Nightshade: A SimLit | Chapter 49: Fate

Author's Note: A special thanks to mamasquirrel for allowing me to use her sim, Sabrina Trueblood, in this chapter.

-----

President Boucher's heels clicked against the floor as she walked down the seemingly endless hallway. 

She came to a stop and pressed the elevator button, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited. She wasn't a patient woman today, or any other day, but she was forced to wait for what felt like forever until the elevator arrived and she got in. Slowly, it carried her down into the depths of the lowest floor in the Capitol Building.

The elevator came to a halt and she stepped out, approaching her destination.

The door had top security, and behind it was the most important thing in the building: the headquarters for The Triple A.

With the press of a button the sealed doors slid open and she entered her office.

As she sat in her desk chair, a familiar man's voice spoke. "You're late."

She rolled her eyes. "I am the President. You do not dictate my schedule."

"And I am the Grim Reaper," the man replied sternly. "I do not have time to trifle with the affairs of mere mortals."

President Boucher raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you here?"

"Because, fortunately for you, this affair interests me," Grim said. "So stop wasting our time and get on with it."

"Fine," she sighed. "I am here to seek your help for my organization. We aim to--"

"To eliminate the existence of Supernaturals," he interrupted. "I already know this. I know far more than you think."

She nodded. "Yes. We are struggling. The Arcane strive to achieve equality. We cannot allow this to happen. That is why we formed The Arcane Annihilation Agency. And now, it is them who want to annihilate us. They are a threat to our society. We suspect their headquarters is in Forgotten Hollow, so we sent agents out in an attempt to locate this safe haven... and two of them never returned. I am doubtless that they found it and were killed. We must find Forgotten Hollow and put an end to The Arcane. But just as The Triple A has multiple hidden bases, I suspect that they do as well. The Arcane could be lurking around every corner."

"I find this quite intriguing, President Boucher." Grim's lips curled into a conniving grin. "I also find them to be a threat. They defy the very laws of life and death. Vampires are not quite alive, yet not dead... cursed to wander this realm for eternity. Their power is immense. And with the powerful brains of aliens, not only have they come up with a serum that prevents aging and makes them effectively immortal, but their technology has advanced far beyond this world and could easily be used against us. And there are many others beyond just vampires and aliens. Their power and immortality... it goes against all that is natural. And it is far too great to be in anyone's hands. They must be eradicated."

President Boucher smirked. "Are you saying that you would like to offer your support?"

"Yes, but my assistance will be limited."

"What do you mean?"

Grim sighed. "I cannot meddle in affairs that may directly influence the life or death of someone."

"Do you care to explain that more clearly?" President Boucher cocked an eyebrow.

"I know the location of Forgotten Hollow," he began, "as well as many other things that would be of use to you. However, if I told you where it was, you would send your agents there to eliminate The Arcane. Many people would die before it was their appointed time. As the ruler of death, I cannot cause someone's death before it is their time. However, I can recommend that you send as many of your agents as you can to search for any trace of supernatural life forms. It would not be meddling for me to tell you that I know they do indeed have multiple bases."

"Alright. I will send as many agents as I can to scour every last inch of this world until we find them. But..." She furrowed her eyebrows. "Appointed time? Is our fate already written?"

"Yes," Grim said, "but it does not mean you cannot change it."

---

Hidden in a dark alley, far from the main part of the bustling city of San Myshuno, was an abandoned building that The Arcane had claimed as a training base.

"These new recruits are pretty good," Aubrey said, "although it feels strange for them not to be in uniform."

"It's just a training day, they don't need them. Only on the field and at the headquarters, if they make it that far." Lilith placed her hand on her hip. "But I agree. I have high hopes for our San Myshuno trainees. We need all the help we can get..."

"It seems as if the vampires are already quite powerful, which is convenient," Lilith continued. "But the other new agent... I'm not quite sure how to utilize his potential."

"The alien?" Aubrey questioned. "It seems to me that the disguise form would come in handy. No one would suspect him in undercover operations, right? He looks like any normal human. Not to mention brain powers such as memory erasure..."

