Chapter 9
When I awoke, I was again in Kieran's bed, his arms wrapped possessively around me. He awoke when I stirred.
"Kieran, I." My voice trailed off.
"Hush. We need not speak of last night."
"But-" I protested.
"You have questions, I know. They will all be answered.in due time."
"And when will that be?" I demanded, pulling away from him to sit up.
Kieran laughed softly, his hand cupping my cheek gently, stroking it lightly with his thumb.
"Not a morning person, are we?"
"You of all people should know that," I reminded him.
"Yes, as well I should. Leave, Kala," he said, a trace of amusement still playing in his voice. "Go occupy yourself with meddling elsewhere. You need not know about matters that don't concern you."
I glared at him, but did as he wished and left. Kieran stayed around that day, doing nothing in particular, trailing me, and keeping an ever-watchful eye on me. I had the feeling that he was making sure Adham didn't pay me any unwanted visits. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled with anticipation and alertness for the rest of the day. I felt as though someone other than Kieran was watching my every move, and contemplating the next.
That night, I fell uneasily into a fitful sleep, tossing and turning with each horrible twist in my dream.
I was four again, peacefully playing in my front yard with a favorite doll and an old, chipped china tea set on a crisp, clear spring day. The stormy skies of the previous day had transformed into a crystalline azure, not a fluffy white cloud to be seen. Flowers had opened up and Mama's gardens sang of beautiful weather and a lovely day yet to unfold.
I was filled with the exuberance and the wonders that only a child feels. The storms had raged for nearly a week, howling with all their might, barely breaking in their torrential sheets of rain. I had ventured outside only once, tired of being cooped up in the stuffy old house with my prissy older sisters, without Shane to keep them in their place and to protect me from their cruel taunts.
"They're just jealous," my brother would whisper to me when I came to him with tears welling in my eyes, threatening to spill over at the end of a particularly hard day when all it seemed I had been able to do was get in everyone's way. Wiping my tear-streaked face gently with his large hands, he would say, "You have the freedom that they lost long ago. And you.have a certain aura about you. People love you after just one glance. You're special, Kal; you bring life to anyone who's feeling sad. Promise me you'll never lose that. The world is a scary place, but you're brave. You can handle anything that comes at you, as long as you look to the light. It might not make sense now, but just promise me, that no matter what, you'll always look to the light."
Shane hadn't been around much that month. During the week he was at a school far away learning and testing out new hunting techniques, and when he came home for the weekend, he locked himself in his room, immersed in his studies all day and went hunting with Daddy at night. I barely saw him anymore, except for the occasional smile over a hurried meal before he went rushing back to his room.
"Kalantha, come inside! It's long past the time to start your studies! You should have been ready nearly 30 minutes ago!" Mama's weary voice called from the door of the large brick house. Mama bore the 2-year-old Alexandra on her hip, an awkward position for a woman who was nearly ready to give birth to her 7th child.
I frowned, puzzled. I had been ready long before that; it was she who told me to go outside and play. As her patience wore thin these days, I didn't bother to correct her, but merely patted my doll on the head as I passed her chair on my way inside. Now that I was a big girl of four years old, I could officially begin my studies of herb lore and how to manipulate the healing points in the human body, though I had been taught from the cradle about various plants and their healing properties.
The only sounds I could hear were Mama's labored breathing and the creaking of the old stairs as we climbed the narrow staircase up to the attic, where the healing room and the bedroom I shared with Alexandra were.
The magic made my skin tingle pleasantly as it flowed over me, like a cool breeze on an unbearably hot summer day. The walls were lined with shelves, on which stood many jars and packets of herbs. Thick bunches of sweet-smelling herbs hung overhead, tied to the ceiling and swinging lightly as air currents rustled through the open windows of the large room. Mama reached up to the top of a shelf and pulled down a heavy book, thick with yellowing pages. She blew the thin layer of dust off of the gilded cover as she brought it over to the old table in the center of the room and set it down, opening up the book to where we had left off.
