Black Blood

When Hanna brought me a steaming cup full of coffee, my smartphone vibrated.

«Here you are. I am finishing in an hour, so you can tell me what is happening to you», she said winking at me.

I accepted and thanked her. I touched the phone screen and saw the chat I discovered Josh had sent me.

Josh:

Where the hell are you?

Reb:

At Hanna's. At Moonlight.

Josh:

I am coming.

And so, it was.

Only two minutes later, my best friend arrived at the club out of breath. He dropped into the chair on my left and took a deep breath.

«What's happening?» I asked him dumbfounded.

«Nothing. You said you were coming back to the office and I was worried», he admitted pausing after each word.

Josh was getting very apprehensive. Too much, I was glad that he cared about me, but I knew how to take care of myself, since ever.

«I am fine, I was having a break.»

«You said this morning that your head was spinning. I thought you were sick», he said in a low voice, motioning Hanna to bring him some water.

She handed him the necessary from above the counter.

He was not wrong; I had felt my head muffled since all day and a strange weakness deep into the bones. The stress was more and more evident, I was not used to it, but I would have survived.

«I had to clear up my mind. Summing up my morning, I could say it was a real disaster: I pissed off Father Dorian and Mary Weather told me I'm going to go crazy. I think I deserve a coffee», I answered ironically smiling to Josh.

He widened his eyes and raised both eyebrows.

«You'll never change, Reb. One day soon you'll get yourself into trouble if you keep harassing people» he said sternly.

I didn't torment people, I just chatted with them.

It was different.

A few minutes later, Greg arrived, exhausted and astonished, immediately took his place next to Josh.

«What is wrong with you?» I questioned him, amazed.

He took a deep breath and rummaged in his jacket's pocket impatiently. He pulled out a USB pen drive which he handed to me.

I grabbed it and looked at it: thin, metallic and completely anonymous.

«If my father finds out what I have done he is going to disinherit me», he said drinking the water from my best friend's glass.

Josh looked at him annoyed and, with a sudden gesture, took his glass back.

«What's in that pen drive?» he asked, pouring himself more water from the bottle that Hanna had given to him.

«I went into the police database and found some reports about disappearances that have occurred over the past twenty years. Plus, other documents that seemed suspicious to me», he explained with the voice so low to be barely audible.

My face lit up, Gregory Tanner had done something so rebellious and dangerous just to help me. Sure, he wanted as much as I did to find out the truth, but I was equally thrilled.

I hid those important data in my bag and thanked Greg fondly.

«I adore you. I know I can always count on you. You are my hero!» I acted like a little girl admiring her favorite star.

We all laughed together when, suddenly, Josh's gaze became alarmed.

«Holy crap!» he said, turning pale while staring at something beyond my back.

Greg, not least, seemed petrified, mute, motionless and with his eyes completely wide open.

Intrigued, I turned to understand what had caused their strange reaction and my heart suddenly stopped.

Sebastian was standing in front of Hanna at the bar counter and was asking her something.

My best friend looked at me out of the corner of her eye and I swallowed, staring back at the center of the table.

«What the hell is he doing here at the Moonlight?» Greg murmured dismay by the presence of that much feared character.

I turned to him.

Sebastian conversed with Ginger Tanner, then they shook hands and his eyes, in an instant, were locked on me.

As soon as he saw me, he flashed that smile that infuriated me, but that, at the same time, teased me from within.

He walked over to my table coming straight in my direction. It took him a few strides and I found him in front of me. He looked at me with that mocking grin, not caring about everything else.

At Moonlight everyone was speechless, only the background music was there to break that silence that, otherwise, would have been deafening.

«I told you we'd have met again, Rebecca», he declared lowering himself towards me.

His scent intoxicated my senses, my heart, from stationary, began galloping fast.

I closed my eyes and searched for a bit of control.

I took a deep breath and jumped to my feet. I reached out to Sebastian and prodded him in the chest with my index finger.

«But with what nerve...» but I was unable to finish the sentence.

I could feel my face on fire, my head spinning wildly. Streams of cold sweat ran down my temples and slowly my vision blurred.

I saw everything black and the voices were now reaching me from afar, I felt weak, as my strengths were abandoning me.

Then I passed out.

Chapter 8

Rebecca

When I opened my eyes, I did not immediately recognize the room I was in. Then I noticed the drip hanging from a rod on the side of the bed and a sharp pain hit my arm. I looked at the needle piercing my vein and I wondered what had happened to me.

I only remembered Sebastian's face and nothing else.

I got up from the pillow looking for someone's attention.

The room was simple, the essential was there: a bed with an iron structure painted in white with a matching bedside table; a wardrobe with a single door on the right wall; TV, a counter in front of me, with cupboards containing accessories and medical products, to my left, I saw a machinery that I was completely unaware of.

