by S J Williams
“And I’m supposed to believe this because…?”
“Because we remember you.” Sebastian looked at her with an intensity that cut her breath short.
Henry lowered himself back down on the sofa and placed his head in his hands. Slowly pulling his hands down his face, he let them drop to hang limply between his knees.
“He’s not lying. Or mad.” He said, quietly. “We do think you are someone we knew.”
His words reminded Effie of something Sebastian had said, back when they had first met in the Piazza.
You remind me of someone I knew.
There had been something so raw, so vulnerable in Sebastian’s face when he had said that. Did she believe him? Did she dare believe him?
“So you’re going by what I look like? Isn’t that a bit thin, as far as evidence goes?”
“It’s not just what you look like.” Sebastian started to pace. “It’s the way you talk, the expressions you make, your handwriting, you—” Sebastian stopped himself abruptly. She wondered what it was that he was going to say but when he started speaking again, it was on a different track.
“Have you ever wondered why you are fascinated by this city, by the fifteenth century? Why you read Italian so well?”
Effie frowned at him. When had he learned all that about her? Just by snooping through her things?
It didn’t stop him from raising an excellent point. Her obsession with the Italian Renaissance had only grown as she’d got older. The more she knew, the more she wanted to know. Arriving in Florence had felt like coming home. Just walking around the streets filled her with a strange mixture of nostalgia and deja vu.
And yet…
“I am certainly not the only person to be interested in the Renaissance Florence.” She reminded him. “If that’s your evidence, it’s not enough.”
Sebastian’s eyes went flat and he turned away from her. Deep in her heart, she keened, like she had been rejected by a lover. Which was daft, since she was the one rejecting him.
“Who was this person to you, the one you say I’m supposed to be?” She asked despite herself.
“She was a…” Sebastian faltered. Then his voice hardened. “A very dear friend.”
Effie studied him. She suspected there was more to it than that but, if there was, Sebastian wasn’t going to admit it.
And there goes another broken heart, she thought. She could sympathise. All her romantic relationships to date had ended in bitter disappointment on both sides.
“Will you at least agree to be tested?” Henry asked tentatively.
Effie paused. “What does this test involve?” She wasn’t tempted to take “the test” without knowing what that meant.
“It involves donating a sample of blood which will then be mixed with immortal venom. If the blood is destroyed, we will know you are not a possible immortal.”
“Immortal venom? You produce venom now?” She asked, already guessing she wasn’t going to like the answer.
“Yes.” Sebastian growled. He started to pace again.
“It’s not as bad as you think.” Henry assured her with another glare at Sebastian. “We only use the venom to change possible immortals. While it is lethal for normal humans, it is harmless for possible immortals and triggers the reaction to convert their cells and unlock their potential to be immortal.”
“Oh?” Effie said sceptically. That didn’t sound like any chemical reaction she’d ever heard about. “And you just secrete this… this venom? Do you have special glands or something?”
“We have fangs.” Sebastian said shortly. He turned to face her and opened his mouth. Two long fangs slipped down from his upper gums. Effie shoved herself back into her seat.
“And you’re sure you’re not vampires?” She asked after a long moment, only belatedly remembering how touchy they had been the last time she’d suggested it. Great going, girl. Antagonise the guy with fangs.
“Yes, we’re quite sure.” Henry said, forestalling whatever Sebastian was about to say. “Don’t worry. We won’t go anywhere near you with our fangs until we know for definite the venom won’t hurt you. So? Will you take the test?”
Effie opened her mouth to say no, then paused. Really, how could she refuse? If this was real… She did want to know. She just kept swinging between believing them wholeheartedly and suspecting that she was in some kind of giant hoax. Every now and again, her rational mind would catch up with her and ask, “You want me to believe in what now?”
But even if they did turn round and tell her she could be an immortal, what then? Did she go ahead and become immortal, whatever that entailed? Did she believe, like Sebastian clearly wanted her to, that she was this dead woman brought back to life?
No. That was asking her to believe one impossible thing too many. Surely?
Sebastian battled with himself not to extend his awareness again and try to get a reading on what Effie was feeling. While it would be yet another an intrusion on her privacy, he didn’t think he could stand her silence much longer.
Perhaps telling her about her past hadn’t been the best idea after all. If this went wrong now, Henry would be perfectly within his rights to wash his hands of the whole, sorry affair.
But… How could he not tell her? She needed to know. He needed her to know. At least now, the knowledge would be worming its way into the back of her mind, sowing seeds of doubt to undermine her natural scepticism. And maybe, just maybe, her memories would start to return.
They’d better, he thought grimly. Because, right now, things were going according to Henry’s most pessimistic forecast.
“Yes.” Effie said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.
“I’m sorry?” Henry jerked forward, his expression almost disbelieving.
“You asked if I wanted to take the test? I say yes.”
“You do? Excellent. That’s excellent.”
“So?” She looked between them. “Now what?”
“Now?”
“Yes. Do we do the test now or what?”
