The Divinity Saga: Part I

Concealer

I woke up in the morning with the sun shining through the window so bright, it brought tears to my eyes and made my head pound. I knew this setting all too well. I could not remember how my night ended or how I got back to Atia’s house.

 I rolled over onto her side of the bed and felt the coolness of her pillow, she had been up for a while.  I quickly walked in the bathroom to brush my teeth. 

I could hear my phone vibrating from Atia's room. After searching all over I finally found it under her bed. 

“Hello?” I answered quietly. 

“Hey there!” A woman with an southern accent said so loud my ears began to ring. I pulled the phone from my ear and turned the volume down.

“Hi.” I said annoyed. 

“It's your cousin Vanessa. I was just calling to check in on our Grandmother.” I could hear her plastic smile through the phone. 

I hadn't talked to this side of the family since Nana's last incident. We barely even spoke unless it was birthday cards in the mail or Christmas visits.

“Oh.” I said pretending to remember. “She’s doing much better.” I walked back into the bathroom.

“That’s good.” She sighed. “Well, we just wanted to check in.”

“Okay.” I rolled my eyes as I shoved my toothbrush in my mouth. 

“We love you!” She promised. 

“You too.” I said with my mouth full of toothpaste. 

“See you for Christmas!” She said happily. 

“Okay.” I said fake smiling. 

“Bye.” She hung up. 

I finished brushing my teeth and walked back over to Atia’s bed. I sat down and started to go through my phone. I had so many missed calls and text messages that I didn’t want to go through. I scrolled down to my voicemails. I had one from an unknown number.

"Tell your Nana she ought to be more careful when playing with fire. Our condolences, Rayleigh." A wicked voice revealed.

Tears came to my eyes as I pushed replay. I sat there listening to the voicemail over and over. Trying to figure out whose voice it could have been and who would have done this. Mortal or immortal I wanted them dead at my feet. 

I wiped the tears from my eyes and dialed Nana’s number. 

“Rayleigh.” She exclaimed.

“Yeah, it’s me.” I smiled. 

“How are you?” 

“I’m good.” 

“I don’t think I believe you.” 

“Well, I am.” I assured her. 

“Will I see you today?” She cleared her throat. 

“Yes.” I smiled. “I promise.”

“Okay. It's time for me to get my meds. I have to go.” 

“Okay.” I frowned. “See you soon.”

“See you.” She agreed. 

I stood and waited for her to hang up because truthfully, I didn’t want to. As soon as the line went dead I stood up. I grabbed that piece of paper from my side duffle and put the number in my phone. 

‘Hey, it's Rayleigh.’ I texted.

I walked into Ava’s room hoping that she would be in there. I wanted to ask her what happened last night before I saw Atia so I could act accordingly. She was still asleep with her head under the blankets.

“Ava.” I said sitting on her bed. 

She didn’t respond. 

“Ava.” I said touching her. 

“Hm?” She groaned. 

“I don’t mean to bother you, I just wanted to know what you remember from last night. Did I act up?” I whispered. 

“Just kidding its me! Surprise!” Chrissy revealed herself.

“Not so loud.” I said pulling the blanket back over her head and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” She whined. 

“Downstairs.” I spoke over my shoulder.

“Wait for me.” She chased after me. 

We walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Atia was cooking and Ava was sitting at the bar with her head down. I assumed that she was feeling just as hungover as I was. 

“Hello beautiful people.” Chrissy yelled stretching. 

“Shhh.” Ava and I groaned. 

“Sorry.” She whispered. 

I took a seat next to Ava and rubbed her back. 

“Are you okay?” I said softly. 

“No.” She whispered. “You?”

“No.” I whispered back.

“Rayleigh, I’m taking you out to breakfast.” Atia smiled at me.

“Where to?” I smiled back.

“It’s a surprise.” She signaled me to get up. 

“Dressed like this?” I stood up and looked down at my outfit.

“Yes, just like that.” She looked me up and down smiling before walking out of the kitchen. 

“Bye guys.” I smiled as I headed out after her.

I knew where she was headed, I smiled as we walked out the backdoor. 

“Do you know where we are going yet?” She said smiling as we slowly walked through her backyard.

 “I think I might.” I smiled.

“What do you want off the menu?” She looked over at me.

“Deer sounds good.” I yawned.

