As dusk began to blanket the winter sky, everyone began to converge in the parlor after the humans in the house had their Christmas feast. Emma took a moment to go for a walk by herself outside, the same journey she did every year. Those who knew her well knew that this is what she did and to leave her alone. It was her private time alone to reflect on her human life and the memories that she had of Christmas past. No matter how many centuries passed, she still missed them all the same.
She began down the path that led into the woods, her usual route, making her way to her destination. She sat down on the bench across from her family’s tomb, closed her eyes, and listened to the cold, winter air quietly blowing. Sometimes she would fantasize she would hear her mother’s comforting whispers being carried in the wind, speaking to her after two centuries in the grave. Emma pretended to hear the advice she would give her when she faced a dilemma, much like the one she was facing now.
It’s time to tell the truth, she imagined her mother saying. With her eyes still closed, Emma nodded solemnly and openly responded, “I know. I will, mother.”
Elizabeth needs to rest with us. She knew that and felt guilty for so many years. Her dear sister deserved a proper burial, not just placed into the ground and covered in dirt like an animal. She feared what had to be done, knowing it was going to be gruesome and perhaps traumatizing.
This is what she did every year on Christmas—she visited her family’s crypt to sit quietly and reflect. While growing up, her family didn’t celebrate Christmas the way modern families do. The holiday didn’t become a federal holiday in the United States until the late 1800’s, so her parents, brother, and sister never had a chance to experience the warmth and traditions that Christmas tends to bring. She knew that they would have loved it, especially her mother, Victoria.
She sat in silence for quite some time, reminiscing about conversations that were had over two hundred years earlier, the laughter that she once shared with her siblings. Their giggles as children growing up in Boston echoed in her head and she recalled the games they used to play together. She couldn’t help but smile when she thought about the tricks her brother, Christopher used to play on his sisters; a typical boy getting into mischief.
She was startled out of her own daydream when she caught a familiar scent nearby. She looked behind her and walking up the path was Zachariah, hands in his pockets and hesitantly coming toward her. He knew that this was her time and never before had he bothered her. He approached her and motioned to the bench, silently asking permission to sit down next to her.
“Hey there,” he said as he took a seat and put his arm around her, staring straight ahead at the crypt.
“Is something wrong?” She asked.
“No, everything’s fine. I just thought I would join you, hope you don’t mind.”
She shrugged, “It’s fine. I just come here to talk with my family.” She cozied into him, not wanting him to feel unwelcome. In fact, his presence was actually comforting in a familiar way. She had never spent more years with anyone except for him, he knew every aspect about her, aside from the secret she had buried along with her sister eons ago. However, he did know when she was hiding something and his radar was blasting right now.
“You know why Elizabeth is tormenting Todd, don’t you?” He asked, still gazing ahead, mindlessly examining the names on the crypt of her family that he never knew except for Christopher.
She slowly nodded, deep in thought.
“Do you think she’s going to want you to spill everything?”
“I hope not…he’ll never forgive us,” she replied, the thought had crossed her mind as well. Not only did she bear a secret of her own, but she and Zachariah shared one as well. They both feared that if the truth was exposed, their lives at home would never be the same.
After they returned to the Manor, they heard music coming from the parlor. Vivienne was playing the piano and everyone was singing along to the Christmas songs she played, even Aidan which was an amusing surprise. She couldn’t help but giggle internally when she saw him attempting to look bored while belting out Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.
Zachariah looked at Todd and saw that he had stopped singing and was looking at a void space in the parlor. He nudged Emma with his elbow and motioned in Todd’s direction with a questionable look on his face. As if he was told to, Todd looked in their direction with a solemn stare, piquing their curiosity.
He sauntered over to them, leaned in, and said, “Elizabeth is here, she said the time is now.”
“Now?” Emma exclaimed.
Todd paused for a moment and looked to his side as Elizabeth answered him. He turned back to Emma and replied, “Yes, she wants you to do it now since everyone is gathered here.”
Emma hesitated for a moment, but was filled with a burst of courage as she wanted to just get it over with. She realized that anyone who would have really judged her for hiding the truth about her sister’s death were all long gone. Not a single person in the room had met her, except for Aidan, even though their meeting in 1815 was brief.
“Everyone,” Emma called, causing the piano music and singing to cease, all eyes on her. “I can tell you why my sister, Elizabeth is haunting Todd, I should have done it a long time ago. I was going to wait until tomorrow so I didn’t ruin Christmas, but apparently she wants me to do this now.”
Everyone began to scatter about, taking seats on the couches to face her. She felt as though she was on trial, speaking to the jury. Aidan was carelessly sprawled on the couch, still not understanding what the big deal was. Emma searched for a way to begin her story.
She told them the story of the night she was turned by Aidan, which they all knew. Her mind removed her from the present as she began to recollect that fateful night, placing her back on the pathway in the woods, and the heavenly scent that filled her nose. She remembered thinking Aidan was a threat, not to her anymore, but that he would get to enjoy the fruit of the scent instead of her. She would have attacked him if he had attempted to get there before her. She took off in a sprint faster than she had ever run before with reflexes that could rival a cat’s.
