Blood Bound

Chapter One The Night Everything Changed Athena had always thought her life was ordinary. Not perfect. Not exciting. Just ordinary. She lived with her parents in a quiet house on the outskirts of Rome, where the streets were usually calm in the evenings and the sound of cars passing outside her bedroom window was enough to lull her to sleep. She was eight years old, and as far as she was concerned, her biggest problems in life were finishing her homework before dinner and convincing her mother to let her have dessert twice. That evening was no different. Athena sat at the dining table, swinging her legs beneath her chair while her father stared at something on his phone. "Dad." "Hmm?" "You've been looking at that same thing forever." Her father didn't look up. "Have I?" "Yes." She leaned across the table, trying to see his screen. He quickly tilted the phone away. Athena narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing?" "Nothing." "You're looking at something." "I'm aware." "Then what is it?" Her father finally looked up, trying not to smile. "Are you interrogating me again?" "I'm asking a question." "You've asked six." Athena counted on her fingers. "That's not that many." Her mother laughed from the kitchen. "It is when they're all about the same thing." Athena turned around. "Mom!" Her mother glanced over her shoulder, smiling as she stirred the food on the stove. "What?" "Tell Dad I'm not annoying." Her mother pretended to think about it. "Hmm..." "Mom!" She laughed. "You're curious. That's different." "See?" Her father shook his head. "You're too curious about things." Athena stuck out her tongue. "And you're too secretive." Her father raised an eyebrow. "Secretive?" "Yes." "About what?" "I don't know yet." That made her father laugh. Her mother laughed too. Athena smiled. She liked making them laugh. Her father finally put his phone down and reached across the table to steal a piece of food from her plate. "Hey!" "You weren't eating it." "I was!" "You were talking." "I can do both." Her father popped the food into his mouth. "Apparently not." Athena reached for his plate. "If you're stealing mine, I'm stealing yours." He quickly moved his plate away. "Absolutely not." "Dad!" "Go eat your own food." "But you ate mine!" Her mother shook her head. "You two are impossible." Athena grinned. For a few seconds, everything felt completely normal. Her mother was preparing dinner. Her father was teasing her. Athena was complaining about homework she hadn't finished yet. It was just another evening. One she would remember for the rest of her life. After dinner, Athena followed her father into the living room. "Dad, can I watch TV?" "You have homework." "I'll do it later." "You said that yesterday." "I did my homework yesterday." "After I reminded you four times." "Still counts." Her father laughed. "You haven't changed your argument." "Because it's a good argument." He pointed toward the staircase. "Homework." Athena sighed dramatically. Then she noticed the remote in his hand. "Can I watch one episode first?" "No." "Half an episode?" "No." "Ten minutes?" "Athena." "Five?" He stared at her. She stared back. Her father finally sighed. "Fine. One episode." Athena smiled immediately. "Yes!" "But then you do your homework." "I promise." "Actually?" "Actually." He handed her the remote. She climbed onto the couch and pulled the blanket over her legs. Her mother came into the room a few minutes later and sat beside her father. Athena didn't notice the way they exchanged a quick glance. She didn't notice how her father's smile disappeared when her mother whispered something to him. She was too busy watching the television. Then her mother said her name. "Athena." She looked back. "Yes?" "Why don't you go upstairs for a little while?" Athena frowned. "Why?" "Just go upstairs, honey." "But I'm watching." "You can finish it later." Athena looked at her father. He wasn't looking at the television anymore. He was looking at her. "Did I do something?" Her mother's expression softened immediately. "No, sweetheart." "Then why do I have to go upstairs?" Her father stood. "Your mother and I need to talk." "About what?" "Nothing you need to worry about." Athena frowned. Adults always said that when there was something they didn't want children to know. "But—" "Please, baby." Her father's voice was gentle. Athena looked at him for a moment. Something about his face made her stop arguing. She slowly got off the couch. "Okay." She started toward the stairs, then remembered something. She