I rapped on the wall three times to get their attention. Violet was the first one through the door. "What's going on?" She sniffed the air. "Who was in here Brady?" She fired at me.
The magic Natalia used to move the dresser had left an odor behind. Foster's eyes darted around the room as he strolled in. I pointed to the chairs. "Please seat down." Violet frowned but did I asked. Foster on the other hand refused to budge.
"Please sit down. I will explain everything you need to know in a moment. First I need you both to watch this video. I reasoned with him. He crossed his arms but sat down next to Violet.
I knew the precise moment when Henry appeared on the screen by the sharp intake of air. Once they had enough time to digest the shock of seeing Henry. I dropped the Donovan bomb on them.
When the dust settled I explained Natalia's unannounced visit and her proposal. Foster came on board fairly easy but Violet not so much. "Have you lost your mind?" Violet fired at me.
"Do you know what Katherine will do if she found out we helped Natalia? I am not ready to die." She looked from me to Foster. "Are You both ready to die for some human girl?"
Foster shrugged his shoulders. "Katherine lied about Henry's murder so at this point forming an alliance with Natalia is not going to put us anymore at risk than we already are." He stated.
"How do you figure?" Violet fired back.
I spoke up. "We know a secret Katherine does not intend to let get out. She will make sure the secret stays buried by silencing us permanently. We are officially on the wanted list."
"You two do what you want." Violet sighed. "I will help you any way I can but I will not work for or have any direct dealings with Natalia Roswell." She insisted.
There was one matter left to be discussed. "Natalia has offered us the use of her cabin up on Athena Mountain. I think we should take her up on the offer." I suggested.
Violet was adamantly against the idea but lost the final vote when Foster sided with me stating it would allow us the privacy we need to move around away from curious human eyes.
"Fine. You win." Violet threw her hand up in frustration. "I will pack up the rooms while Brady checks us out." She ordered. I left brief instructions on how I wanted my bag packed then went down to the lobby to check out.
I was surprised but grateful to find it was Mia and not Darla behind the counter. "Good Morning." Mia called out. "Can I get you anything? A cup of coffee perhaps? I think we may have some orange juice left in the back as well."
"No. Thank you." I smiled. "We actually found long term lodging so unfortunately no longer need of our rooms here." I explained.
Mia smiled at me. "No Problem. I will need you to sign these forms so we can go ahead and charge the card on file." She laid two sheets of paper on the counter.
I leaned forward to sign and caught Mia's scent. It was the mystery scent from the other day. Slowly I raised my eyes to take a second look at the girl.
All at once a ball of energy hit me full force. The energy did not feel dark or sinister but rather the opposite it felt good and pure. I stumbled back as the ordinary girl transformed.
Her black hair turned white as snow and her pale skin darkened into a rich glowing bronze. The once unremarkable brown eyes morphed and brightened until they were the color of liquid gold.
Mia was always been pretty but now her face was more than mere beautiful. It was in every sense of the word glorious. An image Betsy rose before my eyes. The vision was so vivid I believed she was truly standing in front of me.
I froze in place as a hand reached out and caressed my cheek as she used to do. I pulled away from the hand and blinked. When I opened them Betsy was still there moving towards me with her hand extended in the air.
She gently laid it over my heart. A searing hot pain shot through my chest and intensified over my heart. A calm peacefulness settled over me as the image of Betsy faded away.
Mia now stood in front of me staring deep into my eyes. I took a staggered breath. I had never seen or experience anything like this in all my years with the guard.
"What are you?" I asked mystified.
She lifted her hand off my chest. "I am the angel Mia of Envoy." Her voice was no louder than a whisper but sounded as if a thousand wind chimes were ringing at once.
An Angel? No wonder we didn't recognize the scent. Katherine refused to teach us anything about the angel race because she claimed it was extinct on earth.
How many other lies has she told us?
"I sense true goodness inside of you Brady Andrews." Mia touched my cheek. "I also sensed true sadness. I choose the image of your beloved to bring you peace." She declared.
To bring me peace from what? "Her memory will no longer haunt you. I have absolved your sins and freed you have the chains of your past." She answered.
My words were barely audible. "How? What did you do to me?"
Mia smiled. "I healed the broken parts of you. Now you are free to fulfill your destiny. Do not take this second chance for granted." She warned.
For the first time in over a century I felt my heart skip a beat. I felt my wrist for a pulse. Through tear stained eyes I glanced up into the face of my angel. "I am human?"
Her eyes filled with sadness. "I am afraid even angels cannot heal vampirism completely. The most we can do is cleanse your soul and cleanse you have been." She assured.
"If I am not human." I paused to gather my thoughts. "Am I still a vampire?" I questioned. How can I be a vampire when I have a beating heart? Would I still have to consume blood?
