Chapter 38: Persistent Storm Clouds
It is quiet inside Henrietta's office, dinner is about to end soon. Even though her office is not as big compared to the Principal's and Luther's own offices, which are all located along the same hall, its size didn't stop Henrietta from decorating it as if it was her bedroom. There's more black than purple, white, and dark blue, thus resulted in it being called a dungeon room or a dark chamber by the students that were sent to or have been in her office once before. Yes, she even got the walls painted black. Henrietta is sat behind her desk, occupying her time doing some paperwork while the three siblings are sitting on a two cushion, purple sofa close to the left side wall.
Covering up a yawn, the red-haired girl looks at how much battery life her smartphone (covered in a red and black case) has left, frowning at the 10%. Setting her phone down on her lap, she checks her short jacket pockets for her phone charger. "Shit, did I seriously forget my charger?" She glares at her siblings when she hears one of them stifle a laugh.
"You always forget to bring it with you, you shouldn't be surprised anymore," her younger sister says, smiling at her older sister's constant forgetfulness.
The redhead crosses her arms. "Since you always notice that then the least you could do is give me my phone charger whenever we leave," she states accusingly.
The noirette shakes her head. "No way, it's your fault for having bad memory like an old person." Their brother snickers.
"I have the memory of an old person, huh?" The redhead smirks as she looks at Henrietta. "Auntie, Yuna just dissed you."
It's the young black-haired vampiress' turn to glare at her sister for lying. "No, I didn't!"
"Why am I being dragged into this?" Henrietta calmly asks although she doesn't stop writing. "I'm not even that old."
"Yeah, if anything, Rosa was the one who dissed you," Yuna says.
The two girls go back and forth deeming the other the culprit of calling Henrietta old, all the while their brother is laughing at them. His mood better thanks to their childish arguing.
Several minutes later, the girls cease their bickering when their ears pick up faint muffled voices within the hallways. "Looks like dinner is over," Henrietta says laying the pen she was using down on her desk. "Leon should be on his way." The three preteens smile at that, excited to see their eldest and sane brother again after so long.
Much to their satisfaction, they didn't have to wait no more than a minute, the trio rising onto their feet when someone knocks on the door. Henrietta tells them to come in, and the door pushes forward, peeking in first are a few curly strands of apricot-colored hair. "Leon!" Yuna and her brother quickly approach him, forcing him to open the door all the way to embrace his siblings. Rosa is keeping her excitement to a minimum as she walks towards him.
"Ed, Yuna!" Leon beams.
"We missed you so much," Yuna says softly, relaxing into Leon's strong yet comforting hug.
Regret shows in Leon's smile. "Me too." He forces the feeling away before pulling back, giving Rosa a hug as well. "But it's great seeing you guys again." He separates from her, and gets a good look at his younger sisters and brother. "Ed's just about the same height as you two now." Edward smiles proudly at the compliment.
"I doubt he'll outgrow me," Rosa huffs crossing her arms again.
"You never know," Leon simply says with a shrug. "But how have you all been?"
"Pretty good, but when are you gonna get a phone?" Rosa asks showing off her smartphone. "You wouldn't have to always use the phone here to contact us."
"Even if I did get one, there's no reception here."
"There is," Rosa confirms.
Henrietta raises an eyebrow. "Wow, that's surprising."
"Yeah, it's not too bad out here." Rosa is still surprised by the discovery herself as she puts her smartphone into her jacket pocket. "I can ask Vin to buy one for you."
Leon shakes his head. "You don't need to do that."
Rosa pouts, displeased. "Then contact us more. We can use telepathy, ya know."
"How come you don't contact him that way then?" Yuna asks.
"Because I don't wanna disturb him if he's working, duh!" Yuna just sticks her tongue out at the redhead.
"Using telepathy long distance is too risky. Not only will it take up a lot of energy, but it can harm the brain if the conversation draws out for too long," Leon informs, frowning sternly.
Rosa blinks, dumbfounded. "I actually didn't know that." Edward laughs at her. "Shut up, I bet you didn't know either."
