Nevermore, the Complete Series (35 page)

Richard finished his sandwich and pushed aside the crumb-covered saucer before staring across the table at me. He crossed his hands, resting them gently on the table and studying me from afar. I felt awkward as we sat in silence, wondering just what he was going to say.

“I am about to tell you the history of the Waldron bloodline,” he finally said, his gaze never faltering, “Are you ready for it?”

“I think so,” I replied with a hint of interest, still not entirely sure how this would help solve my problem, but curious nonetheless.

“Your father has never heard it either,” he commented, finally looking away from me to glance at his son, “are you ready to hear it too, Paul?”

“I don't see why not,” he said, bitterness from the last conversation still evident in his voice.

Richard cleared his throat and flexed his thin, bony fingers. “The Waldron line has existed since the late-17th century, although vampires existed long before then, of course. The very first hunter was a man named Walter Ravensly – whom eventually was given the nickname of 'Waldron', meaning 'strong raven',” he explained, then requested a glass of water. I hesitantly left my seat and poured him a beverage and returned to my spot. “Thank you, Alexis,” he took a long gulp of water before resuming his story. “Vampires and hunters alike weren't as secretive or unheard of back then. It was common to discuss the undead amongst friends, family, and even strangers. They were vile, untamed creatures that killed with no concern for their victims – not too different from the vampires of today. Back then, you could go to just about any local store and find at least a crude vampire slaying kit.

“Walter Ravensly married and his wife gave birth to their only child. He passed on his nickname of Waldron to his newborn son Thomas, rather than Ravensly. Thomas Waldron was one of the first and few hunters capable of transforming into a raven, or so they say. He was unfortunately accused of witchery and burned at the stake. Even his father was convinced that this was evidence of black magic and he felt little remorse for the loss of his son. Before his death however, Thomas had wed and sired two children – Agatha and William Waldron, neither of which possessed any kind of ability to speak of.

“Nearly a century passed before another Waldron discovered his ability to transform. Clarence, however, was wise enough to keep the secret between himself and his closest friends. Three generations after Clarence and the third Waldron with the ability was born—Joseph. He, too, married and had two children – Richard and Carolyn. Joseph was discovered murdered a few years after his children were born – no doubt to the work of a vampire,” he frowned and looked down at the tabletop for a moment.

“Female hunters were unheard of until the 20th century, and as far as anyone has ever known...no Waldron girl had been born with the gift. Vampires became less and less seen and spoken of as the years went on. They learned to adapt with the times and became stealthy hunters. Ordinary folk speak of them like they’re myths nowadays, and criminals are blamed for most of their attacks.”

“Joseph,” I whispered, “he was your father?”

Richard smiled, “You’re pretty quick with your math there, kid. Yes, Joseph was your great grandfather. Carolyn didn’t live more than a few months from birth, sadly; otherwise I believe she might still be here today,” his smile faded into a frown once more. “But anyway, there are two reasons I told you two this history. The first is that it seems every third generation Waldron is born with the gift. My dad had the gift, your dad and I don’t. Which means you might have the gift, Alex. I know I said no women have had it before, that we know of anyway, but you might.”

“Grandpa...”

“Just hear me out, Alex. I think it might be possible, with the right mindset and some training, for you to become a raven.”

“Grandpa I already-”

“Alex, didn’t your dad teach you not to interrupt? Just listen. Now because of this possibility I think I have some ideas.”

“I can already turn into a raven!” I shouted, having had enough of him ignoring me.

“What? Nonsense. I mean…are you sure?”

“Umm, let me think. Yes! I’ve been trying to tell you that! I’ve been able to change for months now. I don’t mean to brag but I’ve gotten pretty good at it.”

“Well then, this just goes even more into the ideas I already had been piecing together.”

“And what are these ideas exactly?” Paul butted in, obviously wanting to get to the point already.

“Well…I don’t think she’s not going to die,” he stated confidently. “If you’ve noticed, her body is slowly changing into something else. She is showing more and more signs of turning into one of them, but it is going very slowly. Normally this would happen quite fast. By now she would have either turned or died. I think the raven part of her is stopping both of those things. Whether or not it will stop the transformation entirely I am still not sure of. Most peculiar of all though is that, among the normal signs of changing such as her skin getting paler, she seems to be taking on some physical traits of the raven form. Yes, I see it quite clearly now. Just look at her hair, I am almost certain it wasn’t like that the other day when I just saw her.”

