Chapter 42 : The Cure

Only a bird's chirp could be heard in the cemetery. A crowd had gathered around a coffin that was about to be loaded into the burial vault at one of the locations. Rakiza was among the bereaved, with Chin and Susan by her side. She was quietly sobbing, and Theo was only a few meters away. While Rakiza was in deep mourning, Theo's gaze was drawn to every face in the room. Rakiza's main concern was that she be left alone. Theo had warned her not to mention Muriel's appearance in his cottage to anyone. That will label her insane, and keeping it will keep her from being humiliated.
Her friends had no idea what had happened in Theo's cottage. Rakiza had followed Theo's advice and revealed a half-truth about her injured knee, and it's a good thing they didn't ask for any more.
The sun became obscured by clouds, making the cemetery appear gloomy and sentimental. As a result of her daughter's untimely death, Muriel's mother had passed out several times. She had no idea why Muriel had lost so much blood, which even a doctor couldn't explain. She died of an unexplained acute loss of blood anemia.
The people went home one by one after loading the casket into the vault and burying it in the ground. On the other hand, Theo and Rakiza remained.
As he gazed down at Muriel's grave, Theo murmured. "This should be kept secret."
"Why?" Rakiza wondered.
"As I previously stated, Muriel is not dead, and she could reappear at any time."
"And how could that happen?"
"The source, her master to be," he explained to Rakiza, "will draw the dead from the ground. It's a bad omen, and she will never be controlled by whatever her master summons her to do. "
"Please save her," pleaded Rakiza to Theo. "I'd like you to help me save her."
"We can't do anything about your friend right now; all I can do is protect you; and please, Rakiza, let me protect you."
"Why me?" Rakiza inquired, looking to Theo for an answer.
"If you want to protect me, please explain why; tell me who my enemies are; it's the most terrifying favor you can do for me, Theo, to explain why they're after me."
Theo remained silent for a few moments, calculating the appropriate words to say. He looked at Rakiza with those reassuring eyes. "I'm protecting you from vampires."
Rakiza felt numb all over her body. She couldn't believe what Theo had said. But Muriel's death and her unexpected appearance in Theo's cottage were real. She clutched Rakiza's aching shoulder. She was really squeezing her and about to bite her neck, which she could feel at the time. And all she could do was trust whatever Theo said. This is the only thing she could do right now. She also missed her grandfather, Joseph Zanier.
Theo's expression was concerned as he looked sideways at Rakiza. On the outside, he appeared confident, but on the inside, God knows how terrified he is of what might happen to Rakiza, forcing him to double his guard and search for possible lope holes for the enemy's entrance. He couldn't let the enemy take Rakiza from his protection.
"Why are they after me? What is it you said I have that they want?" Rakiza inquired innocently.
"As of now, the details are hazy," Theo explained, "because the prophecy didn't explain what it was in you that vampires were after. My mission is to keep you alive. That's all. And it should be done. "
***
The A tower third floor lobby was quiet, and no one was walking around when Nikolas appeared from around a corner, his pace almost running. Then he went into a room where his mother was waiting. "Why are you here, mother?" he asked, his voice firm and hard.
"Why can't you hug me first before asking me nonsense questions, Nikolas?" She smiled, displaying her aristocratic existence with queenly gestures. And she reached out to her son, Nikolas, with her long arms. She was wearing a black long gown with a tassel hanging from her long sleeve and a closed neck that gave her an elegant look with all her hair tied up. They hugged for a few minutes before she said quietly, "I'm here to help you get the bloodstone."
"No!" yelled Nikolas as he yanked himself from his mother's arms. Mother, it has to be just me doing it. "You promised to put your trust in me."
"But you were slower than I thought, Nikolas; what took you so long? It's been a while, and I still haven't heard a positive result; they told me that you found the girl, and she must be in our hands now; she must be put through some accuracy tests. "
"Leave it all to me, mother; I have to make a slower move in order to put everything in place for a sure ball of success; we can't just kidnap a human in this modern world, mother."
We need to blend in and make some adjustments to fit the subject's modern world.
"You know how impatient I am about the mission, Nikolas." The realm is rooting for you to succeed. Make me proud, honey. Be the best in business and, more importantly, in finding a cure. I've heard the girl is in this location. Give me some hope, my boy, and let me see the girl. "
"No, mother!" Please don't interfere, "Nikolas begged her mother to reconsider his plan. He was well aware of how cruel his mother could be when enraged. And it's not going to help his plan for Rakiza.
The queen rose to her feet, her dangling body accessories glittering. "Keep this in mind, Nikolas: I want to see the sun."
"I will, mother; just give me a chance."
"In a month, I'll be back to get what I want. She said in a singsong tone, "How I wished to touch the bloodstone. It is the only cure for all of us. Don't let us down. I believe you can do it, which your brother failed to do a long time ago. "
"Don't relive the past, mother; it only brings back the pain," Nikolas said, returning his gaze to the LCD screen, which displayed the sun at dusk. "I don't make decisions or think in the same way that my brother did. But when it comes to the cure, I have my own term. Mother, I need to do more research on the cure.
“The girl is the cure, Nikolas, put that in your mind.
