The family sat around the dinner table, the women happily chatting while the men remained silent, deciding it was safer to avoid saying too much. However, Elijah couldn't help himself. He subtly asked Thomas for another glass of wine, hoping no one would notice.
Cassandra did, of course. "Is that more wine? Haven't you had enough for one day?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Elijah sighed dramatically. "It's the best thing humanity has ever made," he said, swirling the wine in his glass. Then, glancing at Selena, he added with a teasing smirk, "Well, second best thing."
He returned to eating his food as though he hadn't just said something outrageous. Selena blushed, her cheeks puffing slightly in a small pout, flustered by his boldness.
Mireille's calm voice cut through the moment. "Elijah, dear, give your ring to Thomas so it can be remade."
Without hesitation, Elijah slipped the ring off his finger and placed it on the table. It disappeared as quickly as it had been set down. He finished his meal, leaning back in his chair, clearly bored. Swirling his wine glass again, he finally asked, "Lloyd, what do you do for fun? Home is so boring. Let's go outside."
Lloyd frowned, still annoyed that Elijah had gotten him in trouble earlier, but he sighed. "Where do you want to go?"
Elijah looked around, noting that everyone was watching him. He took a sip of his wine to stall and muttered, "I don't know."
A grain of rice hit his glass, shattering it and spilling the contents onto his clothes.
"Oops," Selene said, glaring at him.
"I said I didn't know!" Elijah retorted.
Selene huffed, returning to her meal without another word.
Sighing, Elijah cleaned up the mess before vanishing upstairs at super speed. Moments later, he was back at the table, wearing a fresh set of clothes.
Lloyd scowled. "Isn't that my stuff?"
"I'll get you new ones," Elijah replied nonchalantly.
Cassandra looked between them suspiciously. "Where are you two planning to go?"
Elijah feigned innocence. "What? You don't trust us?"
"No," Cassandra said flatly. "I trust Lloyd. It's you I don't trust."
Elijah groaned. "Fine, we'll take Bella with us."
"I'd rather you take Layla," Cassandra countered.
"Layla's too young," Elijah said dismissively. "And besides, she's still mad at us."
Layla frowned, crossing her arms. "I'm only two years younger than you two! And you were way worse when you were my age. I'm much more mature."
Elijah sighed, shaking his head. "You're still a baby."
"I hate you!" Layla muttered, turning away with a pout.
Elijah chuckled softly, amused by her reaction.
Then Layla seemed to remember something. "Oh yeah, so what did he say to make you kill him? Lloyd said you'd tell me."
"No," Elijah said bluntly.
"Just tell me!" Layla insisted.
"Why do you even want to know? He's already dead, and any boyfriend you have will meet the same fate. Do you even need a reason?"
Layla's face fell, her irritation mounting. "It does matter! Why can't I date when you two could when you were much younger?"
"Because we were much more mature," Lloyd chimed in.
Elijah chuckled at that.
Layla's frustration boiled over. "It can't be that bad. Just tell her." Elara said, trying to mediate.
Mireille sided with her daughter. "Elijah, Lloyd, just tell her."
Before either could answer, Lucien spoke up. "Dear, I think it's best she doesn't know."
The women turned to him, surprised.
Layla's frown deepened. "Let me guess—Grandfather knows too. But you four are keeping it from me because I'm too young."
Elijah, now visibly annoyed, snapped, "Fine. You want to know so bad? He only wanted you for your body and money because you're a naive little girl who can't see people for what they really are."
Layla's face crumpled, her eyes welling with tears before she sped out of the room, slamming her door shut.
The table fell silent, everyone glaring at Elijah.
"She wanted me to tell her, so I told her. Now I'm the bad guy?" Elijah said, exasperated.
"You didn't have to be so harsh," Elara said, frowning.
"She didn't want to be treated like a baby, but then she goes and acts like one," Elijah retorted.
Lloyd sighed. "Unfortunately, Elijah's right this time. She wanted the truth, and he didn't sugarcoat it. She'll have to learn eventually."
