Sunny Eve

by Shayla Hyde

  "Sure," he agreed with a thoughtful gaze, "Ask away."

  "It's a little personal, but I'm curious," I stated. "You are an

  Upperclassman. I was told that means you were turned by a member of the Primevals. So, why would you want to go against them for me?

  Doesn't that mean they saved you?"

  Elizabeth, stunned by my question, gaped at me while Victor hesitated to respond.

  "Not exactly,” he muttered. “It was Europe, year 1349," He leaned forward, resting his elbows against his knees.

  "Wasn’t that during The Plague?" Jake inquired.

  I was surprised. As cruel as it sounds, I didn't suspect Jake to be the "smart-type". Apparently, someone paid attention in history class, though.

  Victor nodded twice, "Yes. The Black Death wiped out over half of Europe's population. Bodies covered the streets. No matter where you went, the air reeked of death. What people don't know is that nearly thirty-percent of those casualties weren't actually from The Plague itself, but instead, from vampire attacks." Victor lowered his head in shame. I didn't press him to go further, but he did, anyway.

  "I caught the virus, and I was very, terribly ill. The Primevals walked the streets where I and many other civilians lay dying and tried to heal many of us with their blood. They really were trying to save us... at first. As it turns out, The Plague was the first disease known to them that vampire blood cannot heal, which is why the disease lived on for many years. Every person they tried to heal ultimately died, and we all came back with a thirst for blood.

  “The streets were filled with a combination of hundreds of off-the-rails vampires and thousands of sick citizens. You can just imagine where I'm going with this..." Victor trailed off, a grimace on his smooth face, “but the Primevals were certain to wipe the memory of any living witnesses.”

  My stomach churned again.

  Victor suddenly smirked, "but to answer your question, Evelyn. The Primevals created a mass issue, and then, they stood back and watched the chaos ignite. Not once did they try to stop us. They encouraged us to welcome our monstrous side, to fulfill our urges, to kill innocent people. We are the ones held accountable for over half of the lives lost during The Plague. The Primevals claim they let us kill off the sickly so that the virus would stop spreading, but not every person killed was sickly. In fact, many of them weren't, and the virus continued to spread for years to come."

  He cleared his throat, lacing his fingers together, "Even after The Plague came to an end, I was off the tracks for decades." Victor shook his head, respiring deeply. "It took a long time, but I was finally able to get my thirst under control. And when I did, the thoughts of each person I murdered... they haunted me. I spent many years after that saving lives, such as Elizabeth's, and finding other vampires that were stuck on that murderous route I had once been on, such as Amelia.

  “I coached many of them, turned their lives around. But others, I have realized, cannot be changed no matter how hard you try to change them. The Primevals for instance; they cannot be changed. They are cold-blooded, callous. They are every single negative trait that vampires are portrayed to have.”

  “The Primevals did not save me. They made a monster, and they will continue to mistreat people the same way they did my Upperclass brothers and me. They won't stop. The cycle, even if it is less deadly now than it was then, will repeat for all of eternity unless they are stopped. That, Evelyn, is why I am on your side," Victor clenched his jaw.

  I pursed my lip and nodded to him respectfully, “Thank you, Victor.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:

  I stepped through the rusted metal gate of Holy Oak Cemetery. It was pitch black outside, but the full moon was shining down on the graveyard, illuminating a path for me. It led to one grave in particular. The wind howled a symphony meant only for lost souls, and dead leaves danced in the air around me. Up ahead, motionlessly standing in the middle of the pathway, was the foggy silhouette of a woman.

  "Mom?" I shouted, my voice sounding distorted.

  The woman said nothing. She stared at me and slowly cocked her head to the side. I bravely marched toward her, watching my step. The closer I got to the unmoving lady, the plainer it became that she wasn't my mother.

  Her frizzy salt-and-peppered hair flowed down to the waist of her solid white nightgown, and she clutched a thick, wooden cane in her right hand. Her strange, contrasting eyes pierced through me, and instantly, I recognized her from Ida’s photograph. "Mary Wilson," I whispered under my breath.

