by Lilly Wilder
“Karpov?” she said his name with trepidation.
Obviously, everyone was alright, but where was Karpov, was he eliminated?
“He got away…” Raphael replied. “He almost got Kellam, but we managed to help him. Unfortunately, that gave him time to run away, the coward.”
“He ran away?” Mina repeated.
“There was nothing we could do,” Renwick spoke, half angry, half disappointed.
“No worries,” she smiled, “we’ll get him next time.”
“But, there is good news, too,” Thorne interjected.
“Oh?” she looked at him, then at everyone else.
The happiness on their faces was undeniable. Whatever had happened, it was huge. That much was obvious.
“Come on, spill it!” she shouted at them, teasingly.
“Maybe you’d like to meet him yourself,” Renwick had a mysterious smile on his face.
“Him?” Mina didn’t understand. “Who do you mean?”
“Wait a second,” Renwick told her, then went out of the room.
“Where is he going?” Mina asked the rest of the guys, but that same mysterious smile lingered on their faces, too, and she knew she was asking in vain.
A few seconds later, Renwick came back in and he was followed by a man. Mina was sure that she’d seen that man somewhere before but she couldn’t remember where exactly. The guys lowered their heads silently and took one step away from the bed, almost at the same time.
The man walked solemnly, slowly, as if every single step required patience and a lot of effort. It reminded Mina of a procession. He was smiling. His white beard revealed a tight set of lips, which were raised upwards. His eyes were the lightest shade of blue, surrounded by what appeared to be thousands and thousands of crow’s feet. He was pale and his hands shook as he leaned on a cane which had a snake’s head on the top.
When he finally reached her bed, he rested his hand on it. His eyes were watching her like a hawk but he didn’t say a word. Mina wondered if she should speak first but her gut kept telling her to be quiet.
“I hear you are the brave hero of the story,” the man told her in a voice that belonged to some different time, to a better time.
“Oh, I…” she didn’t know what to say to that.
She definitely didn’t feel like the hero. She did the least amount of work and, when it was time to show what she was made of, she was left in the corner, wounded and unable to help anyone. She wanted to say all of this but she was embarrassed. That wasn’t the kind of person she was, forced to hide away when others needed her.
“You may not feel like a hero,” she was startled by his words, because he seemed to be reading her mind, addressing her most inner concerns, “but, I assure you, this outcome wouldn’t have been reached, if you hadn’t been so brave in the face of all adversity.”
The man’s smile was the kindest Mina had ever seen. She was still wondering who he was and why he was there. She glanced at the guys and she noticed that they weren’t looking at their feet anymore. Their gaze was focused on the man and there was so much adoration and respect on their faces, that she finally realized who the man was. There was only one conclusion, only one person in the whole world he could have been.
“But, how?” she wondered, looking at the man. “How are you here?”
“Like I said, you saved this young man over here,” he turned around to glance at Raphael. “It was he who saved your brother from Karpov. Your brother found the treasure Dante was so selfishly keeping hidden in a compartment of the lodge where he was staying. Then, all of them brought that treasure, my heart, to me, and I was finally brought back to life. After my heart had been torn out of my chest, I thought I would never see the light of day again but fate works in mysterious ways. I am back, and it is all because of you.”
“I… don’t know what to say…” Mina blushed, feeling her heart so full that it would burst inside her chest.
“There is nothing to say, my dear child,” the man smiled again, “just be happy. These men love you. Cherish them, as they cherish you and be happy.”
“Thank you,” she managed to mutter, “I will, I promise I will.”
“It was a pleasure to meet you but, now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work. There is a lot of reparation that needs to be done, so I’d better start immediately.”
“Thank you,” she repeated and the man slowly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
“Was that…” she wondered, still looking at the door.
“Yes, the Overseer,” Renwick nodded.
“Oh, my gosh!” Mina squealed. “He’s back! You did it!”
“No, we did it,” Hendrik corrected her and all the guys nodded.
Mina felt overwhelmed by the joyous feeling, by the success of their mission. She’d never dreamed of such a happy ending, not even in her wildest dreams. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to doze off, knowing that she was safe and surrounded by the ones she cared about the most.
Chapter 22
It was about two weeks later that the Academy announced an official meeting at the main hall. Mina was among the first ones there and she was sitting next to Renwick and Thorne, while Hendrik and Raphael, together with Reeba sat a bit down from them. The main hall was getting busier by the minute. Finally, all the students were sitting comfortably, waiting to see what all this was about.
