24. Light and Dark

Paul - An apartment building
Laura comes to a halt in front of a third-floor flat. I'm not sure why she's brought me here, but I'm intrigued enough to wait as she rings the doorbell.
An old lady with pristine white hair opens the door and immediately smiles at Laura. Her eyes widen as she catches a glimpse of me.
“And who’s this handsome man?” The old lady winks at me.
“Oh, let me do the honors. Beatrice, this is Paul, my… friend?” She raises an eyebrow, and I nod.
“Nice to meet you.” I take Beatrice’s wrinkled hand and kiss it.
“Oh, a gentleman in this era?” The old lady looks at Laura. “Where did you find him? At a museum?”
“I had to search for him for a while.” Awkwardly coughing, Laura turns to me. “Paul, Beatrice is my little sister.”
The old woman chuckles as I blankly stare at her.
“Laura doesn’t bring many friends here, but I get the gawking. My older sister looks pretty great for her age, right?” Beatrice waves at us to follow. “Come in. I’ll put the kettle on for some tea.”
Laura and I take our seats at a circular wooden table amid an old-fashioned living room. Other than a small alcove at the window where a painting hangs, the walls are all covered with triple-stacked bookshelves. Laura grins at me from the black and white picture within the frame. She is holding a three or four-year-old toddler in her arms.
“That’s me,” Beatrice says, settling the teapot on a bamboo pad. “The child, I mean.”
She moves to a glass cabinet and pulls out three teacups. After she fills them out, the old woman joins us.
“Laura, isn’t it dangerous to tell your secret to more people?” Beatrice asks. “What if the Council finds out?”
I raise an eyebrow, surprised at how much this woman knows about the supernatural world.
Laura smiles at my astonished expression. “He knows everything. You don’t have to worry, Beatrice. He’s a big boy and can take care of himself.”
As she finishes the sentence, her hand lands on my knee. A tingling sensation spreads through my whole body. Perhaps Laura felt the same thing because she shudders. As she raises her hand, I press mine over hers and keep it in place.
Beatrice finishes scouring each of our features with her questioning gaze. "Laura, I understand. You share all of your secrets with me. But his secrets aren’t yours to tell."
“Quite perceptive.” I nod as a sign of respect.
“Age comes with perks too.” She smiles with kindness. “Even though I can’t read minds like Laura, I sure can read faces.”
Frowning, I stare at Laura.
She simply tilts her head. “Now you understand why I brought you here, Paul? It’s the easiest way to find out everything you want about me.”
“Oh, I spoke out of place?” Beatrice asks.
Laura takes her sister's hand while her other hand remains on my knee. "Don't worry, sweety. Paul was curious about me, so I brought him here. You can tell him whatever you like."
Beatrice beams. “Where should I start?”
"Wait a second. Please excuse me; I don't want to be impolite." I shift my focus to Laura. "Can you read people's minds? Do you hear what I'm thinking?"
“Yes and no. I can hear only humans and strigois.”
Mistrust looms again inside me. This can’t be possible. Things don’t work this way.
“Laura, are you sure?”
“Yes, I have never been able to read the mind of a…” She looks at Beatrice. “Of a man like you.”
"Let's say I believe you." I breathe deeply and let go of her hand. "This is not how the powers function. Dark entities have dark abilities that are ineffective against other dark beings. Similarly, light beings have light abilities that are ineffective against other light beings. If what you say is accurate, you have a light power, which is unfathomable. This is simply impossible."
“Impossible or improbable?” Laura stares at me with defiance, as if she wants to test how closed-minded I can be.
To not destroy the trust that I'm trying so hard to build, I respond, "Improbable. But if I think of this more thoroughly, you might have two abilities.”
“What do you mean?”
"You have the capacity to read minds, which seems like a light power, and you use your blood to drive insane light beings, which is certainly a dark ability." I gaze at Beatrice, who seems perplexed. "Perhaps I spoke too much."
"No." Laura shakes her head, her hair flowing gracefully about her shoulders. "My sister has known about my secret for decades and has never told anybody. We can rely on her."
I stay silent, contemplating the whole scenario. When I believe things will clear up, they get more entangled and difficult to grasp. It's hard for me to solve the Laura puzzle since I can't see the whole picture. The more she attempts to open up and show me things, the more mystified I am.
"Now, if whatever that was has been settled, you are free to ask me anything." Beatrice drinks her tea and holds the cup with three fingers as the other two stand up toward the ceiling. She places the teacup on the saucer. "I've known Laura since I was born. You have no idea what I know about her."
I rise from my seat. “Excuse me, but I’ll take my leave. My head is spinning already. Maybe some other time.” Then I look at Laura. “Would you please come with me to the villa?”
She nods and pushes her chair. After hugging her sister, she goes for the exit, and I follow her.
We leave the apartment and go down the first flight of stairs when I hear Beatrice's voice.
“Paul, you forgot something on the table.”
Nothing seems to be missing from my pockets. "Laura, please wait. I'll be right back."
I open the door and go inside the flat. The table is empty except for the teapot and three teacups. Beatrice takes my hand as I turn around. "I know Laura is looking for someone to give her true death. If you are that man, please have mercy. Show her that there is more to life than death. My poor sister never truly lived."