A/N: Well, I'm back from the dead. (Yes, that was a bad joke.)
Soul of the Night
Chapter 7
A New Life
It had been almost a week since Lilo's disappearance, and Victoria had been trying to find a clue to where she'd been taken. She had tried talking to everyone at the airport, either they hadn't seen her or wouldn't talk about it, since the police had launched their own investigation. She was getting disheartened, the police had no suspects, as Stitch couldn't tell them his suspicions, and Cobra had also disappeared. Pleakly still refused to believe that such a nice person would be capable of such a thing, and Jumba had not left his lab in over three days. Victoria decided that she would try the hotel, even if no one but her and Stitch believed the mysterious man was the culprit, someone might still know where he came from. She tried asking several people, including Mr. Jamerson, but it was the same as it was at the airport. Either no one knew anything about him, or they just brushed her off. She was about ready to give up hope, when she heard the chatting of some small children.
"My mommy said that the nice man is gone, Zoey." One of the children said.
"Yeah, all tourists leave eventually. They live somewhere else." Said another.
"Yeah but he was nice. Not like a lot of the other people. And he was here for a really long time." The third child replied.
"Yeah, I thought he might live here too when I first met him, but Daddy said he lived far away." The first child said as she picked up a juice box.
"Oh where? I bet it was like Europe or something. He seemed like a prince." The third girl said with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"Naw, I saw a picture of where he lived. There was a big glass pyramid in the picture." The second said. "See, I still have it."
"Where did you get that?" The first girl asked.
"Did you steal it?"
"No! It fell out of his wallet when he bought us ice cream. I tried to give it back to him, but he left before I could."
At that moment an older woman walked up to the three girls. "There you are. Let's get back to the daycare, its story time."
The three girls quickly got up and followed the woman, but in their hurry, the second girl dropped the photo. Victoria walked over and picked it up. There was no way it could be the same person, what were the chances? But she hoped anyway.
The photo did indeed show a big glass pyramid in the distance, beyond it looked to be a river. Three people stood in the photo. On the left was an Asian man, looking at the pitiful sight next to him. A young blond woman was hanging off what appeared to be her boyfriend, smiling widely. The young man gave a threatening glance toward to the camera holder. Victoria had never seen Adamar before, so she wasn't sure that one of these people was him, but she figured it was better than nothing. She rushed back towards Lilo's house with her find. She got halfway there when she bumped into Stitch, who was trying to see if Finder could pick up a scent. Much to his despair, not even the tracking experiment could get anything. When Victoria came running up to him, he looked up.
"Stitch, remember when Pleakly said that the man we thought kidnapped Lilo bought ice cream for everyone at the hotel daycare?" she said as she reached him.
"Ih. Victoria find something?"
"One of the kids picked up a picture that fell out of his wallet, I think. At least I think it may be him. I brought you the picture to see if you recognize anyone."
Stitch took the picture from Victoria and took a look at it. His hands started to shake as he bore his teeth. "Bad man. Him."
Victoria looked over his shoulder. "Really, which one?"
Stitch put his claw to the face of the man of the right, the one who was giving the camera a nasty look. "Him. He took Lilo!"
Victoria looked closer at the photo, when she noticed something wrong with the woman's teeth. "Huh, this must have been taken on Halloween; the woman has vampire fangs in her mouth. They look real."
Stitch however didn't care. He quickly turned the photo around to see words on the back.
"Our first home together."
Stitch and Victoria now knew where Lilo might have been taken. If they could only figure out where this was.
Meanwhile Lilo was just beginning to get used to her new surroundings, and her new wardrobe. The day after she had arrived, Sonya took her on a shopping spree downtown, and they came back with several bags of clothes, all of which were picked out by Sonya. Lilo didn't mind though, she had once asked Nani if she could have clothes like this, and she immediately freaked out. Now she was looking over several of the outfits that she and Sonya had brought home, trying to decide which one she would wear tonight. From what Sonya had told her, Adamar's sire had requested to see her. Lilo knew that he was a powerful vampire, and she was nervous about how she would be received. She finally decided on a simple solid black dress.
