She looked at me, taken aback by my tone. "What happened honey? Why are you talking to me like that?"
"Sorry, for my tone, but I can't help it. I need to get some answers."
"About what, honey?" She said still not getting my point. Or she was pretending not to.
"About my father. And my grandfather. What happened the night I was born? Where was I born anyway?" She sighed.
"I knew you would find out some time. I couldn't hide the truth from you for a long time."
"So, will you tell me now?" I asked her impatient.
"Come." She simply replied.
She led me to a wooden bench, asking me to sit. I waited for her to tell me. Now, after so many years, the door hiding all the secrets that tortured me all this time would finally be opened.
"When I met your grandfather I knew immediately he was the one. It was like I had found my other half. Not to mention I had seen him in a vision. I was very young when we met. Maybe a year younger than you. He felt the same. We couldn't avoid our feelings. No one can."
I couldn't ignore her last phrase. No one can... Would that really happen in my case too?
"So, we waited until I finished school and after that we got married. And then everything changed."
"What do you mean?"
"Although, I had told your grandfather about me and he had succeeded of course in my father's training, he never told me about himself, until..." She stopped abruptly.
"Until when?" I encouraged her.
"Until a man showed up on the doorstep. I was about to give birth to your mother. He requested to see him. He said it was an emergency." She stopped again.
"What happened next? Who was that man?"
"When your grandfather saw him, he seemed shocked. And really worried. But, he tried to hide it, as he didn't want me to worry in my condition. But, he forgot the fact that I was prophetess and I could sense pretty much everything. Not to mention that I knew him very well. He asked me to go upstairs and leave them alone. I didn't protest. I could sense something very serious was happening. They were talking for hours. Or at least it seemed so. After that, he came to me and explained everything."
"And by saying everything you mean..."
"He told me everything about himself, about what he was. I couldn't believe what I was hearing."
"What did he tell you?" I half-yelled fed up with her evasions.
"He told me that he was the descendant of a very powerful warrior who belonged to a team along with nine others which was called The Circle of Ten. Their purpose was to hunt down and kill vampires, after the failure of The Five. They were..."
"They were vampire hunters created by witches who wished to vanish every vampire walking on this earth. I know. And I know about The Circle of Ten. What I want to know is how all these are related to me."
"I see. As you already know, this team was secret. And had to remain secret. Your grandfather had to leave because there were suspicions that someone had found them out. You see, he was one of the leaders of this team. Unfortunately, they were right. Someone had indeed found them out. In the meantime, I had given birth to your mother who was growing up without a father, like you did. I was waiting for him to come day after day, night after night. I hadn't lost my hope that he would return one day. I knew he wasn't dead, as I would have seen it or at least I would have felt it. The years passed and there was no sign of him. Your mother had reached your age. But, she knew everything. I had told her everything. I didn't want her to hate her father for not being there with her. I wanted her to understand. And she did understand. She knew that her father wasn't there because he wanted to protect her. To protect us. But, suddenly, one day he appeared on the doorstep. He was there safe and sound. He had returned for good. He reassured me that the danger was gone and everything was going to be normal again. I can't describe the happiness I felt that day. Your mother was more than happy to meet him. It was like all these years he was missing had just disappeared. He was there for us, finally. I couldn't be more grateful."
I listened to her in amazement. "What happened next?" She smiled.
"They had to fight in order to win. And as I told you they did. But, that didn't happen without any loss. Your grandfather's best friend and the other leader of The Circle of Ten, was killed by vampires. And his son was left alone. So, your grandfather adopted him, in a way."
"Let me guess. It was my father, wasn't it?" I asked her, but deep inside I knew the answer.
"That's right. They knew they were meant to be together the minute the saw each other. Your mother had also seen him in a vision of hers. They were so adorable." She said smiling sadly. I mimicked her.
Were... I wish they were with me right now.
"When your mother finished high school they got married and moved away from Mystic Falls. And when your mother learnt she was pregnant, it was just perfect. But, of course that didn't last long."
"She saw that she would die giving birth to me." It wasn't a question.
"Not only that. She also saw the death of your father, the death of her husband."
"I can't imagine how she felt." I commented.
"She didn't worry about herself. She was worried about you. She was upset because you would grow up without parents."
