Love is a Pretty Tragedy

I didn't want to say goodbye to her, but I knew that I had so much ahead of me before we could truly be together, for us and everyone around us to be safe again. It was like this whole time I had been climbing up a large hill until I came to a crossroads, which was Estelle going off to college. I had decided to take the path away from the top of the hill, maybe to the valley or plateau. I knew that this wouldn’t leave me as happy has making it to the top of the hill, but it was the safe and easy thing to do. Today was an opportunity to go back to that crossroads and decide to continue climbing to the peak. Instead, all of the sudden, I am at the very bottom of again. All of the progress I made has been erased. This time though it will not just be me, I’ll have Estelle by my side and that gives me hope.

The rain had finally stopped as we had inched to her car stealing a few kisses with each pace. The tears would not stop no matter how much I tried to comfort her. We were now finally standing in front of her car, and I knew now was the time. Both of us needed to become focused as we had ever been for everything to work. "Be strong for me.” I kissed her forehead. “I will do everything I can, but right now I need you to go back and act like nothing has changed. Go experience college with your best friend, and I will let you know when I find out everything. You can do it for us." I placed a final kiss on her lips; I broke away and Estelle was silent without an expression on her face. Everything was happening so fast after months of silence between us. I know she wants us to have a happy ending, but I don’t know if I can give her that. I promised…that I would do all I could.

"Until we meet again." She whispered with a small smile on her face. She understood as well as I did. Our hands finally unlocked, and she opened her car door and got in. She seemed to become more composed by the second. I knew that she would be able to put up a lovely front, unfortunately, I provided her with practice this summer. Estelle started the engine, blew me a kiss just like old times, and her car moved with ease over the bumpy ground until it hit the gravel road. I watched her until she drove completely down the lane, and I could no longer see her car anymore. Her family would keep her safe from Shawn, but I still worried about her.

Now, it was time to see the damage done. I already knew what had happened as I jumped into my truck and headed down the same path. The drive to our apartment was short, and I parked on the side of the road. I stared at our dingy apartment like I always did when I had left our spot with Estelle, not wanting to go inside, wanting to go back and relive the moments that I had just experienced. I realized I had taken some of those moments we spent together for granted. I hoped after all this was done that we would be able to go back to our spot and make new happy memories.

I walked in the front door afraid to see blood written on the walls or a dramatic scene, but one wasn't found. I didn't even see Keane anywhere. I looked behind the kitchen counter, nothing. I walked into the bathroom, nothing.

Then I walked into Keane's bedroom and found him laying on the floor with a gaping hole in his chest. He was gone just as Shawn had said. He truly never made empty threats. I walked over and shut his stunned eyes, most likely surprised to see Shawn in the apartment. However, he was invited in long ago. If I was here, I knew that Keane would still be alive right now. He probably wondered where I was, but I figure that he would have gotten to him at some point either way.

"You were a great brother." I knew that he couldn't hear me, but I felt it needed to be said. I do not believe I ever told him that when he was alive, and instantly regretted my missed opportunity. We weren’t always close, but I could never repay him for how he saved me.

I wasn't exactly sure what to do next, but I figured that I should request a proper burial. Vampires rarely die, so there truly isn't anything that is usual done for when one dies, especially murdered. So for now I just shut the door of his bedroom. I wasn't sure that I would be able to come back to the apartment anymore. It was never really home, and without Keane, there is no reason to be there. I was about to leave when I walked over to the kitchen counter and found a note with my name on it.
I opened it and saw it was short and to the point:

Henry,

Please meet me at the clan’s headquarters. I must discuss something with you immediately.

Edmund

Edmund, the leader of our clan was someone I had only met once, when I was originally turned. So it was no wonder that my memory of him was fuzzy. A few days ago, Keane brought up his name again and told me I shouldn’t be afraid to turn to him if I need anything. The leader had always been very kind to Keane, and was one of the few that allowed me to enter the clan after Keane had turned me. Keane had believed the leader could help me, and that was who I was planning on speaking to. I was surprised to see that he wanted to speak to me as well.

I rushed out of the apartment as soon as I read the note. My next stop was much more unfamiliar than my old apartment. It was intimidating to be entering where all the clan vampires met. I had only been in there a couple of times, and I'm sure that Shawn had spread a rumor about how horrible I was since they all practically seemed to worship him. This was my last resort. With the new information about the pills, I had to go somewhere to get help to take Shawn down. There was no way that I could continue to be his puppet until he killed us with a smile on his face.

Thankfully when I entered the dim room, there were only a few vampires dispersed throughout as it was still maybe an hour or so before sunset. I supposed that most of them led semi-normal lives like Keane and I had. Maybe they had normal jobs, and I had seen them in my everyday life without knowing. I wondered how many people were vampires in our small little enclave of Ohio. There must be quite a few since there were two known clans here. However, the ones lounging here did not seem interested in messing with me, maybe they knew how I had "betrayed" Shawn or maybe not. Either way they didn't seem to really care. They were caught up in their own business.

The entrance to where the leader lived was just as it is described in books and movies of a leader or a king of a clan of vampires. There were multiple guards that eyed me suspiciously before allowing me up a narrow staircase only to be brought to two grand double doors that two more guards opened revealing the leader. I couldn’t imagine that Estelle’s family had anything like this hidden in their basement or anything.

