Unraveling Soren by Marisa Maichel (books under 200 pages txt) 📕

can place guards around the reservation. You won’t ever have that burden on your shoulders again.”

He looked up. “Hello, Reese.”

“Hello, Uncle Soren. Do you have another cigarette?”

He reached into his pocket and tossed me the carton. I took a long menthol out and lit it using a zippo lighter in my pocket.

“Hey, skinny,” said Mitra.

“Hey, short stuff. How are you?” I realized what a bad choice of words this was after I said it.

“Eh, I’m not so great. I still feel like it’s my fault that Ellis is dead.”

“Mitra, it’s not your fault. Didn’t my uncle just say this? It’s our fault, for not being more careful. Did anyone from the reservation die?”

“No, thank God. Nana is still safe, and so are the girls. Mama is still missing, though. I can’t scent her out.”

“Why do you call her Mama? Aren’t you older than her?”

“Much. She’s still human, but I call her Mama out of respect. She’s sort of my many-greats niece. So is Nana. She cares more about the old traditions than I do. It was me who stopped the white men from taking our children and putting them in boarding schools.” She made a disgusted face.

“That was very brave of you,” Uncle Soren said.

“Trust me, anyone else who could have done it would have. But it was just me at the time. I didn’t meet Ellis until the forties. Since then, he’s been my best friend. Now I have a boyfriend for the…second time in my long life.” She bit her lip again.

“Second time?” Uncle Soren said. “Who else…?”

“Well, there was a cute guy back in the sixties. He’s dead now, but we made love all the time.”

“How did he die?”

“He was killed by a werewolf. Disgusting canines.”

“What about Romeo?”

“What about him? I’m supposed to like him just because he’s got scars and he’s closer to my age? I don’t think so. Of course, scars are hot. So is long hair. But muscles and experience are hot, too.”

Uncle Soren lifted his shirt, revealing his chest and stomach. Tiny scars dotted his upper body. I barely noticed them anymore. There was a new one that was bigger than the others, a slash going from his chest to his navel. Mitra felt his scars, looking impressed.

“Wow,” she breathed. “You’re unbelievably hot, Soren.”

“I’m glad you find me attractive, dear one,” Uncle Soren said. She felt his chest and stomach even after he let his shirt fall, covering his scars.

“I used to have one here,” Uncle Soren said, pointing to his eye. “But it sort of faded over the years. I also used to have one near my lips, and there’s a small one under my nose.”

“How old are you?” she asked. He smiled.

“I still remember small groups of woolly mammoths.”

“Wow,” she said. “Were they big?”

“Huge,” he said. “Humans would surround them with spears and throw rocks at them. Oh, I’m sorry, my love. I know you like animals.”

“It’s okay,” she said, wiping a tear away. “What else do you remember?”

“I remember animals that have since gone extinct.”

“So have I,” I said.

“Unfortunately, species are always going extinct. Most species who have gone extinct died off years and years ago. I could name animals that humans thought only existed in fairytales.”

“The Loch Ness monster?” I asked.

“A plesiosaur who has not died yet, or a group of them who have managed to survive.”

“Unicorns?” Mitra asked.

“Died off years ago. They fade to dust pretty quickly, hence why no skeletons have ever been found. They were hunted for their horns, fur, hooves, blood, and organs.”

“Leprechauns?” I asked.

“Ugly little demon-like creatures who look like the leprechaun from the horror movies. You’ve seen them before, Reese. At the Night Market.”

“I know wendigos exist,” Mitra said. “I fought one once with Ellis.”

“What about cat people?” I asked.

“Cat women? Oh, they’re still around. They prefer to stay hidden, though. They worship Bastet and other cat gods and goddesses. And before you ask, dog people do not exist. They are fictional, created by humans for TV.”

“Good, because they look disturbing,” I said.

“Agreed,” said Mitra.

I closed my eyes.

I was about seven years old. I was at a restaurant with Father. I was drawing on a piece of paper with some crayons. Father was dressed in his serious black, and so was I. I turned when I smelled my cousin. Louis came in, also dressed in black.

“What are you drawing, little buddy?” he asked.

“The garden,” I said, showing him.

“In Denmark? Looks great, buddy. Uncle Mordecai, why did you call me here?”

“I need you to watch him,” Father said, gesturing to me. “I have a deal to complete.”

“With…oh. Yeah, I’ll watch him. Stay put, little buddy. Here, eat some chicken strips.”

He pushed a plate toward me. I picked a piece of chicken and dipped it in honey mustard. I knew that sometimes it was necessary to eat yucky human food to maintain our secrecy. Besides, I was a kid, and kids are supposed to like chicken strips.

I drew while I ate. Father had ordered a rare steak for himself, and Louis just had some water. My attention was diverted when I saw a man walking toward us. I didn’t like the look of him: he was lizard-like, with slitted pupils in red irises and long blond hair tied back into a ponytail.

“You brought your youngling,” said the man with a hiss.

“I had no choice,” Father said. “Say hello, Reese.”

“Hi,” I said, waving my greasy fingers at him.

“Such a polite boy,” he said. “Mordecai, we have the same goals. Humans drove my kind to near extinction. They have killed hundreds of your kind and killed thousands of innocents in the pursuit of God.”

“They are mere children,” Father said. “I can handle my own. Now, the documents,”

The man handed my father a stack of wrinkled yellow papers. Father took them with a flourish and handed the man a stack of bills.

“I would keep your youngling close, Mordecai,” the man hissed.