"Yes, you're right," Lilith nodded. "That may give us the upper hand..."

The man in black twirled his handgun as he walked down the dark alley. He had grown tired of patrolling the streets of San Myshuno, but nearby noise caught his attention and he found himself following the sound of voices.

As he reached the end of the alley, he swung the door open and was met with the sight of his enemies. Quickly, he raised his gun, and his lips twisted into a smirk as Aubrey and Lilith turned to face him.

"Checkmate."

---

'Please pick up,' Caleb thought as he brought the ringing phone to his ear. He sighed in relief when he heard an answer.

"Hello?"

"Onyx," Caleb began, his voice quivering. "I need you to come over immediately."

"To your house?" Onyx frowned, still sounding groggy. "Caleb, I've never been to Forgotten Hollow, and it's the middle of the night--"

"Just get here as quickly as you can!" Caleb exclaimed. "Bring Amelia with you."

"Alright," Onyx said. "Just tell me how to get there..."

They were on the phone for a few moments more as Caleb gave him directions, and then Onyx hung up. He looked over at Amelia, who was still sound asleep, and sighed. "Amelia?"

Her eyes fluttered open. "Hmm...?"

Onyx stood from the edge of the bed. "We have to go."

Amelia frowned and sat up. "Where?"

"Forgotten Hollow."

_____

It was the first time Onyx had ever seen Forgotten Hollow, the place he was born. But he had no time to waste admiring it, the second he walked through Caleb's door, he was pulled into a tight hug.

"Onyx!" Caleb cried as he tightened his arms around him.

Onyx returned the hug and frowned as Amelia walked in the house behind him. "Caleb, what's wrong?"

"It's terrible," Caleb began shakily. "They've taken drastic measures to find and eliminate us..."

"They?" Onyx questioned.

"The Triple A," Caleb clarified. "They're sending agents everywhere, searching for The Arcane... and any other supernaturals they may find while they're looking..."

Caleb pulled away from the hug and continued to explain. "Tonight, they found our training base in San Myshuno and attacked. Lilith was there... and Aubrey..."

Onyx and Amelia exchanged worried glances. 

"Are they okay?" Amelia asked.

"Lilith managed to fight her way out. B-But Aubrey... they killed her."

"I'm sorry," Onyx sighed, and Amelia silently looked down at the floor. 

"I thought you should know so that you could tell Claire," Caleb said. "I...I wasn't in love with Aubrey," he admitted, "but I valued her as a friend."

"Why did you lie about it, then?" Amelia asked. "We thought you were happy with her."

"I did what I had to do in order to hire her for The Arcane. She wasn't the only one." There was guilt in Caleb's voice. "I felt bad when I realized she really did love me... but that isn't what we're here to talk about," he sighed. "Onyx, Amelia, I know that you both said you didn't want to risk your lives by joining The Arcane..."

Onyx interrupted. "And that still stands. You know we want to help, Caleb, but now we have Tiffany to take care of..."

Knowing of that situation already, Caleb nodded. "And I couldn't ask you to join now. It's far too dangerous. Our agents are beginning to drop like flies... you're nowhere near powerful enough to stand a chance. Which brings me to my next point..."

"And that is?" Amelia asked. 

"Like I said, The Triple A has entered a frenzied pursuit of supernaturals. They could be lurking around every corner. Their disadvantage is that they are mere humans... but... both of you are inexperienced and weak, as you never have properly honed your vampiric powers and skills. They could easily take you down."

Onyx felt himself begin to panic. Caleb was right, what good would he do against trained agents? He couldn't protect himself. He couldn't protect Amelia... 

"This is why," Caleb continued, "I am sending you to Count Vladislaus Straud." There was a hint of disdain in his voice. "He's a Grand Master vampire and a leader of The Arcane alongside my sister. Our Headquarters are underneath his mansion. He can take you there and train you. Go see him while you're here."

"Alright," Onyx said as he turned to Amelia. "Let's go."

_____

There was something eerily beautiful about Forgotten Hollow.

Or maybe just eerie.

Onyx was in awe as they approached Count Vladislaus Straud's mansion, but Amelia only shivered as a chill ran down her spine.

