It had been a most satisfying night. As Seth lay back under the stars, satiated with what turned out to be a surprisingly succulent sanguinary experience with William Wangshaft, he admired again his new trophies; a kidney, as promised, for his feisty fledgling and a most unexpected memory. Will’s reel had mainly comprised of beer, breasts and barbeques. His childhood had been rather dull. Very few experiences Seth deemed worthy of viewing, let alone taking.
Only one had stood out.
It was not only that Seth recognised her that made this such worthy obtainment, but also the tantalising scandal this could cause. Will had certainly had a type, but this one was too young and heavily sedated.
This would surely hold some benefit somewhere along the line.
Seth tossed the small organ into the air and caught it again. He was very used to long stints of loneliness, never really bored if he was outside in the vast, everchanging forests. But it felt like such a long time until the following nightfall when he’d next see Faith.
Was it too keen if he went to see her now? Yes. It was too keen. But what if he wasn’t going to see her? He could say he was simply returning Lilith’s call…
He very much doubted that Lilith would invite him in with open arms after he had ignored her earlier. Somehow that just made him want to do it more. He might meet Melinda. He might cause absolute chaos.
Seth was sure that sometimes his body had a mind of its own. He had already started walking.
—
Lilith stroked her thumb along Caleb’s jaw. He was willing her do it. She was willing to do it. So what was the problem?
Will it hurt her?
That was the problem. Was he actually more concerned for someone else than himself? All this time she had spent sacrificing her own humanity, her morals, every shred of herself in an effort to change him, to nurture empathy in him, to give him any kind of human side at all. Was it purely a product of the binding or was he experiencing genuine feelings?
His walls were still down; she could see that he was thinking about April, about what would happen to her after.
He was thinking of Melinda hugging him and calling him her friend. He was thinking of Faith calling him her buddy and teasing him about his hair.
Maybe they were feelings absorbed from April, she couldn’t be sure. But did it matter what the source was if it somehow improved him?
Did he deserve yet another chance?
Lilith was so focussed on her dilemma, on scanning Caleb’s thoughts for anything that would convince her to continue that she wasn’t aware she had company until she heard a shout.
“Let him go!”
Lilith snapped round to follow the sound of Faith’s voice, forgetting how she must have looked. She heard Melinda scream, but she barely had enough time to register that, let alone explain herself, before something shoved her. Hard.
For a while, Caleb, Melinda and Faith were stunned. Staring at Lilith who had seemingly launched herself through the air and had landed awkwardly against the radiator, unmoving.
Finally it was Melinda who broke the silence. “What happened? Is she—“
“She’s only knocked out,” Caleb said. “I can still feel her static.” He turned towards the girls. “Who did that?”
“I think it was me,” Faith said.
“How?”
“I don’t know. I just felt so angry. It felt like I exploded.”
Caleb groaned, “You shouldn’t have done it. She is going to be furious when she comes round.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose! She looked like she was going to rip your face off!”
He ran his hand down his face anxiously. She’d probably be much more likely to employ a slow and painful method of decapitation now. Maybe he’d go burn down Marjorie’s after all.
“Yes, because I have truly messed things up this time.” He didn’t even know where to start. “I’ve married April.”
“What are you on about? Where is April?” Melinda asked.
“In my room.”
“April!” Melinda called up the stairs.
“She won’t come,” Caleb said. “I’ve bound her.”
Faith raised an eyebrow. “Bound her?”
“Yes.”
“Is that it? Is that what Lilith was losing her shit about? That was worthy of ripping your face off, was it? You don’t deserve to be treated like that, Fringey!”
Caleb was standing with his mouth open, looking dumb. “You know about binding?”
“I wasn’t born yesterday. Can you go and untie her? We’re leaving Forgotten Hollow, we’re all over the news, they know we were around here, they can probably track our phones right to this house. And we’re not staying here now anyway, with that… thing.” She waved her hand at Lilith.
“No, I didn’t tie her up. I turned her the wrong way, into my doll. Now we’ve had sex we’re connected and she belongs to me, I can control her. Even though it wasn’t as romantic as I’d planned. Well, it started off alright, but then the curse took over, as usual.”
“Control her? Caleb, I understand that you’re new to this and you probably have some old-fashioned ideas about relationships, but sleeping with April doesn’t mean that you’re married or that she belongs to you. You don’t get to control her now,” Melinda said, horrified.
“Yeah, we really need to update your attitudes, dude. April is not your doll. But this really isn’t the time for this,” Faith said. “Go and get April. Mel, let’s see how many plasma packs we can fit in our inventories.”
“You actually want me to come with you? After everything I’ve just told you? After everything that happened tonight?”
“Caleb, will you stop being such a limp dick? You’re coming with us whether you like it or not.”
“I can’t leave her.” He looked at Lilith.
Melinda took his hands. “You can leave her. We’ll look after you.”
They both glanced at their joined hands and simultaneously pulled away.
Caleb watched the two girls head to the kitchen to raid the pantry. He looked down at Lilith who was still passed out against the radiator that they’d never turned on. He needed to get the girls out of here before she woke up. He ran upstairs.
