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Mina's POV
Before I could even realize what is going on, Vlad and Lucy begin to clean up as I go to the mirror to make sure my makeup is good and give a brief slap to myself to wake me up more due to the amount of drinking I have already done.
There is a second knock on the door but more angry than the first one. I go to the door, taking one more deep breath right as I turn the door knob, opening the door.
It is my mother. I manage to show a smile to her but she shows no smile to me. She is wearing all black and did not bother to bring anything for food like I asked if she could. I got some of my features from her and blonde hair. However my ears, nose and color of my eyes from my father.
"Mother, come on in."
She does not say a word when entering the house. I close the door behind her, already rolling my eyes in how she is acting. But she does seem impressed by Vlad's house just like I was when I first came here. I walk into the living room to see that everything is spotless like we were never feasting before her arrival. Vlad comes around the corner with a small white vase filled with flowers of black petunias.
"And you must be Vincent..." She glares at Vlad like he is a bug on her window she needs to get rid of with her windshield wipers. Vlad does not react to how she is staring him down and hands her the flower vase.
"It's Vlad and it is a pleasure, Mrs. Barnes." Vlad says with his charming smile to her.
My mother sets the vase by the door saying, "What is a pleasure, Victor?"
I ball my hands into a fist mentally telling myself to remain calm and to get through one dinner with her. Vlad still does not react and tell hers, "Meeting you in person."
"Such a sweet idea; I wish I could say the same." She walks past him like he is a ghost in his own house. My mother freezes when she sees Lucy and Luke in the kitchen. "And who are you?"
"Lucy Westenra, I am a friend of Mina and Vlad's." Lucy stands to her feet as does Luke.
"I am Luke, long time family friend to Vlad." They shake hands with my mother.
Vlad comes over to me, holding my hand. He whispers in my ear in a soothing way, "Just breathe, Mina. It is going to be alright. Just breathe." I close my eyes and listen to his voice in breathing.
My mother stares down at them just like she did with Vlad then goes to the outside patio where we will have the Feast. Vlad and Luke remain in the kitchen to bring the food to the table while Lucy and I sit across from each other. Lucy gives me a look to not let my mother get to me this early on.
"Oh, my dear girl, I have missed you so. How are things at work?" My mother actually sounds genuine when asking about my work. She has never liked the idea of having a job at all since she believes Michael could have supported me without having to work at all. However I want to work, earn my own money, and not be the kind of house wife my mother longs for me to be.
"It is going really well. We are receiving many cooking recipes for the holidays to put into the food column. It is wonderful to see the passion others have for the art of cooking especially the recipes and efficiency." I tell her with a smile.
"As cooking should be, Mina." She says while observing the food being brought to the table next to ours.
There is Beef Tripe soup, grilled minced meat rolls, cabbage rolls, polenta, Boeuf salad, Zacusca spread, smoked bacon, and turkey for the main course. But the dessert is an entirely different story. There is pumpkin strudels and pie, placinte pies, papanasi, fried dough with sweet cheese and raisins, vanilla and chocolate cupcakes themed for autumn. I smile in the beautiful spread that we have here.
Suddenly Vlad places both of his hands on the table like he is about to fall over. Lucy immediately stands up and goes over to Vlad. I stand up as well when I see he places his hand on his chest, inhaling possibly the deepest breathes a man can for air.
"Vlad, are you alright? What is wrong?" I go right over to him, grabbing his hand in worry. Vlad leans forward as Lucy goes into the kitchen then comes back with a glass of water. Vlad drinks the entire glass of water like he is completely dehydrated. Lucy takes the glass from him when he is finished. Vlad calms his breathing down with his eyes closed.
"I am alright. I hardly ate today with all of the preparations and decorations, light headed. I am sorry for the false alarm but I am human after all..."
"One of the things about being alive..." Luke says with a certain look to Vlad. I ignore the look between them and worry for Vlad.
"Please sit down, Vlad. I will prepare you a plate." I tell him without hesitation.
I see the look of disgust on my mother's face when I said those words. However Lucy tells me to sit down and she will get the plate. I help Vlad to his chair next to me, rubbing my hand up and down his back in the hopes that it will help him in any way. He shakes his head for a brief moment. Lucy puts a plate in front of him.
Vlad stares at the plate like he is about to eat everything in sight; almost like he has never eaten any kind of food for hours. He begins to eat it all right away, sighing in how amazing this food is. I could not help but to laugh in how much he is enjoying the food I cooked. Vlad has a mouth full of food when my mother clears her throat.
