Revenge
& Regrets
David
awoke about an hour before sunset, hanging from the bar, nestled
amongst his pack brothers. He’d joined them shortly after his kiss
with Star. His ambiguity over his true feelings, wouldn’t allow him
to stay with her and he’d left her to sleep alone - somewhat
confused, in his room. As his eyes quickly adjusted to the murky
light, he could make out her sleeping form below him, curled up
against a rock, wrapped in a thick blanket. He sighed quietly to
himself. She very rarely joined them in the sleeping chamber, unless
she was afraid. He scanned her mind to find out what was wrong and on
the surface he discovered a tangled mess of guilt and worry over the
last time she’d left her boys alone during their most vulnerable
time.
It’s
all well and good having Bluebell as a guard dog, but she’s not
pack. She’s not family. She belongs to her…
David
was about to tune out, when there was a flash and Star’s mind began
skipping over random words and feelings like water in a rocky stream.
Sharp
blades. Burning. Fire like ice. Suffering, torment.
The
flow of water began to pick up speed and mass until it became a
raging river complete with rapids of emotions threatening to drown
him with empathy.
Drowning,
gurgling. Searing agony. Itching. Got to get it out.
The
feelings and visions started to get more intense, each one snapping
at his consciousness with its razor-sharp bite. Every time he tried
to release himself from her mind, he’d catch a glimpse of Edgar or
Alan laughing hysterically at him. He slammed the connection shut and
hung precariously from the bar, breathing raggedly as he tried to
make sense of what had just happened.
As
he watched Star’s body twitch below him, he realised he’d just
received a glimpse into what she’d had to suffer during her time at
the Emersons. He understood now why she was so eager to stay as close
to him as possible. After being alone for so long with nothing but
those horrific memories to keep her company, he didn’t blame her
for wanting to be somewhere she felt safe. Even if that meant staying
close to someone she wasn’t entirely sure trusted her.
David
didn’t know if he could reassure her of that doubt either. The only
thing he was willing to admit to was that she was his and he was
determined that he would never let anything like that happen to her
again. Whether he loved her or not was irrelevant. She was family and
you didn’t turn your back on family.
He
dropped down from the bar, being careful not to land on top of her.
He sat down and waited for his clawed feet to morph so he could put
his boots on. As he was putting on his right boot, Star began to
shift next to him, whimpering slightly. Her hands were balled up
tightly into fists, proof that she was still fighting her inner
demons even while she was asleep. He looked over at her,
sympathetically and cradled her gently in his arms. He didn’t want
her to have to fight anymore.
“Star?
Wake up…” She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him.
“David?”
She shrugged out of his arms and sat upright, wrapping the blanket
tight around her body. “What are you doing?”
“I
think it’s about time I taught you how to focus on your own
hunger.”
“Now?
Don’t we have to go and see Eleanor tonight?”
“Not
until later. We’ve got enough time for me to teach you the basics.
Besides, it will be easier for you to do before you’ve actually
fed.”
“Okay,
so what do I do?”
“Close
your eyes.” Star frowned at him. “Trust me, just close your eyes.
I’m right here.” She slowly closed her eyes, waiting for David’s
deep voice to enter her mind and tell her what to do next.
“Imagine
the sound of a heart beating. Pumping blood around a body. Got that?”
“Yeah.”
“Now
imagine yourself at the centre of the heart, controlling its every
movement.” Star’s eyes suddenly snapped open and she turned to
give David a look of incredulity.
“Are
you fucking with
me?”
“No.
Now concentrate.” She exhaled sharply and began again.
“Are
you in the heart?”
“Yes.”
She sighed, cynically.
“In
front of you there should be several stop valves. These control the
flow to the arteries and veins around you. Now imagine them filling,
blood flowing through each one.” While he was speaking, he noticed
that her fists were clenched and she was shaking. “Turn off each
valve until only the middle one remains on.”
She
did as he asked, starting with the ones on the end and working her
way towards the middle. Eventually the flow to the arteries and veins
ebbed until they became just a trickle. Star felt her hunger diminish
with each valve that she turned off. Finally she only had one more to
go, but try as she might, she couldn’t get it to turn.