“Let’s go before you fall asleep.” She grabbed my hand and we zoomed through the trees. The butterflies swirled in my stomach as our feet barely brushed the ground while keeping our hands intertwined.

“This way.” I spotted a family of deer. 

“Shh.” She said as we stood watch. “Which one do you want?”

“That one.” I pointed to the biggest one. 

“Wait here.” She dashed away before I could say anything. 

She sank her teeth into the one that I wanted causing the rest to flee and me to watch enviously. She pulled her teeth from its neck and dragged her to me. 

“Thank you.” I smiled.

“You’re welcome. Now, hurry and eat before your food gets cold.” She smirked. 

I wasted no time. I sat down on the cold ground and pulled my prize into my lap. I sunk my teeth in the exact spot she did. I could feel the color return to my face and my headache fade away as I fed. I drank in appreciation until there was nothing left. 

 “What are you in the mood for?” I pulled her behind me by her hand as we headed through the trees. 

“What I want – I doubt you can find.” She side smiled.

“Try me.” I dared. 

“I want a green goose water snake.” She chuckled. 

“A what?” I stopped her in her tracks. “I thought you were going to say something else like a tiger but a snake? That's no problem."

“No, a water snake.” She proudly corrected me. 

“What do they taste like?” I smirked.

"They might be small but the blood they have could fill you up for days. Not to mention they give you a glow no other animal can and puts you in the best of moods. But they definitely have an acquired taste though." She explained.

“I want to try it.” I said jealously. 

“You have to find one first. They really only come out during the summer because that’s when the water is warm.” She said as we continued to walk. 

“I’ll find one.” I said determined. 

We walked past a big oak tree and I pushed her against it. I pressed my body against hers, and pulled away right before our lips could touch.

 “Wait here.” I whispered in her ear before I disappeared into the forest. 

“Okay – but you won’t find one!” She yelled after me. 

I ran through the trees looking in every water hole along the way. She was right, there wasn’t any water snakes anywhere but I wasn’t going to give up. I climbed up the tallest tree I could find. I knew that I could get a better view of everything from up there. I sat on a branch and looked below me. I could see waterholes I checked already but I was looking for something bigger. I wanted a pond or a lake. I bravely swung to a higher branch and saw a huge pond with animals surrounding it. It was out of the way but definitely obtainable. I smiled proudly as I jumped down from the tree. I ran until I reached the pond way out in the distance. I peeked through a bush to observe what was feeding there. I knew that the animals would only distract me from my mission. I carelessly stepped out of the bushes and they all fled. I peered into the water and I saw nothing. I sat down in defeat. I laid back onto the damp grass and looked up at the sky thinking. 

Out of impulse I shoved my head underwater just to make sure I was defeated. To my surprise there were millions of snakes covering the bottom of the pond. I slid into the water and swam to the bottom. I grabbed a handful of whatever I could and swam back to the top. I gripped the dirt with my freehand and pulled myself out of the water. I stood to my feet and held my trophies in front of my face.

Soaking wet I ran back through the trees until I was back in front of Atia. 

 “Couldn’t find one could you?” She said smiling at me. “Why are you all wet?” She asked confused.

I just stood there with my hands behind my back. 

“Rayleigh?” She asked walking towards me. 

I put my hands out in front of me and dropped the snakes at her feet. She stared at me in awe.

“You’re welcome.” I kissed her as I rung my hair out. 

“You found them.” She said in shock, “How did you find them?”

“I have my ways.” I smiled.

She lifted a snake to her mouth and began to drink. When she was done she dropped the corpse on the ground. 

“Was it good?” I asked looking for her reaction.

“Beyond it.” She licked her lips. “Here you try this one.” She handed me the other one. 

“Okay.” I smiled. 

I held the snake by its neck.  He hissed at me loudly and I sunk my fangs into him. His blood filled my mouth and I tried my hardest not to gag. She was right, it was most definitely an acquired taste. I finished quickly and threw his body on the ground next to his friend. 

“How was it?” She asked.

“It was – interesting.” I forced a smile.

“You didn’t have that acquired taste?” She laughed. 

“Not exactly.” I admitted.

“How do you feel?” She asked.

“No different.” I shrugged.

“Wait for it.” She smirked.

“Wanna see something cool?” I smiled as I looked down at the dead snakes.

