Born or Made

Chapter 7: Capry’s Journey Home

Capry landed on her stomach and slid across the ground. The cool moist scent of grass filled her nose. She sat up slowly feeling a bit dazed as her head swam. She dry heaved a bit from her overwhelming dizziness and attempted to stand, which was a dismal failure. She found herself sprawled on her back in the grass and laid very still until she stopped seeing double. The towering trees and stars finally came into view above her. The stars were bright and large. She could make out the planets in the solar system and wondered if the sky would look like this at home. She heard crickets and living things scuttling around her.

Her body ached. She sat up, grass sprinkled in her messy hair. She also had it in her mouth, along with some dirt. She made a face and attempted to spit it out. What the hell had happened? She looked behind her and saw the faint silhouette of a large glowing dome. The entrance was lined with torches burning a bright fluorescent red that seemed to descend into the ground. Was that what the Academy looked like from the outside? It was surrounded by trees on all sides. She squinted in the darkness as her eyes adjusted. Had she really done it?

She had thrown herself forward in an effort to give herself a chance to get through the double doors in the entrance hall. She hadn’t thought for a single moment that she would make it past the guards. She expected to be snatched by her ear and dragged back to her dorm or the infirmary. In a last desperate attempt she had pushed herself as hard as she could, her only thought being how badly she had wanted to get outside.

She felt like she had gotten sucked into a vortex. There was a powerful, painful pull on her body and Capry let out a scream as space seemed to rip open right in front of her. She was heaved into it with such force she began to spin uncontrollably. She had squeezed her eyes shut, praying she would live. She tried to tuck her arms in, which only seemed to accelerate her speed. Just as she was beginning to fear she would never stop, she had been spit out onto the ground.

She stood shakily, her face and body throbbing. She could just bet she was scraped from head to toe. There seemed to be a strange rippling wall only a short distance in front of her that stretched towards the sky as far as she could see. That had to be the Veil. It vaguely reminded her of the pictures she had seen of the Northern Lights. However, she knew she didn’t have enough time to give it her full appreciation.

She was a little shocked at the precision of her first transportation. She had somehow managed to land at the edge of the Veil. She hadn’t even known what it looked like or where she was going to end up. The mind really was a powerful thing. It was a little scary if she was being honest with herself. It seemed her new abilities were sharply honed and she kept hurting herself, mostly because she had no idea how to control it. And she hadn’t purposely meant to do any of the things she’d already done. She jogged towards the Veil, her body protesting as she did so. She was afraid the guards would come after her.

The Academy was located shockingly close to the boundary between the other realms. She could see them stretched out in front of her almost like a glowing map floating through space. She could even make out different civilizations based on the parts of the realms that were lit up. She wondered if she was looking at street lamps. There were so many paths to take. So many potentially incorrect ones and they definitely weren’t within walking distance. She was worried the Veil would spit her out in the wrong place. She tried to search for anything that even looked remotely familiar to her but nothing stuck out. She even looked for the shape of the United States, but felt foolish doing so.

Capry briefly considered turning around and going back to the school, but found she couldn’t spend another moment in that place. It was all just a little too much for her. She needed something normal and familiar. Somewhere where demons didn’t lurk inside statues waiting to eat unsuspecting teenagers, and people didn’t blow each other’s fingers off with magic, or drink blood like it was a normal thing to do. Capry had begun to sweat just thinking about it.

She approached the Veil apprehensively, reaching out slowly to touch it. When her hand made contact it rippled and zapped her. A sharp electrical current traveled through her body, sending her flying. She got unsteadily to her feet, her hair standing on end. The current had only been mildly uncomfortable. She would not be deterred so easily.

Capry backed up, to get a running start. She thought about going home as she picked up speed and then threw all her weight forward, taking a running jump. She hit the Veil with an immeasurable amount of force, taking her breath straight out of her lungs. She was met with resistance, her body prickling with static. She pushed harder, reaching out with her mind, willing the Veil to give.

