Destiny

Vivian learns the startling truth...

 

We went down one more hallway and came to the double doors of the healing ward. Caleb went through the doors and back to my bed. He set me gently on the crumpled sheets and sat on the bed next to mine, staring at me as I surveyed the room. The werewolf and his entourage were gone and everything seemed normal. Across the room a stout, plump woman with frizzy flaming red hair piled upon her head was treating someone. She was applying a green jell to another woman’s face. After a second I realized it was the woman who looked at me before I left the ward, the one with the pure white hair. There were four long gashes going down the side of her face and neck. The woman with the flaming hair sighed, “Hold on. Just let me get this last coat on. Then you can go join your pack.” The woman was still shifting constantly under the red haired woman’s touch. Red haired lady threw her hands up, “HOLD STILL! If you don’t let me finish you’ll have scars on that pretty face of yours.” The white haired lady stopped. She glared at the woman and growled. Actually growled! “Ohh stop it.” She snapped and finished applying the gel. “Wait five minutes in my office for the final coat to dry somewhat. Then you can change and try not to knock anything off the shelves. Be careful not to wipe off the-“ Her words were cut off when the white haired lady slammed the wooden door. The red haired lady’s eyes widened and she muttered to herself, “Damn shifters. They all need a good flick in the nose if you ask me.”

Caleb cleared his throat and the lady looked over at us. “Ohhh Caleb I didn’t even hear you come in. You brought her back? I thought you were just going to take her to see Mum?” Caleb smiled, “That was the plan, but she put up quite a fight. I wanted to make sure nothing else happened to her, when I picked her up she had a nasty scratch on her forearm. You might as well take out her stitches too while we’re here. Nate will be stopping by soon too.” She walked over to me with warm green eyes. She stopped in front of me and picked up my forearm, which was covered in blood. She clicked her tongue then looked up at me, “Hello Vivian. My name is Poppy, the witch of the healing ward. I mostly work with plants and enchantments, but not many spells. There are not many spells out there for treating the wounds some of you guys come in with. Especially since spells take up so much energy and one of you guys are always in here, by the end of the day I would’ve killed myself.” She said all of that really fast and smiled brightly at me. A witch? Okay wait there are werewolves, vampires, and witches. Holy s**t, ow my head hurts. I swallowed hard, how did she know my name? Sword guy knew my name too. She looked at me. “Viv, have you ever had vampire blood before? I only ask because the cut on your arm has already healed and your neck has healed faster than a normal bite. Also you were already healed from the other gash in your neck from Caleb’s bullet when you came in. What is strange is that I can’t sense any vampire blood in your system, dear.” What? Vampire blood, I didn’t even know they existed until now, how could I have vampire blood without knowing it? These people were coo coo for cocoa puffs. “Umm sorry, vampire blood is not a very common thing in the real world.” Caleb glanced at me, but Poppy just looked confused. “Is that a no or a yes?” I smiled a little, “I have never had vampire blood before in my life. I haven’t even known they had existed outside of books. So that is a no.” She looked away and muttered something. The next second a wet towel appeared in her hand. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn’t going crazy. She grabbed my arm again and cleaned the blood off my arm. Even though she said it would be gone, I was surprised that it was. Before I could say anything she leaned forward and placed her hand on my stitches. I cringed, but she pretended she didn’t notice. She muttered something else and I felt an itching spread through my shoulder. She sat back, with a pleased look on her face. “All better?” I lifted my hand to my shoulder. The stitches were gone. I rotated my shoulder feeling no tugging whatsoever. I nodded, “Thank you.” She smiled down at me, “It was my pleasure Viv. Now if you take this pill, it will turn off the part of your brain that craves nicotine. A nice side effect of this one is that any damage done while you were smoking would be renewed.” She placed a small diamond shaped green pill into my palm and Caleb handed me a glass of water. The saying, don’t take candy from strangers flitted across my mind. What the hell, I was dreaming anyways. I popped the pill in my mouth and chugged down the water. Immediately I felt an ease spread through my body. Wow they should sell this stuff. I wonder how they knew I was a smoker.

