I CAME AWAKE groggily and my senses came alive slowly. I felt drunk, except I don’t even know how it felt to be drunk.
I got up and went to the bathroom to. brush my teeth and wash up. I caught my reflection in the mirror.
“I look like shit.” I muttered to myself.
“No, you don’t.” Harry’s voice piped out behind me, startling me.
I turned to look at him. He hadn’t even washed up. Only brushed his teeth, I saw him flicking his toothbrush.
“What?”
“I think you look pretty amazing. With your long locks… Mum won’t let you keep them though.”
“I wasn’t keeping them… they just sort of grew…”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah whatever. Dad says the alpha wants to speak with you before you head to school – if you head to school. There’s been a kidnapping, you know.”
“Yeah I know. I’ll be down there in a minute.”
He skipped off and down the hallway, leaping the whole length of the stairs. I head the loud THUD! as he landed and mum’s frustrated “Harry!”
I smiled and did my stuffs quickly.
I pulled on a sweatshirt and a pair of faded jeans and sneakers and rushed downstairs, running my fingers through my hair.
Mehn, they were long. Longer than I thought.
“Good morning mum. Good morning, Dad.” I said, pulling at a tangle at the end of my hair and using my leg to pull out a chair to seat.
Mum took a glance at me and shook her head. “I’m going to cut those things myself.” She said, referring to my hair.
I pushed the hair behind my head, but didn’t pack it.
“The Alpha wants to speak with you, Jason.”
I nodded. “Harry told me.”
Mum and Dad both looked looked Harry, who simply shrugged and said, “I heard when you were telling mum.”
“Harry! You shouldn’t eavesdrop when adults are talking.”
“But I wasn’t eavesdropping…” Harry argued. “You were speaking quite loud.”
I totally ignored the banter going around me, I merely drank from my cup of water as I scooped spoonful of milked cereal into my mouth.
“Jason.” Mum called softly.
I paused in my chewing and looked at her.
“What happened? How did you leave?”
“It was the Feys, mum.” I said, then continued eating.
Shock and little disbelief was written all over Dad’s face.
“I’m not lying. They were watchers. We wanted to fight them, but they paralysed us using magic and portalled us away.”
“I know you’re not lying.” Dad said, wearily. “The watchers were here on the day of the first attack.”
“They were?” Mum asked.
Dad nodded. “Yes. They wanted to ask the boys some questions.”
“They did ask us some questions about the first attack on me and Jake.”
“What did you tell them?”
“The same thing I told the alpha, but they must have known that we were keeping something from them because they started talking about some kind of kind invasion.”
“Did they do it?” Harry asked. I didn’t know he was following my story.
“Nope.” I shook my head. “They tied us up with a magic rope that weakens werewolves. But I’m not a werewolf so I freed myself and then Jake. Then we broke out and found ourselves in Brazil.”
“Crazy… thats a great adventure.” Harry whooped and cheered me.
Dad sat quiet. He was munching on his cereal but somehow didn’t make a sound at all. “When Jamie hears this, he’s going to want to propose a war on Fey Kingdom.”
“That’s why you’re there.” Mum said. “Try your best to dissuade him from that idea.”
“For the good that is. He has gotten a little more bloodthirsty than usual these past few weeks.” Dad said. “He’s your brother, you know how he can be.”
Mum nodded, slowly. “Well, Jason. You’d better get going. You might be going to school this morning.”
I got up and carried my plate to the sink.
“See you later, guys.” I headed out the door, heaving my bag on my back. Harry gave me a tight smile just as I walked out.
THE BOYS WOKE up to a bang on their cell gate. Nina pushed some toothbrushes and paste into the room. She unlocked the gate.
“Get Up!” She snapped.
They jerked awake and tried to figure out what was happening.
“I figured as you’d be here for a month. It’s only humane to give you hygienic stuffs.” She gestured to the brushes and paste. “Toilet is down the hall.”
“A hall? There is a hall? And a toilet?” Billy asked.
“You trying to be sassy? You want me to lock the gate again?” Nina came closer.
They didn’t answer but picked up the brushes and walked down the hall.
“Hope these are new brushes?” Zach muttered, staring closely at his brush.
“Be quick about it. I have to leave here before the sun rises.”
“You scared of sun burns?” Billy asked quietly under his breath.
“I heard that.” Nina called from the outside.
They brushed and washed up to the cleanest they could and came out. Nina handed out a package and then walked out. She didn’t bolt the cell gate but instead locked another gate a the entrance of the hall.
“Did you know there was a gate there?” Jeff asked when they heard the gate clang shut and the sounds of chains locking them in.
“Nope.” Zach said, opening his package. “Um, Turkey sandwich. A bottle of water and…” He held out an apple.
“What are we? 5 years old? Or in elementary school?” Arthur said angrily. He tossed his fruit which was a banana through the window.
“Things might not be so bad.” Jeff said munching into his pitta, which was something like a Sandwich too. “I mean… We know we are not dying any time soon… we have approximately 29 days left in our life time. During this period, something good can happen, right? Right?” He nudged Zach and Mart, seeking approval from his friends.
