Nobody is Safe

Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

I awoke to the evening light fading fast on the horizon. I sat up right and all the memories from the night before swam in front of my eyes. I lay back down with a huff then groaned and got up and had to run to the bathroom. As I emptied my bladder I noticed the closet door was slightly ajar. I opened it and frowned. The shelves had been restocked but how? I had locked both doors when I had gone to sleep. I hurried up and scrubbed my hands then bolted to the front door. Still locked. Then I went to the adjoining door and found it still locked. I frowned again and walked back to the bedroom and found new clothes in the closet in there as well. Evening gowns, summer dresses, shirts, jeans, and sweatpants. The whole closet was stocked with more clothes than I think I have ever worn let alone owned all at one time. I chose a tank top and some jean shorts, then I walked to the adjoining door, unlocked it and opened it to find my mom’s door locked as well. I knocked and waited. I knocked again louder and frowned when suddenly I heard the bolt unlock and the door opened a c***k and my Mom peeked in at me.

“I’m sorry …” she started immediately coming through the door and shutting it behind her.

“No Mom I’m sorry everything is just so…” I waved my hands around looking for the right words.

“Hectic?” she supplied.

“Well yes but that’s not what I mean it’s just I’m overwhelmed with everything and…” I stopped and sniffed. “You smell funny.” I said my nose wrinkling back with the strong odor coming off her.

“Oh sorry I was burning incense, and candles, it’s been a long time since I’ve done candle magic.” she sighed wistfully.

“Oh okay.” I murmured slightly put off.

“You look good.” She smiled at me. “You like the clothes? I gave Elena your size. She got you everything I asked for, right?”

I blinked then shrugged. “How did anyone get in my room? I locked the doors.”

“Oh well they have spare keys for house cleaning they come to and from all the guest wings.” She blushed. “I told Elena to have someone stock both our rooms while we slept.”

I shook my head. “It seems the Queen is doing a lot of favors for us.”

“Yes that she is.”

We both stood in a bit of awkward silence and then she seemed to shake herself from whatever was bugging her. “You must be starving, let's go get some breakfast!”

“Breakfast? Don’t you mean dinner?” I asked.

“No, the Day is just beginning for everyone. Here at sundown is like sunrise in the human world. I told you we flourish at night.” She said patiently. I bit my lip and then did a double take feeling in my mouth. “Was it just a nightmare?” I asked my eyes wide.

My mom actually laughed and shook her head. “I wish it had been.”

“Then how…?” I asked, puzzled.

“Darling your Fangs are retractable they only burst from your gums when you’re thirsty or when you're threatened.”

“Then why were they still there after I drank…” I shivered and rubbed my arms with my hands. “Blood?” I managed to say the word at last.

“Because it was so new that you have to learn how to retract them, sleeping probably calmed you enough to make them retract.”

Suddenly there was no noise except the ringing in my ears and the awful pain in my lower stomach. I weaved in and out of darkness feeling lightheaded I doubled over on myself and sank to the floor curling up pulling my knees as tight to me as I could the pain was so blinding I couldn’t focus it coursed through me like shooting stars some seconds worse than others and then like it had come it was gone in a blink of the eye. My breathing was ragged as sound suddenly exploded in my ears.

“Get someone over here now!” I heard my mom’s shout and then felt her arms around me and I melted into her, the familiar touch so soothing. “Darling Mommy is here! Stay with me Becka Mommy needs you to stay with me!” Then she was back to shouting at someone. “She seems to be coming back, still send someone to check her over!” she snapped and I heard something clatter to the floor as she rocked me where I was in her lap on the floor right inside the adjoining room. “Honey? Are you alright?” she softly asked, running her fingers through my long hair.

“I..” I cleared my throat and tried again. “I think so.” I whispered.

“What happened baby girl?” Her voice was soft and soothing.

“I don’t know it just hurt so bad.” I mumbled and nuzzled my head against her neck and reached up and slung my arm around her. I sniffed and got closer to her neck and smelt the soft skin. It had a hidden scent that I couldn’t smell over the incense but since she had aired off now the smell became a wonderful scent that made my throat burn and my body tense. That’s when I felt my fangs suddenly fill my mouth and somehow I broke free of her grip and jumped up and started backing away, my hands over my mouth and my eyes wide. 

