Redemption (Waking Up Dead)

by April Margeson

  That was another fact that I was going to try and not worry about right now. There are more important matters going on and it requires my full attention.

  I stood in front of Max, worried that he was withholding more information than I am aware of at the time. Every part of me knew that I could trust him. He smiled at me with one of the most heartwarming smiles that I had ever seen and I knew at that moment that I couldn’t be with anyone else. He is the one that I am supposed to be with for the rest of my life.

  A strange sensation began in my body. It started at my mark and coursed through every inch of me. Not taking my eyes off of the star in my arm, I watched it gain more color and definition. With every second that passed, I could feel the power growing inside me, fueling a new purpose in my life.

  But how could I be both a witch and a vampire? It doesn’t make sense to me. Being both meant that I wasn't going to fit in with either side. I was going to be an outsider to all of them. How was that going to work out for the good?

  “Alice, come stand by me.”

  She walked forward without hesitating in the slightest bit.

  “Caleb?” I called. I knew that the bond between him and Aden was still there. Nothing was going to change that now and it is stupid of me to even think that Aden was going to release him now. He needed Caleb now more than ever.

  Caleb dropped his head. The pain of the force that Aden’s influence was putting him through was apparent to all of us.

  “Please, Aden. Let him go.” Alice pleaded with him.

  Aden looked at her and I knew what his answer was going to be before he said it. That would cause Alice to change her mind about the decision to take my side. She loves him so deeply that she is not going to allow him to be away from her.

  “I can’t Alice. I’m sorry.”

  Max had told me that he could force a maker’s bond to break, but I could not remember if there would be any pain involved or not. I could only pray that Caleb would not suffer from it. My decision to ask Alzar to complete that task for me was not an easy one to make. I was still not sure that he was as accepting of me as I think. This is the time to see if he is going to make good on his promise to me.

  “Alzar, can you break the bond that Aden has with Caleb?”

  He remained silent for only a moment before answering me. “Yes. If that is what Caleb wants.”

  Caleb nodded his head. He didn’t want to be tied to Aden like that and I can’t say that I blame him. I had been there before and it is certainly not a pleasant thing to go through, especially with someone that is as dark and full of hatred as Aden.

  “You can’t do that!” Aden screamed. En ten con Caleb e romper el. Faga el non mias!

  My father had called on the oldest of the old. The highest power. He had asked for the bond to be broken. Even not knowing what the words were, I could still understand what he had said.

  Aden let out a howling, painful shriek and there was no mistaking that the bond was coming apart.

  Seconds passed and Aden fell to the ground, shivering from the shock that the separation had caused. He was hurting and I could not find it in me to care.

  Caleb took his first step in Alice’s direction. Uncertainty riddled him and it was easy for me to see that he was frightened.

  “It’s fine. You can come now. He can’t make you stay with him. You are free now. Please come” my father asked Caleb. The amount of care in his voice shocked me and uplifted me at the same time. He had been telling the truth up to this point, so maybe everything was really going to work out for us.

  When Caleb was in the safety of our group my heart calmed slightly. We were protected by my father, one of the most powerful witches alive.

  “Laynie,” Max looked cautious. “Do you understand now?”

  “I understand.”

  He was asking me that to be sure that I wasn’t angry with him about not telling me about Alzar being my father. He had known all along and I don’t hold it against him in any way. If he had been the one to tell me, I would have reacted differently.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him. I just think that issues like that should be handled by the people that they involve and no one else. That was the fair way to do it.

  The only thing that was left was to deal with Aden. I had no idea how my father was going to carry out his punishment, but from what I feel, it will be a fair and just decision on his part.

  Aden rose from the ground, weakened by the spell that had stripped his bond to Caleb. No matter how hard I tried, I could not force myself to have sympathy for him. This was all him. He had done this to all of us.

  Alice and Caleb were growing more anxious as we stood there looking at Aden and we were all wondering what was going to happen next. Alice would shuffle her feet and move rapidly. Her movements were jerky and thoughtless. From time to time, she would bump into one of us, even Alzar. I wasn’t even sure that he actually knew that she was doing it.

  My father called me to the side, away from the others. As I went over to meet him, the unforeseen plan suddenly came to my mind. He was going to kill Aden, but he didn’t want us to be there when he followed through with it.

  “I want you to leave. Take your friends and wait for me back at the underground house that you had been staying in. There is no need in you or any of them seeing what is about to take place here.”

  Arguing with him about this was not an option. He was right. No one needed to see what he was going to do.

  “Will Max be coming with us?”

  “No. I’m sorry. He has to stay with me, but don’t worry. He will be safe.”

  Swallowing my fear for Max, I turned and walked back to our group and explained to them that we needed to go and gather our things. If the option to leave this place was going to be offered to us, I wanted to be ready to go at a moment’s notice.

  Max was at my side, whispering for me not to worry about him. “I know what I’m doing, love.”

