Notes: This chapter was supposed to be one of the last, but knowing the girls could actually leave the castle has given me some new ideas. Also, I always wonder about how the sisters felt about Mother Miranda. Bela, in particular, I assumed she hates her for the form she treats Alcina. What do you guys think?
Thank you for all the reviews, follows and likes! It means a lot to me.
Castle Dimitrescu, Bela's room - Present Days
"Be honest. Who are you trying to convince with all of this? Me or yourself?"
Aleena's words resounded inside Bela's head all over again as she finished that bottle of wine by herself.
"Ughhhh," she threw herself on the bed, pressing the pillow against her face. The answer was obvious, she was trying to convince herself. Aleena wasn't the kind of woman that could be convinced of anything. If that girl was sure of something, nothing could change her mind. And she wasn't stupid. She wasn't delusional. Aleena was different from every person Bela met before. She was strong, willed, fierce. Aleena was a survivor. And beyond all, she had something no one had. She had the power of making Bela laugh, or at least smile. In her company, everything just seemed easy. She didn't have to make any efforts to be perfect, she only needed to be herself.
But Aleena was human, something she wasn't.
Bela feared one day her instincts would take over and she'd end up harming the girl. She feared someday Aleena would go away and never return. Who would even consider coming back to that castle, once their freedom was granted back? She feared someday she'd see Bela as the monster she was, for all the things she was used to do.
"Do you even have manners anymore?" When she noticed, Cassandra was standing by the door with her arms crossed and scowl on her face. "Leaving in the middle of dinner like that?"
"Have you ever heard about knocking?" Bela argued.
"You left without even saying goodbye to Mother Miranda."
"Screw Mother Miranda, have you seen how she treated mom again? She doesn't even believe we were attacked."
Cassandra started walking around her chambers, looking for something. She stopped at the coffee table in front of the small sofa. She grabbed one of the empty glasses on it and analyzed it carefully, as if she was searching for evidences of a crime.
"Where's Aleena?" She questioned. "I saw as she followed you. And apparently you brought her here."
"I did," Bela sighed angry. She was tired of having such a nosy sister. "We had a drink. We talked. We fought. Are you happy now or you need a full report?"
"Rawr, she's angry," Cassandra mocked. "Why did you two fought?"
"Because... because she's stupid. She's all around me, trusting me, expecting me to be someone I will never be. We're predators. We can't be friends with our prey."
"Oh."
Bela gave her a confused look.
"It's nothing," Cassandra shrugged. "I must go now. Mom wants to speak to me in private."
"What have you done this time? I'm telling you, I'm not cleaning up any mess you made."
"Screw you, Bela."
She shut the door behind her, leaving Bela alone with her thoughts. Why did her mother want to speak to Cassandra in private? Didn't she trust her? Wasn't she part of her plans anymore? She decided to go to the office. She'd stay outside, listening to their conversation.
"You did a great job during the attack, daughter," Alcina said. "Even unable to transform into flies you were able to kill most of those Lycans and keep Daniela safe. You know your little sister isn't a very good fighter."
"What do we do now, mother?" Cassandra asked. "About the traitor."
"I need to study carefully some information. Meanwhile, I want you to be my eyes and ears around this castle, do you understand? Any suspicious information must be reported to me."
"Of course."
Bela felt betrayed again. She wasn't even invited to be part of her mother's businesses anymore. She didn't trust her. Because she failed. Because she was weak. Because she wasn't enough.
She remembered how Miranda looked at them everytime they were in her presence too. Like a failed project. Like a little pet she gifted Alcina for her good job kissing her ass for all those years.
Everything about her was a failure. Everything! Her existence itself was a mistake.
Her hands started shaking and she felt her chest tightening in a manner could barely breathe. She leaned against the wall for support. When she closed her eyes, she remembered words she listened right before the Lycans invaded the castle.
"You're doing great, Bela," Aleena told her that morning.
She took a deep breath and decided, she wanted to run to the only place where she didn't feel like a failure. To the only place where she felt secure. To the only place where she felt she could be enough. Aleena was in the library and there was where she was headed to. She was done being mama's perfect daughter. She was done cleaning up the others' mess. For once, she wanted to be the one who caused the mess.