"I had you." I reminded her.
"That's not enough and you know it." I lowered my head. It was true.
"So how my father died anyways? I'm sure he didn't kill himself." She sighed.
"He didn't. In fact he never wanted to abandon you. He loved you and your mother. Although, no one managed to hold you in their arms. Cassandra, your father died protecting you and your mother."
"What do you mean?"
"The Circle of Ten thought they had pushed the danger away, but they were wrong. It came back, seeking for revenge. And this time it won. Partially."
"What do you mean?" I asked again.
"Cassandra your father was murdered. Along with all the others. Vampires killed every single member of The Circle. You, Alexander and sixteen other children are the last descendants of these warriors."
"I hate to be the last descendant." I exclaimed.
"I understand, honey. But, we cannot escape fate."
"That's true." I replied.
Then it came to me. "What happened the night I was born?" She sighed for once again.
"That's the most difficult part of all." I prepared myself for the worst. I didn't know that the worst would come later. "When The Circle realized the danger it was too late, half of the members were murdered. Your grandfather went to help your father, but they didn't manage to face them. This time they were much stronger."
"Yeah, but how did you get me? I mean was my mother alone while giving birth to me?"
"No, she wasn't. She gave birth to you while your father and grandfather were fighting outside to save both of you. She hadn't told anyone about her vision."
"And?"
"That night I saw my last vision. I saw my husband dying. I saw my daughter dying giving birth to my grandchild. You were the only thing keeping me alive. After that I devoted myself into raising you, so the pain wasn't that strong. But, that doesn't mean it has completely gone away. Sometimes, I can still feel the pain of that night, the pain of loss and I'm sure sometimes you feel that way too." I lost my words. I couldn't imagine her pain. And I couldn't judge her for not telling me the truth. Now, I understood.
"But, still you haven't answered my question. How did you get me?" She didn't reply immediately.
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because that was your mother's last wish. Not to tell you anything about the person who handed you to me. Please, respect that."
"Why didn't she want me to know? What could probably be so terrible?" I asked not understanding.
"One day, you will find out and you will understand why she wanted to keep you in the dark."
I sighed. Not all the secrets were revealed, but it was enough for today.
"Why did you tell me my father had killed himself?"
"What did you want me to say? That he was murdered in a fight with vampires?"
"Of course not. I didn't mean it that way. You could have said he died because of an illness or something else. Why suicide?"
"I thought that would produce fewer questions. But, I was wrong. You would always try to find about your father and your grandfather. I'm sorry I had to lie to you, but there wasn't any other way."
"It's ok, Granny. I understand why you lied to me. You wanted to protect me. If I were you, I would have done the same."
"Any other questions?" She said smiling. I thought for a moment.
"Each member of The Circle had a magic talisman that gave them physical power. Did my father have one?"
"Of course he did. He had inherited from his father. Your grandfather had one too. But, they weren't just the average talisman of the other warriors. They were the talismans of the leaders."
"Which means?"
"Which means you are coming from a generation of the best vampire hunters in history. You are the descendant of the two leaders. You are special."
"Yes, not to mention I'm the last descendant of Cassandra. As I said, I hate to be the last descendant."
"It wasn't your choice." She pointed out.
"I know."
"Where can I find them? The talismans?" I asked shortly after.
"They are well hidden. I didn't want to put your life in danger, so I hid them. I'll find them and I'll give them to you. Just be careful. No one should see them. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Granny. Don't worry. I'll be careful."
"Anything else?"
"I think that's enough for the time being." She seemed relieved.
"Now, tell me, how was your summer with Alexander?" I smiled.
"Well, he trained me to fight against vampires most of the time and then we went on a trip."
"That's very thoughtful of him. Remind me to thank him later. And where did you go?"
"We started travelling in search of our fathers."
"When you say ours?"
"It wasn't just me and Alexander. There were also the other kids of the warriors. Everyone."
"That's why you wanted to learn about your father."
"Yes and I had a very interesting meeting with someone." I continued.
"Really? Who?"
"I think you know her. Her name is Arianna."
"What?"
Author's Note: Well, the mystery has been solved... Well, partially... Some questions were answered, but new have been created? Who do you think saved Cassandra that night? Why did her mother want to keep their identity a secret?