Mother of Darkwaters: Book one of the Vessel series

by Tony C. Skye

  “Ahhhhh! Make it stop!”, Caroline screams out.

  “It is almost over,” Julianna coaches, “hang in there.”

  Caroline rolls over on her right side and enters a fetal position, “Ahhh! I can’t take it anymore!”

  Victoria grabs at her head as the screams fill her ears. She opens her eyes.

  Julianna backs away and stands up. She closes her eyes with her arms outstretched, “I invite you into my house, Jamés – all of you within Caroline. Welcome home. You are invited into my house.”

  “Oh my gawd!”, Caroline screams out, “Make it stop! I beg of…”

  “Ooomph!”, Julianna lets out a grunt as her body slams against the padded wall behind her.

  Victoria rushes over to her daughter. There is blood on the floor. Caroline is breathing heavily from the recent pain within her body. She is crying. Tears rush down her face into the blood below.

  “Get her back”

  Victoria glances over her right shoulder. Julianna is on her hands and knees. Her voice speaks with the sounds of many other voices. She is gritting her teeth.

  “Now!”, Julianna yells out.

  Victoria drags her daughter to the far corner of the room. She places herself between Caroline and Julianna. The Mother of Darkwaters is pacing on her hands and knees like a wild animal trapped within a cage – a cage in which Victoria is locked inside of.

  “Veeek-torrr-riahhhh,” a deep voice beckons.

  Victoria feels hands tugging at her. She briefly glances at Caroline and sees her daughter sitting up with a look of horror. Victoria repositions herself to her daughter’s left side while maintaining visual contact with Julianna. She wraps her arms around Caroline to lend as much support as she can possibly give under the circumstances.

  “No!”, a deep voice snaps from Julianna’s lips.

  “Yes,” Julianna’s natural voice comes through as though it is being filtered through an electronic device submerged underwater.

  Victoria jerks as Julianna flips herself onto her back. She watches the young woman grin as her rapid breathing begins to slow itself.

  “Stop it!”, a child’s voice demands.

  “Shut up, Jamés,” Julianna argues with her own lips, “Deal with it.” She begins laughing as the familiar pain begins ripping its way throughout her body. When it subsides, Julianna speaks with her own voice.

  “Take them home, Dranestan.”

  Victoria feels Caroline’s death grip around her arms as Julianna’s body arches upward and slams against the floor. Julianna breathlessly rolls over and slides herself into a sitting position with her back against the wall. She looks up at the ceiling.

  “This is my favorite part,” Julianna says within her exhaustion.

  Caroline attempts to retreat into a wall that won’t let her as she looks up at the ceiling. Black swirling mist circles overhead with an array of varying voices. A few moments later, the mist tightens around its vortex and dissipates. Caroline looks at the visitor across the room.

  “Is-is it over?”

  Julianna nods and swallows. She leans over and begins throwing up. When she stops, she removes her hoodie and wipes her face. As she stands, her belly rumbles. She drops to her hands and knees and begins dry-heaving. The room begins to darken as she collapses to the floor.

  “Mom!”, Caroline panics.

  Victoria releases her daughter and rushes over to Julianna. She feels for a pulse.

  “She’s alive,” Victoria confirms, “Help me to get her in the bed.”

  Caroline gets up and quickly joins her mother. Together, they lift Julianna from her own mess and place her into the hospital bed. Victoria points at a tray.

  “Hand me that water.”

  Caroline turns around and grabs the water. She turns back and hands it across the bed to her mother. Victoria lifts Julianna’s head and begins pouring water into her mouth. A few moments later, Julianna chokes and pushes at the arm attempting to drown her.

  “She’s back,” Victoria proudly announces.

  Julianna’s eyes flutter as she opens them. Her head is pounding and every fiber of her body is in pain. She looks at Victoria.

  “I had him inside of me for a while,” Julianna explains the unexpected falter, “Captains are really hard on you.”

