Bloodlines

by Lindsay Anne Kendal

  “Where did he get it from?” Lily asked.

  “Nobody knows,” Jake said.

  Whenever Lily asked a question he was nearly always the one who answered her.

  “Anyway they did something a few times and then when they were eighteen something happened and they got this power. Sorry to be so vague but nobody really knows. They didn’t go into details with their wives once they were married; they just said it was something they had been given and that it would go to the first-born son in each generation. They said they would get them when they were ten and they would get stronger and stronger as they reached eighteen. Then when they turned eighteen they would be at full power, they would instantly know how to use it, and that was it. Then he told his daughter, Ann, so that she wouldn’t get scared if she saw her dad or brother doing magic.”

  “The only reason they told their wives and children in the first place was because of the witch-hunts,” Lucian said. “They knew it was getting dangerous and that they might not survive it.”

  “How did they know they wouldn’t survive?” I asked.

  “It’s like we told you before – there was a lot of jealousy back then and our families were wealthy, so they knew there was a high risk of their being accused.”

  “They weren’t psychic or anything,” Tyler said. “They just knew what people were like. So they made sure their wives would be able to warn their sons and tell them to keep it secret.”

  “I’m going for a cig,” Danny said getting up. He was clearly agitated.

  “I thought you quit,” Jake said.

  “I did!” he replied and walked out the front door.

  “I think I may have some answers for you guys now,” I told them. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  I grabbed my car keys and walked outside. Danny was sitting on the steps leading to the front door. I ignored him, went to the car and grabbed the book. I could see him out of the corner of my eye; he was watching me, but not with the normal nasty look on his face. He looked like he wanted to say something but kept stopping himself. When I turned around he looked down. I could see the others watching out the window, probably in case something kicked off. I walked back towards the house but stopped a couple of steps down from where he was sitting. He looked up at me, but there was no nastiness in his eyes.

  “I’ve read some of this,” I said nicely, patting the book. “I think it might cure everyone’s curiosity about what happened on the night our ancestors got their power. Do you want me to wait until you have finished your cigarette so you can hear?”

  “Do you smoke?” he asked.

  “Occasionally.”

  He held the pack out and offered me a cigarette. I took it, leaned forward while he lit it for me and then sat down next to him. He turned to look at me.

  “I hope you’ve not poisoned this,” I smirked

  “No,” he said, smiling and shaking his head.

  “You know, Danny, if you actually gave me a chance you would see I wasn’t a bad person.”

  “I know that, and I’m not as big of an ass as you think I am.”

  “I don’t think you’re an ass…well, maybe a little bit of one…but I understand that you were protecting your friends. You didn’t know who I was or what I was…”

  “Yeah, but I shouldn’t have been so cold with you.”

  “Maybe we should just start again?” I suggested.

  “I’d like that.”

  I stood up and held my hand out in front of me.

  “Hi, my name’s Keira and I’m the fifth bloodline,” I grinned.

  “I’m Danny, one of the other four, but I could have sworn your name was Cinderella,” he said, grinning back and shaking my hand.

  “God, no, who told you that?”

  We both laughed. We finished our cigarettes and went inside.

  “About time you two made up,” Jake said.

  “Is that the book?” Tyler asked with wide eyes.

  “The one and only,” I told him, sitting down and opening it. “Now it’s my turn to tell the story.”

  They all got comfy and ready to hear what I had to say.

  “OK, John and the others started the coven when they were seventeen. They would go out late at night into the countryside where nobody would see them. They took the book that John found and started to follow the instructions in it to conjure spirits. Nothing happened for months, even though they did everything the book said word for word. They started to get disheartened and were ready to give up. They arranged a meeting for one final go, but before they could try to conjure anything it found them…”

  I was enjoying this, telling a story, watching the wonder and anticipation on the faces strained toward me. “They were standing around a small fire when they were surrounded by a glowing mist. It circled them, the glow getting brighter and brighter until it hurt their eyes to look at it. Then it started to sink into their skin. They described the pain they felt as though they were being whipped and burned mercilessly. They woke up the next morning in the same place they had seen the mist. They all felt different. They all knew they had a power inside them but they didn’t know who or what had given it to them. They also instantly knew how to use it, as though they had been given lessons. Yet they had no memory of anything other than the mist and the pain. They knew it would be in their blood as long as they lived and passed down through their families, yet they didn’t understand why they knew this…”

  “So they never knew what gave them this power,” Lucian asked.

  “As far as I know, but I’ve only read the first few pages.”

  “Can I ask a question?” Lily said.

  “Yes,” Jake answered.

  “Just going back to something you said when we first came here. You said Ann Putnam made accusations about people being involved with witchcraft.”

  “Yes.”

  “But if her father had magic and power in him, why would she do that?”

  “We think she did it to protect her family. Once the other girls in the village had shown signs of being affected by witchcraft, people quickly started to accuse people. We think she thought if she made out she was affected by it too, then her family would be safe.”

