by Jones, L. A.
“Aradia!” her mom cried upon her daughter’s sudden return.
“We need to leave!” Aradia whispered. “Now!”
It took no more urging than that. Aradia did note, with some relief, that her mother was holding the chronicle, the record of her people.
Again she ran, more slowly this time so that her parents might keep up. She appreciated the fact that both of them kept themselves in sound physical condition; it made running from murderous vampires much easier.
Even as they ran, Aradia extended her senses out into the woods and the dead village. She felt all sorts of life: birds, porcupines, trees, grass, mosquitoes. And peppered amongst those living things she felt death. This was not the kind of death she’d felt in the temple; this was different, and it was coming.
“Mom, Dad,” she pleaded, “run faster!”
Soon they were back at the stone wall where they’d started their adventure. I hope this works both ways, she thought as she reached out and swiped her hand against the stone, as she’d done before.
And as before, the wall shimmered and melted. The transition seemed to be an inexorably slow one. Finally it took on the consistency of thick, thick mist, and she knew it was safe. She pushed her parents through, then followed behind them.
Immediately they were back in that dark, dank cave. Though Aradia was too preoccupied to notice, the sun was in the same place in the sky in which the Prestons had left it; though they’d experienced hours, seemingly no time had passed.
Behind them, the cave wall still shimmered.
“No,” Aradia breathed, but the fog did not solidify. Her senses still extended through the void, and she could feel the danger approaching. They were vampires, she was sure of it, and she suspected they were not the friendly kind.
“What is it, honey?” Ross asked.
“They’ll come through,” Aradia replied, “if this portal doesn’t close.”
Not sure what she was doing, operating on instinct, she held up her right hand. “Close,” she said, scrunching her nose and focusing hard. “Close,” she repeated, squinting shut her eyes. “Close!” she screamed.
Still, the portal remained open.
She held her breath and focused. Suddenly a powerful chill overcame Ross and Liza. A low, dense fog rolled into the cave, coming up to their knees. Frost formed, stretching delicate spider webs of ice across the cave walls.
Once more, Aradia screamed, and her voice roared like thunder, “Close!”
The wall was solid once more.
Aradia opened her eyes. The fog was gone, the spider webs melted, and the Prestons immediately warmed up.
“Well,” Aradia mumbled, stumbling a bit, “that wasn’t… that wasn’t so hard.”
Then she passed out.
Liza rushed to check her vitals, turned to her husband, and said, “I think she’s overtaxed her powers again.”
Ross nodded, and picked up Aradia’s limp body. “You know, last time she and I were here, it was easier to carry her out.”
"Hey firecracker, " Ross said as he opened the screen door. "How you holding up?"
Aradia didn't say anything. She just kept her head down and buried in her arms. Ross sighed as he stared at her. The sun as it was setting in the background shimmered onto Aradia's hair making it shine like polished brass. The blend of purples and reds in the sky blended well with Aradia's maroon sweater even her brown corduroy pants seemed to melt into the scenery. The way she kept so still made it seem like she was so emotionally detached from the human world that she could just blend in with the nature surrounding her. Blend in and be forgotten.
So if I want to reach her, Ross realized, I better do it quick.
It had been several weeks since that horrible incident at the cave, but Aradia still hadn't recuperated. The images of her people dangling lifelessly haunted her, so did the knowledge that she was the absolute last of her kind. When she was a child, she had always thought about one day growing up and finding out the truth out about her powers. The least she had been hoping for was to find out that her powers were like some sort of X-men genetic thing. She had also hoped that somehow, someway she would find someone like her. She could deal with being bullied, she could deal with being humiliated, but being alone...What had kept her going all these years was the secret hope that one day she would find someone like her but now that she had found out the truth what else was there.
Ross sighed again as he sat down on the steps right next to Aradia. Slowly, he turned to his daughter. After one long huge sigh, he reached from behind him and pulled out what he been carrying from the kitchen.
"Beer?"
Aradia's ears perked up curiously. She hadn't been sleeping but she had been tuning out the world that still hadn't prevented her from hearing things around her. "What?"
"You heard me," Ross said, "do you want a beer?"
Now Aradia was officially intrigued and lifted her head. Indeed, she saw her father holding out two bottles of cold beer. She waited and stared at him, expecting a last minute joke.
Ross, however, shrugged and pulled out the bottle opener from his key chain. On the weekdays, Aradia hardly saw him without a suit but on the weekends her father always dressed as casually as they came. Today, he wore a white Def Leppard concert t-shirt, black jeans, and brown loafers. Also on the weekends he always allowed himself one beer.
After popping the top off, and setting it aside, Ross took a swig.
Sighing, he turned again to look at Aradia. "What?"
Aradia just stared. "Were you really willing to let me drink a beer?"
Ross nodded.
Aradia was dumbfounded and sputtered, "but I am underage..."
Ross shrugged. "True but it looks like you needed it."
That struck a cord, and Aradia turned away.
