The Bloody Masquerade

“Eugene, you need to learn.” I said softly with a frown on my mouth.

Eugene shook his head and continued to sit on the bed, pouting and staring at his hands. I sighed a little and placed my hands on my hips as I observed him.

I had returned to Badger’s bar shortly before the sun began to rise. It was empty and relatively silent when we entered. Hart left us to trundle back to his home while Badger welcomed us in the darkness, much like our first meeting. I had explained what I had found out but Badger did not appear alarmed that Maggie had pulled a gun on us. She was jumpy and saw enemies in most people, it was why she was avoided by most. After vowing that he would locate the Allaway house once again, this time with far more vigour, he sent us away to bed. For the rest of the night I sat beside Eugene and Alexis, silently cursing where my daydreams went whenever I looked at Alexis’ sleeping face and the summer for the lack of dark hours. It was nearing four in the morning and the sun was already beginning to come back to the sky. I slept until night time came once again and instantly decided that, as now the waiting game was to begin once again, I would train Eugene. It was a good plan until Eugene decided he didn’t want any part of it.

“You have to learn Eugene. If you don’t, you’re not going to survive in this world. You need to be able to defend yourself.” I said firmly.

“I can run!” He said sulkily. “Running will keep me out of danger.”

“Running will only do so much.” I replied with a narrowed gaze. “You can’t even sense any immortals yet when you should have a vague grasp by now. To run you need to know where you’re running. You can’t just blinding flee from an enemy when you don’t know where they are. You can end up back at their feet.”

He pushed his lower lip out, knowing he was losing this battle. “I’ll be okay.” He mumbled.

“You won’t be. If you can’t fight for yourself, you’ll be killed quickly in this world as many will see you as a threat.”

“I’m not a threat.”

I puffed my cheeks out at that comment which was quickly followed by a heavy sigh. “Right now you’re not but the potential you have is a threat. You’re a warlock Eugene. Males are born rarely from a witch, let alone one that can use Matter. You’re special and the Old World finds special people quite daunting.”

“But I won’t hurt anyone!” He said earnestly.

My expression softened a bit. “I know you won’t, but just being stronger is enough to provoke anyone, either from fear or from a need to prove themselves they are more powerful. You’re not safe unless you can defend yourself and you need to learn how to fight now to prepare for yourself older years.”

Eugene glared at the floor now and was getting annoyed, even scared. I was pushing him into a corner. I was right and he knew it. Learning to fight for his own good and something every member of the Old World had to know. But something scared him and it was fighting back.

The fear that was gnawing away at him got the better of him. He stood up sharply and darted out of the room, slithering past my grasp.

“Eugene!” I called.

I stepped out of Alexis’ bedroom just in time to watch Eugene run past Alexis and disappeared down the stairs. Alexis glanced over his shoulder before he turned to face me with a very perplexed expression plastered on his face.

“What’s happened?” He asked as he approached me, watching me as I sighed and rubbed my forehead in despair.

“I tried to convince him to learn about battle. He didn’t like it at all.” I grumbled.

Concern replaced his confusion. “He’s reacting badly to this when he has no need to.”

“I know. I’ll go talk to him again. He’s scared and I want to know why.” I said.

“I know,” Alexis agreed just after he took hold of my wrist to stop me from charging off. “Just be gentle with him. If he’s scared, he’s not going to react well to firm words.”

I smiled at him gentle in reassurance. “I’m just going to talk to him, not make him do anything. Not yet anyway.”

Alexis agreed silently and let me go which I was thankful for. His hand was burning my wrist with a sweet warm sensation which I had to rub away fervently. Softly I wondered downstairs in search of Eugene. There weren’t many scents to sift through and after popping my head in the bar, I knew Eugene would be in the kitchen. Many of the customers hadn’t returned this evening, I assumed they were currently hunting for the Allaway house. It was definitely quieter now they were out. Badger didn’t seem bothered though. He had a couple of customers, travellers, and was watching them carefully from behind his newspaper with his cigar clamped firmly in his teeth. He gave me a nod in welcome before I wondered into the kitchen. As predicted, he was in there but I was irked to see he was crying in Martha’s lap.

