Scent of a White Rose

by Tish Thawer

  Good News

  (Rose)

  As soon as Dad heard the knock at the door he fell straight into panic mode, and for some reason, so did I. I was now listening for any noise that could identify our unexpected caller from behind my cracked bedroom door. So far, all I heard were jumbled voices.

  After some deep breaths and a few thoughts to convince myself that I was a badass, I started down the stairs when I finally heard something...a female giggle. What the fuck.

  As I rounded the corner, I got a good look at the intruder. It was a woman with long blonde hair in a pencil skirt and heels. And she had her hand on my dad's arm.

  "Rose! It's okay honey. Please come here. I'd like you to meet someone." Dad's voice had sort of a high-pitched, panicky sound to it.

  As I walked towards them, my dad took a step back and the woman turned around to face me. She was really pretty and had a Barbie doll smile plastered on her face. "Hi, I'm Meredith." I shook her hand thinking, and I should care why?

  "Honey, Meredith is one of my clients from Masen," Dad explained.

  Why would one of my dad's clients be at our house on a Saturday night? I didn't think I liked where this was going. "Didn't you just finish your meeting in Masen last night, Dad?" I asked, all the while keeping my eyes plastered on Meredith's.

  "Yes, actually I did, so this is quite a surprise." He looked at Meredith and then gestured towards the living room with his arm outstretched. "Why don't we have a seat in the living room and you can tell me to what do we owe this pleasure?" Meredith led the way, Dad followed, and I slunk in behind them.

  Once we were all seated in the living room–Dad and Meredith on the couch–I huddled in the recliner, Dad turned to Meredith. "So, what exactly are you doing here? Is there something wrong with the campaign we discussed?"

  Okay, so maybe Dad's nervousness was coming from the fact that he thought this woman was unhappy with his work. I still thought it was pretty damn odd that someone would just show up on our doorstep instead of calling to set up another meeting.

  "Actually, after you left, the partners and I discussed your campaign and we absolutely love it. So much, in fact, that we want to ask you to head up another campaign for a sub-company of ours. That's why I'm here. I was so excited to tell you the good news that I thought I'd just follow you back from Masen and deliver it in person," Meredith explained. "I have a friend in the area that I'll be staying with, and I thought we could get together for lunch tomorrow to discuss the details."

  She had such an excited buzz about her and her smile was about to drive me nuts, so I took her story for what it was. Dad took a deep breath and visibly relaxed. "Well, that is fantastic news. I'd be honored to head up another campaign for you. And yes, lunch tomorrow sounds great. " Dad grinned and looked in my direction. His smile faltered slightly as he took in my expression. I was sure I wasn't sporting the most gracious look on my face. Whether I believed her story or not, for some reason I just didn't like this woman very much. Maybe it was because she looked so much like my mom.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Old Friend

  (Evie)

  After Dax and I had settled on the questions that I needed to ask my Sire, I had requested to be left alone. I couldn't remember the last time I had spoken to Balam. It had been so long ago that I had been triggered and made a Sire that it truly felt like a completely different lifetime. Even though I considered my Sire an old friend, I was still a bit nervous to actually be contacting him.

  Usually once a new Sire left their original clan to begin their own, there was no further contact between them. Not that it was forbidden, but it was usually just not a necessity, and for whatever ancient reason, that's just how things worked.

  Traditionally, once a vampire was confirmed as the triggered vampire in their current clan, they were then led through history lessons about their kind. This included all the different new "powers" that came with being a Sire: the poison of true death, the sedative of eternal life, the scanning abilities, and the importance of choosing their consort. Once they received the guidelines on how to use each of these things, they would then go through the "Passing of Powers" ritual. This is where their Sire passed abilities onto them. They were then expected to leave their current clan, set up a new home location, and begin building a clan/family of their own.

  The first vampire that they sired became their consort and shared in their scanning abilities. This was the most important, and the first thing a new Sire needed to do. They had to choose wisely, because once their consort was changed, they were eternally bound to them and if they died...so did the new Sire.

  After choosing their consort, there was no limit to how many vampires they could create. The process of the change was pretty typical. The Sire bit the chosen person, and then injected them with the sedative of eternal life. The sire would then feed from the person until they were dead. Once the new vampire had risen, the first thing they were made to do was drink from the Sire. That sealed the bond and completed the process. Once the bond was made, the new vampire then drifted to their "normal" coloring. Most people rose as light vampires, but like Terrance, if they carried sorrow and pain within them, they would mostly likely show signs of that by drifting to a darker color.

  As I sat there recalling all the lessons that Balam had taught me, I started to feel a little more relaxed about contacting the man who had blessed me with eternal life, even though I hadn't spoken to him in over a thousand years.

  After digging his number out of my archives, I took a deep breath and dialed.

  "Hola, habla Balam."

  I smiled. His accent still carried its Mayan heritage, and even though he could speak English, he chose to speak modern Spanish. To this day he continued to go by his real Mayan name, Balam. Just hearing his voice made me realize how much I'd missed him.

  "Hello Balam, this is Evangeline."

