“Yes, John and I have become very good friends since my arrival. He has been the kindest person I have met here so far. My host family aside, I mean to say. They too have been wonderful to me. I love being here in your country. It has so much to offer.” She smiled wickedly at my father. It was clear she would not back down from him. She couldn’t get any more cooler in my opinion. People were terrified of my father. Willa on the other hand looked at him as a challenge. She was determined to make him like her.
My father looked surprised that Willa hadn’t coward towards him. Great, now the game was on. As far as my Father was concerned this was a challenge that had been accepted. He had clearly warned me not to be friends with this girl and here he finds us holding hands, and she showed no fear. “John, I’m afraid to say that there has been no change with Pete so far. I’m calling in some specialist that deal with this type of poisoning. Hopefully within a week or two Pete will be restored to his normal health and all will be as it should be.” As he finished his statement he made a point to look at Willa. She only shrugged and pressed the button for the elevator. Once the doors opened Willa and I entered the vacant opening. My father waved and turned to his friends and began a conversation with them that could not be heard as the elevator doors closed.
“What was that all about?” I asked Willa as the doors closed.
“What do you mean?” She asked.
“I mean you weren’t terrified of my father, and you really put him in his place, well as far as he was concerned you did. I’m used to people just kissing his ass, but you on the other hand talked to him as if he was common folk. I loved it!”
Willa smiled and turned to me “Do not forget John that I am from Royalty in my country. To me your father is common folk. I will not bow down to a man who uses fear to get what he wants. He did not want us to be friends. You are of age and can make your own decisions on who you are friends with and he needed a reminder of that. You really should not allow him to push you the way he does.” The elevator doors opened and together we walked down the corridor to Pete’s room. There had been a warning sign placed on his door and it was shut. Just what the hell was going on with Pete that the public couldn’t even visit with him? I went to find Pete’s mother to ask her what was going on with Pete. Willa stayed behind and waited for me by Pete’s room.
I found Pete’s mother in the small waiting room down the hall. She looked terrible. I could tell she hadn’t had much sleep and that she had been crying most of the night. When she saw me approaching she got up from the small couch and hugged me tightly. “I’m glad you’re here. Your dad and his friends just left. Please thank him for coming up and staying with me.”
“Sure. Hey, why is there a do not enter sign on Pete’s door?” I asked.
“They are worried that whatever that wolf gave him could be contagious. I don’t know if you know this but two more kids have come in with wolf bites and they have started running fevers as well. As far as I know they have been quarantined as well.”
“Who else has been brought in?” I asked. I hadn’t heard of any other attacks, so the news was surprising.
“That boy who D.J’s all of the parties, and Jack Billings.”
“Damn. Oh, crap. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say that out loud, I meant no disrespect.” Pete’s mother chuckled.
“No you were correct. It is one of those ‘Damn’ moments. The Sheriff was here as well, he says that he’s gathered a hunting party to track down the wolf and kill it. I hope they get it soon. They say it’s key to finding a cure for my boy. I really would hate to see any more kids getting sick because of some wolf running amok.”
“Ya me either. It might be harder than they think. I hit the damn thing with my dad’s Jeep last night and it just bounced off of it like the jeep was a trampoline or something. Look I brought Willa up with me, she had been the one who told me about Pete being here in the first place. She was hoping to meet him, but since he’s in quarantine I guess that’s a no go. So, I guess I’ll just go get her and you can meet her instead.” I said as I was about to walk away. Pete’s mother had fallen sound asleep on the couch. I took a small blanket and covered her up before I left.
Walking back to Pete’s room I couldn’t see Willa in the hall. I thought maybe she had gone to find a rest room or something. When I got to Pete’s door I noticed that it was opened slightly. I heard Willa speaking to Pete. I was curious what she would have to say to someone she really hadn’t met before so I stood outside of the door and listened.
“Mihial, release your hold on this boy. You have no control over me this way. You have brought attention to yourself by doing this. They will start a hunt for you and so help me if you don’t undo this I will lead them to you and have you taken once and for all. It is time for you to let go. I am no longer a child and I will do as I please free from you. I have never been as you are Ce Rau! I will never be as you. Leave him NOW!” She hissed.
I burst through the door expecting to see Willa’s older brother standing in the room with Pete and her. However, only Willa and Pete were in the room. Willa had had her hand on Pete’s head with her own head bent forward, and eyes closed as if in prayer.
“Willa, what the hell are you doing?” Willa looked up at me in surprise and moved away from Pete quickly backing herself into a corner. Just then Pete looked over to her laughed wildly and growled.
“My plans have already began to work. Do you not see? You have found the Order Willa. I thank you for that. Now together we shall have our vengeance for our father’s death and you will join me in the celebration as we wipe The Order of the Dragon from existence.” Pete began to buck wildly against the restraints he had been placed in. Willa rushed to my side grabbed me by my hand and together we raced from his room.
14.
