I grab the soy milk and orange juice out of the fridge. I look through the cabinet and find all kinds of things. It looks like he bought the whole grocery store. I find the cereal and I cut up bananas and put them in the bowl along with the cereal.
I'm sitting at the table in the kitchen enjoying my breakfast and the peace and quiet.
I hear someone walking around in the house. I think it's Andrew.
The unknown person walks into the kitchen and it isn't Andrew. It's my sister, Caroline. "What the hell are you doing here?" I ask her.
"Same reason as you. I stayed the night with William," Caroline says as she looks through the kitchen for something for breakfast.
"Mom is going to kill you, Lynns."
"Don't worry. I told her I was staying at Kali's."
"No," I yell. "I told her I was staying at Kali's."
"Well, then, we both stayed the night at Kali's last night," Caroline says as she smirks and pours herself a bowl of cereal.
"This is just weird," I announce as I smile.
"I know. Totally weird," Caroline confirms. "I can't get over how amazing William is." As she's talking about William, all I can think about is how he's a vampire that feeds on humans. I'm not sure what his intentions are with my sister. I don't want her involved in this new fantasy world that I'm now aware of and part of. I don't think she would be able to handle the fact that William is a vampire or the fact that vampires even exist. I don't think she would be able to handle it like I have. She might laugh herself to oblivion or report him as a psycho lunatic on the loose. "Nina," Caroline snaps at me to focus.
"What?" I ask.
"William's still sleeping. I didn't want to wake him. So, will you give me a ride to school today?"
"We have to wake them up so they can go to school, Lynns," I tell her.
"William like never goes to school. I'm not waking him up. There's no point."
"I'll just bring you. I have to take a shower, get ready, and wake Andrew up."
"Cool. Thank you," Caroline says as she walks out of the kitchen with her breakfast.
This is going to take some getting used to.
* * * *
As I'm sitting in Mr. Jackson's Biology class listening to him lecture us like he always does, I'm contemplating whether or not Caroline has the right to know about who the real Madsens are. She's dating one of them and sleeping in the same bed as one. I need to protect Caroline. I remember when I said I would be the judge of if I needed to be protected or not. I see where Andrew was coming from though. He loves me so he did what he thought was best to protect me by not telling me. It's the same with my little sister. I'm making the decision for her. She needs to be protected. Caroline would probably have a heart attack if she found out what William is. I honestly don't know how she would react to the situation.
Family is the most important aspect of my life. I have to do everything I can to keep them safe and out of harm's way. The world isn't how it's perceived. It's dangerous and filled with creatures that we only thought were a myth. My whole perspective of the world has changed in the last few weeks. Everything I know is now changing.
The bell rings and the last thing I hear Mr. Jackson say is, "No homework tonight. Have a great day." That's a relief. I have more important things to worry about than homework.
Andrew's waiting outside my classroom door for me, like always. He's holding something behind his back.
"For you," Andrew says as he hands me a red rose.
I'm in complete awe. "Thank you."
"Excited for English class?" Andrew asks me with a smirk on his handsome face.
"Always am," I confirm in a sarcastic tone. "I was thinking in Biology, since Caroline and I are sisters, that means she has the same blood as me," I whisper.
"Lilah and Ella want to spend the day with you today. They're going to teach you more about," Andrew pauses, "yourself. You can ask them," he studders.
"I'm asking you. I need to know because if she does," I begin to say when Andrew decides to cut me off.
"Nina, right now is not the best time to talk about this. We have English class."
I nod my head to agree with him. I feel in the pit of my stomach that Andrew doesn't want to answer my question for some unexplained reason.
* * * *
I'm sitting in Andrew's living room and all I can think about is the question I asked Andrew earlier. Everyone is so strict about protecting me, what about my sister? If we come from the same blood line then why aren't they bringing her name into the conversations? Why aren't they focusing on protecting her too, especially if Lucian is out to kill all of the healers? Something just isn't right. Lilah and Ella need to hurry up and get here. This question is making me antsy.
Just as the thought runs through my mind, I see them walk through Andrew's front door. I jump up and run over to them. "Why aren't you trying to protect Caroline too? She must be a healer like me. We have the same blood!" I exclaim.
Lilah and Ella look at each other in silence. "Let's take a seat and talk," Lilah says.
I walk over to the couch and take a deep breath before I sit down. Lilah and Ella take a seat across from me in the chairs. They're sitting there staring at the fire. No one is speaking. "Why is everyone avoiding my question?" I ask Lilah.
"Nina, this isn't easy for me to say," Lilah declares.
"What?" I ask.
"You and Caroline don't share the same father," Lilah admits.
I sit there in complete silence. Caroline isn't my real sister. That's impossible because my mom and dad have been together since before I was even born. I feel the tears start gathering in my eyes. "But, my parents have been together since before I was even brought into this world."
