Blessed Curse

by Sandra R Neeley

  “That is as it should be. No one — not a single living person — should ever know of that which you keep cloaked. It could be seen as a weakness, a way for some — if they chose to, to be able to take advantage of you. A reason to do you harm. That cannot be allowed, no other, ever, should know of it.”

  “I know, Grandmama. Only we know, you and I.”

  “And your talisman?” Marceline asked.

  “I wear it always,” Solange said, pulling the small, gold cross hanging from its golden chain from her cleavage and displaying it to her great grandmother.

  Marceline approached Solange slowly, using her walking cane to assist her. She hated the cane and resented the image of a weakened old woman it portrayed, but without it, she just couldn’t get around as well as she once did. Solange held still, patiently waiting for Marceline to reach her.

  Marceline reached out toward the cross that Solange wore, taking it gently in her hands and running her long, still elegant fingers, with an ever impeccable manicure across it over and over, ‘reenergizing’ it with the protection spell she first put on it all those years ago when Solange first went through puberty. Finally, satisfied that it was as strong and protective as it had ever been, she let it drop back to Solange’s chest.

  “I am very proud of you, Solange. Others may think that I’ve been too hard on you, steered you in the direction I thought you should go rather than allowing you to choose your own.” Marceline stood, regarding Solange, and a shadow of regret passed briefly over her face. “Perhaps I did. But it was not without reason. You will need these gifts, these skills I’ve insisted you learn. You will need to be stronger than anyone, more adept at reading people than anyone, more sure of yourself than anyone. These things will keep you safe, they’ll keep you alive. No matter what happens, be sure to keep up with your studies, your training. Do not ever stop learning and improving. Each time you best yourself, set a new goal, then do what is necessary to exceed that one as well.”

  “I understand, Grandmama. I will.”

  Marceline watched her quietly for a moment. “Very well, then. It’s time to get dressed for dinner. Tonight we will have guests.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll dress appropriately.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Marceline answered, watching Solange as she gathered her things and began to exit the room.

  Just as she got almost to the door Marceline spoke again. “I do love you, Solange. I always have.”

