Born or Made

Chapter 4: The Great Creator and Destroyer

When Capry came to the table she found three very curious sets of eyes trained on her. Valerie introduced her to her friends.

“This is Camilla, Cyrus, and Killian,” Valerie said. “They’re my best friends in the whole world. Everyone, this is Capry Ramos. She’s new,” Valerie said beaming. The three of them nodded politely in her direction.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Capry said. She was flushing pretty hard and found her palms a bit moist so didn’t offer to shake anyone’s hand. As she sat down, a young man materialized out of thin air with a cloche. Capry jumped, her eyes wide with surprise as he set it down in front of her with an elaborate flourish, evaporating the same way he had come.

“What the actual fu-" Capry was cut off by someone at the next table yelling.

“Stop showing off Caz!” She spotted Caz across the dining room, dropping another plate in the same fashion, only this time butterflies erupted from his arms when he threw them up in the air.

“He literally just learned how to do that,” Killian drawled, twiddling his pasta around with his fork, unimpressed. He had dark wavy hair that he kept about shoulder length. His skin was the color of coffee and he had exotic almond shaped eyes.

“He really only wants to be one of those Disney princesses,” Valerie said. “The butterfly thing is nice touch.”

“Can everyone do that?” Capry asked as she uncovered her plate.

Valerie’s friends all looked up from their plates, clearly taken aback.

“Usually not in our year,” Valerie said. “Caz is our age. It’s a bit advanced.”

“I can,” Killian said with a shrug. “I just don’t transport from one end of the room to another.”

“Yes, we know,” Camilla said, rolling her eyes.

“Sooooo, where are you from Capry?” Cyrus addressed her. “You look like you’ve just stepped into an alternate realm or something.”

Capry paused for a moment, looking around at them all as though they were about to start chanting the word imposter at her. The four of them burst out laughing good naturedly and she let out a breath.

“Relax,” Cyrus said. “Valerie told us you’re not from around here. But seriously, where are you from?”

“I’m from Albuquerque. It’s ugh… In the United States. In the human realm,” Capry felt strange calling home the human realm. Cyrus nodded and suddenly pulled a map out from somewhere underneath the table. The other three groaned. Capry watched as he spread it out and examined the United States.

“No nerding out at dinner,” Camilla groaned.

“New Mexico,” he said happily. “I’ve never met anyone from there before.”

“A lot of times people just assume we’re part of Mexico,” Capry said. “Like other people from the United States. It’s kind of a joke where I’m from. They always ask us how we speak English so good.”

“Seems a bit uneducated,” Cyrus said seriously.

“It is,” Capry nodded serenely .

“That’s why it’s a joke Cyrus,” Camilla said flatly.

Caz suddenly appeared at their table again with an explosion of more butterflies, this time with his own plate. He dropped it on the table flamboyantly and sat down. Killian swatted at a few of the butterflies as they landed on him.

“Good evening, peasants,” he said pleasantly. “Hello new girl.”

“Hi,” Capry said with a small smile.

“The pasta is to your liking, yes?” he asked.

“It’s very good,” Capry said in agreement.

“Good. Because I helped prepare it,” Caz said proudly. Killian continued to swat.

“Can you call off your damn minions?” he asked. “These creatures feast on rotting animals.”

“Well, you are dead inside, sooooo,” Caz fired back as he waved his hand, “Come here babies,” he said lovingly. Camilla snorted into her drink. Killian sighed with one last glance of annoyance in Caz's general direction and resumed his meal. He was like a grumpy old man. Capry watched as at least ten butterflies perched themselves on Caz as he began to eat.

“That's remarkable,” she said admiringly.

“Yes, well, they just love me. I couldn’t tell you why,” Caz replied.

“They're trying to eat you. I wish they'd hurry up already,” Killian grumbled. Caz ignored him.

“So, new girl-” Caz began.

“Capry,” Valerie said lightly.

“-Capry,” Caz corrected himself politely. “Are you losing your s**t yet?” he asked.

“Yes,” Capry said firmly.

“It’s probably pretty different where you come from isn’t it?” Caz asked.

“Pretty much,” Capry replied.

“So how did it happen for you?” Caz asked, unfolding his cloth napkin and placing it in his lap. Capry blushed and fell silent, which caused all of them to place their full attention on her.

“Did you kill someone?” Camilla asked nonchalantly.

“Camilla!” Valerie scolded.

“What?! It happens,” Camilla said unapologetically tossing her honey brown hair over her shoulder. “So, did you?” she asked, staring at Capry curiously.

“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to,” Valerie said placing her hand on Capry’s shoulder. “We all KNOW that can be a sensitive subject,” she said staring at Camilla sternly. Camilla continued to eat her dinner, unbothered.

“…It’s ok,” Capry said slowly. They still stared at her expectantly. “I mean, I didn’t kill anyone,” Camilla looked disappointed. “Not on purpose,” she added sarcastically. Everyone’s eyes widened momentarily. “That’s a bad joke,” Capry added quickly, feeling a bit ashamed of herself. “Like really bad.”

Caz chuckled appreciatively. “So spill,” he said, batting his ridiculously long eyelashes at her.

“I bit my best friend,” Capry pushed out. “It was an accident.”

“Sounds spicy,” Caz said wiggling around in his seat. “Was it a s*x thing?” he asked raising his eyebrows at her.

Killian glared at him, and Cyrus pretended to be really interested in his map. Valerie let her head fall onto the table with a soft thump and another groan. Camilla's attention never faltered once. She had even stopped eating.

“I’m sorry Capry,” Valerie said, her voice muffled by her arms. “My friends don’t know how to talk to new people, apparently.” She was half expecting Capry to just get up and leave.

“I’m just picking up on those vibes,” Caz said pursing his lips, with a graceful shrug. “Even her chest is red.”

Capry was having a pretty heavy debate inside of her head. She didn’t want to lie about who she was, but she also wanted a fresh start. But Seph was part of who she was. But she wasn’t everything. And the Grand Sorceress had said it was time for her to get to know herself. She was thinking of all the names the other kids had called her at her high-school and remembered how hard it was to get anyone to even have a conversation with her outside of shared class work. She just didn’t want her past to follow her here too. She wanted people to see her for who she was. And she was more than what she did.

“Ok,” Capry began, all traces of cheer gone from her face. The five of them gave her their undivided attention. Caz leaned forward, as to not miss a single detail. “Seph was a little more than my friend. We were at her house and one thing led to another. I accidentally cut her with my braces and she started bleeding and I bit her,” she said, sparing some of the more intimate details.

“Ooooh it was a girl?” Camilla said. “That’s interesting.”

“Her dad walked in during the incident-" Capry continued. The collective gasp from the table was a bit overwhelming.

“No!” Caz said, his blue eyes wide. He placed his hand over his mouth.

“Yes,” Capry said, feeling her eyes tear yet again. She blinked rapidly in frustration. “And he dragged me out of the room by my hair. And her parents called the cops on me.”

“Was it bad?” Caz asked.

“Of course it was bad, Caz,” Killian murmured. “They called law enforcement on her.”

“I meant the bite!” Caz said waving his hand dismissively at Killian.

“You know, the father shouldn’t have put his hands on you,” Cyrus said, sounding a bit baffled. “That’s assault.”

“I assaulted their daughter,” Capry said quietly. “He was justified even if he went a bit over board. My Guardian had to heal Seph after the police took me to the station.”

“If you had severely injured her, she would be dead,” Killian tried to sound gentle. “I’m sure the bite wasn’t even that bad. She would have bled out. I mean, we all get a little carried away when we’re fooling around.”

Capry stared at him dumbfounded.

“And who, exactly, have you fooled around with Killian?” Caz asked, placing his chin on his laced fingers.

“I just meant in general, you ass,” Killian snapped. “Vampires in general.”

“True,” Caz agreed. “Girl, I could tell you some stories about my parents,” Caz added.

“Please DON’T,” Killian insisted.

“Blood everywhere,” Caz mouthed silently, his hand blocking Killian's view.

Capry felt a small smile creep onto her lips although she wasn’t sure how blood shed and romance went together. Oddly enough, being able to talk about it with people who were like her felt cleansing.

