Circle Quartet: 40

Chapter 40

Waiting is a torture. Seriously. My team and I have been waiting in this room for nearly one hour except Stefan. He wants to go to the Healing Chamber to look after Cody. Since we brought him back last night, he has been hospitalised in the Healing Chamber.

The Elders are having an urgent meeting (I don’t think Granddaddy Saba is in there because most of the Main Clan is gathering at the Healing Chamber to look after Cody) while we have to wait for them in lounge. And I’m hungry. I didn’t get to grab some garlic bread sticks in the dining hall when I received the order from Grandma Maegan and Grandma Zelda.

“How long it’s going to take?” whines Raina. “It’s like we have to wait here forever!”

“This is a serious case, Raina. Just be patient,” sighs Beatrice. Raina have been whining every 5 minutes.

Then a butler comes in with a trolley. Food! Hurray! Finally, I can fill my empty stomach. The butler pours the tea in a cup and serves to each of us. Raina jumps up with joy when the butler serves the creamy puff waffles to her. The butler just nod. He even pours a glass of purified blood for me.

Actually, the butler isn’t a human. He’s Grandma Zelda’s underling (Grandma Zelda created him) and he doesn’t talk unless when we ask him something. After that, he pushes the trolley and vanishes into thin air. I sip the blood heartily, enjoying the liquid flows into my throat. I’m the one who drinks the purified blood.

Raina doesn’t whine anymore as she eats the waffles. Beatrice enjoys her sandwiches while I dip the garlic bread in the glass of blood. It tastes good, trust me. Few minutes later – after we have finished the foods, Grandma Zelda and the rest of the Elders come out from the meeting room. This is the moment that we’re all waiting for.

“It’s been decided,” announces Granddaddy Saba, “that Cody will be grounded for a year. He can’t participate in any missions or going to the class. He will put in a special chamber where we can observe him. Plus, he will be restricted to turn into a werewolf until the grounding session end.”

Now that’s shocking news. I wonder Cody will be able to face it.

After the meeting was adjourned, I go to the Healing Chamber to visit Cody. Stefan is already there so there’s no need to feel awkward – since Cody and I hate each other very much. I knock on the door thrice before opening it and those two are delighted to see me.

“Hey there, Vamp-Girl,” he greets me with a wide smile although his body is still weak. His face expression is way too different from the day I met him in this Academy. I really missed his soften eyes, his messy spiky hair, and of course, the smile.

“Hello, Wolf-Boy,” I grin and sit on a chair next to his bed. “Sorry I didn’t bring any presents.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” he chuckles.

He used to call me Vamp-Girl when we’re kids and I called him Wolf-Boy. We used to be good buddy since we’re 12 years old. I knew Cody during the party when Uncle Azure and his family moved back to Sewra.

I was sulking in a corner when Stefan ignored me as I greeted him. My heart was full with loath and hatred. And that time, Cody showed up, holding two fruit punches. I glared a death shot at him.

“A beautiful girl like you shouldn’t sit here alone. Here, have a drink,” he handed me the fruit punch with a smile.

I sigh and take the fruit punch. “Thanks,” I mutter. He sat next to me, drinking his fruit punch and asking me lots of questions.

We had a nice chit-chat that night and he loved to crack some jokes, just like Jeff. No one had interfered our conversation. He told me that Uncle Azure took him into his family after his father passed away. He never mentioned about his mother but I knew that he lost her too. He just didn’t want to tell me. When the party ended, he winked at me before he left and started from that day, he called me Vamp-Girl and I called him Wolf-Boy. Sometimes he called me Vee – Vampire for short.

I totally ignored Stefan when I was with Cody, until the day when Cody was sent to the family of his mother’s side. He was upset because he thought Uncle Azure hated him. He hated everyone including me. I was trying to tell him that I didn’t know anything about his mother being the minor of his clan. From that moment, he hated me so much, saying that I’m the worthless blood-sucker. And of course, I hated him too.

And now, here I am, laughing and having a good conversation with him. Just like the good-old-days except Stefan is with us too. We talk a lot about our childhood memories and Cody still remembers it vividly. We spent nearly an hour talking and Cody is looking more exhausted. Perhaps he needs to rest since his body is still weak.

“I think I should go now. You need to get some rest, Cody. And when you’re back to normal, we’re going to have some fun,” I wink at him as I stand up, ready to leave.

“Yeah. Sure. By the way, thank you for coming by,” he says, “and I’m sorry for what I had done to you. And about Jeff.”

“It’s okay. Let bygone be bygone. After all, I’m glad that you’re on the right track again,” I smile and pat on his arm gently.

“Thanks, Alice,” he sighs in relief.

I blink at him a few times. This is the first time he calls my name. And I’m glad that he did that.

But I never thought that that night is the last night for Cody. When I woke up this morning, Jeff told me that Cody is gone. I can’t believe the news so I search for Stefan but he’s nowhere to be seen. I get tired looking for Stefan so I take a rest at the fountain where the spot has been my favourite spot since I met my guardian. Well, I haven’t seen him lately. Maybe he’s off somewhere.

Suddenly, Stefan appears and sits next to me. I can see his saddened face from the half-moon light. I want to ask him about Cody but no word comes out. He sighs heavily and slowly holds my hand.

“I used to promise him that we’re going to be brothers forever and got each other’s back,” his voice is barely whisper. “But eventually, I couldn’t save him.”

I squeeze his hand gently.

“Last night, when we served him his favourite meal, he said that it’s so delicious like he’s going to die and go to heaven,” his voice becomes wobbly.

I can’t look to his face right now.

“His liver…has been taken out,” Stefan sobs.

I let out a loud gasp. How could…?

“I can’t save him, Alice. I can’t,” he cries bitterly.

That’s the first time I see Stefan cry. His tears drop like a shimmering crystal. I slowly hug him. I don’t know what to say right now but I know how he feels. Cody and he were very close, just like Jeff and I. I can’t help but let my tears flow quietly. I grip his trembling shoulder soothingly as he cries.

The funeral is held at Sewra. Uncle Azure wants to bury Cody there because Cody is a son to him. This scene reminds me of Jeff’s death but Jeff is here so I’m fine with that. But I also feel the lost of Cody. He’s a good guy to begin with. He turned to evil because he thought that Uncle Azure betrayed him. He wanted to meet his late mother deadly so he revived Alse by sneaking to the secret chamber and took the blood of my maternal grandfather. But Alse betrayed him by locking him in the underground of the cottage, tied him on the wall, and took out his liver.

I can’t hold my tears when I think of his liver had been taken out. She tortured him because he failed to kill Granddaddy Saba. That damn woman! If she’s alive somewhere I’m going to kill her, even if she’s got stronger. She has taken too many lives and made people lived in sorrow. First she killed my precious brother and now, Cody. She’s really messing up with our clans.

I’m taking a break for three days. I really miss Sewra so much. I also go to the Silvers house often, just want to talk to Stefan. He seems quite okay since Cody’s death. We’re going back to the Academy on the next day, and this time by car. Stefan’s going to drive me there. But he needs to be fully okay first.

I go back home after having a great dinner with the Silvers. Granddaddy joins too, for he’s also taking a break. My family is watching TV as I enter my family’s chamber. I don’t know what kind of drama they’re watching but their eyes are glued to the TV. Suddenly, the phone rings. Dad turns down the volume and picks up the phone.

“What?” he screams and nearly makes us jump. I hate looking at his shocking face. Something bad happened.

Dad bangs on the receiver and mutters a curse. “Alse is back! And she’s attacking the Academy! We have to go there, now!”

The war has started.