We walked back together, enjoying the magnificent scenery, and I, above all, cherished the company of my dear Gonzalo. In the distance, we spotted the rest, appearing expectant, surely eager to know something.
"So?" Tomás exclaimed, looking at us.
Nacho began making some annoying sounds.
"Muack, muack, muack… Hahaha," the rascal laughed, looking at his cousin Gonzalo while he had his hands in his pockets.
"Some things never change..." Amalia sighed, shaking her head, while Tomás and Nacho laughed in unison.
I found it a bit unpleasant, I won't lie. But deep down, I knew that Gonzalo's decision had hurt me much more. Tomás seemed to have noticed and gave Nacho a hit with his arm upon seeing our faces.
"Well, Anastasia," said Gonzalo, who seemed to be taking something out of his backpack. "I need your opinion on a book I found in the ruins of an ancient ruins in the Middle East."
"Doraemon is about to unveil a new invention," Nacho joked again. Tomás burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. I had no idea what a "Doraemon" was, probably another one of those television references, like "Pumba" or "Barbie."
Gonzalo showed me a very familiar book. "It can't be..." I thought. "It's Darius's book!" I exclaimed aloud, while the pair of fools continued laughing at their inside jokes.
"I told you Doraemon had something... hahaha!" Nacho kept laughing, and Tomás grabbed him and threw him to the ground; the joke seemed really good.
"You... aahh..." Gonzalo groaned. "I should have come back later…" Tomás's laughter and the way he moved like an earthworm made it look very comical.
"Seriously, guys, it hurts, it hurts! Hahaha!" Tomás writhed on the ground, then stretched out his arms. Nacho threw himself on him and elbowed him, shouting.
Nacho cleared his throat, as he was about to come out with another inappropriate joke.
"Oh God." I thought.
But Gonzalo just stares at him and says one single word, "Luise."
Nacho suddenly has his eyes wide open, like Gonzalo would have insulted him. He grabs him and shakes him, covering his mouth with his hands. Gonzalo truly enjoyed the inside joke that the rest of us failed to understand, laughing hard, I have never seen Gonzalo laughing so hard, it was adorable. Tomás, by the other hand, was extremely intrigued:
"Come on guys! Who is Luise?" Tomás insisted, trying to make Nacho release Gonzalo. The poor Gonzalo looked like a plaything fought by two children.
"Enough, enough!" Says Gonzalo, still laughing. "Is just a thing between me and Nacho. Ok?"
Amalia and I tried to ignore the show happening behind us with the trio of clowns. Gonzalo finally comes back after and says, "Well, what were we talking about?"
"The book," Amalia said, coughing a bit.
"Your friend... or ex-boyfriend..." Gonzalo looked at me with a smile. "Had some quite interesting theories about our species, and I analyzed them part by part. But the most shocking thing is that some of the letters followed a pattern, a kind of code that seemed to repeat after a couple of letters he seemed to note. It was steganography! Your friend was looking for something, something that many vampires might not be pleased about."
"The... what?" I asked, confused.
"Steganography. It's when you use a kind of secret code within something; it's in plain sight, but it requires interpretation to see it. For example, it can say a sentence like, a phrase in English like this:
Harry eagerly licked lollipops often, wishing oranges regularly licked deliciously.
H-e-l-l-o, w-o-r-l-d
In each initial letter, the phrase 'Hello, world!' is formed!
Gonzalo seemed to enjoy his explanations a lot. It was so strange to hear him talk about Darius; it was like the past and the present coming together. His mind was fascinating, and I couldn't help but smile as he explained his topics with so much passion.
"Sorry for interrupting, but what was it that many vampires wouldn't be pleased about?" Amalia asked.
"The first sample of venom or the patient zero, the source of everything about us, our nature" he said seriously.
"It's very interesting as a story and all, but I don't understand why some vampires wouldn't be interested in it or try to hide it." I couldn't grasp where he was going.
"In medicine, uncovering the origin of a disease, or better yet, the first strain, allows for reverse engineering, and perhaps reversing the process," Gonzalo explained with great enthusiasm.
"A cure?!" exclaimed Amalia.