Mia touched my hand. "I could not reverse the vampirism. I purified you so that you may experience the wonders of human life. You will still have to maintain the needs of a vampire."
What does she mean by purify? What wonders of human life can I experience when I am not fully human? My thoughts raced right along with my blood. The feeling was exhilarating.
"So what am I now?" I pushed for an answer.
Mia eyes bore down on mine. "You're a Warrior."
I am a warrior? "I don't understand." I admitted.
"You will in time." Mia patted my hand. "For now I want you to enjoy the gift you've been given. I want you to remember what it is to be human. You will need this knowledge later."
She withdrew her hand. "I have faith in you. Now you must have faith in yourself." The creaking stairs alerted us of Violet and Foster's imminent presence. Mia transformed back into the ordinary girl she was before and took her place behind the desk.
She gathered the papers off the counter. "One more thing warrior." Mia stated. "He chose you for this honor out of billions of species on the planet. Do not waste his gift."
Mia pointed her finger at me. "You will not get another chance so make this one count. He may be forgiving but trust me there are limits." She warned.
Who has chosen me and what have I been chosen for? I had no chance to respond before I heard footsteps approaching behind me. Violet directed Foster to take the bags out to her truck.
"Are we all set here?" Violet eyed me suspiciously.
I nodded my head at the both of them. At this point I was afraid if I tried to speak my voice would crack or outright fail me. There was also the chance of blood rushing to my face.
"Goodbye Brady." Mia waved. "I will see you around."
I waved back. I am counting on seeing her very soon because I have a ton of questions only she can answer. The first one being what the hell just happened to me?
Foster had loaded my bike up in the bed of Violet's truck by the time I stepped out the doors of the inn. This left me with no other alternative than to ride with them.
Violet stopped me behind the truck. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah why?" I responded.
She searched my face. "You seem different."
"It's been a weird day." I offered as my explanation for what I can only imagine is strange vibes she is picking up from me now that I am a warrior. I don't even know what that means.
Violet didn't look entirely convince when she climbed into the driver's seat but she let the subject drop. I opted to sit in the back so Foster took the front passenger seat.
On the way up the side of Athena mountain they played a round of guess this song. A car game Violet and I created to pass the hours we spend on the road.
I did not have the attention span to play so I pretended to be the score the keeper. I used the time in between to examine every word Mia said tonight. Aside from the beating heart I do not feel any different. Where are these human wonders?
There was a more pressing issue weighing on my mind. What precisely is a warrior? How many exist in the world or am I the only one? What purpose does a warrior have?
How am I ever going to explain this to Violet? A voice cut through the confusion in my head. It cautioned me to keep this night a secret for now. I glanced up at my friends laughing and smiling at each other. They are so happy.
In our world there are few happy moments to be had so how can I steal this one from them? I will keep this a secret from them for now or at least until I understand it myself.
Tomorrow I will go see Mia and get some real answers.
The cabin was located at the very top of the mountain just as Natalia claimed. It overlooked the far south side of Brookville. Foster whistled through his teeth. "Oh Yeah. I could live here." He declared. Violet echoed my sentiments with a pointed eyeroll in his direction.
When Natalia mentioned she had a cabin in the mountains. I had pictured a small wood cabin surrounded by trees and nature. A charming little spot to escape the chaos of life. I couldn't have been more wrong. There is nothing small about this place.
A stone stairwell started at the edge of the driveway and curved up a steep hill. At the top sat one of those enormous luxury cabins with its oversized windows and solar panel roofs. I did find the stone and wood exterior slightly appealing.
Natalia was seated on a lounge chair reading a newspaper by light coming off the firepit. "I see we have all agree to help." She sat the paper aside. "I must admit this comes as a surprise but I am delighted all the same." She expressed.
Foster glanced at Violet. "Well not all of us agreed."
Natalia's eyes flared. I cursed Foster under my breath. He really does need to learn the art of discretion. I wish he would learn to keep his big mouth shut.
"We had an agreement." Natalia hissed at me.
I held up my hand to signal peace when Violet cut me off. "The agreement was for anyone agreeing to help. I will not help you because frankly I don't trust you. I will however help them."
I held my breath as Natalia's icy glare lingered on Violet a little too long for my liking. All at once it shifted to me as she rose from the chair. "As I am not thrilled. I can understand Miss Kline's distrust of me. We should get started." She swung the door to the cabin open.
"There are seven bedrooms on the second floor. I am sure each of you can find one suitable to your needs." She stated.
Violet took the lead as we stepped into a kitchen. It was of modern design with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. Foster let out another whistle.
