I found myself in Forgotten Hollow, which I had never been to at night. Sure, Jade, teleport straight into the heart of a town of vampires at night. Death wish!
I suppose all of this was a death wish. Not only was I in Forgotten Hollow, but my sole purpose of being there was to meet with the thirstiest vampire across the whole world. Mentally beating myself up, I marched straight to the path leading up to the giant mansion on the hill. It towered over the rest of the town, boasting to even it’s residents that it was the biggest and the best. The manor itself was beautiful and dark. Fit for the only grand master. As I approached the entrance to the path, I felt very apprehensive. I knew this wasn’t a good idea, and Caleb and Morgyn didn’t even know I had left, let alone where I was. However, if I had told them, neither of them would let me go. I needed to do this.
I held my breath, as if I would be masking my scent from Vlad by doing that. Foolish. I trekked up the long path regardless. The sound of the howling wind, chirping crickets and squeaking bats crowded my mind. I wondered how many of those bats were actually bats. They could have been vampires in disguise, lining up to watch my fate be sealed.
Approaching the door, there was complete silence. All of the noises that had taken up my thinking space were dormant. There wasn’t even a sound in the house. No creaking floor boards, no music, TV, laughter.
I almost turned around, but I stood my ground and furrowed my brow. I knocked on the door and waited, my heart in my throat.
Vlad was quick to answer the door in his dark form, with his bald head and long, pointy vampire ears. His eye sockets sunk deep into his skull, giving full view to his glowing white eyes and menacing brows. I took a step back, but I was familiar with the dark forms of vampires. I glared at him, exasperated.
He smiled at me, which appeared genuine, though I couldn’t tell through that form. “Ah!” He exclaimed. “Rarely does a mere mortal come to visit me. Such an honor!” He took my hand and pressed his cold lips to it. “Excuse me. I’ll get into my more acceptable form.” He closed the door quickly and I heard a magical whoosh sound. The door reopened, and he was in the form I had seen before.
Vlad appeared to be an old man, but he had stopped aging in his twenties, when he became a vampire. I had always thought that maybe he used vampire magic to make himself appear old and wise. Or maybe he took a liking to looking like a grumpy old man.
“I’ll cut straight to the chase,” I narrowed my eyes. “Because I already see you eyeing my neck, and frankly, I don’t like this raggedy old town.”
“Oof, my pride, dear one,” he put his hand on his chest. “I’ve put a lot of love into this town of mine.”
“Yes,” I scoffed. “It shows in its residents, eh?”
He grinned menacingly. “Perhaps Caleb wouldn’t be too happy to hear you insult his home?” He took my left hand and inspected it for a ring. “Shame, you aren’t a Vatore yet.”
“So, you know who I am,” I put my hands behind me. “Then you know I’m a sage and protected against your powers.”
“Ah, ah,” he held up his finger in protest. “Not all of them, but let’s not play semantics.” He took a step back into his house. “Would you come in? I don’t like the draft.”
“I’m not staying,” I said. “I want to know about Ambrosia Vatore.”
“Ambrosia?” He asked with a smile. “Now, that’s a name I haven’t heard in a very, very long time. I’m intrigued! If you would come in, I would be happy to help you.”
“I told you,” I gritted my teeth. “I’m not staying.”
He narrowed his eyes and gave me that menacing grin again. “Do you want answers?”
I looked around, subconsciously looking for Caleb. “Yes.”
“Then…come…in,” he held out his hand, gesturing to the inside of his home.
God dammit. I stepped inside and he quickly shut the door.
“My, my, look at you under the light!” Vlad circled around me. “You even stand like a Vatore! Proud and snarky, like you’re better than the rest of us. You certainly have that Vatore attitude.”
“Stop projecting,” I demanded. “Now, Ambrosia.”
“Yes, yes, fine. What do you want to know about sweet, sweet Ambrosia?” Vlad stood before me, eagerly waiting.
“Everything,” I said.
“And for what purpose?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“If Caleb is looking for his dear daughter, then maybe he should have come to me.” Vlad shrugged.
“He doesn’t know I’m here,” I said. “And I’m looking for her for my own personal reasons.”
Vlad sighed. “Shoot down my fun, then.” He gestured toward his dining table. “Let us sit.”
I walked over and sat down. He sat across from me.
