The Touch Series: Initiation

by Cecilia Lonski

  “Something that belongs to an old vampire family.”

  Artie hissed at me on my left.

  “Yes, I can feel it. Show it to me.”

  “Only if you help us.”

  A smile appeared on Perrie's face and she laughed. “Fine. But I can't make any promises that I'll succeed in helping you.”

  I walked over to her and took out the scroll from my bag. I caught Artie giving me a dark look.

  When Perrie unrolled it, she looked up at me immediately. “Where did you get this exactly?”

  “Does it really matter?”

  “What's your name?”

  “Quinn Turner.”

  Perrie's eyes opened widely and her mouth fell open slightly. “Well, that's not good.”

  CHAPTER eighteen

  “Do you know what this is about?” Perrie held up the ancient scroll in front of her as I looked at it nervously.

  “Yeah, Artie told me about how some vampire families secretly kept mermaids, especially for some ritual to bring back dead vampires. And then the mermaids pretty much became extinct.”

  Perrie walked around the desk to stand behind it and gently put the scroll down. She let out a deep sigh. “I can't believe that this is happening.” Me and Artie exchanged confused looks before she continued. “I'm not just a witch. I'm one of the last descendants of the original families of Richmond who resided here centuries ago. And history about this town and its connection to the supernatural world got passed down to generation after generation. A few years ago, I was entrusted with the secret that not all of the mermaids got killed that night of the attack in Romania back in 1416.”

  Artie laughed out loud. “You're high, you know that?”

  “I'm serious. And, trust me, you will want to hear the rest of the story.” Her stone cold stare alone got Artie to take a seat at one of the desks. “As I was saying, one mermaid was able to escape from the secret lake owned by the Constane vampire family. I was not told exactly how. All I know was that she was secretly shipped from country to country until she finally reached the body of water that is now known as Lake Michigan. Whoever put her there was smart because no one would have suspected especially since Illinois was barely inhabited around the time she was brought there in the 17th century.”

  “I'm sorry to interrupt but I don't see how that applies to me or anything.” We had been in the office for only fifteen minutes but I was desperate to get back on track on finding a way to help Nicholas. I didn't care for what Perrie had to say to me at that moment if it had nothing to do with helping him.

  “Because you're the last descendant of that very mermaid.”

  “What?” My mind was literally blown. Maybe Artie was right, she must have been high.

  “Just listen. I know that you felt something incredibly powerful when you first found this. And you don't have to lie, I can feel it running in your veins. And well... I can sense you're not entirely human – And, trust me, my witch senses are near perfect despite the lack of practice.”

  This time I laughed out loud. I turned to Artie who had barely stirred in his seat the whole time. “Artie? Back me up, she's crazy right?”

  He looked from Perrie to me and pursed his lips. “When I first met you, you're scent was off for me and it didn't completely match your parents or brothers' distinct human scent. And I can tell that she's not lying.”

  So I was part-mermaid? What did that even mean? “I don't understand. How is that possible?”

  Perrie leaned against the desk and spoke slowly, “The mermaid gave up a child to a witch who lived in this town. A Richards' witch obviously. She was sworn to protect the child and any future offspring that acquired the mermaid gene. It doesn't get passed on directly to each generation. Instead, it skips many times. Only a few of your ancestors had it. And my ancestors put up a binding spell that would have all of your family to stay in and be protected in this town for as long as the Richards' magic can allow so.”

  I dreaded to find out the answer to my next question, “Protected from what?”

  Perrie and Artie looked at each other for a moment before she turned back to me, “In case the Constane's or some of their enemies found out that one of the mermaids survived and went out looking for potential offspring.”

  “But then that's fine. No one knows, right?”

  Artie stood up and went to the scroll that was spread in front of Perrie. “Quinn, maybe that's no longer true. Maybe that's why things have become strange and deadly around here. Cassie and Lisa being attacked by some unknown supernatural entity and you're in the exact same club. Then there's what happened last summer. And maybe that woman that Nicholas saw again wasn't coming for him but for you. Think about it, he wasn't attacked. She just stood waiting in your yard. She obviously left before you got home but the fact remains that she didn't approach your brother in any way.” He looked down and clenched the side of a desk. “And maybe, this person is out to hurt you like they did to Cassie and Lisa. Maybe... this vampire wants to make sure there are no more descendants.”

  Perrie sighed loudly. “Or, it's a Constane who wants to find you and use you for that old ritual – which would require for you to be killed. So, either way, it doesn't look good for you.” Artie cursed at her. “What? You want me to be honest, don't you?”

  My mind was racing, my arms shook and my neck was dripping in a sweat of fear. “I don't know what to say.” My voice began to crack and I found it difficult to find any vocabulary in my mind. “I-I, okay, what-what do we do?” That was the only thing I could say because it was the only thing that truly mattered at the moment. What do we do? What do I do?

  Perrie straightened up behind the desk and a slight smile formed on her face. “For something this crazy and dangerous, I would have to know everything. And I mean everything. Starting with who the fuck are Cassie and Lisa. Oh, and what do I get in return?”

  “What do you want?”