We both see that she has the same look of disgust on her face toward Vlad. Vlad finishes his mouth full, wipes his mouth then drinks some wine to help with what is coming during the dinner. Each of our plates is full of the food while we eat in silence. I know everyone can actually feel the awkwardness of this dinner.
Finally, we get to the dessert. Luke samples one of the many desserts and begins to say, "Flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla bean and a small twist of pumpkin spice. Your cooking is amazing, Mina. I demand more recipes from you."
"I am more than happy to give you more recipes, Luke. Did you and the folks at church like the other recipes I gave you?"
"All said it was wonderful. They said it is some of the best food they have ever had." Luke tells me.
I smile in his kind words; it helps to break the silence happening all around. My mother does not take her eyes off of Vlad. She finally speaks directly to him, "And what is it that you do, Vlad that makes your life appear to be in such splendors?"
"I board, lease, train, rescue, instruct and breed horses. I do other things in my spare time but horses are the joy in my work life. Often times, horses can be far better company than some humans in the world." Vlad tells her.
"Horses? Is he having me on, my dear little girl?" Her eyes lock with mine as if his kind of work is a terrible joke.
"Oh, no. He is very good at it and the horses are marvelous to be around. He has begun to teach me as well. He is a great riding instructor to me and others that come to him."
"Yes indeed. Some of my clients children also go to Vlad for lessons, they adore him and rightfully so." Lucy speaks to help me out with my mother. Lucy winks at me in encouragement without my mother noticing.
"Mina is a fast learner under the saddle in the lessons. Dimitru adores Mina. Next will be learning to canter, Mina." Vlad praises to me. It feels good to be praised since my mother never does.
"What a wasted thing to do with your life."
"Maybe to you but there are much things I could waste with my life. It has good profit in the long run and with good people around to do so." Vlad says with a smile to her, not giving into her rude comments.
"Speaking of wasted things in life, how did you two meet?" My mother says in anger to Vlad.
My eyes became wide when she said this however Vlad places his hand over mine. I can feel myself relax in just the feel of his hand with mine. I lean back in my chair embracing my hand around his. My mother glares at Vlad's hand like she wants to stab his hand for even touching me.
"I was out for an evening walk when I saw her at a local flower stand. I saw her and was taken away by the sight of her. I walked around her in amazement. She seemed taken back, unsure of me and for good reason. Her beauty, smile, voice drew me in right away." He says while looking at me exactly like he did when we first met.
"Yes, I was. I was about to walk away but he said my favorite poem. I stop when he said the words."
'Why think separately of this life and the next when one is born from the last?'
Vlad and I both say the poem at the same time, in sync like our minds were one; thinking about the moments we met.
"You should have walked away for good, Mina. Mina, are you listening to me?" My mother says however I tone her out due to Vlad and I being in our own world.
I blush a little in how he is gazing at me. He brings my hand to his mouth, kissing the top. I will never get over how I felt in just meeting this charming man. I have never felt this way with anyone in my life so far. I know deep down in my bones that it is almost like fate somehow.
"YOU GAVE HIM YOUR FATHER'S WATCH?!"
I jump in my mother screaming out of nowhere. Vlad even jumped from her shouting. My mother stands up and grabs his wrist to see my father's watch on him. Vlad pulls his wrist away from my mother.
"Mother, I can explain. I gave him the watch because-"
"IT'S YOUR FATHER'S WATCH, MINA!!!!" My mother screams in my face.
I back away from her in terror. I should have known better than to give him the watch on the very first time Vlad was going to meet my mother. I made this disaster myself. This is my entire fault and this Feast is ruined. It is now a Feast of Grim.
"Mina, look at me." Her hand grabs my chin to force me to look at her.
"I gave him the watch in all he has done for me and he is a good man. That is all father wanted for me in the man I gave the watch to."
"That watch was solely meant for Michael and only Michael!!!" She shouts in my face again.
I manage to pull away from her grip and turn my back to her, already feeling my world coming down in his name coming out of my mother's mouth.
"With respect, Mrs. Barnes, if her father wished for his own daughter to-" Vlad tries to speak calmly to my mother.
"This is none of your business! I am speaking to my daughter and you have no right to be within five miles of her, especially with your history, Impaler. I know you are a beast! You are no man!"
I turn around in shock in what she just called him. Vlad takes a step back in shock as well. She spoke of his history. Automatically I know she dug into his life. "Vlad is a true, good man! Michael is the beast! Are you fucking kidding me? You hired a private investigator into Vlad's life? You have no right!"
"I have every right when the man is not Michael! You were supposed to give this watch to him and no one else! Why didn't you?"