"Ahem!" Someone suddenly clears their throat from right behind Leon, his tall and slightly well-built frame almost completely blocking them. He had nearly forgotten they were out there. He steps out of the doorway by entering further into the room. Standing in the doorway is the second oldest with two unfamiliar boys right beside him. The atmosphere becomes very tense in that instant.
"Oh boy..." Henrietta thinks with a frown, observing the Edgewood siblings.
"Why is he here?" Rosa is practically seething, the mere sight of Craig makes her want to punch his expressionless face in.
"Craig is still family-"
"Last I checked, I wasn't," Craig says cutting Leon off.
"You're damn right you're not, you fucking murderer!" Rosa exclaims angrily.
"Rosa, that's not what he meant," Leon sighs. "Craig...was adopted into another family."
Rosa, Yuna, and Edward appear both shocked and confused by the news. "So...those two are his brothers?" Rosa asks glaring at the blonde and brunette, who cringe at the thought of being related to Craig considering they're dating him.
"No, we're-"
"It's none of your business," Craig interjects harshly. "Just be glad I'm no longer related to you guys anymore."
"Craig." Leon gives him a stern glare. "Just because you're adopted doesn't take away the fact that we are blood-related."
"I don't claim being related to a murderer. Never forget that he fucking killed our parents, Leon."
Craig frowns at the reminder. To this day, he still deeply regrets killing them, however he had no choice. He was forced to kill them, or rather, was possessed to kill them...
Yuna and Edward aren't happy to see Craig again either, but Leon is right. They are still family despite Craig being adopted into a different family.
"I want you all to live happy lives for my sake. I want neither of you to hold no grudge against Craig," Leon recites their mother's dying words with a sad smile. "Remember? We promised mom, didn't we?"
Rosa, Yuna, and Edward appear immensely saddened at the reminder while Craig tightens his lips into a line, his hands clenching inside his pants pockets. Rosa directs her scowl to the boys next to Craig again. "Who the hell are they then?"
"Like I said, it's none of your business," Craig replies bluntly. Rosa's eyes burn with intense hatred. Not at all intimated, Craig asks Leon, "Is the family reunion over now?"
The man sighs dejectedly. "I guess so."
Craig turns and walks away, the sky-blue-eyed blonde giving them an apologetic smile as he and the brunette follow behind him.
Once they're gone, a pissed off Rosa marches back to the sofa, sitting down and tapping her foot against the dark blue carpeted floor. Yuna and Edward are very hesitant to try and allay her anger, she seldom gets this seriously angry.
"I actually wanted us to sort this hatred towards each other out," Leon explains. "But Craig wouldn't have come if his 'friends' didn't tag along with him."
"I'll stop hating that bastard once he's dead," Rosa sneers, her tone calm. Leon doesn't know how to respond to that.
"Just how did he turn out like this?" Yuna wonders aloud, voicing Rosa's and Edward's exact thoughts.
A short flashback of a young and irate Craig taking their mother and father's life flashes through Leon's mind. "Just what was his real motive for killing them? And where had he gotten that knife from? I'll ask him later." He shakes his head. "I wish I knew, but even if I did...it's too late now." He then gives Henrietta a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Henrietta, for...you know..." He trails off scratching the back of his head.
She waves him off and gets up from her seat, walking out from behind her desk. "It's fine. Hopefully one day you all will reconcile."
"...Yeah," Leon says though deep down he highly doubts it. Killing one's parents isn't something that can be forgiven, even after a lot of time has passed.
"I wanna go home now," Rosa declares, standing up from the sofa.
"Michael and Mr. Valentine should be done or close to finishing their discussion, let Mr. Valentine know you're ready to go just in case," Henrietta tells them. She watches Leon usher them out into the hall, closing the door behind them. "So, this place actually has reception here," she muses.
Although dinner ended a few minutes ago, some students and a few teachers still linger in the halls. Upon reaching the second floor railing - they checked the Principal's office, but no one was in there - the quartet spots the Principal and Mr. Valentine seemingly conversing with a male teacher down on the first floor. Though as they get closer, the teacher turns out to be Kurai, and the atmosphere around the three is not very amicable.
Leon frowns confusedly as they come to a stop beside Michael. "What's goin' on?" He asks eying Kurai and Vincent.
