Ever After

Chapter 9



Transition and Revelations



The next week was long and very pain full for me, as I expected it to be. Pratt began the treatments, and the serum as he expected conflicted with my body’s system. I had more intense pains and the pain medications barley even took the edge off. William was at my side every step of the way, through it all.

He mopped my brow when I ran insanely high fevers and fed me ice chips. He held me close and wrapped me up like a burrito when the fevers broke and my body temperature nosedived into un human lows and I was freezing. I was a giant mess and he never once complained as he helped me hang on, he brushed my hair and read to me every day to make things easier for me.

Lydia told me in confidence one afternoon, that she had hoped for decades that William would find his match, his one, and only soul mate. She told me how happy she was that we were together, she had worried he would be alone his entire vampire life. Lydia and I spent many hours together, when she could coax Will out of the room only by promising to not leave me alone under any circumstances. I learned much about her life and the coven’s very long history, not to mention a little about Will’s own human past.

I was to return home to Cambridge to spend Thanksgiving with my family in one week. I had been in Maine at the “treatment center” since October 31’st and it was now mid November. Doc had been in constant contact with dad and arranged for me to return home on his private jet. Doc and Libby my “nurse” would be coming with me.

I was a bit homesick, but as long as Will was with me, anywhere could feel like home. I missed Gran very much too, despite our long phone conversations and letters. I wanted to feel her warm hug’s and smell her lavender perfume. It reminded me of when I was little every time I got a whiff of it. I was thinking a lot about memories lately, and a lot about Will’s past too.

Lydia would not tell me the entire story about how Will came to be a vampire, she said it was his story and he would be the one to share it with me. I knew the circumstances of how he was changed, and that it was devastating to her so I didn’t push the topic. She respected Will’s privacy and feelings when it came to that touchy subject.

I had been reading when Will came in my room, it was two day’s now before we were to head back to Massachusetts. I was amazed as he carried a bouquet of brilliant red roses. I was speechless as he pulled one rose out and handed it to me, and placed the others in a vase next to my bed.

“Not one in these is more beautiful than you my sweet.” He smiled, giving me a wink as he leaned over and kissed my cheek softly.

“You spoil me Will, you do realize that don’t you?”

“Yes, that’s my job is it not?” He gave me an adorable grin, his deep blue eyes sparkling. He rendered me speechless as I stared in to them.

“Sounds good to me,” I smirked and smelled the gentle aroma of the single rose he had handed me.

I watched him adjust the flowers. I had wanted to ask him something since the day at the sledding hill, when he told me he was a vampire. I wanted to know what had happened exactly, the day he was turned into a vampire. I just never found the right time to ask. I did know of course Vincent was the vamp who turned him, how could I forget that.

Today seemed like the perfect day, it was a quiet Sunday. Doc and Pratt were busy preparing to return to Cambridge. Lydia and Emma (who I had not met yet) were out shopping. I decided that since we had some time alone, I would see if he felt like telling me about it.

“William,” I said softly. He looked up at me as he put down a magazine he’d been about to open

“Yes, love?” He gave me a warm smile.

“We know a lot about each other right?” I was starting to re think this. I didn’t want to upset him; he seemed to be in such a good mood today.

“Uh… yeah, I believe so.” He gave me a puzzled look.

“Well, I was sort of wondering here lately about, well…” I felt weird asking now but decided to just put it out there, if he didn’t want to talk about it that was ok. “Uh how you came to be a vampire, the whole story.” He looked a bit out of sorts, obviously caught off guard by my question. He focused on one of the roses and ran his finger across the blood red petal.

“Doc didn’t tell you?” He did not make eye contact as he spoke, I was afraid I had ticked him off now.

“No, he and your mom both said it was your story, and you should be the one to tell me about it.” I bit my lower lip waiting for him to tell me not to ask or to go away or something.

“Oh.” He walked over to the big bay window, his back facing me as he stared outside, he crossed his arms. I waited for a few minutes as he was thinking. I didn’t say a word.

“It’s not much of a story really.”

“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have asked, you don’t have to tell me anything, just forget I brought it up.” I looked down feeling like crap for making him think about that painful part of his past. It wasn’t like enough bad stuff was already going on, with me being sick.

“No…no it’s ok really. I was just thinking about it there for a minute, you should know. You shared all the painful parts of your past with me. I want you to know everything about me too.” He turned slowly and walked over to me he gently ran his finger down my cheek, and smiled lovingly at me. “I always want to share everything with you Corrine, forever I love you never be afraid to ask me anything ok?”

