Academy for vampires, p.14
Academy For Vampires, page 14
“Uuuuh… Yooooouu…. Naaaaaa…. Suuuuuun….”
The sounds reverberated all around Mina, as she tried to understand what Rose was trying to say. She wracked her brain trying to remember why she remembered that voice, who it belonged to.
“Miiiiiiiiiiii….. Naaaaaaaa….” Rose spoke her real name, and it was then that Mina remembered.
That voice belonged to her mother. She gasped silently, her heart beating like a race horse’s. She felt like the ground beneath her feet was moving and she was getting dizzier by the minute. There was a sweet smell of mint all around her. There was so much of it that it started stinging her eyes. She rubbed them a little. The heavy scent was now in her nose, it was getting increasingly difficult to breathe. She started coughing, overwhelmed by the smell.
“Let it overpower you…”
Words kept coming out of Rose’s open mouth, flowing out like an endless river and all Mina needed to do was listen. She tried to take a deep breath, but the minty smell was now stuck in her throat, like clenching fingers unwilling to let go.
“Accept it….”
Mina closed her eyes and fell down to her knees. She was coughing violently now, her eyes burning, tears rolling down her cheeks. She felt the urge to vomit. She tried, but nothing came out, only some more of that sickly sweet air.
“Recognize it…”
“Momma!!!!” Mina screamed loudly with the pain.
The moment she said that, the scent dispersed, there was nothing but air inside her mouth and her nose. She was coughing less violently now, able to take a deep breath. A few seconds later, she was breathing properly again.
She got back up to her feet, feeling how the air got much colder. As she exhaled, silvery clouds formed in front of her mouth. Bells jingled somewhere in the distance. The same wolf howled again, closer this time.
“Momma?” Mina whispered, looking at Rose.
Rose’s face was blank, just like the faces of all the other girls who were still facing upwards, humming the same tune over and over again. Her mouth was in the shape of an O, but the words that came out of it were clearly audible. Mina realized that Rose was just a vessel for a witch who wanted to talk to them, to someone special who was present. This time, it was her.
Mina was still unsure whether this was really happening. It was all still a big blur inside her mind, and she had no idea whether she could believe her own eyes. Was her cover blown? Was this whole thing just a set up? But, Reeba didn’t know anything about her. She couldn’t have known. Could she?
Mina wasn’t sure anymore. She took special care never to mention anything regarding her real identity to anyone here. Could it be that everything she’d heard so far about her mother, was complete and unadulterated truth?
“Mina?”
Mina heard her real name being spoken again, and now, she was sure that the voice really belonged to her mother. There was no doubt about it. A mother’s voice could never be mistaken for someone else’s.
“Momma?” she whispered again, her voice on the verge of cracking.
“I know you’re confused, Minnie…” the voice spoke softly, and when Mina heard her nickname, she felt like she would break down and cry right then and there.
But, she couldn’t do that. She needed to be strong. Her mother had something important to tell her, otherwise she wouldn’t be here.
“Momma, can you come here?” Mina whimpered, her voice full of hope that she could hug her mom just one last time.
“You know that’s not possible, Minnie,” the voice spoke.
At that moment, smoke arose from the fire and wrapped Rose’s face, giving her the appearance of Mina’s mother. This time, Rose’s lips moved, and it looked like Mina’s mother was speaking.
“I just want to hug you,” Mina bit her lip, in a futile effort to displace the pain and prevent herself from crying.
“There’s nothing I’d like to do more than that, my sweet child but we cannot do that, not yet.”
These words made Mina hopeful.
“You are here for a reason,” Mina’s mother continued, “and one of them is to find out the truth about me. About yourself.”
“Myself?” Mina wondered, looking at the foggy figure.
“Yes, Minnie,” her mother’s voice was as gentle as always and Mina remembered bed time stories, kisses on rainy days, and hot cups of cocoa before bed. “You are like me, a witch.”
“I’m a witch?” Mina repeated.
It seemed so incredible and, yet, on second thought, it made perfect sense.
“You are so much more, my sweet Minnie,” her mother told her, “you are the keeper of the book.”
“But…” Mina lowered her head. “I lost the book. Kellam and I lost it…”
A foggy finger lowered itself to her chin and she felt a cool chill on her skin.
“You didn’t lose it,” the voice revealed.
“What do you mean?” Mina asked, confused.
“There is no time,” her mother spoke, “your brother will explain everything when he finds you.”
“But, he’s the one who’s lost!” Mina shouted, much louder than she’d intended. “I’m looking for him!”
