Immortal Forever: 7. A Warning

"What do we do now?" I slammed myself on the chair.
"I don't get it", Peter muttered, "How did the Council got to know about you?"
"Someone from the inside must have spied and gave them the news", Marian answered.
"Look out if someone's missing", Courtney said aloud.
"Guys", Theo came to us, "Bad news- Louis is missing!"
"What?" gawked Marian.
"Louis?" Peter sat with his fingers knotted, "I never expected him to do anything like this".
"He had a problem with her since the very beginning", Marian frowned.
"But now what shall we do to get away from this?" I asked.
"Louis must have already informed about this place", Courtney answered, "We can't stay here anymore. Let's run somewhere else".
"Where?" Theo looked puzzled.
"What about The Gingerbread?" Peter suggested, suddenly coming back to life.
"Right", Marian chimed in, "That's the best place to go and hide. Nobody would think that we're hiding there".
The rest of the team like the muscular guy and the red-head guy and a couple of demon hunters left the place long before us.
"Where did they go?" I asked, nervously.
"They went from where they had come from", Theo said, "They don't wanna be a part of whatever is going on here".
"Let's not wait here more", Peter interrupted, "Let's move".
The Gingerbread was, as I had thought a small café down the East Street. A tiny bell jungled as we entered through the main door. The smell of fresh bread, cakes and ice-cream hit my nose. It smelled delicious. There was a small counter at a side, displaying various cakes and breads. A fat woman sat behind the counter. There were two tables and a couple of chairs for a few customers who would come to eat.
"Hello, Mrs. Rothbury", Peter greeted the woman.
"Hello, kids", she seemed cheerful, "What brought you here?"
Theo and Peter explained her everything in detail.
"The Council is a hard thing to get away from", she frowned as if she knew a lot about this new world. "You can hide here for a few days, but not more than that. I don't want any sort of trouble in my little café".
We agreed and she led us to a back door which was locked. She unlocked it and told us to go inside. We were now standing in a big hall. There were bunkers at its sides. There was a big cupboard to keep our things. A small window with a view of the back garden was in a corner.
"Will you please tell me who she is?" I inquired.
"That's Mrs. Rothbury", Courtney answered, "She's our kind, but only with a human business of café. This was her storeroom, which was later built into a dorm for demon hunters to stay".
"Many demon hunters used to visit Seattle in the beginning and couldn't find a proper place to settle in. Mrs. Rothbury eased their work by building this dorm", Theo added.
"How many days are we gonna stay here?" I asked.
"Depends on outside situations. She already warned us", Peter sat on a bunker.
"What about home?" I asked him, suddenly tensed.
"Don't you worry about home, Rose", Peter smiled, "They will forget everything. Darius will put a memory blockage system at our place".
"Oh my brother!" Courtney exclaimed, "Darius? Is hw with us, too?"
"Yeah", Theo laughed, "He promised to check on the Hoffman house as well as look for any valuable information about the Council".
"That's cool", Marian cried, "At least, he is with us".
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in", Courtney called.
The door opened and Mrs. Rothbury came in, carrying a tray of five steaming bowls and placed the tray at a side table.
"Chicken soup", she said merrily, "You kids must be hungry".
I had almost forgotten how much hungry I was due to the Council. Now seeing the bowl, my stomach grumbled and I took a bowl from the trey. Others did, too. The soup was delicious with chunks of chicken and a thick broth mixed with corn and turnips.
"Yummy!" Theo chuckled, "You really are an amazing cook".
"Oh dear, thank you", Mrs. Rothbury blushed.
"There's the washroom", she pointed towards another door in a corner.
I wanted to have a hot shower after a tiring day. The steaming hot water made me feel live and energetic. My tank top and the pair of faded jeans were the only outfits that I've been wearing since last night. I needed to change. When I let Mrs. Rothbury know about it, she happily handed me a pair of navy blue jeans and a floral shirt which was a little loose on me.
