Blue Stone

The next morning, I had expected to see Micah in class. He didn’t show for two days, so I went looking for him. He lives in and old hunting cabin behind my family’s cemetery, it’s kind of creepy. I knocked and there was no answer, so I let myself in. “Micah?” Just then I heard him moan. He was lying on a cot by the fire place and he was hurt, bad. I ran over to him feeling completely helpless. “Micah, what happened? What do you need me to do?” He moaned and rolled over to look at me.

“They caught me and I had to fight my way out.” I helped him get his dirty, blood soaked shirt and jacket off and that’s when I saw it. The stripes were deep, some of the meat was torn away the skin shredded like wet paper. No human would’ve survived this.

“They whipped you! Why?” I could feel the rage welling up again.

“Because I help you escape and wouldn’t tell them anything. They think you are a very powerful witch.”

“Micah, why aren’t you healing?” This is bad.

“I lost too much blood; feeding would help but am too weak to hunt.” I grabbed the knife on the table made a small cut on my neck and offered it to him. “No! I might hurt you.”

“If it weren’t for you and Kayne I’d be dead. It is the least I can do; besides things would get boring if you were gone.”

Reluctantly he fed and slowly his wounds healed. Then, he gasped backing away. “Your blood, they were right.”

The next thing I knew I was waking up in my bed. “What’s that smell? Bacon!” I got up to find Micah in the kitchen burning breakfast. “If you’re going to kill me draining me of my blood would be less painful.” Laughing as I picked up a burnt piece of toast. He looked downright pitiful. “I never even cooked as a human; sorry I just thought after all the shock of the past few days a good breakfast would be nice.”

“We need to find the people that hurt you. They need to pay for that.” That rage was still bubbling.

Micah sat down at the table giving up on breakfast. “No one knows where they are. For right now we will just focus on protecting you.”

All week one of the boys were at my side, protecting me. I took advantage and asked as many questions as I could. To my dismay they wouldn’t answer personal questions only general vampire questions. They can ease the thirst by eating food, but it doesn’t make it go away altogether. Wooden stakes do kill them along with decapitation. If you cut them they will bleed and it does hurt, it just heals quick. The only visible change when they go vampire is the fangs and black eyes. I know it’s twisted but I find it all fascinating, it should scare me to death. “What’s going on I heard a crash and limbs breaking?”

“She’s mine. She hasn’t chosen yet. Back off boy she needs a man.” They were fighting over me.

“STOP IT! I’m done with you two children. I have enough stress without having to referee you two. Now, go away.” I went back inside and dramatically slammed the door. I finally had enough of my shadows.

Kenzie and Kellan from Herbology invited me to Train Days this weekend. I’m in need of different company, and with all the people no one will try anything stupid.

Train Day’s celebrates the rich history of Hinton. This town was built by the industry. Maybe I’ll find some of my puzzle pieces. “Kenzie, Kellan over here!”

“Hey girl, you finally ditch your shadow? He is creepy, and what’s up with the black? I wouldn’t go near him.” Kenzie was making a disgusted face when Kellan chimed in. “You can do so much better, like Kayne. Now, there is one fine example of dating material.”

“If you don’t mind I’ve had my fill of them and would rather not even think of either one.” They smiled and started dragging me from vendor to vendor. There is everything from clothing to food. The food is the best part in my opinion. Nothing is better than hot funnel cake, except hot funnel cake with fresh strawberries. The girls talked about make-up, the latest movies, and of course boys. Losing interest; I started looking for clues to what happened to Ceana and the Gannon’s, and why everyone thinks I’m a witch. There is a lot of history on display and these people know the local stories.

Wow, there is a picture of my Dad’s Grandparents. “Sir, where did you get this? Those people lived in the next county over.”

“Well, little lady that’s the Donovan’s, they were a very special family. The family was supposed to be cursed to have only sons for seven generations and the seventh would have their power reinstated.”

