Unraveling Sarah Cresley by Marisa Maichel (best summer books .txt) 📕

"H-hello?"

"Hey, Ariella, it's me. Sorry I couldn't reach you earlier, I was...occupied. What's up?"

"Damon's a werewolf!" Honestly, I was more shocked that she figured it out.

"Huh? Is this a joke?"

"NO, it's not a joke!" She took a deep breath. It sounded like she was crying. "I n-never thought...I never believed...are all supernatural creatures real? Zombies and shit? Vampires?"

I mentally sighed. It was time to tell her.

"All right, it's time you knew the truth. Where would you like to meet up?"

"To Bean Or Not To Bean. I need a cappuccino."

~~~~~~~~~~

So that's how two hours later, I was sitting in my best human friend's favorite coffee shop, preparing to reveal a secret that I'd kept from her for so long. She showed up ten minutes late. She ordered a cappuccino and paid the cashier, then sat across from me in our usual spot. Her grey eyes were reddened from her sorrows. I'd seen Ari upset before, but she usually got over it quickly.

"I've been keeping a secret," I began. "A huge one. I didn't tell you, not because I didn't trust you, but because it was better if you didn't know. I don't want it to get out, or I'll be persecuted."

"I know you're bisexual, Reese. Everyone knows that." I chuckled.

"That's not it. I can defend myself from homophobes quite well. Better than most, in fact."

"You've built this wall around yourself. No one would dare upset you."

"That last part isn't true. Plenty of people would love to get me upset. Ariella, I'm a vampire." She froze.

"You're fucking joking."

"No, I'm not. Do you know why I never eat human food unless I must? That's why. My diet mainly consists of human blood." She gave me a disgusted look.

"I don't believe it. And your uncle and cousin?"

"They're vampires too. My uncle is much older than modern civilization. Older than Christianity on Earth. Louis himself is over three hundred years old. And yes, I knew Damon was a werewolf. He was bitten not long ago. I could tell because of his disgusting scent."

"Is your dad really your dad?"

I nodded. "Yes, Mordecai is my biological father. He and I are what's called natural-borns."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Please don't make me get into it. Basically, my parents had me the same way human children are born." I almost vomited at the thought. "Most vampires are bitten, as we have a very high infertility rate. My father, uncle, Louis, and I are considered miracles because we're all natural-borns. So naturally, most vampires would love to get their hands on me because I'm quite valuable for several reasons. I'm a vampire and a prince."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're a prince?!" I nodded again.

"Yes, I'm a prince. I kept my identity a secret because I don't want too many questions asked and I want to be treated the same as anybody else. The vampire world has a hierarchy. My grandfather is the king, and my father, uncle, cousins, and I are all considered princes to the rest of the vampire world."

Ariella studied her coffee. She stirred it. Then she looked up at me. "If you're a prince, where's your crown?" I laughed.

"We don't have crowns. Everyone knows who we are. If not by our names or crowns, at least by our numerous guards and expensive castles and homes. My grandfather has a home in nearly every country, although he spends most of his time in Denmark, where he's originally from. In fact, we're related to the first human vampire. Alexander Nicolai."

"That's the guy that Sarah's giving her baby to. Will the kid be safe?"

"The baby will be more than safe with Alexander. He himself has a half-human son."

"That is wicked cool. How old is he?"

"Alexander? He's about two hundred and fifty thousand years old." Her jaw dropped. "He was part of an extremely advanced civilization for the time. He angered a superior being who transformed him into a bloodsucker." I realized how terrible that sounded right after I said it. Ariella smiled.

"And werewolves?"

"Werewolves usually travel in packs. Like a real wolf pack, they have two alphas, usually one male and one female, although I've heard of packs that have two alpha males or two alpha females. You become a werewolf either by birth or by getting bitten. Werewolf births are more common than natural vampire births." I grimaced at the thought.

"The baby usually suffers unless it's given a potion to control the change. Sometimes the child will die either from the pain of the change, hurting him or herself, or getting hurt by another cub that's out of control. Their lives are usually quite sad."

"How did Damon get bitten?" Ariella asked.

"I...I can't answer that, because I have no idea. Although I think he hates me more than he used to." She frowned.

"You said earlier that Alexander angered a 'superior being.' What kind of being?"

"I don't know. I think only he and Grandfather know exactly what kind of creature it was. It could be anything from a fairy to a deity."

"Fairies exist?"

I nodded.

"You'll find that a lot of supernatural creatures exist, including Elves, fairies, goblins, cat women, and even Barbarians."

"What's a Barbarian?"

"A man with the strength of ten vampires, which is saying a lot, because my father can crush diamond into dust. Then again, most vampires don't live to be as old as my father."

"How do you kill a vampire? Stakes or crosses?"

"Stakes only break against our skin, and crosses only affect vampires who are afraid of Jesus."

"Did you know Jesus?" Ariella asked.

"No, I really am only seventeen years old. My father was a young boy when He was hung on the cross. He said that it saddened him greatly, and that's when he converted. Our religious beliefs are a mixture of Christianity and the old Greek and Scandinavian religions. Hearing about Jesus being tortured the way He was changed my father's beliefs."

"So how do you kill a vampire?"

"The only way to kill a vampire for sure is to take off his head and set him on fire."

"Why is it always fire?"

"Because fire is the most destructive element on Earth. You know that."

"Are more boys or girls changed?" I bit my lip.

"There are more male bitten vampires because most male vampires refuse to bite women out of courtesy. I don't know how many female natural-borns there are. That is one reason why male vampires are so possessive. A Seer once told me that each person has two potential soulmates."

"Two? It's hard enough finding one, but two?"

"Yes, each person has two potential soulmates. Sarah's unique because she has four, one of which is me."

"You're exaggerating."

"Me, exaggerate? Never. My soulmates are her and Evan, and you can see how well things worked out with Evan."

"But if they're both your soulmates, wouldn't that make you love them equally?"

"I don't know. All I know is I love Sarah more than I ever cared about Evan. Maybe because she's a better fit?"

"Maybe because she's more stable?" Ariella offered.

"Maybe." I told Ariella about the incident with Mike's parents and the rude waiter. She told me how she found out Damon was a werewolf. Apparently, he let slip that he was gone every full moon. Ariella did some research, and he eventually told her. That's when she called me. Then her eyes brightened.

"I've got it! You connected with her more because she's a girl!"

"Nice theory, but you're wrong. The Seer told me that they are both my soulmates because I'm bisexual. I'm not bisexual because they are my soulmates." Her face fell.

"Oh. That would explain a lot." I raised an eyebrow. She burst into laughter. "You're so funny when you make that look! 'Ariella just made a weird comment so I'm going to raise my eyebrow'."

"Make fun of me all you want," I told her. "You know I'm right."

"Aw, come on, you know I'm only playing." But the mood was dampened. "Well, I have to go. Love you." She hugged me.

"Love you too," I said, hugging back.

"I still can't believe you're a vampire."

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I had valid reasons."

