Chapter 46: identity crisis

Xavier brought Sage into the room that was prepared for her. Clara had a separate room where she spent all her days grieving silently, occasionally emerging to check up on her sister, who was still in a coma.

Inside Sage's new room was a single bed, big enough for two. There was a desk beside the bed, which she didn’t think she would need. The room had a bit of decor, giving it a feeling of comfort and home.

Sage’s eyes scanned the room; she had lived in an attic for years and had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a space of her own with enough headroom. Sage walked up to the closet and opened it; there were some female clothes in it that looked to be her size.

Tears filled her eyes as she gently touched the fabric. “Your mom did all this for me?” Sage asked as she turned her head to look at Xavier. The kindness that Xavier’s family had shown her was overwhelming. They were strangers, but they had treated her as part of their family. “Thank you,” Sage said as she walked back to Xavier and gave him a tight, appreciative hug.

Xavier, in return, wrapped his arms around Sage and smoothed her hair. “It’s not a big deal; you’re one of us now.” Sage pulled away from the hug and looked at Xavier, searching his eyes for answers.

Xavier took Sage's hand and walked to the bed. He took a deep breath before he began talking, his expression growing serious..

“Now you know that the supernatural world is real. There are other things you must know, Sage. Especially about yourself.”

Sage stared at Xavier, waiting for him to continue. She remembered he had said something about her being a hybrid, but she didn’t understand what that was.

“There are other supernaturals out there with different abilities, and you, Sage, are one of the rarest,” Xavier continued. “Just like there are werewolves, there are also vampires. For years now, both races have been enemies and we do not associate with each other.”

“There are laws that govern all the supernaturals, especially the werewolves and vampires. About 18 years ago, the law of mating was broken by two individuals from both races. This isn’t entirely their fault. When nature gives us someone to love forever, we have little say in it,” Xavier said, a tiny smile playing across his face as he tightened his grip around Sage's hands a bit.

“So a vampire and a werewolf mated and did the impossible. They birthed a child with a mix of both races' genes. A formidable creature was born.”

After listening attentively to Xavier, Sage had a question on her mind. “Is this some sort of supernatural myth?” Xavier looked at Sage with wide eyes before he chuckled hard at her question.

“No, Sage,” Xavier said, as he took the lock of hair that had fallen in front of her face and adjusted it behind her ears. He liked doing that, but what he loved more was seeing her beautiful symmetrical face and having no obstruction to gaze into her pretty eyes.

“It is impossible for a vamp-wolf to be born, but when they are, they must be killed.” Xavier paused, pressing his lips together. “But this particular vamp-wolf was taken away, hidden from the eyes of the leaders to protect the child. It was like the child wasn’t born in the first place.”

“Why would anyone want to kill a baby? That’s evil,” Sage exclaimed, he face showing expression of sadness.

“The child had the power to influence great change in the supernatural world. Good and evil, to give life and to take. To cause havoc and bring peace. Depending on whose hands they are in of course. The vampires and the werewolves have been searching for that child. The vamp-wolf, the hybrid.”

Sage sighed as Xavier concluded his explanation. It was only when she finished processing the information that she remembered Xavier had called her the hybrid last night. “Do you mean me?” Sage asked, placing her hands on her chest with a questioning look on her face.

“Please do not panic. This is a truth you must accept as well,” Xavier soothed her hands.

“But I haven’t been in hiding. I’ve been living with my aunt perfectly fine in the open. I… go to school and go back home and go to school again in the open. No hiding.”

“That’s right, but the only way we would be able to know you were the hybrid was through your energy, which was sealed by your aunt.”

“Wow… what else don’t I know about myself? I mean, it would have been cool and all if I was a werewolf only, but with all those things you said about the hybrid, I think I want to go back to hiding.”

“There’s nothing for you to worry about, you’re safe with us. But you need to learn how to control that energy of yours; it could come in handy. Just because we found you doesn’t mean that the vampires have stopped their search.”

Sage didn’t want to believe what was said about her being the hybrid, but she knew it was something she would have to come to terms with sooner or later. She looked up at Xavier, her eyes filled with uncertainty and a plea for reassurance.

“Hey,” Xavier said softly, cupping her face with both hands. “We’re in this together. You’re not alone. I'll always be here for you.” they were just words, but sage cherished them so much.

She swallowed hard as she realized that her life as she knew it was changing for good. But she was glad that she wouldn’t have to go through it alone, as Xavier and his family were there for her.

****

Zayn, after listening to the reports that Kashina had shared with him, rubbed his hand down his chin repeatedly. He knew that their castle was left unguarded and could have easily been infiltrated, but never did he imagine that a witch would have the courage to come in and poison his father.

“You don’t seem to have as much power as I thought you would over your witches. No, what has happened has happened and there’s no way to reverse it.” His voice was tinged with frustration and desperation.

Kashina’s head was bowed before Zayn. ‘Is he trying to put the blame on me for his father’s poisoning?’ This angered Kashina, and it was written all over her face, but her face was not in view for Zayn to see the expression on it.

“Kashina, I hope you understand that with every passing second, my father is dying.” Zayn said, his voice breaking slightly. The thought of losing his father filled him with a sense of helplessness he rarely experienced.

“Yes, sire, but you can’t blame me for that. I went over to get the antidote, but the witch who did it had burnt herself to death. Nothing to retrieve.” Kashina replied honest.

“So you’re saying there’s absolutely no hope for my father.” Zayn’s tone was cold, but his eyes betrayed his fear and sorrow.

Kashina stared at the floor as she concluded on the decision she thought would favor her best. “All hope isn’t lost; the witch who poisoned your father had two children,” Kashina said as she pulled out the locket she had gotten from the ruins of Ericka’s home.

“There’s a chance that if I get just even one of them, I can create an antidote. Kashina, albino snake, was something that she could make from manipulating her genes. Her daughters had those same genes in them. They looked more like their mother than their father. So Kashina believed that it would be possible to create an antidote from either of them.”

Venzy took the locket from her mother to pass it to Zayn. She had scanned the photos on the locket before handing it to Zayn. Instantly, she recognized the woman whose photo was on the right of the locket. At first, the image didn't ring a bell, but she heard her mother say something about the witch burning herself along with her house. Venzy was there at that time; she had watched this particular woman set herself and her home ablaze.

“How do you suggest we find the kids now?” Zayn questioned, closing the locket and placing it in his trousers.

“If I may, sire,” Venzy chipped in. “All we need to do is to resume the search for the hybrid.”

Venzy knew that both her mother and Zayn would not understand how searching for the hybrid would lead them to capture the twins.

“Hear me out. I was on the tail of the hybrid, about to capture her. I had sent news to Soren and he instructed me to go for the capture, which I did, but I encountered the woman in the photo and her daughters also. In the end, she had caused a big distraction for me and let the hybrid escape with the twins.”

The news of the hybrid didn’t really thrill Zayn as much as it did his father. All Zayn wanted right now was to see his father in good health. If they could also capture the hybrid while searching for the twins, that would be a plus for the vampires.

“Fine.” Zayn arose from his throne. “Resume all searches for the hybrid and capture, most especially the identical twins with her.” Zayn gave the orders, his voice authoritative, determined to find the cure for his father.