The serious faced Vincent develops an untroubled smile on his face as he turns his attention away from a scowling Kurai. "Nothing to concern yourself with." Once he notices Rosa's weary and frustrated face, his expression goes back to looking serious. "Rather, I'm the one who should be doing the questioning. Who made my little rose upset?"
"Don't worry, I plan to get that bastard back somehow," Rosa vows, which greatly worries Leon, Yuna, and Edward. Craig doesn't deserve to experience happiness for as long as he lives, no one nor nothing should ever provide that heartless monster with any sense of bliss. Witnessing the noirette appearing to be enjoying his time with the brunette and blonde going to who knew where in the opposite hallway did not sit well with Rosa. Remembering those two gives her an idea. "I wonder how he'll feel when he loses his friends one day." She acquires a sinister glint in her eyes at the thought.
It takes a moment, but Vincent's posture relaxes. He'll question Rosa when they get home, if he has time, that is. "Well, let's go. It was nice seeing you again, Leon. Sorry, I can't stay longer and chat." His adopted children near the double doors, stopping and waiting for him there.
"No worries, maybe next time you visit we can," Leon says with a small smile.
Vincent returns the smile, then joins the children by the doors, opening one of them. Before walking out, he summons his wagasa, opens it and hovers it over their heads, then they step out into the rain with the door leisurely shutting closed behind them.
"That man isn't to be trusted," Kurai says, his eyes still narrowed.
Leon looks puzzled. "Why do you say that?"
"He thinks Vincent's hiding something from us," Michael answers shaking his head. Leon blinks dubiously.
"I don't think he is, I know he is," Kurai claims assertively. "You're an oblivious fool if you fail to see that."
Michael glares at him, offended. "Hey, I've known the guy for over six decades so I would know if he's being secretive or not."
Kurai crosses his arms, clearly not believing him. "So you say yet you didn't notice even when it was blatantly obvious just a few moments ago?"
"It was not because he's not hiding anything," Michael deadpans. "And in case you've forgotten, we managed to get some info out of the vampire hunter thanks to him."
"Yes, using his hypnotism," Kurai recalls although he remains unconvinced. "But have you ever thought that he could've used that ability to deceive you? He could've had the vampire hunter provide him with false information to give you, and since you said you weren't with them, it worked well enough for it to sound believable."
Both Michael and Leon frown in thought. Kurai did have a point... "That is possible, but Vincent would never do something like that. Anyway, I'll make an announcement for an early evening meeting for the teachers and staff tomorrow morning. I'll fill them in on the info Vincent provided, well, starting with Leon first."
Kurai looks even more disappointed, and without another word, he walks off. Michael shakes his head again. "C'mon, let's head to my office." They walk up the nearest staircase.
Looks like Leon is going to have to question Craig another time, but he's mostly concerned about Rosa's statement prior to her and the others' departure. "Don't do anything stupid, Rosa." He just hopes Vincent, Yuna, and Edward will stop her before she could carry out whatever reckless plan she thinks up.
"This place again..." Tweek thinks glancing around his surroundings. He's standing in the vividly expansive snowfield, this time there is no snow falling from the grey clouds above.
Out of nowhere, an all too familiar man dressed in nothing but black appears before him, evoking a startled shriek out of Tweek. The male chuckles. "You've been a vampire for nearly a week, and you still haven't gotten familiar with your extraordinary senses? You're lucky the vampire hunter was easily defeated."
Tweek frowns resentfully at his comment, he had no choice but to accept that he's a vampire now, whether he wanted to or not. "Whatever. Are you ever gonna tell me who you are?" This is their third time meeting yet he has no clue who this guy is nor his purpose for seeing him.
"Hmm, you can call me Shadow, as well as your guardian angel because I've come to you with another warning and some guidance along with it."
Tweek is momentarily at a loss for words. He feels far from being at ease, that's for sure. "What's your reason for helping me?" He asks, curious.
"I did say that you were turned for a reason, I'm partially responsible for that."
"...What?" Tweek doesn't know whether to get mad or be both mad and confused.
"That's all I'm gonna say. Now, before I reveal my warning to you, let me first ask you this, do you recall seeing an unfamiliar man in the academy this evening?"
