Morgan Rice - Betrayed

She felt a soft hand on her forehead. “Lean back, dear. This won’t take but a minute.”

Caitlin leaned back, and Polly reached over and put two drops from a small canister into each of Caitlin’s eyes. Caitlin felt the burning sensation, as she clutched her eyes again. She waited several seconds, then she was able to open them.

She breathed deeply, the pain gone.

“You’re one of us now,” Polly said. “You can’t get away with prancing about wherever you please, like a human. The sunlight is a real thing for you now. No joke. You must take these drops every morning,” she said, thrusting a canister into Caitlin’s hand, “and use your skin wraps, too.”

Polly inspected Caitlin’s skin. “I see you’ve already been wrapped, so that will do for now. But you have to replace them, you know, at least every few days.”

Polly took Caitlin’s arm and led her across the terrace, and down a narrow, winding stone staircase. “Come on Rose, we can’t wait all day!” Polly said.

Rose hesitated at the top, looking down at the steep staircase, then suddenly bounded to life, following close behind.

Polly laughed. “Poor thing, she’s probably famished. How long has it been since you fed her?”

Caitlin tried to think. She couldn’t even remember.

“We’ll take care of you, too,” Polly said to Rose, petting her.

As they descended the steps, Caitlin began to feel better, more like herself. She took an instant liking to Polly, and already felt as if she knew her forever. She already had a new friend, someone who clearly cared about her, and she had Rose. She also realized that she hadn’t seen daylight in days, and seeing the sun and sky lifted her spirits.

Not to mention, Polly was right. Rose needed to be fed. Things needed to happen in the real world. Life needed to go on. Yes, she would have to snap out of it, to function again. Life could indeed go on without Caleb, she realized, as painful as that felt.

As they descended the steps, Caitlin thought of all the new friends she was about to meet, and, if they were anything like Polly, she actually looked forward to it. Yes, she needed to meet new people. Anything to get the thought of Caleb out of her mind.

As they descended the stairs, twisting again and again, Caitlin was afforded a bird’s-eye view of the entire island, in every direction. It was beautiful. The stone castle and its ramparts spread out in every direction, some taller, some lower, most of it crumbling, but some of it, especially inside the courtyard, beautifully intact. There were plenty of open courtyards in every direction, planted with vibrant grass and gardens, and there were acres of land beyond the castle walls, all filled with a dense forest. The island seemed to be in a state of ruin, yet at the same time, it felt very comfortable, lived in. And everywhere, in every direction, she could see the river, sunlight glistening off the water. Fresh breezes came from every direction, and cooled her as she descended.

“Where are we?” Caitlin asked. “I mean, this island. What country are we in?”

Polly laughed playfully.

“My dear, you are disoriented, aren’t you? We are still in the good old US of A. In fact, we are still in New York. That water you see all around you, as big as it is, is not an ocean. It’s just a river. The Hudson, actually. You’re right smack in the middle of it. And not even that far from Manhattan. Just 70 miles. Or, in our mode of transportation, a twenty minute flight,” she said with a wink.

A million questions raced through Caitlin’s mind, but before she could ask, Polly began again, in her chipper tone, “This island is named Pollepel. The humans like to call it Bannerman’s Island, just because they don’t know what it’s really called, but Pollepel is the name. It’s been here since ancient times, and it’s always been a sacred place for our kind. For thousands of years, we used this place exclusively, no humans allowed. Even the Indians were scared of it: it was practically the only place in America they wouldn’t dare come. They knew that it was ours.

“Then the Dutch came along, in the 1600s, with their tall sailing ships. That’s when it got its proper name. Pollepel is Dutch for “Polly.” They named it after a young girl who got stuck on the ice and came ashore here, rescued by the man who married her. In case you’re wondering,” she said with a grin, “that’s how I got my name, too. Polly. Hope you like it. I was dropped off here as an infant. Abandoned by my parents, you might say. This coven, they took me in. In fact, this island is the only place I’ve ever known. When they dropped me here, our fellow vampires didn’t know what to name me. So they named me after this place. Some people say I am this place. Like I said, I’ve never known any place else. Not that I’d want to.

“But it’s not all about me , as I often forget,” Polly said in a rush. “There are dozens of us here, and I love them all – bratty and unruly as all of them are. We all belong to the same coven, the Pollepel Coven. One, big happy family, as they say – although we’re not that big, and most of the times, we’re not that happy with each other. That’s what living on an island will do to you. Especially when you’re all stuck in your teenage years for the rest of your lives.”

Caitlin looked down, and could see all of the teenage vampires spread out below. They were in small groups, all over the courtyards. Most of them were engaged in some sort of training – some were fighting with mock, wooden swords, others were throwing spears, pole vaulting. It almost felt like a military camp, but more relaxed.

“We are a coven of misfits,” Polly continued. “There are just 23 of us – actually, 24 now, with you here. We’re a pretty select group, I’d say. We’re all here because no one else will have us.”

“What do you mean?” Caitlin asked, finally able to get a word in. The more she talked, the more Caitlin felt at home with Polly. But it was really hard to get a word in with her. She spoke so fast, and barely took a breath.

“We’re all vampire misfits,” Polly said, matter-of-factly. “You don’t get dropped off here unless you’ve done something wrong, or are a huge pain in the ass. Unless someone, somewhere, doesn’t want you. Unless you’re on the run from something. Ours is the coven that takes you in when no one else will.

“I, for example, was dropped here as an orphan; others were dropped here because they’re half-breeds, or products of a forbidden relationship. Still others were left here because they have special powers, powers that others in the vampire world don’t understand, and won’t accept. It makes for quite fun dinner conversation, I’d say,” Rose said with another wink.

So that’s why Caleb dropped me here , Caitlin thought. No other coven would take me in. Certainly, his wouldn’t. And he didn’t know where else to bring me .

It all made sense to Caitlin now. Once again, she was the outcast. But strangely enough, this time she felt as if she fit in, as if she weren’t the only one who was odd. Maybe she could make friends here, find the community she never really had. The island was certainly beautiful enough, and she could already see herself feeling at home here. Maybe even, over time, she might stop thinking about Caleb. After all, what other choice did she have?

They entered the courtyard of the huge castle, and Polly led her through the training grounds, past several vampires. Caitlin fell a familiar nervousness in her stomach, as if she were showing up at her first day at a new school. She realized she was nervous to meet these people; she hoped that they liked her.

“This is Tyler and Taylor,” Polly said, gesturing. “Vampire twins. You don’t see that often. Their coven didn’t want them, so they ended up here. Good for us. They are some fighters. And while we always know what each other is thinking, those two really know what each other are thinking.”