“Ambrosia is the daughter of Caleb Vatore and his fiancé, Ruby Hayes,” he started, “born in the forest of Glimmerbrook as they were chased by vampire hunters. She was taken by the hunters that killed her mother right after she was born.” He looked away, in thought as he spoke. “It’s my understanding that they thought they had killed Caleb as well, but somehow, that rat survived.”
I took a deep breath.
“Yes, yes, I know, dear Jade. I get it. Our opinions of Caleb differ significantly. I’ll get back on point.” He glared at me. “The hunter who killed Ruby was Jack Betancourt. Or at least, that was the name he told people. His name was actually Jack Smith. He felt that was too generic, so he took the name of another vampire he killed; a vampire in my high court, Kristofer Betancourt.” He gestured toward a photo. “There, on the wall. Such a damn shame. He was a good vampire, like the Vatores, but I was shaping him and training him quite nicely. He was embracing his dark side. I was not prepared for his loss.” He looked at me sadly. “He was the closest thing to a son I’ve ever had.”
“So Vlad has a heart,” I smiled. I wasn’t sure if he would appreciate my sarcasm.
“Perhaps I did then,” he agreed. “His death was the beginning of my unraveling.”
Okay, that was just sad. I backpedaled. “I was half joking.”
“You associate with the Vatores, so I already know you don’t like me,” he growled. “I get it.” He cleared his throat. “They changed Ambrosia’s name and went into hiding.”
“Did they change their names too?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I lost track of them when they went into hiding. They changed her name first.”
“To what?” I asked.
“A-” he stopped. “Amy? Ava? I don’t remember.”
I tilted my head. “You don’t remember, or you just don’t want to tell m-“
“I don’t remember!” He bellowed, standing up. “Ambrosia is the reason I didn’t kill them when I had the chance!”
I also stood and placed my hand on my wand, ready to run. “Why did you spare them?”
“I couldn’t leave an innocent child to die,” he spoke calmly now. “I don’t care if she’s a Vatore. She was an innocent life.”
“Would you know if she is still alive or not?” I asked.
“She’s still alive,” he nodded. “It would be big news in my circle if a vampire died. But keeping track of them while they’re alive is far more difficult.”
I shook my head and sat back down. Vlad followed.
“Why do you want to find her?” He asked.
I looked up at him and opened my mouth, but closed it quickly and looked away.
“I shared a sentiment with you,” he reminded me.
“I am Ruby,” I said quietly.
“That’s impossible. Ruby died.” He shook his head.
“Do you know about reincarnation?” I asked. “Her spirit chose me, because as she’s said to me, she knew I was destined for greatness. If anyone could find Ambrosia, she said it would be me.”
Vlad studied my face a bit. “Come to think of it, you do look like her,” he said. “Just more…modern.”
“For obvious reasons,” I rolled my eyes. I stood up. “I need to get home. I teleported away without telling Caleb or Morgyn where I was going.” I reached for my wand.
Vlad stopped me. “Morgyn? As in Morgyn Ember?”
I nodded. “Yes, why?”
He grinned evilly. “Oh, my, sweet Jade, you aren’t going anywhere.”
“I’m sorry?” I asked, stepping back.
“I have something I need from him, and now I know exactly how I’m going to get it,” he grabbed my wand and snapped it in half.
I laughed. “Well, that was dramatic. Lucky for me, I don’t need a wand.” I stepped away from him. “Transportale!” I shouted.
I teleported, but just beside the door.
“Huh?” I looked at my hand.
Vlad approached me. “Just as not all of my powers work on you, you are powerless in my home.”
I glared at him. “What do you want from Morgyn?”
“He can resurrect the dead!” Vlad grabbed an urn from a shelf behind him. “I want my son back, just as you want your daughter back, Ruby!”
I didn’t want to tell him that I could perform that spell too, but I didn’t want to remain here either. “And how is Morgyn supposed to know I’m here?”
“You’re going to tell him,” he gestured toward my pocket where my phone was. “And he’d better not get Caleb involved.”
“Or what?” I challenged him.
“I’ll kill him,” Vlad said calmly, almost gleefully.
How do I keep getting myself into these situations?
“I guess I’ll be here forever then,” I said defiantly. “I’m not getting Morgyn involved in this.” I sat back down at the table.
“You what?” He demanded angrily. “Just like that?”
“Just like that,” I nodded. “I refuse to put either of them in danger anymore.” I glanced over at the door. If I could just find a way out, I could teleport home.
“So you have a habit of putting those you care about in harm’s way?” He laughed. “My type of gal.”