I took in each word silently, considering what he was telling me. My relief at being told I wasn't going to die was unexplainable – but I was still uncertain whether he was right or not. There was no way for any of us to be completely sure. Without warning, he stood from the table and came to my side. The roughness of his fingertips pressed delicately against my wrist.

“Hmm. Your heart rate is quite slow. I think the raven in you definitely won’t let this kill you, but I’m afraid you may eventually turn completely into a vampire. As the process continues you will stop aging, you’ll grow cold and numb; you’ll even start to crave blood. Without it you would grow beyond exhausted, eventually dying without it.” He moved his hands to my head, holding it still and gazing deep into my eyes as if looking intently for something. “Ah, yes. It is as I feared, I think. You are still turning, the raven in you can’t fight it forever…it has just slowed the process. I stand by that we should just kill you now, before-”

“You watch your mouth. Dad or not, I won’t sit here and let you talk about killing my daughter like that. She is your granddaughter for God’s sake.” Paul chimed in.

“Well son, think about it. She will end up hungering for human blood. If she keeps any of the raven in her…just imagine how devastating she could be? You wouldn’t kill her to save hundreds? Thousands? How many vampires do you know that have ever been able to completely stop their thirst for human life?”

“I know of at least one,” I said quietly, before I had the opportunity to stop myself. This was probably not the best time to introduce Salem.

“What? You…know…a vampire?” Richard said with disgust.

“Yep...well, two now,” I mumbled, “but it isn't what you think. Salem can be trusted, he’s harmless to us.”

“Harmless?!” he shouted. “No vampire is harmless. I stand by what I said; we should be done with you and your little friend. As soon as a person becomes a vampire, they are no longer themselves!”

“That’s not entirely true,” Paul said, to my surprise, “that vampire saved her life…more than once.”

“Saved her life?” my grandfather asked, arching a gray eyebrow.

“You heard me. The last time…well… Alex had just been beat up pretty bad from another vampire, a malicious one, and,” I heard my father's voice crack, then he cleared his throat “Salem had to turn her to save her life...there was no other way. I…I let him do it.”

“You encouraged this?!” Richard shook his head in disgust. “He didn't save her, he destroyed her! You let a vampire kill your daughter!”

“She's not dead.”

“She might as well be! She’d be better off!”

“I wanted this,” I said angrily. “Salem asked before turning me. In the end, it was my choice. I chose to become a vampire.”

“How could anyone want such a thing?!” he spat in response, leaving my side.

“She’s in love with him,” Paul said listlessly. I wondered if he was still uncomfortable with the relationship between Salem and me, but I didn't have to ask to know the answer.

“In love with a vampire?” Richard gawked at me as if I was some sort of monster – which, I suppose in his eyes I was. I had become my own enemy. “This story just gets worse and worse, doesn't it? If I didn’t know better I’d think I finally went mad! Maybe I’m up in my hospital room staring at walls.”

“Let me put it to you this way,” I heard a voice coming from the living room. The lights were out and the curtains were drawn; all I could see was Salem's thin silhouette in the gentle glow from the windowsill. “Imagine Samantha, the love of your life, becoming a vampire. Before you begin insisting upon no longer loving her because she has become a ‘monster’, take into account that she is still the beloved woman you had always known – she doesn't feast on human blood, she is caring and generous, and she still loves you,” he paused for a second and stepped into our view, “however, you are a mere mortal with a limited lifespan, you are nearing your final breath each and every day while she continues to be young and beautiful – would you not desire to be immortal with her, eternally together?”

Richard's eyes bore into Salem's and I saw the quiver of his lips, the moisture in his eyes as he thought of my grandmother. He hung his head and sighed, “I want nothing more than to be with her forever…I’d give anything to have her back, even for a day.”

“Exactly. So then, perhaps you can understand Alex's situation a little better.”

“It still disgusts and befuddles me that a human could fall in love with a vampire,” my grandfather slouched in the dining chair and looked up as Salem entered the room completely. “You’re the one that turned her, then?”

“I am, and I regret it with every fiber of my being...but at the same time, there is nothing more I could ever want in the world,” he half-smiled. “The alternative was…well, I’d rather not think about it.”

“You’re quite unlike any vampire I’ve ever met,” Richard commented when Salem took a seat at the table. “The next thing you’ll tell me is that you’ll try to tell me is that you don’t drink blood, I suppose?”

“Not entirely. It is true that I have to have blood to live, just as you need food for your body. I get all the blood I need from animals…deer, rabbit, never humans. Even upon turning Alex, I did not consume the blood I extracted,” Salem replied simply and explained to him how he had refused to hurt an innocent human.