  "Evangeline mi amor, no te visto mucho tiempo."

  He knew that I hadn't spoken Spanish for hundreds of years, but he was going to make me ask anyway. "Balam, you know I no longer speak Spanish, may I ask that we speak in English, my Sire?" He was very formal when it came to titles and respect.

  His only reaction to my request was a small "hmph," and then he said, "Yes of course my darling. I was just saying it has been forever." His voice was kind and immediately took me back to the villages of Chichen Itza. I wasn't originally from the Yucatan, but when I was turned by Balam, who was one of the original Mayan people, Chichen Itza was where the clan had actually lived. I had been amazed when I realized that the lair of a centuries old vampire clan resided below the ruins and still did to this day.

  "To what do I owe this pleasure?" Balam asked.

  "I have a situation developing within my clan that I have never experienced before, and I need to ask you some questions." I figured there was no point in beating around the bush.

  "What's the situation?" Apparently he shared my desire to get straight down to business.

  "I have a vampire who has drifted permanently dark, which is unfortunate but not unheard of. The problem I'm having with him, however, is that when I scanned him, trying to reveal the cause of his darkening, I was forced into unconsciousness and trapped there until I cleared my mind of the incident." Balam continued to listen as I explained further. "It was only then that I was able to wake. My vampire also reports that whenever he thinks of a particular woman, his thoughts get...fuzzy." I hoped I was giving him enough details to explain the oddness of my situation properly.

  Silence lingered for more time than I was comfortable with, but I knew that I needed to let Balam process this information. The man had a millennium of experience and history to sort through. I just hoped that something rang a bell.

  "Have any of your other vampires drifted permanently dark, or is it just this one?" His voice was calm, but serious.

  "No. Just Terrance."

  "And you say that his thoughts get fuzzy when he thinks of a particul
ar woman, correct?"

  "Yes. And I think that due to our mental connection, whatever this woman has done to Terrance is why I was knocked out when I tried to scan him."

  "Yes, I would suspect that the mental connection with Terrance and the image of this woman is related to why you were knocked unconscious."

  It seemed like he had an idea of what was happening, so I was only happy to wait for his next question.

  "Has Terrance shown any aggression towards the other vampires in your clan?"

  "No. We have him chained up right now, and he's not exactly happy about it, but he hasn't tried to hurt any of us. Dax and I noticed about six months ago that he started to have trouble drifting back after feeding and he started to become very quiet and solitary. We started keeping an eye on him, making sure he fed with the others, instead of by himself. And up until last week, he had never killed anyone before, but now he appears to have drifted permanently dark." I couldn't help the sadness in my voice. I really didn't want to have to deliver the true death to him.

  "Evangeline, even though as the Sire you are immune, it is absolutely imperative that none of your other vampires get close to Terrance from now on. He is a danger to your clan."

  "What? Why? He's chained up, and like I said, he hasn't shown any sign of aggression towards any of us." This was starting to confuse and scare me.

  "Evangeline, please do as I say. I don't want any of your other vampires to become infected."

  "Infected? What are you talking about?" This conversation was definitely not going how I'd imagined.

  "Yes. Infected. I'm almost certain that the woman that Terrance encountered was in fact a zôt–or what you would refer to as a demon."

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Lunch with Barbie

  (Rose)

  I watched Meredith scoot closer and closer to Dad as they made plans to meet for lunch the following day. I had found a creative form of entertainment that allowed me to remain calm throughout the rest of her unexpected visit. I repeatedly imagined myself flying across the room and strangling her to death to pass the time. It was pretty fun.

  Once she had finally left I excused myself and headed straight to my room. I thought it would be best to avoid any conversations about her at that moment. You know the saying...if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

  A few minutes later Dad knocked on my door. "Honey, are you alright?"

  "I'm fine, Dad. I just want to go to sleep." I could tell he was considering pressing the issue, but thank god, he didn't.

  "Okay, honey. Goodnight then. Oh, and Rose, I'd like you to go with me tomorrow. Meredith and I are meeting at the café in the business district for lunch, and I thought you could do some shopping while I met with her. Then we could take in a movie or something." Dad sounded so upbeat, and after our argument tonight I really did want the chance to continue our conversation about getting a car and moving out.

  "Okay Dad, sure thing. That sounds just great." I would fake it for him, but I still didn't like the fact that my dad was going to be having lunch with Barbie.

  * * * * *

  (Jeremy/Dad)

  That had been quite a surprise. I couldn't believe Meredith had followed me back from Masen, straight to my house no less. I had told her when we started to see each other every month during my overnight visits to Masen that she was going to have to understand that there was no way that I could bring her here to the house where Rose's mother had been killed, especially since she looked so much like her.

  It was over a year ago that I had met Meredith, and even then, it had been a shock to me that she looked so much like my wife. If I was being honest with myself, the fact that she did resemble Loraine so much had probably contributed to why I had gravitated to her to begin with. But once we began to spend some quality time together, I realized that she was a wonderful person and the fact that she furthered my career had nothing to do with it.

