Heather Brewer - Tenth Grade Bleeds

“Where did you get a Slayer coin, Vladimir?”

Vlad shrugged. “It belonged to Joss. I found it.”

Otis nodded, looking somewhat troubled by the coin’s presence.

Vlad slipped the coin back into his pocket, then looked at his uncle. “How long will you stay?”

“ Vladimir, you’ve asked me that every day I’ve been here. And every day I have told you that I await Vikas’s letter advising me on what to do next. As his letter hasn’t yet arrived-” His words broke off and his eyes flicked to Nelly suddenly, as if he’d heard something in her thoughts that disturbed him.

With a sigh, Nelly pulled a thick parchment envelope from her apron pocket. “I was going to wait until after dinner to give this to you. It arrived yesterday.”

Otis’s eyes moistened for a moment. “I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, Nelly. You mustn’t think such things about me.”

Nelly dried her eyes on her apron and gave Otis’s arm a squeeze as she handed him the letter. “I know. I just… hoped you’d change your mind and stay.”

Vlad remained quiet, both in speech and in thought. The very idea of Otis leaving again was breaking his heart.

Otis opened the envelope and read Vikas’s letter, his eyes not betraying even a hint of what was on the page. With a contented sigh, he folded the letter up and placed it back in the envelope. “ That’s that, then.”

Before his uncle could say anything else, Vlad stood and left the room. It was too much for him to bear, losing Otis over and over again like this. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair.

But the moment his foot hit the bottom step, Otis called with his thoughts. “A word, if you would, Vladimir.”

Vlad hesitated, but finally returned to the kitchen. Nelly had her arms around Otis and was squeezing him tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks. Vlad filled with venom, suddenly furious that Otis was breaking her heart like this again. Clearly, she loved Otis, and all he seemed to do was hurt her. Vlad balled his fists and glared at his uncle.

Otis slid the letter across the table and brushed Nelly’s tears away with gentle kisses. Vlad opened the letter and read.

Dear Otis,

I trust this letter finds you well. I apologize deeply for my delay, but your recent adventures with the president of the Stokerton council have caused quite a stir in all of Elysia-indeed a stir that will not be easily settled, I think-and I have been engaged in numerous council meetings all over the world, discussing your fate and pleading with our brethren for a moment of open-mindedness.

And so it is with enormous pleasure that I write to share with you this happy news. It has been decided by six of the nine councils that you should be entrusted to my care until your trial. The Stokerton council was less than pleased with this decision, of course, which isn’t surprising in the least, considering the torment that you and your nephew have bestowed upon D’Ablo, who I am sad to report is still alive and recovering, but for his severed hand. It troubles me greatly that the Stokerton council has agreed that even though he is scarred, D’Ablo should be allowed to continue his presidency until this matter is resolved. This, as you know, is a very strange move. D’Ablo’s deformity is a disgrace. If he were any other vampire, he would be banished from Elysia and shunned. Why should our laws, our traditions bend at the will of one vampire? I can assure you that there are many in the other councils who will be watching this situation with great interest. I, for one, would like to know what he hopes to accomplish.

Your trial is set to take place in ten months’ time. A trial date for young Vladimir has not yet been discussed, but I do not think it will be long before the subject is breached. In the meantime, I will be relocating on a temporary basis to Bathory, so that you may enjoy your nephew’s company for a while longer. As none of us know what your fate will be post-trial, I think it would be best for you two to be close.

I look forward to tutoring Vladimir once again, and to seeing you when I arrive in the fall. Please secure lodgings for myself and my faithful drudge, Tristian.

Until we meet again… be well, my old friend.

In Brotherhood,

Vikas

Vlad read the letter again and again. The second and even the third time were barely enough to make it sink in. Otis was staying. And what’s more, they would be joined by Vikas in the fall. Vlad wouldn’t be the only vampire living in Bathory anymore. He’d have a family beyond anything that Nelly had ever been able to give him. He’d have people who really understood what it was to thirst for blood and hide your fangs in public. People who could relate to him in a way that no one else in town, not even Henry, could.

So what was with the hot ball of tension forming in Vlad’s stomach?

Vlad looked at Otis, who seemed to be waiting for his glance. “You’re staying?”

Otis nodded once, a look of uncertainty crossing his eyes. “If you want me to.”

As the initial shock wore off, Vlad couldn’t think of anything he’d want more. His vision blurred with tears, but he brushed them away with the back of his hand and cleared his throat. “It’s more than that, Otis. I don’t just want you to stay. I need you to stay.”

He glanced at Nelly as she left the room in search of tissues. “ We need you to stay.”

Otis stepped closer to Vlad, putting a strong hand on his shoulder. His eyes brimmed with warmth and sincerity. “All that I have done to wrong you-not accepting you initially because of your mother’s human blood, leaving you to face D’Ablo alone, abandoning you when you needed my council most-I will make amends. That I promise you, Vladimir.”

Vlad nodded, overcome by emotion. He knew Otis would make it right, and he would finally have the comfort of his only living relative being close by. He released a shuddering breath and said, “ Thank you, Otis. For everything, but especially this.”

Otis embraced him tightly, then patted his back and let him go. Vlad had never felt so loved.

Otis smiled. “Don’t thank me yet. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

As Vlad raised his eyebrows, Otis set the Encyclopedia Vampyrica on the table and flipped it over. Then, with a small, moist cloth, Otis wiped the back cover, removing a glyph Vlad had not realized was there. Vlad flashed him a questioning glance, and Otis grimaced. “You have not been able to read any passages that contain the word Pravus. I confess, this is my doing. I hadn’t thought you were ready. I didn’t want your thoughts clouded by this fairy tale. But, after all you’ve been through and all you’ve learned, I feel you are in a position to decide for yourself what to believe in.”

Otis swallowed hard and held Vlad’s gaze. “Please… accept an old fool’s apology.”

Vlad shook his head. “ There’s no reason to apologize, Otis. You were protecting me. I get it.”

Otis relaxed visibly. “Why don’t we celebrate my new residency over a glass of O positive? Nelly can mull some later. For now, we drink.”

Vlad offered a one-shoulder shrug. “Actually… I’m not all that hungry.”

It hadn’t seemed like a remark worth Otis’s reaction, but nevertheless, his uncle furrowed his brow and leaned closer, as if they were about to share a dire secret. “Is there something you wish to share with me, Vladimir?”

“What do you mean?”

Otis wet his lips, as if searching for the right words. “Before I left you those months ago, you were famished at every turn. But now… you seem satiated somehow. Would you care to tell me why that is?”