Chapter Eight.
After we finish our raw emotional reunion, I hear a keen voice behind my parents. "Make sure to take care of her, take her home and answer any questions she has." An older gentleman approaches us, he gives me a smile before turning to my parents.
"Yes sir," They both nod and my mother turns to me and holds her hand out. I accept immediately as if I've done it a million times.
She's wearing a long silk red dress and my father wears an all black suit, I've come to notice how red and black are very common colors here. My mother's hand is soft, I adore her well manicured nails as I'm pulled away from the crowded room.
The doors are so large, I've never seen doors so tall. The young man in uniform opens the heavy doors for us and begins to follow us out into a long hallway.
"Where are we?" I ask, my mother brings me to her side and places her arm around my shoulders. I stare at the raw artwork that is painted onto the ceiling.
"We're in the counsel's building." My father tells me, studying me once I look away from him.
"This is where we make our big decisions and bring our children through." My mother adds, her long nails brushes my hair behind my ear.
I keep studying the decorations and how professional yet breathtaking the place looks. We walk down several steps and approach another large door. There is an older man in uniform, he nods at my father before pushing the door open for us.
We step outside, immediately I see a long black SUV. A man in a black suit studies me before congratulating my parents, he opens the back door and I climb into the SUV with my parents. As soon as the door closes, my mother grabs my face and turns me to look at her.
"Are you okay? How bad did you get hurt?" She asks frantically, I'm taken back from the gesture. She was acting cool and calm on the way out but now she seems frantic.
My father chuckles. "She's fine, I think you forget that she probably heals faster than us." He smiles at me, enjoying my mother's response.
"Whatever, Vincent. I don't care. I asked her to bring her to me not cause her to wreck." She retorts, rubbing my shoulder.
"She did great, it was me. I tried to stop before I hit her." I shrug, trying to hold in my amusement.
My father silently stares at my mother with a quirky smile.
She narrows her eyes at my dad. "She was wounded by broken glass, she could've died. Don't look at me like I'm crazy," My father hasn't said anything, he's looking at my mom and I assume they're having their own silent conversation.
"We are so happy to have you back," My father finally speaks, he stares into my eyes and places a hand over mine.
"I'm glad to be home." I speak from the heart.
I see my mother's mind turning. "Did they treat you good?" She asks, she doesn't seem to be accusing the worse. It's a genuine question, her large blue eyes studying me intently. Something tells me if I was to lie and say they didn't treat me good, she'd cause chaos.
"Yeah, I was really happy. That is until I started wanting to drink people's blood." I realize it comes off as rude because her beautiful face seems to scrunch in worry.
She crosses one leg over the other, "Oh honey, we understand." She runs her hand over my hair, the gesture is nice and calming. "It's very painful." She leans in and presses her dark red lips to my hair, I take the affection in.
★
We eventually pull up to a large black gate, it's massive and seems to go for as far as I can see. I sit up and look out the window, my father notices and opens the sunroof. I take his silent gesture and stick my head out of the top of the car, the weather is warm and beautiful.
I watch as the guy types in a code and the gate opens. It's loud and it groans as if it's done this a million times and it probably has, the driver continues to drive down a long gravel road. I study the land around me, it's massive. The grass is the greenest I've ever seen and as we grow closer, there is plants, trees and flowers.
We drive up a little slope and as we drive over a hill a large mansion comes into view. "Holy shit," It looks really old but it's taken care of.
"Do you like it?" My mother asks, holding my hand from inside the car. She's smiling up at me, her hand shielding the sun from getting into her eyes.
"Yes," We come to a stop right outside the massive home. My father opens the door and I duck down, close the sunroof and I exit the car the same way as them.
I study the large fountain in front of the home that is circled by neatly trimmed bushes. Red roses spring from the greenery. The statue in the fountain is a naked woman, she's covering her breasts with her arms and is looking at the sky.
"Come in, we cant wait to show you your room." My mother kicks her heels off and my father with lightning speed catches them. He's so fast his figure blurs.
The sudden movement startled me, I gasp. My mother takes notice and laughs, "I'm sorry, he does that because he don't like doing things normal. He's very skilled in speed," She gently grabs my hand.
"Can I do that?" I ask, curious and interested.
She nods. "Yes, you can do anything we can." She kisses my forehead and the next thing I know I'm led into my new home.
★
They have a room for everything. A massive kitchen, library, living room. They have an in-door pool that reaches every corner of the room. They even have a gym and theatre.
She shows me everything, we have several guest bedrooms and bathrooms. "We've been working on this room for eighteen years, my love." My mom's eyes begin to tear up, she wipes her left eye and then opens the large wooden double doors. The pearly white door seems to have an S carved into it, it's beautifully engraved.
When the doors fully open, the room almost takes my breath away. A large king sized bed with beautiful white drapes that cascades down the corners. The bed looks thick and comfortable.
"Here's your bed. If you don't like the covers we can get you some new ones." My mom says, nervously patting the wrinkles out.
"I know you have your own stuff, which is being brought in, but here-" She walks toward the smaller wooden white door, she opens it and I can't believe it.
"Wow it's so-"
"Big?" My mom excitingly finishes my sentence. "I went and got you some nice dresses and shoes for when we have events." I follow her into the walk in closet, there's cubby holes and several pairs of dress shoes and heels occupying them.
"I know you have your own style and that's fine but I didn't think you'd have gowns or dinner dresses." She explains to me, she walks to the back wall of the closet. I notice a picture frame, rose gold frame and the picture occupying it is of all three of us.
I'm an infant, my mother looks younger and even more beautiful. She's holding me protectively and she's smiling down at me while my father stands over her doing the same. They both look exhausted but beautiful and happy.
"I know this just looks like a picture frame on a wall but if you push up on it," She pushes up on the frame and I'm surprised when the small square piece of wall slides up along with the frame.
"It's actually a jewelry cubby," I walk to it. "Wanna try to open it?" She asks me and I nod. She pushes down on the top corners of the frame, the whole wall conceals the secret cubby hole.
I copy her, pushing up, it opens. "That's so cool." I notice the jewelry that's hung and neatly organized in the boxes.
"Me and your father loves buying you jewelry." She smiles, I can sense her nervousness.
"It's beautiful, mom. Thank you." I study the rings, necklaces and pendent bracelets.
She picks up a bracelet, it has a lot of pendents swaying. "We've been collecting pendents for this bracelet since you we're thirteen." She explains, handing it to me.
I study all of them. "We have a graduation cap for when you graduated, a heart for when you made your first friend, we've been watching you for so long." She begins to cry, this time it's much harder and I begin to worry so I place the bracelet in it's original spot.
"Mom-" I open my arms and embrace her, I focus in on her heartbeat. It's rapidly pounding against her chest. "It's okay, you have me now." I promise her, she nods at my words and takes a deep breath.
"This," She wipes her tears and picks up a lovely simple bracelet that has a V dangling from it. "You need to wear this. Your father and I went to our friend who is a witch, it can detect danger. Never take it off." She tells me, clasping it around my wrist.
"What's the V for?" I ask, admiring it's power and beauty.
"Van Doren, it's your last name. A glowing light will run around the V if someone is going to harm you or wants to." She pulls me close and kisses my forehead. I find it extremely handy and beautiful.
"I don't mean to push but can we talk now?" I ask, turning to her. She nods and waves me to follow her.