helpless we are in this situation and we know that this Athan calls all the shots and we have to comply because to us he is holding you ransom…But no matter how long it takes we will find a way to bring you home." She wrapped her arms around and held me tightly.
I returned her embrace. "Thank you Rachael." In the back of mind I knew in the end their hard work would be in vain. Athan could read minds and as soon as my family thought of a 'fool proof' plan he would know about it and I could hardly imagine what the consequences would be.
On the other side of the room I could see a dark figure standing absolutely still outside the window looking in. I couldn't see its face but I could see its eyes staring at me. They had no mal intent they we just sad as though they were hurt.
"Rebecca." I looked back to my sister then at the window again, the man was gone. "What's the matter?"
I looked harder but could see only darkness. "N-nothing."
"I'm going to go cook dinner. You want to help?"
"Of course."
Working in the kitchen with Rachael made it feel like nothing had ever happened like I had never met Athan and vampires were still a distant fear. Every so often I could feel the cloth pull on my neck protector like it was reminding me of what I would return to in a matter of days. For now though I would act like that day would never come and enjoy my family for as long as I could.
Sorry it took so long to update hell of alot of work recently. Enjoy! I'll get more up soon...I promise...seriously --
BrickHouse18925