by Sam Vickery
He saw my discomfort and squeezed my hand tightly between his, his voice gentle. “Please... go on.” The warmth gave me the confidence I needed to continue, although his touch was too distracting, and I pulled my hand away to clear my thoughts, shrugging apologetically.
“They had been there a few months, she was nearly full term and struggling to sleep. She went out at dawn, walking through the rainforest, picking berries, eating more than she put in her basket. She had no chance of hearing his silent footsteps, he appeared behind her like a shadow and sunk his teeth into her before she even sensed the danger. He would have drained her dry, but he was disturbed by somebody, she never saw who. She lay helpless, the venom spreading through her veins, fighting against it, for once uncertain of her invincibility. Faced with her mortality, she believed she would die. She crawled into the bushes and curled into a ball, protecting me within her belly.
She was found by a medicine man, a Ngangas, named Rishi and his wife Caya, who right away worked out what had happened. They took her with them deeper into the jungle, carrying her as she fought and screamed, delirious with the pain. They tied her down and cut me from her womb, but it was too late, I had already been infected. My mother was locked up in an iron cage, well actually, it was a cage within a cage,” I corrected. “They knew she would be strong if she survived, and they weren't willing to take any chances. I still remember it so clearly, her eyes so unfocused, screaming over and over again, “Not Oriah, not my Oriah!”
I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands trying to push the vivid memory from my mind. It seemed seared to the inside of my eyelids, much like the final picture I had of my father. I sighed, and resumed my tale. “We knew she had changed by the silence. It just stopped, and she went so still. I was thirsty and Caya fed me goats blood. I watched as my mother realised what had happened, discovered her new body, her new desires. She was wild. She launched herself at the bars and I was sure she would rip through them and kill us all.”
“Rishi began to chant, low rhythmic patterns, that went on for hours, days. I still don't know what he was saying, but it was as if he cast a spell. A calm washed over us all, my mother got some clarity in her eyes. I trusted her, I knew she wouldn't harm me. But still the power of a newborn Vampire is too much to be reckless with. My mother was kept in the cage for a year, Caya caring for me in her home deep in the rainforest, out of sight of human eyes. They found I could drink milk as well as blood and I liked both. My mother, however, would only tolerate blood and she missed the hunt, constantly demanding to be let out. I believe that if she had wanted to, she was strong enough to break out of the cages, but deep down, she knew it was best to wait, to keep us safe from her. So she was patient.
After a year they unlocked the gates. She was nervous, tentative, but when she held me in her arms I felt so complete, so loved. From that moment were were inseparable,” I smiled, picturing her elated expression at that first time she held me. “All this time my father was still in the Congo, searching for his lost wife. He refused to believe we were dead, he wouldn't give up on the last tiny shred of hope that he would one day find us. My mother found him easily of course, following him until he was completely alone, showing herself to him. He was scared – who wouldn't be? But his love for her was powerful enough to bridge their differences. He would have followed her anywhere. She brought him back to our hidden home to meet me for the first time, I remember the way he looked at me, his love so pure, he made me feel very special.” I stopped suddenly, realising my mistake.
“Oh I'm so sorry Sebastian, I didn't think, I get so caught up thinking about them, I didn’t mean to hurt you, after you just told me about your own father...”
“No,” he interrupted. “Don't be sorry, your father sounds like a great man. Don't feel guilty, it's really okay.” He seemed to mean it although I was still worried, as I took his hand back, squeezing it between my own. “Carry on, tell me the rest darling.”
“Alright, if you're sure?” I paused, and he nodded reassuringly. “Well, we were reunited again, but Caya was unhappy about my father being so close to us. She thought he was too much of a risk and couldn't understand why he wanted to be with us now that Marie was so changed. She told him to leave but my parents wouldn't be separated again. And so it was that the three of us left together, travelling deeper still into the Congolese rainforest, to create a home of our own; One Vampire, one Mortal and me, a Mélange, I suppose.”
“My mother feared for my safety. She told me that Vampires were almost unheard of and that I was the only one of my kind. She said we had to keep hidden, keep safe. Sometimes she would go away for weeks, leaving me and my father alone while she searched for answers, but she always returned saying she could find no others, that we were alone.” I shook my head, realising the lie.
“I never went anywhere alone, never even got close to the human world, so all this has been quite an adjustment for me. I don't really understand the humans or know how I fit in to it all,” I finished, shaking my head.
“It takes some time to understand them,” Sebastian said with a laugh. “Once you do, it's easy. They never really change through the generations, the clothes vary but soon it all blends together.”
I nodded. “And what about you, do you change your mind easily?” I probed, too scared to ask what I really meant.
“No Oriah, I don't. Once my mind is made up, it's unshakable.” He pulled me onto his lap. “I won't leave you,” he said, his voice warm in my ear. “I meant what I said, I love you.”
I looked up at the moon and sent out a silent thank you, before leaning in once more to kiss my mate.