“This might sound odd,” Capry began. “But once she started bleeding it wasn’t even s****l for me anymore. I just felt-”

“Hungry?” Killian asked.

“Yeah,” Capry said. “Sort of. But it was like my whole body was on fire.”

“It was just your body responding to your food source,” Cyrus explained. “It all sounds very natural to me.”

“It was my first time ever feeling that way,” Capry began. “Sort of. There was this one time that this guy got a bloody nose in my gym class and I got all tingly and light headed. But they took him away and as soon as he was gone, so was the feeling. One time I accidentally bit my little brother, trying to help him put a band aid on. My parents thought I was some kind of sociopath.”

Valerie’s eyes were full of sympathy.

“That sounds rough,” she said. She reached over and patted Capry lightly. “It will be better for you here,” Valerie said.

“That’s debatable,” came a soft voice from behind Capry. “Where was it you said you were from?”

Caz's eyes narrowed as he glared at someone who was standing behind her. Capry felt a slight chill fall over the air. Like someone was directing their negative energy directly at her back. She turned in her seat to find the same girl from the stairs standing behind her with a couple other female students. She was probably taller than Capry. Her skin was porcelain white with a pair of extra icy blue eyes and a slightly upturned nose. Her dark hair fell straight down her back. She was pretty, like most of the students Capry had seen. But mean. Capry could tell just by looking at her. There were girls like her everywhere.

“Be gone Piper,” Caz said waving her off. “Nobody was even speaking to you.”

“I couldn’t help but overhear all the talk about the trivial things that happen in the human realm,” Piper purred. “Is that where you’re from?”

Capry had a feeling she knew where this conversation was heading. She opened her mouth to reply when a petite red headed woman materialized next to them. She looked like she was straight out of the 1950’s.

“If you already heard, then you know,” the woman said cheerfully. Her voice was high pitched and sounded sweet, but the tone insinuated that she didn’t play around. She almost reminded Capry of a red headed Marilyn Monroe.

“If you’ve finished your dinner Piper, I’m sure there’s somewhere else you should be,” the woman said sweetly. She was clearly an authoritative figure.

Piper glared down at Capry, as she had when she stepped over her on the stairs, and turned to leave the dining room. Capry watched as she glided away.

“That’s just what we need here,” Piper spoke loudly enough for her voice to carry back to them. “Another Mutt,” she spat the word over her shoulder smugly. Her friends giggled at her audacity.

“Ms. Riley,” the red headed woman called, all the sugar completely drained from her voice. Her words carried through the air like a fine tipped spear and Piper halted in her steps as though someone had grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. It was then that Capry noticed Piper's feet were hovering about two inches off the ground. Caz snickered behind Capry.

Piper didn’t say anything as she floated in the red headed woman’s grasp. She just glared at her. It reminded Capry of a very angry cat stiffly hissing at someone who was imposing their will over them.

“You will now accompany me to the Grand Sorceress’ chambers to discuss a punishment for your disgusting mouth,” the red headed woman chirped happily. She briskly walked away, her Mary Janes clicking merrily the whole way, as Piper silently floated behind her. She shot one last nasty look at Capry as they rounded the corner.

“Who was that?” Capry asked, still staring after the woman who had intercepted Piper’s verbal attack.

“That’s Elder Dahlia,” Caz said. “She is so amazing. I just love her,” he said happily, returning to his meal. “That woman does not put up with any s**t from anyone. She sees everything.”

Capry pushed her pasta around on her plate. She knew what a mutt was. She was pretty sure she understood what it meant in the context that Piper had used it as well.

“Somebody needs to explain to me what I’m going to be dealing with here,” Capry said. She searched their faces.

“We don’t all feel that way,” Cyrus said quietly. “About vampires who come from the human realm.” The rest of them nodded their agreement.

“Piper is from one of the oldest bloodlines in our existence. Sometimes parents pass down their prejudices,” Cyrus said simply. “Some vampires have strong feelings about mixing our genes with humans.”

“I don’t even know who my real parents are,” Capry said. “That’s quite an assumption to make about someone you don’t even know.”

