Chapter 7 Painful reality

“Marylin returned to the castle to keep the peace, but for days she couldn’t sleep. She came here to the library, searching if she would find a way or a place for her and her lover to be together without causing any disruption. John had offered to run away and come and live here as a vampire, but Marylin knew that his family would never stop until they found him or even his dead body, as he was the only child. And if they ever came here, this coven will be finished. She didn’t want to endanger our lives by transforming John, so she kept on searching for another alternative and never gave up until she found one.

“Luck shone one her one day when she found a book about where she could find the supreme council. Everyone knew about their existence and how they keep the law but no one had ever seen them, except of course for those who had incurred their wrath, and were never seen or heard from again after being summoned to their presence.

“In her desperation to be with her lover, she went into their presence and told them her story. They offered to take away her immortality if she could offer them a sacrifice, I don’t know what it is as she was warned not to let anyone know. She journeyed for days into the wilderness, trying to find the ingredients and when she finally did, she offered the sacrifice which they accepted. But there was only one condition; The sacrifice was not permanent as she would become human and all other generations under her will be born into the world as humans until it got to the 200th descendant. The 200th descendant would be born into the world a human and a reincarnation of Marilyn Lou, and on her 18th birthday, would turn back into a vampire and return to the coven. This meant that things would go back to the way they were before, Marylin Lou would be a vampire once more. And you, Joana, are the reincarnation of Marylin Lou and the 200th descendant.”

“I don’t understand any of this!” Joana said, her voice getting louder.

“You do, you are just finding what I said hard to believe but it’s the truth. You are Marylin Lou, you carry her spirit and you belong here with us, you always have.”

“I am not Marylin Lou, I am Joana Davidson, and you’re crazy if you think I’ll come and live with you in this smelly castle!” Joana yelled, she had already begun to feel tears dropping from her eyes, why did this have to happen to her of all people, and on her wedding day of all days? She placed her face in her hands, she couldn’t hide the bitter emotions anymore as the tears kept streaming down her face.

“I know you’re upset honey, believe me, I tried everything I could to talk her out of doing it, but she persisted. She became a human and went back to marry John, then died about twenty years after, a very short human life, but Lou didn’t mind as long as she was with John. I personally felt that it was an obsession, rather than love. For many generations, we have been counting, from Lou’s first child until it got to you, it was not easy for us to keep track either, but we would do anything to protect our coven, even if it meant counting thousands of generations after her. We waited until you were born, and we were happy that the wait would be over on your 18th birthday, which turned out to be your wedding day.”

“Why didn’t you just come to tell me before?” Joana asked, wiping her face.

“If I, as a stranger, had come to you before this happened and told you that you would become a vampire on your 18th birthday, would you have believed me?”

Joana thought of this, she knew Dana could read her thoughts, and would know if she were lying, so she just shook her head.

Dana walked to one of the shelves in the study, she brought out an old album and yanked a picture out of one of the pages. She came back to where they were seated and gave the picture to Joana.

“This is Marylin’s picture of her wedding day, the same day she became human. She gave us the picture to see how things went since we couldn’t attend it during the day. This was what helped me to confirm that you were the one as all her other descendants never resembled her like this.”

Joana looked at the dusty picture, Dana was right. The person in the picture wearing an old wedding gown looked exactly like her, she saw the groom and became twice as shocked, the same way she looked very much like Marylin Lou, was the same way Andrew looked like John. Andrew was the reincarnation of John, and they had met again to become married again in a second life, if this wasn’t fate, then she didn’t know what it was!

“Yes, I saw it too,” Dana said, “that was why I saved his life. John came back as your boyfriend.”

She nodded her head confirming what Dana said, her excitement overshadowing the fact that she was creeped out by Dana picking up her thoughts. Just then, an idea struck her mind as she now knew what to do. She raised her head from the picture to look at her.

“Where can I find this supreme council?” She asked.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know. The last I heard of anyone going into their presence was when Marylin Lou did it. I don’t even know if they are still operating or if someone else has taken over, the only things I know are what I just told you. But what do you need them for anyway?” Dana asked, returning the question.

“I want to go to them the same way Marylin Lou did to see if I can probably offer another sacrifice. I don’t know why I had to be the one to carry her spirit, but I do know that I was not meant to be here. I am supposed to be with Andrew by now. Marylin Lou’s relationship with John confirms it, that was why she went through all that length to ensure that she became human again, because being a vampire was not her destiny. I am sorry if I will have to make you wait for another 200 generations to protect your coven, but I cannot live like this, I never belonged to the supernatural world, Marylin never did either, that was why she became human and lived a happy life before she died, instead of staying here in this cold dark castle. I would even divide the years she lived by half if it meant I could leave this place. I am going to look for how to become a human, and correct this mistake once and for all.”

Dana sighed upon hearing her response, she had done all she could and knew that there was no convincing this one. She stood up in a bid to leave the room. As she headed towards the door, she turned to Joana to tell her one last thing.

“I am sorry, but you are on your own now. We cannot stop you from making your personal decisions but if you feel that becoming a human is what is best for you, then we wish you the best,” and with that, she left Joana, and Derick, who hadn’t said a word since, alone in the room.

Derick too stood up as soon as Dana had left.

“While you are looking for how to transform back. If you are hungry, you can call me so that we can go hunting together.”

“How do I call you?” She asked.

“Use your vampire senses.”

“But I don’t know how to.”

“Ugh,” he said rubbing his head and his eyes together in frustration. “How do you even want to go into the presence of the supreme council when you don’t even know how to use your powers?”

“I don’t know.” She said. “Perhaps you could show me?

Derick laughed, amused by the fact that she thought he was going to help her just like that. A while ago, her mouth was so fast to speak like a typewriter.

“Please,” she said. “I’m sorry for all I said to you earlier.”

He looked at her, now she was giving him the googly eyes, he hated those eyes, but yet he loved them so much. Ugh, why did she have to be so cute? Why did she have to look like Marilyn Lou?