Redemption (Waking Up Dead)

by April Margeson

  “How do you feel?” he asked. My answer was not as prompt as he must have wanted because he dropped to the floor in front of me and put his hands on both of my cheeks. He seemed to be looking me over to see if something was wrong, maybe I had an injury that I had not noticed yet, but I don’t feel anything.

  These new feelings that I was having about him were confusing to me. I had a father once and he was a good man. He loved me with all of his heart. I had never questioned that and still nothing could make me change my mind about him.

  I hated the fact that he was gone and I still miss him as bad as I did in the beginning. The pain that losing him caused is something that I will never heal from. It will always be with me as long as I lived.

  But, now, I’m here with my real father, the man that had loved me once, but had to let me go. And from what I had seen in the time that I have spent with him, he still loves me now.

  The question of why he had been away from my mother and I burned at my mind.

  When my mother loves someone, she loves them with everything that she has. She is the type of person that would jump in front of a bus to save a stranger from being run over.

  There’s just so much more to this than I know and all the unanswered questions leave me searching for my true self-worth.

  “Are you okay?” he asked with worry stinging his words.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I think.”

  I didn’t want to let him know how much all of this was bothering me. Any unnecessary stress that could be avoided was fine by me.

  Max let out a sigh and grabbed me. Turning me to face him, he kissed me. I was taken aback by his action, but I kissed him back. This time I didn’t hold anything back.

  It wasn’t until I heard my father clear his throat that I realized that he was still in the room with us. When I pulled away from Max, I expected to be embarrassed by him seeing the kiss, but I wasn’t. I felt proud and relieved that he had been able to see that I return Max’s love.

  The feeling that I had when we kissed were so much different than before. It was stronger and passionate. I was no longer afraid or cautious about being with him. I no longer worried about hurting him, but his blood still screamed at me, tempting me to drink from him.

  The arranged marriage didn’t seem like it was going to be such a big thing. I actually think that I was welcoming it now. I want to be with him in that way. The power of our bond was unreal. It caused feelings inside me that I had never known before. It was like someone had started a fire in my heart.

  “Now that all that is out of the way, would you like to know what just happened to you?” my father asked me.

  “Yes.”

  Max repositioned himself to a more appropriate distance as he shot my father an apologetic glance. Leave it to him to be the one that was sorry for that.

  My father explained that what I was feeling had been a combination of my powers and the bond, between Max and me completing the transition. If it had not happened all at once, it would not have been as painful as what I experienced.

  As he talked, I noticed that every thought that Max was having entered my mind as if he was speaking to me directly. Before, I had to really concentrate on him to hear them, but now it had become as easy as breathing. His words followed into my mind without hesitation and the sweet sound of his thoughts soothed my tension.

  He was thinking about how much he loves me and I could no longer question what I was hearing. Every thought, every emotion was real and utterly undeniable.

  I had not noticed that Alzar had stopped talking until he called my name. I knew that what he was trying to explain to me was extremely important, but there was just something about the way that I had felt about Max that was trumping everything else.

  “Laynie, you have to listen to what I’m saying.”

  I straightened myself and tried to make myself look like I was interested in what he was saying. This was will be so hard because all I wanted to do was be with Max.

  I wanted to touch him, to know his body like I knew my own. I wanted to lie beside him and talk about things that held no real importance in life.

  “You have an important decision to make” my father said.

  Max lowered his head and I knew that the decision that he was talking about was not one that I could take lightly. I was attuned to Max so well that I knew that this was going to be a major thing to decide.

  “What decision?”

  “You have to decide which side you want to be on.”

  There was no question what he was talking about. The fact that I was a vampire and a witch could call some serious trouble for all of us and he was now asking me to choose. I had asked him before about how I was going to be allowed to be a part of his coven.

  “If you choose to stay a vampire I will have to strip you of all your power. Make no mistake, it is not easy thing to do” Alzar said to me and for the first time I saw true fear in his eyes.

  Did he mean that this could be dangerous? Surely not. He is such a powerful sorcerer and there was no doubt my mind that he could do anything he set his heart and soul to.

  Max turned to me and I could see the tears welling in his eyes. This was shaping up to be a bigger deal than I thought it was going to be.

  “This could kill you.” His words were shaky and just to hear him like that tore at me. He was feeling pain, so much that I could feel it as well.

  Every moment that went by revealed a new surprise for me. I feel what he feels and I can hear what he thinks.

  I was speechless. It seems that I am destined to be tortured for all of eternity. Nothing ever went the way that I wanted and the only thing that I asked for was just a moment of peace. A moment where nothing was going to go wrong and I could be happy. I just want to live, to be with my family and friends.

  “You cannot be both at the same time. The others will try to kill you just because you are what you are” Max whispered, his voice shaking from his emotions. “You will have to give up everything and everyone that you know now.”

