CHAPTER 7

When Alex woke she was in a strange bed. This room was similar to the one she had at Gene's house but it was different somehow. 'Where am I? Did Gene find me?' Uncertainty filled her. Just then the door opened and there stood Paul.

"You are awake. I was starting to worry about you." He came into the room carrying a tea tray. "I brought you some tea. I thought you might like something hot to drink. It is starting to get cold outside."

Alex was afraid to move or speak. Where was she and why was Paul acting like nothing happened?

"Why don't you go freshen up while I pour your tea?" he was smiling at her.

Still she couldn't move. Tears welled up in her eyes and fear gripped her heart. 'Is he going to kill me?'

Paul sensed her distress and sat down on the side of the bed. He took her hand in his and gently reassured her. "Don't worry Alex, everything is going to be fine now that we are home."

"Home?" she whispered.

Paul smiled as he wiped away the tear that had finally fallen. "No one is going to hurt you. Just relax. Drink your tea, you will feel better."

"That woman." she stammered.

"Oh that. You weren't supposed to see that. Gene was very angry at me for that one." Paul said as he held the teacup to her lips. "There now, drink up. That is better."

"But you killed her."

"Not exactly. I mean I didn't kill her."

Just then Gene entered the room. Again Alex felt paralyzed.

Gene walked over to the bed; Alex never took her eyes off of him. 'What is he going to do to me? What does he have behind his back?'

"I see Paul has been taking care of you."

Alex stared at Gene.

"I haven't told her anything. That is your job." Paul said as he got up and left the room.

"I hope this room is to your liking. This one is upstairs, we don't have any bedrooms downstairs in this house." Gene was making small talk and he knew it. Alex sat still as a statue hardly breathing. The only movement was her eyes as she followed Gene as he paced around the room.

"I didn't mean to leave like that. I hadn't planned on leaving that soon, I wanted to give you a little more time but things didn't work out like I planned." Still she said nothing. Gene was becoming anxious; he wasn't sure what to say next. Finally he sat down on the bed facing Alex. "Alexandra, my story did you finish it?"

Alex shook her head no.

"I want you to read the story Alexandra. Read it and believe."

Gene left a manuscript on the bed next to Alex and walked out of the room closing the door behind him. She stared at the closed door for a few moments then she picked up the papers, got off the bed, walked over to a chair by the window and started to read.

'I can't believe the events of this week. So much has happened. My poor Holly, my beloved sister, murdered so horribly. How could anyone treat her so? If only I would have made her stay home, this is all my fault. Everything that has happened this week is my fault. I alone should bear the burden.

Paul, poor Paul he is innocent of any wrong doing yet he too is cursed. If I could do anything to release him I would, even at the price of my own life but it is not to be. His only crime was giving me information, which led to the killer of my sister.

It all began that fateful night. Mother and Father were going into the city leaving me in charge of the house until they returned. Holly had been forbidden to leave the house. Father did not like any of the new people she was fast becoming friends with; he felt they were scoundrels, the rabble of the earth and beneath her status.

I was too interested in spending time with my betrothed to even consider the ramifications when Holly asked if she could go out for the afternoon. She promised to be home well before dark and I believed her. I believed.

It was the dogs that found her bruised and broken body. Her clothes had been ripped from her exposing her delicate skin to the elements. Her hair was matted with blood, her blood. I went mad at the sight before my eyes my beautiful sister lying in a heap. I promised revenge on whoever was involved in this horrific deed.

In the dead of night Paul came to see me. He had information I needed, he knew who had hurt my Holly. Secretly he led me to where the scoundrel lay sleeping. I threw a blanket over him, tied him with a rope and carried the waking man out into the middle of the forest. I wanted no witness to what I was about to do. The man pleaded for his life as I beat him over and over and over with a large branch until there was no movement under the blanket. It was then that I removed the ropes and pulled back the blanket to look at his face. He was just barely alive as his eyes met mine. 'This is for my sister' I said as I struck the final blow to his head. His empty eyes stared up into the sky.

I left his battered body in the woods for the animals to feed on. I had my revenge.

Little did I know that this man who raped and murdered my sister would also be the cause of my downfall.

News of his death spread rapidly through the town. Regrettably too many people knew of my vow for vengeance so it did not take long for rumors to fly about who had taken the life of this murderer. I cannot call him a victim for it was he who had hurt too many in the town. It was he who had made victims of so many others. In my eyes he was the murderer of my sister and deserved no sorrow at his passing.

I do not know if my actions would have changed any had I known the consequences of what I had done but it is too late now for speculation. The mother of the murderer, yes this man had a family, was angry at his death. This was her son, her favorite son, and she now wanted revenge. Unfortunately for me this woman was also a witch.

Paul found me that day as I lay flowers at Holly's grave. He came to warn me to get out of town, to leave this place. Sadly he was too late. The witch found the two of us together.

She cursed Paul, her son, for betraying his brother. He would forever be my servant. My curse was more severe. I was to roam the earth never dieing and existing on The Blood. Not just any blood would do, to survive I would have to drink The Blood of my true love and at her death to drink The Blood of her descendents. When the time came and I had outlived all of her descendents and there was no more blood then I would go mad before I finally died.

I fell to the ground as pain racked my body as it changed. Paul knelt beside me uncertain of what to do to help me. But he could do nothing for me but watch. He was as helpless as I since he was forever trapped with me to do my bidding. The old witch disappeared into the woods laughing never to be seen again.

