Blood-Stained Memories

Blood-Stained Memories is a side story for The Council. Synopsis: Allison O'Sullivan is a mortal monster hunter. Her parents were killed when she was nine years old. The police put it down as a "bear attack," but Allison knew better. Her parents were members of the Canadian Division of The Council, and so she knew all about mythological creatures. She was sent to the British Division of The Council, where she continued to search for something - anything - that might help her find her parents' killer. After many years of searching, Allison believes she has finally found it. She returns home, and runs into an old friend. But it's not that simple. Allison uncovers something that she regrets. Something that everyone hopes should stay hidden.

Chapter One
Allison hated flying. Especially flying long distance. But finding a lead on her parents' deaths didn't happen every day. Besides, it wasn't really flying that she hated; it was the whole plane-crashing-and-dying thing. She glanced at her surroundings to calm herself down. The plane itself was sturdy and modern, televisions on the back of the seats, which were made of a comfortable material. A middle aged man was sitting to the right of Allison, headphones already in his ears. An adventure book was lying on his lap. To Allison's left was a window. She stared outside, hoping to clear her mind, but all it did was remind her that she was in a plane. She was about to ask the man beside her if he would mind moving so that she could make her way to the bathroom when the seatbelts sign flashed. The air hostess's voice echoed through the plane, warning everyone of the safety procedure. Allison sighed and strapped her seatbelt around her waist; this was going to be a long flight.

When the plane landed over eight hours later, Allison felt extremely nauseated. In spite of this, she managed to clamber out of the airport without being sick. The moment she stepped out of the airport in Toronto, the rush of purified, Canadian air hit her. She felt her sinuses clear and the feeling of nausea was sucked out of her.

Allison hailed a taxi and gave it her old address; she had memorized it years ago and the three lines had always been seared into her mind. The taxi took little over an hour to reach her old country home. During this time there were many attempts by the taxi driver to strike up a conversation; all of which were turned down by Allison, who preferred to sit quietly alone. When she was finally released from this dreadfully awkward situation, she found herself in front of a large, mansion-like building.

"Home, sweet, home." She muttered as she made her way up the driveway towards the gate, which was pouring with filth from the many years of neglect. It opened with a loud screech, and Allison closed it behind her. She jogged up the path towards the front double doors. The doors had archaic symbols surrounding it; most likely a ward against monsters. Allison fished her keys out of her bag; she had kept them with her at all times since leaving for England. The doors creaked loudly as they opened.

"I'll have to get some oil to fix that and the gate," she muttered to herself; Allison hated the sound of creaking doors. She closed the door as quietly as she could manage before turning around and addressing the house. There was an ornate, marble staircase to her left that led to the bedrooms. An arch to her right led to the kitchen, which was attached to the dining room. To her surprise, the house was barely dusty. She grabbed her bag and dragged it towards the stairs. She hesitated for a few moments, taking time to stare at the ornate images carved into the staircase. Suddenly, she heard a male voice behind her. A voice that was vaguely familiar.

"Do you always break into country houses and stare at stairs or is this just my lucky day?"

Allison swiftly turned around and heard the boy gasp. He had short-cropped, curly brown hair. His eyes were almond-shaped and amber in color. And his face was angled in an oddly familiar way.

"I live here." Allison heard her self say, although it felt like somebody else entirely. "So I can stare at the stairs all I want."

His eyebrows furrowed and he seemed puzzled.

"That sounded better in my head..." Allison's voice trailed off quietly.

"Well then." The boy began. "Your head is a strange place, indeed."

Allison would have laughed awkwardly, but then composed herself; a stranger was standing in her house and there she was making small talk with him.

"I'm not a stranger, Allison." He said, ignoring her gasp at hearing her own name. "And before you ask, I'm very good at reading people. Especially when I've known them for half of my life."

She gasped, suddenly realizing why the voice sounded familiar, why he was familiar.

"Isaac?" She said hesitantly.

"In the flesh." He said, with a lopsided grin. "Now, what are you doing back in Toronto, Canada?"

Chapter Two
After the pleasantries and the awkward hug, Allison seemed to return to her usual suspicious self.

"What were you doing here anyway?" She asked, fighting to keep the accusatory tone from her voice.

"Me?" He asked, seemingly nonchalant. He walked through the living room and sat on the sofa before answering. "Don't you remember that my house is right next door?"

Allison silently cursed herself as she went over to join him. Of course his house was right next door. It was her that hadn't been here for over eight years.

"Of course I do," She heard herself say, and it again sounded like another person. Her voice was calmer; more relaxed. "I just figured you would have left home by now. You always wanted to travel."