“Star,
what’s wrong?” David asked, noticing her distress.
“The
last valve is stuck. It won’t turn.”
“Just
relax and try again.” She tried once more and eventually the valve
began to give a little. She increased her grip on it and to her
horror, it came off in her hand and the blood continued gushing out
through the artery.
“Uh-oh.”
“What?”
“Erm,
the valve came off in my hand.”
“Well
put it back on.”
“I’m
trying, it won’t fit back on!”
“Well
it was on there before, so it must fit somehow!”
Star
placed the handwheel over the exposed stem and slammed her hand on
top of it, forcing it back into place. She carefully turned it until
she could turn it no more. The flow to its artery hadn’t stopped
completely, though.
“All
done?” David asked.
“Yeah.
Can I open my eyes now?”
“Sure.
How do you feel?”
“Better,
I guess.”
“We’ll
try it again tomorrow night and the next and so on until it becomes
second nature and you don’t even have to use the visualisation.
Until that time, if you ever have an uncontrollable craving, you can
do what you just did.” David felt a pull on his consciousness and
cursed as Ellie slipped inside.
Ellie:
David? David! Are you awake?
David:
Barely. What’s wrong?
Ellie:
All of you need to come to the warehouse as
soon as you can. Make sure you bring Bluebell.
“Looks
like we’re not getting a lie-in.” David sighed. “Boys! Wake
up!”
Above
them, the boys’ hanging forms started to shuffle. Marko was the
first to wake, rubbing his eyes with both hands. Dwayne followed,
blinking a couple of times before frowning at David and Star below
him.
“What’s
up?”
“We’ve
been summoned.” David said, tiredly. “Come on, the sooner we go,
the sooner we can get out of there.”
Paul
dropped from the bar in front of Star and scratched his head before
patting his stomach.
“Does
anyone else have a bad case of the munchies?”
oOo
When
the pack arrived at Ellie’s warehouse, they were greeted with a
flurry of activity. Many of her vampires were fortifying newly built
barriers outside, while the ones inside were working on reinforcing
all the points of entry. Bluebell’s face immediately filled with
concern.
“Something
really bad must have happened.”
“Aren’t
they just preparing for the gathering?” Marko asked.
“Highly
doubtful. Didn’t you see all the lookouts on our way over here?”
Dwayne remarked. “They were posted all throughout the district.”
Ellie
appeared on the balcony before them and beckoned them upstairs. When
they got to her office she looked incredibly tired and was still
wearing the same clothes she’d had on the night before. When her
guests declined the refreshments she offered, she collapsed in the
chair behind her desk and rested her weary head in her hand.
“El,
what’s wrong?” Bluebell asked, moving behind the desk to kneel at
her side.
“It’s
Julian…”
“What
happened? Is he okay?”
“No,
dear. He isn’t.” Ellie sighed, her voice awash with emotion.
“Who’s
Julian?” David asked.
“My
doorman. You met him yesterday.”
“Tall
guy? In desperate need of manners? Yeah, I met him. What about him?”
“He
was found in the early hours this morning, tied up underneath the
Pier. He’d been brutally tortured and his fangs had been forcibly
removed. I suspect he’s also been injected with that damnable serum
as his wounds have refused to heal even after feeding him my blood.”
Eleanor noticed her wolf and Star exchanging worried glances.
“This
news doesn’t seem to shock you, as much as I would have thought,
Bluebell.” Bluebell looked at Star once again.
“Star
came across the Frog hunters torturing a vampire last night.”
“Is
this true?” Ellie asked Star, who nodded.
“They
were interrogating him about something, I’m not sure what about,
though. I couldn’t make out what they were saying over his
screams.”
“I
do. They’re looking for—” Just then a knock came at the door
and a stocky, dark-haired man entered the room.
“Sorry
to disturb you, ma’am, but your other guests have started to
arrive.”
