Esther's Progeny

by Alicia J. Love

  Suddenly, a pregnant woman made her way through the crowd, coming towards them. She looked calm as she approached, and then beckoned to them, gesturing for them to follow her. She entered a hut and then took a seat, waiting for them to follow.

  Esther and the others followed, sitting down on the floor of the hut across from the woman. She looked at them sadly, the knowledge of their coming clear in her eyes.

  “You are the Seer,” Esther realized, and the woman nodded.

  She looked at Katie somberly, and reached out for her hands. She flinched as she felt her cold skin, and shook her head sadly.

  “I no help her,” The woman said in broken English.

  Esther looked at her, her anger boiling.

  “What do you mean, you can’t help her?”

  The woman looked at her, pouring herself into Esther’s soul, seeing everything that was there.

  “I no help, I am sorry,” She said, looking down sadly.

  “Once, long, long time ago, one of white skin and teeth took my kin as you took her,” She nodded towards Katie.

  Esther leaned forward, wanting to hear what happened.

  “She no live long, she not hungry. She have nothing to eat.”

  Esther leaned back, her anger and sadness growing within her.

  “She try everything, blood, animals, plants, nothing she can eat without sick,” The woman said.

  Her eyes filled with tears, and she swallowed her sobs as she continued her story.

  “She no eat for days and days, and then she die,” The woman sobbed, blinking back tears.

  “No Seer can become like you, it not possible,” She said.

  Esther felt her sadness boiling up to the surface, and suddenly, she got up, leaving the tent and the tribe at top speed. She raced into the jungle, filled to the brim with emotions, and let out an animalistic howl of rage. As the animals fled the scene around her, frightened of her rage, she ran and caught them, one at a time, ripping their bodies to shreds.

  She slaughtered every animal she came across, making her way through the Amazon rainforest as she destroyed everything in sight. She ripped trees from the ground, tore beautiful flowers to bits, before she finally stopped.

  She sank to her knees in the middle of her destruction, covered in blood, feathers and flora, and she cried.

  She cried for the first time in decades. She balled her eyes out, and she hated herself even more for it. This girl had made her so weak, and all she wanted to do was scream and cry like a child having a tantrum.

  She hated Katie for making her feel this way, but she hated herself even more. She hated herself for condemning Katie to an untimely death. It was her fault that Katie was going to die, her fault that she was going to spend the next month starving to death, wasting away until the end. And all because of her curiosity. She hated herself for being so selfish.

  Suddenly, she heard a whistling sound. It was slight, and distant, but with her superhuman hearing, she caught it. Then, she heard it again, a distinct tune, closer this time. She listened carefully, but heard no movements around her. She sensed absolutely nothing. Then, she heard it again, the same whistled tune. She looked around, trying to find the source of the sound.

  The tune sounded again, this time almost questioningly, like it was asking her to return the call. She hesitated, then, figuring it was just a bird, whistled the tune loudly in reply.

  Light flashed before her, and a mischievous looking spirit popped into the air in front of her. It glared at her, and then gestured to the destroyed forest around her.

  “You dare destroy my forest?!” The spirit boomed.

  Esther, who had only seen a spirit once before in her existence, was completely caught off guard. Her mouth hung open as she peered at the glowing, hovering form before her.

  She then looked around, seeing the forest torn apart around her, and realized what she had done.

  “I am El Tunchi, protector of this forest, and you have destroyed it! You shall be punished!” The spirit shouted and then began to glow brighter, reaching for her angrily with his claws.

  Esther turned and whipped through the trees with Vampire speed, running from the spirit who wanted to punish her.

  The spirit was laughing as she ran, and she felt the ground shaking beneath her feet. She made it back to the village, and the spirit lingered in the trees, unwilling to reveal itself to the people standing around the village. She heard the spirit’s laughter fade away.

  “I see you have already been cursed to lose the one you love,” The spirit whispered to her.

  “That seems like more than enough punishment. I will make certain to watch you suffer,” the voice said maliciously before it trailed off into silence.

  Esther felt the pain inside as the words struck her, and then shook her head, heading back towards the tent where the Seer and the others were.

  She stepped into the tent, breathing deeply, and then saw the shocked looks on their faces.

  She looked down and saw the blood, feathers and fauna that covered her shirt. She simply shook her head, brushing their shock aside before taking a seat once more.

  They all stared at her, gawking, before the pregnant woman spoke once more.

  “I sorry, there nothing I can do to help. You live your life, live happy, until the time comes. I so sorry.”

  Chapter 13

  As they got back into the car, Esther was filled with so many emotions she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. She was angry and sad and didn’t know what to do with herself. It was as if she was a whole new person. She had been so empty for so long that she almost felt…alive again.

  She leaned back in her seat as Katie got in beside her, tears brimming her eyes. As Esther met her sad gaze, Katie leaned into her, wrapping her arms around her as she began to sob. Esther, not knowing what to do, and being overwhelmed with emotions, was stiff as a board as Katie cried on her shoulder.