Mina didn’t care that the other girls would hear what she was saying, and that they might figure out that she’d been lying to them all this time. All that was irrelevant right now. She was talking to her mother and her mother obviously knew something about Kellam, something Mina herself didn’t know.
“Where is he?” Mina pleaded. “Do you know? Please, tell me!”
“I can’t,” her mother spoke kindly, “but he is closer than you think. The book is safe, for now. But, he doesn’t have the power that you have. He can only keep it safe for a while, but they’ll find him and take it from him. You must keep it safe. You are the only one who can do it.”
“Me?” Mina was shocked. “I… I don’t even know what to do with it…”
“It doesn’t matter,” her mother spoke so softly that Mina knew she was smiling, “the moment the book is in your hands, you’ll know what to do.”
“Momma?” Mina cried. “Help me…”
“My sweet child… you don’t need my help, you never did. You are braver than you think, just believe in yourself, and let your heart guide you…”
The cold, cloudy hand caressed her cheek one last time, then the figure dispersed all around her. Mina lifted her hand and pressed it against that same spot. Her cheek was still chilled, a little wet to the touch. She smiled. Her heart was full.
Rose’s body magically lowered itself to the ground, but instead of standing on her feet, she slumped down like a rag doll without any control over her body. The humming slowly subsided, until only silence remained. The fire now flickered gently, the flames a strange mixture of red, orange and occasionally blue. It crackled softly, telling its story. The girls let go of one another’s hands, and opened their eyes. When they saw that Rose was on the ground, they rushed over to her, helping her up.
Mina watched all this with interest, not sure when it was allowed for her to interfere and offer her help. Rose hid her face with her palms, then rubbed her eyes. When she opened them again, she gazed at Mina.
“She spoke to you, didn’t she?” Rose asked.
The others turned to Mina. She couldn’t tell if any of them was aware of what just happened.
“I…”
That was all Mina was able to utter. She didn’t know if she could trust any of them.
“Did someone speak to you?” Reeba asked, repeating the question.
Obviously, only Rose was aware, though partly. The others weren’t.
“It was…” Mina started, then bit her lip.
“Your mother,” Rose finished her sentence.
Mina swallowed heavily. Her heart was beating inside her chest so violently that she felt like it was about to jump out and run away, leaving her with an empty shell.
“I could sense the powerful connection between the two of you,” Rose continued, as the others looked on.
Mina could see the astonishment on Reeba’s face. That was probably the last thing she expected. Mina wasn’t sure if Rose had anticipated any of it, not that it mattered much.
“When Reeba said you wanted to come, I said no at first,” Rose admitted.
Mina didn’t know this. Reeba hadn’t told her.
“But, when I opened the Empress in my tarot cards that evening, I knew that I needed to stop and think again. I wasn’t listening to something important that I was being told. See, I was right,” she smiled.
That smile told Mina that she was safe, she was among friends.
“Your mother wanted you here. She couldn’t get you here on her own, you see. No witch has that power when she crosses over. But, she made you curious. She made me rethink my decision. Your presence here is her doing, after all.”
Mina felt another gush of tears coming on but she managed to suppress it. This was no time for crying.
“She was the keeper of the Book,” Rose continued. “When she died, she had given it to your brother for safe keeping but the real keeper of the Book is you.”
“Me?” Mina wondered.
“Yes, you were just too little for the job when she died. So, your brother took over, until you come of age.”
“Do you know where my brother is?” she asked.
“No,” Rose shook her head. “All I know is what your mother allowed me to know. She was inside my head, my body, and my thoughts were her thoughts. It doesn’t go the other way around. I only know what she lets me see and hear. And, that wasn’t much.”
“So, you know who I am?” Mina asked, her voice down to a whisper.
Rose looked at the other girls, then back at Mina.
“Your secret is safe with us,” she assured her.
“What secret?” Reeba asked quickly and Rose smiled.
“Maybe you’d like to explain it to them yourself?” Rose urged Mina.
Mina swallowed, feeling a dry lump somewhere in her throat which wouldn’t go away. Yes, she felt like she owed Reeba an explanation, after everything.
“My name isn’t Lucy Wing,” Mina started, and Reeba’s eyes widened in shock. “It’s Mina Payton.”
“Mina Payton?” Reeba repeated her name. “Wait, your brother is Kellam Peyton?”
“Who’s that?” another girl asked.
“He’s a famous vampire slayer,” Reeba explained, eyeing Mina suspiciously.
“What?” a few girls gasped, looking at Mina distrustfully.
“Yes,” Reeba nodded, “and, she is as famous as he is, if not more.”
“I can explain…” Mina started, but the look on Reeba’s face told her how deeply hurt Reeba was. “Please, just hear me out.”