“Ok,” I blushed a bit. I don’t know why I thought he might get mad at me for asking, this was my William I was talking about, not a regular guy. I figured it was a flash back to my totally dysfunctional relationship that I had with psychopath Todd that made me think it was wrong to ask.

To this very day, Will had never gotten mad at me or even short tempered. He did with others once in awhile, but even when I was grumpy, he was loving and kind to me. He sat next to me on the edge of the bed and began to tell me his story. He seemed tense, so I knew the circumstances and details about his change to a vampire had to be hard for him to talk about.

“It happened when I had just turned nineteen, and I was going to start college that fall. I had been preparing to start my studies in medicine to become a doctor. I had just turned nineteen one month before I first met Vincent. I had seen him before in town he seemed to be a normal guy. I never heard anything strange about him or anything, he just seemed pretty pale, but that really wasn’t too odd to me.

I was going to a small college, just outside New Orleans, back in those day’s there was not so many to choose from, as it is now. Vincent worked at the College, or he made it appear like that to me. I went with my father for enrollment, and he was there. He even introduced himself to my father on the campus tour. I should have got suspicious when he didn’t talk to any of the other parents, just my dad and me.

I was young and way too trusting back then to have realized I was in danger. Vincent was kind to me, but also seemed very interested in my family’s history. I had to tell him who my birth mother was, he swore we had family in common, and that’s how he got me to tell him all the details. I know of course he was making sure I was in fact Lydia Darcy’s biological son, the one he was looking for.”

Will seemed tired suddenly, that worried me, but I figured he was just upset recalling all this and so on. I could see the hurt in his eyes.

“We became good friends in the next few months; he made himself fit in even with my friends. It was not unusual for him to play basketball with us, or shoot pool Saturday nights at the local dance hall. He didn’t look much older than all of us really, so it never looked odd. The only odd things I had heard rumors about at that time actually, were about Doc.” He laughed softly.

“Doc? You have to be kidding me!” I was shocked, as Doc seemed to be a master at disguise from all humans.

“No really, because of his perfect skills as a doctor and surgeon, people back then speculated he had magical powers, or he was super human. In those times people were really suspicious of others who were gifted or extremely intelligent, they cried black magic or witchcraft most often. I had met Doc at a very young age. He was one of my father’s friends, as my dad was a doctor as well, but just a family doctor not a surgeon like Doc.

Doc always talked to me, and when I needed advice about life or my future he always lent me his ear. My dad was pretty short tempered, and critical of my thoughts and opinions so having Doc around was a lot of help for me. I had heard the stories about Doc’s old white plantation house in the back bayou’s and how kids dared each other to sneak back there.”

“What did people think was going on there?” I scooted back under my covers, as the wind outside howled, blowing the snow around in swirls.

“I don’t know for sure what they thought, just that it was odd he lived so far out, and he had a lot of extended family living with him. Those were coven members of course, but they posed as family much like we still do today. I think more of them lived there though back then. It’s funny really because despite the rumors of what Doc “was” or might be, and so on, when people got sick, they called for Doc every time.

Many people refused to be treated by any other Doctors and would only see Doc when ill.” Will took a deep breath before he continued, he squeezed my hand gently and stared lovingly into my eyes, being sure not to stare to long though, or he would put me in a trance as all vamps could do.

“I remember the night it happened like it was only yesterday. Vincent had asked me to come help him move one weekend, it was late winter like it is right now. It was not too cold being in New Orleans, but we did get freakish ice storms once in awhile. One hit earlier that week, so it was still a bit cold and slick.

Vincent said he had some furniture in storage in an old warehouse, in the industrial side of town. I again thought nothing of it, people used a lot of the old abandon warehouses for storage, and they were rented out all the time, by the shipyards. The ware houses were next to the river and in pre civil war day’s the cotton taken from the plantations in the area was shipped out down there.

It was a bad area then, lots of crime not a really good place to hang out, so I was not familiar with the place at all. It was very dark and desolate. I remember feeling strange being there, must have been my inner sense trying to warn me I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders and shakes his head. I patted his arm.

“You couldn’t have known Will.” I said reassuringly.

“No, I never could have imagined what kind of monster he was, not in a million years! He was on time that night, and showed me the building we would be going into, it was about a seven story’s a really dark place. I just wanted to move whatever he wanted and get out of there, and fast. I got more uncomfortable when he showed up alone.

If we were moving furniture, we would need more than the two of us. I kept thinking to myself the whole time. He led me upstairs, it must have been like a thousand steps to the top floor, and he seemed to glide up them all with no effort. I do remember thinking that was really odd.