  "You would be correct," she whispered back through puckered lips. Her gaze trailed from my face to my neck.

  "What are you doing here?" I squinted at the phantom, "My mom is buried here."

  My eyes traveled behind her, where the path to my mother’s plot continued.

  "As am I, darling," she smiled, revealing putrid, decomposed teeth. Mary pointed to the granite tombstone by my feet with a long, bony index finger. I shuddered as I caught a glimpse of her name carved into the decrepit stone.

  "Why are you here, Evelyn?" Mary suddenly asked, tilting her head to the side, “and how?”

  "I'm not really sure how I got here. I think I’m dreaming," I intertwined my fingers, my voice quivering. “I'm in danger, Mary. The Primevals know about my mark. They are coming for me. Ida and Jane are planning to get the reversal spell from you on Halloween. Can I get it now?"

  Mary lowered her head, her neck cracking unsettlingly. "Oh, dear," she whispered.

  "What?" I interrogated. "What's wrong?"

  "I'm afraid a reversal spell for the sun-mark is nonexistent," she lifted her gaze to mine, "and since my sisters and I have all passed on, there is not a living soul that can create one. My Ida and Jane cannot save you, but listen to me, Sweet Evelyn. You can save yourself. You have not even begun to unlock the abilities of the sun."

  I grimaced as hot tears spilled onto my cheeks. "How do I do that?" "You have to think of a hidden pain, a hidden anger. Reach deep inside of yourself and think of one thing that has burned you. Something that ignites a fire inside of you. Only then will the true magic of the sun reveal itself," Mary smiled consciously and glanced over her shoulder.

  “That’s all I have to do?” I whispered.

  “That is all you have to do,” she bowed her head and stepped into the shadowy exterior of the moonlit path, “Walk ahead. I believe there is someone that wants to speak with you.”

  I nodded respectfully to Mary, then faced the path once more. I pressed my trembling lips together and marched onward. I stepped and stumbled over tree roots and broken branches until I finally spotted it. A familiar, stark white tombstone peeked at me from the earthy soil. Withered flowers surrounded the stone, and once healthy nearby trees were beginning to decay. The path abruptly ended there at my mother's grave.

  My lips tugged at the corners. "Hey, Mom," I kneeled next to her tombstone, pressing my fingers against the marble.

  Suddenly, freezing cold fingertips delicately traced my cheek. I shuddered and slowly turned my head to the left. My mother was there, kneeling next to me. My mother was dressed in an ankle-length white dress, and her entire body was absorbed in radiating light. Her pinkish lips were turned up at the corners, and her hazel eyes glistened with tears of joy.

  I felt a lump grow in my throat as more tears spilled over. I was

  frozen there. I’d lost all control of my vocal chords and body. All I could do was stare at her ghost.

  “Hi, Evey,” she whispered. Her voice was soft and angelic.

  “Mom,” I sobbed, collapsing against her shoulder.

  I could feel her. She was there. She held me in her cold arms for a while before suddenly breaking away.

  “We don’t have much time,” she whispered to me, “I need to show you something.”

  She reached both of her hands out and placed her wintry fingers on my temples. She gently closed her eyes, and I instinctively closed mine, as well.

  The blackness behind my eyelids slowly tra
nsformed into different

  colors and images. I caught short glimpses of my dad’s youthful smiling face, and a couple of myself as a baby. I felt my body jolt when

  there was a sudden flash of Calvin’s, the leader of the Primevals, villainous face.

  "What is this, Mom?" I quietly whispered but kept my eyes sealed shut.

  The images abruptly became black again, then returned. I was suddenly thrown into my old living room. I was surrounded by familiar olive wallpaper. There were baby toys overlaying the carpet and an animated cartoon playing on our old box television. I glanced around the rest of the room. It was dark outside, but I realized there were orange pumpkin-shaped lights hanging on the front porch. Halloween decorations.

  Suddenly, someone began pounding on the front door. Without any warning, it swung wide open. There, in the doorway, stood four trick-or-treaters. Strangely, they were all wearing bright colored masquerade masks and black cloaks. They were obviously too tall to be children.

