Book 1 of an Is It Love? story of a young woman with a dark secret. When that tragic incident occurred she made a choice to run away from home for good. In doing so, it brought her to a small town called Mystery Spell where she met the Bartholys and...
It was a rainy night when I found myself outside on the grounds of the estate in the garden behind the manor, standing in front of the glass doors. I looked up through my rain soaked hair to see my older brother standing up from the living room chair and walking over to the entrance. He stood still in front of the doors for a moment before opening them, watching me without a word. A week had gone by since I ran away. Not knowing if Lydia was dead or alive was eating away at the most inner depths of my heart and mind. No matter what I did, I could not escape my fears, so I knew I had to return home to learn the truth. "I-Is she...?" I asked, my voice breaking. Nicolae gave me a comforting grin before answering, "She is alive. Weak, but alive and well on the mend thanks to the blood I acquired from the hospital for her." "Oh, thank God!" I said, closing my eyes, relieved of the news. I placed my hands on my legs and leaned over with my head down as the burden of worry, heavy as an anvil, was lifted off my shoulders.
"Brother, come in and dry off, so we can talk." I lifted my hands up while stepping back from him, saying, "Wait! I can't... Not yet, not until I know Lydia is safe in her room. She can't be anywhere near me." "Don't worry, I can assure you she is in her room. Lydia woke up a few hours ago and is resting in bed still, so please come in out of the rain." Hesitantly stepping through the doorway, I accepted the towel Nicolae handed me. To save me from coming within close proximity to Lydia's room, and risking another episode, Nicolae went upstairs to retrieve a pair of dry clothes for me. I took the towel and clothes with me into the downstairs bathroom to change. I quickly took off the wet clothes, hung them up to dry, and then finished drying my body off before getting dressed. Coming out of the bathroom, I moved my way into the living room to sit down with Nicolae and face my demons.
"First off, brother, I am aware of the circumstances. What happened in the alleyway was not your fault," Nicolae started the conversation with. "Nic! It is my fault!" I retorted, scoffing at my brother's statement. I knew better than to believe otherwise, so I continued my confession by saying, "I am weak! Weak enough to allow my mind to be manipulated into ending the life of the one person I care most about in my life." "That is not true, Peter! You are not weak!" "Of course, I am! I couldn't stop myself! The thirst just took control and made me the monster I am. Nicolae, don't you understand? I could have killed her!! I despise myself for it, and I can never forgive myself for what I have become," I argued. I stood up from the couch and began to pace back and forth, running my hands through my hair.
"Peter, I know it has something to do with your encounter with Viktor, so why don't you explain in detail what occurred when you spoke with him?" Nicolae asked in an attempt to calm me down and resolve the issue at hand. I walked over to the fireplace and rested my hand on the mantle, looking down into the fire as the dancing flames licked and burned the wooden logs, kindling sparks flying up into the air every few seconds. For a moment, I concentrated on the red embers that slowly snaked through each layer of the logs. Lines of red appeared, worming their way through the fractures to consume the soul of the wood. Each fibrous material slowly turning black as its end would eventually reach the point of being a pile of charred gray ash. Sighing out loud, I readied myself to recount the details of that fateful night.
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