It was a long drive from Paris to Montmorency, but after two hours, we'd arrived to my uncle and aunt's house. Their house was now old-looking, with chipped paint and it had a big yard which was located at the end of the small road surrounded by old houses on each side. I always loved staring at the historical houses.
Aunt Clarisse led Alliyah and I onto the guest room, the same one my siblings and I stayed at when we were here a long time ago. It hadn't changed that much.
I was grinning like a fool as I stared at my open suitcase. It had been so long since I had acted like myself, the fun-loving, crazy Persephia that would behave a bit like Alliyah sometimes. But now, I was breathtakingly happy that somehow I got passed the American, and now French Security with this in my bag. Yes, I was carrying something illegal in my bag. It was a drug. A drug that with just one whiff, you'd be falling unconscious within seconds. I needed this for my plan-- the plan that would get me the blood I needed. My plan was quite simple actually: disguise Alliyah and myself as one of the guests at a party in the chateau, find Mr. Vierzon(my donor)and get him to a private place, drug him, get the blood I need then get the hell out of there. I was nervous that it would be easier said than done. Which I knew it would. It would happen this Friday, since that's when a party will be held there-- it said so on the chateau's website. A famous and reclusive author was having her birthday party there, and at the same time she'd be signing books that she wrote; it would be the first time in 30 years since she did that. And good thing it wasn't some sort of private party-- you were permitted to come so long as you were staying at the chateau. Alliyah and I would get reservations tomorrow.
I held my teddy up and felt the plastic bag filled with the sleeping powder in it. No one suspected the teddy bear, of course. Who would? Alliyah was seated on the bed, beside my bag.
"Okay, you look so creepy. What are you planning with that bear?" Alliyah joked.
I realized that I did look creepy and whiped away my grin. "This is where I placed it."
"Oh. You mean you placed it there?" she nodded knowingly then looked away. "What is 'it' again?"
I rolled my eyes. I had discussed my plan before we borded on the plane that was headed to France. Leave it up to this girl to forget so easily.
"The drug, remember?" I controlled myself from talking too loud.
"What drug?" she cluelessly asked.
I let out a frustrated sound and just didn't bother to explain because Alliyah would get it when the plan was going to be initiated. But then again, this was Alliyah...
"The drug we're gonna use to make Mr. Vierzon unconscious. Ugh! You never listen!"
"I'm sorry. I was busy eyeing a really handsome guy who was seated behind you. Can you blame me?" she smiled innocently.
I stared at her with a deadpan face.
"I cannot believe you." I said nonchallantly.
"What?" she retorded.
I ignored her, focusing on the little figure that peered through the door of my uncle and aunt's guest room.
I was bewildered at who that kid was. "And who are you?" I sweetly questioned.
The kid tentatively stepped in. "My mom wanted me to tell you that dinner is ready." he said in a very low voice that had a cute french tone, not answering my question.
Alliyah looked at the kid then to me.
"Why are you we just staring at each other?" Alliyah said after a moment. "Let's go already. I'm starved."
The kid, no more than seven maybe, ran along the corridor before we reached the door.
We went down the stairs then stepped into the kitchen, catching the aroma of a mouth-watering soup-- possibly chicken.
"That smells delish, auntie. Is it chicken soup?" I asked.
Aunt Clarisse's back was to me. Without turning around she said, "Why, yes, dear. My little Philippe requested it for you. He just thinks I make the best soup in the world."
"You do, mama." The kid shyly said.
Alliyah and I took a seat beside each other.
"Is he your kid, Auntie?" I asked.
"Yes. He is. Didn't you-- oh that's right! He wasn't born yet when you were last here!" she realized. "Well, he was born a year after you left. His name is Philippe." She looked at Philippe. "Say hi to your cousin Sephy, honey."
"Hi." he sheepishly said.
Aunt Clarisse served the food and soon we were joined by her husband, Elise and Maddy. But Walter still wasn't here.
"Auntie," I said, "where's Walter?"
"Oh, he's not coming home until this saturday, dear." She seated herself. "Did I tell you he already got a job?"
I shook my head while I chewed.
"Well, he works as a business manager now. We're so proud of him! He has a flat at Paris, he only visits us once a week to give to us some of the money he earns. He helps us so much now! We can finally afford luxury things like the T.V." She grinned so wide.
"Oh, that's wonderful." I said blankly as I took another spoonful of soup.
Alliyah nudged me then whispered, "who's Walter?"
"Her eldest son." I answered.
"Oh." she nodded.
We ate the rest of the dinner while doing some small talk. Aunt Clarisse was asking how my mom was doing, what job I had, and if I'd ever plan to settle down or if I already did.
My mom and I weren't really in good terms since I didn't want to go to college, just like Elise. Instead, I chose to start working and have painting as my profession. Of course not listening to my mother didn't do well for me. I earned very little. And in Damian's condo, I barely had any space to do my art. My mom was real angry at me and disowned me for not paying attention to her, I guess. She's never returned any of my calls, and her answering machine stated that she was at a party, or club, or bar or whatever. All my other siblings graduated college and been well. I was never really that close to them since I was my parent's real child and my dad spoiled me.
I just told my aunt that my mother was doing great and was having the time of her life.
When Elise finished eating dinner, she said nothing and just left. I stayed and helped her mother wash the dishes, so did Alliyah and Maddy. Uncle Pierre and Philippe was just in the living room, watching T.V.
I was wiped the dishes when Aunt Clarisse was done rinsing them. She paused doing so then sighed and said, "Elise worries me, Sephy."