There's a lot of vampires that are unfamiliar to Tweek in the academy, but he knows whom Shadow was talking about. "Yeah, he had long silver hair, and he was with the Principal and a teacher."
"That man was Vincent Valentine, he created Valentine Academy after the deaths of the owners of that building." So that's who that man was, Tweek didn't expect him to look so... ethereal. "He'd also taken in their children, and is friends with the Principal, thus appointed him that role. However, those aren't the most surprising things. That man is acquainted with the vampire hunter."
Tweek already knew about the deaths of William and Elena, however he doesn't fully believe the last bit of information he heard. "Wait, how do you know all of this?"
He can't see it, but he gets the feeling that Shadow grins at his query. "I have my ways." The way he said that gives Tweek the chills. "You must be very cautious of Vincent. The Principal is seemingly unaware of his affiliation with the vampire hunter, and it could very well end badly for everyone in that academy."
Tweek begins to panic. "T-then what should I do? Tell him about them?"
Shadow shakes his head. "Unfortunately, simply telling the Principal isn't going to be that easy, he wouldn't believe you without any evident proof. Which is why I've decided to help you." Nervousness bubbles up within Tweek's stomach. "Vincent plans to return to the academy in the next couple of days, both him and the Principal are going to discuss the vampire hunter's punishment, and you're going to pitch in an idea of your own-"
"Wait, what?!" Tweek shouts, not liking where this is going one bit. "Why do I-"
"Because you're the only one I'm telling this to. Oh, and that reminds me, I have another warning, but this is for you specifically." Tweek's body goes taut as the atmosphere around him becomes tense. He knows the man is absolutely serious when he says, "Do not tell anyone, especially Kyle and Luke, of our encounters. You haven't thought to do so yet, but I know you eventually will, and I would really hate for one of my visits to be the last one."
Tweek can't deny that the thought of telling Kyle about this man did cross his mind. Tweek manages to avert his eyes to the ground, swallowing the nervous lump in his throat. "O-okay..."
Both Shadow's demeanor and the atmosphere changes back to normal in that instant. "Good. Now as I was saying, you're going to voice a very cruel form of punishment for the vampire hunter, and from there...well, things will run on auto-pilot."
How the hell is Tweek possibly going to come up with a way to torture the vampire hunter in the upcoming few days?! Why can't that just be handled by the adults? Instead of asking the bunch of questions he has concerning the matter, because he knows that they will sadly not get answered outright, he decides to question a particular word that confuses him. He looks back up asking, "W-what do you mean by auto-pilot?" He'll at least answer that, he hopes.
"I mean things will progress on their own without you having to do anything else. I would tell you more, but I don't wanna spoil the surprise. Must have you focused on that day, after all."
Tweek is even more skeptical and anxious than before. He can't get any form of help from Kyle or anybody else since he must keep whatever relation he has with this guy a secret. Tweek really doesn't like the fact that he's going to do this alone, it terrifies him. "B-but what if I can't think up anything?! I'm not insane enough to- "
"Tweek." Shadow's soft yet deep voice makes the teen flinch. "I know you're extremely nervous about this, but don't worry, everything will go smoothly. Trust me."
Pressing his lips into a line, Tweek shakes his head, lowering his head again as he hugs himself. He feels he can't trust this man, how can he when he doesn't know a single thing about him? It is impossible to trust someone who's so mysterious. Suddenly, something cold touches Tweek's chin, and he feels his head being gently lifted up. His eyes widen in fear when he looks into Shadow's hood, his once invisible eyes are glowing white. He places his other palm directly in Tweek's face.
"Get some rest, you'll need it."
With his body growing weak and his eyelids sliding closed, Tweek is enveloped into darkness.
Further into the night, a sharp thunk belonging to a shishi-odoshibriefly sounds over the chirping of nearby crickets, the moon reflecting off of the ripples of a pond. Some fireflies let their presence be known by occasionally lighting up in random places within the garden.
