Sacrum

Sacrum

Chapter 15

"Walk me through all the ways one can kill a vampire, Dani," Vinicius had asked me once during our lessons. "And by kill, I do mean eternally extinguish. We are, after all, already dead," he said, tapping his pen on his desk pensively.

"There are five known methods. Sunlight, silver, wood, fire, and decapitation," I stated eagerly. So much of the time I had spent with Vinicius centered on discussing lofty ideas about good and evil and humans and vampires, that if was refreshing to talk about something a bit more gory for a change.

"Good. Now please do indulge me by telling me more details about each method," he encouraged.

"If a vampire is not taking Block D, the easiest way to kill them is with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight," I recited from memory. "Using silver is another method, though less ideal than sunlight or wood. First, you need to have pure silver. Second, you'd need to have a lot of it. One silver bullet to the heart will not kill a vampire, but will slow down their healing quite a bit. But, a wooden stake through the heart is another story. A wooden stake ensures instantaneous death," I went on.

"Good, very good. How about fire and decapitation?" Vinicius asked.

"Fire, similarly to silver, is a tricky way to kill a vampire because our healing process is so incredibly fast. In order to kill a vampire with fire, they'd have to be stuck inside of it for a rather long period of time, enough to beat the speed of healing. Lastly, there is decapitation. Tearing off a vampire's head is another method to kill them."

"Indeed. And which method do you think is best, Dani?"

"Well, one cannot undermine our strength and our healing power, therefore it's always best to use at least a mix of two. For example, if you tear off the head, you might want to also burn the body and the head, separately of course."

What would Vinicius say now if he saw his close friend decapitated in such a brutal spectacle? Somebody was intent on killing Eric Van Sant by using two different methods. Somebody was sending some sort of message-a message I had yet to decode.

"Let's go back in," Vincent urged, grabbing me by the arm. I shook him off, unable to move away from my spot. "Dani, it's not safe out here," he whispered in an angry tone, but I didn't listen.

Eric Van Sant was my last lifeline, my only hope. With him gone, I was completely alone. More and more students continued to pile out in order to glimpse the terror that awaited outside.

I approached his body, hoping to at least shield him from the terrified onlookers. But the sight of his remains made me sick to my stomach, and I was worried about throwing up blood in front of everyone. Then I saw that there was a white piece of paper slightly sticking out from his pocket. I gently knelt down next to his lower half and took off my white button up, then covered his remains, while slipping the paper from his pocket into my hand.

Suddenly, Boeriella Trusting walked out into the back yard with two security guards. For a split second, her face revealed absolute horror at the sight of the dismembered body, and I thought she would start screaming like many of the other female students had. But very quickly she recovered and jumped into administrative mode.

"Dani, please go wait for me in my office," she said to me in a stern tone, as I was the closest one to the body. "Everyone else, please immediately go into the auditorium until we can secure the school," she declared, then added, "Now!" and students slowly began moving back into the building. I saw Laura and Angelo give me a small wave before walking back in. I realized that they probably didn't know it was Eric Van Sant's body on the ground.

Trusting turned to the security guards, "Wait until Deadnus arrives, then move the body inside before daylight comes." They nodded swiftly.

I shoved the paper deep into my pocket and made my way to her office. Vincent followed me.

"Where were you when this happened?" I asked, not looking back at him.

"I wasn't here," he replied, irritating my nerves further.

"Did you do it?" I asked point blank. I was tired of going around in circles. My body was simmering with rage.

"Did I do what?" His voice was cold and devoid of any feeling. This was a side of Vincent I hadn't experienced.

"Did you kill him? Did you kill Eric Van Sant?" He looked at me for a long while before answering.

"I don't know who that is."

"The vampire slaughtered outside of our school. His name was Eric Van Sant and he was a friend of Vinicius and the closest thing to family I had left," I replied with passion. Vincent seemed to soften.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you knew him," he replied. His tone was kinder.

"Answer me, was it you?" He exhaled, trying to hold his temper together.

"You think I murdered a vampire right outside our school, then waltzed back in, found you, and pretended everything was hunky dory?" He asked.

"I don't know, maybe you thought I'd be a good alibi. The writing on the wall...it was Romanian," I said. He rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you forgot, but we're vampires. I doubt I'm the only one with Romanian roots or capable of speaking the language at a vampire high school," he replied bitterly.

