things. Vampires. Mythical swords. Shields. Antidotes. It’s thousands of years old—and it’s all in my handwriting. None of it makes any sense.”
Aiden sighed.
“I was afraid this day would come,” he said. “It just came sooner than I thought.” Caitlin stared back, trying to understand. She felt as if some great secret had been withheld from her, and it frustrated her to no end.
“What day would come?” she demanded. “What are you telling me? And why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Aiden shook his head.
“It wasn’t for me to tell you. It was for you to discover. When the time was right.”
“To discover what?”
He hesitated.
“That you are not who you think you are. That you are special.” Caitlin stared back, dumbfounded.
“I still don’t understand,” she said, frustrated.
He paced.
“As you know, history is part fact, part myth. It is our job to determine what is truth and what is fiction. Yet it is not as much of a science as we’d like to pretend. There are no absolute facts in history. History is written by the victors, by the biographers, by those with a cause and purpose and agenda to document it. History will always be biased. And it will always be selective.”
“Where does that leave me?” Caitlin asked, impatient. She was in no mood for one of Aiden’s lectures. Not now.
He cleared his throat.
“There is a fourth dimension to history. A dimension discounted by scholars, but one that is very real. The unexplained. The esoteric. Some might call it the occult, but that term has been grossly misused.”
“I still don’t understand,” Caitlin pleaded. “I thought you would be the one person who would explain it away. But it sounds as if you’re saying that it’s all true, that everything in this book is true.
Is that what you’re saying!?”
“I know what you came here wanting me to say. But I’m afraid I cannot.” He sighed. “What if some history has, in fact, been obscured? By design? What if there was, indeed, a time when a race known as ‘vampires’ existed? What if you were one of them? What if you had traveled back in time?
Had found an antidote, had wiped out vampirism for all time?” He paused, collecting his thoughts. “And what if there was one exception to the antidote?” he asked.
She stared at him, hardly believing what she was hearing. Had he lost his mind?
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“The antidote. The end to vampirism. What if there was an exception? One vampire who was immune? Immune because she was not yet born at the moment you chose to come back?” Not yet born ? Caitlin wondered, racking her brain. Then, it struck her.
“Scarlet?” she asked, dumbfounded.
“You were warned once, long ago, that you would have a very great choice to make, between your legacy, and the future of mankind. I’m afraid that time has come.”
“Stop talking in riddles!” Caitlin demanded, standing, her fists bunched, red in the face. She couldn’t listen anymore; she felt as if she were losing her mind. Aiden was the one man in the world from whom she expected rational answers. And he was only making things much, much worse.
“What are you saying about my daughter?”
Aiden shook his head slowly, distressed.
“I understand you’re upset,” he said. “And I am sorry to have to tell you this. But your daughter, Scarlet, is the last of her kind. The last remaining vampire.” Caitlin looked at Aiden as if he’d lost his mind. She didn’t even know how to respond.
“She is coming of age,” he continued. “She will soon change. And when she does, she will unleash it on the world. Once again, our world will be besieged by the plague of vampirism.” Aiden took two steps towards Caitlin. He placed a hand on her shoulder, looked into her eyes, as serious as she had ever seen him.
“That is why this journal came to you now. As a warning. You must stop her. For the sake of mankind. Before it’s too late.”
“Have you lost
Aiden sighed.
“I was afraid this day would come,” he said. “It just came sooner than I thought.” Caitlin stared back, trying to understand. She felt as if some great secret had been withheld from her, and it frustrated her to no end.
“What day would come?” she demanded. “What are you telling me? And why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Aiden shook his head.
“It wasn’t for me to tell you. It was for you to discover. When the time was right.”
“To discover what?”
He hesitated.
“That you are not who you think you are. That you are special.” Caitlin stared back, dumbfounded.
“I still don’t understand,” she said, frustrated.
He paced.
“As you know, history is part fact, part myth. It is our job to determine what is truth and what is fiction. Yet it is not as much of a science as we’d like to pretend. There are no absolute facts in history. History is written by the victors, by the biographers, by those with a cause and purpose and agenda to document it. History will always be biased. And it will always be selective.”
“Where does that leave me?” Caitlin asked, impatient. She was in no mood for one of Aiden’s lectures. Not now.
He cleared his throat.
“There is a fourth dimension to history. A dimension discounted by scholars, but one that is very real. The unexplained. The esoteric. Some might call it the occult, but that term has been grossly misused.”
“I still don’t understand,” Caitlin pleaded. “I thought you would be the one person who would explain it away. But it sounds as if you’re saying that it’s all true, that everything in this book is true.
Is that what you’re saying!?”
“I know what you came here wanting me to say. But I’m afraid I cannot.” He sighed. “What if some history has, in fact, been obscured? By design? What if there was, indeed, a time when a race known as ‘vampires’ existed? What if you were one of them? What if you had traveled back in time?
Had found an antidote, had wiped out vampirism for all time?” He paused, collecting his thoughts. “And what if there was one exception to the antidote?” he asked.
She stared at him, hardly believing what she was hearing. Had he lost his mind?
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“The antidote. The end to vampirism. What if there was an exception? One vampire who was immune? Immune because she was not yet born at the moment you chose to come back?” Not yet born ? Caitlin wondered, racking her brain. Then, it struck her.
“Scarlet?” she asked, dumbfounded.
“You were warned once, long ago, that you would have a very great choice to make, between your legacy, and the future of mankind. I’m afraid that time has come.”
“Stop talking in riddles!” Caitlin demanded, standing, her fists bunched, red in the face. She couldn’t listen anymore; she felt as if she were losing her mind. Aiden was the one man in the world from whom she expected rational answers. And he was only making things much, much worse.
“What are you saying about my daughter?”
Aiden shook his head slowly, distressed.
“I understand you’re upset,” he said. “And I am sorry to have to tell you this. But your daughter, Scarlet, is the last of her kind. The last remaining vampire.” Caitlin looked at Aiden as if he’d lost his mind. She didn’t even know how to respond.
“She is coming of age,” he continued. “She will soon change. And when she does, she will unleash it on the world. Once again, our world will be besieged by the plague of vampirism.” Aiden took two steps towards Caitlin. He placed a hand on her shoulder, looked into her eyes, as serious as she had ever seen him.
“That is why this journal came to you now. As a warning. You must stop her. For the sake of mankind. Before it’s too late.”
“Have you lost
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