Atomic Redwood Revamped

Chapter 17: “Blood”

 

In the kitchen, Julian was at the table with his head in his arms… Jacques stopped and motioned for Tempest  to stop as well. ‘What’s wrong with Julian?’ Tempest quietly asked herself, trying her best to hear if he was crying or not.

 

“Julian, what’s wrong?” Jacques asked.

 

Julian lifted up his head and there seemed to be no emotion on his face. “Huh? Oh hey, I didn’t hear you come in. I’ll start cooking now.”

 

“Didn’t hear us? Julian what has you thinking so hard?” Jacques asked, getting confused now.

 

“Oh it’s nothing. So how about bacon tonight? Yeah bacon, that’s good.” Julian answered, asked, then seemed to answer himself.

 

Tempest tilted her right eyebrow, finding that weird, even for Julian to answer himself like that.

 

Jacques sighed and walked up to Julian, who was now at the stove. He turned Julian around to find his checks covered in tears. “Julian, what’s wrong? You never cry.” He asked gently.

 

Julian bowled his head and sighed. “Today is the 13th.”

 

“Uh, yeah. So that’s what’s bugging you huh?” Jacques responded.

 

At this point, Tempest was lost. ‘What’s today  being the 13th have anything to do with his sudden mode swing?’ “Julian, sit down, I’ll fix the food.”

 

Both of them looked at her. “Not today. You aren’t doing anything today.” Julian spoke.

 

“Why not?!” Tempest demanded, starting to get pissed off with being treated as if she would break.

 

“Because today is your father’s birthday.” Julian answered, having more tears going down his cheeks.

 

“So that’s what this is about?” Tempest asked.

 

“Mostly.” Jacques answered, getting a ‘shut the hell up’ look from Julian. “Just tell her already.” Jacques said, loosing his patience.

 

“Tell me what?” Tempest asked.

 

Julian sighed and rubbed some of the tears off of his cheeks. “Today isn’t just Darius’ birthday. It’s also Desari’s, they were twins…”

 

“Julian it’s okay if you miss her. I know you’re torn between your love for her and what she did, but don’t let my feelings be a factor into it. To tell the truth, I want  to know more about her. I went into her room one night, she seemed to love my father… The more I think about it, the more I’m not mad. Maybe if it was the other way around, my father would have done the same thing, I don’t know. But I do know one thing, she let me live. She can’t be all that bad if she did that.” Tempest finished feeling as if a weight she didn’t even know she had lifting off of her chest, it made her smile a little…

 

“Tempest I… How can you forgive like that?” Julian asked.

 

Tempest smiled at him. “I don’t know, I just do… Now sit down and I’ll cook. Don’t even say a word Julian, you cant stop me, now sit!”

 

Julian smiled and nodded before sitting back down.

 

Tempest smiled and nodded as well, as she went to work with the bacon on the stove that started to pop.

 

Jacques kissed her check before sitting down at the table with Julian. While she was cooking, Jacques tried to get Julian to cheer up. He wasn’t even trying to keep her out of hearing range… “Julian, man, I know you feel terrible tonight but living in the past is a bad idea.”

 

“I know Jac… I’m the one who always told you that.” Julian responded.

 

“I wish I had the right words to make you feel better but I don’t.” Jacques said sadly.

 

“Jac… you already did.” Julian answered, smiling. Jacques smiled back.

 

This in return made her smile as she now started with the eggs. It seemed strange almost, her father’s birthday is the same as her adopted mothers. It made her wonder about her real mother… All she knows about her is what she looked like and that she was a good doctor. She wanted to know more…

 

When she was done, she plated the food and brought them their plates. Julian looked down at his plate and smiled at her. “Well eat.” Tempest told him with a smile.

 

Julian did as he was told, but once the eggs were in his mouth, he chewed slowly then looked at her with big eyes.

 

“What? Did you think you were the only one who knew how to cook?” Tempest asked.

 

Jacques just kept looking back and forth between the two. “They are so light and fluffy! How!?” Julian asked.