“That’s a good story, what happened to them?” He went white as a sheet.

“No one speaks of the drowning, but everyone believes Erkin had an illegitimate son that escaped. He used his mother’s name until he moved then all traces of him vanished.”

“So, how would one recognize a Donovan?”

“The seventh generation would be walking among us today and would have a birthmark shaped like lightning representing her power.”

“Wait I thought you said they could only have boys?”

“Yes until the seventh generation.” I wasn’t leaving this table now.

“Sir, do you have anything else of theirs?” He reaches into a box behind him and pulled out a book similar to Ceana’s and it has the same lock.

“Yes a spell book only I can’t open it I don’t have the key.” I reached for the book and he hesitated but let me hold it.

“If I can open it can I have it?”

“Since I know you can’t open it, sure. Only a Donovan would be able to open it.”

I heard him gasp as I pulled my necklace out and the pendant fit perfectly. I’ve never seen a human so pale. “Sir, are you okay?”

“Yes just take the book don’t hurt me, please.” He pleaded.

“All I ask is that you tell no one about me. I just don’t want to be bothered by old superstition.” He nodded and I left before people started to stare.

So, this is wonderful I have it coming from all sides. If people really believe this stuff that’s why I was attacked. Boy won’t they be disappointed. I’m as plain as they come.

Cool this is the railroad museum. I wonder if there are pictures of my grandpa, he was a brakeman. Here is the twenties and thirties. These are neat, hold up, No way. There’s Micah and Kayne holding lanterns. They were brakemen too. I wonder if they know their picture is here. There’s Sean in front of his bar, but that’s not Ceana. It says Angelika. There is a question for the boys. They have history on the dam too. The state took several farms and homes for the reservoir. How sad, those people lost everything. It says here some wouldn’t leave and drowned with their homes. Now that’s just creepy. I will never swim down there again. All that is left is two small islands one still has a small white cabin standing on it like a memorial. I would love to explore that.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes, Mam. I’m sorry you startled me.” She watched me as I calmed down and then smiled a reassuring smile.

“Do you know some people say that project was used to cover up the results of mass hysteria?”

My mouth dropped. “No, can you tell me about it?”

“There were a lot of animal attacks, graves were being opened and bodies stolen, but the people thought it was witchcraft or vampires. So mobs would gather and attack anyone suspected. All of the people taken as a result were from the valley around the river and on the island in it. They called for a cleansing of the area and had all the people killed along with their animals and buried under the water. It was thought that the living or moving water could trap the creatures. Some say on a clear night you can still hear the screams. Why don’t we walk out on the dam? You can still see the roof tops in the water.”

“Okay. That sounds creepy.” So we walked to the visitor center and got permission to walk out on it. That’s when I realized I didn’t even know her name. “Mam, what’s your name?” As she spoke it felt like ice water was going down my spine.

“My name is Angelika.” Is it coincidence, no I’m letting all these stories get to me.

“That’s a pretty name. Where do I look to see the roofs?” She pointed straight over the edge. Sure enough there it was the top of a house. It was about like looking into a grave. I was sufficiently creeped out now. All of a sudden I felt electricity surging through me and that’s when I saw them, the people killed and buried with their homes. I could see them in the water only they didn’t look dead just trapped. It was like looking through the glass at an aquarium. The streets between the buildings here closer to town and the rows of crops on the farms are frozen in time. Fear is nearly overwhelming me. It feels like I’m stuck in a horror movie and can’t get out.

“Angelika, do you see that?” Raising a trembling hand pointing into the black water.

“The people, yes. It takes a special person to see them. You’ll have to come to my place sometime and we can talk more.”

My knees are getting weak so I smiled and started walking away. “I’m sure my friends are looking for me. Thank you for the tour, and I will visit you sometime.”

Walking back toward the festivities the little town laid out in front of me, it looks so normal. If this little place has secrets like this, you have to wonder what bigger ones are hiding. I caught up with Kenzie and Kellan, they were a little upset that I had ditched them.