  “Clever girl,” I said.

  “Yes, in a way, but she was responsible for a lot of innocent people being put to death,” Lucian said. “And it was all in vain – all her family was killed and her brother disappeared.”

  “At least she tried,” Lily said. “You’ve got to give her something for that.”

  “So you have no idea what else is in that book?” Danny asked.

  “Not really, I’ve flicked through some of the pages. The ones I’ve read bits of were telling some of the things he did. Like making himself levitate and making things move on their own. Then it talks about when they got married and had their children, and that they knew the power would be passed down to them. There’s also information on their business and about some of the people who were accused of witchcraft.”

  “So it’s like a diary then?”

  “Yeah, I guess it is,” I nodded. “There is more than one style of writing in there towards the middle of the book though. So it must have started off as John’s but then they have all added to it.”

  “We thought it would have explained more about the origins of this power,” Tyler sighed.

  “Hey, I promise if I find anything else in it I will tell you all. I do intend on reading it all. At least we know it was something they had tried to conjure, and how it got inside them. That’s more than any of us knew a few days ago. I just wish I knew what book they had when they were doing it.”

  “We all do,” Danny sighed. “I wonder where he found it.”

  We all went quiet for a moment.

  “So are you going to tell me why you were calling out to me then? I mean, the families have been separated for centuries, so why did you suddenly want to see if I existed?” I asked.

  “We’ve always wondered,” Tyler said, “But our
families said they had tried to track you down before and didn’t get anywhere.”

  “They never found Edward Putnam,” Danny said.

  “Well, they wouldn’t. The people who adopted him called him Charles Jameson.” I told them

  “Well, that explains that then.”

  “And you thought you would try a different approach?” I suggested.

  “No,” Lucian said. “I wish that was the reason but it’s not as simple as that.”

  “OK,” I said, anxiously.

  “Things happened, strange things,” Danny started. “It was nothing at first – we just all started having bad nightmares, and then one by one all our grandfathers suddenly became ill. The doctors at the hospital couldn’t diagnose what was wrong with them. But for all of them to get sick, with the same symptoms at the same time was very strange.”

  “When was this?” I asked.

  “A few months ago – why?”

  “The same thing happened to my grandfather.”

  “When did he die?” Jake asked

  “Three weeks ago tomorrow, the 12th of March.”

  They all looked at each other then turned to me.

  “All our grandfathers died the same day at the same time. On March 12th at 11:30 a.m.,” Lucian said.

  I couldn’t speak – that was exactly the time my grandfather had passed away.

  “Did they say anything to you before they passed away?” Lily asked.

  “Yeah, how did you know?” Jake asked.

  “Because Keira’s said something to her. What did yours say to you?” she said, looking at them all in turn.

  “Mine said: Find the missing link, for only that one has the power you will need,” then he closed his eyes…” Danny said.

  “My message was: Do not think you can beat this without the missing power; if you try, you will fail. That was it,” Jake said.

  “My grandfather said: You will need to reunite if you want to live through this. There is one out there with power much greater than yours,” Tyler told us.

  “It was mine that told us who they were referring to,” Lucian told me. “He simply said: You must find Putnam.”

  My head started spinning; I needed air. I got up and walked out the front door. Lucian and Lily came after me. I sat on the step and looked up at the sky taking deep breaths.

  “Are you OK?” Lily asked me.

  “Why me?” I asked, looking at Lucian. “What is so damn special about me?”

  “What’s going on?” Tyler asked as he walked out with the others.

  “This is too much,” I told them. “I don’t want this.”

  “Keira, what did your grandfather say to you?” Lucian asked.

  “He said: I always knew you were the one with the strongest and purest; something extra runs through your veins. I knew from the moment you were born. I never understood what he meant.”

  “If this is what they said on their deathbeds, for you to find Keira, then why was she having the dreams and hearing the voices even before they died?” Lily asked.

  “When they first became sick, and all at the same time, we knew something was wrong. I overheard my grandfather telling my dad that something was coming and that the boys, meaning us, needed to find the fifth,” Lucian said. “I never mentioned it to them. I didn’t want them to know I had been listening. So I told these guys and we started trying.”

  “After he died, the voices got even louder. That’s why I had to come here,” I told them.

  “That’s because we tried harder and more often to reach you,” Tyler said. “Keira, we don’t know what was meant by it either. We just did as we were asked.”

  “Why don’t you come back inside?” Lucian asked.

  “No, I’ve got to go… I’m sorry,” I said, getting up and heading for my car. I opened the door then turned to look at them all. “I don’t want any part of this. I don’t know what the hell is coming or what’s going to happen. But I don’t want in on it. It was nice to have met you all, and, Lucian, please thank your mother for the invitation tomorrow, but I’m afraid I will have to cancel. I’m going back home…” I got in the car and started the engine. “Please don’t contact me again!”