  That was what I was worried about. How many times had he been with my father when something like this happened? I was sure that it was more times than I wanted to know about.

  “Would you like for me to pack your things for you while I am down there?”

  “Yeah. That would be great. Thanks.”

  I looked at my father and saw the victory starting to show on his face. He was doing exactly what he wanted to do to Aden, torturing him in little ways, taking his power over his progeny.

  “Watch me.”

  My father began to say words that I could not understand at first, but as he went on, I noticed that I could pick out a word here and there.

  Grande un, ter presente uinculo que Ad

  CHAPTER 3

  As soon as we were back in the passageway to the house, Alice started asking questions about what was going to happen. The only thing that I could tell her was that we might be leaving this place and that everyone needed to be ready if that came up.

  I didn’t think that she wanted to know the rest of the story.

  “Try not to forget anything” I told them.

  This was the only way that I could think of to distract them from the goings on above us. Their opinions had been formed about Alzar before they could even realize that it was wrong and I didn’t want anything else to weigh in on that. They needed to know that he was not what Aden had told them that he was.

  Honestly, I had more questions than answers myself and I wasn’t in a position to be handing out false hope to any of them. From here on out, life is going to get harder for all of us. The tranquil life that we had here was not going to be like what was coming. I am almost certain of that now.

  Separating from them, I went and gathered all of my belongings first. I took everything that I could, right down to the hairbrush. I had no idea what was going to happen next and who’s to say that Alzar and Max wasn’t going to come down here and kill the rest of us as soon as he was finished with Aden?

  Shaking the thought from my head, I tried to regain my fo
cus on what I was doing. When I was sure that I had everything that I needed, I moved on to the room that Max had been staying in.

  Everything was already in place, packed up and in his bag. He had put the bag on the bed. There was no denying anything now. Max had known that we were leaving even before all of this had taken place.

  When I touched the handle of his bag, a vision as clear as it would have been of I had seen it with my own eyes played in my head. Max was standing at my father’s side. Something about him made him look like a tank in that moment. But even with his strength, I could feel his sadness as well.

  My father took a small knife from the sheath that he was wearing on his side and held it out in front of him. I didn’t know any other way to kill a vampire except for silver. I guess that it is safe for me to guess that the blade is silver.

  I watched as he plunged the knife blade into Aden chest. Aden fell to the ground and started shaking violently. His body twisted and convulsed. There had been no question in my mind that the pain that he was feeling was pure agony.

  My father went to his knees on the ground beside Aden’s now still body. Red tears started falling from his eyes as he chanted another spell. This time I recognized the words clearly, although they were still not in English. It was as if the vision had translated them for me.

  I had thought that he was casting another spell, but I soon found out that I was wrong. He was praying for forgiveness for taking yet another life. He had called to the higher power again, but this time his heart was filled with grief. The only thing that I could hope for was that he would receive the pardon that he so desperately wanted.

  The vision disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and for that I was thankful. For me to be able to see what had really gone on up there eased my worry and allowed me to have a better understanding of my father’s true nature.

  Now that the deed was done, I knew that I was going to have to make sure that Alice and Caleb were ready to leave.

  They were both waiting in the living room when I came down the hallway. Each of them had their bags in hand. They looked relieved and happy to be leaving, but I knew that they were unsure of what was about to happen and how their lives were born to be from here on out.

  I smiled at both of them trying to reassure them that everything was going to be okay, saying anything. Alice smiled back whole heartedly and I knew that this was going to be her new beginning, a chance for a life without having to worry.

  Caleb is a little more reserved and cautious than she is. He wants to know the details about everything, no matter if it is a simple matter or something complex. I can say that I will blame him. If it were me, I would want to know as well.

  He is her protector, her love and I had no doubts that he would do anything in his power to keep her safe.

  I could feel my father getting closer to us. He and Max had just entered the passageway. My father’s sadness with still a strong as it was in my vision. I could hear their footsteps getting closer to the door I did know whether I wanted to open it or wait for them. If they were born to say anything before entering, I did want to be the one to interrupt. They could be discussing something that I did need to know about until the decision was made to tell me, but I was sure that my father knew about my vision. How could he not? I am directly linked to his power. I am his daughter.

  The door opened slowly and Max came in. His face stained with tears. I could tell that he had done his best to try to erase the evidence from his face, that that was a hard thing to do when a person cried as hard as he had.

  I ran to him, wanting to comfort him as much as I could. He needed me right now and all wanted to console him, to make everything okay. My arms held him in a tight embrace and he began to cry again.

  Alice and Caleb must have thought that we needed privacy because they left the room as quietly as they could. To be the monsters that we are, their hearts are full of love and kindness everything and everyone.

  Max tried to gather himself enough so that he could be able to talk, but I wasn’t in any hurry. I could stand like this with him forever.

  “I’m so sorry Laynie.”

