“I want nothing more than to have you in my life. I just don’t want you to give anything up for me. We haven’t known each other that long, and your feelings may change once we get to know one another better,” I suggest.
“Sophia that will never happen. I have never been interested in any girl until that day you ran me down in the hall,” he jokes. “But seriously, since the day we met, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head, not even for a second. You are the most amazing girl I have ever met.”
How can I argue with him? I understand exactly what he means, what he feels. I feel it as well. We’re soul mates, meant to be together. The only problem is that he doesn’t know why we have no future together.
With that thought, I decide to stop worrying so much and just enjoy spending time with Nathanial while I can. I crawl up on the hospital bed next to him and cuddle.
While the movie is good, we talk the whole time. We enjoy leaning as much about one another as possible.
Nathanial likes to tell me about his older brother Luke, who will be coming home this weekend for Christmas vacation. “I really look up to Luke. He worked really hard to get into Harvard. I hope I can make my parents just as proud,” Nathanial expresses.
“Nate, can’t you see that you mean everything to your parents and that they are already proud of you? They just want you to be happy. You put way too much pressure on yourself. You are so lucky to have a family that loves you for who you are,” I say with complete conviction.
“Sweetie, I’m sure your family feels the same about you. They want nothing more than for you to be happy. I just have not figured out why you fight it so much.”
“I do, Nate, but I also know what it is like to not be appreciated and accepted. You are so blessed to have such an amazing family. I hope you realize what you have.” I want him to understand, but I worry it is turning in to a lecture.
“I also know how lucky I am to have you,” he responds and seals it with a kiss.
Lucky to have me? I wonder if he would still feel that way if he knew the truth.
***
Nathanial gets discharged from the hospital today, Sunday morning. His parents are here and ready to take him home. I will go home and give his family some time together. I feel guilty for spending so much time with him. I am sure Mrs. McCord wanted to be with her son in his time of need. She was so gracious to allow me to be with him. As we are leaving and I say goodbye, I thank the McCords once again for allowing me to stay with Nate. I decide to offer my apologies for staying so much. His mother insists that she had to work anyway and was just happy to know he’s been in good hands. That’s a relief to me. Luke is coming home from Harvard today. With his busy schedule he decided to live in the dorms on campus, coming home for Sunday dinners every chance he got. I thought it will be best if I stay away and allow his family to heal from the traumatic events of the weekend, so that’s exactly what I do.
Chapter Twenty Six
Learning
My family had plans to go skiing today, but those plans change when Constance had a vision that we should stay home. She does not always share her visions, but we trust her to do what is in the best interests of the family. We learned early on not to question her or her motives. She always tells us what we need to know. It is best this way, and Constance has never done us wrong, so we trust her completely.
Instead of skiing, Ms. Edwina and the girls join us at our place today to work on their power control. We are the perfect candidates for them to practice on. Between the eleven of us, the skills and powers in the house are almost unfathomable.
“So what exactly are your powers?” Eliza asks.
“I can heal, Alexander is telepathic, Constance has premonitions, Matilda sees souls, and Florence controls memories. That is only the beginning. Isaac can control the elements, and Elijah can borrow powers of those around him,” I respond.
“What about Danika?” questions Ebony.
“Funny you ask that, as we don’t know yet. We’re hoping we can find out with your help,” Alexander suggests.
Eliza smiles. “So who has the strongest power?”
“Elijah’s power is truly amazing. We try to keep it hidden, because this is a power many would love to possess. When one vampire kills another vampire, they acquire the power of the destroyed vampire, so it would be very dangerous for other vampires to learn of Elijah’s power. They would want to destroy him for it. He is remarkable, and he only absorbs power when doing so is necessary.” Florence beams with pride for her mate.
Now that we have disclosed our powers, we begin to discuss the powers of the witches. Ms. Edwina senses truth and lies, she has even acquired new powers of the years, but this is something we already knew. Ebony is telekinetic, so she can move things with her mind, as we saw at school. That leaves Eliza, and we have not yet seen what she can do.
“You must be wondering what I can do,” she says. “I know you have witnessed both Grams’ and Ebony’s powers.” Eliza raises her right hand.
We all look around to see what it is she can do, but we can’t figure it out. Then, one by one, we notice all three of our witch friends are in different places than they were when she first raised her hand.
“You can move people?” I assume.
“No. Rather, she can control time. She can freeze time, and once she learns to control it a little better, she will be able to slow time and travel through it as well,” Ms. Edwina explains.
“Why is it you were all in different places?” Danika inquires.
“Because her power does not affect Salem witches,” Ebony answers.
As we learn about each other’s powers, we also learn the major differences in our powers. Witches like Ebony and her sisters can learn new powers, and all the powers of their ancestors are somewhere within them. Vampires can only acquire new powers from the destruction of another vampire, except for what we bring in from our human lives, if anything–that is, with the exception of normal vampire powers such as super strength, speed, increased senses, and so on.