She turned to look at herself in the mirror. Adamar had insisted that Sonya dye her hair for tonight, for reasons Lilo was still not sure. Whenever she would ask about why he wanted to keep her hair a secret, he would say he'd tell her later, or that he was busy preparing his report. Without the dye, her hair had become dark gray all over, no longer on just one side of her hair, and had begun to become lighter. Sonya figured it would just be a matter of days before all color was gone from her hair completely. Lilo twirled around to see the back of the dress, only to see that her hair had grown an inch overnight. She sighed as she turned to look out the window of the 8th story condo in which they lived. Am I going to become a Scion? Everything that's supposed to happen is: my hair is turning white and it's growing longer than I've ever had it. How long before my eyes change color? Will I really look like that girl in my dream? Lilo thought again about the other her in the dream. She had seemed really eerie, but fascinating in a strange sort of way. I guess it wouldn't be too bad looking like that. I'd really turn heads, that's for sure. But why is Adamar trying to hide what's happening? This worried Lilo more than anything at the moment, and when she tried to ask Sonya about it, she would become strangely quiet. And when Trevor had come to see how they were doing, she asked him. He plainly stated that he had no idea either; he'd never seen Adamar act like this. He said that he and the elder Nina didn't always see eye to eye, but that was no reason for him to try and hide the fact that Lilo might be a Scion. But he admitted that he really didn't know Adamar too well, and if the subject caused Sonya to clam up, that she might need to look farther back to find her answer.
"Lilo, it's time to go." Sonya called out from the other room, breaking Lilo out of her thoughts.
"I thought we weren't supposed to meet Adamar until 8:30?" Lilo replied as she entered the living room.
"We aren't, but I thought you might be hungry." Sonya replied.
Lilo indeed was starting to feel like she needed to feed. "Yeah, but isn't there blood left in the storage fridge?" Adamar kept blood in a fridge disguised as an out of the way intable. If someone were to get curious about it, he would admit it was a designer wine rack.
"Sugar, have you even had blood from the source since you turned?"
"No, not since Myrtle, back in Hawaii. And that's still kinda fuzzy."
"Well then." Sonya said as she reached for her keys. "I think it's time you started to learn to feed yourself."
About twenty minutes later, the pair arrived on Beale Street, one of the main party spots of the city. Sonya had spent the entire trip explaining some of the basic of feeding, how to look inconspicuous, how to select a target and get them alone, etc.
"Is that how Adamar does it?" Lilo asked as she straightens her dress.
Sonya rolled her eyes. "No, normally the superhero tries to find someone committing a crime or attacking someone, and then he strikes. But he's old enough that someone seeing him isn't a problem."
"You mean like he can knock people out just by touching them?"
"Yes. Thought he doesn't have to touch them. And how did you know that?"
"I don't know. I think he might have done it while I was ward sick."
"He might have, because his sleep powers are strong enough to knock out other vampires, and doing it in a burst would have hit you. But when he's alone, that isn't an issue."
"Will I be able to do that one day?"
"Yep. There are a lot of things we can do with our energy, things you will learn soon enough."
"I have another question." Lilo asked as they made their way thru the crowd. "How does Adamar's bottle do what it does?"
"Oh that." Sonya started to reply. "Well, have you ever heard stories about magic?"
"You mean we can do magic too?" Lilo said, trying to contain her excitement.
"Well, sweetie, yes and no. No we can't do those things you hear in stories, that's a bunch of make-believe."
Sonya continued to explain as they made their way into a building. "Anyway, a few of our kind can do a few things with it, but then not much and most of it is blood related. Some humans, on the other hand, are quite adapt with the stuff. In fact, magic is what often makes vampire hunters dangerous. Its one thing when they are just armed with swords and guns. It's another when they can set you on fire with a few words and some dust."
