Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Dr. Isolde McNeil

 

When I finally woke, I was my own bed with Alex’s arms still wrapped around me.

“When did we get home?” I asked groggily

“About three hours ago.  I didn’t want to wake you,” he replied softly.

“What did you do to me on the plane?” I asked as I woke up more.

“I guess you could say I hypnotized you.  In a way that’s just what we call it.  I used the suggestive power of my voice and the relaxing quality of my sent to lull you to asleep.  That’s what we do to human prey.  If George had done that to you, you would have been out in seconds. With me it took a bit longer because I’m not yet a full vampire.  Although I’m just as effective as George, but I wasn’t sure how long you would be out for.” He gave me a crooked smile as I sat up.  I ran my fingers through my hair trying to clear my head, then I remembered my reflection yesterday and how strangely I looked.

“Do I still look like a ghost?” I asked wide-eyed with worry as I looked into his eyes.

“No. You are back to normal.  You’re a bit pale but certainly not opaque, like earlier.  You really had us worried, that’s why we rushed home.  We were actually planning on spending a night in Miles City, but we didn’t think it would be safe.” His voice was still laced with concern.  My stomach took that opportunity to growl loudly, I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

“I guess I should get something to eat.  We don’t have steak by any chance do we?” I asked sheepishly looking at my hands, but secretly hoping to satisfy that craving.

Alex gave me a big grin and nodded.

“How do you want it done?” he laughed.

“Medium rare, but more on the rare side, if you please,” I replied with a smile.  I got up slowly to test out my balance and then went to the washroom to wash my face and brush my hair. Overall, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck, but Alex was right.  I didn’t see any sign of that haunted-looking girl from yesterday when I looked in the mirror.  When I walked back into the room, Alex put gathered me into his arms and held me tightly for a minute.  I sighed quietly, perfectly content.  He then swung me up into his arms and carried me to the kitchen.

“I can walk you know,” I looked sideways at him, only slightly annoyed.

“I’m aware of that but I enjoy annoying you and I love seeing you blush.  Unfortunately for me, it didn’t work this time,” he smiled as he sat me on a chair.

“How are you feeling?” Katie asked as she and Max entered the room.

“Okay, I think.  I’m more hungry than anything else.” I looked at all their worried faces.  It was really hard to look at everyone; they were all so worried about these strange changes in me that came on suddenly and went away just as fast.

“I’ve called a friend of mine to come and check you out.  She’s a doctor, and has been for about a hundred years, and we are hoping she might be able to shed some light onto your unique situation,” Max said watching me cautiously for my reaction.

“She’s a vampire,” I stated bluntly.

“No, not exactly.  She’s an anomaly.  She’s human, but her parents are vampires.  She doesn’t age at the same rate as humans do, but she still ages.  However, her life span is undetermined.  At any rate, I think she’s very interested in meeting you.  She’ll be here tomorrow.” Max explained as Alex pulled the steak out of the fridge.  The smell of it was overpowering to me; I realized I could have eaten it raw as my stomach growled in response to the intense smell.  Max and Katie smiled at me, amused, but certainly not surprised at my reaction.

“When did you last feed this poor girl Alex?” Katie demanded.

“Last night I think,” I replied absently as he lightly spiced the steaks.

“If you expect to keep her around, you should be taking better care of her.” Katie took the steak from him and walked out to the deck and put them on the barbeque.  She returned to the kitchen and started making the rest of dinner.  Alex crossed his arms and glared at her.  Katie was unfazed.

“I don’t care what your excuses are Alex.  Anna needs to eat at least three times a day and you are slacking!” she teased.  He glowered at her.  I stifled a giggled.  He looked at me in disbelief that I would take her side.

“Don’t blame him.  Alex was rather preoccupied with my ghost like appearance at the time.” I grinned at him and winked.

 

Alex, Will, Cassy, Lizzy and I ate dinner in the kitchen while Max, Katie, George and Stephan watched.  If someone had been watching us they would think that we were just sitting down to a regular evening meal.  Our dinner conversation was light and relaxed, leaving the more serious issues to be discussed later.

