Chapter 11
Stella and William's house is straightforward, dominated by wood, and its position is slightly high from the ground; the fences are so tight, and the pillars are sturdy as if no one can peek at the life inside. The house William had purposely used as a hideout was a bit far from the center of Rotorua.
To reach a place to buy food or public facilities, they must pass through a path with towering Californian Redwoods going for the clouds. There is no sound of vehicle engines like in the city center with the pollution that makes you dizzy, instead here only the sound of birds calling each other with the wind shaking the leaves. Repeatedly, his sharp nose inhaled the aroma around him; the combination of the smell of wet earth and trees created a calming scent. It reminded him of his former habitat around the Gordon River.
Stella put her backpack on the sofa and walked around every corner of the house. There are only two bedrooms with standard beds, a kitchen with a small dining table, one bathroom, and a living room with a fireplace and velvet sofa chairs. Everything was still covered with a large piece of dusty plastic, making Stella cough. She didn't like human behavior like this.
William emerged from the main suite on the right side of the house. He placed two pistols, three silver daggers, garlic, and a water bottle on the living room table. Luckily, he kept a firearm passed down from his grandfather to hunt animals as a child. Seeing that, Stella raised an eyebrow and said,
"Are you going to cook onions?" she asked. "If you use onions to kill vampires, it won't work, William."
Embarrassed, William took the onion and put it in his trouser pocket.
The slender-eyed girl laughed. “They can only be killed with a silver weapon, or you can take out their heart. Even the holy water given by the Gods is sometimes unable to kill them.”
Imagining it made the older man's stomach churn, but Stella said it carefreely. Then William sat down on the grey velvet sofa after pulling the plastic covering, flying refined dust grains until he coughed. Stella stared at him as she motioned for the girl to sit down. He cleared his throat to catch his breath after walking through the paths in this forest. William thought he might go for a morning walk to train the joints in his feet.
"Starting today, the journey of my life or your life will be different, Stella," William said, sounding serious. He took a deep breath and said, “What I hide now will be at risk; either you or I will die later. Since meeting vampires yesterday, I just realized that not only humans are truly humans in this world.”
"Yes, you must have understood my story yesterday." Stella leaned back on the couch that felt so comfortable on her back.
William nodded. “For that, I'm going to make you a concoction I invented myself… um… to be exact, from an ancient book I got in the library in downtown Hobart a few days ago. The taste may not be good, but with this potion, you can disguise your true identity, especially the color of your eyes. When finished, your name will change according to my last name.”
"Why?"
“To get rid of traces, Stella. Luckily, only two vampires know who you are. What if there are ten or a hundred? Can you fight them?"
Stella was silent about whether she should nod or shake her head.
“Here, you will change all your identities. You will learn human life and maybe how to fight.”
"Fight? How is it possible if me to train it with you, William? The only thing you have is you will die quickly,” Stella snapped disapprovingly.
“Not with me. I'm too old to fight with you. You can train your instincts in this forest.”
William still doubts whether he can release Stella to human life outside with weapons that are still limited. Even buying a gun seems impossible, considering he doesn't have a special permit. They were silent for a long time, lost in their thoughts.
“Do you have any good ideas about my name? Jessica? Miranda? Ashley?” Stella suggested. “Identity means changing name, right?”
“Yeah… um… Federica,” William answered. “Federica Dawson. I think it suits you."
Stella smiled broadly, with irises sparkling in the sunlight. “Hm... Federica? Sounds great; I like it."
William nodded happily. Stella looked into William's eyes with a million questions. “William,” he called, “can I ask you something?”
“Of course,” William replied with a furrowed brow.
“I can indeed speak your language, although there are still many strange terms that I have not heard. But I don't understand the letters that humans write. Would you like to help me?”
The old man nodded while smiling a wide smile that showed a frown. “Sure, Stella… um… I mean Federica Dawson. You will learn it."
The silence of the night in the wilderness of Whakarewarewa is increasingly felt by the smell of damp and cold air that bites the skin. Stella sat cross-legged in front of the fireplace on her lap. She looked at page after page of an ancient book about supernatural, mythological creatures William had brought from the library. Even though she can't read yet, Stella is amazed by humans who can summarise almost all supernatural beings in one thick book.
“If we had this book back then, maybe my kind wouldn't have been wiped out,” Stella muttered while stroking an image of a human stabbing a vampire with a stick. “Even from this picture, I can tell humans have a way of killing those who are evil.”
Then, William came carrying two steaming hot cups. The reddish-haired girl's sharp nose sniffed the drink's aroma and shuddered in horror. For a moment, he swallowed hard and wondered if he could swallow the strange concoction made by William.
"Have you finished reading?" teased William.
"No. Even though I don't understand what humans write, I only understand from the pictures. You guys are smart,” praised Stella. "If my clan was still alive and in possession of this book, we wouldn't have just been killed, William."
The old man with thick glasses sat on Stella's right and then handed over a drink cup from his right hand. Stella's hand reached out to receive the cup and immediately stuck out her tongue, feeling strange with the colour of her drink. Black is not black; brown is not brown. Stella couldn't define it.
“Time can't be turned back, Stella. I believe your clan has the most beautiful place in the sky.”
“I hope. Erm, should I drink it?” Stella asked doubtfully, seeing the contents of the cup. "What if I die again?"
William laughed as he shrugged and said, “If you want to be attacked by a vampire, go ahead. I'm not forbidding it; it's just that there are still many puzzles to be found, Stella, erm, I mean Federica."
The girl's head nodded, confirming William's words. For a moment, he stared at her face reflected in the drink. Her irises really can't be fooled, especially when seen by vampires. Stella took a deep breath and then closed her eyes while sipping her drink; she hoped that the effect that would arise would not be too bad.
When the drink with a bitter and vile blend swept every side of Stella's tongue, it caused an eye sensation for a few moments. Even when the liquid flowed down the stomach, the organs rejected it. But Stella's brain ordered them to hold back the liquid crawling into her throat.
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