“Girl,” Caz said. “Piper is not even worth knowing. I grew up with her. She’s just a carbon copy of her parents and they’re as dull as the sun is bright. She has no idea how to think for herself and is counting on her arranged marriage to bail her out of actually having to learn anything here. Don’t even worry about her.”

“Arranged marriage?” Capry asked in disbelief.

“Yup. That’s a thing here,” Killian said with utter disgust.

“She hasn’t even been promised to anyone yet, but we all know who she wants,” Caz said crinkling his nose. “It has to be about the inheritance because that boy is foul.”

Capry thought she might know who he was talking about and he did seem pretty foul. She ran her sore tongue over her teeth and chose not to ask. Capry thought she was beginning to understand the big picture.

“Seems a little too medieval for my blood,” Capry murmured.

“It definitely is an old practice, but a lot of the more traditional families still do it. A lot of times for political gain. And to keep peace between covens,” Cyrus replied. He was like a walking text book.

“Including my family,” Caz said sadly, his shoulders slumping. “Can you imagine me? Promised to a woman? With my luck it’ll be Piper. Our parents have been grooming us for years.”

“Do you have to?” Capry asked.

“I won’t if Piper seals the deal with her beau,” Caz said. “I know she’s been trying really hard but from what I’m hearing in the inner circles, his mother isn’t having it. Only the best for that monstrosity, I suppose.”

“I wouldn’t have her either,” Camilla said, putting her head on Caz’s shoulder. “I’ll marry you. Then you won’t have to worry about who you can date.”

“If only,” Caz said. “Well, I’d better start clearing the tables. I have a huge test coming up in a few days that I must study for. It was so nice to meet you Capry,” he said politely. He then gathered their plates and disappeared.

“Did he get in trouble too?” Capry asked Valerie.

“No. He just likes to cook,” she said with a shrug. “He’s quite good at it. I however, am not inclined in a culinary way.”

Capry could see Athanatos waiting patiently at the entrance to the dining room.

“I’d better get going too,” Capry said. “I think my Guardian wanted to show me a few things before the end of the evening. Thanks for letting me have dinner with you guys.”

“No problem!” Valerie said. “We’ll be seeing each other a lot from now on so we might as well hang out.”

Capry smiled and left the table. She was happy she had met some nice people but couldn’t shake Piper Riley calling her a mutt. It was a lot of hostility to deal with right out of the gate.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Athanatos asked when she joined him.

“Everyone was really nice,” Capry began. “But I was wondering why that girl Piper called me a mutt.”

“She did what?” Athanatos asked. He stopped walking and looked down at her, his eyes filled with that simmering anger she’d seen on the stairs.

“She came up to the table while we were eating and asked where I was from. And then a woman came up and told her to go somewhere else and she called me a mutt when she was walking away. And then that woman made her go to see the Grand Sorceress,” Capry summarized.

“I apologize. I didn’t know,” Athanatos said sincerely. “Or I would have handled that myself.”

“Does it mean what I think it means?” Capry asked. They walked beside the stream with all the colorful fish. As magical as this place was, Capry had a feeling that there was rot in the roots.

“It’s a term that shouldn’t be used in any setting,” Athanatos said quietly. “It’s used to refer to a vampire with mixed genetics. There’s a few students who come from old bloodlines that are fed that nonsense from a young age. That our blood matters. But blood is blood and it all flows and spills the same. Some of the most talented vampires in our history have been part human.”

“So it’s almost like a racial slur?” Capry asked. She was wondering how much these vampires knew about human culture. She assumed they had to know a bit.

“Yes, much like humans who think they are superior because of the color of their skin,” Athanatos said. “It’s a foolish and dangerous way of thinking. I will address it as soon as I am able, have no doubt about that.”

“The woman, the other kids called her Elder Dahlia. She took care of it, I think. I don’t want any trouble,” Capry began, feeling anxious.

“Elder Dahlia is a good woman,” Athanatos said. Capry thought she caught a bit of affection in his tone. “But I will take care of it.. There won’t be any trouble from here on out.”

