Elizabeth and the Vampire's Cabin(33)

Elizabeth felt awful inside. She had been trapped for a month on the island with Arthur and she hadn't known any of that. She had always identified herself as the one with the messed up family background. In every setting, with any person, she had always felt different. Her life had extraordinary tragedy that no one else could see, touch, or relate to. Listening to Arthur gave her perspective and she felt humility wash over her. Sometimes she needed reminding that she was not the only one with problems.

"I'm beat," Arthur suddenly said. "I need to turn in."

"Sleep. I'll stay awake a little while longer. I'm too excited to fall asleep just yet."

And with that, Arthur laid down as best he could and shut his eyes. Though he didn't need a blanket, his body temperature didn't vary much anymore, he curled up with a towel. With that towel wrapped around him, and Elizabeth nearby, his sense of security was as good as it could possibly be.

The sky had darkened by now and the stars were starting to come out. Elizabeth stared up at them as she reflected on her life. All through her life she had felt a sense of guilt that she had pushed deep down inside her. It was the guilt of having killed her parents. That wasn't true. She knew it wasn't true. But there's a difference between knowing something and feeling something. And then there was her grandfather's death, which wasn't her fault, but it led to her being raised by Austin. There were many times she would forcefully remind herself not to blame him for not loving her. If she had never been born, their parents might have lived and he wouldn't have been forced to become her father when he was still only a teenager. I'm sorry, Elizabeth thought to the universe. If I could take it all back I would. But I've changed. I've grown up. I'm not the child that destroyed lives. I'm the woman saving lives. And I deserve to be happy.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth's sudden contentment did not last. She saw a giant shadow in the water fast approaching their tiny boat. Was that a whale? Suddenly, the giant sea dragon from her dream leaped out of the water and dived back under. She was in awe. She could hardly remember the dream--dreams are so easy to forget--but seeing the sea dragon brought it all back. Joe was at least twenty feet long. But the first thing she noticed was not his great length. She couldn't take her eyes off the head shaped like a monstrous raptor, supported by a long, reptilian neck. He had blue scales with green stripes on his back and a white underbelly. Giant, blue pectoral fins, looking to be roughly half the size of his body, were spread wide. And they were shaped like the wings of a dragon. Her breath was taken away, as she saw this magnificent sea dragon fly out of the water and dive back under. Arthur immediately awoke upon hearing the giant splashing of Joe, and he bolted upright.

"What was that," he blurted out.

"I think that was Joe," she answered.

A bat suddenly perched on their little boat. They both knew exactly who it was. Aaron morphed into human form, sitting on the side of the boat.

"Joe is turning this boat around right now," he told them.

"Aaron, please. Just let us go,” Arthur pleaded. "You've had us over a month now. There's no way for the authorities to track you down even if we were to tell everyone we were abducted by a Neanderthal vampire who turns into a bat at will. It sounds like a joke. At the very least, let Elizabeth go. She's been through enough. Drown me in the ocean if you want. I'll take full responsibility for this. Please, just let her keep going!"

Aaron did not respond to Arthur's plea. Instead, he turned to Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth," he said. "I'm going to offer you a deal. I trust you to keep your word, because you always tell the truth. Tonight, I promise to let Arthur go. Joe will push this boat, with Arthur in it, within sight of the nearest populated island. Arthur can get back home from there. In fact, I've brought money with me." He pulled out a stack of cash from his inside jacket pocket. "This is 5,000 dollars. It is Arthur's free and clear, so he can travel home and do whatever else he wants with it. Within a week, I will give you proof that Arthur made it home safely. But you have to make me a promise. From now on, you will be totally obedient to me. For as long as our time together lasts, you will be a willing and ready participant in our relationship."

"No, way! I do not agree to this," Arthur vehemently asserted

"When will you send me home?" Elizabeth asked.

"You're due back home at the end of next month, right? Then that's when you will be released. I'll have you on a boat off my island by the end of next month if you agree to my terms."

"Okay," Elizabeth immediately agreed. She didn't even have to hesitate.

"I do not agree--!