3. Not different, special

Francis sat in the study reading a book. The afternoon sunlight was in high contrast to what he was feeling inside- or so- one could have thought at first glance. But he had been staring at the same page for a while and did not see any of the words written in there. He thought about Natalie and Dylan. Kyla and Anthony. It had been two days ago when Natalie shared her happy story of how she came to know Dylan. He clenched his fists. He ignored the woman standing at the door.

"You really took the children away from her, just like that and left her for dead?" Alice shot the question directly as she thought it. Francis did not look up at her. She was no sure whether it was due to embarrassment or he was just avoiding her. But she was certain he was not reading that book. "Francis, you left the mother of your children dead, her body warm and you took the children away? Just like you left her pregnant with the same children to go through the whole process alone? Then after she had struggled to have them grow in her you just swoop in and take them away from her with her body lying there?" Alice stood at the doorway and the more she said these words, the more terrible the situation sounded to them.

"Save the judgmental tone for some other time mother." Francis said coldly.

"No wonder those children do not love you." Alice said and shook her head in disappointment. "And I am so happy that even though you took them away from her, they grew up to be nothing like you. Nothing!" She said coldly and took the first step into the room. "But now that we know what a horrible excuse of a man and father you are, tell me, how did you know that those children were yours? How did you know where and how to find that poor pregnant mother of your unborn children so that you could take them away from her? Hm?"

"I do not know what you are talking about." Francis lied.

"Save the deceptive measures for your many girlfriends. I am not here to chit chat. How did you know where to find Natalie and her twins?" Alice asked and sat down opposite him. "And don't you dare lie to me my dear." Francis feared his mother. She was often sweet but him being the eldest had seen her dangerous side especially when the family was fighting for their existence a few hundred years before. He knew better. She could sniff out a lie before it was spoken.

"Mother, I…" He paused for a moment and thought twice. Alice studied him and smiled when she knew he had chosen the right path. "When the twins were born, I was in the area. I was out with some friends…"

"You mean your many escorts?" Alice corrected.

"My friends." Francis corrected even louder. "Then while we having some poker at the casino I smelt it. The blood. It was human blood. But it was mixed with vampire blood- my blood. And as much as I was not interested in such, it kept pulling me to its location. And before I realized, I was at the hospital. And as I looked down to the hallway where the smell was coming from, two nurses rushed past me and I heard one saying: 'The mother is only twenty-two and she is in labor giving birth to twins yet she is only four months into her pregnancy. How is that possible? What was her name again?' Then the other nurse with her answered: 'I don't know how possible that is. But her name is Natalie.' I did not pay attention to them for I thought it was just their normal talks but I found myself in the doorway to her room. And I saw her tossing and turning on the bed, blood oozing out of her like a river. Then it hit me. The girl I had played around with four months ago. It was her. I had not even taken my time to learn her name and she gave me the most beautiful thing in the world. Fatherhood." Francis stood up and walked round the table. "The nurses were struggling to help, saying the doctor was doing his best and had just gotten into the building. After a while, I heard the placenta detach from within her and she gave out a loud scream and fresh blood began oozing out of her again, then the doctor rushed in. I was too distracted to see his face. He immediately took the scalpel and opened her up and after a while, my two babies were crying out before my very eyes! But the mother had been silent, since her last scream. As soon as he lay the babies in the cradle behind him and both his nurse and him were trying to revive the mother, I rushed in and left with my children. I could not hear her heart beat; I knew she was gone! If I would have known that her doctor was well aware of the situation, that the doctor was that…that…" He paused and hit his fist into the wall. "Immediately I held them, I knew they were mine. And I brought them here, and the rest I had told you."

"But you told us that the mother did not want the children and had given you sole responsibility over them. You also gave us a very different description of the mother." Alice stood up and looked at her son. Then she realized. "You gave us a different description so that if she came back, we would completely not know it was her! She was not dead when you left, was she?"

"Her pulse was weak, it was dying. And she was human, had carried supernatural babies on her own. I knew she would not make it." Francis defended himself.

"You knew she would not make it?!" Alice shouted and Francis took a step back unconsciously. "So it is true, you left the mother of your children for dead?" Alice asked, as calmly as she could. Francis looked at her. He remained quiet. "Is it true?" She repeated the question through her teeth.

"Yes mother, but I knew she would not make it." He quickly defended himself and took another step back. Alice was angry now and rushed to him but before she could do whatever she had in mind, Francis' neck suddenly snapped. