Chapter Forty Four: A Talk With My Lover

Lorraine was in her room, with Judy sitting opposite her on the bed. Judy kept gushing about how much Mark was awesome, kind, sweet, and a perfect gentleman. She couldn’t help but wonder how good Mark was towards Judy that he treated her in such a way. “You know when I told him about Mike, he was very supportive and even shared a part of himself with me. He really opened up, Lorraine. He told me about a girl that he loved and lost and how that affected him.”

Lorraine felt more intrigued and she wondered if Mark really told her about Basilia. It worried her even more how much he told her of the story. “Really? What girl?”

Judy fumbled with her blouse and gave Lorraine a hesitant look, “I’m not sure if I should tell you this.”

“Come on Judy, I know you want to tell me.” Lorraine urged her with a big smile.

Judy relented with a small sigh, “You have to promise you won't tell a soul, especially Aiden.” Lorraine nodded her head eagerly and Judy moved forward, “Apparently, Mark fell in love with this girl years ago, they’ve known each other for a long time. He fell for her and she was in love with him, then Aiden got between them. Mark said that Aiden manipulated her in all sorts of ways and she got really confused then she decided to leave them both. She broke it off with Mark and Aiden, but Aiden was really spiteful so he spread rumors about her in their town. The poor girl couldn’t take it anymore and she killed herself.” Judy shook her head, “She slit her own throat, I mean… it’s such a horrible way to go, right?”

“Indeed it is.” Lorraine nodded her head sadly. But part of her was glad that Mark didn’t tell Judy about vampires and that Aiden actually killed the girl. “Did he tell you her name?”

“Basilia. Her name was Basilia.” Judy then let out a long breath, “Hey I’m kind of hungry. Can you get me something to eat? I’ll wait here.” Lorraine nodded and left for the kitchen.

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The first thing he felt was the out of place dirt beneath his hands. Then his senses caught the different smells surrounding him. Although it smelt like the woods, Aiden knew he shouldn't be in the woods. He tried to open his eyes, but he felt something akin to a hangover; he hadn’t felt that since he turned to a vampire. He didn’t even think it was possible. He opened his eyes to see the fading light of the day in the sky above his head.

He got off the ground and dusted his pants the best he could, looking around him with confusion and wonder. “What am I even doing here?” He wondered to himself, but whenever he tried to recall the events his memory came out blank. There was this big hole in his memory and no matter what he did, he was unable to fill it. He decided to walk back home, and talk to Bates about it.

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Lorraine arrived at Bates’ house and knocked on the door frantically. He opened the door looking at her worriedly, “What happened?” He saw and heard her quick breathing and heartbeat, and noticed the thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead. “Did you run here?”

Struggling to breathe, “Yes!” He moved to the side and let her in, closing the door softly. She plopped down on one of the armchairs, taking in a deep breath, she said, “Judy came over to my house, but I think she’s not in her right mind. Bates, something is definitely wrong with her.” Bates asked her what happened and she resumed, “We spent some time in my room then she told me she was hungry. I heard a strange noise coming from upstairs, when I went to check on her I found my books scattered all over the room. She then started asking me angrily where it was. And I’m guessing she’s talking about the grimoire.”

“Mark is controlling her.” Bates concluded with gritted teeth. Lorraine only nodded, then he asked, “What happened then?”

Lorraine shook her head, “I’m not really sure. When I tried to touch her her hands began thrashing in the air, and she was screaming, like honest to God screams, Bates. It was pretty insane. I was freaked out!” She let out a breath then resumed, “I couldn’t help myself so I yelled at her to calm down, but then something happened. Like a more freaky thing happened. The books began floating in the room, just for a second. It seemed that Judy became frightened and she pushed me out of the way then she ran out of the house. Then the books fell to the floor. I was frozen in place, so I didn't really follow her, but I tried calling and she didn’t answer.”

Aiden chose that moment to enter the house with a dazed but concerned look on his face. His eyes found Bates, “I think something happened to me.”

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Cedric was sitting in the old cemetery, staring at Darla’s tombstone with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. “I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore. Do I want you back? Yes.” He took a big gulp from the bottle, “I just don’t want to hurt her. She’s different, you know? She makes me feel things, Darla. She makes me feel so many things I didn’t think I would ever feel again.” Cedric felt close to sobbing, “I will get you back, but would you forgive me if I didn’t bring what we had back? Would you find it in you to forgive me if I decided to stay with her? Do you think she would take me?”

He heard his phone ringing, letting out a sigh he picked up when he saw it was Bates calling him. “Can’t you spend a day without my presence, Bates? You know I’m not your wife, right?”

“Cedric, the grimoire is gone!” Bates said through the phone with an urgent tone.

“What do you mean it’s gone? I thought Lorraine left it with you.”

He then heard Lorraine’s voice, “I did.” Then Bates spoke, “You have to come here, Cedric.”

Cedric hung up the call, turned back to Darla’s tombstone, “You see how much mess I’m in right now? I’m running around with an inadequate group.” His fingertips caressed the tombstone as if it was an actual person, “But don’t worry darling, I’ll bring you back.” With that final promise, Cedric got up dusting off his pants then began walking to his car.

When he arrived at Bates’s, he found Lorraine staring at one of the walls like it held the answers to all her problems. Bates was talking to Aiden, more like whispering, but he could hear them nonetheless. “Alright, anyone would like to explain to me how we lost the grimoire that I worked so damn hard to get?” Cedric noticed how Lorraine stiffened when she heard his voice, he noticed how she averted her eyes once she met his. That little movement, almost too subtle to notice, made his chest ache even more.

Bates started telling Cedric everything that had happened until Aiden interjected, “Why none of you thought it was John or his girlfriend Sally?” Lorraine got up, feeling angry at him for even suggesting it. “I had too much to drink, maybe I blacked out.”

Cedric clenched his jaws, “Vampires don’t just blackout, Aetos. Even you should know that.”

“John had been trying to do this locator spell, but to no avail. He’s petrified of them, Aiden. He wouldn’t just go and help them.” Lorraine defended walking closer to the three. “Look, it’s some magic trick they used. I mean vampires can’t really control other vampires, right?” Bates shook his head, and Lorraine continued, “Then maybe it’s magic. I mean apparently they sent Judy to my place to find it, then there’s this whole blackout thing with Aiden.”

“So, what do we do now?” Aiden asked with a tight tone.

“We find the grimoire.” Cedric stated like it was the most obvious thing ever.