Rise Up - The Book

Introduction

It was getting cold. Sitting at the desk in front of the window made me chilly. I could’ve closed it, but I was too frozen to move. I could hear the sound of the leafs spreading through the street, my neighbor’s dog barking and the notebook between my hands fluttering. I couldn’t think of anything. My thoughts were blocked beyond my head. I had so many room inside of my brain that I didn’t know how to use it. I felt numb. I was senseless. Neither the cold could reach me now. I was all trapped inside the pages of the notebook between my hands, with my eyes gazing through the window…seeing nothing but his face. “When you read this, I’ll be far away to explain. Nothing that had happened matters anymore, nor what you believe it did. All it matters is what is going to happen, and you’re the only one who can decide that. Keep reading what you’ve left from me and you will understand. You have an incredible power, dear Emma. You can easily make people fall in love with you.. Your charm has no limit, your hands speak for themselves and your eyes.. they tell nothing but beautiful dreams. The problem is you don’t believe it’s true. Start by believing it. Remember: you’re the one who can change what matters!”

Chapter 1: The rise

The clock ticked 7 a.m. My hand reached for it to stop, but it did nothing but water on the floor, slamming the glass I had near the clock. I had to wake up. The sun shined through the big windows and I could smell the eggs frying downstairs. Was it really necessary? It was Monday, but I could still fake a premenstrual symptom or something that would keep me in bed late. I had to take advantage of my age, or at least try to be creative and get back to the beautiful dream I was having. The very next moment, my little sister Alessia came into the room wining about the doll she broke last night. The pillow wasn’t big enough to shut down my ears, nor to take Alessia from my view, who was actually on the top of my bed making my attempts to sleep impossible. “How can such a small person make so much noise?” I asked my sister who said nothing, but gave me a grin. I stepped down from the bed, put my slippers on and went downstairs to the kitchen. Mom was making breakfast, whistling the song on the radio. Seemed like it wasn’t Monday for her. Maybe by getting older you got used to the awful feeling that Monday gave me. I had to make a change. While I was eating the eggs and Alessia her cereals, I heard on the news that our local University had been closed for a couple of days because of some toxic gaze that broke through the main pipe. It didn’t matter actually what happened, but the news that I wasn’t forced to go to school made me thrill. My first thought was to go back to sleep, but who could do that with an excited sister and with a mom without a job? Yes, exactly, nobody, at this time of the day. Mom didn’t have to take a job according to my dad, because a mom is a mom only by staying home, feeding the babies, watching them grow, helping them study and cuddling them. I didn’t mind when I was Alessia’s age, but when you’re in your 20s, you have you mom as a bodyguard, and worse, you are still living with your parents, while you were supposed to get away from home, applying to a big and far away university, it doesn’t rises up your self esteem. But what can I say? Having your laundry cleaned up at time, breakfast ready when you wake up and your favorite desert when you wish for it, isn’t really something to give up. But I guess it comes a moment in life when you have to take your own way, to follow the path that’s been waiting for you since you were born and start to front your destiny. I always knew there was something there more than normal and simple life. “What are you going to do today, sweetheart?” mom interrupted my daydreaming. “I don’t know, maybe go outside taking pictures?” I said breathlessly. Mom smiled and went back cooking. As a student at a Film Academy, this was an usual habit, photographing. In a town like Cluj, Romania, there was only one Film School, not to mention the other universities available. So I went back upstairs, searching for the used jeans and a yellow t-shirt and then I headed through the town’s center. On the way through it, I took pictures of people in the bus, worried faces, silly faces, sad faces. There was something about people’s faces that fascinated me. All those lines, the

difference between people’s eyes, the curbs of the mouth, the glittering teeth. To me, there is nothing more fascinating than the human being. You can do so many things with a face. You can tell a story, you can create one, you can create a whole life based on just one face. I stepped out at the 4th bus stop, and walked to the park near. The weather was perfect, middle spring time, the exactly ingredients I needed. My camera didn’t stop moving. I searched for details, for eyes that flickered, for smiles that were breathtaking. And then, at one turn, I found a hand. The most perfect-shaped hand I had ever seen. The fingertips were almost designed, and the nails were oval cut. I photographed the hand. I couldn’t resist the vibe it was sending. I touched the whole body with my camera. I took pictures with those long legs, in those well fitted blue-jeans, then went up at that incredible neck, with a soft red scarf around it. My hands were shaking as I was craving to see the face. With a soft movement, I found the eyes I will never forget. A deep brown pair of eyes were staring into the camera. I photographed them. In a second, I photographed the entire face. The perfect symmetry stunned me. The lips had a light pink shadow, the hair was dark brown, curled a little.. But the eyes were all I could care about. There was nothing like those eyes. They told me in a second all I wanted to know. I could read that person’s heart, I already knew there was something inside his soul I was dying to discover. It was like a magnet. I let my camera fall on my shoulder as I walked toward the beautiful human. I felt my entire body screaming of desire, it was like a different kind of blood ran through my veins. It was different than anything I had experienced. While walking, I felt as a second dilated in 10, as if the time slowed down.. But his eyes were still on my face, like waiting for my feet to reach his. I was blank. No memories, no future thoughts. I was there and I was then. Finally, I was in front of him. And there we were, face to face, eyes in eyes, saying nothing. I could swear we were like that for minutes, like the world stood still. I heard nothing around, I saw nothing. “Hello” he greeted me. I couldn’t find my tongue to articulate any words. “My name is Robert.” Robert, what a beautiful name, fell in love with it immediately. Words were running now through my head, but I found nothing conveniently to say. “Are you alright?” he asked in a sweet, bassist voice. Suddenly, I realized I was mesmerized, and probably I looked like a fool. I tried to escape from that shield he kept me in and act as normally as possible. “Uhm, I’m really sorry” I said “I’ve lost my dog. Have you seen it?” I said quickly. It took me a second to realize what I’ve just said. He smiled confused. His eyebrows undulated in an adorable way. “I’m sorry, I haven’t. Do you need help finding it?” he offered charmingly. I was blocked. It seemed like he was offering his help to find the inexistent dog. “Of course. Any help is welcomed.” I said smiling. “Shall we?” he glanced to the pathway. I followed him. “So, what are we looking for?” he asked politely. “Looking for…?” I asked confused. “The dog?” he answered amused, probably by my infant thinking. “Oh, right” I said laughing. “It’s a Scottish-terrier, actually. Her name is Honey.” Honey?? I couldn’t come up with a better idea. But the game was on, I had to keep playing.

“Oh, so is a she. That’s very thoughtful.” he said “Why is that? Is there a rule according to a girl should own a female dog? Or is the name too girlie for you to stand?” I asked smiling to him. “I’m a dog lover. And as far as I know, the Scottish-terrier is a playful dog, often suited for an active man. But in need, it can keep up the tonus of a girl, if is named girlie enough to take the dog for a walk.” He said almost whispering to me. I moved my eyebrow as he did earlier. He seemed to challenge me. “Ok, so I don’t have a dog, but if I had, I would’ve loved to name her or him Honey, whether his sex was. And not because I’m not active, it’s just because Honey seems like a suited cuddling name for someone you love.” I said glancing at him, probably more intense than I should have. He stopped for a moment from our walk. The sun was lighting all his face now, and his brown eyes looked deep into my also brown eyes. I would’ve jumped into his arms, kissing him passionately but I suddenly remembered he was a stranger I had just met 10 minutes ago. I woke up from the day dreaming again when he touched my hand. It was hot, as a stove, and it felt like burning my soul. “So, if you don’t have a dog, which I knew, would you like to have a cup of hot chocolate with me? You can name it however you want.” He smiled kindly. I laughed noisily, and accepted his offer by shaking my head. He didn’t let go of my hand, while we headed through the café bar right across the street. That was the single minute since I met him when I could hear the cars, the sound of the street, the birds in the park we had left behind and most important, the sound of my heart. It was running. Perhaps he heard it too, because he held my hand stronger for a couple of seconds. We entered the café bar and he ordered the hot chocolate. Every time he looked into my eyes I felt like stone. There was something in his look that froze me. “So how old are you, anyway?” I asked He touched the cup, and looked through the window. “21.” He said. He didn’t smiled this time. “Are you from Cluj?” I continued. “I’m from here, from there, but yes, I’m from Cluj.” He answered. Suddenly, his phone rang. He answered, but his face frowned. He mumbled something I couldn’t understand. When he shut off the phone he seemed to be another person. He looked one more time into my eyes. “I have to go, I’m sorry.” And he left. And there I was, alone in a bar, with two chocolate cups in front of me, dazzled by the stranger who left. Was I going to see him again? I spent another hour drinking the hot chocolate and trying to find a logical explanation of his sudden change. And because I haven’t, I got myself home. On the path in front of my house was parked an unknown car. It was an black Audi TT. I got to the door, opened it and inside were mom, dad and Alessia. The little one ran through me almost stumbling. She smiled with her two missing teeth and handled me a key. “Surprisssse” she snaked.

I hugged her tight. “I can’t breathe, Emma.” She started wining. Mom and Dad laughed and I hugged them too. Tomorrow was going to be my birthday. “Wanna take it for a ride?” Dad asked happily. “Sure, why not?” I answered and got back to the car. This time, I admired it more carefully. The black color shined in the twilight and while I pressed the on button and opened the door I felt a warm wave of happiness. The seats were covered with tobacco brown leather, royal in a way. I entered carefully, pulled the door too lightly. I was afraid to break it somehow. After I locked myself in, I switched on the music. A slowly piano music filled my ears with pleasure. I put the car in reverse and with a slow push on the pedal, I hit the road. With the music playing, everything seemed right in place. And it was, except for the mysterious boy from the park. The trees were now passing very fast my sight, while my thoughts were in slow motion. All I could think about were his marvelous eyes. They dazed me. I felt something has changed inside of me. Still, I was the same Emma, but the wave of optimism I have always had, had now disappeared. I couldn’t possibly imagine that I will see him again. After all, he didn’t know my name, didn’t know anything about me. Nor did I.. apparently. I couldn’t find in this very own moment, a place to fit.. Although, this morning I knew exactly who I was, what I wanted to do. But now, I was just Emma, a heart-in-the-matter. The time must have passed quickly, because it was already night and I had to get back home. I must admit, my super-car was more than I expected. It went perfectly smooth, the breaks were soft, it only needed a light push to stop the car. I loved it! By the time I got home, three more cars were parked in from of my house. Strange cars too. Did mom and dad bought cars for them too, even for Alessia? I entered the door shyly. Nobody in the living room. “Hello?” I said. No feedback. I walked upstairs straight to my bedroom. No sound again. I looked on the window.. No human step. Weird. Where did they go? While I was changing on the inside, my room was still the same. The big brown bed in the middle, a small desk at the window and a big closet near the door. Everything was beige in my room, except for the big purple pillow in my bed. I was kind of conservatory, didn’t like too much color in my room. I was always sure of my believing: the bedroom must be your own happy place. This was my happy place, nothing could reach me here. Oh, but still, he could. Was I mentally ill if a normal stranger could get that deep into my mind? I reached for the phone and called mom on her cell. Nobody answered. It passed my mind they must have gone to a friend’s house. But still, what was with the strange cars? I laid on the bed, with the phone in my hands, with the attempt to make another call. But I fell asleep. It was 4 in the morning. It was raining outside, I could feel the cold wind only looking on the window. I got up and went to check on my parents bedroom. The room was empty, the bed was untouched. And so was Alessia’s. I went downstairs to check the strange cars. They were gone. What was happening? Where was my family? My first thought was to get into the car and go to the police. I went back into my room, changed with the same clothes I have worn the day before and ran through the door. The car was

