by Leeah Taylor
Miranda had grown up believing Craeden was her father, her mother having died at a young age. He had told her that her mother had passed away from cancer when she was very young. An unlikely illness for a vampire, but it had happened. So Miranda had never questioned it. Becca understood her anger and resentment towards Sarah and Tobias.
And Nikki, endless foster homes haunted her faux childhood memories. Left to believe that her parents hadn’t wanted her. That she was too much a burden to have kept. Danny had been her saving grace. Z a steady constant in her life.
Yes, Becca understood why her sisters had so much bottled up anger and resentment. Their implanted memories were so much worse than what Becca had. She had memories of her mother baking cookies for her, reading her bedtime stories and braiding her hair.
Becca finally looked up and met her mother’s stare.
“The Heiress is powerful,” she said. “It took over before I even knew what was happening.”
“Yeah, it’s the Merger. Guess that’s just another thing to add to the list of things we never explained,” Sarah said.
“The Merger?” Becca shrugged and questioned. Even with the plethora of information in her mind. The ability to rattle off random Bottom history. There was still so much she didn’t understand.
“Really it had already begun when you were children. We watched it happen back then, more subtly of course.” She smirked at her daughter. “But we saw it. The bonds that were forging between each of you. William to you, Markus to Miranda and Nikki to Zachariah.”
“Ha, I haven’t heard him called that since elementary school,” Becca interrupted, savoring the thought. Sixth grade year to be exact. He denounced his birth name and was insistent that everyone call him Z. “Sorry go ahead.”
“That bond was meant to grow over the years until you were old enough to understand and act on it. But we were forced to cut it short. After the Fall, Caroline and I ran for the Surface before they closed off any portals. Tobias and Merrick made the impossible decision to go and hide in the Dark.” She stopped and looked out into the yard. Again the memories cut deep. The sacrifices they were all forced to make back then had almost been too much to carry.
“It was a sacrifice, I know,” Becca whispered, hoping she could at least somewhat ease some of her mother’s pain.
“Craeden and Danny were great with the six of you. But they weren’t your fathers,” she began. “Six years we were able to stay here without so much as a whisper from the Bottom. Then the Drifters’ Order came and that’s when we got word from your fathers. We needed to leave.”
A Drifters’ Order, the greatest weapon the Council had against the Bottom and its inhabitants and its non-inhabitants. Its very purpose to round up any species that had turned its back on the laws and the Council.
The Bottom laws were very clear. Humans were off limits. It was forbidden to interact with them in any intimate way. This law was probably the most broken. Any abilities that a person had could not be used on another. Living on the Surface was forbidden. All Bottom kinds were to live in one of the four nations or in the Conjurer Dimension. And most importantly you gave your allegiance to the Council.
Found guilty of violating any of the laws, and the punishment was death.
It was finding the lawbreakers that was hard. The Council was expected to follow the same laws they enforced. Which meant they couldn’t pursue many of the violators without using some kind of magic to find them, because they were on the Surface. And that’s what the Drifters’ Order was for. It was a martial law for the Bottom. It suspended the law hindering powers used on others.
Once a Drifters’ Order was enacted all violators were expected to return to the Bottom. Those that came willingly would be given a pardon and then recorded as a Drifter for future reference. Second offenders would not be forgiven again. It was the ones that didn’t come willingly that the Council had to use other means to find. Like Magi and Conjurers, one to find them and the other to open a portal to go get them. Involuntary return meant punishment by death.
The only place safe from the Drifters’ Order and prying eyes of the Council was the Dark. A place meant for the nightmares of children. Created nearly three hundred years earlier by the Bottom’s most notorious Magi. A man running from the consequences of his heinous crimes against the Heir and Heiress. It became a place for criminals to go in their most desperate hour. But in the last twenty years it had become a sanctuary for those needing to escape the meddling hand of the Council and Viktor. Including Tobias, Sarah and Merrick.
It could not be infiltrated by anyone without the help of a Conjurer. No other species had the ability to open a dark portal. And the Council did not recognize the Dark as a dimension or a nation, and as such they did not earn a place on that Council. Without that spot it left the Council with no power over the Dark. And their laws did not govern it.
Becca understood her parents’ urgency when it came to the Drifters’ Order. Not only would they be forced to declare themselves to the Council, but to declare their children as well. But why they felt they needed to separate them all she couldn’t wrap her head around. It had created a division that severely crippled their ability to be strong. Their ability to be a family.
“Why separate us?”
“You have to understand if for a second Viktor thought something was up. If he had any inkling that the six of you were the last first borns, it was over. He would have hunted you all down,” Sarah insisted. “By altering your memories and splitting you up it hindered Viktor’s ability to use the Drifters’ Order to find you all. Without the memories and barely matured he would never even know about any of you. Not at all for you three. And for many years for Markus, William and Miranda.”
Sarah paused and tried to gauge Becca’s reaction. But her face was blank. She continued to explain.
“Craeden took Caroline and the kids and went to the Conjurer Dimension temporarily until the Order could be lifted. Returning to their respective dimension gave them amnesty. And Danny, he buried his ability and took the three of you with your new childhood memories and went on as if that life had never existed. And as far as anyone knew, it hadn’t.”