She sat there frozen for a second then she stood up just as we both heard the faint CLICK of the lock opening and several people came rushing in but had to do a double take at the scene. I backed up further, my hands clamped over my mouth, my eyes wide and fearful.

“Rebecca it’s going to be okay I know you won’t hurt me.” She said softly, not even acknowledging the newcomers. “We can get you another donor, do you want that?” she asked taking a step towards me which I matched with a step backwards but my back was now against the wall and I was cornered. 

It was hard to stay focused. I could smell that sweet scent and it was making my brain glitch. I wanted to taste just a little taste… No that is my Mom, the woman who raised me and protected me. I won’t hurt her… will I? What did she say? Another Donor? More blood? Is that what this was? Could it so easily be fixed? Slowly I nodded and in the blink of an eye the paramedics that had rushed in the room were opening the door to let in two men who were leading a dazed looking guy in and deposited him on the couch.

“It’s okay little one do you want a drink?” one of the men said and held his hand out to me. Slowly I dropped my hands from my face and took his hand. He led me to the couch and sat me next to the guy on the couch who looked very dazed but content. “You remember me from last night?” The guy that had led me to the couch asked. I looked him over then nodded. He was the one that had been in the room when the King had shown me how to do what I was about to once again lower myself to. It felt dirty and wrong but I needed it so bad! My throat burned fiercely as if reinstating I did NEED it. “This is just like the King told you last night, do you understand? A few mouthfuls’ and then you have to stop. It should be slightly easier this time to stop but it will still be extremely hard, but you have to remember that the fate of this man is in your hands, go ahead whenever you’re ready.”

I looked at my Mom and saw her concerned face. I couldn’t bear it. I looked away back at the man on the couch. I studied him for a second. He was probably in his late fifties a glossy look in his eyes that stared blankly at nothing. His hair was black with gray hair layered through the black naturally. His skin tone was like dark chocolate and most importantly he had a huge vein pulsing with the blood flow and once my eyes locked on it I was pure instinct no thought about it. I leaned forward and sank my teeth into his neck hitting the vein. I drank and as it was last time it was almost impossible to stop once I had started. I struggled but managed to break free. I slowly sank back into the seat I had exited to drink. My eyes were closed and I focused on relaxing and slowly my breathing calmed and I felt; like a power surge, surge through me. I suddenly felt refreshed like I had been well rested. As I marveled in the feeling rushing through my veins I felt a sudden SNAP and my fangs were gone. I licked my lips and opened my eyes blinking multiple times before the picture cleared.

The other vampire smiled at me. “Perfect you are a natural. Don’t worry things will clear up the more you feed the better off you will be. We will just get out of your way here excuse me.” He walked over and helped the guy donor sitting next to me on the couch back up and together with the other man they had come in with. They left and my mom walked over to me and held my hand as the paramedics did a thorough job of making sure everything was okay but that strange pain was something of the past almost completely forgotten by me.

“You guys I’m okay I really am I kind of want to go for a run, Mom you up for it?” I asked and raised an eyebrow up at her as if a wager. 

She laughed at my expression and then she nodded. “Yeah let me change into something more suited for running.” She said pointing at her dress.

The paramedics left shortly thereafter and I did a quick wardrobe change as well opting for some cotton shorts and a tank top, both with the same lime green color. I met my mom in the hallway and we walked out of the wing together once we got outside we glanced at each other and like that we were off.

Running had always been filled with fear so to run with no fear felt exulting. I gave a loud cheer and picked up my pace. We raced across the grounds to where they had a track. I kicked up dust as I hit the gravel and together we lapped around and around the track on each lap I picked up more speed and soon I was running laps around my mom. When I was passing her again I slowed to her pace for a minute and cheered loudly.

“WHOOOOO this feels amazing! We should add this to our schedules. It feels so liberating to be out here in the semi-darkness!” as I said that the sun was making its final wave goodbye for the night as it disappeared beyond the horizon. Mom laughed and it sounded like bells ringing. 