“Please,” she grunted. “I-just-want-to-go home!” Capry pictured Albuquerque, her house, and her mother. She kept them clearly in her mind as she struggled forward. Finally, with a tearing sound, the Veil gave way and she landed on her butt in the middle of Carlisle and Menaul, which was still quite a ways from her home. At least a forty minute walk. She was sore but stood up quickly, brushing herself off. She hurried to get out of the road. There had thankfully been no cars waiting at the light, but a few went by as she began to walk.

Capry never thought she would be so relieved to see a Walgreens convenience store. She realized she was being watched by a homeless person sitting at the bus stop as she approached. He stared at her wide eyed, absently letting his bottle of water fall from his hand.

“Nobody will believe you,” she said as she passed by, staring suspiciously back at him.

“You’re probably right about that,” his scratchy voice replied, as he made a sign of the cross. “God bless.” Capry wasn’t sure if she would be able to transport again, but thought it was worth it to try. It was still dark and she didn’t feel safe trying to walk the whole way home. Anything could happen and she wasn’t up for any more unexpected confrontation. The homeless man watched as Capry began to run, quicker than a girl her size should be able to. She tucked her arms against her chest and vanished into thin air. The homeless man blinked several times and crossed himself again. Lord, weird things happened in Albuquerque.

**************************

Capry landed flat on her back hard, knocking her head against the ground. Her vision swam in front of her for a moment as she sat up. She was dizzy and disoriented but recognized her backyard immediately. She had actually done it. She began to cry tears of relief as she sat on the grass, taking in the familiar scent of home. She smiled and wiped her tears away lightly, wincing a bit.

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and jumped, clapping her hands over her mouth to muffle her gasp. It was just one of her cats, Brad Pitt. He butted his striped head against her knee affectionately, letting out a long loud meow of protest at her absence.

“Shhhhhhhh, I know,” she whispered, scooping him up into her arms. She hugged him tightly to her chest and stood up cautiously. He purred loudly against her and she found it strange how unusual it sounded. It was wonderfully richer and more defined. She could also hear his little heart beating happily away in his chest.

The dizziness subsided quicker this time, although she felt slightly weak and light headed. She also noticed she had a faint burning sensation throughout her body, which she was coming to recognize as the thirst. “I didn’t mean to be gone so long,” she murmured absently to Brad Pitt. She had a nagging fear that she would need to feed soon. She wasn’t sure what she would do about that. It had taken almost all of her energy just to get here. From what she understood, she had probably depleted her magic.

Capry approached her home and knelt down, reaching into one of her mother’s potted plants. She felt around until her fingers came into contact with the cool metal of their spare key. She picked it up and unlocked her back door, slipping soundlessly inside. She placed Brad Pitt on the washing machine and crept through her laundry room, peaking through the c***k in the door that led to the rest of the house. She was relieved to see that nobody was awake.

She quietly removed her slides and padded softly through the kitchen, entering the dining room where she paused to listen. She could hear her mother snoring lightly and her little brother breathing. Someone rolled over and remained still. She passed her little brother’s room first and peaked in. The room was empty. Eric must have slept with their mother. Capry continued down the hallway, Brad Pitt trailing after her. She could make out a small lump laying in front of the wall heater outside of her room. Their second cat, Gertrude looked lazily up at her as she passed, letting out a low old lady meow. Capry paused again, to make sure Gertrude hadn’t woken anybody up. They slept on.

Capry softly closed her door and clicked on her bedside lamp. Brad Pitt hopped onto her unmade bed and blinked slowly at her, his little kitty fangs sticking out over his bottom lip. He had ironically gotten his name after Capry had watched Interview With The Vampire. She had always enjoyed vampire novels and movies. She had never thought for a moment she would become one.

“I love you too,” she whispered, scratching him under his chin. She laid down, sighing as the familiar scent of her room filled her nose. She had never been so grateful to be home in her life. She took in her posters and unkempt dresser that had her makeup and perfume scattered across the top. Her mirror still had a lipstick kiss mark that Seph had left there.