turned around. "Can I have ice cream later?" Her father smiled. "Of course." "Promise?" He held up his hand. "Promise." Athena smiled. "Okay." She ran upstairs. She didn't know it would be the last promise he ever made to her. Athena sat on her bedroom floor with her homework spread around her. She stared at a math problem. She wrote one answer. Then erased it. She wrote another. Then erased that too. The voices downstairs distracted her. She couldn't hear the words clearly, but she could tell her parents were talking. She put her pencil down. The voices stopped. Athena waited. Nothing. Then they started again. She glanced toward the door. Maybe they were talking about her. Maybe she was in trouble. She thought about going downstairs to ask. Her father had said they needed to talk, though. So she stayed where she was. She picked up her pencil again. Then she heard another voice. Athena froze. That wasn't her father's voice. She slowly lowered the pencil. Someone was downstairs. She couldn't hear what the person was saying. Athena got to her feet. She walked toward her bedroom door and stopped. Her hand hovered over the doorknob. She almost opened it. Then she remembered her father's face when he'd told her to go upstairs. She pulled her hand back. Maybe she should listen. She stood quietly beside the door. The voices downstairs became clearer. Then she heard her mother's voice. "What are you doing here?" Athena frowned. Who was she talking to? A man's voice answered. "We're here to finish what should have been finished years ago." Athena blinked. Finished what? She didn't understand. Her mother's voice came again. "You can't do this." "We can." There was something different about her mother's voice now. Athena pressed closer to the door. The stranger spoke again. "You should have known we'd come back." Athena's fingers curled into the fabric of her shirt. Her parents knew this person. That was the part she couldn't understand. If he was a stranger, why did he sound like he knew them? She wanted to go downstairs. She wanted to ask her mother what was happening. But she stayed where she was. Then her father spoke. "Leave." The stranger laughed quietly. Athena's stomach tightened. She didn't know why. She only knew she didn't like that laugh. Another voice spoke. "After all these years, you're still protecting her?" Athena's eyes widened. Protecting who? Before she could think about it, something crashed downstairs. Athena jumped. A second later, she heard something break. "Mom?" Her voice came out small. She moved toward the door. Then her mother's scream tore through the house. Athena clapped both hands over her mouth. Her eyes widened. For a second, she couldn't move. She looked at the door. Then at her bed. Then back at the door. Her father's voice followed. "Run!" Athena didn't know who he was talking to. She didn't know what was happening. She only knew she couldn't sit in her room anymore. She opened the door. "Mom?" No answer. She stepped into the hallway. "Mom?" Nothing. She waited. Then she heard another crash. Athena flinched. She grabbed the railing at the top of the stairs. Her first thought was to run back into her room and hide under the bed. But what if her parents were hurt? She took one step down. Then another. She held onto the railing as she descended. "Mom?" Her voice sounded strange in the quiet house. No answer. She reached the bottom of the stairs. And stopped. The living room was a mess. A chair had been knocked over. Glass covered part of the floor. The television was still playing. Athena stared at it for a moment. The show she'd been watching was still on. The characters were laughing. The sound didn't belong in the room anymore. Then she saw her parents. They were lying on the floor. Athena stood completely still. Her brain seemed to stop. She looked at her father. Then her mother. Then back at her father. "Dad?" Nothing. She took a small step forward. "Dad?" He didn't move. Athena glanced at her mother. "Mom?" Nothing. She ran to her. "Mom!" She dropped beside her and grabbed her hand. Cold. Athena quickly rubbed it between both of hers. "Mom, wake up." Nothing. She shook her mother's shoulder. "Mom." Nothing. "Mom, wake up." Her voice cracked. She shook her again. "Please." Still nothing. Athena's eyes moved to her father's face. She crawled over to him. "Dad?" She touched his shoulder. Nothing. She shook him once. "Dad." Again. "Dad, wake up." Nothing. Her eyes dropped to the floor. Then she remembered. The television. The dinner. Her homework. The ice