11. OUT OF OPTIONS
Within seconds Abby felt herself being carried into the cover of the woods. It all happened so quickly that at first she was unsure of what was going on. She felt icy cold arms wrapped around her body. She looked up and recognized Corin's face. He had a look of determination and Abby knew that it wasn't right for a person to be able to run this fast. The trees rushed by in a blur and the cool night air sent shivers down her spine. In the reflection of the moon light, Corin's face was beautiful. So beautiful that for the briefest of seconds she forgot what the emergency was.
"Wait!" Abby screamed. "The twins, you have to help them!"
"Don't worry Abby, Eleazar has them." Corin assured her.
Abby looked over and saw Eleazar running alongside them, carrying a child in each arm. Abby was amazed that he didn't seem to struggle with their weight in his arms, it was as if he were just carrying two loaves of bread. Abby wanted to ask how they were moving so fast but she felt dizzy. She buried her face into Corin's hard chest. In response, he pulled her closer against his body.
Finally the running stopped. Abby looked around and recognized the docks. A large ship sat at the end of the main dock and Corin put her down off to the side on a cobble stone side walk. Eleazar laid the twins down next to her.
"What are you going to do?" Abby asked. "The ship isn't scheduled to leave any time soon."
"Let me handle that." Eleazar nodded in her direction. He quickly glanced towards Corin and it was understood that Corin would stay to watch over these fragile people. Eleazar walked much too quickly down the dock and disappeared on board.
Abby looked down at the twins. They were in bad shape. She wondered if Eleazar could help to bring them to a doctor. Corin was walking around the area, making sure no one had followed them. Abby went to join him.
"Corin, how are you and Eleazar able to run so fast?" The curiosity was killing her.
Corin kept looking around with his ears perked. "We're just really good at it."
Abby stepped in front of him so that he would have to stop and look at her. "No. There's more to it than that. I need to know what I'm getting into here. I need to know the truth."
Corin smiled ever so slightly. "The truth can be a scary thing."
"More scary than watching your sister drown, then brought back up and burned alive? I think I can handle scary." Abby was more brave now then she'd ever been.
Corin nodded sadly. "I guess you're right. You've seen more than any person should have to." He paused to try to find the right way to tell her. "Eleazar and I are different from other people. We have certain… abilities."
Abby nodded. "So are you male witches then? Like warlocks or something?"
Corin bursted out laughing. Her face was so serious that he found it humorous. "No, we're not warlocks. Good guess though." He shined a perfect smile at her.
Abby was a little embarrassed to be laughed at. "Well I don't know! It was just a guess. So tell me- what are you?" She looked up at him with her big blue eyes and the intensity caught him off guard.
He wanted to tell her but found himself worrying that she would think of him as a monster. He opened his mouth to answer her but before he could speak he heard a whimper. He looked over and Abby followed his gaze.
Jane had come to and was up on her knees. She saw Alec lying on the ground just a little ways off and she began to cry. She knew that he had been hurt because of her. She buried her face into her hands as she cried. Though she never spoke of it, she hated herself for what she had done. It was her fault that her mother was killed and now it was her fault again that Alec's life was hanging in the balance.
Abby raced over to Jane and wrapped her arms around her. Jane cried out at the touch. Every part of her hurt so to have any pressure made it worse.
"I'm sorry." Abby said as she let go. "Are you alright?"
Jane shook her head no. "I don't feel so good Abby…" Then a wave of nausea overcame her and she moved her head to the side as she vomited.
Abby pulled her hair back and watched over her protectively. She looked up at Corin and asked "When will Eleazar be back? Is he going to bring them to a doctor?" Just then Jane collapsed again and Abby caught her in her arms. Corin came over quickly and picked up the small body.
"I don't think there's time for a doctor. Her heart beat is slowing." Corin looked worried.
"How can you hear her heart?" Abby wondered aloud.
Again, Corin was interrupted before he could answer her but this time by Eleazar. He raced back down the dock towards them and picked up Alec.
"We must go now. I've bribed the ship's captain to take us back to England. We'll have to stop there and then begin our journey to Volterra." Eleazar was already walking down the dock towards the ship with Corin following behind.
Abby struggled to keep up. "Where is Volterra?"
"It's in Italy." Corin answered her. They reached the ship and climbed aboard. Eleazar led them down into the hull of the ship where it was dark and quiet. He gently laid down Alec and Corin did the same with Jane.
Then Eleazar turned to Abby. "Could you excuse us for a moment?" He asked politely.
Abby nodded and the two of them went back upstairs. Abby settled down next to the twins and gently stroked the hair on their heads. Abby felt the ship begin to move out into the open ocean. Corin had said that it was too late for a doctor. If that was the case, then why were they in such a rush to get to Volterra?
On the top deck Eleazar and Corin spoke quickly and quietly.
"What should we do?" Eleazar asked nervously. "If we wait till we get to Volterra for Aro's orders then we risk losing the children! I cannot fail again, Corin!" He gripped Corin by the collar of his shirt. Eleazar may have looked like he was keeping it together but inside everything was falling apart. "I fear what Aro may do to my Carmen if I don't bring him these twins alive."
Corin pulled Eleazar's hands off of his collar and tried to speak to him calmly. "Then change them now while you still can. The corpses of talented beings are no good to Aro."
Eleazar let out a growl of frustration. "But what about the other law? I could be put to death for creating an immortal child, two of them no less!" Eleazar grinded the palms of his hands against the temples of his forehead. "Damned if I do, damned if I don't."
