Adam woke up early in the morning and took a shower. He sighed and thought of the best strategy to help Mimi. He had heard her wandering around the house all night, and he had watched for a while but hadn't gone near her. She had simply walked restlessly, looking around as if searching for something, and Adam didn't know yet what she was looking for. He entered the kitchen, and Mimi was already in the living room reading a book she had taken from the bookshelf.
"Good morning, Mimi. I guess you didn't get much sleep," Adam said to me.
I looked up from the book I was reading, Gray's Anatomy. I had always enjoyed reading anatomy, even from a pretty damn young age, and it just felt comforting to read it.
I replied, "I had some nightmares, and then I perked up, and I'm so fucking curious I decided to explore the house; I hope I didn't wake you."
Adam said, "No. Don't worry about that now. I'll prepare breakfast, and you can come and eat soon."
I nodded and continued my reading. Then I realized when Adam came, took the book from my hand, and took me to eat. The table was set again, and Samuel was already handing me the plates in front of me. I started to eat when I was hungry. And I ate a lot. So much so that I was almost exhausted again, but the chair and the anatomy book were a perfect combination, and it was calling me after breakfast.
Nick and Elias arrived after noon. I was left to read Grey's Anatomy on the living room couch while Adam, Samuel, and the vampires retreated upstairs. I didn't mind. I'd been reading my book since breakfast the whole time.
I'd already learned a new thing or two at breakfast. First, Adam had his own breakfast habits, and that included reading the paper. It was a sacred tradition, and Mr. Hauptmann noticed nothing until the paper was read. And it was important that he read the paper first and was awake first. Then, the other thing was that I had to wait before I started eating; a brief nod from Adam was permission to eat.
Pack matters, and I learned to respect the alpha from the beginning. But reading anatomy took all my attention, and from what I had browsed the bookshelf, there were an extraordinary number of medical books.
Adam directed the men to one of the meeting rooms, and Elias took a scroll from his bag.
He said: "This is from my mother's papers, as you know. Our mother turned us into the first vampires. This is an old prophecy, and I don't know if anyone else has this, but something about this struck me, and then I started looking into it. We've had prophecies about our family and about everything for a long time. I've tried to go through them from time to time to weed out the ones that have already happened so they don't bother you anymore, and when this particular prophecy didn't fit, then not us, not anybody we knew, so it was kind of put aside, but I go through them from time to time."
Elias fell silent.
Nick continued: " This is about Mimi, but it's also about the rest of us, if I interpret this correctly. Mimi's mother was the only daughter in her family, and Mimi was her only surviving Daughter. The last Daughter of the last Daughter. Now that makes this Mimi this, which means that it all happened for a reason other than mere coincidence. There was a purpose to this, Mimi's experiences, and Mimi's purpose, well, it's not always so clearly stated."
Nick pulled out another scroll and spread it out." This is our family tree. This is my mother, Ester, and this is her sister, Dahlia. But this woman, this is an old family tree, I mean the kind that we didn't know about; these particular people were, for some reason, excluded from our other family trees, and we never knew about any of these. Our mother mentioned nothing about her other sister."
He pointed to the third name. "Lily. I didn't even know my mother had another sister. And this sister, this sister, is the key. She's the line that starts from her, and you can follow it all the way to Mimi. She was human, and she stayed behind when my mother moved; she didn't want to keep any contact, and since she didn't have magical powers, my mother and Dahlia didn't think of her as anything but rather as the black sheep of the family about whom not a word was said."
Adam said quietly, "So Mimi is your very distant relative."
Elias replied: "Yes, but that's not all. There's more. "
"Here's another family tree. Here is my father, my real father's family tree, and here is a man, my father's brother, who was not a werewolf. So, I am more related to Mimi than Elias or my family's other members. This family tree was also hidden because of my origin; I was a bastard. I was an embarrassment to my father; he didn't want to know anything about it. And he didn't want anyone else to know about it." Nick explained.
" This family line also goes back to Mimi; more specifically, her mother's father was in this family line. So Mimi's mother had two families, starting with us, that merged to form Mimi."
