Midnight Solstice

Chapter 4

   I quickly ran to Marcus's study. I just wanted to get this over with. Whatever the hell he was going to tell me, I knew I was not going to like. I stopped when I reached his study. Before I could lift my hand up to knock, Marcus opened the door.
    "Ah Alec, I was expecting you. Come in." He said. He was acting more cheerful than his usual depressed self. How strange.
    "Demetri told me you needed to talk to me about something." I spoke as I walked in. He nodded and gestured for me to take a seat in front of his desk. I walked in and sat. He stood across from me for a moment before he sat down behind it as well.
    "This isn't going to be an easy thing for either of us to talk about Alec so please bear with me." He sighed. Here it comes...
    "When are you going to start training the newborns?" What? That was not what I was expecting.
     "Later in the week." I responded, hiding my confusion. He nodded.
    "That's fine. We just have to go over what exactly you have to train them to do. Now you see..." At this point I just...zoned out. I think that's how they say it now in this day and age.
    Basically all he told me was that we needed to train them in combat as well as set up times to train their gifts individually. He also told me that my main focus should be on those newborns that have a hard time controlling their gifts, aka George and Katerina. These sessions would count as my extra sessions with Katerina that I promised Aro I would do. The rest of the newborns I have to "distribute them amongst Jane, Demetri, and Felix" which of course, will be harder than most people will believe, due to that fact that Jane doesn't like taking orders and Felix and Demetri goof off too much.
     "Is that all?" I asked Marcus once he finished.
    "No, there is one more thing we need to discuss before you leave. It's about Katerina." I knew it! I knew he sensed a bond! "Are you aware of her past?" I mentally slapped myself on the forehead. Are you kidding me?
    "I'm afraid I'm not." I said casually. I had to struggle to hide the slight hints of anger and frustration that I am feeling.
   "Do you remember Fern VonHeusen?"
    "The fae woman that was complaining about her husband?" I questioned.
       To sum it up, the fae are the offspring of vampires and witches that take the superhuman qualities from their vampire parent and the magic from the witch parent. These creatures specialize in magic having to do with the elements; fire, water, air, and earth.
    I remember Fern specifically because when she came here, if Aro didn't listen to her right away, she pushed her daughter into my arms and went to give him a piece of her mind. That girl screamed bloody murder whenever she was here.
     "Yes, and you remember her daughter don't you?" I nodded. How could I forget the screaming child?
     "Her name was Katerina also..." And then everything clicked. 
     "Katerina is Fern's daughter?!" I asked. This stunned me. That was impossible! Katerina is a vampire, or is she?
    "That's correct. Her father is Michael Morgynstein. He is a vampire that Fern believed preformed tests on her daughter that changed her supernatural abilities. We've been monitoring him for sometime since Fern died. Not as much as I would have liked, but even so, we have kept mostly up to date."
    I never gave any of this much thought. I remember hearing that Fern got shot in the head, and that her daughter found her dead in their driveway. I never thought once about it since.
    "How did his tests alter her abilities?" I found myself asking.
    "It caused her elemental gift to become much more powerful. We also have heard rumors that he pumped vampire venom into her bloodstream in small quantities so that she wouldn't lose that gift. He had a theory that is he did this to her everyday, she would eventually become more balanced as half vampire, half fae, even though that is how she was born. This fact confuses me more than anything, however that is what I was told."
      "Something went wrong with his theory, however, and caused her to be stuck in a state between fae and vampire. If I am correct, that is why our young Katerina can change from "human" to vampire."
    "Does Aro know about this?"
     "Aro know about everything, doesn't he?"
     "So why didn't he tell her when she was explaining her gifts to the rest if us?"
     "He didn't want to overwhelm her. We do not  know if this is what actually happened but it is the closest theory we have. And he thought that it would be better for you to tell her since you are going to be...well...a mentor to her. Also, we don't know how much she actually knows about her condition. Aro says her memories are rather hazy."
   "So let me get this straight...Katerina is Fern VonHeusen's daughter. She is half vampire, half fae; and has possibly been experimented on by her father. How much more screwed up could this get?"
   "I feel as if it will get more "screwed up" as we figure out this whole story. Everyone in her family plays a major role in what happened to her growing up, it is best to treat this gently." I sifted through my thoughts for a moment.
    "How long since Fern's  death have you been watching her father?"
     "Ever since Fern got murdered. He has been our prime suspect this whole time but we haven't had enough evidence to convict him of anything since we have no official laws about testing on other species."
    "Let me guess, you want me to investigate Katerina's side of the story?" 
    "You catch on fast Alec. When you do figure out her side, don't pressure her on it, this affects her more than anyone..."  He cut himself off quickly.
      He's not telling me something. He probably knows the whole story. But why does he want me to figure it out. Probably has something to do with the bond he may or may not mention he saw in this conversation. But I respect the masters privacy, so I don't question anything else.
    Instead I ask "Is that all?"
    "Yes Alec, you may leave." A small smile plays on his lips, as if there was more to tell, which I knew there was. I stood up out of the black leather chair and walked out the large wood door.
      I let my thoughts wander as I walked back to the lounge for the newborns. Katerina sat alone by the fire place. The fire burned so bright that it made her dark red hair look as if it was glowing. She was facing away from me, her attention was locked on the flames. As if on cue she turned her attention towards me and gave me a small smile that sent a spark through my undead body.
   "Jane said to wait for you here." She spoke quietly. I nodded slowly and walked towards her.
    "Have you been to your room yet?" She nodded.
     "Yeah. I put my stuff in there but then Andi and Caleb brought me back here and we talked to everyone else for a while so we could get to know each other a little better."
    "That's good. I'm sure after you all finish training you'll be very close."
    "I hope so. Everyone seems nice here."
      Oh yes, we are all very nice people here. We just occasionally rip each other's throats out (literally) and threaten to rip each other's limbs off. Oh we are such nice people.
    "Can you bring me back to my room?" She questioned. "I get lost when I try to find it myself. That's why Jane sent me back here."
    "Of course." I told her. She stood up cheerfully and I began to lead the way to where she was staying.
     How could this girl go through those awful things Marcus told me about and still be a cheerful and nice person? Maybe that's just her exterior. Maybe she's cruel and vengeful on the inside, however I highly doubt that.
      But I do recognize the distant behavior. It's almost like she's on another planet and can fade away at a moments notice. That's how I was in my newborn years as well. Let's just hope she doesn't turn out like I did.
     You never know what this place will do to people...