"Your mom cheated on your dad when you were just one year old. She was depressed and lonely. Your father was gone from home most of the time because he was with my family and me. He had recently found out he was a healer. He was just trying to find himself." Lilah pauses as she starts to watch the flames in the fire. "It only happened once. Your father and mother agreed to keep the child. Scott said he would father her just like his own." I'm lost for words. My whole life is crashing down and changing in this exact moment. My boyfriend is a vampire. I'm a healer. My sister isn't my real sister because my mother cheated on my father. "I'm sorry, Nina," Lilah says and Ella agrees.
"Is there anything else you're hiding from me? Anything else I should know that will screw up my life some more?" I yell as I jump up.
"We were going to tell you, Nina. We just wanted to wait for the right time. Calm down, please," Ella adds.
I take a few deep breaths. "I'm sorry. It's just hard to process this. My life has completely flipped upside down over the past few weeks."
"I know something that will make you feel better," Lilah says. She grabs my hand and walks me out the front door and into her silver BMW.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"To the hospital," Lilah informs me.
* * * *
We're standing outside a little girl's room. Lilah explained her story to me on the way inside. This little girl is only 11 years old and her name is Melissa. She has been struggling with cancer since she was six years old. The doctors are surprised that she reached the age of 11. She was only expected to live until she was eight years old. Everyone says that she's a tough little girl. Melissa has been strong through all of the pain and depression. She hasn't lost her hope and most importantly she hasn't lost her smile. They call her the miracle child.
Right now, Melissa is lying in her bed extremely sick and weak. She's dying slowly and painfully. The doctor's are 99% sure that she's going to die within the next couple of weeks. "That's so sad," I say as tears fall from my eyes.
"She's going to lose her life at such a young age. It's devastating," Ella says.
"Ready?" Lilah asks me.
"For what?" I respond in confusion.
"You're going to heal her."
"I am?" I ask. She motions to m
e to come into Melissa's room. We all stand around her bed and look at the innocent girl. She's going through misery right now. Her face is pale and she has bags under her eyes that are as dark as the night sky. Her arms look so tiny and fragile.
Lilah finds a needle in the doctor's supplies. She walks over to me, "I'm going to take some of your blood and inject it into Melissa's arm."
"OK," I whisper. "Please be easy. I don't like needles." I feel a pinch on my inner arm. It didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. I was expecting something unbearable, that I would faint on the spot. At least we would be in a hospital so I would be able to get medical attention quickly.
Lilah walks over and injects the needle into Melissa's tiny, fragile arm.
Ella, Lilah, and I stand around Melissa's bed, waiting.
A minute of silence and I see Melissa's face glowing. Color is returning to her face within seconds. The bags under her eyes disappear. Life starts returning back to Melissa's body. It's a miracle. Melissa looks healthy and bright. "Is it gone?" I ask.
"The cancer's gone," Lilah confirms.
"We need to leave before anyone notices we're in here," Ella says.
Lilah takes a piece of paper and pen. She starts to write. I hover over her shoulder to see what she's writing. It states, "Bless you sweet child. The pain and agony is now over. The healer of God has healed you. The cancer is now no more. May peace and happiness fill your future."
I take one more good look at Melissa. I will never in my life forget this day. I gave this innocent child another chance at life. It's a special and speechless moment for me. Melissa's face will be imprinted into my memory forever. This is truly a blessing.
* * * *
On the car ride home, all I can think about is Melissa and how fast my blood healed her. I can't express in words how amazing it was and how it feels to be the one to give her another chance at life. What I have is a gift. It's not a poison.
"You know there aren't many healers left on the earth," Ella speaks.
"Have vampires been killing them off?" I ask.
"Some die of old age, some die in tragic accidents, and others are killed by vampires because they have their mind set that healers blood is posion to our kind. When really it gives us a choice and it gives humans another chance at life." Ella smiles at me. "You're very special."
"It was unbelievable what I saw today," I admit.
"You know there are more types of healers than your kind," Ella informs me.
"Different types, like what?"
"Many different types. Some healers can only heal animals, some only vampires, some only humans, some can heal all three. The list goes on."
"Do they all heal with their blood?" I ask, very curious.
Ella shakes her head, "Yes."
"It has been said that God himself made healers to protect his children from danger and heal them if they were wounded. So, they didn't have to feel pain, suffer, or die," Lilah says.
"Why can't vampires smell my blood?"
"It's also been said that a healers blood doesn't have a scent for their own protection from vampires."
"Can I go heal everyone in the hospital?" I ask.
"No," Lilah says quickly. "We have to be discreet. No one can know healers exist. If so, every vampire would be at your front door or you would get locked up by the government to do some insane experiments on your body."
"Then, what's the point of me being a healer if I can't heal people?" I ask in anger.
"Don't worry. You will get to heal the people that are in desperate need of healing, but for now we need to worry about keeping you safe and hidden away from everyone. You're one of the keys to changing the world, Nina," Lilah admits.
"There are thousands of people, maybe more, that are sick and are in desperate need of healing!" I shout.
"You need to protect yourself first or you won't be able to save anyone's life. You can't save the whole world. Sometimes things happen for a reason," Ella says. She's right. I can't save the whole world even if I tired and my protection is more important now because if I'm not safe, then I can't heal anyone, I can't give anyone another chance at life.
