“Yes, it was real, Amor. I attempted to remove the memory. The talent we all possess, it is to alter the memories of humans we feed upon, to make them forget, to protect the secret of our kind. And our saliva contains an enzyme that speeds healing, removing any marks in only a few minutes. I should have tried to make you forget that you ever met me, but I could not bear the thought. I am too selfish. I should have realized it would not work on you. You are so special.” He stroked her cheek with his fingertips, looking down at her reverently taking in every detail of her flawless face.
✧
She leaned into his touch. “How am I special, Ethan?”
“In so many ways, Amor. But what I speak of is in your blood, your genes. You are human, but you are also vampire. I tasted it the moment your blood touched my tongue.”
“And it was evident in the sample of your blood that I tested.” Elijah stated, surprising Alexa. She had forgotten he was even there and had not noticed him move across the room with Chloe securely in his arms. The enhanced speed would take some getting used to.
“I don’t understand, how can that be, I’m not a vampire. I’m not very fast or strong. And I definitely don’t drink or crave blood.” She was almost laughing, it seemed so ridiculous. “Perhaps there was an error with my blood work.”
Elijah responded, “There was no error. I ran the tests multiple times on both samples that we collected. On a genetic level, you are exactly like us. Physically you are something else, perhaps something more.”
“Tell us, when did you first realize you could hear the thoughts of others?” Elijah questioned.
“I think I was maybe thirteen or fourteen,” she said trying to remember exactly how old she had been.
“So around the time you went through puberty then?”
She nodded.
“That is when our people begin to change. Our children are nearly identical to human children until that time. We are not certain what triggers the transformation. With the onset of puberty comes the need to consume human blood and shortly thereafter enhanced speed, strength and other abilities become evident.”
Alexa stood abruptly, leaving the comfort of Ethan’s warmth for the first time since she woke up and her heart immediately protested, but she needed a clear head for this.
“Let me get this straight, you’re saying that I’m a vampire? Me, Alexa Ryan?”
“Yes, in every way that matters, you are vampire. Why you do not display the typical traits, we cannot be certain?” Elijah glanced to Ethan before continuing. “But one thing that is sure, based on the properties of your blood, you have the potential to be one of the most powerful beings our kind has seen in the last one thousand years. Perhaps it is time to discuss what you know of your parents.”
CHAPTER 11 - Alexa's Past
Thinking of her parents took Alexa back to that day. Put her back in that chair sitting across from Mr. Smith in his office at Smith, Stone, and Waters.
It was her eighteenth birthday. Earlier that day Ms. Johnson, the coordinator at the group home which could more accurately be described as a compound, called Alexa into her office to process the paperwork for her to move out and into the dorms at Indiana University in Bloomington. Alexa felt that it was more like her release than a simple move.
Being extremely bright, Alexa had completed her education in the compound’s school system before her seventeenth birthday, but she was forced to remain there for another year until she was legally considered an adult. As they were finishing up, the stout woman handed Alexa an envelope.
“I was given this with specific instructions to present it to you on this day. A car service has been retained to drive you to your destination and is waiting outside the gate as we speak.”
There were no tears, no hug from the woman who had raised her for most of her life. Ms. Johnson had always treated Alexa like a job, an assignment to be completed, nothing more. She made sure her basic needs were attended to, but avoided any further interaction. Perhaps she was afraid of Alexa’s ability, perhaps she was just that cold. Either way, Alexa would never know.
A few hours later she was greeted by a rather attractive receptionist at the law firm that specialized in estates and trusts and escorted to the office in which she was now sitting.
“Ms. Ryan, it is so nice to finally meet you my dear. Your parent’s enlisted my services many years ago to administer the trust that they left to you. “
Alexa looked over the rather plain man as he entered the room, briefly shook her hand and took the seat behind the desk.
“I’m sorry; my parent’s left me a trust fund?”
“Yes, the fees for the group home where you were raised were taken out annually; however you are still quite well off as you can see. As of today, you have unlimited access to the funds.”
He slid a piece of paper that turned out to be a K-1 from the trust across the table, followed by a copy of its most recent tax return, a set of financial statements, and a small sealed envelope. The interest on the K-1 alone was more than enough to cover all of her college expenses for the next four years.
“Oh my God.” Alexa stared at the papers, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
“You are a very fortunate young lady, Ms. Ryan.”
Alexa almost laughed. The last thing she would have called herself before that day was fortunate. Her childhood had been so lonely at the group home. She was never allowed to leave the grounds and because of her ability she didn’t have any real friends anymore. Anyone she was close to figured out something was wrong with her eventually, not that she ever talked about it.