"What if I don't want to forget you?!"
Bela never expected the situation to take that turn. When Aleena said she was worth being remembered, she decided to embrace the feelings inside her. She had to kiss her, to have her only for herself. And god, she never wanted something so badly before. How she was relieved to find out Aleena wanted it as much as she did.
With Aleena things had to be different. Not only because she was inexperienced, Bela knew she'd learn fast when the moment came. But she wanted to take it slow, enjoying each minute of their moments together. She also decided to let Aleena to be in charge, to decide when she was ready for the next move.
After all Aleena was special. She was the woman who saved Bela's life. In many different ways.
Castle Dimitrescu, Unknown Location - A Few Days Later
How many secret passages and hiding spots a castle could have? I could never imagine there were so many, but Bela was introducing me to each one of them. Sometimes we'd lock ourselves in the library, or even in our rooms, but when her mother or sisters were around we needed to use our strategies. We had this secret code, I'd raise one eyebrow and if she responded the gesture we'd meet at the nearest secret place to make out. She even gifted me a map of the castle, marking all our make out spots.
I was walking headed to the dining room to have breakfast when I felt a pair of hands dragging me to inside a mysterious room.
I let out a small muffled laugh as Bela pinned me against the wall and started devouring my mouth, slowly and passionate. I felt a warmth growing inside me, something I could no longer control. I was desperate for more. More kisses, more touches, more intimacy.
"Looks like you've got kidnapped again, love."
"Hey, we gotta stop meeting like this. Someday you'll give me a heart attack."
She let out a small laugh as her mouth descended to my neck.
"Do confess," Bela looked at me with those gorgeous yellow eyes I just couldn't resist. "You like it."
"No," I playfully nibbled on her lower lip. "I love it."
We parted and started recomposing ourselves before following to the dining room. I'd go first and she'd arrive about seven minutes later, as we combined.
"So what's special about this room?" I asked. Bela enjoyed telling me random facts about the places she dragged me in and I enjoyed hearing them.
"My mom can't enter here," she smiled. I was getting used seeing that smile more often now. She looked more happy and relaxed since we started seeing each other. "But my sisters can. So we must be a little careful with this one."
"Okay. We'll only use it when we know they're busy then."
"Don't worry, I left one of my flies outside. I'll know if someone is coming."
"You always think about every detail, Bela Dimitrescu."
I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me for one last good morning kiss. I couldn't deny it anymore. I was in love with her. She made it easy to fall for her. I knew where I was getting into. She was still the same Bela from the stories I was used to hear at the village, devilish, evil and merciless. But she also could be affectionate, smart and funny.
Lady Dimitrescu and her other daughters weren't aware of our relationship. Bela hadn't told them yet, she was afraid of how they could react. They could be completely unpredictable. She said that was because it was something entirely new for her too, but in my mind I couldn't help wondering...
Was it because I was truly different? Or was she using with me the same excuse she told all the other women she got involved before?
Castle Dimitrescu, Dining Room - Present Days
"Good morning," I greeted Lady Dimitrescu, Cassandra and Daniela with a small smile before finding my seat around the table.
"Good morning," Alcina barely bothered taking her eyes off her tea cup to look at me. Things had changed drastically since the dinner with the Four Lords, when Miranda suggested my brother could be behind the attack and the missing artifact from Donna Beneviento's house.
If I managed to earn her trust when I saved her daughters, now I had lost it all again.
"Morning, Leena," Daniela was the only one to still treat me well. "Here, have this biscuit. You're gonna love it."
"Where's Bela, by the way?" Cassandra asked. "Mother has some important news to share and we're waiting for her."
"I haven't seen her this morning. Sorry," I lied, serving myself some tea.
Bela entered a few minutes later. In opposite of me, she had kind of a smirk in the corners of her mouth. She wasn't even trying to hide she was happy.
"Good morning, mother," she grinned, sitting by my side, "Cass, Dani, Aleena."
