“No, he left at dawn with Caleb.There was a disturbance downtown, but I’m not sure what it was.”
“But Caleb hasn’t recovered.” she said almost to herself.
“This morning he could walk by himself. It seems that someone fed him well,” he joked, with the same serious expression as ever. “Don’t worry. They’ll return at noon. Caleb has been absent too long and the city is more chaotic than usual.”
After fifteen minutes of sitting, she was still nervous. Surprisingly more nervous than she could have imagined. Meryl rubbed her hands and pulled at her skirt in an attempt to smooth it. Suddenly, she had an idea. She went looking for the driver and hoped he would take her wherever she wanted to go.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked nervously from the door frame. He nodded. “Can you take me to a place? It’s near the outskirts of the city. It would be difficult to walk there.”
“I can’t let you go alone,” Jeoff said leaving the book he was reading on the table and stood up. “Come on, Caleb told me to take you wherever you want.”
“Thank you.”
Meryl got in the back of the car and she couldn’t help looking at the empty seat beside her, where Caleb always sat. She remembered the day that he took her home. He was serious and calm in his carefree attitude. For a moment, she felt nostalgia for something she did not understand.
Occasionally a little drop of water fell on the windows. The fields were neglected, and weeds abounded. Rusted cars were everywhere all resting in their eternal cemetery.
The imposing military base where it had all started appeared before them. Meryl wanted to see if there was something to clarify the thousands of questions running through her mind, and this was the only place she could get any answer if there was one.
Jeoff got out of the car and entered the building with her because his job apart from being a chauffeur was working as a bodyguard. Of course, Caleb had made it clear before he left that Jeoff had to watch Meryl in his absence.
“Be careful.” He grabbed her when she stumbled. “This place is in ruins.”
“Yes, it’s worse than I remembered. Let’s go through where I got out. This door is stuck. It will probably be impossible to open.”
Using the same piece of roof that had served as an escape route Meryl fell to the ground. It was dark, but Jeoff turned on a powerful flashlight that he always carried in the car. The dust was everywhere and it seemed like the emergency generator still had some energy. Jeoff walked with a serious expression. His hand lay against the wall next to the capsule in which Meryl had slept the last hundred and fifty years.
“There’s someone else here besides us.”
“What?” Meryl came closer. “Really?”
“His energy is very low, but I can feel it.”
He threw a punch that blew apart much of the wall. The noise was enormous and Meryl was stunned by the strength of this man who was usually so quiet. The blow had caused a thick blanket of dust to spray over them and Meryl covered her face. When she could finally see clearly. They saw there was another room, both entered.
“It seems you were not been sleeping alone.”
Meryl approached the capsule illuminated by the light. There was a young man inside with grayish hair and soft features. Suddenly, he opened turquoise eyes and looked at her.
“But what…”
“Get back!” Jeoff shouted placing an arm before her. “He’s a vampire!”
The boy raised his hand and placed it on the glass above him. The chamber opened and he stood up while rubbing his head wearily. He looked young, barely sixteen.
“Who are you?” he muttered looking at them.
“I should be asking you that.”
“Calm down, Jeoff. We mean you no harm. Don’t be afraid,” Meryl addressed the teenager with one hand in front of her.
“I don’t remember anything.”
“Amnesia?” Meryl looked at Jeoff frowning. “He has amnesia.”
“It could be a trick.”
The boy didn’t seem to pay attention to what they said. He opened and closed his hand constantly. Trying to find out if it worked perfectly.
“Okay, let me see if what you say is true.”
“Jeoff?”
The driver approached the young man. Who looked at him without showing any emotion, and then put his hands on his head and his expression changed looking slightly uncomfortable. After a few seconds, he returned to his starting position with Meryl.
“It seems that he knows nothing. He has no memories, but he’s still a vampire,” Jeoff said.
“What the hell have you done?” Meryl frowned at Jeoff. Unable to believe what her mind was telling her in that instant.
“I can see memories, but only from vampires,” Jeoff said when he saw she was about to ask again. “It’s complicated to explain.”
“I don’t know what happened or what is my name,” said the boy getting out of the chamber, “but when you came close I felt something strange,” he said without giving it any importance.
He sat on the edge of the strange bed staring into space. Meryl could not help feeling sorry for him. His eyes were those of an abandoned animal, full of sadness and frustration, full of emptiness.
“We can’t leave him alone.”
“I know,” Jeoff sighed. “We will go into the city and see Caleb.”
They got into the car with the teenager who sat next to Jeoff in the passenger seat. He looked out the window with the same absent look, as when he woke up, as if he knew nothing, as if completely empty, also he didn’t seem to mind his situation.
Countless questions passed through Meryl’s head. What was a vampire doing in one of the cryogenics chambers? Wasn’t she the only one? Absolutely nothing made sense, but this boy had something she could feel it, the problem was she didn’t know what.
The city was as dark as always.
