Arabesque Ending Chronicles IV ~ Vampires/Werewolves: Murder or Love?

Everything was black. But I could hear things so clearly it was scary. There were a few moments of crisp sight every day, but other than that I saw nothing and felt nothing. There was a vacuum of nothing except sometimes I heard conversations, enough to understand where I was and what was happening to me. I was totally numb, so the pain didn’t hurt that much. Not like it used to for us.  There was also no heat whatsoever. I didn’t even generate body heat anymore; the only thing keeping me alive was the small amounts of ambrosia they gave us each day.

                I guess I should probably explain you might be a bit confused. I was born as cattle on one of Jupiter’s moons. It’s called Ganymede. It’s very cold which works for the Bèt Nan Bwa Baton. Which is the crossbreed race made from Werewolves and Vampires; they colonized on one of Jupiter’s moons before I was born. They bred my father a werewolf and my mother who was human to make me. They haven’t come up with a name for me yet though. Anyway, years ago the Bèt Nan Bwa Baton, smarter than the last generation obviously started creating human farms and they bled us to the brink of death every day, before giving us ambrosia, a drink that healed the gods. 

                I was a failed experiment, so I am treated less humanely than most others, all except the resisters. I am left outside immobilized in the freezing weather, and they have sealed me in my cave. Sometimes they take me out of my tomb, just to tease me though. And I am tortured by the cruelty of them. I tell myself each time they do this that they will pay, and though I know they won’t, I keep doing it. Normally people would just give up and stop taking the food that they give us scarce amounts of, but I don’t have that choice, since I am something not human, they pump nutrients into my body, I can’t really stop this process. And since there is only a couple people they experiment on we are known as a delicacy. They take more blood from us than they do from ordinary humans, also my blood type is extremely rare, and the count of people with blood type CO₂ is in the single digits. I actually don’t know all this; I only remember hearing voices discussing things such as these. I also know that Jerry’s kreye patenarya san is committing adultery on him. How do they still care about things like adultery, and here they are pumping blood out of our bodies and  letting us die a little bit inside every day?

                I wonder how the hybrids live with themselves. Do they not feel remorse for nearly wiping out the entire human race? I hope they do, I hope it haunts them in their dreams. But not all Hybrids are cruel and cold on the inside some of them breathe and they have emotions and feelings and they still have human genes in them from their transformations. I found all this out one day. When Sovè came into my life, I was lying there in pure darkness contemplating how exactly to keep them from drinking my blood when my tomb was suddenly opened and a gale of wind swept over me.

                I shivered but it wasn’t because of the cold, I was accustomed to that by now, it was because I knew what came next. Assault physical, sexual, and verbal, my life was about to be made into a living hell for about ten minutes once again and I was scared. More than usual, I could feel my strength, it was less than it had been lately, they must have dropped my ambrosia supplements again. They do this a lot to worsen your morale. It works more than they think it does, most subjects become dependent on it, and they would give up their air supply for a day if their ambrosia was raised.

                Then a figure looked down at me and I realized I hadn’t seen this one before. He was different. He didn’t wear a uniform as the guards that messed with me did. He wore a leather jacket and a green grey t-shirt. He smiled at me and pushed back his blond hair. He called to someone over his shoulder something that was inaudible and unintelligible. I strained my finely attuned ears to hear but couldn’t. Then suddenly I was covered in spotlights and the man was down in my tomb holding me in his arms, I saw his face clearly now and he smiled at me. My bare body was freezing now; we were flying through the air on some kind of cord, being raised into the air. 

                I was cuddled up to the burly man now, his long blond hair was falling on my shoulders and it tickled slightly, I could still barely feel it. There was no way I would be able to walk, my bone marrow and blood have been harvested, if anything the most I could do was sleep, but I hadn’t done that my entire life. Not slept, I’d been passed out but never asleep willingly. So if he set me down, my tibias would snap in half, my bleeding would be slight and I’m pretty sure they would never be able to be mended.

