Liverpool, England, December 23, 1840
“Oh, Father. Why did we have to move again? Why can’t we permanently settle down somewhere,” said Summer, her facial features holding the eternal youth of a late teenager. She was complaining about how they had to uproot from their beautiful waterfront home in Italy where they stayed for only a short time.
Over the past few centuries they had moved many times and on each trip they planted temporary roots that lasted twenty years at most. This may have seemed like a long time to some people, but for Summer twenty years wasn’t long enough to be settled in one place and call it home. Home was a place were you lived all your life and could enjoy every moment there for the years you had to live.
Rystique leaned up against the doorframe with his arms crossed, intensely watching the father-daughter scene.
“You know the answer to that,” The First said tucking his daughter into her soft, feathery new bed with dark blue satin sheets. Even though Summer was over three hundred years old, Kayleb made sure that she was snuggled safely into bed every night. He was adamant not to lose his only daughter, the last reminiscence of his first true love, and seeing her to sleep was one of the ways he was able to keep a close watch over her.
Summer didn’t mind this fatherly act of being seen to bed, and on occasion when they would be away from each other at day, she found it extremely hard to fall asleep without her father to settle her in for an active day of dreaming.
Kayleb had wanted more children and had tried with Chassity many times, even going all night. But after Summer was born, Chassity wasn’t capable of bearing future offspring. It seemed to The First like God had His hand on things after all and allowed a vampire to have only one child, by natural reproduction, in his lifetime. But on the other hand, he had never been with another woman in that way since his wife was murdered. His love for her was still too great and the pain of her loss was very close to his heart.
At times he regretted not making her like him so that she may be by his side always, however, he had too much respect for Chassity and who she was to want to change her.
Summer rolled her eyes. “I know. Because if we stay too long in one place everyone will be suspicious of our ageless appearance. Of course it won’t stop there and they will wonder about other things, or so you have said. And we must always stay together in case one of us should be in need of help...”
But then we have stuck together before and we lost two loved ones that way. She said this last line to herself with thoughts of her mother and Jacob playing in her head.
“If you know the line so well, why do you keep asking?”
“Because I get tired of making new friends and then having to leave them without hopes of ever seeing them again.”
“I understand how you feel and I’m sure Rystique is going through the same thing. I pray that both of you see I’m doing this to protect us. Our relocating will also help to throw off the Demon Hunters and discourage them from their hunt.”
“We do see it your way, Kayleb, but it’s hard sometimes,” said Rystique entering the room. “We know it cannot be easy for you either.”
“It isn’t. I have left people behind too, but perhaps someday we will find a nice place to live and we’ll settle there for the rest of our lives. But until then, I want you to get some sleep. We are to attend a Christmas Party tonight at eight, so it is best that we are rested.”
“Yes, all right. Goodnight, Father,” she said giving him a hug and a kiss.
“Sleep well, darling,” he said returning the affectionate gestures.