really fast, I could only think about my beloved family. Where in the world could they be? Alessia had school in the morning, they couldn’t decide to take off like that, especially having me on the road, driving.. At the police station everything was calm. I opened the door brutally and went to the first policeman. “I want to report a missing family. My family actually.” I said breathless. “ What are the members’ name?” the policeman said sleepy. “ Alessia Ston, Gina Ston and Marc Ston”. My fingers were all over my face, rubbing my forehead. “When was the last time you saw them?” he asked. “Yesterday, around 4 in the afternoon. They were home and I went for a walk and when I returned, the house was empty. In the front yard, there was three unknown cars which weren’t anymore when I woke up. But my family was still missing, their beds were untouched.” I said almost crying. “Ok, I’ll let you know as soon as we have something.” He said a little more awaken. “Please, do what you have to do, but find them” I felt the tears coming. I walked slowly through the door, crying. Outside, the sun was rising. It felt like the worse day of my life. The feeling of losing your family cannot be compared with anything. I got into the car, let the windows down and turned on the engine. The tears were running through my face, with angry steps, falling onto my lap. I decided not to go home. I felt homeless. I kept on driving, not seeing I was leaving Cluj behind.. I didn’t stop until I found the Hoia-Baciu forest. It was my hiding place because of the crooked trees. This was the place where I always asked my friends to go. There was something about this forest that always gave me strength on my rough time. I was hoping this time will too, but I figured there was nothing that would ease my pain. I parked the car on the road and went into the forest. After several minutes of walking, behind those big trees, there was a small meadow, a heavenly place, where the sun broke fearless. I could even hear a stream crossing by. I laid my body on the wet and cold grass and stood still. My eyes gazed at the sky, facing the sun. Even in this conditions, with my soul in pain, with my body a bit frozen by the cold, I fell asleep, once again. My eyes were closed. I felt the heat of the sun, this time. It had to be afternoon now. I opened my eyes carefully. “Alessia?” I asked with fear in my voice glancing at the girl in front of me. She smiled, the same in my memory, with those two missing teeth. My tears were now rolling on my cheeks, again. I ran to hug her but my hands couldn’t reach her. I kept on running and she was still in front of me but I was never able to reach her. “Why can’t I touch you?” I screamed, crying. She showed me to stop, raising her hand. And so I did. She took something from her little pink pocket and put it on the grass. It was a letter. When I raised my head to face her again, she was gone. But the letter was still there. I grabbed it, unfolded it carefully. It was written with a pen, with old fashioned letters. My hand were shivering. “Dear Emma, We are very sorry you had to go through this. Don’t worry about our safety. We’re perfectly fine! There is a secret in our family that you

have to find on your own. This is why we are gone, so that you can discover your path in life. You are special, Emma! Don’t be afraid, you are being protected. Love, Mom, Dad and Alessia “ This wasn’t happening. It was all a bad dream and I had to open my eyes to wake up. I had to! But there was no dream, was it? The feeling was too real to be unreal. I was alone! ALONE. What in the world was I supposed to do? Get a job, get married and have kids? What was I going to tell everyone? That they died? They didn’t tell me anything, they didn’t give me any clue. Just that I was special. Everyone is special, especially children to their parents. I had to find a way to know the truth, the secret they were saying. But how? I ran to the car, got in and pushed deep the pedal. I was hitting the road as fast as I could manage. I parked my car, searched for the keys to open the house. In front of the door I realized it was open. Wide open.. But still, it didn’t look like a robber. Everything was in place. I was scared to death. Was there someone in the house? It couldn’t be, the door was open. Even I knew the thieves don’t leave tracks. The living room seemed the same. So did the kitchen. I walked up the stairs like a ballerina, without making any noise at all. Back in my room, it was just like I have left it. Then what was it? I went to my parents’ bedroom. And there was the mess. The bed was turned upside down and the window was open. So the thief entered on the door and walked away on the window? I searched the closet. None of their clothes were still there. It actually looked like a guest bedroom. Not even the pictures with our family were there. It was all gone. I assumed it was someone sent by my parents or even my parents themselves. But would they leave the door open so that anyone could come in whenever they wanted? Or was all part of a plan? I hated it! A day before I was a normal girl in a normal family. And now I was a lonely, scared-todeath girl with a missing hallucinating family. It was night by now.. I had to do something, to start from somewhere. I went through all of my sister’s bedroom. I searched every corner of her room ( it empty too ). Found nothing. Suddenly, I heard a knock. It was coming from downstairs. It was the front door. I froze for a second, but found my legs at time to walk down the stairs. I open the door slowly, afraid of what I would see. “Emma Ston?” the blond man asked. “Ah…yes?” I answered confused by his look. He looked like he was coming from the 1800s, dressed with knee-length breeches being worn over stockings, a tail coat cut high over the top of the breeches, ruffled cravat worn at the neck and black leather gloves. He had a walking stick and a top hat. “My name is Lynn Tudor. Your parents called me and said you needed help” he said charmingly. This man was around his 30s, looking very handsome, even with that weird sense of fashion. “Called you? Do you own a phone?” I said amused looking at his walking stick. He didn’t need it for walking problems, for sure. “In a way they did. I will explain everything later. I’m starving. Is there anything in your refrigerator?” he asked and walked gracefully through the kitchen.

I followed him shocked by his attitude and shocked by my foolish behavior. He could be a serial killer dressed weird to impress and I am allowing him to enter into my house? “I’m sorry, if my parents called you for help, why don’t I know you?” I asked firmly. “Good question. I thought you’ll ask. Well, you’re too young, dear.” He answered with a musical voice, like he was playing some notes. He opened the fridge’s door and sighted. “There is nothing to eat in here. What do you eat, honey? Free air?” he chuckled. He removed his gloves and put his hand into the fridge. A second later he handed me a plate with a enormous lasagna. I was astounded. I knew very well I didn’t have something like that in the fridge. He smiled politely and handed me a fork. “But it’s cold” I said. “No, it is not” he said charmingly, again. And it wasn’t. I almost burned my tongue at the first bite. I was too hungry to speak right now. We ate in silence. After a while he reached for water. “You know, this is a lovely kitchen you have.” He said friendly, trying to start a conversation. “ Yes, too bad I can’t cook like you do” I said ironically. He smiled with the whitest teeth I had ever seen. “It’s not that hard, you know? It is just a switch of wrist.” I bet I looked confused. “You see, dear, everything that you do is because of your mind. You decide what to do and then you do it. And what you already do unconsciously is something you’ve decided too many times and it has imprinted in your brain. So, basically, you could do anything you want, isn’t it?” he smiled, moving one eyebrow. “Well, everything realistic. I mean, I want to run fast like a car, but I can’t do that. It’s beyond normality.” I said, entering his game. “Not everything is like that. Not everyone is the same. There are some people in this world that are better than the rest. People who can work with parts of their brain that normal people can’t.” I said nothing. He looked at me, his expression changed into a serious one. “You are special, Emma!” he said holding my hand. “Oh, not you too! This is what my mom told me. What’s your point? What’s her point?” I asked angry. He stood up and started to walk around the kitchen’s table. I looked at him frowned. He held one arm in the air, concentrated on the plate I had in front of me. After 5 seconds, the plate was up in the air, almost touching my nose. He watched my expression. I was speechless. “This means using your brain, Emma. You try now” he said. I laughed. “How many times do you think I haven’t try to call a book from the desk, too lazy to get up and take it? This is stupid. I can’t do that” I said. “Yes, you can!” he almost yelled. His voice was heavy now. I raised one arm in the air like he did trying to concentrate on the plate. I didn’t know what to think of. Just… to lift it up.

“I can’t! I don’t know what to think of” I said calmly now. “Think of it’s inches, of it’s weight, of it’s color. Think of it as a whole. As something you want to be yours and you want it now” he explained, but his voice was still heavy. I thought of Robert. I thought of his perfect face, of his stunning body. I thought of his voce. I thought of how badly I wanted him with me, by my side as the half we’re all searching for. I thought of my heart. “Well done, Emma” he said smiling. I didn’t even notice the plate in the air. He was right. I was thinking of the whole I wanted. Awkwardly, I didn’t feel anything new. Just the weakness in my hand for keeping it up for that long. And I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had lifted a plate with the power of my mind. I looked at Lynn and smiled. Then we heard the sound of a broken plate on the ground. “Leave it, leave it, honey.” He said, taking my hand while I wanted to clean up, and walked me to the living room. “Isn’t it great, controlling the power you have been gifted?” he asked, smiling again. If he wasn’t dressed like that and hadn’t been sent by my parents I could’ve said he was flirting with me. “I can hear that” he said with his hands holding eachother’s. I felt the blood coming through my cheeks. I was blushing. “I think it’s time to tell me who you really are and where you come from” I told him. He deepened into the big black sofa and sighted. “My story begins long time ago. I was born in Holland, in the 1800s, 1826 to be more specific, the second son of three. My father was a big merchant, well known in Amsterdam. Our family was a family like any other: my mother sat with us at home while my father brought the money. It never happened anything usual until the day I turned 18. I decided it was time to leave home, although the tradition said I had to find a good wife to settle down. But I had other plans for myself. I said goodbye to my family, not nothing if I was ever going to see them again and went to Paris, France. There, I started working for a man who had a home-made hospital. It wasn’t much I could do for the sick people that came there, but to get them a warm bed, something to eat and to read them the letters they would, eventually, receive. But most of the times, the persons coming here were homeless, or dying. After a while, I myself, got sick. It was the yellow fever. I must have been dying, I don’t remember it very well, but something happened to me that night, because I recovered mysteriously. Not only got healthy again, but also stronger, with unusual brain activity, like moving object and I developed a power no one has ever heard of: a shape switcher. It’s what I did with the lasagna. I can take any object I want and switch it into another. So, after my recovering, I decided to leave France and go to Italy. It was 1856. That’s when I met your parents.” “Hold on” I interrupted him. “What? You met my parents in 1856?” I asked full of shock. “I did. But your parents were nothing like me. They were different, but still the first special persons I’ve encountered since my change. At that moment, they were basically strangers. They’ve met in Greece, when Gina was stealing from a store

something to drink and Marc something to eat. Because you see, Gina only drinks and Marc only eats. Haven’t you noticed that in 20 years?” he asked surprised. “I…No.” I admitted surprised to myself. “Well, so they were stealing from that store because they both were recovered from a disease and didn’t know what to do first. That thirst and that starvation was the effect of the recovery, but it manifested different. And by the time I met them, something was beginning to born: the future eternal love.” He said, smiling. I was speechless. “So, they get to live forever?” I asked curious. “Yes they do. There are two ways they can die. Without saturating their thirst and starvation, they become weaker until they dissolve or being burned by one of their kind.” He answered my question without looking me in the eyes. “So, why are they away now? Is there any danger around?” I asked scratching my nails. “Unfortunately, there is. A family called Redali from Scotland wants them burned because of your mother’s unequaled skill. Emma, your mother can travel within time and space.” I couldn’t hear anything. No heartbeat, no sound around me. I could see Lynn’s lips moving but I couldn’t hear a word they said. A second later, everything went black.