“How did you even decide who went where?”
“Hmmm, couple of factors really. William, Miranda and Markus were already starting to show signs of maturing. That is something that can’t be stopped once it’s started. You, Nikki and Z though hadn’t. So we knew right then who would have to go with whom. But…” Her voice faded and she looked up at her daughter curiously.
“But what?”
“You and William are the primary. You two were born first which means you are the most powerful. Your powers will far outweigh Markus and Miranda’s and theirs will to Z and Nikki. In other words you and William would control when the final Merging would begin.” Becca looked away and leaned against her hand.
“So what you’re saying is that William and I have set into motion a domino effect. Miranda and Markus will be next and then Nikki and Z. We were the final puzzle pieces.” Becca looked down at the mug in her hands. The contents no longer steaming hot. She swirled it around in the cup. “Did you know this would happen? This legacy? Our birthright?”
“Yes and no. When it happened, the murders, we knew what it meant for our children. What we didn’t know was that we would each have triplets.” Becca’s head whipped over, her brow coming together in confusion.
“What do you mean?” she asked. But somehow in her mind she knew what it meant. It could only mean one thing.
“There’s a reason you and William are the primary.” Again Becca’s hand covered her mouth.
“The others wouldn’t even exist if the Heir and Heiress hadn’t been killed and the royal bloodline driven to extinction,” she whispered. Her eyes widened at the revelation. Sarah nodded slowly and she could see her daughter piecing together the events in her mind.
The memories were there. The knowledge Becca needed to understand it all was jumbled in her m
ind, still trying to sort itself out.
Becca and William had been the only ones conceived naturally. Markus, Miranda, Nikki and Z had been created for the sole purpose of the Heir and Heiress return.
When they had died they’d had to implement a plan swiftly. And with what little power they had left in their dying moments, they had set into motion the events that would lead not only to their return but to the repopulation of the bloodline.
“The Heiress came to me in a premonition of sorts and explained everything to me just days before you were all born, and just days after they had been murdered by Viktor.” Again Becca looked at her mother, horrified. “Oh yes, he slowly killed the bloodline and then the Heir and Heiress in cold blood just to secure his spot on the Council and as the High chair.”
Becca fell quiet again, a cool breeze passed over the porch and she held tightly again. The coffee doing nothing for the coolness that touched her skin and made her shiver. She tried hard to make the now foggy, unclear memories come into focus. Trying to ascertain some kind of knowledge from the endless supply that was there. It made her head hurt trying to understand it all.
“Why did you leave me?” Tears touched her eyes now. For Becca it was the most important question. “Why did you leave but Caroline stayed?” In some ways she had found herself resenting William for it, and even more for taking it for granted.
“We were told that Viktor had discovered I was Tobias’ wife. Our marriages were very secretive mostly because of our parents. None of them liked the other or our partner choices. It was what pushed Viktor to enact the Drifters’ Order. Anything to get to me. And if he got to me then he got to you and your sisters and to your father. I had no choice sweetie, please know that,” Sarah tried to convince her.
“And Caroline?” she retorted.
“Viktor didn’t find out about her marriage to Merrick until you were all in your early twenties. You were all grown and by then she slipped into the Conjurer Dimension again. She stayed there, confined to Craeden’s home.” Sarah scooted closer to her daughter and took her hands into hers. “I was always watching, darling. I didn’t miss anything.”
A few tears dropped down her cheeks. “How?”
“The Dark had its advantages. I saw you learn to ride a bike. I watched as you and your sister became the best of friends. Z’s innate need to protect the both of you. He’s a lot like his father.” She gently touched Becca’s chin and turned her face to look at her. “Your first kiss.”
Becca laughed at the memory, but still tears fell. “Trust me, your father didn’t like that one bit. I watched as Danny painfully survived your teen years. You really put him through hell and at times he deserved it. Which is why you’re a lot like your father. Although your father wouldn’t agree.”
“So you saw Davin?” The conversation turned serious again. Sarah’s eyes softened and she kissed her on the forehead.
“Yes, we saw Davin and I almost had to restrain your father to a chair to keep him from exposing himself.” She cupped her hands around Becca’s face. “We saw every little moment in your life and couldn’t be more proud of the person you’ve become. You and your sisters.”
The screen door swung open and Caroline stuck her head out. “Hey, you wanna come help me finish up dinner?” she asked Sarah.
“Ummm…” she looked back at Becca. But she waved her off.
“Go, we’re done.” Becca muttered, now eyeing the red barn again, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand. Disappointed, Sarah pushed up from the swing and went for the door. She wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
“Becca, you wanna come too?” Caroline asked.
“I’ll be there soon,” she promised looking up at them.
Becca’s gaze came back to the barn. She set the mug down on the wooden planks beneath her and got up. A memory had struck her while she had been talking with her mother. One that brought on happiness and comfort.
Her memories of being with her sisters and the boys were strong the moment it had hit her back in the dungeon cell. They were vivid and lively. The six children had savored every bit of the property. Exploring and being imaginative. Being kids.
