Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances

by T. M. Franklin

  “Kevin, sit down!” Victor said to the man. “I didn’t give you permission to stand yet, did I?”

  I looked over at Kevin. If it were possible, he had turned whiter than before. I saw that his entire body was shaking. “No, sir, sorry. I am so sorry, I thought you meant for us to leave . . . ” He snapped his mouth shut.

  Victor turned back towards me, smiling. “Please don’t make this hard on yourself, Elizabeth. I think that you know more than you are letting on. Jason told me that the boy you like at school has been taking you to the library in Hyattsville, and you have been doing research on vampires.”

  “Sure. I have been doing research for my term paper. I thought it was interesting. I found a book at the bookstore this summer about vampires in Hyattsville. My father grew up in Hyattsville. I thought it would be fun to research and do it as my term paper.” I thought I sounded pretty convincing, and really couldn’t believe I was coming up with answers so quickly.

  Victor turned towards his son. “Jason, could it be that you misled us here? Did this girl do anything other than research vampires that would have made you think that she was something other than a human?”

  Jason’s face dropped. “Dad, she has the mark! The people at the school are saying that she has changed this summer. Look at her.” He turned towards me, shaking. “Tell him!” he screeched at me.

  “I’m really sorry, Jason. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I smiled my sweetest smile. Inside, I was starting to feel relieved. I opened my mind again to see if I could read Kevin’s thoughts again.

  “What is Victor doing? He knows that Jason wouldn’t bring her here if he weren’t sure about this. I wish I had never agreed to come. John is going to punish all of us now. Maybe, if I call him before anyone else, he will go easy on me. I have to think of someway to leave the room without getting Victor suspicious.” Kevin thought as he looked around the room, frantically trying to find a way to escape.

  I could see the fear in his eyes. I felt myself begin to tremble. My God, what if they can smell fear on me like they show vampires doing in the movies? Maybe I needed to send thoughts to Jeremiah. Maybe he would be the only one who could help me now. My thoughts were racing, and I could feel my heart starting to race as well. I didn’t know what to do. I took a deep breath, and was getting ready to try to send a thought to him when there was a knock on the door.

  Everyone turned at once towards Victor. He turned towards the sound. “Is anyone expecting someone? You know how I feel about anyone interrupting my meetings.”

  I tried to see who was at the door with my mind, but whoever it was seemed to be blocking me. Victor went to the door and opened it. “May I help you?”

  “Sorry to bother you, sir, my girlfriend was coming home with Jason today to work on a project, and I figured I would drop by to see if she was ready to head home. I thought I would save Jason the trip.”

  “Isaiah!” I rushed to the door, never so happy to see someone before. “Thanks for the hospitality, Victor,” I said, as I hurried past him before he could invite Isaiah in. “Tell Jason I will catch him at school tomorrow.” I grabbed Isaiah’s hand, and almost dragged him away from the door.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked as I made a quick retreat to his car. “Did something happen?”

  “Just get us out of here, as quickly as you can,” I said. “Please, go straight to Jeremiah’s. I have to speak to him right away.” I threw the car door open, jumped in, and collapsed onto the seat, breathing a sigh of relief when he started the engine and we pulled away from that awful house. I glanced back, fearful that Jason or Victor would come after us.

  “Maybe it’s time you told me what’s going on. I think I’ve been very patient here, but I can tell you are very scared. Can you please let me help you?”

  I turned towards him. “I want to let you in, but I don’t want you to get dragged into this.”

  “I think it is a little too late for that. I have a feeling me showing up at that house just brought me all the way into whatever this is. I think maybe, for everyone’s sake, I need to be brought up to speed. Jason’s father looked pretty mad.”

  I sat back, horrified at what he had just said. He was right; after this, there was no way of keeping him out of whatever this is. Victor would get what he wanted, that was evident from the fear I had seen in the others’ faces in that room today.

  I would go to Jeremiah, and tell him everything. He would be our only hope for being safe. Somehow, I just knew this in my soul.

