I heard a loud snap and the wolf retreated from me. Willa had snapped her chains, freeing herself. Mihial immediately changed back into his human form. “Shit! You’re a, a … a werewolf!” I was starting to really freak out now. Everyone stopped and looked at me as if I was the insane one.
“No Johnathan, he is not a werewolf. He’s a vampire. So is Kelly now that she has taken human blood.” There was a new voice in the conversation now. Everyone turned at once to see who the new comer was. My father walked into the room followed by a group of men all of them carrying some sort of silver weapons. My father had the crossbow trained on Mihial. Mihial backed away hands raised. “You, untie my son quickly!” He snapped at Willa. Willa ran to my side and tore through the ropes that held me in place. I stood staring at her, trying to see the girl who I thought I had feelings for. She was right here in front of me, but yet she wasn’t completely all there either.
“Johnathan, move away from her, she’s dangerous. Come to me son, it’s time you knew the truth about our family.” I could hear my father commanding me to move, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t move away from Willa. There were things I needed to know about her, and I wanted to hear them from her not from my father and not from her brother either.
“Who are you, really?” I asked. She looked down at her feet not wanting to look me in the eye. I lifted her chin so I could look into those ocean blue eyes, to see the storm pass as she looked back into my own eyes. I wanted her to know I was not afraid of her.
Kelly had other plans however. She raced towards Willa with all her fury hell bent on destroying her. Chaos ensued quickly. Willa met her challenger before she could get any further. She took Kelly by the throat and threw her across the concrete floor. Kelly slid roughly into the far wall and the wall shattered from the force. She was up and running back at her attacker. Mihial had escaped through a back door while the two girls fought it out. My father commanded two of his men to follow him. My father stood by and watched as the girls threatened to tear each other apart. Kelly was no match for Willa. Blow after blow Kelly was knocked to the ground, she was hissing and screaming wildly. Willa finally managed a blow that took her down where Willa knelt on top of her pinning her to the floor. She looked up at my father and waited for him to come forward and bind her.
“What are you waiting for? I have her for you. She can’t be saved and you know it. She is dangerous and must be destroyed.” Willa was in command now. My father seemed apprehensive about approaching the two girls. I could understand why. “John, get the chains, the silver ones that they had me tied with, bring them to me.” I did as she had asked. Willa hog tied Kelly and Kelly went limp. The silver took all the fight out of her.
“We need to find my brother. He won’t stop until he gets what he wants.” Willa spoke to my father instead of me. He held the crossbow in hand and pointed it at her heart. True fear tore threw me. I ran across the small distance that had separated Willa and me, putting myself in front of her. My father screamed in furry “Get out of my way John! This is our purpose! She is one of them she needs to be finished off before she takes you too.”
“No. Not until I hear it from her. You didn’t hear the whole conversation before you came in. Mihial hinted that she is something different, and I want to know what that is. But I’m going to leave it up to her to tell me, not you and not her brother, and I definitely do not want to read it out of a book that my Great-Great-Great Grandfather wrote, which by the way you have some explaining to do as well when we’re done here.” I stood my ground in front of Willa.
My father studied me for a few moments then slowly lowered the crossbow. He gestured to the few remaining men to do the same. One of the men came to the front. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was Kelly’s father. How could he just stand by and watch his only daughter be tied up and treated this way? It didn’t matter what she had become, she was still his daughter.
He looked down at her not with any empathy for her, but with pure hatred and disgust. She whimpered as she looked up at him. He was about to raise his gun when she began to cry “Please daddy no. I’m sorry daddy, it’s me, it’s your little princess, please don’t hurt me daddy.” She begged for her life.
He raised the gun, I knew what was coming, I heard the shot fire off, but I was the one who had fallen from the wound. In that last moment, I couldn’t just stand by and watch a man kill his own daughter. I leapt in front of her. The bullet struck me in the chest. I had hoped that this would be the end. I couldn’t watch anyone else I knew get hurt because of me.
Several of the men jumped on Kelly’s father and wrestled the gun away from him. My father stood stock still in shock at seeing his only son lying before him in a pool of blood. Willa, had rushed to my side and held me tightly to her.
“Someone call an ambulance…he’s dying. Please don’t let him die!” Willa was shouting at the men. My father came and sat next to her. He looked to her then down at me. Taking his hand in mine he did his best to comfort me as I felt my life slipping away.
“Isn’t there something you could do for him? For my boy…Please, don’t let him die.” He was begging Willa for a miracle. She sobbed harder rocking back and forth with me still in her arms.
“He already told you, I am something different. I am not like my brother, and I could not do what it is you ask of me. I’m sorry.” I could hear the sirens, they were closer now. My vision blurred and for the second time today I was oblivious to my surroundings.
16.
I had laid in the hospital bed for what seemed an eternity. From what I had been told when I woke up it actually wad been close to that. Well okay maybe not an eternity but three months in a coma was long enough. I felt terrible. My entire body hurt. I was definitely out of shape that was for sure. I had lost much of my muscle tone and just the act of sitting up on the side of the bed took my breath away.