“I’d like to start going through everything I brought back tomorrow.  I’m not exactly sure what I have, so it may take a few days,” I commented to the group.

“We’ll help, of course!  That way it won’t take as long,” Lizzy said cheerfully.

“Thanks, I’d like that,” I smiled gratefully at her.

“I think you should get to bed early tonight Anna.  I know you feel fine, but I think it would be prudent if you had as much rest as possible over the next few weeks,” Katie said using her motherly no-nonsense voice.  I nodded in agreement.

“How was the assembly at the school?” I questioned, interested in the answer.

“The memorial will be held in two weeks at the school.  The family wants time to grieve on their own before they deal with everything else.  No one even realized that Lizzy wasn’t you, she apparently does a very good impersonation of you.” Max looked fondly at her.

“Should I be worried?” I teased.

“I don’t think so,” Stephan smiled “She’s pretty good, but she can’t blush the way you do and if anyone was really paying attention, they would have figured it out.” He teased Lizzy. She glared back at him and stuck her tongue out like a four year old.  We all started laughing.  We talked quietly for the rest of the evening, discussing the upcoming memorial for Jeff.

 

It was raining out this morning.  A cool breeze was coming in through the open window and I stretched luxuriously and listened to the birds singing.  It was peaceful and joyful music, the birds sounded as though they were playing happily with one another.  A little while later there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” I said quietly.

“Anna, you awake yet?” Lizzy asked as she stepped into the room.  I rolled onto my side grabbed Alex’s pillow and buried my face in it.  Inhaled deeply. I sighed, missing him; Alex had gone hunting last night and wasn’t back yet.  Lizzy put her hand on her hip and started tapping her foot as she arched her perfectly sculpted brow at me.

“Are you just going to lie there until he comes home?” she demanded teasingly.

“Yup, that’s my plan,” I answered smugly.  Her eyes narrowed and a split second later she dove onto the bed landing on me. I groaned.

“Not happening! Get up lazy bones we got stuff to do!” Lizzy happily beamed at me happily.

“You truly enjoy torturing people in the morning don’t you?” I asked moaning as I slowly rolled over shoving her off me.

“Of course! It’s fun!  Especially when the tormentee is not a morning person,” she was so happy it was really annoying.

The next thing I knew I was being attacked by a pillow.  So what could I do but defend myself?  I grabbed my pillow and swung it at Lizzy and that’s when the pillow fight started.  We were giggling loudly and beating each other soundly with the fluffy softness when suddenly the pillows exploded into a white cloud of feathers.  We sat there convulsing with laughter as the white down drifted throughout the room.  She took in the scene and chuckled softly.

“Girls, I think you had better clean up this mess before Alex gets home,” she smiled.

“Later. I need a shower and I’m starving,” I replied.

“No problem. I’ll put some eggs on,” Katie said as she left the room.

Lizzy dashed out of the room after Katie.  I sighed, surveying the mess.  It looked like it had snowed in Alex’s room.  I shook my head jumped into the shower.  I got clean and food first.  Priorities.

I turned the water off, put my robe on and exited the bathroom to find Alex sitting in the middle of the bed in a pile of feathers with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.

“I leave you alone for one night and you trash our room?” he looked at me curiously.

“Lizzy attacked me with a pillow this morning and it got a teensy weensy bit out of hand,” I said sheepishly, avoiding his eyes. I peeked up at him biting my lip.  He burst out laughing.

“I’ll clean up the mess, I just wanted to get something to eat first.  Promise.” I walked slowly towards him and stopped directly in front of him.  His arms flashed past me and before I knew it, Alex pulled me into him and twisted so that I was lying on the bed.  I took a deep breath and looked into his eyes.  He leaned down and brushed his lips over mine causing me to automatically lace my fingers into his hair and pull him closer.  He tightened his arms around my waist, then whispered into my ear.

