Shining Light of the Volstir (The Light of the Volstir Book 1)

by Brian Carmen

  Several of the other clothes were also made by the same company. Victor looked at the price tag but was unable to understand it. The jacket was priced at 10 dents which made absolutely no sense to him. Nia walked inside and started pulling him out of the store before any of the employees had a chance to harass him.

  Several stores had large glass windows showing off their wares. They had special items that were useful for Volstirs. One advertised a product called ’Blood Be-Gone’ that promised to get rid of any bloodstains. Other stores had items for Polongs, including books for how to properly educate a Polong. They also had games that were popular for both Volstirs and their familiars. Nia promised that she would explain the currency to Victor later as she began scanning all the shops for a particular one.

  En reappeared and was kind enough to lead them where they wanted to go. They stopped in front of a two story building that was both larger and much older than the buildings that surrounded it. In front was a picture of the sun and the letter’s E.V. next to it. The building was light blue like the sky however much of the paint appeared worn. Nia knew instantly that this was the shop owned by her sisters.

  Nia figured that the twins had bought it the building from someone. If you looked closely you could make out the old name of the store. Nia opened the door and looked around at the several tables in the middle of a large room. She saw a glass countertop with a door behind it along with a set of stairs leading upwards. If Nia didn’t know better she might have guessed that this was some type of diner.

  Everything inside looked to be fairly new as Nia walked past the tables and looked around. The floor was checkered in tiny light green and white tiles that reminded Nia of grass. The light yellow walls were covered with pictures of different people that the twins knew. Many involved Ebony arm wrestling or boxing with strong looking men. Nia walked over and looked at one of them with a smile.

  It was a picture of the three of them surrounding Olivia. It must have been over fifty years old and was in black and white. Fond memories came to Nia as she remembered the fun times she had with them. Walking over towards the counter she heard noises from the back of the store. She didn’t want to just walk back there and instead just rung the bell that was on the counter.

  “Ebony and Venus both have the same rare ability. They can walk in the daylight without dying so they sell their blood to other Volstirs” Nia explained as Victor looked around at the pictures.

  “Coming” a light voice said from the back room.

  The woman that appeared had long straight hair that turned into braids as it reached the end. Her skin was the same color as milk chocolate that matched her brown eyes. She was both tall and slender like a ballet dancer. Ebony looked younger than most Volstir’s as she saw Nia and called out to her sister in excitement.

  “Helaina your back! It‘s been ages” Ebony cried out as she hopped over the counter and began hugging Nia tightly.

  “It’s been too long hasn’t it Ebony?” Nia replied as she gave her little sister a hug back.

  Ebony wore the same type of clothes that she always had on. A pair of black slacks and a white dress shirt that had a black vest over it. Everyone knew that Ebony didn’t like wearing dresses because it was harder to fight in them. She called for Venus once again as she appeared from the back.

  Her twin sister was only an inch taller; she looked very similar to Ebony however her body seemed to have aged a bit more. Her hair was up in a type of afro that split and became two small poof balls. She wore a top that was similar in style to Ebony’s while looking a bit more feminine that matched the long black skirt she had on.

  Venus was very excited to see Nia but was completely speechless when she saw Victor. Her mouth opened slightly as her brown doe’s eyes looked stunned at the sight of him. He was very attractive however Nia knew why Venus would be surprised to see him. Ebony seemed to notice the change in Venus’ demeanor while looking at Victor with intrigue.

  “My name’s Venus” she said to Victor in a kind but nervous tone.

  Nia looked at Ebony and the sneaky smirk that had appeared on her face. Victor introduced himself to the twins however wasn‘t able to say anything else. Ebony was looking at the two of them like a spider that had found two fat and juicy flies. She walked over to Venus and then looked back at Nia and Victor.

  “We’ll be right back” Ebony said quickly as she held up a finger to indicate that they needed a minute.

