Living in Darkness (Bloodbreeders) (10 page)

“It’s breathtaking,” I said in awe. “It’s just like my mother… used to
talk about.”

“Yes it is. And the trip is one you will never forget,” Omar said, as
they all began to laugh. I didn’t see what was so funny, but they all seemed to
share in the humor.

A few minutes later, we pulled up in front of a fine home, right on the
cliffs of the beach. It was an amazing, three stories, with a wrap-around
porch. Though it was dark, it was obvious that the pristine white paint had not
been applied by an amateur, and the pillars that were next to the front door
seemed to be chiseled out of pure marble.

“This is where we will be staying,” Rebecca informed me. “Do you like
it?”

“I
ain’t
never
seen anything like it before in all my days,” I said,
astonished. It took a second before I noticed movement inside.

“It looks like people live here. You
ain’t
gonna
hurt them just so we can use their house, are you?” I
inquired with immediate concern.

“No, of course not,” she said. “Our friends in Cuba own it. The only
ones about are the housekeepers, but they are expecting us.”

I smiled for the first time in days. I had heard stories about homes
like this, and now I was going to stay in one. After the car was parked,
everyone made their way out, that’s when Rebecca turned to me.

“Why don’t you take a walk along the beach, Renee?” she suggested. “You
have plenty of time.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?” I asked. “I mean, what if he’s been on our
trail? What if…”

“He has no idea where we are,” Rebecca interrupted. “Enjoy your
freedom. No harm will come to you. Would you prefer one of us to come with
you?”

“Thank you, but I think I need a little time alone to clear my mind,” I
said, already making my way towards the steps that led down to the shore.

When I was pretty sure no one was watching
,
I
kicked off my shoes to feel the sand with my toes. The tide came in and washed
up over my feet with a cold delight that I wasn’t expecting. The sensation was
too refreshing to resist. I looked around to be sure I was alone, then stripped
off everything but my undergarments, and waded in to the dark inviting water. I
dove under, but came up as quick as I could. Not only did my eyes burn, but the
wound on my shoulder was on fire. I licked my lips, and thought to myself, “Of
course! Salt water, just like Ma said.” I disregarded the pain, and dove back
under.

 
If only they were here with me. Most
of my family was avid swimmers, and this would have been heaven compared to the
little tanks we had to swim in back home. Especially for little Johnny, who was
even more of a water-bug than the rest of us. The thought of Johnny drained
what little pleasure I had right out of me.
He would never
enjoy the ocean, or anything else for that matter
,
I
made sure of that
. I slowly made my way back to my belongings and sat
down in the sand. The tears came freely, and I let them.

A little while later, I heard someone coming my way. I looked up, and
recognized the person as Marcos. “Are you okay, Lady Renee?” he asked. “I heard
you crying as I got closer.” I wiped my face, and started putting my clothes
back on.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” I said quickly, not wanting to go into why I was
crying with this man I hardly knew. “Do you mind turning around so I can finish
getting dressed?”

“Of course,” he said, already turning his back to me. “Forgive my
manners.”

It only took a few minutes, before I announced I was finished.

“Lady Rebecca wanted me to inform you that it is time to return,” he said,
once again facing me.

“Thanks,” was all that I said, as we headed back to the beach house.

As I entered the house, the others were standing, looking straight at
me as if waiting for me. I looked around to notice that even the two males that
must have been the ones that were moving about when we drove up, were both
holding house hold items, looking back at me.

“How was your walk? I see you went for a swim,” Rebecca asked walking up
to meet me, looking down at my drenched hair. “Tell us what you think of the
ocean.”

“I have to say it was different from swimming in Pecan Creek back home,
but I liked it very much.”

“Come, I will show you where you will rest,” she said seeming pleased
with my answer. “I have already set up a wash basin for you.”

“You’re too kind,” I said sincerely. “I can’t thank you enough for
everything you’ve done for me.”

“Please, there is no need for thanks. I’ve told you, we have dedicated
our lives to helping our kind, and you are one of us now,” she replied taking
me by the hand. “Come, let us girls get cleaned up, I desperately need to
change the wrapping on your shoulder.”

I nodded, following her as she walked through the huge house. At first,
I expected her to go upstairs, but she bypassed the stairs altogether, instead
entering the kitchen. Directly to the left was a door that no doubt led
downstairs.
Here we go again
,
I thought to myself.
More dirt floors, spider webs, and God only knows’
what else
.

Much to my surprise, from the top of the stairs to the end of the large
basement that I could see, was
absolutely spotless
. There
were several rooms lining the walls on each side of the long hall, Rebecca
stopped as we came to the second door on the right.

“This will be your room for the day,” she said, opening the door.

I gasped as I took in the sight, because it was right out of something
that I had once seen in a catalog. The large bed against the far wall was
adorned with beautiful lavender linens, and with so many pillows you couldn’t
see the headboard. The rug appeared to be oriental, and had fringe on every
edge. The dressing table looked brand-new, someone had obviously put a lot of
time into ornately carving tiny leaves and flowers all the way around the
mirror. In the corner sat a red velvet chaise lounge next to a small antique
table, with a lantern on top that seemed to be made of china. Several paintings
hung on the walls, most were ocean scenes, and one was of a palace that I
couldn’t name.

“I think you will be comfortable here after what you have had to stay
in,” Rebecca said.

“This is the most beautiful room that I have ever seen,” I said.

