Moonlight

Chapter 18

With the weekend over, Adley and Merissa said goodbye to his family and continued to the car. Gamichee had already done the rounds, eager to return to the city to find out what had happened in his unexpected weekend away.

Sunday afternoon was usually a time when Carson was not at work but Gamichee knew that he'd be there waiting for him. The vampire mused that he needed to learn what time off was and as the thoughts trailed through his mind, Gamichee decided that Carson was long overdue for a holiday. The assistant that he never saw the back of would take time off, even if he had to be ordered to do so.

Sitting behind the wheel, Gamichee watched as his daughter approached. She had a smile on her face, looking up at Adley. It had been a long time since he'd seen Merissa smile like that. The death of Marguerite had killed the spark inside of all of them but none more than the little girl who had lost her entire world.

Merissa was asking questions and Gamichee knew that it was probably the time to lay it all bare. He didn't know why she'd become curious all of a sudden but thought that perhaps it had to do with her own impending motherhood.

Gamichee worried for her. Asking questions in this world was dangerous, as she'd recently learnt. Werewolves were incredibly protective but there was only so much Adley could do when faced with a stubborn vampire. Would it be better to tell her everything when he risked opening the wounds?

When Merissa slid into the passenger seat, Gamichee looked at her and offered a hesitant smile.

"Are you in a rush to return home?"

"No, I guess not. Where are we going?"

"A place that you may not remember. I fear the emotions it may bring but given your current quest for information, I think it is necessary. If you do not want to revisit memories that you have clearly repressed, please say so and we will continue to the city."

Merissa was stunned at what her father just offered her. This was what she wanted from him, honesty to tell her what had happened. She didn't want him to hide things from her.

"It's fine. I'd like to know what happened."

"Of course."

Gamichee started the engine and began the painful journey back to the past.

The drive took ten minutes, the tension in the car rose with each passing minute. Turning into the street, Gamichee pulled to the side and shifted into park. With a heavy sigh, he pointed to the burnt-out shell in the distance.

"That was your home."

Merissa stared at the place. It was overgrown, surrounded by tall security fencing and warning signs.

"Is it unsafe?"

"No, your eldest sibling decided that it was necessary to shut off access completely. Of course, I don't think she believed that it would stop vandals or kids wanting to explore but it was enough to stop many. I haven't been here Merissa, I knew the location but I never came to the house. Not even when your parents were alive. You may venture forward if you desire. After all, you have a quarter interest in that land."

"Don't they want to sell it?"

"Presently they are not allowed to. The council demanded that the land remained within the control of the beneficiaries. As you were a child, they ruled that nothing was allowed to happen until you were old enough to decide what you wanted. One more year to wait, my dear."

Merissa nodded and got out of the car. Gamichee glanced back at Adley.

"Are you prepared for the worst?"

"Always."

Adley got out of the car, quickly catching up to Ris. She was at the fence searching for an ideal place to enter. Adley pulled one of the sections open then stomped the grass down. The front door was still intact, with a thump of his shoulder, Adley had it open.

Just as Merissa lifted her foot to step into the house, Adley stopped her.

"This place may not be structurally sound. I want you to be careful and not let the emotions control you. Even if there is something so amazing on the other side of a weak floor, I want you to promise that you will walk away."

With a nod, Merissa offered her agreement and continued into the house. She knew that nothing was worth risking the babies or her lives.

Looking around the room, Merissa struggled to recognise it. This was obviously the lounge room but she didn't remember it at all. Continuing through the building that was little more than black walls and nature reclaiming the land, Merissa wondered if there would be anything left. In the new section, she saw graffiti so she knew that anything of value would have been looted long ago.

Entering the kitchen, Merissa stopped. The room was not touched by the fire. There was spray painted words on every surface, it had lost all but a few cupboard doors and the appliances had been ripped out but essentially, the room was in reasonable order.

Merissa ran her fingers along the laminate countertop as the memories returned. When she reached the window above the sink, she looked through the lace curtains to the overgrown jungle in the backyard. From that spot, she could see the top of a swing set.

She could remember bouncing in through the back door, full of beans and excited that she'd mastered that funny looking swing in the centre. The memory of her mother smiling as she wiped away the sweaty fringe filled Merissa's mind, then the sweet voice telling her it was called a trapeze swing. Then she pulled out the stool and helped Merissa up to the breakfast counter. A large glass filled with blood was waiting for her. Merissa remembered that her mother would put ice cubes in them on hot nights and rather than having the blood watered down, she made ice cubes from a blood mixture.

As she stood next to where she'd once sat as a child, the memory began to fade. With a kiss on her head that she thought she could feel, Merissa watched the fading image of her mother as she walked back into the kitchen. Slowly fading from existence and leaving a haunting feeling inside of Merissa.