Chapter 25: A Choice of a Lifetime
I was caught in it's gaze, my body feeling so cold and hard, I felt my heartbeat slowing down, my breathing becoming ragged and it was a struggle. I felt it's breath on me, it was so close, ready to eat us both. I pulled my eyes from the creature and pulled Neville up with the last of my strength, slinging him out of the pathway and into the court yard. "RUN NEVILLE! DON'T LOOK! JUST RUN!" I screamed, before all air left my lungs, I collapsed to the ground, ready for the beast to eat me and be done with it. I just hoped that Neville had the chance to get away.
I could barely hear anymore, it was as if my ears were stuffed with wax, so much wax. My eyes were darkening, everything was getting blank, I thought about it, it seemed I was dying. What type of creature was petrifying students and could also do this to me? As my mind began to blur, I heard a clear loud voice break through. 'Aethna! What is happening?!' my father's voice came to me, his tone angry and urgent at the same time. "I'm dying…now you'll never get me again…" I wheezed out, wishing it would hurry up. 'I will not allow this to happen. What is it that did this?' I tried to speak, but my voice was gone, I thought of the creature, picturing it as best I could for him to see in my mind.
'Basilisk! How did you get close to one of them? I thought you were protected by the school?' I showed him where I was, inside the school, that the Basilisk was petrifying students and he laughed. 'Pitiful! You were scared of me, hiding behind those spells, now look at you.' I cleared my mind, trying to rid him so I could die in peace. 'I will not lose you now. Go deep my daughter, find your inner Immortal. No creature can destroy us, we are all powerful. Fight!' I closed my eyes, they were dark now, no way to fight it anymore. 'DO AS I SAY!' he ordered, his tone changing, deepening and more demanding.
I opened my eyes, feeling some warmth back in my body, pulsing through me, the ancient power of Vampires, immortal power flowing through me. 'That's right, let go of your human side, it's the only way to survive, you are not fully immortal.' I tried to fight it, not wanting to use his kinds power just to live, I didn't want to be like him. My body however, was listening to his words, forcing myself up as I lost all control of my body. 'I don't want to, please don't make me.' I begged with my thoughts, my lips smiling at the power surging through me. The Basilisk was gone, I was all alone, yet more powerful than I ever felt before.
'Come home sweet child, where you belong and I await.' my legs began to run, faster than I had before, within moments I was standing in front of the gate, pausing for a moment before leaping over and rolling into another run. I stopped and looked up, seeing a figure walk out. My father was smiling, his fangs gleaming in the moonlight. "Ohh, wonderful, just wonderful. Look at you, just amazing. Come now, we leave. We have hunting to do." I felt my body moving, I tried to stop it, but my vampire-side had taken over completely, I was only a thought now, no escaping this hell.
We walked side by side, my father just commenting on how beautiful I was, so much power hidden within me. I grew tired of fighting, my mind still feeling the power that the Basilisk had done to me, everything was still foggy and I felt so weak and useless. I wished he would've just let me die, now I was back in his claws and he would never let me go again. I was forever stuck in his life, under his control, no longer capable of being my own person. I felt my body moving, yet all my thoughts were was how I would never see my friends again…how I would never see Neville again. I let myself sink into the darkness, just hoping to forget all about Hogwarts and being human.