Capry felt a bit of darkness behind his words and wondered what that meant for Piper. She thought that Athanatos had the potential to be a frightening individual if he wanted to be. She wondered what he had been through in his life because there was an obvious hardness to him that she couldn’t quite pin point. She found herself thinking of the night on the roof. Even without the cloak he looked like he brought death. But for some reason she didn’t feel afraid of him, even though he could probably instill fear in people quite efficiently.

“So what’s next Mr. Guardian sir?” Capry asked trying to lighten the mood a bit. Athanatos stared at her for a moment, clearly trying to process her playfulness. She got the feeling people didn’t try to joke with him very often. He reminded her of an oyster that was clamped shut.

“I suppose it’s time to take you to meet our hosts,” Athanatos replied stiffly. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel great,” Capry said bouncing on her tip toes. “Probably better than I’ve felt in a while.”

Athanatos looked down at the small girl who smiled up at him so innocently. She didn’t even seem to be too bothered about her small altercation at dinner. It had to be because she didn’t really know the gravity of that word. He knew what it meant for her but if he had anything to do with it, she wouldn’t have to feel any of it. He would even go “talk” with Piper’s father if it became an issue. Someone had to reign that girl in eventually.

“So you’re not having any cravings?” Athanatos inquired.

“I don’t think so?” Capry asked more than answered. She didn’t seem to be showing any signs of depletion, which was interesting. Usually newborns needed to feed fairly often. He was wondering just how powerful of an effect the Grand Sorceress' blood had had on her. “How would I know?”

“You would know,” Athanatos replied simply. When she kept gazing expectantly at him he felt the need to elaborate. “It’s a different type of hunger, but your body registers it similarly to when you need to have a meal. You might feel very thirsty. Or even a tingling burning sensation. You also may feel very tired or weak.”

“None of the above,” Capry chirped. “Are you sure we need to do this now?”

“It might be a good idea regardless. If we keep you well fed you’ll be able to see your family tomorrow without any issues. And sometimes the hunger can creep up quite suddenly,” Athanatos replied.

“Ok, lead the way,” she said motioning grandly in front of them. Athanatos shuffled heavily onward.

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

They came to the top floor after what seemed like a significant hike upwards. When they finally reached the top of the steps, Capry looked over the railing to view how far they’d come. She could almost see the tops of the trees from where they stood and a large ceiling that was shaped like a dome, made of glass. The night sky was breathtaking from way up here. She could see it so clearly.

“This place is so strange,” she said. “It’s almost like we’re closer to the sky than where I’m from.”

“It’s possible,” Athanatos replied. “Even I’m not sure of the physical placement of the realms. Or your eyes have just become significantly sharper. It’s an adjustment.”

“I’ll say,” Capry agreed. “I can see everything now. I used to be almost blind before this. Sometimes I get a little dizzy when my eyes adjust too quickly.”

“That will subside shortly,” Athanatos reassured her. He turned down a long dimly lit hallway. At the end Capry could see a massive statue facing them. It was a huge man who had a helmet with large horns protruding out of the sides that curled back like a goat’s. As they got closer Capry realized he held a severed head, the hair tangled in his fingers that seemed to be impaling the skull, and he was standing on a mound of corpses. He had large wings folded behind his shoulders. Although it was carved from stone, the detail put into the piece was extraordinary. She stood transfixed and deeply disturbed by the morbid spectacle before her. Her eyes trailed to the title of the statue that was carved into a piece of stone that almost resembled a tombstone. It read, “The Great Creator and Destroyer.” There was a small passage underneath it that was written in a foreign language. Capry could tell that the translated title had been added some time after the actual statue was placed here. She felt a strong shiver run down her spine, almost as though someone had breathed on the back of her neck. It was noticeably colder around that statue than it had been walking down the hall.

“Who is this?” she asked quietly. Her heart was racing so fast she felt like running, but when she tried to move her feet she found them glued to the spot. Athanatos joined her looking concerned.

“It is a statue depicting the first of our kind,” Athanatos said. Capry had gone very pale suddenly. “We should keep going,” he said hesitantly. “The host’s chambers are just over here,” he said motioning down another long hall.

“It’s more than that,” Capry whispered before she even knew what she was saying.

“Capry are you alright?” he asked reaching out to touch her.