"What about vampires who were good with magic before?" Lilo inquired as she looked around the shop. Various strange objects adorn the walls and many odd items populated the shelves. This was obviously some sort of novelty shop.
"Lose most of their powers for some reason. I guess our powers and much of magic isn't compatible." Sonya said as she looked around the store. "Ah, there she is. Megan!"
The redheaded woman turned towards them. "Sonya! I haven't seen you in a few weeks, where have you been?"
"Oh, I've been around." Sonya replied. "Anyway, I'd like you to meet someone."
"So this is the little girl you've been talking about? Adamar's little adoption?" Megan said as she looked Lilo over. "My, aren't you just the cutest thing?"
Suddenly Lilo started getting very nervous. "Thank you." She stuttered out.
"Now, now, no need to be shy! Sonya's told me a lot about you." Megan replied as she looked back up at Sonya. "Anyway Sonya, what brings you around here so early?"
"Well, any of the 'friends' around?" Sonya whispered. "I mean, Lilo's an eager learner, but her physical age makes normal methods difficult."
"Yeah, but most of them aren't gonna be much help, again cause of her age." Megan whispered back. "But then I can still see what I can do."
"Oh no, I don't expect Lilo to do it by herself. I figured I'd just let her reap instead of me." Sonya said, her eyes scanning for anyone who could be listening in.
"What are you talking about?" Lilo asked. Friends, methods, reaping, Lilo was confused.
Sonya looked down at her. "Don't worry sweetie, just hang tight for a minute, k?"
"Alright." Lilo replied, as she started to wander around the shop. T-Shirts, gimmick items, and souvenirs lined the shelves. In the corner she saw a boy just a few years older than herself stuff something into his pocket and make his way to the door.
That boy is stealing! Lilo headed out the door after him and started to follow him thru the crowd. She didn't want to call him out in the store; she figured she would confront him outside and talk him into giving it back. He quickly darted between one of the buildings and broke out into a run.
Oh no, you aren't getting away that easy. Lilo thought as she took off after him. He was fast though, and he was starting to get distance as they were getting further and further from the crowds. Just as she thought she was going to lose him, she felt herself become lighter and the buildings around her blurred for a moment. Suddenly she was right behind him! How did I do that?
Lilo didn't have time to continued her thoughts, as the teenager turned around to confront her. "What do you think you are doing following me? Get lost before I make you."
"Give back what you took then." Lilo replied sternly. She could feel herself starting to ache a bit, as a familiar feeling set in.
"Who are you to make me? You aren't the cops." The boy replied. "Besides, they ain't gonna miss it anyway."
"Why would steal something like that anyway? Why do you want it so bad you need to steal it?" Lilo asked, unconsciously advancing closer.
"Cause I could. Now get lost before I make you regret it." He threatened. "I don't even know why I'm bothering to mess with you, but just be glad I'm in a good mood and don't beat you down."
The truth was the teenage boy was frightened. He'd thought he'd given this girl the slip was all the sudden she was on top of him in an instant. And her eyes, something wasn't right about them. They were a reddish brown, and he couldn't tear his gaze away from them. So he reached into his pocket for something to scare her off. And that turned out to be a mistake.
Lilo could feel herself getting hungry, and knew she had to get back to Sonya soon. She still wasn't comfortable with the idea of feeding off others, but she figured Sonya would help her get used to it. Just as she was about to just give up on the idiot thief, he pulled a knife.
"Alright kid, now get lost before I cut you." The boy said, waving the knife. He figured that would do the trick, nobody was crazy enough to fight over a knick knack.
Lilo saw the knife, but instead of getting scared, she lunged at him, almost as if her body was acting on its own. Memories of the night her sister died flooded back into her mind and before the boy could even flinch, she had hold of his arm and began to apply pressure. The boy let out a cry born out of surprise and pain, as the knife fell to the ground.