Willa walked quickly down the hospital corridors until she found a stairwell. She opened the door and non to gently pushed me into the quite stairwell. She pinned me to the wall with one hand and placed her other over my mouth. I struggled against her but she was much stronger than I had expected her to be.
“Ssshhh. You need to listen to me. You weren’t meant to hear that conversation. I need to know I can trust you, and you need to know that you can trust me as well. Together we can fix all of this. If I take my hand away will you promise to listen to me and not run and not to draw attention to us?” I nodded my head in agreement.
“Good.” She said as she let her grip on me relax. She removed her hand from my mouth and I took a few deep breathes before I tried to speak.
“Who are you? Really?” I asked. She stood arms folded across her chest and I could see the storm brewing behind those deep ocean blue eyes.
“I should ask you the same thing Johnathan Stokes, or is it Stoker?” I looked at her in bewilderment. How could she know that? She wasn’t even from here, so how could she know who my ancestor was?
“I don’t know what you mean, my last name is Stokes, it was changed years ago by a relative, no one knows why. Now your turn, who are you?”
“I am Willa Alucard. I told you my history last night. What do you have to do with the Order that murdered my father?”
“What Order?”
“The Order of the Dragon. The one your ancestor so famously glorified in his false tale. What he neglected to mention was that the tale was true! He made profit from the murder of my father and my brother has every right to avenge him as do I!”
I couldn’t wrap my head around this. This conversation was taking a long trip down to the crazy town bus station and I hadn’t intended on being a passenger on this bus. I needed to get some fresh air. I pushed past Willa and began walking down the stairs. Willa followed behind me.
Damn it. I knew everything was too good to be true with this girl. She was one of the crazy ones, her and her brother. I wanted nothing to do with it. My head began to throb and a major league migraine was coming on. I had had enough of wild crazy stories, nightmares and stalkers in one week to last me a lifetime.
As far as I was concerned I was done.
I made it down to the lobby and walked out into the public lobby. People were milling around here and there. A few patients were being pushed out to waiting cars, while others were being brought in. The sun shone through the glass walls lighting up the lobby brightly. Willa stopped and stood back from the bright sunlight. She had taken off her protection while we had rode up the elevator to Pete’s room.
I turned to look at her. How could someone so perfect be so off of her rocker? Even from where I stood I could see the storm in Willa’s eyes. She was furious with me. I had walked away from her without giving her any of the answers she had asked for. Honestly I couldn’t begin to answer them in the first place. I had no clue what the hell she was talking about. I had only read the book my ancestor wrote. Sure it talked about a lot of the things Willa had questioned me about, but she had actually said that the story was true.
My emotions were on overload and I needed to get away from it all. I left the hospital and drove home.
I didn’t care that I had left Willa behind. She could call her crazy ass brother to pick her up, she didn’t need me. From what I had overheard in Pete’s room they had been in all of this together. Screw her and screw Mihial.
Once I got home I found my father sitting in his study. His two friends were still with him. I tried my best to ignore him and sneak up to my room. No such luck. “John, I need to see you in here for a few minutes please.” I squeezed the bannister rail with all of my strength, pretending it was my father’s head. I fought back the rage and went and stood before him.
“What?” I asked determined to let him know I was furious with him, even if it was through a childish tone of voice. He stepped back, he had been surprised by my lack of respect for him in front of his friends. They were on their feet instantly. My father motioned for them to stay put.
“As you know Pete is in quarantine for the time being. It is vital that we find this wolf that attacked him and kill it.”
“Pete’s mother already filled me in on that, nothing new there pops. I’m going up to my room. When you feel like actually talking to me and telling me the truth about what you and you’re little friends are up to come get me, until then stay the hell away from me.” I had backed him into a wall. As I was spewing my hatred for him and his secrets I stalked towards him; and just to prove a point I put my fist through his wall just next to his face. I pulled my hand free and glared at his friends. Both of them backed up and gave me free pass.
I was done with people telling me what to do. Willa had one thing right. I am eighteen and I can do for myself as I please. I had money saved up from over the years, and if I wanted I could just pick up and leave.
If it wasn’t for Pete laying in that damn hospital bed I would have packed up and moved in with him and his mom. I knew his mother wouldn’t have minded. Although she would try and persuade me to come home at some point, and I probably would to be honest. I needed to clear my head. So I decided to go for a run. It was still somewhat early in the morning so the heat wouldn’t be too terrible.
I left my house without paying any attention to see if anyone else was even there. I ran down the street running everything through my head as I kept pace. I tried to keep my heart to a slow rhythm as I went.
Ok so let’s make some mental notes. One Willa, she comes here from out of nowhere, a foreign exchange student. The night she shows up my best friend Pete is attacked by a crazy wolf, Pete swears she was the one who fends the wolf off and carries him to the hospital. Noted, also after witnessing her fight off the wolf on our first date it became very clear that what Pete saw was very reliable and probably had occurred. There was no doubting that she had some strength in her. Secondly, a few days later her brother appears and wants her to come home. He’s pissed as hell that she is here and not back in Transylvania with him. Then there was that creepy threat at the hospital he made about getting her to do something one way or another. Ok, check, the guy is one major freak and super creepy.