"But you know she's still fragile," Cassandra said. "You could've just ignored her."
Elijah frowned, frustration evident on his face. "If I tell her, I'm wrong. If I don't, I'm wrong. You know what? She's a vampire—she can protect herself."
He stood abruptly, turning to Lloyd and Bella. "You coming?"
The mischievous trio of Elijah, Bella, and Lloyd grinned as they stood, their bond as thick as ever. Though Elijah's favorite sibling was Layla, Bella had always been like one of the boys. Her tomboy demeanor, combined with her preference for women and calculated nature, made her dangerous during their more reckless adventures.
"Alright," Elijah declared. "I'm bored. Let's go exploring or something."
Bella frowned. "You got me out of the comfort of my home after nine years… to go exploring?" she complained.
Elijah shrugged nonchalantly. "Who knows what we might find? Bigfoot, maybe."
With that, the trio sped off at supernatural speed, arriving on a quiet city sidewalk. Elijah led the way into a nearby forest, his siblings reluctantly following. But as they moved deeper, he suddenly stopped, his expression shifting.
"You two smell that?" he asked, his tone sharp. "Human blood. And a lot of it."
Lloyd and Bella exchanged a grin. "Finally, some fun," Bella said, licking her lips.
They moved toward the source, the metallic scent growing stronger. What they stumbled upon left them stunned—a field swarming with pale, human-like figures feeding on humans, their fangs sinking into necks and blood dripping everywhere.
Elijah stepped forward, tapping one of the creatures on the shoulder. "Hey. What are you doing? Pretending to be a vampire or something?"
The figure turned, startled. "Kill him!"
Elijah sidestepped their attack, but one managed to cut him. Before their eyes, the wound healed instantly. The attackers paused, alarmed.
"He's a vampire too!" one of them shouted. "Stake him in the heart!"
One of the creatures lunged, driving a branch through Elijah's heart. He staggered briefly, his heart bursting, but to their horror, he recovered almost instantly, pulling the branch out with a look of disdain.
"That," Elijah growled, glaring at the blood now staining his clothes, "was quite rude of you. I hate getting blood on me."
He flipped the branch in his hand, plunging it into his attacker's chest. The creature disintegrated instantly, leaving only ash.
Bella and Lloyd joined the fray, the trio easily overpowering their attackers. Bella shouted amidst the chaos, "I think they might actually be vampires—they're regenerating!"
Elijah smirked as he impaled another with a piece of wood. "Then don't drink their blood, and just stab them in the heart with wood. Seems to work."
The battle raged for hours. The creatures, though numerous, were no match for the Velmont siblings. Panic began spreading among the pale figures.
"What are they?" one hissed. "Nothing we do works! Are they some new creatures of the night?"
Elijah, amused, drove his makeshift stake into another attacker. "Funny. I was about to ask the same thing. What kind of creature dies from getting stabbed with wood?"
"We're vampires, you idiot!" one of them shouted in desperation.
The trio paused, confused. "Vampires?" Bella muttered, frowning. "That's ridiculous. Vampires wouldn't die so easily."
Eventually, only one of the attackers remained alive—or rather, undead—its head buried in the ground while its body was reduced to ash. Elijah crouched beside it, tilting his head.
"Now," he began, "tell us what you really are. No true vampire would die so easily."
The trapped figure squirmed, glaring at him. "We are vampires! Just kill me or let me go! We only have an hour left!"
Elijah's interest piqued. "An hour for what?"
The figure's panic grew. "You'll see! Just kill me now, or you'll regret it!"
Ignoring the warning, the trio waited. As the hour passed and the first rays of sunlight broke over the horizon, the figure began thrashing violently, screaming in terror.
"What's wrong with him?" Bella asked, confused.
"It's coming!" the figure shrieked. "You idiots, you'll die too!"
The sunlight crept closer, and when it touched the figure, its body began to disintegrate into ash. The trio watched in stunned silence as the creature dissolved completely.
