Forbidden Blood

Chapter 30: Clara

"Just go inside. They'll deal with you in the morning." Jak grumbles, pushing Adriana away. I grab her and hold her arm as she struggles. She doesn't have much strength left in her, and she quickly softens. Tarynn whimpers as she walks towards us. She seems more willing to comply than Adriana does.

"We'll keep them here overnight and let the elders decide what to do with them. Will you meet us back here tomorrow?" I ask.

"Yeah. We'll be expecting a verdict by then, so don't dissapoint us." Zarro warns. "I'm ready to be through with this."

"I think we all are." Agatha sighs as she turns and leads Tarynn into the village. I follow her, leaving the vampires behind.

"So, you think you're going to be able to get rid of me, huh?" Adriana mutters with a weak, raspy voice. "It's not going to be that easy." she snickers.

"That's up to the elders." Agatha snaps.

We walk them over to one of the huts where Karenina is waiting. She frowns when she sees Tarynn and Adriana. Adriana tenses up and starts to struggle when she walks towards Karenina. Tarynn seems as relaxed as can be.

"You two will be bound inside this hut. The spell I have placed will prevent you from leaving, so don't try anything." She opens the door and Tarynn walks inside. Adriana reluctantly follows.

"We'll meet as a council early tomorrow morning. The verdict will be decided by the afternoon. You will be informed of the decision as soon as possible."

"Thank you so much, Karenina." I say.

"No, thank you for bringing this to our attention. I assure you things will be like new in a week or so." We nod our heads.

"I hope you're right." Agatha mumbles, "I'm tired of this mess that we're in."

Karenina smiles. "Well, hopefully you won't have to deal with it for much longer."

"Good night." Karenina acknowledges our farewell and we turn and walk away to our huts. I'm not sure if I want to sleep by myself... I'm afraid. Knowing that Adriana and Tarynn are just a few yards away sends chills up my spine... I wave good night to Agatha and walk into my hut.

I haven't been here in a while. Everything looks exactly how I left it, clean and orderly. The smell of my home comforts me, and I become less tense. I sit on the bed and feel the sheets. They are cold and crisp, but that doesn't bother me. I lay down with my head on the pillow and stare out the window. It might be my imagination, but I think I see snow flurries falling to the ground. The thought of snow makes me happy; I close my eyes and before I know it, I'm sleeping.

*************************************************************************************

I wake up to Agatha shaking me with an excited expression on her face.

"Clara, it's snowing!" she squeals with her arms in the air, "I haven't seen snow in forever!" I rub my eyes and sit up groggily. Sure enough, there is a thick cloud of snow falling from the sky. I guess the snow I saw last night wasn't my imagination after all.

"It's beautiful." I mumble.

"C'mon Clara! Put on your jacket and come outside with me! I even made your favorite," she grins, holding up a mug of tea. She hands it to me and I cup my hands around the mug, feeling its warmth. I take a sip of the steamy liquid and feel it slide down into my stomach.

"You definitely know how to wake me up on a cold morning."

"I know you too well, Clara." I sit up and look outside as the snow falls heavier. Putting on my jacket and boots, I step outside with Agatha. She walks out into the snow and makes footprints. I laugh as she nearly falls on the ice. She turns around and bends over, putting her hands in the snow.

"What are you doing?" I call, but before I know it a thick ball of snow hits me in the face.

"Agatha!" I gasp, "Oh, it's on!"

We laugh, throwing snowballs at each other. Soon enough, a few other girls join in on the fun. I feel at peace as I toss the chunks of ice at my friends. Hearing them laugh and squeal reminds me of how it felt before all of this happened. It's hard to believe that there was once a time when I didn't know Vincent... when I wasn't friends with the vampires. I can't believe that I was actually... afraid of them.

It all seems so distant now. Especially since Adriana and Tarynn are being tried as I speak. Hopefully the elders will agree with us and send them into exile. I'm tired of their presence looming over my life. I'm ready to be finished with them. For good.

We play around in the snow until the mid afternoon, and I have no idea what time it is. Agatha and I head back to her hut to warm ourselves up. Her cheeks are rosy and my ears are cold. She puts a log in her fireplace and sets it on fire. Drinking more tea, she looks at me curiously.

"Clara. I want to apologize."

"For what? Hitting me with a snowball?" We laugh.

"No... It's just... I'm sorry that I've been so opposed to you being with Vincent." I cringe.

"We all have different opinions on this."

"I know, but I'm your best friend! I'm supposed to encourage you and be there for you! I wasn't supportive enough, and I'm sorry." She looks down at her hands, her voice wavering as she speaks. "I wasn't on your side. I hurt your feelings, and now you probably feel worse than ever."

I'm silent before I speak. Agatha is my best friend, and for her to apologize like this means a lot to me. "It did hurt my feelings. I wanted you to be happy with my choices and accept them, not go against them."

"I know it hurt your feelings, Clara. And I'm sorry. No matter my personal beliefs, I should have been on your side."

"But you really think Vincent and I can't be together?" I say weakly.

"If that's what you want, then--"

"I want to know what you think, not the sugar coated answer."

She hesitates. "I don't want to lose you, Clara. You're a witch, and being with him could wreck your life."

"That's what I'm afraid of," I pause, "But I can't stop thinking about him. I love him."

She sighs, "I know."

"What do I do?"

"It's up to you to decide. I don't want you to do something because I said so. I want you to do it because you know what you want, and because you believe that it's the right thing."

"I want to be with him. But I want to be here, too."

"I'm going to be sad if you leave me, Clara, but I want you to be happy."

"I don't know what will make me happy."

"Are you happy now?"

I shake my head. "No."

She gives a sad smile. "Then there's your answer."

Suddenly, we hear a knock on the door. Agatha gets up to answer it, and she finds Karenina standing there. I perk up, hoping for good news.

"I wanted to be the first to tell you girls what we've decided. We talked about it for a long time. It isn't something to be taken lightly."

Agatha nods, "So what did you decide?"

"They will be exiled first thing this evening."