"What does it mean? The message-there is no rebirth?" He shrugged.

"I don't know, Dani," he replied.

"You know everything!" I raised my voice. "Just be honest and tell me what you know Vincent. Stop all this nonsense, I can't do the lies and omissions anymore."

"It's just wild rumors. Impossible to be true. I'm not going to repeat them to you," he stated, making me want to tear the hair out of my head. But as I reached Trusting's office, I realized this wasn't the time or the place.

"You better go so Trusting doesn't see us together," I said, and he seemed like he wanted to argue, but I didn't give him the chance. I opened the door and closed it before he could utter another word.

Thankfully, Trusting wasn't too far behind me.

"Are you okay Dani?" She asked as soon as she saw me.

"I'm fine. I just...what's going on?"

"I know only as much as you do, unfortunately. Arani Deadnus is on the way. She might want to question you, seeing as you were in contact with Dr. Van Sant recently."

"How could this have happened on school grounds?" I asked.

"I have no idea," she said, sitting down at her desk. For the first time ever, she seemed less self-assured.

"Who would want to hurt him? And what was that written on the wall?" I asked her, and she seemed to almost wince.

"I'm not sure," she replied, not looking me in the eye. Nobody had any answers, it seemed.

"What's going to happen now?"

"We'll go room by room, make sure the school is secure."

"And then?"

"I don't know yet, Dani. Listen, is there anything significant that Dr. Van Sant told you in your last meeting? Anything that would give us any clues as to why this happened?"

I thought back to how jumpy and paranoid he seemed in the cabin. Yes, he was terrified of something...or someone. He said there was something evil stirring out there, and that Deadnus was following him and everyone close to Vinicius to find out more about his 'suicide', or more accurately, about who killed him. Something suddenly clicked in my head. Whoever killed Vinicius was the same vampire that killed Van Sant. It had to be.

I looked at Trusting. She was waiting for an answer.

"No, we had a normal conversation in the cafeteria. That's all," I lied. I couldn't trust anyone with this information. I had to figure it out on my own. She nodded, disappointed.

"Okay, well go join the other students in the auditorium until we search every last bit of the school."

Vincent was still outside the door, waiting for me.

"If Deadnus sees us together we'll both be toast," I complained, walking away.

"I don't give a damn about Deadnus. If you think I'm leaving you alone when there's a vampire hunter on the loose at our school, you've clearly lost your mind." I was too tired to argue with him. "When was the last time you saw him?" he asked, referring to Van Sant.

"Recently," I replied.

"And you didn't tell me?" his tone revealed a note of displeasure. I turned around to face him.

"It's not like you tell me everything," I said.

"So it's a tit for tat game you're playing? You think it's smart to conceal things from me?" He asked, making my hand itch. The boy truly deserved a slap in the face.

"At this point in time I can't trust you, Vincent. So yes, I do think it's smart." His body stiffened and his face became unreadable.

"What did he tell you when you last saw him?"

"Why should I tell you?" I asked stubbornly.

"Because I want to figure out who killed him just as bad as you," he stated.

"He was super paranoid. He felt like he was being followed. He thought...he thought Vinicius was murdered." Vincent just nodded. I felt the heat of betrayal spread over me.

"You knew?" I asked, and my own tone scared me.

"I've heard some...rumors. Again, I didn't want to upset you by repeating them," he said but it was too late.

"You absolute jerk!" I yelled.

"Dani, I'm sorry," he muttered, looking apologetic.

"Stay away from me," I ordered.

"Dani," he said, grabbing me by the shoulder. Suddenly he yelped out in pain. I turned around to see him examining his hand. I had accidentally burned him. Again, my gift had kicked in unintentionally. He looked at me with surprise in his eyes. Like he didn't think I was capable of ever doing that to him.

"I just need some space," I said, feeling like an idiot. I didn't want to physically hurt Vincent, no matter how upset I was with him.

I hurried to the auditorium and found Laura and Angelo. We quietly discussed everything that happened, but it was hard to do with Kyle nearby. Suddenly, I felt wrath making its way through my body, and right away I knew that Arani Deadnus was nearby. Almost as if on cue, Trusting and Deadnus appeared on the stage in front of us.

