Ten
2725 Words
Kaleo- Way Down We Go
It's so awkward and Sammy being a morning person isn't helping in the slightest. She can talk about a bunch of things in a never-ending ramble of bullshit. Bless this girl because if it wasn't for her, I think my brother and I would be dead or worse, getting yelled at. Silas and I both jumped up when Collum walked in. Both of us eager to get the hell out of here.
"We have to get to class. I'll see you at work later, Sammy. Stay beautiful angel face," my brother bid his farewell, kissing my mom and then Sammy on the cheek. "Bye, Dad,"
"Bye," I grumbled, grabbing my bag.
"Stop," dad finally spoke up, putting his newspaper down. We both shoved against each getting some distance between him and us. Why is this like this?
"We're going to be late," I lied not looking at him.
"Silas, I want to apologize for last night. It wasn't alright for me to have done that," dad began.
"It's fine," Silas sighed, looking away.
"No, it's not," I groaned. Everyone turned to look at me almost as if they were begging me not to say a word. "None of this is okay. I don't care who you are and what it is you do. Your decisions make you who you are. You decided to put hands on my brother knowing that he'd never raise a hand to you out of respect. That makes you a coward. My father isn't a coward. He's gentle and he loves his son,"
"I love my daughter as well," he said looking at me.
"Do you?" I asked.
"Of course I do," he nearly shouted, getting up. I backed up until my back hit Silas's chest. He sighed not coming any closer. "You are my daughter regardless of whose blood runs in your veins,"
"I have a hard time believing that now. You called them all monsters. Godrick Lockwood said my transition isn't very far from now. I can hear things, see things, smell things that I shouldn't be able to. I'm going to be what you hate. Will I still be your daughter then or are you going to pretend to not be holding a gun behind your back like you did last night?"
"You aren't one of them yet, Tobi,"
"For once, don't lie to me. Did you know what I was the day you came into the convent?"
"Yes, I did. I had been tracking you down from the moment your father told me to protect you," I feel like I'm going to throw up. "Aldrich Lockwood left clues for me to look for you. I didn't know the history as well as he did so it took me some time to find you. I promised him I'd protect you as one of my own until you learned the truth,"
"And what's the truth?"
"I don't know all of it but there was a traitor at his table. Godrick had to be hidden inside the Clan's hierarchy for his survival. In his transition he took lead. There isn't a lot that can kill a Lockwood or a Phantom. You two are born of both bloodlines. The strongest vampire bloodline there has ever been. They wanted to get rid of all of you before you figured out what you could do, what you are capable of doing. Before they could have more children,"
"My birth mother was a Phantom is that a surname or a..."
"It's a surname. She came from my side of the world," Sammy interjected. "They were the warrior Clan most of them were night stalkers. It was rare when one of them became a daywalker,"
"The Lockwoods are purebreds. Lots of them married their own. Pureblood means power. Lots of them lost their minds because of their abilities. They don't do it anymore, but it still lingers in them. We can't imagine the kind of powers some of them have. The Sterlings are close to what the Lockwoods are. Less special abilities, just as deadly," dad added before sitting down.
"Why did you set your dog on me Thursday?" I asked. He sighed.
"I was hoping it would scare you enough to stop asking questions until we figure out how long we have with you,"
"I'm not dying," I cried, stepping forward. I knelt down in front of him. "Is that how you're treating this? Like I'm going to die?"
"It's easier," that choking feeling came back and all I could do was look down at the floor while I tried to fight the tears.
"It's easier for you to imagine my death?"
"Baby, look at me," he said reaching down to me. "You have to understand what we are,"
"You're my dad," I shouted. "You carried me in here in your arms. You read to me every night when I was a little girl. You helped me when I had nightmares. You scared all the bad things away and you're just going to toss me out because I'm different?"