“Unbelievable...” The old man mumbled.

“I intend to make sure Alex is the same way. That is if what you think is true and she does eventually turn completely. Do you really believe she will live through this, so to speak?”

“I do,” Richard confirmed, never taking his eyes off of Salem. “And what about this second vampire? I suppose I’m supposed to think she’s all nice and innocent too?”

“That would be my half-sister, Hannah,” Salem replied timidly. “She is sort of the cause of this whole ordeal.”

“Hannah is the one that attacked me,” I explained quietly.

“Nearly killed you is more like it!” Paul barked, “I don't see how you’re letting her live after that.”

“It was all a misunderstanding, dad...” It was hard to keep my voice straight, as part of me was still uncertain if we were making the right choice.

“I don’t understand you, kid. You take all these risks, ruin your own life, and look at you. Bah! I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. But don’t think that I won’t kill the lot of you if it comes to it.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” said Salem. “I have never wanted anything more than animal blood, and I know Alex will be the same. My sister is already doing quite well, also.”

“For someone that’s been feasting on humans for…however long, I don't imagine she’ll find it very easy to cope. You better watch her real close, and if I hear of her even licking someone’s paper cut I’ll put her down myself,” Richard warned.

“That shouldn't be a problem,” a familiar melodic voice filled my ears. It didn't surprise me in the least that no one had heard her enter the house. “There is one more thing we need to discuss, though.”

“Who is this?” Richard gasped, staring at the beautiful young woman that stood in the doorway.

“Don't freak out, but this is Hannah,” I said, watching my grandfather cautiously. “What is it, Hannah?”

“The vampire you spotted on the way to Littlehaven...I saw her.”

Hannah informed the four of us that she had spotted the mysterious auburn-haired vampire lurking out in the woods, but unfortunately her good streak of feasting on animals had become obsolete. The vampire had been seen crouching over a dead corpse of what Hannah said was a young child, and she fled from the scene before Hannah could get a better glimpse.

“This isn't good,” I groaned. “We need to go stop her before she kills anyone else.”

“Let's not get ahead of ourselves,” Salem said thoughtfully, “are you positive she was the one that killed the child?”

“Without a doubt,” Hannah frowned, “she was very obviously feasting on them at the time. I hate to admit it, but it was so difficult to ignore the smell of the fresh blood.”

Richard shot her a nasty glare. “And how do we know you didn’t kill the girl and are just covering your tracks, eh?”

“Grandpa!
She wouldn’t do that!” I said, surprising myself by defending her. “Besides, her eyes aren’t red. If she had drunk human blood they’d be basically glowing by now.”

“If it is true that our new visitor out there has switched back to humans,” Salem added, “then she must be stopped.”

“Alexis should have no trouble hunting her, especially with her new powers,” Richard replied, and now all eyes were set on me – including Hannah's, a look of envy.

Richard smirked at me. “You are no doubt going to be stronger and faster now. Plus, your senses are heightened. I am curious though…”

“Curious of what?” I gulped.

“I'm not sure exactly. It’s just that, well...the raven part of you is affecting the vampire part of you in this form. I just wonder what, if anything, it will do to your bird form.”

“Well, go on then, get with it,” Hannah butted in bitterly.

“Wait, let’s go outside first. I don’t want to break anything if for some reason I can’t control the form anymore.”

I felt self-conscious as everyone surrounded me outside by the lake. The sky was darkening and I stared at the wide, luminous moon as it eased its way from behind the tall mountains. Averting my eyes, I focused my thoughts entirely on phasing. I blocked out everything else, including memories of Salem being in danger or hurt, as I knew now that merely concentrating on phasing would be enough to change.

I shut my eyes, picturing myself as the majestic ebony raven. Although accustomed to the twisting discomfort of my body changing shape, I didn’t know what to expect this time. Would things be different in this form too?

I had felt nothing, but was somehow certain I had taken form. The familiar feeling of floating above the air was not there, however. I opened my eyes and looked down to see nothing but my same old human body. Why hadn’t I been able to change?

As I looked up at my four companions to tell them the bad news, I noticed they were all standing in shock. If Paul’s mouth had been gaping open any further it would have been on the ground.

“What's wrong?” I asked with a twinge of panic.
“Why am I not phasing?!”

“Well, I wouldn't quite say you aren't phasing...” Salem replied quietly and pointed toward the lake, “have a look...”