  Before Venus could say anything to object Ebony grabbed her arm and went into the back of the store. Victor looked a bit stunned by what obviously seemed like strange behavior. Nia remembered seeing both Victor and Venus together when her light had merged with Victor’s. She had a feeling that Venus has known about Victor for a very long time and had been waiting for him to appear. Nia kept her mouth silent and waited for the two women to return.

  Ebony returned first as her eyes were as brighter than before. They could see the white teeth as she gave Victor a cheesy smile. It was obvious that Venus had told her about her light and that it had been about Victor. Ebony was now looking at Victor as though he were a brightly wrapped Christmas present from Santa.

  “Welcome to the family Victor!” she shouted as she wrapped her arms around Victor. She bent him over and began giving him a noogy as Venus reentered with an embarrassed look on her face. Both Nia and Ebony looked at Venus while Victor struggled to get out of her head lock. Venus had always been a bit shy compared with her sister, a part of Nia felt badly for her.

  “Alright now Ebony that’s enough” Venus said sheepishly as Ebony turned her attention towards her sister.

  “Really? But why Venus? Shouldn‘t we have fun with the newest Volstir in our family?” Ebony commented with a smug look on her face.

  Nia was starting to feel embarrassed for both Venus and Victor. The situation was really one in a million that they would all end up together. Victor and Venus were meant to meet and be together. Nia decided to try and change the subject considering Venus was giving her a desperate look. It was obvious that she didn’t want Victor to find out about her light when they had only just met.

  “I heard you guys in the back. What were you two working on?” Nia asked however both girl’s seemed taken aback by Nia’s question.

  “Oh it’s nothing really, you know depending on your definition of legal” Ebony said casually while turning her attention back towards Victor.

  She made a few humorously sly remarks about Victor’s appearance. Ebony then suggested that the four of them go out for drinks. She took Victor by the arm and dragged him away up the stairs. They could hear Ebony order Victor to take off all his clothes as they walked the steps.

  Both Venus and Nia began to turn red before deciding to get changed themselves. The twins had quite a collection of clothes in all kinds of sizes. Nia couldn’t remember the last time she was able to try on so many nice dresses. Venus seemed to be trying to find a nice dress for herself. Nia suspected that she wanted to make a nice impression on Victor.

  “It seems you two or doing well since you left Solar Life” Nia said with a smile as Venus nodded.

  Solar Life was one of the fifteen large companies that existed around the world in secret. They funded several human companies and charities without humans knowing about it. Venus and Ebony once worked for them until they decided to open a similar business for themselves.

  “We learned a lot in the thirty-six years we worked with them. They don’t seem to mind us venturing on our own. It probably because we don’t actively try to steal their clients” Venus said in her soft tone.

  Her voice was a bit softer than Ebony’s as Nia was reminded of when they all lived together. Olivia always had a soft spot for Ebony but had turned all three of them at some point in time. Nia never asked Venus about being turned two years after Ebony. If they had been turned at the same time than they would’ve been completely identical. The difference in age didn’t seem to bother two of them. They were twins and sisters that were ab
le to stay together.

  “So what do you think about Victor?” Nia asked as she tried on a long sky blue gown with slits on the side so that people could see easily see her legs.

  Venus was in the process of wearing an elegant red dress that made her eyes stand out even more. She was always less abrasive than her sister as she looked down at her feet. Nia hoped that her question wouldn’t make Venus any more uncomfortable. Looking at herself in the mirror, she seemed to find a bit more confidence in her appearance.

  “He’s like I’ve always imagined him to be” Venus answered simply.

  She surprised Nia by not trying to hide the fact that Victor was indeed the person her light had been about. Nia smiled as she thought about how much Venus must trust her if she was talking so freely. They were a family that might have been a bit different from humans however a family nonetheless.

  “Do you think Olivia knew about Victor?” Venus asked as she looked at Nia curiously. Nia hadn’t thought about it since Olivia had never paid too much attention towards Victor. She understood why Venus would ask since Olivia was skilled at seeing the future. Nia figured that it wouldn’t be too surprising to hear that Olivia did have some clue about them.