Apparently the bullet had severed one of the main arteries and I had lost most of my blood. Shock had played its hand in my brain shutting down as well as the blood loss. I couldn’t remember too much about what had happened that day three months ago.
My parents weren’t allowing too many visitors in to see me at the moment. They insisted on me getting my rest. Rest? Hadn’t I just slept for three months? I needed to get back out there and get back to my life. There were things that needed to be resolved.
I had learned from my father that Mihial had escaped, and that his friends were still searching for him. From all accounts he was still in the area. Kelly’s father had been arrested for the shooting and it was all covered up by my father. His story was that Kelly’s father was pissed off that I had been seeing someone other than his daughter, so he came after me to put me in my place.
Kelly, was a whole other ball of wax. Seeing as though she had gone full vampire and couldn’t be trusted, my father had her locked away in a secret location. He said she would be well cared for and her life was spared because her father had been his friend.
They had allowed Willa to visit me daily, but only for a few moments at a time. She still made me uneasy. I wasn’t quite sure why. That part of my memory hadn’t fully come back yet. I think my father was hoping that it never came back and that I would always be afraid of her.
A week after I had come back to the land of the living I was allowed to leave the hospital. I stopped by Pete’s room to check up on him. He was gone. A lot can happen when you’re asleep for three months.
When we arrived back home, my father helped me up to my room. “Where’s Pete?” I asked him. He made himself busy making sure I was comfortable. It felt more like he was trying to avoid my question. “Dad. I remember some of what happened that day. I know there are things we need to discuss, I know that somehow Pete was involved, and I know it wasn’t his fault. So just tell me what you know.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his hands as he spoke. “When we got you back to the hospital, and the doctors had taken over, I went to check up on Pete and to talk to hi
s mother. I wanted her to know that you were there and that we were doing everything we could for you at the time. I know she has been like a mother to you.” He smiled as he said this. “I found her on the floor in Pete’s room. She had been knocked out. Pete was missing. He still is. My informants believe that Willa’s brother had went to the hospital and taken him. You see he has a psychic connection to his victims. That’s how he controls them and when he knew Kelly was lost to him he needed to replace her. Pete was ready for the taking.” He sighed heavily and went on “John, Pete can still be saved, as long as he doesn’t kill a human and fully turn, and if we can kill Mihial then Pete will be safe. I promise you, we are working on it day and night. Now that you’re home we’ll be bringing you into the Order properly once you have your strength back.”
“So it wasn’t all just a very bad dream after all?” I asked. He stood up and went to leave.
“No, I’m afraid it really isn’t John. Monsters do exist, and therefore so does the Order.” With that he left me to myself. I settled down in my own bed. It felt good to be back in my own surroundings after being in that lousy hospital bed for so long.
I stayed in my room for the rest of the day. I had no desire to see anyone at all. I wasn’t sure who anyone really was and who I could truly trust. My parents had sent food up to my room. I ate like I hadn’t eaten in months, which technically I hadn’t. I showered and changed into some comfortable clothes. I was doing my best at getting back to something normal.
I had missed out on so much in three months. School was going to be difficult. I would probably flunk out, I wasn’t sure where my credit standings were with the school. I had missed out on all of the parties. That part didn’t bother me very much. My cell phone wouldn’t stop ringing or beeping. I received calls and texts asking questions. I turned it off and refused to turn it back on. I just wanted to be left alone. I needed to get myself together. I had lost everything in that one day, including myself.
I had never been a believer in monsters, psychics or anything supernatural. I had loved the story my ancestor had written, but I had never put any real faith in it. In one day everything I knew to be true, had turned out to be all lies. There really were monsters, psychics, and definitely things of the supernatural order. My ancestors’ book was a real life account of what he had went through in his attempt at riding the world of a monster. The woman he had helped save was Willa’s real mother and the monster he had destroyed was Willa’s father…Dracula.
My best friend was now being held against his will by the monsters son, Willa’s brother. My father and his friends who had trained me my entire life were members of The Order of the Dragon. This was all too much to handle. I needed an outlet to vent my frustrations. I was still too weak to run so I hit the gym instead.
I wasn’t set to go back to school for another week. I spent most of my free time in the gym lifting weights and trying desperately not to think about everything or anything. I wanted to hide from the outside world that was waiting for me. I knew I couldn’t hide from the world forever, but for at least a few days more I was determined to do just that.
One day my father called me down to his study. I reluctantly went to see what it was that he wanted. He was sitting in his usual chair behind the desk. The room sent me into panic mode. It brought it all rushing back to the surface. The monsters, the fight, the gun shot echoed through my mind. I stepped back out of the room quickly. My father followed me out into the hall. He placed a strong sturdy hand on my shoulder and looked at me for the first time with kind eyes. It was as if he understood what I was going through.
“We can talk in the living room. I understand that the study may not be the proper place to speak right now.” I nodded and followed him to the living room. I sat on the couch as he sat in a chair nearby. He studied me closely. “You seem to be gaining your strength back.”
“I suppose so. There’s not much else for me to do right now, and I’ve had a lot on my mind, so I’ve been hitting the gym all day. It helps me think.” He smiled and went on with what he had to say.