Capry realized her mother had put her back pack in her room. She jumped up and rustled through it quickly. Her phone wasn’t there. Her mom had probably gone through it when she vanished, in hopes of figuring out where she’d gone. She had to know something wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t like Capry to take off after dark, especially without her phone.

Capry stood and walked over to her dresser, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her mother was going to completely lose her s**t if she saw her in the state she was in. She was sickly pale and her eyes had gone demonically black again with her thirst. She didn’t look human. Maybe it was because she wasn’t.

Her eyelids were sprinkled with purplish-red dots and the skin under her eyes was bruised and discolored. She had also badly scraped her chin when she had landed on her face after her first transportation. The handprints were fading, but she could still tell what they were. The strange tribal markings were clear as day against her pale skin. They shimmered slightly, like Athanatos’ scars. She had grass and twigs tangled in her knotted hair. She realized with dismay that the odd shadow that seemed to be clinging to her was still there.

Capry was absolutely panicking. Her breath was coming in short gasps and she began to cry again. She didn’t know how she was going to explain any of this. She glanced at her clock on her nightstand. It was almost 5:30 in the morning. She could have guessed. She had heard the birds beginning to chirp when she’d first arrived. She only had an hour before her mother woke to get ready for work and take Eric to school.

Capry hurriedly grabbed her brush and ran it through her hair, sprinkling her dresser with grass and twigs. Her lip was swollen. There would be no way she would be able to hide that, but maybe she could lessen the appearance of all the bruising and the markings.

She picked up her foundation and began applying it to her face, wincing as she did so. It looked strangely off color with her new skin tone and made her look a bit peachy-orange. It would just have to do. She was discouraged when she finished because it had barely covered anything. She could still faintly see the patterns of the slightly raised markings swirling against her cheek bones and forehead. And she could definitely still see the scrapes and her two shiners. She pressed her lips together and sighed heavily, her reflection staring back at her sadly.

She realized the hoodie she was wearing had the word Vhladévara printed across her chest in large red letters. She quickly stripped all her clothes off and stashed them in the corner or her closet before changing into her own. Just as she was replacing her socks, there came a soft drumming on her window. She froze, her heart leaping into her throat.

“Capry.”

Athanatos’ voice entered her mind. She hurried to her window and pushed her curtains aside. He stood there looking humongous. His facial expression was neutral but she was worried he was angry with her.

“We need to come up with a plan,” his voice echoed softly in her mind. He gazed at her patiently. He could see the lines her tears had made in her foundation and felt nothing but pity for the girl. He motioned for her to meet him outside and disappeared towards the backyard.

Capry quickly slid her shoes on and clicked off her lamp. She thought about just staying inside but she knew he wasn’t going anywhere. And he was right, she needed a plan. He had done nothing but try to help her, but she was still mistrustful. Her gut was telling her that Athanatos was ultimately good, but the Academy was giving her an entirely different vibe. She didn’t want to go back.

Capry quietly exited her home and locked the back door behind her. Athanatos stood near the gate, his arms crossed over his bulky chest.

“I’ve got a car parked out front. How about some breakfast?” he asked quietly.

“Are you going to take me back to the Academy?” she asked, keeping her distance from him. She knew if Athanatos wanted to, he could just grab her and transport her back. There would be no way to stop him.

“No,” Athanatos replied. “Shall we?” He somehow silently opened her creaky backyard gate and motioned for her to come along. She followed him out to the front yard to find a sleek black Lexus with heavy tinted windows parked across the street from her home. She raised her eyebrows and glanced sideways at him, clearly impressed.

“The job has its’ perks,” he stated simply with a shrug. He unlocked the doors. Capry hopped in the front seat, the light brown leather creaking slightly as she got comfortable. He climbed into the car and began to drive.

“You move quickly,” Capry said after a few moments of silence. Athanatos rustled around in the back seat as they came to a stop at a red light. He didn’t respond immediately. She heard him unzip a bag behind her and then he casually tossed a blood bag into her lap.

“I had to,” Athanatos murmured after a moment. “Drink that.”

