Bella Vita (7 page)

So, now what do we
do?
I wasn't sure I wanted to learn
anymore.

Child, it's time for you to
rest. Soon you'll leave this place. I'll come later this evening
and we will talk of the blade that hangs over your head. I've
learned enough about your gifts to suggest to the school how they
should train you. But rest is what you need.
Betty turned and gestured Bernard forward- he resisted only
momentarily.

“Wait...” But the word fell
to silence as they had already vanished from the strange
room.

“UGH! Now I'm just supposed
to rest?! After everything that just happened! UGH!” I kicked out
at the stones I stood on. Frustration rolled through my
body.

Deep breath. DEEP
BREATH.
With every command I gave myself,
I felt my tense grow more and more- clearly deep breaths work for
crap. I went inside and found some of my workout cloths. I threw
them on, pulled my hair into a messy pony tail, and ran out the
door.

Two hours later, I had barely broken a
sweat, but my mind was blank. My mind was happily dancing around
with the beat of my footfalls on the hard packed dirt.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The rhythm beat out like a
drum. The steady pace was calming and I soon found my focus. I
thought about Dominic and Bella Notte.
Will the business boom?
Seemed like
a safe enough question to me. Soon, my vision was lost to the balmy
tropical atmosphere as I watched the success of Bella Notte and how
it spread throughout the world. It would be a safe haven for
vampires- bringing us closer together than we had ever been before.
The vision left me feeling queasy. I slowed my pace to simple walk.
I had been lucky not to run into anything- or maybe it was merely
my vampiric reflexes that kept me safe.

I knew
he'd do it.
Dominic would be delighted to
know the future of Bella Notte, but if I told him maybe that would
surely change it. I decided to keep the information to myself.
Dominic would bring our people together in a way that no one had
managed to do before and I certainly wasn't going to screw that
up.

I walked back up to my home. I took a brief
hot shower and went back into the kitchen. I was in my black plush
robe and nothing more, when I found Bernie fixing me dinner.

“Uh, hi.” I pulled the robe
tighter around myself as Bernie's hidden thoughts flashed through
my mind.

“Hiya, Emma. I thought
you'd like a light dinner before Bettina returned. You'll be
returning back to your home soon enough.” His voice held a tension
that made knots in my stomach.

“Let me dress and I'll be
right back.” I said as I rushed back into my bedroom- pulling on
the first clean outfit that looked comfy that I could find. It was
my old gym shirt and some sweat shorts, my heart panged at the
thought of my life with Mike.

“Your pain rolls off of you
in waves, you know. When you think of
him
.” Bernie's words were
harsh.

“Excuse me?” How do you
respond to something like that?

“When you think of your old
boyfriend- the werewolf.” I couldn't read his inflection on the
word 'werewolf' but I doubt it was a good one.

“What do you know about
Mike? Nothing. He's a good person. I'm sure those close to him
think the same of us. It's all a stupid childish name calling.” I
snarled.

Bernie stopped and looked at me with sheer
shock.

“I'd apologize, but I'm not
sorry, Bernie. What you just said is the whole reason that there
are problems between our kinds. It's stupid and shouldn't be that
way. And if I can, I'm gonna stop it.” I squared my shoulders and
stood up as tall as possible.

“I believe you might be one
of the few people that can.
La nostra
salvatrice
.” He bowed toward
me.

Did he just call me their
savior?
My mind whirled with the thought
of what people thought of me.

“Here, eat. She'll come
when you're done.” Bernie placed a plate in front of me- it was a
salad with a dressing that looked like a vinaigrette mixed with
blood.

“Thank you, Bernie. Are you
going to join me tonight?” I gestured toward the second seat at the
table.

“Not tonight, Emma. I've
many things to attend to, I'll eat breakfast with you.” He smiled
and walked out. “Enjoy.”

I sighed.
Why do they all do that? I really hate being so
alone.
I ate my food in silence, enjoying
the strange tangy taste of the dressing. When I finished I washed
my dish and sipped on my water. I stood staring out the window into
the dying light that washed out the colors of the plants. My mind
circled back to the thought of going home and seeing Dom.
I'd like to see Mike before I leave
though
. My entire body tried to plead with
me.

All is possible with your
gift, Child
. I didn't hear her approach,
but I didn't start when I heard her voice in my head.

“Not everything is
possible, Betty.” My voice showed all the sadness I had whenever I
thought of Mike.

Your gift is special. And
from what I hear, you've already visited him. How about I guide you
this time and help you interact with the wolf?
Betty's voice held no judgment.

What about learning about
the prophecy?
It was the reason why I was
there after all.

Child, I've no need of
sleep. We can do both.
Her eyes smiled
with hidden secrets that I wanted to know all about.

Yes. How do I see Mike and
let him see me?
My heart beat was that of
humans and I knew that excitement colored my cheeks.

First, come and sit with me
here on these pillows.
Betty gracefully
sat down on a bright red floor pillow.

I sat on a hunter green one- it made me
think of the forest.

Because you're not trained,
but very gifted, I don't know how long the connection will last. He
will be the only one that can hear or see you. Now, you must focus
on the castle you had seen before. Think only of it, until you can
see it. Then focus your thoughts of finding your wolf.
Now close your eyes, Emma.
Betty's voice had become distant- as though I was hearing it
through the wind.