“And then there’s that witch Sofia too.” Billy said in-between bites.
“Aw God. Don’t start with that again, Bill.” Arthur groaned.
“I’m serious, guys. She’s good.”
The sun rose quickly. Fast and hot, the boys didn’t notice the day rolling by as the argued amongst themselves.
Suddenly, Jeff whispered sharply. “Keep quiet. All of you. Someone’s coming.”
Matt looked out the window. “Sun is up. It can’t be a vampire.”
“Might be Sofia. She’s coming to feet us free.”
“Yeah right.”
The locks fell off and two footsteps could be heard. One was a quick and light step, the other was measured, but heavy.
They came to the gate. It was Rosetta.
“You.” Arthur said.
“Me.” She sneered. Then she gave way to a tall white haired man. He didn’t look a day above 30 years old. His white hair was styled in a very fashionable way. He wore a tailor made pin striped suit that hugged his broad shoulders and accentuated his thick chest. He had a walking stickwindowhis left hand, his right hand was in his pocket.
He didn’t look like someone who belonged in a rough walled underground cave prison. He looked like a Russian mafia lord.
“Them.” Rosetta said to him. She gestured to the boys.
“They aren’t locked in.” The man noted.
“Oh yes. I instructed Nina not to lock them in like dogs. Even thought they are.” She gave a wicked laugh. “Henri don’t bother yourself with small issues like padlocks.”
He walked forward. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Rosetta.”
“I sure do.”
“Involving Sofia in this too. Don’t you know she has a thing for Jamie Morton?” Henri said, he was tapping the end of his stick on the foot of the gate.
“Are you saying she’ll help his pups?”
“I’m not saying anything, Rose. I’m just voicing out my thoughts.” His voice went soft. m and he had a strange tender look in his Hazel eyes.
“But she’s bound to us by blood… we’re her first priority before any other thing.” Rosetta said. She didn’t sound so sure of herself.
“Maybe…” Henri said nonchalantly.
They both remained quiet for a moment. The quiet was deafening.
Henri turned and looked at Rosetta. He took his hand out of his poxket and raised it to caress Rosetta’s cheek. She closed her eyes and relaxed at his touch.
“My sweet.” Henri said gently. “Where did we go wrong?”
She mumbled something inaudible and rested herself on Henry’s body. His arms went round her.
“Rose could never hurt a fly. So gentle and lovely.” He kissed her neck from behind. “What happened? Here you are, abducting Morton’s pups for pleasure.”
“Rose died when I became a Vampire. Rosetta was born.” She snuggled deeper in the embrace. “Besides, I’m not with any of Morton’s pups. Those ones, the real prize are in Brazil.”
“You are wrong on that note.” Henri said. “Jamie and some men flew to Brazil some days back to collect their sons. They are back home now. Here in London.”
Rosetta stiffened and walked out from his embrace. “How come I didn’t hear about it?” she asked.
Henri’s hand went back into his pocket. He shrugged. “The men supposed to tell you are dead. I don’t know what they were thinking when they attacked a pack of alphas.”
Rosetta groaned.
“It was not a very smart move to send him that picture, you know.”
“I wanted to rail him up. To stress him out. When he’s stressed, he’s bound to make mistakes.” She said, then added as an afterthought, “Or that was what I thought.”
“You thought wrong. They’re under immense protection now. They were more vulnerable in Brazil, but you lost the chance. You have to make do with what you have.” He stared at the frightened boys in the cage and shook his head.
“Make do with what I have?” Rosetta asked, shocked. She steered Henri away from the hall and out of the cave. She chained the outer gate and padlocked it.
“We will put our plans in motion starting from this night.” Her voice drifted in the afternoon sun.
Jeff was the first to speak. He was so angry, his face was beet red. “You!” He shoved Arthur in the chest. “Jake and Jason weren’t even in London. And you led us into this mess.”
“I – I didn’t know.” Arthur said, shakily.
Billy intervened. He pushed Jeff back. “Hold it Jeff. If we want to survive this place, we have to stay together.”
“His eyes were scary.” Zach said. “That man with Rosetta.”
“I felt it too. Like he was seeing right through my soul.” Matt said.
“What I felt was unnatural cold that dissipated as soon as he walked out.” Billy got up from where they had huddled close together and walked out towards the locked gate.
Just at the foot of the gate were food packages. He clamped the gate and his the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
“Ouch!” He snatched his hand back.
“What’s that?” Mart called out
Zach sniffed and yelled. “Is that barbecue?”
“You want to eat my flesh?” Billy yelled. “Except you’d probably die because it’s poisoned with Wolfsbane.”
That brought the others scampering forward to meet Billy. His palms were raw and red like he just suffered third degree burns.
“God!” Zach exclaimed. “What happened to you?”
The skin was healing but not as fast as usual. “Wolfsbane. I think the iron bars are part wolfsbane. Here.” He used his leg to indicate the package just beside him. “Our lunch.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mart asked, staring at the wound. It was just almost cleared up now but a spot was filled with a yellow brownish wet substance.
“Yeah. I’m good. It does not hurt much.” Billy shrugged.