In the bustling heart of the town, nestled amidst the tall buildings and busy streets of Staunton, lay a tranquil park. It was a sanctuary from the chaos, it was the town's central park, Damon and his sister Sophia walked into the park, side by side. Damon taller, his sister Sophia, a few inches shorter, struggled to keep up with his pace. Sophia looked around the park, all the kids playing and the children in the swings and their parent watching and all she could think of was food. Food, food and more food.
Damon could smell her urge, it was like a scent that she gave off, he wondered how he didn't know how bad she had gotten, but he had never thought she had such bad control over her hunger. It reminded him of someone he used to know, someone he had buried in his past a long time ago. As they strolled along the meandering pathways, the chirping of birds, the laughter of children and the rustle of leaves provided a gentle backdrop to their conversation.
Sophia finally noticed her brother's somber expression and sensed that something was amiss. With a touch of concern in her voice, she finally broke the silence, "Why did you bring me here?"
"Because I need to talk to you."
"And you couldn't do that at home? Because I can see a lot of food here."
She said as she sniffed and looked around again.
"I might start to get a little hungry."
She added hurriedly, her eyes surveying, looking for her next target.
"Humans, Sophia. They're humans."
Sophia frowned and then she shrugged.
"You have a serious problem Sophia."
"Did Mother tell you to talk to me? I have a feeling this is her doing."
Damon hesitated for a moment, his eyes drifting towards the distant horizon. "Yes, Soph" he replied softly, "this is not healthy. You have to at least be able to control yourself, you can't keep looking at all humans as just food. They're more than that."
They found a secluded bench overlooking a sparkling pond, and Damon took them over there. Sophia reluctantly sat down.
"I don't have a problem. I just eat when I want to. Are we not allowed to eat anymore?"
"What's the point of having a whole town all to yourself yet you're not allowed to eat any of the subjects in it?"
"I didn't say you're not allowed to eat, I just said you need to have some restraint."
"Remember our number one rule. We protect the secret. Too many murders and the humans start looking around. There's only so much you can blame on animal attacks."
Sophia scoffed.
"You're one to talk."
She murmured and Damon glanced at her.
"What did you say?"
Sophia scoffed.
"Oh please! You were even worse than me. I wasn't so young then, I remember the murders in the 80's. How you cleared out entire towns and left dead bodies in your wake. They nicknamed you the beast. The Beast of Staunton."
Damon paled. His sister was right, he had been even worse. But he had managed to curb it, and let go of such frightening past, a past he didn't like to remember or talk about.
"You're right. I'm not proud of that. But that doesn't give you a free pass to turn everyone here into your own personal buffet."
"That's not what I'm doing..."
She murmured and Damon gave her a look.
"Then what are you doing? Whatever it is you're doing or going through, this has to stop."
Sophia scoffed.
"What will you do? Punish me?"
Damon gave her a look.
"Sophia, either you find a way to curb your urges or I find a way to curb it for you."
He stood up.
"And I know you're not going to like my way."
...............
Lourdes stared at her daughter as if she had horns for head. She couldn't make out what she was telling her, but she heard the words money and was connecting the dots in her head. She had been in the kitchen, getting ready to make dinner when her daughter rushed in, saying she ad great news. Lourdes had never imagined that was the news she was going to give her.
"Where did you get that type of money?"
She asked as calmly as she could muster.
Caelia shrugged as she jumped in excitement.
"Does it matter? I mean what matters is that you can finally pay off your debts to the Wrights and leave this place!"
"I don't know how much it is, but I think it should cover at least a significant portion... How much is it again?"
A child! She was nothing but a child. Her mother thought as she closed her eyes and sighed. Carlie would never understand and making her understand would open her to a world that she was desperately trying to protect her from. A world she would never wish upon her daughter.
"Just tell me where you got it?"
Caelia sighed.
"I modeled for Sam Dortmund and she paid me handsomely for it. She just asked me to wear a few gowns and take some pictures and that was it you know..."
"You know how rich people are."
She murmured and her mother sighed.
"She paid you six thousand and five hundred dollars just to model some clothes?"
Her mother asked and Caelia nodded, quickly looking away. She hoped her lie was believable enough, but If she didn't mention Samantha she knew that her mother would think that the money had come from Damon.
"Yes. How much is our debt? Will this be enough for it?!"
She asked and her mother chuckled.
"Oh Caelia..."
She walked up to her daughter and stroked her forehead, her raven black hair was in braids, tucked in tightly behind her neck, she ran a finger across her forehead, where a small scar she had gotten years ago as a child remained, a brutal reminder of the type of father Caelia had.
She had been so young, of course she wouldn't remember. So young and terribly sick, nothing seemed to be working, Lourdes had spent everything she owned on hospital bills, till she finally approached the Wrights.
She knew what they were, she had found out barely months of working with them and kept the stark realization to herself. She needed their money and it was the best pay she had gotten in a while. Caelia was too aloof and self absorbed to ever find out the way she did, but not Lourdes, she saw what they were and decided to work for them.
She must have been crazy, anyone in their right minds would have quit, she didn't know if it was the fascination she had with their kind or the desperation to work that made her stay.
So when all hope failed for Caelia, she took her daughter to them.
She had been straightforward with Carolyn Wright, who somewhat had seemed impressed that Lourdes had figured them out. She promised to help with everything that was needed, but with just one thing in return, indentured servitude. She had accepted, eager to save her daughter and they had saved her.
She remembered clearly.
William was out of town and Carolyn did not want to give her blood for some reason, so Damon had done it. He probably didn't even know who it was for, all he did was send vials of his blood over and Caelia had been given the blood in small doses.
In a matter of hours, what human medicine had struggled to achieve for weeks had been done. Her daughter was hale and hearty, running free.
And she, well she was no more than a slave.
Carolyn had made it clear that what she had offered her and her daughter was priceless, so priceless that she couldn't put a price on it. Lourdes did not know what she was getting into then. When her daughter had volunteered to work at the Wrights to pay off the debts quicker, she had outrightly refused, but somehow, Carolyn had heard of this and jumped at the idea. She proposed new terms.
"I will take ten years off our agreement if you allow daughter to come and work alongside you."
The offer was tempting. The freedom to leave after so many years was tempting. So she agreed, told her daughter she could come and the debt would be paid faster if they were both working there to pay it off.
"It will never be enough Caelia."
Her mother finally murmured.
"What?"
"What do you mean?"
Caelia asked as she looked at her mother with confusion on her face.
"I mean no amount of money will pay off the debt. That was the agreement."
Caelia's jaw slacked.
"Why on earth would you agree to that?! How do we pay off the debts then?!"
Lourdes smiled sadly.
"According to the agreement, I have six more years to work with the Wrights. And after that I will be free."
Her jaw slacked.
Six years?!
"It was sixteen years before... but when you volunteered, Carolyn tweaked the agreement. She made it better!"
"She took ten years off."
"Why would you keep this from me?"
Caelia whispered and her mother shook her head.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
With one last look at her mother and the startling realization that her mother had lied to her for years, Caelia walked out on her mother.