                I couldn’t even hold on to this man without his help. We were back on the ground now and in a gruff voice he told a short girl “This one’s special, I think they’ve been experimenting on her.” The girl nodded and held out her arms to take me. Now I could feel the girl’s body heat. The man must not have been human because he had none. The woman took me into a dark room inside a big industrial looking building; possibly it used to be a hospital. I’d been in those when they decided that I was special.

                When the woman endeavored to give me a shot I attempted a futile struggle “its’ okay dear, no one is going to hurt you now.” She reassured me. I calmed down a bit but still winced when the needle penetrated the nerves that had been frozen for my entire life. Then I could feel again, not enough to do anything about it, I was still too weak to even move. I shut my now wide open eyelids and passed into obscurity of perdition even worse than the one I had anticipated when my tomb door was hastily slid open.

                When I woke there were no lights in my room, but a faint sunlight which I would not have noticed had there not been a man being framed by it, standing two feet away. I gasped then realized I had just made a noise I hadn’t been able to make in at least 14 years. My eyes widened and I shut them, the man had turned quickly in my direction. He turned away and I opened them again, but then he turned back to me and I knew he had caught me awake. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He said in a thick Scottish accent. I attempted to reply with a bratty retort, but my voice was cut off by strangeness. I hadn’t been able to even use my voice box my entire life, or not anything I remembered.

                He quickly flicked a blond strand of hair out of his face and looked pitifully down upon me. This man wasn’t human, what was he? A human right’s activist possibly, the men I had heard liked to compare how many they killed in a week. The man walked slowly over and kissed me on the forehead. I made an effort to raise an eyebrow at him. He laughed at this wiping a tear away and walked out of the room. The sunlight passed and I felt a strange sense of comfort as I was blanketed by cold. I stayed awake and thought about what had just occurred, and by the time I decided I would ignore it, the woman who had given me a shot came in and turned on a lamp. She had caramel coloured skin and long dark hair, she had green eyes which were very beautiful, but I thought nothing of this when I saw her, the only thing I could do was stiffen and hope she didn’t give me another shot. She saw this small movement and smiled at me.

                “I’m not going to hurt you.” She said

                “That is what everyone tells me but I don’t believe you.” I answered through blue lips.  The woman stopped whatever she was doing and came over and sat on my bed. I could barely move I was still near immobile, but I managed to squirm away a bit.

                “I know what you’ve been through. Well, actually I don’t . . . I was a human and alive when this all happened. You were born into it, judging by your face you’re only about thirteen. And you were born into an experimental cause. And I am sorry, I’m so so sorry. . . But no one can prevent you from becoming a werewolf.” I squinted at her and said.

                “Sixteen,” but I didn’t blame her. Ambrosia works sort of like the fountain of youth. And werewolves stop aging when they hit puberty. So, in a human’s mind I would look thirteen, but other werewolves could tell how old I was just by glancing into my eyes. “So what is this, have they finally outlawed experimenting or something?” The girl sighed.

                “If only, no we are a group that consists of humans, vampires, werewolves, and hybrids, we are against the human’s being farmed for their blood and bone marrow, they guy who saved you, Sovè, is one of the most extreme of us, he’s a werewolf, like you.” That was her one mistake.

                “No! I will never be like him! I am a human being!” I said jerking wildly, I had weak motor controls and couldn’t do less than thrash mindlessly around.  The girl put her arms lightly on my shoulders until I calmed down and corrected me.

                “No, there is a difference between human and humane. Not all humans are humane and not all humane beings are human.” I pondered this while I was fed food and swallowed a treasure trove of pills, when I asked what they were the girl, Aquamarine, I found out her name was, answered in quick succession “Ambrosia, protein, strength, normal eating habits, bone marrow regrowth, and alcohol (to help you sleep). And half a gallon of water three times a day to rehydrate you.” I shrugged and fell asleep. When I woke up, I once again found the man in my room and this time he was asleep in the chair in the corner. I fell and he woke up, hastening over to me. I could still barely feel anything and I tripped over a torn up tile in the floor. Aquamarine rushed into help me, but I couldn’t feel the pain, apparently my ankle bone had been fractured. Sovè stayed in the back of the room observing, but when Aquamarine left after giving me an even bigger amount of pills than before, he stayed in his chair looking out the window. 