"Dani?!" Daniela muttered to herself, with her eyes wide in shock. I assumed her older sister didn't call her by a nickname so often. "Mom, the Lycan bite is affecting Bela and I'm scared. She's turning into something!"
"Rawr!" Bela joked, frowning and making claws with her hands.
I couldn't helping smiling a bit too.
"Did you find a good prey and didn't even tell us?" Cassandra questioned. "Yes, because I know you're not good sharing."
Lady Dimitrescu cleared her throat.
"Bela, is there anything you would like to share with your mother and sisters? Indeed, you look different this morning, daughter."
"Actually, yes," my heart skipped a beat. Would she finally tell them? Just like that? Without asking my opinion first? "I checked the weather this morning. It seems we'll finally be able to go out."
"Yes!" Cassandra grinned ear to ear. Her eyes were shining in pure and absolute joy. That was the first time I saw her genuinely happy. "Is it true, mother?"
"Yes, daughters," Alcina confirmed. "These are the news I was going to announce once Bela arrived. You're allowed to be outside the castle today."
"What am I going to do?" Daniela started speaking to herself. "Oh my god, there is so much I've been planning..."
I noticed Lady Dimitrescu was gazing at me. Her eyes were bottomless and cold. I swallowed dry.
"What about you?" She asked me. "It seems like your brother has abandoned you to your fate. What am I going to do about you?"
"You're going to set her free," Bela quickly answered. "You promised. She saved our lives."
"We'll discuss about this later. You have one more week," she looked at me again, "no more than that."
Okay. She was really considering murdering me. I tried to not freak out, but it was impossible.
"Now, daughters, I want to know where you're planning to go."
"Hunting," Cassandra answered for all of them. "We're going hunting, right?"
"Hunting?" Daniela whined. "I thought we could do something fun for once."
"It isn't fun because you're always missing your prey."
"I don't enjoy killing animals, Cass! Humans are different."
Good. They were going to hunt animals. In my mind I was already picturing a scenario where the three sisters were going to the village searching for that night's main dish, who could be Gustav or even Olga.
"I'm not going hunting today, mother," Bela announced. "I'm not in shape yet."
"Oh?!" Lady Dimitrescu was surprised. "It has been over a week, Bela. You should be fully recovered yet."
"I am. I'm just... not in the mood."
"Okay," Cassandra snarled. "Then stay home reading your drama books. We'll have fun ourselves, right, Dani?!"
"What's wrong with the two of you today?" Daniela followed her to get ready for their hunting session.
"Don't go too far," Alcina advised. "And if any creatures try to attack you, you must return home immediately."
Cassandra grunted something about being able to handle beasts on her own. Lady Dimitrescu checked the clock, it was time for her to take care of her own duties in her office. As she left the room, I nudged Bela:
"Hey, are you giving up on your day out only to be with me? Go hunting with your sisters, I'll be okay."
"Oh no, love," she opened a sly smile. "I made other plans already."
She dissolved into a swarm of flies, quickly reaching her mother in the main hall. I stood by the door, listening to their conversation:
"Mother, I was wondering, can I go horse riding?" Bela asked her mom.
"You can, daughter," Lady Dimitrescu said. "But didn't you say you weren't in shape yet?"
"Oh, I... I won't be doing much effort."
"Alright. Just be careful and don't stray too far from the castle's properties."
"Uh, actually I remembered..." Bela's voice acquired a tone of disappointment. "Who's gonna keep an eye on Aleena while you're busy? I mean, she could take the opportunity to run away or even plot something against us. You heard what Mother Miranda said about her brother."
"You're right. Only when I thought we could trust her..."
"Or maybe I could take her with me?" Bela suggested.
"If you want to," Alcina agreed. "Just don't let her out of your sight. If she escapes, it'll be your responsibility."
"Don't worry, mother. I'll keep her on a leash."
When Bela returned, she could barely hide the satisfied grin on her face.
"Bela!" I grinned back. "You're such an actress!"
"I know. Now come, I'll borrow you one of my horse riding outfits."
Castle Dimistrescu, Stables - Present Days
I hadn't gotten used to the experience of being in Bela's bedroom yet. After the night we argued, I had been there at least twice, making out with her on the sofa and watching the stars on her telescope. This time was different though, she lead me to her closet, picking two horse riding outfits.