Just then sword guy, who I guess is now Nate, came through the double doors holding his hand to his mouth and nose. Dry blood was down his chin and soaking the collar of his t-shirt. He marched over and sat next to Caleb, all the while glaring at me. I had a feeling he was yelling every swear word he knew right then. Behind him a lynx with dark sapphire eyes came in, followed by a stout bobcat. The lynx came over and rubbed up against Caleb’s legs. The bobcat sat down next to the door and looked at me, no it glared at me with yellow eyes. I knew my mouth was hanging open, but I didn’t care. “Their eyes seem awfully familiar.” I glanced at Caleb. He smiled slightly, “These are the girls we met in the hallway. The lynx is the blonde one, Sadie.” He said while he scratched behind her ear, which caused her to push harder against his leg. “And the bobcat is the other one, Wynn.” He looked at the lynx, “Thanks for getting Nate. Have fun tonight.” Sadie rubbed up against his legs once more and they both stalked out of the room. The wooden door the white haired lady went into was scratched open by a white Siberian tiger. She was a magnificent animal; she walked gracefully out of the room, her muscles rippling over her body. She turned her huge lamp-like eyes at us once before the door swung shut.  So there were werewolves, weretigers, werelynxes, and werebobcats?

Please tell me that this was an effect of that little green pill. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. “Headache Viv?” Poppy asked in a concerned voice. I shook my head, “No, just an information overload.” She nodded and said in her fast, cheery voice, “Yes it is a lot to take in, isn’t it? How could you do something like this to poor Nate? You don’t look like you’ve been trained for battle. Tip your head back Nate and let’s take a look.” She said in a voice holding back a smile.  I opened my eyes as Nate removed his hand. His nose was crooked; it was shorter than normal and twisted at a weird angle. Poppy sighed, “Ohh dear. Let me get those pills.” Nate glanced at me as Poppy walked away. I smiled sheepishly and felt like I needed to apologize, “Sorry. I panicked. What would you have done? I mean I’m dreaming right now anyways, so technically I didn’t hurt anyone.” Instead of being mad he said through the blood, “Nice punch.” He tried to smile, but winced and just gave me a thumbs up. My surprise was intercepted when Caleb spoke up as Poppy returned, “He’s had worse. Right Poppy?” She just scoffed and gave Nate three big red pills. “You know the drill.” Nate swallowed all three at once with no water. I smiled; he was experienced. I watched his nose get longer and turn straight right before my eyes with a slight crunch. To be honest if a leprechaun jumped out of the cereal box and started throwing around marshmallows while singing I wouldn’t be surprised. Poppy wiped away the blood to reveal a perfect nose. “Okay I’m kicking you guys out. I don’t want to see you for at least another week. Got it?” Nate smiled and Caleb said, “But we love visiting you, Poppy.” She smiled back, “Shoo.” She practically pushed all three of us out the doors.

“Am I going to have to throw you over my shoulder again or can I trust you to walk like a normal human being?” I rolled my eyes at Caleb, “I am very capable of walking on my own thank you. When can I leave?”

“You can’t leave yet, we are going to see Mum. She has some important news for you. She will tell you all about this place. And-You coming Nate?”

“Naw, I’m going to go see what Anna’s up to.” He said as he turned the other direction.

“Dude, just give up all ready. Wait here Viv. I have to take care of something real quick.” Nate walked the other way, but Caleb turned around behind him, pulled him into a head lock. I watched them with curiosity. “Ouch. What the hell?” Nate struggled out of Caleb’s hold and punched him. Caleb straitened up and dodged another of Nate’s punches. “Go on with life and stop living in this dream that she’ll notice you. It’s starting to be pathetic.” Caleb got ready for another swing, but was interrupted when Catwoman girl walked past them. She was wearing normal blue jeans that clung to her figure, with a yellow t-shirt and her hair was thrown up in a clip. She stopped behind them and cleared her throat. “Honestly you guys are so immature. I was getting ready to send out a search party for you and here you are fighting like five year olds…again.” She crossed her arms and looked at them with disapproval. I placed her accent from Russia. Not that I know what real Russian sounds like exactly, but I watch enough television to get an idea. Nate eyes were glowing with puppy dog affection when he looked at her, “We got held up. Come on I’ll tell you about it.” He walked up to her and slung an arm around her. She glanced at me curiously and called, “Hello Viv. I’m Anna.” Caleb was walking back toward me while straightening his shirt, how come everyone knows my name? Caleb just looked at me with impatient eyes like I was the one causing the hold up. Anna gave me one last curious look and turned away as Caleb called, “Nate don’t forget to tell her that a girl broke your nose.” Anna let out a giggle. I flushed as Caleb dragged me around the corner to a door.