I clenched my teeth. “I’ll never be ‘your gal’!” I barked, using air quotes.
In a flash, he was in my face. “I don’t want you anyhow! Anything the Vatores have touched is tainted goods.”
I laughed. He sounded like a child. “Your immaturity is showing, Vlad.”
He growled and walked away. My lack of fear was getting to him. He thrived on scaring the hell out of people, but honestly, after a dragon war and surviving Marco’s reign of terror, I didn’t have any fear left to give. He wouldn’t get what he wanted from me.
“Problem?” I asked with a smirk.
He turned around and glared at me, but didn’t say a word. I continued staring at him, smirking triumphantly. I loved taunting him. He was right. I had learned from Caleb and Lilith. I adapted their sass in order to drive him mad. I knew I was treading dangerous territory though. He could easily subdue me with a bite. Though, then he would be in dangerous territory. If there was one thing I learned about Caleb from his confrontations with Marco was that it was very unwise to piss Caleb off.
Maybe I should have thought about that before I came here. I knew Caleb would be furious that I willingly put myself in danger to find answers about a topic he and Morgyn were trying to get me to balance with all I did. I never learned, did I? I kept putting myself in situations I shouldn’t simply because determination told me to do so. After all, what could go wrong? Ah, good to know my sarcastic thought process was still intact. I started to feel frustrated with my own inner monologue.
“So, Beast, will you show me to my room, since I’m apparently your Belle?” I asked, standing up.
“Seriously?” He growled. “A Disney reference?”
I smiled. “Good job! I’m glad you recognize it. You just gained a few karma points for that.”
He rolled his eyes and gestured toward the stairs. “Pick one. It’s not like I can use any of them anyway.”
“Oooh,” I grinned, brushing his shoulder as I walked past. “Salty vampire misses a bed.”
“Would you just shut up?” He snapped.
“If I annoy you enough, will you let me go?” I giggled.
“If you annoy me enough, I’ll kill you,” he looked away. I found this interesting. He didn’t believe his own words.
“No you won’t,” I said, walking up the stairs.
I heard him growl again as he walked away.
I walked into the first bedroom I found. A plus side was that the house was beautiful. In my short stay, since I knew I would find a way out more sooner than later, I at least had a beautiful backdrop.
I turned on the light and saw a bunch of photographs on the walls. Vlad with Kristofer. I walked over to admire them. Kristofer was a handsome man, clearly a lost soul who was being taught by the wrong vampire. Had he been taken under Caleb, Lilith or Ruby’s wings, he would have had the respect he deserved. But he still would have been killed. Vampire hunters were unavoidable. I wondered if they still existed. Up until Ruby’s dreams, I had never heard of them other than in TV shows and movies. Though they were romanticized. The hunter falls for a beautiful, seductive vampire and changes their ways. It clearly wasn’t like that in real life.
Looking at the photos, I actually felt bad for Vlad. He looked so happy in the photos, giving Kristofer a noogie in one of them, Kristofer giving Vlad bunny ears in another, smiles and laughing faces in all of them. They looked so modern, despite them clearly taken a very long time ago. I smiled back at their faces. Maybe Kristofer was just what Vlad needed? Perhaps that was the key to his happiness, as Ambrosia was mine. Yet, the defiance within me refused to grant Vlad’s wishes. I refused to have Morgyn come, and I didn’t want to perform the spell myself either.
I sighed and sat down, gazing at the rug on the floor and tracing the floral pattern with my eyes. I took out my phone and was greeted by a bunch of messages from Caleb and Morgyn. Closing my eyes, I put my phone back in my pocket. I couldn’t tell them. I selfishly opted to let them worry.
I laid down on my back and stared at the ceiling, feeling sleepy. It’s not like I could sleep here. Too much worry and anxiety. Vlad had his very own blood doll now, didn’t he? He didn’t need to go out to bite someone. He could just come into the room and bite me. I learned from my incident with Caleb that he could kill me simply by taking a deep drink, so I needed to make sure I didn’t let that happen. Standing up, I searched the door for a lock. Skeleton key. Of course. Lucky for me, there was one hanging beside the door. Unlucky for me, there were probably a few dozen more strewn about.
I locked the door anyway and turned out the light. Lying down, I thought about it. Vlad knew better than to kill me. Caleb would tear him into tiny, screaming vampire pieces without hesitation.
To be fair, I would have loved to see that.
