His Obsession

“So how shall we begin?” Felissia inquired moments later after Talisa dragged her up to her room. The young witch began to pace as her grandmother sat down on her bed.

“He’s like a baby.” Talisa cried. “He eats nuts, berries and squirrels then doesn’t understand why he ends up throwing most of it up.”

“I take it we’re not talking about a human infant but a newly created vampire.”

“Yes! But then if he was just made, how did he make a survivalist home? I mean where he came from, where he took Nora and I, it looked like Puck had been there for months!”

“Yes, I can see your point. Did it look like he lived alone?”

“Yeah it did. There was barely enough room for me and I’m a fairly small person. Do you think he was abandoned by his creator?”

Felissia stood up and sat before her vanity before reaching for her hair brush then began running it through her hair. She watched her granddaughter sit down on her bed as she pondered their guest.

“Just from what you’ve told me I assume Puck has been abandoned. But,” the vampire paused and placed the brush back down on the vanity, struck by an odd notion. “Does Puck look as if he’s been in a scuffle? I mean, does he have a great deal of scarring on his body?”

“I couldn’t tell. He’s pretty dirty.” Talisa said with a grin. Felissia nodded faintly.

“I imagine you used a bit of magic to make sure Puck was safe before allowing him access to your rooms.”

“Yes Grammy.” she replied with a smile and a sigh.

“What did you see then?”

Talisa frowned and spoke as she closed her eyes, “Loneliness. It had been a long time since he had anyone to talk to with the exception of the Voices. Sadness. He lost someone he loved very much. He lost so much. Fear. He’s hiding. He must stay away from--something evil. He can’t allow it to come back. Knowledge. There was so much there. He knew things that only the greatest minds could reveal and it was all there for the taking.”

Talisa laughed and continued, “Innocence. Everything is new and bright and so incredible. So like a newborn brought from his mother’s womb and taking his first gasps of air. Tenderness. He’s gentle and nice and polite. But there was also a subdued violence but it wasn’t directed at anything in front of him. Like Nora who attacked him. It seemed directed at….”

“It’s alright. I only wanted to make sure of some things.”

Talisa opened her eyes and gave her grandmother a puzzled glance before her face stretched in a yawn.

Felissia chuckled, “Go ahead and get some sleep. I’ll wake you for your afternoon classes.”

Almost immediately after her head hit the pillow, Talisa was asleep.
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Puck found Talisa’s bathroom and swore it was utopia. The Voices had told him about bathrooms. They had sweet smelling cleaners called soap, shampoo and conditioner. It had water that was constantly clean that sprayed from spouts that were knee high and another above a person’s head.

This bathroom was in beautiful earthy tones. The floor was mauve square tiles, the walls were painted light tan with white dots. The Jacuzzi like bathtub had a wooden step to allow entrance and potted flowers sitting at the foot. Across from the tub sat the towel cabinet behind a lavender rug. On the opposite wall was a sink and mirror. On the white counters, sat a few compact of makeup.

“Puck can be clean!” he cried tossing his coat onto Talisa neatly made bed. He raced to the bathroom, losing clothes as he went until he sat in the bathtub naked as the day he was reborn.

Turn the knobs with the C and H equal amounts.

“Okay, ooo water and it’s warm!”

Put the plug in the drain.

Puck located the plug and jammed it into the drain. “It’s filling up.”

Is the water warm enough? If not turn the H knob more.

“Water’s great. What does Puck do now for a bath?”

In the back corner, there is a purple puff and lavender scented bath wash. Pick those up and place them beside you outside the tub.

Puck found the objects and placed them beside him outside the tub.

“Can Puck put his head in the water?” he inquired. The Voices all agreed and Puck jammed his head right under the faucet.

He laughed as water streamed into his eyes and down into his mouth and nose. He shut his eyes and listened to the roaring water fill his ears. He sighed and relaxed.

It was a gentle press of fingertips with just a hint of nail on his back along with a husky chuckle that alerted Puck he was no longer alone with the Voices.

Almost in one smooth move, he had his head up out from under the water, jerked away from the inquiring hands and tossed his head back to move his hair up out of his face.

Felissia came in, the Voices announced as a few chuckled and laughed.

“Ms Grammy!” Puck cried breathlessly. “You scared Puck.”

She smiled gently, “I’m sorry. I thought you might like some help, scrubbing your back…”

No, it’s a trap. Voices cried. Scrub the back, scrub the front, scrub high and low, other Voices remarked. Yes, one needs help getting all the back. Very dirty the back. some said amongst themselves.

“Ms Grammy scrub…Puck back…?” he said distantly attempting to listen to what all the Voices said.

“Yes, and if you’d like I can help wash your hair.” Felissia replied with a warm smile.

Scrub, scrub scrub. Trap! No! Get the back, get the back. Wash the hair! Trap trap! Trap? Hap, rap, and tap.

Puck squeezed his eyes shut, “Clean Puck, please…”

Felissia gave him a quick peck on the forehead before reaching over and turning off the tap. She retrieved two towels from the cabinet, sat down on the steps then pulled Puck back toward her.

“Did you know that lavender is one of the most versatile of herbs?” she asked as she poured a liberal amount of shampoo into her hand before massaging the liquid into Puck’s hair. “It can calm and balance ones mind. It can be used as an antiseptic.”

“Until my daughter married a wizard, I never knew that lavender was in the same family as mint. That lavender is dedicated to the patron goddess of magic, Hecate.” Felissia told him as suds appeared. “Hecate was also the name of Talisa’s paternal grandmother, the Crone of her coven. She died in child birth.”

