Chapter 4

I spent two weeks locked in my room, I never saw any one, but everyday a tray of food would appear on the table next to the door. Most of the time I never ate it. I hadn't eaten in five days and I have cried myself to sleep every night. I had been spending most of my time mindlessly reading the books in my small but useful library. At time I would play games on the computer and surf the internet but I could never really get myself to actually be interested in anything I had become deeply depressed , but I had no reason to try and pull myself out of it. Who knew how long I would be left on my own up here. Did anyone care? I had stopped trying to find an answer to those questions after my third day here.

I decided to go and watch some T.V.. I sat down on the couch flipping through the channels and finally left it on MTV. Some how they got channels from the U.S here. (Wherever here was.) I watched the music videos and just laid there. Back home I would sing and dance along with the videos but I had now want to now. I hadn't been able to sing since my parents died , I didn't really want to any more. In a way I think that they took my voice with them. Singing had been something that my parents had really supported me in it wouldn't be the same without them here for me.

I heard my door click so I sat up I figured that I would see a tray of food placed on the table next to the door but instead Tyler walked in.

" Sarah your Uncle want to see you. " he looked at me and seemed shocked I wasn't sure why.

" Why dose he want to see me?"

" I am not sure he just asked that you be brought down to the garden."

" I get to go outside?" I had not been allowed out side in two weeks the day after I arrived I woke up and found the my balcony doors had been locked and sealed shut. The closets I had come to the outdoors was standing next to my windows.

Tyler looked around he lifted the lid off of the tray that had been brought to me last night, I had not touched it.

" Sarah when was the last time you ate?"

" I don't know a couple of days ago why?" He didn't say anything just stared at me.

" Lets go down and see your uncle."

" Fine." I stood up, but too fast my self depravation of food had started to catch up with me. The motion made me dizzy I started to fall over.

"Whoa" Tyler caught me and stood me up again

"Are you alright?"

"I am fine just a little light headed."

I began walking out of my room. I wondered why it was that my uncle had suddenly decided to acknowledge my existence and call me to him. As we walked down the stairs Tyler made sure to keep one step in front of me probable afraid that I would faint and fall down the stairs, but I didn't we walked down to the front hall and Tyler showed me the way to the garden. The sun outside was so bright with no walls or windows to block it. I had to squint until my eyes got used to it. I saw my uncle sitting at a table in the garden. There was some food and lemonade on the table. Tyler pulled out a chair for me I sat down. He went over to my Uncle and whispered something in his ear. Uncle Arthur nodded and Tyler left.

" Sarah you don't look well dear. How are you feeling ?"

" I am fine."

" When was the last time you ate?"

" I don't know. I haven't been very hungry." I knew what he wanted me to say but I would not give him the satisfaction of the truth.

" Sarah I am worried about you. I realize that I have not made it very easy for you here. Your Aunt suggested that you might enjoy some fresh air, which is why I asked you down here."

" I t is nice to be outside." I suspected that he wanted a bit more of a reaction but I had no energy to put on an act. I watched my uncle as he looked me over.

" You are not happy here." It was more a statement than a question, I didn't answer I wasn't sure how.

" I have been trying for the past two weeks to figure out how to explain all that needs to be explained. I promised you that I would and I am going to try but for so long I have pushed all of our family history out of my mind because much of it is too painful to reflect on. Some things are hard for me to talk about."

" I understand, but all I want to know is why you hate me so much… I mean…" He interrupted me by putting up his hand up.

" Sarah do you really think that I hate you?"

" Well… yeah I mean ever since I got here you have been distant. This is only the second time I have talked to you and I spend all day locked up stairs…. It kinda makes a person feel like they are not wanted." I watched as his face softened

" Oh Sarah I don't hate you, I could never hate you. You are my niece my only real remaining link to my sister, Sarah I love you, no hate you. I am afraid that you are here and yet happy at the same time. I am not sure how to protect you. I know that locking up may not be the best way but it was the only thing I could think of."

" So you are not mad that I am here?"

" No of course not. I amazed at you and I am sorry that I wasn't around to watch you grow up, but it probably was for the best."

" I don't understand why was it for the best that you were not in my life?"

" I wouldn't expect you to understand. Sarah I am going to try and explain all of this to you, some of what I am going to tell you is going to sound completely crazy but it is all true. You may not believe me but I need you to try and keep an open mind about all of it, and try not to interrupt me. Do you understand?"

" Yes."

" Okay I guess I should start with you. Sarah you rarely get hungry right?"

" Yes."

