Regina (23 page)

Very clearly, I could see a man pull a young
woman close as if to kiss her. His hands were on each side of her
face, looking deeply into her eyes as he pulled her close to his
face, but he pulled his head to her neck as she came closer and bit
into her, causing her to scream out. Her body went stiff as he
drank. Her arms were outstretched, palms down while she stood on
her tip toes.

I gasped and turned around in horror. My
first thought was, ‘I didn’t really see that’ and ‘I
misunderstood’, but I knew what I saw was real as I backed away
from the spot I was standing in. On the patio couch, where the
couple lay in a lover’s embrace, I realized he was taking her blood
too. He was still sucking as I slithered back into the shadows like
a snake. Her muffled screams were low but unmistakable.

When I was safely behind the trees, I rushed
back to Ha-V and the girls. I could feel my hair bounce and I
quickly made my way to the right. They had to still be here! I
didn’t see or hear them approach the house. I searched the dark
shadows frantically for them. They were walking into a place with
killers! I’m not sure what kind of killers they were, monsters
maybe?!

I let my mind get frantic with worry while I
searched.

“Regina.” Ha-V’s voice called from behind
me.

I spun around to find Ha-V near the car.
Parker, Jenn and two guys were following him. They looked at me
strangely. I’m sure I did look bad with sticks in my hair and sweat
pouring out of my head. My breathing was fast and I couldn’t seem
to catch it.

“Go!” I tried to shout as low as possible.
“Get back to the car.”

I began running to them. I had to get them
back into the car and away from here. If they chose not to come
with me, I had the keys and I would leave them if I had to. If they
chose not to listen to my warnings, it’s their funeral, not
mine.

“What? Did the party get busted?” One of the
guys asked. His blonde hair was short and shined in the moonlight.
Perfect white teeth were shining brightly back at me from his
mouth.

“They’re killing people!” I said in a loud
whisper.

Silence. The group stared at me while they
processed this. Then they started laughing.

“Yeah right!” the blonde guy said. “You’re
high.”

“I’m not high! I know what I saw! There is a
guy sucking this girls’ neck on the patio and another one doing it
inside! I saw it!”

Everyone looked at each other with their eyes
raised. They truly doubted my story and thought I was on drugs.
Well fine, let them think that! I was totally leaving. No way in
hell was I going to be slaughtered when I’m so close to leaving
this place!

“Sounds like they were making out.” A voice
said.

I spun around towards the car and called to
them over my shoulder. “I don’t care what you believe! I’m leaving.
If anyone wants to come with me, then we are going now!”

A hand grabbed my elbow and held me in place.
I turned around to see Ha-V. He was trying to keep me here!

“No one is going anywhere just yet.” He said
firmly. “Not until we check this out.”

As he said that, the two men I saw drinking
blood from the women came thru the trees and into the clearing we
were standing in. They visually surveyed the group and stopped when
they came to my face. Something about me made their face fill with
extreme joy. I almost relaxed until a small bit of blood leaked out
from their mouths as they smiled.

Fear told me to be stupid and run, so I did.
I spun on my boot heels and ran for the car, except I spun in the
wrong direction and didn’t see the car. My footsteps crunched the
leaves noisily as I ran as fast as I could into the woods.

The running footsteps behind me were catching
up. I could hear their breathing as they got closer. Fear propelled
me faster and I dodged thru the trees with accuracy. I looked back
and saw an empty forest.

I stopped and searched for a place to hide so
I could catch my breath. If I could get my phone out, I could check
my compass and hike out of here, but I knew that was out of the
question until I found out what happened to the others. I had to
think. I had to stop, catch my breath and think. I’m pretty
physically fit but I’m not use to running thru the woods. We don’t
learn this at Will Lawson.

Footsteps were ahead of me and I crouched
under some bushes, and out of sight. I held my breath and waited
for voices, but none came. The Earth was completely quiet. I stayed
completely still as the bush poked the hell out of my chest.