cream. "You promised." Her voice was barely a whisper. She shook her head. "You promised me." Her father didn't answer. Athena's face crumpled. She pressed both hands against his chest. "Dad?" Nothing. Her breathing became uneven. She turned back to her mother. "Mom..." She pulled herself against her mother's body. "Please wake up." Her voice broke. "Please." The tears came before she could stop them. She buried her face against her mother's shoulder. The house that had been full of laughter only minutes ago was now completely still. The strangers were gone. They had come looking for something. They believed they had found what they came for. They never knew there had been a little girl upstairs. They never knew Athena was still alive. The police came. Then the neighbors. Then people Athena didn't know. There were voices everywhere. Footsteps. Questions. Someone brought her a blanket. Someone else gave her water. She didn't drink it. She sat on the stairs with the blanket wrapped around her, staring at the same spot on the floor. A police officer crouched in front of her. "Athena?" She looked at him. "What happened tonight?" Her lips parted. Nothing came out. The officer waited. "Did you see anyone?" Athena shook her head. "Did you hear anything?" She nodded. "What did you hear?" Athena looked toward the living room. She remembered the man's voice. We're here to finish what should have been finished years ago. She didn't know what it meant. She didn't know what had happened years ago. She didn't know why he had come. She didn't know why her mother had been afraid. She didn't know why her father had told someone to run. "I don't know," she whispered. The officer nodded. "That's okay." Another person asked if her parents had enemies. Athena frowned. Enemies? She had never thought about that before. Her parents were just her parents. Her father made terrible jokes. Her mother always told her to finish her vegetables. Her father stole food from her plate. Her mother knew exactly how to make her laugh when she was upset. Those were the things Athena knew. Not enemies. Not secrets. Not whatever had happened that night. She looked down at her hands. Her parents had always kept the grown-up things away from her. Maybe that was why she knew so little. Hours later, Athena heard a familiar voice. "Athena?" She lifted her head. A woman stood at the entrance. Her mother's sister. Her aunt. Athena recognized her immediately. She climbed to her feet and ran. Her aunt dropped to her knees and caught her. Athena wrapped both arms around her. "My mommy..." Her aunt's eyes closed. "I know, sweetheart." "My daddy too." "I know." "They won't wake up." Her aunt pulled her closer. Athena squeezed her eyes shut. "Why?" Her aunt didn't answer. Athena pulled back and looked at her. "Why did they die?" For a moment, her aunt couldn't speak. She knew why. She knew Athena's parents had been hunted. She knew the people who came that night weren't ordinary criminals. And she knew that if those people discovered Athena had survived, they might come back. Athena was too young to understand any of it. So her aunt swallowed everything she wanted to say. She brushed Athena's hair away from her face. "I don't know." Athena stared at her. Her aunt forced herself not to look away. It was the first lie she ever told her. And it wouldn't be the last. The next morning, Athena left the house with her aunt. Before getting into the car, she turned around. She looked at the house. The same windows. The same front door. The same little flower pot her mother had placed beside the entrance. She remembered planting flowers with her mother there once. Her mother had told her not to step on them. Athena had stepped on one anyway. She'd gotten a lecture for almost ten minutes. A tiny smile appeared on her face. Then it disappeared. She looked at the upstairs window. Her bedroom. She could still see her homework scattered across the floor. She hadn't finished it. She looked away. Her aunt reached for her hand. "Come on." Athena took it. "Where are we going?" "Home." Athena looked back at the house. "But this is my home." Her aunt squeezed her hand. "You'll have another one." Athena didn't answer. She climbed into the car and looked out the window as they drove away. She watched the house disappear behind them. She didn't know why those people had come. She didn't know what they wanted. She didn't know what her parents had been protecting. She didn't know what had happened years ago. She just stared out the window as her aunt drove away.