“What’s going on?” April asked. “I heard loads of commotion! Is everyone OK?”
“April, listen to me. You need to leave me and go with your friends.”
“Leave you?”
“Yes.” He wondered why that one word hurt so much.
“I… I cant leave without you.”
“You have to.”
“I can’t,” she whispered. “And I don’t want to. If we have to leave, you have to come with us.”
Faith called from downstairs. “What’s taking so long? You’re not going for round two are you? Come on!”
Caleb sat on the bed beside April. “Do you really want me to come with you? After tonight?”
“Yes, silly. It will be better next time. Whenever you decide that will be.”
He wondered if her willingness was all part of being bound or if she meant it. She’d wanted him originally, hadn’t she? She’d given herself to him to drink from, she’d wanted him to take her away even before all of this.
Maybe Lilith was wrong.
Looking at her beautiful face made him feel like he was being hit in the chest with a baseball bat. He could hear that she was thinking something similar, but her terms were slightly less aggressive.
“Oh holy hell, April. I’m so sorry. I’ll be better, I promise. I’ll learn. I’ll do better.”
Caleb took one long look back at the house. They’d lived on this site for almost two hundred years. He’d often thought about it but he never thought he’d see the day that he would finally leave. He knew Lilith would be alright. Better probably, without him. He felt April link her hand with his and they headed along the path, Melinda and Faith close behind.
“I guess this is the end of your budding relationship with Seth the Sociopath,” Melinda said, quietly. “I was really looking forward to meeting him, too.”
“Ah well,” Faith replied through a smile as fake as all her future orgasms would probably be. “Holiday romance and all that shit. I don’t think he was really into me, or anything. He’ll probably just forget all about me now.”
< Previous Chapter | Index | Next Chapter >
Almost Eternal 
Aha! Seth longs for Faith! … how interesting. It harmonizes very poorly with his own self-perception, as independence and ruler.
I get confused about mind reading. Is that Will and Melinda? When?
Lilith hesitates to sacrifice Caleb as she reads his thoughts. His worries apply to anyone but himself.
Lilith has sacrificed her own humanity to transfer it to Caleb?
This information is very interesting and I do not think it is fair to judge her to be the villain.
But she has made mistakes in her efforts to want to do good.
Sadly, that means she has now lost everyone’s respect.
Faith passivates Lilith before she reaches a conclusion. Faith’s anger is a surprisingly powerful weapon.
Another thing that is interesting is Caleb’s conversation with Faith and Melinda about marriage and bonding.
Is he in fact influenced by a two hundred year old thinking. Is it Lilith who is wrong?
Faith and Melinda are born in a different time and they reject the pure as bare superstition.
April says she does not want to leave Caleb, it probably suggests some kind of independent idea.
Now the four are on the run to seek a safer shelter and thus they leave Lilith to her own fate.
Faith abandons Seth, but her prediction that he will soon forget her? Seth’s body has already spoken and said something else.
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Seth admitted that he is prone to unhealthy obsession. But he promised he wouldn’t go there again, so I’m sure he won’t…
That memory is Will and Melinda’s birth mother, Rose.
Lilith has sacrificed a lot, for sure.
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Oh! It’s Rose …
It makes more sense. I saw that lonecat82 mentioned it in her comment.
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Well that all went suspiciously well.
Faith and Melinda should probably take a moment to listen to what Caleb is actually telling them, but he threw a lot of information in there all at once, so I don’t blame them for discounting it. Not sure if there was a better way of explaining it to them, mind – I’m sure Lilith would have offered a more involved explanation, but a heavily biased one.
Nice denial there Faith.
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They did listen, they just didn’t understand. But I’m not sure Caleb really understands. He only found out tonight and it’s been quite the night already for him, what with the running and the bedroom activity and punching Dale and almost getting his head ripped off.
No one does denial like Faith.
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Yasss! My prediction is coming true! We only saw a part of the memory, but from the way Seth was thinking, it sounded like Will might in fact be Mel’s dad. I’m giddy that one of my crazy ideas is coming true!
And oh man, Caleb kind of just brushed past the whole abusing and controlling April. Not sure Faith and Mel would be on board if they knew the full story. And I don’t know how well this is going to work. Caleb is dependent on Lilith, if he likes it or not. It’s going to be a major adjustment for him to leave her.
Okay, on to part 2! 🙂
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He might indeed be just that.
I don’t think Caleb really understands at this point. He does take people at face value, after all and he’s got all these weird things happening at once. He’ll be fine. Or not.
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I’m like.. retching from Will’s memory. Does this mean Mel’s father may/could be /is Will? YUCK. Poor Mel. I’m still glad Will is dead. Although if Mel ever finds out then Faith would be dating the man who killed Mel’s father. UGH. And Mel is a WANGSHAFT. My brain.
What do you mean by Lilith sacrificing her own humanity to nurture Caleb? Is it a magical exchange or just metaphoric speech that Lilith did so much against/sacrificed her own morals for his benefit?
Wow Faith is so badass to see LIlith’s face and not flinch one bit. Looks like those horror movies paid off after all… >.>
Is it possible for vampires to have more than one spouse?