  She saw Derek smirk from the front seat, and she smiled back at him sarcastically. She then looked down at the girl slobbering all over her shirt, and tried to ignore the electricity flowing through her body. She suddenly felt sad and wanted to hold her.

  That was when the inner battle began. She wanted so badly to comfort Katie, but she didn’t want to appear weak. She kicked herself for being so proud, but still refused to move. She simply sat, until finally Katie’s tears dried up and she sat back in her seat, gazing out of the window sadly as the lush Amazon forest whipped by.

  Once they got back to the airport, they boarded a flight to Los Angeles, finally saying goodbye to Derek. He had barely said a word their entire trip, and Esther was relieved to have him go. She felt as if he was always watching her, and it pissed her off.

  Once on the flight, Esther leaned her seat back and closed her eyes, allowing the world of dreams to swallow her.

  After a few hours, she awoke to find Katie leaning on her shoulder, fast asleep. Esther looked at her, and noticed that she already looked pale, even for a Vampire. She slowly brushed a strand of hair from her face, gazing at her, her heart filled with sorrow and compassion.

  She recalled the last words of the Seer before they had left.

  “Live your life,” She whispered as she gazed upon Katie.

  “I will make sure you live your life,” She said, swallowing a sob.

  She leaned back in her seat and once again closed her eyes to sleep.

  Chapter 14

  As the rented limo pulled up to Esther’s mansion, they stepped out, light barely touching the horizon. They both moved inside quickly, running from the approaching dawn. Esther moved to a large panel on the wall, and began pressing buttons, activating the black-out shades that began to come down over all of the windows.

  Within a few minutes, the entire house was engulfed in darkness. Katie looked at her curiously, not knowing what to say as she stepped into the living room. Esther turned on the lights and then walked straight to the bar, pouring herself a scotch.

  “Do you want somet
hing to drink?” She asked.

  “No thanks,” Katie replied, her voice shaking.

  Esther grabbed her glass, taking a sip of it before sitting on the couch opposite Katie. She watched as the suffering girl shifted nervously, not knowing what to do with herself.

  “So, how are you?” Esther asked.

  She suddenly felt embarrassed at asking such a silly question, and the wondered what was wrong with her. Of course she wasn’t okay. She only had three weeks to live.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean that,” Esther said awkwardly.

  “It’s okay,” Katie said sheepishly, staring at the plush, white rug beneath their feet.

  “So…” Esther began.

  “Is there anything you want to do?”

  Katie looked up at her questioningly.

  “Like what?”

  “Like,” Esther hesitated, trying to be delicate.

  “Is there anything you have always wanted to do? Anything you have dreamed of doing?”

  Katie looked down at the ground, thinking hard.

  “Well, there are a few things…” She said quietly.

  “Yeah? What are they?” Esther asked, trying not to sound too interested.

  “Well, I have always wanted to travel…” She said.

  “We just went to Brazil,” Esther pointed out rudely, immediately regretting the remark.

  “Yeah, but…” Katie said uncertainly.

  “Where? Where have you always wanted to go?” Esther asked more gently.

  She watched as she hesitated again. Esther was beginning to get frustrated with their conversation, and did her best to sit patiently and wait.

  “I have always wanted to go to Hawaii,” She said.

  Esther looked at her and resisted the urge to laugh. Of all the places in the world, she wanted to go to Hawaii?

  “You realize that you can’t be out in the sun, right?” Esther reminded her.

  She nodded.

  “I guess you’re right, it was stupid.”

  Esther suddenly had an idea, and stood up.

  “Alright, tomorrow, we will begin living your life,” She said determinedly.

  Katie looked up at her, surprised.

  “Why? You don’t have to help me,” She said.

  Esther looked at her, unable to express her true feelings.

  “Look, I did this to you, so I want to make it up to you. It is simply a debt. Don’t over think it,” Esther said nonchalantly.

  The truth was, she wanted to help her because she cared for her. She felt immensely guilty and wanted to make sure that for her last days, Katie was happy.

  Katie nodded, looking a little disappointed, before excusing herself for bed. As she walked up the stairs, Esther opened up her laptop. She immediately logged into a forum, a forum only for true supernatural beings. She then created a new thread, calling out to Witches, Seers, Vampires, and whoever else for help. There had to be a way to save Katie. There just had to be.

  Chapter 15

  The next evening they headed for the airport.

  “Where are we going?” Katie asked curiously.

  “Somewhere warm,” Esther replied.

  They drove the black sedan to a private hanger on the outskirts of the airfield, and parked. As Katie got her suitcase from the trunk, Esther unlocked the giant doors and slid them open, revealing the small jet that was inside.

  “A private jet?” Katie said, excited.

  Esther felt herself pleased with the excitement written all over Katie’s face as she rushed past her and onto the plane. Esther followed, laughing to herself as Katie fawned over the luxurious plane. She then took the pilot’s seat as Katie buckled up.

  “You know how to fly a plane?” She called from her seat.

  “Of course I do! Who do you think taught those Wright boys everything they knew?” She said, laughing.

  “Really? You taught them how to fly?” Katie said, her voice filled with wonder.

  “In a sense,” She said, giggling.

