Alastair and the group, including Jake, had relocated to a new room—one less intimidating than the previous. Emphasis on "less," it was still quite intimidating. The room was dark, just like every other room in the estate, with an eerie ambience. The spacious room had a center table with an interesting statuette placed on it. The statuette resembled a knight clad in black and red armor with a katana of similar hues; it was an eye-catching piece. The room had enough chairs for all of them to sit, yet Kael refused to sit as he stood by the door, looking outside with a face clearly showing discontent with the situation about to unfold.
"Okay, Alastair, what's going on?" Jake asked as he sat down.
"Well, as you can already tell, Jake, these people aren't human, and neither am I," Alastair replied. Jake had already suspected this when he was pinned to the wall by Kael, but hearing someone say it further reinforced his suspicion. With a gulp, he asked, "So what are you then, some monster?"
"No, no, well, not exactly," Alastair replied, trying his best not to alarm Jake. "Well, my physiology is all that's changed. I'm still human at heart. I'm a vampire, Jake, and so are they."
Jake didn't know whether to be scared or excited. Long before this entire ordeal, Jake had a fascination with vampires; he somewhat worshipped them as his favorite fictional characters. Except now they weren't fictional—one of them had tried to kill him a few minutes ago.
"A vampire? So, what, you have enhanced senses, reflexes, and a healing factor?"
"I've been learning a bit of magic too," Alastair added with a chuckle, playfully trying to calm the obviously tense Jake.
"Oh," Jake replied. His tone was so calm that Alastair had to confirm if it wasn't the calm before the storm—the storm being Jake's sanity slipping away. "You're not as surprised as I expected, Jake," he said.
"Well, I would be, probably call you crazy, but I have all the proof I need," he said, pointing to the scarring on his neck, which he got from being held against the wall by Kael. "So you believe me?"
"Sure, and you're sure you aren't being threatened or forced into anything?" he asked, looking towards Kael, who stayed in his previous position but was now looking at him, causing him to jerk his head back quickly.
"No, I'm not. Kael and Sabrine are cool. I mean, for the time that I've been gone, they've been the ones taking care of me."
"Then I guess it's fine."
"That's good," Alastair said, now breathing a sigh of relief. He turned to Kael and Sabrine, looking for affirmation. Sabrine looked relatively unfazed yet expectant, as if waiting for something. Alastair turned to look in the direction of her eyes, only to meet gazes with Kael.
"Sabrine, Alastair, a word," Kael said, moving out of the room. Sabrine followed suit.
"Wait here, Jake," Alastair said before also leaving.
He was now in the passageway outside the room. Kael stood with his hands folded, and Sabrine waited on Kael's word. Alastair was the first to break the silence. "Jake's not a bad guy. You guys saw he has no ill intentions—"
"That's not the point," Kael interjected. "Sure, he's a nice guy, but he's also a liability," Kael said. "Alastair, I need you to take away your sentimentality for a second and think about it. The Council already gave us a warning. They are probably waiting for us to slip up, looking for the slightest reason to give you new guardians. Your friend sitting in that room is just what they need."
"Listen, if you're worried he'll tell anyone, we just have to tell him not to. He's my friend; he won't do anything to hurt me."
"There you go again, Alastair," Kael said. "I said to take away sentiment. Just because he's your friend doesn't mean he's not a threat. Think about it— even if he doesn't tell anyone, the problem is that he knows. What do you think would happen if he were taken captive by hostile vampire forces? Look at him and tell me he'll be able to keep his mouth shut and take this secret to the grave. If the answer is anything but yes, then he's a risk."
"Then what are you suggesting, Kael?" Sabrine asked, a look of skepticism on her face.
"Don't play dumb, Sabrine. You know quite well what I mean."
"What does that mean?" Alastair asked, half knowing what they meant yet half unwilling to believe it.
"What does one do to a threat, Alastair? We terminate it," Kael said.
"Are you seriously suggesting we murder my best friend?" Alastair asked, shocked at Kael's suggestion.
"Kael, have a little sympathy, will you?" Sabrine said.
"Now is not the time to be emotional, Sabrine," Kael said. "We have to make the pragmatic choice."
"Well, Mr. Pragmatic, I don't know if murder is the best way to go. We kill him, wipe his parents' memories, then someone else comes to find him, repeating the exact same thing that's happening right now. What then? Do we keep on killing people?"
"Can the both of you just stop? I don't care whether or not I'm being emotional or rational. We are not killing my friend, and that is final. So stop talking about murder like it's a normal thing. I literally just told him we're not monsters."