Corin put his hands on Eleazar's shoulders as if to steady him. "Eleazar, if what you say about the twins is true, if they really are the most special beings with the most potential that you have ever witnessed in a human's form, then you know what you have to do. Aro will overlook the fact that they are still children if it will bring him more talent to add to his guard. You know this. Just as he overlooked Sulpicia's crime of creating an immortal child, he will overlook yours so long as it pleases him."
Eleazar turned these words over in his mind and saw that they made sense. Aro would not punish him for performing the task that was assigned to him. At least, that is what Eleazar hoped.
Abby watched as the two men made their way back down into the hull of the ship. Corin and Eleazar sat down across from her. She noticed that Eleazar's face was very thoughtful. He was about to tell her something very important.
"Abby, the twins are in rough shape. I have no doubt that they will not survive the trip." Eleazar was very businesslike in delivering this blow.
Abby cringed and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Had she truly failed in her task to protect them? Would they come to haunt her in her dreams as well?
"But I can offer you a solution." Eleazar continued.
Abby looked up with hopeful eyes. "What? Please, do anything that you can to save them!"
Eleazar nodded. "You must understand Abby, that the alternative is not always a beautiful one."
Abby was confused. "What do you mean? Stop being so cryptic! Just straight out tell me what is going on!" She was tired of these games and the elusive answers that they gave her.
Eleazar licked his lips as he tried to find the words. There was no right way to say it so he just blurted it out. "We are vampires. We are not dead, yet not quite living. We are very powerful and practically invincible. The only way to save Jane and Alec is to make them become one of us."
Abby stared at him with wide eyes as she processed what he had just told her.
"I know this sounds crazy-"Corin started but Abby interrupted him.
"No, I believe you." Abby whispered.
After a long pause, Eleazar continued. "The change will take three days. We have to bite them to let our venom spread. When the three days are over they will be perfectly healed, save for their hearts. Their hearts will no longer beat."
Abby closed her eyes. "Will it hurt?"
"I'm afraid so." Eleazar answered.
"But not if I do it." Corin chimed in.
Abby opened her eyes to look at him.
"Some vampires have certain special abilities. That is why our employer is so interested in the twins. They have great potential to be 'gifted'. Eleazar here has the gift of knowing when others are gifted and what abilities they might have or the potential that they have. My gift is my paralytic venom. If I bite the children they will only feel the sharp pain for a moment but they will be completely paralyzed and numb to the venom. They won't feel a thing." Corin tried to soften the blow with this offering.
Abby nodded sullenly.
Eleazar tried to be patient but there really was no time to spare. "Abby I need your decision now. Will you let us save the children?"
Abby knew that he didn't have to ask her for her permission but she appreciated the gesture. She nodded slowly. "Yes, save them." More tears spilled over as her sisters words rang out in her head, 'Promise me Abby that you will take care of the twins until they are able to take care of themselves. Promise me that you will keep them safe.' This was the only way that Abby could keep her promise.
She watched as Corin gently took Jane's hand into his palm. He turned it over so that her wrist was facing up at him. He brought it to his lips as if her were going to kiss her. Then his lips pulled back over his teeth as they sank deep into her flesh. Jane gasped but only for a moment. Suddenly her body went very limp but Corin continued to drink her in. He sucked at her hungrily until Eleazar put a hand on his shoulder to let him know that it was time to stop. It seemed like it was a hard thing for him to do- stopping.
He took a few moments to compose himself before he moved on to Alec. He repeated the same process. Abby was astonished at how his eyes had gone from a dark black color to a vibrant red. While he fed on Alec his eyes were locked on Abby. He stared at her as if he wished it was her blood that he was drinking. He hungered for her. Abby felt a new feeling that she had never felt from Corin before. She felt fear.
Finally Corin broke away from Alec's limp body. Instead of sticking around he ran out of the hull up the stairs to the upper deck. Eleazar sat by and watched over the children like a hawk.
"Why did he run away like that?" Abby asked Eleazar.
He was barely aware of her until she had spoken. "Oh, it's a very hard thing to change a person. Once you begin to feed it is almost impossible to stop. It took him a great amount of self control to be able to walk away from them… and from you."
Abby gulped. "Am I a temptation for him?"
Eleazar looked up from the twins for the first time to make eye contact with Abby. His expression was thoughtful. "You smell very… enticing. You're just lucky that Corin and I have been around for hundreds of years and have had to learn about self control. When you work for the Volturi- you'd better be able to stop whenever it is requested of you."
Abby nodded while Eleazar went back to minding the children. He was constantly checking their pulses and their breathing. They looked as if they were sleeping peacefully. While he paid attention to them Abby slipped away, up the stairs. On the deck she saw Corin standing at the bow, looking forward into the darkness. She slowly made her way over to him as he breathed in the night air, trying to cleanse his senses.
"Thank you." Abby said.
He looked down at her, almost angrily. "Are you kidding? That could have gone very badly! Why are you thanking me?"
Abby's voice was as gentle as the night breeze. "Because you took away the pain. I'm thankful that you were here to be the one to change them, to make the hurting stop. I'm just grateful."
Corin's expression softened and he pushed his brown hair out of his face. "Well then you're welcome."
The two of them were silent from then on. They both just looked straight ahead towards the dark horizon. Abby wondered what tomorrow would bring.