The scent grew stronger as she got closer and she ran faster so he wouldn’t get there first, even though he wasn’t trying to. She reached the cottage that she had been walking to before all this had happened, and outside gathering fire wood was Elizabeth. However, at that moment, Emma’s primal extinct was stronger than her emotional connection to her sister. Without thinking about anything except satisfying her crave, she attacked. She grabbed her sister by the hair, twisted her neck to the side, and bit her.
Elizabeth screamed and tried to fight off her attacker, her dearest sister. She wrestled against her as Emma frantically drank from her neck. Her struggling was no match for Emma’s strength however, and she gradually became limp in Emma’s grasp. Aidan stood nearby, allowing his offspring to drink for the first time without interference. Elizabeth’s eyes were wide with fear and shock as she looked over Emma’s shoulder at Aidan, the last face she would ever see and wondering why he didn’t help her. Emma heard her victim’s heartbeat cease and continued to gulp down every last drop of blood, which she needed to use more effort since the heart was no longer pushing blood out for her. With her craving satisfied to the very last drop, she laid Elizabeth down on the ground directly in front of the cottage door.
“Oh my, what have I done?” Emma said softly as she looked down at her sister’s face. A wave of sadness ran through her.
“You are a predator now, Emma. Humans are our prey. It is our natural instinct to drink, however you do not have to kill them to satisfy your thirst.” Aidan calmly responded.
“Why didn’t you stop me then? She was my sister!” Emma screamed. She began to weep uncontrollably, fell to her knees, and held Elizabeth’s lifeless body. Blood tears ran from her eyes, streaking her cheeks and dripping onto Elizabeth’s dress. “My sister, my sister…” she sobbed.
They heard the sound of someone walking fa
r in the distance, her weeping immediately ceased and she instinctively sniffed the air. It was the same exquisite smell of blood, but the yearning did not hit her as hard this time since she was already fulfilled. It could only be one person, Elizabeth’s husband, George.
“That must be George, Elizabeth’s husband! What are we to do?” She asked Aidan.
“We must leave, you can no longer remain with your family now that you are immortal.” Aidan replied.
Emma thought about that for a moment and couldn’t bear to leave her family and never see them again. She had to think fast since George’s footsteps were less than a quarter of a mile away. “If I stay with my family, George will find Elizabeth and they will know I did this and cast me out.”
“How could you stay with your family as an immortal anyway?” Aidan asked, almost mocking her.
“They may accept it, we are very close. And now, after losing Elizabeth,” she choked back more tears, “I cannot allow them to lose two daughters in one night.”
“If you remain here that means I will have to stay nearby to guide you as you learn about being vampire. I don’t relish that idea.” Aidan sternly said.
She was woeful for displeasing him. It was the oddest feeling, she already adored this man and yet she had only met him earlier that day. She wanted nothing but for him to be pleased with her. She couldn’t bear the thought of him leaving her behind and being without him. “Why do I feel so drawn to you?” She whined, putting her head in her hands.
“Because I am your maker, it is a natural feeling. I will explain more when we have more time. But, right now you must make a decision on what you want to do.”
“I want to stay, but please promise me you won’t leave me, not now at least. Please promise.” She practically begged him.
Exasperated, he obliged. “Very well…” He folded his arms and shook his head, not believing he had agreed to this. “First, we must kill George. Then, we’ll bury the bodies in the woods. I will then tell your parents that they ran away together and I can assure you, they’ll believe me.”
“How can you be sure?”
“It’s a gift we all have, it is called charming. We’ll talk about that later. I will also tell your parents what you are, but will charm them into believing that it is completely normal…I still think this is a bad idea. But, if it’s what you want…"
“You’ll have to do it to my brother and the servants as well,” she added, realizing that there were a lot of people who lived at the Manor.
Aidan thought about it for a moment let out a huff of air. “Alright, I’ll do it. I will stay for just one year to teach you the ways of being a vampire. Just one year, do you understand? And you do understand that by staying with your family that you will eventually outlive all of them?”
“I do, and I will deal with that when the time comes. Thank you, Aidan. We will talk more later, for now we must take care of George.”
“I will do it. I am neater and frankly, a bit thirsty.” Aidan replied as he took off in a sprint to find George on the pathway.
Emma heard a man’s startled scream, which was no doubt George. Aidan returned a few minutes later carrying George’s lifeless body and she found it so peculiar that she did not feel the least bit remorseful. She thought of her mother, who had just lost her youngest daughter and would never know it. She mourned her sister’s death inside her heart and would for the rest of her immortal life. But, oddly, George being killed didn’t affect her one bit.
Emma knelt down next to her sister’s body and gently brushed a few strands of hair off of her forehead. She shook her head at herself, disgusted for what she had done. Aidan was still holding George and motioned with his head towards Elizabeth for Emma to pick her up. He began walking off into the woods without waiting for her to follow him.
