by LM DeWalt
We all laughed at that as Aaron wrapped his arms around Aloysius and patted his back. He whispered something into his ear and Aloysius smiled. He motioned for us to sit down.
Aaron’s face suddenly turned serious, his expression changing from happy to worry. He raised an eyebrow. “What is happening here? Why do I smell death?”
Aloysius explained, “Jose Luis has brain cancer, inoperable at this point. Melinda had taken him from the hospital and we just got him back. He is not doing very well, I’m afraid.”
“That reminds me, I need to go check on him. I will be right back,” I stood and turned to leave. I heard Aaron shift in his seat as his eyes bore into my departing back. I ignored it and ran up the stairs.
Jose Luis was still sitting up when I entered his room. His face lit up when he looked at me and a smile pulled at the corner of his lips. “Is Christian here?”
“I’m sorry but no,” I sat next to him and took his hand. He looked as disappointed as I felt that it was not Christian. “It’s Kalia and Aaron. They came to talk to me.”
“That is good, isn’t it?” His eye brows raised but he scrunched them in pain.
“Yes, it’s very good. I missed them so much and I’m glad they’re here,” I admitted.
“But something else is wrong, I can sense you are hiding something from me,” he squeezed my hand though he did not have much strength. “Please tell me.”
“Christian went to them a couple days ago, told them the truth about Maia. That is why they are here. They wanted my forgiveness,” I explained.
“So Christian is in Oregon, right?” He looked excited in spite of the pain.
“I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that. He left their house after telling them the truth but he didn’t say where he was going.”
“Oh,” he said as a single tear rolled down his cheek. “I just thought…”
“I know. Me too,” I wiped the tear away and ran my hand through his hair. “Have you decided, about what we discussed?” I held my breath.
“Yes,” he backed away to look into my eyes. “I have. I want what you are offering. I want to become a vampire.”
My stomach fluttered in happiness and fear mixed together. My happiness was extinguished in seconds when I heard a voice call from downstairs.
“Lily, a word please,” Aaron called from the bottom of the stairs.
As I approached him, his back tensed and his face grew serious, almost angry. My hands started to shake but I balled them up to hide it. “What’s wrong?” I asked though I knew exactly what it was. Aaron was against making new vampires.
“You know very well what is wrong,” he snapped and turned from me. “Follow me, please.”
Here we go. Because of this, I’d lose him and Kalia just as suddenly as I’d gotten them back, again.
TWENTY-NINE
Jose Luis managed to hang on for another month. Though he was weak and tired most of the time and his vision mostly blurry, he wanted to remain human until he could no longer fight. None of us actually thought he would fight as long as he did but he surprised us with his determination. He fought through the headaches on a daily basis and assured us he could handle it when we begged him to stop. He thought we might be able to get his sister back in time, so he could see her while he was still human and explain to her what the decision he made meant.
Aaron, though he was not entirely happy about the situation, understood my feelings for Jose Luis and also the fact that not only could I not bear to lose him, but neither could his sister. They had become orphans at such a young age that all they knew was the love and trust they had for each other. When Aaron argued with me, I reminded him of how he had allowed Kalia to turn Maia into a vampire, all to spare her life because she was so young. They believed Maia was ill, though her illness was only a ploy to get what she wanted. After comparing my situation with his own, he finally relented as long as I promised not to ever abandon Jose Luis. I also had to promise to make sure I trained him to hunt only criminals and to never shed innocent blood. Jose Luis and I had already discussed the conditions and rules he had to abide by once he was turned and he was in total agreement.
Kalia and Aaron remained with us. They called home from time to time but got no answer. They wanted Maia to be there so they could return to Oregon and confront her, but she stayed away. She had changed her cell phone number, which led us all to suspect she knew Christian had been there to talk to Kalia and Aaron and confirm she’d lied about everything. She was purposely avoiding returning and none of us had any idea of her whereabouts.
