Legacy Forgotten

Chapter 7

Ailis could not believe what just happened. Kenneth was a vampire and a murderer. Kind of. No matter which way she thought about it, she couldn't be sorry about it. She was confused. Her brain was telling her one thing and her heart was telling her another. The terrible thing was, she knew she was falling in love with him and could do nothing about it. Maya would flip out on her. Play with them, Hell Yeah but never fall in love with them. Maya would lecture her. She heaved a sigh. I tried to heed your advice girl. I really did, she said silently to the image of her friend in her mind.

After her shower she left the bathroom through the door that led to her grandmother's room. She did not think she could see Kenneth like that.

That was another reason that she was so unsure about this. He could never leave during the day. She was very pleased with herself for being able to let him see the sunrise. She was so glad that she had the contractor go ahead and make the plans to finish the windows on the house and to apply the UV protection to the enclosure around the pool. She smiled at the thought that soon he would be able to swim in the pool under the sun and not be burned to death. Vampires may not be able to stand the UV rays but modern science had come along way. One day he may be able to just walk in the sun with the right skin cream.

She sat on the edge of her grandmother's bed staring at her reflection in the mirror of the antique bureau door. Suddenly her grandmother's words came back to her. "What you seek, lies behind your reflection." She jumped up and ran to the bureau and snatched the door open. She flung all the clothes out and found nothing.

She flopped back down on the bed all but laughing at herself for listening to the voice of a dead woman she'd heard in her head. As she was getting up to leave she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Upon further inspection she saw that the back wall of the bureau was two different colors. Almost as if a small piece of the original was cut out and replaced.

Ailis began to knock on various places on the back wall. And found that the spot that was a different color had a hollow sound. She tried to find a seam but to no avail. She finally decided to pull the bureau from the wall and when she looked at it from behind she saw a definite crack. After a few minutes and the help of a screwdriver she broke the board free. At first she could see nothing through all of the dust. Then she saw a small leather bound book wrapped in a plastic bag. She reached in and took it out unwrapped it and blew the dust off. On the front in old lettering it read, Journal. Ailis turned to the first page and read the inscription.

***

My Ailis, I have left you this account of my life in the hopes that it will help you with your ultimate decision. All my love, Abuela Carmelita.

***

"Ultimate decision." Ailis said sarcastically out loud. Always riddles. Can't she just ever come out and say what she means?" Ailis turned the page and kept reading.

***

The year was 1882 and I was engaged to the son of a wealthy conquistador. I was 13, but in those days that was a common age to be married.

***

Ailis was lost already. Who was this story about? It couldn't be her grandmother. Carmelita was old but only 89 when she passed away. This had to be a joke of some kind. Yet, she continued out of pure interest.