Since it was no longer raining there were much more people walking down the street. Some carried out the errands of their masters. Others simply wandered around the city in what appeared to be their free time. The car parked outside a building that was preserved much better than the rest of the city. It looked like an old government building. It had large statues adorning the facade majestically, this was the office of Caleb. Inside, everything was spotless, perfectly decorated, Meryl thought that this was inconsistent with the rest of the city. It almost seemed normal, and she felt nostalgic remembering fragments of a not so distant past.
“Do you have an appointment?” A well-dressed man with glasses asked them.
“Stop talking nonsense. You know perfectly well that I don’t need an appointment.’
“Always so arrogant.” The man shrugged and turned his back to Jeoff. “Who shall I say is coming with you?”
“Just tell him I’m here. He knows that she’s coming with me. No more is needed.”
“Ok, ok. Wait here a moment.”
They did not spend more than a few minutes there when the double doors that were near the three of them opened. The man exited with a strange smile on his face. Meryl could not help thinking how strange that individual seemed.
“You can go in.”
Luckily, everything that happened the night before had departed from Meryl’s mind. It used to be a disadvantage that she would forget about everything when something important happened. However, in this situation, she was grateful to have forgotten because otherwise, she would not be able to behave naturally. Caleb was sitting at a large table and the wood shone like it was freshly polished. The seats were upholstered with red cloth and the curtains were a dark tone, almost black. He took some papers and looked at them. Then raised his eyes and looked at the unknown boy first and then at Meryl. Who suddenly felt a hot flash and could not do more but look away.
“Who is he?” Caleb asked looking back at one of th
e sheets of paper that lay on his desk.
“It’s a curious story.” Jeoff sighed rubbing his neck. “Let’s see. Where do I start ...” He began to tell him everything that happened from the time they left the house and Meryl hoping to find some clue of the experiment. However, they had only found a teenage boy. He had curiously been awakened by the presence of the visitors. Caleb did not seem surprised. He still had a serious expression and kept looking at the reports and listening intently to every word Jeoff said.
“He doesn’t remember anything.”
Caleb suddenly intervened. “Have you confirmed this?”
“Yes, it was the first thing I did. He remembers nothing.”
Caleb sighed and moved his body back to look at the ceiling thoughtfully. He didn’t like it. If the young man had been there asleep it meant, he was an ancient vampire. The problem was to discover how the humans had captured him and why they had him hibernating like Meryl. He did not trust the boy. Yes, Caleb trusted Jeoff’s power. The boy didn’t remember anything at the moment, but Caleb’s instincts told him to stay on alert. Appearing so helpless was not a weakness to a vampire, but a great virtue that already had an effect on Meryl. Caleb didn’t like how Meryl looked at the boy and cared about his grief. It almost made Caleb sick. There he was, calculating everything and unable to do anything. Caleb knew that if he left the boy in the streets Meryl would blame him, but if he took the boy home they would be in danger.
“Take him home. I’ll think of something,” Caleb muttered in annoyance and frowned.
Caleb noticed Meryl smile at the young man. At least for now he felt he had gotten a little joy, but he would exact payment later. Before they left he called Jeoff wanting to talk to him and alert him about everything.
“I know what you are going to say and I agree with you,” Jeoff said before hearing a single word.
“At least it’s better to have your enemy close by. Warn Alexander, he spends a lot of time with Meryl. Don’t take your eyes off him and make sure he eats. If he lays a finger on Meryl, I’ll skin him.”
“I understand. Caleb, will you be coming home tonight?”
“Don’t come looking for me. I have a lot of backlogged work. I probably won’t be home until dawn tomorrow.”
Jeoff nodded and left the room thinking of Caleb’s words. He also believed that it was strange. For the moment, they should observe how the whole situation was developing.
Meryl couldn’t help looking at the boy with the same eyes that she saw her younger brother. He reminded her so much of her brother that it hurt her heart, and she could do nothing else but wish that his death would have been quick and painless. The boys lost gaze moved her because those blue eyes were almost like glass through which you could see everything, but occasionally the young man squinted as if suddenly a glimmer of the past came to him and she could see it in his eyes.
“Do you remember your name?” Meryl asked, and he shook his head. “You want to choose another one?”
“I guess. I like Axel. It’s on my mind. Maybe, it’s my name.”
“It might be,” Meryl said thoughtfully, “but if you like we can call you that.”
When they reached the house Alexander looked at them stunned by the new presence with them. Jeoff didn’t wait but went straight to talk to him.
“I understand. I will watch him closely. It’s certainly suspicious,” Alexander said.
Went they went upstairs it was decided Axel would occupy a room next to Alexander and Pein because in that way any movement that seemed strange would alert both the butler and his brother. They both would monitor him at all times.
“Here, you must be hungry.” Alexander smiled and offered him a glass tinged with a thick red liquid. “If you need more just ask me. Don’t touch Meryl,” he added suddenly turning serious to watch Axel as he looked at Meryl, who spoke with Jeoff.
“She’s already been bitten,” Axel replied in a whisper without changing expression.
