Chapter 48: Waking Up
"It would have been a decision we would make together, Kaitlyn . . ."
"Cody is your soulmate Kaitlyn . . . You are each other's other half, and I know you've grown to care about him just as much as he cares about you. . ."
"Your mind has been messed with. We're not your enemies. Mr. S is!"
"They're not our enemies . . ." Kaitlyn found herself whispering as her eyes slowly opened to her surroundings. As she raised her head and looked around, she found that she had been situated in a dimly lit bedroom, one with the usual comforts that a woman would definitely enjoy.
Shaking her head, she slid herself off the queen-sized mattress and moved toward the nearest door, opening it to find the hallway on the other side. As soon as she heard another door opening, she slowly poked her head out and looked around to see Amanda emerge from a room down the hall to her left.
When the psychic looked up and saw her, she smiled. Kaitlyn couldn't help but smile in return, happy to know that a friendly face was close by.
However, it wasn't enough to brush aside the thoughts she had prior to waking up. She wanted answers . . . Hopefully Amanda could give them to her.
"Hey! It's good to see that you're finally awake," Amanda admitted, grinning from ear to ear as she approached. "How are you feeling?"
"A little out of it, but I'll be fine with some time," Kaitlyn conceded as she scratched the back of her neck. "What happened, and how long was I out? I feel like I missed out on some stuff."
"You were out for quite a bit . . . Let's talk inside," Amanda suggested, gesturing to the room behind them. Kaitlyn nodded, letting her friend walk past her and into the room. She shut the door, only to wince when she slammed the door so hard, cracks emerged along the right side of the doorframe.
"I didn't mean for that to happen," Kaitlyn mumbled, looking embarrassed as Amanda took a moment to take in the sight.
"I guess you don't know your own strength just yet," Amanda mused as she walked over to the bed. ". . . I hear it's a common thing with newborn vampires like yourself."
"Newborn vampire. . . I'm a newborn vampire?!" She thought to herself, keeping her expression still as she sat down next to her friend. "Yeah, I guess you're right, though I don't remember becoming one in the first place."
"Well, I'm more than happy to fill you in with what I know so far, but unfortunately, how you became a vampire is something I don't know myself," said Amanda, giving her friend a small pat on the arm before she leaned back in her seat. "So, what exactly do you want to know first?"
"How about . . . everything?!" Kaitlyn emphasized, looking keenly at her friend. "Don't leave anything out please."
"First things first since I hate repeating information others may already know, what can you remember?" Amanda asked in return as she sat upright once again.
"Let's see," Kaitlyn mumbled as she started to wrack her brain for answers. "I remember. . . I remember going downstairs to find Kelly with four strange men dressed in dark clothes. They seemed vaguely familiar, but I don't know why."
"That definitely happened, yes." Amanda admitted. "What else can you recall?"
"Before I say any more, shouldn't Kelly be here as well?" Kaitlyn asked, worry seeping into her tone. "Where is she Amanda?"
"Don't worry Kaitlyn. She's close," Amanda admitted, her tone soothing. "She's actually in the room that you saw me coming out of earlier. She just won't be . . . talkative for a while."
"Won't be talkative?" The lightning elemental asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you mean by that?"
"She's been placed in an . . . unconscious state."
"A COMA?!" Kaitlyn quietly shrieked as she looked squarely at the psychic. "Wait, you didn't do it right?! Right?!"
"Of course, I didn't!" Amanda spat in return, looking offended at the accusation. "I know I'm capable of such an act, but I wouldn't do that to Kelly or you. . . Yes, I'll make you fall unconscious, usually when you go too far with the drinking and thank goodness that was a rarity, but other than that, I always ask for your permission first before I use my power on your mind."
"Okay, but if you didn't put Kelly in a coma, who did?" Kaitlyn asked, offended on their friend's behalf.
"That would be Valentina," Amanda answered, looking concerned as her friend immediately seemed confused by the name. "She's one of the psychics that works for Mr. S."
We're not your enemies. Mr. S is!
The words came unbidden to Kaitlyn's mind at the mention of the name, but she brushed it aside, needing to hear more. ". . . Must be one of the more talented ones that he has on his payroll then. You said it yourself Amanda. Making someone fall unconscious, and doing it safely, is not an easy thing to do."