"Students of Baritone, I understand tonight was a terrifying experience for all of us. The security of the school was breached in an absolutely unforgivable manner, and you were exposed to a brutal scene outside of our school walls. The American Protection League is working diligently to figure out how this all happened," she said, looking in Deadnus' direction. "In the meantime, every room within our walls has been searched and secure for the night. You can rest easy tonight. However, in light of this tragic event, and as we find new ways to ensure nothing like that ever takes place at Baritone High School again, tomorrow we will be contacting your parents so that you can all safely go home and begin your winter break early this year."

I looked at Laura and Angelo as they smiled and hugged each other with excitement. Of course everyone was happy about getting more free time and getting to see their families for the holidays. I would be the only one staying behind and counting the days until the Specials Summit.

We made our way back to our rooms and my friends both gave me their addresses and phone numbers, in case I had to contact them during the break.

"Listen Dani, just be yourself during the Specials Summit. That's all you can do," Laura said as she hugged me tightly.

"Thank you," I said, feeling overwhelming sadness. I would have done anything to trade my fate with that of a regular student who had a family to go to.

Back in my room, with no prying eyes on me, I finally reached into my pocket and fished out the letter I took from Eric. It was short, and I knew the handwriting by hart. The beautiful cursive penmanship belonged to Vinicius.

"Dearest Eric,

Remember, as I depart, that these things are true.

Everything rests on the shoulders of the boy.

Before the revolution starts, he must be born.

Inside him, there is a key.

Rebels start revolutions, so that they can die free men.

To my dearest of friends, I hope you smile as you read this

old phrase of ours:

Home is the place without shackles, to which you return time

and time again, at your own free will.

Yours, V

My mind raced with about a million thoughts. Why did every new piece of information I received seemed like another piece of an unsolvable puzzle. I had the prophecy, and now this? However, there was a connection. I grabbed my dream notebook and turned to the page where I wrote down the prophecy.

Yes, there it was, clear as day. "The one with a beating heart is the only chance." There was one commonality between the prophecy and Vinicius' letter: a boy. A boy with a beating heart who had not yet been born. He was a key to a revolution of some sort. Against what exactly? Whatever Vincent was planning? The government? It couldn't be possible, Vinicius worked for the government.

Also, Vinicius spoke of departing in his letter. Did he know that his life was in imminent danger? Did he know he was going to die? All the questions I could have asked Eric, but he was no longer here to answer them.

I went over all the information for hours, until my brain felt like it was going to explode. I couldn't get any sleep. I felt like I was finally starting to put some things together. If only I had more information.

In the morning, Vincent stopped by my room to swap blood juices one last time before he left for the holidays. I didn't tell him about the letter.

"Will you be staying with your mom?" I asked, deciding to be cordial since I wouldn't be able to see him for quite some time.

"Yes," he replied. There were a lot of unspoken words in that one word, but I let them be. It wasn't the time for fights and bickering.

"It's going to be strange here without you," I said, drinking my juice.

"Will you do something for me when I'm gone?" He asked, mesmerizing me with his beautiful and deep eyes.

I nodded like a child.

"Try to survive the Specials Summit without burning anyone to death," he said, and his lip quivered with a smile.

My childish helplessness was replaced by annoyance as I glared at him.

"Enjoy your holidays, Vincent," I snapped.

He gently grabbed me by the arm, as if to make sure I wasn't going to burn him again.

"I'm going to miss you, Dani," he said, and gently skimmed his nose against mine, then tenderly placed a kiss on my lips, making me forget all the ways in which I was angry with him.

After he left, I went by to say my final goodbyes to Angelo and Laura. The hallways of Baritone High School were quickly beginning to empty, leaving me with a strange and nostalgic feeling. They all had a place where they belonged-a home. I was all alone.

I was grateful for one thing only: the fact that Deadnus did not find me and question me about Eric Van Sant's death. Another confrontation with her, and Vincent's words might have came true. Because I was sure that the feelings Deadnus brought out in me could cause me to accidentally burn someone to death.

The next days were incredibly lonely. Most of the students and faculty had all gone back home. Only security and some of the teaching staff remained behind. I wandered through the hallways of Baritone on my own. The place seemed more massive than usual without the students. All traces of Eric Van Sant's death were scrubbed from existence. The spray painting on the wall had been cleaned off.

Exhausted from practicing my gift and walking around aimlessly, I went to mine and Vincent's lodge, and fell asleep.