In the meantime, Lucia, Alegría, and Paco remained in the apartment upstairs though their father had been found alive. Giovanni and Mateo found Tomas roaming the beach one night, shirtless and shoeless. He was pale, thin, and pretty banged up. When they approached to speak with him, he panicked and tried to run before stumbling and falling to his knees. He was too weak to get away. Whether his memory had been wiped on purpose or whether he lost it because of his traumatic experiences remained to be discovered. He was currently in the hospital, receiving blood transfusions and extra iron, until he regained his strength. His tests showed no medical reason for his loss of blood, or memory, and when he was stabilized physically, he would be transferred to a psychiatric hospital so they could begin to deal with his mental status.
Because Tomas had no recollection of his kidnapping or anything that occurred up until he was found on the beach, it was decided that the children should be kept away from him, at least until he could begin to deal with what happened to him. Lucia went to the hospital every day to sit with him, leaving Alegría and Paco with us. The children spent most of their time in Jose Luis’s bedroom, watching movies, playing games or looking at comic books with him. Paco was especially attached to him, wanting to spend every moment he possibly could by his side. There were nights when Lucia came to get them and ended up taking only Alegría with her, as Paco would refuse to leave and sleep on a cot next to Jose Luis’s bed.
There had still been no sign of Mariana. Mateo went to work most days and then returned to the apartment to stay with us. Since he was still half human, he joined Lucia and the children for dinner upstairs every night. On the days he needed blood, Fiore, Kalia, and even Aaron took turns giving him what he needed. Though Mateo still loved Mariana, he was losing hope that she would return and give him what she’d promised: immortality. It was decided, with Aloysius’s consent, that if she did not return soon, Fiore would be the one to change him. He would develop an attachment to her, his maker, and that was discussed at length. Mateo affirmed he had no romantic feelings for her but would always cherish the friendship that had grown between them. His attachment would be purely maker and offspring and nothing more.
Many nights were spent in my room with Fiore and Kalia. They always offered a shoulder for me to cry on when the pressures of what was happening to Jose Luis and my loss of Christian got to be too much. Though I still suspected Melinda had something to do with his departure, I stopped voicing it after a while. None of us could figure out why he would’ve done such a thing so it didn’t make sense to keep talking about it. The hole I felt in my soul because of his absence was closing a little bit every day with their help. I never wanted to forget him but I knew I had to let him go. They were all right. I had others who loved me and depended on me and that’s what I tried to focus on most days. I admitted that when I was alone, my mind filled with memories of him and I felt as if I would burst. Which is why I barely spent time alone anymore.
***
“I see Paco is sleeping over again,” Aloysius said as we all sat around the dining room table.
“That is one strong little guy,” Giovanni said with a laugh. “He knows Jose Luis is dying and yet he acts like nothing is happening. I don’t know if could have done that at his age. I would have been full of questions.”
“Sir, do you need us anymore more tonight?” Margarita asked looking at Aloysius. “We’d like to go see a movie if you
do not.”
As I looked around the room, everyone smiled except Giovanni. He tried to act as if they were not an item, though the rest of us knew better.
“No, Margarita. You filled your post at the front door. You and Giovanni are free to go.”
Margarita smiled and nodded at Aloysius before bidding the rest of us goodnight. Giovanni followed her out the door without a word. We all laughed.
“That’s nice to see. They make a nice couple,” Fiore said as she took Aloysius’s hand. “If you’ll all excuse us, we have tickets for a play tonight. If we don’t leave now, we’ll miss the opening.”
As they stood Aloysius looked at me. “Will you be ok? Will Jose Luis…?”
“He’s resting peacefully. You two go ahead. Mateo, Kalia, and Aaron are here just in case.” I had left Jose Luis asleep after tucking him and Paco in for the night. Paco claimed he wasn’t tired but I knew better. Regardless, I turned the TV on for him before I left the room.
When they left the room, I turned to the others. “Things have been just a little too quiet lately, don’t you think?”