  I hopped to my feet and ran down the dark hallway to my parent’s old bedroom. I heard myself gasping for air as I locked the door and backed away from it. There was a circular mirror hanging on the bedroom door, and I happened to catch a glimpse of myself in it. My mother’s frightened face stared back at me. I realized then that I was seeing this event through her eyes.

  “Mom, what are you doing?” I exclaimed. I couldn’t open my eyes no matter how hard I tried.

  CRASH!

  The bedroom window shattered, and my mom quickly sprinted back through the house to the living room. She whimpered when she saw two of the trick-or-treaters were still at the front door. They stood with their arms folded, blocking her inside. She rushed the opposite way, pausing at the back door. She slowly and quietly pushed the door open a crack and glanced around the darkened backyard. She didn’t see them, so she shot off like a rocket into the forest. Little did she know, they were right behind her.

  “Please, stop. I don’t want to see any more,” I shouted, trying to break free of my mother’s grasp.

  My mother ran until her legs gave out, and she dropped to her knees on the leaf-covered forest floor. Four pairs of footsteps quickly surrounded her, but she was too exhausted to move. They all paused just inches from her body. The four of them removed their masks in unison. Mom glanced around the crowd, examining each of their grotesque faces.

  Calvin kneeled by her side, his dark eyes glowing intensely. Rose,

  Calvin’s ugly, skinny, blonde mate joined his side. Owen, the tall brunette with a noticeable contracture scar on his pale cheek stood next to his mate, Scarlett. Scarlett had long limbs, short red hair, and eyes as black as coal.

  "So, what shall we do to her first?" Rose asked Calvin in a thick British accent. She scowled at my mother.

  "Build a fire," Calvin ordered her, licking his lips. "We will go from there."

  Owen and Scarlett exchanged a devilish grin and followed Rose out of sight. Calvin suddenly grabbed my mother by the throat.

  "Tell me why you killed my brother," he snarled, “and tell me how.”

  "I... didn't... mean," Mom struggled to speak, “it… wasn’t.”

  Calvin tightened his grip around her throat, enclosing her airways,

  "Where did this mark come from? How did you obtain it?" "I was... born with it," Mom choked.

  "Hm, yes. And you will die with it," Calvin growled.

  Flames erupted behind Calvin right on cue, and he cackled wildly. The rest of the group was standing around the fire, howling like animals. Mom struggled to free herself from Calvin as he wrapped his large fingers in her hair and proceeded to drag her body toward the flames. Owen stood off to the side, holding a hatchet tightly in one of his hands. Mom started screaming at the top of her lungs when Calvin took it from him. She tried to scramble to her feet, but Rose and Scarlett grabbed each of her arms, pinning her to the earthy ground.

  Calvin raised his eyebrows, “It’d be best if you didn’t squirm, dear. I need it to be a clean cut.”

  Calvin chuckled, slowly lifting the axe above his head. Suddenly, a yellow light radiated from her neck, zapping him and making the axe slip from his fingertips. He grabbed it again, groaned in frustration, and rushed toward her. He lifted the axe up even higher than before, and this time, successfully slammed it downward. Mom’s screams were permanently muted.

  I was finally able to rip my eyelids apart. My mother had tears running down her cheeks as she dropped her hands from my face. "Mom, I'm so sorry," I sobbed, "I'm so sorry they did that to you." She shook her head side-to-side and nodded to my birthmark, then poked my chest. She uttered a single phrase, "Use your rage."

  I felt a cool hand on my shoulder, and my eyes jerked open. I was lying next to Kaden on his bed. He was watching me with concern. I sat straight up in the bed.

  "Were you having a bad dream?" He asked me, grabbing my forearm in his icy fingers.

  "Something like that," I whispered breathlessly, "I need to talk to Ida and Jane. They can’t help me, but I think I know what will."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:

  “You saw your mother?” Ida spoke quietly into the phone.

  “Yes, and Mary. There is no reversal spell,” I explained, my head in a whirl.

  “Very, very interesting. How did you manage to see them?” Ida questioned me.