                “Do you know who I am?” He asked me. I simply shook my head and he got the message. Nodding he got up and came over to kneel at my bedside. He asked “What about your name, do you know that?” I once again shook my head and he sighed sadly. He was going to have to spell it out for me in two sentences. Whispering intimately in my ear, “Your name is Rori McCullen. And I’m Angus McCullen. I’m your father.” He pulled away to see a shocked and confused expression. Seeing that I had no idea how to respond to this he left the room to give me time to think about this.

                “Rori McCullen. . . ” I said to myself. It had to be true, why would he lie about it? I had never actually seen myself in a mirror; I could look exactly like a female version of him, only smaller. I turned my head slightly to see white blonde hair lying on the pillow beside me. I needed to find a mirror. It was almost imperative. But I couldn’t move, almost as if she had heard my thoughts Aquamarine walked in and started toward my pills. “Aqua . . . could you do something for me, can you bring me a mirror? I need to see myself. ” She cocked her head to one side, and seeing no problem with this request she said

                “Okay, but then you have to get your pills and go to sleep.” I nodded in agreement. She left and came back in with a full body mirror. She set it next to my bed and helped me sit up so I could see myself. I was little more than skin and bones. I could see my ribs and jaw prominently sticking out, my knobby knees worse in this condition. I looked like a tiny thirteen year old anorexic. But I ate regularly every day, no wonder they gave me weight gaining pills. The only actual hair I had on my head was thin and wispy, barely visible as it was white-blonde. It was very long but the strands were brittle and my face was badly sunken, I could see my cheekbones, and there were shadows under my eyes.

                My feet were long and my toes were thin. My ankles were nearly identical except the right one, the fractured one, was slightly purple. And my shins were just that, shins, there was no visible calf behind it. My knees were little more than patella’s and it was difficult to see through the gown they gave me, but my thighs were almost skinnier than my shins, and my waist and hips had no difference between them. It was all mostly torso. My hands gripped the side of the bed with fear as I saw this horrifying image of myself.

                I could’ve cried. But I didn’t “Okay Rori, I think that’s enough.” Aqua said. I fell on my back and Aquamarine turned the mirror toward the wall, she put all of my pills in a small glass and set it next to a giant glass of water on my nightstand. I sat back up, with gentle help of Aqua. She was the only person I’d met here. Putting the nightmarish image out of my mind I asked

                “Aqua, are you and Angus the only people here?” Aquamarine looked a bit baffled by this question.

                “Of course not sweetie. Why do you ask?” I swallowing the biggest pill first, answered

                “Are there any people my age here?” Aqua smiled and said

                “Yes, are you lonely?” I faintly nodded “Okay, I’ll send someone in tomorrow to keep you company when you wake up.” I smiled my thanks as I finished downing my last pills. The next morning a handsome boy who might’ve been 20 or 21 knocked on the doorframe. I said

                “Come in.” He came in and looked around to see me attempting to throw the mirror out the window. There was a wheelchair Aqua had left me for today. He smiled at my efforts and took it away from me. Placing it in the next room over he said to himself this one is independent, better watch out for her. He walked back in and sat down in Angus’s chair, which was not in the least happy about his daughter who he’d never even met before already flirting with other boys.

                “So, what’s your name?” He asked politely. I answered unsurely.

                “Well, this guy who is apparently my father, but I’ve never even met him before in my life, told me it was Rori.” The boy understanding held out his hand and shaking his bangs out of his face said

                “My name is Symon.” I smiled and repeated him. The name sounded good coming out of my lips, it rolled off my tongue nicely.

