Chapter 100 - Secret

When Graven was about to leave the house to go to his father to ask permission for the picnic, he saw Rebecca walking on the path approaching his house.

He waited for her outside the door. She registered a troubled look on her face.​​

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Let's talk inside, something comes up," she replied.

They entered the house not bothering to settle on the chairs located a few steps from where they stood behind the closed door.

"Spill!" Graven said.

Rebecca was shaking her head. "Laura told me a secret about her life..."

"Okay, go on... tell me about it," he said, curious to know what Laura revealed this time.

Rebecca sat on the chair, Graven followed suit.

She breathed deeply and cleared her throat. "Laura died when she came out from her mother's womb. When her father was about to bury her in the backyard, an old woman who is their neighbor convinced her father to bring the dead body to another place and seek the help of a couple who turns out to be vampires. Laura's father agreed to the deal that if the couple can resurrect the baby back to life, he will marry his daughter to their vampire son when she turned twenty years old."

"Then...?"

Rebecca continues. "Laura's father broke the deal and flees the village to migrate to another place because he doesn't want his beloved daughter to marry a vampire. Twenty years later the vampire couple appeared in their mansion to seize Laura to marry their son. Laura begged for ten days to spend time with her family, the vampire couple agreed but abducted her younger sister.

Ten days later the sister was returned unharmed but the vampires had a change of plan and told Laura that the vampire couple's son will come for her. Instead, the next day, Laura and her father boarded the carriage to flee, the destination is here in South Pond Town to honor the arranged marriage with Cooper that he and his friend Sir Nicholas had agreed upon. The rest is history," Rebecca finished narrating Laura's life story.

A grim expression appeared on Graven's face. "So...there's another third party? Laura's vampire husband to be? An arranged marriage to a vampire son that happened twenty years ago before she can even take her first breath and her first cry?"

"Yes," Rebecca nodded her head.

"Fascinating! So - we are facing an unknown enemy here that might suddenly attack my father's mansion at any given time to get his hands on Laura?" Graven said aloud.

"Exactly!" said Rebecca. "How far you and Luke can go to shield Laura? I have this feeling that the vampires will soon descend on this town looking for the wife of the son of their leaders?"

Graven sighed. He thought it was just a simple problem involving Laura, but now after her secrets were revealed, it looks like it's not easy anymore. "The more reason we need to get Laura out of my father's mansion the soonest possible time," he said. Laura's staying in the mansion is like a bomb that is waiting to explode. No, he can't afford that kind of risk happening in his father's mansion.

"So, what are we going to do now?" she asked.

"Let's bring Laura to the cave first, then after that... the letter from Hallowpass will arrive here and then Laura will travel back to her hometown and you have to accompany her 'till she reached home. Then after she stays in Hallowpass for a few days, she will disappear...then you will tell her parents that you will return here in South Pond Town as the bearer of bad news for my father informing them that Laura disappeared...this way he and Cooper will have closure and move on with their lives," Graven said.

"Okay. Is there something I need to do?" she asked.

"Tell Laura to make a letter pretending she was her mother and explained the reason why she needs to go home quickly to Hallowpass because her sister was seriously ill," Graven said.

"Okay, I'll go back to the room now," Rebecca said and left the house.

A few minutes later, Graven can be seen entering the mansion and going upstairs to his father's study. When he went there his father was not in the study room. He asked the maid cleaning the hallways of his father's whereabouts. "Neeza, where is my father?" he asked.

"He is relaxing in the veranda, Sir!" Neeza replied.

Graven went downstairs and found his father admiring the blooming flower garden in front of the veranda. He settled on the couch beside him. "Father, I would like to ask your permission to bring Laura and Rebecca to one of my properties outside the town tomorrow morning after breakfast. We will have a picnic there. We will return the next day," he said.

"Okay, no problem. Bring your brother Cooper with you," Sir Nicholas suggested.

"Yes, of course! I will bring my brother," Graven said.

"Anything else, son?" Sir Nicholas asked.

"No more, Father. I'll take my leave now," Graven said and left.