"How dare you. I try to help you and you try to kill me?" Lilo's voice was full of anger as she felt the fire within her grow hotter. Her lifesight activated, and as she saw the orange glow, she gave in to her growing urge.
"Let go of me, I wasn't gonna actually stab ya, I just wanted you to leave me alone!" Then the boy saw her eyes, glowing red, and tried to scream. However, Lilo's fangs driving into his neck seemed to take the air out of him, as he began to lose his footing. She began to suck the blood from his veins, her heart and mind still furious at her quarry, even thru the ecstasy flowing thru her. This was reflected in her prey's behavior, and he twisted and convulsed, in so great a pain that he couldn't even give out a cry. As she felt this, she came to her senses. She eased her grip, and began to softly suck at his neck. The moans telling her that he was no longer in pain, she withdrew her fangs from his neck as he slumped to the ground. Lilo felt herself start to come out of her feeding haze, as her view of the world returned to normal. She looked down at her now unconscious prey and sighed. All this over a small snowglobe. She wondered for a moment what caused her to fight instead of flee when he took out the knife, but then she realized. I'll bet this is how the men that killed Nani started out: teenage punks taking things for the thrill of it. I know he won't remember me tomorrow, but I hope tonight helps him change his ways.
As Lilo stood over the boy, a raven flew from its perch. "That wasn't bad for a first time, dear child, but there is a reason we hunt in groups."
Lilo quickly turned around, afraid someone had caught her feeding, when the words sunk into her still hazed mind. Behind her at the edge of the alley was a tall woman with long white hair. Lilo realized that she was a True Scion, because of the bright red of her eyes.
"My, my. Sonya has gotten tacky on me. I figured she'd be able to do something as simple as keep track of a child, but alas not."
"Who are you?" Lilo asked. "You're a Scion aren't you?"
"Why yes dear I am." The woman replied. "As are you, from what I have been told."
"I don't know." Lilo replied, her voice shaky. This woman was most likely the woman Adamar told her about, the elder Nina, and that fact alone made Lilo very nervous. She felt as if the woman was judging her. "That's what the others told me."
"Dear child, there is nothing to be fearful of. But tell me, why did you dye your hair, when it is a symbol of pride for a Scion?" Nina said as she stepped closer to Lilo.
"Because Adamar wanted me to. He said it might attract attention." Lilo replied.
"Sigh, Adamar. I swear he is a living contradiction. Careful in one moment, reckless in the next, then apprehensive again. He is the only vampire I have ever known to both fear death and seek it at the same time."
"What do you mean? Is being a Scion dangerous?" Lilo asked fearfully.
"It was at one time, long ago, but now it is no more dangerous than being a vampire is." Nina said as she extended her hand. "But we will have to have that dye removed as soon as possible. It is an insult to Selune."
"Ok, but won't Adamar be angry?" Lilo said as she took the elder's hand.
"I will deal with Adamar. Although he is your sire, he has no right to hide the blessing bestowed upon you by the goddess." Nina replied.
Lilo turned back to look at the teenager. "But what about him? Shouldn't we do something to cover our tracks?"
Nina laughed at the girl's statement. "Dear child, even if he is discovered, who would think of creatures of the night? In my many years, if there is one thing I've learned about humans, it that they will always believe something to be something logical to them. I mean, who thinks of vampires when one could just have easily have passed out."
"What about hunters?" Lilo asked. "Why do they believe then?"
Nina's mood became somber. "No two have the exact same reasons. Some have lost family to our kind; some just were at the wrong place at the wrong time but managed to remain unnoticed. And a select few knew from birth that what society tells them is real is a lie."
"You mean the ones with magic?" Lilo replied as the two started making their why back to Beale.
"Magic, psychic power, the blessing of God, it has been called many things, but the fact remains that when you are able to bend and defy the natural laws that hold back your kin, it is easier to believe that there are more things that can do the same." Nina said as she reached into her purse. "But not only them, but many hunters train their young in their ways, and they are taught from the cradle that what you can't see may still be there."
