Chapter 26: Unhuman
"Again." I huffed out, crouching down and sinking into the shadows once more. "Aethna, I believe that's enough for tonight." "Again…now!" I growled at him, he just chuckled and nodded, opening the door and motioning for the young man to come in. "Right this way, my daughter will be along shortly. She is a sight to be sure, I'm sure you two will be a perfect match." the figure came into the room, looking around and taking in as much as his vision would allow. "Hello." I purred and watched as he looked around, hearing me, but unable to see me. "Hello, your father sent me in. My name is-" "Names are not needed." he went to speak again and I lunged out, tackling him to the ground.
"Woah!" he said and went to push me away, but my strength was so much more than his. "Don't scream, it's pointless." I said and leaned down to him, pushing his face to the side and sinking my teeth into his neck. His blood filled my mouth as I continued to suck his life out of him. "Aethna, it's enough. You're really going to kill him. That's not the point of this lesson." my father's voice came into my mind, his control pulling me back from finishing the victim off. "I wasn't finished." I said, standing up and licking my lips. "He is the son of a powerful kingdom. I brought him hear for you to take control of, not eat. Now give him some blood, I need to understand how you can use him."
I did as I was told, groaning a bit because I was still hungry and he was taking all my food away. "You have been trying to figure this out for years, yet nothing has come from it. You cannot create an army from my blood-filled victims. This is pointless…just let me eat him." I called out after two vampire guards took the boy away as I stretched. "It doesn't matter what you think or want. You do as I say without arguments. Just go to your room, I will handle the boy." I shrugged and licked my lips, savoring the last of the blood from my somewhat meal. I entered my room and flopped onto the bed, sinking into the comforter.
I stared at the ceiling for hours, imagining stars and clouding rolling by as I did not have a wand anymore, it was part of my past and I had no use for magic any longer. My mind recovered from the Basilisk attack, but I still hadn't regained control over my body, but my thoughts raged against the vampire inside me. It was as if there was two people inside me now, the vampire didn't want to give me control anymore, yet I wasn't giving my human side up. For years, I worked to get back to myself, to fight against my father, it was stressful on my body, still being half-human, it made my father angry that I still resist. He uses his controlling powers to keep me in line, his mind isn't able to control my thoughts.
There was a knock on the door the next day, my father entered without allowing me to say a word. "I had the boy tested, he exhibits the strength that I seen in your memories as the teacher who received your blood also. He has been asking for you, calling you his love. He's desperate to see you. It's amusing to watch him try to escape to find you. Would you like to see him?" "To eat him? Yes. To use him for you? No thanks." I turned away from him, picking up the book I had been reading before he rudely interrupted me. "Aethna, you can not deny me any longer. If I ask something of you, you do as I tell you, no questions, no remarks, just compliance."
I rolled my eyes, opening the book. "I'm here, I don't attempt to run away anymore, I don't do anything to bluntly disobey you. I can think and act like I wish, if you don't like my personality, use your power over me to turn me into another one of your minions. Then I wouldn't do anything you didn't approve. Although, if you did that, I wouldn't be the heiress you really want." he hissed and threw a goblet across the room. "Why must you still be such a thorn in my side? Your behavior curses me as your mother did! Remain in here until I say otherwise!" he slammed the door and I heard vampires moving a large item in front of it.
Over the next few months, I was forced to remain in there, the guards brought me blood in cups, telling me I didn't deserve to have it straight from the body. I was upset it wasn't warm, but it kept me alive, seeing as no one else here needed food like I did. One day I was re-reading the book for the 12th time when Father returned. "Are you prepared to behave and do as I say?" "How goes the mission to use my blood to turn humans into minions?" I blinked at him, clearly showing him I had no intentions of becoming a silent picture of a daughter. He growled and ran at me, grabbing and slamming me into the stone wall.
"I am tired of your disrespect for me and what I am trying to do for us!" "I want no part of it, so just kill me or get over it." his nails dug into my neck, drawing blood and making me wince. "See, no matter what you try to make me do…I'm not like you. I am my mother's daughter, a witch and human." "Don't fool yourself. You belong to me now, you are my daughter, my blood. You almost died at that school, I have been unsuccessful on getting another child to follow my ways, I will not allow you to get away and risk dying again. You are not allowed out of the mansion. Otherwise you will have to remain in this room from here on out, this…for the rest of your life."
He dropped me and took a step back, wiping his fingers on his cloak and holding out his hand. "Please my daughter, just give in and join me. We will do glorious things for the vampires and our future." I saw no lie in his eyes, but I knew better than to believe him ever again. "You've kept me here for years, away from everything I grew to care about. Yeah, something unimaginable happened, who could ever think an ancient beast would be living in the school. I was protecting my friend, I want to see my friends again. I don't want to be here. I love practicing magic, I'm good at it! I feel incomplete! I want out of here!"
I felt my anger and determination building inside me, my mind snapped into place as I forced the vampire down, dragging my memories up, picturing each of my friends, teachers, creatures, magic, spells. I let them flow through my mind as I felt power inside, not immortal power, but magical. It was overpowering as my father retreated a few steps, staring at me with unbelief filling his face. There was a blast come from my body, yet I remained perfectly fine, my father was thrown across the room and collapsed against the wall.
I took the moment to move my feet, speeding forward as I dodged the guards and made my way out of the mansion. Once I was out, I had to shield my eyes from the bright sun, taking deep breaths. It was the daytime…yet all the vampires were awake, why? I smiled, not caring why they were awake, they couldn't come after me til dark, I could get away, be free once more. I took a step, my toes digging into the dirt, feeling it for the first time in years. I smelled the world again, twirling in circles, then took off running and feeling completely free.