"These were my daughter's", she said sadly.
"They are pretty comfy", I smiled, "Thank you". I didn't mind asking what had happened to her daughter.
"Laura was my sixteen-year-old, pretty daughter. She was killed in a car crash along with her father," she said slowly, "My husband Rich was drunk while driving. I blame him for Laura's death". She clutched a gold chain tightly in her hand. She said it was Laura's possession.
"That's pretty upsetting, Mrs. Rothbury", Marian said apologatically.
"We won't put you in danger at any cost", I promised before she left the room.
We occupied one bunker each except Theo who said he found sleeping on the floor more comfortable.
"Guys", Courtney announced, "Whoever wakes first will rise the others up". She drifted off to sleep.
When I woke up, it was late afternoon. "You slept like dead, Rose", Peter chuckled.
"We saved you these", Theo passed a trey. It had a mould of cheese, two slices of bread and a cup of hot tea.
I saw that the rest of them had already finished their lunch. Only Courtney was licking the last bits of cream from a plastic cup. She found me staring at her.
"I'm sorry", she finished whatever was in the cup, "I finished your blueberry pastry. Thought you won't eat".
"It's okay. I don't like blueberry", I smiled.
"These are made by Mrs. Rothbury herself", Theo mentioned, "They're simple amazing".
"We should think about our next plan", Peter said, ignoring Theo.
"Which are the places we can go for hiding?" I asked.
"I guess we should head to Venice", Marian was amused.
"You wanna go directly in Clave Island, huh?" Theo laughed.
"We can go there and convince them", Marian replied.
"It's not an easy task, girlie", Courtney said, "They won't get convinced so easily not if they're looking for Rosanna since ages".
Courtney was right. We can't just show up in front of the Council and beg them to stop executing me to death and then fly back here.
No one had a good plan. We sat and talked about ourselves till it became dark outside. 
"I wanna get some fresh air", Marian yawned, "It's suffocating in here. I'm out".
She got up and went for a walk outside. Mrs. Rothbury brought us a can of vegetable stew each in evening.
"Where's Marian?" she inquired.
"She went on the alley for a walk", Theo said, "Didn't you see her go?"
"Oh dear!" she looked tensed, "I was in the kitchen".
"Why didn't she come back yet?" I was nervous.
"I'll go and check", Peter rose up.
"I'll go with you", I held his shoulder.
He didn't protest. We both stepped on the alley. Cold breeze hit my skin and almost entered in my veins. It was cold. There weren't many people except for a few who were closing their stores and walking fast down the alley to go home.
"Marian?" I yelled on top of my voice, "Where are you?" No answer.
"Marian?" Peter called, "Marian?"
Still there was no reply. The alley was dimly lit with street lights. All I could see was emptiness. Nobody was out in a cold night. It was almost 8.
"Let's check the opposite side", Peter suggested and we both walked towards the opposite alley. We called Marian once, twice, thrice. No sign of her.
"Looking for you little friend?" a voice asked wearily.
We spun around to find a bald man staring at us from a house door.
"Yes", Peter answered, "Did you see her?"
"She was walking here in evening when three hooded men came and seized her". He had a horrifying expression.
"Oh no", Peter bit his lip, "It's the Council, you know".
"How did they know that we are here?" I frowned.
"The Council is not an easy thing to get away from", the bald man muttered.
"Who are you?" Peter was surprised.
"I'm Eric", he smiled, "I have been living here since past nine years. I'm one of your kind but without the business of killing demons".
"That's why you could see the Council members", I mumbled, "Humans can't see them, right?"
"Right", Eric answered, "And yeah, they gave me a message for you".
"What message?" Peter asked impatiently.
Eric took out a small piece of paper from his shirt pocket and handed it to him. Peter unfolded the paper as I came closer to look at it. It was a parchment paper filled with elegant slanting handwriting. Written in black ink were the words- Give us Rosanna Valdez. I know she's with you."What do we do now?" I slammed myself on the chair.