In one of the rooms inside of a traditional Japanese home, amber light diffuses through the shoji (A sliding outer or inner door made of a latticed screen covered with white paper) of an engawa (An outer corridor that wraps around a Japanese house). The shishi-odoshi strikes the rock again. Sat at a small desk within the room is Vincent, he yawns setting his quill pen inside an ink bottle that's next to some papers he'd written on. A lamp is stationed at the upper corner of his desk, providing the lighting. An incense is burning on a table with short legs in the middle of the room, the table is known as a chabudai. Three animal heads, one belonging to a bear and the other two belonging to golden-eyed wolves, are mounted up on the wall behind him.
Vincent massages his forehead, glad to be done with the Godforsaken paperwork. He was doing them ever since he came home this evening. He gets up from his chair, and just when he's about to turn off the lamp, he senses someone coming towards his little office room. They lightly knock on the shoji.
"Come in."
The thin door slides open to one side, and an unhappy Rosa walks in, closing the shoji behind her. She's wearing her pajamas. "What's the matter?" Vincent asks her.
Her attention to the tatami mat (Straw matting used as a floor covering in a Japanese home) beneath her bare feet, Rosa's face contorts into a weak scowl. "Couldn't sleep, gotta lot on my mind." She looks up at Vincent, and frowns sheepishly at him. "I know you're tired, but...you don't mind listening, do you?"
Vincent tries to give her a smile void of any weariness, but fails. Even so, he doesn't have the heart to decline her. "Of course, I don't mind, you didn't even need to ask. Come." He ambles towards the shoji on the left side of his desk, pulling it apart then walking out onto the veranda. He sits down by the edge slipping his arms into his kimono wrap's sleeves, Rosa joining him shortly after. Neither say a word as seconds go by, both basking in the tranquil nighttime breeze and admiring the nightlife sounds along with it, accustomed to the startling sound of the shishi-odoshi.
"So, what's been troubling you all this time?" Vincent asks, his closed eyes looking up at the beautiful moon.
Rosa stares impassively at the garden a moment longer before answering. "It's...Craig. You remember he killed our parents, right?" Vincent confirms that he does remember with a hum. "Well, turns out he didn't feel an ounce of regret, and he even had gotten adopted into another family!" She still can't believe that. "Do they know that they took in a killer?! What if he kills them next?! What if-"
"Rosa." The girl blinks at the gentle call of her name. "Lower your voice or you might wake Edward and Yuna."
Rosa calms down by exhaling deeply through her nose. "R-right, sorry. But it just pisses me off, not because he's in another family, but because he didn't care that he killed mom and dad...I'll never forgive him, and I'll never stop hating him. Even if he apologizes one day." Her eyes start tearing up, she wipes them away before they fall and clenches her fists on her lap. "I want to avenge them. I want him to suffer. I want to make him pay..." She looks over at Vincent, who's still captivated by the moon. "And I know how to go about it, kind of."
Vincent's lips form into a line, and he finally looks at her. "What do you have in mind?"
"When you go back to the academy, can I come too? I'll start with his friends, have them hate him or something."
"After upsetting you today, exact revenge on him in any way you wish," Vincent says.
Rosa nods, glad that he didn't object. "Oh, umm, and can you keep this a secret from Leon, Yuna, and Ed?" She asks, pleading. If those three knew about her plan, they would surely disapprove and try to change her mind. Like back then when she was heavily fixated on avenging their parents after Vincent took them in.
"My lips are sealed." Vincent tightens his lips as he moves his forefinger and thumb over them, as if he's zipping his lips shut.
Relieved, Rosa then yawns out, "Thanks."
"Let's head back in, and gets some sleep," Vincent says standing up. Rosa follows suit, then they both enter their home with Vincent shutting the shoji. But stops before closing it completely. He opens his eyes halfway, his lips curling into an eerie smile as he spares one last glance at the bright moon, that's oblivious to a group of clouds creeping its way from the distance. He suddenly senses a presence in his garden, lowering his gaze and seeing a silhouette of a man by some bushes.
"We must talk."
His lips forming into a straight line again, Vincent closes both his eyes and the shoji. "Meet me in my room." The male watches the house until the amber glow vanishes, he leaves the garden in a haze of black smoke.
(A/n: Shishi-Odoshi (full description)- a water fountain in Japanese gardens, consisting of a segmented tube made out of bamboo pivoted to one side of it's balanced point. When filled with enough water, it tips down creating a piercing sound to scare away animals that will cause harm within the vicinity)