Chapter 24

Cadella's POV

"Hey, Cadella!” Adina called as she jogged towards me.

I stopped walking and waited for her to catch up. She was dressed in her typical loose skirt and top. Her hair pulled back with a bandana, keeping her unruly curls from her face. I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my face at the sound of her jangling bangles. A sound that over the last week I’d associated with any movement from her. Usually small sounds like that would annoy me, but with Adina it was relaxing, like listening to wind chimes.

“Are you excited to see the pond?” She asked, slightly out of breath.

“Yes. Walk with me?” I asked.

“Of course.” She snorted.

Over the last week, the Mysterious Spirit Research Association had ending up meeting several times. They seemed to be a very active club, something that excited me. Benny had lots of stories about local legends and locations that were supposed haunted. Today was our trip to Maga Pond.

“How are you doing? You seem tired.” She asked, looking at me carefully.

“Just a long week.” I smiled.

It had been. Vasile still wasn’t back and I missed him. We spoke daily, but the calls were short and vague. Between his absence, and the reoccurring dream from when I first arrived, I wasn’t sleeping well.

“Have you been to the pond before?” I asked.

“Yes, quite frequently in fact. But most of the locals stay away from it. It’s past is very dark. Even those who don’t believe in the supernatural stay away.” She shrugged.

“Except for the Mysterious Spirit Research Association.” I grinned and bumped into her shoulder.

“We fear nothing.” She whispered with a grin.

“Good. I’m anxious to see it.” I said.

“Have you explored much this way? I know most of the tourists want to see the area, but are scared off by the tales and taxi drivers warnings.” She asked.

“Actually, yes. I visited the castle when I first got here, but I must admit I didn’t think I’d be anxious to get back in the area.” I frowned, remember how shaken I had been after the visit to the castle.

“Bad experience?” Her eyebrows drew together as she looked at me.

“Something like that.” I shrugged.

She hummed but didn’t say anything as we approached the rest of the club who were seated on a picnic table. The area was part of an older park. One that based on the appearance wasn’t the most visited but was well cared for.

“Alright, everyone is here! Welcome to Maga Park. It was originally created in the late 1400’s as a memorial to one of the great rulers, one who was rumored to be part of the local vampire clan. After some unfortunate events, it was closed. Then in the 1966 it was rehabbed and opened by the local authorities. However, after a few more events that were similar to the ones in the 1400’s the park received few visitors.” Benny said as he started to lead us deeper into the park.

“What were the events?” I asked.

“Good question, Cadella, but first let me tell you about the ruler it commemorates. Vlad the Impaler, better known as Vlad Dracul.”

“Wait, that’s who Dracula was based on.” I interrupted him.

“Yes. Dracula pulled from local lore and Dracul’s renowned violence. He was beheaded at the pond. Since then, there have been other odd things that happened around the pond.” He said as we drew up to the pond.

It was small, the diameter couldn’t have been twenty feet, but the area was beautiful. It would have been a perfect spot to stretch out with a book on a blanket. Yet, despite the beauty and draw to the area, there was no signs of wild life around it. No birds sang in the woods around it, there were no trail from animals visiting the water for food or drink.

Suddenly, an image of Vasile and I on a red checkered blanket popped into my mind. Finger foods were spread between us as we shared a bottle of red wine together. I was laughing at something he said. It was so clear, almost like more of a memory than a work of my imagination.

“There have been reports of glowing orbs hovering over the water, isolated and sudden storms. One particular storm happened in the middle of the summer in 1995, while a group was filming a movie about Vlad the Impaler. The night before filming the beheading, a snow storm happened. By the next afternoon the snow had melted because of the summer temperatures, but when a women went to dress the mannequin, she became hysterical. She ended up becoming institutionalized.” Benny said as we wandered closer to the water.

I found myself drawn to the water. As I crept forward, my reflection stared back at me. The water was still it was like looking in a mirror.

“Cadella, stop!” Adina whispered harshly as she pulled me back so hard that I fell backwards on my butt.

