28. Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Victoria
I slowly wake up; my head is pounding and my stomach churning. As consciousness gradually returns, memories of what happened come flooding back - the restraints, the plate of meat, Elijah feeding me, the realization of what I ate. A wave of nausea washes over me, and I barely manage to roll to my side before retching violently.
When my stomach’s finally empty, I collapse back onto what I now realize is a bed. I’m no longer in the testing room, but in what appears to be a small bedroom. The walls are a soft cream color, the furniture simple but comfortable looking. It’s a far cry from the stark cell I've been kept in before.
"Easy there," a familiar voice says softly. Turning my head, I see Elijah sitting in a chair by the bed, watching me intently. "How are you feeling?"
“I don’t think you want me to answer that.” I croak out, my eyes watering but pushing the emotions back, so I don’t break down in front of this man. My stomach begins to swirl again but I’m able to not throw up this time, as I glare at the man in front of me.
Elijah's lips curve into a small smile, though his eyes remain serious. "On the contrary, I'm very interested in how you're feeling. You performed remarkably well during the test."
I let out a harsh laugh, wincing as the action makes my head throb. "Remarkably well? I ate..." I trail off, unable to finish the sentence as another wave of nausea hits me.
"Human flesh," Elijah finishes for me, his voice calm and matter of fact. "Yes, you did. And you handled it better than any of the other girls."
Shaking my head, disgust and anger warring inside me. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? That I managed to choke down... that without breaking down like the others?"
My voice cracks on the last word, betraying the emotions I’m trying so hard to keep in check. I take a deep breath, forcing myself to meet Elijah's gaze. "Why? What was the point of that... test?"
Elijah leans forward, his green eyes intense as he studies me. "This was a test but also introducing you to our lifestyle.” I feel myself go pale at his words, my stomach almost lurching to throw up again. I can feel my throat burn as I force myself to swallow, the burning taste making me grimace.
Elijah's words make my blood run cold. "Your... lifestyle?" I repeat, my voice barely above a whisper. "You mean... you regularly eat..." There’s no way I couldn't bring myself to finish that sentence.
Elijah nods; his expression serious. "Human flesh, yes. It's been a part of our family's tradition and survival for generations." The way he casually talks about eating other humans, makes me look at him in a whole new light…and not a good one.
Shaking my head vehemently, unable to comprehend what he’s saying. "That's insane. You can't possibly expect me to accept that as normal."
Elijah sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. "It may not be normal to you, but it is for our family. It's an integral part of who we are, of our family's legacy. And if you're to become one of us, you'll need to embrace it."
I was shaken, trying to find the right words to say, "But why? How can you possibly justify cannibalism?"
"It's not about justification, Victoria," Elijah says, his voice taking on a lecturing tone. "It's about power. About taking the strength of others into us. Our ancestors believed that consuming human flesh gave them special abilities, enhancing strength and longevity."
He pauses as I’m sure he sees the look of horror growing on my face, “Though, it also started because of a lack of food and trades here in this small town…food was scarce. Two families came together and committed one of the greatest sins, or so people tell us.”
He laughs almost bitterly, “I have heard those words come from many people who find out about our eating habits.” He pauses before taking a deep breath, “The two families change to the name Andreev and have lived under that name for generations.”
My brain’s trying to keep up with all the information I’m being given. I never thought this would be something I’d ever have to deal with.
“There are two branches, my brothers and myself, who you will end up marrying and my ‘cousins’ who have yet to find their own bride.” He gives a cold smirk at this, and I can feel the dread in my stomach.
“The other two girls?” I whisper, the sinking feeling in my stomach growing. I have a feeling I know they’re no longer going to be around. Killed and butchered for food is my guess what’s happened to them.
“They didn’t pass the last test,” Elijah tells me, and I have to wonder how one would pass the test.
“I passed because I ate the food?” I’m curious how I passed….though the thought of the food again makes me want to throw up whatever I had left in my stomach.
“You passed because you stayed calm and didn’t puke the food up right then and there.” He grinned seeing my expression. I don’t know if I’m going to survive this family. I feel the tears I’ve been holding in finally begin to fall.
Elijah's expression softens slightly as he watches the tears fall down my cheeks. He reaches out, gently brushing them away with his thumb. I flinch at his touch, torn between wanting to lean into the comfort and recoiling from the man who’d forced me to commit an unspeakable act.
"I know this is difficult for you to accept right now," he says softly. "But in time, you'll come to see things our way. You’ve been doing such a good job so far.." This made my tears flow more as I let the sobs escape me.
"Shh, it's alright," Elijah murmurs, brushing the tears from my cheeks as the tears keep falling. I try to calm myself down, not wanting him to touch me right now.
"Don't touch me," I choke out, my voice raw with emotion. "How can you sit there and act like this is normal? Like eating people is just some quirky family tradition?"
I hear Elijah sigh, his eyes still soft as he looks at me, “It’ll take time for you to accept this. The others who joined us took a while too…but they all gave in eventually.” This didn’t make me feel any better at all.
