B007Q4JDEM EBOK (28 page)

“Hannah, my love!” h
e smiled and lifted the small child into his arms. “I have missed you so.”

“Momma says
that you are imaginary, Daniel,” t
he little
girl said as she hugged the man, “i
s that true?”

The man laughed, “Of course it isn't. If I were imaginary, I couldn't possibly be holding you. You would be floating!”

A flood of harmonious giggles filled the room. How had no one else heard the sound? Perhaps the Young family was so used to hearing Hannah talk and laugh with herself at night that it no longer woke them. The bond between her and Daniel was beautiful, yet it
somehow
sickened me all the same.

“I
brought you a present,
” Daniel said with a sly grin. “But, you must keep it a secret.”

“Okay!” Hannah said joyfully, anticipating the surprise.

Daniel pulled a locket from the pocket of his brown
vest
and offered it to the child. “I bought this especially
for you,” h
e said and his face lit up at the girl's reaction. “Let me put it on for you.”

I watched as the man placed Hannah on the floor and gently wound the necklace around her neck. She pulled it up to her face and pried open the locket. There was a picture of her on one side, the other was empty.

“Why isn't th
ere a picture of you in here?” s
he asked.

“I don't photograph well,” h
e replied with a light laugh.

“Or you really are imaginary!” Hannah said with a gasp.

“Perhaps,
” Daniel smiled. “There is one more thing I have for you, dear Hannah. Can you promise that you will give it to your mother in the morning?”

“Of course!”

“Good girl,” h
e said and offered her a folded piece of paper. “Make sure
daddy
isn't around when she reads it,” h
e warned, emphasizing unpleasantly on the word 'daddy',
and then
patted her lightly on the head.

“Okay!” s
he hugged Daniel and kissed him gently on the cheek.

“Time for bed then,” h
e said, picking her up and gently placing her on the mattress. He pulled the covers up and tucked her in. “I'll be back tomorrow
night
.”

“Promise?” s
he said with a pout.

“Promise,” h
e smiled and disappeared out the window.

The vision faded and another appeared. I was now outside, peering in through a window. Daniel was beside me, discreetly hidden so that he wouldn't be caught peeping. Hannah and Maggie were sitting together on the rocking chair in the living
room;
our view of them was from the side. Their voices came through the window as if we were right beside them.

“What is it, Hannah?” Maggie asked as the small girl offered her a piece of paper.

“Daniel asked me to give this to you.”

Maggie's eyes grew
angry
at the name, but she relaxed somewhat and sighed. “How many times must I tell you that he is not real, darling?”

“He
is
real!” Hannah argued.

Maggie ignored her daughter and unfolded the paper. I suspect she had been anticipating a letter covered in childish scribbles or nothing at all – instead she found a note scrawled in magnificent lettering. I could barely read the letters from where I was. But, I could distinctly hear Margaret's voice as if she were reading it aloud, although her lips never moved.

“Dearest Margaret,

Despite your regrets and frequent requests that I cease to visit my dear Hannah, I am afraid I cannot abide by your rules. She is mine just as much as she is yours. Come to your senses and please tell Arthur the truth. Tell Hannah the truth! She deserves to know who her true father is. It pains me to be away from her, and for you to try to convince her that I am unreal is preposterous!

Please, if you cared for me at all, you would do this for me – for us.

With love – whether returned or forgotten,

Thomas D.
Winter”

Before I had the opportunity to even think about what I had just seen, I was dragged into another memory. Daniel was weak and drunk, slumped against the wall of an alley. His eyes were red and swollen from tears
,
and
he
looked
younger than before
.
His face was flushed and red, full of life – he wasn't a vampire
in this vision
.
Clenched in his hand hung a crumpled piece of paper that had obviously been read countless times, judging by the state of it
.
His voice entered my head
as he re-read the note
:

“
Thomas
,

I did not know how to tell you this in person. I
am with child. It is unlikely – no – it
is impossible that this chi
ld is Arthur’s. It is yours,
Tom
. I know that we had planned to set off together and that I would leave him, but things have changed, we have reconciled. I cannot do this to Salem
or Arthur
. I will raise this baby as
his
and it will never even know your name. I am sorry
Thomas
, but you must understand. This is for the best, for us all.

Farewell,

Margaret.
”

After one last swig of alcohol, he tossed the bottle furiously at the wall across from him. The bottle shattered and sprinkled tiny pieces of sharp glass all around. His eyes were suddenly alert to the sound of footsteps.

“Who’s there
?” h
e asked with a drunken slur.

No one replied. I watched as a woman with bright red eyes stalked toward him, knelt beside him and frowned at his pitiful appearance.

“What's the
matter, doll?” s
he said with false interest.

“No
thin’
important,” h
e grumbled.

“I
can take away all of your agony,” s
he offered, taking his chin in her hand. “Would that be ideal for you?”

He simply nodded his head. He regretted his response immediately when the woman bared her fangs and sunk them into the flesh of his throat. His screams were unbearable; he thrashed around in agony as she meant to drain him completely.

“Please...” he whispered hoarsely, “just let me die.”