She knew he wasn’t exactly a vampire of many words. He explained topics in depth if he thought it was important. But his abrupt responses were making her feel nervous. She squished the blood bag in her hands. It was cool, as though he had just pulled it out of fridge. Athanatos began to drive again.

“Are… you mad at me?” Capry asked hesitantly. She realized she didn’t want him to be angry with her. She wasn’t sure why she cared. She’d barely known him a couple days, but it felt like she should have known him her whole life. It was definitely an odd connection she’d never had with anyone else. Not even her parents.

Athanatos was taken aback. “I…No,” he replied. He wasn’t good at expressing himself. He really didn’t know how. In his line of work, feelings weren’t taken into account. He was expected to follow orders and that was all. He’d risen through the respectable ranks until he was the one giving the orders. But in turn he'd learned to shut all of it off. He’d never been given the freedom to be anything but a warrior. And after he’d retired from the front lines, he’d never met anyone to stir anything inside of him. Not for many years. “Why would you think that?” he asked awkwardly. The blood was making a squishing sound as she anxiously squeezed the bag in between her fingers.

“You’re quiet,” she replied with a shrug. That was typical for him. “And I ran away.”

Athanatos sighed. “I’m a quiet being,” he stated. “I’ve never had much to say.”

“I don’t believe that,” Capry replied thoughtfully. “I just think you don’t have any friends. Like me.”

He watched as Capry struggled to open the blood bag. He took it from her as he drove and punctured the little straw-like piece of plastic at the top with his fang. He passed it carefully back to her, as to not get any blood on the expensive leather interior. She took a sip from the bag and made a stink face.

“Ivan was right,” she murmured. “It does taste better straight from the spout.”

Athanatos gave out an awkward chuckle, that he cut off immediately. Mostly because he could hear Ivan’s voice when Capry had repeated his words. She grinned at him.

“So they sent you Ivan?” he asked.

“Yes. Because apparently he’s some kind of Eternal Fountain,” she said, making air quotation marks with her free hand.

Athanatos gave her a small smile. “That he is,” he agreed. “Did you like him?”

“I think so,” she said, taking another sip. It definitely wasn’t as good as fresh blood, but it was loosening up her sore limbs. She noted that the tingling sensation was very faint, but her head was pleasantly buzzing all the same. The sensation was similar to when she ate something she’d been craving for a while.

“He’s good people,” Athanatos replied. He found Capry easy to talk to. It was almost enjoyable. “He’s saved many lives on the battlefield.”

“How old is he?” Capry asked curiously.

“About three hundred years,” Athanatos said. Capry choked on her blood and coughed a bit, little blood droplets spraying onto her pants. She was relieved she had chosen black.

“Three hundred years?!” Capry exclaimed. “I thought he was a couple years older than me at most.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Athanatos replied.

“How old are you?” Capry asked. She was hoping asking a vampire their age wasn’t considered rude, like when you asked an older lady.

“Seven hundred years,” he stated. “Seven hundred and three.”

Capry stared at him, her eyes the size of saucers.

“So you’re like a really, really old man,” she said in awe.

“I should be dust,” he replied. Capry giggled.

“How do you even remember?” she asked him.

“I’ve got a birthday, just like you do. Although the calendars have changed over time. But it is safe to say I am seven hundred and three. Maybe seven hundred and four,” he replied. He turned into McDonald’s. “Would you like a happy meal?” Capry giggled.

“They don’t serve happy meals right now,” she teased. “And I eat more than that. Those are for really little kids.”

“Well to me, you are really little,” Athanatos replied. “You’re like an infant.” Capry smiled. She could see that. He was literally ancient.

After they got their food, Athanatos drove to a park near Capry’s home. Things were quiet while they ate. Athanatos was trying to figure out how to breech the heavier subjects he needed to discuss with her. Capry kept grinning at him for some reason.

“What?” he asked finally.