“I think we should take it as a blessing, especially now. Jose Luis is fading. I can feel it,” Aaron said. “I am glad we have been able to concentrate on him with no interruptions. Whatever Melinda and her clan might be brewing up, at least they are being slow about it.”
“That is true. Is it possible that she did make a promise to Christian and she is actually going to keep her word?” We could at least hope.
He shook his head. “I highly doubt it. She and her sister, Ryanne, are too vengeful for that, but we will take what we can get right now.”
“Aaron, do you think…?” I started to ask when I was interrupted by screaming at the top of the stairs. We all pushed from the table and ran to the living room.
Paco ran down, stumbled, and fell down the last few steps, landing on his rear with a look of panic on his face. I ran to pick him up and saw tears streaming down his face.
“Paco, what is it?” I asked as I scooped him into my arms and stood with him. “Is it…?”
“Jose Luis. He get up to go to bathroom. He say he did not need me help and then he fall down. He not gets up,” he explained the best he could with his limited English.
“Ok, honey. Thank you for telling us,” I said to him and kissed him on his wet cheek. “Mateo, please take him home to his own apartment, make sure he didn’t hurt himself from the fall.”
Mateo nodded and took him from my arms, walking out the door with Paco’s eyes glued on us.
“Oh, my God, Kalia! What do I do? Is it time?” I asked as the three of us ran up the stairs.
“Try not to panic, Lily,” Aaron advised as he approached the open door to Jose Luis’s room. “If it is time, we are right here with you.” He squeezed my shoulder and I took a deep breath.
“We will not leave your side, Lily, no matter what,” Kalia said. She turned the light on and stepped aside. I nodded and entered.
Jose Luis lay face down on the floor at the foot of the bed. As I kneeled next to him, his heart beat faintly in my ear. His breath was also faint and I sensed his life force dwindling away by the second. I lay a hand on his shoulder and rolled him over, careful not to shake him up too much in case he was nauseated. The color on his face was almost completely drained, his lips cracked and dry. Aaron rushed to our side and lifted him off the floor and Kalia pulled the blankets down on the bed before Aaron laid him down.
“Lily?” Jose Luis whispered, opening his eyes slightly and blinking against the light. “Is it you?”
“Yes, my love,” I whispered back, tears already rolling down my cheeks. “It is me. I’m right here by your side.” I squeezed his hand in mine, noting his warmth already leaving his exhausted body.
“Is Christian here?” he asked. “I want to say something to him.”
I looked at Aaron. His face looked pained, his lips tight. He nodded for me to continue.
“I’m sorry, love. He’s not here, but Kalia and Aaron are here with you, too. How are you feeling?” I’m not sure why I asked. I knew. I knew this was the end for him, at least of his human life.
He scrunched his face and tried to scream. Though no sound came out of his mouth, I felt his scream and pain in my soul. How could this happen to someone so young and innocent? How could God possibly allow a child to suffer in this way? It wasn’t fair.
“Lily, don’t do that to yourself,” Kalia whispered in my ear. “He needs you now. It’s time.”
Oh, God. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be up to Christian and me, together, to bring him over to our world. My stomach ached all over again with his absence.
Lily, it won’t do Jose Luis any good for you to choke up now. Kalia sat by my side. I nodded and wiped the blood tears off my face with the back of my arm. She was right. It was time to end his pain.
“Jose Luis, are you ready?” I asked as I leaned over him and whispered it in his ear. The smell radiating from his body was unmistakable. Death was ready to claim him now.
He arched his back as pain shot through him. His eyes opened wide as he stared at the ceiling and bit his lip to keep from screaming. Aaron rushed to kneel at the other side of the bed. The room suddenly grew cold, goose bumps visible on Jose Luis’s arms.
“He is here, Lily,” Jose Luis whispered as his eyes grew even wider. I looked around the room to see if someone had entered. No one had.
“Who is here?” I asked.
“He is here to take me with him. I don’t want to go with him. I want to stay with you,” he said as his heart beat even slower. “Please, Lily. Do it now, before he reaches me,” he forced through clenched teeth.