Vincent opened the door, and it was very dark, only lit by candles. Back then, electricity was not in those buildings. They were so old and un used it was a waste to power them, that is what he told me. I was shocked once my eyes adjusted though; the whole entire first floor was an apartment. It wasn’t a shack either; it was as we say today tricked out.” Will smiled at me. I could tell was trying to be funny and make me believe this story didn’t bother him.

“Nice was it?” I smiled back at him.

“Crazy nice, he had couches art work and chandeliers. I was not expecting that at all. Before I could ask him about the place, he was at my side. The grip he had on my arm was enough to drop me to my knees. I begged him to stop and let go of me, and I asked him what he wanted from me.

I could tell he was enjoying the pain he was putting me in. I could see it in his eyes. He told me what he was about to do to me was nothing personal between us; it was who I was related to that brought this on. He said killing me was payback for Doc Parker and my birth mother Lydia. I couldn’t figure out why he hated Doc, or why he mentioned my mother who had died at my birth so long ago.

It was all like a nightmare, none of it made sense; Doc was only a family friend. I had no idea why killing me would bother him anyway. He tied me to a chair, picked up my arm and broke it, like it was a twig. He kept a dead on stare directly into my eyes has he did it. I tried not to cry out in pain. I looked down when he stared at me, it felt wrong, as if he was trying to hypnotize me or something.

I remember him saying I looked like her, and that she was finally going to get what she deserved for refusing him. I asked him what he was talking about. He told me my mother caused this to happen to me. I argued with him, reminding him, she had been dead a good nineteen years now, and that he was crazy.

I was about to get the shock of my life, when he knelt down in my face and told me he was a vampire, just then some of his coven arrived at the apartment. I was promptly hit in the head, before they began to speak to him.” He looked down sadly.

“Were you scared, when he said that, or did you think he was nuts?” I squeezed his hand.

“Nut’s, I mean really did. I had never thought vampires existed, only in books and old wives tales and stuff. I wasn’t out long. I awoke to a voices yelling. He and his guests were in an intense argument in the next room. The walls being so old were paper thin, so I could hear everything they said.

A woman was telling him he was risking their safety by kidnapping me. They seemed to be angry with him, for being careless and stealing me away just to get revenge on my mother and Doc. I listened closely, I gathered from what they said that Doc Parker was a vampire as well, which was news to me of course.

I learned my mother, as you already know, was one as well and she was still technically alive and living in New Orleans. I didn’t know then the details of how she came to be a vampire yet. I was in total shock to hear that she was still alive, or whatever you consider a vampire. I had no idea at that time.

I understood Doc was apparently the leader of the rival coven of vampires, known as the Followers, and Vincent was once a member. They did not say then what happened to make him get banished from the coven. I could put two and two together though. Vincent was evil, and the Followers were apparently not. I could see Doc sending him away. Doc was kind and I couldn’t see him being evil, even if he really was a vampire.

They all came back in my room, so I pretended to be still knocked out. They seemed to be trying to figure out what to do with me now. I felt one of the female vamp’s put her finger under my chin, and tilt my head up where she could see my face. I can still feel her cold fingers on me; it was not like a human touch.

“We should keep him, he’s very adorable.” She said. I pretended to be just waking up from the hard hit that Vincent had given me. He did not acknowledge my conciseness as he spoke to the others in the room. It seemed they had decided not to kill me after all. They wanted to groom me to be one of them; they referred to themselves as the Dark coven.

Vincent apparently was one of the elders or some kind of leader vampire as the others treated him as an authority figure. They spoke of one vampire frequently. I could hear the fear in their voices when they did. He apparently was the actual head elder, he was called Leo.

It seemed to me Leo called the shot’s for the Dark Coven, and Vincent was his right hand. He spoke of going to Europe for a few years to organize a Dark coven there. He wanted someone to take his place here that was new and would do exactly as he ordered. Unfortunately, that “someone” was me. My head was killing me, and I drifted off to sleep, hoping this was all a really bad night mare.”

Will’s face grew tense now. I could see it as he ran a hand through his thick black hair. The next part of the story had to be the one hardest to speak about. I couldn’t imagine how scared he had to have been. The Dark Coven was ruthless and evil, and he was in the middle of it.

Will looked at me and smiled, I knew he was not really, wanting to go on as he turned away and watched the snow falling. I knew from Lydia, that he tried hard to forget all of this. Doc said the same thing; he told me it would haunt William forever. He said the pain Will went through, was un forgettable.

