Chapter 22: The Vampire Pirate's Daughter by Lynette Ferreira

She closes her eyes for a moment and then I see the deep sadness in her eyes when she looks up at me again. She clears her throat and say, barely above a whisper, “Shayne went to fetch you a few days after Ethan took you. Ethan phoned and said Shayne must come alone and bring the money he wanted. I told Shayne not to go alone, but he insisted and told me we have known Ethan so long and he would be able to talk to him reasonably. Shayne thought he could convince him that what he was doing was wrong. Ethan killed Shayne that day and then the day I rescued you, I killed Ethan.”

I have been so selfish, wrapped in myself, I did not notice the pain and sadness in Amanda’s eyes when I saw her each morning and during the night when I was allowed out of the basement. I never even noticed Shayne was not around. Always assuming he was upstairs in his room or at the University.

I stand up from my chair and I sink down next to her. I wrap my arms around her and pull her into me. She holds onto me desperately for hours. Now and again, she will say something, reminiscing. How she met him, the first time she saw him, how silly he could be at times, how much she loved him, and I sit next to her silently, letting her talk. I could not possibly tell her I know how it feels because I cannot imagine her pain, I can only guess.

We sit like this until it is dark and neither one of us have the inclination or a need to switch on the lights.

I say, feeling responsible for her loss, “I am so sorry. You have been together for so long, and now because of me, you have lost him.”

She replies despondently, “No, Susie. It was never your fault. We lived too perfectly, integrated with those around us so flawlessly. We imagined ourselves as normal and we never realised there was a prize to pay for all of this.” Hesitantly, she continues, “I want to ask you something.”

I reply without a second thought, “Anything.” I felt so sorry for her and I would genuinely do anything she asked for right now.

“I want to go and live at your château in France. If that is okay with you? I want to surround myself with old-world charm and magic. I cannot stay here because everywhere I look, I am reminded of Shayne.”

“Of course, we could go there. You do not even have to ask. It must be falling apart, though. We have not been there for decades.”

“No, I did not mean we should go. Earlier I thought I would convince you to go with me. However, when you told me how much you care for Andrew, I decided to go on my own.”

I feel remorse rush through me, wanting to stay with Andrew, obviously, but I could not let Amanda go by herself either. I say adamantly, “Where you go, I go.”

“You can really stay here if you wanted to. We can employ a housekeeper and then people will not get suspicious when they see you are living on your own.”

I admit to myself I am so in love with Andrew, it is scary. It would be better to go to France before I fall in love with him completely. Honestly, it could only lead to disaster.

I smile, trying to lighten the mood. “I am going with you, besides what is the use of staying here? How long will it be before Andrew has outgrown me?” I laugh sadly. “If Andrew and I ever did get married I would never have to worry he would leave me for a younger woman because I would always be the younger woman.”

She laughs softly at my frivolous silliness and I am glad to hear the sound. I am only acting ridiculous to make her feel better about me going with. It will be heart-breaking, but I convince myself it would be better for Andrew in the future. Amanda will probably mourn Shayne for a long time to come. She has that same hopelessness about her humans have when someone close to them dies.

I DO NOT go back to school. What would the point be anyway? Amanda and I are going to live at the château and restore it to its former glory. My stepfather, Francois, often told me how beautiful it used to be, and I wanted to do it for him. He never managed to restore it completely before his death. I will not go to school again for a while and I will live as a woman of leisure for the next few years. I will miss the young people I have loved to surround myself with over the last decades, but I can always do it again later, once Amanda has learned to adjust to life without Shayne, which could be awhile.

I AM BUSY packing our belongings into boxes. We sold the house with the furniture, but we have little things we have collected over the years, sentimental things.

I hear a knock at the door and pulling my back straight, my hand resting on the small of my back I walk to the door.

I cannot help feeling miserable when I see Andrew standing on our doorstep and he says desperately, “You cannot leave.” I have not seen him for a while because Mr van Heerden grounded him for falling asleep at school and Carmine must have told him we are moving.

Explaining urgently, “I have to do this because Amanda needs me.”

He has a pained expression on his face. “Carmine says I must forget you and move on, but I cannot. I know you can feel it too, this feeling we should be together.” He looks at me searchingly. “Don’t say you cannot feel it!”

I turn away from him and walk into the lounge. I pick up a glass vase Shayne bought at the turn of the century and I start to wrap it carefully in bubble wrap.


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