“Good morning, Emma! Omelet or boiled eggs?” Lynn asked charmingly. I raised my head off the pillow to figure that it was daytime, if not morning time, outside was warm, the sun shined. It seemed like a perfect day for smiling. But then I remembered, I have lost my family. “Omelet, I think.” I said briefly. He offered me his arm to raise from the bed, guessing that I might have a headache. Or maybe knowing, since he could read minds. He walked me slowly to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth. It took longer than I expected. It felt like everything changed inside me. I couldn’t focus very well on things around me, but there was Lynn, always by my side. I stopped and looked very carefully at his face. He was gorgeous. How lucky I was these days, I had only seen boys sent by gods. His blond hair gave a touch of bronze to his face. He seemed sculpted to me. His features were too perfect to be human. So, after the recovery, you probably stop being human and you gain new features that make you unbelievably perfect. “You are ….” I couldn’t finish my sentence. I probably frowned, because Lynn laughed. “You’re cute when you do that. You’re feeling awful, isn’t it? he asked gently. “Uhm.. There is something wrong with my head. I feel like I’ve been drunk the last night. Was I?” I asked confused. Another laughter from Lynn. “No, dear, I believe you’re going through a change, as you believe too. But I think it’s a massive change.. I think you’re becoming special.” He said kindly “Special? Oh…I wonder what will I be able to do.” I said.

“Well, according to the fact that you are child born from two special persons, and you could do something without the transition.. We can expect for great things. Although, I wonder how come you’re changing.. I have never met any other person who could go through this without being saved like I was, or your parents.” I took a couple of seconds to remember everything from the last 2 days. It felt like such a long time ago. My old life didn’t make sense anymore. I was a student two day ago and now I didn’t know where to go or what to do. The Redalis were coming to look after my mom and I was unprepared. But, were they coming? Wasn’t that’s why mom and dad had left? They couldn’t have left me here to face the enemies. But, also Lynn was here. It didn’t make sense, yet. Lynn helped me comb my hair, he helped me dress ( I know!!! ) and he cooked me with a switch of wrist a perfect breakfast. “How old are you, Lynn?” I asked shyly. “Well, technically I am 182 years old but I stopped aging at 30.” he answered quickly. “Aren’t you sad to see the ones you love, die?” I asked wondering what would I feel. “It was difficult at the beginning, but then I tried to convince myself that every step in a human’s life is meant to be. I will never be able to get old, to think like an old man, to have the feeling that I’ve accomplished something in my entire life. I have an existence, I have an eternity to accomplish whatever I aim for. That’s a good thing, but on the other hand I am still wondering if I’ll ever get bored of …living.” he said looking into my eyes. “I was wondering.. What am I supposed to do right now? Go on with my old life, like going to school and hanging with my friends? Or should I join a secret community of special people and do special stuff?” I said ironically. “You may laugh, but it’s all very serious. This world you’re living in, it’s not the world you thought you knew. There are things out there, things you cannot even imagine. And you are part of this strange world and you’ll see it and feel it, sooner or later.” He answered again with that heavy voice. I ate my omelet in silence. It seems that every meal I get around Lynn resumes to be a quiet one. I had so many worries that I couldn’t foresee my next move. I really didn’t know what to do. “You should live, that’s what you should do.” He said, reading my mind. His words woke me up and I realized I had classes today. I shouldn’t let the latest news affect my real life. I should keep on living, like he said, and catch up with things as they come.

Chapter two: The brothers

“I’m sorry for being late” I excused myself to Mrs Loug. She said nothing but continued to write on the board. I searched for my usual place. Empty as always. I walked on the aisle, holding my notebook in one hand and in the other hand my bag. My desk was at the window, which I loved. It smelled like spring time today. I opened my notebook and wrote down what was on the board. Try as I might, I couldn’t focus on what Mrs. Loug was saying. I started to draw signs that came through my mind randomly. They meant nothing. Butterflies, trees, lions and hearts. They made no sense. I searched for the rubber. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he said, handling me the rubber. Robert. The mysterious boy from the park. Was he real? “T-t-thanks” I mumbled. “Take a seat, if you want.” I said politely. I didn’t want to be too friendly. After all, he walked away without telling me a reason. “It doesn’t matter if I want or not. The other seats are taken.” He replied. I looked around. He was right. But still, was this a coincidence? “So what’s your name? I didn’t get the change to ask last time I saw you”. “It’s Emma. Emma Ston.” I said firmly. He grinned, and sighted. I frowned at him. “So what do you think about the weather?” he asked smiling. “You’re asking me about the weather? I frowned again. “ I guess I am. I like cold weather.” Robert said. “ I’m a spring time person.” I said harshly. I kept staring at my notebook drawing circles. His presence made me nervous. “So you’re studying here..” he said surprised. “I do, for a year and a half actually.” I frowned again. This boy made me frown too much. The memory of him in the park was way different than the boy standing right near me today. “I haven’t noticed you.” He said briefly, writing what Mrs. Loug was saying. I couldn’t believe my ears. Did he really say that? “Neither did I.” I said harshly again. He didn’t say anything, nor did I. After several minutes of silence, my phone vibrated. It was a text message: “I’m sorry for leaving you like that the other day.” I turned my head at Robert. “Where did you get my number?” I said surprised. “I have my informers.” He smiled gently.

He had the sweetest smile. His cheeks made dimples while he smiled. It was strange how his smile would ease all my worries and my bad mood. It was like a balance setter. “Well, tell your informers to ask for permission.” I replied. He pulled his chair closer to mine, standing a few inches away. He leaned close to my ear. “So, you’re upset?” he said ironical. The bell rang. I was saved by the bell. I took my bag and while passing him by, I glanced at him one more time. “I’m not sure. I have to go.” I said, and left. It was my turn now. Although I knew revenge was no good, it felt nice to know him looking after me. The moment I left the classroom, I remembered who I was now. The daughter of two special people. “Hello?” I answered the phone. “It’s Lynn. There is an emergency. Come home.” He said and hung up. I turned the key into the car and drove straight home. It felt like I was home in no time and there was Lynn waiting for me at the entrance. “We received a message.” He said. “We?” I asked confused. “Me and my friends. They are all on their way here. This will be sort of a gathering. We have to figure out what to do, what’s the plan.” “So, there is a need for a plan. Well, that sounds serious.” I said rubbing my forehead. I couldn’t think of something creative enough to estimate what could happen. “How’s changing?” he asked. I remembered I was going through a change, though I didn’t feel anything anymore. “I don’t know. It must have stopped. I don’t feel a thing.” I said calmly. His face went blank. “You don’t feel a thing?” he said shocked with that heavy voice of his. “mmm..No?” I said feeling my eyes going bigger. What was the problem? He went straight to his big luggage and opened the old leather suitcase. It was full of books. He searched for one in particular and when he found it, he closed his eyes and opened it. We were in silence. He mumbled something I couldn’t understand. Just like the first time, his mouth moved too quickly for me to catch just one word he said. His eyes were still closed and a second later he called my name. “Yes?” I said a little scared. It was all new to me and it was all happening very fast. “Put your hand here” he said pointing to the book. I reached to touch the book with my fingers. It felt very cold and I shivered. It was like I was touching snow. Lynn’s eyes became huge as I was walking my fingers all over the page. I stopped for a second. “What’s the matter?” he said. “It’s just till now it felt cold, but here it’s nice and warm” I said showing him the spot I was touching.

Lynn was astounded. He said nothing and his face was blank. “Emma, this is something very interesting. This book belonged to a witch in France. Her name was Lillian and she helped us: me and your parents. We were going through a hard time when we met her. We were being followed by a gang from the Middle East. They were called Elmas, which means diamond, because they had a shiny skin, as they wore diamonds. They were chasing us because when your parents and I were together, we had a power that made us invincible. We could walk on water, fly over the mountains, even be invisible. The thing was that our main powers were working this way only if we travelled together. But having this danger behind us, we couldn’t live like this anymore.” “But why were they cashing you? Did they want your power?” I asked curiously. “Well, your dad can make you believe anything he wants. He puts thoughts inside your head. You mom, as I told you yesterday, can travel within time and space and I… I’m a shape switcher. And this three powers combined made us impossibly strong. But we didn’t want war, so the best choice for all of us was to separate. We could just burn the Elmas, but we wanted a normal life and so.. you know the rest.” He said sadly. “Ok, but why are you astounded by the thing I told you about when I touched the book?” I said. He paused for several seconds. He checked his watch. “They should be here in 5 minutes. I don’t know if I’m wrong, but you may have a power we all heard of, but never encountered it. We shall see. Don’t talk too much, they aren’t all like me. You’ll meet creatures you didn’t think they really exist. Be careful of what you think, because many of us can read minds. Don’t upset them, just pretend you’re thoughtless.” He warned me. “Am I supposed to be afraid?” I asked breathlessly. “We don’t know yet. But the danger is close.” He said firmly and went to open the door.