I was at the Coleman Medical Centre, Josh's parents' medical place.

«Is there anyone?» I asked raising my voice.

I heard quick footsteps approaching, the opaque glass door swung open and Meredith Coleman walked inside cordially. She wore her hair in a bun, round glasses resting on the tip of her nose, and a white coat with her name embroidered on the edge of her breast pocket.

«You finally woke up, dear. How do you feel?» she said, approaching my bed and fumbling with the drip's tube.

«Good, but my head hurts.»

Meredith walked away quickly, opened a drawer in the opposite cabinet and came back to me with a tablet in the palm of one hand and a glass of water in the other.

«Take this, you'll feel better», she said, handing me the medicine.

I took the pill with two fingers and stared at it.

«What is that?»

«An analgesic. For your headache», she answered, smiling.

I swallowed that medicine and didn't think about it anymore, I just hoped it would have worked quickly because the pain I felt was similar to that of two drills piercing my temples.

«What happened to me?» I asked, still messed up.

I passed out as I was flaring up with anger against Sebastian. Okay, it was not just anger that ignited me, but I found it hard to ignore his arrogance and it pissed me off.

He was so cheeky.

Telling me such a thing in front of all those people was a very risky and compromising gesture.

What would had people thought?

The Winterbournes were badly seen in town because of all those legends. They were elusive, they did not entertain with anyone and if they showed up it was only for business reasons. They had no friends and people avoided them like plague.

Talking to them meant to tarnish one's reputation, and becoming the victim of Hazycreek's bigoted judgments.

Sebastian from the height of his arrogance had thought to address me in a completely confidential way and my reaction was not less. An exchange of words that hinted at the existence of precedents between us even though, after all, we had met only two insignificant times and we were two complete strangers.

Yet when I thought of him something inside me was moving, twisting in my stomach and drying my throat. It seemed that I had known him since forever, but it wasn't true.

Sebastian was blunt and irreverent, but he had a hidden side, just like his gaze. One fair iris, clear and gentle and the other dark, hermetic and sibylline.

There was something about him that attracted me so much, that was roughly reminding me of his image, tormenting me day and night.

He was moving wrapped in mystery, he had a detestable character, a pride to slap, but his bold and polite manner, the refinement of his words and those sly and curious eyes, those were all arrows that had been shot and reached straight the right point.

Maybe Sebastian's soul was split in half, and I wanted to find out what concealed the one side he kept well hidden.

I wanted him to show me his secret side, good or bad.

«Around lunchtime, Josh and the Tanners' son arrived in panic with you in their arms. They said that you had suddenly fainted, but that you had felt unwell already since this morning.»

Mrs. Coleman's voice brought me back to earth.

«There were only them?»

«Oh, Hanna also came to visit you, but I told everyone that you needed to rest and I would have informed them as soon as you had recovered», she went on adjusting her bun.

I was sure I had fallen over Sebastian when my legs no longer held me.

«So, what is the diagnosis?» I asked, curving only one corner of my mouth and making a funny expression.

I saw Josh's mother giving a shy smile, but she remained composed and focused.

«A heavy drop in blood pressure and lack of rest. You need to take a breath, Reb. Don't worry that much about your job. Josh told me you didn't stop for a moment. Breathe.»

Yet another reprimand for that day, was it so clear what I was investigating on?

After the recent events in the company of Sebastian, probably yes.

I sighed and decided to ignore the matter nonchalantly.

«What is inside the drip?»

«Vitamins and mineral salts to get you back on track. Now I take it off: it's over. I'll take your blood pressure again, it'll take a moment and then, if you want, you can go home», she declared dedicating to the needle.

She removed it off carefully and medicated the affected part.

Free from that chain, I took the smartphone from above the bedside table and sent a message to Hanna asking her to come and get me.

She immediately replied telling me that she would have done it as soon as possible.

In a while, I was already sitting in Hanna's car, heading home.

Meredith Coleman had made a note of my latest values and handed me a bottle of tablets. Supplements that according to the prescription I had to take twice a day. I put them in the bag after having observed them suspiciously.

«What happened after I passed out?» was the first thing I asked her.

She squinted at me and made a grimace with her nose.

«You are passing out for no reason and the only thing you worry about is what happened when you weren't conscious?» she said back.

In fact, I was only interested in that.

I was just a little tired, I wasn't a superhero.

The last few weeks had been heavy, I felt weaker and slept badly. Things that usually happen, especially to a crime reporter like me.

«I am fine now, Hanna. I just need to stop overdoing. What did Sebastian do?» I pursued her undaunted.

She raised her eyes to the car's roof and denied with her head.