"Good to know that you remember that little tidbit," Amanda mused, a grin now firmly on her face. "Now then, what else do you remember?"
"Well, Kelly and those men. . . They kept saying things about me and you knowing them. That they were planning to take us away from here," Kaitlyn quietly admitted as she looked down at her hands. ". . . They said that me becoming a vampire wasn't my choice. That I was turned into one against my will."
"Turned against your will?" Amanda asked, her eyes looking concerned. Her psychic powers gave her the latent talent of knowing when a person was being truthful, and it was telling her that Kaitlyn was in the right. . .
. . . Since that was the case, why was she unable to fully accept it herself?
"Yeah, and that wasn't even the weirdest part," Kaitlyn mumbled, choosing her next words carefully. "One of them is supposedly . . . my mate."
"Mate?" Amanda asked, slightly dumbfounded by what she heard. "As in, soulmate?"
"Yeah, soulmate . . . Exactly that."
"Which one?" Amanda prodded, prompting her friend to face her once again. "There were four men in that room. Which one was it? Was it the same one that said that one of them is your mate?"
"No, it definitely wasn't him," She admitted, thinking back to that time, only to find that the vampire with the noticeable moustache was the one to dominate her thoughts. "It was one of the others; the one with the moustache."
"Huh, I see," Amanda mused as she leaned forward. "And?"
"And what?"
"And?" Amanda enunciated again, this time with emphasis. "Do you believe them? Do you believe that the mustached one is your soulmate? The man that's meant for you?"
The newborn vampire was quick to note that her friend was not asking her in a way that felt like she was being pushed into a corner and pressed for answers. She asked out of sheer concern, like a friend should, which was something Kaitlyn quietly appreciated.
Looking back, the more she pictured the mustached vampire, the more she felt a warmth emerge in her chest. His lean, yet muscled frame, his dark hair, blue eyes . . . It wasn't just his physical features that was earning this reaction from her. For some reason, Kaitlyn could easily see the man as someone that connects with her, completes her, on multiple levels, but he was one of their enemies . . .
. . . Wasn't he?
"Amanda, I know I shouldn't believe them, but my body is telling me otherwise," Kaitlyn quietly admitted, not sounding the least bit ashamed or embarrassed. In fact, the more she spoke, the more confident she felt in her answer. "I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like what they said is the truth . . . I'm sorry if you were hoping for a different answer."
"I'm just glad that you were willing to be honest with me," Amanda admitted, her face turning a little annoyed. ". . . Unlike some people we know."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Remember when I told you that Valentina was the one that put Kelly into a coma?" Amanda asked, and Kaitlyn was quick to nod yes. "Turns out Mr. S was the one to give her the order."
"Why would he do that?" Kaitlyn asked, obviously suspicious. "Kelly is our friend, our best friend . . . I know she seemed to be on the side of the intruders when I saw her in the pool room, but I'm sure we could have talked to her to clear things up. She wouldn't side with those men without a good reason for it."
"You're right! Kelly is too cautious a person to side with suspicious people without a valid reason," Amanda mumbled as she brought a hand to her chin. "Plus, her mermaid DNA makes it harder to brainwash compared to most. . . Anyway, when I asked Valentina why Mr. S ordered such a drastic action, he said that he just wanted to play it safe."
"Putting someone in a coma is not my definition of playing it safe," Kaitlyn argued. "Where is Mr. S now?"
"At work; he should be back later tonight, but Punk's still here, downstairs overseeing the updated security measures," Amanda calmly explained as she looked over at the door. "He said that he was going to check in on you before the day was up."
"How nice of him," The Texan mumbled, her head quickly swiveling to face the door as the sounds of footsteps in the hallway grabbed her attention. "Someone's coming. That could be him."
"It is him," Amanda confirmed, her words becoming more affirmative when said man's head poked into the room after quietly knocking on the door three times. "Is everything good downstairs?"
"As good as we could make it ladies," The Chicago native conceded. "Of course we had to call in some new men to replace the security that was killed downstairs, but other than that, everything's been swell."
