When I had it under control and felt confident, I went back to Sarah. I watched her from a spot between the two oak trees that flanked the worn path of grass heading toward our cabin. She was outside, hanging laundry, the breeze rustling her hair. If there ever was an image I held on to for the rest of my days, it was that one. She was beautiful and kind, and I took advantage of all that I had. I regretted my actions too late.
I watched her over the years. I watched her become round with my child. I watched my child grow. I watched Sarah take on a new husband and create a happy family of her own. It should have been me. It should have been my family. But I selfishly took that away from the both of us.
Over time, it became apparent that the more I watched, the more danger I was bringing to Sarah. Greta had grown out of control, cursing more and more men just as she had me. Rumors ran strong that because of the lives she took, she never aged, never died. Time went on, and she had children, three sons who were rumored to be as powerful as she, and I feared that If my child were discovered, harm would come. Saying goodbye was the hardest thing I had to do in my life, but protecting my bloodline for as long as I did became the easiest decision.
Nearly eighty years went by before I met you boys—eighty years of solitude and loneliness. Eighty years of using my curse to save a life here and there instead of taking it. Eighty years since I had been reckless and slipped up. I wish I could say I’m sorry to you three, but the truth is, I never really was. I never regretted turning you, and I doubt I ever could.
The night I met you, I held a harvest party right in this very home. My home and all the land surrounding it was filled with people anxious to celebrate, excited for a chance to dress up and be seen. I, on the other hand, was eager to show off my riches, taking in all the compliments of my extravagant estate.
I saw you, boys, from a distance toward the beginning of the night, and though I couldn’t figure out why, I was drawn to you. I went unnoticed as I watched. The disagreement regarding a female, one who was already pushed against the barn with her skirt hiked up by another, was your sole concentration. I waited until late evening to approach when the ale and cider ran thickly through patrons’ systems, and no one would question before I searched you out.
I found you, all three of you, behind the barn. Ellis and Sterling’s sleeves rolled up, ready to battle it out for a girl who was worthless. Oak saw me first, and though he said nothing, his eyes told me he had all the caution in the world. He watched me approach but said nothing. The closer I got to you, the more my mouth watered because I smelled it. I sensed the magic that hummed in your blood, and I tasted the tiny sliver of revenge.
The first pull off Oak and my eyes rolled back with pleasure. But, I had to move quickly because though the alcohol slowed you down, it wasn’t enough. I hadn’t expected Ellis and Sterling to join forces against me, and for a moment, you three almost had the upper hand. But you didn’t know the power you held. You didn’t use what you had to the best of your ability, and I took advantage of that; I took the heartbeats of each one of you. I took your life. I started a war that night, though I didn't know it until months later. Touching you three, turning you into my children, was vengeful, but for once, I had the upper hand.
The upper hand only lasted so long. It ended the day I was walking down the street, and I saw her; I saw Sarah. It was impossible. It had been almost two hundred and eighty years, but there she was. I had no choice; I had to get a closer look. I had to smell her blood. I had to see for myself, and maybe that was my first mistake. Perhaps the act of pretending she didn’t exist would have been better, but I was weak. I had a moment of weakness, and now, now Greta knows.
If I’m dead, that leaves you three—the only ones I trust. I need you to protect her. Protect Liberty.
James
Ellis tossedthe letter on the table, his face looking more confused than enlightened. And I think I understood that. The letter held way more information than I expected and brought too many questions with no one to answer them.
“So, what the hell does all this even mean?” Ellis finally asked.
I let my head fall to my hands for a moment, combing my fingers through my hair before looking at them both. “I think, I think it means we’ve been stuck like this for two hundred fucking years because James was an unfaithful prick who couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.”