"I don't get it", Peter muttered, "How did the Council got to know about you?"
"Someone from the inside must have spied and gave them the news", Marian answered.
"Look out if someone's missing", Courtney said aloud.
"Guys", Theo came to us, "Bad news- Louis is missing!"
"What?" gawked Marian.
"Louis?" Peter sat with his fingers knotted, "I never expected him to do anything like this".
"He had a problem with her since the very beginning", Marian frowned.
"But now what shall we do to get away from this?" I asked.
"Louis must have already informed about this place", Courtney answered, "We can't stay here anymore. Let's run somewhere else".
"Where?" Theo looked puzzled.
"What about The Gingerbread?" Peter suggested, suddenly coming back to life.
"Right", Marian chimed in, "That's the best place to go and hide. Nobody would think that we're hiding there".
The rest of the team like the muscular guy and the red-head guy and a couple of demon hunters left the place long before us.
"Where did they go?" I asked, nervously.
"They went from where they had come from", Theo said, "They don't wanna be a part of whatever is going on here".
"Let's not wait here more", Peter interrupted, "Let's move".
The Gingerbread was, as I had thought a small café down the East Street. A tiny bell jungled as we entered through the main door. The smell of fresh bread, cakes and ice-cream hit my nose. It smelled delicious. There was a small counter at a side, displaying various cakes and breads. A fat woman sat behind the counter. There were two tables and a couple of chairs for a few customers who would come to eat.
"Hello, Mrs. Rothbury", Peter greeted the woman.
"Hello, kids", she seemed cheerful, "What brought you here?"
Theo and Peter explained her everything in detail.
"The Council is a hard thing to get away from", she frowned as if she knew a lot about this new world. "You can hide here for a few days, but not more than that. I don't want any sort of trouble in my little café".
We agreed and she led us to a back door which was locked. She unlocked it and told us to go inside. We were now standing in a big hall. There were bunkers at its sides. There was a big cupboard to keep our things. A small window with a view of the back garden was in a corner.
"Will you please tell me who she is?" I inquired.
"That's Mrs. Rothbury", Courtney answered, "She's our kind, but only with a human business of café. This was her storeroom, which was later built into a dorm for demon hunters to stay".
"Many demon hunters used to visit Seattle in the beginning and couldn't find a proper place to settle in. Mrs. Rothbury eased their work by building this dorm", Theo added.
"How many days are we gonna stay here?" I asked.
"Depends on outside situations. She already warned us", Peter sat on a bunker.
"What about home?" I asked him, suddenly tensed.
"Don't you worry about home, Rose", Peter smiled, "They will forget everything. Darius will put a memory blockage system at our place".
"Oh my brother!" Courtney exclaimed, "Darius? Is hw with us, too?"
"Yeah", Theo laughed, "He promised to check on the Hoffman house as well as look for any valuable information about the Council".
"That's cool", Marian cried, "At least, he is with us".
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in", Courtney called.
The door opened and Mrs. Rothbury came in, carrying a tray of five steaming bowls and placed the tray at a side table.
"Chicken soup", she said merrily, "You kids must be hungry".
I had almost forgotten how much hungry I was due to the Council. Now seeing the bowl, my stomach grumbled and I took a bowl from the trey. Others did, too. The soup was delicious with chunks of chicken and a thick broth mixed with corn and turnips.
"Yummy!" Theo chuckled, "You really are an amazing cook".
"Oh dear, thank you", Mrs. Rothbury blushed.
"There's the washroom", she pointed towards another door in a corner.
I wanted to have a hot shower after a tiring day. The steaming hot water made me feel live and energetic. My tank top and the pair of faded jeans were the only outfits that I've been wearing since last night. I needed to change. When I let Mrs. Rothbury know about it, she happily handed me a pair of navy blue jeans and a floral shirt which was a little loose on me.
"These were my daughter's", she said sadly.
"They are pretty comfy", I smiled, "Thank you". I didn't mind asking what had happened to her daughter.