A shadow came above the bush and I looked up
to see her. She was beautiful at almost six feet tall, silky brown
hair and beautiful blue eyes. Her dark blue leather cat suit
accentuated her perfect figure. She stared down at me with humor in
her eyes. I don’t know why but I felt the need to get up, and
run.

She was right behind me giving pursuit as I
ran thru the dark forest. I couldn’t see in front of me and have no
idea how I managed to make it without killing myself. She was
behind me the whole time like a perfect machine.

I stopped and shifted to the left to follow
the creek. Seeing the water told me where I might be, but I didn’t
have long to think because the girl leaped high in the air and
ended up right in front of me.

I screamed and skidded to the right. The
creek was in front of me, and I started to cross it.

“Anna!” The woman shouted at me as she came
to me.

I stopped. I was gasping for breath while
looking around. There wasn’t anyone else here. Who was she calling
for?

She came up behind me and softly turned me
around. Her face was kind, almost sister-like.

“It’s me, Sarah.” Her voice came out smooth
and kind. I was paralyzed by her. “No harm will come to you child.
I’m sorry to do this.” Sarah said with love in her voice.

She breathed out a gas from her mouth. Before
I could run away or scream, I breathed in the fumes and dropped
into the darkness.

Chapter-Twenty-nine

I woke up in a soft chair. My body was
relaxed and surprisingly comfortable. It was a chair of red velvet
covering with cherry wood handles and legs. The room was white with
a blue couch and lighter blue accent pieces. The tall antique lamps
cast a bright yellow light in the room. I saw a door to my right.
Where did it lead to? Oddly enough, all the windows had bars on
them. Pretty cast iron bars bolted into the walls. I didn’t
remember how I ended up here until I saw the woman, Sarah, staring
at me from my left. I gasped with fright.

“It’s ok Regina. No one is going to hurt you
and I’m the only one here.” She said in a soft, velvety voice. Her
hand was extended out with her palms out indicating she didn’t have
anything in her hands.

Her brown hair was thick and wavy. It looked
magnificent in this yellow light, so full and shiny. She had it
pinned to her right side by a pretty blue ribbon. I noticed she
wasn’t in her cat suit anymore but in a pretty blue dress. It was
smooth with darker blue velvet wrapping itself around her sleek
figure. She sat back gracefully as if iron was prominently running
itself thru her spine, keeping her straight.

“Who are you?” I asked. Fear and intimidation
was running rampant thru my body. I felt the urge to panic and
vomit at the same time.

“My name is Lady Sarah Lordview.” She replied
in a hard yet smooth voice. Intimidation immediately set in. I
didn’t see vampire teeth. Did I dream it??

“Are you a vampire?” I whispered in
fright.

She tried to suppress her laugh by hiding it
behind her hand and gently turning her face away. It took her a
moment but she eventually faced me again.

“No. What you and humans perceive as
vampirism is actually a curse, a curse that I and our people have
been affected with for hundreds of years.” Something filled Sara’s
face. A mix of anger and sorrow was radiating from her. “Do you
remember me?” She asked again in that hard voice.

“No. I don’t think we’ve met before.” I said
politely. I wasn’t going to insult this woman for anything. My fear
was overwhelming, I couldn’t stop shaking.

“Well, not in this lifetime at least.” She
chucked at her own joke.

For a moment, Sarah looked off into the
distance as if lost in some memory precious to her. She tilted her
hair back and touched her neck gently. Laughter danced on her lips
and in her eyes. Her hand continued down from her neck, to her
throat and chest as she continued her thought.

I waited patiently while she was lost in her
memory. Rushing this woman to get to the point didn’t feel right. I
was scared and very frightened I was going to die shortly. If only
I could get past her! I couldn’t think of a way to get to the door
before her, she already demonstrated her agility.

“We don’t have too much time, Regina. The Law
will be looking for you tonight.” She said coming out of her
memory. Her face snapped back to that hard look to match the voice.
Her hands started gesturing faster as she shows her panic.

I didn’t think the police was that efficient
in this town. Hearing her mention the police brought me hope. How
would they know where I was? Did someone see me and Ha-V? I sat up
a little straighter in my chair.