  She shrugged. “Well, when this is all handled and over and if you survive this- and that's a big if- this magically bound agreement between our families will be done.”

  “How would we do that?”

  “Simple. Just a quick ceremony where the mermaid Turner verbally terminates the agreement.”

  “Fine.” That was the very least of my problems.

  “Good. Means, I'll finally be able to leave this messed-up town.” Perrie packed her laptop into her bag and walked past me. “Let's go. I'm sensing we don't have a lot of time.”

  “Hey, why didn't you or anyone else from your family ever approach the Turner's about this before?” Artie stepped right in front of her, blocking her way out.

  “One, I didn't care. And two, there was never any reason to believe that the Constane's, or any other vampire family, would pursue it ever again. For many decades, it's been nothing but peaceful.” She turned to face me and shrugged. “Sucks that it's happening now.” She shoved past Artie who grunted before we turned to follow her.

  ***

  “It's not too far now,” Perrie muttered as we drove to her house, coming near the end of Richmond itself. I peered out the window as we drove and saw sophisticated and clean gardens, children playing in their front yards, neighbors being friendly with one another and the paper boy making his final rounds. It all made it seem as if anything or anyone abnormal would not only be the complete opposite of that perfect picture but as something much worse than the opposite – something bad and unwanted.

  How was this possible? How could I or my family have some sort of connection to this vampire and mermaid mystery? Everything always seemed so normal; growing up in a conservative family, Sunday school, curfews, mean girls, boy drama and more. My parents not only worked as youth workers at the local community center but my mother served on the PTA board, would bake pies for the annual Pie Charity Day and my father would coach the little league team on occasion. The only thing that was ever remotely strange was that the vampires lived freely and normally among us. When my parents were children, va
mpires still existed in the shadows with mortals mostly fearing them until they entered adulthood and the vampires made a deal with the government. For me, growing up with them seemed normal but for others, the past generations, they would beg to differ. But that was it. Other than that, we were a normal family with normal issues – mortal issues.

  It was all too much to take in and even attempt to process especially when dealing with Nicholas and now I had a whole new problem to deal with. Though I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to deal with it...And who was I going to really trust on this? For one, I didn't even know Perrie, so could I even trust her?

  But the one thing I knew was that I couldn't question the inescapable reality of time. I was sure that time was not something that was going to be kind to me in the situation.

  “How much farther? It seems far. Do you live outside of Richmond or something?” I asked Perrie impatiently as I leaned forward to the front seat where she sat.

  “Ha. I wish I could leave Richmond. But no thanks to you and your bloodline, I couldn't.” She clearly didn't like me very much judging not only by her response but by her brassy tone. “Calm down. We're a block away.”

  Artie made a right turn up onto a curvaceous hill and then preceded to drive through a cobbled driveway that led up to a small farm house hidden behind a sea of willow trees. There were other cars parked in front of the house.

  “Are there others in the house now? Won't they be a little suspicious as to what we are up to?” Artie whispered as he put his Mercedes into park.

  Perrie glanced at him from the side and began to whisper, “If you're quiet and act like nothing is up then we should be fine.” She smiled sarcastically at the both of us and then stepped out of the car. “Come on. We need to get started ASAP.”

  Before me and Artie joined her, I turned to Artie and grabbed his arm to keep him from going out. “Should we trust her? I mean, we don't know her or these people. You're a vampire, so can't you pick up some sense of her mood or something? Like when Josef always senses when I'm nervous.”

  “She's a witch. You can't really try to read them or read their thoughts, they block everyone out even a vampire. But what other choice do we have, Quinn?”

  “I know but... I guess I'm also nervous about finding out the truth and whatever that entails. I don't think that I'm ready, Artie.”

  He placed his hand over mine and smiled. “No one's ever ready to find out the truth about anything. But you're going to have to face it eventually. And in this case, you confronting your fear of the truth might help Nicholas.”

  We got out of the car and slowly walked up the front steps that creaked with every motion. The house appeared to have been decades old, maybe even centuries. As we stepped into the house, I spotted an old woman sitting in a rocking chair in what appeared to be a reading room. She didn't appear to have heard or notice us as she rocked and worked on crocheting. She hummed a tune that was familiar though I couldn't quite put my finger on what exactly it was. Artie gave me a side glance; his eyebrow lifted up and he moved his lips without saying anything and it took me a few seconds to realize that he was trying to get me to read his lips. I failed so I shook my head and shrugged my arms at him when, out of nowhere, we could hear someone's footsteps coming from upstairs; we both quickly turned and looked up to see who was there. The several amount of cars outside indicated that there were many people inside, but that didn't seem to be the case; it was quite – too quiet.

  There was a spiral staircase that led up to three floors though the cottage-looking house didn't appear to be that big from the outside. There was no one to be seen up the stairs or anywhere else and the footsteps stopped. The sound of the rocking chair in movement and the old woman humming continued to play in a continuous cycle as if a record was playing over and over again at the same rate and rhythm.

  On the far side of the hall, just behind the staircase, was what appeared to be an old telephone booth. It was rusty but you could clearly see that it was originally an opulent gold and must have been a grand and sophisticated piece years ago. Despite its beauty, it's place felt odd since it didn't match the style of the farmhouse at all. I thought that perhaps it was an antique carried down through the years, but then I wondered if there was actually more to it.

