A New Dawn

We all have our priorities

Nick observed Chloe from his desk, noticing how quiet and deep in thoughts she was. He stood up and walked up to her desk. “Chloe!" He called but there was no response as she didn't recognize his presence. He called her again, this time, waking her up from her reverie.

“Hey!" She said before clearing her throat

“What is it that got you so deep in thoughts?" He asked

“Erm... nothing, just thinking about some personal stuff" Chloe replied, arranging the files on her desk.

“Alright! Just wanted to make sure you were okay" He concluded, turning to return to his desk.

“Hey, Nick!" Chloe called him back. He turned to face her. “That witness, you know the girl rambling about vampires, did you get her name?"

“Yeah, I think it was...Imani Freeman or something" he replied

“Alright thanks" she smiled

“She also said something about...‘when you start believing you should come find her, that she'll be waiting for you at the Greene's hotel'. I just discarded the message seeing that she was delusional" He explained

“Yeah, probably. Thanks anyway" Chloe concluded

***FRANCE***

“Has there been any word from my son yet? Regarding the recent problem" The high Lord questioned as he sat comfortably on his seat in the Vampire sanctuary

“No, my lord" William, the high Lord's adviser replied as he stood in front of the high Lord. “My Lord, the Dawns are walking problems, bound to cause chaos. And it seems that, that chaos is upon us. Letting them live was a mistake that shouldn't be repeated. As long as they are alive, your position is threatened. They are power hungry Vampires bound to rebel against the throne. They have done it before and now history is about to repeat itself. They shouldn't been taken lightly." William advised

The high Lord snarled at the advice he was just given, opened his eyes to the truth and reality before him. “Like you said, let's not make the same mistake again. Put a mark on the Dawns. I want their heads" He ordered

“Forgive me my lord but I don't think that is the best move to play. Demanding the heads of the whole family would cause a stir amongst the vampires. Especially the ones on their side. They will take it as an act of war and it will cause an uprising that we won't be able to control" William explained

“So what do you think is best?" He asked

“The people already know about the treachery Isabella had tried to commit in the past and the wrongs she succeeded in doing. So taking her alone out of the equation first won't cause a problem, cause the people will see it as an act of preserving the crown, preventing another war and carrying out the justice that is long overdue. For her children, we'll come up with a way to force their hands to make a treasonous offense." William explained

The high Lord thought about it for a while, realizing that was probably the best and easy way to get what he wants and to prevent another uprising. “Very well then. Do as you must but I want this problem taken care of before it spirals out of control" he concluded. William nodded with a smug look on his face.

***NEW YORK***

Chloe walked through the hotel door into the reception hall. She looked around as though she was confused and unsure about her decision. “What am I doing here? This is nuts" she said to herself. She took a deep breath and turned to go back, realizing how stupid and bad coming here was. She got to the door about to exit the hotel when she heard a female voice call out “Detective!". She turned and there was Imani descending down the stairs. She sighed knowing there was no going back now.

“I knew you'd come find me detective" Imani said with excitement and relief as she came up to Chloe

“Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing here " Chloe confessed

“I do" Imani said

“Oh! You do?!" She questioned, surprised

“Come with me detective, let's talk in private" taking Chloe's hand and leading her to her room

“Just Chloe would suffice" She pointed out as she followed Imani up the stairs.

***

“Matthew is in town!" Sebastian asked surprised and feeling something wasn't right. “Something doesn't feel right" he added

“What doesn't? brother, You thought no one cared enough to come visit your exiled little brother huh" Michael poured the content of the blood bag into a cup

“Don't you view it as strange that he came to town just few days after mother woke up? When he hasn't been to New York for years. Coupled with the fact that his father was tasked with putting our mother down" Sebastian explained

“Those are a bunch of theories. I have known Matthew all my life. He wouldn't do anything to harm our family" He replied

“You would be surprised what humans are capable of and how fast they can change" said Sebastian

“We aren't humans, are we?" He asked drinking blood from his cup

“No, but we live in the same world as they do, go through the same experiences and learn as they do" Sebastian pointed out

“Slow down brother, lest you make a foe out of friends" Michael said.

***

“What is all these?" Chloe asked examining all the books spread out on the bed

“These, are my grandma's journal and books. And that is her grimoire, an instruction book for witches" She explained.

“Witches? Seriously?" Chloe asked in disbelief

“Yes Chloe, they are real. So are vampires and werewolves" said Imani

“Okay, let's say I believe you. What does it have to do with me and why do I keep having weird dreams?" She asked

“I don't know everything but I do know the prophecy is connected to you somehow. When the old meets the night, evil shall walk the Earth and death will rule. Just before my grandma died, she showed me a vision of you. That's how I knew how and where to come find you, that's how I knew your face. Then as soon as my grandma died, it all began. The visions started getting more intense and I started seeing what I can only describe as memories that are not mine. You see, I think maybe you might know who the prophecy was referring to. Whether you know it or not" Imani explained

“I don't know about all that and frankly I don't believe most of the things you just said. I only came here cause you seemed to know about my dreams and I came here looking for answers...but it seems I'm not gonna get it. So I best be on my way" She said walking towards the door.

“It will only get worse until you answer the call and embrace the truth." She warned before Chloe walked out the door.

