WitchBite

The Bath

 "I'm cursing the fucking lot of them! I'm gonna do it! Mom, where are my candles!?" Victoria was fuming, storming from room to room, shouting, bellowing her vengeful anger to the world. Everyone assumed it was the furious blatherings of an absurdly angry young woman, that was until she started pulling all forms of spell work out of the various cabinets, draws, wicker baskets and bowls that lay around the house. Still no one reacted when she sprawled them out messily at the table, proclaiming her declarations of vengeance and shaking her fist to the sky, it was rather comical until she actually lit the candle and Aunt Janet intervened, stubbing it out despite her protests.

"Grow up, Victoria. Come along, there's more important things to take care of" She'd soothe in her sweet tone. My father hadn't said a word since escorting our guests out the door. He'd made a few phone calls, undoubtedly to the wolf alpha, but in general hadn't said a word save for a glance of caution towards Victoria.

I felt abandoned ever so slightly, even if I tried to justify in some way his behaviour. Or rather, lack there of, towards me. Shouldn't he say something now that it had been done? Should he not at least look at me? His son?

Auntie Janet practically wrestled me into the warm waters of the healing pool the manor kept. The cool wet stone was a reflection of the house' much older, Roman, history. Four pillars rose up to support the weight of the ceiling, the rest of the house lying above it.

"Stupid boy. Why didn't you say anything?" She'd tut, sprinkling all manner of ingredients into the water, turning it more into a broth or soup than a bath.

"Come along, you haven't got anything I haven't seen before!" She'd proclaim as she ordered me to undress, which I vehemently refused to do so in front of her. She was intimidating for someone so short, standing just slightly above five foot one, the golden curls of her hair framed a rounded face, creased with many years of smiling and laughter. The soft blue of her eyes seemed to coil with the intangible pull of the ocean that one would feel when staring into it's depths, and it only ever felt welcoming. I'd never once seen her angry. When we were children, we used to believe that Auntie Janet was a spirit of hearth and home bound to the manor. I'd never question her, or bring up her past, but she didn't seem related by blood to anyone who lived here, and she'd always been here for as long as I can remember.

With some final pleading persuasion to let me retain what dignity I cruelly allowed myself to believe I still had, Auntie Janet left. Placing a gentle hand on the side of my cheek, I winced pre-emptively, only to find it did not hurt in the slightest. It was cooling and welcome. She pulled my head down so that she could plant a strawberry scented kiss on my forehead, which I allowed; unashamedly grateful for the contact and affection, calling out a genuine "Thanks, Auntie" as she smiled lovingly in return before leaving.

I dis-robed rubbing a nervous hand along my chest as I stared at the water that coiled steady curls of steam from its surface. The leaves and pods Auntie had placed, danced a mesmerising waltz atop the gentle ripples that formed as I stepped into its warm embrace, immediately sinking to the shoulders with a shiver. It felt good, my back tensing momentarily before it shuddered into a layer of relaxation, I stared at the ceiling. The reflection of light, criss-crossing its way across the surface. I got lost in its pretty patterns for a while. Dreaming of far away places and unlikely scenarios. For just a moment, I forgot all that had happened in the passed week, focusing on the nothing and the now. Of the tingling sensation in my shoulders as the warmth of the pool snaked its way upwards, of the depth of the water, and how it never ceased to surprise me.

With a sullen breath, a final acceptance of whatever may come, I slipped beneath the surface of the water. My eyes shutting out all light as I fell into it's embrace, as it wrapped itself around me with all the comfort of the sun at dusk on a summers day. My fingers slipped through my hair while it floated above me, free to explore with all the aplomb of sea plants tickled by its gentle currents. I creaked my eyes open, relishing ever so slightly the tamed sting it had when they made contact with its murky atmosphere.

I saw a silhouette peeking from the surface. It's shadow just barely visible as I pushed upwards to meet it.

It was Victoria, and she stepped backwards as I surfaced. Leaning my chin on my arms as I hooked them on the concrete edge, watching her inquisitively.

"You look better." She said, her voice a surprising restraint from the utter fury of before, but I could still hear the anger there. Bubbling violently in shallow waters, her will was the only thing stopping it from bursting into a molten stream of revenge that would burn all in her wake to cinders. I was surprised, and a little bit frightened seeing her like this. When Victoria felt something, she felt it there and then in its entirety. She felt it so strongly, and almost never looked to what her reactions could do in the future. It made her fun, spontaneous, and utterly trustworthy. Even if it was abit like working with an already lit firework.

"Thanks..." I whispered, as she sat down. Crossing her legs and folding her dress in between them.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, catching my eyes with a look of confusion and worry as she undoubtedly began internalising all the reasons she shouldn't.

"It literally happened a few hours ago." I said "I got attacked. Survived. Panicked. And now we're here, there wasn't really enough time... V? What's going on?"

"What's going on? You were attacked, almost killed! That's what's going on" She cried throwing her arms up in the air dramatically. I gave her a knowing look. There was something she wasn't telling me. Something that was eating away at her. I'd known it from the moment of her reaction when I first told her about Aramis almost definitely being a Vampire.

She turned her head downwards as she picked at nothing in particular in an attempt to distract herself. I reached one of my hands outwards, stretching it to place gently on her exposed knee in a comforting manner.

"It's okay, you can tell me" I reassured trying to meet her gaze once more.

"Why didn't I know, V? Why did you sense it, all those other times too with the cunning? You felt it. You felt the threat coming days before it happened... I didn't even know you'd had your face caved in until an hour ago. You sensed that Aramis was a Vampire from a single, albeit intimate, touch. Yet all the times I hugged him, which was a lot that night, and I didn't even get a whiff of foul play. Nothing." Victoria explained, looking solely and utterly defeated. Like her lack of knowledge was what got me hurt in the first place. All I could do in response was shrug with a sorry look upon my face, pulling my arm back to better support my weight on the side of the pool.

"Maybe its because they weren't, or aren't, a threat to you?" I questioned

"Maybe..." She seemed to like that response, despite it being fairly obvious that she didn't believe it.

"You've always been more of a charmer, V. You've never worried about where you are or who's around you. Unlike me who's constantly worried unless I'm shut in my room" I smiled as she smiled in return.

She pulled me into a tight hug as I wrapped my arms around shoulders, lifting myself almost fully out the water. We squeezed each other tightly, enjoying the moment of each others embrace and comfort, before she allowed me to slip back into the water.

"You need more time in that water. Your face still looks horrible" She grinned, shielding her face as I splashed a torrent of water in her direction, scowling at her as I did so, watching as she laughed and headed for the door to leave me alone. "Love you, V" She called back.

"Love you too, V" I replied, falling under once more.