The Enchanted

Chapter-22

I sighed and raised my hand to knock at the door of Ethan's manor again. He was right- I did have a lot of questions and I did need to talk to somebody to get my mind off things. Elara opened the gate, beaming at me and looking as gorgeous as ever. 

"Adriana!" she squealed. "I didn't think you would come." 

"You always say that," I said, smiling back at her and stepping inside out of the cold. "So, is Ethan here?" 

She looks at me slyly.

"He'll be here soon," she said giving me a knowing smile. I just sighed. She lead the way to her bedroom which I'd seen last time. It was lavender themed with expensive-looking clothes lying all over the floor. Grabbing an armful of them, she threw them on an already overflowing chair.

As she bent to pick up more stuff from the ground, I noticed a red diamond-shaped pendant hanging from her neck. It was breathtakingly blood red and gleamed as it caught the light. I found myself staring at it until she got back up again. 

We sat down on her bed and she leaned forward. 

"So, Ethan tells me you found out about our… little secret," she said, looking at me with her blue eyes. 

"How are you feeling about it?" 

"I am having a hard time believing it actually." I smiled slightly. 

"Well, I actually felt some sort of magical presence around you too, the day we met at the party," she said frowning at me. "That's why I invited you to dinner." 

I stared at her, my heart pounding. Had she discovered my secret? Oh, I was so stupid. Why had I attended that dinner? 

Elara was staring at me curiously. 

"It was nothing like I'd ever felt before." she continued. "I'm actually pretty good at scenting magical blood." 

She smiled. 

"Even though it seems I was mistaken, at least I found a good friend." 

I smiled at her weakly. 

"So you can sense magical blood?" 

"Not everyone can. It's sort of like an extra skill- you've to learn it. Most people just don't bother." 

"So, can Ethan?" 

"No." 

I took in a deep breath. I was safe for now. 

"I heard there are other paranormal creatures here," I said to change the topic. 

"Oh, yes," she said, leaning back. "The paranormal activity here is an all-time high- which is why it's always so cold here." 

 I bit my lip and blurted out the question which I'd been wanting to ask her badly. 

"Ethan told me that most people know about you- does that include Sabrina?" 

"Oh, yes. She's really sweet. We've known her since ages- she even volunteered to give me blood when I fell sick." 

"She volunteered?" I echoed. "How long ago was this?" 

"A few weeks ago." 

I'd been in town when Sabrina had given Elara blood. I remembered when she had snapped at Caleb and said she had a cold. She'd acted strangely and refused to take off her scarf. She'd known all along and instead of telling me the truth, she'd made up some stupid zombie story. Then she'd stood me up. I really didn't feel like trusting her now.  Why had she lied to me? 

"You got sick?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. 

She sighed. 

"Poisoned, more like. I was um, feeding on this rabbit who had been poisoned. It tasted so terrible, I immediately threw it away but still some traces of it entered my system."

So that was what had crashed against my car on my first day back. Another mystery solved. As for why it had disappeared so quickly, I assumed Ethan had removed it. 

"I think I should tell you the whole story since you already know this much," she said. "The wolves poisoned some grass which in turn poisoned the animals in the area. They hate us." 

"Why?" 

"It's an old feud. Our ancestors apparently took over their lands and made them our own, leaving wolves with only a small patch of land to call their own. They are still angry with us." 

"Why not give them some?" I asked carefully, not wanting to upset her. 

"We've tried. But they don't want our 'leftovers' as they call it. Neither do they want our pity? They want to earn back what's theirs by scattering our blood across those very lands." 

"That's…intense," I said. 

She gave me a small smile. 

"They just keep fighting us all the time."

I remembered the fight at the petrol station. It all made sense now, even though the look on Ethan's face still haunted me. 

Elara had made some pizza and by the time we finished it, it had gotten pretty dark. I decided to head home. Elara hugged me and told me to come again. I liked her. She was really nice and not snobby like I'd expected. I bit my lip, hovering about. I wondered if I should ask her the question I most wanted to. Perhaps, I was feeling reckless because I blurted it out. 

"Um, Elara? The day I met Ethan, I saw a hand in his car..." 

She looked at me.

"I'd been feeling really sick after that rabbit so Ethan decided to get a volunteer he knew from another town. She must have fallen asleep on the way." 

"Oh, um..." 

I didn't know what to say. Elara sighed. 

"My brother isn't a kidnapper." 

"I know, I just..." 

"I understand." 

"Is he your real brother?" I asked, feeling reckless again. 

She looked straight at me and said- 

"He means more to me than a real brother could ever have." 

  

There was a knock on the door and Ethan came in. He must have not seen me standing a little way off because he looked straight at his sister. 

"All those victims have been stabbed and drained of blood. The police suspect us. I tried to reason with them but I think they don't believe me." 

"So it's the work of some new vampire?" asked Elara, looking shocked. 

I felt shocked as well. 

"Drained of blood? They couldn't have been..." I murmured. Maybe they'd been drained after my dreams ended. 

Ethan looked at me curiously. 

"How do you know that?"

I'd spoken out loud! I felt horrified. 

"Um, I don't…I have to go," I said, opening the door. Shivering, I ran out into the dark night.