In a daze, guided by Felissia, Puck leaned back into the bath water and rinsed his hair before sitting back up. Felissia chuckled as she placed more shampoo into her hand and then onto Puck’s head.

The silence between them was a warm comfort. The soft songs of bubble meets scented bubble filled the air. The feel of slick hair and kneading finger tips. For the first time in a while, Puck felt safe.

“Do you have any family, Puck?” Felissia inquired. Puck ducked under the water once more and shook his head. The older woman pulled him back up with a chuckle.

“Nope” he replied brightly then added suddenly distant. “But Mikel does”

Felissia sensed the young man’s sudden rising panic. She debated whether to pursue her line of questioning and risk upsetting Puck or simply letting the matter go and filing the name away for a later investigation. One look at the sullen boy decided the matter for her.

“Did you cut your hair yourself?” she inquired.

“Yup.” Puck replied once again cheerful. He smiled as the older woman finished shampooing his hair.

“Puck clean!” he cried once the last of the shampoo was rinsed out. “Voices say that Ms Grammy Felissia can go now. Puck can clean himself.”

“You can simply call me Felissia.” She replied as she rose to her feet. “I’ll go put your things in the wash and retrieve something for you to sleep in.”

“Okay!” he responded brightly reaching for the purple puff and bath gel.

Felissia left him as he began to follow the silent instructions of the Voices.

Moments later, the vampire walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a large purple towel and found the pair of blue flannel pajamas Felissia had left for him sitting on the bed.

“M~m comfy.” Puck purred as he slipped into the pajamas and tucked himself into bed. “Puck’s glad he went home with Witchy Poo. She has nice things.”

The Voices just chuckled and laughed.
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“…So since the college has more resources, would you see about that name?” Felissia asked Talisa the following afternoon as the younger girl prepared to leave.

“Sure.” Talisa replied shoving her day’s books into her backpack. “Got a last name?”

“No.” Felissia sighed. “I had thought with Mikel being such a rare sounding name…”

“It’s okay!” Talisa said with a laugh as she slung on her bag. “I have a thirty minute gap between my horticulture and history classes; I can research the name Puck gave then.”

Her grandmother looked across the hall at the door to Talisa’s room, her mind on the vampire asleep inside. She remembered all the scars that blemished Puck’s pale body but the ones she
recalled the most were the bite marks. Particularly the three distinct size differences.

She shook herself out of her reverie. Felissia followed her granddaughter as close to the door as she could and watched her walk into the warm bright sun.

Later that day, Felissia found herself kneeling beside her granddaughter’s bed, studying Puck as he slept.

The tension of fear had smoothed from his delicate features. Slumbering with his scarred hand tucked underneath him, Puck appeared no more than a mere child innocent of the ways of the world. Felissia watched with amusement as an eye briefly opened and blearily focused on her before drifting back closed and his mind was reclaimed by the visions and silent world of dreams.

Little did she know what she saw as mere drowsy muttering and seeking a more snug position in bed were signs of something far more disturbing.

It’s almost time for Horticulture to end, the Voices whispered.

What does that mean? Asked a solitary quiet voice.

Time for Puck to go away and Mikel to wake up, replied the many Voices.

Deep in the recesses of his mind, hidden behind the protective wall of the dead and the persona Puck, the tattered remains of Mikel awoke. Fueled by a terror the Voices had once known for seconds before death claimed them, a spine-chilling screech welled up from the void.
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“Class don’t forget to water your ficus plants!” the teacher called out as Talisa gathered her book to leave. As she left the greenhouse, the young woman’s mind was already on the task ahead.

First see if there are any missing person inquiries with the name Mikel. She thought as she briskly walked toward the library. Then see if anyone of the results come up with someone around 17-20 years old and see if Puck matches them. If that doesn’t work, I can check newspapers and see if anything fitting Puck pops up…

The Breckinridge Junior College library, situated in the middle of the Fine Arts building, filled three stories with literature, computers and classroom texts. The stone walls within were half-heartedly plastered, leaving it with the appearance of a well to do slum. The tan carpeting had only recently been installed but already began to sport black ground in stains and pock marks from stubbed out cigarettes.

When Talisa sat down before one of the computers along the walls, she made sure the folding chair wouldn’t collapse under her. Once satisfied the chair would support her weight, she logged in and began her search.

Upon typing in ‘Missing person Mikel’ in the search engine, Talisa was flooded with over fifty thousand results that featured the key words she typed. Mostly they were about people with the last name Mikel, so she went and began searching the local newspapers.

“Attorney Son murdered at local club” Talisa read aloud before clicking the link, number ten on the page. A strange feeling, one she associated with her witch’s blood, told her this was the one. Her eyes grew wide as she read.

“As previously reported on the night of April fifteenth, police were called to a local club where two victims were found in an adjoining alleyway. Police have positively identified Mikel Durant and his twin sister, Maeve Durant, both age eighteen. They are the children of attorney Donovan Durant. Mikel Durant was found dead at the scene. His sister was seriously injured and later slipped into a coma…”

Talisa scanned through the rest of the article as it went on to describe the bloody state of the teenagers. Then she read a sentence that sent shards of ice through her veins.

“Goddess no.” she whispered, her mind racing as things clicked into place. Puck’s sudden mood change when he and she met and her attackers grabbed his arms. His unusual behavior about the color red. The words he spoke during his panic attack. The feelings she picked up from him the prior night.

As Talisa printed the article she decided to skip the rest of her classes and head home. Her teachers would understand.
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sorry for the big gap between chapters!