The woman's eyes fell upon his pleading lips and she laughed, “A beggar, are we?” I watched a trickle of blood run down her chin. As she went to take his life away, a sudden sound disrupted her and she left
him lying limply in the alley.

I was at the house again, staring in through the same window. My heart leapt at the sight of Salem, his appearance was the same as I knew it to be now. He was sitting on the floor with Hannah, playing with a small black cat. Daniel was beside me once more, his appearance
different from that in the alley
. His cheeks were no longer flushed. His skin was ashen and his amber eyes had a ring of crimson around them. My gaze was averted as I heard an unfamiliar male's voice.

Arthur entered the room and requested that Salem and Hannah retreat to their bedrooms. His expression was calm, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. Once their children were out of the room, Margaret appeared behind him. She looked withdrawn and her eyes showed evidence of recent tears.

“How could you do this to me, Maggie – to our family!?” Arthur's accent reminded me vaguely of his son's. “When? When did this happen!”

“I-I
cannot remember exactly, Arthur,
” Maggie sobbed. “It wasn't intentional –
we were
having
trouble and…and
things got out of hand. Please, you must forgive me!”

Her husband was raging, his fists clenched tightly beside him. “You betrayed me in the worst way!”

“I am sorry, Arthur!”

I wanted to look away, but I was forced to watch. Arthur's hand swiftly met Maggie's cheek. She cried in pain, recoiling from him.

“Arthur!” s
he screamed, “Please! Do not do this! The children will hear!”

Beside me, Daniel was obviously furious – and perhaps ashamed. I could sense his urgency to protect Maggie, to stop the inevitable brawl between husband and wife, but he couldn't. It would have only made the situation worse.

Arthur's hand met Maggie's cheek once more, and this time she fell to the floor. She curled up in a ball and started sobbing hysterically. Her husband deserted her, leaving through the front
door
.

The memo
ry I least wanted to see
came flooding through my mind. Arthur and Maggie were on better terms. They each slept in the same room, in separate beds. I walked out of their bedroom and down the hall. There was a small fire burning unnoticed in the kitchen. I desperately longed to put it out, to save Salem the grief of what had happened to his family – but it was impossible. My eyes stared in horror as the flames grew higher and higher. They licked at the walls, the furniture,
and the
beautiful rocking chair. I was standing in the middle of the fire, unharmed as the flames weaved their way down the hall.

I ran along the hallway, into Hannah's room where the fire was starting to crawl. Daniel was at her window, unaware of the oncoming menace. Once he saw the orange hues illuminating the open doorway he slammed through the window and went to retrieve her.

“Daniel!” s
he shouted happily in a
tired
voice as he plucked her quickly from her bed. “I thought you would never come back
!”
s
he frowned. “
What is it, Daniel
?”

Daniel hesitated and flinched at the sight of the girl's half-brother curled up on the floor beside her bed. “What
is he doing in here, Hannah?” h
e said in a rushed voice.

“I had a nightmare after mo
mmy and daddy fought last night,
” Daniel cringed at the word 'daddy'; I was amazed by how much pain it caused him. “So Salem stayed with me.”

Salem muttered something to Hannah about going back to sleep,
and then
realized someone else was present. He screamed at the sight of the pale figure in his sister's room.

“Get out of our house!” Salem yelled, it was the same beautiful voice I had grown to love. Daniel paused abruptly, prepared to escape the house with Hannah, but Salem had distracted him.

“I
will not leave without her!
” h
e
yelled
, cradling her in his arms.

“Salem!” Hannah yelled, “Look!”

Salem turned toward where the girl pointed, and stepped back in horror as the fire swept across the wooden floorboards. He averted his eyes from the flames when he heard Hannah screaming, but to his dismay she was already gone along with Daniel. The fire grew around him, licking away the floor beneath him. His cries of agony filled my ears – I could barely withstand it. I watched as he forced himself through the burning flames and out through Hannah's window.

I thought another vision was coming when I heard Salem's voice, but I was mistaken. The weight upon me was lifted and Raziel was nowhere to be seen.

“I was beginning to w
onder if you would ever show up,
” Raziel laughed. I lifted my head in search of him. He was getting up from the ground, wiping the corner of his mouth. I realized in horror that my neck was moist...m
y fingers found the spot and I gasped in horror
. The visions had all just been a distraction. Salem was too late...I was
dying;
there was nothing he could do for me now.

My eyes found Salem, crouched behind a tombstone. He glanced at me briefly, his eyes full of despair. The instance was over and he was focused on Raziel. “What
have you done to her, Raziel?!” h
e demanded.

“I hadn't quite had the chance to
finish...she was nearly mine!” h
e fumed. “For a
raven
she was quite easy to t
rick
.” His laughter filled my ears.

“You didn't...” Salem's voice was cut off as Raziel leapt at him, shoving him against a tree. The
blonde
-haired fiend slid his icy fingers around Salem's throat and grinned.

“I thought you wou
ld be stronger than this, Salem,” h
e frowned, “Such a pity. I wasted so much time on you.”