Sometimes when Robert and I left the realm, Elaina would enter the room and catch me watching him.
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but it won’t work,” she’d say. I didn’t know whether she was right or not…
But it was still worth trying.
The smirk on her face as she lay there next to him, in the spot where I wish I could be, sent anger in the form of intense energy up and down my soul. But it also served a purpose.
The smirk burned into my memory as I spent the rest of the evening pouring through every alchemy book that I could find. It motivated me and fueled my fire.
I became very knowledgeable about the subject, but I still had yet to discover anything that would help me save Robert.
While I studied, Elaina lay next to Robert like a guard until the first traces of the sun peeked up over the mountains.
Before the sun rose high enough to do any damage…
Elaina crawled back into her hole in the ground.
Usually around the time Elaina would retreat to her grave, Robert woke up to get ready for work.
I always made it a point to be around in the time before Robert left for work. It was the only time, besides in the realm, when I could see him without Elaina being around.
While he showered and ate, I went back to studying.
Sometimes in those quiet mornings, he seemed to be aware of me. Other times he was completely oblivious.
Meanwhile, while Robert, Elaina and I were repeating the same patterns everyday…
Janet was growing impatient. Based on the new evidence, she was forced to arrest Dante and have him brought in.
“You have nothing on me…why do you insist on doing this little song and dance?” Dante asked seething; his eyes smoldering with hate.
“Oh…I have a little more than you think,” Robert said. “You might want to sit down for this.”
Dante reluctantly complied.
“What now?” Dante asked.
“We found fang marks on the muscles in Miss Desirae Healy’s neck. You are in fact a vampire, right?”
Dante looked away. “Yes,” he spat.
“But that doesn’t mean anything!” Dante insisted; turning back to face Robert, “You can’t keep me here just because you found fang marks and I happen to be a vampire.”
“Right, but coupled with the other evidence we found…like her hair on your clothing and the fact that you were at the same bar where Miss Healy was the night of her murder…that put together could put you away for a very long time.”
“Maybe her hair was on my coat because she brushed against me on the dance floor or something. And I told you before…there were a lot of people at that bar!”
“Yeah, but how many of them are vampires!”
“I’m pretty sure that if we were to examine the marks on Miss Healy’s neck and compare them to your fangs…we’d have a perfect match.”
Dante thought about that for a while. “I want my lawyer!”
Dante glared at the window, knowing that Janet was on the other side. He and Janet both knew that unless Elaina completed her task…there was nothing else that Janet could do to protect him…or their entire existence in Moonlight Falls.
The pressure was on. Dante would probably be standing trial soon. If he was convicted of murdering DesiraeHealy, the contract between the vampires and the citizens of Moonlight Falls would be voided. They could no longer guarantee the safety of any of the vampires in town.
“If only I could get you to understand what it’s like to lose so many people you love,” Elaina said softly.
“I’ve experienced loss too,” Robert responded.
“But not over and over again…boyfriend after boyfriend, husband after husband, friend after friend…”
Elaina paused and held her belly, “…but the most painful is to lose a child, because no matter what…they all grow old and die.”
“A child? You’ve had children?” Robert asked; unable to imagine the pain that Elaina was trying to describe.
“I had a son…before I was turned. He was taken from me afterward…they thought I was dead, but I eventually found him again.”
“He was a grown man when I located him. He accepted me into his life once again…but like the others, he aged and…well…”Elaina stopped as her eyes filled with tears. Finally she continued; her voice threatening to break, “Once again…I was alone.”
Robert looked into Elaina’s eyes; wanting to ease her pain, but not able to find an alternative way to help.
“I’ll do it,” Robert finally said.
Elaina pulled him to her so quickly that I don’t think he had time to even consider changing his mind.
“Robert…you just don’t know what this means to me. I love you so much and now we’ll be together forever!”
“I love you too,” Robert said. “So what do I do now…how does this work?”
“Just go and see Janet. She’ll have the forms that you need. Once you’ve registered with city hall, I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Okay,” Robert sighed.
I knew my time was up. Robert had agreed to be turned and I was desperate to find something…anything to save him from his impending death.
Any free moment I had was spent either reading alchemy books or creating potions. I was like a machine…not stopping to do anything else.
Even Elaina sharing the same space didn’t stop me. I waited until she was resting to come down and use my alchemy table. Her rest was like death, so she never even knew I was there.
I now had hundreds of potion formulas practically memorized. I even knew how to create the vampire sunscreen that Janet and Dante relied on and that Elaina was desperate to get her hands on.
I created potion after potion until I had made dozens…
…but even the most advance, most complicated of them was no match for a vampire out to kill.