~~~~~~~~~~

Father was in a bad mood. He grabbed me up as soon as I walked in the door and carried me to his bedroom.

"Father?" I questioned. He bit his wrist open and held it over my mouth.

"Drink," he commanded. I did as he asked without complaint. As soon as I drank my fill, he started smelling me. "Did he do anything indecent to you? Did he defile you?"

"Father, no one defiled me. Why are you so worried?"

"I smelled Alexander in the area. I wanted to go after you, but your grandfather and uncle held me back. I tried to follow Alexander, but he got away, and then I spotted him with Sarah at a cafe. She was showing him some pictures. She saw me and waved, and I waved back, and then Alexander gave me the dirtiest look. Then he had the audacity to lean across the table and kiss her. He didn't even kiss her on the head or the cheek, he kissed her full on the lips! That is my son's mate, you piece of dog shit!"

"Is Sarah okay?" I asked nervously.

"Yes, she looked as if it was a common occurance. I doubt she even knows why he does it or what it means."

"He mentioned having her as a potential mate once," I said, "But I think he only said that to get under my skin."

"Yes. He's still obsessed with your mother. He scattered some old pictures of us around. First, pictures of himself and Marina, then me and Marina." He hissed silently. "This is getting so old, I swear. He tries to make us react to his actions. He will not get that."

"Father, why did you feed me?"

"Because I need to know that you were safe and healthy. I gorged myself on blood before you came back."

"I'll check on Sarah tonight."

~~~~~~~~~~

She looked so content in her sleep, angelic, even, that I could not find it in my heart to wake her. Besides, she needed her rest. She was now living for two. I wondered if her future son or daughter would be allowed to know her. Still, I kept myself quieter than a mouse as I entered her room. Her journal was open on her nightstand.

I must resist, I thought. I looked through her shelves and desk. CliffsNotes. SparkNotes. Several editions of books we were required to read in school. She was smart. She was clever, and I knew that she liked to read. She had been reading that vampire book that she was so fond of. I looked at the cover. It had a pair of doves holding a ribbon between them and a heart in the middle of the ribbon. The title was in French.

Vampires Ames Soeurs. Vampire soulmates. I opened it, and realized the whole thing was in French. I didn't know she could read French.

"Reese?" I froze and slowly looked at her. She sat up and rubbed her eye. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't mean to wake you," I said.

"I felt your aura," she joked. I smiled slowly.

"My aura is probably as black as a raven's beak. Yours is probably purple or indigo. I wouldn't know." I remembered Madame Indigo and felt terrible. I sat beside her. "Can you read French?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. My dad was French. My grandparents are immigrants from a small town in the French countryside."

"So you're half-French?"

"Yes, I am. My mother is part Israelite, part Italian. My other grandpa is from Israel. He taught me how to read Hebrew, and my dad taught me how to read and speak in French before he passed away." It was interesting to learn this tidbit of information about her. She smiled shyly.

"So, really, I'm fluent in four languages, including Italian. My grandmother made sure of that. Well, I'm still learning Italian." She seemed even more embarassed now. I heard footsteps.

"Your