" And when you do eat you prefer warm tomato soup or rare meat right?"

I was confused for someone who had never known me as a child he sure knew a lot about my eating habits.

" Yes but…"

" Please let me finish. You can smell blood and track it down cant you."

The picture of the rabbit came to my mind had it been the blood that had brought me to that rabbit? And what about Mark why had I reacted so weird to his blood.

" Sarah did you hear me?"

" Oh sorry I was thinking about what you said."

" And?"

" Yes I guess I can smell blood and I do have a weird reaction to it but I still…."

" I thought so. Sarah your aversion to the sun, does it have any real reason for it?"

" No not really … well there was one time I remember I was little and I went out in the sun. I remember my skin getting really red and itchy like a bad sun burn .. but it never happened again."

" Was your mother with you when you got burnt?"

" No she was away on a trip. After she came back and heard what happened she never let me out of her sight and I didn't really go in the sun any more. I never really said anything about it because it made me different ."

" That is understandable, but Sarah you are different , think about everything that you have said. You are rarely hungry you like thing that either have testable blood or have the texture of blood. The scent of blood attracts you and the sun hurts you."

" What are you trying to tell me? I am a vampire?"

" Half- Vampire to be correct."

I was so confused I thought that he was going to explain things to me.

" Why cant you just tell me the truth?"

" Sarah I am telling you the truth. I know this may be hard for you to understand, maybe this will help."

I watched as he picked up a knife that was on the table. I wondered what he was going to do. But before I could ask he plunged it in to his chest.

" NO!" I screamed and jumped up out of my chair.

" It is alright Sarah just stay back and watch."

I couldn't stand back and watch my uncle die. I walked closer determined to help.

"Sarah STAY BACK!" I became horrified and panicked as I watched my uncles eyes turn from blue to yellow. His eyes looked like cat eyes. Again I tried to help him.

" STAY BACK!" The low growl that was now coming from my uncle frightened me. He pulled the knife out and took a drink from the glass in front of him. I was surprised at how little blood was coming from the wound. I stared at the quarter sized wound and watched as it slowly shrank , until it completely disappeared. The skink under his torn shirt was back to normal no sign that anything had happened. His eyes turned back to blue and he stopped growling, His breathing returned to normal and he once again took a drink from the glass in front of him like nothing had happened.

" Wha… How… What just happened? You should be bleeding to death, dying . What happened?""

" Would you like me to die?""

" NO. Of course not.. but I don't understand why you are not."

" Well Sarah that is quite simple. I couldn't possibly be dying right now because technically I am already dead."

" Y-you're a vampire." I finally realized everything that he was trying to tell me.

" And so am I"

" Well like I said you are only half vampire. Your mother was a vampire everyone here in Caraval is a vampire which is why it is not safe for you to walk around Caraval on your own. While your mother was a vampire your father was not you are technically human but you have some vampire traits. Although you rarely get hungry you still need to eat food as can be seen by your appearance right now.

I have kept my distance because you are human , I have been trying to gain control of myself so that I wouldn't kill you. The way you smell … well it is unusual your scent is strong maybe it is because of the fact that you have some vampire in you . I am not sure but what I do know is that everyone on this island knew you were here from the minuet you stepped off the plane, I watched my people as they grew hungry but I had told them that you were coming so they all restrained them selves. "

" I… I don't know what to say. I mean it surely explains a lot of things, but if everyone here is a vampire why did my mother leave?"

" Simple , for the most part every one here on the island abstains from feeding on humans and since there have never been any humans on the island it is never a temptation here, but they are allowed to leave and when they leave the island the laws of caraval do not restrain them any more. I can not control what they feed on when they are away. Your mother would frequently take trips away from Caraval, it was on one of theses trips that she met your father. I remember how happy she was when she came back. As you can imagine it is hard for a vampire to find love outside of Caraval but your mother did. She frequently left we wouldn't see here for weeks sometimes months, but one day she came home packed up her things and said she was leaving for good. Our parents had been killed on their last trip out of Caraval and she said she had no reason to stay anymore. She was in love and was getting married. I begged her to stay I was afraid that I would lose her to the hunters just as I had my parents. But she knew that she was going to marry your father and she also knew that she could never bring him here so she left.

About two years after she left she suddenly showed up again. This time her stomach was noticeably larger everyone here was shocked and no one understood how it was possible. A vampire has never been able to conceive a child before your mother was scared she looked through all of our books but to my knowledge she found nothing. She left after a few days and I neither heard from or saw her again. I didn't even know if you had survived until I got that call from Mr. Smith. When he told me that my sister and brother in law had died and that I was named as guardian for their daughter I was shocked."