Isaac sighed deeply, the calmness in his voice replaced by a deep sadness.

"Yeah, I guess I did. But it never happened. The furthest I got was an apartment downtown that I share with my roommate."

"Oh." Allison said quietly, not knowing what to say. "There's still time."

"Yeah. I have all the time in the world." Isaac grinned, as if sharing an inside joke, and, for a split-second, Allison could have sworn that she saw fangs. They weren't there a moment later, so she figured it was just her imagination. Isaac cleared his throat before continuing.

"Anyway, you didn't answer before. What are you doing back home?"

Allison smiled faintly; she hadn't thought of this old country house as home in many years. She hesitated, wondering how much to tell Isaac. But then she remembered all of the nights they had spent hiding from their parents, and all of the times they had played pranks on their classmates. If there was one person Allison could trust in this place, it was Isaac. Despite this, she still hesitated; how much could she tell him?

"Remember how I used to tell you that my parents were monster hunters?" She began once she decided how to start. Isaac nodded in response, and she continued. "Well they were. As in actually were monster hunters. And I'm one now."

Isaac nodded again, as if everything she just said made sense.

"You believe me?" Allison couldn't keep the suspicion out of her voice.

"I believed you then, so yeah, I believe you now."

They sat in awkward silence for a moment, until Isaac prompted Allison.

"Well, remember how, when my parents died, everybody assumed it was a bear attack?" Not waiting to hear his response, she continued. "I know that it isn't a bear attack. Its something supernatural. I can feel it."

"What do you think it could be?" Isaac asked her, completely serious. For some strange reason, Allison could hear hints of a British accent in his voice. Where could he have gotten an English accent?

Allison's train of thought was interrupted by an awkward cough. She snapped out of her stupor and saw Isaac, smiling at her with his lopsided grin. She cleared her throat before advancing.

"I-" She stopped herself, realizing how stupid her statement would sound, and decided to end it differently. "-don't know."

Isaac sighed and stood up, and for a moment Allison feared he knew she was lying. But when he turned to face her, his grin was on his face.

"I have some errands to deal with around town, but tonight I'm having dinner with my parents. You're welcome to come; I'm sure they'll be thrilled."

Allison's memory drifted, thinking of the eccentric couple that had housed her for many sleepovers. The couple that felt she was too "normal." If only they knew the truth.

She couldn't help herself and let a small laugh escape from her mouth. "Sure."

"Great. I'll pick you up and take you on my way back in a couple of hours. Knowing you, you'd probably get lost crossing the street by yourself."

After that, he ran to the entrance hall and through the front door. Allison sighed and stared at the floor. She definitely couldn't do this alone, but there was no-one she could ask for help. Other than Isaac.

Chapter Three
Allison's arrival in Toronto terrified Isaac; now wasn't the time for an old friend to return home. He was in the middle of a war, and Toronto was the battlefield. He decided that watching over her as best as he could was the only solution.

Isaac opened his apartment door and found his roommate, Alexander Silcan, sitting on the sofa.

"Hey," He said, without glancing at him. "I bought a lot of groceries, because I won't be here tonight; dinner with my parents. You're welcome to join us."

"Dinner with you're overly curious parents asking me how I'm already an intern at the hospital? No thanks." Alexander scoffed.

"You're choice." Isaac grinned. "Oh, just as a warning; My friend Allison is back in town."

At this, Alexander shot up off of the sofa. "Allison?" He asked. "Is this the hunt-anything-supernatural-or-mythological-Allison?"

"Only one I know," Isaac grinned, biting into an apple he had picked up from the table. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Oh, no." Alexander began, seething with sarcasm. "Please take your time with the girl who would kill you the instant she found out what you were."

But Isaac had already closed the door. He slowly made his way back towards Allison's country home, glancing at his watch every so often to make sure he was fashionably late. Eventually, he reached her driveway and trekked up to her door where, to his surprise, she was waiting. His usually suave expression was replaced by a wide opened mouth.

"How long have you been waiting out here?" He asked, his voice cracking. Allison was dressed in a beautiful lilac dress, and a smile formed on her lips.

"Only a few minutes." She replied. Her appearance caused Isaac to self-consciously glance at his own attire; a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt. When he turned his attention back to Allison, he had composed himself. His lopsided grin formed on his face and he held out his arm.

"Shall we?" He asked, in a mock English accent. Allison hesitated slightly, before locking her arm into his, and replying "We shall," in an equally mocking tone.

"So, Allison dear." Mrs. Laihe began, once she had swallowed her first mouthful. "Do tell. How have you been these past eight years?"