  Of course, it wasn’t exactly a lie, she mused to herself. She did teach both of those brothers everything they knew, just not when it came to flying airplanes. She recalled their bodies and she found herself almost flustered at the memory of the two brothers, and almost blushed.

  She shook herself, though, and they took off.

  As they flew, Katie continued to ask where they were going, which both amused Esther and pissed her off. She didn’t know if she wanted to tease her or throw her out of the emergency doors, but held her tongue, simply ignoring her pleas.

  After the long night of flying, she began to see light on the horizon. She put jet on autopilot and then closed the specially made blinds over all of the windows. She then clicked a few buttons, and a screen lit up, showing the image from the camera mounted on the front of the plane. This way, she could see outside without being burned to a crisp.

  She left the cockpit and then went to see what Katie was up to.

  She was surprised to see her fast asleep, after sleeping the night before and then even more on the plane ride back from Brazil.

  She then saw once again how pale she looked, and noticed her heavy breathing. She must be sleeping so much because she is getting weaker, Esther thought. She sat down next to her, gazing at her as she filled with sadness.

  She then leaned over, delicately kissing her progeny on her forehead. She pressed her lips there, lingering as she breathed in Katie’s scent, and then pulled back, tears in her eyes.

  She then got up and moved to the back of the plane, taking a seat where Katie couldn’t see her as she cried.

  Finally, they touched down. It was just getting dark, and as they parked the plane in a rented private hanger, Katie was almost bouncing with excitement.

  “Where are we?” She practically begged, tugging on Esther’s arm like a child.

  Esther smiled, enjoying Katie’s excitement, and simply shook her head.

  A dark sedan was waiting for them outside of their hanger, and they loaded up their stuff.

  They got in, and Esther made sure to take the most indirect route to the beach she could, in hopes to preserve her surprise. Finally, they came to a beach, and she parked, leading Katie out of the car with her hands over her eyes.

  She had never done anything like this before, and felt like a completely different person. She felt her own excitement brewing as they stepped onto the sand.

  She uncovered Katie’s eyes and the moment almost moved as if it was in slow motion. She watched as she opened her eyes, and then watched as they widened in shock, her mouth opening in awe. She gasped, taking in the beach before her.

  “It is beautiful,” She said.

  The waves that were lapping onto the white sand was sparkling like the night sky. Luminescent lights, like stars, lit up the shore, the water glowing brightly as it lazily swayed back and forth. The sight was absolutely magnificent, and even Esther, who had seen if before, felt her breath catch in her throat.

  She stood next to Katie and gazed upon the glowing algae, and felt Katie reach out for her hand. As their hands intertwined, she heard Katie sigh. She leaned into Esther’s shoulder, looking at her.

  “Thank you,” She said quietly, before turning her gaze back to the shimmering shore.

  Esther felt tears welling up in her eyes as she gazed at the sparkling water, and she leaned into Katie.

  “Welcome to Maldives,” She said quietly.

  Chapter 16

  They laid on the beach, watching the sparkling waters as they shifted on the shore until the early hours of the morning. They laid there for hours, holding hands and silent as they enjoyed the sight. Katie seemed happy, and Esther was pleased. She was still overwhelmed with emotions, but she stayed silent, enjoying the beautiful, sparkling ocean before them.

  More than once, she found herself staring at Katie, wanting to make a move on her. She felt stupid, shaking her head as the immature thoughts crossed her mind. There was something different about Katie, she realize
d.

  She cared about what she thought, she cared about how she felt, and she was careful and considerate around her. She had never felt like this before, in all of her years on this Earth, and she had never treated anyone like this before.

  She was changing, becoming someone new, becoming more human as the days went by with Katie. That was it, she realized. She was more human, more alive than she had been in the past 200 years. She wanted this feeling to last, but she knew that it would have to end soon.

  She had never had her heart broken, and wasn’t looking forward to it.

  Finally, as the distant sky lightened, they made their way back to the car and drove to the resort.

  As they entered the suite, she saw the shocked look on Katie’s face and blushed.

  “It was the only one they had available on short notice,” Esther explained.

  It was the honeymoon suite, complete with a heart shaped bed, rose petals and a bottle of champagne. There was a giant Jacuzzi tub on one end of the room, that backed up to floor to ceiling windows overlooking a private beach. She saw Katie blushing as she looked around, and Esther quickly began to unpack their things.

  Katie began to pick up the rose petals that were scattered across the room, and Esther closed the special black-out curtains she had requested that hung heavily over the windows. As the room darkened, Katie quickly flicked on a light. The light was dim and romantic, and she quickly began searching for another source of light, embarrassed.

  Esther laughed to herself as she watched Katie, red faced and embarrassed, as she ran around the room looking for another light source that wasn’t so romantic.

  “It’s okay,” She said.

  Katie ignored her, continuing to move about the room frantically.

  “Relax,” She laughed aloud, startling Katie.

  Katie looked at her, smiling weakly. Suddenly she swayed, and Esther was immediately there to catch her. She looked even paler, Esther realized. She helped her over to the bed, laying her down gently on the pillows that were still covered in rose petals.