"This one should fit," she handed me one of them. When Bela wasn't wearing her usual high heels, our height difference wasn't much.
I was just admiring the fancy fabric of those clothes when she started to undress in front of me. My cheeks started to burn like never before. I felt other parts of my body burning too. It was the first time I was seeing her like that, only in her underwear.
She turned around, probably noticing the gay mess I looked like.
"Oh, love," she smiled. "You can change in the bathroom if you want to."
I nodded and followed her instruction. As I got dressed, my head started spinning with more questions. Why hadn't Bela tried to have sex with me yet? Why didn't she ask me to undress in front of her too? Why was she taking it so slow? Was it because she knew? Was it because I wasn't attractive enough? Was it because she was saving me for her mother's famous wine?
Anyways, I got dressed as soon as I could, following her outside the castle.
Bela took a few minutes to appreciate the sun on her skin and the fresh air filling her lungs. She closed her eyes and smiled. I hated Miranda a little bit more for taking that away from her. Something that for me was so simple, so casual I barely paid attention. Beyond that, Bela was also taken her body, her original body, one that could not turn into flies. She was taken her identity. She was taken her choice. My father was right, Miranda was a bitch.
"You look even prettier in the daylight, you know," I told her, kissing her cheek.
"I can say the same about you," Bela took my hand and together we walked to the stables.
When we arrived, the joy on her face was clearly visible. She loved those animals and she loved being around them. She greeted and stroke each one of them fondly. They were five and all of them were named after book characters.
Bela ordered a servant to bring some food so we could feed the horses. She said I needed to gain their trust before mounting one of them.
"Which one is yours?" I asked.
"All of them," she told. "My sisters never had any interest. I know they belong mostly to the staff, as I rarely come here to see them. But when I do, it's only me."
After feeding the horses and grooming their fur, Bela helped me with some basic mounting lessons. I was feeling far from confident, but she told me I couldn't show that to my horse, or they'd sense my insecurity.
"Charlotte is a sweet girl," she told, caressing my horse's face. "She's very obedient and calm. You don't have to worry."
She mounted her own horse, Elizabeth, and we started heading outside the property.
"So, where exactly are you planning to take me, Ms. Bela?" I asked.
"No, love," Bela let out a small laugh. "You are taking us to the village."
"W-What?"
"Yes! You know a lot about me already. I want to know more about you too. I want to see where you live, your daily routine, your workplace. Is it okay?"
How could I even say no to that smile?
Eastern Europe, Village - Present Days
There were a million reasons why that visit could go wrong. I couldn't predict how the villagers would react to Bela's presence. I wasn't sure if they knew how she looked like. At least the helmet on her head was enough to cover her scar and the tattoo on her forehead. I also didn't know if Auryk was home from one of his trips, if he caught me with the eldest Dimitrescu sister, things would get very ugly between us. And there was Lady Dimitrescu herself. She'd be furious if she knew we were wandering around the village. She stated very clearly I was her prisoner, and Bela was taking me home.
But when I looked at her, seeming so excited and observing all the details as we stopped by the village's entrance, I couldn't decline her that opportunity. The opportunity of living one day as a normal girl.
"Come on," I took her hand. "I'll show you everything."
And I did, I showed her my favorite little stores, I showed my closest friends' houses and the pub I used to work. No one had seen us yet. Which was good, I wasn't in the mood for answering any questions.
"And this, Ms. Bela Dimitrescu, future Countess of Dimitrescu House," I presented her to the old and cozy space I called home, "is the castle of Lady Aleena Novak, Countess of the Middle Of Nowhere."
Bela laughed at my joke.
"Oh, and that's my carriage," I took her to see my old dying truck inside the garage. "If it ever works again, I can teach you how to drive someday."
"I know how to drive," Bela spoke, running her hands through the door of my truck. "I did it once."
"Did you?!" I asked surprised. I wasn't aware there were cars inside the castle's property.
