Chapter 36 Bit her lip
“It was…” Izabella started, then bit her lip.
“Your mother,” Rose finished her sentence.
Izabella swallowed heavily. Her heart was beating inside her chest so violently that she felt like it was about to jump out and run away, leaving her with an empty shell.
“I could sense the powerful connection between the two of you,” Rose continued, as the others looked on.
Izabella could see the astonishment on Reeba’s face. That was probably the last thing she expected. Izabella wasn’t sure if Rose had anticipated any of it, not that it mattered much.
“When Reeba said you wanted to come, I said no at first,” Rose admitted.
Izabella didn’t know this. Reeba hadn’t told her.
“But, when I opened the Empress in my tarot cards that evening, I knew that I needed to stop and think again. I wasn’t listening to something important that I was being told. See, I was right,” she smiled.
That smile told Izabella that she was safe, she was among friends.
“Your mother wanted you here. She couldn’t get you here on her own, you see. No witch has that power when she crosses over. But, she made you curious. She made me rethink my decision. Your presence here is her doing, after all.”
Izabella felt another gush of tears coming on but she managed to suppress it. This was no time for crying.
“She was the keeper of the Book,” Rose continued. “When she died, she had given it to your brother for safe keeping but the real keeper of the Book is you.”
“Me?” Izabella wondered.
“Yes, you were just too little for the job when she died. So, your brother took over, until you come of age.”
“Do you know where my brother is?” she asked.
“No,” Rose shook her head. “All I know is what your mother allowed me to know. She was inside my head, my body, and my thoughts were her thoughts. It doesn’t go the other way around. I only know what she lets me see and hear. And, that wasn’t much.”
“So, you know who I am?” Izabella asked, her voice down to a whisper.
Rose looked at the other girls, then back at Izabella.
“Your secret is safe with us,” she assured her.
“What secret?” Reeba asked quickly and Rose smiled.
“Maybe you’d like to explain it to them yourself?” Rose urged Izabella.
Izabella swallowed, feeling a dry lump somewhere in her throat which wouldn’t go
away. Yes, she felt like she owed Reeba an explanation, after everything.
“My name isn’t Lucy Wing,” Izabella started, and Reeba’s eyes widened in shock. “It’s Izabella Payton.”
“Izabella Payton?” Reeba repeated her name. “Wait, your brother is Brandon Peyton?”
“Who’s that?” another girl asked.
“He’s a famous vampire slayer,” Reeba explained, eyeing Izabella suspiciously.
“What?” a few girls gasped, looking at Izabella distrustfully.
“Yes,” Reeba nodded, “and, she is as famous as he is, if not more.”
“I can explain…” Izabella started, but the look on Reeba’s face told her how deeply hurt Reeba was. “Please, just hear me out.”
“Do you have any idea of the position you just put us in?” Reeba asked, incredulously.
“Just listen to her,” Rose urged her.
“But, Rose…” Reeba started.
“Give her a chance, Reeba. Trust me. Trust your heart. Listen to what it is telling
you.”
“Fine,” Reeba snorted. “I can hear you out but I don’t have to understand.”
“I just want to explain,” Izabella pleaded.
“I’m listening.”
“My brother went missing,” Izabella started, “and so did the book. Your book. The one my mother kept safe all her life, then it was given to my brother and me, but I had no idea that my mother was a witch. I just thought that this book was important and we would give it back to whoever it belonged to. I guess I’ve been kept in the dark most of my life.”
“But, that didn’t prevent you from killing us off one by one, now did it?” Reeba hissed.
“Reeba…” Rose gently placed her hand on Reeba’s shoulder and she calmed down again.
“I only killed those who were a danger,” Izabella tried to explain her actions.
“How did you choose those?”
“She had instructions from high up,” Rose explained.
“What does that mean?”
“Reeba,” Rose smiled, “you don’t know many things. Maybe if you did, you’d understand that Izabella was actually doing us a favor.”
“A favor?” Now, it was Izabella’s turn to be surprised. “There are always good vampires and bad vampires, good people and bad people, good witches and bad witches,” Rose spoke with a kind smile, “Izabella and slayers like her only kill the ones who present a threat, to both humans and vampires.”
“Is that true?” Reeba asked, and Rose nodded.
“I always thought that was true as well,” Izabella agreed. “So, when my brother disappeared, I thought someone got him. And the book, too. You know what would happen if the book falls in the wrong hands.”
“I do,” Rose nodded and there was no more smile on her face.
“That was why I came here, to try and find my brother.”
“What makes you think he’s here?” Rose wondered.
“A source told me that Dante is planning something big. That he’s already killed a few slayers and needed the book.”
“What would he want with the book?” Rose asked.
“I heard he found the prequel.”
“Prequel?” all the girls gasped.
“But, that’s just a myth…” Rose was pale as she spoke. “Are you sure?”
“That’s what I heard,” Izabella nodded. “That he has it and needs the original.”
“Does he have the original?” Rose kept asking.
“I don’t know. My mother told me that my brother still has the book but I don’t know where he is, so I have no idea what exactly is going on. I guess, when I find my brother, I’ll know more about the book.”
“I haven’t heard any such thing,” Rose wondered aloud, more to herself than to Izabella, “but I believe you. Dante has always struck me as murky. I’ve also heard some things which didn’t make much sense at the time but, now, with this knowledge, I think you may be right. Something big is about to happen.”
“Can I count on your help?” Izabella wondered.
“Can we count on yours?” Rose asked.
“I never killed anyone who hadn’t killed someone else first,” Izabella explained again. “Even though I know that you probably heard all sorts of horrible stories about me and my brother. I assure you, I never laid a finger on anyone who didn’t deserve it.”
Rose eyed her, as if she was trying to see right through her and weigh whether she was telling the truth or not. This was one of those moments where not even being a witch could help her. A few seconds passed, and Izabella felt like she was melting under Rose’s scrutiny. She knew that there was no point in saying anything. She’d already said what she needed to say. Now, it was all up to the girls.
“Can we trust her?” Reeba asked Rose, both girls looking in Izabella’s direction.
“What do you think?” Rose asked. “What is your heart telling you?”
Reeba smiled. The wolf howled again, but now, it was so far away that it was barely audible. A few birds chirped in a nearby tree, as if woken up by the sudden noise, but immediately went back to sleep. The forest was silent, asleep. It felt safe.
“I say we trust her,” Reeba said triumphantly, and all the girls agreed.
“I knew you’d think that,” Rose exulted. “Because, we can trust her. I’m sure of that but I didn’t want to tell you that myself. You needed to feel it for yourselves.”
“Is that why we went through this ordeal?” Reeba asked, with a smile.
“I can’t make the right choices for any of you,” Rose shook her head. “That’s not my job, even as the Elder. I can guide you, but the final decision always needs to be your own.”
Instead of a reply, Izabella opened her arms and hugged Reeba. All the girls joined in and Izabella could sense that sweet minty smell in the air. She closed her eyes, and enjoyed the moment, for the first time sure that, no matter what, things would be alright in the end.