Mistaking my actions for alarm, Sarah went
on. “I know. We can’t stay here long. The Pirate shall arrive soon,
we can’t leave without him.”

“We? The Pirate?” I asked, the hope leaving
my heart as quickly as it came and being replaced with
questions.

“Yes. Don’t ask me who he is, I don’t know
either, but he is the one who orchestrated your search and rescue.
We will return to ground in a safe house till we can reach the
colony.” She stated with a nod of her head. A smile still on her
lips, as if she was deeply satisfied with her new friend. I began
to lose it. My anxiety began to hit me like a freight train, I felt
my pulse race and the heat rise to my face. She was kidnapping
me!

“You really don’t remember who you are, do
you? She asks quietly, her voice at a whisper.

“What!? Uh….” I couldn’t stop shaking or
control my thoughts. This chick was taking me somewhere against my
will! “Mm..m…my name is Regina Ann Roth.” I stuttered.

Sarah looked at me intensely. Her bright blue
eyes scrutinized mine. She searched for something. The truth
perhaps? As she dissected my soul, I looked into hers.

Before I knew what was happening, Sarah found
the answer and says to herself, “No. No you really don’t.”

She sat back in her chair, apparently
comfortable and began her story.

“In this life, your name is Regina Ann Roth.
But to me and many, you are Princess Anna Anderson of Delengrad,
the true Queen of Delengrad. You are the Savior to your people and
the Whispers.”

“Who are the Whispers?” I asked, very afraid
of her answer.

“The Whispers are the enchanted people who
lived in Whispering Woods.” She said and smiled. “They are kind
people who live in the light and value every life on this planet.
Presently, they would be called Angels, without wings of course.”
She laughed. “I wish you could remember my brother’s face when he
found out they didn’t fit the classic stereotype people gave them.”
She giggled again, but got serious when she says, “In your first
life as Anna, you were murdered by the Law before you were sixteen,
and though your physical body might be gone, your soul still exists
and so does your memories as Anna.”

Okay, I was shocked. I didn’t expect this. I
looked around the room again trying to keep the layout in my
memory. Escape was minutes away, I knew it. The lady continued to
sit in her chair, staring at me. I felt her eyes burning holes into
my face while she searched it. Her body signaled ease but her face
was all business.

“Okay.” I replied unsteadily. “Um…so I’m a
Queen. Sure…..okay, and I was killed before now?”

“
You were planning a revolution against
the Law, and no one goes against the Law.” She said
ominously.

Blood ran from my face as I put the
connection together. I felt floored. This was one of those moments
when my blood ran cold and I thought my heart would stop. I could
barely speak as I asked Sarah, “What is the ‘Law’?”

“Judge Charles Slider. He lords the city of
Williamson Law with iron rules. He makes the laws and every kingdom
is compelled to obey him. If you don’t adhere, you die. He has a
large army who call themselves the Law. Thousands of evil men who
follow Judge Slider like a God. They are savages who murder on the
Judge’s orders. They storm our beautiful grounds with their massive
swords and take our people without cause. They’ll cut your head off
if you look at them let alone try to fight them. Make no mistake
Regina, Judge Slider is a sadistic man who takes pleasure in
brutalizing his people and his army is equally as vicious.”

I swallowed hard. Oh my…. Instinctively, I
reached for my neck as if protecting my head from decapitation. So
this explained the Law but why would I be bound to it? Why would
mom keep me bound to them?

Because she works for them. I answered my own
question. They must work for the Law! But how? And most
importantly, why?

Wait! They were coming for me?! My thoughts
ran wild with reasons why they would want me. Oh no, my calmness
was gone and replaced with total and utter panic.

“And what exactly does this have to do with
me? I don’t know you! I don’t know your Pirate or Judge or whoever
they are! And by the way, what kind name is Pirate? That past life
crap doesn’t fly with me. I have nothing to do with this!!” I
shouted in frustration.

“You are everything to do with this Regina!”
She shrilled.

We caught our breaths and thoughts while we
eyed each other. I thought she was going to continue, but she
waited a few minutes before continuing in a calmer voice.