"We were hunting and... we killed this man. It was late and we stole his car to return to the castle. We even turned on the radio," a small smile appeared on the corners of her mouth as she shared the memory. "Needless to say my mom nearly had a heart attack when a car, out of control and playing music very loud, invaded her properties almost colliding to the castle's walls."
"Don't tell me Daniela was the one behind the wheel."
Bela raised her eyebrows mischievously, controlling herself to not laugh.
"We decided to start driving following our age order. Me, then Cassandra and then..."
"Oh god."
We both erupted into laughs. I couldn't even imagine Alcina's reaction watching the scene from her window.
"We weren't allowed to leave the castle again that Summer," Bela told. "And she made us clean the dungeons for months."
We both entered the house. For my surprise, it was clean and organized, what meant that Auryk had been there recently. When it was only me, it was always a mess. Bela observed each detail. She was used to luxury. She probably hadn't been in a house so small before, that belonged to a woman who worked serving tables and earning tips for a living. It should be very strange for her. In that moment, she should be wondering if she was at the risk of contracting a disease or something. She'd probably wash her hands in the very first opportunity.
"Your house..." she finally spoke. "It's lovely. I like it."
"Really?!" I furrowed my eyebrows surprised. She was probably saying that to please me. I checked the mail. Bills, bills and more bills. They wouldn't stop coming. Also a letter from the Art Institute asking me to confirm or decline my attendance in the following weeks.
I placed the envelopes back inside a drawer. I didn't want to talk to Bela about my move to California in that exact moment.
"So," she was watching expectantly at the stairs, "won't you show me your bedroom?"
"Oh god, here we go..."
Aleena's House, Bedroom - Present Days
"My bedroom," I opened the door, trying to avoid staring too much at that mess. There were piles of clothes on the floor. There were sketches I discarded at some random places. There were empty soda cans. Everything a girl, who was completely organized and perfectionist would hate. "I usually clean it. I just... had this emergency, that included being kidnapped by Heisenberg and get taken to your castle."
Bela wasn't paying attention to these details. She was more focused on my small shelf of books, being completely fascinated by some modern titles she wasn't familiar yet. Then, she went to my CD collection, my posters, the post cards grandma used to send me... She definitely didn't seem to care I wasn't Miss Organization.
"So... my bedroom," I told. "It's not so wonderful as yours but... it's where I spend most of my days."
"It's perfect, Aleena," Bela smiled. "It shows part of who you really are."
"You must be disappointed then."
"Not at all!" She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her lips against mine.
I turned on the stereo and asked her to pick a CD. For my surprise, Bela had some knowledge about modern music and artists, though she preferred music from older decades.
I threw myself on the bed and invited her to join me. The castle's bed could be bigger and more comfortable, but I still missed my bed more than anything. Bela lay on top of me, resting her head on my chest. I stroked her blonde, soft hair as we listened to music.
But there was something I wanted to know. Something I wanted to test. I wanted to push Bela's buttons to see how far she was willing to go.
"We're all alone. Your mom and sisters are not around, neither is my brother. Maybe we should enjoy the moment, you know?"
"As you wish, love," Bela move upwards, teasing me by brushing her lips against mine, just like the first time we kissed. Then, she deepened the kiss, massaging my tongue with hers and applying small bites on my lower lip.
We barely parted and I pulled her back to my mouth. She kissed me more fiercerly this time. I could feel things were heating up between us. Bela's mouth descended to my jawline, my neck and collarbone, raising some moans. But we had done all of that before, I wanted more.
"How about giving me some control this time, huh?" I switched places and straddled her.
I kissed her again and nibbled on her earlobe, before taking off my shirt. Bela seemed a little bit surprised, but excited. Her hands moved from my hips to my newly exposed belly, that she caressed and scratched softly, making me me shiver.
"You look so beautiful," she told me. "Let me see more of you."
"Of course."
I stood up, quickly getting rid of my pants. I was about to return to bed, when Bela pulled me herself, pinning me onto the mattress and lying on top of me again.
"Are you sure about this, love?" She whispered in my ear.
"I've never been so sure."
She opened a sly grin. With one hand, she unhooked my bra and her mouth proceeded to kiss my breasts. She wanted to explore every inch of them. Her tongue started playing with my nipples, making my back arch in pure pleasure.