“How would you feel about staying out of school until after Christmas break? I checked and as long as you take the last of your required courses to graduate next semester you’ll be able to graduate with the rest of your class. They were willing to make an exception considering your circumstances.” I looked up at him and smiled.
“Sounds good to me. I don’t think I am ready to go back to school just yet anyway. I don’t want to be bugged with a lot of questions about what happened. I’m not ready for that.” My father shook his head in agreement.
“You know you’re going to have to confront this before long. You can’t hide here in the house forever. You also can’t hide from those who are looking for you.” I knew who he meant, Willa and possibly her brother.
“I know. I just don’t know if I’m ready to see her. Dad I thought I really cared for her. I thought I knew her. I had never felt that way for anyone in my life and it hurts to find out that she is not the person I thought she was.” My heart was breaking inside. I fought the tears that threatened to take over. I couldn’t cry in front of my father.
“I know son. Your first love is always the hardest. It will be the one that will stay with you forever. So with that being said, you have a visitor.” I sat up straight and looked at him as if he were insane. Had he not just heard that I wasn’t ready to see anyone and especially not her?
“Hello Johnathan.” I heard her voice and I couldn’t help but turn in her direction. There she stood. My Willa.
“I’ll leave you two alone. I believe you both have a lot to talk about.” My father left me alone with a monster.
17.
I backed away from her. I couldn’t believe my father let her in the house. He was supposed to destroy monsters like her not let them waltz right through the front door and offer his son up to them.
Willa stayed exactly where she was. She seemed to understand my hesitation at her being in the same room with me. She was still the same beautiful girl I had seen on the street corner in her old beat up hearse. The same girl I had spent time with getting to know and learning about her family and her past. Willa was also still the same girl I stepped in front of to protect from my father and his henchmen. Regardless of all of those things, Willa was also a monster in disguise.
“You look well Johnathan.” She spoke from across the room. She resembled a marble statue, frozen in time. Her snow white skin, the dark cascading hair that fell perfectly around her slender frame and those rose pink perfect lips. My heart began to beat rapidly beneath my chest. The flame I thought had vanished was still there. It was her eyes that made the difference. When I looked into her eyes, I did not see a monster. I saw the deep blue ocean warm and inviting. There was kindness, and sorrow hidden in the depths of that ocean that beckoned me to her.
“Thank you.” I replied. I wanted to go to her. I wanted to wrap my arms tightly around her and feel nothing but love for her, however I was still worried that the monster in her would come crashing through and attack.
“Your father thought it would be good for you to learn the truth about me. I agreed. I’m here to tell you my story if you would like to hear it and hear it from me, not from a book and not from my horrible wretched brother.” She waited for my reply. It was what I wanted. More importantly, I felt it was something I needed to know. I needed to hear the truth from her so that I could work on healing my own issues. Slowly I walked to one of the large chairs and took a seat.
Willa took my place on the couch. “Go ahead. I’m ready to hear it.” I said as she made herself comfortable. Taking a deep breath she began her tale.
“As you know by now, my mother was Willahmina Harker. She had been bitten by my father Dracula, or Vlad if you like. That is his real name by the way. While she was in her transition period my father had taken her to our ancestral home high in the Carpathian Mountains. A virtual stronghold, almost impossible to penetrate. Under his spell, my mother th
ought herself to be in love with him. They made love and I was conceived.” She paused in her story briefly. There was a sadness in her eyes. “Your ancestor and Mina’s fiancé along with their friends tracked them down to the castle. Once they found the two, they fought for my mother’s mortal soul. I believe you know this part of the story all too well, as it has been written and recorded by Bram Stoker himself. My father died and the curse on my mother was lifted. She was returned to her humanity and her soul was saved. It was only a few months later that she and Johnathan Harker married. She knew that she was with child but she was unsure of who the father was.
Johnathan loved my mother deeply and cared little if I was his or Dracula’s. He would raise me either way as his own.” Tears began to spill from her eyes as she continued her tale.
“After I was born it was obvious that I was not Johnathan’s daughter. I was weak and no amount of food or diet would help. Your ancestor came and performed tests on me to see why I was not growing as a normal child would and why I was so unhealthy. He had determined that I in fact was part vampire. This was all new to him and he was unsure of how to handle me or the situation. You see, although my mother was part vampire at the time of my conception she was still mortal and had her soul, and when I was born she was fully human.” Willa paused and watched for my reaction to the news of how she had come to be. I still wasn’t sure what she was.
“I am both vampire and human, but more vampire than human. I lack most of the abilities of pure vampires. I have the sun allergy and silver does make me weak but it will not kill me as it would a real vampire. I do not feed like a vampire. Mr. Stoker realized that I needed regular blood transfusions to keep my vital organs operating normally. I go to the hospital three times a week to receive blood transfusions, I am officially diagnosed with a severe case of anemia. It is rare but there are others like that, of course it was just the cover story. I still do not age like a human. I age very slowly, I am over 200 hundred years old, but at heart I am really just a teenager like you.
The Immortal Design Page 9