“Thank
you, Jonathan.” Ellie turned back to the boys. “We’ll have to
continue this later. I have invited a representative from each group
of the supernatural community to the gathering. I will be speaking on
behalf of vampires.”
“Why
you?”
“Because,
David, with Max gone I am the eldest vampire in this town. So I will
speak for us.”
“You
don’t speak for me or my pack and I’m sure there are other packs
out there who would say the same.”
“I’m
sure there are, David. It doesn’t change anything. Things are
swiftly getting out of hand and something needs to be done about it.
We haven’t time to debate who has the biggest fangs, nor play ‘my
sire can beat up yours.’ I will be speaking for us and there is
nothing else left to say about it!” Eleanor closed her eyes, which
had turned black during the heated exchange, and exhaled slowly. When
she opened them again, they had returned to their usual pale green
shade.
“Just
be thankful I am allowing you to attend this gathering at all.” She
said through gritted teeth.
They
followed Ellie to the floor below where the warehouse space had been
transformed into a meeting hall, with chairs lined up in front of a
podium. Some seats were already occupied, however Ellie directed the
boys, Star and Bluebell to a line of chairs behind it. Ellie took her
place and asked everyone to take a seat. The audience consisted of a
myriad of different species, who would rarely be seen together, if at
all. Various weres, demons, witches, ghouls, banshees, sprites and
even a few spirit forms among others.
“Good
evening.” Ellie began. “I have called you all here tonight, to
discuss a very real danger that poses a threat to us all. A ruthless
family of hunters that threaten our way of life. The family Frog.”
The crowd seemed to stiffen at the mention of the name.
“They
seem to have forgotten or chosen to ignore that this town belongs to
us. There are so few these days that allow us to be who and what we
are. If we wish for Santa Carla to remain in our hands and under our
influence, we must act quickly to rid ourselves of these pests.”
“I
don’t see how this is any of our concern.” Said the
representative of the witches, standing up. Her raven hair with
streaks of grey running through it, flowed straight down to her hips
and she observed the room with beady black eyes.
“It’s
our concern if they chase away all the tourists we feed on, witch.”
Said the demon representative.
“That’s
your problem. Not everything here needs to live off humans to
survive.” The witch retorted.
“Not
true.” Said Ellie. “You need humans just as much as we do. Who
will you sell your wares to if there are no tourists? How will you
make your living? And most importantly for you, Aida, if all the
humans we depend on to survive are no longer available, what or who
do you think we will use as an alternate source of food?” Ellie
smiled and the demon grinned wickedly at the witch known as Aida, who
glowered before quickly sitting down again.
“Some
of us already do.” Said a banshee on the other side of the room,
innocently, twirling her long silver hair around a bony finger.
“Bitch…”
Aida muttered.
“Come
now, I did not call you here so we could fight amongst ourselves. Let
us leave such childish behaviour for a less dangerous time. Say, when
there is not an enemy that threatens us all. There is hardly a
faction here tonight that has not been under attack from them. The
point is, what do we plan to do about it?”
“How
about what we do with every other hunter that’s been stupid enough
to come here?” Said a ghoul.
“Because
they aren’t like ‘every other hunter.’ They are not just trying
to make a name for themselves, Telemuus. They have a mission, they
believe in what they are doing and will stop at nothing to see that
it is done. Recent attacks also confirm that they are looking for
something to help them achieve this.”
“What
are they looking for?” Asked one of the weres.
“They’re
looking for the Shuvani Gypsies as they believe they possess a weapon
capable of ridding Santa Carla of the taint from demon-kind.”
“That’s
ridiculous…” Said a small voice behind her. Ellie turned to see
Star shifting uncomfortably in her seat as all eyes fell on her. “I-I
mean, I’m a…or at least I was Shuvani and we…they possess no
such thing. They have defences against us sure, but they don’t
actively hunt us down.”
“You
know these Gypsies, then?”
“Well,
yeah. I was brought up by them. I know their ways, their lore—”
“—Could
you get a message to them?”
“No,
I was cast out when I became a vampire.”