  I just found my father and had begun to accept what my destiny really is. Times like these make me wish for death. It seemed so much easier just to give up than to go through everything that I am going through.

  “And if I choose to stay a witch?”

  My father smiled at my question. “That is a different story, but you have to make that decision for yourself. No one can make it for you.”

  Although, the nature of this discussion was frightening me and I already knew which side I was going to choose, I wanted to hear what was going to happen to me before I said anything.

  “I learn a spell many years back that could turn a vampire back into a human, but I have only done it once. The vampire that requested that made it through quite well and I believe that it will work out the same for you as well.”

  That seemed to be the silver lined cloud that I had been searching for and I knew that I could not leave my mother. I wanted to be here with all of them. Alice and Caleb need me. How else would they be able to make it? They sure as hell can’t do it on their own.

  When Aden turned me I had not been given a choice, but now I had one and I was going to make it the right way. There was only one option for me now…life.

  “I don’t want to be a vampire” I told the both of them. “I never wanted this.”

  “So what is your decision?”

  “I want to be human again.”

  As I voiced my choice to them, my father came over to me so quickly that it startled me. His arms were around me in a loving embrace as he started to sob.

  My arms were around him, trying to console him, but that was not what he needed. He had been so relieved to hear my decision that he couldn’t help to cry.

  I had never been real big on seeing a grown man cry. There was something about it that turned me inside out.

  I turned to look at Max and the tears that were rolling down his cheeks let me know that I had made the right decision. If they could only hold in
their joy for the time being. That would be great.

  “What now?” I asked as my father loosened his hold on me. I had almost broke over the point of crying myself and I wasn’t fond of showing weakness in front of other people, especially my father. He needed to know that I am strong and able to do any and everything that was asked of me. Who wants to have a crybaby for a daughter?

  “There is work to be done” Max said as he and my father both started leaving the room.

  From the way the both of them or acting, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before we would try the spell and all I wanted to do was talk to my mother. I needed her to reassure me that everything was okay and for me not to worry. She needed to tell me that my father was just as powerful as I thought and that he would do everything in his power to correct what Aden had done to me.

  I got up and began searching the house for her. I looked in every room downstairs, but she wasn’t there, so I began my hunt for her upstairs. This probably wouldn’t be taking me as long if the house wasn’t a mansion and I actually knew where I was going. But I needed the time to myself to think about everything that has happened and was going to happen and this was a good way to have that time.

  This could be the answer to everything that had hoped for, everything that I wanted and dreamed of since I first saw Max. All wanted to be his wife and two have a family with him. All of that can be possible now with my father’s help.

  Every place that I had looked for my mother came up empty. I couldn’t find Alice or Caleb either and that was weird. Alice had always tried to stay as close to me as possible, but now I could barely sense her through our bond.

  After ending my search for my mother, I tried to find my way back downstairs to my father. I got lost a few times after I’d taken some wrong turns, but it wasn’t anything that frustrated me. It was actually fun in a way. I felt like an explorer out trying to find all the nooks and crannies of a new place.

  The paintings and pictures on the walls caught my attention and I couldn’t pass by them without giving them a moment’s admiration. They were someone’s vision, a work that had to be done.

  I paid special attention to the walls and light fixtures. Every room was different and I wondered what the reason behind it was, but I’m sure that it was just a design flaw or just my father being crazy. He seems to like being different.

  As a walked downstairs, I heard the rattling of metal and I followed the sound into the kitchen. My father and Max had several small glass containers filled with herbs and other things that I wasn’t sure why they were. They both had a look of determination about them and I tried to stay as quiet as I could to ensure that I didn’t interrupt anything.

  Their movements were almost like they were dancing. Their bodies spun and floated as they worked. This seem like such a natural thing for them, something that they had done all of their lives. As I watched them more, their steps started to sound like music, soothing and precise in rhythm.

  I heard my father tell Max that it was time, but I didn’t have a single clue what he was talking about. It wasn’t until Max started picking up some of the small glass containers and pulling the corks out, that I had realized what they were doing.

  The two of them carefully measured each individual ingredient and added it to the kettle that was on the stove. The steam lifted higher and higher after each one and I closely watched them, careful not to miss a single detail.

  While they were doing interested me and it was all I could do to stay out of the way. Spell casting generated so much power, raw and unharnessed, and I wanted to be a part of it. The witch in me yearned to be included, but the vampire in me shivered.

  As time passed, the kitchen began to have a much calmer feel to it and my father and Max seemed to be relaxing as well. I wanted so desperately to ask them where my mother was, but as soon as I opened my mouth they began to chant.

  At first, I thought they were just singing a song that they both knew the words to, but that wasn’t right. Their words were musical, but they had a clear sound to them except for the words. They were different.