I had never felt anything similar in my life before.
Bela's hands were massaging my tights and then, they started to move upwards, until she reached the fabric of my underwear.
God, I wanted that so badly. I wanted her to touch me. I wanted her to kiss me everywhere. I wanted her to make me hers and only hers.
She suddenly stopped.
"Well, it's kinda unfair you're the only one undressed. Let me give you a view to appreciate too."
Bela started removing her own clothes too and she was perfect. Every detail about her. She didn't have to be concerned about perfection, when she was perfection herself.
I grinned at the view, pulling her back to bed with me. We were face to face, her eyes were gazing deeply into mine, stealing my full attention as her hand traveled down my body, stopping at the waistband of my underwear.
For some goddamn reason in that moment a flashback returned to my mind.
Eastern Europe, Woods - September, 2015
I was only thirteen. I grabbed Ivan's hands as we jumped out of the school bus and we ran straight into the woods. I told him I wanted to show the knife set Adrian had gifted me on my birthday. But deep down it was a lie.
Ivan was my test subject. My experiment. My hormones were screaming something inside me I had been trying to fight against. Because they were wrong. Wrong against my mother's beliefs, wrong according to Adrian's views and wrong upon the other girls' eyes.
"Whoa, Leena," the red haired boy exclaimed. "Those knifes are sick! Have you ever tried to use them for hunting?"
"No," I told. "My dad... he's always traveling. He doesn't have time to take us for hunting."
"You can go with my family next time, if you want to."
"I'd love to."
Without any more hesitations, I pressed my lips against his. He seemed to like, as he returned the kiss. I can't say it was entirely bad. But it meant nothing to me. I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel my heart racing or butterflies in my stomach.
It was official, I was into girls.
We parted as we heard heavy footsteps coming in our direction. Somebody grabbed my arm before I could even notice.
"What do you think you're doing, your little slut?!" Adrian's alcoholic breath yelled right into my face. He dragged me back home, not giving a shit if he was injuring my arm. Ivan ran away immediately. Everybody knew what Adrian was capable of.
Once we entered home, he slapped me hard on the face, making me lose balance and fall on the floor.
"You're an embarrassment to this family! Now everyone will talk. They'll say your mother was a slut too. Is that what you want? To disgrace your mother's memory?"
I shook my head in denial, drowning in pure embarrassment and pain. Before he left he still spat on me, to make sure I'd feel like a piece of filth.
To that day, I promised myself I'd never kiss somebody again. And I didn't. Not until Adrian died.
Aleena's House, Bedroom - Present Days
"Bela..." tears started filling my eyes. I wished so hard for that moment and now I ruined it. Like I always ruined everything. "Stop."
"What happened, love?" She tenderly touched my face. "Did I do anything wrong? Are you okay?"
"No..." I buried my face on her shoulder. "You didn't do anything. It's me. I'm the problem."
She embraced me, pulling me closer to her body as she could.
"This is okay, Leena. You're not a problem, love. Everything on its own time. We don't have to rush things. Just as we are, it's great for me. Being with you, kissing you, it's the best part of my day."
I broke down into sobs. With Bela it was just like that. I could feel again. I could have emotions. I could let it all out. When I calmed down a little, I told her everything Adrian did. The day in the woods and also the sick ritual when I was sixteen.
"So, as you can see... I am still a..."
"I know," Bela smiled. "And it only makes you even more special. You're different from all the women I've been with, Aleena, and this is why I... I..."
She struggled with her words a little.
"I'm in love with you. I've never been in love before. I've never felt something real since my transformation but with you I feel so... human. No longer a creature, a monster."
"You're not a monster, Bela. And... god, I'm so in love with you too. From the very first moment I saw you. It was different from anything I've ever felt before."
"I'm sorry if I haven't told my mom and sisters yet," she kissed my forehead. "I'm afraid they'll take you away from me."
"Everything on its own time, right?"
"And now," Bela stood up from my bed and started to collect her clothes on the floor, "you'll stay here while I cook us some lunch."
"Cook?!" I sat down, eyes wide in surprise. "Do you know how to cook?"