“Yeah.” She nodded.

I sat down on the ground and pulled a snake in front of me.

“What are you doing?” She sat down next to me. 

“Watch this.” I smiled. 

I put my hands over the coiled snake and closed my eyes. I felt warmth beneath my hands and I removed them from the snakes. I stared down waiting.

“What’s supposed to happen?” She asked confused. 

“Shhh.” I said concentrated. 

A few seconds later the snake was slithering around. I looked at Atia for her reaction. 

I knew showing her my gift could only go one way. She knew that I was a vampire and she was one too. So I doubt anything else will shock her at this point. I trusted her. She could know whatever she wanted to know about me. For her I am literally an open book. 

“Your powers.” She said shocked. 

“What do you mean powers? Is this a vampire thing?” I looked at her confused. 

“Not every vampire has them, but most do. Some have lower class powers and some have indestructible ones.” She stood to her feet. 

“What are mine considered to be?” I looked up at her. 

“Well, from what just happened, it looks like you have the power to heal. But I don't know the extent. Sure you could bring an animal back to life but I'm not sure if you'd be able to heal a human or another vampire." 

“So what now?” I asked as I watched the snake slither away.

“We will practice later.” She said pulling me to my feet.

“Okay.” I said dusting the dirt from my sweats. 

“Let's go home. Last one there is a rotten snake.” She laughed as she ran away.

We ran through the forest and through the puddles of water. We raced side by side until we were back in Atia’s backyard. We both came to a stop and she tackled me and pinned me to the ground. 

“It’s a tie.” She kissed me and let me go. 

“Fine.” I smiled as I got up. “But next time it won’t be.”

“We will see.” She said as we walked back in the house. 

I didn’t bother saying anything to Ava or Chrissy, I needed to take a shower. 

“Shower.” I kissed her as I walked away.

I turned the water on and stripped out of my dirty clothes. I stepped into the water and sat down on the shower floor. I couldn't stop thinking about her. She came into my life at a perfect time. She balanced my chaos with happiness. I never met anyone like her in my life, I only knew of these emotions by reading books on how it should feel but to me this is still indescribable. Some people go lifetimes without feeling what I feel for her. I never want to let go of this feeling – I never want to let go of her. I stood to my feet and grabbed Atia’s pina colada body wash from her window sill and scrubbed my body clean. I watched the dry blood and mud wash into the drain. 

I stepped out the shower and wrapped up in a towel. I could feel the fullness in my stomach that Atia referred to. It was strange for me not to crave blood when that was a daily battle for me. I looked out the bathroom window to check the weather. It looked gloomy outside like it was about to rain. I opened the window to double check. The wind blew hard through the window as I left it open to clear the air while I quickly put my clothes on.

I opened the bathroom door and Atia was sitting up in bed. 

“Hi.” I smiled as placed my duffle bag on the side of her bed. 

“Hi.” She smiled back.

I climbed into bed next to her. She smelled so good which made me want to be closer to her.

“So I was wondering.” I started.

“What?” She asked.

“Would you like to go see Nana with me?” I batted my eyelashes. 

“Of course.” She pulled me in for a kiss.

“Okay.” I smiled. “We gotta go in 10.” 

“Okay, I’ll finish getting ready then.” She stood up and walked into her closet. 

“I’ll go wait downstairs with Chrissy and Ava.” I said climbing out of bed. 

"Be down soon." She promised as I closed the door.

I ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. 

“Hey.” I said taking a seat next to Chrissy. 

She was putting on her make-up and eating a bowl of granola. 

“Hey.” She smiled. 

“Where’s Ava?” I said looking around. 

“She left with Clayton.” She said rubbing her lips together. 

“And where do you think you are going?” I smiled. 

“With Zach, he – he wants to take me on a date.” She said proudly. 

“Oh, where to?” I asked curiously. 

“I don’t know, it’s a surprise.” She bragged as she applied her eyeliner. 

“Well, have fun.” I watched her. 

“I’m sure I will.” She assured me. 

I stood up and walked over to the fridge. I opened it and grabbed a container of vanilla yogurt. I stole a spoon and joined her back at the bar.

She stared at me and then back at my yogurt. I opened it and piled it on her granola. 

“Thank you.” She said stuffing her mouth. “And where are you going?”

“With Atia to go see Nana.” I looked at her disgusted.