  Solange stopped, but she didn’t turn around. She knew that her great grandmother loved her, but it had always been a strained relationship. After all, it was her birth that heralded the end of her mother, Marceline’s granddaughter’s life. Solange’s existence was bittersweet at best, and she’d always been aware of it. “I know, Grandmama. And I you.”

  ~~~

  As Solange approached the dining room, she heard conversation of only four voices. She realized that only Marceline, Pauline, and their guests were mingling in the dining room. The rest of the coven must have been asked to dine elsewhere this evening, or in their rooms, so that Grandmama would have some privacy with their guests.

  Solange looked down at herself, hoping that she was dressed appropriately. She smoothed her hands down the classic, little black dress she’d donned for this evening’s dinner. It was simple, rayon, with scalloped capped sleeves, a scalloped scoop neckline, and a matching scalloped hem that fell just at the knee. She’d paired it with simple black flats and wore tiny stud crosses for her earrings that matched the ever-present, bespelled golden cross at her neck. She let her dark hair fall loosely below her shoulders and caught the top back with a clip that was as dark as her hair.

  Solange stepped into the dining room and paused, planning to wait for them to notice her from where they stood visiting with Grandmama. The anticipation of a wait wasn’t necessary. The eyes of both their guests snapped to attention and looked directly at her the moment she entered. She smiled hesitantly. “Hello.”

  “Hello,” both of them answered.

  “Solange, this is Ms. Gillian Laurant and Mr. Jude Reyes. They’ve asked to meet with you, and I thought that perhaps it would be more comfortable for you if you were in your own home, with your family to support you. Hence, tonight’s dinner.”

  Solange watched her grandmama as she explained, and it was clear Grandmama would rather not be having this conversation or this dinner, but she was enduring it. So, it must be something that though she didn’t like it, had to be worth the time Grandmama was allowing it.

  Jude spoke first. “Solange, we are thrilled to be given the chance to speak with you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” He stepped forward and reached out presumably to shake Solange’s hand, but when Solange put her hand out to shake, Jude enveloped it in both of his and held her hand warmly between his hands, almost as though his hands were hugging hers.

  A little put off, but not overly alarmed, Solange put a little effort behind it and took her hand back.

  Solange’s eyes wandered over to Gillian, a pretty, yet business type, with light auburn hair cut in a bob that brushed the tops of her shoulders.

  “Solange, thank you for allowing us to come to speak with you. I know this is a surprise to you, but I hope that by the end of the evening, you’ll understand why we’ve wanted to meet with you for such a long time.”

  “It’s nice to meet you both,” Solange answered.

  “Why don’t we have a seat and allow dinner to be served?” Marceline asked, indicating with a wave of her arm that they should take their seats.

  Marceline moved toward her seat at the head of the very long table and spoke to Solange as she did. “Solange, you will take your regular seat. Pauline, you will sit beside Solange. Please, Mr. Reyes and Ms. Laurant, take your places to my left. I believe this arrangement will make conversation easier as Solange will be across from you and can easily make eye contact while you speak.”

  Solange lowered her head and looked down at the floor as she followed her grandmama to their places at the table. She was doing her best to cover the smile she couldn’t fight as Grandmama very clearly made it known that she’d effectively separated their guests from Solange, even though Solange was their main reason for being there.

  Through the salad and appetizer courses, Solange listened halfheartedly as both Mr. Reyes and Ms. Laurant made small talk with Pauline and Grandmama. Finally, as the main course was served, cornish hens on a bed of wild rice and seared green beans, Grandmama turned the conversation to Solange.

  “It is my understanding that you wish to recruit my great granddaughter for your organization,” Marceline said matter-of-factly.

  “We do. But it is more than that,” Mr. Reyes said. “We are a network of people, a family if you will, of those who are aware of and attuned to, those who are at the very core of evil in this world.”

  Solange placed a small bite of food in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully as she watched Mr. Reyes try to captivate her with the dramatic flare he placed on his revelation, while at the same time, sitting next to him, Ms. Laurant tried to control the roll of her eyes that she just couldn't stop in reaction to his presentation.

  “And what kind of evil would that be?” Solange asked.

  “Vampirism. We are part of an organization of those who have dedicated their lives to the elimination of vampiric influences. In fact, our name is derived from the very thing we do.”

  “Really?” Solange asked, feigning ignorance. The moment he’d said vampires were the ultimate evil, she’d known exactly who they were. Her grandmama had schooled her well in their mission and focus, as she had with other such organizations who thought to rid the world of any they considered other. But this one was of particular interest to herself and her grandmama.

  “Yes, really. Surely you know of their existence. Your lineage being what it is…” Mr. Reyes continued.

  “My lineage?” Solange asked.

  “Well, yes. You’re descended from the De’Mers line. I’m sure
the existence of those different from ourselves is not news to you.”

  “Oh, I see. No, it is not news to us. But… just for the sake of argument, you are aware that all ‘other’ as you call them, are not bad?” Solange said in a veiled attempt to jab at him just because she could.

  “Of course. Well aware,” he said, nodding his head to affirm his agreement.

  Ms. Laurant sat beside him, picking at her food, a slight smile on her face.

  “And you, Ms. Laurant, what is your position with the E.V.I.E. organization?” Marceline asked.

  “I’m Cell Director for the New Orleans location,” Gillian answered. “And please, call me Gillian. Ms. Laurant is far too formal.”

  Marceline nodded regally and moved her attention to Mr. Reyes. “And you, Mr. Reyes, you are the Oversight Director of all of E.V.I.E.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I am. And it’s Jude. Please call me Jude.”

  “Thank you, we will,” Marceline replied.

  “Perhaps if you were to lay out exactly why you wanted to meet with me, it would help us all to relax a bit and cut through all the bullsh… smoke and mirrors, to be able to discuss exactly what you want,” Solange said. She’d fortunately caught herself about to say bullshit in front of her grandmama, and thankfully stopped in time. Grandmama demanded a very tight line in terms of behavior, not just from Solange, but from everyone involved in the coven. There was no need to stoop to using foul language, and to conduct oneself in any manner other than respectfully and with dignity was beneath one. Of course, she looked the other way whenever it was necessary to protect one of her own, or of her coven, but still, she managed to deliver death and or punishment with a quiet almost apologetic stance. Kind of like that old joke where the punchline was, ‘I’m sorry your honor, but he needed killing’. Marceline was raised in another time, almost literally born in another century, and to her there was no reason for anything to be done without grace and pride in oneself and one’s duties.

  Chapter 6

  Mr. Reyes — Jude — had put down his fork and knife and looked intently at Solange. “We want you to join our organization, Solange.”

