The Secracy Of A Vampire King

Crimes

The vegetable were just as fine and boring as they were yesterday, but they were a distraction. The whole Sanctuary was buzzing with the news of shipping Tyler out. I kept getting sympathy looks from everyone. A few people, including Jess, asked me how I was holding up. I'd just shrug and say that I was fine. I wasn't fine, though. I wouldn't be fine till I saw Tyler driving back tonight. It was still too much to think about, so I tried not to. But there wasn't much else I could do. An annoying voice in my head kept telling me they wouldn't have sent Tyler out if the vampires were not real. They wouldn't let people leave.

I had gathered my daily water now and Giovannas. I headed back to Giovannas Shack to deliver her water. I wasn't sure if it was rude to just leave it in the doorway or if I handed it to her like I did yesterday. I didn't want to upset her like I did yesterday. Nor did I want to hear Gerald's screams, either. I couldn't imagine the pain they were both going through.

As I approached their shack, I saw Giovanna sitting on the ground outside the door. Her head rested against the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks. I approached her with caution. I didn't want to scare her or upset her.

"Hey, I got you your water." I spoke quietly so I wouldn't scare her.

She slowly opened her eyes to look at me. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying. My stomach twisted into knots wondering if Gerald had survived the night, and I was the last one to know.

"Is he..." I started to ask but trailed off. I'm sure she was sick of everyone asking about Gerald. Just like I was already sick of everyone asking about my brother.

Giovanna continued to look at me for a while. Then her bottom lip quivered slightly.

"He just passed." She told me her voice full of sorrow and pain.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I knew it was coming, I just didn't know when. The council cut his leg off so he would suffer longer instead of dying faster.

"I'm so sorry, Giovanna. Did he pass in his sleep?" I asked because I hoped he at least didn't feel it when it happened.

She shook her head. "He died holding my hand." She held up her hand, and that was when I noticed the blood. Not just a bit of it like she was changing his bandages. The blood was all over her arm.

She dropped her hand, looking back into the Sanctuary.

"I didn't think I could do it. He asked me to, he couldn't live like this any longer." Giovanna said as she wiped her eyes with her clean hand.

She did what? I stepped into the doorway and looked inside. Everything looked normal, no sign of a struggle. But there laid Gerald in the corner. His throat slit open, and the hunting knife laying beside him. I threw my hand over my mouth to keep from gasping and looked back to Giovanna. She was still looking away from me, lost in her own thoughts.

"Lily, could you go get the council?" She asked me quietly, adding,"I would like to die too."

I stared at her in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

She let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. "Murder is against their rules. I must die as well."

I looked out to the Sanctuary and back to her.

"Giovanna. I'm sure they would understand. You didn't do it out of greed or hatred. You did it because he asked you to." I told her in efforts to comfort her.

"Lily. Please. I'm asking you to get them, and do not stop them from making their decision." She looked at me with begging eyes. Eyes that used to be a bright blue and kind. They were now a grayish blue and filled with exhaustion. "I don't want to live anymore either. It's either this or I walk out into the desert alone."

I stood still, I was in shock from what she told me. She was asking me to report what she did as a crime. I wasn't certain about it. I saw her pain and her suffering swimming in her eyes and across her face. I cared for Giovanna, so if she can do that for her husband. I can do this for her.

I quietly turned and walked away from her. I laid eyes on one of the council men. He was looking at the supplies at the Gathering Plate. I approached him, still feeling lost and dazed. Gerald's dead body is still replaying in my mind.

The council man known as Hector looked up at me as I approached. He was in his early 40s and had dark brown hair and beard. He had several tattoos on his arms and one on his chest that peaked out from under his white T-shirt.

"Lily. What can I do for you?" He asked, looking me up and down as I approached. He always made me uncomfortable.

I looked up at him, trying to find my words. I looked back to Giovanna, who was watching me from her house.

I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Hector. Giovanna seems to have killed her husband. Gerald." Hector's face dropped from a smile to a stern face. He looked to Giovanna, I kept my eyes away from her. I felt like I was telling on a friend, like I was betraying her. She didn't deserve this, but it's what she wanted.

"Did you see it happen?" He asked

I shook my head "No but she told me, and I saw Gerald's body. She slit his throat." I told him thinking about it for a moment. Hector began to walk towards her as I added, "Wouldn't of happened if you guys didn't cut off his leg."

I heard Hector's feet stop moving against the sand, but I began walking away to water the crops.

It was an unnecessary blow to make at him, but he needed to hear it. They needed to know that there was someone here who wouldn't put up with their bullshit. Banishment be damned.

I finished watering the crops and headed back to the shack. The other council men were gathered at Giovannas and Gerald's shack. I felt tense as I got closer. I didn't want to hear Giovanna die. They wouldn't gather everyone to the center to watch her be hanged. Something like this had only happened once, and they did it quietly.

I hid in my shack for a while. Was I being a coward? Yes. But what was I supposed to do? Make Giovanna uncomfortable with hovering while they killed her? No. She deserved to have her sentence carried out in peace.

I managed to stay hidden for a while. I cleaned myself up a bit while waiting for enough time to pass. I brushed out my long, light brown hair. The only thing I had control of was my hair. I braided it back away from my face.

I was starting to gather my supplies to make dinner. Tyler would be home safely soon, and I wanted him to eat. I heard a knock on the front of the shack. I looked to the door and saw Hector standing there. Great.

"What can I do for you?" I asked, heading to the door. I squeezed past him outside to the little fire pit. Something my mother taught me was to never be trapped in a room with a man you didn't trust. Get outside if you can away from other people.

Hector didn't seem to mind and followed me over to the fire pit.

"I just wanted you to know that the issue from earlier was taken care of." He said like I was a concerned citizen.

I shrugged my shoulders at this information. "Yeah, it's a shame it happened like that. They were good people." I said coldly

Hector shuffled his feet uncomfortably, looking around him.

"Did you brother talk to you yesterday?" He asked

I c****d my head at him and narrowed my eyes. I knew what he was talking about, but I wanted Hector to say it.

"About what?" I asked cluelessly

Hector looked around and cleared his throat."The marriage thing?"

I scoffed at him. "Oh yea, the idea of you guys forcing us to get married and then stupidly have babies. Yeah, we had a BIG talk about that." I glared at him. He looked annoyed at my unwilling behavior to spread my legs for anyone here.

Hector spoke the next part quickly. "Well. At least he told you. Listen, Lily, when your time runs out and you're desperately looking for someone to marry so you're not thrown out. Come find me." He took a moment to look me up and down before continuing."Maybe we can work on the baby making part before the wedding." Hector turned on his heels and began walking away. If I wasn't gripping my cooking pot so tightly, I would've thrown it at the back of his head.