“I’m afraid it’s a little more complicated than that. We don’t really have the right equipment. It helps to get an accurate reading if the blood and venom come into contact on a sterilised surface. Other than introducing it directly to your veins, it’s the best way to ensure a valid result. A colleague of ours is coming, however. When she gets here, we’ll be able to do the test.”
“A colleague of yours is coming? You were that sure I would take the test?” She asked, one eyebrow raised.
Henry shrugged. “We already knew Bartholomew was in Florence, so she was mainly coming for him. But, you must understand Effie, it is our duty to try to find and turn as many potential immortals as we can into immortals. That is really the best way to stop them from becoming vampires who we would then have to hunt down and kill.”
Silence fell again. Effie looked grimly between them, then sighed. “Okay, okay. Fine. When will she get here?”
“Not until tomorrow at the earliest. In the meantime…” Henry glanced out into the night dark garden. “Perhaps you would like to go to bed? It must be past midnight by now.”
Effie blinked at him, obviously surprised by so domestic a suggestion.
“Yes.” She said at last. “I think that is just what I need.”
Henry stood up, clearly glad to have something practical to do. “If you’d like to follow me?”
He led her out of the room, explaining the layout of the house as he went. As Effie passed Sebastian, she looked up with an apologetic smile.
“I’m…” She paused, clearly unsure of what to say. At last, she settled for: “I’m sorry. I’m sorry you lost her and I wish… I wish I could make it right. But…” She sighed. “If she’s gone, I can’t replace her. You must know that?” She added, a hint of coaxing in her voice.
It wasn’t a question of replacing her but he nodded anyway.
She smiled again, a touch wistfully, and went to Henry who was waiting for her in the hall.<
br />
Catarina arrived early the next morning in her usual whirlwind of activity. She must have traveled through the night to get there so soon but it was impossible to tell that just by looking at her. She appeared as fresh and as invigorated as ever. The immortal who followed her into the kitchen looked like he was feeling every mile of their breakneck journey.
Henry gave him a sympathetic smile. “Coffee?” He offered.
Lucien groaned. “How strong is it?”
“It’s Italian espresso.”
“My God, yes!” He gasped and threw himself down at the dining room table.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow at his unexpected guest. “Lucien. I’m pleased to see you, of course, but why are you here?”
Lucien looked up from under the hand he’d placed over his eyes. “You mean, why have I let myself be dragged here by that madwoman? Catarina said a scholar might be required and I was intrigued. That was before I was double-marched across the Alps, however."
Catarina sniffed at him. “Lightweight.”
Then, she froze.
Sebastian followed her line of sight to see Effie, who had paused in the act of throwing away a teabag to watch the new arrivals. She flushed when she found herself the centre of attention.
“In all that’s holy.” Catarina breathed. “Effie.”
Effie stiffened. Then she slanted a suspicious gaze at him. Internally, he sighed. She probably thought they had staged this encounter.
Catarina, characteristically oblivious to the tension, stepped forward, her long legs crossing the room in three easy strides. Effie backed up, holding her tea mug in front of her like a talisman. Catarina clasped her hands over Effie’s, around the mug.
“You’re really back. Sebastian said you’d come back but I couldn’t believe it. I’ve never heard…” She trailed off, searching Effie’s face with a beaming smile on her own.
If Effie had been slightly pink before, she was blushing a furious red now. She also looked ready to bolt as soon as she got her hands free. Sebastian put a tempering hand on Catarina’s shoulder.
“Things aren’t as straightforward as they seem.” He cautioned.
She flicked him an irritated glare. “What do you mean? Is this or is this not Effie?”
“We believe this is Effie. However, she has no memories to confirm that.” He reminded her.
Catarina dropped Effie’s hands like she’d been burned. She stood back abruptly. Effie looked like she wanted to sink into the floor.
“My apologies.” Catarina’s voice was brusque with embarrassment. “I let myself get carried away.”
Henry smoothly slid between her and Effie. “Effie has agreed to have her blood sampled to confirm whether she is at least a potential immortal.”
“Of course.” Catarina said, seemingly glad to move on from her premature welcome and to step into a formal role. “Lucien or I could perform the test immediately if you’d like.” She started rummaging in the bag she carried over her shoulder.
“We just need the sample.” Henry turned expectantly to Effie. “Just a pinprick will do.” He said reassuringly.
She shrugged, her blush fading. “I’ve had blood tests before. Take what you need.”
Henry nodded and fished a pocket knife from his jacket. Effie put her mug down and held out her hand. Henry took it and carefully pricked the tip of her forefinger. Effie’s expression didn’t change as a ruby drop welled up. Catarina reached for Effie’s hand.
Collecting the blood on a small glass dish, she turned back to the small medical kit she’d unearthed from her bag. Pulling out a syringe of purified venom, she squirted it onto the blood. She pulled out her phone and opened a stopwatch app and clicked on it to start.
They waited. It was if the room itself held its breath. Sebastian thought he must have gone through waits like this one before, but those three minutes felt like the longest he’d ever lived. Then Catarina’s thumb pressed down on the stop button. She turned to beam at all of them.
