Double Trouble

Not wishing to give Iyana the opportunity to sneak in and do something that would harm Toby—even if he couldn’t die at the moment—Savannah stayed awake at Toby’s side while he rested. She sat there with her arms crossed, green eyes focused intently on the peaceable vampire lying before her. As she sat there, Savannah could feel herself drifting to sleep. And, she probably would have to, if not for the fact that she heard yelling coming from the hallway, yelling sounded remarkable like her nephew and her brother’s father-in-law.

Wondering if this was truly the case, or whether it was just her mind playing tricks on her, Savannah went to check it out. To her surprise, she saw Calarasi, Eli, and Dawn standing about ten feet from Toby’s room. Damn it! she swore. Calarasi’s come after Toby for the immortality I placed within him. Damn! Why didn’t I listen when Toby tried to tell me that this would happen? I put him in danger for my own selfish purposes, purposes I will live to regret if Calarasi is successful in obtaining his immortality. She quickly shut the door to her husband’s room and, upon making sure that Iyana wasn’t on her way over, hurried closer to hear what her nephew was saying to Calarasi. Ducking down, at the nurse’s station, Savannah began to eavesdrop on their impending conversation.

“Why else would I be here, boy?” Calarasi laughed.

“Can’t think of a reason,” her nephew lied smoothly.

Savannah smiled when she heard that. Clearly, her nephew was paying attention when he was order not to say attention about Toby’s vampirism to anyone other than his aunt, uncle, or father. That lesson was taken to heart. Good boy, Eli. Don’t let on that you about Toby’s recovered vampire capabilities. Calarasi will only seek him out faster. Iyana has already told her father that Toby’s here—for whatever reason—and you know what that means. Don’t let your grandfather get anywhere near Toby, not when he’s like this.

“Your mother does not tell you things like this?” Calarasi asked.

Eli shook his head. “Mom barely has time for me. I’m closer to my aunt than her. In fact, Aunt Savannah would make a far better mother for me than my real mother ever would.”

Aw, I’m flattered, Eli, Savannah thought.

“Watch how you talk about your mother, boy, else I teach you a lesson in respect!” Calarasi growled. “Now, go home like a good little boy and leave me to my affairs.”

“What affairs?” Eli asked.

“My immortality,” Calarasi announced haughtily.

“Immortality?” Eli asked. He looked around. “I don’t see anyone around here that might possess immortality. And, the only people I knew of that did possess said trait had that part of them wiped out to ensure that you did not acquire that which you seem to covet. You will not get what you want so badly; Aunt Savannah and Dawn made quite sure of that.”

“You are misinformed, dear boy,” Calarasi countered.

“Really? I don’t see how,” Eli retorted. “After all, I was present when Dawn and Aunt Savannah exterminated vampire from this Earth. And, through various accounts, I have heard how Aunt Savannah was capable of eliminating Uncle Toby’s vampirism—as well as his immortality—right before your very eyes thirteen years ago. Bet that sucked, no pun intended.”

Calarasi shrugged offhandedly. “That is no problem. I shall still get my immortality yet. And, there’s nothing you or your aunt’s family can do about it. I will get what I want.”

No, you won’t, Savannah thought, peering back at her husband’s room. I won’t let you get anywhere near him. I think I may have to get a restraining order put out against you, Jason, and Justin for continually harassing me and my family. I may even have to do so with Iyana as well. I refuse to stand for any of this, not when this is family, you’re talking about.

“I don’t think you will,” Eli argued.

“Neither do I,” Dawn said suddenly.

“What’s going to stop me though?” Calarasi inquired. “A chance still exists for me to get the immortality I desire and I will stop at nothing to get what I want. Neither of you can do anything to stop me.”

It was at that moment that Savannah chose to reveal herself to Calarasi. To protect her daughter and nephew, she needed to step in. Dawn was on the verge of knowing a secret she was not meant to be told. Plus, she was only five and didn’t need to deal with this. Eli could at least handle himself and might be able to help Savannah. Dawn, however, could do such thing; her job was done the minute Jason and Justin were turned mortal. It was Savannah’s—and Eli’s—turn to ensure that this family was protected from the evil forces that threatened to destroy their lives. “Calarasi! You have no reason for being here, even if your daughter works in this hospital. Now, get out of our lives and leave this family alone.”

“I will do no such thing!” Calarasi retaliated.