“But
you still have ties to them? Blood ties. You could find them.”
“I-I
guess…”
“Out
of the question.”
“I
don’t remember asking you anything, David.”
“She’s
not going back to them and that’s final.”
“This
isn’t your decision, David.”
“The
last time she went there, they tried to ‘purify’ her and her
father plunged a sword through her chest. She’s not ready for this,
Ellie. She’s still healing after months of torture at the hands of
those Frogs and being on the run from them. She’s NOT going!”
“Don’t
I even get a say in this?” Star interrupted.
“Of
course you do, my dear.” Ellie soothed, shooting David a dirty
look.
“So
just…let me get my head around this. You’re asking me to go back
to the family that I abandoned, who when I went back to explain my
actions, tried to kill me - in an attempt to prevent the Frogs from
getting their hands on something that I’m pretty sure doesn’t
even exist?” Ellie knelt down in front of her, took Star’s hands
in her own and spoke softly.
“I
can facilitate your revenge against those who hurt you and your
family.” Star scoffed.
“I’m
not David. Revenge is not something I’m interested in. It serves no
purpose.”
“Then
tell me what you do want?” Star looked at each of the boys in turn,
smiling, until her eyes finally rested on David, the smile fading.
She turned back to face Ellie.
“I
just want my family safe…so I’ll do it.”
oOo
“Ellie,
I want to talk to you.” David said as he barged into her office
after the meeting had finished. “I don’t want you using Star like
this. Max tried the exact same thing and look where it got him.”
“I
understand you wanting to protect her David. God help me, I even
think that it’s sickeningly sweet. Nevertheless I do not appreciate
being compared to Max.”
“Deal
with it, because if you do this, you’ll be making the same mistake
that killed him.”
“Dating
a woman with children?”
“No,
messing with me and my pack!” He said, before storming out and
slamming the door behind him.
“If
you’re serious about doing this, then I don’t think you should go
alone. Especially not after what happened last time.” Dwayne said
to Star. They were waiting outside the room where they were keeping
the injured vampire, Julian, as Bluebell had wanted to see him before
they left.
“Yeah,
one of us should go with you.” Agreed Marko.
“I
think it should be you.” Star said to him.
“Me?
Why?”
“You
know the culture. I know we belonged to different families, but you
were Gypsy too, once.”
“Yeah,
a long time ago.”
“Marko,
your the only other person who could find what it is we might be
looking for. Also, maybe the Shuvani wouldn’t be as threatened if
they catch us and sense you were once Gypsy too.”
“Oh
great! So you’re already planning on them catching you.”
“No,
I just like to be prepared for every eventuality.” A door banged
open down the hallway, and David strolled towards them dragging
heavily on his cigarette.
“Stubborn
little bitch.” He muttered as he approached them.
“You’d
better not be talking about me.”
“No,
Ellie.”
“Good,
because I’m still going, but if it will make you feel any better,
I’m taking Marko with me for protection.”
“No.”
“David,
you can’t stop me.”
“I
get that, but Marko’s not going with you. I am.”
“What?”
“I
don’t think this is a good idea and I don’t like it and I think
all that shit they injected into your system is poisoning you inside.
But if I can’t stop you from making a huge mistake, then I’m at
least going to go with you to make sure it doesn’t get any worse.”
“Do
you have any idea how condescending that just sounded? I am fine,
David. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think I could. I’m
ready.”
“I
don’t think you are and I’m going to keep you safe any way I can,
even if that means protecting you from yourself.”
“I
don’t need a babysitter, David. This has nothing to do with you
wanting to protect me, does it? You still don’t trust me. What? You
think this is all some elaborate plot to make sure the job gets done
this time? You have no idea of the hell I’ve been through since
you’ve been gone! My entire world was turned upside down just
because you didn’t trust me enough to tell me about Max. Well, you
know what? Maybe I can’t trust you after all.” Star turned on her
heel, fury striking every step as she walked away.
“What?”
David snapped, when the boys continued to stare at him.
“Aren’t
you gonna go after her?” Paul asked.