 “Kiss her for me.” She said taking another bite. 

“I will.” I promised her. 

I heard 3 honks outside and a beep of the intercom.

“Babe, give me the gate code so I can get in.” Zach said nicely. 

Chrissy ran over to the intercom button by the front door. 

“Okay.” She said with her mouth full. “Its-”

“No.” I interjected. “Just go meet him outside the gate.” 

“That’s too far.” She whined. 

“Oh well. You need the exercise. You don’t just give random people the code.” I barked.

“Well, he's not someone random.” She hissed. 

“I don’t care, do not give him the code to this house.” I ordered. 

“Whatever Mom.” She said sarcastically. 

“Okay.” I smiled “Now, give me a kiss.” 

She groaned and kissed my cheek after I grabbed her bowl and took a bite.

“Be safe.” I said as I opened the door for her. 

“No, I’m going to fall on the long walk out of the gate.” She mumbled as she walked out. 

“Make sure you fall on your knees then.” I smiled. “Which is where you will probably be tonight anyway.”

“Bye.” She groaned. 

“Bye.” I laughed as I closed the door. 

I walked back into the kitchen and sat back down at the bar. I took the remaining bite of my yogurt as Atia rushed into the kitchen. 

“Has it been 10 minutes yet?” She asked fixing her hair. 

“Nope.” I smiled as I threw my trash away. “Perfect timing.”

“Great, then I’m not late.” She smiled. 

“Lets go!" I smiled back.

We grabbed our things and walked out of the kitchen. After we walked around the house making sure everything was locked. We walked outside and got in Atia’s car. The whole way home Atia played all the old school music that my mom used to play. She watched me as I hit the high notes and I watched her as she hit the low ones. We sang every song that came on word for word until we pulled into the parking garage. We wasted no time finding a parking spot and wandering into the hospital. I knew the exact room she was in. I looked into her room window to see what she was doing. She was sitting up and eating applesauce. A big smile spread across her face as we walked in.  

“Girls.” She said excitedly. 

“Hi Nana.” We said at the same time. 

“Come. Sit.” She pointed to the chairs next to her bed.

We sat down and stared at her. 

“Hello Atia, how are you sweetie?” She smiled at her. 

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Atia placed her hand over Nana’s “How are you?”

“I’m doing better.” Nana lied.

 I could always tell when she was lying but I wasn’t going to call her out on it this time. 

“That’s good to hear, I’ve been so worried about you.” She rubbed her hand. 

“No need to worry. I’m okay.” Nana held onto her hand. 

“I wanna get in on this.” I giggled as I put my hand on top of theirs. 

“Knock knock.” A nurse said as she walked in. 

“Hello Clara.” Nana smiled at her. “Meet my granddaughters.” 

“Oh, they are so beautiful.” She said as she rolled a tray of needles and syringes towards the bed. She grabbed the longest needle from the row and Nana lifted up her shirt. The nurse stuck the needle in her stomach and Nana winced.

“What is that for?” I asked defensively. 

Atia grabbed my hand for me to calm down. 

“It’s a blood thinner. It’s so she won’t get blood clots.” She explained. 

“Because she’s just lying in bed?” I asked. 

“Exactly. Someone payed attention in health class.” She smiled at me. “Next one Yulisa. You know this one will sting.”

Nana held her arm out and the nurse stuck the needle in her arm. She pushed the button and the medicine shot into her veins. She switched needles and then drew blood. 

“Nana.” I frowned. 

“I’m okay.” She promised. 

“That’s all for now.” The woman said as she wrapped a bandage around her arm.

“Thank you.” Nana forced a smile. 

“Welcome.” She walked out with the tray. “I’ll bring your lunch in right now.” She said through the door. 

“So girls.” Nana started, “What’s up?”

“Nothing really.” I smiled. 

“How’s Chrissy and the baby?” She looked at me. 

“Hungry.” I nudged Atia, “I mean healthy.”

“That’s good.” She laughed, “And your mom Atia, how is she?” 

“I don’t know, she left yesterday with Chrissy’s mom.” Atia said sadly. 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Nana said apologetically. “They’ll be back soon, I’m sure of it. Are all four of  you girls staying together?”

“Yes.” She nodded. 

“Good.” She smiled. "That's very good."