I obliged and approached the edge of the shore. The image reflected in the water made me scream. Falling to my knees, I glanced at the girl staring back at me and shook my head. This was all wrong. My hair was no different from this morning, but my eyes were piercing black orbs – the eyes of a raven. I glanced down at my hands and saw that my ordinarily short nails were long, fierce talons capable of shredding something – or someone – to pieces. My eyes focused on the reflection again and I noted two massive, shimmering black wings protruding from my back. I quickly turned and looked at Salem, a questioning look in my eyes.

“What am I supposed to do like this?” I cried.

“Unfortunately, I think you will have to figure that out for yourself,” he replied with a frown, “maybe you should adjust to it, learn what you are now capable of, and get accustomed to this new form before you go hunting again.”

“That's a wise idea,” Richard added, stepping back some as he marveled at my appearance. I could tell that he was frightened, yet enticed at the same time.

“Do you think I will still be able to fly?” I could hardly bear to imagine not being able to feel the familiar sensation of flying over the world, being one with the wind.

“Well, try it and find out,” Hannah gave me a surprising hopeful smile.

The wings expanded, and I willed them to move without even a single thought. My feet were hovering barely a foot over the earth in seconds and I could hear the loud beating of wings behind me. A grin spread across my lips as a thought swept through my mind. Salem backed away slightly as I levitated toward him, but the reassuring smile I gave him made him stop. My deathly talons retracted as though claws of a wild cat, and I enveloped him in a tight embrace and within moments we were hovering several feet above the lake.

“This is...lovely,” he said as he took in the surroundings. The water rippled beneath us, shimmering with each stroke of moonlight. Hannah, Richard and Paul gazed up at us in amazement as we grew ever higher. I stared deeply into Salem's eyes as we began twirling through the air, as if dancing on an invisible floor. He smiled at me, not an ounce of fear shown on his flawless face. Despite how he looked, his hands were clenched tightly onto my waist as though he was afraid I would drop him.

“Now you know how I feel every time you carry me upstairs,” I laughed. The wind whipped around us, blowing my hair about.

“This will come in handy, Alex,” Salem said as he continued to marvel at the land below from a height he had never before seen it from. “If ever you need to save someone, you can just whisk them up to safety and then carry on fighting.”

“I guess you're right,” I replied, “I guess it’s nice not being confined to that little bird body, but hopefully I'm never in that sort of situation.”

“Hopefully,” he agreed and smiled admirably at me. “In a way, I am thankful for what has become of you...but I still can never forgive myself.”

“You'll learn to forgive yourself, Salem. After all, you are stuck with me forever now. Plenty of time.”

“That is all I could ever ask for.”

“Me too,” I replied and pressed my lips against his tenderly then lowered us to the ground.

As our feet met the dew-covered grass, Hannah ran toward us with a wide smile. “Can I take a turn?” she asked pleadingly.

I laughed and pulled her into my arms. She felt thin and fragile, despite the strength I knew she possessed. “Just don't expect any kisses,” I said as we rose above the ground.

“You can save all of that mushy crap for Salem,” she made a disgusted expression, and then laughed as I spun us around above the lake. Despite her vast age, despite her past and what she had become, in this moment of laughter and giggles I could see the same little girl from the vision of Salem’s past, and knew we had made the right decision to let her live.

I lowered us to the water's surface and dipped our feet into the cool liquid as we skid across the rippling waters. Once we reached land, I released her and caught my breath. I was surprised I could already control my new strength and abilities so easily.

Everyone continued to stare at me as I stood at the water's edge, once more taking in the reflection that stared back at me. Salem approached my side and intertwined his hand with mine. I felt some relief at his touch, now admiring his figure next to mine on the water's surface.

“Do you still think I’m pretty, even like this?” I asked bashfully.

“I would consider you beautiful no matter what, Alexis,” he replied and pulled me close, “just as I know you would find me no less attractive had you met me and I was still covered head-to-toe in burns.”

I smiled, “Nothing could make you less beautiful to me. From the very first day I met you, I knew there was something special about you.”

The perfection of the moment was broken when an idea – a memory – dawned on me. Salem had told me that when Raziel turned him, he could see his past, present and bits of his future. What had Salem seen of me when he bit me? I was afraid to ask, afraid to know – even though I was almost certain I had no reason to be.

“Salem...” I uttered, “There is something I need to ask you.”

“Anything.”

“What did you see-”

“We should head inside,” Richard interrupted. “It’s late and I don't know about any of you, but I’m tired and twice as hungry!”

I sighed and looked up at Salem, “I guess this can wait until later...”