The Six Families and the Birth of Hope

"In those times, it wasn't easy being a Gypsy. And, no matter what House we are, we all started out as Gypsies. But the tradition dates back to the fact that at least one husband would be home at all times to protect the wife and children as the other husbands go out hunting or selling their wares. For example, pretty much all of the older men in House Van Helsing were part of a polyamorous family. They never knew when a hunt would be called or if they would even come back from one. Viktor is under the impression if he has a Lady, she will have other husbands for that very reason," explained Sasha, and Levi looked at him stunned.

"Are you serious?" he asked. This was the first time he had ever heard about something like that happening.

"Yup," nodded Mathew. "But Pandora, Natalia's mother, only took one husband and started a new trend."

"And look at what happened there," scoffed Sasha. "All evil was released as a result."

"What do you mean?" asked Greyson, completely confused. He had never heard of something like this in history.

"Pandora was the official Queen of Gypsies," said Dementyev continuing the story.

"Wait, Pandora, like the Greek Pandora?" interjected Levi.

"The Greeks took her story from us and made it their own. No copywriting laws back then," smirked Sasha.

"Anyways. She had three children. Elena, the oldest, Nicholas, the middle, and Natalia, the youngest," said Mathew bringing them back on track. "But I didn't know that Nadia was Pandora's daughter when I first met her. Lucas didn't tell us much later."

"Elena was the favorite, next in line to be Queen. But Nicholas, everyone loved Nicholas," said Sasha with a sigh. "Especially Vlad."

"Vald?"

"Vladimir Vampyre. Head of House Vampyre. Anyways. One day he and Natalia were out in the wood when he came across a campfire with a bunch of men around it. Thinking that they were Gypsies, he walked up to them." Sasha paused, not able to continue.

"They tortured and killed him for being a Gypsy," said Dementyev. "When Pandora found his body, she was devastated. She went to the Count, the one that outsiders thought to be in charge, and demanded revenge on the 'normals' that killed Nicholas. The Count said that he would look into it but never really did."

"You have to understand that forest was Gypsy territory. There wasn't supposed to be any other humans in it than Gypsies," said Mathew looking out into space. He still very much remembered that time. Before everything went to hell.

"Anyways, we all agree that the Count dropped the ball. The problem then came a few years later when someone snuck into Elena's tent and brutally tortured her before separating her limbs from her body. Pandora went crazy and tried to sew her daughter back together, hoping it would bring her back to life. She spent hours at it," said Sasha.

"Might not be so crazy now," mused Dementyev. "After all, isn't that what Natalia can do?" There was a brief silence from the monsters in the room as they took a new look at their history.

"Enraged, Pandora once again went to the Count and demanded justice, saying that it had to be one of the Six families this time since there was no way for a normal to get into her camp. She gave him a week to produce the killers," said Mathew.

"A week passed, and there was nothing," continued Sasha, subdued. The easy-going smile on his face gone. "Pandora stormed into the throne room with a box in her hand, asking the Count if he knew which one of the Six had done it."

"The Count replied that everyone in the Six families was innocent because they all claimed not to have done it. Enraged, Pandora opened the box and held it out to all assembled," sighed Mathew.

"To the Count, she said; 'because you did not grant us the justice we deserved, you are cursed to hunt down those from the six families that break the laws… for eternity'," said Sasha. Every member of every House had Pandora's words from that day memorized. "Thus, House Van Helsing was born."

"After the Count, Pandora turned to the Vseslav family and said; 'since you love your wolves so much, you will become what you love. But you will be enslaved by the moon. Since our daughter was slaughtered on the night of the full moon, every full moon, you will be subjected to the same thing that she experienced'. Now, every full moon, the Vseslavs will experience unimaginable pain as their body is ripped apart and transformed into a beast," said Mathew with a shudder. "House Werewolf."

"'Those that sneak through our forests, killing indiscriminately, thinking that we don't know, you are cursed to never having your own shape and getting lost in a blood rage. You will never know peace, and because you won't know peace, neither will anyone else,'" quoted Dementyev. "Some call us Berserkers, but our House is House Skinwalker.

"But Pandora closed the lid of the box after cursing the Six families because she thought that there was still one more monster hidden inside. Hope," said a woman's voice, and all five men turned to look at Natalia. She was leaning against the door of the parlor, looking at them with a sad expression on her face.

"According to legends, that was a good thing," said Levi studying the woman. "After all the plagues and evils were released onto the people, hope remained."

"And hope never dies," smiled Natalia. "But when a curious child, encouraged by her older brother, peaks into the box… well," she shrugged her shoulders. "By the time that night occurred, hope was no longer in the box. It was already inside of me."

"Which is why you will never die," said Greyson looking at the woman with shock and awe on his face.

"Before that day, I didn't have a name," she continued, not really looking at anyone inside the room. "But my brother started to call me Nadezda, meaning Hope. My father gave me the first name of Natalia, basically meaning birthday. Natalia Nadezda: the birth of hope."

Turning around, Natalia left the men to continue their conversation.