CHAPTER 21
Caroline
Dear Diary,
Lilah opened me up to a whole part of myself that is exhilarating. Being a healer is truly a special gift that I got the honor of having.
I healed a little girl named Melissa at the hospital yesterday. She was 11 years old. I gave her something no other doctor could give her, a second chance at life. The emotions I felt as I stood at the end of her bed and watched her heal in the matter of minutes right in front of my face, was such a blessing. My blood isn't a curse or poison, it's more than that. I put life back into that little girl. She was on the verge of dying at the age of 11. I was able to help her, to heal her.
I'm truly blessed with my blood. I have the power to heal the world. My father always told me that I would change the world someday. I didn't think he really meant it, literally, but he was absolutely right. I can change the world. I can give people hope and life. I have the power of life running through my blood.
Finding out my sister wasn't technically my real sister was not only the worst part of my day, but also the worst part of my life. Why didn't our mom and dad tell us instead of hiding it from us? My father isn't Caroline's father. Who is her biological dad? Now Ali and I are the only two humans that know. Caroline has a right to know, but I'm not going to be the one to tell her. It was Ali and Scott's decision to make. Now that my dad is gone, it's all up to my mom. It would damage Lynns in a way that I don't ever want to imagine. She would be broken and torn to pieces. She envied Scott. I guess some things are best kept secret.
Love, Nina
* * * *
I want to rush to Andrew's house and inform him of the miracle that I made possible yesterday with Melissa. He's the one I want to share my excitement with. He's really the only person I can share this enthusiasm with. I can't tell Ali, Kali, Caroline, or Sydney.
As I'm driving down his dirt road, Andrew most definitely can hear me coming. I'm just waiting for him to pop out of the trees and jump in front of my car, something a vampire is capable of doing. He always jumps me in the moment that I'm not expecting him. That's what I hate about vampires. They're just so fast and they come to greet you and scare the life right out of you. They need to realize that I'm a human and that's just not normal behavior to me. I can't hear them coming like they can me. They don't see me tip toeing behind them and scaring the blood out of them. It's just not OK. Maybe we all need to have a meeting and sit down and talk about the do's and don'ts. I can't help but laugh to myself.
I park my car and start walking up to Andrew's door. Like usual, I don't knock because I don't feel like it's necessary.
I slam the door hard behind me so Andrew knows I'm here.
"We're in the living room. We have lunch for you," an unknown voice says. I walk into the living room and instantly drop all of my things onto the floor. I see Andrew and William sucking blood out of two shirtless women in front of the fire place on the couch. Blood is running down the poor women's necks and dripping down their bare chests and onto the rug.
William and Andrew both just stare at me with blood all over their faces and their fangs sticking out of their mouths. The blood is dripping everywhere. Andrew's white shirt is now blotched with the color red. It's repulsive. They look like monsters.
I feel my stomach turning in circles. My mouth starts to water. I'm about to vomit from the sight of all this blood. Seeing Andrew in the picture makes it worse.
I run to the closest bathroom by the front door.
Everything I ate this morning is starting to come up my throat, out of my mouth and into the toilet. Tears start rushing down my face. It's getting harder for me to breathe.
I feel someone patting my back and then hand me a glass of water. I take a sip of the water, wipe my mouth on a towel, and flush the toilet.
I sit back and lean against
the wall. Tears are still running down my face at the site I just saw. "I didn't ever want you to see me like that, Nina," Andrew says in sorrow. "I just wasn't expecting you."
"It was bound to happen someday," I announce. "I don't know whether to be petrified at what I just saw or sad for those poor women or pissed off at the site of you on another woman with her shirt off."
"I'm sorry," Andrew confesses.
"I get that you're a vampire and you need blood to survive, but treating women like they're just your chew toy is a whole different story. That's wrong."
"It's not like they're screaming in agony."
"They're shirtless out there with their boobs hanging out and she's sitting there right next to you and you're groping her. Us humans call that cheating!" I shout. "Is it really necessary to strip them naked?" I ask.
"That's how we have fun. I'm sorry. I truly am."
"If that's how you have fun. Count me out," I say as I jump to my feet and go to grab my things that are sprawled all over the floor.
"Nina, please don't go!" Andrew yells. "Please come talk to me."
I gather my things and start walking to the door. Andrew grabs my arm and pulls me toward him. "Please. I didn't mean to hurt you like this."
All of the sudden, the door flies open and connects with my nose. I fall to the ground as I'm holding my face screaming in anger. "What the hell!"
"Nina!" A voice yells. "I didn't mean to. I'm so incredibly sorry. It was an accident. Forgive me, please!" It's a familiar man's voice.
"Abel, it's OK. It was just an accident. Now, go get some towels and water!" Andrew shouts.
Andrew picks me up and brings me into the kitchen. He sets me down on the counter in the middle of the kitchen.
"Tilt your head back. You're losing blood," Andrew says in a gentle voice.
"It friggin hurts!" I scream. "My nose is broken!"
"No, it's not, my love. You're a healer so no major damage can happen to your body. It might leave a bruise, but it will heal quickly, within a day it will be gone completely."
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