Capry didn’t hear him. There was a soft whisper coming from all around her that was slowly joined by many, until her ears were full of incoherent hissing. She reached out slowly with a quivering hand and touched the statue, jolting when she made contact.

Athanatos watched in shock as her eyes went from hazel to jet black. Even the whites. He dove forward and attempted to pull her away but found her rooted to the spot. He yanked as hard as he could, afraid he would break her small form in half. Two students paused at the mouth of the hallway staring curiously at them.

“Is she alright Elder?” one of them asked looking frightened as Capry’s hand and arm began to turn gray. Her whole body was quivering.

Athanatos ignored them, reaching out with his mind calling for Elder Veranda and Grand Sorceress Acara.

“You two need to leave the area, NOW!” Athanatos ordered. The two students scrambled away towards the host's chambers and disappeared. Athanatos could feel dark energy leaking out of the statue like thick sludge, enveloping them in frigidly cool air. He could feel it penetrating him down to the bone. He had cut down many evil men but none of them had felt as awful as this.

“Let go Capry,” he said into her ear, the veins in his neck popping out as he strained against the invisible force that was burning through her. “Let her go!” he demanded of whatever old magic held her. All of Capry’s visible skin was now gray. He had never witnessed anything like this.

Elder Veranda and the Grand Sorceress materialized next to them. They met each other’s eyes with great concern.

“I can’t get her away! What is this?” Athanatos was always composed. He was trained to handle any kind of stressful situation he found himself in, but even the Grand Sorceress could tell he was worried.

“I-I don’t know,” the Grand Sorceress breathed, approaching Capry to examine her. She could see the girl’s eyes darting rapidly from side to side.

“Let go of the child,” Elder Veranda said softly. “Lest it suck you in too.”

Athanatos did as he was told and backed away, feeling a crawling sensation all over his body. Almost as though he were covered in cold maggots.

“Help her!” he demanded. Never in his life had he felt helpless. It was a completely new sensation.

Elder Veranda took a deep breath and made a sweeping motion with her arms as though she were gathering the air around her. She could see things others couldn’t. She inhaled as though she were breathing in the energy that was palpable in the air around them and took a couple unsteady steps backwards before she coughed up a cloud of black. It resembled a swarm of flies. She steadied herself and calmly backed away.

“Not everything that knocks requires an answer,” she stated quietly. “The girl must break away on her own.”

“Is it a vision?” the Grand Sorceress asked hesitantly.

“No,” Elder Veranda said thoughtfully. “She’s communicating with something very old and dark. All I could gather was the stench of death.”

“She’s only a fledgling,” Athanatos said angrily. “How would she even be able to tap into something like that?”

“Not even an Elder's blood could give her this ability,” the Grand Sorceress voice entered his mind. He knew she was referring to her offering she’d made to Capry.

“Has anything like this ever happened before?” Athanatos asked Elder Veranda. “Is there really nothing you can do? Or do you just not want to?”

Veranda faced him firmly, “I would never allow death to touch any fledgling,” she said coldly. “This is her doing. She needs to free herself.”

“She doesn’t know anything!” Athanatos growled. “How could she even know what she was about to do? How will she free herself from something she didn’t even mean to do?”

“If she cannot free herself she may die,” Veranda said tonelessly.

They all watched silently as Capry stood frozen, her outstretched hand still firmly placed on the statue. Several minutes passed with nothing but silence and the awful crushing pressure of the energy flowing through them like spears. The three of them stood, waiting for something to change.

Capry’s body gave a violent jolt and crumpled to the floor. Athanatos rushed forward to pick her up, but Elder Veranda raised her hand and stopped him in his tracks. He was afraid she was dead.

They all watched, their bodies tense and rigid. Capry contorted in a way that no being should and let out a blood curdling scream that tore from her chest with the force of a thousand supernatural beings. Voices that couldn’t have been hers. They watched in horror as her body stiffened, her head turning to address them all.

“Help us,” she whispered, the words overlapping until it became a hiss. She fell still, her eyes closing. A crowd of students had accumulated in the hallway.

“The fifth floor is closed until further notice,” the Grand Sorceress announced, her voice amplified so that the entire school could hear her. “Evacuate immediately and return to your dorms.”