The Siren's Curse

Epilogue: Finally Free

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?" you scolded Wadim and Alina, having caught them trying to sneak out.

"...Getting Wadim and the Vârcolaci something to eat," Alina said with a forced smile. One of her legs was frozen in the air as she was caught trying to climb on Wadim's back. Wadim was also frozen in place as he stared at you, his scales sparkling in the sunlight.

"Really?" you questioned, raising a brow as you crossed your arms over your chest. "You're usually better at lying, Alina," you said, chuckling as you shook your head. "There are too many people around, wait until dusk for a flight."

"But-"

"No buts," you said, shaking your head. "While we don't have to worry about Miranda anymore, we can't risk you getting caught by the BSAA or Chris Redfield, okay?" You walked forward and cupped Alina's face as she turned to face you. Alina nodded and rubbed her arm as you smiled. "Hey, chin up, the Duke will be here soon. You're showing Rose around school today, remember?"

"Right," Alina said, her eyes starting to light up.

"Good, now get back to the house," you said, lightly pushing Alina behind you. "You and Wadim can go for a flight after your homework is done."

You watched Alina run to the house you called home with her and Karl, smiling to yourself. It's been five years since the Village Massacre and your first breath of freedom. You and Karl were able to find your way to a part along Germany's coast that was naturally concealed from the rest of the world. So far, only the Duke and a friend he calls the Merchant have been able to find your little sanctuary, helping you and Karl make a living to pay so you weren't bored out of your mind. They also supplied you and Karl with the materials you needed to build your home, at a price. Karl would be a commissioned blacksmith for the pair of travelling merchants while you were able to make some of that alcohol the Duke used to buy off you all the time. Even now, you and Karl were still trading with the Duke and the Merchant. Since you were also in a secluded area that no one else knew about, you often sold the two alcohol in exchange for taking Alina to school. The Duke gave you all the information and papers you needed to send Alina to school as well as tutored her so she could be ready for the sixth grade. 

Alina was enrolled in a K to Twelve school in the nearby town and was going to be starting eleventh grade. As luck would have it- by luck, you meant careful planning over the years -Rose was about to start kindergarten. The previous year, Ethan and Mia brought Rose to tour the school and they coincidentally ran into Alina who explained how the system worked and who to go to about the language barrier. Your and Alina's first language was Romanian and you were taught English by Uncle Sal just because he wanted to, but Alina didn't have that luxury. You and Karl taught her some English and Karl even threw some German lessons in too but there was still a hefty language barrier when Alina first got to school. Luckily, the school had a Romanian class so there were quite a few kids that Alina had to track down so she could communicate with others. You had no idea if the Winters were able to pick up a second language so Rose could have a similar problem. 

"Don't look at me like that," you said, scolding Wadim. "I know you love flying with her but Alina still needs to go to school. She deserves the opportunities that the school can give her." Wadim snorted at you, a puff of smoke coming out of his nostrils as you scoffed at him. "She's not like all of us, Alina has a chance to live freely in the world and we all want her to have the tools to get through, right?" Wadim looked you up and down before walking away from you, rolling his eyes at you.

You snorted as he left, looking down at your semi-human hand as you started to walk home. The five years you lived in Germany have been kind to you, especially considering that you were right next to the ocean. The saltwater was perfect for you and you took regular swims to give your Cadou and body the relief they've both been needing since you first mutated. After each time you swan, your body slowly started to mutate into a less monstrous form. Most of your skin had returned- burn scars and all -and your teeth weren't constantly sharp. While the sharpened teeth were still there, they were more like a retractable second row of teeth. You still had scales but they didn't cover your body anymore, they were just visible around your hairline and your joints. Karl was especially pleased with the reveal of your skin because- in his words -you were easier to mark as his.