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a warning. My kind are not pleased with you. Your protection is failing. Hunters are killing my kind by the dozens. Smashing eggs, cutting us open, destroying our hearts. We have only a few females left, and they are scrambling to find mates. My wife is worried that she is next. This is your fault, Mordecai. We will have either our own protection, or no protection.”

I opened my eyes.

“Dragons,” I said.

“Yes, dragons,” Uncle Soren said. “Your father made a deal with dragons years ago. He’d give them protection, if in turn they gave the vampires their fire.”

“Their fire?” Mitra said. “That’s a pretty big deal.”

“Yes, it is. Fire is essential to dragons for survival. Unfortunately, it didn’t work, so now vampires and dragons don’t like each other.”

“Hello, son,” Father said, typing quickly on his phone. “I see that your uncle has told you all about my deal with the dragons. Thank you, Soren.”

“Shut up, Mordecai,” said Uncle Soren. “The boy has a right to know all our secrets.”

“The boy,” I quoted. “Like I’m a stranger.”

“Fuck you, Soren,” Father said. “Hello, Mitra.”

“Hi,” Mitra said.

“I have a meeting with a national chain expander,” Father said. “Emerson’s Electronics is expanding.”

“That’s good news,” I said. “Are you going to promote Richard?”

“Yes, of course. He’s a good employee. I must remember to raise his wages.”

“Just how many businesses do you guys own?” Mitra asked.

Father and Uncle Soren looked at each other. “The shipping company, the train, the airport, the malls, the electronics store, the medical equipment company, the publishing company, not to mention all the rebels and rogues we’ve conquered.”

“Just how rich are you?” Mitra asked.

“We’re richer than Donald Trump,” I said. Mitra started to laugh, then stopped.

“Oh…you’re serious! So how come…why do vampires have to remain secret?”

“It’s not really a secret,” Father said. “We do not care at this point. However, there are some groups and cultures that will kill any vampires they find, which is why we have representatives in every country.”

Mitra leaned against Uncle Soren.

“So much thinking,” she said. “I’m tired.”

“Sleep then, love,” Uncle Soren said. “I will carry you to bed.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was floating over a cloud. Any moment, I would fall and hit the cloud. When I looked up above me, I saw the face of Odin. He was smiling at me. Thought and Memory were on his shoulders. Then I rolled over onto my belly and saw Loki. He was huge with a baby. I turned and saw the Fates. Ugly women with gaunt faces.

Past, Present, and Future. Future split into several paths. One led to Evan. Two of them led to Sarah. One of them led to my becoming king of vampires. One of them led to my death. All of them led to a different fate. In one fate, I was with Sarah, and she was pregnant again, with my baby. In one, she was her usual self, not pregnant.

I knew which one I wanted most. I crawled toward the one fate where Sarah was pregnant with my baby. When I reached her, I stood up. She put my hand on her belly.

“Feel her,” she said.

“Her?” I was elated. I was going to be a father. I was going to have a daughter. I felt my baby kick, and then I felt myself being pulled to another fate.

A ridiculous crown was placed on my head. My hair grew longer, shinier, the tips whiter. I grew taller, and filled out. I was as big as Uncle Soren. I spent the same amount of time being king, then felt myself being pulled to a different fate.

Sarah, only she wasn’t pregnant. I was happy with this. I threw my arms around her, kissing her fiercely. Then I was pulled to Evan. For a moment, I just stared at him, then I kissed him just as fiercely.

“Forgive me,” I said.

“I already have,” he replied.

Then I was pulled to the last fate. My death. At first it was only blackness, then I was being suffocated and choked. I was drowning in water. I was being stabbed over and over again. My head was cut off. I was staked. Fire was being poured over me. I couldn’t scream. My mouth had disappeared.

“Reese! Reese!”

I heard Father’s voice calling me.

“Reese! Stop dreaming!”

I was startled awake, and I managed to hit Father in the process. He frowned as he rubbed his chin.

“Sorry,” I said.

“You were screaming in your sleep,” he said.

I looked around. My blankets were thrown off, my sheets being torn from the mattress.

“Hold me?” I said to Father.

“Of course. Scoot over.”

While Father held me, I had a dreamless sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apollo was at the dining room table the next morning. Kieran and Kellan were sucking face in the corner.

“Save it for the bedroom, boys,” Father snapped. Kellan broke away and glared at him. “What’s going on here?”

“I wish to tutor the boy,” Apollo said.

“Still? Okay, fine. He’s all yours. Teach him everything you know. How little that is.”

“Be nice,” I warned Father.

“Fine,” he said. He turned to Apollo. “I’m sorry.”

“Just be careful,” Apollo said. “Remember, all of you are infants compared to me.”

“Do not call me an infant,” Kellan growled.

“What do you wish to teach me?” I asked.

“Everything. You can bring Sarah along, too.”

“I don’t know…” Father began.

“Father, I’m eighteen. I’m doing this.”

“Well, okay. But if I find out that you’re using this opportunity to hurt him- “

“Mordecai, I am not Alexander, even though I created him. I am not going to hurt your boy. By the way Reese, our first lesson begins this Saturday. Be ready.”

“For what?”

“Just trust me. You’ll like it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So that Saturday, I got myself up at six. I ate a big breakfast, then showered and dressed. I was wondering what my first lesson would be. I was sure it would be something that Alexander had probably never learned.

Apollo met me at the edge of the woods, Wordlessly, he started walking into the woods,