Caleb held open the door for me as I stepped into the room. It was a small, dark room with a large mahogany desk that took up most of the space. There were two chairs on my side of the desk and one big one on the other side. The desk had a computer on it and was covered with papers, pens, and other “officey” stuff. My neck started to tingle slightly when the wooden door behind the desk opened. The woman who occupied the doorframe was really pretty. She looked to be in her twenties with chocolate brown hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head. She had perfect skin that was paler than mine, if that was possible. Her eyes were so brown that they were almost black. The air around her held the presence of authority that should never be challenged. She was wearing a woman’s suit that nicely complimented her already perfect figure. She leaned across the giant desk and held out her hand. I straightened up and walked up to the desk. I didn’t take my eyes off hers as I reached for her hand. When our hands touched I had to fight back a gasp, as soon as our hands touched the tingling turned to a pain almost immediately, but I didn’t let go. Something told me not to look down, even though she clearly held more authority than I. Her hands were ice cold like she was holding her hands in a snow bank before she came inside. Her hands were pale like the rest of her and smooth, like marble. Nothing was strange about this woman except for her hand’s temperature and their affect on my tattoo. She was staring at me with a flash of humor in her eyes as I realized that I’ve been holding onto her hand for a long time and was staring at her like an idiot. I quickly let go. As soon as the contact was severed the pain went back to its tingle and traces of cold were still in my fingers. “Please take a seat,” she said in a crisp voice as she fanned her hand in front of the desk to the chairs.  

“You can call me Mum. I’m sure you are wondering what brings you here.” She didn’t wait for my answer. “This is the New York branch of the Blue Orchid. There are institutes all over the world in major cities, though some refer to them as Orphanages.” Her eyes flickered behind me to Caleb. “The Blue Orchid is an organization dedicated to tracking and killing rouges of a supernatural race. We pick up those orphaned by the rouges and teach them enough to get their revenge, and then they go on their way. It’s a very efficient process even though the number of rouges each year is increasing greatly. Some decide to stay after their revenge to finish the revenge of those who failed at their job or died trying. Like Caleb and his crew here. Inside each institute there are sub-braches for each type of supernatural being, each with a group of permanent hunters. We also help those unfortunate souls who have been changed adapt to their new life and find a suitable mentor in the real world to take care of them.”

 “Normally we try to save those who were injured, wipe their memory, and send them back into the world clueless because the one that hurt them is already dead and there is no need for them. We had to keep you for a number of reasons. You were bitten, which meant that if you had any vampire blood in your system that you would have turned by the end of three days. Vampire blood gives a human better senses and helps a human’s body go through the change. Unfortunately it doesn’t stop the excoriating pain that is caused by the body’s death. We thought for sure that you were going to change because your wounds healed too quickly, another side effect of having vampire blood. But curiously you didn’t, so I was called down to examine you. That is when I saw your tattoo. Do you care to tell me about it?”

I have always been a quick healer. But what did my tattoo have to do with any of this? Yet I knew she already knew something about me, “I’m sure you can tell me more about it than I could.” She stared at me with those black eyes and said in a no bullshit voice, “You’ve had it ever since you can remember. It has always tingled at weird times, until recently, your eighteenth birthday I believe. Lately the tingling has been replaced with spurts of horrible pain. Yet you have bonded with it and accepted it, making it part of who you are.” She paused long enough for all of what she said to sink in. Yup, she pretty much hit it right on the spot. Like those people at the carnivals who could guess a person’s weight within five pounds. “That is not just an ordinary tattoo.” Well no s**t lady, I thought to myself. “You bear the mark of the Angel of Mercy. It explains everything and no one walks around with that tattoo, so you cannot be mistaken for anyone else. It was believed to be destroyed hundreds of years ago, but apparently someone found it and their instructions.”