"Oh, that makes sense." Lilo said. She then remembered about the fact that Adamar had been apprehensive about her being a true Scion, and figured Nina might know why. "Why is Adamar so concerned about me being a Scion?"
"You are not merely a Scion. You are a Pure Scion; and its not that he is concerned. It just someone he knew a long time ago was also a Pure Scion and their relationship ended, well, rather badly."
"What happened?" Lilo asked.
Nina sighed. "It is not my place to tell you things your sire wants to keep secret from you, but I'm sure Adamar will tell you when he feels more comfortable about it."
"Ok." Lilo said, defeated. Suddenly she remembered Sonya. "Oh no, I left Sonya back in that shop. She's going to be so mad at me!"
"I doubt it." Nina said as she pulled out her cell phone. "Though I'm certain she is worried." Nina pushed a button on her cell and put it up to her ear.
After a few seconds, someone picked up on the other line. "Hello Sonya. You can stop looking, I've found Lilo. Now what should I tell Adamar and Ganz that you slipped up on watching her."
I'm sorry Lady Nina, but she was here one second, and gone the next! What happened?
"She caught a boy stealing from the store you were in, and chased him down."
Damnit, she's becoming like Adamar already. What happened when she caught him?
"She handled herself quite well. She already seems to be able to sidestep and she was able to defend herself when the boy pulled a knife, though I suspect much of it was reflex."
Someone pulled a knife on her? Is she okay?
"Sonya, she may be young, but she is still of the night. The boy would have been no threat even had he pulled a gun."
What happened to the boy?
"What do you think happened? I'm sure you were arranging a feeder for her, were you not?"
That's not a nice thing to call them, and she fed herself? Wow, I guess she's a little more capable than I had hoped.
"Sonya, if you knew half of what this girl has accomplished, you would have no doubts in her at all."
Yeah Adamar told me a little bit about that, but he was really cryptic about it all, even for him.
"That's because he was under my orders to be. But enough, I want you and Megan to be ready when I arrive."
I thought the meeting with Lord Ganz wasn't until 9? What's the rush?
Nina's voice became stern. "It will take that long to get this dye out of Lilo's hair. You of all should know better."
I'm sorry Lady Nina, Adamar was adamant on it. But how did you know she was a Pure?
"How I knew is not your concern. Now you and Megan will be ready when I arrive. Is that clear?"
Yes ma'am. Crystal. I'm just glad Lilo's okay, the poor baby had me worried.
"Very well, we will be their within five minutes. Goodbye."
Sonya slammed her cell phone shut. "Damn her, I'm not a ward anymore. And Lilo isn't her ward anyway, why does she care that Adamar dyes her hair?"
Megan's eyes went wide. "You mean she's a?"
"Not just a Scion, a Pure. And you can bet why that's got ol' Adam riled up.
"Kara." Megan said as she began to gather her things. "It's been forever, and he's still hung up on her."
"No, I'm actually starting to think that he thinks she's still alive." Sonya replied, her voice full of anger. "Paranoid fool, no one could have survived that."
"What, does he think she's been in hiding for all these years?" Megan said as she waved goodbye to the owner.
"Yeah, and I think he's convinced that Lilo's being a Pure is what's going to cause her to show her ugly mug again." Sonya said as the two walked out into the street.
Noticing her friend starting to get angrier by the second, she tried to change the subject. "Let's not worry about it. Kara's dead, we all saw Victoria Harker kill her all those years ago."
"No, and that's just it. We saw the building erupt in a blaze, and true only Victoria came out, but we don't exactly know what happened in there. And it wasn't like she was in a talkative mood after Kara killed her husband."
"But I thought you…"
"I know she's dead. If she wasn't, she'd have come back for revenge by now, probably wiped out the entire Harker line to boot, and Adamar himself said that the newest in the Harker line looks just like her Great-Great Grandmother, down to the freckles. Even has her name."