I chuckled softly, imagining the chaos in my mind. I suppose it was morbid, but for obvious reasons, I frankly didn’t care.
I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes, it was morning. I stood up, brushing wrinkles out of my clothes and walked downstairs.
To my surprise, Vlad was nowhere to be found. He certainly wasn’t good at this hostage thing, was he? I looked around and walked over to the door.
Vlad appeared in a black mist before me. “Nice try,” he said, a scowl on his face.
“You won’t get what you want from me,” I said, walking away.
“Did you enjoy those photos?” He asked.
I stopped. “What?”
“You chose the room I keep my photos in,” he observed. “Did you like them?”
I sighed. “Yes. Kristofer seemed…nice? He certainly enjoyed his time with you.”
He nodded, staring off.
“I’m not sure you’re going to find what you’re seeking by bringing him back,” I admitted, walking toward him again. “It’s been a long time, and he may just want to rest.”
Vlad glared angrily at me. “I want my son back.”
“I understand that, but don’t you think you’re being selfish by bringing him back from eternal sleep?” I looked away. I knew I was rocking the boat too much, but I was desperate to leave.
He grabbed me in a flash and slammed me against the wall, causing me to hit my head pretty hard. “Selfish?” He roared.
I felt dizzy. “Yes,” I whispered. What was I doing? “He’s dead. There’s nothing you can do about it.” My eyes felt heavy. I shut them tightly to ignore what was happening around me. I felt like my head was floating, the dizziness making me nauseous. I snapped them open again.
Vlad let go of me, dropping me to the ground. “I could say the same about you, searching for a daughter that isn’t even your own.”
I stared at the floor, still on all fours, my nausea getting worse. “She’s alive,” I squeaked out before coughing. I tried to get up to run to the bathroom, but the dizziness stopped me. I fell to the floor and passed out.
When I woke up, I was in the bed I had slept in. I was still very dizzy and disoriented.
Vlad appeared beside me. “You’re awake.”
“I need a doctor,” I said quietly.
“No,” he shook his head. “You need Morgyn.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re bringing me to the brink of death to make Morgyn come to heal me?” I sat up. “You’re a sick freak!”
He shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.” He looked me over from head to toe. “But you value his life more than your own, then?”
“I suppose so, if that’s how you want to take this.” I closed my eyes and rested my head back down. “If you could just leave me alone, that would be great.”
He nodded. “As you wish.”
He disappeared into a mist again.
I sighed and sat up, gripped by nausea again. I grabbed the garbage can and vomited.
“Ugh,” I growled, clenching my stomach. He was right. If he was going to deny me a doctor, my only hope was Morgyn. Unless I could heal myself? I closed my eyes and whispered a healing spell, still clenching my stomach.
Nothing happened. I opened my eyes again. Sighing, I laid back down and stared at the spinning ceiling. I grabbed my phone and opened my message with Morgyn.
“No,” I whispered, putting it back into my pocket. Maybe I did value his life over mine. I recalled something Ruby had said before our final fight with Marco. We would need to stop protecting each other and work together. But this situation was different, wasn’t it? I would be luring Morgyn into a trap. I refused to do that.
But he’ll bring Caleb. No, that wouldn’t be good either. Vlad desperately wanted a reason to kill Caleb. Bringing him here would be disastrous too.
Good, Jade, what were you thinking? I deserved this. I got myself into this mess. I got cocky. All of this power did well against other spellcasters but didn’t fare well against vampires.
Sitting up again, I decided to put my determination to good use. I reached for my wand. Oh, right, it’s broken.
“Transportale!” I shouted again.
Nothing happened. I didn’t even teleport to the door. I laid back down, angry. Feeling tired again, I closed my eyes.
Don’t sleep. Don’t sleep. Do not sleep! I snapped them open again and stood up. The dizziness almost made me fall to the floor again, but I stuck it out. I paced the room, trying to think of a way out. I looked at the window. Approaching it, I looked down.
“That’s a long drop,” I said. “And this window doesn’t even open.”
I sighed. No use. Dizziness got the best of me and I found myself on the bed again, curled up in a ball to curb my new growing wave of nausea.
“I’m going to die here,” I whispered. I closed my eyes again. Don’t sleep. Don’t sleep. Don’t….sl—
“Jade?” I heard. The sweet, melodic voice woke me up. I gazed groggily up at a blurry figure. I recognized his golden hair even if he was fuzzy.