"This prophecy I dug up," Elias said, "tells of the last Daughter of the last Daughter. This even predicts when Mimi was born. 9.9. 1981. This is vague, and there's a lot of nonsense here; I mean stuff that means nothing to do with Mimi, but sometimes prophets act like that. "
Adam was silent momentarily and asked, " What does this mean? What does the prophecy say about Mimi? What does it have to do with anything?"
Nick read: " The last Daughter of the last Daughter is surrounded by a defender, a protector, and a guardian because she has enemies everywhere. The Daughter will extinguish the flames of hell if the protector can be saved. She will experience much love, pain, and anguish, but give the world the greatest gift of all. The world will receive love and hope when the Daughter gives her a gift.
About that last part, I'm not quite sure if it's about the world or the worlds, but it goes on.
The Daughter is chaos; she experiences lust and love, and she can build bridges, but she can also destroy the world for evil if darkness corrupts and the protector falls into darkness. Beware, for the Daughter is haunted by the eternal sorcerer who is a shell, the son who is not a son, the shaman who will not die, and the warrior who has no soul. Enemies are everywhere. But, alas, one of those who are perceived as enemies can be allies if needs arise and the greatest bond will be formed. The Daughter is immortal, but her spirit may falter, and then great darkness will cover the land. The protector must be saved, and the darkness will recede when the greatest love is born into the world."
Samuel gave a low whistle." Now, these prophecies have been around for ages, but it's good to know so we can be on our guard. Of course, that's very vague and like something out of a fantasy, but it's good to be prepared for the unknown. "
For some reason, Samuel felt uneasy about this prediction, as if it had revealed something that should remain hidden for a long time to come. He felt a strange feeling inside, but it receded just as quickly as wherever it had haunted him.
Nick continued: "I'll try to go through the family trees and see if there are any mentions of those characters and see if there are any other pieces to this, but we've got some family problems and other projects, so I don't always know when we'll have time to do anything."
Adam nodded and said, " Well, let's go for a coffee, and you can have a chat with the lady if she'll stop reading Anatomy for a while."
The men packed up their scrolls and followed Adam and Samuel downstairs.
When the vampires came down, they lingered for a while, drinking coffee and chatting with Adam and Samuel about whatever. I didn't care because I was sitting in the most wonderful chair in the world. I wasn't hurt; I was safe, and now I was distracting myself from thinking about my whole life and future by immersing myself in the fascinating world of anatomy.
Then Nick and Elias came to sit on either side of me on the sofa.
Nick said, "Now that you are a werewolf, you have quite a bit more blood than you did as a human, and would you like to experience a vampire bite? We don't drink much, and your blood is quite strong, so even a small amount is enough. "
I was unsure when Adam and Samuel visited the medbay downstairs, but I said, "Fine, have a taste then."
They both took one of my arms and bit my arm. It hurt surprisingly much, and their grip was tight, and I could feel how greedily they drank my blood, grunting sometimes. Nick smelled of old books, while Elias smelled of leather, and after a while, I noticed both men smelled of ash and fire, and the drinking of my blood sped up. I felt dizzy, but they didn't stop.
I was limply leaning back on the back of the couch, almost unconscious, when Adam and Samuel came in.
Adam roared, "What the fuck are you doing in there? Stop it now!!!"
The vampires took out their teeth in embarrassed silence and said, " Sorry we went too far; her blood is just so good."
Samuel came to me and lifted me into his arms. He carried me into one of the rooms and saw that the bite wounds were already healing.
He said, "You must be pretty weak, but I'll bring you a drink, and you rest here for a while before you get better."
He nodded and left the room; after a while, Adam came in and looked at me, worried.
He said, "The vampires have now heard my opinion on this, but are you ok? Have you been traumatized? "
I said, "No, I'm not; they just lose their temper when they don't drink enough; they only drink the minimum amount, and then they have these problems."
Adam grunted and said, " Well, you don't have to understand; they're beasts, and from now on, they can't get at you; I'm always watching."
Then Samuel brought me a bottle of juice, and I started sipping it; I recovered surprisingly quickly, and Samuel furrowed his brow at that, too.
After half an hour, I returned to the living room, picked up my book, and started reading again; it seemed to help.
Samuel had warned me that, in fact, nothing I learned from that book directly applies to us because we are literally a different species. It's easier to convince people that a werewolf is the same person; he's just got a wolf inside him, but that's quite another matter.