  “Don’t be. I knew what was going to happen.”

  “You knew?” Max asked, confusion sweeping over his face.

  “Yes, I knew.”

  “How?”

  I wasn’t sure if now was the time for me to explain my vision. He had a right to know that I was experiencing my power for the first time. Maybe that would be something that he could do to help me. The only thing left for me to do was to tell him everything.

  Max listened quietly as I told him about my vision. I went through it leaving no details untold. If he was going to be able to understand what I saw I could not miss any anything, no matter how small a thought it was.

  The more that I said, the water his eyes became. He had an astonished look that made me proud. It was like I was only a witch and not a vampire witch.

  When I had almost reached the end of my vision, my father walked in the door. He closed it gently behind him and turned to me. The red stains and the look on his face were only a reminder to me that Aden was dead. No longer would he be able to cause anyone any more harm. Still, I couldn’t help questioning if his tirade was truly over. I remembered him telling me that his maker spirit had still the earthbound, forcing him to make good on the promise that he had made. It is only reasonable for me to question whether or not Aden’s spirit had moved on.

  My father came over to me and hugged me like he hadn’t seen me in years. The truth of the matter was he hasn’t. For the biggest part of my life I had believed that another man was my real father, but somehow none of that mattered now. I returned the embrace with vigor.

  When my father finally let me go, I could see that he had, once again, began crying. Being close to him allowed me to feel the true intensity of his emotions. They were genuine in nature and I no longer had doubts about him. I had found my place with him and that was where I wanted to be.

  “Are you ready to leave?” he asked me.

  “As ready as I will ever be.”

  The only question that I had left was if he was going to allow Alice and Caleb to come with us. They had nowhere else to go and I was all they knew.

  “Of course they can come.”

  I called for both of them and informed them that we were leaving.

  “Where what are we going?” Alice asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure that it will be better than this place.”

  o0o

  My father had a car waiting for us right outside of the woods. We all got in after placing our bags in the trunk. I had no idea where we’re going, but I knew that this would be the fresh start than I had dreamed of.

  “We have to make one more stop before we leave” my father announced.

  I took a moment to think about where it was that we were going, but not one single idea came to mind. And the fact that he wasn’t one to tell me made me anxious. Could this be the moment that he betrays me?

  I watched out the window and noticed that my surroundings were very familiar. This was to street that leads to my mother’s house. Before I knew it we were already parked in the driveway.

  Her front door opened and she walked out carrying luggage. The only thing that she did on her way to the car was smile. She had known about my father’s plans all along, but there wasn’t any way for her to tell me without alerting Aden.

  Could it really be that my mother had saved me, but just not in the way than I expected. She had no hate in her heart for me. It was only pure love, true and as clean as the winter snow at Christmas.

  Everyone rearranged their seating in order for my mother to have room. She sat beside Alzar and rested her hand on his knee. I never thought that seeing my mother with another man would be this easy, but it was. He is my father and she is my mother. The only thing that mattered now was that my family is complete.

  The child inside me wanted to ask a million questions to both of
them. I’m sure that there was going to be plenty of time for that in the future. As I sat there and stared at them I could feel the power growing. It’s welled in me, threatening explosion, but I remained calm. There was no need in worrying my mother about what I was going through.

  Max looked at me with sympathetic eyes and I knew that he could feel what I was feeling. I wish them there was a way that I could protect him from my confusion.

  “Don’t worry Laynie. I know what you are going through” Max whispered to me.

  I took his hand and rested my head on the seat. Maybe it wouldn’t be much longer until we would arrive in our destination. Getting out of this car would definitely help my situation.

  Almost an hour had passed before we had come to a stop. In my desperation for relief I had not noticed where we were going. I opened my eyes, looking around to make sure that this was really happening and that it was not a dream. This cannot be a dream I told myself. Vampires don’t sleep.

  Someone from outside of the car opened the door and my father helped my mother out of the car. Each of us followed the person in front of us until we were all outside of the car.

  Through our bond, I realized exactly how much Alice hated enclosed spaces. She stretched her limbs and breathed a sigh of relief. After taking Caleb strand she looked at me with eyes filled with wonder and amazement.

  I was not sure what she had seen, but I knew that it had to be something incredible. She just doesn’t get excited over anything.

  I turned to survey our surroundings. We were all standing in front of one of the largest mansions that I had ever seen. This must be my father’s house.

  “Welcome home” Alzar said to all of us.

  I couldn’t believe it. This was really our new home, a place to be safe and loved. Somehow in the tight confinement of the car, we had become a family. The things about Alzar were not all true. He did not want to eradicate all the day walkers. He just wanted everyone to do the right thing and live without harming others.

  My father walked up to the front door and welcomed us to our new home again. Alice had become so excited that she hugged my father hard enough to cause him pain. I had realized it just in time and pulled her back. As soon as she realized what she had done she began to apologize repeatedly.