  I reached over and took Isaiah’s hand. “When we get to Tucker Hill we’ll discuss everything that has happened, I promise. Please, until we get there, can we just drive in silence?”

  He looked at me, and from the expression on his face I knew he somehow understood that I needed this. “That is fine for this moment, Elizabeth. But we’re going to talk about this. You’re safe now.”

  We drove the rest of the way in silence. I closed my mind, just in case someone could listen in to my thoughts. I almost laughed out loud. This was something I would have never believed possible just a few short months ago, but now mindreading vampires were a very real threat. I felt a rush of disbelief wash over me.

  The drive seemed to take forever. We finally pulled up in front of Tucker Hill. I wanted to jump out of the car and fly up those steps, but fear seized me. I grabbed Isaiah’s hand. “Wait.”

  I reached out with my mind to see if anyone that was a threat to us was near. I didn’t know if I could only read human minds, or if I would be able to eventually read the minds of other vampires. But I knew Jeremiah would know if there were another vampire near, and would be outside waiting for us or he would warn me. I looked around just to be sure, and turned towards Isaiah and said, “Let’s go, but we need to move fast.”

  We bolted out of the car and ran up the steps. Just as we got to the top step, the door flew open. Jeremiah grabbed me and pulled me inside, closing the door quickly behind us. “What is going on? You were searching frantically for me. What happened?”

  “Something is wrong. That boy, Jason, that I told you about from school, he took me to his house today, and his father was there and four other men. The other men were afraid of his father. His father was questioning me about who I was. He knew about the vampire kiss on my neck.”

  Jeremiah stopped me with a look. He glanced towards Isaiah. “How did you know where to find her?” he asked Isaiah.

  “I don’t know, sir, I just drove until I found Jason’s car. I wasn’t thinking about anything but getting to her. Somehow, I felt like something was wrong. What is going on?” Isaiah said.

  “We need to tell him. He showed up at the house and I ran outside, and we left. We came straight here. I think he is in trouble now for helping me get away from them. Oh, it’s bad, isn’t it?” I felt myself falling apart. I started shaking so badly that I thought my legs would collapse.

  “Elizabeth, come, let’s go sit down. Come on Isaiah, we will talk in here.” He led the way into a small sitting room just off the hall. As we entered the room I saw it was another room from one of my dreams. There was a small fireplace with an oak mantle on the far wall. The room was done is a soft pallet of blues. I turned to my left knowing I would see another painting. Hanging on the wall was a view of the ocean, the waves gently washing up on the shore. I knew from the color of the woman’s hair that it was my mother standing looking out over the waves. I glanced at Jeremiah. You painted this one too didn’t you?

  “Yes. It was one of our rare trips we were able to make together. I wanted to remember it forever and I wanted her to as well.” He took my hand and gently tugged at me leading me over to the sofa, and sat down next to me. Isaiah sat in the small chair to just my right.

  “Start from the beginning. Tell me exactly what happened, and everything about the men in the house.”

  “There were five men there, and Jason. Jason’s father’s name is Victor. One of the men was named Kevin, and he was really scared. He was hum
an, I’m sure of it. He kept thinking about how mad someone named John was going to be when he found out that Victor had brought me there to question me.

  “Victor seemed to be trying to make a point to these men. He asked me who my father was, and I told him my father’s name. He told me that he knew I was part vampire, that I had the kiss of the vampire on my neck. He showed this to all of them. It really seemed to startle the others.”

  “I laughed, and told them my mother had always called it the same thing. I tried to keep my mind off everything except what was going on. I tried really hard to act like I didn’t know what Victor was talking about.”

  “Jason was getting really angry, and you could tell he’s afraid of his father. I really didn’t think that I was going to get out of there! I didn’t want them to find you,” I said almost in one breath. I had to get as much out as I could so that I wouldn’t forget anything. I sat back with tears running down my face, and looked over at him.