I cannot answer her. I want to hide and fade away so she cannot twist her ways on me like she has always done. Lucy runs over to me, wrapping her hand around mine. I feel like I cannot breathe until Lucy's dark eyes lock with mine. A part of me feels like something is crawling into my skin, taking over.
"Take your hands off my daughter! You are all evil!" My mother screams, attempting to pull me away from Lucy. But Vlad stops her when I look back to Lucy.
"Mina, tell your mother how you feel and do not hold anything back. Unleash everything." She whispers to me.
"Tell your bride to get her hands off her and let me go, Impaler!!" I hear my mother scream at Vlad however he does not listen to her.
I feel each word Lucy spoke and I want to do tell my mother everything. I can feel all of this rage inside me building out of nowhere in the audacity that my own mother wants me to give my father's watch to a sick man like Michael that I explode everything inside me to her for the first time in my life.
"Maybe it was because of his fist coming at me!!! He came at me and he punched me in the face!! This so called man you want to have my father's watch punched me in the face, throat, and stomach over the little things and blamed me! He beat me multiple times and nearly raped me!!"
The entire area is as quiet as a morgue in my yelling. My mother stares at me like her entire world has been turned upside when I yelled at her. Vlad also looks frightened at me then his eyes go to Lucy.
"Lucy, stop." He softly says like he is bomb-shelled. He sets my mother down on a chair as my mother begins to sob for whatever reason.
"Vlad, this needs to happen." Lucy responds to him then turns to me. She encourages me to keep going. I walk a few steps to my mother in the fact that she has her tongue back to speak to me.
"No, he didn't, Mina. This man over here has twisted you against Michael. He and his bride are twisting you even now. Stop lying. I came here to try to talk some sense into you but if you are going to become the mad woman like you are, I am leaving." My mother tries to leave but I will not let her leave here yet.
She goes inside the house and I follow behind her. I know Vlad, Lucy and Luke do the same. I reach the front door, blocking her from leaving. I get right in her face and snarl at her, "No, you are not. You are going to sit down and finally listen."
I push my mother over to the living room couch. She tries to get up but Lucy is standing at the back door while Vlad is standing by the stairway to make sure she does not try to go upstairs to avoid what is about to happen. My mother has no choice but to stay and listen to what I have to say to her.
I stand over her and I find something strange. Somehow, she seemed more frightening and controlling when I was a teenager to young adult but now, she looks like a little old woman scared in a corner. How could I let such a woman like this, even if she is my own mother attempt to live her life through me and make me feel the way she always did after my father died?
"You told me that no man would ever have a woman like me. You told me that I was nothing without Michael and he was the only man that would have me. And I believed you for so many years. But you are wrong. I have made something of myself. I have a good job that I love, good people around me that never ask for anything in return whenever they want to help me. And I have a real man that sees, hears me. And because of him..."
I point directly at Vlad so she knows that I am not making any kind of mistake in my next words. "And because of him, I am reminded that I am alive and I can stand on my own before anyone can try to take away my strength but my strength cannot be taken from me, not ever. So whatever history you found of Vlad, it is nothing compared to what Michael has done to me the entire time we were engaged and after I broke off the engagement."
Lucy cheers and claps for me. "There it is. I got you back, baby. Tell her."
I feel almost unstoppable in speaking the truth for the first time in years to her. It feels great and I am going to keep going, nothing is going to stop me. I do not take my eyes off my mother who is not even daring to look at me.
"I feel sorry for you, Mina. Because of you, we will never get the answers we want."
"What kind of mother are you?! I already lost my father who was my best friend, we talked about everything, did everything together. After father died, I was robbed of that and more! I will not be robbed any longer by you or anyone else! You are the beast! You're nothing more than a vampire!! You just go and suck the fucking life out of me! You like doing that to me because it makes you feel something rather than nothing! You are dead to me! You died the same day that father died!" I immediately unleash my anger in her heartless words.
"You know that is not true..." My mother tries to talk but she has tears in her eyes. Probably for the first time since that night when hearing father died. But I know it is all an act to make me feel like I am the villain. I am not going to fall for it anymore.
"It is true!"
The others remain silent, giving looks between one another in what I am saying to my mother. Vlad comes a bit closer to me but still keeps some distance.
"No matter what choices I had to make to ensure that we were taken care of and to get the answers we wanted, I had to make some hard choices. And you were my only option, Mina. You may not believe it but I love you." My mother lightly sobs.
"No the fuck you don't. You are a narcissist that lives for sucking the life out of people and it fucking hurts, Cassius!" I get right in her face. I say her first name because I will never see her as my mother anymore. So I will only call her by her first name after this.