Onyx looked over at her with a frown. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she sighed. "It's just... this place is so..."

"Amazing, right?" Onyx smiled. "It feels like home to me. I've always wondered what it was like in Forgotten Hollow..."

"I think it's creepy," Amelia laughed. "Especially this guy's mansion."

Onyx laughed. "Maybe it's just because I was born and raised a vampire. You, on the other hand, were used to humanity and you probably weren't expecting dark and spooky--"

Amelia interrupted and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, you don't find it even slightly unnerving that he has a bunch of dead people buried in his front yard?"

As they stepped onto the porch, Onyx seemed thoughtful. "...okay, you're right. That's creepy."

The two of them exchanged glances as they stared at the large door in front of them.

"Well? Are you going to knock?" Amelia asked.

"Why don't you knock?" Onyx smiled playfully. "Is the door creeping you out, too?"

Amelia laughed and nudged him forward. "Just knock on the door!"

Onyx brought his hand up and knocked loudly.

They waited for a few moments until the doors slowly swung open with a loud creak, like nails running down a chalkboard...

Vladislaus stood in the doorway. "Greetings, fellow vampires."

"How did you know?" Onyx's eyes widened a little. 

"I am a Grand Master vampire. Do you really believe that I can't determine something as simple as that?" Vladislaus raised an eyebrow. "Regardless of your answer, please, come in and introduce yourselves."

As Vladislaus turned away from them, Amelia moved closer to Onyx. She had a bad feeling about this...

Onyx only frowned, noticing the tension, and wrapped an arm around her as they walked forward. "I'm Onyx Nightshade," he began, but was interrupted before he could finish.

"Yes, yes, it is a pleasure to meet you," Vladislaus said impatiently. "And who is the exquisite vampiress with you?"

Amelia was silent, and Onyx felt her muscles grow even more tense underneath his fingers. He guided her a bit closer to him with the hand that was still resting on her back and finally spoke, his voice sounding a bit more harsh than usual. "...My wife, Amelia."

"Right," Vladislaus replied unenthusiastically.  "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Amelia."

"Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you," Amelia replied, and then rolled her eyes. 'Exquisite vampiress? This guy is ridiculous...'

Their conversation fell silent as they approached a dark stairwell.

"I'm taking you down to The Arcane's training room," Vladislaus explained as he started to walk down the stairs. "We will train there."

Onyx and Amelia nodded silently and followed him into the darkness of the long hall below them. There were lots of doors, distant voices, and the faint glow of lights at the end of the hall.

"There are other vampires here?" Onyx asked excitedly.

"Yes," Vladislaus said as he opened the door to a room and stepped inside. "You should go see them after we train."

He turned to face them with an unsettling smirk. "So, which of you wants to go first?"

Amelia turned to Onyx with a nervous smile. "You should go first."

"Alright," Onyx nodded and stepped forward. "I'll go."

Their training session began, and Onyx followed along surprisingly well. Amelia watched him proudly, already worried about how poorly she would compare to him. She could tell that despite his inexperience, Onyx was powerful -- far more powerful than she would ever expect to be.

"Very good," Vladislaus said as Onyx returned to Amelia's side, and then he turned to look at her with a smirk. "Now, my dear, let's see what you're made of."

'I'm not your dear,' she thought as she stepped forward. She could feel the sudden tension in the air, and glanced over at Onyx, who was now shooting unamused glances at him.

She furrowed her eyebrows and looked Vladislaus in the eye, feeling the stare he returned burn holes right through her as his lips curled into a wider smirk. 

"I get the feeling that you are tougher than you appear to be," he said. "Show me your power."

Amelia gave it her all. Just as she suspected, she didn't match Onyx's power. She knew that as a naturally born vampire, his potential was far higher. But whatever potential she had, she showed. She didn't know why, but she wanted Vladislaus to see every bit of power that she possessed. 

As they finished, her eyes searched the room for Onyx and she found him smiling at her. She returned the smile, but then felt an unfamiliar hand resting on her shoulder.

