At sunset, Jessica sat in the garden behind the mansion. She was looking into space. On her hand was her necklace. It was the first time she ever spent time looking at the symbols.
"Are you okay?" Richard's voice interrupted her from behind. She turned her head to look at him.
"Not really." She smiled.
"Don't think about it Jessica, everything will be alright, I know it. We will find the child, and after this time, we will break the curse." Richard assured her.
"That's what I want. I need to find answers, I don't want to live like this anymore. Strange things have happened to me in the last few months." She sighed.
"What happened?" Richard was anxious.
"I meant a woman, her name is Helen, she is a vampire. Richard" She turned to him and fixed her eyes on his "She knows me. She said she is my friend. She even know I lost my memories. Do you know her?" She asked Richard.
"No," Richard answered. He was finding it difficult to breathe. Shocked by her discovery. "Is that all?" He was very curious.
"Yes, well, I had another nightmare, and this time, I saw her. She triggered a piece of my memory. But what I don't understand is that she looked like we are the same age, and she seems to have an idea of what my necklace means." She opened her hands and showed the necklace to him.
"What is the meaning of the necklace Richard?" She questioned him.
"It means death and reincarnation." Richard smiled.
"I thought it holds some details about my curse." Jessica sighed.
"This woman, if she is not among us then she is...?
" Kendrick's." Jessica interrupted. "But unlike the others, she has his mark engraved on her chest. I wonder why, Kendrick's men have his mark on their hands. Hers was different. I wonder why? And do you know the other thing, she denied working for Kendrick, funny right?" Jessica scoffed.
"Yeah. There is no way she can be rooming about, we would have caught her." Richard hugged her "Don't worry, we will find all the answers. Just like we defeated Kendrick's men today, we will also break your curse. Just tell me whatever you find out, and I will look into it, okay?"
Jessica sighed. She was only telling him half of what she discovered.
Somehow, she felt there were reasons to hide the boy. She wanted to check more if he was just someone she knew just like Helen or the child she is looking for? But then, he wasn't the age, which made her even more curious."
...
It took her a month to travel back to the human world, and Eunice like always accompanied her. Though she was not happy with Jessica's decision to keep Nicholas hidden, it wasn't as if she could do anything.
They traveled to Philadelphia, to the bookstore she met Nicholas. For days Jessica only sat by the roadside, watching Nicholas as he came to the bookstore every day.
For some reason, she found it difficult to approach him. From a distance, he looked like a normal blind child and she pitied him.
Every day Eunice would convince her to approach him, but Jessica feared she might scare him off. With no idea of what she would say to him, she just watched him.
...
"At this rate, it's very possible for you to sit here and watch him for the remaining thirty years you will be alive." Eunice sighed.
"You think I should just walk in there and scare him with my questions?" Jessica looked at Eunice.
"Nope, I don't think that will scare him off, you will be able to get answers. But if you sit here every day you will never find out anything." Eunice dips a lollipop in her mouth.
"Okay. Even if he is clueless, I can just touch him, and maybe I will remember more things." She stood on her feet smiling and without looking she attempted to cross the road but almost got hit by a car.
"Watch it will you?" The driver screamed at her.
Jessica was statled.
"Will you look at where you are going?" Eunice screamed at her.
Jessica finally was able to cross the road. When she entered the bookstore, she waved the book she collected before at the bookkeeper.
"Excuse me." The bookkeeper called her.
Jessica walked to her.
"I need your information, the other time you left without filling in details, without this I won't be able to lend you books." The bookkeeper said to her.
Jessica smiled and apologized, she filled in the address she have been living in, in Philadelphia. When she was done she turned and saw Nicholas sitting on his own.
She walked closer to him, breathing heavily she sat opposite him on his desk. He was sleeping. He laid his head on his desk. Jessica was sucking her lips. She stretched her hand trying to touch him. He was sweating and seemed to be having a nightmare.
The way he was shivering, and sweating profusely, she was certain he certainly was having a nightmare.
As her hand was about to touch him, he suddenly woke up and was panting.
Jessica was quiet, knowing that he was blind and obviously wouldn't see her.
She noticed the boy was shaking as if he was scared. She wondered if it was the nightmare that frightens him so much. But to her surprise, his hands were moving towards her on the table. She quietly placed her book on the desk. She was extremely careful and didn't make a sound.
Her gaze was fixed at his hand. He was almost touching hers on the desk. But then his voice made fear grip her heart-
"Who are you?"
Jessica was scared. He was blind and she didn't make a sound, how did he know that she was sitting there.
Though his eyes were closed, she only just realized that his head seemed to be directly facing her. She wasn't directly opposite him, she was seated opposite him but at his right-hand side, and his head was looking in her direction.
Jessica's brows were furrowed, and her lips slightly left open.
"How is this possible?" Those thoughts were harbored in her heart.