“More than ready, come, lay down.” The wizard grabbed me behind my elbow, helping me off the floor and escorted me over to my bed. “Lie Down.”
I did what I was told. I stared at the ceiling not making eye contact with any of the men that now circled my bed. I jumped as a small knock rocked the front door. Eli answered and in stepped a girl about my age. Her long blonde hair draped over her narrow shoulders. Were all goddesses so pretty?
“Hi,” she said cheerfully, gliding over to the bed. “I'm Mila.”
“Ruby.”
“Okay, now we are ready," Gwydion called. He threw four ties over to Eli.
“Tie her down.”
“Wait, tie me down? Why?” This was becoming increasingly undesirable by the minute.
“If you thought the first split-second of a vampire bite is painful, you’re in for a rude shock.”
Eli bound my ankles with the cloth and tied them to the bottom two bed posts. He did the same with my wrists. Meanwhile, Gwydion was pulling potions and parchment from his knitted handbag. I couldn’t help but make connections to a deep black cauldron and a makeshift house in a cave.
“Aha,” he exclaimed as he pulled a little clear bottle filled with white liquid from his bag. “Drink this.”
I opened my mouth and he poured it in. I swallowed hard, screwing my face up in disgust as the 'off apple' bitterness ran down my throat.
“The reaction is always the same,” Gwydion said, highly amused.
Slowly, my eyes grew heavier and a bout of nausea coursed through me. “What's happening?”
“We aren't that cruel. You’re not going to be awake when this happens… although you might as well be. It’s going to be excruciating. The potion you were given isn’t an anaesthetic, but it puts you to sleep and immobilizes you so you can't scream or move. I guess it is pretty cruel.”
“But I’ll still feel it?”
Gwydion nodded. Worry burned at my chest. I was so scared of what was to come.
Happy thoughts, think happy thoughts, I urged myself. My vision went black, pain and fear began dominating my mind. I glanced around the nothingness, frantically searching for something, anything at all, but there was nothing. My heart leaped out of my chest at the sound of a scream, my scream. Fire tore through my insides; I tried rolling onto my side and bringing my knees to my chest but it was hopeless — I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed, left to cry alone in the darkness, When the pain subsided, a small light floated towards me; it got bigger as it came closer. A video clip of all my memories played, there was Hank killing my mother and then biting my neck; after that, I watched myself kill and eat a bunch of humans. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping the images would stop. Screaming and tearing flesh filled my ears as the memories replayed themselves over and over. Another scream escaped my mouth when another flare of pain ripped through me.
“Please, please, stop. I can't do this,” I begged, my voice echoed around my own mind. It was useless, no one could hear me and no one could help me.
I opened my eyes. It was morning and I was no longer tied to the bed. The last thing I remembered was an agonizing pain and then nothing, I must have fallen into a deep dreamless sleep. My brain pounded in my head as a headache surged over me. It felt like I'd been hit with a brick and the bright light that cascaded in through the window wasn’t helping. I slid out of bed cautiously, trying not to lose my footing as my feet came in contact with the floor. I stood for a while and closed my eyes. I couldn't hear or smell anyone. Opening my eyes, I drifted over to the bathroom, consciously I put one foot in front of the other, steadying myself as I went. I came to an abrupt stop when I ended up face to face with myself in the bathroom mirror. I stroked my cheek with my hand; my skin was so warm and alive. I was still a little pale but at least it was the kind of pale you develop through winter and not the kind of pale that resembled death. I stared at myself. Underneath my long lashes were two bright ocean blue eyes.
“My eyes…” I whispered.
As the ray of light glinted off the mirror, I couldn't help but to shed a tear as my emotions set in. Even my long black hair seemed more ‘alive.’ It flowed in waves, adorning my new glowing, porcelain-like skin. I rubbed my fingers over my teeth… no fangs. I was no longer a vampire. Never again would I crave blood every second of every day, suck blood from a bag, or pierce the flesh of a human. I'd have a normal life, a life where the only things I'll ever need to worry about would be sleeping or boys or food.