"It's my turn to show some hidden talents, love."
She closed the bedroom door, leaving me comfortably in my bed. Something that went so wrong turned into a great moment in the end. Bela had this power. Since the day I was taken to the castle, she always made everything brighter with only a simple gesture.
And now I was sure, she was in love with me too.
Bela made the most delicious spaghetti I had ever eaten in entire my life. The sauce, a special recipe she learned from the staff, was absolutely amazing. I filled two huge plates. It was even better than the castle's food. It was a good thing to have a girl who cooked so well, since I was a real disaster in the kitchen. Whenever Auryk was home, he always insisted on ordering.
"I swear," I spoke with my mouth half-full, "I'm gonna kidnap you and keep you here with me. I could definitely get used to these delicious foods!"
"And you haven't even tried the dessert yet," Bela joked.
"Spoil me, please."
She brought a traditional romanian dessert from the kitchen. One bite and I felt I had gone to heaven and back.
Then, we returned to my bedroom. Bela looked at my desk intrigued, her head cocked to the side.
"Is that a computer?" She pushed the power button on my laptop. When the screen lighted up her eyes were shining in amusement. "I've always wanted to see one."
I thought it was cute. I invited her to sit on my chair and use it for a while. I taught her how to browse the internet, showed her my blog where I used to post my drawings and my social media profiles, with some pictures of my daily life.
"Your life seems so... active... and happy. You have a lot of friends."
"Not many, actually. There's Gustav, my best friend, Elena, another villager... and a few others I used to attend school with."
Bela was a quick learner. Soon, she was browsing my computer's folders, seeing my entire life through pictures. Adrian, my mom, Auryk, our trip to California when we were six...
"This is where you're going to live?" She asked. "It's beautiful."
"Sort of," I told. "At this time, my grandparents still lived in San Diego. Now they have moved to San Francisco, where I'm going to study."
"It must be good to live in a place where it's hot most of the year. I'd be able to go out everyday and I could even meet other people too... besides my mom, my sisters and the servants."
I noticed a sad tone on her voice.
"Hey," I embraced her shoulders from behind. "You still can have it. We... we can find a way. Maybe we can convince your mother to move somewhere else, like Napa Valley, as I told you."
"My mother refuses to listen anything about this subject, Aleena. Her life only revolves around that creepy old castle and Mother Miranda, who doesn't even give a shit about her."
Okay. The way Bela spoke about Mother Miranda... didn't she trust her? Wasn't she so blinded as the others? That was exactly what I needed. Someone inside the cult by my side, a double agent.
"What do you think about Mother Miranda?" I asked. "Sorry, my father hated her and we were taught to share this feeling. I don't know much about her."
"I hate that crazy bitch," Bela sighed and closed her eyes. Her fists were clenched in rage. "She turned me into this, surely without my consent. She treats my mother badly. She looks at me and my sisters like some kind of failed experiment and Donna... what she did to her face... it's monstrous! Once Cassandra removed her veil as a prank and she ran away in sobs. Of course she did. Mother Miranda ruined her face completely."
"Bela, I had no idea."
"Aleena," she grabbed my face, looking deeply inside my eyes. "You need to promise me you'll stay away from that woman. She would use you as one of her experiments and most of them, they go wrong. Seriously wrong. Where do you think these Lycans come from?"
Whoa. Now that was new. Since my childhood I grew up learning how to hide and fight Lycans, but we were never informed about their origins. They were seem as supernatural beings that surrounded the village, nothing else.
I told her about Auryk's suspicions about Lady Dimitrescu's goblet and how every lead pointed to Miranda.
"But why?" Bela was pensive. "Why would she steal something that belongs to my mom? And even more, pay your brother to do the dirty job? It makes no sense."
"I know," I kicked some old boxes in frustration. "If only I could investigate somehow."
"Does your family have diaries? All families around here do. My mom included. You can find some very confidential information in them."
"Not that I'm aware of," I tried to remember. If mom and dad ever had records of their lives at the village they truly kept them a secret.