«Obviously, your attention is only focused on him», she said resignedly.

I smiled at her with innocent eyes.

«He took you to the medical center. As you were sliding to the ground, he caught you on the fly, saving you from an obvious fall. We all ran there. Josh, Greg and I», she explained with sufficiency. She liked playing the part of the offended, but I knew well she was acting.

Every once in a while, we pretended to be angry more than we should to see the reactions of the other.

Lack of confidence?

No, it was a game for us, we knew each other too well to fall into our own traps.

I went back to her words, had Sebastian really brought me to Coleman Medical Center?

Oh, God!

«Meredith said that I was brought to her by Josh and Greg» I confusingly objected.

«But with Sebastian's car.»

Even worst!

It meant that my friends had been in close contact with Mr. Filthy Rich. Because that is what he was in the end, and his bearing never denied it.

However…

«Josh tried to reject Sebastian's offer, but he couldn't hold his own. The Winterbournes car is far faster, so the three of them drove you to the medical center together», Hanna went on.

I imagined Josh at the mercy of his emotions, locked in the cockpit of an unfamiliar car, with a Thirsty driving while his best friend had fainted out of the blue.

Poor Josh, it will take him a week to recover.

«Dear Christ, what a mess! What did he want from Ginger at the Moonlight?»

What had prompted him, again, to show himself in public?

Why did he do this?

«Who knows? But I have to admit, Reb, that guy looks awesome.»

I burst out laughing heartily.

«It is difficult not to get lost in his inscrutable eyes.»

She nodded and I stopped reflecting while we were reaching our house's street.

A thousand queries crowded my mind. There was only one person able to give the right answers to my questions: Sebastian.

I wanted to see him again.

It was a burning desire that clouded everything else, burned my chest and teased my heart.

I was going to the Black Raven Hill as soon as possible, just a little time, enough to take a shower and find a way out without attracting attention. My car was parked in front of the house door, my friends had even bothered to bring it back from the Moonlight.

I was lucky.

I waited until Hanna went out shopping and, right behind her, I took my car and headed down the road to the Winterbournes' mansion.

I was driving slowly and carefully, the sun was setting and tinged the sky with purple and red, the trees were starting to get thicker and thicker, the wind whistled and made their foliage screech.

The silence was painful to my eardrums, it made me think.

Maybe it would have been better to wait until I had completely recovered and analyze the situation thoroughly before acting on impulse as I had done instead.

I had the feeling that something was going wrong, that something would have caught me off guard.

I was afraid of discovering things I had never wanted, but the doubt was even more suffocating.

I wanted, more than anything else, to put a stop to that story. I demanded the truth, whatever it was.

I was almost at my destination when, suddenly, a dark figure appeared before me.

I instinctively steered, but lost control of the car. I couldn't correct the maneuver in time and ended up against a tree.

The crash will remain indelible in my memories.

The windshield shattered and I felt myself sucked forward. The air bag had protected me, I had bounced on it returning to a sitting position.

My head was spinning, every part of my body was hurting and I couldn't think.

I was scared to death.

I moved slowly and judiciously unfastened the belt that had done its job admirably.

A thud on the roof distracted me, it was a rumble, as if something had landed on it.

Creaking and footsteps.

My heart was bursting in my chest, I couldn't see anything and I was getting sick.

Someone jumped out, I could see the outlines of two slender legs and a pair of boots on what was left of the hood.

The mysterious figure moved fleetingly and imperceptibly, in a moment a hand grabbed me by the neck, pulled me out of the car and threw me across the road where I landed on the damp ground covered with rotten leaves.

I slammed my pelvis to the ground, my back and finally my head.

That was the coup de grace, I screamed in pain as I turned to the side, a keck made my stomach burn and made me throw up.

I had to calm myself and regain consciousness.

I needed to think quickly and as rationally as possible.

Someone grabbed me by the feet and dragged me away, I tried to see who my attacker was but my vision was blurry and the darkness didn't help.

I only realized there were two of them.

I was stuck, with my face on the ground. They folded my arms on my back, tying my wrists with a rope, then proceeding also with the ankles.

I tried to prevent the practice, but an elbow struck me in the back of my shoulders, causing me excruciating pain and, before I could react, my eyes were covered with a rough and a too tight bandage.

«Let me go!» I tried to scream, but I couldn't, I was out of strength.

I tried to fidget, but I was lifted off the ground and carried on someone's shoulder.

Who the hell were those two people?

I was terrified and angry at the same time.

I was upside down; I felt my temples throbbing and weakness was slowly enveloping me.

«Leave me ...» I moaned again.

«Shut up!»

A tense female voice broke the silence.

«Who are you?»

«You speak too much. Silence!».

A second voice, similar to the first, but darker and more shadowy.