I didn’t hear any engines sound outside, but still, there was someone at the door. Lynn opened it carefully and with an incredible speed, three men entered in the living room. They were all casual dressed. They seemed young too, just like my friends at school. Each of them looked at me, observing every detail of my face. I immediately felt the blood rushing through my cheeks. One of them sniffed noisely. “Back off, Gilger.” Lynn said loudly. I didn’t know what he was talking about? The man did nothing. “She’s a human, Lynn?” Gilger shouted. “A human? This is why we travelled all the way from Australia? Guys, we’re leaving.” He said, pulling his hood over his head. “Wait!” Lynn said with the heavy voice and everybody stopped. His voice apparently sent a vibe or something, because the three men stood still, almost frozen. “She is more than a human. She’s the daughter of Gina and Marc, your ancestors. They did not die, as you were told.” Lynn said. The faces of two of them distorted. Their shade of light pink was now much more intense. Gilger and another one looked angry. The tallest was calm.

“They are gone now because the Redali were chasing them, and she was left here alone. Emma needs help. She’s special, but doesn’t know yet. You have to protect her. She’s your sister!” Lynn ended. Sister? They were my brothers?!? I was shocked. I was 20 years old and I had some weird unknown brothers and my parents were their ancestors? What was I? I was certainly not human. “Wait!” I spoke, breaking the rule Lynn told me to respect. The three men turned their heads immediately. “I…am….your…sister?” I said making long pauses. They all distorted their faces again. The tallest one looked at his brothers and showed them a sign with his hand. It seemed to me it was a sign of peace. Was I wrong? He took a few steps toward me. His face looked gentle this time. “My name is Julian. I am, officially, your brother. Although, I was born 101 years ago, I’m 23. Our mom and dad,” he said looking at the other two with an ironical face, “ were settled in Venice, Italy, in the year of 1908. We were a family for a couple of years, but then they vanished. We’ve been taken care of by Lynn till we turned 20, and then he decided it was time to understand what we were. Emma… me, Denis and Gilger were the first babies of Gina and Marc, so we gained a lot of their powers. We never knew why they took off, but we always thought it was for a good cause. It is be possible that you’re in the same spot we were 99 years ago. You may never see your parents again. But that is a thing we don’t know yet. As you see, the fact that we’re related surprised us all. After all, you are still normal. We, by the time we reached our 20s, we could do a little something, like running amazingly fast and being incredibly strong.” “A little something, huh?” I said trying to smile. His eyes made me fear. “Look, Gilger is not like me and Denis. His blood is no longer red, his skin is cold and he thirsts for blood. That’s why he sniffed you earlier. He is used hanging around humans, but your blood smells different that the other humans we’ve met. Probably because you’re our sister, we don’t know yet. But try to stay away from him, just for now. Don’t be scared, he doesn’t usually drinks good people’s blood. Only the bad ones, like thieves, violators, murderers and so on. Denis, on the other hand, is the kindest person you’ll ever meet. He has a pure soul, just like a baby’s and a strong brain, capable of memorizing any information.” “What about you?” I said calmly, now. He paused and made one more step, now standing right in front of me, a few inches away. I heard my heart beating very fast. I feared this man. “About that we’ll discuss later.” He said smiling and went through the kitchen where Lynn was waiting, talking with Denis and Gilger. I laid on the sofa, too shocked to speak. So, my name is Emma, I am the daughter of two special people, Gina and Marc Ston, born in the 1800s, and I also have three brothers that look nothing like me, three special persons as well. I have to admit. I was something. I went in the kitchen and Lynn showed me the stairs with his hand. I understood there was no need for me to hear them talk, or I wasn’t allowed. In my bedroom, I glanced the world from my window. I was sure that from now on nothing will ever be the same.

My phone vibrated as I received a message. “Are upset or are you not?” Robert said. I smiled and typed back. “Ok, so I’m not. But that doesn’t gives me a reason why you left” He replied quickly. “I’ll make it up to you. Tomorrow, 4 in the afternoon, at the café across the park?” I jumped two times in my bed and wrote: “I’ll think about it. I’ll let you know tomorrow.” I felt a bit better knowing that Robert was thinking of me. I was wondering what were the guys doing downstairs. “Lynn?” I asked from my bedroom. “Yes, darling?” he said. This time I was at the kitchen. He glanced me a look and then he looked at Julian. He smiled and turned his head through me. “We didn’t hear you coming, you were very gracious. I heard your thoughts but, above that, there was no sound.” I turned to see the stairs. He was right, I didn’t even realize when that happened. He pointed to a chair. The main chair. They were all going to stare at me. “What do you know about vampires?” Julian said. I didn’t know whether to smile or not. It sounded stupid for me: vampires… But according to what had happened in the last few days, I had to accept anything. “Well, nothing.” I replied. “I think it’s time to show her. We’re done with the theory.” He said to Lynn, Denis and Gilger. I probably looked shocked, because they all started to laugh. “Don’t worry, little one.” Denis spoke, for the first time. I smiled sincerely at him. He had the voice of a lullaby, only a bassist one. It was a pleasure to my ears. Julian stood up. He took my hand and looked deep into my eyes. I didn’t know whether to fear him or not, but something in his eyes blocked me each time our glance met. “I’ll take her for a walk” he said to Lynn. Lynn knocked his head approving. I looked at Lynn, he smiled back and I thought that this was my destiny, I couldn’t fear it any longer. Outside, Julian opened a car. An unknown car. “Hey, I didn’t hear any engine sound when you came.” I said confused. “That’s because we didn’t arrive with a car” he smiled at me. In this afternoon light his beauty became more obvious to me. His dark hair matched perfectly his dark green eyes. His smile was beyond reality.. And his taste of fashion would make jealous any male model. He was taller than me, his arms seemed pretty powerful. Suddenly I remembered there was a possibility he could read minds. Damn it.

“Come on, we don’t have much time.” He said. I remembered what we had to, although, properly, I didn’t know what was coming. Julian opened my door, which shocked me a bit on the inside. Where there left any good manners in this world? I entered, smiling for myself. In no time, with that incredible speed of his, he was in the car with me. He hit the pedal and we were on the road. I reached to turn on the music and he didn’t stop me. It played “Sexed up” by Robbie Williams. I liked this artist and this song always made me wonder how love was. Why don’t we break up, there’s nothing left to say, I’ve got my eyes shut, Praying they won’t stray, ‘Cuz we’re not sexed up, Nothing makes the difference today, I hope you blow away. Julian seemed sad. Did this song remind him of someone? “I’m not really in the mood for love songs today” he said smiling. “Have you ever been in love?” I asked quickly. He paused for several seconds and then he turned the music down. “No, I haven’t. I haven’t actually found anyone interesting enough in my 101 years of living. That’s a bit sore to my heart, you know? I’ve watched my brothers fall in and out of love several times. That’s not what I’ve wished for myself, though. I dream of an eternal love. But that’s not easy with what I am.” He said sighting. Julian was opening up to me. I couldn’t believe it. He seemed so serious. It took just one question to ask.. “What about you?” he said. I laughed. He laughed too looking at me. “Am I funny?” he said laughing. “No, sorry. It’s just I feel the same way you feel.” I said smiling. “Yeah? Your brothers too did fall in love several times in your 101 years of living?” he said amused. “Well, technically, they did. They are my brothers now too.” I said laughing. “But the thing is I have always dreamt about love. I often had dreams with the feeling I thought I would feel. But love passed me by.” I smiled a bit. He kept on driving, not saying a word. He seemed happy of our discussion. “Where are we going?” I asked curiously. “I don’t know if it’s still there, it’s been a long time. But I know a cottage around here where I can show you what we were talking back home.” Back home. I liked the sound of that.

“So this is it” he said closing the door. We were inside of a wood cottage, in a little meadow. It was a little place, but I felt safe in it. The dust was all over, it took me several minutes to get used with the heavy smell. The cottage didn’t have much furniture, but a big bed, wide windows, a table in the corner and a wardrobe. It was enough for me, though. Julian moved a chair closer to the bed, while I laid a little. I didn’t feel the need to sleep, but it was something about this cottage that felt like a Déjà vu. I looked at Julian. He smiled kindly at me. His eyes were familiar this time. He pushed his lips in a thin line, like he was trying not to say something. “What is it?” I asked shyly.

He hesitated. His lips moved slowly, his words were trapped inside his mouth. He sighted. “Ah, there is nothing, really.” He paused. “Listen, look mindful at what I’m going to do. Sooner or later you’ll have to learn it by yourself.” He said and stood away from the bed. He rolled up his sleeves and suddenly his eyes got dark. I was expecting for his face to distort, but nothing happened. He was still like a stone. The only sound you could hear was my breath. He raised one hand, he balanced it three times and the fourth time he was up in the air. It looked like levitation to me but he was as conscious as always. “This is what we call the rising. It’s not something everybody can do. I can stay like this for as long as I want, but all the actions are controlled by the mind. The beautiful thing about rising it’s that I can control the enemy when I’m doing that.” He explained. “How come? I mean.. what are you doing to him?” I asked curiously. “When I’m rising, the enemy can’t move. And that’s when my brothers come and burn him up. It’s like a balance. I’m up and his down, if I don’t move he doesn’t as well. Didn’t you play with this stuff in the park when you were little?” he asked. “Um, I did. That’s where you got your inspiration?” I said. “No, silly. I invented it.” He said proud of himself. “So, okay. Your power is incredible. But what it has to do with me?” I said amiable. He got down from the ceiling as quickly as I could blink one time. With an incredible speed he was near my face, lying on the bed beside me. His lips were inches away from mine. “What it has to do with you? He whispered. “Emma, you should be able to do that too. That’s means our family could be the most powerful of all the others existing.” “Powerful? Family? My family is no longer here and I don’t wish to fight. And you are a complete stranger whom I believe everything he says. Does this make me smart enough to fight with our brothers? I am breakable, I am afraid of what it may come… I don’t know if I can bear it.” I said almost crying. I tried too much to be strong… He took my face in his hands. He was warm; his fingers sent vibes through my body. With a touch, he made my heart beat faster. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to teach you how to survive, to help you discover who you really are and most of all, to take care of you. There is more history than you know…” he said gently touching my hair. “You smell good. Like cherries. I like it.” I raised my head to see his eyes. They were confident. “It’s just my shampoo” I said smiling. “It’s your scent. I could feel it when I arrived today. It was all over the house. That’s good, you know, I can track you down” he said with his sugar breath he had. The smell of his breath made me want to taste it, to feel the sugar melting on my tongue. Something hit me really hard in the head when I realized he was my brother. And another bang was when Robert’s face came thought my mind. I didn’t know why, but when Julian was around, I never thought of Robert. “What are you thinking? Julian asked still touching my head. “What, you mean you can’t read my mind?” I said shocked. Julian laughed out loud. He was enjoying it. “So Lynn was categorical about that, wasn’t he?” Julian said.