I wonder if Faith noticed the awkwardness around Caleb and Mel.
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I know. Rose’s backstory is just so sad; tragic little soul. Will is certainly a candidate for Mel’s dad and if so then Faith would be dating the man who killed both of Mel’s parents.
More that she sacrificed her own morals. There will be more on this later.
Being desensitised by horror movies may not be a good thing.
It is. Vlad had two and Lilith would have been his third if she wasn’t so damn rebellious. It’s potentially unlimited how many they can have, but it does come at a price to the sire vampire…
She probably did. 😉
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OMG. So Will is dead after all. 😭 And he was Mel’s father. I wonder when Faith finds out and if it’s gonna change her ‘relationship’ with Seth somehow. Oh the possibilities for interesting conversations… ‘Seth, you killed my best friend’s dad’, ‘Mel, I slept with your biological father…’ But I’m sure everyone will still be good friends even after that.
Faith mixing up bondage and vampire binding was hilarious. 😂
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He is dead. Kaput. Vamp food. Aw, don’t cry. It was his time. He’s in a better place now (the luxurious ‘dead character’ household in game; him and Paul now have a fancy bed, a butler and a pool! He’s much happier there than at the ‘Hook Corner’ lot where I made him live before which had a piss bush and nothing else.)
He was certainly a candidate for Mel’s dad. I don’t know which conversation would be more awkward out of those, but yeah, I mean if my bestie slept with my dad and then her sort-of boyfriend ripped his kidney out I’d probably still be friends with her. We all make mistakes, right? (I’m joking. Boo, if you’re reading this, please don’t hunt my dad down and set your fella on him; even he doesn’t deserve that).
Yeah, well you know, a bit of fun with ropes and horrific archaic vampire marriage rituals are often confused so I thought I’d raise awareness.
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O-ho. Little interesting lore bits. There is apparently a difference between viewing a memory and “taking” it, whatever that may mean. It´s a little strange, since once a mind reader sees something in the mind of another, they would have formed their own memory of seeing it… but since Seth believes this one will be useful (another interesting point) I suppose it´s likely we will learn more later. To the memory itself… what´s there to say? Except that Will was even more of a douche than I thought.
Sedated, though? Are you trying to tell me Rose had really been locked up in… whatever passes for a mental institution over there? Awwh. Why ever would they do that to someone so young…
…obsession, indeed. I do wonder if Seth thought the possibility of causing absolute chaos a point for or against going… probably for, if he plans on causing a scandal, too. (Then again, that one might just be his being out to make things difficult for the former vampire hunters.) Either way… no sort of secret lives very long with him around, does it? X´D
Ha! Way to go, Faith, looks like you do have something cool, after all! 😀 Lilith might have given up a lot of her power, but to wipe the floor with an ancient like that, that surely must be a sign of great things to come, right?
…also, looks like not thinking about it isn´t just Melinda´s way of using her power, ech? But not Caleb´s, interesting…
🙂 Maybe Lilith /was/ wrong. …or maybe not. Caleb is willing to try, though. So seems to be April. And she does make a difference between /can´t/ and /don´t wanna/. Ho-hum. Too early to tell.
And Faith…? Just exactly who are you lying to here? Yourself? Or maybe Melinda?
On the one hand, I could imagine Faith believing that Seth would just forget all about her due to her low self-esteem. On the other hand, she knows he didn´t get to solve his riddle. So it might be that she trusts he´ll “figure something out” and doesn´t want Mel to worry about it.
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Seth sees *a lot* of memories and from idly viewing them, will remember bits, in some form, yes. When he refers to ‘taking’ a memory, it is a conscious effort to commit it to his own memory.
Sedated indeed. We know that Rose had been in The Tower; whether that was before, during or after this memory remains to be seen.
No secret is safe. Seth really isn’t one for respecting any kind of privacy.
Faith definitely has something interesting. No, not for Caleb. Caleb is very used to not acting on/acting against instinct, so he is consciously thinking about things most of the time.
Oh, Faith is definitely lying to herself, it’s a way of life.
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I see. Sometimes, I´m overthinking things, aren´t I? XD
Oooof. Neither of those options sound very good.
Except when it comes to another vampire´s “transgressions” apparently, as shown with Caleb´s little confidence. Instigator. ;p
Oh, right. Conditioning again… :´x
…meh. Well, it looks like she´s in for a surprise. Doesn´t look like being forgotten will be much of an issue for her, from this one. Might be more of a problem if she decided she really truly wants to be rid of him… but then… oh, we´ll cross that bridge if we ever get there.
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Until you know the ending, overthink everything. Could be a throwaway reference, could be a huge clue.
Hehe, well, there might be self-satisfying reasons for keeping that particular secret, but I meant that Seth is not shy at brain probing in general.
Nah, once he sees that she’s left he’ll probably just shrug and move on to the next intriguing vampire… ah.
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Okay! 😀
Mhmmm… I picked up that much. (: He´s a nosy one, for sure. Then again, at least he /isn´t/ one to judge.
…right. Or maybe he´ll go back to bugging his ex. How long has it been since those two broke up, anyway? XD
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