"Laura was my sixteen-year-old, pretty daughter. She was killed in a car crash along with her father," she said slowly, "My husband Rich was drunk while driving. I blame him for Laura's death". She clutched a gold chain tightly in her hand. She said it was Laura's possession.
"That's pretty upsetting, Mrs. Rothbury", Marian said apologatically.
"We won't put you in danger at any cost", I promised before she left the room.
We occupied one bunker each except Theo who said he found sleeping on the floor more comfortable.
"Guys", Courtney announced, "Whoever wakes first will rise the others up". She drifted off to sleep.
When I woke up, it was late afternoon. "You slept like dead, Rose", Peter chuckled.
"We saved you these", Theo passed a trey. It had a mould of cheese, two slices of bread and a cup of hot tea.
I saw that the rest of them had already finished their lunch. Only Courtney was licking the last bits of cream from a plastic cup. She found me staring at her.
"I'm sorry", she finished whatever was in the cup, "I finished your blueberry pastry. Thought you won't eat".
"It's okay. I don't like blueberry", I smiled.
"These are made by Mrs. Rothbury herself", Theo mentioned, "They're simple amazing".
"We should think about our next plan", Peter said, ignoring Theo.
"Which are the places we can go for hiding?" I asked.
"I guess we should head to Venice", Marian was amused.
"You wanna go directly in Clave Island, huh?" Theo laughed.
"We can go there and convince them", Marian replied.
"It's not an easy task, girlie", Courtney said, "They won't get convinced so easily not if they're looking for Rosanna since ages".
Courtney was right. We can't just show up in front of the Council and beg them to stop executing me to death and then fly back here.
No one had a good plan. We sat and talked about ourselves till it became dark outside. 
"I wanna get some fresh air", Marian yawned, "It's suffocating in here. I'm out".
She got up and went for a walk outside. Mrs. Rothbury brought us a can of vegetable stew each in evening.
"Where's Marian?" she inquired.
"She went on the alley for a walk", Theo said, "Didn't you see her go?"
"Oh dear!" she looked tensed, "I was in the kitchen".
"Why didn't she come back yet?" I was nervous.
"I'll go and check", Peter rose up.
"I'll go with you", I held his shoulder.
He didn't protest. We both stepped on the alley. Cold breeze hit my skin and almost entered in my veins. It was cold. There weren't many people except for a few who were closing their stores and walking fast down the alley to go home.
"Marian?" I yelled on top of my voice, "Where are you?" No answer.
"Marian?" Peter called, "Marian?"
Still there was no reply. The alley was dimly lit with street lights. All I could see was emptiness. Nobody was out in a cold night. It was almost 8.
"Let's check the opposite side", Peter suggested and we both walked towards the opposite alley. We called Marian once, twice, thrice. No sign of her.
"Looking for you little friend?" a voice asked wearily.
We spun around to find a bald man staring at us from a house door.
"Yes", Peter answered, "Did you see her?"
"She was walking here in evening when three hooded men came and seized her". He had a horrifying expression.
"Oh no", Peter bit his lip, "It's the Council, you know".
"How did they know that we are here?" I frowned.
"The Council is not an easy thing to get away from", the bald man muttered.
"Who are you?" Peter was surprised.
"I'm Eric", he smiled, "I have been living here since past nine years. I'm one of your kind but without the business of killing demons".
"That's why you could see the Council members", I mumbled, "Humans can't see them, right?"
"Right", Eric answered, "And yeah, they gave me a message for you".
"What message?" Peter asked impatiently.
Eric took out a small piece of paper from his shirt pocket and handed it to him. Peter unfolded the paper as I came closer to look at it. It was a parchment paper filled with elegant slanting handwriting. Written in black ink were the words- Give us Rosanna Valdez. I know she's with you.

Immortal Forever: 6. Meeting Darius Brown

I couldn't believe my ears. For a minute, I was blank. Then with a sudden pat on my back, I came back down to earth.
