Sunday, May 6, 2012

Chapter 77-The Final Insult


When I woke up I had a splitting headache and my body felt like it was on fire.  Once my eyes were able to focus I saw that I was home in my bed.  It was dark outside and I heard soft breathing coming from the direction of the chair.  I squinted in the darkness to make out a figure.  Why was I so hot?  I tumbled out of bed wanting, needing to take a nice cold shower. 
My neck hurt, as I reached up to cover the throbbing pain my fingers came in contact with a bandage.  I stumbled a bit knocking into the side table.  The sleeping figure jumped up.
“Amari?  Are you ok?”
“Jonas?”
“Yeah.  Carter was here but was called to the hospital.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s about 7 or so.  You’ve been sleep since yesterday evening.”
“I need to shower.  I’m hot so very hot.”  I started stripping free of my clothes with him standing there.  Jonas quickly turned his back.
“Um, I’ll go get one of the girls.  They are downstairs.”  Jonas put his hand up to block his view as he exited the room.  I was stripped and sitting on my shower floor when Bynni and Cece came into the room.
“Mom?”
“In here.”
“Mom you ok?”
“No, I’m running a fever I think.  Ceula you should stay back in case I’m contagious.”  Bynni shut off the water and got me a towel. 
“You’re not contagious mom.  You’re changing.”  Bynni stated helping me up off the floor. 
“Changing?  Changing into what?”  She gave me a sympathetic look. 
“The shower won’t help and it will get worse before it gets better.  Here let me check your bandage.”  Slowly she peeled it away.  “Looks better.” She commented as she removed it completely.
 “Where’s Aric?”
“He’s downstairs and very pissed off.”  Ceula chimed in.  “He’s mad at himself for not being able to help you and he’s mad at Mulo for what he’s done.  We all are.”  Both girls looked tired and scared.  They were holding something back.  I went to my dresser to pull on some clothes then headed downstairs.  Fred and Wilma were cowering in the corner Nina seemed to be trying to calm him but I could tell he was a bomb ready to blow.
“Where are the boys and the triplets?’ 
“My house.”  Ceula chimed in.  “We still have the nursery set up and toys so they took them there when Aric brought you here.”  I looked at them both, they were definitely hiding something.
“Well out with it!  What aren’t you saying?”
Aric looked up from outside then was instantly by my side.
“Mom I’m sorry.  Things got out of hand and I tried to control my temper but I couldn’t.”
 “Son it’s ok.  None of this is your fault and you can’t be held responsible for your father’s actions.”
“True but I am responsible for my own.”
“Baby it’s not your fault.”  Nina said
I was still clearly missing something in this exchange.  My head and neck were throbbing and I felt like my insides were on fire.  I grimaced against the pain willing it to hopefully go away.
“Aric sweetie, whatever you did isn’t your fault.”  The memory of them fighting popped back into my head.  I remembered Mulo standing holding me back from him but not much after that.  I was suddenly worried that he had done something to his father that he was now feeling guilty over.
“If he had been there when I found you I just might have.”  He said answering my thoughts.  “He was gone and you were bleeding a lot.  I should have taken you to the hospital but there would have been too many questions about that bite marks on your neck.”
“It’s fine, I’ll be…”  I doubled over as a pain shot through my stomach.  Aric carried me over to the couch.
“I’m sorry mom.”
“Quit saying that.  You have nothing to be sorry for.”  He dropped down on the couch beside me and the rest of them also sat. 
“I’ve been like this” He said pointing to his face “since I brought you here.  Carter, Jonas, they know what happened.  I wasn’t in the right mind frame to use a compulsion and plus I’ve been too upset to go back to looking normal.”  Oh it all was making sense now why they all looked so solemn.  Aric’s fangs were still fully extended and his eyes glowed.  He was a scary sight.
“Thanks mom.”
“Sorry honey.”
“It’s ok.  I know I am.  In fact my brothers thought I had done it to you.  They can be quite a team when they put some effort into it.”  There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
“I’ll deal with Carter and Jonas later.  I assume your brothers are ok now.”  Another wave of pain washed over me.  This was worse than labor and at least then I got drugs.
“I’ll get the morphine.”  Nina said.  They all seemed to be in my head.  It was more than a little unnerving. 
“Carter and Jonas took things surprisingly well or they are in a state of shock.  It was hard to really tell.”  Bynni stated.  “One thing was clear, they both were overly concerned with you and asked very little questions.” 
That sounded like them.  Once I was better I would sit down and explain it all.  He always managed to mess up my normal. Things were getting to a good place for the boys and now they have to deal with yet another disaster involving their mom.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they moved out the moment they turned 18 sooner if they thought they could.
“So how long will this process take?”  Since both Nina and Bynni had gone through this they would be the perfect people to help me through this.  There was another uncomfortable silence as everyone seemed to know something I didn’t.  Aric let lose a string of curses that shocked me.  He was always so calm and reserved yet he was emitting so much anger.
“Well…um we don’t think you are completely changing.”  Nina whispered.  Now I was more confused than ever.  Either I was going to be like them or not I didn’t think there was an in between.
“What are you talking about?  Bynni said I was changing.  Mulo bit me right?”
“Yes he did but he left a note.”