  The louder their words became, the more I realized that everything was changing around me. I could hear things that I had not been able to before now and it scared me. Being a vampire, my hearing is flawless, but this was different. I was hearing things, voices around me, but as I looked around the room there was no one there but us.

  I closed my eyes and tried to focus on what the whispers were saying. Oddly enough, it was as if they were having a conversation my father and Max, a conversation that was not meant for me to hear.

  Not knowing what else to do, I rose from my seat and tried to make my way out of the room, but something was holding me back. I felt like I was being held inside the room by something that I couldn’t see. I had already been through that once when I was turned and I didn’t like the feeling then. Not much had changed from then to now. I still didn’t like it.

  I was more like a pressure, and urge to stay where I was from other person other than myself.

  The whispering voices called to me, wanting me to stay and I stood there frozen. They were childlike in tone and comforting to my soul. It was nothing short of being scary, but soon that feeling changed the more that I focused on their voices.

  Their words eased my fear and, soon, I knew that I wasn’t in any danger.

  The vampire in me protested and the instincts that were associated with that part of me begged me to keep moving forward to exit the room. The witch inside me felt at home, like this was natural and pleasant as anything good could be.

  I swallowed hard and fought hard against my vampire nature, taking small steps back inside the kitchen.

  That is when the pain and confusion started. It was worse than what had happened to me as I was getting my full power. The vampire inside me screamed with pain and I fell to the floor, hitting my head hard on the floor. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I wanted to beg my father and Max to help me, but that was going to be impossible.

  The rusty metallic smell of blood invaded my nostrils, but it was not as tempting as human blood. It was my own. My head was throbbing and I could feel the wound that I had received from hitting my head against the floor. The blood was pooling beside me and I was scared that I was not going to live through this. How much blood can a vampire lose before they die? And even worse than that, is the bloodlust going to set in soon?

  If that happened it will be all over for me. Max and my father would not allow me to get close enough to them to bite them. They would kill me. It would be stupid for me to expect any less than that.

  This is all wrong. Panic filled me and I was certain that this was the end. My body had become so weak that it was getting hard for me to think. All I could do is see the faces of the people that I love. My mother, father, and Max were all there, glowing in my memory.

  I could see Alice as she made her transformation and how beautiful being a vampire had made her. I saw her love for Caleb and how her need for him surpassed everything else in the world, even blood.

  Hot tears escaped my eyes and I whispered a feeble attempt of an I love you before everything went dark.

  CHAPTER 5 Alzar

  I ran to Laynie, but her body was lifeless. There was no way for us to know if the spell had worked or not and I wanted so desperately for her to wake up. Max was at my side in a flash. His actions soon became reckless as he stared at her body on the floor. His panic soon invaded my own body and it was hard not to think that something had gone terribly wrong.

  There was just so much blood on the floor around her that I couldn’t tell if her heart was even beating. I had prayed so hard for this to work. All I wanted was my daughter. I wanted my family to finally be together like it should have been, but the only cure for her could have been exactly what kills her.

  I lifted myself from the floor and raised my arms high in the air. My chant was consumed with fear, but it was still strong and I could only hope that the higher pow
er could hear me.

  My body and will had been weakened by the spell we had cast to make her human again. It had taken so much from me. The weakness was almost sickening and I found it hard to stay on my feet, but I was not going to call to Aria on my knees. Although, that would have, likely, been the best option. I just couldn’t force myself to do something like that. To me, it showed weakness and I may be many things, but weak is not one of them.

  “Please!” I screamed to her, praying that she would take notice.

  I felt the connection instantly. The power from it surged through me and gave me just enough strength to try to accomplish what I needed to do.

  “Yes, my child” the voice spoke to me and I could not hold the tears back any longer.

  “What did I do wrong?” I pleaded for an answer.

  “Nothing, just have faith. The decision to live is hers and you have to respect that, Alzar.”

  Max was looking at me, clearly shaken by something, but I could not risk breaking the connection to find out what it was. He walked forward and held his hands in the air just like I had done.

  “I beg of you! Save her!” he screamed.

  In seconds he was back on the floor beside Laynie’s body and I knew right then that he had heard Aria speaking. That was uncommon for such a young witch to be able to do. It takes years of practice and dedication to be able to interact with that amount of power. Max is nowhere near ready for that. But somehow he had managed to make his guilt stricken plea and to my amazement, it had been heard.

  I could feel the connection growing fragile. I had to keep my focus on it. Gathering the tiny amount of power that was left inside me, I tried to strengthen the connection.

  It worked. I could hear her voice more clearly now and I tried to arrange my thoughts.

  “He’s a strong one,” she declared. “And I am proud to have him with me.”

  “Is there anything that I can do to help her?” I begged for an answer.