“Do you have any idea of the position you just put us in?” Reeba asked, incredulously.
“Just listen to her,” Rose urged her.
“But, Rose…” Reeba started.
“Give her a chance, Reeba. Trust me. Trust your heart. Listen to what it is telling you.”
“Fine,” Reeba snorted. “I can hear you out but I don’t have to understand.”
“I just want to explain,” Mina pleaded.
“I’m listening.”
“My brother went missing,” Mina started, “and so did the book. Your book. The one my mother kept safe all her life, then it was given to my brother and me, but I had no idea that my mother was a witch. I just thought that this book was important and we would give it back to whoever it belonged to. I guess I’ve been kept in the dark most of my life.”
“But, that didn’t prevent you from killing us off one by one, now did it?” Reeba hissed.
“Reeba…” Rose gently placed her hand on Reeba’s shoulder and she calmed down again.
“I only killed those who were a danger,” Mina tried to explain her actions.
“How did you choose those?”
“She had instructions from high up,” Rose explained.
“What does that mean?”
“Reeba,” Rose smiled, “you don’t know many things. Maybe if you did, you’d understand that Mina was actually doing us a favor.”
“A favor?” Now, it was Mina’s turn to be surprised.
“There are always good vampires and bad vampires, good people and bad people, good witches and bad witches,” Rose spoke with a kind smile, “Mina and slayers like her only kill the ones who present a threat, to both humans and vampires.”
“Is that true?” Reeba asked, and Rose nodded.
“I always thought that was true as well,” Mina agreed. “So, when my brother disappeared, I thought someone got him. And the book, too. You know what would happen if the book falls in the wrong hands.”
“I do,” Rose nodded and there was no more smile on her face.
“That was why I came here, to try and find my brother.”
“What makes you think he’s here?” Rose wondered.
“A source told me that Dante is planning something big. That he’s already killed a few slayers and needed the book.”
“What would he want with the book?” Rose asked.
“I heard he found the prequel.”
“Prequel?” all the girls gasped.
“But, that’s just a myth…” Rose was pale as she spoke. “Are you sure?”
“That’s what I heard,” Mina nodded. “That he has it and needs the original.”
“Does he have the original?” Rose kept asking.
“I don’t know. My mother told me that my brother still has the book but I don’t know where he is, so I have no idea what exactly is going on. I guess, when I find my brother, I’ll know more about the book.”
“I haven’t heard any such thing,” Rose wondered aloud, more to herself than to Mina, “but I believe you. Dante has always struck me as murky. I’ve also heard some things which didn’t make much sense at the time but, now, with this knowledge, I think you may be right. Something big is about to happen.”
“Can I count on your help?” Mina wondered.
“Can we count on yours?” Rose asked.
“I never killed anyone who hadn’t killed someone else first,” Mina explained again. “Even though I know that you probably heard all sorts of horrible stories about me and my brother. I assure you, I never laid a finger on anyone who didn’t deserve it.”
Rose eyed her, as if she was trying to see right through her and weigh whether she was telling the truth or not. This was one of those moments where not even being a witch could help her. A few seconds passed, and Mina felt like she was melting under Rose’s scrutiny. She knew that there was no point in saying anything. She’d already said what she needed to say. Now, it was all up to the girls.
“Can we trust her?” Reeba asked Rose, both girls looking in Mina’s direction.
“What do you think?” Rose asked. “What is your heart telling you?”
Reeba smiled. The wolf howled again, but now, it was so far away that it was barely audible. A few birds chirped in a nearby tree, as if woken up by the sudden noise, but immediately went back to sleep. The forest was silent, asleep. It felt safe.
“I say we trust her,” Reeba said triumphantly, and all the girls agreed.
“I knew you’d think that,” Rose exulted. “Because, we can trust her. I’m sure of that but I didn’t want to tell you that myself. You needed to feel it for yourselves.”
“Is that why we went through this ordeal?” Reeba asked, with a smile.
“I can’t make the right choices for any of you,” Rose shook her head. “That’s not my job, even as the Elder. I can guide you, but the final decision always needs to be your own.”
Instead of a reply, Mina opened her arms and hugged Reeba. All the girls joined in and Mina could sense that sweet minty smell in the air. She closed her eyes, and enjoyed the moment, for the first time sure that, no matter what, things would be alright in the end.
Chapter 16
The following Monday, Mina was surprised to see a message shoved underneath her dorm room door. She quickly opened it, thinking it was from the same person who urged her to be quiet and who she was now suspecting was her brother. To her disappointment, as well as surprise, she realized it was from Renwick.
Raphael and I were thinking of hitting the Bunker tonight. Wanna come? Ren