"Earth calling Rosanna", Courtney patted my back again, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine", I cleared my throat.
"Rose", Peter held my hand, "Tell me, do you have any memory of any special power that you possess?"
"Huh?" I shrieked, "Special power? Never!"
"How is this ever possible?" Louis shook his head, "I mean how did she just land up on that island of vampires?"
"We still need to figure out much more", Marian whispered.
"Look", I said, taking deep breaths, "I really dunno anything- anything at all. And I'm not a vampire, okay?"
"Calm down, Rosanna", Theo interrupted, "It's okay, calm down. Guys, she doesn't even have any fang! How can she be one of that kind?"
"Very funny", chimed in Marian. "Rose, you need to come with us right now".
"Now?" I swallowed, "Where?"
"To meet Darius Brown", she muttered.
"What? Are you crazy, Marian?" Peter rose up from his chair, "We can't take her to him at all".
"But we need to find out the truth, right?" Courtney smiled, "It's gonna be fine".
"You guys, listen to me, we are not going to him", Peter shouted, "Not if she is a mundane".
"But she's not a mundane, Peter", Louis yelled back, "She's not. So, let's get going".
"Will anyone tell me what's going on and who is this Darius guy?" I asked without knowing what they were talking about.
"Darius Brown is Seattle's most renowned vampire merchant. He have been living since five hundred years. He knows everything about the vampire history", Theo answered my question.
"That's cool", I stood up, "What are we waiting for then? Let's get going."
Peter was dumbfounded. Marian winked at him and Louis stuck his tongue out. Others giggled.
It was decided that Peter, Marian and Theo would accompany me to visit Darius whereas the others would stay here and discuss about the further plans.
"Peter", I caught his shoulder as we were about to leave the hotel, "What shall we say at home? Megan must be awake in another hour".
"Don't worry", he smiled, "Courtney have already left a sticking note on the fridge, telling that we are out for project".
"Great", I laughed. "Let's go".
We took the subway down to train station and then boarded a train that took us to Pioneer Square which is the historic area of Seattle.
Once we reached Pioneer Square, we walked through the boulevard and came across an old bungalow. It was so old that plants had started growing from its walls. I checked my phone. It was 7am.
Theo knocked the door thrice. Peter an I stood behind him silently. Finally, the door opened and a thin and bald man stepped out.
"Theodore", he smiled, "What brought you here?"
"Mr. Bennett", he said politely, "My friends here need help".
Mr. Bennett looked at us standing behind Theo and smiled.
"Come on in, then", he said, "Master is relaxing today".
He made way for us to go inside. It was brightly lit with huge chandeliers that hung from above. Hundreds of paintings beautified the living room. The sofa was placed at the centre of the huge room. Bennett told us to take our seats while he went to inform his 'master'.
We waited in silence, gazing at the beauty of the room. After awhile, a lean guy of about Peter's age entered the room. He was wearing a silk robe and was barefoot. He had a heart-shaped face with blood-red eyes which I don't think so that I have ever seen. His brown hairs were wet and were still dripping water which meant he just had a shower. His skin was too much pale which made him look almost dead. But his skin had a silvery glaze. He looked like some cheery schoolboy rather than a renowned merchant. Then I remembered that somewhere in stories, I had read that vampires never age.
He looked at all three of us carefully before taking his seat opposite us. His gaze stopped at me. He stared at me with wary eyes. I felt uncomfortable, looking at his red pupils. They were so red that I felt as if burning with the heat which radiated from them.
Finally, he looked away from me to Theo.
"Tell me", he said, his voice like velvet, "Why are you here?"
"Well", Peter began, "We wanted to know some truths about her, sir". And he pointed at me.
"About her?" he stared again at me, "What do you wanna know, girl?"
"I...well...they think that I'm a vampire", I stammered.
His eyes became wide with surprise. I regretted saying those words.
Theo might have understood my uncomfortable feeling and so he cleared his throat.