His body language was calm as he was flipping through papers on his desk. His face seemed serene but also as though he was expecting me there. The long corridor until I reached him was extremely nerve-racking. "Hello, my name is..."

I was cut off by his booming voice. "Henry, it has been a while. I believe that you might know why you are here."

"Because of my training with Shawn?” I felt even smaller in front of him than even Shawn.

"You were such a young vampire when we first met. I am Edmund, and we have a lot to discuss. Pay close attention please as I will only go through all of this once." All I could manage to do was nod, I was extremely intimidated. He was very tall, I could tell that even though he was sitting down. This was such a serious matter, but it seemed more like something he was just needing to check off his to-do list.

"Henry, Shawn is my son." My heart stopped beating. It was obvious that Edmund saw my shocked expression. "It is okay, calm your nervous thoughts.” I forgot that I was no longer blocking others from reading my mind anymore. “However, I want him dead as much as you do." If it was possible for me to be anymore shocked today, it happened there.

"He has gone power hungry to the point where I know he will kill me. He has attempted unsuccessfully several times. I have already given this clan to his younger brother because he acts so wild and unpredictable when he receives the littlest bit of power. I noticed it when he was a young boy, and it has only increased once he became a vampire.”

Edmund continued, “His bright idea was to take over our rival clan, which I understand you recently learned who runs that clan.” It does appear everyone knew what Estelle’s family was except for me. Maybe if I had spent more time with the clan I would have found out a lot earlier and avoiding a lot of this.

“With the power of that clan, I assume he believed he would be proving himself to me. Unfortunately, he was able to get to our whole clan before I could explain to them his true motives, to eventually rally his new clan to kill us all. Even when he started to train with you, I believed that his plan would not be successful. His plans have always been wild and all over the place. I never expected him to truly harm anyone or go through with his plans no matter how much he tried."

Edmund stopped; his voice lowered, “However, Shawn went further than I ever believed he would today by killing one of his own kind. One of his good friends, your brother, Keane. I now need your help to stop him. I may have always been a little naive in believing that Shawn would eventually drop his grand ideals and plans. I should have known that he was now obsessed. With that said,I am assuming you are willing to get revenge?”

“Yes,” I said a little too quickly. “I just have no idea how. He seems to have us trapped.”

"That I can help you with. You are not trapped. I knew it was a mistake picking you from the start on Shawn's part. Your heart was always too pure to go through with his tyrannical plan. Of course, Shawn does not see anything human in anyone any longer." Edmund looked down; he was upset of what his son had become.

My leader beckoned me to come closer. "I see the fear in your eyes. You are stronger than him even if you don't believe it yourself. We will defeat him together." It was hard not to believe in myself after such confidence Edmund was instilling in me. However, there was one key element that he left out. He could already read it on my face.

“You have two choices Henry, and I believe you will pick the right one. Keep taking the pills or stop. It is up to you. I can provide you with pills if you want them, but I know Shawn has threatened you and told you what happens if you don’t take them...” Edmund’s voice trailed off and he didn’t continue. There was no magic solution, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do yet. Memories of me on the pills made me want to never take another one. I wasn’t myself, but I would die without them. I nodded my head to show I understood, but I couldn’t help to show the disappointment all over my face. A part of me thought there is something I could do to stop taking those pills and still be fine.

Edmund seemed pleased with my small response."You will need to work extremely hard, and continue to take the pills that Shawn gives you. Focus the attention on killing Shawn, and it will be a positive obsession instead. It will be difficult, but follow along with whatever Shawn says within reason. Make him believe that you will agree with his plan. This scheme is the world to him, and he will kill you if he notices you are acting any different. However, we will need to meet up at least once a week so I can monitor our progress.”

“I can do that.” I assured Edmund. With Estelle away at college, it would be easier to focus. My obsession with her was the only thing that let Shawn in on my ulterior motives.

“Unfortunately it takes more than just a little stake through the heart to kill my son now that he is on that drug. There is a special dagger that I currently do not own, but I will get my hands on. He has made sure that no one would kill him, as many others desperate for power have."

"Thank you so much, Edmund. You have helped me more than I ever imagined when I first stepped through those doors." I truly couldn't express my gratitude. Everything wasn’t perfect, but I would be able to keep Estelle save and Shawn away from what he has always wanted. Those are two goals that I could not achieve on my own.

Edmund just nodded. He was better at hiding his emotions than Keane. "The date he will be killed will be the day that he has planned for you and Estelle to be secretly married. It will be the very beginning of winter break before her transformation. All things aside, I have great confidence in you Henry. You have a brave heart that I believe could defeat any evil."

I was surprised how much faith he had in me, but it turned into confidence. There was nothing left to be said, we had a plan, and with that I turned around and started down the long corridor, and he could move on to the next item on this to-do list.

"Henry!" Edmund called after me, as I turned around. "It was a great shame to lose your brother through Shawn's eagerness. A few clan members have already removed the body for you and placed it in a proper burial ground. He was a great man, and will never be forgotten. He will not have died for no reason."

I was on the verge of tears, but still managed to shout back, "Thank you so much."