  Julianna moves her head to the left and smiles at Caroline, “You only had a soldier and some of his buddies in you.”

  “Captain?”, Caroline is completely confused, “Buddies? What in the hell are they Mandie? And how do you know so much about this?”

  The woman on the bed sits up. She pats Caroline’s mother on the hand, “Thank you, Victoria.”

  She stands up and grabs her back with her left hand as she straightens. She feels stiff everywhere. Caroline rounds the bed and walks up to her. Julianna offers her right hand.

  “Hi cousin,” Julianna smiles, “My name is Julianna”

  Caroline’s head retreats as she looks at her mother. Victoria nods.

  “Why’d you lie about your name?”

  “Your mother will explain it to you. And you will keep my secret. That is the price for me helping you here tonight. Do you understand?”

  “No.”

  “Shake my hand cousin. I’m tired of holding it out.”

  Caroline reluctantly shakes Julianna’s hand with a one-dip.

  “No shock that time,” Julianna smirks. She can tell from Victoria’s facial response that she is familiar with the story in one form or another.

  “Who are you?”, Caroline demands, “And why do you keep calling me cousin?”

  “I’m Julianna. What do you remember?”

  “I went to bed in my bedroom and woke up with you crawling around like a dog.”

  “You, Becca, Tamara, and Jennifer all performed a blood ritual.”

  “You what?!”, Victoria panics.

  “Uh-oh,” Julianna tiredly smiles, “Busted.”

  “How do you even know about that?”

  “What is wrong with you girls?”, Victoria sounds highly agitated at her daughter’s ignorance.

  “Anyway,” Julianna continues, “You are bound by your blood oath. And the power which binds you is demonic. You, my dear cousin, must have entered the circle where Jamés was already standing. He attached himself to the one he thought he could trick the easiest. I guess you fit the bill with your daddy-issues and all.”

  “I don’t have…”

  “Your dream guy is Jamés. He is the one that brought his buddies with him. I brought a captain. Luckily for you, I know how to pass them through me. If it weren’t for me, you would be locked away forever or some priest would be here attempting to cast them out. People have been known to die from that sort of thing. So stop looking at me like I’ve betrayed you and go home with your mother so you can listen to what she has to say.”

  Julianna looks at Victoria, “I’m really tired. I need a hot shower and my bed. So if you’ll excuse me.”

  “Thank you for saving my daughter’s life.”

  “No problem. Glad I could help.” Julianna walks towards the door.

  “Let’s go home,” Victoria says while looking at her daughter, “We need to have a discussion about where you come from – your family history.”

  “Mandie is my cousin?”

  “Yes,” Victoria confirms.

  Julianna pounds on the door, “Open up!”

  A few seconds later, the door unlocks and opens with two men standing in its opening. Julianna turns around and looks at a bewildered Caroline.

  “I am Mandie whenever we’re at school. Julianna when it is just you and me. Your mom will explain the seriousness of keeping this secret and you will not break it – not to Rebecca or anyone else. Do not forget this and we’ll get along just fine.”

  Caroline remains in silence. She isn’t sure how to react at this point. This whole scene is beyond her mangled mind.

  Julianna turns back around and looks at the man on the right, “They are both free to go.” She ste
ps into the hallway and stops. She looks back over her shoulder into the room.

  “By the way, it is nice to meet the non-possessed version of you Caroline. You have beautiful eyes. See you in school.”

  Julianna turns to her right and heads down the hallway. The men wearing black suits follow close behind.

  Caroline searches her mind for answers. Any answer will do. But her mind is swimming in a haze of total madness. She looks at Victoria.

  “Mom?”, Caroline begs for help.

  Victoria lovingly wraps her left arm around her daughter. They begin walking towards the door, “Come on, baby. Let’s get you home. I’ll explain everything. I promise. Right now, I think we all could use a hot shower and some sleep.”

  * * *

  Ding.

  Victoria and Caroline exit the elevator to the first floor lobby. Two large men are there to greet them.