“Where were you? We looked everywhere.” They both glared at me.

“A tour guide offered to take me up on the dam, so I went. It was very interesting.” They were smiling now, suspiciously. “What’s going on?”

“While you were checking out relics we ran into some boys from school and they want us to come to a party. It’s up by the old saw mill close to where you live. You want to go?” I need to get away from creepsville. I honestly don’t know if I can take anymore ghost stories tonight.

“Sounds like a plan, let’s go.” By the time we got back up the mountain it was dark. You could see the lights in the sky from the party. We were going to the same place I’d been chained up in a few days ago. Hopefully this visit will be better than the last.

As we pulled in I could see the huge bonfire in the middle of a mass of people and a group of boys tapping a keg. Alcohol is something I definitely need right now. I went straight for a drink while the girls met up with the boys from the fair. Scanning the party, I settled on an empty corner, hopefully I’ll just fade into the background. Boredom seems nice about now with everything I’ve learned the last few days.

Just when everything seemed to be normal, a truck full of delinquents showed up. They were swinging chains and firing guns into the air to scare everyone. It worked. At first I thought they were just going to rob us, but then the world turned upside down.

There are four of them going through people like a kid with candy, getting their fill and tossing the wrappers aside. The one that seems to be the leader picked up a football player and ripped his limbs off like my brother used to do my dolls. Blood sprayed everywhere like a fountain, he opened his mouth to catch crimson droplets on his tongue. Then I saw another one grab a girl, jerk her head back and savagely bite her neck until she went limp. People were scattering and screaming which only seemed to feed their frenzy. It took seemingly hours, but in reality only seconds before they noticed me. The blond one saw me and started to walk my way. “What do we have here? You’re not even running. Aren’t you scared?” He cocked his head curious about my reaction. In truth I was scared, but then something clicked inside and suddenly I felt fearless. That familiar rage was bubbling up. Standing slowly, taking my stance ready for the fight of my life, when a beacon of hope appeared. Micah and Kayne were barely visible at the other end of the field but weren’t going to get to me in time.

The vampire is rushing towards me everything else around us feels like slow motion. At the last second I stepped out of his path picked up a broken branch and caught him in the chest as he turned for me. The shock on his face, the unbelief that a mere girl just ended him was priceless.

At that moment the boys got to me. They just stared at me for a moment and then the questions started. “How did you do that? He was one of the oldest vampires in the area no one has been able to touch him.”

Trying to absorb what had just taken place, I took a big breath and answered. “Apparently it takes a woman’s touch.” They actually laughed.

The scene around us is anything but laughable. It looks like a war zone. Body parts strewn across the grass, pools of blood big enough to cover an average car. One poor guy is hanging from a tree and looks like he was turned inside out. Several have their throats ripped out. Getting bitten seems merciful compared to this.

“Wait, where are the other two?” Just then I saw them. The boys had taken care of them and their remains were on the bonfire. “We had better get out of here before the cops show up.” Both of them walked me home like guards on high alert.

When we walked through the door they both attacked me with why’s and how’s. “Truth, I have no idea. Down deep inside I just knew at that moment what to do. Guise I have got to unravel the mysteries in that trunk and figure out what is so important about the two bloodlines that have converged on me.”

Micah sat beside me with his head in his hands.

“Why isn’t this affecting your brother? That is, curious to me.”

I half smiled and easily answered that one. “My mother had an affair my father never knew about. My brother is actually my half-brother. Do either of you know about the Donovan’s? This book is supposed to be theirs and it matches Ceana’s. The man I got it from seemed truly scared of me.” They both looked like someone walked over their grave.

“What was your great-grandfather’s name?”

“Erkin, my grandfather was William, and dad was Gunter. Why?”

“One of them did get out. This is big. You need to talk to Roxie. Tell her, but don’t show her the stones. Keep them hidden, they are what everyone wants. Only you can use them no one else has enough power.”