  “I don’t know if she knew. Are you going to talk to Victor about it?” Nia asked as Venus quickly shook her head “Of course not!”

  She explained that Victor was still young and that they would have plenty of time to get to know each other. Venus obviously cared about him but didn’t want to force herself on him so quickly. They finished getting ready as they walked back out to the front. Both Victor and Ebony were wearing nice looking black suits.

  “How do I look? I figured we couldn’t make Victor look too much like a stud” Ebony said loudly as she elbowed Victor in the gut.

  “Well I guess your right” Nia laughed as she pulled on Ebony’s arm and began leading the group out of the shop.

  They began walking around the city while En stayed behind. He seemed to want to look for some rats that were hiding somewhere in the shop. Victor and Venus were paired together by default. The two of them looked almost comical with how nervous they looked. Nia couldn’t help but feel like they were walking towards a prom.

  “Can you believe Venus’ luck?” Ebony whispered to Nia as she began snickering.

  Nia listened as Venus tried asking Victor about his interests in an attempt to make small talk. The two of them actually looked like a nice couple. Victor seemed to be opening up to Venus while he held her arm and talked. With Nia and Ebony in front, it was impossible for any of the crowd to interrupt the two of them.

  “Yeah she’s lucky alright but keep it a secret. She doesn’t want Victor to know right now” Nia explained as Ebony began asking her all types of questions.

  Nia told her to keep quiet so that Victor didn’t overhear. Within a short amount of time they were all inside and seated in the coliseum. The seats had all been drawn out so that they resembled different floor levels. They were on the third level that gave them a perfect view of the stage. They sat down together at a table and turned their attention towards where the play would be located.

  Venus had been the one to suggest that they go to the coliseum for their drinks. It would be decorated nicely and give Victor a chance to see more Volstir. Nia couldn’t deny that it felt a bit strange to be surrounded by hundreds of their kind. They could act natural without having to worry about being discovered.

  “Electronics don’t always work well this far down. Most of the time we get by without televisions and radios” Ebony explained to Victor who was looking at the stage in surprise.

  “Short wave transmissions and other things are utilized to help make up for that. Unfortunately most of the older Volstirs still don’t like using them as much as the humans” Venus added while explaining the show they were going to be watching.

  It was a play that had been playing every night for the last two months. The twins had seen it four times already and assured Victor and Nia that it was a good one. Four glasses of blood arrived at their table as they all took a sip. Victor’s eyes bulged out as he tasted and then took a larger sip.

  “This tastes delicious” Victor said loudly as several others looked around at him.

  Venus and Ebony giggled as Nia explained that the blood had been altered to make it taste better. In the lost cities they were able to improve the regular blood supply. They could make it healthy or even alcoholic without much effort. It was something three of the other large companies worked on.

  “I guess he doesn’t know much does he? Helaina’s been lazy” Ebony said with another smirk.

  Both Nia and Victor were left a bit embarrassed at being called out. “We’ve been distracted” Nia said sheepishly as they began making small talk. Nia knew that Ebony wasn’t really trying to be mean. It was just fun for her to poke at those who had tried to become makers. Venus seemed a bit annoyed by her sister as she whispered something in her ear that sounded like a scolding.

  “So are you two really supposed to be twins?” Victor asked as Venus looked down at the table in silence.

  Ebony however was quick to answer. “We’re actually identical but I was turned two years before my sister. In human years she’s older but in Volstir years I’m older. Try to figure out that pickle” Ebony said with a laugh as she looked at the confused expression on Victor’s face.

  “I was going to die and so Olivia gave me a choice. She turned me and later I was able to convince her into turning Venus. She was lucky enough to get permission from the council since she technically broke the law when I was turned at sixteen” Ebony explained.