“Well, he said that many of you can read minds.. and I assumed…”I said shyly. And that was the moment when he touched my skin with his lips. He kissed my forehead. I felt an elixir running through my veins only from a kiss on the forehead. My eyes we’re sparkling and my hands were shaking. “We can, but your blocking my way in. I tried this morning when we met. I get headaches from you if I try to read your mind. That’s a good thing though. You can protect yourself. I think it’s not just me.” He said. “Lynn can read my mind.” I whispered. This time, we were face to face. He moved again, impossibly fast. “Stop doing that, you’re making me dizzy.” I said laughing. “Sorry Emma. So, you were saying, Lynn can read your mind? I wonder why…” he said upholding his chin on his palm. “I guess” I said almost whispering “that maybe it’s the feeling I have around the person. Lynn makes me feel relaxed, awkwardly, him I do feel as my family. But you, I don’t know.. You intimidate me, my eyes are agitated and I try hard to find my words around you. I even feared you this morning. There is something about you that… freaks me out.” “You do realize we’re alone in the cottage, do you” Julian said. I gulped and pursed my lips in a thin line. Julian laughed as he deepened in the wide bed. I smiled too, understanding I was being stupid. I stood up and walked through the center of the room. “So I have to try to do the rising?” I said bravely. “Yes Emma, give it a try.” I stood still for several seconds and burst into laughter. “I have absolutely no idea what to do” I said happier It started to feel like a good time. He made it better. “Well, first of all, you have to concentrate on a spot. Take me for exemple. So, we’re face to face and you concentrate intensively on me.” He blinked once. “And then you try to throw all your energy you find inside your head toward me. Like you’re throwing a ball. You just have to do it in your mind.” I caught my breath and focused. I looked intensively into his eyes trying to do what he said. I put all my effort to concentrate on his sculpted body (they were all perfect). On the back of my head I felt an enormous push. Just like a big headache, but vibrating. I tried to throw it like he said, a thing that made my eyes hurt a little. But while I kept trying, the pain started to fade. It was all beyond feeling. It just existed inside of me. It felt like a release, which happened in a second, like my body went from cold to hot. And I was up in the air and Julian couldn’t talk. Only his eyes were sparkling in the way someone is proud of you. I felt happy. The second after I was on the floor and Julian smiled with his perfect, white teeth. “I knew you’ll do it just fine. How’s the pain?” he asked while approaching me. “No pain, Julian. It felt good, actually.” “Good, now that we did that, it’s time for the vampire stuff.” He said calmly. “Vampires? All I know about them is that they eat blood and that scares the hell out of me” I said breathlessly. “True, but that’s just an old myth. Things have changed since then. The thing is, the vampires aren’t just some evil creatures. They do exist but they also have formed

some sort of community. The good ones and the bad ones. By definition, a vampire is a nomad creature, who travels alone or with maximum three other vampires. But, nowadays, there are several clans with 6-7 members. They call themselves family, they rediscover love and they don’t drink human blood. Only animal. Now, the thing that vampires don’t age isn’t true. They do age, but only one month in 20 years of a human life. You do the math.” “Wow…. I’m speechless” I said. “And that’s not all. Like us, they posses special powers too. They run very fast, they are gracious, their smelling sense is enhanced. Their skin is translucent white and ice cold. Their eyes don’t look normal either. They have a deep green color and when they are thirsty, the deep green becomes purple. Also, they are stunning. Not like the myth you’ve heard of, they are beautiful for both human and special people’s eyes. Now, the most important thing, Emma, is that some of them have developed an extra power, like Lynn has the shape switcher.” He paused. “Come on, tell me, and stop pausing. I’m dying here.” I said. “Some of them can turn into another person. They can take the look of someone else. They can only be discovered if they encounter someone who read their minds and if they have planned something evil, their usual shape gets back. So I really hope you’ll find a way to read minds, Emma.” Julian finished. “But what’s with all these worries? Is there any vampire tracking me? Why would they want anything from me?” I asked. “Because I told you, you are special. Remember the history I told you about? There is much you don’t know and probably you won’t find out, because it’s hard to bare. But still, you have to listen and hope for the best. We’re not in war yet, but a slight chance exists. You have to be prepared.” I said nothing and sighted. He took me under his arm as we walked outside of the cottage. “Is there more I can do and I don’t know?” I asked. “Everything at it’s time. You did very well for your first day. I hope you’re not scared anymore.” he said. “Well, not of you.” I smiled. “Are we leaving? I like it in here.. It’s cosy.” I said throwing the cottage one more glance. “We’ll be back. I promise.” He answered opening the car’s door. Again.

Chapter three Back home, Lynn cooked duck with pineapple. I could smell it from the front yard. Inside, I was surprised to see the house cleaned and he arranged a beautiful family dinner. The table was fancy accessorized with candles and shiny glasses, the music playing silently was a Buddha Bar compilation. It was definitely romantic. And there we were four boys and one girl. I smiled and hugged Lynn. His arms hugged me as a sister/daughter/ family related. It felt good; he made me feel close to him. “So, Emma, how was your time with Julian?” Lynn asked. “Good. I learned how to do the rising. And some stuff about vampires.” I said rolling down my eyes. “Exciting, isn’t it?” Denis spoke for the second time with his childish face. “Sort of. I mean, it’s a lot of information, I hope I can keep up. Why didn’t you guys come earlier, we could get time to chat..?” I asked. “There was no need. Your parents wish was that you didn’t need to know all this magical stuff, they wanted a normal life for you. They tried putting the truth on the table with Denis, Julian and Gilger, but it didn’t work out. Maybe because they’re boys and they’re stubborn.. Who knows?” Lynn said. “Oh, I can be very stubborn. You don’t know me yet” I said laughing. They laughed too. I liked our dinner. Gilger raised his eyes upon me. He tried to smile and I smiled back. Maybe we were going to be friends after all. “You know, I’m sorry we didn’t have the chance to be introduced properly. I’m Gilger and I am vampire, now that you know. But I’m on the good side, I eat animal blood.” He said while he raised his cup with a red liquid inside. I didn’t feel the need to look closer. “I sniffed you and reacted that way because there was something about your scent that drove me insane. But now I’m cool, let’s shake hands.” He said friendly. I looked at Julian and he smiled. It was okay, I guess. He wasn’t going to bite me, after all I was his little ( very very very very little ) sister. We did shake hands and his cold skin sent a shiver through my body. In the same time, Julian placed his hand on my shoulder, so the temperature in my body was now balanced. I’ll remember to thank him later. “So do you know where mom and dad are?” I asked all of them. “Theoretically, they are with a good vampire family, somewhere in Alaska. But we’re not very sure. They’ll know when it’s all over.” Lynn said. “But I still don’t understand why they left me here” I said sad. “Because knowing that something is going to happen, they considered it was time to let you find out what was the family’s secret. And they also sent me to look after you. And you’re doing very well, honey.” Lynn assured me. I felt a little bitter, because I missed Alessia, mom and dad. But like Lynn said, it was time to face my destiny. I remained silenced for the rest of the dinner, while the boys discussed the latest football game. “I think I’ll go to bed. I’m exhausted. You guys have fun!” I said and walked the stairs. “Goodnight Emma!” I heard the three of them.

In my happy place it felt like nothing has changed. I laid deep into my purple pillow and fell asleep immediately. After many days without dreaming, this night I had a very strange dream. I was with Robert on an open field and he held me in his arms. The feeling seemed so real, the warmth of his hug made me sweat. It was sunny, the weather was hot and we were lying on the grass. Out of nowhere, Julian stepped into my sight. His shadow made Robert and I rise up. I felt spilt in two. A part of me wanted to go with Julian and another one with Robert. While I sat looking at both of them, an unknown sound came from above. It took me a second to see an eagle who landed on the grass phasing into a human. Or so I thought. But he didn’t look like a human at all. I couldn’t react, because with the next blink, the creature took over Julian and Robert, disappearing with them. I felt a need to scream, but I couldn’t open my mouth. The pain was so easy to divide. My heart was crying for Robert and my soul, for Julian. “Emma, what happened?” Julian woke me up. I looked around. I was in my bed and Julian was near me, on his knees. It was all just a dream. I threw my hands around Julian’s neck and held him tight. His warmth went all over my spine and a shiver of happiness made Julian laugh. “I’ve had a bad dream… It was about you.” I said quietly. “About me?” he said while deepening into my bed. We were face to face now, both with the head in the pillow. “Yes. One second you were with me and the next, you were gone. Some creature took you away.” I said with a sad note in my voice. He studied my face in full detail and gently, with a single touch, he removed the tear that wanted to cross my cheek. He smiled lovingly to me. “No need to cry. I can’t be taken away from you.” He paused. “Not anymore” he said whispering. His words took my breath away. I felt the need to hide inside his arms and remain there for ever. But… He was my brother. More tears went down volcanic to my cheeks. His face grieved and his arms reached to hold me. I hesitated for a second but I was craving for the feeling so I threw myself into his arms and kept on crying. He said nothing. He knew how I felt. Since I no longer feared him, my mind was like an open book for him. He knew my desire and apparently, the feeling was equal. After minutes of crying, I raised my eyes to meet his. Stay with me tonight, I thought. His eyes were swimming into mines. “Ok.” he said and held my tighter. It was the best feeling in the world. His scent was all over my body now; my nose couldn’t stop inhaling it. My heart wanted more than hugs but my mind reminded me the ugly truth. He kissed my forehead every time I thought of interdicted pleasures and I knew he felt me. That night’s sleep was the best of my life.