“But, I see no reason for you to even be here,” Savannah argued. Now the lying can begin. “No more immortality exists; I thought we made that perfectly clear when we left the Evermore home.”

“That is where I beg to differ,” Calarasi chuckled darkly. “You don’t think I counted on Toby stepping in to save you; it was a calculated decision that I was sure would work. Since my daughter heard you talking with Toby earlier on this evening, I can only assume that you used the blue rose that destroyed his vampire blood, to replace it to save him.”

Savannah clenched her fists. That fact was something she had forgotten; something she neglected to account for as she spoke of this in the hospital. Crap! Savannah realized. How did I miss that? How could I possibly have forgotten that Iyana might hear what we were saying? Damn it! Calarasi has another chance at obtaining the immortality he wants so much and I gave him that chance. She glanced at her nephew and daughter. The only reason those two are even here is because they’re risking their lives to help me and Toby.

“By your reaction, I can only assume I’m right,” Calarasi sneered. “And, that is exactly why I’m here. Your mistake has given me another chance at immortality, one I will not blow.”

Eli reacted to what he heard. “No way! No one needs immortality; Aunt Savannah has known that ever since she was fourteen years ago and has done everything in her power to ensure that no one else acquires immortality. Why else would my aunt have eliminated Uncle Toby’s immortality? Yes, there was the love between them, but there was also the fact that Uncle Toby hated being alive forever. It was not something enjoyable for him. The idea of using the blue rose to rid him of the vampire curse was one of ingenious. You helped ensure that you never acquired the immortality you want so much.”

Calarasi scoffed. “I will not make the same mistake yet again. Your aunt restored the immortality within her husband to save his life, unwilling to lose him. Now, because of this, I have the chance to solidify my place in history. And, just so you know, the Meadowbrook family can do nothing to stop me from obtaining my immortality; I’m going to get it.”

“No you won’t!” Dawn yelled.

“Big words from such a little girl,” Calarasi laughed.

“I can do more than you think!” Dawn called defiantly, stepping out from her place behind Eli. “I helped get rid of my uncles’ vampire blood. If I can do that, I can help stop you.”

Dawn, no! Savannah thought. Don’t inject yourself into this fight. You don’t belong in this fight. I allowed you to have a part in getting rid of your uncles because you were right there; however, I am not about to allow you the opportunity to deal with Calarasi. You could destroy yourself and I am not about to let that happen. Your father and I care way too much about you and your brothers; and I have lost way too much already that I’m not willing to lose you as well. I won’t allow it to happen. She eyed her nephew warily, warning him of what Dawn was doing. If anyone could stop what Savannah was sure her daughter was planning, it was Eli. He might be able to stop his cousin from following through with the suicide mission she seemed to be planning. Eli, stop her. Don’t let her do what she’s planning to stop Calarasi from getting what she wants.

Despite the fact that her five year-old daughter wanted to help her mother out of a tight jam, Savannah knew that allowing such a thing would be a catastrophe. Dawn was willing to do something that Savannah even refused to do; she was willing to destroy herself to ensure the safety of her family. As nice as a gesture as it was, Savannah refused to let it occur; there had to be another way. Surely, there had to be another way to eliminate Calarasi from the planet while preserving her family as if was right now. No, I won’t lose her; she’s my baby girl.

“Aunt Savannah, go check on Uncle Toby,” Eli insisted, pointing towards Toby’s room. “I have a weird feeling that something’s happening, something to do with my mother.”

“Eli, what kind of weird feeling?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just think that something’s about to happen, something we aren’t going to like very much. Auntie V, go find out what’s going on and do whatever you can to stop it. I’ll keep Dawn from trying to go through with her plan. I know you don’t want to lose her, or anyone else for that matter,” he said with a small smile on his face.

“Thank you, Eli,” Savannah replied. As she snuck back over to Toby’s room, Savannah smiled. She had helped raise her nephew right. And, telling him of Toby’s past seemed to be the right thing to do as well. If she hadn’t gone against Toby’s orders not to tell her nephew of the vampire past he suffered through, there was really no telling as to what might happen if that never happened. Arriving at Toby’s room, Savannah opened it a crack and slipped inside, only to find Iyana standing there in preparation to inject something into Toby’s bloodstream. Savannah flew into a rage when she saw this. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” Iyana asked.

Savannah ran over and knocked the needle away. “You do realize that there’s no way for you to destroy him, right?” she asked. “And, even if you could, there is absolutely no way in hell that I would ever permit you to do something as stupid as this. It’s unethical!”