“Morgyn,” I whispered. “What are you doing here? You need to get out.” I sat up, coming to very quickly. “No, you need to get out of here!”
He sat on the bed and held me. “Shhh, shhh, calm down,” he comforted me. “Vlad told me he found you just outside of his property, lying on the ground with a weak pulse. He asked me to come help you.”
“It’s a lie,” I whispered.
“What?” He asked, confused.
“It’s a lie!” I repeated angrily. “He tricked you. Now you’re trapped here with me until you give him what he wants.”
Morgyn shook his head. “Jade, you’re hurt and disoriented. I’m going to heal you and let you rest at home.” Still holding me, he pulled out his wand.
“Transportale!”
Nothing happened.
“Uh,” he glanced around nervously.
I looked up at him. “I told you.”
He held an expression that was a mix of fear and anger. Lying me back down on the bed, he knelt beside me and cast his healing spell.
Slowly, my dizziness went away. I took a deep breath, thinking clearly.
“We have to tell Caleb,” he said, pulling out his phone.
“No!” I grabbed it. “Vlad will kill him.” I sat up. “It’s just us.” I gazed desperately into his green eyes. “Okay? Just us.”
He nodded. “Just us.”
I sat up. Morgyn glanced around.
“So, how do we get out of here then?”
“He wants something from you,” I said.
Morgyn looked at me, confused. “What would a vampire want with me?”
“He wants you to resurrect his son,” I explained. “He won’t let us leave until one of us does it.”
Morgyn looked at the floor, deep in thought. “He has to recharge his vampire energy somehow.”
I nodded. “Right, but how often do you see Caleb sleep?”
“Oh, right. Yeah, it’s rare.”
“Mhm.”
“So, then what?” He asked, getting frustrated.
I shrugged. “I would say one of us could distract him, but that means only one of us would get out.”
He nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“I’m sure we will think of something.” I smiled faintly at him. “Thank you for healing me.”
He also smiled. “Of course, love.” He hugged me.
“Well, isn’t this sweet,” Vlad said as he teleported in.
Morgyn looked at him. “I healed her. Now we’re leaving.”
“No,” Vlad shook his head. “You’re not leaving.” He looked at me, then at Morgyn. “I’m sure she told you what I desire.”
“She did,” Morgyn nodded. “But that type of magic comes with a price.”
“I’m willing to pay any price to be with my son.” Vlad eyed Morgyn angrily.
Morgyn shook his head. “He may not be the same man you once knew.”
Vlad growled and got in Morgyn’s face in a flash. “I will make him the man I knew!”
Morgyn sighed, thinking about it. “I really do not want to do this.”
“Me either,” I blurted out.
Vlad turned his attention to me. “What? You can do it too?”
“Yes,” I said confidently. “But, like Morgyn, I didn’t want to do it.” I narrowed my eyes. “Especially if it’s demanded of me.”
Vlad walked to the other side of the room. “I don’t see why this has to be so difficult.”
“Because it’s unwise to do a spell like that,” Morgyn explained again. “I don’t see how that’s so hard to understand.”
With a frustrated grunt, Vlad teleported out of the room in a cloud of mist.
“Well, that went well,” I rolled my eyes.
“It’s not going to get any better,” he sighed.
I shook my head. “No, it’s not. We need to get out of here.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, pacing again. “We either have to wait until he’s occupied or we have to give him what he wants.” I stopped, suddenly remembering the events of the day. “Jewel!”
Morgyn looked at me, eyes wide. “Yes. Jewel.” He furrowed his brow. “Remember that whole distraction thing? I’ll distract him and let you go to be with her.”
“No!” I disputed. “I’m not going anywhere without you!”
“But what about her?” He asked, frustrated. “She needs you.”
“You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me!” I barked. “I came here willingly.”
“What?” He stood up. “Why would you do that?”
“I needed answers, and Vlad is a goddamn stalker. If anyone knew where Ambrosia was, it would be him,” I explained.
Morgyn rested his head in his palm. “Seriously? You put yourself in danger for your search?”
“I put myself in danger for my daughter!” I retorted.
“Jade, you are being reckless! Don’t you realize? What is it going to take for you to stop putting yourself in these situations? Your goddamn death?” He crossed his arms.
“I guess so!” I snarled, angry that he would make such a statement. I walked out and down the stairs. I marched over to Vlad.