She pointed to the top of the page and sat back with her eyes closed as I began reading.
I nodded off easily that night. Mama had kept me working with my magic for nearly the whole morning and then again for a few hours in the afternoon. She must have forgotten that I didn't have as much control over my magic and therefore let more of it drain into healing than was really necessary. She let me stop only when she saw that I had nodded off while standing. I could barely keep awake through dinner, and went right to sleep afterwards, before even baby Alexandra's bedtime. I said a sleepy goodnight to Shane, but he didn't acknowledge it, and he didn't come up to read to me until I fell asleep, as he usually did. He had been acting oddly for the last day or so; at every little noise he jumped. A nervous tick had developed at the corner of his left eye and his eyes were constantly darting around restlessly.
Waiting for him to come read to me, my eyelids slowly drooped until everything was blurry and shadows danced across my vision. Darkness cradled my small body and swept me off to sleep before I knew what was happening.
I jerked awake much later that night, not fully aware of what had roused me from my deep slumber. The hair on the back of my neck rose in warning and I shivered convulsively. Someone or something unwanted was in my room. I listened hard and heard something treading lightly on the wooden floors. I rolled over and instantly my body ran cold with fear. I was staring straight into a pair of glowing green eyes. A soft laugh reached my ears and the person leaned down over me.
"The little sister."
In one swift movement, my covers were thrown back and I was seized up into the thing's arms. My head was pulled aside and my thick curls were brushed away to expose my neck. I stiffened up with fright as I snapped to reality. Not a moment later, the creature's mouth was at my throat and the delicate skin encasing my veins held only for a moment before giving way to a pair of razor-sharp teeth. I was falling for only a moment before being caught and held up by a rushing current of energy. My mind fogged over and my body seemed to be left behind as I soared higher and higher, delighted by the fact that I could fly. The room around me became hazy and unfocused. Lights blurred with shadows, forming monstrous creatures, jeering at me, mocking me with their sluggish motions and derogative leering.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I heard my door being flung open and the creature that held me ripped his fangs from my throat as he hissed in pain. I fell back onto the bed in a dazed sort of way, not able to tell if I was asleep, if I was still dreaming. Sleepily I heard scuffling coming from the corner of my room. There was a sickening thud and a crack then soft, cold laughter.
"Teach you to mess with vampires.remember, I have blood claim on you and your whole family." Once again I was in the vampire's arms, my blood pouring out of my veins, my life slowly ebbing away. Suddenly the vampire stiffened, and fell forward on top of me.
I fell crashing backward into reality and further as pictures flashed painfully through my head. Blinding lights and piercing darkness alternately skittered and raced across my mind's eye. My eyes rolled up in my head and my body seized up torturously, my muscles tensing and clamping. Agonizing pain flared throughout my body, razing through me like fire through my veins, singeing every part of me.
The dead vampire was rolled off of me and I vaguely recognized Shane standing over me, scratched and bleeding on his face. Thick, metallic smelling crimson was spreading over his bare chest from his shredded skin.
He picked me up gently, but I unintentionally fought him. Every part of me was twitching and writhing madly with pain. At long last, I slid into the deep abyss of oblivion; I knew no more of that night.
Shane's funeral was the next day. It was a quiet procession; tears had been shed until no more would fall. The stormy, gray skies had returned again, mourning the loss of my brother in its own form of misty rain and the occasional rumble of distant thunder, slowly rolling across the foggy hills.
The polished ebony casket was lowered into the ground and white rose petals were scattered around and over it. I held a handful of rose petals in my clenched fist, but couldn't bring myself to walk closer to the chasm.
It was my fault that this had happened, that Shane was now lying trapped and cold with death inside the box that had been lowered down below the ground that we walk upon.