THIRTY
I turned to Kalia, not sure what Jose Luis was talking about. She shrugged. “Now is the time, Lily.” She pulled his pajama shirt off and tossed it aside. Turning his face to face her, she nodded to his neck. “If you want to save him, it’s now or never. Once his heart stops beating on its own, it may not work.”
Taking a deep breath and willing my body to stop shaking, I gathered what strength I had left and leaned over his neck. The vein there was still visible, though it pulsed irregularly. Kalia’s tender touch on my back encouraged me. I allowed my mind to call upon my thirst hoping my fangs would emerge. When they did, I took another deep breath. Picturing Christian’s face brought me the courage I needed at the moment. My fangs grazed Jose Luis’s neck before sinking through the tender flesh.
As his life force filled my mouth and ran down my throat, images of his life flashed before my eyes. His loving parents doted on him and his sister, leaving them all too soon to be ripped from their home and from each other. Bits and pieces of his life with the hunters flashed in my mind, out of sequence and making no sense. The longing for his little sister, whom he was told was missing and then possibly dead, kept him going on a daily basis. He never gave up hope that she would return to him. His love for me and Christian ran through my body, warming my limbs and giving me the strength I needed to continue the process of turning him. As images of his days with us in the apartment filled my mind, his heart beat faintly in my ears until the thumps grew farther and farther apart.
“Lily, that’s enough now,” Aaron said as he stood from kneeling at his bedside. “His heart is almost completely stopped. You need to release him.”
Reluctantly, I backed away from his neck, licking the blood at the corner of my mouth as I sat up. Kalia nodded when I held my wrist out to her, questioning with a raise of my eyebrows. Holding my wrist at my mouth, I bit down until blood flowed into my mouth. I placed my bleeding wrist over Jose Luis’s partially open mouth. “Nothing’s happening. Is he dead?” I asked when panic ran through me.
“Not entirely,” Aaron answered. “Just let the blood flow into his mouth. If you start to clot, bite again.”
“Try squeezing your arm a bit, make it flow faster,” Kalia coached at my side.
I squeezed my wrist with my fingers at
both sides, the open wound burning as I tried to ignore it. As I turned my head to tell Kalia it wasn’t working, Jose Luis’s hand pushed my hand away. He wrapped both his hands around my wrist and held on while he gulped at my flowing blood, filling his mouth as if starved. “That’s it, my love. You’re doing great,” I said. I wasn’t sure if this was exactly what was supposed to happen but my instincts told me I was on the right path.
“Just a little more and you have to pull away, Lily. He will fight you, but you must,” Kalia said and stood as if ready for his fight. “He will think he cannot stop, but he can, and he must.”
It was my life flashing in front of my eyes as I listened to Kalia, as if he were pulling those memories from my mind. Ninety years’ worth of memories, good and bad, ran through my mind until Aaron pulled me away from him, the flesh on my wrist burning as it tore out of Jose Luis’s teeth.
“That’s it,” Aaron said and wrapped his arm around my waist, holding me tight against his body. I hadn’t even realized until he squeezed me that I was trying to fight his grasp, trying desperately to give Jose Luis my wrist back. “The process is done. All we have left to do it wait.”
“Why don’t you come with me and wash your arm off before it heals,” Kalia said as she took my other hand and walked me out of Aaron’s arms and toward the door.
“No. He wants more. He needs more. I can’t leave him,” I yelled though she continued dragging me out of the room.
At the bathroom sink, Kalia ran the water and wet a wash cloth. She leaned me over the basin and let the water from the cloth run over my neck. “Splash some water on your face.”
“I thought we were washing my wrist,” I said in a huff.
“It’s already healing. I just wanted you out of there so you could catch your breath and calm down,” she said and continued soaking the back of my neck. My shirt was now also wet.
“What did I do?” I said as I stood and grabbed a towel from the rack, drying my face. “I just drank from an innocent child.”