Passion for War

Prologue

Madeleine:

"Mamma, where are you going?" I ask my mother as I walk into her room to find her putting on her special earrings. She only ever wears them for important occasions, that and her signature perfume. "We are expected to attend a meeting, me your father and your brothers and you," she turns around, her curls swaying as she does. She gives me a once-over before she sighs pretending to be disappointed at the fact that I am not dressed. I hadn't known about it and even if I did I can't attend, I haven't been feeling too well. I even missed many of my classes and simply kept myself cooped in the library for the whole day. She takes in my attire which only consists of my pyjamas. I saw no need to change since I am unwell, mamma made a rule that if you were sick or if it was your birthday you were allowed to do anything you wanted to make yourself happy. Mine was not changing, much to my maid's disapproval.

"Are you still unwell my darling?" she stands and comes to rest the back of her hand on my forehead. Her hand feels cool against my skin, "Madeleine, you're burning up, you should not be walking around this much." she scolds but it sounds more like concern. "I will be fine mamma, I was helping the gardener today, he needed help planting and I was in the sun which is good for you." I swat her hand away and hug her. She wraps her arms around me, "What will I do with you hmm? You worry too much about others," she says as she pulls away, her brown eyes staring at me.

"Stop fussing over her woman, she is a lot stronger than she seems." My father walks in neatly dressed with a wide smile. "Who will if not me? She takes after her father always helping others before herself." He pulls her to him and they both share a kiss that makes me slightly envious. My parents have always been happy, there is never a time they aren't, I hope to have a love like theirs one day. So happy and full of life.

"Madeleine please go and find your brothers and tell them that we will be leaving soon," my father says as he ruffles my hair.

I walk into Xavier's room to find him struggling with his tie, "How many times will you struggle, mamma taught you this over and over," I say as I help him. "Why aren't you dressed?" he asks, ignoring my question. "I am sick so I get to stay home," I say as I fix his tie, which seems to be fighting me. "You're always sick, by now our parents should have caught onto your pretence." I open my mouth and stick out my tongue to show him my mouth sores but he pushes me away. I giggle as I finish up his tie. I may have lied to my parents many times about being ill to escape going to these meetings that always repeat the same nonsense, 'They are multiplying faster than we can produce hunters.' 'We are stronger together.' and so and so forth. I see no use in attending, we never actually come up with a solution.

"Do you ever get this feeling that maybe our council might not want to kill these things?" his question catches me off guard considering I was just thinking about it. "What do you mean?" "Surely there is a solution or a cause, maybe someone is making them-" "Back to your theories I see," Alexander my eldest brother, interrupts as he stands at the door neatly dressed. He takes me in and rolls his eyes once realising it, "Sick?" he asks nonetheless and I nod ever so excitedly.

We all walk downstairs but I remain on the steps as I wave my brothers off. My mother turns around before exiting the door, "Rest," she says as she squints her eyes and points her gloved finger at me. I give her a reassuring smile and blow her a kiss goodbye. She catches it and holds it to her chest as she walks off. "Ask the chef for dessert it may help," my father says with a wink making me giggle.

Hours passed and they haven't returned yet, Nathaniel said this meeting may take longer than usual but it's already past nine. I sit on the stairs and watch the door waiting for it to open.

A few minutes go by and there's a knock, running towards it I open only to be met with a police officer. I feel my chest tighten at their presence, it is never a good thing when they show up. Behind him stands another officer and my brothers, covered in blood from head to toe and pale. "Excuse me miss but are you Miss Collins?" the officer in front of me asks catching my attention again, the ringing in my ears begins as I realise none of our parents are here. "Madam?" he says again, "Y-yes I am," I say with a shaky breath.

The news he gives is indeed not good, my lip trembles as I try and stay strong taking every bit of information they give me. We sit in the library while the boys went up to clean up. Our housekeeper and butler stand behind my chair also listening to the news. My parents passed away, they were killed and my brothers won't say anything to the police. My chest tightens even more as my breath constricts, I can't breathe properly. "We do have questions for you if you are able to answer them now we will be on our way." I nod my head and answer as best I can, remembering to stick to the rules of the council. They ask if our parents had any enemies but I deny the thought. They did what everyone in the council does, the undead are always looking for ways to make us pay.

Eventually, they leave and before I make it up the stairs I fall to my knees and scream my pain out. My parents are dead, they are gone and they are never coming back. I feel an arm wrap around me and many more only to realise it is my brothers and together we sob in silence.

From that day onwards we all changed. I was less happy and more serious in my life. Nathaniel stuck to his silence and to himself, especially after the amount of questions he got asked about their mysterious deaths. Xavier closed his heart and Alexander distracted himself with the family business and the council and none of them ever spoke of that day again. Whatever happened then destroyed the happiness that was once in our family and replaced it with secrets.