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“I wish I could speak with them one last time, just to ask them what they had in mind for my life. I wish I knew what they wanted me to be. Did Aunt Jess talk about any of that?”

“Unfortunately, not. She never spoke much about her family and I never asked. It wasn’t really my role to get personally involved. I know that not being there for you did play on her mind. She grieved terribly for your parents. It pained her to not be able to share this life with them.”

“I hate that I never even got to know her. I suppose that at least she had you with her. At least she didn’t have to be alone.”

Arthur’s grip tightened on the wheel. “Yes, she did.”

“Sorry. I know you don’t like talking about that.”

“No, and today should be a happy occasion. This is the first step of the rest of your life and you should be looking forward to it.”

/> *

We returned home and before I went out on patrol that night I looked at the syllabus to see what lessons were available to me. I went with my instincts and picked History and English Literature, I also went for Philosophy as well as Botany, just to add something a little different. The fact that I didn’t have to pick everything that went into a specific career was freeing. I liked that I could mix and match different things and pursue my own interests, and I wished every school could have been like this. I emailed them the list and then it was time for me to go out on patrol. I was eager to get back out there, as I wanted to confirm to myself that I could marry these two separate parts of my life. I also wanted some time to think about my dream, as well, for it still troubled me.

I had never heard of a Slayer becoming a vampire, or of vampires bowing down to her. If this had happened, I assumed the Slayer organization would have wanted to keep things quiet, which meant I was going to have to figure things out for myself. The first thing I had to do was to try and get access to Arthur’s books, as the answers would surely be in there. He had many rare volumes that documented the history of the Slayers, and my family tree specifically, since that was the bloodline he was guardian of.

Speaking of dreams, the one surprising thing to me was that I had never had a flash of memory from my aunt. I really wanted one, as well, for I hoped that it would contain some small glimpse of my parents, but I couldn’t force a memory to come to me. They were just swirling in my subconscious and it was by pure random chance that they appeared. They were better than having nightmares at least.

I stalked the night with my hooded robe cloaking my appearance. I had my weapons ready and I prowled the empty streets, focusing on the alleys and sidewalks that were prone to having vulnerable people walking by, unaware of the danger posed by the creatures of the night. I was certainly aware why my organization kept the existence of vampires a secret from the general population, but sometimes, I wondered if it would actually be better to let the truth out, as at least then people could defend themselves. But, the secret had been guarded for generations and we had to play our clandestine game.

I blended into the shadows, moving stealthily, keeping watch, ever vigilant. I spotted a few women walking alone and I tracked them in case they caught the attention of a vampire. If I could narrow down the instances of a vampire attack, then Arthur and I might be able to triangulate the location of the lair. I had never taken on an ancient vampire before but I was itching to. Arthur wasn’t sure I was ready for that. He thought I needed more practice, but I knew I was ready. I could feel it in my blood.

*

A couple of hours passed; it had been a quiet night so far. No vampires had appeared and the only scream I’d heard had been the result of a stupid prank. I ended up drawing a dagger across the tip of my finger. A drop of blood bloomed and oozed out, trickling down until it splashed on the ground. I slunk back into the darkness and waited, letting my blood drip. It took a while but, eventually, I heard movement and the familiar hiss of a hungry vampire.

I emerged from the shadows, taking it by surprise. I thrust out my palm and hit it in the chest, before spinning around and kicking it in the head. It staggered back and I drew my stakes.

“Where’s your master?” I asked. The monster glared at me with its beady eyes. It lifted its claws and hissed once again. This was one of the more primal vampires. The hungrier they got, the more primal they got, and the recent vampires I’d been hunting had been totally savage. With more blood they became more human, but also more difficult to track. If I wanted answers, then I was going to have to find one of these more cultured vampires and make them talk. I wasn’t going to get anything out of this one, so as it came towards me, claws and fangs bared, I threw a dagger with all my might, hitting it straight in its withered old heart. It froze, paralyzed for a moment, and then it shuddered and turned to dust. It let out one last, agonizing hiss before it crumbled. I stepped into the pile of ash and picked up my stake, rubbing off the dust, and then I made my way back home.

*

When I returned home Arthur was sleeping. He didn’t always stay up to welcome me, trusting in my ability to return home safely. He had left a lamp on in the lounge, to offer me some illumination, as I hydrated and fed myself after a night of patrolling. The Slayer abilities inside me gave me more stamina, so I needed less sleep than the average person. I was used to staying up at night anyway, as I had been plagued with insomnia for most of my life. I was looking forward to my first day at the academy, but I was also worried about the vampire in our midst. It was taking longer to find clues to the ancient one’s whereabouts than I would have liked. As much as I enjoyed going out on patrol I didn’t want to spend my Slaying days taking out minions and weak vampires, because they would always come like a relentless tide. I needed to take out the main threat before it could do too much damage.

Since there was nothing I could do at that moment in time, I decided to head to bed and try to get some sleep before the big first day at the academy, but as I walked upstairs I passed the door to Arthur’s study. It was where he kept the majority of his books and was the font of all his wisdom. I thought there might be some kernel of information in there about my ancestors, and perhaps some clue about my mysterious dream. He didn’t like me going in there without his permission; Arthur was a very private man and he was often fussy about his possessions, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, I thought. I carefully opened the door, turning the handle gently. The hinges made a slight creak. I slipped into the opening and tiptoed across the floor, turning on a lamp. There were stacks of books all piled around in a haphazard manner and I shook my head at the mess. The room smelled of musty books, and on the desk was a plate with crumbs resting on it and a drop of jam, as red as blood.

I started flicking through the books, trying to find one that detailed my family tree, but as I was investigating the various piles he had left, I heard footsteps behind me. Arthur was standing in the doorway, wearing a loose robe.

“What are you doing in here?” he asked calmly, although there was a thread of tension underlying his calm tone.

“Sorry Arthur, I just came back from patrol and I wasn’t quite ready to sleep yet. I thought I’d just do some light reading before bed.”

“You know I don’t like you coming in here without my supervision. These books are rare and valuable. I can’t take the risk that you’ll damage them.”

“I would hope that you’d have more faith in me than that by now,” I sighed. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“What were you looking for anyway?”

“I just wanted to know more about my bloodline really. I thought that learning about the Slayers who came before me would help me learn about myself.”

Arthur held the door open and looked at me with a studied gaze. I dipped my head and appeared conciliatory, although his insistence of controlling what information was given to me was starting to become suspicious. He exhaled deeply and hung his head.

“Elsa, we have known each other for a few years now and in that time I have gotten to know you quite well, better than you might think. I know when you are not being entirely honest with me. What are you hiding from me?”

I stroked my chin and ran my hands through my hair. It seemed as though there was no point keeping a secret from him, and really he was probably the only one who could help me.

“I had a strange dream. One of the memories from a Slayer bled through, but it wasn’t like any that I had experienced before.”


Tags: Lilly Wilder Paranormal