Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince

I spent the rest of the week at home. I didn’t go to school. I called in sick every day. I just lay on the bed trudging up memories I didn’t want to relive. Why couldn’t I have just listened? Why did I allow myself to go out with him? Why did I agree to a dance? Why hadn’t I stopped myself when the new waltz played?

The questions were endless but they all returned with the same answer. I did it because I wanted to - I wanted to get attached. I had tried so hard to isolate myself that in the end, I craved relationships, even among people who were quite different than I.

It was Friday now. I had missed three more days of school. I hadn’t talked to anyone since that night, not even Finn. But most of all, the reason why I stayed away from people was because I had drunk human blood in Finn’s wine mix and I wasn’t prepared for the repercussions. As long as I remained still, I didn’t have to worry about the dizziness that accompanied my elite hearing. Since Monday night, it had sharpened drastically.

Every time Emily turned on the shower, or opened the refrigerator, or even left the house I heard the actions play out like she stood near me. She didn’t live that far from me, but there was enough distance between our homes that I normally wasn’t bothered by her everyday activities. I knew what she was doing in there every hour of every day; every second and a half. It was unbearable.

Sometime that afternoon, once things quieted down again, I got up and tried taking a warm shower. I couldn’t turn on the hot, because my nerve receptors were far too sensitive. Plus, the cold was even worse than the hot. Eventually I gave up and got out, only because I couldn’t get a perfect in-between setting. Only half of my body had been washed and my hair was wet but not shampooed, though the drastic effect didn’t phase me like it normally would’ve.

As I stood there drying off with a towel, I heard a familiar engine pull up by the curb near the gated hedge. The engine shut off. In about a minute he’d be here. My eyes glanced at the nearest clock. It was after school, or at least past all his classes. I was sure he was worried about me, which was why he even stopped by at all.

He gently knocked on the front door. “Abelia?”

His words were quiet. I threw on some clothes and opened the door. I pulled him in before he could make any movements and shut the door quietly.

“What are you doing here,” I rasped out. My voice was scratchy, probably from lack of use.

He thrust his hands in his pockets. “So you have been sick.”

I turned away. “Something like that.”

He followed me into the small living room. “You weren’t at school so I’m dropping by the invitation for you.”

I glanced back at him. “What invitation?”

He handed me a cream colored envelope.

I opened it and found a cordial invite to the Tierney manor, scrawled in gold calligraphy on silky paper. I looked back up at him. “Now’s not a good time.”

He watched me for a while as I held the piece of paper and stared at it. “Why won’t you tell me about your past? I want to know.”

Of course… that’s what this all came down to. I shook my head. “Some things are better left unsaid.”

His hand reached out and caressed my cheek, startling me for the first time since that night. “It’s eating you alive inside, the pain. Tell me something to ease your burden.”

I crossed my arms, stubbornly, and he dropped his hand. His touch had sent more shivers of delight though my spine again. To keep myself from exposing how he made me feel whenever his skin touched mine, I forced my body into a rigid state. “Alright, you really want to know?”

He nodded, looking anxious in a sense. In the few seconds I met his eyes, the feeling was gone, replaced by indifference. He tried his best resembling his normal façade, probably afraid to show what he really felt.

“It must be killing you that I’m not spilling the secrets surrounding my ancestry.”

His eyebrows arched. “Not really. I’ve never cared about anyone’s past before.”

The comment shocked me more than it should have. At this rate I might as well tell him something otherwise he’d never stop pestering me about it. I sighed and thought very hard about what piece I could give him so that he’d stop with his annoying questions. Maybe if he knew of the tale, the vampire legend, then he’d leave me alone. “Have you ever heard of Cassius’s Plight?”

He gave me a pointed look. “Of course I have. I am a Tierney. I was raised on those myths.”

That would make this easier. “You remember the girl he was so in love with?”

He racked his brain for a bit, narrowed his eyes, and then finally nodded.

Here was the moment of truth. “It goes something like that.”

The dark blue eyes drifted downward, gazing at the wooden floors beneath us. I knew exactly what he was doing - replaying the story in his mind until he got to the part about Cassius’s true love, whom was sacrificed to save his vampire life. After a few minutes of thinking, he rested his gaze back onto mine. “That was… how…”

He looked so confused now, and I was sure he was. Cassius’ Plight wasn’t a love story no matter how many people thought it to be romantic. The situation was all wrong, on so many levels. It was why I hunted them. I smiled sadly, trying to keep it together, but it didn’t last long. I collapsed onto the couch and hid my face in my hands. I didn’t cry though. My sadness was beyond tears now.

“You remember your own birth.” He formed the question, but right after he said it I realized that he actually meant it more as a statement.

I looked back up at him.

His eyes were full of concern. “Not many do.”

I glanced back at the invitation, still in my hand, wishing I could change the subject. “When am I to appear?”