"I love you, Mina." She whimpers out loud to me, heartbroken that I called her by name instead of mother. I begin pacing back and forth in the feeling I have no control over myself right now. I am trying to gain back any kind of control right now.
"No, you do not love me! You left me at my lowest and when I needed a mother the most! And a real mother, someone who loves you would never do the things you did to me! There is only one soul on earth that got me through everything. If it wasn't for that one soul GOD sent my way, I would not be alive without my Guardian! You may be my birth mother but you are no mom to me. You died a long time ago. It has just taken me so long to realize it. Stay out of my life forever after tonight."
I begin to sob in reliving the emptiness and loss in my heart when I was told my father did not make it. I bury my face in my hands, crying so hard while my face is nothing but a river. Vlad wraps his arms around me as I cry everything out of my body.
"Mina, I love you and your marriage to Michael was the only way to get the answers we have wanted for years..."
I do not even bother to respond back to her words. Her words are meaningless. There is nothing else she can say or does that will ever change my mind. I want her out of my life after this night. She will suck the spirit out of everyone here if she stays here another minute longer.
Vlad keeps me in his arms when I glare at my mother, saying the words I never imagined I could speak out loud until now. "You can leave and stay out of my life. I know I will forgive you at some point but it will not be anytime soon. Leave, Cassius. You will no longer get whatever fucking answers you were wanting."
I turn my back to her as Luke goes to the front door to escort her out. But she does not leave. I do not want to see her again for a long time and I am not going to give her the satisfaction of looking at her again.
"Cassius, you heard her. Leave now." Vlad says to her in a growling manner.
"I am not leaving, monster."
"Leave before I ask Lucy to ask you to leave. I will never lay a hand on a woman. However I know Lucy is more than willing to lay a hand on you."
I see Lucy out of the corner of my eye. She takes off her earrings and bracelet, putting them on the kitchen counter. She is ready to fight Cassius if she has to.
"No! Mina needs to go back to Michael to get the answers we want about her father's death!"
I instantly turn my body around wondering what she is speaking of. "What are you talking about?"
"We have a chance to get some answers about the night he was taken from us, Mina. Michael is the key to make it happen."
I laugh in disbelief that she would sink so low to connect my father to going back to Michael. She truly is far gone. I am not going to listen to her anymore.
"Get away from me! Get out!!!" I turn around shouting at her. My mother shakes her head no to me. "I said get out!!!!" I scream louder in the hopes she will listen. She does not.
"Fine. I'll go."
I walk away and grab my coat, purse and car keys. I tell Vlad that I will be back in a few hours and to call me when she is really gone from the house. Vlad does not question me and tells me to be careful.
I reach for the door knob when she shouts, "His murderer is in a coma!"
I freeze in her words about my father's killer. That is not possible. She told me that the cops found her overdosed. I was told that she died shortly after. That is not possible. I barely see my mother out of the corner of my eye.
"She never died! I lied to you! She has been in a coma all these years and when I could no longer pay for the life support to keep her alive, Michael has been paying for the hospital bills. That was the deal! You marry him, and he pays the bills. And there is a chance, no matter how small, we will get the answers we hoped and prayed for if she wakes up."
I feel my entire world tear like a thin fabric knowing that she is actually telling the truth about all of this. I shudder in the fact that my father's killer is still alive in the world. I begin to shake, feeling like I am now falling into an endless bit that I can never escape from.
A part of me feels like I'm going to throw up everything I ate if I do not get out of here. I open the door and slam it behind me. I go to my car, not responding to anyone calling out for me.
"Mina! Mina, wait! Please stay!" I hear several voices begging me to come back. I do not listen nor look back.
I get into my car, bringing the engine to life. I turn the car around in the driveway then head away as fast as I can.
I try to find my phone so I can make a call right now. I finally find it when I reach the main road at top speed. A car honks at me several times when I run a red light. I dial the number and the phone starts to ring as I feel my entire world crumble around me all over again.
I head to the one place I feel like I can go and be left alone for a long while. However my call was not answered. I begin to cry horribly, leaving a voicemail, letting out everything that has taken place in the voicemail. I say where I am going then hang up the call.
I turn my phone off because I do not want to take the chance of anyone tracking my phone especially Cassius if she attempts to track my whereabouts through my phone.
I run through another red light as other cars honk at me. I do not stop when I hear more drivers honk at me in anger for cutting them off. I press my foot harder on the gas to get to my place to change out of these clothes then get to where I need to go now before anything else happens. I need my Guardian now.