"Wait, I thought Jonathan was the last? And where did Adamar learn this? I figured he'd be the last one to willing go near a Harker." Megan said, with no small amount of surprise in her voice.
"Jonathan did have a daughter ya know. She didn't take up hunting however, as far as any of us know, and from the looks of it she doesn't want her daughter to have anything to do with hunting either." Sonya said as they waited for Nina and Lilo.
"How did he figure that out?"
Sonya smiled. "You know Adamar and his attraction to quarreling couples. Apparently he overheard that her father wanted to train her, and Christina would hear nothing of it."
"Well that's a relief." Megan said as she fooled with her hair. "Another Victoria Harker is the last thing we need."
"You said it." Sonya replied. "Look, I think I see Nina and Lilo! Over here!"
It was several hours later, but they were finally able to get the all the dye from Lilo's hair. But when the soap was cleared, only white remained in her hair. "Geez, what does this stuff have in it, bleach?" Megan exclaimed.
"Yeah, her hair was grey when I dyed it yesterday." Sonya remarked.
"Why, what color is it now?" Lilo asked, not able to see.
"You two seemed surprised. Did you not remember me telling you that a Pure's full mark manifests very shortly after her second feeding from a human?" Nina said as she walked into the room.
"Ah, crap, I'd forgotten that. But in our defense, that was over two hundred years ago." Megan replied as she reached for a towel.
"You mean my hair is white?" Lilo exclaimed, trying to lift up her head from the sink where they had been washing the dye out.
"Calm down Sugar, let's dry your hair first so we don't get you clothes all wet." Sonya said as she hooked up the blow dryer.
After a few more minute of fussing with her hair, Sonya picked up a mirror. Lilo had quickly learned after moving in with Sonya and Adamar that vampires did cast reflections, so she didn't have to worry about mirrors. Now she was in for another surprise. When she looked into to the mirror, looking back at her was the girl in her dream. Not only had her hair gone stark white, but her eyes were now a blood red.
"My eyes…" Lilo said in a wisp.
"The heck? I knew they were getting redder, but I guess I wasn't paying attention. That was fast." Sonya exclaimed as she turned off the blow dryer.
"Indeed, the Mark sets in quickly after the second feeding. Within a few hours in fact. Thought I must admit this is far faster than my own mark set in, or any of the others." Nina said as she examined Lilo closer. "But well enough, I am happy that I am no longer the only living Pure Scion."
"What happened to the others?" Lilo asked as she stood up.
For a moment, there was only silence. "They were killed." Nina said, her voice devoid of any emotion.
Both Megan and Sonya were shocked that Nina would have just come out and said it. "But…" Sonya stuttered out.
"She deserves to know the truth. Almost one hundred years ago, one of our own tried to kill us all, thinking she'd gain the full power of Selune by doing so. She had managed to kill all but myself, when she made the mistake of crossing the path of a vampire hunter by the name of Victoria Harker. She had slain her husband when he was trying to defend one of the Scions, and Victoria chased her down to an old house right here in Memphis. By the time we arrived, the house was ablaze, Harker walking out, her body bruised and battered. Kara had made the mistake of underestimating the human sorceress, and it was the last mistake she ever made."
"So her name was Kara." Lilo said. "Did Adamar know her? Is that why he doesn't like the fact I'm a Scion?"
"I believe you should take that inquiry up with Adamar himself." Nina said as she turned to the door. "But now is not the time. I am certain that Adamar is finished giving his report, and Ganz has been very eager to meet you. I haven't seen him this excited over something in a long time."
Lilo took on last look in the mirror, taking in all the changes. She then inhaled deeply, preparing herself to meet who may very well be the oldest vampire alive, the elder Ganz Media.
Meanwhile Victoria had returned home late in the evening. "Man I hope Mom and Dad don't kill me." But to her surprise, the house was quiet. She checked everyone room in the house, until she came to the kitchen and the note on the fridge.