“You don’t have to go on. I can see it’s too much Will.” I kissed his cheek and laid my head against his shoulder.

“No, you should know I was just thinking of exactly how it all happened. I haven’t thought about in a very long time. “Vincent woke me later; I couldn’t tell you how long I was there. It seemed like days, but really, it was probably just hours. He got in my face and told me he was going to change me and I would belong to him and the Dark coven forever. I would live as they did and keep the secret of their identity, never would I be allowed to leave. He would guide me into being one of them, a vampire of the Dark coven.

The bite was excruciatingly painful; it instantly sent a searing pain into my neck.” I could see him rub his neck as a reflex action, he wasn’t even aware he was doing it. “The pain was horrific. I suffered in agony for around two weeks or so. I was sure I was dying.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Well I guess I was really, but I had no idea what was happening to me then, Vincent wouldn’t tell me anything at all.

I remember the Dark coven members that were their when Vincent kidnapped me. They returned and told him I was a failed change. I was in fact dying, and he should just drain my body and leave me for dead somewhere. They all agreed the transformation was bad and my death was merely hours away. Vincent seemed disturbed by their words.

They were wrong though. I slowly woke up and the pain lessened. Somehow, I survived the transformation process. I learned later, that I was not a full-blooded vampire, but a half blood. Vincent was quick to make me promise never to tell anyone I did not change completely.

He told me for some reason my body rejected the venom. The truth really was that his venom was weak and that caused my half blood status. This was a critical fact that he had to hide from his coven, or they would banish him. He would be removed from power if he was considered weak in any way shape or form by the other coven members.”

“Did the others, sense you were a half blood?” I asked in a soft voice.

“Some speculated the elders of his coven mostly. They had all been around long enough to have seen most things. I think they just chose to over look me, because Vincent was unpredictable and dangerous. They let him have his pet, “me” and ignored doing anything about it. I know he could be very volatile so I think they wanted to avoid setting him off.” He sighed.

“Oh I haven’t forgotten that!” I groaned as I snuggled up closer to Will. “How long did you stay with Vincent and the Dark coven?”

“Less than a year, the brutality and sense less talking of human lives made my sick, it was just too much for me. He and all the coven tortured their victims, when they could have just taken enough blood from them to survive and let them live. It was and still is possible, as you know for a human to survive a vampire attack. That is if the bite is not deep, the venom will not go into the humans system, but provide the vamp with the needed blood to survive. The Dark coven made the taking of blood a sport and the taking of human lives the big reward.”

He looked down at his hands sadly. I got a cold chill, just thinking how evil that coven was. “I was expected to do the same, and since Vincent was considered my “father” or mentor vampire. I had no choice. I don’t want to go into detail’s Corrine, but he made me kill and he watched as I did it.” He took a staggered breath clearly upset now.

“But why did he watch you?” I gasped in shock.

“He found out from his little spy’s that I was not killing my victims, not long after he changed me. I was letting them live, and Vincent was in a rage over it. He told me I was a disgrace to the Dark coven, and I would behave as the others or he would kill me with his own hands. I would not disgrace him. He denounced the Follower coven, and he told me of his time with them. I could tell he had only hate for them all, and thought them weak for not killing humans.”

“Was he angry when you left?” I knew it was a stupid question as soon as I said it. I already knew the answer.

“Yes, to say the least. He cooled off later and told me he would allow me time to find myself and meet my mother. He said after that I must return to the dark coven, or he would destroy me and all who were important to me.

“That’s why Doc sent you and your mom away a lot?”

“Yes.” He frowned. “When Vincent got to curious or threatened to come and take me back to the Dark coven, Doc sent us to Europe or Asia so we could not be located. We would stay away until he cooled off and got preoccupied with something else. My mother and I had been gone nearly seven years this last time, we had only been in Cambridge a month before you, and I met.”

I understood it all now, recalling Beth and Kara gushing about the new guy in town, begging me to go over and meet my new neighbor. Will and his mom could never have real peace with Vincent looming around.

“Did you like Europe very much?”

“It’s ok. I picked up this accent, from living there on and off for so long.” He grinned. “I missed the states though and Doc and the entire coven, we are a family it’s hard to be away. I was ready to come home this time, we were away so long. I’m so glad we got back when we did, or I wouldn’t have met you.” He winked playfully at me, his blue eyes sparkling.

“I’m glad too!” He leaned in and kissed me softly, he always made my mind go blank when his soft lips touched mine. I was Glad Will felt secure enough to tell me his very dramatic and painful story. We both drifted off to sleep, in the morning we would leave for Cambridge.