Allison hastened to swallow her food before replying. "I've been fine, thank you. Although London is warmer than Toronto; took me a while to get used to that."

Isaac smiled into his plate, although his parents weren't amused. Allison gave Isaac a look, as if she were saying ''Why did I agree to this? ''Isaac took this a signal for him to to make the dinner a little bit more interesting, and he did this the best way he could; by joking around. After hearing three different renditions of Why did the chicken cross the road?, Mrs. Laihe had excused herself, clearly embarrassed. Isaac's father, on the other hand, was furious.

"Allison, please excuse us for a moment while I deal with my son." He glared. Allison nodded, and Isaac sighed and followed his father into the other room.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Mr. Laihe almost spat at him. "Why are you so immature?!"

"I don't know, dad." Isaac replied, almost lazily.

"And how many times have I told you? You may address me either as 'Father,' 'Sir,' or 'Mr. Laihe'!"

"Yes, father." Isaac said acidly, and rolled his eyes.

"You're nothing like me- or your mother. You're too different. Why can't you be the son I wanted?" His father said angrily, and then seemed to regret it. "That was uncall-"

"No, you're right." Isaac snapped. He had never gotten along with his father, but he had never shown his anger either. Until now. "I'm not the son you always wanted. And I never will be. I'm me, and proud of it. And you don't even know how different I am- you don't even-"

Isaac stopped himself, and pushed past his father. Allison was still seated, although he was sure she had heard everything.

"Are we leaving?" She asked, as soon as she saw him. He nodded ever so slightly in response. She hastened to stand up, and swiftly walked to the kitchen where Mrs. Laihe was.

"Thank you for a lovely meal," She said sweetly, before Isaac grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the front door.

Chapter Four
Isaac didn't stop dragging Allison away from his parents' house until they were at least a mile away. He took her through the woods towards a small river, where they watched the fish swim.

"Sorry you had to hear that." Isaac said quietly, before realizing he was still holding her hand and dropped it suddenly. He turned away, hoping she wouldn't see him blush, before continuing. "I've never really gotten along with my parents."

"Its okay." She said hesitantly. He was obviously making her uncomfortable, and cursed himself quietly. When he turned around, his lopsided grin had slid itself back onto his face.

"Let's stay out for the night." Isaac began eagerly. "And just wander the streets."

"I don't know..." Allison began carefully, before seemingly changing her mind. "Okay. Let;s do it. Be wild, for a night."

Isaac grinned at her. He hadn't seen her for almost eight years, but the way she acted around him was so comfortable and familiar. As if they never lost touch. He realized, with a jolt, that it was the same for him. He could be himself around Allison.

"You coming?" Allison said suddenly, and Isaac realized that he had been lost in thought.

"Of course."

They wandered through the streets of Downtown Toronto until early morning. At around dawn, they found themselves in a park. Isaac noticed Allison yawn deeply, and decided they should spend the rest of their time in the park.

"So how was your first day back in Toronto?" Isaac asked curiously. Allison smiled before answering.

"Interesting." She said, after a moment. "Its different. Nothing like how I remember it."

"That'll happen when you leave a country for eight years." Isaac chuckles. He meant it as a joke, but a minute later, Allison was deep in thought. Isaac cleared his throat.

"So, found a lead on your parents' deaths?" He said awkwardly.

"Hm?" Allison replied, clearly not listening. "Sorry," She said, apologetically. "Actually, yes. I've somewhat reached a conclusion, after evaluating the evidence- well, pictures of the evidence."

"And what's the verdict?" Isaac asked jokingly. Allison sighed before answering.

"You'll think I'm crazy, but....Vampires. I think a vampire killed my parents."

Isaac's eyes widened, but other than that he attempted to keep his face expressionless and emotionless.

"Vampires?" He asked, and despite his best efforts, his voice cracked.

"Yeah." She replied, nervously. "And, I know its a lot to ask, but I could use your help."

"My help hunting vampires?" He said, his voice an octave higher. He returned it to normal as she nodded. "Sure. Why not?"

Isaac accidentally slammed the door when he returned to his apartment, and sighed when Alexander shot out of bed.

"Where the hell have you been?" Alexander said angrily, and Isaac almost felt like they were an old married couple. He pushed that terrifying thought aside, and shivered before answering.

"Out." He said.

"With Allison?" Alexander asked, his jaw clenched.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. With Allison. Why, are you jealous?" Isaac joked.

"No, I was actually concerned for your life. What were you thinking, going out with a girl that could, and probably will, kill you?"

"We aren't 'going out.'" Isaac said defensively. "Although....um...I may or may not have agreed to help her hunt vampires."

WIP