Suddenly, I was back in the now familiar cozy living room, and there was Melinda Moretti in front of me. She was sipping on a cup of tea.

"Ah, there you are," she exclaimed cheerfully upon seeing me. "I was waiting for you."

"You were?" I asked surprised.

"Mhm," she nodded and took another sip of tea.

"Are you...real?" I asked. She chuckled.

"Of course," she replied.

"But how?" I asked.

"It's slightly complicated to explain."

"So, why am I here?"

"You had a question to ask me," she replied patiently.

"I did...yes. The writing on the wall." She nodded.

"It was a message," she said.

"Yes, it was definitely a message. Who was it for?" She smiled softly.

"You, of course."

"Me?" She nodded.

"Who else?"

"Who did it?"

"That, I do not know," she replied regretfully.

"What does it mean?"

"It means they are very scared."

"Of what?" I asked. She put down the porcelain tea cup and folded her hands neatly in her lap.

"They are scared of the revolution."

Before I could ask another question, I was awake.

"Dammit!" I grabbed my notebook and started writing it all down. I had to have it on paper, otherwise I would completely forget the details. Frustrated and on edge from going too long without having my blood juice, I left my room and made my way over to the cafeteria. Perhaps some form of sustenance would help my brain decode all that happened.

The last thing I was expecting to see when I walked into the cafeteria, was a girl levitating. But there she was, up in the air, twirling her plaid skirt and laughing with a childlike giddiness.

"Spin me!" She cheered to someone down below. It was a skinny tall boy, whose eyes followed her every move. I figured I was once again having one of my crazy dreams. But then the pretty girl looked at me and spoke.

"Oh, Antoine put me down, there's our host!" The description threw me for a loop. I looked behind me, but there was nobody there. Almost everyone from school had gone back home for Christmas. She was definitely talking to me.

She gently floated down towards the skinny boy, as I stood watching in amazement.

"You must be Daniele," she called out, running towards me as soon as her feet hit the pavement. "But I heard you like to be called Dani." She had a lovely and sweet round face, the type older woman loved to pinch and squeeze.

"Uh, that's right," I replied, still trying to process the situation.

"I'm Maurizia, and this is Antoine," she said, introducing herself and her companion. "We're so happy to finally meet you!" She clasped her arms around my neck and drew me in for a sweet hug. It finally dawned on me that I was meeting Rebecca De Rossi's Special, Maurizia Tocci, as well as Francesca Normani's protŽgŽ, Antoine Debesse. His gift was psychokinesis- hence the no-gravity summersaults I had just witnessed Maurizia performing.

When she was done, Antoine stretched out his hand to greet me. "It's an honor," he said.

"Likewise," I muttered after a moment. "How...how do you guys know each other?" I asked. They seemed to have a tight bond already.

"Our mentors are close friends," Antoine revealed. "I'd often visit Maurizia in Italy during the summer. And sometimes she'd come see me in France. Professor Normani thought it would be good for our growth to have each other to lean on." How thoughtful. I felt something stir in the bottom of my stomach. Was it envy? Was I jealous that these two had each other all these years, while Vinicius kept me mostly isolated from the world?

"Do you know the other two Specials?" I asked.

"Unfortunately not. Professor Altieri and Professor Maratoni have their own particular ways of doing things, as I'm sure you already know," Antoine replied. I nodded. Then he added, "But we did have the amazing privilege of meeting Dr. Valentini a few brief times." Once again, I was left reeling. Why didn't Vinicius think to bring me along on these trips? I would have loved to have met the other Specials and talked to them about our particular gifts. It would have made me feel less alone in the world.

"Dani, we want you to know how sorry we are about what happened to him. We can't imagine how you must feel," Maurizia said, taking my hand into her small ones. Her big and trusting green eyes suddenly made me feel softer and less angry. I nodded, unable to form the right words.

"I wasn't expecting you guys this early," I said, changing the subject.

"Oh yes, the official Summit day is when State officials will be here. But the powers that be decided to let us have some time together beforehand to bond, you know? Since we are all going to be working together for the greater good very soon, we might as well get to know one another better."

"Right, absolutely," I agreed.

"We've been dying to meet you, Dani," she continued in her chipper tone. "We've heard so much about you!"

"Erm, from who, exactly?" I asked and they both chuckled.