"Excellent, Amelia," Vladislaus began, genuinely smiling for once. "You both have amazing potential to be powerful vampires. Now, I will take you to meet the others."

She nodded in response. "Thank you, Count Vladislaus."

As he began to lead both of them out of the room and down the hall, he leaned closer to her and spoke quietly: "Please, my dear... call me Vlad."

-----

At the end of the hall was a large room, and several other vampires were there, talking and laughing as if they were good friends.

"Enjoy interacting with your fellow vampires," Vladislaus said as he headed toward another door. "I have other business to attend to. I will be back shortly."

As he disappeared, Onyx and Amelia gave each other excited smiles.

"Look at all of the other vampires!" Onyx said enthusiastically. "I can't wait to meet them..."

"Me either," Amelia replied as they finally entered the room. "I hope they like us!"

At the sound of new voices, the room fell silent and everyone in it turned to face them. Soon, they were surrounded by smiling faces.

"Are you some of the new recruits?" A vampire girl asked, smiling at them.

"No, we're just here to train, actually," Onyx replied with a cheerful expression. "But Count Vladislaus suggested that we come here to meet some other vampires."

"It's nice to meet you all," Amelia added. "I'm Amelia Nightshade, and this is my husband Onyx--"

"Onyx and Amelia?" A red-haired vampire interrupted. "You're friends of Vance!"

"Yes, we know Vance." Onyx nodded. "Is he here today? We haven't really spoken since..." He frowned. "...the incident you're all probably aware of."

"No, he isn't," the red-haired vampire sighed. "He completed his training and became an official member of The Arcane, but he's not around as much as the rest of us right now. He's been struggling to come terms with the loss of his boyfriend."

"Dominic," Amelia said quietly. "I can imagine that he must be hurt..."

"Next time you see him, tell him we said hello," Onyx said.

"I will," the vampire replied. "Now, onto a more cheerful subject..."

Amelia smiled as she listened to Onyx talk with the other vampires. But she felt strangely unsettled, as if someone was staring...

She hesitantly turned her head to see Vladislaus -- or Vlad, as he apparently preferred -- staring at her. When she met his gaze, he motioned for her to come over, and she slipped away from Onyx unnoticed.

She cautiously approached him and tried to avoid eye contact. "What is it, Count Vladi--"

"Vlad," he corrected.

"Vlad," she repeated. "Is there something you need?"

"Yes, there is, actually." Vlad smirked. "I wanted to discuss something with you regarding... our training and your powers."

"Oh," she said, feeling herself relax a little. "Then go ahead."

"Would you mind if we go somewhere a bit quieter?" He asked. "All of the talking is a distraction..."

"...no, not at all," Amelia hesitantly replied. "Where to?"

He turned to a door only a few feet away from them and opened it. "Follow me..."

She swallowed nervously as she followed him. There were some old drapes and a strange statue on the wall, but the room was completely empty.

Aside from a coffin in the middle of the floor. 

Amelia tensed and turned to Vlad as he closed the door... and locked it. "What are you--"

Before she could finish her sentence, he lunged toward her and pinned her against the wall in a single, swift motion.

Amelia froze in place and glanced up at him, pressing herself against the wall as much as possible. Anything to put space between them...

His voice was like a hissing snake. "Amelia, I am making you an offer that you can't refuse..."

"A-An offer?" Amelia stammered, looking away.

He put a hand under her chin and tilted her head upwards, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You have a lot of potential, Amelia Nightshade," he began. "You will train to have immense power. I am looking for a vampiress such as yourself..."

"For what?" Amelia asked.

"To become Countess Straud," he said with smirk. "Think about it, my dear. You could lead The Arcane and all of the vampires in Forgotten Hollow alongside me. You could become a Grand Master, so powerful that no one could ever stand in your way..." 

Amelia bit her lower lip nervously. "I-"

Vlad interrupted as he leaned in closer. "And," he said, "You could be completely protected from The Triple A, living safely here in Forgotten Hollow with all of our agents to protect you. Onyx cannot protect you, Amelia. He is weak..."

Amelia found herself at a loss for words, her heart and mind racing.

"So, what do you say?" Vlad's lips were inches away from hers. "Do you accept my offer?"

