Goodbye

Saying goodbye is one hard thing to do.

 With each passing month Calleas tried to put the inevitable time of his departure far back in his mind.  The night he told his wife, Alessina, what he has become she became very distant and angry.  The distance was killing Calleas.  The seconds seemed like an eternity and his heart ached all the more.  What Calleas needed most now was her support but she could not give that to him.

 

He knew his time was coming.  Each day he grew paler and paler.  The towns folk began to stare and whisper.  He couldn’t take the endless whispering.  The one thing that seemed to stay alive were his emerald eyes.  Compared to his pale skin they shined with an endless amount of beauty.  On this night he decided he would leave the life he loved so dearly.

 

Grace always had a knack for knowing when something was wrong.  From the start of that day she never left her father’s side.  Having her around made his decision all the more difficult.  It was the early afternoon when Calleas took his wife aside while Grace looked for flowers.  He informed her of his plans, and even though she had kept her distance all those months she didn’t want to say goodbye to the man she loved.

 

It was now the hour that he would announce he would be traveling into the woods for the dinner.  Grace passed looks between her mother and father and felt something was deeply wrong.  When he father reached the door she saw her mother’s eyes were holding back a deep pain.  When they embraced for what seemed like years she felt as if her mother was saying goodbye to her father for good.  The fear grew in her that she has felt was coming for a while now.  He father was leaving her.

 

When he walked out the door she shot up and raced after him.  She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly.  She pleaded, “Please don’t go papa.  Please don’t leave us.  We need you!  I need you!  Please don’t go!”  Each syllable of those words were like daggers to his heart.  He had a hard time holding back his own tears.  “I’m only going to be gone for a few hours dear.  I’ll be back in just a few short hours.”  Grace never let go.  Alessina had come racing out and managed to pull Grace from her father and held on to her tightly.

 

He couldn’t look back at his family, he knew if he did he may not actually leave and this was something he had to do.  He could feel a presence near him.  “Alexander I don’t want to talk about it.”  Without even turning his head he heard a reply.  “I wasn’t going to talk to you about it.  I just thought you would want someone to walk with you.”  Alexander was right.  He did want someone to be there with him.  Alexander of all people knows his pain better than anyone else will ever know the pain of saying goodbye to the people you love.

 

Once he reached the castle he marched in looking for Acilia.  He needed to speak with her.  He just had that feeling that it was of the utmost importance that he speak with her.  He was walking so fast that everything began to blurry around him.  A hand gets a firm hold onto Calleas’s arm.  He is jolted into a dark room.  The windows are open and it becomes clear that he is now in the study.  Acilia is standing by the mantle.  “Acilia.. I have this feeling that.” Calleas pauses.  “That we need to discuss something.”  Acilia looks over to him and smiles.  “We do need to discuss something Calleas, something very important.  Because, now there really isn’t a second to lose.”  Acilia became firm and walked over to her desk.  She pulled out an oak box and opened it.  It was lined in red velvet and held a book, bottle and a charm. 

 

She spun it around so now it would be facing Calleas.  He walked closer to the box.  “Calleas I need you to listen very carefully.  Only speak when you are told do you understand me?”  He nodded his head.  “Good.  These items are very important.  You need to watch over them with all your might.  This book contains some of the greatest secrets of this world.  You see the number imprinted on the last page?”  Acilia opens the book and turns the page.  The page said “1897” “Yes.” Said Calleas.  “That is the year you are to publish this.  There are things in here that are completely false about his world but overall if one knows what they are looking for.  There is a lot of truth in it.”  Calleas becoming more frustrated with each passing second sits up.  “What does this book have to do anything?” he asks. 

 

Acilia looks at him sternly.  “What did I tell you Calleas?”  He leaned back into his seat.  She continues, “You are to publish this in 1897.  And you are to list it under a different name.  In fact, you are going to have to start to identify yourself with that name come the mid 1800s.  There is another book in here that I do not want you to look at until the designated time that will explain more in further detail.  For now the contents that are clearly visible are what I want you to focus on.”  She puts the book down and now picks up the bottle.  “In this bottle contains my blood.  It also will contain yours.  In fact, I need you to add your blood into the bottle now.” 

 

Calleas shoots up with great speed.  “What?  Now, I think this is going to far Acilia.  I am not doing anything until you further explain the need in further detail!”  Acilia laughs and shakes her head.  “Calleas, you are already dead.  A small cut isn’t going to hurt and your wound will heal quite quickly.  I told you that the other book contains the answers.  Give me your hand.”  Calleas couldn’t resist her instructions.  He held out his hand and place it into Acilia’s.  In a flash she slices open the palm of his hand with her nail.  She opens the bottle and lets the blood drip.  As fast as she closed up the bottle Calleas’s wound healed.

 

Acilia places the bottle back into the box.  She holds up the charm and looks very closely to Calleas.  “This is the family charm Calleas.  It is the key to many doors.  Here in this castle and all over this world.  You must never lose this charm.  You must keep it with you at all times.”  She reaches over and places the charm in Calleas’s hand along with a silver chain.  He puts it on around his neck.  She smiled.  “Now I need to you take this box and place it somewhere that no one can get a hold of it.”  She closes the box and slides it over to Calleas.

 

“Acilia.” He pauses.  “Yes?” she responds.  “Why are you telling me all this?”  A sad smile comes across her face.  She looks down to the box.  “I’m telling you this now because…” she pauses.  Calleas lifts her face to him.  “Because even the undead have a life expectancy Calleas.”  She stood up and walked toward the door.  Calleas rushes ahead of her blocking her only exit.  “What do you mean life expectancy?  What is going on?”  Calleas’s eyes are full or worry and Acilia could feel them piercing down at her.  “I am going to die Calleas.  Not today or tomorrow.  But within the next few years my life will come to an end.”  Before Calleas could speak she places her finger on his lips. 

 

“It’s unavoidable.  Darcio will want a new queen.  As if his choice would even go with him.” She laughs.  “I’m telling you this because the sooner things are in order the less chaotic things will be when the date of my death comes.  Your role in these plans is very crucial.  It is not only your life or my life that is at stake here.  There isn’t anything you can do to prevent it.  It’s going to happen and you need to accept that.  Tomorrow will be another day and another lesson.  There is much to be told.”  She smiled and left Calleas alone in the study.  He closes the door and opens the box once more.  He looks at the cover. It had only one word printed on to it.  It said ‘Dracula.”