“Where is it?  Let me see.”
“I sorta ripped it to shreds.”  I doubled over once more and Nina ran to go get the morphine.  She came back ready to inject me.
“Wait will that make me sleep?”
“Yes.”
“Then no, not until after I hear the whole story.”  I said through clenched teeth.  “Aric what did the note say?”
He looked at me and I could tell he felt defeated.  The anger started to subside and his eyes started to glow a little less.  He sat back down next to me.
“When we change a person we have to give more blood than we take in order for the change to be effective.”  He said explaining how the process was supposed to work.  Aric let out a heavy sigh.  “He didn’t do that.”
“So what does that mean?”
“It means that you are somewhere in between.  Your body still has enough of your blood going through it to make the change even more painful as it tries to fight it.  When it’s over you won’t be completely human yet you won’t be a vamp really either.”  Bynni stated.
“This isn’t making sense.”  I said starting to panic.  “Why would he do that?”
“To keep you tied to him.”  Aric said.
“What?  I don’t understand!”  Now I was really panicking. 
“Well,” Bynni started “I had to ask Marisol about all of this when Aric called and told us what happened.  She said as long as you are like this, in between you two are connected.  He can tap into your mind and you can tap into his.  Also no other vamp, meaning us, can complete the change.  He started it, he has to finish it.  Mixing of the bloods could mean death.  Your death.”
“Well shit.  Isn’t that just great?  Where is he, call him over to finish me off please.  I want to be free of him and move on.”
“He’s gone.”  Aric said.  The pain was getting worse causing me to tremble slightly.
“I’ll take the morphine now.”  Nina injected me and I started feeling sleepy.  “Where’s Jonas?”  I asked remembering he was there when I woke up.
“He went to my house to help Trey and the boys with the triplets.”
“Oh that’s so nice of him.”  I mumbled as I drifted off to sleep.
It took three days for the pain to lessen to the point I no longer needed the help of the morphine.  I tried to fight through it as much as possible since I didn’t want to spend my time drugged up and useless.  I found however I was only in pain and still useless for the most part.  Shirley had given her notice, but stayed through the two weeks it took me to be better.  They told her I had a serious stomach flu.  I don’t think she bought it, but with the generous severance package she received, she didn’t voice any opposition.  As the pain started to fade I became aware of subtle changes. 
My first attempts to eat were met with me emptying my stomach contents shortly afterwards.  Bynni suggested I try the plasma fruit on my second day of not being able to keep things down.  It had a weird taste but I was able to keep it down.  No one was sure what that meant but I was getting nourishment on some level that didn’t require Carter hooking me up to an IV so I didn’t complain.  I didn’t experience any physical change in my looks but I did have some improvements.  My hearing was a little sharper and I found when I woke up in the morning things weren’t fuzzy.  I could see without the use of my glasses. 
On the downside to things I felt that connection they said I would have with him.  At first I wasn’t sure what I was feeling.  It was like having someone there but when you turned around they were gone.  It made me nervous and jumpy until I figured out what or who it was.  He hadn’t made actual contact and I had made no attempts to contact him.  Once my body was through fighting itself I only wanted to try to get back to the place I was before he scrambled everything up again.
 Aric took on the responsibility of explaining everything to the boys.  He didn’t want to lie to them, but he did omit the details we both agreed they didn’t need to hear.  They were told I had a history with Mulo prior to meeting Marcus and that moving on was something he wasn’t ready to do.  Naturally they were upset especially seeing the pain I was in although we tried to keep them out of my room when it was at its worst.   They were kept on track with school.  I made sure that they weren’t allowed to skip, well at least not too many days.  They did stay home the first two days because they were too upset and would have been unable to concentrate anyway. 
Once I was better the house starting finding its rhythm again.  I asked the boys if they had any questions or wanted to talk about what happened but neither did.  They were both happy to know I was not going to die and Aric saved me.  Dunham continued his tutoring and his secretive dates with the girlfriend.  He had stayed home more those days I was sick just in case I didn’t pull through.  They did admit to being scared I was going to die.  I would never forgive Mulo for putting them through that.  Dax did pass his drivers test and wanted a car.  He felt driving his dad’s Prius wasn’t the cool thing to do.  Dunham had also passed his drivers test and didn’t mind driving his dad’s car.  I think he liked the idea of having it.  Aric and Nina were the ones to take Dax car shopping.  They were given strict guidelines on what they were allowed to buy him.  They also convinced me to trade out the shuffleboard table for a much cooler pool table.  The triplets were all walking, talking, and using the potty.  My talk with Carter and Jonas went well.  They have to be the most understanding men on the planet.  They did say it helped to see it for their own eyes otherwise they probably would have believed me to be a crazy woman.
On the surface things were going well.  Each day I got better but that connection also got a little stronger or he was using it more.  Still no actual contact but I was sensing things, him and it made me angry.  I wanted to dull it as much as possible.