The basement. If Adrian had something to hide, he'd definitely use the basement. I hadn't been there in years, not since the night my mother died. I took a deep breath, determined to face those memories and invited Bela to come with me.
Eastern Europe, Aleena's Basement - Present Days
"Why is there an extension of your house down here?" Bela asked intrigued, examining every inch of that basement covered in dust. "And the door... it has so many locks."
"To protect us from Lycans," I explained. "And other creatures, when they attack the village. Adrian would go out to face them and we'd stay locked in here with my mom. Now I just sit in the living room holding a rifle."
Everything was exactly like mom left that day, right before going out to search for Auryk. The unmade bed, the books we were reading, her crucifix. I held it tightly in my hand, wishing she could be there with me somehow.
"And..." I shook off the sadness to show Bela the most interesting part of our little fortress. "This little safe here."
I removed one of the wooden planks covering the walls, revealing a small space, some kind of closet where Adrian used to keep all his weapons. Rifles, knifes, grenades... and there was this small metal box with a label 'supernatural'.
"Your father was prepared for literally anything," Bela told, checking each one of the items. "Does your brother know about this place?"
"Of course. Where do you think he grabs all his weapons from?"
"Aleena, maybe you should check out his bedroom too. If he found the diaries, he could be keeping them to himself."
"Great idea."
We followed to Auryk's bedroom. I checked the most likely places where he could be hiding something so secretive. But Bela was smarter when it came to keeping secrets and hiding spots. One quick check inside Auryk's wardrobe and she found this small space, under a false floor.
"Aleena, check it out," she started pulling many books from inside this space, all of them with the same inscription on the cover "Novak's Family Diary". Some of them were dated decades ago, coming not only from my grandparents, but great-grandparents too. The last entries belonged to my father, before his death.
"Look at this one," Bela was staring at one of the pages in horror. "Awful!" A page with a rough sketch of a hooded woman and some instructions about crafting a weapon to release dry ice. "He knew about us and our weakness."
"I'm going to burn this," I immediately ripped off the page from the diary. If Auryk had been reading them, Bela could be in danger.
There was a lot of information on Mother Miranda, it seemed. But It didn't matter at the moment. I had to speak to my brother.
"Bela, do you mind if I call Auryk?" I asked. "I need to get informed about his whereabouts, about how much he knows, as well as about your mother's goblet."
"Why are you asking me, Aleena? I mean, you're my girlfriend. Not my prisoner."
"Girlfriend, huh?" In the middle of all the stress I opened a huge smile and wrapped my arms around her waist.
"Isn't it how you humans call it? When two people are seeing each other, kissing, among other things?" She asked, blushing a little.
"Yes, I was just wondering when we were going to discuss this."
"Is there anything to be discussed, Ms. Novak? Do you have any objections?"
"Not at all!"
We shared a quick kiss and I left her alone in the bedroom, while I followed to the living room to call Auryk.
"Where are you?" I wanted answers, real answers. "Dimitrescu has been considering killing me in one fucking week."
"Leena, I'm so sorry. Things... they took a different turn. I need you to buy us some extra time."
"What?! Are you out of your damn mind?! Tell me, you didn't steal from Donna Beneviento a few days ago, did you?"
"Of course not! I'm not even close to the village right now."
"Okay... just promise me you'll find a way. And... you won't hurt them. They didn't hurt me, so I want them to be safe too."
"Aleena, they're monsters! I'll do whatever it takes. Another thing, I need you to promise you'll stay in the castle until I rescue you."
"Why?"
"At the right time, you'll know. Just promise me."
"Only if you promise me you will do nothing to hurt the Dimitrescu's."
"I'm sorry, Leena. It's too late. I-I can't speak anything else. Don't call me again."
"Auryk!"
He turned off his phone. I pressed the tracing feature on my cell phone. Auryk was telling the truth. He was nowhere close from that doomed village. His location appeared as... unknown? The coordinates lead to some kind of secret base.
The only thing I knew was that I had been betrayed. Even my brother had abandoned me for his own interests. I fell sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth like a child afraid of the future.
That was when I felt Bela's hand touching mine.
"Whatever has disturbed you so badly love," she assured me, "we'll fight together."