Beyond Human: Queen's Shadow Series

02.) Home

~~~Apollos

I prepared my flight back to Oklahoma, we had been living there indefinitely. Queen Lilith has taken a liking to her Mansion there and made sure to up the security she also took time to extend more diplomatic means to other nations. I sit on the flight and I take a deep breath. I knew I was in hot water as soon as I got to the state.

I look at Anastasia as she has been sleeping peacefully. Priscilla was reading her book as she said 'What's on your mind?' I pull out a photo and say "he's on my mind." She doesn't even look up as she says, 'Jordani Michaelis Morten.' I smile as I think about my baby boy, "I never thought I could have a family again." I look at the old photo, he's already a year old I think to myself. "He makes me feel human, you make me feel human."I hesitate to say those words realizing the implications. 'You're not human.' she says, 'neither is Anastasia and your son.'

"I know and, I know reality is going to hit us hard." She takes a deep sigh as she says 'I'm sorry, I know how bad our luck can be.' I run my hand through my beer and think, I haven't seen Zamiel in almost a year. She never did give me my gift, and I haven't heard from Hans so I know she's dealt with him. I wonder what she did? I take a deep sigh as I say, "I may have bad luck but I never want to go through that again." She nods and then closes her paper, 'All I am saying is with everything that's happened I don't want you to get too happy and then fall again.' when did my 12-year-old sister become a 40-year-old woman? "It won't happen again, I'll die before I let it happen." The tone in my voice ended the conversation.

'I'm not saying I would let it happen either.' I hear her whisper. "It's unimportant Priscilla you should let it go." It's then that Anastasia lifts off of me, 'As much as I love you she has a point.' I look into those beautiful gray eyes and I realize she's only saying that because of how I've been. I rest my fingers on the bridge of my nose as I say "Do you guys just plan these conversations?"

'Plan?' Anastasia's voice was agitated. 'I didn't plan to have this conversation, but ever since the battle with Hans you've been acting differently.' I knew what I was hearing, and I felt insulted. "What's so different about me?" I ask looking into both of their eyes. 'The fact that you haven't visited their graves.' I hear Priscilla say, The sharp pain of realizing who she's talking about hitting me. I wasn't sad, no I was enraged. How could someone like her bring that up? She didn't know what I lost, and why was Anastasia even co-signing this bullshit?

'Polly I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that.' I take a deep sigh as I say, "You meant what you said." 'Apollos.' I hear Anastasia say. "I know I haven't visited their graves, I know I haven't said much about them." I feel my anger starting to overflow, "I know they've been dead for 1 year and 6 months. I know they've been dead because I remember hearing the news." I then continued to say. "Why I don't bring it up? Is because there's nothing else I can do. I think about the family I could have had, I think about a lot of what-ifs but then I focus on reality. My first family is dead, because of some madman."

I'm not trying to replace my family, I'm trying to move past it. I don't understand why they can't respect it. 'If you all knew what else I lost you would understand why I'm like this." I think about the fact that I can no longer feel grief, I think about the fact that my mind had emulated the emotion for a few moments and then it disappeared. The only time I cry is in happiness, and even then I don't think my happiness is real. 'I'm sorry Polly.' I hear her say in a gentle tone. "You don't get to call me that, not when you call me out about my family."

Apollos she's your sister, and I feel this nagging anger in me. This nagging anger of me wanting to fight, because all I see is people telling me I'm wrong. I let go of the urge to fight and I calm myself, I don't want to come off as combative to them. "I suffered a lot, and I would appreciate it if you both didn't pry about my past. I've learned how to deal with it and move past it, I only ask that you all respect that I don't talk about it with you all."

It's then that I get up and walk to the other side of the plane. I need to meditate, I need to fight. She hasn't trained me since that day, she hasn't done anything for me. Everything I've been doing is by myself, I don't know if I've made any progress. As I go into my white void, I have my two nights attack me. They attack me with such a strong pattern, and it's nice to see that I'm not stronger than them. I keep fighting until I'm exhausted, and then I collapse to my knees.

It is only at battle that I feel alive, not in the traditional sense of living either. I feel alive when I fight, I feel like there is something I can do. I feel alive when I'm around my family I feel alive when I'm around everyone else. Though battle excites me, it shows me that I can push myself even further.

~~~Lilith

"Apollos you can't just execute a valued researcher," I say to him, Priscilla told me everything and so did Anastasia. Judging from the tension I saw as they got off the plane something else happened. That did not concern me though, what concerned me was the fact that my son killed a vampire. 'Priscilla and Anastasia told you he liked children, he hurt children, my queen.' I recount the story that Priscilla told me as I then say; "I know I just wish you would have brought him to me so he could have been dealt with."

'He was dealt with my queen, an on-site execution is within my rights.' He says calmly, before I can say anything he continues. 'Article 6:13 paragraph three, as long as a royal member of the crown has proper reasoning, evidence, and witnesses they can commit an on-site execution if the crimes are egregious enough.' I think about that 300-page book, made specifically to help vampires navigate the laws of the world. I think about how my son read it and mastered it within a few days. It's then that I say, "Article 6:01 if a superior or member of the Royal Court requests for a person or vampire they must meet the Queen or Royal Court. Even with, charges held against the individual."

He must have known this, he must have known that I was not going to let this behavior go. 'If you're going to punish me, Queen Lilith, please, by all means, do it.' I hear his cold voice, I hear how cold and calculating it is. I realize he's willing to take that punishment, the reason why he even named the article was to let me know why he did everything. "You are the ninth Prince, you are supposed to conduct yourself as one," I say to him hoping that he'll understand. 'I know I am the ninth prince, but before I was that I was a soldier.'

"Gabriel Roberts was a soldier, Apollos Morten is a prince he is not above the laws of the kingdom." I hear his knuckles crack as he makes fists, and then he releases his grip. Children wear soft spots for Apollos, he knew exactly how impressionable children were. "With that being said I'm glad to have you back, and I would have done the same thing."

'Is that all?' I feel how heavy my crown is on my head, it's almost as if I feel every sin that I've committed as the queen of vampires. I look at his cold eyes and I look at his conviction, I see how cruel he can be in battle. Yet I know there is a good person somewhere deep inside of him. "Yes that's all, I'm sorry to have kept you here." he kneels before me as he says 'thank you, mother, I'm going to go and check on my son.'

I heard his voice, there was a sudden change in how he talked. Almost as if life was breathed back into him, he could not wait to look at his little king. He could not wait to hold him, he was such an honest man when it came to his family. He truly loved having some form of normalcy. He truly loved being a father, something that was robbed from him before. "Rise, enjoy your leave. I'll have the paperwork ready soon."

'Thank you, Queen Lilith.'

End of chapter: Home