I shut my eyes. I thought
back to my vision. I could see the green earth, the beautifully
growing ivy, and the carved stone. I stepped back to look at the
entire sight and found myself staring at the glorious castle from
before. I held the vision tight.
Now,
where are you, Michael O'Shanold?
My
question sent a probe out around me. His presence was like a light
in the darkness of night. I followed it. My movements were even
faster than while I was awake. I located him in a blink of an eye.
The guy I had fallen for was walking alone along a lake. I reached
out for him.

“Mike.” I spoke his name
and knew he could hear me.

He turned swiftly and stared in disbelief as
I floated in front of him. “Emma?”

“Well, sort of. I'm merely
projecting myself here.” I reached my hand through his.

“Spooky.” He smiled causing
his bright green eyes to light.

“I missed you.” My heart
panged and I felt my vision fade slightly.

FOCUS
. Betty commanded from where my body sat.

“Emma?” He reached to try
and catch hold of me.

“Don't worry. I'm here for
the moment. We aren't sure how long I can hold this state- being so
new to it.” I smiled at him apologetically.

“How are you?” Mike's eyes
held a caution I had never seen before.

“I'm okay. About to start
school and all. How about you? You liking it here?” I waved toward
the castle behind me.

“Oh, yeah. It's nice to be
around so many like me. Acacia likes it here too- her family lives
here and all.” He looked down at his boots- same as my favorite
ones.

“Right.” The air wiggled
around me, I fought harder to hold on to it.

“Em, you ok?” His face
filled with concern.

“Yeah, just... a bit...
hard to hold it.” I breathed out.

“Mike?” Her voice was like
cold water in my veins.

He turned quickly to see Acacia standing at
the edge of the lake. “Hi.” He looked back over his shoulder at
me.

“Only you can see or hear
me...” I was starting to fade.

Panic washed his feature, he rushed closer
to me. “Don't leave me, not yet. Em, please.” He whispered.

“Michael, what on Earth are
you doing?” Acacia's voice sounded concern.

“I'm sorry, Mike, it's time
for me to go now. You've company anyways. I'll try to come again. I
miss you, my love.” I whispered back at him as everything faded
away and I was back sitting on the floor with Betty.

Interesting.
She smiled.

I sighed. Tears fought to stream down my
cheeks but I bit them away.

Now, let us talk about this
death prophecy that hangs balanced over your and your wolf's
head.
Her words broke the sorrow that was
weighing down my heart.

How do we stop it?
I needed to know this more than anything
else.

Ah, a good question. But
not the place to start. Let me share the original vision with
you.
Betty reached out and grasped my hand
in her iron lock.

My world went black and
suddenly I was watching the history of the two peoples and their
bloody battles. My stomach rolled.
Please
make it stop.
I pleaded with myself. All
the pain and suffering of hundreds of years of fighting circled
around me like a suffocating fog. I thought I might pass out from
the overwhelming sensations being thrown at me, when everything
shifted. I was standing in a royal looking court where two thrones
stood empty- each with the insignias of its people. They were
tributes to the rulers that once sat in them. The regal chairs grew
larger in my view and I could read the inscriptions to Mike and
myself on them. I gasped for air. My lungs seemed to believe the
words written in stone about my own death. It didn't matter that I
didn't require air to survive, my system went into
shock.

I woke from the vision huddled in a ball on
the floor with Bernie holding me.

“It'll be okay. Emma. Come
back to us.” His voice chanted the words at me.

“Bernie?” My brain was
having a hard time registering everything that was
happening.

“Emma!” He kissed the top
of my head.

That is enough, Bernard.
She's fine.
Betty's voice was icy cold.
But Bernie's hold on me didn't loosen.

I tried to sit up and fell right back
down.

“Not yet. You need to rest
for a moment. Here, sip this.” Bernie held a vial of straight blood
to my lips.

The effect was instant. My mind cleared and
I felt better. “What happened?” My voice still sounded weak as I
sat up.

Your mind didn't handle the
images as well as I thought it might.
But
now that you're with us again. What I showed you is only one path,
Emma. You chose this ending, no one else does. You can stop it for
you both. Now it's time for you to get ready to leave.
Betty's words were abrupt.

“Okay. Betty. Thank you for
everything.” I got to my feet, I didn't feel the need to argue the
point or push anything. I finally realized that everything would
eventually make sense.

Betty left. Bernie helped me to my room.
“Emma, can I help you pack?” His eyes burned bright with
concern.

“Of course, Bernie, I'd
appreciate it.” I gave him a small smile.

We packed all my possessions in silence. I
would miss this place. I would miss Bernie.

“Emma, would you, eh, write
to me sometimes? So I know you're ok?” Bernie was looking down at
the luggage at his feet.

“Of course!” I hugged him
tightly around his neck. “Promise you'll write back?”

“I'd never offend Milady by
not.” He winked at me as he bent and kissed the back of my
hand.

I laughed. “Thank you, Bernie, for
everything. You've made my time here better.”

“Aww. Now let's get this
stuff out to your car. It'll be waiting for you. I've been told
that you should just follow the path and you'll find your way out.”
He lifted my bag up.

“Thank you, Bernie.” I
whispered and squared my shoulders to walk out of this place the
way I came.

My trip back to the real world was as easy
as taking Betty's private jet back to Italy- something I still
didn't understand why she had in the first place. I slept through
the entire trip. The moment we landed at the private airport I knew
he was there. I could feel him in every ounce of myself.

Chapter
two

Dom!
I hadn't realized just how much I had missed him. Feeling his
presence once the plane landed filled my body with a joy I didn't
recognize.
Was this what I was missing
while I was gone?
A deeper thought
demanded to know if the hole of not having Dom around is what
caused seeing Mike to be so intense.
I
don't know.