Elijah tries to explain a little more to our witch friends. “Because of the lifestyle my family and I have chosen, we rarely destroy another vampire unless they directly threaten us, like the other night. During the last Cerberus war, we fought, but we left the final destruction to others. We believe in the fight, but we have made a vow not to kill anyone, including the immortal. If we absolutely need to destroy a vampire, we will, when cases like protecting our own or those we are close to warrant such actions in our minds. In all our years, it rarely comes to that, and we are grateful.”
“Will Isaac or Alexander receive any powers for the one they destroyed the other night?” Ebony asks.
“Actually, it appears as though he did not have any extra powers to gain. Not all vampires have extra powers. The Cerberus cult creates just for gaining numbers, whereas most vampires that follow Renata law only create if they can improve the clan with the addition of one and their power,” Isaac explains.
“Renata law and Cerberus cult? Wow. There is a lot more to vampire history than I ever thought,” Eliza admits.
“Yes. It is quite complex, and we will explain more as time goes on, but for now, let’s work on your powers.” Elijah diverts attention, and we all get to work.
Elijah starts working with us to teach us power protection, how to protect our powers so others like him cannot use our powers. He also explains the great emotional sense he received when around Nathanial. He believes Nathanial has a gift to extract emotional information from others, but because Nathanial is mortal, he does not understand this or how to use it. It just makes him easy to talk to, and that is why I have such a hard time keeping things from him.
***
Everyone is having fun. Eliza’s having fun surprising most of us, although she is getting frustrated that she cannot surprise Alexander and Constance. Ebony is doing really well too; she has been practicing moving items away from those who possess them. This may come in handy for
extracting weapons from others. We continue working hard like this for a few days, and I lose track of time. Out of nowhere, the phone rings. Constance and Alexander both turn and look at me, a telltale sign that the phone is for me.
“Good afternoon. This is the Pierce residence,” I answer.
“Sophia, I have missed having you around the past few days. I think the doctor has called for my daily dose of beautiful,” Nathanial says excitedly.
“I missed seeing you too. I just didn’t want to intrude, with Luke coming home and you just getting home from the hospital a few days ago,” I explain.
“Sweetie, Luke can’t wait to meet the girl I won’t stop talking about,” he confesses.
“So would I. I could pick her up on my way over,” I joke.
“Don’t you be coy. You know you’re the only girl for me.”
“How are you feeling? Better, I hope.”
“Yes, much, thank you. I get my stitches out in just a few days. That will be nice because they are feeling very tight and itching.” He grumbles a little and asks, “So are you coming over?”
“If it is okay with your family, I could be there shortly,” I offer.
“Of course it is. They are so excited that I finally found a girl I am interested in. I think they were starting to wonder if I’m gay.” He chuckles.
“Sorry, but I refuse to share you with anyone, guy or girl.”
“No worries there. You are the only person for me. See you soon. Drive safe, though, because the roads are getting slick,” he cautions.
“I always do,” I reply, leaving out that with my reflexes, nothing could ever happen.
The only person for him? But I am not a person–at least not anymore. I am a Vampire a monster. But I do know what he means and cannot analyze his comment as I always do.
I really hate how analytical I am after so many years. You think I would learn let the chips fall where they may, but when it comes to this, I can’t. He believes I am human, and I want him to continue believing it. I just know I will lose him if he finds out the truth.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Predicament
The roads are pretty icy, but they are no match for my quick reflexes. I make it to Nathanial’s house in less than twenty minutes. I made myself presentable before leaving and took my time not to raise any questions regarding how fast I’ve arrived. It has been a few days since Nathanial got home from the hospital. I miss him and can’t stop thinking about him, but I kept busy. I’m excited to see him and don’t even have the chance to ring the doorbell, before he comes flying out the door to greet me. He gives me a big hug and then leans down to kiss me. One small peck, and then his soft lips began to move passionately with mine. It is amazing how every time we kiss, it sends electric shocks through my entire body.
I hear a man clear his throat near the doorway.
“Sorry to interrupt, little brother.” Luke taps Nathanial’s shoulder.
“Oh, sorry, man. Allow me to introduce you to the most beautiful woman in the world. This is Sophia. Sophia, this is my big brother Luke.” Nathanial introduces us while holding his arm around the small of my back.
“It is nice to finally meet you.” Luke greets me by extending his right hand out to shake mine.
“And you as well.” I shake his hand and smile.
He tries to pull me in to him and lift me to spin me around in excitement. For a short moment, I am surprised and resist, but then I realize what I am doing and release myself into his arms. I can see the puzzled looks on the brothers’ faces.
“You’re a tough one, aren’t you? My God! You are freezing. Nate, let’s get this poor girl in the house to warm up,” Luke insists.
“Sophia, we have missed you. It is wonderful to see you again. Please make yourself at home.” Mrs. McCord welcomes me with open arms.
“It is lovely to see you again. Thank you for having me over,” I reply.