Elgar was hovering nearby, watching with concern, but shuffled into the corner and kept himself in the shadow when he glanced at me and saw my frosty smile.

“There you are Eugene.” I said softly.

It was like I had been hit in the stomach when Eugene flinched and gripped Martha’s skirt tighter. Martha looked a little worried when she noticed my smile getting even colder.

“Eugene, hiding from Augusta is not the answer.” She said gently.

“I don’t want to talk to her!” He shouted, his words slightly muffled by the skirt.

“She can’t understand if you don’t tell her.”

My smile twitched a little into a scowl. She knew before I did. Eugene had told her what was bothering him before me. That irritated me and I didn’t bother to hide it.

“Eugene, once you have calmed down, you come find me. You will learn how to fight like every other child does at your age and that’s final.” I said icily.

Ignoring the disapproving frown from Martha, I whirled around and stalked out of the kitchen. I stormed upstairs, trying my hardest to ignore the rising anger and pain. Alexis had obviously felt this in his weird sensitive way and had stepped out of the bedroom, wet haired from his brief shower and a picture of confusion once again.

“What’s happened now?”

“Nothing.” I muttered and stepped past him to sit on the end of the bed with my arms folded and my legs crossed.

“That’s a blatant lie.” Alexis scoffed as he shut the door behind him. “What has Eugene done?”

My anger dwindled a little into something more saddening, stinging my eyes a little. It was silly how attached I was to Eugene and how quickly. I adored the child and seeing him cling to another woman in such a manner was a blow to my pride and jealousy perked up. This was bad. Catastrophic even. Already, less than a month in, and the attachments that had grown five years ago were back tenfold. I thought I had severed them but apparently I hadn’t.

Alexis seemed to realise what was bothering me and set next to me. I didn’t look at him and continued to stare at the floor miserably as he squeezed my shoulder gently in comfort.

“You feel Martha is invading your territory, don’t you?”

He was right on the mark of course and it hit me hard. I felt I was the woman who would comfort Eugene, raise and teach him. For him to tell someone else of his fears, someone he barely knew and someone far more motherly than I was, was irritating and painful. I wasn’t allowed to feel like this. Childhood memories began to flow, picking up age old orders that had been imprinted in me ever since I was discovered to be an anomaly. In order to keep myself from admitting my growing thoughts and try and control the forbidden emotions, I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose.

“Remain alone. Never get attached. Never communicate with the Old World. Never reveal yourself to mortals. Only speak with the Crone and the Family. Exist, don’t live.” Over and over I reminded myself of these orders, muttering them under my breath while rocking back and forth slightly, trying to enforce them once again just like the Crone had over forty years ago.

I had to keep myself shut away from the world. To gain attachments meant giving away my immortality and if too many people found out about me, I would be hunted down. I could only take jobs the Crone handed me and not from any other to limit my connections to people. I would be recognised as immortal if I met with someone from fifty years ago and that had to be avoided.

“Augusta.” Alexis’ voice said firmly beside me.

I froze and pulled myself together rapidly. Sharply I turned to face him with a blank expression, trying ignore the tugging at my heart at his concerned stare.

“Eugene has a fear. Martha knows. Ask her then we can tackle it and teach him of war.” I said softly.

He didn’t move at first. Instead he remained perfectly still, watching me. I could feel his unease clearly. He was worried about me, no doubt thinking of the time I had said those phrases five years ago. I had gone mad after he had seen me in my blood frenzied state. After yelling abuse at him and realising I enjoyed having him around, the feeling of company, I curled into a ball and began chanting those rules to myself. It had taken him a while to get me out of it and I think it surprised him mildly that I could still return to that state.

“I’m fine.” I said warmly, giving him a bright smile. “Go talk to Eugene. He won’t speak to me at the moment.”

He hesitated but eventually nodded, taking comfort that I had returned to a semi-normal state. Alexis stood slowly and exited the room silently, leaving me alone. Almost instantly my mind began to think again, going over the most important of those orders.

Exist, don’t live. Exist, don’t live. Exist, don’t live. Exist, don’t live.

I was disobeying it. I was gaining an emotional bond for both Eugene and Alexis, something that will be difficult to break. I wanted to be around them, to watch Eugene grow and share Alexis’ love.

I was beginning to live.