**thanks Karima for her photo editing of the opening shots. :)**

19 comments:

  1. Nope he doesn't know when to just let go. He does have her trapped in the limbo and connected to him. He can pop in and out of her head whenever he wants and she can't get free of him until he turns her completely. :( She is basically his for all intents and purposes now.

    No she doesn't have equal control over him. She can contact him if she chooses but she doesn't have the power to really do anything to him. She could pop in and make sure he knows how miserable she is but if he's already there watching he knows.

    She does need something good. She hasn't had anything go her way since Marcus disappeared. :(

    Aric is torn. He was so angry at himself for not being able to protect his mom from his father and he's angry at his father for what he's done and is continuing to do to her. Mulo has caused destruction and gone for now to let things cool off a bit. He'll be around in spirit of sorts messing with Amari but not physically for a while.

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  2. Whoa, so he left her in an "in between" state? Dang, poor Amari, I can't imagine what she must be going through right now. You'd think he'd show her some reapect and treat her with a bit of decency since she's the mother of his kids. He sure has a funny way of showing his love for her.

    I'm glad Amari has her kids and they seem pretty clued up with what she's going through, she'll need all the support to come to grips with her situation.

    It's sad that Aric is so torn up over his parents' issues. I hope with time he can learn to believe his mom when she says it's not his fault.

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    1. Yes he did. She is 'in between' and connected to him. You would think he would show her some kindness and respect for being the mother of his child but he has a warped sense of reality right now.

      The older kids are very clued in now and will help and support her because they know she is in a bad situation right now.

      Aric is in the middle with his parents. It's hard to know that his dad has caused so much pain to his mother and he can't protect her from him.

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  3. I can't believe he did that. What a selfish and cruel thing to do to Amari. Mulo needs to have a stake through the shriveled and blackened thing in his chest that replaced what should be a heart. He is worse than a predator. I think he takes pleasure in her upset and pain and emotional turmoil, why else would he want to have that connection. Aric will come up with something. He knows now the torture that Amari has been through at the hands of Mulo.

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    1. Yes Mulo knows no bounds to his crazed ways when it comes to her. It is beyond selfish of him to do that but he knew he was losing her so now until he completes the transformation she is his. Amari would be more than happy to put a stake through his heart right now, in fact in the last chapter she even told him so. It is very sad for Aric to know how his father has treated his mother. It's knowledge he probably wishes he didn't have. But however knowing the truth means he is in a better position to understand his mother's actions.

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  4. That was the last straw!!! I am no longer a Mulo fan!!! I can't believe he did that to her!!!

    I've never seen Eric so upset! It shows how much he loves his mother. What Mulo feels for Amari is not real love as I had thought. It's something twisted. Now he is really going to try to control her! I wonder if he remembers that the connection works both ways!

    Can't wait to see what happens next!

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    1. Yeah I figured a lot of people would be unhappy with Mulo after this chapter. On top of everything he's done to her this was the last straw. She won't be able to be free of him until he completes her transformation and if he never does she remains his.

      Aric has never been so upset. He's always been quiet and laid back (other than seeing CeCe beat up) so knowing the truth then witnessing Mulo in action has torn him up. His family will be there to let him know none of this was in his control and he has no reason to feel guilty.

      She won't really use the connection. She mostly wants him to leave her alone and be free of him. What he has for her is a twisted view on love which to him equals ownership.