That morning, I had awoken in my parents' bed, feeling a bit lightheaded and achy, but otherwise fine. I had called for Shane, but my mother came in with puffy, red-rimmed eyes to tell me quietly that Shane was gone. She told me that it wasn't my fault, but I heard her and my father conversing among their friends softly. Shane had poured his life into me to keep me alive. He had sacrificed himself for me.
They had come upstairs not too long after the fight had ended, to find me lying peacefully sleeping in Shane's arms. My breath came in shallow gasps, but his failed to escape his lips ever again. They didn't know the entire story; I refused to talk and shielded my mind from my mother's probing. My mother was worried about me; she said my silence wasn't natural. A child should express their feelings, let everything out, but I hadn't cried; instead, I took the news with utter stillness and a thin-lipped expression, my eyes red with unshed tears that I wouldn't let fall.
A sudden gust of wind whipped up around me, tugging at the rose petals that were still clasped in my hand. I lifted my arm up and cast the petals into the gale. They were whisked around me in a whirling storm of sweet smelling white. My headband was torn out of my hair, letting it fly free in all directions as the wind encircled me, ever growing faster and faster. I slowly raised my arms to the sky and began twirling around and around, smiling at the sky and the slim ray of sunshine that had slit through the clouds.
It was over as soon as it began. The wind was suddenly gone and the petals slowly drifted to the ground and settled there; silence surrounded me like a thick blanket. I slowly opened my eyes, still smiling. The sky remained gray, dull, and lifeless. My mother came to lead me away from the grave with an arm around my shoulders. I pulled away and turned back to face my brother's tombstone once more.
For, in that sudden forceful gale, I knew I had heard my brother once again, for the last time. His gentle whisper had made happy shivers run up the length of my spine. "Promise me.that you'll always look to the light."
"I promise, Shane," I whispered quietly, now looking toward the sky where the single ray of sun shone through a break in the dense clouds again.
My mother looked at me sympathetically then drew my hand between her own hands. She kissed my hand gently, then patted it and started to tug me away again. I went reluctantly, still looking back.
When I awoke, I was again in Kieran's bed, his arms wrapped possessively around me. He awoke when I stirred.
"Kieran, I." My voice trailed off.
"Hush. We need not speak of last night."
"But-" I protested.
"You have questions, I know. They will all be answered.in due time."
"And when will that be?" I demanded, pulling away from him to sit up.
Kieran laughed softly, his hand cupping my cheek gently, stroking it lightly with his thumb.
"Not a morning person, are we?"
"You of all people should know that," I reminded him.
"Yes, as well I should. Leave, Kala," he said, a trace of amusement still playing in his voice. "Go occupy yourself with meddling elsewhere. You need not know about matters that don't concern you."
I glared at him, but did as he wished and left. Kieran stayed around that day, doing nothing in particular, trailing me, and keeping an ever-watchful eye on me. I had the feeling that he was making sure Adham didn't pay me any unwanted visits. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled with anticipation and alertness for the rest of the day. I felt as though someone other than Kieran was watching my every move, and contemplating the next.
That night, I fell uneasily into a fitful sleep, tossing and turning with each horrible twist in my dream.
I was four again, peacefully playing in my front yard with a favorite doll and an old, chipped china tea set on a crisp, clear spring day. The stormy skies of the previous day had transformed into a crystalline azure, not a fluffy white cloud to be seen. Flowers had opened up and Mama's gardens sang of beautiful weather and a lovely day yet to unfold.
I was filled with the exuberance and the wonders that only a child feels. The storms had raged for nearly a week, howling with all their might, barely breaking in their torrential sheets of rain. I had ventured outside only once, tired of being cooped up in the stuffy old house with my prissy older sisters, without Shane to keep them in their place and to protect me from their cruel taunts.