I woke up with the sunlight in my eyes and smiled. He was leaning beside the window looking at me. Half of his face was enlighten by the sun, and half was in the room’s shadow. He was so beautiful…

“Let’s go eat. Lynn is downstairs waiting for us.” Us. Us! “Did they see us while we slept?” I asked a little worried. “They did.” He said. His voice was always so serious. Low toned. It gave me goose-bumps all the time. “And? Weren’t they curious?” I asked. “They know, Emma.” He said slowly. “They knoooow?” I felt my throat blocking. He laid on the bed to see me better. “Yes. They know. They could read our minds last night and they are perfectly aware of what we feel.” Of what we feel. My feet melted the very next second. “That doesn’t mean they are ok with that. They just hope we’ll figure it out.” He said. “Wait, ok with what? Nothing happened between us…” I said worried. “It doesn’t have to happen. What matters is what’s inside our hearts. The rest will come sooner or later.” My head spin. I was overwhelmed. “Go wash yourself. I’ll be here waiting for you. Take some clothes too, you don’t want me to see you naked, do you?” he said smiling. Not yet, I said to myself. Oh crap, he could hear my thoughts. Julian laughed noisily and I grabbed some clothes and went to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, I put on some make up because I had dark circles around my eyes., it looked like I’d had a tough night.. I returned quickly and closed the door soundless behind me. “Who are you hiding from?” he said amused. “No one. Ah, I’m a little ashamed. I wonder what they’re thinking. It’s not fair you can read my mind and I can’t.” I replied. He looked at me and then moved his body closer to mine. We were a few inches away but he felt the need to come closer. I touched his chin with my head and he grabbed my face with his hands and lowered himself. His lips were face to face with mines. My body began to shiver. All I could think was that our lips are going to glue together. I couldn’t think of anything else. The desire was bigger and bigger. My eyes were stuck onto Julian’s eyes. He seemed lost too. His lips were coming toward me. I could feel the warmth coming from them when they touched the left corner of my lips. He didn’t kissed me. He didn’t. I felt a relief but on the other hand, I kept wondering what would it be like.. Julian smiled at me and took my hand. As we arrived in the kitchen, the boys’ eyes were upon us. They didn’t look angry. Their face was more like a girl’s when she’s talks gossips. “Good morning, love birds.” Lynn said smiling. Denis and Gilger chuckled at the table. “Good morning, boys” I said as I sat at the table. Julian took his seat near me, but he seemed a little upset. I looked at him, wondering what was going on. He shook his head. It was something he wanted to keep for himself. “So, we need to have a little talk.” Lynn began. I gulped holding Julian’s hand under the table.

“You do realize you’re brothers, do you? I mean, this is incest.” Lynn said kindly. I felt my eyes wet. It was true.. My ears couldn’t believe that. It was the first time I felt something like this and it had to be forbidden. “Emma, dear… Although he could be your great-grandfather according to his age, I, personally, don’t disagree that the two of you love each other, even if you’re related. Because, honestly, I don’t think that you have the same blood as Julian’s running through your veins..” Lynn said. I was listening very carefully. Was there a way? “We’ll know that later, when the time passes and we can make the differences between you two. But, be careful, please. Julian, take care of her and don’t do something stupid, kids.” Lynn said with a fatherhood voice, while he put on the table scrambled eggs with salad. I could get used to that. I glanced at Julian, but he still was upset. “What are you doing today? I asked Denis and Gilger. They looked lost. “I don’t know. Maybe go find a place at the local university?” Denis said and Gilger approved him. I remembered they went on and on with the university. How many degrees had they? I, too, had to go to the university. An image hit my head again. Robert. Was my brain erased every time I was alone with Julian? He heard my thoughts and sighted. I hated it. We ate the breakfast in silence and we all headed to the front yard for our cars. “ Where are you going?” I asked Julian who was opening his car’s door. “I don’t know yet.. I’ll hang around here somewhere. I need to get away for a couples of hours. Will you be ok?” he asked with his heavy voice. “I guess so. See you later, then.” I said hating to be apart from him. I got into my car, turned the engine on and stepped on the pedal. I felt a relief driving with an insane speed, feeling the wind going through my hair. I head so much on my mind that I needed a brake. I blinked several time and pushed brutally on the brake. “Are you insane?” I shouted out the window. “I could’ve killed you!!” I shouted even louder. “ Sorry. I wanted you to stop the car.” Robert said. “Yeah? Throwing you in front of it? You need to do some check up on your head.” I said mad. “May I come in?” he said kindly. He looked like an angel. His white coat complimented his brown eyes and his used blue jeans gave him a fashionable look. “I suppose…” I said unlocking the door. He got in fast and smiled dazzling at me. “What do you say if we ditch classes today?” he said. Actually, I had no mood for school. And, he was Robert. The magnet he had inside called me. I couldn’t resist him. “Do you have something in mind? I asked. He winked at me. His just shaved face was so masculine that when he licked his lips, I felt the need to get some air. So I got out of the car and leaned beside the car. My head was now in my hands. Julian, Robert, Julian, Robert. Both had an enormous power on me, an irresistible power. Right now, I was more bounded with Julian, but I knew that if I’ll give Robert a chance, he’ll mess with my heart as much as Julian did.

“I won’t.” Robert said. The shocked pushed me away from him. My eyes stared at him with shock and … hate? I went out of control. The car was parked near a field and I ran as fast as my feet could take. Robert could read minds too?? In what kind of world was I living? I kept on running and the landscape changed incredibly fast. My heart was beating as normal as usual; I didn’t sweat nor feel tired. My thoughts changed as I ran. I saw Julian’s face, his smile, the last night, the hugs, this morning’s breakfast, his eyes as I left, then Robert in the park, Robert now… This was a sick world, everything was no longer normal. Why was Robert chasing me? Who was he, what did he want from me? Why was I feeling this attraction for both of them? Was there something wrong with me? I didn’t need anything more if I’d be with Julian all the time. I felt that he was the whole that I needed to fill. I stopped from running. Where was I? I didn’t recognize the place. “Are you done with running?” Robert asked. I looked around. I had no idea where we were. “Yes… There’s a lot we need to discuss. First of all, where are we?” I asked lost. “Somewhere in Austria. I thought you’ll never stop. I was ready to take off my clothes if we got to the ocean.” He said smiling. “Austria?” I said shocked. “But we were running for only 5 minutes or so..” I said confused. “Yes, but you’ve got legs, Emma. You’re the fastest girl I’ve ever met.” He answered. Fastest. Me. Was this a joke? “No, trust me. It seems that you are now in the runners’ league.” Robert joked. I was gifted, but I felt sad. Robert approached himself and talked, this time with a serious voice. My eyes got wet. “You’re not alone. I am just like you. We have each other .” “Like me? What are we?” I asked crying. He looked at me, trying to catch my eyes. He took my face in his hands, forcing me to look into his eyes. “We are invincible.” He said. My heat stopped. Invincible? But that’s why Lynn separated from mom and dad. Because together they had the power they called invincible. My eyes were rolling everywhere.. “Are you okay?” Robert asked. I looked around. We were no longer in Austria. This time we were back in my car. He put me in my seat and pushed it back, like a bed. When I opened my eyes, his face was in front of me, smiling, making me wish I could split in two and be happy with both Robert and Julian. “Yes, I am… You were saying we’re invincible. What does it mean, actually?” I asked, speaking slowly. “Well, we run incredibly fast, we can read minds, we can do the rising and, we can become invisible. But, also, our blood still runs through our veins, we’re warm and we eat. We’re an improved version of the vampires.” He smiled. Vampires. That word again.

“And what do we do?” I asked. “We live our lives and, when it comes, we hunt bad vampires and bad creatures. Oh, and we don’t age.” “We don’t age? Well, I’m sorry, I’m not invincible. I kept on growing since I was born.” I said. “But you won’t anymore. The venom in your blood has been released and you won’t be aging anymore. I am 23 and I never got a day older.” “For how long have you been like this?” I asked curious. “A while…” he said avoiding the question. I said nothing and I kept looking into his eyes. His brown eyes mesmerized me. I raised my hand and I touched his face. I went gently with one finger all over his face, touching his nose, his eyes, his cheeks, his lips… They were hot as a stove. My fingers went into his dark hair, combing it slowly. The time definitely stood still. His eyes did not move from mine. While I was touching him, he spread his arm around my waist and pulled my close to him. I was sitting on the car’s hand break, but I didn’t feel a thing. My chest was touching his, and I felt like our hearts we’re beating as one. I put both hands into his hair and I went down holding his neck. The blood in our bodies was vibrating. My ears began to hear better, I felt even the movement of his eyelashed. I was able to feel everything much better. My eyes got foggy for a couple of seconds and after that, his face was even more beautiful than I remembered it. His hands squeezed my waist and then he moved one hand at the back of my neck. The touch of his warm hand made me tremble. Our breaths were now running. His hand got down, slowly, following the line of my spine. My eyes never left his. When his hands were again together, holding my waist, I moved closer to his lips. “What-are-you-doing-to-me?” I asked whispering, an inch away from his tempting lips. He smiled satisfied and grabbed my head in his hands. He kissed my cheeks slowly, like the wind. “I-am-showing-you” he whispered back. I couldn’t pull myself away from him. I was attached to his body without strings. “What’s there to show? Is it more?” I said quietly but breathing even harder. He chuckled right on my lips. His lips were gently touching mine, sliding on ice, moving in perfect sync.. I felt a cold wave coming from our breaths, while his lips were putting into irons all my worries and fears. I didn’t know anymore who I loved and who I didn’t. All I knew was that I didn’t want to be free again. After a while, he stopped. He smiled at me and touched my face with a lot of care. I look at him with my eyes wide open, seeing details I couldn’t until now. “You are so beautiful… I can spend hours looking at your face, memorizing every single detail.” He said. For the second time today, I felt my eyes wet. I saw Julian’s face. I couldn’t give up on him. There was something in his voice, in his eyes, that made me feel that he was the one I belonged to. I looked one more time at Robert’s face and sighted. “There is something more I need to tell you.” He said. “More?” I said almost crying. “Yes. But you have to promise me that you’ll understand and, the most important, you’ll take me as who I am.”

I blinked as a “yes”. “Let’s get out of the car.” He said We walked for a few minutes into the wood near the car. He stopped me and wiped the tears off from my face. He looked into my eyes and kissed me gently on the forehead. Robert took a few steps back and began to rotate from slow to fast. I didn’t get what he was doing. When he finished the rotation, I was dumbfounded. Robert was gone. I was staring, with my eyes in tears, at Julian.

There was nothing but silence. My tears were running now all over my face, my hands were shivering. In front of me, at a few steps away, was Julian. The man that held me tight last night, the man that loved me, the man that was my brother. I didn’t want to believe this. It was too much. My feet were now too weak to keep me standing, so I bended on my knees. Julian’s expression was sad. The saddest since I knew him. And I knew him little…. So little. “Let me explain, Emma.” He whispered. I lifted my eyes to meet his. And there was that look I knew I could trust. But was he Julian? He came closer to me and sat on his knees too. Julian raised one hand to hold mine, but hesitated. He grabbed it and his warm skin was now holding mine. The tears couldn’t stop coming… “I am Julian. I am the one who can be apart from you. You have to trust me.” He said. I tried to stop crying and clear my sight that was now foggy. His eyes didn’t lie, but I was afraid. A shiver was still going through my body, probably blocking my mind. He knew I feared him. “I never told you exactly what I am. I didn’t pretend to be something I’m not. I didn’t lie to you. I just wanted to take it easy with you. I am…a vampire.” My eyes wanted to get out from my head. Julian, a vampire? “But I am not a usual vampire. My skin is warm and… I eat.” He said. “That means I am a vampire too?” I said crying. “No, beautiful. You are, as I told you, an invincible. But, unfortunately, you’re one of a kind. That’s why I’m being so protective. I am close to what you are, but there is something that’s different in you… You are able to become invisible; just you couldn’t find a way to prove it to yourself.” I laid on the grass, trying to count my heart beat. He followed my example, and stood right next to me. It was getting chilly, but the warmth of his body made the everything seem warmer. “Why did you switch into Robert? Or, should I say, into that human? Because probably the boy lives somewhere peacefully.” “You’re right. He does lives peacefully and he has nothing to do with magic. I switched into him because I wanted to get close to you as a human, as an outsider. I already knew what was going on when we met in the park. When the phone rang, at the café, it was Lynn. I had to meet my brothers to arrange everything. You’re parents were setting up everything so that you’ll be ok.” He said.