“That sandwich looks tiny in your hand,” she snickered. “Maybe you should have gotten two.” Athanatos shook his head with a small smile. Things fell silent again and he noticed Capry had put her sandwich down in her lap, the happiness draining from her face. Her mind seemed to have drifted off somewhere far away momentarily. She then blinked several times and sighed.

“You alright?” he asked. He suddenly didn’t feel much like eating either.

“Ivan said I need to be cleansed,” Capry began. “He told me that sometimes bad things can latch on to people. And that the Elders can help me cut the strings.”

“Yes,” Athanatos agreed.

“I keep accidentally touching them. The strings. Or they keep touching me. I don’t know which it is,” Capry began. “But when it happens I can hear the spirits that are locked away with him. They told me to run.”

“Did you just hear them now?” he asked. Capry nodded.

“It’s like I keep accidentally tuning into a frequency I don’t want to hear,” she muttered.

“The Elders can help with that,” Athanatos confirmed. “But you would have to come back to the Academy with me.” Capry’s body became very tense all at once. She clenched her jaw so tight, Athanatos heard her teeth grit together.

“I can’t,” she said firmly.

“Elder Virgil successfully reinforced the magic around the statue,” Athanatos began. “We’re not entirely sure how the statue became a portal but the Grand Sorceress went to another coven to look into their archives and old scrolls. For now, Zagreus cannot reach out. We will be attempting to remove the statue tomorrow. The Grand Sorceress conveyed the information before I came to pick you up. She told me that you can remain home while they try to relocate it somewhere secure. The plan is to have it destroyed. We just need to figure out how to do that safely.”

Capry didn’t look convinced. It was probably due to the fact that she was still connected to Zagreus.

“I told you that you would be better off at the Academy once,” Athanatos began. “I don’t want to tell you it will be safe, because I cannot know that for sure. The only thing I can promise is that I will try to keep you safe, with all of my being.”

“It’s too much,” Capry began. “All of this. I don’t belong there. What happened to me is a pretty good indication.”

“Zagreus tried to use you because he knew you were powerful,” Athanatos said thoughtfully. “He was even willing to gamble that he could draw that power from you to escape. He wasn’t expecting you to fight back.”

“He said I was of him,” Capry said with a shiver. “And Genevieve.” There was something about that statement that made her feel dirty. From the story she’d been told they both sounded like despicable beings.

“We are all of Zagreus,” Athanatos said with resignation. “Without him, vampires wouldn’t have spread across the world like a plague. He was reckless. It took many dark years to finally confine him to his prison. In that time he reproduced with countless women. Not always with consent. And because of that we were born. It doesn’t matter what branch of the family tree you trickled down from, Capry. We are all born from the blood on his hands.”

“How would he know where I came from?” Capry asked. “He was specific.”

“I don’t know,” Athanatos said honestly. “But we can try to find out together. If that is what you wish to do.”

“I don’t want any of this,” Capry said quietly.

“I know,” Athanatos replied. “But you can’t remain here forever. We all have to answer the call when it comes. You have a place in our world. It is where you have always belonged.”

“What will I tell my mother?” Capry asked.

“That is entirely up to you,” Athanatos began, pausing hesitantly. He looked like he wanted to say more but didn’t.

“I don’t want to lie,” Capry said, meeting his eyes. “I wouldn’t know what to say.” Capry could hear Kathy in her head. “Honesty is always the best policy,” she quoted.

“The Grand Sorceress may not approve of that,” Athanatos said. “But I do. And if it goes badly I can correct it.”

“It won’t,” Capry said with some certainty. She momentarily wondered what he meant by his statement. “She’s my mother.”

Athanatos wasn’t so confident.

“We should probably go back to my house,” Capry said abruptly, wrapping up her half eaten breakfast sandwich. “I need to handle this before it gets out of hand.”

Athanatos’ eyebrows raised.

“Yes, ma'am,” he said, putting the car into gear. Capry sat in the passenger seat with her jaw set. She had clearly made up her mind. She looked like a little woman, her facial expression deadly serious. It was so strange seeing her shift from a child to a young woman who meant business. He turned onto the road and drove Capry home.