"They're just jealous," my brother would whisper to me when I came to him with tears welling in my eyes, threatening to spill over at the end of a particularly hard day when all it seemed I had been able to do was get in everyone's way. Wiping my tear-streaked face gently with his large hands, he would say, "You have the freedom that they lost long ago. And you.have a certain aura about you. People love you after just one glance. You're special, Kal; you bring life to anyone who's feeling sad. Promise me you'll never lose that. The world is a scary place, but you're brave. You can handle anything that comes at you, as long as you look to the light. It might not make sense now, but just promise me, that no matter what, you'll always look to the light."
Shane hadn't been around much that month. During the week he was at a school far away learning and testing out new hunting techniques, and when he came home for the weekend, he locked himself in his room, immersed in his studies all day and went hunting with Daddy at night. I barely saw him anymore, except for the occasional smile over a hurried meal before he went rushing back to his room.
"Kalantha, come inside! It's long past the time to start your studies! You should have been ready nearly 30 minutes ago!" Mama's weary voice called from the door of the large brick house. Mama bore the 2-year-old Alexandra on her hip, an awkward position for a woman who was nearly ready to give birth to her 7th child.
I frowned, puzzled. I had been ready long before that; it was she who told me to go outside and play. As her patience wore thin these days, I didn't bother to correct her, but merely patted my doll on the head as I passed her chair on my way inside. Now that I was a big girl of four years old, I could officially begin my studies of herb lore and how to manipulate the healing points in the human body, though I had been taught from the cradle about various plants and their healing properties.
The only sounds I could hear were Mama's labored breathing and the creaking of the old stairs as we climbed the narrow staircase up to the attic, where the healing room and the bedroom I shared with Alexandra were.
The magic made my skin tingle pleasantly as it flowed over me, like a cool breeze on an unbearably hot summer day. The walls were lined with shelves, on which stood many jars and packets of herbs. Thick bunches of sweet-smelling herbs hung overhead, tied to the ceiling and swinging lightly as air currents rustled through the open windows of the large room. Mama reached up to the top of a shelf and pulled down a heavy book, thick with yellowing pages. She blew the thin layer of dust off of the gilded cover as she brought it over to the old table in the center of the room and set it down, opening up the book to where we had left off.
She pointed to the top of the page and sat back with her eyes closed as I began reading.
I nodded off easily that night. Mama had kept me working with my magic for nearly the whole morning and then again for a few hours in the afternoon. She must have forgotten that I didn't have as much control over my magic and therefore let more of it drain into healing than was really necessary. She let me stop only when she saw that I had nodded off while standing. I could barely keep awake through dinner, and went right to sleep afterwards, before even baby Alexandra's bedtime. I said a sleepy goodnight to Shane, but he didn't acknowledge it, and he didn't come up to read to me until I fell asleep, as he usually did. He had been acting oddly for the last day or so; at every little noise he jumped. A nervous tick had developed at the corner of his left eye and his eyes were constantly darting around restlessly.
Waiting for him to come read to me, my eyelids slowly drooped until everything was blurry and shadows danced across my vision. Darkness cradled my small body and swept me off to sleep before I knew what was happening.
I jerked awake much later that night, not fully aware of what had roused me from my deep slumber. The hair on the back of my neck rose in warning and I shivered convulsively. Someone or something unwanted was in my room. I listened hard and heard something treading lightly on the wooden floors. I rolled over and instantly my body ran cold with fear. I was staring straight into a pair of glowing green eyes. A soft laugh reached my ears and the person leaned down over me.
"The little sister."
In one swift movement, my covers were thrown back and I was seized up into the thing's arms. My head was pulled aside and my thick curls were brushed away to expose my neck. I stiffened up with fright as I snapped to reality. Not a moment later, the creature's mouth was at my throat and the delicate skin encasing my veins held only for a moment before giving way to a pair of razor-sharp teeth. I was falling for only a moment before being caught and held up by a rushing current of energy. My mind fogged over and my body seemed to be left behind as I soared higher and higher, delighted by the fact that I could fly. The room around me became hazy and unfocused. Lights blurred with shadows, forming monstrous creatures, jeering at me, mocking me with their sluggish motions and derogative leering.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I heard my door being flung open and the creature that held me ripped his fangs from my throat as he hissed in pain. I fell back onto the bed in a dazed sort of way, not able to tell if I was asleep, if I was still dreaming. Sleepily I heard scuffling coming from the corner of my room. There was a sickening thud and a crack then soft, cold laughter.