The pain finally subsided and I was able to stand with Paul's help. What had I done? Not only was I sentenced to a life of hell but Paul too. He helped me back to my home where my betrothed was waiting for me along with my parents. At the sight of her I felt my body start to tingle and a hunger over took me. No, I would not drink her blood, I couldn't take her life.

I told my parents I had to leave that I had to get away. I broke off my engagement with no explanation and left her crying at the door. Paul and I would leave and somehow find a way to break the curse that we were both under.

The hunger became so great it was driving me mad. We met a peddler on the road and before I could stop myself I had sunk my fangs into his neck and drank from him. I was horrified at what I had become. Of course, his blood any wetted my appetite I craved more.

And that is how we lived, traveling around the country never staying too long in one place less anyone become suspicious of what I had become.

Over time I discovered things about myself, things I did not know I could do. By merely thinking it I could transform into a puff of smoke, almost like the smoke from a candle. I had power over people; I could make them do exactly as I wanted this was how I started gathering my fortune.

I tried not to go back to my parents' home, there were so many memories there and my betrothed was there.

It was three years after I had left, I had to see her, I had been living on the blood of strangers but it wasn't sustaining me. I was slowly going mad, it was killing me. I remember well that day. I stood in the distance and watched as my betrothed married another. To me she looked sad, the day that should have been our wedding day, the day that should have made her happy. I went away vowing never to return no matter what happened to me.

Fifteen years came and went, fifteen years of the madness growing day by day until finally I was almost out of my mind. I did not think I could take any more. I was feeding two and three times a day, we constantly had to move lest someone find us.

The hunger hit me hard that one fateful day. There on the road was a lone woman, my madness took over, I must feed. I crept out of the trees bordering the road and grabbed her from behind ready to sink my teeth into her when in our struggles she turned around and I saw before me the face of my betrothed. At the sight of her the madness seemed to diminish and my mind cleared.

She recognized me immediately and before I could stop her she threw her arms around my neck and started to cry. She had missed me; she loved me still and never understood why I had left her. She begged me to explain, to tell her why I left her, what had she done to make me stop loving her?

Stop loving her? I had never stopped loving her.

As always, Paul was close by. At his suggestion we went back into the woods where we found a spot to sit and then together he and I explained what had happened so long ago.

My betrothed listened intently as I explained the curse I had been put under. Her hand reached out to mine. She sat there holding my hand staring into my eyes as I told her what I had become what I had to do to survive.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she listened. I could not bring myself to tell her the part of the curse that, to me, was the most horrid. Paul explained to her how I needed The Blood from my true love to survive to drive away the madness. I could not look at her face as he spoke. I closed my eyes afraid to see the look of horror I knew I would see.

To my amazement I felt her soft hand on my cheek. I opened my eyes to see the face of love staring back at me. She said not a word but opened the collar of her blouse and offered me her exposed neck.

At first I refused but she insisted I drink from her to help end my madness. I caressed her cheek as I bit into her throat. Within a moment I was in wrenching pain, I wallowed on the ground as my betrothed looked on in anguish. Paul held her back when she tried to come to my side.

My body was adjusting to her blood and had to rid itself of the impurities of the blood that was driving me mad. A few minutes had passed when finally the pain was gone from my body. My mind felt clearer than it had in years I looked at my betrothed and saw the tears in her eyes. I stood up and she ran into my arms promising never to leave me.

Paul explained to her that I only needed small amounts of her blood and that it would sustain me for months at a time, but now, in the beginning, I would need her more often, just until I regained my strength. She promised to meet us again the next day here at the same spot.

For a week my betrothed met me and I drank but a spoonful of her blood. My mind cleared and the madness had gone away; I was my old self again, with one exception. She begged me to come home, to again live in my parents' home where she could be near me.

I couldn't be without her any longer so I agreed. I went home.

My parents were happy to see their wandering son return home. They welcomed me with open arms and never questioned me on where I had been. They accepted Paul as my friend and gave him a place to stay.

I discovered that my betrothed had married at the insistence of her parents. She had not loved her husband for she still loved me. She had born him two daughters, descendents to carry on her line.

Within the year both of my parents had fallen ill with the fever and died. I buried them close to Holly. I continued to meet in secret with my betrothed not just for The Blood but to enjoy her company. Many times she would bring the children with her and I grew to love the girls as if they were mine.

If her husband ever suspected anything out of the ordinary between us, he never said. He died of an accident six months after my parents' death. She was now free.

I loved her like no other woman. We stayed together for many years, The Blood always sustaining me. Her children were grown and married with children, girls, of their own when she sat them down to tell them my story. I was afraid to be in the same room with them as she told them what I was and what I needed so I listened in at the window.

They listened as their mother told them about how I drank from her to live and how I would need to drink from them to continue after she was gone. Silence filled the room as the girls looked at the mother in surprise. Then to my shock and disbelief both of the girls wanted to see me, they wanted me to feed from them.

I entered the room as the girls ran to my arms. Both of my betrothed's daughters loved me and understood my need. They wanted to help and promised that their daughters would also be The Blood. I was overwhelmed at their expression of love and support. I had expected terror and hatred.

My betrothed grew old, something that I could not stop. We stayed together always until she was so ill she could not stand living any more. She told the girls what she wanted and they understood. They said their good byes to their mother and left her alone with me.

My heart was breaking, my betrothed was dieing and there was nothing I could do to make her live. Finally I could stand her pain no longer and succumbed to her wishes. I held her in my arms and kissed her one last time, I told her I loved her and then I put my betrothed out of her misery.

I held her lifeless body in my arms and cried.

She was gone, my betrothed, my true love, my Alexandra.