“Go
after someone that doesn’t trust me after all I’ve done for her?
No.”
“You’re
a fucking idiot…” Marko muttered.
“What
was that?!” David roared, however Marko was already walking away.
“You
heard…” He called behind him.
oOo
Star
arrived at the Gypsy camp a little less sure of herself than she had
been when she had set out to find it. They’d moved from the
campsite near the beach, which is where they had resided the last
time Star had encountered them and now camped much further from the
town. She walked the perimeter, on the lookout for any wards. Sensing
none, she moved into the camp itself, cautiously.
This
is ridiculous!
She
thought to herself. All the stories and folklore her people had
shared and she’d never once heard about any weapon to rid them of
demon-kind. Shuvani believed that all species served a purpose,
demons especially, as they believed, among other things, that they
inspired man to be better. So to go around destroying them wasn’t
exactly a useful goal.
Star
began to wonder how her family were and how they had coped with
learning their daughter had become one of these demons they feared.
She doubted they would even recognise her anymore, particularly since
she hardly recognised herself these days. She was ashamed to admit
that she hadn’t thought about them once since Marko had brought her
the possessions they had tossed out.
This
would be so much easier if I could just talk to an Elder. She
thought.
Elders
doors were always open to anyone who sought knowledge, however that
privilege was not extended to demons. Just because Shuvani believed
they served a purpose, did not mean that they were stupid enough to
let them go wandering around amongst them.
As
Star moved deeper into the camp, she could hear chanting and noticed
a crowd gathered around a bonfire. She shuddered, thinking about when
they had tried to throw her into a bonfire to ‘cleanse’ her soul
of the demon. She edged closer, keeping to the shadows as much as
possible. The ritual they were performing was unfamiliar to Star and
she wanted to see the runes or symbols they were using to see if she
could work out what it was they were doing.
Just
then, an Elder approached the fire with her hands to the sky. Star
watched curiously as she reached down, took an athame in her left
hand and sliced into her wrist, anointing herself with her blood that
fell. She then held her wrist over a chalice and allowed it to fill
with her blood. Once full, the Elder threw the contents into the
fire, turning the smoke a rich magenta. Star was utterly perplexed,
as she’d never known her people to use a blood ritual, something
that was usually reserved only for the witches in town. She was left
little time to ponder as the blood hit all of her senses at once and
she felt at war with herself once more.
She
was running before she had even thought to do so, and the crowd
gathered around the bonfire were now scattered around the camp,
fleeing for their lives. As she tore into throats, Star desperately
tried to remember the lesson that David had given her.
She
didn’t have to imagine the beat of a heart as there was an
orchestra of them all around her. She pictured herself inside the
heart, stop valves in front of her. They were all gushing, full
blast. However instead of flowing through the arteries and veins
around her, the blood seemed to be pooling at her feet. Star rushed
to turn off each valve, with the blood rising rapidly around her
knees. It seemed to be taking forever to turn off a single valve and
her arms were beginning to ache.
Two
to go and the level had reached her neck and it was becoming more
difficult to reach the valves. The blood wasn’t rising as quickly
as it had, however as the arteries and veins it would normally exit
through seemed to be blocked, it continued to rise at a steady pace.
Before long, Star was trapped in the heart, trapped by the deluge.
She could no longer reach the valves and the blood flow was now
drowning her. There was no escape and her mind went into full-scale
panic. Inside the heart, she was fully capable of drowning and losing
herself completely to her feral mind. Just as she began losing
consciousness, there was a muffled gurgling sound and the blood level
started to fall. Star gasped for air and coughed up the blood that
had entered her lungs.
She
came to, out of her catatonic state and observed her surroundings.
The camp seemed empty until a gurgling noise brought her attention to
the form in front of her. It was David. His throat had been torn out
and his shirt had been shredded open, exposing three long slashes
across his chest. Star brought her hands to her mouth and let out a
strangled cry when she saw they were covered in blood. David’s
blood.
“David?!
Oh my God, what have I done?”
A/N:
Eek! Really don't know how
that happened....