" So my mother left because she loved my father."

" Yes she did. She knew it was not safe for him here so she went to live in his world. I was scared to death when she left. I knew the world outside of here was not safe for her."

" Why.. I mean she was a vampire."

" That is exactly why it is not safe. Even vampires are not invincible. You see we may be predators but we are also prey. There is a coven of vicious half breed Vampires that roam out side in the mortal human world. They are really the only threat to us. But they hate any one who is not like them, and especially our family. There is a deep hatred between our family and theirs and they find us weak because we chose to feed on animals and not be like them. They are disgusting creatures , murderers who feed on who or whatever they want."

" But why do they hate us so much?"

" I don't really know, I am not sure than any of us do. I do know that it has been going on for centuries. I know I don't look very old but I am actually almost 300 years old. My parents went over to America in some of the first waves of English settlers , but when their ship came over it brought over the beginnings of the hunters the first family in their coven. They had heard about the new world and were getting tired of where they were they were looking for new feeding grounds and they found them. Despite what history might say I now know that most of the people that dies on the passage over did not die of some disease they were fed on, killed by the monsters who grew too hungry to wait.

Once the ship landed nothing seemed to have followed of the deaths on the way over. Years went by and while there were no attacks on the settlers the hinter chose to feed on the Indians that were around. In the time that there was peace my parents started their family. My mother had made friends with one of the hunters unbenocened to her. In the end it was this friendship that brought this plague on our family. One night when I was about thirteen they came to our house and attacked my parents. Your mother was about seven and Gwen she was just a baby, maybe a year old it is hard to remember. We had two other siblings William who was seventeen and Abby who was eleven. For some reason they killed them but did not touch Cordila, Gwen or I. For three terriable days I watched my parents change. I did my best to take care of my sisters. Right after my parents had changed, transformed I was terrified of them but they soon returened to their human forms .

Looking back now I think that the hunters left the three of us for our parents to feed on but they did not count on the power a parents love can have. They held back and fed on animals. Soon we had to go in search of a new place to live and my father found this island , we built our house here. Slowly others came and named my mother and Father king and Queen of the island.""

" But if you were not bitten then how did you become a vampire?"

"Ah yeas that.. Well after so many years of living here and being kept away from humans I decided that I wanted to go out and explore a bit. O went back to America and while I was there I ran in to the hunters that had killed Abby and William. I had been en years but I could remember them as plain as day. I tried to fight them ( a dumb idea) I was still just a human no matter how many vampires I had grown up with. I was bitten ironically in the same town where my family had been attacked. I spent three days in agony as I turned.

When I finally had the strength to make the trip home I came back. My mother was so frightened by me that it took her w week to even be able to look at me. After my experience none of us were allowed to leave Caraval and my parents decided that when Cordila and Gwen were around my age they would tun them too. I was their attempt to preserve our family. When cordial was 20our parents turned her and when Gwen was 27 she too was turned. And then you basically know the rest."

I sat there trying to soak everything in. So many things now made so much sense but who where the hunters? My uncle seemed to be able to read my mind because he answered my question.

" The hunters is actually just a name for the coven. They are actually Vampire wolf half-breeds. My parents spent most of their lives hunting down and killing as many hunters as they could. It is because of this that our families hate each other so much. This is why I was so afraid when cordial left. Caraval is the one safe place for a vampire. We can walk about in the sun and the hunters can not set foot on the island. But now that I have had time to think about it I know why your parents sent you here."

" Because of the hunter?"

" Yes , Your father may have died in that car crash but only a hunter would be able to kill your mother. They must have found her. The knew that if your mother was killed then the risk of sending you here were far less then leaving you unprotected out there."

" My parents said that they were taking care of some important business. I thought that they were just tying up loose ends before we left for the U.S."

" You were going to America?"

" Yeah on a family vacation."

" I think that it is more likely that you mom was going to tell you about all of this over your vacation. But do you understand everything that I have told you?"

" Yes I do. And I feel a lot better knowing that you don't hate me."

He took a deep breath . My hand was sitting on the table he patted it. " Oh Sarah I am sorry that I ever made you think that I hated you. But I really was just trying to protect you. I hope you know that I would give my life to make sure that you were safe, you are really the only family I have left … aside from Elizabeth that is. "

" Well where is Aunt Gwen?"

" No one really knows. She left shortly after Elizabeth and I got married . she calls every once in a while but never really says where she is. She says that it is for the better. But not a day goes by that I don't worry about her."