The first thing is instinct. I had an extensive set of instincts that suddenly pulled me in all sorts of strange directions. Instinct to defend myself. To react suddenly. Reflexively. When Adam or Samuel made a sudden move, I had to restrain myself from snapping or flinching because, after all, they were higher in the pack, and no matter how much they wanted to protect and nurture me, they, too, had their own instincts that tell them to show me my place.
This reflex, well, they could see it as an attack, and then when I had my rage on top of that, it made things a bit more complicated. Adam actually warned me about this. Then, if your instincts are not enough, your senses and reflexes make things very challenging.
Adam was telling me these things with a pack bandage, so he was talking in my mind, another thing I had to learn. Adam said to me that once I got in good shape at some point, he would teach martial arts, self-defense, and other things about being a wolf. He would also like to meet Mimosa at some point, but he knew that Mimosa was still resting and she would be weak until she got stronger; all of this was influenced by my physical condition, which was definitely not the best.
All my senses were super sensitive and very good. Just the sense of smell alone. A human smells so little but a wolf. It would be a while before I learned not to analyze every smell. There were so many different smells and smells in the entire house. All of a sudden, movements caught my attention, and I almost ran after them.
Everything felt so intense. Adam had explained this on our drive. All my senses were now very sensitive, and it would take time for me to adjust and learn to function normally. It was part of being a werewolf.
And then there was this new body of mine. Sure, I was skinny, really skinny, and weak compared to men, but I had never felt so capable in my life.
I was supple, strong, and, which would also take some getting used to, different from what I had originally been. In fact, I had had plastic surgery before I was sent to kill Nick, but I hadn't had time to deal with it. No one from my old life would recognize me, even if I occasionally saw a former relative.
That life was already over, and this was my new life as a werewolf and part of a pack. I just had to accept it and move on. It didn't help to hang on and keep up the hope that I might one day return to the old. I just had to put it all behind me and move on. I had enough challenges ahead of me.
Then there was everything I had been through. All of it would take time and reflection, not to mention nightmares. Somehow, I had a feeling that my sleep would not be terribly long or peaceful, at least not at first. I hadn't slept more than a couple of hours, and the nightmares were so damn intense.
But they weren't so much nightmares as they were memories of me going over and over again in my head, crystal clear. Even the sensations came through. I didn't even notice when the vampire brothers left and Samuel came to me.
"Young lady, let's go downstairs to the medical room, and I'll examine you a little better. Just leave the book there. You're an interesting target, and I promise nothing will hurt, but I need to see where we're going and what condition you're in. You're unique, so this is new to me, too." Samuel explained enthusiastically.
I wasn't interested in being medically examined, but I trusted Samuel 100%. I just couldn't know my own reactions to things entirely yet.
I stood up and followed Samuel, as Adam had told me to obey, as if it were straightforward and it would be unwise to argue. Knowing Adam and Samuel's temperament, I decided to be a good girl and follow. We went into the lower lobby and down the stairs. We came to a long white corridor with double doors at one end and a single door at the other. This corridor ran the length of the house, and judging by the few doors I saw here, there were also large rooms.
Samuel said: "This way."
He strode ahead towards the double doors, and I started to walk after him. We went through the double doors and came to the medbay. Little did I know at this stage that this was almost going to be my refuge as well. It was a big room with shelves, tables, and levels on the walls.
It reminded me of a hospital room; there were all sorts of packages on shelves, instruments, and even equipment, but what I noticed right away was that it smelled of Adam and Samuel, of safety, so that eased my panic a bit. At the back of the room was another double door, usually leading to the operating theatre, at least in TV shows. There were three patient beds, analyzers, and some kind of dental chair. Samuel directed me to sit in the chair.
He asked, "Can you bear it if I take your blood? Do you tolerate needles? Do you have any reactions? Do I have to restrain you a bit to get the blood samples? I know you have problems with drips and stuff, but this is a necessary evil."
I thought for a moment and said, "I don't know, it's all so damn new. I do know that if I see a syringe, I will run away or attack you; I don't want any injections. No IVs, no cannulas. "
Samuel looked at me momentarily and said: "Put your hands on the armrests and relax. Let's see how you react. Trust me."
