Forbidden Blood

Chapter 13: Clara

I wake up earlier than the rest of the vampires, trying not to wake any of them as I quickly get dressed into pants and a t-shirt. I've never worn pants before, and they feel really constricting and uncomfortable. I suppose they are easier to walk in than a dress, but they still feel weird. As witches, we are always taught to wear dresses, as they are more ladylike. I am borrowing a pair from Rina's drawer. Hopefully she won't mind.

I grab my bag and sling it behind my shoulder, stopping at the door to put my hair in a ponytail. My long locks come down to the middle of my back and I feel them breezing behind me as I walk to meet up with Vincent.

"You ready?" I say when I meet him at the end of the hallway.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

We walk together outside into the main area of their cave and then walk down the entrance tunnel and into the moonlight. I glance at Vincent. He looks so confident, as if he isn't worried at all. I'm worried, though. We haven't told Zarro where we're going because if he knew that I wasn't really the witch who put the spell on them, he would kick me out.

Vincent breaks the silence first.

"So, about this mission of ours," he pauses, pushing away a tree branch, "what are we looking for?"

"Proof that Tarynn had something to do with putting the spell on you guys."

"But, how do we know when we find proof?" he asks, confused.

"She wouldn't have access to the spell unless someone gave it to her or unless she took it from someone. The only person who has spells like that is Adriana, so she must have gotten it from her."

"How do you know it wasn't Adriana who put the spell on us?"

"I don't." I hesitate, stepping on leaves with my heavy boots. I'm getting a little used to wearing pants.

"So shouldn't we be looking through Adriana's things first to see if she has the spell?"

"I don't know.

"So what does the spell... look like? How do we know when we've found the spell?"

"The spell would be in a book. A very old, dusty book. That's what we're looking for."

"And the only person who keeps these books is Adriana?"

"Yes." I think about where he is going with this.

"Sounds like Adriana's our culprit."

"It doesn't make sense," I raise my voice a little, "Adriana wouldn't do this. She's the leader of our community. She has nothing to gain and everything to lose."

"Okay, okay. We'll search through Tarynn's place first. If we don't find it there, we'll assume Adriana has it."

We walk some more in the darkness, with the moonlight being the only thing guiding us. I think about what this will mean for me if we find the spell book in Tarynn's hut. I will be able to give it back to Adriana and show her what Tarynn has done. Perhaps Adriana will let me back in the community? I know this should be a good thing, but I don't know if that is what I want... I can't decide between staying or going. I guess I'll just cross that road when I come to it.

I really regret what I've done since I left. A part of me wishes I had never gotten involved in all of this. But another part of me doesn't want any of it to be different. I suppose if you replayed my life over again, the same thing would happen. But just becuase it happened, doesn't mean it was a good thing.

Being with Vincent makes me happy, but I can't really be happy when I'm away from my family. I always felt satisfied when I was with the witches. Nothing ever felt out of place. When I met Vincent, it made me question my reality. It turns out my reality was a lie.