“Darling you are so full of energy I just can’t keep up must be the Vampire part of your make-up.” She said it matter of factly but I heard the strain in her voice.

I looked over at her and smiled brightly. “Whatever it is I feel so amazing. I didn’t know anyone could feel this awesome! I feel truly alive for the first time in like forever! I feel like I’m up for anything!”

She shook her head and laughed as we started to head back towards our wing. “Well I hope so because Elena plans on starting your lessons tonight.”

“What?” I asked and stopped in my tracks. “Tonight? But it’s still my birthday!” I complained.

“That it is and when we get back to our rooms I will give you your present.” She seemed nervous and I couldn’t hold back my giggle.

“You have more for me?” I asked laughing as we resumed walking.

“More what do you mean more?” she asked and I looked at her.

“Come on Mom you have given me the best present already! I’m a Witch and a Vampire! I’m something only kids dream about but never really got to be or see and now I feel it in my veins and in my bones I feel so different, so grounded, and normal isn’t that weird I feel normal for the first time ever!” I inhaled deeply after that long statement.

“Hmmm well if you look at it that way…” she paused and shook her head. “No nothing is awesome about the situation we are in. I’m sorry for the way things have gone your whole life and I’m sorry I didn’t seek protection to begin with but now that I have, you will be safe and you will learn all about our world the world you have belonged in since birth and I neglected you of it thinking I was protecting you.”

“Mom stop, I know what you are doing, just stop, you can’t blame yourself for the situation we are in if you have to blame anyone blame the universe, or the Goddess, or someone who might have been able to make a different outcome but here we are, so be happy in the moment. You don’t know how long we have left before we part this earth. Take it one day at a time and breathe. Everything will work out how it should!”

After that we pretty much walked in silence and all around us we saw the signs of people emerging for the day and I had to remind myself that I was different now. The sun wasn’t my friend it never really was anyways it had always made it hard to breathe and think right. When we reached my room I opened it up with my key that had been hidden in a pocket inside my bra. We walked in and then my mom froze, making me stop as well. Sitting on the couch was the King with a dark haired guy who seemed to be about my age maybe a year or so older. The King stood gracefully as did the guy next to him.

“Taylor, Rebecca, nice to see you this morning. I heard we had a little problem this morning. I came by to give my advice but you both were gone. I hope you don’t mind, we let ourselves in.” He smiled brightly, his teeth seemed a little too white. “This here is young Richard. He is going to be Rebecca’s Vampire tutor as the Queen and I feel that this is slightly more important than teaching her spells. She needs to know when she is thirsty, and what can trigger it, everything that is important that you don’t understand.”

I looked over at my Mom and saw anger flash in her eyes but I could see her restraining herself. “Yes your majesty.” She finally murmured and my mouth almost hit the floor.

“I think the Queen needs to see you anyways.” The King said dismissively and my Mom nodded. 

“Can I give Rebecca her present first?”

When the King nodded she walked over to the Giant Plasma TV and dug in the cabinet it was sitting on and she pulled out a small box and walked back to me. She seemed to have resolved something because she was all smiles again as she handed me the box. “Open it.” She said softly.

 I bit my lip and tore into the box and inside was … another box… I pulled it out and gasped. “No flipping way seriously?!” I exclaimed so excited I started jumping up and down. “A cell phone! A real cell phone! All mine? Really Mommy?” I felt the tears coursing down my face and bolted into my mom’s arms and hugged her tightly. “Oh Mommy thank you so, so much! This is the best gift ever!” I exclaimed and started jumping up and down again squeezing My Mom tightly. 

She laughed loudly. “I’m just glad you like it Becka! I already pre programmed my number in it and I downloaded some music. I'm sure you will love it, just be responsible. You're eighteen now so you need to learn how to use this without getting in trouble you understand right?”

“Yes Mom I promise. EEEEKKKK!” I squealed and pulled the phone out of the box.

The King cleared his throat and I blushed a bright red. “Shall we leave these two to their work? There was something I wanted to discuss with you.” He held his hand out to the adjoining door and they both stepped through and shut the door behind them.