  “Ma’am,” the man to Victoria’s right speaks. He holds out a full-length leather jacket.

  “Thank you,” Victoria accepts the jacket and places it around her daughter’s shoulders.

  “We have moved your vehicle. It is at your home. We are here to make sure you arrive there safely.”

  “Thank you,” Victoria answers with a nervous smile. This is the reason she ran from the bloodline – the Network. They have tendencies and bad practices – the kind of actions that reveal innocence on one hand with a knife in the other. The only difference she can tell; so far, is that these guys seem more relaxed than the people she knew back in the day. More than that, however, they seem to be looking at her with respectful eyes – not the eyes that would reflect ill-intentions or the mindsight of male dominance.

  “Do you ladies need anything before we get there?”

  “No, we’re fine,” Victoria answers the man to her left, “Thank you.”

  “Very well,” the man responds.

  The two men turn and escort the ladies from the hospital. As they approach the street, three vehicles roar from the east and come to a screeching halt in front of them.

  “Ma’am,” the man to Victoria’s right speaks, “I will need you to ride with me. We will be following your daughter.”

  “Oh, I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”

  “She will need an instructor, ma’am,” the man counters, “We can’t release the car to her until she can drive it safely.”

  Caroline looks at three vehicles. The rear vehicle is an S.U.V. Ford Escalade. The lead car belongs to the California state highway patrol. But the center car is awesome.

  “What car?”, Caroline questions with her eyes glued to the blue-metallic paint job of the center vehicle.

  The man looks at Caroline with a smile. Victoria glances at Caroline.

  “Honey, you’ve been through too much tonight. I think we should wait until tomorrow.”

  Caroline pleads with her eyes, “Mom, I don’t remember anything.”

  Victoria purses her lips in thought. Truth is, she’s probably more traumatized than her daughter is. And with her daughter’s puppy eyes, she can hardly say no. Plus, as a doctor, she understands that getting back on the horse is the most therapeutic thing a patient can do.

  “Are you sure?”

  Caroline looks her mother in the eyes, “Yes, I’m fine. A little sore, but that’s it.”

  Victoria sighs and gives in with a nod.

  Caroline greedily hugs her mom and then looks at the man with expectant eyes. He smiles, reaches into his coat jacket, and retrieves a note.

  “This is for you,” the man hands Caroline the piece of folded paper.

  “Ma’am,” the man to Victoria’s left speak, “When you are ready.”

  Dr. Reynolds watches the man open the rear door to the fully-tinted Escalade. She nods.

  Caroline unfolds the paper and reads silently:

  “Hello cousin,

  Welcome to the family. Even Jennifer would have a hard time getting hold of this beauty. It is a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. I had it custom painted for you. Enjoy!”

  “You have until you get home to master it,” the instructor informs.

  Caroline folds the paper and looks up.

  The man grins, “Think you can handle it?”

  “Oh yeah,” Caroline says with an excited smile.

  The man holds out his right hand, “Note.”

  “Oh - sorry,” Caroline says while tearing it into small pieces before handing it back to him.

  The man looks at his hand and laughs, “You’re a natural.”

  Caroline blushes while looking back at her mother.

  Victoria smiles, but it has nothing to do with her daughter tearing up a note. Instead, she smiles because Caroline smiles. She has not seen this sort of joy from her daughter in a very long time – not since her father lived at home. This smile almost helps to fade the nightmare of what has just been…almost.

  “Be careful.”

  “I will,” Caroline says before returning her gaze back to her new instructor.

  “I believe these are yours,” the man says while handing Caroline a keychain, “It’s mainly for the alarm. We’ll begin in the parking lot.”

  Victoria makes her way to the open door of the Escalade. She turns and looks at her daughter receiving a keychain. She smiles again and takes her place within the vehicle.