For a few moments, Nikolas remained silent, allowing her mother to do all of the talking. She was conceited about Nikolas's approach to business. "What happened to our book publishing, Nikolas? It's our main front. You should keep it running and gain some more. We have big plans ahead that require financial bulk, Nikolas. To rule a realm here requires money, but we can only do that when the bloodstone is already in our hands. So, you have to consider a fast pace requiring the bloodstone. "
"Yes, mother."
Madam Tessa Augustus was a powerful mistress from her time until present. She was too ambitious and had a strong determination to achieve her goals, and obtaining the bloodstone had been her dream since the day she became a vampire.
"Where is my beryl ring?" Madam Tessa inquired. In her dark red eyes, she stares at Nikolas. The beryl ring was an heirloom passed down from her first clan generations to Nikolas.
"I gave it to the cure as a mark," Nikolas explained. "I needed something to bind us together and bring us closer than usual."
"Just make sure she keeps it until the day she dies."
Nikolas was taken aback by his mother's statement. She was never a considerate mother. And his brother died at a young age, just to satisfy her quest for the bloodstone.
"What was her name again?"
"Rakiza Zanier," Nikolas responded hesitantly.
His mother, Tessa, swayed her way to the door leading to her secret chamber and said, "By the way, I have a coming servant. Do me a favor. Excavate her and bring her to me. I chose her because she is the cure's best friend, "she said as she paused before opening the door.
Nikolas was at a loss for words when it came to his mother. He knew who the girl she was referring to was, even though she didn't say her name.
"Her full name is Muriel de Leon, and I want her in my chamber," she confirmed, leaving Nikolas speechless. It was now clear who was responsible for Muriel's death. It was Nikolas' mother, and the fact that she knew about Muriel meant she knew everything about Rakiza Zanier. That spells disaster for Nikolas' feelings for Rakiza.
***
The Dormitory of St. Ann
5 p.m.
Rakiza was escorted to her dorm by Theo. He invited Rakiza to stay at his cottage, but she declined after receiving a call from Miss Lyra Brinson. Her manager requested manuscripts of her novel for editing, and she needed to write additional chapters for tomorrow's submission. She was told to make a hard copy of her manuscripts.
"That's unusual," Theo remarked as he leaned against the dorm's entrance door.
"What is unusual?" Rakiza frowned.
"Making hard copies is not necessary for today's workers." Soft copies are more convenient and in demand than hard copies of a work. But that company was still doing things the old-fashioned way. That's what makes them strange. "
Rakiza said, "Different companies have different perspectives, and Reign-bridge book publishing is one of the rarest." Rakiza shrugged and added, "So, speaking of Reign-bridge, I believe I have many hours of writing ahead of me," as she stepped in when Theo grabbed her hand and quickly.
"Please promise me that you will not leave this building at night without me."
"OK," she said, nodding.
Theo said nervously, "Also, never trust Nikolas Augustus."
Rakiza frowned as Nikolas' name was mentioned. "He is too good to me, Theo," she knew, and couldn't swear off talking to him, "I can't just ignore or neglect our friendship."
"You have to be very careful around anyone, Rakiza."
"Doesn't that include you?"
"Yes," including me, "Theo sighed." You already know how I react to things that are discussed and vowed. And tonight is crucial. "
"What about tonight?"
"We can't talk about what's going to happen tonight here. Simply walk in, shut the door, lock your room window, and never open it, even if someone you know asks you to. And if you ever hear Muriel's voice, ignore her. "She's not who you thought she was," he said quietly. "She's a undead. And now, go inside. "
Rakiza did not object to Theo's instructions. He had swayed her with the information that Muriel was undead and that vampires were after her. She shut and locked the window of her once-shared room with Muriel. And she sat at Muriel's bedside, sobbing quietly once more. She then dozed off in her bed. She was too tired and forgot about her writing.
Rakiza awoke at midnight, and the dorm was deafeningly quiet. It was too dark outside, indicating that rain was on its way. She went to her study corner and slammed her body on the couch Muriel had given her for her recent birthday after taking a cold sandwich from the fridge and finishing a glass of milk. She took a brief moment to concentrate and went over where she had left off writing. And then she remembered the book Miss Lyra had given her, Zella's Blood.
She reread it for half an hour before starting to write on her laptop. And she stopped writing at three o'clock in the morning to stretch her legs and arms. She was about to fall asleep in her bed when she heard scratching on the closed window.
What was it? She pondered. Is this another dream? No, I'm fully awake from my writing and heard the scratching. Maybe it was just the trunks of a tree reaching for the window.
Rakiza went to her bed, wrapped a blanket around her, and inserted cotton buds into her ears to muffle the noise.
And she awoke at seven a.m., one hour before her appointment at Reign-bridge Book Publishing, when the door to her room swung open, slamming. Chin's face was as white as bond paper.
Rakiza was surprised, "What happened, Chin? Why are you so white? "
"Muriel's grave was excavated, leaving an open vault and casket," Chin stammered as she delivered the news. She was being kidnapped. "
"What?" Rakiza was taken aback by the news, and the first thing she remembered was Theo's prediction. Muriel will rise again.