"No way," Elijah murmured, standing over the pile of ash. "So it really was a vampire. Is that where all those old myths come from?"
Bella frowned, clearly unsettled. "How is this possible? Where did they come from?"
Lloyd crossed his arms. "Should we tell Father about this? Seems like a new threat."
Elijah sighed, brushing ash off his clothes. "They were weak, though better to fight than normal humans. But yeah, we should let him know."
Without another word, the trio sped off back to the Velmont estate, leaving behind the carnage of their battle.
The trio sped back to the Velmont mansion, their clothing stained with blood and dirt, but their expressions betrayed an odd mixture of excitement and contemplation. Bella stretched her arms, her tomboyish demeanor showing as she quipped, "If every night out was this fun, maybe I'd leave the house more often."
Elijah smirked, though his mind was elsewhere. "It was…interesting, I'll give you that. But what the hell were those things? They called themselves vampires, but they're nothing like us." He glanced at Lloyd, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since their encounter.
Lloyd finally spoke, his tone serious. "They were weak. Fragile. But their numbers could be a problem. If there are more of them out there, we need to know where they came from—and why they're so…different from us."
Bella nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I don't like the idea of something pretending to be us."
As they reached the mansion gates, Elijah sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "Father's not going to like this… and I just got back home too."
As they arrived back at the dining hall, everyone was already seated for breakfast. Elijah sighed as he sat down between Cassandra and Selene. The moment he did, jaws dropped around the table.
"What did you three do, and where were you last night?" Cassandra asked, holding her nose as if bracing herself for the answer.
Elijah glanced at the food, starving after the night they had. "You wouldn't believe me, but we just got through fighting over 500 vampires."
There was a brief pause before laughter erupted from the table. Selena, sitting farther down, looked at him with wide eyes. She thought he was just making it up until she noticed his tired expression.
Bella, who was already helping herself to food, spoke up, her words carrying weight. "He's not lying, and they had all the weaknesses we're rumored to have—stakes, sunlight… maybe even garlic." She smirked slightly at the last part.
Lucien frowned, setting his cup down. "Did you see where they came from?"
Elijah scratched his cheek, clearly reluctant. "About that… we took one hostage. He mentioned something was coming in an hour. We thought he was talking about backup, but who knew he'd disintegrate the moment sunlight hit him?"
Selena's eyes lit up. Over 500 vampires? That sounded incredible. She couldn't help but think how much she wanted to be that strong one day.
Elijah noticed her expression and smiled at her. "Oh, right. Your training was supposed to start yesterday. I guess I can teach you the ropes today if you want."
Selena nodded eagerly.
Layla, who had been eating quietly, stood up and walked upstairs without a word. She didn't feel like talking.
Elijah sighed, watching her leave. It always broke a piece of his heart when Layla was upset with him.
After finishing breakfast, Elijah pushed his chair back. "Alright, I'm taking a shower, dealing with this mess, and then getting at least two hours of sleep. After that, Selena, we'll start your training."
Lloyd and Bella nodded in agreement, both planning to follow Elijah's lead for the rest of the morning.
Elijah finished his shower, taking a deep breath as he dried off. He didn't know what to expect when he walked into Layla's room, but he had to try. He walked down the hall and knocked lightly.
"I don't want to talk to you," Layla's voice called from the other side.
Elijah sighed. "Just open the door, or I'm going to break it down."
There was a pause, followed by the sound of the door creaking open. Layla stood in the doorway, arms crossed, her expression skeptical. "What do you want?"
"I'm here to talk," Elijah said, walking past her and into the room. He glanced around briefly before sitting on her bed. Layla shot him a look, and he moved to the desk with a quiet chuckle.
"Are you really angry that we killed him? I'm sorry if it upset you," he said.
Layla's eyes narrowed. "I'm not mad about you killing him," she said, voice sharp. "I'm mad that you didn't tell me right away. And you're not even here to apologize properly. You're here because you feel bad about yourself. You always do that."