“Wait until we arrive at the mansion in Cuba, this place pales in
comparison. Feel free to make yourself at
home.
” she
said as she walked into the room, heading towards the dresser. “There is night
wear in the armoire, as well as a few dresses to choose from to wear on our
journey.”

“I don’t know what to say, Rebecca.”

“Here, let me help you undress,” she said walking over to where I stood
by the bed. “I need to check your wounds before bed.”

I had never taken
off of
my clothes in front
of anyone other than my mother and little Edna. It felt a little strange, but I
felt I could trust this woman, because she had already done so much for me. I
began taking off my tattered dress, and after momentarily pausing, removed the
slip as well. I stood there half-naked as she watched.

“Come and sit so that I can clean the wound on your shoulder,” she
said, tapping the chair at the dressing table. I went over and sat down,
catching a glance of myself in the mirror.

“I’m a mess. I look older somehow, and I don’t think I’ll ever get
these tangles out.” I said picking up a wad of my hair.

“Not to worry, I’ll help you. First just let me have a look at this.” She
began removing the stained, dirty rags from my shoulder, and I could see in the
mirror that it was almost scabbed over.

“Will I ever get used to things like this?” I asked. “It’s been, what,
four nights, and it’s all but healed? I haven’t even noticed the broken bone in
my arm for the last two days.”

“It is one of the many perks of being our kind,” she told me as she
dipped the clean white cloth in the basin full of water. “We heal much faster
than we did in our other lives.” She finished helping me clean myself, and then
started brushing out my hair.

“You are a very beautiful woman, Renee. I can see why Martin chose
you.”

“Rebecca? How do you know
Martin, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“No, not at all,” she shook her head. “He made me as well, many years
ago. We became lovers for a short time, but I wasn’t good enough for our
Martin. So, I escaped his clutches. He also made me do things you cannot
imagine, but I had no rescuer as you have, my dear. You are very lucky we came
to you when we did, before he could harm you the way men do women.”

I found her words hard to believe at first like I had every time that
we had, had the chance to speak. Up until Martin made me take my brother’s
life, he had been so respectful and benignant that I would have never in a
million years thought him to be the evil man that Rebecca and I now talked
about. But now I knew he was a deplorable man, and after this little
conversation I also felt like what she was saying had to be somewhat true. Maybe
deep down I wished that things could have been as Martin had said, but everything
about my new world was nothing but fallacy up to this point. How could it be
that I hated him so much, and in the same breath, I catch myself wondering what
he is doing? Was he searching for me? Was the kiss that he gave me real, or was
I just another toy like Rebecca?

When she was done with my hair, I was once again starting to look like
myself.

“I’ll leave you to your rest now. Tomorrow night we will travel to a
place where you will be safe from him forever,” she said, in a voice that was
almost motherly.

“I owe you so much and have nothing to give you to show my gratitude,”
I stood and went to her.

“Your freedom and happiness are all the gratitude I need.” And with
that she left.

I closed the door behind her, and went to the wash basin. I cleaned the
rest of my body the best I could, and then pulled on the gown that had been
laid out for me. I felt like a lady of society. Of course I knew better, but
this room let me pretend I was in another world, one without all the formidable
things that had happened in the past few weeks. As I pulled back the covers, I
found yet another luxury: silk sheets. I slid into the bed, and as I did, my
breath caught in my throat. The sheets were cold to the touch, clutching at my
body as I slid deeper into the bed.
It took only a minute before I was comfortable, and
before I knew it, all thought and discomfort had left my body and I soon
drifted into nothingness, well before the dawn had a chance to pull me under
its powerful grip.

Chapter 8

The next evening, I awoke more refreshed than I had in days, and although
I was still a little apprehensive, I was almost looking forward to the voyage
that would bring me to an unconventional, yet unique beginning hopefully free
of the hell that existing by night had proven so far. I changed into one of the
dresses provided, brushed through my hair, and headed upstairs. Everyone was
moving about in an organized chaos, much different from when I stepped in the
room last night. No one even glanced my way, that’s when I noticed some men
there that I had never seen, and they were speaking a language that I didn’t
understand. I found Rebecca at the dining room table with an older,
rough-looking man. She saw me approaching and smiled.

“Good evening, Renee. How was your rest?” she asked.

“The best I’ve had in a long time, thank you.” I replied.

“I would like you to meet the captain that will be seeing us safely to
Cuba,” she said motioning toward the man seated next to her. I walked over to
shake his hand and introduce myself, but before I could say a word he was on
his feet.

“So this is the fair Renee. We have spoken much of you. My name is
Capitan Delarosa, but you may call me
Capie
,” he said
with a slight bow.

I knew as soon as I walked in that the Capitan wasn’t even close to
being like us. Nor were the other men scurrying around the house, for that
matter. Rebecca must have seen the recognition on my face, because she quickly
said, “Our friends in Cuba have hired
Capie
. He knows
everything about us. You can trust him with your life.”

“I didn’t mean to look rude. Please forgive me, Mr. Delarosa,” I said
before he stopped me.

“No, no,
meja
, you must call me
Capie
. I feel for what has been done to you, and I promise
no harm will come to you on this journey. I have taken many of your kind
across, so I understand your concerns,” he said, bringing a small smile to my
face. “See, old
Capie
can still
make
a woman smile,” he added, giving me a wink. “If you will excuse me, ladies, I
have a boat to prepare. We will see you aboard in a little while.” He clicked
his heels, spun around, and marched out of the room with such flair, that
Rebecca and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.