                “Are you a werewolf too?” I asked inquiringly.

                “That is a very rude question.” He answered flirtatiously. “But I suppose since you are of no threat at the moment, yes.” I smiled at him and showed my fangs, which were sharpening every day. He smiled back and my mouth fell closed at the sight of his fangs, they were perfect canines, I would have thought he was half saber tooth instead of wolf if they were only a bit longer.

                He moved over to the opposite side of my bed and said “So. . . Rori, what’s your favourite colour?” I cocked my head confused and asked

                “What’s a colour?” He pursed his lips as if in contemplation. Then he realized that I must have been a special case. He took a picture out of his back pocket. There was a half circle on it and there were hues of colours stuck into it. He said

                “Pick the one you like the most.” I stared at the picture carefully and pointed at the light colour in the middle of it. He looked at it and smiled.

                “That’s yellow, it’s mine too. We might be good friends.” He concluded carefully tucking the picture back into his back pocket. He layed on the bed and asked “What was it like . . . being in a tomb I mean. I don’t think I could live without seeing the small amount of sun we get each day. ” I looked at him and answered

                “You would if you’d never seen it before.” I said philosophically. He looked shocked at me.

                “You’ve never seen the sun before?” I shrugged and shook my head. He smiled at me and said “Well, we’re going to have to fix that.” I looked at him questioningly and he said “Be awake early tomorrow, okay?” I nodded as if I actually understood what he was saying. He got up abruptly and touched my hand. “I’ll be back, okay?” I smiled and said

                “Okay” As Symon was walking from my room, he stopped to talk briefly to Aquamarine. Though I didn’t hear it he said to her

                “Wake her up two hours before sunrise. Please and thank you.” Aquamarine, raising an eyebrow nodded and watched him walk away. He ran away to fix the perfect day for tomorrow. I was sitting there still feeling my hand where Symon’s hand touched mine and it was still warm when Aquamarine came into my room and asked

                “How was it? Fun, I bet.” I looked up at her and nodded. She smiled and said “Got to go to bed early tonight okay? Don’t ask any questions.” She said in one breath. I shrugged my shoulders and pointed to the pill box, Aquamarine laughed and said “Not now, just earlier than usual.”

                “Okay.” I said nodding. Aquamarine pulled out her book and she said

                “Want me to read to you?” I nodded enthusiastically and Aquamarine started with a poem from Walt Whitman. And after taking my pills I fell asleep listening to Shel Silverstein.

                The next morning I was extremely tired when I woke up to Aquamarine shaking my shoulder. “Come on girlie, time to get up.” I looked at her like I despised her. She smiled and said “Not my orders, blame Symon.” I grunted and sat up the light made it hard to see, I had to squint. Symon was standing outside the doorway with a chair that looked like a pretty version of the one I used to move when I got off the bed. He flashed his canines at me. I smiled and did the same. He had dimples when he smiled I noticed. He walked down the hallway saying

                “Get dressed and we can go, and be back faster.” I pointed at the dress Aqua had helped me put on. And we got me dressed. I attempted to walk out to Symon, my ankle was mostly healed and I was feeling much more nourished than I had been. I was walking down the stairs trying very hard not to fall. My feet were bare so the pads made smacking noises as I jumped slowly and gently down each step. It hurt but I didn’t want help, so I kept going until I basically (don’t mind the cliché) fell into Symon’s arms. He stumbled a bit under the almost complete dead weight, but then I straightened myself up and started walking forward without him. He hurried to catch up with me.

                “Where are we going?” I asked him. He answered almost straight away.

                “Well, it’s a surprise.” He donned weird looking goggles as we walked out the doors, he held one open for me. I learned later that this was an act of gentlemanliness, but at the time I hated him for it, I thought he was making it abundantly clear that I had never done any of this in my entire life, but I wasn’t a baby. I knew about all this stuff, sort of. After we went to a building which Symon introduced as ‘Home sweet home,’ I followed Symon to a gorgeous precipice, but I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t have the same goggles that Symon did, and it was still pitch black outside.