Finn sighed and shifted his posture. “Tomorrow. And if all goes well, you’ll be selected as one of my personal bodyguards. They know you can compel others of our kind. And because you are so young, it makes sense that you would attend school, which already places you beside me as a friend.”

I put the invitation on the table in front of me. He must’ve loathed the fact that I intentionally avoided talking about my past, the vampire legend, and the connection the two topics shared, but he didn’t pry further. I continued resting my thoughts on the topic regarding his family, bringing about the situation at the Blue Lagoon to mind.

“How’s Atria?”

A huge grin spread across his face, momentarily forgetting my plight. “She was livid when she figured it out. It took a lot longer this time. I happened to be at home when the effect wore off.”

I nodded. So it was getting better. Now it was time to find out about school. “How’re my friends? Are they alright?” During my depression I had turned off my phone, unless it was time for me to call the school with my excuse of the day.

He shrugged. “As good as can be expected after what happened, I guess. I don’t really talk with them.”

Naturally he wouldn’t without me around. “Has Ms. Ingram asked about me?”

Finn’s eyes met mine quickly - he had been looking around the apartment at random pieces of furniture. “Why do you ask so specifically about her?”

I straightened upright and leant back into the sofa. Eventually the truth about her warlock blood would come out. I was surprised they hadn’t discussed it with me before, though they tried warning me once. “I know you can’t compel her.”

His eyebrows knitted together. “How did you figure that out?” But before I could answer he continued. “Did she tell you?”

I swallowed, because what I was about to say he might get angry over, and to be honest, he should. “Look, she’s not a threat… well not yet at least. I’ve been steering her away from you.”

“The Chemistry project.” He looked wary, like he suddenly didn’t trust me. I didn’t blame him. He technically shouldn’t, but I couldn’t help feel hurt from the look of distrust.

I nodded. “I know why you can’t compel her. I found out a month ago, when she tried attacking me at school, that particular day I ended up in biology with you.”

His facial expression changed rapidly. He all of a sudden was fearful and intrigued, though I wondered if he was afraid of me or her now. “Are you alright?”

I eyed him. “Would I be here if I wasn’t?”

He closed his open mouth. “So what is she? A witch?”

I shook my head. “Not quite.” This would be hard for him to hear, if he had ever heard of one before. Not many of our kind believed they existed. “She’s a vampire hunter, with hardly any experience.”

His reaction was immediate - he stiffened and his facial muscles went taut. Now he understood completely what I had hidden from him. Hopefully he would understand why I kept the secret. “She has spells, guards against her mind.”

I shrugged. I had no idea if what he stated was true, but I wouldn’t doubt it. “Maybe. But she also has warlock blood in her veins. She told me so herself, after she threatened me but before she tried putting a stake in my heart. Her plan obviously didn’t work by the way.”

Finn took a turn about the room, thinking. “What is she looking for?”

I didn’t have to verbalize that, but hopefully my face said it all.

He shook his head slightly. “Stupid woman. She’s going to get herself killed.”

I agreed with him, but didn’t state it out loud. “So, tomorrow?” I brought the subject back around to happier topics.

He nodded. “I’ll come by at eleven.”

Thinking about the dress code expected of me from the other night I wondered if I needed another dress that fancy for this occasion. “What should I wear?”

“Anything nice.”

I sighed inwardly. Some part of me said that he had a different definition than what I thought of when it came to dressing. “Define nice? What I wore Monday night?”

He smiled as though enjoying the thought of me in that dress. “Not that formal.”

I rolled my eyes. This witty banter came from a man who had seen the ins and outs of my closet. “Spit it out, I know you have an idea of what you want me to wear in that brain of yours.”

He grinned and laughed, actually laughed and not that slight chuckle he usually settled for. It startled me. I saw his teeth for once, white and straight like a row of pearls. “If you must know, I like the blue top with the long white skirt.”

The skirt, of course he would pick that.

“You don’t like it?” He must’ve seen my grimace.

I shook my head. “It’s not that. It’s sad that you keep picking out my outfits like I don’t even know how to dress myself properly.”

He shrugged and chuckled slightly. “You look beautiful either way, but my parents are picky, unlike me. They’ll expect you to wear something lady like.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. On one hand he complimented me and called me beautiful. On the other hand, he only said what he did because of his parent’s strict dress code. Was he making excuses upon my ignorance or did he actually mean the nice compliment? “Fine. I’ll meet you at eleven in my white skirt.”

I stood up, believing this conversation to be at an end finally. I walked him to my door. I was about to open it when he turned and spoke to me, as though the comment were an afterthought.

“Oh, and make sure to do your hair too.”

I rolled my eyes and opened the door. I couldn’t help the sarcasm now. I had been holding my tongue up until this point. “Are you done with telling me how to fix myself?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s see how you turn out tomorrow.” He walked outside and I slammed the door shut behind him before I could hear another word.

I immediately regretted the action as my ears seared with pain. Stupid blood in the stupid wine bottle. Stupid song had to play at the stupid wrong moment.

I trudged up the stairs and face planted onto my bed. Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.