“She’s safe. The blood hasn’t reacted. She might just be a reincarnated potential immortal.”
Effie looked around. Everyone was staring at her, expecting something. She hoped someone would tell her what was supposed to happen because if they were expecting that she had been somehow magically transformed by the test result, they were in for a disappointment. She felt no different. She was pretty sure she looked no different.
Catarina was smiling at her again. She was a strong featured woman with large dark eyes and a mane of mahogany hair that spread thickly over her shoulders. Her dusky skin looked like it could be native to anywhere on the Mediterranean. Too fierce to be beautiful, she was undeniably striking. Or perhaps that was the force of her personality filling the room.
“Well.” Catarina said finally. “I’ve never met a reincarnated immortal before.”
“A possibly reincarnated immortal.” Effie qualified. She was part intrigued, part terrified by this story of an immortal brought back to life. An immortal, more over, who had meant so much to all these people. What if she wasn’t who they thought she was? Would they just abandon her? She’d already lost her parents and now Roberto had walked out on her. She’d think twice before trusting these people.
And what if she was this woman they had all known but she never recovered the memories she was supposed to have? What then? Would she be required to act a part? Pretend to be someone she wasn’t? She knew she couldn’t do that. It would be an injustice to everyone involved, a mockery of what had once been, of what could have been.
And yet… She couldn’t forget the resonance she’d felt, walking the streets of Florence, the familiarity. It was like the city was welcoming her. Nor could she ignore that pull on her heart every time she saw Sebastian’s smile or even just heard his voice. If she had been the Effie he knew, then he had been someone important to her, someone who filled the gaping hole that had dogged her for as long as she could remember.
She flinched away from those feelings. That way lay impossible dreams and hopes of something more. She would not risk that kind of disappointment, if Sebastian did worm his way into her heart only to turn away in disgust when he found she wasn’t the woman he thought she was. She would rather never love at all than suffer that kind of torture.
“Possibly a reincarnated immortal.” Catarina agreed but the smile on her face said that she was already convinced that Effie was their Effie.
“Now what?” Effie felt a little lost. Not surprising. A few hours ago, Effie could have confidently said who she was. Now, everything was up in the air.
“Now we file a petition for your turn.” Catarina told her brightly. When Effie frowned at her, she grimaced. “It’s a requirement the council makes on all new turns.”
“The immortal council? There’s a council now?” Effie raised a dubious eyebrow.
Henry snorted.
“Believe it or not, we aren’t just a bunch of lawless freaks running around and wreaking havoc. We do actually exist in a social structure.” He cocked his head to one side, face screwed up in thought. “Well, you’d probably call it feudal, but we don’t run around killing each other. Not much, anyway.”
Catarina silenced him with a glare.
“The council,” she said, raising an eyebrow at Henry’s unrepentant grin, “is the immortal ruling body. It’s made up of the territory leaders.”
That didn’t mean much to Effie. “Territories? What, do you mean countries?”
Catarina shook her head dismissively.
“No. We don’t have anything to do with mortal nations.” The way she said it, it made it sound like national borders were no more important than lines on a Risk board. “Immortal territories are organised by the limits of what the most powerful immortal in that area can control. They will then be the representative on the council for all the immortals living in their territory and, in return, those immortals will swear their allegiance and help to destroy the vampires who hunt mortals in the territory.”
Effie looked around at Sebastian and Henry.
“So have you sworn allegiance to the leader of Italy or whatever territory this is?”
The corner of Sebastian’s lips quirked up. Henry outright smirked.
“Nope,” Henry said. “When Catarina says the immortals need to swear allegiance, that’s only for the ones who aren’t tough enough to hold their own. Others, like us, don’t need to worry about being bullied by bigger fish in the pond.”
Lucien shook his head at Henry.
“You mean others like Sebastian? I hadn’t realised you were yet mature enough to be independent.”
“Hey,” Henry yelped when Catarina snorted. “I’d like to remind you who makes all the money in this set-up. If it wasn’t for me, Sebastian wouldn’t have two quid to rub together.”
Sebastian gave Henry a sharp frown. Henry winced.
“Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration…”
“Anyway,” Catarina said loudly, cutting him off. “As I was saying and as is relevant to this conversation, the council puts controls on how new immortals can be turned. They like to supervise to make sure nothing goes wrong. But, in your case, I’m sure it will be a cut and dried thing.”
That wasn’t what was worrying Effie.
“But I haven’t agreed to be turned.” She protested.
Everyone stared at her.
“Why not?” Catarina blurted out.
“This is my life we’re talking about.” Effie reminded them, fighting against the need to retreat under their gaze. “You’re asking me to break off from everything I am to become someone else entirely. Can’t you see why I might pause before making that kind of decision?”
Lucien rolled his espresso cup in his hands.
“Are you afraid of losing your family?
“My parents died last year,” Effie snapped. Then she sighed. “At least, I think they did.”
Henry squinted at her. “How can you not know for sure?”
Effie hugged herself. This was not a topic she wanted to touch on right now.