"Those were some serious losses," Amanda admitted as Kaitlyn silently watched on, keeping her eyes on Punk more than anything else as she didn't like the vibe that she was getting from him. "Did any of them have relatives?"
"Not really; most of them were loners that didn't keep in contact with their human relatives for obvious reasons of course."
"So all of them were turned vampires then, not born?" Amanda asked, introducing a concept that Kaitlyn was not familiar with just yet.
"That's correct, though some of them did manage to find their mates before meeting their untimely ends," Punk conceded as he scratched the back of his neck. "Those phone calls were not fun to make."
"Did Mr. S make you call them?" Kaitlyn asked, raising her eyebrow slightly.
"No, but I was in the room when he made those calls himself," He admitted as he crossed his arms. "He only needed to make three calls, but one of them definitely didn't sound pretty."
"At least he was willing to do it instead of forcing a henchman to," Amanda mused as she looked off to the side. "Sorry to hear that one of the calls gave him such trouble though."
"Pfft, Mr. S handled it like a champ, and he is more than willing to cover any financial costs - within reason of course - that'll result in the aftermath. The man's been called many things, but uncaring of those that work for him? Yeah, that's not one of them," Punk admitted, almost sounding impressed as he turned to Kaitlyn. "So, how are you feeling, Little Miss Texas?"
"I'm feeling okay. My mind's a little slow on the upkeep, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Kaitlyn admitted, choosing her words carefully as the man intently watched her, as if he was waiting for her to make some mistake.
"I hope so," Punk mused, smirking in a way that the Texan didn't fully appreciate. "Cody took quite a bite out of you. It's the reason why you were out cold for a while."
"Cody. . . So that's his name," Kaitlyn mused looking stoic, even daring to look angered by the notion, though on the inside, she felt somewhat thrilled at finally knowing her mate's name. She could finally put a name to his mustached face, and she had to admit it really suited him.
The fact that he bit her didn't bother her that much either. In fact, she couldn't help but be a little impressed with his gall. She should be irritated with such a move, but in hindsight, she may have acted a little unreasonable toward them. . . Plus, somehow, she knew he hadn't done it to personally hurt her. It was more to snap her into focus. . .
. . . And focused, she was.
"What did you do to them anyway?" Amanda couldn't help but ask as she leaned back on the bed. "I highly doubt that they're still downstairs at this point."
"We had them moved to a secure location. . . Mr. S wants to interrogate them before he does anything else. They came here for you girls, and we want to know why . . ."
"I think I already know why. . ." Kaitlyn thought to herself as Punk started heading for the door. "Leaving so soon?"
"A man's work is never done, and I need to be downstairs to keep things in order, but I'll send a blood bag up for you to help recoup your strength." Punk called over his shoulder. "I hope you girls are hungry. Chef Milos makes a mean vegan goulash with pierogi on the side!"
"Hmm, sounds delicious! Can't wait to try it," Amanda called after him, watching as he gave her a thumbs up over his shoulder before walking out the room, closing the door behind him.
"Goulash and pierogi? That does sound like an interesting combo," Kaitlyn mused as she listened to his retreating footsteps. ". . . You know; there's something weirdly off putting about Punk. Something about him that just grates on the nerves."
"I feel it too, but he's one of Mr. S' main men, so I'm not really questioning it right now."
"That's not something I expected to hear from you," Kaitlyn admitted as she turned to her friend. "You're psychic. Isn't questioning things in your nature, particularly in a sarcastically witty way?"
"Yes; but for some reason, I feel less inclined to do it," She admitted, her face looking slightly unsure. "I know it sounds odd, especially for someone like me but . . . I feel okay. I feel safe around Mr. S."
"But do you trust him?"
Kaitlyn's question stopped the taller woman right in her tracks, her eyes going wide as her mouth went shut. The newborn vampire watched her friend's face as it seemed to freeze up in contemplation, staying that way until she started shaking her head like she wasn't sure that she was comprehending what she was thinking, which was never a good sign.
"I. . . I'm not sure," Amanda finally whispered, her tone as unsure as her words as she looked up at Kaitlyn. "I'm not sure at all."
"And that's what I'm afraid of. . ."
A/N: Please review!