Elijah froze for a moment, feeling the sting of her words more than he expected. Layla wasn't done. "You and Lloyd act like I'm some little kid, no matter how old I get. So what does your apology even matter if you're just going to do the same thing again?"
Elijah wasn't sure how to respond. Layla wasn't wrong, but there was so much more to it. He didn't know where to start.
Layla kept going, her frustration clear. "When have you ever cared about what I feel? You always act like everything's on your terms, Elijah. You'll always be my brother, but maybe it's better if I stop expecting anything from you. I mean everyone else already has."
Elijah sat on the edge of Layla's desk, the weight of her words hanging in the air. He opened his mouth to speak, but found himself at a complete loss for words. The anger and hurt in Layla's voice stung harder than he'd anticipated. She was crying now, her tears leaving streaks down her face.
Without thinking, Elijah reached out to her, wanting to comfort her in some way. But the moment he got too close, Layla pulled away sharply, her eyes wide in panic. "Stay back," she whispered harshly, her hands pushing against him.
Before Elijah could react, Layla's hand swiped out, her movements too frantic. She didn't mean it, but in her fear, she accidentally struck his arm so hard that it detached with a sickening sound. He grunted in pain, the stump of his arm dripping blood, and the spray splattered across Layla's face. She froze, wide-eyed, her breath catching in her throat.
"I'm—I'm sorry," she stammered, her voice cracking. "I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Elijah winced, but despite the pain, he reached out to her. Seeing the terror in her eyes only made him feel more guilty. "Layla," he said softly, his voice steady but full of empathy. "Calm down. It's fine. It'll grow back. It's my fault anyway. I deserve worse."
But Layla didn't look reassured. Her hands shook as she backed away, still trembling. "I didn't want to hurt anyone," she whispered, almost to herself.
Elijah sighed, sitting up and patting her head gently, though he was still trying to mask the sharp pain in his shoulder. "Layla, listen… it's fine. I've been an idiot, I know. From now on, you get your space. I'll respect whatever you want. But I'm sorry. I truly am."
Layla blinked away more tears, shaking her head furiously. "That's not what I want!" she shouted, her voice rising in frustration. "I don't want you to just leave me alone. I want you to be my older brother again! You… you've changed. You're not the person I remember."
Elijah's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? I—"
Layla's sobs were louder now, cutting off his words. "Do you even remember the promise you made when I was little?" she cried, her hands shaking as she clutched at her chest. "You promised you'd protect me. You promised nothing would ever hurt me, not even emotionally. And now? You're the one who's hurting me! You're the one breaking my heart!"
Elijah's heart twisted painfully, and for the first time in a long while, he felt like he was truly lost. "I… I don't remember," he said quietly, guilt flooding his voice. "I wish I did. I can't even remember that promise. I—I'm sorry, Layla. I've been gone for so long."
Layla's expression softened, but it didn't lessen the pain in her eyes. "That's exactly the problem. You don't remember. You clearly don't care anymore."
Elijah's chest tightened as he fought to swallow the lump in his throat. He didn't know what to say. "Layla… What do you want from me? How can I fix this?"
Layla wiped at her eyes, tears still falling. She shook her head again. "Just leave," she whispered, her voice hollow. "It's clear you don't care. I'll just have to deal with it. I'm done."
Elijah's heart sank, and for a long moment, he stood frozen. His eyes met hers, and he could see how badly he had let her down. He opened his mouth to protest, to beg her to let him try again, but the words caught in his throat.
Instead, he stood slowly and reattached his arm, the healing process immediate but painful. He couldn't argue. He couldn't fix everything at once.
With a final, heavy sigh, Elijah turned away. He reached for the door, but before he stepped out, he turned back to Layla. "I… I'm sorry."
The door closed quietly behind him, but he could feel something inside him crumble. The tears he had been holding back finally fell, tracing the line of his cheek.