"From Dr. Valentini, of course. He said you were a wonderful student. Inquisitive, bright, and most importantly that you had a beautiful heart. The Golden One, he called you," she recalled, "It makes sense now, your hair! May I?" She asked, referring to my blonde locks. I nodded, and she gently ran her head through my hair. "So soft," she said, and I laughed.

"We got here not too long ago. Would you mind giving us a quick tour of the school, Dani?" Antoine asked.

"Oh yes, of course! Sorry, I'm a terrible host," I mumbled.

"No, no you're wonderful," Maurizia said.

I showed them around Baritone High School as we continued getting to know each other. When we finally got back to the cafeteria, there were two new guests awaiting. Luciana Elise, Aurori Altieri's Special, had shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes that quickly scanned our faces and seemed to form their own judgements.

The vampire next to her was incredibly tall and proportionally muscular, and already had a good amount of facial hair covering his square jaw. His face was stone cold, and I knew right away that he was Demetrius Algano-Maratoni's Special. His features looked like they were carved out of marble. He was a vampire statue. A very handsome vampire statue.

I turned my eyes away, feeling embarrassed by my own thoughts.

Maurizia and Antoine seemed to rely on me as the host to introduce us all, so I approached the two new arrivals with as much friendliness as I could muster.

"You must be Luciana," I said, extending my hand to the brown-haired girl. She looked at me with a slight hint of revulsion, but politely shook my hand. "This is Maurizia and Antoine," I introduced my two new friends. While they said their hellos, I moved on to the stone- faced Demetrius.

He seemed to snicker as he saw me approach him. What else could I expect from Maratoni's Special, after all. But since Maurizia and Antoine were counting on me to be a good host, I decided to play my part.

"I'm Dani," I said, introducing myself. He snickered again, and I felt my hand twitch in nerves. We stood there face to face, looking at each other for a brief while before he spoke in a low tone of voice.

"I know who you are. You have Vinicius written all over you, Golden Boy," he replied, then chuckled to himself and looked away from me. He spoke with a curiously heavy accent. Maratoni was an American Mentor-how the hell did Demetrius have an accent?

"Don't speak his name like you were friends," I admonished him.

"Who says we weren't?" He said, shocking me.

"Were you?" I asked, sounding stupid.

"No, I only met him a few times," he replied.

"Where's the accent from?" I asked, ignoring his overall rudeness. He looked back at me, and studied my face for a moment, as if judging if I was worth his answer. It turned out I was.

"Russia. Maratoni had me trained there as a child. Never could lose the accent," he replied.

"Why Russia out of all places?"

"If you're asking why not all of us had the privilege of being raised in the cushy private Valentini Academy, the answer is I don't know," he replied as if I was a pest with annoying questions.

"Hello Demetrius, I'm Maurizia and this is Antoine," Maurizia politely introduced them, seeing as I was standing there being useless. He shook their hands with a swiftness. Everyone seemed to look at me to tell them what to do next.

"Right, well, I know you all have traveled far to get here. Why don't I find Headmistress Trusting and show you to your rooms?" I offered.

"Oh, Dani, we've already been assigned our rooms upon our arrival," Maurizia said cheerfully, and Demetrius snickered again. I was ready to smack him.

"Good, good," I said nervously.

"Well, should we go get some rest and then catch up tomorrow?" I asked.

"Sounds like a plan," Antoine answered, giving me a friendly pat on the back. Demetrius was the first to leave without saying as much as goodbye. Maratoni's boy through and through, I thought.

"What's up his ass?" Luciana asked, looking after the tall vampire.

"He's probably just tired," Maurizia said in an empathetic tone of voice. Luciana rolled her eyes, empathy was not a concept she seemed to embrace easily.

"See you tomorrow," she said, and left.

"Thanks again for everything Dani, I can't wait for us all to get together tomorrow and have a fun day," Maurizia said and Antoine nodded along to the sentiment.

"Thanks for being so nice guys," I replied. "I'll try to think of some fun things for us to do tomorrow," I offered, and they smiled and left after giving me a hug.

That night I couldn't have any dreams due to a haunting scream of pain which woke me out of my slumber. Startled, I sat up in my bed. Then it happened again. A scream of pure agony. It was coming from the room next door.

Demetrius' room.

Questions and feedback can be sent to c.hendersonfic@gmail.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.