  “Elizabeth, calm down. Let me think a minute. Okay, this man Victor, he was a vampire? Can you describe him for me?”

  “Yes, he was very tall with dark hair, and very dark eyes. He looked a lot like Jason, but much older. He looked really mad, seething underneath the pretend-smile on his face. His eyes don’t smile, like his son’s. Yes, I think he was a vampire.”

  Isaiah was looking from me to Jeremiah with a look of disbelief on his face. “What are you two saying?” was all he could manage to get out.

  “I was afraid of this. Listen to me closely, both of you. This vampire, Victor, he is the second in command under John. John is a very old, very powerful vampire from the Old World. He has been around for more than 500 years. He turned Victor about 325 years ago.

  “John is the most evil vampire that I ever met. I didn’t know he had come to America. The last I had heard of him he was in England, living outside of Liverpool.

  “Victor follows the evil ways, like John. They must have somehow heard about you, Elizabeth, although I can’t imagine how. I’ve tried to keep your existence hidden. Someone in this town must have contacted him. But I don’t know how or why. I’ve only been aware of a few vampires passing through over the years, and none of them were of the evil persuasion like John and Victor.”

  He turned towards Isaiah. “I’m afraid that you have put yourself in grave danger by going to that house today. This is bad. It would have been much better had you contacted me, and let me go after her.” He held his hand up when he saw Isaiah start to open his mouth. “I know that you had no idea what was going on. It’s my fault for hiding so much from you two. Let me get us some tea. We have a lot of talking and planning to do over the next few hours.”

  I leaned back against the sofa and closed my eyes. For the first time since all this started with Jason I felt safe. I thought how stupid I had been to not tell my father about what was going on. My eyes flew open.

  My father. I think of him as my father now. Wow, so much had happened. I smiled at Isaiah. He looked at me with curiosity. “Well, I guess you might as well know, Isaiah. Jeremiah is my father.”

  “What?” He sat forward, looking at me. “What do you mean he is your father? What is going on, Elizabeth?”

  “I just found out that Jeremiah is my father when we started doing the research on vampires. I wanted to tell you, but he felt that the less you knew, the safer for both of us. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” I was watching his eyes to see if he was really upset with me or not.

  “Well, we need to talk when we leave here.” I could see the anger in his eyes. I hoped that he would let me explain.

  “I will understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore. I just hope that you’ll believe me when I tell you I was trying to keep you and everyone else safe, because I love you.”

  Just then, Jeremiah walked back into the room, carrying a tray with two cups and a pot of tea. He set it down on the table and poured the tea into each glass. He looked at Isaiah. “Cream or sugar?” he asked.

  “Just sugar, sir,” Isaiah replied. I could see him looking at Jeremiah very closely, studying his face.

  Jeremiah turned towards me. “You, Elizabeth?”

  “Both please.” I felt tears starting to well up in my eyes, and I couldn’t let either of them see me cry again. I sat, looking down into my lap. I saw Jeremiah set the cup on the coffee table in front of me.

  “Elizabeth, no need to be upset about not telling Isaiah about me. If you remember, it was I who told you that for his safety he shouldn’t be told. Isaiah, it was for your safety as well as hers that I felt the less people who knew her connection to me, the better. You see, I’m a vampire.”

  When I looked up, Jeremiah was looking straight at Isaiah. I chanced a glance over at him. Isaiah was looking at Jeremiah as if he had just grown another head.

  “I know it’s hard to wrap your brain around this, but it is the truth. I fell in love with Elizabeth’s real mother, who was a human. I couldn’t help myself, even though it was forbidden for my kind to be with a human. We were secretly together, and when her mother was with child we were terrified.

  “Her mother died just after Elizabeth was born, after making me promise to keep her safe. I knew nothing about children, let alone a newborn baby, so I took her to the humans’ hospital and placed her with the people she lives with now. I have been keeping watch over her all these years.” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know how I’m going to keep us all safe now. I must tell you about Victor and John. Get comfortable, because this is going to take a while.”