“Is this what you want?” I yelled, getting into his face. “You’re enjoying this, driving a wedge between Morgyn and I for your own sick pleasure?” I threw my hands up. “Is this what Kristofer would have even wanted?”
Vlad shrugged. “No, and I didn’t plan for you two to fight.”
I walked away and looked out the window. “Let us go,” I said calmly. “We’re no good for anyone when we fight.” I turned around and looked at him with pleading eyes. “Please. I have to be in the magic realm. There’s a girl who needs me.” I looked down and furrowed my brow. “She has no one else.”
For a moment, Vlad looked empathetic. “Give me what I want,” he said, his face turning back into a scowl.
“No! We won’t do that!” I got angry again. “We-“
“We aren’t here to bend the rules of mortality,” Morgyn interrupted me. He walked up behind me and put his arm around my waist.
“Ugh!” Vlad grabbed Morgyn. “Fine! I’ll force it out of you!” He wrapped his arm around Morgyn’s neck, holding him in a chokehold.
I rushed at him, charging myself as I did. I removed my shield and crashed into them at full force, grabbing Morgyn with my arm. Just as I had hoped, our combined power caused a shock that knocked the wind out of Vlad.
Morgyn stood up and pulled me back. “Thanks,” he whispered, holding his hand at his neck.
Vlad also stood up. “I’ve had it with you two brats!” He roared, charging at us. This time he grabbed me. “I’m rather thirsty,” he spoke calmly. “I will drain her completely if you don’t give me what I want. I tried doing this calmly, but you two are so damn combative that you had to do this the hard way!” He used v aspire energy to grab the urn and place it in front of Morgyn. “Now, do it.”
I shook my head. “Morgyn, I survived this before.”
Morgyn pulled out his wand.
“Morgyn, don’t!” I cried. “You’re giving in.”
He hung his head. “I don’t have a choice.” He looked back up at me. “How much harm can it do?”
I looked at Vlad, then back at Morgyn. “This is Vlad we’re talking about!” I shook my head frantically. “Don’t.”
Morgyn lifted his hand and started to speak the Necrocall spell, the precursor to the Dedeathify spell. He was cut off by a loud crash in the foyer. Before we could even comprehend what was happening, Caleb and Lilith darted into the room angrily. Vlad let go of me just in time for me to jump away from him as Caleb grabbed him. Lilith rounded Morgyn and I up and brought us outside. As we got out there, we could hear the crashing and thumping of a struggle, glass breaking.
“Are you alright?” Lilith asked me, shifting out of her dark form.
I rubbernecked, waiting for Caleb to come out. “Y-yeah.”
She followed my stare. “He’ll be fine. He’s angry.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I said.
Lilith turned to Morgyn, who was walking off toward the trees in the yard. I watched her walk away and quietly headed back inside. I came in just in time to see Vlad dart toward Caleb from a flying position. I took a chance and activated a shield. I charged toward them, getting between them.
“Leave him alone!” I shouted, my shield shooting off of me toward Vlad. It propelled him backwards into the wall. He fell to the ground, unconscious.
I stood straight and turned toward Caleb who glared at me with his glowing red eyes. I reached to put my hand on his shoulder, but he walked away and outside.
I followed. “Caleb, thank you. I—”
He held his hand up and continued walking. I followed him outside, but I knew I couldn’t talk to him about this.
I put my hand up. “Transportale!”
Just like that, I was in the magic realm.
Jewel approached me. “Jade! I was starting to think you weren’t coming!”
I smiled warmly. “I’m so sorry for my tardiness, Jewel. I was feeling a bit under the weather.” I mean, I wasn’t lying. “Are you hungry?” I gestured toward the kitchen.
“Yeah,” she stuffed her hands into her pockets. “I didn’t eat lunch.”
“Oh?” I asked. “Why not?” Truthfully, I knew the answer would disgust and anger me, but I asked anyway.
“I didn’t have the money.”
Just as I thought. I started seeing red. “Really?” I tried to sound as calm as possible. I stopped and reached into my pocket. I always made sure to carry cash in case it was ever needed. Since my newfound fame on SimTube, I had a lot more money to carry. I pulled out a one-hundred dollar bill and put it into her backpack.
“No, no, Jade,” she shook her head.
I smiled and nodded. “It’s alright. I want you to eat.”