  “I think my mom pulled me there,” I explained, “I’m not really sure.”

  “I am sorry we cannot be of more service to you,” Ida sighed, “I thought surely that there would be a reversal spell. Best of luck to you, my dear.”

  “It’s fine, Ida,” I reassured her, my voice cracking, “I think I know what I have to do. Thank you so much for all of your help.”

  I ended the call and dropped my cell phone on Kaden’s dining room table. Kaden, Sebastian, Victor, Elizabeth, and Jake were seated around it. I sighed shakily, running my fingers through my messy hair. I was seconds away from a crying episode and I was sure they could all sense it coming.

  “I’ll call our reinforcements,” Victor said, quietly rising from the table, “and I’ll try to contact a few of my Upperclass brothers. Don’t worry too heavily, Evelyn.” Victor left the room while I paced the floor.

  The others silently sat at the table. I could feel their eyes pitying me, but I didn’t want them to. I heard the front door swing wide open, and Iris suddenly ran into the dining room. She rushed to my side and tightly wrapped her arms around my shoulders. It took everything I had to hold back my tears.

  “I’m here,” she whispered softly, “I’m here.”

  “I saw what they did to my mom,” I whimpered. “She showed me everything.”

  Iris rubbed my back. I heard a small sniffle. She was crying. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

  Kaden suddenly rose to his feet, his jaw clenched, and exited the

  dining room. I pulled away from Iris’s embrace and watched him walk away.

  “Where are you going?” Sebastian shouted after him but was given no response.

  I heard the sliding glass door open, then slam shut. Sebastian hopped out of his chair and quickly followed him.

  “Don’t worry,” Elizabeth told me, “he just needs a minute to cool off.” She stood from the table and sauntered to my side, “I’m not good at this sort of thing, but…” she trailed off, taking a breath. “Everything is going to work out.

  I forced a smile, “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” she nodded firmly. “I’m going to go check on

  Kaden. You stay here, okay?”

  She stepped around me and headed for the back door. I was not going to stay there. I left Iris and Jake in the dining room and marched toward the sliding glass door. I peeked out at the darkness and noticed Kaden and Sebastian standing in the backyard. Elizabeth was approaching them from behind. Sebastian was speaking to Kaden, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I quietly stepped outside, leaving the door open.

  “Man, I know how you feel. I get it. I’ve been
there, done that, but is she really worth dying for?” Sebastian said to him.

  Kaden ran his fingers through his hair and stared at his feet, “Stop,

  Sebastian.”

  “Stop what? Stop trying to save us?” Sebastian questioned him, slamming his hand against Kaden’s chest.

  “Big-and-bad Sebastian is afraid of a little fight?” Elizabeth sarcastically commented.

  Sebastian scowled over his shoulder at her, “I’m not scared, and this is more than just a little fight. Eve is important to you, Brother. I

  understand. It’s weird, but it happens. What I want to know is how you expect a relationship with her to ever work out? There is no reversal

  spell for that little vampire killer on her throat, and she’s a mortal. Her mark could glitch out and cook you at any given second, and even if it doesn’t cook you, she’ll only live about seven more decades. Or more realistically, four more days until the Primevals arrive. It’s just not meant to be.”

  “Who the hell are you to tell anyone whether or not it’s meant to be?”

  Elizabeth exclaimed at Sebastian, “Coming from a man who can’t make ‘em stay.”

  “Shut up, Elizabeth. Christ, why don’t you go back inside and try a little harder to get in Victor’s pants?” Sebastian growled, pointing at the cabin. “We all know that’s what you’re aiming for.”

  “Both of you, stop! Just shut the hell up. I am so sick of this,” Kaden snarled, powerfully slamming his fist into the large oak tree next to him. The tree immediately uprooted and started falling toward the cabin. Kaden quickly and forcefully kicked the base of the tree, changing its direction. It missed the cabin by inches and landed on the ground with a loud bang. I shakily exhaled and turned away from the situation. I decided it was time for me to go.

  I stepped back inside the cabin and headed for the front door. Victor, Iris, and Jake met me head on in the living room.