  * * *

  Victoria amuses over her daughter’s driving lesson. She drives, stops, chirps the tires, and kills the engine before repeating the disaster. But it doesn’t take long for the cheerleader to get the hang of things to the point her instructor allows her to make her way to the street. After about twelve blocks, Caroline learns how to accelerate without jerking the vehicle each time she attempts it.

  Something else Victoria has noticed is that the three men inside of the Escalade seem to be genuinely enjoying the show as well. They are not acting like the Network she once knew; especially, given the fact that she is a runner. Runners are looked down upon. A bloodline runner is considered downright blasphemous.

  Victoria looks at the man to her left. He is largely built with brown eyes and short black hair.

  “You don’t seem to be like your predecessors.”

  The man observes Caroline jerk the car at the stop light and kill its engine. He laughs. Touching his right ear, he speaks, “Let’s go ahead and circle back six blocks. We are getting too close to her home.”

  The man pauses before responding to the highway patrolman speaking into his ear, “That’s affirmative. She should have a handle on it by then. She’s a quick learner.”

  The man turns and looks at Victoria. His demeanor changes in an instant.

  “Do you mean I am incompetent?”

  “No, I just thought you were much nicer is all. I did not mean any disrespect.”

  The man studies the woman for a moment before revealing a small grin.

  “Had you going there for a minute.”

  Victoria forces a nervous partial grin.

  “Our Mother has made many changes, ma’am. They are all good changes as far as I can tell. But don’t ever believe that she is soft. That would be a mistake.”

  Victoria looks out of the window to her right. She thinks back to the incident on the parking lot; whenever, Julianna made her presence first known. Victoria thought she was going to die. She was so scared that she cried. There is no doubt that Julianna will act upon a threat she has made. Victoria could see the truth within the young woman’s green eyes.

  “Well at least you guys don’t act like mindless robots anymore.”

  “Ha-ha” the man chuckles, “Our Mother refers to it as mindless zombies.”

  Victoria looks at the man.

  “I think I even heard her call one guy a mindless cyborg.”

  Dr. Reynolds smiles. The man turns his attention to the voice in his ear.

  “She wants to go faster?”

  The man looks at Victoria. The woman shakes her head with a daring stare.

  “That would be a n
egative,” the man responds. A few moments later he speaks again, “That’s affirmative. Instruction speed as planned.”

  The man lowers his hand from his ear and smiles at Victoria.

  “Yes,” Victoria speaks with a quiet thank you, “I believe things are very different with her around. And it’s obvious that she knows how to hand-pick the best.”

  The man nods one time, “Ma’am.” He looks forward and watches the Bugatti in front of the Escalade.

  * * *

  Caroline sits down at the kitchen table after taking her shower. She is too wound up to sleep.

  “Is it still there?”, Victoria questions from across the table.

  Caroline looks at her smiling mother.

  “You never know about people,” Caroline defends.

  “They will not allow anyone to go near it” Victoria says with raised eyebrows, “You can be sure of that one.”

  “I wish they’d hurry up,” Caroline says while glancing towards the front door.

  “Your father had a lot of stuff in the garage,” Victoria reminds, “Don’t worry, they are quick and efficient. It shouldn’t be that much longer.”

  Caroline slumps in her chair, “I want my keys back.”

  “I thought you said it was keyless?”

  “I have to make sure the alarm is set.”

  Victoria rolls her eyes.

  Caroline grins, “I told Becca I had a ride in the morning, but didn’t tell her about my brand new Bugatti.”

  “I bet that was tough,” Victoria grins back.

  “You have no idea.”

  “Heh-heh. I’m pretty sure I do,” Victoria counters.

  “So...Julianna is of the bloodline like you,” Caroline runs over the facts she has recently learned, “And I’m of this bloodline.”

  “Correct,” Victoria agrees.

  “But we are - uh…”

  “Sub-prophecy bloodline,” Victoria helps her daughter with the new terminology.

  “Right. And Julianna is main-prophecy bloodline.”

  “Yes.”

  “So why did you run?”