There’s something in you that calls to darkness.

Adina’s words from the recruitment day echoed in my mind.

“Did you touch the water?” She asked in a hushed voice.

I could only stare at her as my brain tried to catch up to what just happened. I hadn’t even known that I was that close to the waters edge. But her question made me realize that I had intended to touch the water, like something was calling me to do it.

“Cadella, did you touch the water?” She pressed.

Glancing down at myself, I noted my dry hands and clothes.

“No. I didn’t touch it.” I whispered back.

“You must never touch these waters. These waters are more powerful than people know.” She whispered so softly that I almost thought I hadn’t heard it.

The way she said people, made it sound like she knew something more. Her eyes flicked to the group then back to me. She was hiding something from the group, but wasn’t afraid to tell me. Why?

Her actions the last few meetings sprang to my mind. At the recruitment day she seemed more outgoing and less careful when she spoke. But during the meetings, she was more restrained.

“Is everything alright?” Barry asked as he came closer to where Adina hovered over me.

“Yes, I just slipped on the grass. I wasn’t paying attention. Adina was just helping me up.” I smiled as I looked to Adina.

She smiled at me as a flash of relief washed over her face and she helped me to my feet.

“I see. You should be more careful.” Barry raised his eyebrows at me before his gaze settled on Adina. “There’s also rumors that those with magic or powers use this pond to regain their energy through special rituals during the year.”

From the corner of my eye, I noticed that Adina shifted uncomfortably and turned to walk back over by Mark and Sergei. Her action put more space between Barry and herself. Was he the reason she was more reserved during the meetings?

She had seemed happy and talkative when we walked into the park together from the parking lot. But thinking back, she did quiet down after we met with the group. I had figured it was because of Barry jumped right into his stories. But was there something else going on?

My gaze fell to Benny. He seemed nice enough. He was sometimes a little too excited about the stuff we researched and explored, but I’d never sensed any bad intentions.

“Well, that’s what I know of the pond. Is there anything else that anyone else would like to add?” Barry asked, his gaze settling on Adina.

Awkward silence fell around us.

“Actually, I have a question. You seem very knowledgeable about the vampire history in the area. Have you heard anything about the vampires and demons being rivals, or at war?” I asked, the topic I’d been thinking on earlier was the first thing that came to mind as I tried to pull the attention from Adina.

But I was also curious about it. So far everything that Barry had told us didn’t say much about interaction between the races, and the dream I had when I first arrived had been stuck on my mind since I joined the club.

“No, I haven’t actually. Do you know something about it?” He asked, stepping forward, as his eyes danced with excitement at my question.

My eyes fell to Mark over Benny’s shoulder. His eyes widened and his face blanched at my question. This week we’d been quiet. Not adding to the stories, or asking questions, yet he seemed engaged and to be clinging to the what was being shared. But my question pulled the first reaction from him that I’d seen all week.

I’d crossed some invisible line I didn’t know existed.

“N-no. It just felt like there was a lot of stories told about each race, and about individuals. But very little about interactions between the races. It just seems like if we are in a separate world from them, but they should know of each other. Surely they can’t just live isolated from each other, with no interaction while they stay out of the vision of humans.” I rambled, watching as Mark’s posture seemed to relax.

“I’d never thought of that.” Benny replied, thoughtfully. “Well, then if that’s all, I’ll see you all on Monday!” Benny said as he turned and left, the rest of the group following.

After glancing back at the pond once more, I turned and started to follow. The walk back was quiet, each of us keeping to ourselves. Sergei and Adina climbed into Benny and Emilia’s car, as I pulled up the app for the taxi and submitted my request.

“Do you need a ride?” Emilia asked.

“No, I’m just waiting for mine.” I smiled as she nodded and closed her door.

I watched them leave, and turned to sit at the picnic table while I waited.

“Cadella, wait. I need to speak with you.” Mark called as he came down the path from the pond.

A wave of fear washed over me as the large man approached me. He never spoke, never reacted. Today he’d now done both. Something about this change made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.