Chapter 7

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My search for Jessica leads me to the laundry room, where I find her loading the washing machine.  “Hello ma’am, did you sleep well?” she asks.

“Yes, thank you.  What is the schedule for this evening?”  She gives me a blank look, the wheels in her mind turning, trying to process my question.  “You said there is a council meeting this evening, did you not,” I remind her.

“Oh! Yes!  I’m sorry.  The council is scheduled to meet at 8 pm at the Aritza residence to discuss a proposal put forth by Mr. Tafani.”

Great! This is just great! I think to myself.  Jack, the bane of my existence, has submitted his petition to the only council member that will even bother to hear him out and yet, has the most influence.  Aurelio Aritza, our clan leader,  is the oldest of the progenitors in the clan and the direct descendant of Eneko Aritza, the first king of Pamplona.  Not many dare argue with him.  For some inexplicable reason, he actually likes Jack, which is one of the two reasons he is still alive after changing me without first obtaining the council’s permission.  The other reason is because I turned out to be a progenitor, a stroke of luck that seemed to have further sealed his bond with Aurelio.

While it is possible for a vampire of any ilk to create another vampire, doing so without the permission of the progenitor council is an offense punishable by death.  When it was discovered that Jack had changed me without prior consent, it was Aurelio who protected him and appealed to the council.  I was summoned to appear before them at his trial and as soon as they saw my eyes, they knew there was no way they would be able to reason with Aurelio in order to punish Jack.  Aurelio then looked upon Jack as if he were a reverent being who had any influence on my being a progenitor.

With the council meeting at Aurelio’s residence, this means that whatever Jack is proposing will be approved with little protest.  The meeting is pretty much just a formality at this point.  

So why didn’t Jack just got to Aurelio in the first place, you may ask.  The reason is simple.  Jack will use any opportunity to worm his way back into my life.  And when that fails, he never misses the chance to present himself to Aurelio as a victim, hoping to wedge a gap between me and Aurelio.

I return to my room, put on some music and sulk for a while before I have to get ready.  A few minutes later, Gwen comes looking for me and finds me still lying on my bed.  “What’s wrong with you?” she asks, noting my funky mood.

“I have a council meeting tonight thanks to Jack.  Apparently he took his ‘big lead’ to Aurelio after I wouldn’t hear him out.”  She rolls her eyes and lies across the bottom of my bed.

After a moment of silence, she turns on her side and says, “So, I heard you went out to visit your friend from the other night.”

“That Jessica sure has a big mouth.”

“So what else is new?  That girl couldn’t keep a secret if her life depended on it.  She thrives on gossip more than she does blood.  But don’t try to change the subject…  What prompted this visit?”

“You mean Jessica didn’t tell you every last detail?” I tease.  I get up and walk over to the desk, taking Jonathan’s letter out of the drawer where I put it the night before.  I climb back onto the bed and hand the letter to Gwen.  She reads it and bursts out laughing; not the reaction I was expecting.  “What’s so funny?”

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