A maid approached the veranda bringing tea to the old man.

Graven met Cooper in the living room. "Brother, I will bring Laura and Rebecca to one of my properties outside the town for a picnic. We will return here the next day. We will travel tomorrow after breakfast. Would you like to come with us?" he offered.

Cooper pondered for a moment. He finds a picnic in the countryside a boring thing to do, he would rather visit his children and bond with them and spend intimate moments with Sarah all day and all night long than going on a picnic. "Brother, to be honest, I find picnic boring. I would rather want to stay with my children and Sarah the whole day..." he answered truthfully.

Graven brows furrowed for a moment. "Ah, okay. Let's do this. Tomorrow you will go with us in the carriage and then we will drop you somewhere in town so that you can go to Sarah's place. No need to go with us to the countryside," he suggested.

Cooper smiled. "Wow, what a brilliant suggestion you had brother! Okay, I'll take that!" he said.

"Alright, bring some clothes with you tomorrow so that father won't suspect a thing," Graven said.

"Yes, I will!" Cooper said excitedly and climbed the stairs.

Graven watched his brother's excited demeanor. He already knows why Cooper would rather spend time with his children and Sarah than going on a picnic in the countryside together with his future wife. He left the mansion, shaking his head in disgust.

~

Rebecca entered Laura's room. "You need to create a message from home whether it's from your father, mother, or sister. You can say anything you like in the letter just make sure it's believable because that letter will arrive here next week carried by the messenger," she said.

"Okay," Laura replied. I will write the message draft after lunch," Laura replied as she began putting some clothes in the traveling bag for tomorrow's travel.

"I'll go back to my room. If you need anything, you can find me there. I'll need to do some packing too..." Rebecca said.

"Okay." Laura nods her head and continues packing for tomorrow's trip to the countryside that will end in the cave.

Hours went by.

After lunch, Laura started creating a draft for the message that comes from her mother. Sir Nicholas and her mother have no communication with each other therefore there is no need to validate the penmanship, she has to use her mother as an alibi to avoid suspicion.

Half an hour later.

She read the finished letter three times, she's finally satisfied with the content.

"Wheww...finally, I'm done!" she said aloud. She placed the letter on the table and put the rest of her things in the traveling bag.

She's done!

She went to bed and lie down, closing her eyes for a moment and deciding to take a nap.

Her eyelids were dropping fast as sleepiness take over her system when the door of her room opened.

She opened her eyes wide and looked at Rebecca.

"Did you finish the letter, my dear?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes," she answered and pointed at the table. "The letter from my mother has finished already, please read it and tell me if it's good or not. Tell me if I need to create another one," she said.

Rebecca went to the table and picked up the letter and began reading it silently. After a few minutes, she finished reading the letter.

"So... what do you think? Is it good enough? Believable?" Laura asked.

"It's good!" Rebecca replied. "I'm going to give it to Graven downstairs," Rebecca said.

"Okay, closed the door when you go out," Laura said and shut off her eyes, going back to sleep again.

Rebecca exited the room quietly closing the door behind her. She walked in the hallway going downstairs, when she reached the ground floor, she exited the house going to the backyard to give the letter to Graven.

She found him sitting on the chair inside the gazebo strumming his guitar while Horace sings a song for him. Rebecca smiled and join the trio, she placed the letter on the center table.

Graven looks every inch a human when he is strumming his guitar, producing country and folk melodies like a pro. Graven's hobby is playing guitar and singing when he is bored with the moment or just passing idle times with Horace.

She waited until Horace finished singing a piece of popular country music. "Bravo! Amazing performance from the two of you," she clapped her hands in glee.

Graven put his guitar on the table and picked up the letter.

"That's Laura's mother's letter. Read it, tell me if you are satisfied or not. If not then we can instruct Laura to make another one," she said.

Graven read the message silently.

"It's good enough and believable. No need to make another one," he said.

"Good. Continue singing and performing for me, guys!" Rebecca demanded.

Graven and Horace obliged as they performed another country music for Rebecca's benefit.