Next Kelly showing up after being M.I.A. for a couple of days looking like a train wreck and freaking out on me in the parking lot of the school. Sure Kelly could and would do all of that, but never looking less than a super model, so her appearance seemed really out of place. Then after a particularly graphic nightmare involving Pete, she calls me and basically tells me that some guy was helping her get me as long as she helped him get some girl. Oh whoa, I just put a piece of the puzzle in place. Kelly and Mihial were working together to split Willa and I up. Of course, that made sense, he was Willa’s brother and for a guy I guess you could say he was attractive. Kelly would have fallen all over him at first glance. Once Mihial had Willa back in Transylvania, then Kelly would be free to pursue me again.
Okay, so that was an obvious piece of this puzzle. Pete on the other hand was the odd piece out of place here. The scene in his room with Willa was one of the scarier things I have ever witnessed in my life. Pete had been acting like he was possessed by Willa’s brother. His voice had even sounded like Mihial’s.
Willa trying to communicate with her brother through Pete was making no sense to me at all. There was no way that was possible; but I had seen her doing it. I had heard the conversation myself. I refused to let myself think about that just yet.
I couldn’t shake the writing in my ancestors’ book either. A name kept gnawing at me for some reason. The name Mina. I had heard it somewhere before and I couldn’t place it.
I had run my five miles already and was in no way ready to stop. I checked my watch to see what the time was. It was only 10:15 a.m. I had nowhere to be on a Saturday morning so I kept running. It was definitely helping me clear my head. The name, it came to me in a rush. Mina is what Mihial had called Willa the day they had fought in the hospital. Mina was the name of the character in the book. She was the reincarnation of Dracula’s beloved wife who had thrown herself from the mountains when she was told of his death. Willahmina. Willa. I stopped running and stared into the sun. I have got to be one of the most stupid people I have ever known. How could I have not made that connection before now? How many times have I read that book, how many times had my own father made me read that book? That book was like the Bible in my household and for me to not have seen the big picture, well I should be burning in Hell right about now.
As I stood on the corner catching my breath and adding things up in my head a black car pulled up beside me. The passenger side window came down and I caught a glimpse of the barrel of a gun before everything went black.
15.
“He’ll be alright Mina. Just a tranquilizer dart to knock him out. Not to worry.”
“Stop calling me that! I’m not her. I am not my mother and you are not our father! And get your skanky bitch away from him before I take her head off!”
Mihial had started laughing uncontrollably. I could hear the conversation going on, but I couldn’t see anything. My head was throbbing once again. Someone had drugged me, and tied me to a chair. I opened my eyes slowly. The drugs had started to wear off but the world tilted to the side. Everything was a blur “What…what did you do to me?” I managed to say. Mihial walked over and grabbed me by the hair and pulled my face up so that he could look me in the eye. His eyes were much like Willa’s. The storm in those eyes seemed to rage. He snapped my head back and left me. I could see that Willa had been across from me, she too had been tied and bound to a chair. Kelly came into view. She stood in front of me smiling down at me. She traced her fingers across my lips, then bent down and kissed me. I tried to pull away from her but she had me pinned. When she pulled back I spit her nasty taste out of my mouth on to the floor. She began to laugh as Willa had started screaming in fury at her. I couldn’t make any of it out because she wasn’t speaking English this time.
I couldn’t make out where we were. It looked like some sort of garage. There were no windows. The only light was coming from the large overhead fixtures.
“Johnathan, are you alright?” Willa h
ad asked me. The drugs were still making my head foggy.
“Don’t you worry sugar, he’ll be just fine once you’re gone and my master has turned him for me. Then he and I will be together for all of eternity.” Kelly squealed with delight and danced wildly around the room. She came and knelt before me “Oh Johnathan, I can’t wait for you to be turned. You can’t imagine how wonderful it all is. The world looks so much brighter now. We’ll get to live forever, young and beautiful!”
“You’re a lunatic Kelly. I will never be with you. I told you that. Is someone going to explain to me why I’m being held prisoner here or do I need to play the guessing game?” I had started to come out of my fog once Kelly had started getting in my personal space.
Mihial walked across the room with a chair in hand and placed it before me. He sat down and looked me in the eyes as if he was studying me. He shook his head and sighed. “You really do not know who you really are do you? All this time living under your father’s rules and you still have no clue what you are or for that matter what I am, as well as Kelly is now and I suppose you could include my sister as well. Pity. I had hoped for a fight in this.”
“I’m warning you Mihial, leave him be or I will show you a fight.” Willa was threatening a fight with her brother. I had only heard that tone once before. The night she had fought the wolf. Mihial smiled a wicked smile. He stood up and before I knew what was happening he turned into a giant black wolf. The wolf put his front paws up on my shoulders so that its muzzle was dangerously close to my face and growled showing his razor sharp teeth.
The Immortal Design Page 8