 

Tempest smiled. “No salt, no pepper, and just enough grease to coat the pan once. Oh, and keep moving the eggs as soon as you put them in the pan.”

 

Julian nodded. “I will have to remember that one.” The rest of the meal was ate in silence… 

 

When everyone was done, Tempest gathered the plates. Julian was about to protest when she stopped him. “Don’t even.” Julian just grinned.

 

While she was doing the dishes, Julian talked to Jacques. “She has the same demanding, warning tone Darius had.”

 

“Well then, I guess you know to listen then.” Tempest responded.

 

“…You heard me?” Julian asked.

 

Tempest turned to look at them. “sorry for ease-dropping.”

 

Julian and Jacques exchanged a look. “Tell me if you can understand this… ‘Chicken-foot’” Julian said then whispered.

 

Tempest burst out laughing, so much it took her some time to recover. “Out of everything you could say, Chicken-foot?”

 

“How long have you been about to hear like us?” Julian asked.

 

Tempest stopped smiling. “I didn’t realize I could? Never I guess.”

 

“Sit, I need to think.” Julian spoke. As she sat down, he stood and paced around thinking. “Okay, this is going to be hard to do… When you two are… together… Do?… Have?… Have you exchanged blood?” Julian asked. Tempest blushed heavily, Jacques fidgeted. “I’ll take that as a yes.” “Okay, can… Do you mind it I… if I do some tests?”

 

“Test?” Tempest asked.

 

“Just some blood, for now.” Julian answered.

 

“I guess…” Tempest agreed.

 

“Okay-” Julian said before he ran out of the kitchen, so fast he was a blur.

 

Tempest blinked and looked at Jacques, who shook his head. “Julian loves experiments. I’m sorry love but once he starts…”

 

Julian came walking back in, whistling. He showed her the needle. “Do you mind?” Tempest laid out her arm with a smile. Julian smiled back and took her blood. “By the way, thank you.”

 

“For what?” Tempest asked.

 

“For giving me something to distract me today.” Julian answered.

 

“Can I watch? I want to see what kind of stuff my mother probably did.” Tempest asked.

 

Julian took the needle out. “Of course you can.” As he turned to get a bandage, she licked the wound and it healed. When he turned he looked surprised. “Have you always been able to heal with your saliva?”

 

“Yes, as far back as I can remember, it was the first thing that made me think I wasn’t normal.” She answered.

 

Julian smiled. “Well you are to us. Come on, you can see how the tests are done.” They followed him into his bedroom/lab.

 

Inside Julian turned on all of his equipment, most of it was dusty. “I haven’t used any of this for some time now, sit.” They sat as he grabbed a microscope and a cable to hook it up to a screen. “I’ll hook this up so you can see what I see… Here we go… See that’s your blood, each cell.” Julian showed after magnifying a drop of her blood.

 

To her it looked normal. “Now see these weird shaped ovals? These are vampire cells. You have a lot, more than half.” Julian explained.

 

“So can you tell if it has always been there?” Tempest asked.

 

“Actually I can. See the difference in shade? Some of you human blood has been changed but only about 5, 10 percent…” Julian explained.

 

“Can you tell if I will age like you?” she asked. Jacques grabbed her hand in reaction.

 

“I’m afraid not. Blood can say how old, gender, race, but not immortality. It can only do that when you take  a blood sample from an ancient like me. Tell me, how old do you think I am?” Julian answered and asked.

 

“Thirty?” Tempest asked.

 

Julian smiled. “Think you. I’m the age that your father would be, 203.”

 

“Seriously?! How old are you Jacques?” Tempest asked.

 

Jacques smiled. “Will you dump me or think I’m a pervert?”

 

Tempest smiled back. “Of course not.”

 

“I’m 183.” Jacques answered.

 

“Wow… you guys don’t look it.” Tempest responded.

 

“I’ve know Jacques since he was 6, his siblings were 6 months old.” Julian spoke.

 

“So Julian is like your father?” Tempest asked.

 

“Yes. Darius was like an older brother or uncle and Desari… She has always been like a mother… She helped out a lot with Nicolae, Janae, and Sarantha.” Jacques answered.