"Teach you to mess with vampires.remember, I have blood claim on you and your whole family." Once again I was in the vampire's arms, my blood pouring out of my veins, my life slowly ebbing away. Suddenly the vampire stiffened, and fell forward on top of me.
I fell crashing backward into reality and further as pictures flashed painfully through my head. Blinding lights and piercing darkness alternately skittered and raced across my mind's eye. My eyes rolled up in my head and my body seized up torturously, my muscles tensing and clamping. Agonizing pain flared throughout my body, razing through me like fire through my veins, singeing every part of me.
The dead vampire was rolled off of me and I vaguely recognized Shane standing over me, scratched and bleeding on his face. Thick, metallic smelling crimson was spreading over his bare chest from his shredded skin.
He picked me up gently, but I unintentionally fought him. Every part of me was twitching and writhing madly with pain. At long last, I slid into the deep abyss of oblivion; I knew no more of that night.
Shane's funeral was the next day. It was a quiet procession; tears had been shed until no more would fall. The stormy, gray skies had returned again, mourning the loss of my brother in its own form of misty rain and the occasional rumble of distant thunder, slowly rolling across the foggy hills.
The polished ebony casket was lowered into the ground and white rose petals were scattered around and over it. I held a handful of rose petals in my clenched fist, but couldn't bring myself to walk closer to the chasm.
It was my fault that this had happened, that Shane was now lying trapped and cold with death inside the box that had been lowered down below the ground that we walk upon.
That morning, I had awoken in my parents' bed, feeling a bit lightheaded and achy, but otherwise fine. I had called for Shane, but my mother came in with puffy, red-rimmed eyes to tell me quietly that Shane was gone. She told me that it wasn't my fault, but I heard her and my father conversing among their friends softly. Shane had poured his life into me to keep me alive. He had sacrificed himself for me.
They had come upstairs not too long after the fight had ended, to find me lying peacefully sleeping in Shane's arms. My breath came in shallow gasps, but his failed to escape his lips ever again. They didn't know the entire story; I refused to talk and shielded my mind from my mother's probing. My mother was worried about me; she said my silence wasn't natural. A child should express their feelings, let everything out, but I hadn't cried; instead, I took the news with utter stillness and a thin-lipped expression, my eyes red with unshed tears that I wouldn't let fall.
A sudden gust of wind whipped up around me, tugging at the rose petals that were still clasped in my hand. I lifted my arm up and cast the petals into the gale. They were whisked around me in a whirling storm of sweet smelling white. My headband was torn out of my hair, letting it fly free in all directions as the wind encircled me, ever growing faster and faster. I slowly raised my arms to the sky and began twirling around and around, smiling at the sky and the slim ray of sunshine that had slit through the clouds.
It was over as soon as it began. The wind was suddenly gone and the petals slowly drifted to the ground and settled there; silence surrounded me like a thick blanket. I slowly opened my eyes, still smiling. The sky remained gray, dull, and lifeless. My mother came to lead me away from the grave with an arm around my shoulders. I pulled away and turned back to face my brother's tombstone once more.
For, in that sudden forceful gale, I knew I had heard my brother once again, for the last time. His gentle whisper had made happy shivers run up the length of my spine. "Promise me.that you'll always look to the light."
"I promise, Shane," I whispered quietly, now looking toward the sky where the single ray of sun shone through a break in the dense clouds again.
My mother looked at me sympathetically then drew my hand between her own hands. She kissed my hand gently, then patted it and started to tug me away again. I went reluctantly, still looking back.