Ross, however, put his right arm around Aradia's shoulders. "I wish I could say I know how you feel Rai but I don't. What I do know is you have been through a lot this week. Hell, you have been through a lot since we moved here. A part of me wishes that your mother and I had never taken you here. However, for the first time we actually saw you out and having friends. Needless to say that was a wonderful feeling, seeing you happy for the first time at least around other people. But once we found out about the other things happening here. It was all I could do from packing us all up and getting the hell out of Salem."
"You didn't though," Aradia pointed out.
Ross nodded again. "Because...I know this is going to sound crazy but ever since we came here I have felt that we were meant to be here. Finding out the truth about your past wasn't just something you were concerned about Aradia your mother and I wanted to know too."
Aradia's mouth dropped open. "Why?"
He shrugged. "At first, we were against you finding out because we thought it might make us lose you. However, seeing how determined you were to find out the truth made your mother and I decide something. All we want to do is make you happy and if finding out your past made you happy then we would help you as best as we could."
A thought suddenly occurred to Aradia. "Dad, was finding out about my past one of the reasons why we moved here?"
Her father sighed. "Yes. Yes it was Aradia."
She was stunned. Finally she managed to stammer, "but why?"
"After you...well after what happened to Jona Lee," her father explains with his head hanging low. "Your mother and I realized how big a role your past played in your life. We had been researching for months where to move and we finally realized that maybe there was a reason we found you near Salem. Maybe that was indeed where you really came from and so after what happened with that boy your mother and I decided we had to find out. Finding those jobs and this house available in Salem was almost like a sign that we were suppose to come here. It was almost as if..."
Aradia's father trailed off and raised his head. "Almost as if it were meant to be."
Aradia's mouth just kept opening and closing. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
Ross shrugged, regretfully. "You had so much on your plate already firecracker we didn't want to burden you..."
"Why are you telling me this now?" She snapped.
Her father finally turned and threw his arms around Aradia. "Because you deserve to know the truth. Furthermore, you have to understand that no matter what happens in the past your mother and I still love you. We will always love you Aradia. I know your people are gone but you are not alone. You are never alone. We are your family Rai and we will always be with you."
"Damn straight," Liza said as she suddenly appeared in the doorway. Without a moments hesitation, she knelt and took both her husband and her daughter in her arms. All the sadness, all the emptiness Aradia had felt seemed to melt away as her parents warmly embraced her. Tears of happiness began to appear from behind her eyes as she clung to their shoulders. It was like this for several minutes until they heard a loud buzzing coming inside the house.
"Casserole is done," Liza announced as she ran back inside.
Her father lingered after and shook his head softly. He then turned to look back at Aradia. "I hope you feel better Rai," was all he said before getting up.
"Dad," Aradia said as he opened the screen door.
He hesitated as she struggled to find the right words. When she finally did she said, "do you really think it matters? Finding out about my past? Finding out about everything? In the end, do you really think it matters?"
Ross sighed heavily but without looking at her. "No and I will tell you why because everybody has choices. Everybody has the choice to be defined by their past. You are not any different. Yes, you maybe the last witch but you are also Aradia Preston. You can chose to be defined by your past or chose your own future."
With that he went inside to help his wife set the table. Aradia hung outside for a while and looked out onto the horizon with a thousand things going through her mind. She didn't want to forget her people but on the other hand she didn't want to constantly be reminded that she was the last. She didn't want to be held back by her past. She wanted to look towards her future. Dax's face appeared in her mind as she thought about the word future. In spite of him helping her it did not change the fact that he had still lied to her. He had lied about his feelings and why he wanted to be near her.
She sighed heavily as she stood up to go back in the house. "If I am truly concerned about my future then I guess I better do something about it."
Aradia was her usual self when she went to school the following Monday. She joked as usual, laughed as usual, and sat with her friends as usual.
However, besides learning more about her origins, another issue was plaguing her. Over lunch, she mentioned to Rhonda that she was looking for Dax. She was very careful not to tell her that the conversation was private. So far as Aradia knew, Rhonda had never betrayed her confidence when the privacy disclaimer was made. Without stating a conversation was between them, though, she knew that Rhonda’s lips were loose enough to sink, not just a ship, but a whole battalion.
Aradia spent the last fifteen minutes of her lunch break in the greenhouse. She wasn’t part of the Botany Club, nor was she there for class, so technically she wasn’t supposed to be there, but the rule was not strictly enforced.
"You wanted to see me?" Dax said, sauntering up behind her as she had her nose deep in a group of goldenrods.
"More like I wanted to talk to you rather than see you," Aradia replied.
He just nodded, and the two of them stood in awkward, tense silence. Dax had his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the ground. Aradia’s back remained turned to him.
Finally, Dax asked, "Would it help if I said I was sorry?"
Aradia shrugged. "I don't know. Are you?"
Dax grunted in frustration.
He muttered under his breath, loud enough that Aradia could still hear him. "I never wanted to trick you."
Aradia's voice was as sharp and fine as a surgical scalpel when she turned to face him. "Oh? Then why did you lie to me?"
