Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Chapter 22

"What do you mean he'll live? How do you know? Up until recently, you knew nothing of Healers or that you shared the same blood. Now, suddenly you seem to know a lot more than we do! How is that even possible?" I ask, burning with anger.

"Everything is different now, Helen. It's like we can feel something that we didn't sense before, know things we didn't understand before." Tobias says.

"What does that even mean?" I snap at him.

"How do I explain something that is so beyond comprehension..." Tobias says pensively.

"Let me try." Cecilia interrupts.

"You know how they say that there are two kinds of people. The ones who see the glass as half empty and the ones who see it as half full." Cecilia says.

I nod my head too annoyed to speak. I know that if I were to speak right about now, I am bound to say something heartless that poor Cecilia doesn't deserve to hear.

"Well, imagine if you were suddenly acquainted with a third option, with a new perspective from which you can look at the situation. What if someone told you that what they see is a glass that can always be refilled? Wouldn't that change your whole perspective on the situation you thought you knew everything about?" Cecilia asks.

"Yes, I guess so, but what does that have to do with Seymour? With our situation here?" I ask tersely.

"Since the moment we started this journey, we've been feeling and understanding things on a different level. We've been able to achieve a new perspective, which allows us to tap into our Healer side. Healers always know how difficult a wound is to heal, even for a vampire. It's in our blood to know, no matter how diluted that blood is." Tobias goes on to explain.

I have to admit, what they are saying makes sense and my behavior doesn't. Yet I don't seem to be able to control myself as well as I used to. I blame Seymour for that and all the drama that came with him and his ex.

Not saying anything more, afraid that I might be yet again too harsh for no apparent reason, I move over to Seymour and Alarcos helping him up while Cecilia and Tobias turn around to study the door.

"Are you sure you can stand?" Alarcos asks, fussing about Seymour more than I think is necessary.

It makes no sense to be jealous since there hasn't been anything between Seymour and me for such a long time, yet I do feel jealous. Even Alarcos, a regular vampire such as myself, seems to possess more feelings than I do, and that rubs me the wrong way.

"As fit as a fiddle," Seymour says, staggering.

Alarcos and I manage to keep him upright, but it's clear he is not fine. Still, he isn't dying either which is a much bigger relief than I expected. I guess that although I no longer love him, I still care about him as my friend, which is strange to note since I have seen him as my enemy for such a long time.

"I think I know what we have to do," Tobias says before I have a chance to yell at Seymour for being too proud to admit he was in pain.

"What is that?" Seymour asks, happy for the distraction.

"Cecilia and I need to draw a spiral on the door with our blood. Once we do that, we will 'unlock' the door, and you should be able to enter without any further issues." Tobias says.

"Why a spiral?" Seymour asks, gritting his teeth in pain.

Why he is trying to hide his pain is beyond me, but I refuse to be the one who cares. Let him deal with his demons, I have my own to battle.

"Spirals are some of the oldest symbols in existence and the ones that have never been fully explained. Some scientists said they were connected with shamanism, and they were not far off. The truth is spirals are symbols of Healers who were at some point in time known as shamans." Alarcos says.

"How do you know that?" I ask, annoyed that everyone seems to know more than me.

"I saw it in one of the books. However, I didn't think it was relevant. The better question is how do they know." Alarcos says, pointing at Cecilia and Tobias.

"Since the moment we stepped in here, there is one image that is going through my head in a constant loop, and that is the spiral. At first, I didn't know what it meant, but I think that some of the knowledge of what it means to be a healer is locked in our blood and is now breaking through." Cecilia says.

"Why now?" I ask.

"This is one of the most important places for Healers, where they are at their strongest, I think that's why the memory managed to surface," Tobias says.

"But we are alone? I can't smell anyone else besides us." I say.

"Yes, they don't come here often, and guards are not necessary as you saw with Seymour," Tobias says, looking back at Seymour.

Before I have the chance to stop breathing in preparation for another onslaught of Tobias' and Cecilia's rich blood, Tobias sinks his teeth into his arm. The trickling sound of the precious liquid is loud in my ears. The potent smell that follows it is all I can think about.

It's overwhelming all my senses, my whole being. My tongue goes over my teeth as I imagine feeding on the fragrant liquid. Before I can clear my head, I feel a hand grasping my wrist.

I look back to see Seymour staring at me. Only when I see myself reflected in his eyes, do I realize what has almost happened.

I retract my fangs in embarrassment and mouth a thank you behind Tobias and Cecilia's back. He just gives me a small smile, and we are both back to watching what my friends are doing.

As both Tobias and Cecilia make the same sign on the door, to my utter surprise, the door creaks open without anyone touching the doorknob, which is creepy even by vampire standards. Don't get me wrong, I love haunted places and dark cemeteries as much as the next person, but this is different, alien.

Tobias and Cecilia step through without any issues, but the rest of us are hesitant, especially after we saw first hand what happened to unwelcome visitors. Not wanting to show how terrified I am of getting hurt, I raise my head high and go through the door.

To my utter relief, nothing happens and I am soon followed by Seymour and Alarcos. They cross the doorstep as if it was just an ordinary door as if it didn't almost murder my ex, a privilege I think should be reserved for only me.

Only when everyone is safely through, do I finally start paying attention to my surroundings. The House of Healing is nothing like I expected it to be. I expected sterile rooms and hospital beds, but what I am looking at is so much more.

Serenity and beauty are all around us. The colors are so bright, so happy that it doesn't feel like a place of healing but a place of joy.

There are a few beds scattered around the room looking as different from each other as possible surrounded by shelves upon shelves of vials and potions of many different colors. Some are more vibrant than anything I have ever seen, while others are as dull as the cloudy day.

There are plants and trees inside the huge room that I can't understand. We are not outside, yet it feels like we are in the most beautiful garden that just happens to have a few beds among its rich flora.

It is such a shock to my sense that for a moment, all I can do is stare, forgetting for a moment why we are here and just enjoying the view.