Clan of Blood

I stood there peering down at the slab of granite that a name had been carved deep into it. Even though it was the dead middle of winter the sun reflected off the snow covered ground, casting bright stars in my sober eyes. I won’t cry, not in front of these people. The pain will not kill me. “It was a year ago today that he died.” My mom’s tranquil voice broke through my thoughts and made me shiver. Anthony was throwing snowballs at Vicky and heather as they all ran around laughing. Something was very…unnerving about all of this. Maybe because I was the only one that seemed the slightest bit distressed. Or perhaps it was the dream I had the night before, the one that my dad was still alive and well, walking around like a normal person in a corpse’s body.

I gasped and all eyes were on me, every twisted face was watching me intensely waiting for something. Elyssia nudged me in the ribs and whispered in my ear. “You know the grand chairmen?” asked almost as surprised as I looked. “That man, that man right there, he isn’t hear, he died when I was 12.” I whispered back as everyone seemed to slowly resume speaking amongst themselves. “What are you talking about? He has been with us for 7 years now and…” she trailed of and did the math in her head quietly. “So he faked a human death so what? It happens all the time.” she corrected herself. “Do they usually pose as human’s fathers?” I said with a sort of viciousness that I did not intend. Her face grew pale as she processed what I said, and for a moment I thought she might faint.

“Are you just going to gawk at us all day my dear or are we hear to discuss politics?” The voice rang in my ears and I looked up seeing he was staring right at me.

“Sir, forgive us. I did not realize she had any ties to this world threw her family-” she started. “that’s because I died 7 years ago, before anyone, even I, knew I was part of this world.” He explained with carful eyes on me waiting for a reaction.

“Explain yourself!” I demanded. Elyssia shot me a look that could freeze ice. “This interruption is beside the point we need to get back to the true issues here.” Someone spoke up. I glanced around the room and caught sight of familiar yellow eyes and saw the women from the night before smiling at me, a genuine smile.

“No, this can be postponed for the moment. She deserves to know the truth now that she is a part of our world.” He said his voice booming threw the chaos that seemed to unfold in the room. Every mouth closed and all ears were listening.

“7 years ago I really had cancer and was dying. One day your grandmother decided to pay me a little visit and she told me that she had passed a family curse down threw my blood. The same one that’s currently coursing through your veins.” Heads turned and looked at me with curiosity in their eyes. I felt my heart give a sudden leap in fear.
“I was going to die we both knew that. But what I didn’t know that our blood is activated when we die. We have the sacred blood of the old noble chiefs from the first Indian tribe, the power to jump. Your grandmother explained to me that I need to let the cancer run its course and let it kill me, that she will be on the other side waiting to take me to a safe place little did I know that it was here.” He said lifting his hands in reference to the council. I stood there for a moment dumbfounded, wondering if all of this, being a slave to the night, being something different, was all real or I just one of those crazy dreams and my alarm clock is about to go off and wake me up for school.

In a flash he was beside me with his hand on my shoulder as he spoke. “Now we are both here. My only question for you is, how did you die?” It was now my turn to be the bringer of bad news, like rain on a beautiful day.

Elyssia cut in and stepped forward. “We were out on the hunt and we found them running through the woods.” She said boldly. “Them?” he questioned. I nodded. “Me, and the others. They made it back but I tripped over something and…” my voice trailed off in the distance.
The kind brown eyes flared up in furry like I have never seen before. He turned to Elyssia and raised his hand, striking it across her pretty white coffee cream skin. As he drew it back a beat red mark lay on her cheek as she held it and looked down at the marble floor. “I’m sorry we didn’t know.” She mumbled at the floor.

“I gave orders. That no clan is to lay a hand on my family.” He spat at her and turned his face from us both. “It wasn’t her. It was Gabriel.” I said defensively. He whirled around with a look of bewilderment on his face like I just said I got hit by a train and lived. “I see.” He said quietly to himself then resumed his seat on the council. “Now that this matter has been…cleaned up, we can resume.” He said.

I looked over at Elyssia who shot me a look of gratitude and we both stepped forward. “I think this matter is pretty much resolved what say you?” he looked at the wolf women. “I will fallow any decision you make.” She said obediently. The others nodded and made sounds of agreement.

“Very well leadership of the 9 clans will remain with Gabriel for the time being.” He announced.

The room went into an uproar.

Wails of anger and things being thrown everywhere erupted. I had to dodge a law book that was tossed at my head along with claws of furious creatures attacking one another.
“My word is law!” the whole room shook and everyone looked up at my father with fear in their eyes.

I caught the familiar eyes of Achilles watching me intensely as I stood silently.

“Royalty runs deep in your veins young one. You have much to learn.” I looked behind me to see familiar yellow wolf women eyes looking down at me.