  I slowly approached the booth, careful not to make too many sounds with my footsteps and potentially distract the old woman or piss off Perrie who we lost once we stepped inside the house. Artie approached the booth with me as he followed closely behind me with his hand clutching my tote bag.

  “Artie, you're a vampire. If anything bad is going to happen, it will happen to me. You'll most likely make it out alive.” I whispered to get him to stop ruining my hand-crafted tote with his nervous grasp.

  He straightened up and swept his gelled hair back with his hand that continued to shake. “Yeah, you're right.” He proceeded to fix his tie and cuffs as if he feared that he we would walk into something unsafe in an unfashionable manner. Oh, what monstrosity that would be.

  “Why do you think they keep it here? Just to display it as an antique?” I peered through the permanently stained glass. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the telephone with an old-fashion style dial and a floral print carpet.

  Me and Artie jumped at the sound of someone clearing their throat right behind us; it was Perrie. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest and her lips were pursed but she wasn't looking straight at us. Instead, she had her eyes glued straight to the booth.

  “You know, when someone welcomes you into their home, it's kind of rude to wander around and pry on their things.”

  Her attitude was starting to really grate on me. But I tried to keep my composure since I knew she was trying to help us. “We're sorry. We couldn't see you and we were intrigued by this telephone booth. Was it passed down in your family or something?”

  Her eyes quickly shifted to mine though her arms did not uncross. “Sure, something like that.”

  There was an awkward moment of silence between the three of us; not one of us shifted in our positions or tried to say anything else that would change the subject. It was at that moment that I heard a change in the sound of the room. The continuous sound of the rocking chair and humming had stopped. For how long? I wasn't sure but it completely changed the mood and suddenly made me feel uncomfortable. I glanced behind Perrie to find the rocking chair empty but no sign of the old woman anywhere. She wasn't in the reading room but she also had not gone up the stairs or passed us.

  “Who was that woman who was in that room? She was there a few seconds ago.” I asked Perrie directly though I was catching a glimpse of Artie's reaction. He suddenly looked back to scan the room and around us before turning back to me with his eyes nearly popping out of his head in alarm.

  Perrie cleared her throat again and looked bored. “Don't worry about it. That's my grandmother. She owns this house so she can go around as she pleases. Now, can we get to work? Or do you not care about saving your own life?” She turned on her heel and began to walk up the staircase with her fingers tapping the banister as she went up.

  The two of us followed her immediately but once we got to the top of the steps of the second floor, we both looked back down into the hall to see if we could catch a glimpse of Perrie's grandmother; there was no sign of her. And no sound either.

  We found ourselves inside a small room filled with books, candles, herbs and plants. The room was poorly lit with the only source of light coming from a small stained-glass window at the very top of the far wall.

  Perrie had already started going through a stack of paperwork on a dusty desk. “So, how exactly did that scroll come into your hands? It doesn't look like something you would pick up from the library, now does it?”

  I ignored the warning looks that Artie was shooting me, as I was prepared to say anything that would possibly matter in the circumstance to Perrie. And I didn't so much care about protecting Artie from any wrath he would receive from Josef for allowing me to pok
e around his house. It was honestly the least of my concerns. Plus, maybe Josef would let it go given our relationship status.

  “I took it from a member of the Constane family, Josef Constane. He doesn't know that I took it though, so if we could not talk about this with anyone outside of this room then that would be much appreciated.”

  Perrie quickly glanced up at me and frowned. “Josef Constane? Really? So, you just happened to have been in his grand Pine Glen manor and 'took it'.” She noticed Artie's strange manner as he started to peruse her cabinets and ignore the conversation all together. “How do you know him, Quinn?”

  “Well he's Artie's friend and I joined this club of his where he employs girls to keep him company in exchange for whatever we want.” At the sight of her eyebrow rising, I quickly waved my hands up. “Oh no, it's not like that. We were pretty much just arm candies. Right, Artie?”

  He dropped a stack of scrolls he was looking at back into a cabinet and shut it. He turned to smile at me. “Yes, that's right. And that's enough talk now.”

  “I don't care what you do for recreational purposes or who you hang out with, but your connection to any Constane member is more than just a coincidence. Come on, there has to be more to it.” Perrie's tone was demanding and concerning at the same time. “A Constane just happens to move to the small town of Richmond that is famous for it's Banana Toffee Pie and you happen to live here too. You, the descendent of a species that family went psycho over losing in the first place. That doesn't strike you as, um, I don't know, freakishly odd?”

  I hadn't even thought about it that way before. Could she be right? Could Josef's presence in this town mean more than just settling for business? Could he have been on the hunt at that very minute for the descendant? Did he know it was me? Had he been playing me the whole time?

  Artie was shaking his head. “You don't know what you're talking about. That's ridiculous. Josef hasn't even been in contact with his family for decades. He hates what they planned to do to the mermaids and what they did to countless other innocent people simply to gain power for themselves. He would have nothing to do with this.”