" Does she know about my parents?"

" Yes she does. She actually called me right after I heard. Your mom and Gwen always had a special bond which only grew stronger when they became vampires. She really wants to meet you but she is afraid to come back home."

" Why?"

" I don't really know. she has always felt like a bit of an out cast. Most vampires can get a sense of peoples thoughts but she never could although she does have the ability to go in to someone's mind and see what they are seeing. Each vampire has some sort of special ability whether it be mind reading, premonitions, even greater strength or something else everyone has something that sets us apart from each other."

" So what is your power?"

" I can read minds"

" That explains it."

" Explains what?"

" How it is that you seem to know things when I don't say them."

" Oh yes well with you things are a bit harder for me to hear. I suspect that you mother taught you to block mind intrusions with out you even knowing it. I have to really concentrate to hear your thoughts most of the time I cant. Listening to you actually takes a lot out of me makes me sick."

" I see."

" I do try and not listen in on peoples thought, it is very intrusive a persons mind holds a lot of their secrets and I try not to intrude on that."

" I wouldn't like to have some one listening in on my thoughts." I hoped that he would get the hint. I didn't really like the idea of him being able to hear what I was thinking. My thoughts right now were rather scattered and mean. So I would feel bad if he heard something that I didn't really mean.

" Oh don't worry Sarah trying to focus in on your thoughts takes too much energy."

" Well I guess that is good"

He laughed " Alright Sarah I will make you a deal. Your doors will be unlocked during the day and you will be allowed to walk around the palace but you must stay on the palace grounds. At night your doors will be locked though just because that is when the hunger and the want to hunt is the strongest. But in return for this you must eat at least once a day. Is that a deal?"

I thought it over I was starting to get cabi9n fever being locked upstairs all day I would like to be able to be outside but food? I hated the fact that I needed to eat when I had no will to eat I could just agree but only eat when I felt like it. Uncle Arthur began to laugh.

" Oh no we will have none of that. I can tell when you haven't eaten, you smell different."

" Hey! I thought that you weren't going to read my thoughts"

" Well I figured that you might try something sneaky so I listened to make sure that you were going to totally agree."

" I am sorry it is just …. I don't know I guess I am still trying to deal with losing my parents. Certain things are just hard to deal with , but I guess for your sake I will eat."

He watched me carefully then smiled.
" Thank you, That is exactly what I wanted to hear."

He pushed a plate with tomato soup and a sandwich on it toward me.

" We will start with lunch today."

I carefully took the plate and began to eat it. I hadn't eaten in so long that when the food hit my stomach it growled to life. But the pain that it caused me made me stop eating.

" What is wrong ? " Arthur looked at my half empty bowel of soup and the untouched sandwhich. " You have not finished eating"

" My stomach hurts. I don't think I can eat any more."

" Well alright why don't you go and lay down for a while, give yourself a chance to rest and catch up with your self. I will be up to check on you later."

I stood to leave as I did so did Uncle Arthur. He came toward me and engulfed me in a hug . He was so strong and smelled wonderful. He seemed a bit cold for how long we had been sitting in the sun, but it made sense considering he was a vampire.

" I am glad that I have you Sarah, I don't know if I could get through losing Cordila if you were not here. Your mother would be proud of how you have handled all of this."

The mentioning of my mothers name made a lump grow in my thought, How could she have kept something like this from me for so long? I wanted to be angry but I couldn't bring myself to be angry at my mother or my father. Uncle Arthur was right she had loved me.. they both did they tried to protect me and I couldn't blame them for that.

I gave my uncle a squeeze and I pulled away.

" Alright you go upstairs and lay down for a bit. I already had Tyler unlock your doors. I will be up to check on you in a little while."

I nodded smiled and walked off back to the palace and back up to my room. Talking with my uncle had lifted a lot off of my chest , although I wasn't really happier now, I knew that I was wanted here and for the first time I could see myself being happy here. I could see myself thinking of Caraval as my home. Even though I knew that I was surrounded by danger every second of the day living on an island full of vampires that strangely didn't bother me. I know felt a connection to my mother like she was here with me watching over me as I walked through the halls of her childhood home.

This time when I went up to my room I could feel the breeze coming from it. The air no longer was musty but filled with the scent of the ocean. I had been spending most of my time in shorts and tee-shirts so I just crawled in to my bed. I didn't realize just how tired I was until I laid down. It was times like this that I wished that Mark was here, but I hadn't talked to him at all since my first day in caraval. I had not called him and he had not called me. once again I fell asleep to dreams of Mark and my home.