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  5. ~ Oh, my goodness this is a new low,even for Mulo!
    ~ Poor Aric,I can understand his pain,all this was going on between his Mother & father & he knew nothing about it,now he knows the truth,I think he would die trying to protect his Mother from his father!He sees now why his Mothers behavior was so erratic at times,& hard to understand,with little or no excuses from her!
    ~ Amari always tried to protect those around her,I feel for her!
    ~ Loved it,MORE when you can!(",)

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    1. Yes he did stoop to a new low after what he has already put her through. Aric has taken on a lot of the guilt over his father's actions. He thinks he should have been able to do more for Amari, that somehow he should have known. They all see why her behavior has been so erratic now. The relationship strain she had with Bynni and Cece will hopefully start to heal now that the truth is out. They all know she was trying to make the best of the hand she has been dealt. She hasn't been perfect but she's been carrying a lot of weight in trying to protect her kids and give them a normal life. Aric would die trying to protect her, at this point I think they all would.

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  6. Stupid Mulo, He really needs to die in whatever the slowest and most painful way for a vampire to die is...he should suffer as much as possible. Stupid jerk. Poor Aric, I feel bad for him feeling so bad over something he can't help....oh and he's such a good son to care so much about his mom. So glad he didn't turn out to be like his father. Could somebody else finish turning her so she can be free of Mulo's control? because if so that's totally what should happen. I'm sure that would just piss him off, and be totally epically awesome for doing so.

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    1. aww, he won't be dying anytime soon. :( Aric is taking it hard even though none of this is his fault. It was all started and planned before he was even born although it is hard to know that you father can be so heartless towards the woman he claims to love. He didn't turn out anything like his father and that is a great thing. Amari has made and will make more mistakes but she tries to always do what's best for her children.

      No, Bynni explained that while she is in this state he's the only one that can complete it. If another vamp tries to mix in their blood Amari could die, therefore she is dependent on Mulo to do it and he won't because this way she is tied to him and only him.

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  7. Mulo,Mulo,Mulo....i still can't hate him, he's quite a shit though, has he ever just tried being nice to her to keep her connected to him? Probably not but still...=b.

    Her kids, Aric the most because he feels responsible but all are taking it hard, i feel bad for them. On the upshot, she no longer needs glasses and is feeling pretty good.

    I don't wish i was Mulo when Amari catches up to him, i'd be lookin' for a rock to crawl under if i was him=b...edenz~

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    1. Awww, he'd be happy to know someone is still in his corner. He can't seem to get it together and figure the whole more flies with honey saying. LOL. He's been nice to her before (after he ran off Jesse) but it didn't last long.

      Aric does feel most responsible since it's his father. Bynni feels bad when she thinks back over how she acted towards her mom as a teen plus knowing she was living with and friends with Marisol. The fact that Amari never said anything or treated her badly for her choice to be with the enemy gave her a new respect for the struggles her mom has gone and will continue to go through.

      Yes she no longer needs the glasses and she is starting to feel better. When/if they have confrontation it won't be pretty.

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  8. Ok Mulo too far this time, you've just become over obsessive now to the point where i can't be on your side anymore..................oh who am i kidding! He wants to be tied to her forever, its super romantic/stalker like creepy! Poor Amari she will never be free, but then does she really want to be??

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    1. He has become overly obsessive. I guess his desire for her could be considered romantic. Amari probably won't ever be free of him. Right now she does want freedom but that's because of everything that has happened in the recent events. Could that change later???? I guess anything is possible.

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  9. It is interesting that Amari finds herself teetering on the brink of vampirism..she only has a little idea of what her vamp children have experienced..with the twists this story takes on a fairly constant basis it is hard telling what direction this story is going...but since Amari and Mulo are connected with this new bond..I have to be excited to find out what happens with this stranger Amari just accepted a drink from.

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    1. Yes Mulo has left her in this weird in between state. She does have 2 grown vamp kids to help her but since she's not quite like them there is only so much they can do for her. I try to keep things interesting but I am putting poor Amari through a lot. She will be glad when this is all over. I am working on the next chapter so we can see who the mystery man is.

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  10. Mulo is such an ass! Why can't he just let her go? It amazes me how he is quick to scream he loves her but is constantly hurting her~ I wonder if what he did to her, linking them, also means that he she tried to stake him (wishful) she's hurt herself in the process.

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    1. Yes he is! He can't let go because like Marisol he refused to admit defeat. Losing out to a human, not sitting well. He does love her, or his version/idea of love which causes her more harm than good. Don't know if killing him would kill her. Would be interesting to find out. LOL

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