  I looked over at Isaiah; he reached over and took my hand. He smiled at me, a rather sad smile. “Okay, I will listen to what you have to say.” Then he winked at me. I could feel the anger rising up inside me. Isaiah thought he was listening to an addled man who wasn’t in his right mind.

  I pulled my hand away. “You better listen to what Jeremiah has to say, he is telling the truth about everything. If you want to be able to live, you better get serious and listen close.”

  Fear rose in his eyes. “You believe what he is saying? Vampires exist? Come on, Elizabeth.”

  “What do you think we were doing all that research about?” I glared at him.

  “Let’s get started here. I have a lot to tell you both,” Jeremiah said. He turned to face Isaiah so he could look him in the eye while he told him the story from the beginning.

  12

  “John is one of the older existing vampires that still walk on this earth. He is the one who controls all the vampires in the western part of this county. I think he might have been sent here to try to keep order with the younger vampires. I didn’t know he was in this country.

  “Vampires have a code that has helped us to live virtually undetected amongst humans. On occasion, we get a rogue vampire who causes problems, or makes themselves known to humans. The elders deal them with swiftly.

  “John has always been fair and swift with the judgments, but he doesn’t sway from the rules. With him, there is only black and white.

  “He is the one that your mother and I were protecting you and ourselves from, Elizabeth.” Jeremiah looked at me, and I saw the sadness in his eyes at the mention of my mother. “I didn’t feel that he would listen to reason, and thought I would be condemned, and you would have been taken from us out of fear of the unknown. I wouldn’t have been able to stop that, nor would I have had any control over what he would have done to you.

  “I don’t understand who this Victor is, or why he is trying to find out more about you and who your father is. Clearly he has told these humans that were with him about John, which is one of the worst things that he could have done. He must have no fear of John, and that is something that really troubles me. I’m also very confused as to how he found out about you. You have told no one about you and I, correct?”

  “Of course not,” I replied, horrified that he would even think that I had betrayed him like that. “I didn’t even tell Isaiah.” I looked over at Isaiah who w
as nodding his head, yes, that none of this had been told to him.

  “Sorry, I had to ask you that. It worries me that he has so much information. How did he discover that you are part vampire? Why are he and his son here? Did someone in the town suspect something because you started doing research on vampires? These are questions that I must find out the answers to. I must know who, and what, is behind Victor and his son singling you out like this.” He closed his eyes.

  We waited and waited. The clock on the mantle was ticking behind me. Isaiah’s breathing slowed and evened out. I was afraid to move, or make any sound to disturb Jeremiah. I knew he was thinking hard.

  When he opened his eyes again he sighed. “Kevin, the one you heard at Victor’s house, he is easy to read. He is home now, terrified about what is going to happen now that you have gotten away from Victor. It seems after Isaiah showed up and you two left so quickly, Victor was very angry, and wasn’t sure of how to proceed. Kevin is very fearful, because he isn’t sure that Victor is positive that you are part vampire. One of the other men told Victor that he was no longer going to be a part of ‘this witch hunt,’ and Victor killed him on the spot in front of the others. Kevin is in fear for his life, and the lives of his family, so he has agreed to continue to help him. He isn’t sure that he believes in vampires, but thinks that Victor is an evil man who has evil plans for this town.”

  He turned to me “I think he may be the person that we need to get too. He isn’t an evil man, and he is the one most likely to crack. I don’t know who the others are yet, so I’m going to have you look for them and tell me who they are.” He could see the fear in my eyes. “I want you to never be alone, Elizabeth. You’re to be with friends, Isaiah, or your family at all times. I will be close by, watching and listening. I won’t be fooled again like I was yesterday. I regret that I left you for that short time. You can’t close your mind off to me like that again. I think you are safe as long as we keep you always with someone.” He turned towards Isaiah. “I know I’m asking a lot, especially since we kept so much from you. Do you care enough about Elizabeth to help keep her safe?”