Elaine's POV
It's been three days after I got fired from work, and even though I had nowhere else to go as a means of distraction, I decided to somehow deal with the truth this time without trying to run away from it. I visited my uncle's house, which I still had the keys to, in search of a deeper meaning into everything.
Cordelia could be wrong about the prophecy about me being from the bloodline of whoever said it, but if I had these abilities, then there was no doubt that it had an origin. I went there previously for clues about my biological parents or any clue from them as well, if they were living undercover in the world of the humans—unlike the likes of Damien and Kai, who lived freely amongst humans.
Perhaps I'd have concluded my journey to be a waste of time until the day I saw the cellar in the house for the first time. Honestly, I had grown up in that house without knowing that there was something like that in the house, and truly, it contained many answers to the questions in my head.
I did find photographs of my mum and dad, and to say that my mum had a striking resemblance was an understatement because Cordelia only looked like the older version of my mum. I saw pictures of my uncle too, as well as his wife and… baby me. There were spell books, letters meant for me when I came of age, and other strange things that were still difficult to decipher. Either way, they were things I couldn't keep to myself anymore, especially since it somehow proved that the prophecy could be true.
"So you believe that your parents were supernaturals?" Kai asked, astonished by my discovery.
"From the look of things, they were, and besides, it would only make things a lot more believable if they were, and I inherited my abilities from them, don't you think?" I shrugged.
"Of course it would… Perhaps you can talk to Cordelia about it when you return to Raven Hollow. The old woman is filled with wisdom and might really help you out in a lot of useful ways."
Of course, what he said was the absolute truth, because as much as I somehow found answers to the previous questions in my head, my latest discoveries stirred up lots of fresh questions that needed genuine answers too.
"You know, I also saw a picture of my family, and even though Cordelia was not in any of the pictures for me to confirm that she was in one way or another related to me, she still looks so much like my mother—even more than my uncle resembled her," I smiled sadly, wondering if all the times she used to say that I was like a daughter to her meant something more than the literal meaning.
"I really don't know a lot, Elaine. But I'm confident that with time, you'd get to find the answers you need to know about," Kai smiled, opening his arms when I walked towards him. I sat on his lap and rested my head on his shoulder while he held me tenderly, kissing my forehead in a reassuring way.
"Tell me the truth, would you?" I asked, lifting my head from his shoulders to look at him.
"Sure."
"You no longer like it here, right?"
"Not that I don't like it here, it's just… something else you don't need to worry about," he gave me a nervous smile.
"I'm listening," I whispered.
For the first time since we arrived here, I saw the reluctance in his eyes. All his walls broke, revealing the fear that lay behind them. It made me feel hurt in a way that he was going through something this serious, and I didn't even notice.
"It's about the full moon, that's all."
"What's the matter?"
"Elaine, I am a monster during that time of the month, and this is very much your world more than it's mine. I don't want to risk anything happening—at least not here, where things would get obvious and more bloody than they would in Raven Hollow," he explained carefully while I took mental notes.
"If it's that difficult for you to handle, why not return to Raven Hollow today or otherwise tomorrow, and I'll meet you there when I'm done here? What do you think?"
"Left to me, I'd ask you to stay back here until the full moon is over because nothing is guaranteed yet, except that it was going to be bloody no matter how things turn out to be."
"Well, I will come down to Raven Hollow. Bloody or not," I told him firmly, making him break his thin lips into a smile.
Maybe I would also witness what his struggles during the full moon were like and then understand better how to help him. Also, if the cult decided to take action on that same day, that meant he'd be needing all the help he could get, meaning I owed both of us some levels of actual training and learning about my abilities to be alone the best of my weapon.
"I'd be leaving tomorrow," he whispered.
"Is it that bad?" I blurted in concern before I could stop myself.
He looked at me with his now tired eyes, nodding his head quietly as he pulled me closer to him. Soon, I let him pack his things to get ready for his journey tomorrow while I looked for ways I'd cope with the void in my heart already. I tried to remind myself that it was for the best and tried to focus on learning as much as could be beneficial to us if anything decided to go wrong.
"I'd see you soon," I told him before kissing him goodbye.
"Make sure you're safe, and once you feel anything, you know where to find me," he lowered his voice.
I nodded and saw him off to the dark streets, where he would find his way back to Raven Hollow.
***
The truth be told, nothing was easy or swift about having to do the things I did with him on my own. It felt like I was physically suffering from his absence more than I was suffering on the inside, even though it was the opposite. I wondered if he felt that way about me too.
Also, it was a relief knowing that I was progressing, though gradually, in my journey and that if something were to happen, I could at least say something about myself that was true. I persevered and kept going for a few days until I felt the need to return to Raven Hollow.
I arranged my apartment neatly just the way I wanted it to be, hiding any source of vital information, just in case someone decided to sneak in when I was out. I packed my stuff and planned to leave once it was dark.
The plan was smooth as I was able to make it to the woods not far from the motel in time. I used my speed this time, but on a different level of self-control.
The sound of footsteps behind me made me pause to monitor my surroundings, and strangely, I found nothing when I looked back. I decided to go at a normal human pace this time, only for me to bump hard into something. Actually, someone.
"Haven't you learned enough? You shouldn't be out here by yourself at this time of the day, Elaine," Luca's words echoed through the woods.
"Just let me be, okay?" I warned him while standing up on my feet.
He didn't say anything but only examined me from afar as if trying to run a thorough test with his eyes.
"It's quite strange you were able to break through my spell in that manner, and the member you killed… there's something about you, Elaine," he whispered darkly while walking up to me, sending cold shivers down my spine. "Something I have to figure out before someone else does. And I'm sorry if I'm going to make you break your promise of being safe because you'd be coming with me tonight," he grabbed my hand roughly.
However, I didn't succumb to him immediately. I snatched it out of his hold and quickly braced myself for a fight.
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Luca," I stood my ground, only making him chuckle.
"I think it's cute for you to finally become brave. However, this is nothing like a joke to me. Do it the easy way or the hard way," he said through gritted teeth.
"I won't follow you anywhere, Luca."
He tried to knock me out with a few attacks, but luckily for me, I was able to defend against each of them, making him shocked.
"Now, I'd ask you this last time to step out of my way," I told him with a faint smile of victory on my face.
"I see you easily forget about the advantage I have over you," he smirked, murmuring a few words indistinctly, which made me drop to the floor, remembering nothing but everyone's voice in my head asking me to be careful.