“Any idea what’s going to happen?” Mina wondered aloud but the guys just shook their heads.
She wished Kellam could be here but he had urgent business to take care of. He promised he’d be back soon and they would finally take that long awaited brother and sister vacation they’d been dreaming about for so long.
The lights focused on the big stage and they knew that something was about to start. Mina watched curiously. The past two weeks life at Zeadore Academy went on as usual. No one had informed them of any changes and no one even mentioned the Headmaster Dante. Mina decided to stay a bit longer, just to make sure that everything was alright. However, she knew that soon, she’d have to leave this wonderful place behind. The thought made her deeply sad.
A second later, the Overseer walked onto the stage and stood proudly, leaning on his cane, like a gentleman from some Victorian novel, who was about to receive his knighthood from the Queen herself.
“Welcome, dear students!” the Overseer spoke much more confidently than he had when he came to see Mina after their ordeal. She was happy to see him like this. “Thank you for attending this very important meeting. I shall not keep you longer than necessary, I assure you, but some crucial changes have happened, and you, as the bright future of Zeadore Academy, need to be informed.”
He paused a little, glancing at the audience. Some were smiling, some were serious, but all were curious to find out what he was talking about. Many didn’t even know who he was. However, Mina knew that this would soon change.
“Your Headmaster has, unfortunately, left us,” he continued, as confidently as he could, “and I know, that he may not have been the best of men but he was not the worst of men either, so we shall remember his good deeds, the ones that made this Academy flourish and prosper. We won’t remember how he was overtaken by the darkness that resides in all men. With this in mind, we shall continue to make this place better, to make ourselves better.”
A powerful roaring applause interrupted him but he didn’t mind. He just kept nodding and smiling, until he raised his hand and politely asked to continue.
“Many of you do not know me but your parents and your grandparents do. I am, Erasmus, the Overseer. I have been gone for a very long time, I have missed what many think they don’t need to survive but, I assure you, a man without a heart is a man without a life. Now, I am a man again but I will try to be so much more and you should as well. Just like this lovely young lady, with the heart of a lioness.”
Mina immediately blushed, even though she had no idea if he me
ant her or not.
“Miss Payton, would you please stand up?”
The moment she heard her name, Mina wanted to sink into her chair. Her cheeks flared and she knew, if she stood up in front of all these people, she would probably do something clumsy or stupid, something which would follow her forever.
“Stand up,” Renwick pinched her butt and she jumped up.
“Ah, there she is!” Erasmus smiled. “This is the brave lady I wanted to introduce to everyone who doesn’t know her yet. She is a vampire slayer.”
Mina immediately heard a few gasps and all eyes were glued to her. She swallowed heavily, trying to regain composure, hoping this wouldn’t last too long and she’d be allowed to hide in her seat once again.
“But, she saved you all,” Erasmus continued. “Her heart was big enough to see past these differences, and she fought for vampires, as she fought for her own kind. What we have now, the beginning of a new era, we have her to thank for.”
He nodded and, even though Mina couldn’t really see it, she guessed that the special twinkle in his eye, was a tear.
“That is why I wish to make her an honorary student here and allow her to finish her studies, if she wishes to do so, of course,” he smiled again.
She grinned widely. She didn’t want to admit it to anyone but she had been dreading the moment when she’d have to leave this place and leave the guys behind. Now, she was allowed to stay and have the high school experience she’d always wanted.
Instead of a loud reply, she just nodded, not taking that grin off her face.
“Thank you, Miss Payton, it is a pleasure to have you,” Erasmus replied kindly and she took it as a sign to sit down.
He continued talking about the curriculum and some other school rules which might or might not stay the same but Mina was too excited to listen any longer. The very thought of being allowed to stay here and not having to pretend that she was someone else came as such a relief and, most importantly, as a wish come true.
She took Renwick’s and Thorne’s hands, but the other two guys didn’t feel left out. They were all watching her, the traces of complete happiness outlined on her sweet face.
“It felt so horrible to have to lie to all of you,” she started.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Thorne assured her, “we felt the same way. Having to lie to someone you care about, to someone you love, is the worst thing ever.”
“Luckily, we don’t have to do that anymore,” Renwick reminded them, with a smile.
Mina nodded. For the first time ever, she felt like she was living the life she had always wanted. It wouldn’t be a life of fighting anymore, but a life of love.
*****
THE END
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