“You think I care?” Iyana shouted.

“Oh, I know you don’t care,” Savannah muttered. “I just hoped that you might have the decency to do the right thing. Clearly, I was wrong. However, I am not about to enable you to kill my husband, especially when he’s your thrice great grandfather; he’s family for you, as much as I hate to admit that. Toby knows I hate you. Always did. Some part of me—deep down inside—knew who you were. After everything that Jason and Justin put me through starting seventeen years ago, I wasn’t about to let another member of that family try to ruin my life. Toby, mind you, never had anything to do with his brothers’ plans; that’s why I freely let him into my life. I knew he wouldn’t do something like that.”

Iyana growled. “Shut up, Savannah!”

“No!” Savannah argued. “Not when you’re trying to ruin my life by taking my husband away, by leaving my kids without a father. Reuben, Keith, and Dawn need their father. It’s why I’ve gone through all this in order to keep him around. For his sons and daughter!”

“Oh, who the fuck cares?” Iyana shouted.

“I do,” a voice said from behind Savannah.

Savannah spun around and saw Eli and Dawn standing just behind her. Somehow, they were able to get away from Calarasi and join Savannah as she confronted Iyana about what she was doing. Iyana had cast away the ethical obligation she had to treat a patient in need in favor of more sinister ways, ways that her father instilled into her from a young age, based on what Jason and Justin drilled into him and his ancestors so long ago. Savannah was not about to let it continue, not when she spent so much time invested in protecting those she loved. She smiled weakly. “Eli, Dawn, done dealing with Calarasi?”

“At the moment,” her nephew responded.

“Good. Now, to confront your mother, Eli,” Savannah explained. “She’s trying to kill Toby, trying to ensure that her family never has to deal with any black sheep in the family. And, when I say black sheep, I mean people who want to do the right thing. Toby is never going to be the killer Jason and Justin want him to be; he’s a kind, gentle man that I fell in love with.”

“And, for that he’s going to die!” Iyana shouted.

“He can’t die, Mom!” Eli argued. “Aunt Savannah saw to it that he wouldn’t while he has time to recover. The fact that he was injured by Grandfather’s attack ensured his safety for the time being. There’s nothing you can do to destroy him, no matter how much you—or anyone in your family—may wish it to be so. Just live with the fact that you can’t always get what you want, especially when it comes to immortal creatures like this family has the penchant for attracting. Get over it and move on with your life. It’s just that simple.”

“I will do no such thing!” Iyana shouted. “And, I don’t intend on killing him; I intend on destroying the life he has now.” With this comment, Iyana grabbed a needle and injected it into Toby’s arm; something Savannah was incapable of stopping from occurring.

“No!” she yelled. “What do you do?”

“You’ll see,” Iyana growled.

As her sister-in-law left the room to continue her rounds, Savannah slumped down into the seat, her fingers clasped around Toby’s hand. “What did she do to you, Toby?”

Eli knelt down beside his aunt, hugging her as he did. “He’ll make it through this, Aunt Savannah. Whatever Mom did to him, he’ll get through it and come back stronger than ever.”

“I hope so, Eli,” Savannah replied, peering over at her husband in worry. “I don’t want to lose him. We’ve gone through so much over the years that I just can’t imagine my life without him.” Savannah wondered what was in the needle Iyana injected into Toby’s bloodstream. What was so important that Iyana risked her medical license to accomplish?

“I know,” Eli replied.

For a long time, Savannah sat in her chair beside Toby, wondering how the injection would affect her husband. What had Iyana done to him? Savannah, however, did not have the chance to focus on this. It was nearing five-thirty and dawn was approaching. With Toby a vampire for the duration of his recovery, sunlight would mean his destruction. “Eli, shut the blinds. Dawn is coming and your uncle cannot be in the sunlight.”

“Hey, where is Dawn?” Eli asked suddenly.

Savannah looked around, finding no sign of her five year-old daughter. “Damn it! Dawn disappeared!” She looked up at her nephew. “When your mother left the room, did you see any sign of Dawn?”

“No, why?” he asked.

“She’s gone after them,” Savannah realized with dread. Why didn’t I keep a closer eye on her? My daughter is going after her aunt and great grandnephew; this isn’t going to end well. “We have to go after her. Toby should be fine for the moment; Dawn is more important.” Eli nodded and they ran off. My world has come crashing down. What more can happen?