"There are thousands of families who look to me for protection, to guide them, to teach them how to be safe. I have a responsibility to them not just to myself. There has to be a boundary. When they find out that I have kept the vampire princess in my home and treated her as my own they will be a war inside my Clan. I have more than just you to protect,"
"You've protected me long enough. What if I want to protect you? You're my family. All I have ever known. I don't just want to leave and never look back. You can't do this to me,"
"You will have to learn that this isn't about you. You're going to have to make the choice as well. You will have people of your own. You will be responsible for others like yourself. You have to make sure that what happened to you never happens to them. You will have to sacrifice everything that you are for them," he lifted me to my feet. There are tears streaming down his face. The emotion in his eyes is something I had never witnessed before. He wrapped his arms around me tightly. "I don't want to do this. When you take the blood of a male, a part of my soul will die that day because I will be losing you. The rest of me will be proud of you. You have grown to be more than I ever expected. I need you to stop acting like a little girl because you aren't five anymore, Amelia. I know it hurts. Believe me. I know what you feel because we all feel it just like you. You are not alone in this,"
He's never called me by that name before. He held me a little longer. No one said a word when he let go and walked out of the house. All I can hear right now is the sound of my heart hammering in my chest. The irregularity of my breathing. My mother followed after him after kissing the top of my head. I don't remember dropping it. I picked up my bag and put it on my shoulder. There's not much I can say to that.
"We can stay home if you want," Silas suggested.
"No. After what happened at the party, they're going to be waiting for me to show up. They'll go straight to dad. I don't want to get him into any more trouble," I shook my head after getting my breathing under control. This is mental.
"We have fifteen minutes to get to class then," Collum announced with a smile.
"I am late for work. s**t. Laters drama mama. See ya sweet cheeks," Sammy beamed, smacking my brother on the butt. I shook my head. "Peace Colley,"
"I hate when she calls me that," Collum groaned as we walked out to the Rolls Royce.
Just as I had said. Once the car pulled up to the school and we stepped out, lots of eyes are on us. Walking through the halls of this school from now on is going to suck. Even Elijah let out a breath of relief when I walked into the classroom and took my usual seat. They all know. The spectacle made at that party is going to haunt me more than I want to think about.
"Amelia," I looked up a professor Gallihad. Is everyone going to start calling me that now?
"Yes?" I asked.
"I'd like for you to take your things and come sit up front," I looked at Silas and then back at her.
"Can I ask why?" I asked. She came closer before leaning into me.
"Don't make this harder than it should be. Silas and your friends are in danger. The Clans believe you're being held hostage without you knowing," she informed me. I took a deep breath looking at my brother. I took my things without hesitation and got up.
"What the hell?" Silas finally snapped out of the initial shock and grabbed my arm. Several others stood up looking directly at him.
"Let go. I'm fine. I swear,"
"Tobi?" he asked.
"It'll be okay. I promise,"
I stood up and walked down to the empty seat behind Elijah. I looked back at my brother, Collum, and Ebony. Everyone settled down and the class officially began. Professor Gallihad would glance back at me sympathetically every time she got the chance to. I was going through my bag when the tips of my fingers met the notebook I had hidden the journal Elijah had given me in. I looked at the back of his head and pulled it out opening it.
Eliza Lockwood. 1817
I didn't have much time with him today. Father is keeping us apart. This strength in us is growing. I don't think I can fight it much longer. Today, when our skin met, the energy caused the glass in the entire room to shatter. I fear what this means. I love him, but what will come of our union? Should young come into this, will they be abominations like me?
"This is something you should read on your own time," I looked up at Elijah who had turned all the way around in his seat.
"I can read wherever I want," I scoffed rolling my eyes. He smiled.
"Are you always this rebellious?"
"You have no idea," I murmured looking back down at the journal. There's no way I can read it now.
"Why are you so angry with me?" he asked. I wanted to take my pen and stab his hand with it a few times. A snicker made me turn to my left. A girl's face was red with embarrassment and she was trying to hide her face with a book. "She's clairvoyant,"
"Oh, my god," I laughed. She laughed with me. "I'm sorry,"
"You're fine," she waved me off.
"What are you thinking?" he asked.