“So, no more tests?” I ask, trying to figure out what’s going to happen from here. Am I going to be brainwashed? They moved me out of the cells…the room is an improvement, but I somewhat wish I was back there. That would mean the others would still be alive.
“There is one more test, but it shouldn’t be too hard for you.” There was a dark tone to his voice that made me weary. I don’t like the sound of that…not one bit.
I stare at Elijah, dread pooling in my stomach at his words. "One more test? What could possibly be left after... that?" I can't bring myself to directly mention the cannibalism again, the memory makes bile rise in my throat.
Elijah's lips curve into a cold smile that sends chills down my spine. "The final test will be easy enough," he says, his green eyes are intense as they bore into mine, “You’ll find out soon, but I can’t give anything away.
Swallowing hard, my mind’s racing with horrific possibilities. I can’t think of anything else they could test me with. My mind’s running a mile a minute trying to think of what these people could possibly make me do next.
“That isn’t very helpful.” I sniff out, tears gone for now. My headache is intensifying as I look at Elijah with heavy eyes.
Elijah’s soft chuckle, make his eyes gleam with amusement. "It's not meant to be helpful, darling."
Frustration and fear warring inside me feels as though my head’s going to split in two. "I'm tired of tests. I'm tired of being pushed to my limits and forced to do things no sane person would ever consider."
Elijah's expression hardens slightly, a sharp tone to his voice as he speaks, "And yet you've risen to every challenge we've set before you. You've proven yourself stronger and more adaptable than we ever expected."
"That's not a good thing," I whisper, wrapping my arms around myself. "It means I'm becoming what you want me to be."
Elijah leans forward, his green eyes intense as they bore into mine. "Is that really such a bad thing, Victoria? To become stronger, to evolve beyond the limitations of normal?”
Shaking my head, "Haven't I been through enough already? What more could you possibly want from me?"
Elijah's expression turns serious, all traces of amusement gone. "We want everything, Victoria. Your loyalty, your obedience, your complete devotion to our family and our ways." He leans in closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "We want you to be ours, wholly and completely."
A shudder runs through me at his words, the intensity in his eyes making my heart race. "And if I can't give you that?" I ask softly, already dreading the answer.
Elijah laughs as he raises an eyebrow at me, “You will. I can see through you Victoria. I can see the want to be accepted and loved. I can tell in the past you didn’t have a good upbringing but became stronger because of that….so I don’t think for a minute you won’t adapt to our family once you’re able to settle in.”
All I can do at this point is stare at Elijah, taken aback by how accurately he’s able to read me. It’s true that my childhood had been difficult, that I'd always longed for acceptance and love. But how could he know that? How could he see through me so easily?
"You don't know me," I say, but my voice lacked any and all conviction. "You can't just... decide who I am or who I'll become."
Elijah's lips curve into a knowing smile. "Oh, but I do know you, Victoria. Better than you might think. We've been watching you for quite some time, learning everything about you. Your past, your desires, your fears... We chose you for a reason…. Well, Grandfather did."
A chill runs down my spine at his words. "How long?" I whisper, horrified at the thought of being observed without my knowledge. "How long have you been watching me?"
"Long enough," Elijah’s eyes light up, “Grandfather didn’t tell us about you right away. He got to know you and took a different approach than normal…but it seems like that worked out in the end…didn’t it?”
He gave a hum as he looks me over, “You can have that acceptance here…we can love and cherish you. Family is something we cherish here.”
I stare at Elijah, unsettled by the direction this conversation’s going. Taking a deep breath in, stealing myself as I’m about to be vulnerable with him. Something I don’t know if it’s a good idea or not.
"You're right," I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper. "I do want to be accepted. To be loved. But not like this. Not at the cost of my humanity."
Elijah's eyes soften slightly, though the intensity remains. "Your humanity is a construct, Victoria. A set of arbitrary rules imposed by society. We've moved beyond that, embracing our true nature."
Shaking my head, I’m fighting back a fresh wave of tears. "Our 'true nature' isn't to eat other people or to torture and kill for some twisted sense of superiority."
Elijah's eyes gleam as he leans in closer. "Isn't it? Throughout history, humans have committed unspeakable acts of violence and cruelty. We've simply embraced the darker side of our nature and honed it into something purposeful."
Recoiling from his words, disgust coursing through me at his words, "That doesn't make it right. Just because humans are capable of evil doesn't mean we should embrace it."
Elijah sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. "You're still thinking in terms of right and wrong, good and evil. Those are artificial constructs, Victoria. In nature, there is only survival and power. Our family has thrived for generations because we're willing to do what others won't."
"Is that really how you see the world?" I ask, studying his face. "Just a brutal struggle for dominance with no room for compassion or morality?"
"Compassion and morality are luxuries," Elijah sighs, I can see he’s tired of talking by the look on his face, "I can see we're at an impasse for now. But you'll come to understand in time. To see things our way."
We’re going in circles, and I know that we won’t agree on anything, and I think he knows that too as he stands and gives me a tired smile, leaning forward and kissing my forehead.
“Get some sleep. I know you can get some in this room, compared to the cell you were in.” He gives me one last glance back before leaving, the door snapping shut, and I can hear the sound of a lock echoing through the air.