It was a woman supporting me, she managed to keep me still with an unnatural ease despite my slender build.

What was happening?

I heard the creaking of a gate, the sound reached me from the distance, muffled. The breeze was caressing my skin, but not for much longer.

We walked through a door, heavy with the noise it made while closing. A scent of sandalwood incense reached my nostrils as my two kidnappers resumed their march.

Their footsteps echoed between the walls of that place. I hoped we arrived at our destination soon, I couldn't stand the pain in my head anymore. They climbed a ladder, a few more strides, and stopped.

«Brother!» called the one who was carrying me.

They untied my ankles, dropping me to the ground, where I found myself kneeling on a carpet or rug.

«What do you want?»

That voice made me hold my breath, I knew it, I couldn't forget it.

«Your sisters have brought you a birthday present.»

They untied the bandage that covered most of my face and removed it.

«Rebecca?»

I opened my eyes shyly, there was not much light in that room and when I focused on the image in front of me, I shook.

I wasn't wrong. Sebastian was there in front, scrutinizing me with an expression of fury mixed with concern.

Panic hit me, he was handsome, he was wearing a black satin robe and a pair of comfortable pants of the same color.

I was breathing heavily, nothing I was experiencing made any sense.

«What the hell is happening? You made me crush with the car!»

I whimpered in shock but was completely ignored by everyone present.

«I have already told you how much I hate your presents. I don't want them», Sebastian roared at his sisters.

I didn't know, I did not know anything about him or his family, not even how many members it was formed of, I had never cared.

I listened without moving a muscle, my bones were sore as well as my head. What I was hearing had no rational explanation, I didn't understand what they were talking about.

«Then we'll take your dinner.»

A breath behind my back and with a yank a sister pulled me up from the ground, squeezing me around my hips.

«Put her down, Victoria», Sebastian ordered coldly.

His face was a mask of nerves, a sculpted face, but reflecting a sacrilegious, wrong and evil light.

I was afraid of him: was this his hidden side?

«You always treat us badly. You never pay attention to us, instead you should show us respect», the other said, standing next to her partner.

«Shut your mouth, Virginia, and let Rebecca go. You have no idea what you just did.»

Sebastian's heterochromatic eyes became pitch black, two deep wells, shrouded in darkness. He wrinkled his nose and blew his teeth out. A guttural sound came out from his throat as his canines reached out sharp and threatening.

He was a monster, his beautiful face had changed and now I only saw those white, shiny fangs.

With a lightning movement he reached Victoria, who was still holding me. He took her arm, that was keeping me, and bent it backwards. He broke her a bone, she screamed echoing in the surrounding stillness.

«But what is wrong with you?»

Virginia was indignant as she helped her sister.

Sebastian had grabbed me by the waist and now he was holding me tight. My back clung to his chest and his bicep protected me from two identical creatures, but incredibly similar to Sebastian too.

Tall, thin and with long, tapered legs. They wore an all-black suit and had wavered, neat, raven-black hair.

Victoria wore them gathered in a ponytail while Virginia kept them loose, reaching up to her hips. Their eyes were the same shade of purple as their brother's left iris and I saw them changing in turn.

«Go away from here!» Sebastian thundered in a distorted, unhuman voice.

Virginia took her sister by the shoulder and led her to the door.

«The ancients won't appreciate what you've done to me», Victoria grumbled, clutching her broken arm.

The two left the room and I was left alone with Sebastian.

I couldn't believe what had just happened.

The Thirsty.

Did supernatural beings exist for real?

And did those old legends they passed down in Hazycreek have a grain of truth?

Maybe I had dreamed of everything, none of this was possible.

Were the Winterbournes really monsters?

I must have had hallucinations, I was dizzy, stressed and under the influence of drugs. But I was pretty sure of what I had seen.

Victoria and Virginia caused the accident for kidnapping me and taking me to Sebastian.

Why on earth would they have done that?

I had witnessed the transformation of their faces: black onyx for eyes and razor-sharp teeth.

Vampires. Thirsty. Devil worshipers. Certainly, a distorted view produced by the shock I had suffered.

I was terrified, completely shattered.

Either I was going crazy, or something had really happened.

Sebastian was still holding me in his arms. That contact agitated and embarrassed me. I felt like I had a whirlwind in my head, I could not focus my sight and felt weak.

«I feel sick...» I mumbled as my legs went limp.

Sebastian picked me up and took me in his arms, said nothing and started walking.

I closed my eyes and hugged his chest, I was traumatized. I didn't believe in anything supernatural; it was inconceivable. Precisely for this I was afraid.

How could I defend myself from something I didn't know was existing?

However, as the world swirled in my head, there, in Sebastian's arms, I felt safe and stopped thinking.

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