“You will join us for dinner, won’t you?” With her striking wide eyes, she looks at me as she invites.
“Thank you. That would be nice.”
I’m glad to have my day crystal so I can eat human food without getting those awful stomach cramps and indigestion, a normal and very painful reaction for a vampire. I begin to realize just how thirsty I am, because I have not eaten much since Friday after Nathanial’s attack. I am going to have to watch myself and be very careful. I am sure Florence will have a nice blood meal ready when I return home. I got too caught up in training with the witches. I have only snacked a little. “May I help you with anything?”
I offer, as Florence has always made sure we keep our manners.
“No thank you. Please enjoy your time with the boys. I think Nate has missed you a little and I’m sure Luke would like to get to know you,” Mrs. McCord informs.
I am excited to get to know him as well. Luke means so much to Nathanial, and I cannot wait to get to know the man he idolizes so much. I am actually kinda nervous. I normally don’t care much for what others think of me, but tonight I care more than I could ever expect to.
Nathanial holds my hand and leads me to the family room, with Luke in tow. “Are you feeling okay?” Nathanial asks with concern.
“I am fine. Why do you ask?”
“You just seem a little pale, and your eyes are darker. Are you getting sick?”
“Probably just a lack of sleep and too much shopping.” I know that is not the real reason, but I cannot tell him the truth.
He gives me a little kiss on my cheek. “Promise me you will take care of yourself.”
“I promise.” I give him a little smile.
Luke begins telling us all about his classes at Harvard. “I am majoring in history.”
He starts explaining about the section on the Salem witch trials. He is particularly enjoying it because of how close to home it all happened. He decided to do a report on Sara Good, the woman from Wenham that was hanged in 1692 for being a witch and how she was wrongly convicted. We continue to discuss the topic for a while. Luke looks impressed by my knowledge of history.
“I did a little research when my family decided to move here,” I explain.
“Did you know the civilians of Salem tried to persecute even more women in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s?” Luke adds.
“I read a little about that.” I do not admit I was there.
He pulls out some of his textbooks. “You may enjoy this then.” Luke offers the book to me.
Nathanial quickly grabs one of the texts for a closer look. “What the…?” Nathanial gasps.
“What’s wrong?” Luke questions, and I await a response.
“This picture! The woman looks just like you!” He stares at the book in shock.
Luke takes the book for a better look. “Holy crap! She sure does.”
When I look at the picture, I am shocked. It is me, along with my family. I try to cover my surprise. “Wow, it sort of does. That’s so cool and a little creepy.” I say casually, trying to brush it off.
“How is it possible? I know this picture was taken after the witch trials, but it is still from the nineteenth century. Do you have ancestors who lived in Salem?” Luke questions.
“Uh...um...well, I’m really not sure. I don’t think so. The Pierce family adopted me years ago in Italy, which is where I was born,” I try to explain.
“Adopted you and your twin brother Alexander?” Nathanial asks with surprise.
“Yeah, that’s right. They came to Italy and found us, which is when Alexander and I became part of the Pierce family,” I confirm stiffly. I start to panic, knowing everything can come crashing down any minute now.
“That’s cool. Maybe I can help you find out about your birth relatives,” Luke offers.
“I don’t know. The Pierce family is the only one that matters to me now.” I try to detour him. I never expected this. Who would have expected when we saved Constance all those years ago that the picture of us, claiming her body would end up in a history book. I can
only hope I explained it well enough. I need to change the subject. Maybe I should ask Luke about basketball or about Nathanial as a child. I need something to distract everyone. I pretend to flip through the remainder of the book.
Just then, a scream comes from the kitchen. I can already smell the blood. Mrs.
McCord cut herself, and Luke and Nathanial rush to her aide.
With my hand covering my mouth, I announce, “Sorry, but please excuse me. I can’t handle the blood after everything that happened on Friday night.”
I hurry outside to get some air. I feel the hunger taking over, burning inside of me, and I sense my eyes turning black. My head begins to spin and then pounds and I become dizzy. My throat and chest burn with hunger, and I know I need to calm myself. My jaw is aching, I can feel the teeth in my mouth enlarging and sharpening as my fangs start to protrude.
I look up and see Alexander there, ready to talk me down. I can still smell the blood.
It is the only thing I can smell. I am sometimes grateful Alexander likes to spy on me so much. He is just what I need, and he calms my insecurities easily. He holds my head, forcing me to stare him straight in his eyes as he connects our minds and slowly calms me.
Luke and Nathanial finish bandaging their mother, and Nathanial comes out to check on me. Alexander hurries off into the bushes so he won’t be seen. It is a close call, but because of his gift and our super hearing and speed, he is able to leave just as Nathanial reaches the door, assuring me he will stay close and connected.
As Nathanial steps outside, I glance up at him and become even calmer. He has such a powerful influence over me. I keep my head slightly lowered, as I do not want him to see my eyes, but through my peripheral vision I watch him walking over to me, his head slightly bent downwards, trying to see my face.