Was all this Dorian’sand Alexis’ belongings?
This had been theirhouse. Had they never gotten round to unpacking, or had Sofiapacked all their belongings up once Dorian had died? Maybe onceAlexis had?
I could only recallthe odd occasion that Sofia and Alexis had travelled, leaving babyHeather in my parents’ care. The first time had been shortly aftertheir arrival for what I could only presume had been Dorian’sfuneral. I learnt later on that it had been a straightforward messto sort as his close family had been slaughtered by Infecteds whenhe was just a child. His father’s sister had never wanted custody,so he had bounced around in the system until he was eighteen. Sofiaand Alexis had been the only ones at his funeral.
The other time hadbeen once Alexis had passed. Sofia had taken her ashes to whereDorian had been scattered and had stayed away for a short while.Perhaps she had come here? Perhaps she had packed up her daughterand son-in-law and locked them away in this room.
I already knew thatthe basement in this house would replicate the one at my own house.A glance at the hallway ceiling, and I could see a hatch. Did theattic have more stuff up there? Maybe my Uncle Jean’s stuff was upthere and there was no more space? An empty room was easy to keepstuff in, I supposed—easier to access, although by the slight warpin the door and how stale the air smelled in here, I would betmoney no one had been in here for a long time.
As I looked further, Icould make out the odd word here and there. With every scribble Ifound, the realization that Alexis’ and Dorian’s entire life was inthese boxes burrowed further in my heart. Although they had beentogether for two years before marriage and just over a year ashusband and wife before Dorian was murdered … This is how it hadended for them. Their personal belongings packed up and hiddenbehind a closed door.
This entire house feltlike a mausoleum.
My arm fell like adeadweight to my side. Was this what waited for me? Was this how itwould be when my mother and father eventually passed? Would I packthem away and lock up certain rooms in their house? Willing to letthem go and yet morbidly trying to hold on to them?
It was almost as ifDorian and Alexis weren’t allowed to rest properly if this sadreminder of tragedy had to be always present.
A warning.
“Hey, what have youfound?”
I jumped. My phoneslipped from my hand and hit the patch of carpet below.
“Shit. You scared me.”My heart felt like it was about to burst through my ribcage. “Don’tsneak up on me like that.”
“Sorry.” He peeredaround the door. “What’s all this?”
“Just stuff.” Ireached down and felt about for my phone, taking hold as my fingersskimmed the cool plastic. “It’s not important anymore.”
I lifted the light tofind him looking at me suspiciously. “If you say so?”
“I do.”
“Right, well, I’mgoing t’head to the shower so, you know, resist the urge topeek.”
I rolled my eyes athim. “I’m sure I will be able t’contain myself.”
“Any luck with thetrainers? This guy’s got pretty big feet.”
“There’s a pair on thechair in Heather’s room.” I pointed to the open door at theopposite end of the hall.
“Maybe go catch somesleep. You look about ready to drop.”
I switched the torchoff on my phone. “If I lie down, I might not get back upagain.”
“Couple of hours willdo you no harm.”
Did I trust going tosleep while there was a Vampire in the house? It was Nathan, afterall, and he hadn’t tried anything funny yet, but still …
“I will wake you up ifyou do.” He shrugged, before disappearing back into the hall.
I was tired, and themore I analysed this house, this so-called family home … I knew ourlives had been sheltered. So very far from what other young womenknew to be as normal. What made it worse was I knew that Heather’slife was far worse, if you could call it a life at all. It’s as ifshe was this hollow creature living with the memories ofghosts.
I heard a door click,and a second later, the sound of running water met my ears.
Shimmying back throughthe gap between the door and frame, I took one more glance at thetower of boxes, my gaze lifting and stopping on the lampshadesituated just above where I had been standing. Flicking the torchback on, I angled it, and my heart clenched. Though covered in athick, dark layer of dust, I could just make out the adorable farmanimals lining the bottom of the old plastic shade.
This was meant to beHeather’s nursery.
Realizing this, seeingin the flesh what my cousins had truly lost, it was too much.
We had been repeatedlytold during our training that we could die. We had been told thestory that had been the start of this stupid legacy. We had beentold every gruesome detail of our ancestors’ deaths in fulfillingthis noble vow. Heather had been told all the details of herparents and how, as a hunter in this family with the VampyriccVirus, it would be a lot harder for her … we knew all of it. Andyet, the stories and warnings weren’t as bad as seeing this. Evenbeing covered in Vampires’ blood, receiving injuries, fighting forsurvival … It didn’t compare to seeing how a person’s life wasreduced to being shoved into boxes and into storage.
I backed out of theroom and pulled the door forcefully to make sure it shut, glancedat my mobile through blurred eyes. Knocking the torch off, I mademy way into Heather’s bedroom. Closing the door to block outNathan’s terrible singing, I sat on the edge of her bed and dialledmy parents’ number.
ChapterSix
~ Nathan ~
“You do know thatthis is creepy, right?”
My gaze momentarilyslipped to Teen Elle who lay at the end of the bed, her head andshoulders hanging over the edge, the tips of her pigtails brushingthe beige carpet below.
“Like, reallycreepy. You’re standing over a sleeping woman, watching her. It’sworrying behaviour.”
“I had Vampireswatching me do everything for the last six weeks. How is this anydifferent?”
“Erm, well, youwere an experiment that they were monitoring. Whereas she’s