"She has come from North Carolina recently to live with her foster parents and siblings which includes Peter", Theo said.
"Then she saw me killing a demon down the lawn back home", Peter added.
"Strange", Darius bit his lip, "So, you must have thought that she is a vampire and brought her to me".
"No", Theo said, "There's more".
He and Peter explained everything about me visiting the Clave Island in Venice.
"Interesting", Darius sat upright, "Come here, sweet lady". He gestured me to sit beside him on the couch.
I went and sat next to him nervously. He took my hand softly.
"Look me in my eyes", he smiled, "That way, I can tell who you are".
I put my gaze up in his eyes and looked at them while he traced his long fingers on my palm. After awhile of looking at his eyes, he finally let go off my hand and I too, looked down.
"What did you see?" Theo asked warily.
Darius gasped. I almost jumped out of the couch. He was holding his breathe and let it go when I looked at his face. It was paler.
"You are the daughter of Steve and Mia, aren't you?" he asked.
"Yes", I said, "I'm their daughter. But they died in a car crash long back".
"They didn't die in a car crash, you know", he answered slowly, "They were punished and executed".
"What?" my mouth fell open, "How do you know? When did this happen?"
"I visit the council of our kind in Clave Island", he muttered, "I know better than any other vampire".
"But what's the connection with me and the vampires?" I asked out loud.
"Your father was one of my kind, Rosanna Valdez", he sat, crossing his legs.
"What?" I gasped, "How can he be a vampire?"
"Let me show you something", he rose up and went towards a small desk at a side. He opened a drawer and took out a hardcover book. He then handed it to me.
It was not a book. It was an album. I opened it to find his photo on the first page. He told me to flip through the pages. Finally, he told me to stop at one page. It was a photo of Darius and a bronze haired guy who was taller than him. They both were in there graduation outfits, holding the graduation caps. Both were arm in arm. The other guy had brown eyes and a long nose and he resembled ME! That was my father, Steve Valdez.
Peter and Theo both looked at the picture and looked at each other's faces.
"That's my dad", I whispered, "You guys were classmates?"
"Yeah" Darius smiled, "We were the best friends in college. But poor Steve. He fell in love with a mundane girl back in North Carolina and he married her. Then they had you. But marrying a mundane is against the rule of the Council. Your parents tried to save you from their punishments and so, they had sent you at your uncle's place. They couldn't escape from the Council and gave up their lives".
I was frozen on the couch. Peter and Theo were shocked.
"But why am I not like you?" my voice trembled as I looked at Darius.
"That's because your mum was a mundane, Rosanna", he answered, "You got your mum's features even though your eyes and your nose are like Steve".
"Does she have any power like other vampires do?" Peter inquired.
"Every vampire possesses fast speed and the thirst for blood. Some of us are special though. Like I own the power of telling the future by looking at their eyes. I couldn't see any such power in her", Darius said.
"Maybe that's because she never tried to use any of the power she owns", Theo muttered.
"Really?" Peter chuckled. "Rose, can you try moving a little fast from where you are right now?"
I stood up and began to move towards the front door. But I moved normally, like every human does. But as I tried moving a little faster, everything changed. I couldn't believe that in a matter of second, I was standing outside, on the boulevard.
"How did I reach here?" I was shocked.
"You possess fast speed, Rosanna Valdez ", Darius was next to me at once along with Peter and Theo.
Suddenly, I heard a beep beep noise from somewhere.
"Excuse me", Peter apologized, "It's my phone".
He took out his phone from jeans pocket and went at a side to speak.
"Hello?" he answered.
"What did you see?"
I couldn't hear the person who was on the other side.
"Really?"
"Yeah, yeah. We are coming".
He hung up and came to us. His face was unreadable.
"We need to go to the hotel", he declared.
"What's wrong?" Theo asked.
"It's the Council. Someone informed them that Rose is still alive. They want her", his face filled with pain.
I gasped.