"It could be, I don't know. I analyzed simulations with AI using my own venom, but the changes it makes to the human body are so extreme that applying it would destroy the vampire's body if used. I imagine that in an analysis with the original source, a reconstruction could be done using the changes between the original venom and the one we have in our bodies as references. But my expertise is in technology, not medicine. The only human doctor I knew who was an expert in our species unfortunately died, and the other scientist, an evil vampire, who knew about it, I had to eliminate him because he had other plans. So, I need to find an experienced vampire doctor that may help, because this seems to be out of my expertise. I think I may have a candidate, but I need to find the sample for the cure first."
Gonzalo pulled out a strange device and some papers. "I have the papers from the deceased doctor, and he was very close to achieving something, maybe."
We discussed the topic, and I told him about my experience with Darius, his experiments with humans, his feeding techniques, his theories about humans with gifts, and my personal experiences with him.
"With the original source, not only could a cure be possible, but there could be other possibilities, such as altering the vampire's metabolism so that they wouldn't need to drink human blood!"
Gonzalo told me that he had been tracking our movements, and during his travels, he encountered Nacho, who was also on his own journey. Both were able to make amends, and Nacho had been meditating on the situation for quite some time. Gonzalo seems to have convinced him to return. Seeing the suspicious movements of the Egyptian coven, they decided to act, and both arrived just in time for the rescue.
"Anastasia." he paused, "Do you know why Darius would keep this so secret? What do you know about him and this book?"
I shrugged and only said that he probably did not wanted to get into trouble with the Volturi, and that I had no clue from that book, he never mentioned that to me. My relationship with him was purely romantic, not scientific.
"I am sorry Gonzalo, It's all I know." I looked at him, fearing he would be disappointed with me.
"Well, I think I have anyway the information I need, don't worry," he concluded and gave me a warm smile.
"Are you leaving already?" I asked.
Gonzalo, looking at the horizon with a sad face, said, "They are on my trail, and I can't stop, not until this is done."
While we avoided looking at each other, Tomás arrived cheerfully and handed me my diary with a doll. "Like I said, I managed to rescue your diary! And I had a gift for you, from both me and Amalia. I also save it before they bury us alive! Imagine how crazy she would become if she didn't have someone else to talk to besides me." He laughed.
"What is this doll?" I asked.
"Barbie, miss! Look, I put your clothes on her."
"How kind of you, thank you very much!" I thanked him very excitedly for his thoughtful gesture.
The plastic doll wore the same hoodie and pants as me, and Tomás had painted her eyes a golden amber hue, representing my transformation.
"Hahaha, it's mini Anastasia! Don't mess around, they look identical!" Nacho laughed, looking at me and then the doll.
Gonzalo packed his things and said goodbye to Amalia and his cousins. He shares a very emotional last hug with Nacho, and he says:
"Stay cousin, you need this, God bless you."
"Bastard, you better return to fix this, little snitch. This is your home." When Nacho answered, I felt clearly that these two have been through quite an emotional journey before coming here.
I accompanied him a few more kilometers ahead and showed him my diary.
He read the name and my last name, "Vinogradova. I didn't know that was your last name."
"Now you know, you know my first and last name, just like I knew yours."
We heard Tomás whisper behind Nacho. "I still want to know who Luise is."
After Gonzalo said his goodbye to everyone, we shared a final hug, and I tried to savor his voice and his sweet scent for the last time. He put on his backpack, and with a face of serenity but determination, he finally said to me:
"I don't promise anything; it's all in God's hands now. But if I manage to complete this mission, I'll come around here. Don't wait for me. If you continue searching for true love, don't wait for me. Just follow your heart. Promise?"
"Okay, goodbye, Gonzalo."
"Goodbye, Anastasia, and take care of my idiot cousins for me." He smiled.
"I will," I said.
As he disappeared on the horizon and I could only see a silhouette, I murmured:
"In the silence of waiting, my heart beats to the rhythm of faith. Although the words say 'find someone else,' my love persists, faithful, like a flame that illuminates the darkness. Because in patient waiting, I discover the strength of my heart and the hope that never fades. This is my choice."
TO BE CONTINUED...