“Caleb and Meryl have a very close relationship,” Alexander said with a sharp smile that warned the boy.
“I understand.”
Caleb lost concentration easily. The papers were not important reports, but if he didn’t finish with them they would accumulate on the table. He had a bad feeling about the teenage vampire and he began to regret his forced decision. If it were not for Meryl, he would have killed him regardless of the bloodstains that would be left on the beautiful Persian carpet with impeccable reddish colors. He knew that eventually, he would regret not heeding his instincts, which still vibrated with strength throughout his body, but the sacrifice was unavoidable.
He worked all night reading reports and wondered if something happened at the house. While he trusted the two men completely, there was the childish Pein, who didn’t think before acting. Caleb knew how Pein looked at Meryl, not loving, but with affection because he respected her for what she had done to help the much-deteriorated relationship between the two brothers. Thanks to her actions and words, they had become friendly, though their relationship was still a little strained. If the new guy tried something, Pein would kill him.
“Damn Meryl,” Caleb cursed leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling again.
He wanted to hate the human, but because of Meryl, he couldn’t. All that Caleb could think of was her scent and her smile. Everything seemed so wonderful that at times it was maddening. She had stolen his heart completely, so much so that he was not master of himself, because she so small in actuality grew larger in his mind to an extent that no one before had accomplished, and the worst thing was that all this only put her in danger. Because after all, Caleb was one of the most powerful people on the planet. Although he was trying not to attract the attention of other major vampires. His strength, his intelligence and his way of acting had placed him under the watchful eye of those who controlled the world, except for Amadeus. He limited himself to observe anything entertaining, and that could be his end because if they were to learn his only weakness lay in a human. They would use it against him.
Meryl still hadn’t decided what her heart felt. She thought most of the time of Caleb, but also of everything against them. How the hell could she fall in love with a vampire? What future could there be in that? How could he feel something for her?
“My head hurts,” Meryl whispered while lying on her bed. “Thinking so much is going to make me crazy.”
Although she thought and looked for defects in Caleb. She failed to be productive. In the end, she felt that she liked him more and more. She could still feel those soft hands on her skin and with that thought could feel her hair bristling on her neck. The sensations seemed wonderful to her. Meryl sighed in the darkness, confused because her mental battle continued giving her a horrible headache. She wondered about so many things and she realized she had no experience. Despite all the movies about love she had seen. The current situation was beyond anything imaginable.
Melody no.7
Union
A low sound, almost inaudible to humans, reached Meryl’s ears. She opened heavy eyelids and opened her eyes. It was the beginning of dawn and the little light that filtered through the thick layer covering the sky was no longer so annoying. She got out of bed and went to open the door. Caleb was in the hallway removing his jacket with a face of oppression, which looked as his presence felt.
“Did I wake you?”
“No, I was already awake. You are arriving home very late. Did something happen?”
“No, but I had a backlog of reports to review last night,” Caleb said tossing his hair back while sighing. “I can’t afford to take time off. The problems always accumulate when you’re not there.”
“You look tired. Do you want me to make you some coffee?” Meryl said exiting her room.
“Come on.” Caleb gripped her wrist and they entered the perfectly decorated and tidy room. The door closed with
a thud and they stared at each other.
“What’s up?”
“Soon there will be an inspection,” Caleb mumbled without letting go. “Sorry, but we have to mark you with the seal.”
“Don’t worry, it’s okay,” She tried to downplay it, but was not convincing.
“If they see you are not marked with a seal. They will take you to the mines, and I assure you that hell is a paradise compared with that. It is possible that the inspector won’t come, but it is best to be secure, sooner or later we will have to end up doing it.
Meryl’s expression betrayed a panic that she began to feel. She believed Caleb. If he said it was horrible then it was no joke, but what really scared her was being away from the house. All of them had become part of her life and her family, and thinking back to losing something so precious caused the air from his lungs to disappear and she felt like she was drowning.
Caleb wasn’t going to let them take Meryl to the mines. He had to tattoo her with his seal because she was his and he couldn’t let something silly like that take her away from him. He hugged her hoping her face ceased to be so tense. He felt a sigh escape her mouth and smelled her appetizing aroma. The surprise he felt was pleasant when Meryl pulled away from him and looked at him with a shy smile that came from the bottom of her heart.
“Surely you’re hungry,” she said almost in a whisper and lowering her gaze slightl., “If you need ...”
She shocked herself because she knew he had recovered, but didn’t want to break that bond with him. Because at the end of the day, she could not help thinking it was the only thing that united them. She thought about it for days and decided to act more or less normally, and came to accept that she was food.
“You’ve gotten ahead of yourself,” Caleb sighed letting her go and walking towards the bed, “If we tattoo your seal today you will be weakened for three days.”
“Is that a long time?” Meryl asked,
“I can wait to eat,” Caleb explained as she walked and sat down beside him. “There is blood in the wine cellar that Alexander brought.” Caleb was curious about how she would respond to that.
Melodies of Blood I Page 10