She nodded obediently and followed me to the kitchen. I quickly made garden salad and served us. I hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before, and was starving. I was still feeling a bit disoriented, but I chalked it up to adrenaline rather than hitting my head. Nerves were also a large factor. I knew Caleb was upset with me. No. He wasn’t. He was absolutely livid with me. I didn’t blame him. I put all of our lives in danger only to find out one small piece of information. It wouldn’t even help!
We started to eat, but my mind was definitely elsewhere.
“Are you alright?” Jewel asked.
“Huh?” I asked. “O-oh, yeah, yeah. I’m alright.” It was only a half-lie. I didn’t want her knowing about what happened, for obvious reasons. This poor girl had enough on her plate. She didn’t need my help.
“My parents didn’t come home last night,” she said quietly, shuffling some lettuce around on her plate.
I dropped my fork. “What?”
She looked at me, scared. “They always come home eventually.”
I saw the fear in her eyes. She wasn’t scared because of my reaction like I had thought. She was worried about her parents.
“Perhaps we could go look for them instead of training today?” I smiled.
She shook her head. “No. I want to train today. They might come home tonight.”
I nodded. “Alright.”
Jewel looked around. “Where’s Morgyn? Weren’t you going to train me together?”
I looked away. “I’m not sure if he’ll be able to make it today.”
“Why not?” She inquired.
“Something came up,” I looked back at her with a smile.
“Oh,” she smiled and ate another bite of her salad.
I sighed and pulled out my phone. I texted Morgyn to ask if he wanted to join us. I figured it was a bad time, but I didn’t want him to miss out.
To my surprise, he responded right away. “Was just texting you too. Look, I know Caleb is upset with you. Just give him time.”
I replied quickly. “That’s why I left. I feel awful. Are you coming to the realm? Jewel is asking for you.”
“Aww,” I could almost hear his smile in his message. “That’s sweet. I’ll be there shortly.”
I nodded as if he was in front of me. “Tell Caleb I love him and I’m so, so sorry.”
“Of course, love. Don’t worry, he’ll come around.”
I felt tears in my eyes. I sure hoped he would.
Jewel stood up and put her empty bowl in the sink. Sitting back down, she looked at my half-eaten salad. “Are you still not feeling well?”
I looked at it as well. “Y-yeah, I’ll just throw it out.” I laughed nervously and stood up. After washing my bowl, I walked over to her, my hands folded in front of me. “Shall we?”
She giggled as her eyes brightened. “Yes!”
We were about a half hour into training when Morgyn showed up.
He kissed my cheek. “Hey you.”
I smiled. “Hey.” I know I was looking at him apologetically. He waved his hand as if to tell me it was alright.
We got to training Jewel together right away. She rose to the next rank pretty quickly, ready to learn like I was. I smiled, proud of her as if she was my own child. I suppose that could have been due to our power, but also because of the way she was being treated. I couldn’t stand the fact that this girl was forgotten. She was brilliant, and I wanted to make sure she would never be forgotten by anyone again.
Morgyn hugged her. “You did great today, Jewel.”
I smiled as she hugged me next. “Morgyn’s right. You are bright. You’ve done well.”
Jewel looked like she was just crowned Miss Universe. She was so happy. She waved goodbye to us and walked away to head home with a pep in her step.
Morgyn watched her as she walked away, smiling proudly. I smiled as well and wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him. He did the same, holding me close. He turned to face me and tilted my head up to his.
“I don’t know your reasons,” he said. “And I can’t even say I agree with your choices, but I am sorry for yelling at you, and you were pretty awesome against Vlad. Really brave.”
I smiled sadly. “Everything was fine until I said that you and Caleb didn’t know where I was. As soon as I mentioned your name, he changed to…that.”
Morgyn nodded slowly, gazing down at me, concerned.
“This is just the beginning,” I said, fearfully. “He’s angry. He will come back for us.” Tears filled my eyes and I buried my face in his shoulder. “God, I’m so sorry!”
“Shh,” he rubbed my back.
“I keep putting us in danger,” I whispered.
“Hey, we’ll get through it,” he responded.
“I don’t want to go home,” I continued my whispers. “I’m ashamed and scared. I’ve never made Caleb so angry.”
“I calmed him down,” Morgyn assured me. “Lilith did too. And you know he would never hurt you.”
“I know, but I hurt him. Us. All of us.” I clenched Morgyn’s jacket up into my fist as I sobbed again. “I always do this!” I pulled my head up to look at him. “Why do I always do this?”
Morgyn raised his hand in the air and teleported us home.
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