Son of Dracula ||Book Two||

Columba

The rest of my night was spent in silence. I did my best to blend into the memorial for mother, but my outburst had certainly put a damper on the overall mood. Father had insisted that it was okay, but I knew the truth.

When daylight began to break, small rays bursting through the cracks in the curtains, we went our separate ways. Mother's memory would linger, but wouldn't be remembered like this for another year. I waved goodbye to my brothers as we all vanished into our bedrooms to lead our own lives for the day.

I fell into the comfort of my bed, sighing as the relief of being alone landed across me. In my bedroom, I was allowed to be whoever I wanted and to think whatever I pleased. No one could tell me if I were right or wrong. The only person that mattered here was myself.

I reached towards the curtains as the sun began to sneak in, letting the tips of my fingers touch the light. Small exposures wouldn't kill me, but would merely imitate a burning feeling. I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to touch the sun as a human. The servants had mentioned that it felt warm and comforting, thus why mother was nicknamed sunshine by father all those years before.

Sooner than I would have liked, it became too much. I pulled my tingling fingers away from the sunbeam and allowed the curtains to fully block out the light. Darkness engulfed my room again, but it wasn't one that I was comforted by. Sunrise signaled loneliness.

I hoped that sleep would comfort me, or would at least lull me away from the encounter with father. It failed to do so. I tossed and turned over the thoughts, trying to convince myself that it would be worth the trouble to simply obey his wishes. I was old enough now; if I really wanted, I could leave.

But where would I go?

The world was endless, but I didn't know much about it or how welcoming other places were of my kind. If I left my family, there was a chance they wouldn't let me come back. I'd automatically disconnect myself from them. Then, I would truly be alone in this world for the rest of eternity.

I wanted to stay, truly. I wanted to get along with father and my brothers. I wanted to see things from their perspective, to be freed of my own thoughts. No matter how hard I tried to talk myself into believing it, another voice spoke louder that told me to defy it. It refused to be silent.

Given that my mind battled itself throughout the day, my sleep was little to none. I could feel the temperature of my room cool as the sun began to disappear from the sky, but I didn't move. Even as I sensed people beginning to walk around our home, I merely pushed myself further into my pillow. I could hear Caelum run down the hall, laughing as he shouted about racing one of the servants. Throughout the ruckus, I merely laid there.

I didn't have the energy to move. I was exhausted and my head was pounding from the situation I was in.

I found myself drifting in and out of sleep, waking to Caelum or Alistair knocking on the door. They knew I was inside, but they also knew why I hid. It was like this everytime father and I bickered. I would hide myself in my room and father would hide himself in his office. The only way to guarantee space from each other was to exclude ourselves in our respective corners and hope the other didn't walk up to us.

Further into the night, the sounds only grew louder. People spoke at every volume, some screaming and shouting while others laughed. Lamps were turned off and on, fire crackled away at some candles that had recently been lit. Pots and pans from the kitchen clanked against each other while footsteps came from all around. I could hear father writing his papers, the pen furiously pressing into the letters.

Then, there was a lady humming.

It was entirely out of place, thus being enough to pull me free from my irritation over all the noises. A sense of peace washed over me as I listened to the humming. It was a tune that was familiar, yet my mind wouldn't let me remember where I had heard it before. I sat up in my bed, pushing my hair out of my face while I focused on where the sound was coming from. It was strange how clear it sounded.