  I didn't know how I was going to tell Rose that Meredith and I had been seeing each other, so for now, I thought lunch and some casual conversation would be the perfect place to start.

  * * * * *

  (Rose)

  After Dad and I made breakfast, we went online to search for what he thought would be a dependable brand of car for me. We figured we would narrow down our choices today, and when the car lots opened tomorrow, we wouldn't have to waste much time running around from place to place.

  "I really like the Ford Focus," Dad said for the hundredth time.

  "I don't mind that one I guess. Though the new Mercedes look hot," I giggled. I had never been a car person, so the fact that I even knew the name of a certain kind was pretty much a joke. I also had never really been into name brands, so as far as I was concerned, it really didn't matter to me what I got as long as I got one that I could call my own.

  It was about 11 a.m. when we shut the computer off and started to get ready. I wasn't exactly sure why Dad wanted me to go. I mean, I was all up for some shopping, but I really wasn't looking forward to seeing Meredith again. The fact that she looked so much like Mom totally creeped me out.

  At 12:30 p.m., Dad's voice echoed up the stairs. "Rose? You ready to go?"

  "Yep. Be right down." As I rounded the bottom of the stairs and caught a glimpse at what Dad was wearing, I had to hold back a snicker. I had expected him to be dressed in his usual business suit or his Sunday best. But instead, he was dressed in a nice pair of stylish jeans, a white button up shirt that he had left untucked, and his leather jacket that I hadn't seen in ages. He had also left a slight five o'clock shadow on his face. I guess he was trying to go for that scruffy, sexy older man look. But, oh my God, this was my dad. What the hell was he thinking? And all of a sudden, it dawned on me. Meredith was more than just a client. And now it looked like I truly would have to kill her.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  History Lesson

  (Evie)

  After hearing Balam's idea about what had happened to Terrance, I had sat there in complete shock. I had no idea what to say or what to think. I had never believed in demons or whatever he had called them–zôts. So after allowing me a few moments to calm myself, he continued, trying to explain.

  The history lesson that I received went back thousands of years, to the time when the Mayan people were facing the threat of extinction. He explained that Yum Camil, the demon ruler in Xibalba, had sent forth his favored son, Camazotz, the demon bat-god, or blood-feeder, into the human realm. He had told him that he needed to bite and infect as many humans as possible before the end, so that their bloodline would continue on. Because even as demons, they weren't going to escape the end that was quickly approaching their civilization.

  Camazotz went into the world at his father's request. He bit and infected as many people as he could, transforming humans into zôts. Demons that fed on blood. And this was the beginning of the vampire race.

  I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Balam was one of the direct descendants of the first vampires ever created.

  Though Yum Camil and Camazotz were classified as demons, they weren't inherently evil, so when Camazotz infected the humans, it was the combination of his blood and the light within the human soul that manifested into the ability of drifting.

  Balam continued to explain that after some time, the vampires that Camazotz was creating started having a bad reaction to the change.

  Balam's theory was that Camazotz, in his effort to complete his father's mission, remained in the human realm for too long. Being out of his natural environment for such an extended period of time had caused his blood to become contaminated.

  Camazotz's contaminated blood had infected the new vampires, and right from the start they had drifted straight to dark. Soon after, they became violent and turned on their clan.

  Once the fighting began, it became obvious that the dark vampires were passing their infection to the others. Because when a light vampire was b
it, they too, drifted dark.

  Soon the dark vampires started to outnumber the light ones, and the originals feared that they were going to be overrun.

  Camazotz then called upon his father to come aid him in what could only be described as a civil war amongst vampires. Yum Camil came to his son's aid and found that the only way to kill the darkened vampires was for him to bite them again, infecting them with a poison that only he, the ruler of Xibalba, possessed. Upon realizing this, Yum Camil chose a few light vampires, and through his Mayan magic, blessed each of them with the ability to reproduce his poison. These vampires became the first Sires who possessed the poison of true death.

  After sending Camazotz back to Xibalba, Yum Camil and the newly created Sires fought to destroy all the darkened vampires. Once the dark ones were eliminated, Yum Camil conducted the first "Passing of Powers" ritual.

  In order to bestow the Sires with the sedative of eternal life that was needed to create new vampires, he had to link minds with them. Linking minds with Yum Camil is what led the Sires to have the ability to scan. During this initial rite he also bestowed a time-limit on how long the Sires could hold their powers. This was to prevent a Sire's blood from becoming contaminated like Camazotz's had. He then taught the Sires how to perform the "Passing of Powers" ritual, and then decreed that the Sires divide the remaining light ones into clans and separate to the four corners of the world.

  I thought this was where the lesson would stop, but Balam continued to explain the one key point that was relevant to my current situation.

  He explained that once the Sires had separated, before returning to Xibalba, Yum Camil continued to infect humans with his own blood. Since he wasn't a blood-feeder by nature like his son the Bat God, the humans weren't transformed into vampires. Instead, they remained human, but had demon blood flowing through their veins. It was this line of humans that had continued to exist throughout time, hiding their demon heritage from the world.