“Next time you have a pillow fight, I hope to be here to watch.” There was a suggestive teasing note to his voice; I could almost guess what he was thinking.  I hit him jokingly on the chest.

“Get your mind out of the gutter.” I said laughing.

“What? I just mentioned I wanted to watch.  I want to place a bet on who would win,” he said faking innocence.

“Ya, okay, sure.  Now let me up.  I’m hungry and I have to pick all the feathers out of my hair.” I shook my head for emphasis causing a puff of feathers to become airborne.

“Leave them, I kind of like it,” he teased as he pulled me back to bed using the belt of my robe.

“You’re such a guy” I said in mock exasperation as I sat up and brushed my fingers through my hair.

“Ya, I would hope so,” he whispered smirking as he placed his hand on my face and then slowly traced a finger down my throat.  My breathing increased instantly and my eyes closed as I enjoyed the sensation of his hand moving on my skin.  My robe fell open slightly exposing my right breast and his hand slowly moved down the centre of my chest to my abdomen and then back up to gently cup my breast.  I gasped at the intensity of the new feelings he was causing in me and I couldn’t help but want more as his lips kissed the side of my neck and slowly moved down to the hollow of my throat.  He pushed the robe off my shoulders and gazed at me for a moment as he slowly moved his hands along my sides.  My heart was hammering as I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his.  He stiffened suddenly and pulled my robe back up onto my shoulders.  He closed his eyes and shivered slightly as he tried to gain control of himself and my breathing started to slow.

“I don’t want you to stop,” I whispered breathlessly.

“I know, but I don’t want to rush you.  I shouldn’t have taken that indulgence, but I couldn’t help myself,” he said softly as his eyes clouded slightly.

“Alex, I want to be with you.  I want you to touch me. I want it more than I can stand some days!” I said quietly.

“Not until you’re of age.  We’ll just have to wait a bit longer.  Believe me, it took everything in me to stop.  I want to be with you more than anything, Anna, but it isn’t right to rush you into something like this when you’re not ready.  I know you think you’re ready, but you have enough stress with what’s coming and I won’t add to that,” he said gently and sighed, then kissed me as he stood up.

“I’ll get a garbage bag so that we can clean this mess up.” Alex smirked and left the room, coming back a few seconds later.  I was buttoning up my jeans as he entered the room and once I finished getting dressed I helped him clean up the majority of feathers before my stomach took over and demanded, quite loudly, to be fed.  Alex chuckled at my gastronomic symphony.

“Go get something to eat.  I’ll meet you in the kitchen in a few minutes.” I smiled gratefully at him.

“Thanks.  I’m really sorry about the pillows, but your sister started it.” I kissed his cheek and headed for the kitchen.

Katie had eggs and toast waiting for me on the table.  I smiled at her in thanks and eagerly dug in.

“My friend will be here in an hour.  I hope you remember every symptom you’ve had as she’s very interested in seeing you,” Katie said.

“I may be able to help her more than she realizes.  I have some information from my mother about a virus and I have a full DNA work up of her and my father.  I hope it will help her, but my concern is that she’ll want to take the information somewhere else.  I don’t want any of the documents I have to fall into the wrong hands, so I won’t let anything off the property including my own blood if she needs it.  At least not without you or one of the others to supervise,” I said sternly.

“I understand.  That is why she’s coming here with her mobile lab.  She won’t compromise you, or anyone else for that matter, she is far too professional for that,” she reassured me.

“Okay, I had better get all my stuff in one area so we can start going through it one piece at a time,” I said quietly, more to myself than to her.

“Alex and George put everything in the rec room downstairs.  There is more room for you to spread out and look at things,” she smiled.

“Thanks, that’s where I’ll be then,” I said as I finished eating.  I got up from the table and put my dishes in the sink.

“What about the feathers?” Katie asked.  I laughed as Alex appeared in the doorway with two garbage bags full of feathers.

“I see,” she grinned, laughing as Alex rolled his eyes.  I skipped down the stairs into the rec room so that I could tally up what I had brought home with me.  I spotted the two large black duffle bags and three black backpacks sitting beside the large leather couch.  I started with the backpacks.