  Nia could see that Victor wanted to ask about some of the laws that the Volstir were required to follow. Nia however placed her hand on his as she explained that he would learn more about it tomorrow. It would be a long day when they went for Victor to be registered. Nia starting looking around to see if she could recognize anyone. Up in one of the booths and saw someone familiar “Ebony is that Harry up there?” Nia asked. Ebony turned and looked at the man Nia pointed out.

  “Yep that’s him alright. Two years ago he took over the Arena Fights from Sara so she could take a long needed vacation. With that and being in charge of the Stratosphere matches he’s become quite popular. Though it didn‘t help us win the match again Koi” Ebony explained with bitterness in her tone.

  “Arena Fights and Stratosphere matches?” Victor asked as Venus quietly tried to explain it to him.

  Before she got the chance however Ebony was on her feet with her hands slamming onto the table. “Are you serious? I figured you were clueless but you don’t know about Stratosphere?” Ebony said loudly as once again other people were staring at them.

  Victor felt nervous as Venus tried to get Ebony back into her seat. Ebony seemed more than a bit annoyed with Victor’s lack of knowledge. Nia had forgotten that Ebony was such a huge fan of Stratosphere. She probably should have told Victor about it before arriving in Loc Moines.

  “It’s a sport” Nia said quickly as Ebony sat back down while brushing Venus’ hand away. “It’s not just a sport. It’s chaotic and fun as hell to watch. Nia played and made it to the finals two years in a row. The second time her team actually won the world championships” Ebony said with excitement as Victor looked at Nia in surprise.

  “That was over eighty years ago and I retired a few years after that. Ebony and Venus never even saw me play” Nia said trying to push Ebony’s comment away.

  Ebony tried to argue but the lights inside the coliseum started to dim. They all turned and began watching the play. Nia didn’t pay attention to what was going on as her mind began to wander. She couldn’t help but feel a lack of attention towards Victor.

  It was true that they had been terribly distracted over the last month. Nia knew however that it didn’t give her the right to abandon her duties as a maker. She wondered if perhaps it was a mistake to take Victor away from Loc Moines. Would it be right to leave just so that she might get to se
e Andrew?

  Normally a new Volstir would spend about five years living in the lost city. It gave them a chance to fully learned how to be a Volstir. They could also learn about their ability while being closely monitored by the council. Nia would also have a chance to find out more about Utaru. Her mind was distracted and before she knew it the lights returned. The play was over and Nia had missed the entire thing.

  She felt embarrassed when Ebony asked her about the show and was thankful that Victor had starting talking about it. Apparently, it had been quite good. A Volstir having to do battle with a human that had turned into a purple Volstir eating monster. It had obviously been a comedy that showed humans as nothing more than a bag of meat.

  They began walking back to the house as Nia found herself looking up at Thereon Solbid’s mansion. She knew that Luke had told her the truth however she couldn’t help but wonder. Now would be the best time to ask her sisters about the council member.

  “What do you know about Thereon Solbid?” Nia asked as Ebony and Venus began thinking.

  “Well he’s old and a member of the high council. He’s also president of the Grimier Corporation and has had a hand in a lot of the places around here. Olivia had even convinced him to allow us to open our shop without having to have a sponsor” Ebony explained as Venus added that he’d been gone for the last few months.

  He apparently went on a vacation to the Holy City of Necropolis. Before Victor could say a word Ebony quickly turned towards him. She gave him a grim look that cut him off with his mouth still open.

  “Don’t even ask about it because you’ll only end up showing your ignorance. You wouldn’t want to make Helaina look any worse because that would make me angry” Ebony said smugly as Victor closed his mouth.

  Nia gave Victor a weak smile as she silently promised to make it up to him. She would use the time they had in Loc Moines to teach him more about their culture. Nia also wanted to teach him some of the benefits of being a Volstir. They wouldn’t have to worry about any Soulem, so Nia would have no excuses for leaving Victor ignorant.