  Solange was surprised, her left eyebrow rose in reaction.

  “Why?” Solange asked.

  “Because we believe you are uniquely qualified to assist us,” Jude answered.

  “I know nothing about your organization, and I’ve never been exposed to it, nor any of you to me. What makes you think I’d be an asset?”

  “Your lineage. You come from a long line of very powerful witches. We have no doubt you yourself have talents the likes of which we can only guess. You’ve steadily moved through the ranks of all the martial arts practices Sensei Franco Advinadeto presented to you. You’ve not only moved through the training, absorbing all you’ve been taught, you’ve mastered them. You are gifted in hand-to-hand combat, a master with the katana blade. You can kill a man with the bo or psi, and can out-battle anyone on the ground using your Jiu Jitsu techniques. Once you add in the powers that flow in your blood, and your unique ability to move among humans and others without being detected as anything other than a young woman, and the years of your research into vampires, their habits, their weaknesses and their strengths, I believe you would be a great asset to our organization. Join us, Solange. You do not have to work alone.”

  Solange didn’t want to tip her hand, but she resented the fact that these people seemed to have kept tabs on her throughout her life. “Exactly how long have you stalked me?” she asked, sitting back in her chair and pinning Jude with a steady glare. She was no longer a little girl. She was a young woman, approaching twenty years old, and if she was irritated by the attention someone paid to her personal life, she had every right and intention of calling them on it.

  “Stalked you?” Jude asked, taken aback. “We haven’t stalked you, just began to pay attention to you when you obviously took martial arts training to another level; then when the research started, we couldn’t help but take notice of you. You are born to become a part of E.V.I.E. We would be honored to have you join our family.”

  “How do you know what I’ve researched if you weren’t stalking me?”

  “I, we…” Jude stopped talking, not sure how to proceed without looking like he was trying to explain away a line they had crossed. And that was exactly what he was attempting to do.

  Finally he took a deep breath and plunged right in. “You are right. That is exactly what we did. It isn’t right, but it served its purpose, and now here we are.”

  “How did you even hear of me?” Solange asked, somewhat appeased that he’d dropped the bullshit.

  “Your mother was killed by a vampire shortly after you were born. It was clear that she’d conceived you while she was away from her home.”

  “Again,” Solange asked, an impatient, sarcastic smile on her face, “how would you know?”

  Jude sighed, then looked her directly in the eye. “We are focused on vampires and the pestilence their influence spreads throughout the world. But, in monitoring them, planning their eventual demise, we sometimes come across those that are, other. We — our organization — has been aware of your bloodline for more than a century. The coven is not our enemy, vampirism is. Yet, we are aware when things are not as they should be. And your mother missing for almost nine months was not as it should have been.” Jude stopped talking and returned the glare Solange steadily shot his way.

  “I see,” Solange finally said, offended that anyone thought they had the right to observe her life from afar. But it was more than that, she was afraid. Afraid of how much they'd learned, what they were and weren’t aware of.

  Jude inclined his head. “We never meant offense, but it was our duty to track your behavior, your development, to determine that you weren't also a vampire. If you’d have been a vampire, along with the magics the De’Mers coven carry in their bloodlines, you’d have been unstoppable. So we followed your progresses. We watched. And soon we became aware that you were training for exactly the same mission E.V.I.E. stands for. We contacted your great grandmother very early in your life, but were just now granted access to you. You were still a minor at that time.”

  Solange said nothing, just sat quietly still watching Jude as she considered all he’d explained.

  “Solange?” Gillian said, leaning toward Solange across the table.

  Solange looked up at her.

  “I can’t begin to imagine what you’re feeling. I won’t pretend to. And I’d be outraged at people I don’t know watching my every move as I grew up. Puberty is hard enough without a secret audience.”

  Solange huffed a laugh and gave a single nod.

  “But we need you. All smoke and mirrors, as you put it, aside. We need you,” Gillian said earnestly.

  Solange liked this girl. There was no subterfuge with her at all. She was honest, she was actually in this day and age, forthright. So she decided to be honest with Gillian. “Why would I care?” she asked, not with sarcasm, but as a genuine question.

  Gillian smiled sadly. Then she spoke matter of factly. “Because we believe the vampire we’ve been chasing for the last approximately eighteen years is your father. We believe that he’s the same vampire that impregnated your mother as he destroyed her humanity, stealing her life from her. And if I’m not mistaken, he’s the reason you’ve been training all your life. You’re out to deliver justice.”

  Solange didn’t react, her heart thumped in her chest, but otherwise she gave no sign that the words Gillian had spoken had even been heard. She watched Gillian, and Gillian watched her.

  Finally Solange spoke. “What can you possibly offer me that I can’t achieve on my own?”

  “Alliance, camaraderie. Support. Intel on his last whereabouts and where we believe he is now. An intricate web of cells and well-trained operatives that will assist you in any way you ask,” Jude jumped to explain.

  “Can’t your other operatives meet your objectives?” Solange asked.

  “Some can, bu
t this is not the only vampire we’re hunting. Some are as dangerous as he is, others more so. But this vampire is without a doubt the most brutal, the most ruthless killer we’ve ever encountered. He’s gone off the deep end, and we believe you are the best chance at finding him, and with your identity, possibly even getting close enough to kill him,” Gillian explained.

  Solange didn’t answer, as she sat quietly thinking over everything they’d told her.

  “Solange, our operatives are the best in the world. But that’s just it… they’re spread all over the world on missions of their own. We are always on the lookout for additional agents to add to our teams, to our forces. You fit. You more than fit, you were handmade for us, for our missions and our goals. And we’ve watched you grow into a young woman whose talents would be wasted on any other path,” Gillian said.

  Solange nodded her head to indicate she’d heard Gillian's words. Solange offered no more comment on the subject, and only moments later, Marceline steered the conversation to weather, of all things as she moved the dinner along.

  Jude complained of the rain that had been nonstop throughout the greater New Orleans area as was the norm for this time of year. “It has been raining since I arrived in New Orleans,” he said. “I was very glad of the break in the rain this afternoon. Fortunately for me, the rain stopped in time to make it to your lovely home for dinner tonight, without being drenched on our way,” Jude said.

  “The rain does make for a messy travel, no matter where you are,” Grandmama agreed.

  Dinner continued and finally, a short time later dessert had been finished and their visit was at an end. Marceline and Solange walked their guests to the front door, chatting as they went.

  As the door was opened, and Gillian and Jude stood with their backs to the courtyard, thanking Marceline for a delicious dinner, Jude brought up the main reason for their visit again. “What say you, Solange? Will you join our cause?”