The first backpack contained all the letters, keys and the small package I brought back from the safe deposit box.  I placed those things on the pool table so I could look at them later. The second backpack was my overnight bag and change of clothes.  I took my clothing out of the bag and put them in the laundry room, and took the bag and the rest of the contents upstairs and quickly put them away.  Returning downstairs, I started looking through the third backpack.  It contained the two books we had gotten in Arkansas.  I placed them on the pool table with the other things and I put the empty backpacks in the corner.  Then turned to the duffle bags and unzipped them both. I pulled out several things wrapped in plastic.  There was a label on each item telling me what it was.  There was a hand knit quilt, a few baby outfits and blankets, and two afghans all hand made by my grandmother.  A short note from my mother said that she had saved them for me to use when I had my own home.  I bit my lip as a wave of emotion swelled in my chest.  I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I looked at these precious gifts that my mother was able to save for me.  I heard Lizzy coming down the stairs even though her steps were so light on the stairs they hardly made a sound; Alex was with her.

“So what do you think?” Lizzy asked.

“I’m a bit overwhelmed, I think.  Apparently my grandmother made these things and my mother saved them for me to use in my own home one day.  These are a priceless piece of my heritage; of a family that I never knew.” I was in awe as I examined the knit items, as they were very intricately done.  Lizzy and Alex smiled as they looked at the items from the first duffle bag.

“You haven’t done anything like that in a while Lizzy, perhaps you could show Anna how,” Alex suggested.

“Perhaps some other time.  I’m not in the mood for needle work, and, I never really liked doing that kind of thing anyway.  I prefer instant gratification.” Lizzy narrowed her eyes at Alex as she helped me put these items back in the duffle bag.

“I’ll put these in our closet,” Alex said quietly and he and the bags were gone an instant later.  I looked after him in silent wonder.  It always amazed me how fast they could move when they wanted to.

“What is it Anna?” Lizzy questioned.

“It just amazes me how fast you all move when you want to, and I also liked the sound of him saying ‘our closet.’  I still think of it as his room not mine,” I admitted with a small smile.

“That’s silly of you.  The two of you are almost always together.  I don’t think he would fare well if you decided to move back in with James.  He’s gotten rather used to having you here and, to be honest, where ever you are I am sure he’d follow,” she stated.  My eyes widened at what she had said.

She smiled. “Anna, he’s in love with you.  He may not have said it, but it’s pretty obvious.  He’ll bend over backwards for you.  He doesn’t even do that for me,” she smirked, looking at me amused.

“I don’t do what for you?” Alex asked as he walked back into the room.

“Pine over me, do my bidding, and all that other stuff,” Lizzy admitted dramatically.

“That’s what Will’s for,” he stated matter of factly and kissed her cheek.  She pouted up at him as he ruffled her hair playfully.  It was nice to watch the two of them tease each other.

 

Katie and a petite woman with flaming red hair and crystal clear grey eyes entered the room. 

“Anna, this is Dr. Isolde McNeil,” Katie introduced the striking woman.

“Hello Dr. McNeil.” I held out my hand to her.  She took it gracefully and smiled.

“It be a pleasure ta meet ya,” Isolde said warmly with a strong Irish accent.

“So, I’ear tha’you ‘ave a wee problem. Would ya tell me of it please,” she asked happily.

“Um, sure.  Well, I started being able to do weird stuff when I moved here last September.  For example, I can see in the dark, I can visualize my energy flow and manipulate it, I have crazy dreams that, at times, come true, I get wicked cravings for steak, and my skin and eyes have been doing some strange things too,” I blurted almost at once.

“Well, I see tha’ we’av our work cut our fer us,” Isolde smiled.

I nodded.  I walked over to the pool table and picked up the large envelope that had been in the black book.  I opened it and pulled out a file folder with copies of my mother and father’s DNA profile and other blood work ups that had been done.  I motioned for Isolde to come over.

