"Not much, but he has a reputation back in the days when I was young and hasn't found your mother yet. He's a great noble but became obsessed with another vampire who's not his soulmate, causing problems not just around the vampires but to werewolves as well. I heard he was captured, but some say he ran away." Jake answered sternly before looking at Skylar. "Sky, are you okay?"
"Rudolf Strange?" Skylar thought as she repeated the name in her mind when she heard the alpha's caring voice. "I'm fine just thinking about the nomad…his name sounded familiar…like I've heard it somewhere –!"
"SKYLAR!" they exclaimed in worry, but Skylar could not respond to their worries.
Skylar suddenly groaned in pain while holding her head as some images flashed drastically into her mind, as if there was suddenly the opening of a Pandora's box. She was trembling excessively, and her breathing went ragged until she coughed blood. Then, she heard a sinister voice from an obsessed man, and the mention of a name twisted her chest.
'You're mine, Frances. I'm coming to get you.'
Faint worried voices linger in the background as Skylar drifts further in a space where sun and moon collided and time existed in an infinite advance beyond the present's time. Skylar stared deeply into one plane showing a fast-moving image that had been familiar to her being when a familiar presence appeared beside her, Vin, Vincencio's wolf.
'Babe, are you okay? You collapse.'
"I can tell, and he's worried, right?" Skylar faintly smiled as she answered and leaned toward him, needing the comfort that Vin gave without hesitation.
'Yeah, stupidly frantic, kept forgetting I could talk to you.'
"That's him for sure." She chuckled, agreeing to his comment.
'I know, so, care to share what happened?'
"That nomad's name is connected to me somehow, but I'm not sure how." She admitted with a heavy sigh as she stared at a repeated clip before them.
'Hm, maybe Rose could tell us.'
"Rose? My vampire slayer side?" She frowned, asking if she heard him right, and before Vin could answer, another figure, a split image of her, her vampire side, appeared with sinister intent.
'No one else, Skylar, and since you heard the name, I'll take you into a memory lane and dream it clearly.'
'Can I come?'
'It's a memory dreamland, so you can.'
"Rose, tell me what to expect, so I can think clearly about the situation." Skylar softly demanded since she needed to prepare for whatever was about to unfold.
'Very well, it's about your sealed memory when you were ten, but be warned, some faces might appear blurred, so feel them instead.'
"Is it about a fall of a family that I've belonged to?" she guessed, since that type of dream left an impression on her that she could not shake easily.
'That's a glimpse, but this one will tell you something you should know.'
"Okay, let's deal with this once and for all." She nodded, agreeing to see them before telling Vin something, "Oh, tell Vince, you're with me. It might help him calm down and tell him to wait patiently for me."
'Already did.'
"I should have known." She sighed while shaking her head, and Rose, her vampire side, raised her hand and wiped the fast-moving images in front of them.
***
They were taken into a peaceful estate that was so familiar to Skylar. She knew every corner and the rose scent spreading around the household until she saw her younger version running to the garden where three people were sitting and having a nice moment. She felt warmth in their family bond until she heard the adults speak.
'Honey, remember you obsessed suitor, Ru-'
'Don't finish it. Saying his name will only invite him near.'
'But aren't you going to face him?'
'Why? Did he do something to your businesses?'
'Almost.'
'That bastard.'
'I'm not worried about the business, but I'm worried about Skylar; she's looked like you.'
'For now she is, but when she grows up and finds her mate, she'll be different.'
'Different?'
'Awaken, Hon.. Once a Halfling vampire awakened into the likes of us, they could either bring greatness or fall. But seeing how clever she's growing into, I have to involve my brother in this one.'
'And I think you need to involve her.'
'Her? Are you talking about my cousin who's in love with you? Not a chance.'
'Honey, she's a doctor, and maybe through this, she'll find her soulmate. I've got the feeling she'll find it around the city.'
'Is your gut talking right now?'
'And you know how it works, they were usually right.'
'Fine, since I'm Saison's family head, I can do that. And besides, I want her to explore more around medicine.'
'So about him…'
'If he comes close, that's the time we move, but for now, let our children be kids.'
'You're right until the right time…'
Then the scene shifted into another peaceful moment when the young Skylar turned ten. She was filled with grace, creativity, and cleverness, but her mother found something else in her daughter. The young Skylar had a charisma to lead without trying.
'She's born to lead.'
Seeing the potential in her daughter, the young Skylar, together with her elder brother, they were taught and molded to be a skilled fighter, a hunter, and a kind of person who had clear judgment, a leader. However, Skylar was just ten when the sign of awakening began knocking, and Frances, with the gift of Sight, known as clairvoyance, dreamed about a fall. She informed the family and made sure the young Skylar's existence would be unknown to the public until she came of age. But danger around her father's business began to alarm them.
Edrico Rusco, a human and a mafia boss, showed his skills in combat, whether with guns, blades, or hand-to-hand, he made sure his opponent tasted their medicine and never returned. But after learning the involvement of the nomad vampire despite it, he must do something before he can reach them and plan their escapade.
'Honey, he's getting involved with the humans, the mafia…'
'Dammit, we have to move fast. Contact Moon Rose Familia for some assistance in case it escalated.'