-----

Most of the discussion had finally died down, and everyone had returned to what they were doing before except for one of the new recruits that had escaped the earlier attack.

"It was awful," she explained to Onyx. "There were so many gunshots... and screaming... I remember seeing a few of the other recruits lying dead. I don't know how I made it out alive. I'm starting to wonder if I'm really cut out for this kind of work. I want to help, but if I reacted this badly..." 

"Hey, anyone would be shaken up from that." Onyx reassured her. "I'm sure you'll be a great agent..."

His voice trailed off as he looked away from her and suddenly realized that Amelia was nowhere to be seen. "...Have you seen Amelia since earlier?"

"No," she replied. "Maybe she's in another room. This place is pretty big."

Onyx nodded and stood from his seat. "I'll go see if I can find her."

As he walked down a short hall, he heard voices on the other side of the door directly in front of him. 'That sounds like Amelia. She must be in there...'

-----

"Sorry, but... I'm not interested." Amelia pushed Vlad away and turned to leave.

Vlad grabbed her arm tightly. "Why not? I can offer you so much more than he can..."

"I love him," Amelia said, giving him an irritated glance. "I don't need your offer or your protection."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer until he was against him. "But do you really expect me to let a beautiful woman like you slip through my fingers? I simply have to have you..."

She tensed as she felt his hand move dangerously lower.

Vlad smirked. "You know you want to give into the temptation..."

Amelia slapped his hand away from her chest and turned to face him with a snarl. "Keep your hands off of me!"

Vlad's smirk only widened as she bared her fangs and her eyes flashed yellow. "It seems as if you're about to go into your dark form. I would love to see your power... but please remember that you stand no chance against me. So don't bother fighting..."

Amelia moved threateningly closer, though she knew he was right. 'Dark form? I've never used it before--' Her train of thought was interrupted as she heard the doors swing open. Her eyes went back to normal and she turned away from Vlad quickly.

Onyx stood in the doorway, frowning. "...Amelia? Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," Amelia muttered, crossing her arms as she looked down at the floor.

"Yes, we were just discussing some things," Vlad said. 'Thanks a lot for interrupting.'

"...Right." Onyx raised an eyebrow and walked over to Amelia, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Thank you for everything, Count Vladislaus, but we really have to get going. We have a child back home to tend to."

"Yes, of course," Vlad replied. "I will escort you out."

He lead them back to the foyer, and as they left, Amelia could feel his eyes fixated on her until he closed the door.

Amelia clung to Onyx's arm as they walked away from the mansion. Somehow, it seemed scarier to her as when they first got here only a while ago...

"What happened in there?" Onyx asked worriedly.

"Before we go home, we're paying another visit to Caleb," Amelia said. "I'll fill you in as much as I can on the way there..."

-----

The four vampires had all gathered at the kitchen table.

"So," Caleb began, "how did the training with Vlad go?"

"Well..." Onyx sighed. "The training was fine, but that isn't the problem. The guy's a total creep."

Amelia crossed her arms. "And he can't keep his hands to himself!" She furrowed her eyebrows. "He wanted me to marry him or whatever. It was disgusting. I'm never training there again."

'Seriously? That cheating rat...' Lilith thought. 'I can't believe this.' She shook her head. "I'll have a talk with him about his behavior..."

"Really, Lilith? That's all you have to say?" Caleb snapped. "How many times have I told you how much I hate him? I can't understand what you see in him..."

Amelia raised her eyebrows. "What she sees in him? Are you implying--"

"Don't worry about it," Caleb sighed. "I'm really sorry about this. I may not be a Grand Master, but I have hundreds of years of experience. I would be more than happy to train both of you."

"Really?" Onyx smiled.

"Really," Caleb replied.

Onyx looked over at Amelia. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea." Amelia smiled.

Caleb nodded. "Then it's settled."

As the four of them continued their conversation, Grim stood in Forgotten Hollow, staring at the house in front of him.

'Onyx and Amelia are already beginning to alter the course of fate,' Grim thought. 'But will they succeed in doing so before they have to face their own?'