She gently picked up her sister, who dangled limply in her arms, but seemed to weigh nothing. For a moment, Emma marveled at her new strength since there was no possible way she could have done this before. She followed Aidan’s scent into the woods where he had already begun frantically digging a hole with his hands.
“Put her down and help me dig, it doesn’t have to be very deep, just big enough to fit both of them.” He said without looking up.
Emma winced at the idea of burying her sister like this, so cold-hearted and undignified. She deserved better than this, but she knew this would be the only way if she were to remain with her family. She carefully set Elizabeth down on the dirt floor of the woods and began to help Aidan dig. When the hole was big enough for the two bodies, Aidan nonchalantly plopped George into it while Emma softly placed Elizabeth next to him. She looked at her sister apologetically one last time before they covered them with soil, packed it down, and covered it with rocks, twigs, and small branches. They returned to the cottage and dampened cloths to clean off their faces and hands.
“Are you ready?” Aidan asked once they were done.
“Yes…and you’re sure you’ll be able to convince them to let me stay?” Emma replied.
He looked at her and nodded his head, baffled by her doubt of his abilities. They took off running back down the path that led to the Manor. Disregarding the horrific events that had just taken place, Emma was overwhelmed with exhilaration while running at a speed she had never imagined. They approached the front door of the house and entered with Aidan following directly behind her.
“Mother? Father?” She called.
“We’re in here, darling,” her mother replied from the parlor.
They were sitting in their chairs near the fireplace and have a leisurely chat about their day when they looked up and saw Emma walking in with this strange man.
Aidan immediately began to charm them before they could ask any questions. “I am Aidan O’Shea,” he began and Emma noticed her parents were immediately and unnaturally fixed onto him. “Your daughter, Emma is a new vampire; you will never tell anyone her secret and you will accept her for who she is. I will stay here for one year to teach her the ways.”
William and Victoria nodded in unison.
He spoke slowly and clearly while charming them to believe what he wanted them to believe. “Your other daughter, Elizabeth and her husband, George ran away together. Do not search for them as they do not want to be found.”
Understanding his words, they nodded again and he allowed them to snap out of their vampire-induced trance.
“You’re a new vampire, my dear?” William asked. “What does this mean? How do you feel?”
“I feel…well, actually, I have no pain anywhere in my body. I dare say I have never felt this good,” she started, looking toward her parents who were watching her very closely. “My vision is astounding, I see in so much detail now. My hearing…why I can hear Christopher in his room upstairs and down the hallway!”
William and Victoria looked on in amazement without an ounce of fear. It pained Emma because it was a lie, it wasn’t real. But, it was the only way she would be able to stay in her home and be accepted by her family.
“Mother, Father…I never want you to be afraid of me. Please know I will always protect our family and our home. Always.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Davenport, look at me…” Aidan spoke up while they gazed at their daughter. They both turned to face him and he lightly grinned, his voice becoming monotone, “You will tell the townsfolk that Elizabeth and George have moved back to Boston. You will leave your entire estate, the town, and all of your earnings to Emma, not your son. With each passing generation, everything will belong to her. You will both leave us to speak now.”
After disconnecting his eye contact with them, they snapped out of their hypnotic trance once again and got up from their chairs to leave the room.
“Everything will be fine, my darling,” Victoria said as she put her hand on Emma’s cheek as she walked past.
William closed the parlor door behind him to ensure a private conversation for Emma and Aidan. She looked him in the eye with her brow furrowed with hurt. “I
have never lied to my parents in my life.”
“It has to be done if you plan to stay, which is unheard of for our kind.”
Our kind; Emma came to the realization that she was no longer the same person she was when she woke up that morning. It was staggering to her to know that she was permanently twenty-five years old.
“You must tell me what I can expect. I don’t know much about our kind. I know that sunlight will kill us, where am I to go during the day?”
Aidan smirked and shook his head, “A myth we made up to throw humans off our path. Fact is, with can walk in the night and day…we never sleep. Last night was the last time you will ever shut your eyes and dream.”
That statement took her aback; such small things that normal people take for granted had been ripped away from her in just one bite. Sleeping and dreaming, things she would never do again. Never would she sip a glass of cool water or eat a fresh pie her mother made. Never would she walk arm-in-arm with her sister through the courtyard and have giggling conversations. She felt very alone, even with Aidan, her maker and now mentor, next to her.
“Was what you did to my parents that charming thing you told me about?” She asked.
“Yes. I will teach you how to do that in time, right now you’re still too young and it is a very powerful tool we have. You can make humans think, say, do, and believe whatever you want them to. It comes in handy while trying to protect our secret,” Aidan replied.
Emma nodded, but felt deceitful for having such power over someone else.
“You will always charm someone before drinking from them, that is the most important rule to remember,” Aidan continued, stressing his words. “Never drink from someone that you cannot charm, do you understand me? It is a matter of life and death.”
“I understand,” she replied, curious as to why someone may not be able to be charmed and why she shouldn’t drink from them. “Why is it a matter of life and death?”
“I’ll explain that to you in time, we have plenty of it. You have a lot to learn and I have big plans for you, my dear.”
Family Secrets (Davenport Manor Book 1) Page 17