Dax stifled a dismissive shrug. Instead he raised his head, looked Aradia in the eye, and replied, "I wish I had a legitimate and proper excuse for my behavior, Aradia, but there is no excuse. No matter my reasons, I had no right deceiving you. If a passionate speech could erase what I did and improve your opinion of me, I’d give it. No words would make a difference, though. I am truly sorry. If you wish to end things between us, I will understand and honor that."
Aradia met his gaze. Dax may have been the vampire in the room, but Aradia’s eyes were the lifeless ones.
After several moments of silence, Dax continued, "You should know that I did enjoy getting to know you. I may not deserve a second chance, but if you could give me one..." He trailed off waiting for Aradia to respond.
Still she remained silent, leaning against her goldenrod table, eyes cold.
Now Dax did shrug. "Your silence speaks volumes. I understand. I just wanted to let you know all of this, Aradia. Please know that as long as you are happy with this decision, I will be alright. When you exist for lifetimes, you gain a certain… perspective."
With a life span rivaling a vampire’s. The words from the chronicle echoed through her mind.
Dax turned to exit the greenhouse. Aradia quickly peeled off her dirty gloves, ran to him, wrapped her arms around him from behind, and pressed her cheek into the material of the shirt.
"I’m still angry with you, Dax," Aradia muttered. "But what’s worse, I feel betrayed. I thought you really liked me. Then I thought it was all a lie, just to learn my secrets."
Dax turned and embraced Aradia warmly. "I always liked you, Aradia, even before we started hanging out."
"Oh? Then when you called me 'statue girl,' it was meant to be a term of endearment?" Aradia asked him.
At least Dax had the decency to blush before responding, "I am sorry for that. I maybe a vampire, but I am still a guy. You can't always explain a guy's behavior, can you?”
"I will have to take your word for that," Aradia remarked with a tiny grin.
“Take my word,” Dax repeated. “My word means little if I don’t give you reason to trust it. Would you like to know the real reason I was unkind to you?”
Aradia was hesitant, but nodded.
“I must warn you,” he said sincerely, “it’s most embarrassing.”
Now she smiled and said, “Go ahead.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had to think of something to say to a girl. Humans can be so trivial. All interactions just blend together into one long, trite exchange of nothingness. Relationships become scripted sitcoms, with different characters and different locations, but the same stories and conversations replayed over and over and over.”
“I think I understand,” Aradia said sarcastically, but still smiling. “Because you got bored with Friends repeats, you had to entertain yourself by playing with my emotions.”
“Precisely,” Dax replied with a grin to match Aradia’s. Their break was nearly over. Dax released their embrace and took her hand to walk her back to the campus proper. “Really, though. I’ve fallen into a rhythm. I don’t really need to think much when I interact with people. Life is just a series of macros. I pick the right one and let it play.”
“But with me it was different?”
“I didn’t know which macro to choose,” Dax replied. “I guess I picked the wrong one. The truth is I can’t behave like that when I’m around you. I have to think again. You make me feel young, almost human.”
“But I’m not human,” Aradia replied coyly.
“No,” Dax agreed. “No, certainly not.”
They walked together as far as they could, parting only because their classes were on opposite sides of the school. Reluctantly they let go of each other. The pair did not realize as they walked away, smiling, occasionally glancing back longingly, that someone was watching. A tall, Hispanic werewolf with a black goatee stared at Aradia and Dax with an expression of jealousy and rage.
"
So she knows the truth now,” the Sovereign asked Saul, “does she?”
Saul, on his knees, nodded. He had been there for some time, but had not yet been commanded to stand. "She’s piecing it together. Dayton gave her enough to set her on the right track. I followed her and her adoptive parents to a cave. I don’t know exactly what happened while they were in there, but I do know she practiced some witchcraft and when they left, they had a book they hadn’t brought with them." He gave a full description of what he’d seen and heard. According to his account, the Prestons had only been in the cave a few minutes.
"An adequate summary. Your commander has trained you sufficiently," said the Sovereign.
Saul grinned.
The Sovereign then dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
It was not until Saul left the throne room that Rome appeared from a side door. As usual, he wore his long black hair loose, and his skin, long ago tanned, was tinged with a ghostly pallor. His straight pointed nose and chin framed a most vicious smile.
"You wish to see me, Sovereign,” Rome stated while dropping to a kneel.
"Indeed, Rome, I do. I have a special task for you,” the Sovereign replied. "I want you to travel to Salem, gather every scrap of information you can find on Aradia and bring it to me."
"Why not let the Nightshadows do it?" Rome dared to ask.
The Sovereign sighed. "The witches were executed long before the two of them were turned. They don't know what to look for and what to consider out of the ordinary. I’d think you would relish the chance to prove them incompetent."
“Of course, Sovereign.”
“Find something they don’t, and I may even let you kill one of them.”
“You have always known how to incentivize me, sir,” Rome replied and rose to leave. Before he did, though, he swung around to face his master. "If I may be so bold, Sovereign, why so much effort on behalf of one girl, even if she is the only survivor of her people? She is only one witch, and a young one at that."
