Chapter Five #2
“Cool,” I finished my sentence, thus interrupting hers. “That’s fucking cool! How long? Can you go in the sun? Wait, what am I saying? Of course, you can because I met you in the morning. Can you use magic too? Who turned you? Was Agatha one?”
Isadora squeezed my shoulders, “Breathe. I’ve got all the time in the world to answer your questions.
” She waited for me to take a deep breath before continuing.
“For now, I will answer the ones you’ve asked.
I’ve been a vampire my whole life, same as Ambrose.
We are born vampires from vampire parents.
The born ones can use magic. Yes, Agatha was a vampire.
But with her old age, all she could do was use magic.
She had gotten too old to hunt so that’s why she has these blood bags. ”
“This is a dream,” I squealed in excitement.
“I guess since we’ve already broken one rule then we might as well break more. And you,” Ambrose said with a disappointed shake of his head at me. “You are in the presence of two very powerful vampires and yet you are shaking with excitement instead of fear. Are all mundanes as strange as you?”
“Not all, but anyone that’s cracked open the right book would be. Two vampires are in the same room as me!”
“And if you don’t keep your voice down then all of this God forsaken town will hear you,” Ambrose hissed angrily.
I waved a dismissive hand at his words. “Oh relax, I sound proofed this room at the request of Agatha. No one can hear a single thing that goes on in here. I mean, we can hear out there, but no one is hearing anything in here. Not even a pen dropping.”
The room was silent for a moment, then Ambrose left without a word and Isadora was left scowling at his back. She began muttering something in another language that I didn’t recognize. Despite my ignorance, I could tell she wasn’t saying anything nice about Ambrose.
“Now that the party pooper is gone,” she beamed, shifting her mood entirely. “What is there to do for fun around here? I’ll answer your questions while we have some fun.”
“Well, there’s not much, but a bar in town that many people enjoy. I go there a lot, but I shoot pool instead of drinking," I explained.
She nodded, showing me that that’s where she wanted to go. I waited for her to clean up the blood bags then we locked up the shop before walking to the bar that was only a few blocks away.
***PAGE brEAK***
We had started to get into heavy territory as the drinks flowed. The conversation had started out light, talking about Agatha and life in this town. After a spell we had shifted to growing up and then the topic of my mother came into the conversation.
My finger traced the outline of my necklace through my shirt as I let out a sigh, “My mom wasn’t around for much of my life. Dad said she died from some illness shortly after having me. Honestly, I never needed a mom because dad had been there for everything. But–.”
“But there is still a part of you that wonders what it would have been like if she had stayed,” Isadora spoke.
Those words explained exactly how I felt, but it was also something I never could admit to myself out of the guilt of it.
My dad was wonderful, so wonderful I couldn’t ask for anything more, but it was still something I thought about on occasion.
What if she had been there?
My eyes traveled from the glass to Isadora’s gilded eyes. “You say it like you understand, Isa.”
“My mother also left when I was born. Although, my father wasn’t as kind as yours is.
I may get treated like a princess, but my spot has always been on a shelf on a wall that no one could reach.
No man was ever good enough and no one was deemed worthy enough to call themselves my friend.
The servants at the house became my friends, but I was still lonely.
Although,” she paused before taking the shot in front of her.
I noticed she did that before she said something uncomfortable.
It was almost like she was relying on the liquor to be her courage to say what she wanted.
I guess that’s why it was known as “liquid courage”.
I slid another one her way as I saw her hesitation.
Staring at it, she finally continued, “Luce had it way worse than I did. Being pureblooded meant a higher status, but also your status was based on your age of cultivation and—.”
“Wait, what’s cultivation?”
“You noticed how Ambrose and I have gold eyes, right? Well, the younger you are when you cultivate or “grow” your magic, the more vibrant your eyes are. For Luce, he was born with his eyes. That meant he would be the head of the family, but father isn’t ready to give up his position.
So, he decides to take out his anger and frustration about the situation on Luce.
I had a touch of gold in my eyes at birth even if I didn’t have my magic yet.
They were nowhere near Luce’s color, but it was enough to make mom scared that she would die for birthing another powerful heir.
I later learned she had killed herself. Too many rules. That’s why I left Shadowhaven.”
“Is that why Agatha left too?”
Isadora nodded, her curls bouncing with each nod. I could see the tears in her eyes and instantly handed her a napkin. Bryon looked over from the bar, as if sensing the distress and our eyes met over the bottle he held up. I knew what he was asking and nodded for confirmation.