Dear Victoria,
An important family matter has come up, and I'm afraid your father and I had to leave at the last second. There's money in the envelope on the counter, enough to get you thru the week. I'm very sorry we are leaving you alone, but I hope that we will have this matter settled by the end of the week.
Love Mom.
Victoria sighed. "Not again. They just got home, and now they leave me again. It's not fair." But this gave her time to figure out where Lilo was. She walked towards her parent's room and the computer when something caught her eye. The trapdoor to the attic was ajar, a piece of cloth caught in it. Normally Victoria wasn't allowed in the attic unsupervised, and there was one certain thing she was not allowed near regardless: an old chest in the corner of the attic. The one time she had tired, she had found the chest padlocked, and her mother grounded her for a month for touching it. But they weren't home now, were they? It wouldn't hurt to look inside. Afterall, they did leave me alone. They'll never know.
Victoria attempted to jump up to grab the rope, but it was far too high up for her to reach easily. She then went and got a chair from the kitchen and was able to reach the rope. She then gently unfolded the stairs and climbed up. She treaded carefully to edge of the attic, imagining that at any moment her mother would come storming up the stairs. She reminded herself that her parents were gone, and that they had forgotten to get her a babysitter, again. When she reached the chest, she looked at the worn padlock, and to her surprise, someone had forgot to lock it back. What luck! Now I don't have to figure out how to pick the lock.
Victoria removed the padlock and swung the chest open. To her surprise, the chest was mostly devoid of contents, save a few pictures and two small books. The pictures were old and yellowed, but the books seemed even older, almost like they would turn to dust if she touched them. She carefully scooped up the photos and began to examine them. The only one of them in color showed a tall man standing next to what looked like her mother at an early age. Is this a picture of my granddad? I wonder why we don't have any other pictures in the house. Victoria's mother had told her at an early age that her mom and dad were dead, her mother died shortly after she was born, and her father disappeared shortly after she turned 16. And her dad was an orphan, so she had no grandparents or other relatives to look after her when her parents decided to take off. I wonder why Mom keeps these photos hidden. Is she ashamed of Granddad?
Victoria looked at the remainder of the photos, and most of them were the same, pictures of people, probably distant relatives. One picture in particular captured her interest, a faded photo which looked to be just about as old as the two books. In it stood a man and woman it what looked to be clothing straight out of the first part of the last century. But that wasn't what got her attention. It was the fact that the woman in the picture looked like an older version of herself. She flipped the photo over to see if it had any writing, and although it did, everything but one of the names was too blurred to read. "Victoria Harker." Victoria said aloud. Victoria then remembered something her mother had told her a long time ago, that she had been named after her great-great grandmother. Victoria figured then that she must have been someone important, but her mother had just said she had liked the name.
Victoria carefully placed the photos back into the chest and took out the first of the two books, which looked to be a diary. Strangely enough, all of the text was at least legible, if not a bit weathered. Victoria was about to start reading when she realized that she was supposed to be helping to find Lilo. She quickly tucked the two books under her arm and made her way downstairs. She'd just make sure she put the books back before her parents came home.
Just as she had reached the bottom of the steps, she heard a loud boom, and the power went out. "Well this is just great, no power means no internet." Victoria said with a sigh. Her vision turned down to the books in her arms. "Well, I have a flashlight, and now is a good of time as any to see why you are so important I'd get grounded for a month."
Victoria made her way to her room and took out her flashlight. She opened the diary to the first page as she clicked on the light. As her eyes fell on the page, a note fell from the first page:
Jonathan
If you are reading this, then either I have passed on or am too old to continue our struggle. I can only hope that the light within you is bright, for it is the least of requirements to survive. What is in this book is a collection of knowledge and experiences I have gained over my short life. The death of my husband and the subsequent hunt of his murderer had caused me to realize that I must record what I know, for this menace will live on long after me. Take these words to heart, as they are the most powerful weapon I can leave you.
With love,
Grandma Victoria
End Chapter 7
Next Chapter
The Words of Elders