“Nana, I know that we didn’t exactly talk about what happened between us the other day.” I started.

“Yes I know, are you ready to now?” She cleared her throat. 

“Yes.” I felt a lump form in mine. “I – I don’t know how to explain how I did it. I didn’t even know that I could. It scared me half to death and that’s why I ran out like that. I didn’t want you to think anything of me because I was different.” 

“Like I told you before, you are gifted. I know all about you.” She smiled. 

“What does that even mean?” I sighed. 

“It means – you don’t have to explain anything. Your mother and I were almost positive you would have a gift so it doesn’t surprise me at all. The only thing that puzzles me is why so young? Your mother wasn’t shown her gift until after she had you.” She said confused. 

“Mom was gifted too?” I asked looking down at my feet. 

“Yes. Your mother had many gifts but you were her most prized gift of all.” She promised. 

“I’m not a prize Nana, I’m a monster with a pretty bow on top.” Tears filled my eyes. 

“No – you are a gift that comes in many forms, honestly your bow just distracts people from your perfection. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect granddaughter.” She spoke sincerely. 

“And you are everything to me, a mother, a grandmother, and a bestfriend all in one. You are my hero.” I said as I hugged her. 

“And you are mine.” She hugged me back. 

We hugged in silence for a few seconds until the lunch cart interrupted us. 

“Lunch.” Her nurse said pushing the tray in front of her bed. 

“Oh okay.” She rubbed my back and looked at the nurse. 

“What is it?” I plugged my nose as the smell seeped through the lunch tray. 

“Well its soft foods only.” The nurse said lifting the top off of her food. “So its onion mashed potatoes, mashed peas, low carb meatloaf, and tapioca.” She said forcing a smile, but I could tell she was disgusted herself. 

“Yum.” Nana rolled her eyes. “Thank you.”

“No prob Hun, I’ll be at my desk. Push the nurses’ button if you need me.” She quickly walked out. 

“So girls, this conversation reminded me of something.” She said seriously. 

“Yes Nana?” I asked nervously. 

“I’ve been having bad dreams. I won’t go into it here but I just need you four to do me a favor. I know it’s bigger than what you can probably understand right now.” Her eyes filled with water. “Before I tell you, I need you to promise on Ava and Chrissy’s behalf as well because they are not here. This means you will be promising to keep them in line and watch over them.” She said sternly. 

 Atia and I looked at each other and back at Nana “We promise.” 

“Okay.” She cleared her throat. “I need you four to leave town. It isn't safe for you here. Any of you. I have made arrangements for you to stay in the safe house."

“Safe house?” I looked at her confused. 

“Yes.” She said writing something on a piece of paper. “Here’s the address. The key is in the flower pot, if you can’t find that one there’s one taped to the inside of the chimney.” 

“I don’t understand.” I said looking at the paper before I shoved it in my pocket. 

“No questions Rayleigh, just trust me.” She smiled. 

“Okay.” I nodded. 

“You need to get there as soon as you can. Do not tell anyone that you stay there – other than your parents of course.” Nana slipped. “I mean – I’m sorry Rayleigh.”

“It's fine.” I forced a smile.

“Atia that was directed to you, Ava, and Chrissy. Can you promise me that?” She swallowed hard.

“Yes.” Atia said calmly. 

“That’s all you need to know for now.” She said as her monitor began to beep. 

“Nana.” I said worried.

“Its okay.” She sighed as the monitors got louder. “I’m okay. I just need you girls to be safe.” 

“We will be.” Atia promised. 

“Yulisa.” The nurses rushed in. “You girls need to go.” They started to push us out the room.

“Nana!” I cried. 

“No!” Atia said reaching for Nana. 

“Code 772.” A nurse said speaking into her walkie talkie. 

3 other nurses ran in and tried to restrain me. One nurse had a needle and was about to jam it into my arm. I felt my eyes turn red and my body began to overheat.

“No!” Atia yelled as loud as she could, “Let her go!”

"Rayleigh!" Nana cried repeatedly. "Is she alright?" 

“Doc?” They looked for his approval.

“You have to go, she will be fine.” The doctor promised me. "But she's not going to calm down until she knows you're okay."

“Okay.” I kept my head down trying to hide my transformation. 

The nurses released me and Atia grabbed my hand to guide me out of the room. They slammed the door shut and closed the privacy curtain.