***

Ramona opened the door to the office, followed closely by Isabella. Isabella stared at the man sitting on a chair on the other side of the desk as they walked towards him. She didn't recognize him. “Ladies, welcome" he said with a smile. Ramona nodded at him before she left them alone in the office. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Nicolas cage, the leader of Ares. It's good to finally meet you Isabella" He said, gesturing for her to sit down on the chair opposite him.

“So tell me..." She sat down “How is it you plan to help me?"

“Straight to the point I see. Very well" He replied “You see the high Lord's insight is getting blurry. He doesn't see that things are changing all around him. Alliances are ending, treaties are being broken and everyone is getting unsatisfied with what they have and they wish to have more and that is upsetting the balance and threatening his power. And if he does see the changes then he chose not to act. Now we all know who truly is in power and it's definitely not the High Lord. William Grey, his adviser is the one giving the orders, whispering his own plans in the High Lord's ears. We can only assume that his end game is to be the high Lord. Now the changes happening all around is getting too much and before it gets out of hand, it has to be put in check." He explained

“I'm guessing that's where I come in" said Isabella

”We all know that only the bloodline of the first Vampires can rule except there are none left and seeing as you...."

“Well there's Gerard, why not work with him instead, why me?" She asked

“Because Gerard is dead. Head ripped off and sent to his family. Courstey of Williams as penance for not killing you" Said Nicolas

“Wow. So I guess they'll be coming after me next. To end the threat to the throne"

“Yeah but there's nothing that goes on, even in the sanctuary that we don't know about. We have eyes and ears everywhere. That's why we will be one step ahead of them" He replied

“So what's the plan?"

“Simple! The people are already growing tired of the high Lord's inefficient rule and although they won't speak of it to avoid committing treason but, they want a new leader. So all we have to do is present them another choice" Nicolas explained

“Nice plan but you seemed to have forgotten that I'm infamous with the people." She pointed out

“With us by your side, you will be" he smiled

“Well alright then. I'm in"

***

“What do we have here?" Chloe asked walking into the new crime scene at an apartment “Same as the others?" She added

“Actually no, but as unusual as the others. The others were drained of blood, you know by our vampire killer" Amy joked “But this one wasn't drained of blood but was bitten on the neck with something that has long canines. Maybe a dog. Although it'll have to be a very big dog or if it were a fantasy movie, it'll be a..."

“Werewolf" Chloe finished the statement as she looked intently at the victim and the bite. “What the hell is going on?!" she whispered to herself.

”Quick thinking on the werewolf although you stole my thunder" Amy joked “Anyway, no one saw who the killer was. They only heard screams and before they got here, the killer was gone" She explained. “Things just keep getting weirder in this city"

***

“So you were sent here to handle the Isabella problem but instead you want to make an alliance so you can overthrow your father and lead the vampire community. Do you realize how insane you sound? First of all, the people won't support your claim to rule. You are not the strongest and you are not one of the first" Ramona explained as she walked down the streets of New York alongside Viktor.

“But what if we could change that? What if there wasn't any first member available to rule, that means the throne is up for grabs by anyone" Viktor said

“Yes anyone, which means everyone on top of the food chain would want to rule" She pointed out

“Yes but we don't need to be the strongest. We just need to play smart." He replied

“And how do you intend to play smart and win?" She asked

“By creating an alliance. I hear the wolves are getting out of line lately. They want to be treated fairly" He smiled

“You want to make an alliance with the wolves. Are you out of your mind? That's gonna start a war" She quarrelled

“Not if we control the outcome of the war. I know your allegiance is with Ares but I need you to carefully consider your options. Continue being a sidekick for them or join me and be a queen." He said “I have missed you Ramona" he added.

***

Chloe dropped her toothbrush, washed her face and then stared at herself in the mirror for a while before retreating to the bedroom. She sat down on the bed close to Sam who was reading a book. She brought out her laptop and some case files she brought home from work to further study them in search of clues and possibly a breakthrough.

She opened the files, examining the victims again and the cause of their deaths. She pointed out that all victims have a bite mark but the bite mark of the last victim was different. It was rabid and since the victim wasn't drained of blood, there's a high probability that we're dealing with a different killer. I guess that's the thing with serial killers. They have a unique MO.

She logged on into her laptop and began researching into vampires, their bite marks and that of werewolves as well. She noticed most explanations coupled with the images shown were comparable to the ones on the crime scene.

She was puzzled by her discovery. Not knowing whether to take it seriously as it's probably a coincidence and he mind is playing tricks on her. “Hey honey!" She called in a low tone

“Hmm hmmm" Sam replied not averting his gaze from the book he was reading

“Do you believe that there's a possibility witches, Vampires and werewolves exist?" She asked

“In movies, sure, in real life absolutely not. You think if they do we wouldn't have crossed paths with them yet?! How can they blend in with us. It'll be very obvious, so I don't think so" He explained

“Yeah, you are probably right" she agreed. She closed her laptop and the files, keeping them on the cabinet beside the bed. She covered herself with a blanket and tried to fall asleep. After few minutes of struggling to fall asleep and when it started to actually hit on her, she started hearing voices, more than one, whispering and mumbling. She opened her eyes, looked around. Sam was already asleep and no one else was present in the room. The voice continued and then she stood up, heading for the living room and the voices started getting louder. The TV was switched off when she got to the living room but the voices were getting louder. She walked up to the window, peeked through it and was taken aback by Ariana and her sisters who stood in front of the house, hands stretched forward as they kept mumbling words she couldn't understand.