I put my hands on the armrests. Samuel pressed a button, and suddenly, the metal handcuffs closed around my wrists, and they were tight; I started to squirm. Panic started to take over. I was bound, trapped, helpless.
Samuel said: "Calm down, there's nothing to worry about. It's just a precaution; if you can put up with me taking blood samples and not fighting all the time, we can try without the restraint next time. This is just a precaution. I just take the blood samples, I don't do anything else, and I release you as soon as I've taken these. It's all right, I'll tell you all the time what I'm doing, and you can watch, use your senses. Concentrate."
I started to calm down. Or at least I tried to. Samuel put a pillow under my arm and turned my elbow straight. It showed my good veins. Then he took the wing needle from the other side and the tubes on the rack closer. He wiped my elbow with alcohol and then inserted the needle into the vein.
The sensation alone made me tense. The injection was not painful, but the sensation alone made my pulse race, and all the thoughts of the world began to flood my head.
What if he attached a syringe to it and drugged me? What if there was already medicine in the needle? Panic started to take over my thoughts. I was breathing harder, and I was looking around.
Samuel noticed this and said, "Mimi, look what I'm doing. Look, think logically, and analyze. Use what you have read in that anatomy book. What vein is this that I'm taking your blood from? What does your blood contain? Distract yourself and think about anatomy. Where else could I draw blood from? What's the difference between arterial blood and venous blood? Did that thing with the vampires affect your blood? Look here, and you'll see what tests I'm taking. What am I looking for? What is the reference value of these? Do you think you are going within some reference value?"
I started to concentrate and think about what Samuel was telling me, and slowly, the panic began to recede. My thoughts were surprisingly logical, and I became immersed in my thoughts, thinking and analyzing everything.
He finally got his tubes full, and I didn't even need a Band-Aid because the needle mark just healed. Samuel pressed a button, and the shackles opened. Maybe I wouldn't fall for the same trick twice if I didn't need those chains again. I watched as he put most of the tubes, apparently into the centrifuge and some already directly into the analyzer. Then he went to the computer, flicked the mouse, clicked something, and the analyzer started to whirr. He turned on the analyzer from the computer. Well, at least some analyzer.
He guided me from the chair to one of the patient beds and started to do a thorough health check, starting with the teeth. He examined and patted me down. Then, he put the centrifuged samples into the analyzer and continued. He took samples, saliva, tear fluid, skin, and sweat. Next to him was a wheel table with many different sampling instruments, stethoscopes, and other scopes. In the ears and nose, too.
He looked at my nose and took samples from everywhere he could think of my throat and my ears. He gave me a hearing test, a vision test, and some physical exercises like measuring my grip strength, how high I could jump, or how much I could lift, surprisingly, even though I said so myself. I was proud because I could lift 96 kilos. Samuel walked past me, went to the weights, and lifted 350 kilos easily.
Samuel said: "It wasn't even an effort, Mimi. That's how strong we really are. I have no doubt you'll have no trouble doing the same once you get your weight and fitness up. But it's consuming calories like a human, so you'll learn to eat and eat well. It's always worth eating when you have the chance because you never know if something will come up that will stop you from eating."
Samuel continued his research, frowned from time to time, spun on his spinning stool to the computer, typed away, then came back and continued. He might pick up some binders, browse through some tables, study them and grumble to himself, but he didn't explain anything about the results, he just calmly explained what he was doing.
I stayed put and let him do the internal examination as well, taking samples, although it hurt surprisingly much. He took a stool sample from my bowel and a urine sample through the bladder through the abdominal wall. He ultrasounded every organ and muttered something I couldn't make out.
Then, a CT scan and X-rays. Again, I had to get myself to focus on something else during it because it vividly brought to mind a radiation machine that burned and hurt. It smelled so damn much the same, well basically it's a pretty similar machine. But I tolerated it.
I was sitting in a normal chair, and I was already dressed, when Samuel said, "Now you can go upstairs. Can you find your way up, or shall I take you? It's no troublesome matter. You remember where we came from, don't you?"
He looked at me for a moment, before I could answer, and said, " Come on, I'll take you to eat, and then Adam can continue with you after the meal. I'll look at these results some more. I'll get you safely to your destination and we'll get to eat."
We then left the medbay, and I wondered in my mind what the day would bring.