The dining room was spacious and elegant with plenty of natural lighting. As I passed by the table a carving in the center caught my eye. It was of a Celtic knot. Flashbacks of my childhood danced in front of my eyes.
What are the chances? I ran my fingers under the left corner and sure enough my father's initials were there. I glanced up at Natalia bewildered and speechless.
"Henry thought you might want it someday." Natalia offered. "He can be quite the sentimental fool at times." She added coolly.
A warmth spread through my chest as tears formed in the corner of my eyes. The emotional reaction caught me off guard. I quickly turned away before anyone noticed my tears.
Violet grabbed my shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"
I shrugged her hand off. "I am perfect." I hurried to catch up with Natalia. "I will have to thank Henry the next time I see him for the wonderful gesture. When might I see him?" I asked.
Natalia studied me for a brief second and then without a word continued on with her guided tour. I found this behavior odd but then again she is Katherine's daughter.
The living room ran the length of the cabin and had windows for walls. I felt like we had stepped into a fish bowl. The carpet was blood red with a solid gold border. Two overstuffed leather couches and chairs divided the room into sections.
The first half was a typical living room set up while the second was more of a pub than a living room. There was a pool table, jukebox, full bar, and a half dozen or more arcade machines.
Violet and I exchanged the same look of dread. Foster is never going to leave this room. Natalia advised she would arrange for Foster and Violet to obtain jobs at the high school. She believe this would allow them to full access to Abby on a daily basis.
As she prepared to leave one question lingered in my head. Where is Henry in all of this? Why did he not accompany Natalia to speak to us about protecting his daughter? Why did she act so strange when I asked about seeing Henry?
"When might we expect to meet up with Henry?" I asked again.
Foster nodded excitedly. "I do look forward to catching up with my brother. Plus with four guardians joined together Donovan will not stand a chance." He added.
"Henry is not to know any of you are here." Natalia voice cracked like a whip. "If you cannot agree to these terms leave now." She ordered.
Violet folded her arms across her chest. "Care to explain?"
Natalia cocked her head to one side. "Henry and I do not agree on how to handle this Donovan situation. He foolishly believes his plan in working. He does not want the council or by extension its guard involved." She laughed coldly.
Violet's eyes narrowed. "You find humor in that?"
"I do." Natalia confirmed. "You have seen yourself how utterly useless his plan is on keeping Donovan away from Abby. Every day those scouts keep getting closer while Henry refuses to accept help. How is that not laughable." She added.
Violet walked away. I can see these too are going to take a lot of work to keep the peace between us all. Natalia was not wrong. Those scouts have gotten pretty close to the barn.
We already know they've been all over the school grounds. I cannot believe Henry is so blind or so stubborn as to not accept any help. This does not sound like the Henry I know and love.
I spoke for the group. "We can keep under the radar for now." Violet shot me a look of disapproval. "On the condition you tell Henry before the week is out. If you cannot agree to these terms than we walk Natalia." I added.
Natalia shrugged. "I guess we have a deal then." She glanced down at her watch. "Unfortunately I have some place to be. Brady if you would be so kind as to accompany me to the door."
I walked her to the door in silence. A thought kept replaying on a loop in my head. Why is Natalia making this so easy? Did being on the run change her or does she have a hidden agenda?
Once we reached the door she turned to me. "You seem different. Did something happen since we last met?" Natalia questioned. My heart shuddered. Violet asked me the same thing.
"No." I smiled. "I just need a good meal and some rest."
Natalia pointed to the kitchen. "You will find everything you need to maintain your diet. I keep it well stocked." She opened the door. "I'll be in touch. Good-bye Brady."
Once I heard her car start I let out a sigh of relief. The sooner I get this warrior mess sorted out the better. I don't know how much longer I can keep it hidden.
Violet was leaning against the window when I returned. Foster as predicted was already putting one of the pinball machines to good use. He really is a kid a heart.
"Brady." Violet said. "I have a bad feeling." She walked over to the back of the couch. "I think Natalia is hiding something from us and I thinking its something big."
A part of me wanted to give Natalia a chance but my own gut is trying to tell me something is off here. The Henry situation does not feel right to me at all.
"Natalia is definitely lying about Henry." Foster yelled over the pinball music. "He would be ecstatic to have our help. Trust me I know my brother well. The question is Why is she lying?"
Foster voiced my thoughts word for word. I suggested a few options should this go wrong with Natalia. In the end we all agreed to give it a few days to see what develops.
Since there was nothing more we could do at this hour we all went our separate ways. Violet went off to explore the house while Foster returned to quest in conquering the princess.
As for me I wandered back out onto the patio and curled up in one of the lounge chairs. I stared up at the stars and for once there was total silence in my head.
Mia really did give me peace.