"None of your business," I glared at him. He rolled his eyes at me.
"It'll be like this from now on. They know. If you go home with them tonight, you will be followed. Do you have anywhere to go that won't start something we can't afford to have right now? Godrick Lockwood hasn't spoken to anyone about this,"
"Because he doesn't want things to change. You heard him. I am where I'm supposed to be for now,"
"Then why are you so heavily guarded? They're keeping you hostage, Amelia. Why don't you see that?"
"No, they aren't. That's not why Silas and I are always together," I defended. He sat back looking me over like I had done something wrong.
"You and Silas?"
"What?" I shouted making everyone turn to look at me.
"Ms. Lockwood is there a problem?" Professor Gallihad asked.
"No, ma'am," I answered. she put her index finger to her lips and shushed me.
"Of course not. Silas is my brother," I bit quietly but just angrily. I looked away to see the mind reader shaking her head just like me.
"Then why?"
"We were kidnapped not too long ago. I got beaten up pretty bad," I answered truthfully.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know that," he let it go.
"Doesn't feel good does it?" I asked. He looked up at me.
"What?"
"That feeling of anger in your chest," the anger I felt when his fiance was introduced back at the party. He looked away.
"I didn't feel anything," he said. "It was just an assumption,"
"I can smell it. The past few days I've been around people who have lied, people who are angry, who are heartbroken, and people who wish they didn't feel what they do. It's something sweet. Not in the kind of way that makes you want to keep smelling it. It's like when too much of it is in the air and all you want to do is run away from it,"
"Funny, that's exactly how it feels," he said getting up. I watched him walk out of the class before everyone else did.
"Are you okay?" I looked to my right to see Ebony.
"I'm fine. Your caring for a monster you shouldn't care for is showing," I rolled my eyes at her. She flinched back and walked away. I got up and walked to my next class. It was shortly after that Cassidy walked in and sat down next to me.
"I have an apartment close by if you want to stay with me. I haven't had a roommate since my older sister transitioned and moved to England with her husband. They're all watching you," she rushed out all at once.
"I have a home," I smiled, looking at her.
"Yeah, and you have a family that you need to protect like the rest of us,"
"You think they'll follow me if I go home?" I asked. She nodded. She took my notebook and wrote an address on it.
"It's heavily guarded and once Godrick finds out you're staying with me, it'll be a fortress,"
"No one will hurt them right?" I asked, looking over at Silas and Ebony. She shook her head.
"They want you away from them so you can think for yourself. Figure things out at a pace that suits you not them. I know what I am going to become but I have no idea what's going to happen. It's awkward for family to talk about it. So, we can figure things out together,"
"Thank you," I smiled at her. It's all I can really do. She smiled back.
"You're welcome and thank you. How late should I expect you?"
"I get off at seven. I might be a little later. The doctor I'm working with has a big project due today and I don't know how long it'll take me,"
"Oh the code to the garage is twenty fourteen," she added. I nodded looking down at my work. I glanced back at Silas who gave me a questioning look.
I don't like this in the slightest but I really have no choice. If this implicates my family there is no way I am going to risk them starting to kill one another. I text Silas what was going to happen and by the arguing that happened back there, I know none of them liked it.
"It's best for all of us. Once Lockwood tells everyone to back off, they will," Cassidy tried to reassure me.
"Do you think there's any way to get a hold of him now?" I asked. She chuckled.
"Godrick Lockwood is a ghost. It's what your mother's bloodline is known for. The power comes from your dad,"
"Great," I groaned falling back onto the backrest of my chair.
"We'll talk more tonight," she suggested. I want to just hide under a rock and live like Patrick Star for the rest of my life.
"Things will get better," I looked up at Professor Sterling. She placed a couple of graded papers in front of me. "If it helps. You've got the highest grade in my class," she glared at her daughter who shied away from her. "Cass,"
"It kind of does," I said looking my quiz over.
"Good. Keep up the good work, Ms. Lockwood,"
- Writer