"Alright then, what do you suggest, Alastair? How do we fix this?"
"Fix this? There is nothing to be fixed. I suggest, as you asked, that we leave him as he is—with his neck attached to his head and his heart still beating."
"And let him go? Did you not understand a thing I said?"
"I did, and I agree, but I will not let you kill him."
"Okay, what about turning him?" Sabrine suggested.
"Are you being serious right now, Sabrine? How, pray tell, do we explain to the Council that we now have two vampires in our care when we were supposed to have one? Not to mention, I could use your exact ideology from before and say, 'What happens when someone comes looking for vampire Jake?'"
"Well, at least I'm not suggesting that we murder an innocent boy who just wanted to find his friend."
"Enough," Alastair said, almost yelling. "We are not killing or turning him. You either let him leave or kill both of us. I bet you'll have a lot of fun explaining to the Council that you killed their chosen one."
"What is this? Are you giving me an ultimatum?" Kael asked, shocked at how commanding Alastair's tone sounded.
"I'm not giving you anything, Kael. I'm merely suggesting,"
Alastair responded, "I also second that suggestion." Sabrine chimed in. Kael, his head in his hand sighed and said, "I guess I've been outvoted. We'll settle this some other time. I still don't agree that this is the best approach, but I'll let it be for now."
As soon as Kael finished talking, they heard a sound from the room. After a brief second of interlocking eyes, they all sped to the room, with Kael and Sabrine getting there first and Alastair arriving a couple of seconds later. "Jake!" he called out as he ran into the room. Jake was shocked by how quickly they entered and stumbled backward a bit. He was standing next to the table with pieces of what seemed to be the statuette scattered across the marble floor.
"This was obviously an accident," Jake replied with a slight chuckle. "I hope it wasn't too important," he asked, worried about the consequences. "Don't worry about it, Jake. We all make mistakes," Sabrine responded, putting Jake at ease. "I'll help," Alastair said, assisting him in picking up the shattered pieces. "Thanks."
After they were done, Kael spoke. "Alright, boy, I don't exactly agree with this, but I've been told that for now it's my best play—my only play. Even so, I'll let you leave." Jake was ecstatic, visibly grinning. "But," Kael said, "make no mistake: if you tell anyone or so much as mention anything related to what occurred here today, I will not hesitate to end your life, and no one, not even Alastair, will be able to save you then." Kael turned and left the room, not waiting for a response.
"Fuuu," Jake breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Alastair. "Your friend is a bit intense," Jake remarked.
"Yes," Alastair agreed. "He can probably still hear you, too—vampire senses and all that."
"Seriously?" Jake asked, glancing nervously at the door, hoping Kael wouldn't return.
"Relax, I'm only joking," Alastair said, chuckling at Jake's apprehension. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
Jake held his chest, his heartbeat erratic. "Well, you should get going before it's too late."
"Yes," Jake said, as he and Alastair proceeded to the estate's main entrance before heading to the gate.
"I suppose this is it," Jake said. "You, my best friend, one of the greatest fictional superhumans to ever exist. Though, given that vampires are real, I suppose the author of the first vampire story didn't quite make it up."
"Yes, probably," Alastair responded.
"Stay safe, Alastair. You're smart and capable, so I'm sure you'll be just fine. Trust your instincts and do what's right. Remember, though you may be a vampire, you are not a monster. You have a human heart never forget that."
"Thanks, and remember to keep all this a secret," Alastair advised.
"You don't have to worry about that," Jake said, recalling Kael's warning and shuddering slightly. "Well guess this is where we part ways, one of the terms of the agreement is that I can't exactly leave the estate." Alastair said
Jake's raised brows conveyed skepticism, which Alastair noted.
"Don't worry, I'm not being held captive. It's more my fault that I can't leave. I'll explain that another time."
"Alright," Jake said. "Stay safe, Jake."
"You too, Alastair," Jake responded as he turned and ventured into the forest, soon vanishing from sight.
"He'll be fine," Sabrine remarked. "The forest is like a maze from the outside; it's impressive how he managed to find this place."
"Yes," Alastair agreed.
"Thank you for supporting me, Sabrine."
"No need to thank me. It was the right thing to do," Sabrine said as they made their way back to the mansion.
In the forest, a shadowy figure could be seen placing what appeared to be a marker on a tree near the mansion. The figure watched Jake leave before melting into the shadows and disappearing from sight.