My body began to shake and a lump formed in my throat. I tried to fight back the tears that pushed against my eyes but I couldn't. Tears poured down my face, so clear and perfect. I don't know whether I'm happy or sad, maybe both. I’m happy I’m no longer a monster, but at the same time, I'm sad that I was lucky enough to get a second chance and my mother wasn't.
I leaned against the wall and slid down to the ground, angry at myself for this imbecilic reaction. Drawing up my knees, I rested my forehead on them. I felt the cool tiles against my skin; my body went into shock and suddenly everything overwhelmed me. I didn’t want to do anything but curl up into a ball on the cold tiled floor. It seemed that not long ago I was in more pain than anything I’d ever experienced; now, I’m normal, I should be happy… but I don’t know how I feel.
“Ruby?”
A deep, calming voice echoed through the bathroom. It was Eli. I didn't open my eyes to look at him; I probably couldn’t if I tried. His crisp aftershave and clean sweat wafted into my nose as he sat next to me, not saying a word, just providing company. He still smelt amazing even now that I couldn’t smell his blood. I waited until the tears slowed before I leant my head against the wall next to him.
“How long was I asleep?” I sniffled.
“Twelve hours.” His lips arched with a trace of a smile, and my eyes were drawn to his lips.
My heart pounded, he has such a sweet smile.
“How are you feeling?” he asked softly.
“Sore, overwhelmed, hungry, I think…” I wasn’t sure if it was hunger or nausea. I had forgotten what being hungry with a normal digestive system felt like.
“Hungry? Why didn't you say so?” Mila’s cheerful face peered into the bathroom. “I actually planned a picnic for us in the clearing not far from here; there’s a waterfall and everything!”
“Mila, I think we should give Ruby some time to adapt to everything,” Eli replied.
“No, it sounds great,” I blurted. “I want to go outside.”
His green gaze held mine and his lips formed an impassive line. He was not happy with my decision.
“Are you sure?”
“I feel like I need to get some air.”
His eyes searched mine, looking for something. Eli exhaled as he stood up. “Okay, we’ll leave when you’re ready.”
I sighed in relief; I didn't really want to go out but I needed a distraction. I just wanted to forget about what happened to me for the time being.
The shower was a godsend. The hot water rolled down the back of my neck and trailed down my spine. The cool air clung to my body when I opened the shower door and stepped out. It was strange, feeling all these new sensations that weren’t actually new. All these new feelings reminded me that I was alive, that I was me again.
Slight panic washed over me when I realized I hadn’t brought any fresh clothes in.
“Thank god.” I exhaled when I saw a new shelf had been attached to the wall.
Amongst the underwear and jeans that were stacked on the shelf there was a very pretty white summer dress, perfect for a picnic and catching some sun.
When I was a vampire, I would apply make-up so I could look more ‘alive’ and less, well, dead. Today, I didn't have to put any make-up on, my dark lashes and once again full red lips had already given me that natural beauty look. I grasped the handle of the bathroom door and drew in a big breath before walking into a room full of people. Whatever the discussions in the room were, it went silent as soon as I stepped into the room. All eyes fell on me. Gwydion, Mr Aleksandrov, Tay, and my teacher Lillian stared wide-eyed and pleased. My eyes rested on Eli, I seem to always find his face when I need reassurance, and it helped, a lot. Eli’s eyes glazed over with such astonishment and awe. When he realized my eyes were on him, his hard gaze returned. I approached Gwydion and hugged him.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He simply nodded and smiled.
“And thank you, Mr Aleksandrov. I’m finally me again and it’s all because of you.”
“You are more than welcome, Ruby. You will be a great asset for the school, I just know it.”
I nodded. I completely forgot that after this I would be attending SS as an actual student.
“We must leave,” said Gwydion. “We need to attend to that issue, Ivan.”
“Yes, very well. We shall see you shortly.” Lillian, Gwydion and Ivan left the Cabin.