“Then why did you get back on me, at school? We were already introduced back home.” I said, sadly. “I didn’t want to hurt you even more than you were. A disappointment in love was what I wanted to avoid. A broken heart can’t be easily fixed. I am here to make you happy, not to hurt you. I’m sorry if now, showing you who I am hurt you in any way. I considered that after last night, when our feelings were confessed, it was time to let you know the truth about me.” He said with a low voice. I rolled toward him and traced his chest with one finger. “So, now I just have to deal with the fact that you’re my brother?” He smiled and raised a little, pushing me carefully back on the grass. This time, he was with his upper body over me, touching gently my face. “For now, yes. Maybe we’ll find a solution for that too. You no longer have to split your heart and mind in two. Focus on me.” He said charmingly. I smiled and pulled him closer to me. His lips met mine in a passionate kiss, our lips bounded for ever in perfection. My body began to tremble madly, while he locked his arms around me. My hands shaped his back, with a desperately need of affection. The heat around us could melt an ice cube in a second. And all of this only from a kiss. “I wonder what nature damages will happen next time.” He said while he caught his breath. “Don’t think right now, just feel.” I said wisely to him. All I wanted now was more of him. And more, and more. “Try as I might, I can’t stop thinking. Lynn will be worried if we don’t come back. We have plenty of time for that, love.” Julian said. He helped me stand up and ran through the car. There was nothing like his skin touch or his full lips. I wouldn’t need anything else if I had him. Ever. The way back home was smooth. Julian didn’t hurry, nor did I. None of us said anything, but listened to the lovely music he had in his car. This time, we were listening to a beautiful piano music, an interlude put on repeat. Julian opened my window, he knew I liked the wind in my face. I wondered if we’ll ever get to have a normal date or if we’ll be able to go on a trip somewhere I’ve never been. There were so many things I wanted to do with Julian, that my thoughts mixed inside of my head and I gave up thinking. I was happy just to look at him. Lynn was waiting on the front yard, stumping his right leg. Julian parked quickly, opened my door and waited for Lynn to speak. “Alexandra is coming here” he said. “Who?” I said confused. Lynn looked at Julian for an approval and Julian knocked his head. “Julian’s ex girlfriend.” Lynn said. My eyes blocked Julian’s and I felt a shield blocking my mind too. I began to understand how that worked. “Girlfriend?” I said while opening the door through my bedroom. “I know, I know, you’re mad.” He said catching me by the hand. “You said you hadn’t been in love.” I whispered. “I hadn’t. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a girlfriend.” He said smiling.

I was jealous. His ex was coming to my house!! “Anyway, what is she doing here? She’s coming to beg you get back to her?” I said ironically. “Actually, she broke up with me. But no, she’s coming for you.” He answered. “Oh, c’mon. Me? Again, me? Am I some sort of monkey from the zoo and everybody comes to take pictures? What does she wants from me?” I said angry. “She’s curios, like everybody else, what are you like.. You have to understand that the moment the venom has started to spread into your blood, everybody was aware of that. I don’t know why, but it’s true. I told you before that you’re special and you didn’t believe.” He said. “Oh, so you mean this has nothing to do with you being here?” I asked. “There is a slight possibility that she’d be interested in me again, but I don’t care about that..” I laid on my bed, trying not to think about having his ex inside my house. “So, is she pretty?” I asked shyly. Julian laughed noisily. He reached for me and hugged me tight. “Does it matter? There’s no one out there prettier than you, from my point of view. I don’t care if she comes here, I won’t see anything around but you. Can you understand that?” he said gently kissing my lips. “Ok, I’ll try. And what can she do? She must have special powers too.” “Yes, she can foresee the future. She is very good at it actually. She was the one that told me about you at the begging and about your change. So, you have to thank her when you see her.” He said laughing. I punched his shoulder laughing too. “Ouch, you’re strong Emma. Keep doing this and you’ll have to play the nurse with me.” We kept playing and kissing for a while. Time passed quickly with Julian beside me. When the sun set horizontal in front of my window, we knew Lynn will call us soon for dinner. “She’s here” Julian murmured. “Already?” I said low toned. He took my hand, kissed me one more time and headed through the kitchen. Downstairs, while the boys were still arranging the table, Alexandra was waiting arrogantly for them to finish. I tried not to look scared or intimidated by her looks. After all, this was my house and she was here to see me. She looked, definitely, hot. She was tall, with a blond and curly hair, pale skin and long legs. Not to mention the dress she was wearing. Even I knew it was an expensive dress, probably from the latest collection of a famous designer. She glanced at me, and studied my appearance. She smiled through her teeth. Alexandra walked gracefully over me, and raised one hand. “Hello, I’m Alexandra. I was looking forward to meet you.” She said. I blocked my thoughts so that I would have some privacy. “It’s nice to meet you. You’re welcome in my house.” I said politely. She smiled once again and glanced at Julian. Her fake smile was now a love smile. It looked that she wasn’t over him. Julian smiled friendly back. “Alexandra, it’s been a while, how are you?” he asked. She lifted her hands and hugged him.

“It’s been too long, Julian. I’m fine, but not how I was used to feel.” She whispered. Since my hearing enhanced, I was able to hear things she didn’t want me to. I decided it was time to interrupt them, because he was mine. “So, Alexandra” I said as I wrapped one arm around Julian’s “What brings you here?” Her eyes locked their sight at my arm and moved quickly on my eyes, faking that smile again. “I just wanted to meet the very special girl. That’s all.” She said. And take back Julian, she thought. I was hearing her. I looked up at Julian, unblocking my thought to him. Did you hear that?, I asked him. He knocked his head as a “no”. Well that’s very nice of you. Stay with us at the dinner, will you? Now excuse us, there is something we need to do” I said and didn’t bother for her answer. I took Julian’s hand and walked to the bedroom. “What was to hear?” he asked curious. “I heard her saying: and take back Julian. Right after she spoke out loud that she wanted to meet me. I heard her thought. How come you didn’t?” I said agitated. Julian paused for a couple of seconds, rubbing his forehead. He caught me by the shoulders and put me to the bed. “You were hearing her deepest thoughts. The thoughts she blocked from me but apparently, you’ve developed a power that’s not influenced by her shield. You can read minds deeper than me. That’s incredible.” He finished. I smiled. For the first time I was glad I could do something magical, because there was something about this girl that I didn’t like. And it was not just because she was his ex, but I felt she was hiding something. Something bad. We returned to the kitchen, where everybody was seated waiting for us. I sat face to face with Alexandra and Julian near me. This time, Lynn cooked goose liver with boiled penne in cognac, with blueberry jam. We were all intoxicated with the beautiful smell. My throat ached with hunger, it burned me deep down in my stomach.. Lynn had good taste. We ate it all without talking, enjoying the lovely taste. Only Gilger was a little bored, since he couldn’t eat, he kept on drinking blood in that cup of his. “Let’s do something tomorrow.” Alexandra said. We all looked curious. We didn’t do anything since their arrival. “I was thinking it would be nice if we all went to Sighisoara, Transylvania. We could enjoy the lovely day that’s going to be tomorrow.” She said. I was going to ask how come she knew how was going to be tomorrow, but then I remembered that she could foresee the future. “It’s a good idea” Denis said smiling. “We could make time to see the Shants.” “The Shants?” I asked. Julian touched carefully my hair and smiled happily. “They’re friends of us. We’ve been together in the early 1990s.” “More special people? I begin to like it.” I said smiling back.

Alexandra twisted her fork in the plate and the sound coming from it broke my eye connection with Julian. When we were gazing each other, the world stood still. I turned to face Alexandra and throw her a grin. I didn’t like her at all. “We could do a little shopping, Emma. If you’d like, of course…”she said. What was she planning? “I’m not that shopping-person you’re seeking but we’ll talk about it. I have some catalogues up stairs. We could order by mail.” I said ironically. All the boys laughed. She faked a smile and excused herself blaming a headache. Better, her presence began to annoy me. My small house was crowed now, with her arrival. Julian and I slept in my room, the boys in my parents’ room and Alexandra in Alessia’s. I kept thinking if being with Julian was against the human laws. Were we actually brothers when that great amount of time between us? Like Lynn said, the blood we shared couldn’t be the same. We were so different, after all. I even hoped in my dreams that his blood would be cold, like vampires’, so that we were in a perfect state. After the dinner ended quietly, Julian winked at me and while taking my hand in his, we ran through the door. I had no idea what was going on. It was dark outside, but the moon shined happily through the trees. I could feel the spring time weather in every inch of my body. Or was it because of him? My hand remained stuck in his, running with an incredible speed, but I still could see perfectly well. He stopped from the marathon when we arrived at the small cottage. The perfect small cottage. Should I say our perfect small cottage? Julian put his palms on my eyes, making me swear I won’t pick an eye. How couldn’t I swear? I laughed as we walked, because I kept on stumbling, stepping on his feet. The white pants his was wearing must have been gray by now. When he finally decided he has reached the perfect spot he let me see the surprise. The landscape took my breath away. I didn’t even notice before that behind the cottage was a small lake. The moonlight reflected on the water and the trees surrounding it were lit with millions of lights. To my super eyes it looked like the stars came out of the sky to light Julian’s heaven, here on earth, right next to the cottage. Actually, was heaven more than this? “Do you like it?” he asked smiling charmingly. “If I like it? Julian, I absolutely adore it. When did you have time to do this? You were with me every minute of the day.” “Well, you do sleep pretty tight.” He said whispering next to my lips. This was intriguing. I was a woman. I was in this perfect place, on this perfect weather, with this perfect man. I felt things I didn’t feel till then. I wanted to do something I haven’t done before. All my body was craving for a piece of Julian’s sculpted body. Actually, I was craving to have him. But this would be more that I could think. We were, no matter what were the circumstances, making incest. “What’s with the sad face?” he asked. I kissed his full warm lips with passion. It was the first time his strong hands pulled me away. “Don’t make it too hard, Em. I know, I can feel it too. So, don’t push the boundaries.” I smiled. He was thoughtful. “Come on, this is not all.” He moved his lips right and left and I could feel his excitement.