“A vampire needs to find a pregnant woman who he or she believes could stay strong enough to endure what was to happen. Each day during her pregnancy she needs to drink some of the vampire’s blood so it has the proper effect on the child. The baby cannot be born the normal way; it needs to be… extracted in a cruel way for the magic to work properly- the baby needs to be exposed to that kind of cruelty; no better way than killing her mother. The vampire needs to mix his blood with the blood taken from the dead mother. The mark then has to be placed in the skin of the infant with the blood. The blood will give the infant the ability to heal and be healthy all her life so she is prepared for what is to come.” What was to come? Before I could ask, Mum continued with her story. “On her eighteenth birthday she becomes able to be activated. Her powers are activated through a bite, preferably by the maker. Though you are a strange case; you’re maker just dropped you at an orphanage and didn’t activate you-instead you were activated by a random rouge. How curious,” she mumbled to herself. “Once the girl is activated she is immune to their powers and she has all the advantages of a vampire - their strength, speed, and senses. Though those are going to take practice to control, but for now they would only be able to use if you are angry or excited, they will show through any strong emotion. You will also have the ability to identify vampires through your tattoo. That is the tingling and pain you feel. The more powerful and old the vampire the more intense it gets.” So she was a vampire? My stomach clenched. Just accept it, I told myself. I took a breath, she was a vampire. My stomach loosened and I closed my eyes. “Yes I am a vampire.” She let that sink in until my jaw unclenched and continued. “You can control a light or energy is a better word, more powerful than the sun- an energy to kill almost any vampire but the original. I need you to look at me for the next part, it is very important.” I didn’t want to listen to her, so I clenched my eyes together tighter. I heard Caleb shift behind me and then I felt his hand upon my shoulder. That touch sent strength through my body and little shocks all the way to the tips of my fingers. I could do this… somehow. I was just going to be a bit different that’s all. People wait all their lives for something different and exciting to happen in their lives- it’s just happening to me, that’s all. ‘Well then let someone else be their Angle of Whatever, I don’t need this’ said the more stubborn part of me. Something else occurred to me,  “I don’t have to drink any blood do I?” I heard Mum’s soft laugh, “Of course not my dear.” I let out a sigh of relief. I opened my eyes and glanced up at Caleb. He stared at me with those gray eyes and gave me a little nod of encouragement. I sat up a little straighter and Caleb’s hand slid of my shoulder. I wanted to turn around, snatch it back, and hold on to the courage he gave me. But I was strong and resisted. I looked up at Mum and gave her a slight nod to let her know I was ready for her to continue. “This part is very important. The prophecy is that this girl will destroy the original vampire. If she fulfills her duty what gives the vampire the ability to turn humans into vampires, will disappear. No more vampires will be made and that will save hundreds of lives. We will watch all the vampires and kill those who are rouges like we do now, but then we don’t have to worry about the vampire population increasing and harming as many humans.”

“Why do I have to do this? Why can’t you guys do it? You have super powers right?” I was whining and acting like a child, it took all my strength not to slouch and sulk in my chair.

“It is said that she will have a connection to the original vampire, but she is the only one to kill him and to make sure he stays dead. But there is another part of the prophecy.” Ohh great I thought to myself. How much worse could it get? “If she does not kill him, he will mate with her.” I felt my eyes widen in surprise. Mate?Here comes the rain after the protagonist of the movie just said ‘It can’t get much worse.’ Mum didn’t pause for very long this time. “She is the only who can bear his child. His child will have all the strengths of the father and all the strengths of the mother, with no weaknesses. Thus making him the most powerful creature in the world and the most dangerous to every living and non living thing. We need to know your decision so we know whether to help you or… to kill you.” Life or death? Would the world be better if I was just killed now, so I could never hurt anyone? Or would it be worst if people were still being made into vampires? Would I be able to kill a vampire? Those are my choices- to kill someone or to bear an evil devil child named Damien to destroy the world? Eww he must be thousands of years old and wrinkly. ‘That’s not relevant,’ I yelled at myself. Why am I even considering this? These people believe they’re vampire hunters and my choices are be held hostage and kill someone or get killed. I think I know which way I want the scale to tip. I took a deep breath and answered, “I think it would better for the world if that creature was scrubbed out of existence.” She gave me a curt nod or agreement, “Good answer. There is just one more kink to work out.” I dropped my head into my hands. Is this stupid prophecy ever going to end?

“Many vampires have heard pieces of the prophecy and some will remember that tattoo. Word has probably gotten out and spread through the vampire world. Many vampires will hear about the child that you are able to bear and nothing else, but only the original vampire can make the child. So many vampires will be looking for you and trying to,” she hooked her fingers and made air quotes “get into your pants.” I almost laughed out loud at the words coming from her mouth. “I will assign Caleb to guard you when you go to the surface. He will make sure you are not to get harmed. That is all you may leave. Caleb will you stay behind for a moment?” I opened my mouth to say something...thank you, maybe, but she was busy writing something and clearly ignoring me. I got up stiffly and walked to the door, when I passed Caleb my eyes flickered to his expressionless face. “Wait outside and don’t wonder around,” he mumbled. I went out into the bright hallway and immediately thought about walking away when the door closed, but realized that I would just end up getting lost and pissing Caleb off. So I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. I was in s**t, deep s**t.   

Author's Note

Hope you liked it!