“My mother gave me this and explained that she and my father had some kind of virus.  Each of them had a different strain of this virus and when they mated you get someone like me.  She called the virus the Starcrisless or Legacy.  She said there were other names for it but she didn’t know them.  All I know is that when I turn eighteen my abilities will be fully awakened and that my father wants me.” I looked at her tiredly.

“May I take a blood sample? I wan’te check an’ make sure it’s all okay,” she looked at me with respect and great interest. 

“You can draw the blood but I don’t want the results to go anywhere.  If there is something in my blood that shouldn’t be, I don’t want anyone else to find it,” I said concerned.

“Ya don'av to worry ‘bout tha’. I’av my lab jus’ to the side o’the ‘ouse.  You kin watch me every move if ya like,” she offered sincerely.

I nodded, greatly relieved.  I gathered the file my mother gave me and followed Isolde outside to a large trailer.  Alex, Katie and Lizzy came with me because they knew I didn’t want to be alone.   

We entered the large trailer it and I was surprised and delighted to see that it looked like something out of a science fiction movie.  It was obvious I loved it, which made Isolde smile even more warmly at me.  She motioned me to sit in a chair.  I did so and handed her the folder with my parent’s information in it.  She placed it on a small counter to her left that held all sorts of tubes and medical supplies.  She gathered a rainbow of tubes, a tourniquet, and a needle with a vacutainer.   She took my left arm and tied the tourniquet around my upper arm.  It was tight and I could already feel my hand going numb because of it.  She cleaned the crease of my elbow and felt for a vein with her finger.

“Yer vein bounces, nicely, that’s what I’m look’n fer.  You’ll feel a wee poke now,” she told me.  It felt like a quick bee sting, and she began to put the tubes into the vacutainer one at a time collecting my blood.  She took nine vials, then gave me a glass of juice and a muffin.

“Ya better be eaten something, I don’want ya ta faint on me,” she chuckled.  I did as she instructed with a small smile.  She started to review the papers in the file after she set some of the tubes into a spinning machine.  She copied some of the papers and blacked out the names, instead just put a one or two on each page.  When she got to the picture of the virus she stopped, her mouth fell open and her eyes widened as she slowly turned and looked at me.  She seemed to go a bit pale, but it was hard to tell as she was relatively pale to begin with.

“What is it?” Alex demanded.

“If this information be right, your wee friend is gonna be very powerful indeed,” Isolde replied awed.

“Do you know what that is?” I asked her.

“I do, but without clarification tha’ya have it, I don’want to be tellen ya much,” she said.

“Are you hiding something from me?” I asked, a hint of anger in my voice.

“No child. I jus’ wanna be sure before I tell ye what I think ye are.  It’ll take me at least a week ta decipher all the information tha’ I have’ere.  I guess I’ll be a stay’n around fer awhile.  I hope ya don’mind Katie,” Isolde said looking at her friend.

“Not at all.  I’ll have your room ready in a few moments.  I know you’ll be working out here in the lab most of the time,” Katie smiled graciously and left the trailer.

“Will you be able to let us know what this virus is about at least?” Lizzy questioned.  Isolde smiled, understanding our curiosity.  She looked at us and spoke, “The virus is in your father’s blood, but what your mother’as is not a virus.  It be a gene sequence tha’ enhances the virus.  I’ll be tellen ya more once I be sure o’the results.  It’ll be maken more sense ta me then.” She turned to her computer and looked at what was on the screen.  I glanced over her shoulder and saw what looked like a normal blood test result.  I had seen this before in the hospital.

“Ya need to be eaten more protein child, yer iron levels be low,” Isolde commented.

“Now leave me be.  I be haven work ta do.” she dismissed us as she turned back to her computer.  We left the trailer slowly as she studied the numbers that popped up on the computer screen and transcribed them to a pad of paper.  She stopped just before I exited and looked at me with almost fear, I knew that she was worried, I could tell but the reason behind that fear in her eyes was what bothered me.