"Why auntie? Because she doesn't want to go to college? She can always find a job that doesn't require a college diploam." I assured her.
Aunt Clarisse shook her head. "But still, she'd earn very little."
"Well, yeah." I admitted. I didn't go to college and look what happened to me. I was completely dependent on Damian.
"But that's just half of what worries me," she paused then whispered, "Sephia, I have a fear that Elise might plan to elope with her boyfriend."
"Then you'll have only Maddy and Philippe to left to worry about." I chirped. But that didn't lift her mood at all. She just stared into space as she handed me a plate.
"Do you think I'm a bad mother?" she asked me with a sad look.
"No auntie. You're wonderful," she managed a tiny smile,"it's just that Elise is the way she is. Maybe it's because her grandmother raised her. I think if you just left her there, she would've become much worse than she is now."
"I still can't help that maybe I might not be doing enough for Elise." she breathed heavily.
"Trust me, you've done enough. Just look at Philippe and Maddy--and Walter!-- they're good children."
She giggled. "Yes. They are just the best."
"See?"
"Perhaps you are right." she said. "But what if Elise comes home one day, telling us that she's pregnant? I wouldn't know what to do!"
I looked at my aunt disbelievingly.
"Umm... I'm pretty sure they use contraceptives." I told her.
She forced a laugh. "Oh yes. How silly of me." But she still seemed sad.
After helping clean up the rest of the kitchen, Alliyah and I went upstairs. I didn't get to see Elise for the rest of the night. I wondered if she sneaked out of this house like I did before.
I still remember so vividly the nights when I would sneak out, the last time I was here, eight years ago. It was maybe 10 in the evening. Everyone was asleep, I thought. I slowly got out of bed, not wanting to disturb any of my siblings and stealthily got out the window, climbed down the pipe and made my way to the neighbor's barn just a few yards away. And outside the fence, sitting under a tree, he'd be there waiting.
His blond hair glowed silver as the light of the moon shone on it. I could still remember his head slowly turning to see me--- his gentle face written with over-whelming relief that I had actually shown up...
I shook my head and snapped out of it. Remembering him made me feel something grow in the pit of my stomach that I'm sure isn't a good thing. Butterflies. Damian was so going to be furious if he found out. But Sevran was just a thing of the past.
Alliyah and I got ready for bed. There was only one bed, so we shared. We kept the window open so that a breeze could come through, my relatives owned no air-conditioner. I turned the light off, then slipt under the blankets beside Alliyah.
But Alliyah just couldn't go to sleep without talking about men.
I slept on my back, my face to the ceiling. She wiggled to her left side to face me.
"Hey." she said.
I moved my head to look at her. "Yeah?"
"What's Walter like?" All of a sudden, out-of-the-blue, she asked. I've never heard her talk so solemnly about a man before, neither have I heard her ask what some man was like. She'd usually shriek when she talks to me about men.
I shrugged and didn't dare tell her that Walter was good-looking. "He's nice.”
"Nice how?" she pressed.
"Just nice. He's a real gentleman."
"Is he handsome?"
That was the question I'd fear of her asking, because if I answered yes, she'd become ecstatic.
"Just average." I lied.
"Oh."
She changed her position so now she was sleeping on her right.
"G'night, dollie." I whispered.
"Good night." she peacefully said.
And I thought that she'd drifted to dreamland a few minutes later, but she shifted and faced me again. I was staring out the window, thinking of Damian, then slowly turned my head to her again.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing." she retorded. "I can't sleep."
"Why?"
"Tell me more about Walter."
I looked at her with my brow raised. "Why? Wouldn't you much rather want to talk about the handsome Frenchmen you saw today?"
"I'd much rather like to talk about the one that I didn't see, Seph. He's intriguing."
"Why would you say so?"
"I don't know. It's just that I base everything about a guy on his looks. And I'm wondering what Walter looks like. This family doesn't really seem fond in keeping pictures."
"That's because they can't afford a camera, Al. And looks aren't everything." I said.
She contemplated. “I know. But I still don't want to end up with an ugly man.”
I giggled. “Yeah.”
“How's Damian, by the way?” she changed the subject.
That's right! I was thinking on calling Damian before Alliyah started talking to me again.
I got up to get my phone. “I need to call him. I haven't called him since we arrived.”
I unzipped my bag and found my phone beside my medicine.
“Shoot! I forgot to take my meds!”
Alliyah also got up of bed now. “I'll go get you some water while you call Dame.”
“Okay.”
I dialed Dame's number and the phone started ringing. It rang for a few more seconds, but no one answered so I dialed again. Still, no answer. Maybe he was asleep now? But wait, the timezone in France was different in L.A. I sighed.
Alliyah came back with a glass of water. I drank two tablets then waited a few minutes before going back to bed. These meds always made me feel dizzy and weak.
I went back to sleep and was dreaming a nightmare about turning into a blood-thirsty monster. In my dream, it was like I was insane and Damian had... left me. So did Alliyah. I looked like an ugly bat in my dream and if I didn't get the blood I needed, my organs would slowly rot and lead to my body being eaten by worms-- and I was still alive and feeling it. Everything felt so real. But no matter how much I wanted to wake up and stop dreaming, I just couldn't. I was trapped in this world where people feared me because I was different and could kill them, although I didn't really want to to, but I had to. In the same way that I had to steal, Mr. Veirzon's blood. But what if that wasn't enough?
A/N: So, two chappies in a weekend! Boring, I know! But we're almost getting to the interesting part, guys, so stay tuned. And vote, comment, share!