                I was holding on to the back of his shirt for most of the time we were wandering around in the dark, but now Symon’s warmly comforting hand took hold of mine and guided it to where he was sitting on the ground. I sat down next to him, scared for my life I couldn’t see anything and I was used to that. But I wasn’t so used to being in large open spaces in the dark, anything could come out of anywhere and it was terrifying, I scooted closer to Symon and tapped the lenses of his goggles

                “What are those?”

                “Goggles. They’re like glasses that help you see in the dark.” He answered looking at me. “Wanna try them on?” he asked. I nodded enthusiastically. He carefully took them off of his head and put them on mine. I thought I felt his hand linger on mine as I adjusted them, but I couldn’t be sure. And suddenly I could see everything. It was all there perfectly clear. It was not normally coloured whatsoever, but it was all there. Nothing like the empty void that it had been, it was sort of like the first time they opened my tomb that I can remember. I gasped and Symon, concerned, asked

                “What is it, are they too tight? Is it hurting you?” Then he realized what was going on. “Oh” I was looking around in wonder at everything. I ruffled his hair, and even though I couldn’t see it, he blushed scarlet. I touched his face and pulled at the rock cold ground. I looked over the edge of the bluff we were sitting on. I wondered why he was acting as if we were totally safe.

                “Why aren’t any of them attacking us?” I asked finally focusing on his face. He looked at me and explained.
                “It’s not a full moon, so they’re actually human until then, and the sun is about to come up, unless the Vampires are suicidal, then they’d be deep underground by now.” I nodded my understanding even though I didn’t actually, and looked back over the cliff edge,

                “It’s so beautiful.” I stated simply. Symon continued staring at me and said

                “It gets a lot better.” He said. I looked at him and I was about to ask him how that was even possible, and before I knew it, he was trying to kill me! He’d pressed his lips to mine and I was struggling against him. But he obviously didn’t know I could breathe out of my nose. So I pushed him off of me, just in time to see some hazy circle that was kind of the same colour I’d pointed out to Symon on the piece of paper he’d shown me the day before. Only it was brighter, I practically ripped the glasses off of my face and had to shut my eyes. I fell backwards; it wasn’t like a ball of glory or anything but the light hurt my eyes. I was curled up in a ball on the ground.

                It was far, far away, but it brought extreme warmth to it. I could feel the light shining on my body, it was a wonderful feeling. I stood up quickly and demanded that Symon take me home. He was confused but held up his hands and showed me the way. When we got to the hospital, I ran to Aquamarine and she was smiling and I couldn’t believe it. “He tried to kill me!” I yelled at her, and her smile went away as she looked questioningly at Symon.

                “How,” She asked still staring at Symon, though I knew she was talking to me. Symon walked outside and sat on the step, and she turned to me for my story.

                “He tried to cut off my air, by pressing his lips on mine! But he’s stupid I can breathe out of my --” I stopped seeing the amused expression on her face. “What?”

                “Darling, he didn’t try to kill you . . . he tried to kiss you. It’s a response people give when they like you.” I furrowed my eyebrows at her.

                “No, you weren’t there, he tried to kill me. Like death, die, I almost died!” Aquamarine shook her head, reassuring me that I was safe with Symon. I lie down in my bed and fell asleep; this entire charade had exhausted me. Aquamarine left me to talk to Symon, sitting down on the front step she said

                “You can’t expect her to be like you. You can’t just pretend like she’s normal. She is the equivalent of a child. She has a very broad mind and she’s extremely scared.”

                “I know. Her concept of beauty is different than other peoples and I think that we could be wonderful together. But at the moment she doesn’t even know what together means.” He said more to himself than Aquamarine, who nodded and went back inside to find me asleep and Angus, who I came to call dad in later months, singing softly  to me a sweet lullaby.