Thicker Than Water....

Chapter 7 - Aftermath

I sat and cried for well over an hour after I had banished Kula.  A multitude of emotions flowed through me - grief, anger, fear, serenity, anger, sorrow, grief, anger, fear....on and on the cycle went.  I had the most traumatic event in my life to come, my parents funerals and yet, the predominant concern I seemed to be dwelling on was the conversation I had just had with Kula.

Ghoul? Vampire?  What on earth did she think she was doing when she spun that yarn?  I thought her insensitive, considering my circumstances.  Yet, hadn't I wanted these nightmares to be dealt with in some fashion, practically all my life?  Professionals had failed at their attempts to unravel the mystery, but I had never viewed them as inconsiderate or discourteous or useless or anything bad at all.  So why, when this woman had been nothing but generous, kind and loving towards me since the day I met her, did I now resent her?  I pondered over her words, "bound to you".  What did that mean? Connected? Tied? Related?  I shook with frustration.  My brain was in over-drive.  I needed to relax, get my head together. I decided a long, hot bath might help me unwind.

I was careful to lock the front and back doors before I headed upstairs to the bathroom.  I didn't want any unexpected visitors again.  I turned on the taps and  added a generous dollop of lotus-flower bubble-bath before I moved through to my bedroom.  There, I shrugged out of my clothes and put on my dressing gown.  I'd just finished tying up my hair in an unruly knot, when the phone rang.  I padded over to the bedside table and looked at the number on my caller-display.  It was Ian, the solicitor.  He worked fast, I thought.

   "Hello Ian."

   "Sienna.  How you bearing up?"

   "As well as can be expected," I lied.

   "That's good then."   He proceeded to tell me that the funerals were taking place in three days time.  He'd made all the necessary calls and finalised the arrangements.  I thanked him.  He continued to inform me that I was sole heir to my parents estate and as such, would be a rather well-off young lady. This, I already knew, as my parents had never been ones to shield me from the subject of mortality.  They had told me that in the event of their passing, I would be OK, financially at least.  It sounded cold though, coming from Ian.  No doubt he would be rubbing his own hands, thinking of the cut he was going to get by doing all the work.  I had never liked the man.  He personified the  stereotypical solicitor.  Business first, second and last.  My parents had liked him well enough though, so I suppose I had to find some value in that.  He rounded up the conversation by telling me he'd see me at the funerals.  Then with a speedy goodbye, terminated the call.  "Presumptuous swine," I muttered.  Then I kicked myself.  I should have asked about the adoption revelation.  Why had he so callously dropped that bomb-shell on me yesterday? 

I jolted as I remembered I had been running a bath.  I reached it just in time, it was almost overflowing.  A quick adjustment with the bath-plug soon sorted that.  I let my dressing gown fall to the floor, and in I stepped .  It was blissful!   I listened to the bubbles softly popping around me, accompanied by a rhthymic drip-drip, drip-drip from the taps.  Water music, I mused.  Steam wafted, looped and danced in time to the score. Closing my eyes, I felt my body losing all its tension, surrendering to the aroma of the lotus-flowers' perfume.  "Heaven," I sighed.

   "I can't  guarantee you that," said a deep, softly- accented voice. 

My eyes shot open.  There, leaning on the edge of the bath, was the dark angel from my dream.  His eyes twinkled and his lips... oh those lips..., smiled so sweetly.  To cover my modesty,  I pulled myself tightly to the side of the bath, bubbles spilling and  erupting over the side onto the floor.  Steam surged, becoming denser, higher , creating an opaque wall in front of me. 

Then, just as suddenly as it had formed, it vanished, leaving only  the transparent soft wisps of vapour in its wake.   I blinked rapidly.  He had disappeared too.  Had that really  just happened?  Or had I, as I suspected, dozed off into a dream?  Either way, my heart-rate had just went through the roof again.