'I'll deal with it.'
'I'll call Tiffania to help us cloak Skylar's scent.'
'Notified the Immortal Bloods, in case something happened to us.'
'I already did that and informed them about my dream…you're not going to like what they told me, but it was the only way to keep us safe.'
'Tell me, what is it?'
'We need to die in her memory.'
'WHAT?!'
'Listen please, if we don't seal her memory, she won't make it to adulthood when he finds her. And you don't want her to force me to marry him and to procreate my genes.'
'THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN AS LONG AS I'M ALIVE! I WON'T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO MY FAMILY, EVEN IF I HAVE TO BRUN EVERYTHING IN THE WAY! MARK MY WORDS, FRANCES.'
'I know you would, but that needs to be done.'
'How can we seal her memory?'
'Aletia Eztli, my cousin, can do that.'
'But she's in the city already, right?'
'Yes, and I already made a call and we're going to meet tomorrow for it.'
'Okay…let's do this…'
'Mom, Dad…what's going on? Are you two fighting?'
'Fred, come here. Since you're an adult now, I want you to do something for us and be the always protective brother.
'Dad, you sound scary, but if it's about my sister, I'm all in. No question done.'
'I know you would. But you need to know about Rudolf Strange, and he's coming for me, but since he saw your sister, he'll come for her too. I want you to protect her even if you have to be a villain in her life.'
'Why can't I be her hero?'
'You're always her hero, but to protect her from the likes of Rudolf, you have to be the villain.'
'You have to promise us that you'll be there beside her. Mold her into the finest fighter you two were born with.'
'How would I know if she's already the finest one?'
'Her vampire side will speak for it and you'll know what it meant.'
'And you two? Where are you going?'
'We have to die and fall in public so he might stop for a while until she's fully ready to face him. Don't fret because we'll be watching in the shadows until she claims her rights, and before it happens, be patient and hold it together, Fred.'
'For my baby sister, I will make it work.'
As their plan began to work, the young Skylar was clever and knew everything. She heard them but didn't question their reasonable plan for her sake and went along with it. Then, the danger exploded in their house, making their household fall as they had planned. But being the only young one, every gruesome death and flame was a terrifying scene to witness. However, she swallowed her fright and kept going as she escaped with her mother.
Leaving both her elder brother and father to hold the man behind, a collision happened. A planned collision for the young Skylar to lose a part of her memory and seal her vampire blood through her aunt's medical expertise. Her vampire scent has been completely covered by a werewolf throughout the process, until the human scent only remains.
"Rose, my family, what are their names?" Skylar asked as she stared at the halted image of the family – her family that once was complete.
'Frances Saison was your clairvoyant mother, Edrico Rusco was your human mafia father, which makes you and your elder brother halflings.'
"What's the name of my brother?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes over the blurry image of her brother that somehow felt familiar.
'You already know the answer to that.'
"I won't be asking if I know that already." She refuted coldly, but her vampire side amusingly chuckled.
'Don't be blinded by the only things you see, feel them too, and perhaps, it'll answer you.'
"You're a puzzling vampire." She sighed, waving her hand, making the vampire laugh more.
'To make it mysterious, I have to. Go home, we don't want Vince to stay frantic and cause disaster around his old pack.'
'She's right. He's being too much without you.'
"Fine, thanks for uncovering this memory, Rose." She sighed, thanking her vampire side that was starting to fade like smoke.
'It's time, but you have to decide.'
"On what?" She wondered.
'Once you wake up, you'll know.'
***
As if on cue, Skylar was taken back to the reality where she smelled burned flesh, blood, and flames scattered around the land. She sighed because she knew this would happen because of the rogues standing by around the pack. But when she came out and saw the damage it caused, she sighed because it was huge damage, but nothing could be fixed if working together. However, what she didn't expect was to be called a plague.
"Because of her, this happened to us." One wolf shifter blamed Skylar as soon as she saw her, before adding with venom. "She's a plague here."
"Are you talking about yourself?" Skylar scoffed and asked the woman instead.
"I've been here, and you're just a stranger." She spat madly, but Skylar didn't feel threatened; instead, she chuckled, catching everyone's attention.
'WIFEY! Finally, you're awake, but what are you doing?'
"Punishing a traitor," Skylar responded through telepath before coldly pointing out the damage that the pack received. "Well, keep telling that to yourself when you're the reason why their attacks escalated into this."
"WHY YOU?!" She exclaimed and attempted to hurt her, but Skylar easily dodged it and flipped the woman.
"Don't try me. I'm the vampire you don't want to mess with, like how you mess with Rudolf Strange." With a cold, sinister tone, Skylar said what she noticed around the mad woman, blaming her for something she didn't do.
"What are you talking about?" she wavered and skeptically faked her wonder. She tried to hide her involvement with the nomad, but Skylar could read her like an open book.
"His last bite marks around your shoulder left his venom, which is now running in your veins," Skylar said, reading the woman before her.
"What is she talking about?" Then a werewolf man where Skylar could tell they were mates, but already faint.
"Are you mates?" Skylar guessed, and he nodded.
"Yeah. Is there any problem?" he wondered as he stepped closer to the woman.