Not all? What did he do more? Sculpted our names in ice? I was again, prisoner of his hand for another minute. On the right side of the lake, a big blanket laid on a rocking double chair, with a bottle of champagne near it. The two small glasses laid on the grass made my heart jump. Lately, everything that symbolized the perfect two made me sight. He smiled like a winner when he looked at my dazzled face. He poured the champagne in each glass and proposed a toast. “For the eternal love!” “For the eternal love between us!” I completed. We drank a little and I asked for a bit of water. The champagne tickled my tongue, but I still wanted more. He poured as many times as I wished. We talked for hours, nothing mattered anymore. The fact that we were together, in this place that didn’t match the world, made me see our love story in a better light. Maybe there would be a way out and I was going to have him mine as I wished from the bottom of my heart. He heard my thoughts and chuckled. “More champagne, love?” he asked. Of course. Champagne and love, the perfect combination. I yawned and shivered a little from the soft wind. Drinking so much made me dizzy and I fell when I tried to get up. Julian laugh was adorable. He held me up with his perfect shaped hands and carried me to the cottage. When he put me on the big white bed, I trembled. The sheets were cold and I had the lovely feeling as I sat there a bit drunk, in love and not fully dressed. Julian had already taken my pants off. I smiled at him as he admired my red underwear. He covered me with the soft blanked. “Hey, I don’t get to see anything?” I asked wining. He burst into laughter. With a quick move, his t-shirt was on the floor and I glanced at the perfect abs, in the moonlight. I had Adonis. “Are you cold? Shall I close windows?” he asked. “Leave them, I don’t care. Just come over here, I want to hold you tight.” I said feeling my eyelashes fall. He moved with grace and sat beside me. His hands grabbed my body and hold it close. The warmth coming from his chest made me forget about the wind while my mind was already inside his, wishing the best good night sleep in his life. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, but tonight was ours.

Chapter four It was early morning when Julian woke me up. He had left the windows open and now the room was filled with light. The sun shined brightly and the birds were singing beautiful in the garden. He smiled and kissed me tenderly. His breath was sweet and I couldn’t stop at just one single kiss. He kissed me again and offered a hand to get me out of the bed. “We’ll have a quick breakfast because everybody is on their way to Sighisoara. I cooked pancakes with strawberry jam and hot chocolate. I hope you’re ok with that.” He said. “My favorite breakfast of all times, I assure you. So, are we going to run from here to Sighisoara?” I asked curious. “We’ll be there in several minutes. Would you prefer a 2 hours drive? “I wouldn’t mind. Ok, we’ll run, but it’s just I hope we’ll have a normal date or go on a trip like normal people do. Although I enjoy being special because I’m sure I couldn’t have met you other way.” I said and kissed his lips. “Everything at it’s time. And we do have that, don’t we?” I smiled and enjoyed the perfect pancakes. Was there anything he didn’t know how to do? Not even mum made better pancakes. Mum.. I forgot to think about my family on the past days. And it was awkward. I was here, with Julian, because of them. I thought for a second if I would want to trade my family for Julian. My heart shook at this thought. I wouldn’t want it to be any other way. My life has never been more interesting and I have never felt what I was feeling for Julian. Was I selfish thinking only at my happiness and ignoring my family’s? But, on the other hand, I knew that mom, dad and Alessia were perfectly fine where they were and it was up to me to make it better, so they could return and everything will fall right into place. “What are you thinking?” Julian asked while eating a pancake. I woke up from my dream and gazed at Julian. How could I ever want to give him up? I had perfection in my hands and I knew I couldn’t be happier with anybody else. “It’s just.. I’m thinking about my family and about the time spent with you. It feels like such a long time but if I think about it… it’s so little. I like living in slow motion with you.” “Slow motion? So this is a slow living for you? Oh-oh missy, so you’re a speed addict. Good to know, good to know” Julian said and drank from his orange juice. I thought I would never want to experience life without Julian. I couldn’t ask for more. Julian looked at me and laughed with passion. “What?” I said confused. “Love, your mouth is brown. You do love chocolate, don’t you?” he said and cleaned the chocolate from my lips. I could get used to this. “Come on, we should go.” He said while pulling my chair. It was warm outside but with his hands over my shoulders I burned like fire. The next second, my hand was in his, we were running and our perfect cottage was long gone. After exactly 2 minutes of running we arrived in Sighisoara. Julian slowed down when we hit the center and stopped for a minute.

“What are you doing?” I asked confused. He was sniffing around. “I’m catching their scent. They should be somewhere around here.” He said while his nose was moving around. He looked so handsome when he was doing that. His entire body was stretching and his muscles were much more visible. I couldn’t look around, I was mesmerized. “Oh my God!” “What happened?” I asked. “I can’t feel them.” He said. “Why don’t you call them. They do have cell phones, don’t they?” “Yeah, you have a point” he said smiling. He reached for his phone, dialed the number and waited for an answer. “Nothing. We have to do something.” He said. I looked around. I had no idea what to do. “You said you knew someone here in the city. Let’s go talk to them, maybe they know something.” I said. He grabbed my hand and the next minute we were knocking on the Shants’ door. A woman with a long, curly, dark hair opened the door and gave us an amazing smile. I bet those were fake teeth. “Julian, how good to see you again.” She said with a sharp voice. “You too, Laura.” She looked like 30. But her eyes were kind and when she smiled, little lines curved across her cheeks. When she turned her glance at me, I blushed, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her because I felt like I knew her for a long time. I smiled at her waiting for her to talk. “And you… Who are you? I can feel you’re an interesting character.” Laura said reaching for my hand. I gave it to her and her warm skin touched mine. A vibe crippled my whole body. “Oh, don’t worry. It will pass. It happens at the first time.” She said kindly. “Laura is an energy catcher. She just took your energy in her body for a couple of seconds to understand you better.” Julian spoke. “But come on in, I’ll make you a cup of hot chocolate while we talk.” We entered a big room with white curtains. Around us, were pillows all over the floor and a soft music was playing. She had no sofas, no chairs, and no tables. The walls were a dark red and the light was coming from several candles and little lights. I loved it in here. The smell of hot chocolate surrendered me as I rested on a pillow. Laura smiled and looked once at Julian, once at me. “So, who is she?” Laura asked Julian. He sighed. “She’s my little sister, born in 1989. And also, she’s the love of my life.” Laura’s eyes got bigger. Her hand covered her mouth. It made me worry.. Was it that much of a sin? “Oh, Julian…” she said pitiful. “That’s so wrong. What will … say?” “What does she mean? What was the pause?” I asked worried. None of them answered. I understood it was bad. “I don’t know. Only Lynn and my brothers know. And Alexandra.” Julian said.

Hearing Alexandra’s name, Laura broke her cup of hot chocolate. So she wasn’t the only one who didn’t like her. I wondered why. “Listen, Emma. I can’t read your energy. You’re blocking my way in. I have your energy all over my body but it’s not matching mine. That never happened to me.” Laura said. “Well, the boys couldn’t read my mind either unless I let them.” I spoke quietly. “So why won’t you let me read your energy? I can help you.” “Help me? Enough with the secrets. Why would I need help? Stop talking coded and tell me!” I said and glanced furiously at Julian. Laura took my hand and I watched her with fear because she seemed no longer here. Her whole body was shivering, her eyes were closed and her hands became cold as ice. I was petrified and the next second tons of images passed my view. They were all like flashbacks but, curiously, none of my flashbacks. Apparently, they were Laura’s. She held my hand stronger this time and I tried to focus on the images. I was seeing men in black coats, sitting in a house on the beach. It didn’t look creepy. In fact, the house seemed pretty normal, except the dark curtains that didn’t match the pretty white house. These men were in the middle of some ritual, no women aloud. The next flashback showed me Alexandra running in the forest from 3 men, with black coats. Probably the same as the ones in the house. The last flashback was about Julian and Alexandra, caught in an old fashioned bed, naked, with a blanket over them. Alexandra screamed, Julian was held by two men while his face muscles contracted, shouting for Alexandra, who was now taken away from him. My heart was now as little as a fly. This image showed me that actually, there was love between them. Julian did love Alexandra and he lied to me. It’s true, they were together long time ago, but still… Laura woke up and I felt my energy coming back in my body. -She needed to know, Julian… My eyes fixed Julian and my eyebrows frowned. -Emma… -No, Julian. No Emma. -Listen, Alexandra is a tricky person. I’m afraid for you right now! Laura said. You shouldn’t have let her enter your house and see how you live and how you really are. A woman’s broken heart may lead to disasters, you know? I don’t want to think about that, but it’s possible that Alexandra may want to start a war. She has all the connections and all the reasons. -All the reasons? They were together 80 years ago or so. What’s my fault? -Emma, Alexandra broke a rule and has been imprisoned until the day she came to your house. For her, there hadn’t been life without Julian. I wanted to cry. Julian didn’t know what to say and looked dumbfounded. -What rule did she break? I asked Laura. -Well, in this little world we’re living in there is another world of whose existence you’re now aware of. The law in our world is different from the one you know. You see, Julian was about to get married with a girl named Alira. They were in love, no magic held above them. True, pure love. But one day, Alexandra noticed Julian and threw a spell over him: that he will no longer love anyone above her. And Julian left Alira a few days before the wedding and ran with Alexandra. But the rulers of our world noticed what Alexandra did and imprisoned her. Even if we’re magical creatures, it’s not fair to

use magic in our own purposes, the way Alexandra did. Just so you know, Julian was never in love with Alexandra. A tear went down on my cheek. Julian caught my waist and hugged me tight. He was sorry for hiding this from me. I was too, but my love for him was so strong that I could forgive him. -But…., Laura said Julian and I turned to Laura. -But what you did is far more extreme. It’s incest. Two special brothers? That hasn’t been heard of in the entire existence of the magical world. I can’t possibly imagine what they will do.. You must hide and try to protect yourself because you risk to be separated for eternity! Laura said with a low and worried voice. My hands were cold and I felt the blood stop in my veins. The sound of my heart was getting lower and lower and all I could see was Julian’s face. The happiness lasted too little, and now it was too late to do something. We were going to run from everybody and hide everywhere. What was going to happen with us? -Yes, Laura. We’ll leave tonight! Julian said.