  They all started walking towards the car and asking me why I was leaving them, and telling me I couldn’t just leave them. Lily ran and jumped in and I put my foot down. I saw them running to their cars in my rear-view mirror.

  “Keira, you can’t just leave them. They obviously need you!” Lily shouted at me.

  “I don’t care; I don’t want any part of it. You can’t expect me to be OK with this.”

  “You don’t even know what’s going on.”

  “You heard what their messages were,” I said, panicking. ““Find Putnam or you won’t defeat them,”. I’m not fighting something that is, one, obviously supernatural and, two, must be the mother of all bad ass’s. No way!”

  I thrust the accelerator to the floor. We were now doing 100 miles per hour and Lily was gripping her seat and turning white. Needless to say it didn’t take long to get to back to the motel.

  I ran into the room and grabbed our suitcases, throwing them open on the beds.

  “I’m not leaving!” Lily shouted.

  “Fine, stay here then,” I told her. “But don’t come running to me when things get bad.”

  “Fine!” she said, walking out of the room.

  Things were flying into my case as I grabbed other things. One of the best parts of this power was telekinesis. Within two minutes I was packed. I walked out and threw my case in the trunk. Lily ran out after me.

  “Why are you doing this?” she said now in tears.

  “Lily, they were told they wouldn’t survive this without me. Well, what if I don’t survive? Did you even think about that?”

  “We don’t even know what it is.”

  “Exactly and I don’t want to find out.”

  Tyler and Lucian’s cars pulled into the parking lot and they all got out.

  “You’re scared, aren’t you?” Lily said.

  “Yes, yes I am. You asked me what scared me…well, here is your answer,” I said, getting in the car.

  “Keira!” Lucian shouted. “Wait!”

  I started the engine and turned my car around. The four of them stood in front of me blocking my way. Tyler’s eyes bronzed over and my car went dead. When I fixed it he did it again. I got out, my eyes turned white and the wind picked up.

  “Don’t piss me off!” I told them. “I will take the four of you out if I have to.”

  The wind got stronger and stronger until it was so strong they were fighting to keep standing.

  “KEIRA, STOP IT!” Lily screamed.

  The motel’s neon sign at the front of the parking area blew over and smashed, sending sparks through the air. I raised my hands and they all left the ground, then I threw them across the parking lot before fixing my car, and driving off. I put my foot down and kept checking my mirrors, but they didn’t follow. I drove at over a hundred for around an hour.

  Chapter 8

  Vision

  I was just about to pull out on to a main road when I started to go dizzy. I pulled over and wound my window down. The cold air rushed into the car but I kept getting warmer and warmer until I thought I was going to pass out. Then all I could see was Tyler picking himself up off the floor at the motel. It was as though I stood there with him. Then I skipped to him answering his phone and then to a bedroom with a man lying on the bed. There was something hovering over him. It was like a purple haze about eight inches above his body and the length of him. The man started sweating and grew paler and paler, before crying out in pain. Then the haze disappeared and I saw Tyler and an older woman run into the room, the others not far behind him.

  I was back in the car, the dizziness had stopped and I was at normal temperature again. It took me a minute to stop myself panicking. Now I knew why they hadn’t followed me. I also knew that I couldn’t leave them, I was meant to help them and be the
re with them. I spun the car around and drove back to the village.

  When I got to the motel the room was in darkness, which meant Lily had gone with them. I grabbed my phone and called Tyler.

  “Keira,” he said, sounding relieved.

  “How do I get to your house?” I asked.

  “How did you know we…”

  “I’ll explain later… Just tell me,” I interrupted.

  He stayed on the phone until I got there. He was outside waiting for me when I pulled up. I jumped out of the car and headed for the front door.

  “You need to take me to your dad,” I told him.

  He led me up the stairs and to his father’s room. When I walked in they all stared at me in disbelief. I looked at Tyler’s father; he looked so poorly and his breathing sounded terrible. Tyler’s mother looked at me with a tear-stained face.

  “We thought it was flu. We thought he had caught it from Lucian’s father; it only started yesterday morning,” she sobbed.

  “You need to call an ambulance” Lily said.

  “No, she doesn’t,” I told her. “If she did they wouldn’t be able to help.”

  “What?” his mother said, wondering what was going on.

  “Has anyone else’s father got this, other than Lucian’s?”

  “Yeah,” Danny and Jake said.

  Just as they answered me, their phones and Lucian’s started ringing in unison. It was their mothers crying; telling them their fathers seemed to be dying. They told them they were on their way and started to walk out but I blocked the door.

  “Just wait a moment,” I told them. “You need to trust me.”

  They looked at each other then turned to me and nodded. I looked over at Tyler’s mother.

  “I know we’ve just met but I need you to trust me too,” I said, walking over to her.

  “I don’t understand,” she said.

  “I trust you, Keira,” Tyler told me.

  “We need a room large enough to fit all your fathers in, preferably with as little furniture as possible. They need to be together if I’m going to stop this from killing them.”