She had told the resident counselor once, who dismissed it at first, but when Alexa started repeating all of the chubby man’s thoughts back to him he became extremely agitated and then downright afraid of her. He locked her in his office and ran off to fetch Ms. Johnson. The robust woman came in looking somewhat ruffled, and without even glancing directly at Alexa she grabbed her arm and led her to a flight of stairs and down into the basement which contained several rooms that would be better described as cells. She escorted Alexa into one then backed out and closed the door.
“I’m sorry to do this, but you must learn this lesson absolutely. You are never to speak of the things that caused this again. I do not want to hear a word of it. You will stay here, alone for two weeks, at which time you will return to your room and go back to your normal studies. You will not mention any of this to anyone or you will come back here for a month. Have I made myself clear?”
Alexa nodded and Ms. Johnson turned and walked back up the stairs without another word. She turned around, examining the room, finding a toilet and sink in the corner, a table and chair in the middle, and a small cot off to one side. There was one small window high up in the back whose light was mostly blocked by what appeared to be a bush outside. For the next two weeks, the only person Alexa saw was an attendant that brought her food three times a day. The young man simply walked up to the door and slid a tray through the slot. He never spoke to or even looked directly at her.
At the end of two weeks, Ms. Johnson came, unlocked the door and silently led Alexa back across the grounds to her quarters. Once inside she simply stated, “Remember this, it will help to keep you safe. You must conceal that part of yourself from everyone.”
After that day, Alexa never again mentioned her telepathy to another soul and she began to withdraw from everyone. It was too difficult to hear people’s innermost thoughts and pretend that everything was just fine. With time, she learned to harness her talent and shield her mind from the constant flow of external thoughts, but by then she had already been labeled as a freak amongst the kids living there, so she spent the remaining years of her time there essentially alone.
Now, sitting in Mr. Smith’s office, listening to him speak of her parents made her heart ache in a way it hadn’t in many years. If only she could remember some small part of them. All she knew was their names, William and Rebecca Ryan. She was told that they perish
ed in a house fire that destroyed everything, while an eighteen month old Alexa had miraculously survived being found wandering alone outside by a neighbor. There were no surviving relatives to take her in, so after a brief stint in a foster home she had been placed in the care of the Beaumont Children’s Home in Evansville, Indiana.
“Did you know them well?” Alexa asked, feeling a slight sting in her eyes at the hope of learning something real about the only people in the world who once loved her.
“I’m afraid not, I only met them once when the trust was set up fifteen years ago.”
“I’m sorry, what did you say? That’s impossible. My parents died before I was two.”
“Hmm, let me see.” He pulled back Alexa’s copy of the trust tax return, glancing at it briefly before pointing to the date in a small box on the first page. “No, that is correct; the trust was established on this date, which is just a few weeks over fifteen years ago.”
Alexa sat there completely stunned. What did this mean? She reached into her bag, retrieving the folder of paperwork Ms. Johnson had given her. Behind a copy of her birth certificate was a general information record which included the date of her admission to the group home, over sixteen years ago.
Oh come on, I don’t have time for this shit. You’re rich now you little bitch, just get out of here so I can get back to that hot new secretary upstairs.
Alexa’s eyes shot up to the falsely smiling face of Mr. Smith. All of the emotions that were barreling through her mind must have weakened her shields. Hearing the evidence of his true character in his thoughts, she thought better of pressing the issue further and risking revealing anything to the little weasel. She took a deep breath, pushing down the emotions swelling up inside her and reinforcing her shields before continuing.
“Oh, I guess I was wrong about the dates,” she lied. “So is that it then?” She inquired calmly.
“Yes, everything you need to access your money, in addition to photo identification of course, is in that envelope. It’s been a pleasure, Ms. Ryan. Here is my business card, please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions.” He stood and motioned towards the door. “Would you like me to escort you out?”
“No, please don’t trouble yourself, Mr. Smith, I can find my own way.” She replied starkly taking the offered business card and tucking it into her bag with no intention of ever using it. With that she swiveled and rushed out of the office.
✧
Back in the town car, the reality of what she had just learned hit her like a bulldozer. Her parents were alive when she entered the group home. She wasn’t orphaned, she was abandoned.
“To the campus in Bloomington now, miss?” The driver questioned.
“No actually, I’d like to make a stop at the public library first.”
“Very well, miss.”
Alexa spent the next few hours poring through old records looking for information about her parents. She looked at every newspaper article she could find involving fires the year that she entered the group home, but none matched what she had been told. She searched through birth records and obituaries and still came up empty. It was as if they had never existed. But if it had all been a lie and she had been abandoned, why the trust fund?
Leaving the library even more confused than when she entered, Alexa decided then and there that she wasn’t going to waste anymore of her life living in the past. For whatever reason, her parents hadn’t wanted her and there was nothing she could do about that. She was resolved to move on with her life. She was finally free to do as she pleased for the first time in her life and she was going to take advantage of the opportunity.
Like hell if I’ll use any of their money. They didn’t want me, I don’t want or need their money.