“Time for that picnic,” Mila called. “Eli, can you help me carry the basket?”
Eli and Mila left the cabin, leaving Tay and me alone. Tay was sitting on the arm of the lounge.
“I’m sorry for all the mean shit I did to you. Since you’re no longer a child of Satan, I have no reason to kill you,” he said, approaching me.
“Thanks… I guess.”
“Are you two ready?” Mila’s voice carried through the open door.
I slipped on a pair of white flats and exited the cabin.
“Good, let’s go!” she called cheerfully when she saw Tay and I step onto the concrete path. Tay grabbed the basket off Eli and followed closely behind Mila.
“Who is that girl?” I asked Eli as we proceeded to walk.
“Mila is Mr Aleksandrov’s niece. She’s a good girl and a great friend for you to have.”
Mr Aleksandrov seemed a little old to be an uncle; a great, great, great uncle maybe; but not an uncle.
“Why was she there at my… thing?”
“She gave her blood. Without goddess blood, you could never be transformed back. She’s the only student at the school who knows what you were… it should make things easier for you when you make the transition.”
I faded off in thought. Do they honestly expect me to just go to a new school and continue on with my life, forgetting about my family in Bridgewater? Being a goddess was something I wanted, but after everything that had happened, I just wanted to be alone and take a moment to get used to everything.
We sauntered through natural avenues of trees; it was shady and cool against my skin. I couldn’t help but gape at the beauty of the world, everything seemed so much brighter, more alive. Moments later, we reached a clearing. It was so beautiful; lush grass covered the floor of the open space. A lake had carved its way through the middle of the clearing, and as we stepped out into the sun, the air grew warmer, the sounds of insects became almost too loud and the sun bounced off the deep blue-green surface of the lake.
I spotted, not too far away, a waterfall cascading down through a medium pile of boulders in the lake. Words like trickle or small came to mind when I looked at it. Still, it was beautiful, peaceful, and it streamed effortlessly between the mossy rocks.
Mila and Tay already had the blanket laid down and they began setting out the picnic basket.
“Oh gosh!” Mila announced. “I forgot the knives and forks.”
“I can go back and get them,” I offered.
“We,” corrected Eli.
Of course, a young goddess couldn’t possibly walk three minutes back to the cabin to get some cutlery alone. Having a guardian angel was going to be so much fun. Not.
“No, no don't be silly, you relax. I'll go, Tay you’re going to have to come, uncle's rule and all,” she said.
“Uncle's rule?” I asked.
“When my uncle isn't here, Tay has to follow me everywhere. It’s annoying but—”
“Necessary,” Tay interrupted.
Tay and Mila set off back towards the house and I strolled over to the water and dangled my feet over the edge. The sun kissed my skin and the warm feeling made me happy, less stressed. I could smell it all, flowers, bark, moss and the grass. As a vampire, you can smell a lot of things, but you never appreciate the beauty of it, the only smells you care about are blood and sweat, things that shouldn’t matter.
A plopping sound filled my ears as a fish broke the surface of the water and splashed back down, causing ripples to widen out. Following that, I heard pebbles crunch and the grass move under heavy feet as Eli sat down next to me.
“Now that I'm a goddess again, can I control this water?” I asked.
A dragonfly caught my attention, landing on a cattail nearby.
“I… I don't know,” he muttered, spotting the dragonfly as well. “You can try.”
I wanted to try, I wanted more than anything to be able to move the water with my magic but I was afraid. I didn’t want to be disappointed; what if all this was for nothing and my magic was damaged or worse… gone?
“If I can't use my elemental magic, can you teach me how to fight?” I kept my eyes on the water, however it would have been interesting to see his reaction.
“Goddesses aren't meant to fight.”
“Goddesses aren't meant to be vampires, either.”
“No, but you didn’t have a choice in that.”
I plucked a small yellow flower from the ground and crushed it between my fingers and my palm.
“My mother told me that when a goddess's body recognizes the magic, her insides feel warm,” I explained to Eli.