The barn was a vibrant red despite its age. Becca wasn’t sure but she was vaguely sure that the farm house and barn were nearing two hundred years old.
Her hand closed around the white wooden handle and she pulled the door open. An old, musty smell hit her in the face and she crinkled her nose. Had it always smelled that way, she wondered to herself as she entered. The interior gave a better idea of the actual age of the structure. And years of abandonment showed through. The vibrant, brown wood was now dingy and in some places suffering from rot.
An old rusted, once pretty green field tractor was parked in the corner. She could almost see Danny on it from all those years ago. The back wall lined with two large tool chests. Again another memory of her uncle. By day he was their substitute father but by night he was a mechanic. Working tirelessly on not just that tractor but the motorcycle he treasured. She imagined the tools inside the chests would be too far gone to even be considered antiques now.
Becca’s eyes stopped on the chipped and faded white ladder that led up to the second landing. Walking over to it, she gave it a jiggle, curious to see if it would hold her weight. She shrugged and placed her foot upon the first rung. It sagged slightly but held the pressure. Climbing up the next and the next, she was surprised she made it to the top without it crumbling.
“Phew…wasn’t sure I’d make it,” she said, looking down.
Dusting her hands off, she scanned the small alcove. It hadn’t changed much, save for the missing hay bales that had made up their little clubhouse. Coloring pages and six-year-old artwork covered the walls. Her eyes lit up at it.
The room came to life in front of her as another scene from her childhood played. A blonde headed Miranda sat in the corner, giving annoyed looks to the boys, as she tried to read a first reader Pocahontas book. She had been a bookworm for sure and Becca wondered if she was still the same. Nikki and Becca on the other side of the room, crayons splayed out around them. Sun radiated through the barn window, giving way to just how young and innocent they all had been. Six, six- or seven-year-olds playing as if they were no different than any other children their age.
Becca shook her head; if they only had known what they knew now.
Movement caught in the corner of her eye, snapping her back from the scene in front of her. Before she could react, a strong hand wrapped around her jaw and the back of her head and jerked her hard. She didn’t see her attacker but her hands shot up and tried to fight him off.
The force knocked her down on her back and dust sprayed into the air. She coughed and winced at the dull pain in her back. And she was aware of a heavy weight sitting on top of her.
“Hello Becca.” His voice made her jerk up and kick.
A scream scratched its way up her throat and Caleb was quick to clap his hand over her mouth.
“Shhhh….I just need a little taste.” His breath came in and out quickly as he inhaled her. A muffled scream vibrated against his palm.
She reached deep and awakened a dormant power. A power she could barely understand or truly tap. Fear mixed with rage and it flared up the semi-dormant Heiress. Still waiting to ascend and become one with the rest. Becca’s hand shot up, balled in a fist and hit him hard against the temple.
The force knocked him free and he grabbed at his head, a sharp pain blurring his vision. The smallest taste of her power. Becca wiggled her way from underneath him and bolted for the ladder. Swinging her feet over the rungs, she tried to climb down fast.
“Oh you little bitch,” Caleb growled, recovering from the hit too quickly. He raced towards the ladder and without another thought he pushed it loose from its place. It fell backwards, making Becca lose her grip, and she dropped to the barn foundation.
Pain jolted through her, a bold ache in her head. Everything went blurry and she was consumed by blackness
.
Caleb jumped down to the ground, landing firmly on both feet. “Have it your way.”
Chapter 21
Caroline put the kids to work in the kitchen, forcing them to face their parents. She was bound and determined to bring her family back together. If that meant uncomfortable silence and agitated stares, so be it.
Questions mulled over and over in Nikki’s head as she snapped at the ends of the green beans in front of her. Finally throwing her hands up, she looked up at her mother and Caroline.
“I don’t understand. How can we all just be so calm? If it’s as serious as you all make it out to be, shouldn’t we be doing something? Hiding? Coming up with a plan?”
Z stopped and turned to them as well.
“The farm is as safe as any place at this point,” Caroline told them without even turning from the stove. “Right now it’s a waiting game.”
“Waiting game for what?” Nikki pushed for answers. It was answered though by someone she hadn’t expected.
William had come in the middle of the question and now leaned against the counter. “For the rest of you to merge.”
“Okay and then what?” Z asked.
“Then we ascend,” William replied, grabbing at one of the raw beans and taking a bite. The two gave him a questioning look. “The merger is the first step. Like an awakening. Opening a door to the Heir and Heiress to come out. It makes you and your partner one. I can’t really explain it in detail but that’s what is.”
“And ascension?” Nikki shrugged.
“It will seed you all together. Making you a unit. Each an individual with his or her own unique abilities, but ultimately together you are at your strongest.” Sarah turned now and explained to them. “Once you all merge then the ascension will begin.”
“Begin how?” Z asked with an uneasy look in his eyes. He already didn’t like the feeling he got when he was hungry. The burn that spread quietly into his chest at night and erupted into a volcano. The taste of the Hybrid made him cringe. The thought of more unpleasant happenings just made him shudder.