Strengthening in her resolve, Alexa sat up a little straighter. She had a couple of weeks before classes started to find a job. After scoring a nearly perfect score on her SATs, which she had of course taken at the compound, she had been awarded a full-ride scholarship to Indiana University, which included room and board living in the dorms. Due to her ability, she had declined to stay on campus since she would have to room with at least one other student and opted to pay for her own apartment nearby. The resident counselor at Beaumont had provided a report exempting her from the freshman requirement of living on campus.
Four years later she graduated with a 4.0 GPA, a business degree from the prestigious Kelley School of Business and a job offer in the tax department of one of the top accounting firms in the country.
✧
“So you never found any further information about your parents?” Ethan asked, pulling Alexa’s focus back to the present.
“No, I didn’t look for them after that day. I figured they didn’t want to know me, so what was the point of trying to find them. If I actually managed to locate them or learned that they had died after abandoning me, I would just have to relive the disappointment and rejection.”
Ethan stroked her arm reassuringly. “Amor, I do not believe your parents abandoned you.”
“I agree with Ethan,” Elijah stated.
Alexa looked back and forth between the two incredibly handsome men. “What are you talking about, are you saying my parents are alive?”
For whatever reason, even though she easily accepted everything that had been revealed to her so far, this information was the hardest to process. Not waiting for a reply she spoke her thoughts as they came to her. “Of course they are, if I’m really a vampire, so are they.” Alexa fought to contain the emotions that were welling up inside her.
“But, why, how could they just leave me all alone in that place?”
“To protect you, Alexa, from the war.” Elijah said gently.
CHAPTER 12 - The War
“Many vampire couples, my wife and I included, have taken extreme steps to protect their children from this war. Some were placed with human families to hide until their powers emerged. Other families went into hiding, leaving the comfort and community of their vampire colonies to live in solitude. Some even enlisted the help of witches, at least those who could find a witch that was willing to consort with vampires.”
Ethan placed his hand on Alexa’s chin and gently turned her to face him. “I promise you, Amor, once you and Chloe are safe, we will find out what happened to your parents.” She nodded slowly.
After giving her a moment, Elijah continued. “There exists a very old and powerful vampire, known as Lucias. Nearly seven-hundred years ago he started a movement, demanding that members of our race rise up and take our rightful place as the dominant people of this world, with him as the ruler, naturally. He and his followers see humans as inferior beings, meant to be slaves to our kind. Of course, the majority of our people saw him as a fanatic and refused to support his cause. After all, we are all partly human and are such a small minority we fear complete annihilation if we were ever to be revealed to the humans. We are much stronger, but they outnumber us several thousand to one.”
“Still, despite the insurmountable odds, Lucias and his group went on a rampage, attacking and killing humans for sport and all the while searching for and capturing young vampire females to breed children that he could raise to follow him. One taste of the blood of a carrier reveals the presence of the gene. They would wipe out entire villages in a matter of hours.”
“It was during that same time that the black plague struck, wiping out millions of humans, which provided an excellent cover for the activities of Lucias’ group; however, our people were not completely immune to the disease. It was not lethal to those of our kind, but any member of our race that ingested the blood of an infected human began to change, becoming stronger and faster. However, the increased strength and speed came at a price. This is what birthed some of the myths about our kind. The infected were sensitive to sunlight and silver and required blood daily. Over time, infected members of the race developed nearly insatiable bloodlust, often attacking other members of the race in an attempt to quench their thirs
t. Those who were attacked also became infected.”
Alexa sat there, eyes wide as she leaned into Ethan, completely engrossed in Elijah’s recounting of the race’s history.
“It was during that time that the group now known as The Agency was formed to police our people and contain the infected. Unfortunately, despite exhaustive efforts to find a cure, it soon became obvious that the only timely solution was to terminate the diseased. Thus was born the Elite, a group of specially trained warriors brought together with the sole purpose of eliminating the infected before they destroyed us all. Nearly all of Lucias’ followers perished in those times and he remained quiet for many years. So long in fact that many seemed to forget or forgive his previous misdeeds, accepting him back into our society with open arms. So many had been lost in those dark times, it seemed we could not afford to cast any aside as we attempted to rebuild and move forward. Then close to three-hundred years ago the disappearances started.”
“Lucias?” Alexa asked as she now sat on the edge of her seat with Chloe playing happily on the floor beside her and Ethan gently stroking her back.
“Yes. Of course we did not know he was responsible in the beginning. It started off slowly, one or two at a time, spread out across the world. It took weeks to get news about the other colonies back then, so no one realized that the incidents were related. The missing were always teenagers who had recently undergone the transformation. In retrospect, it was very clever to target the newly changed who were easily influenced and whose disappearances would not raise too much suspicion.”
Choices of Fate (Fate Series) Page 11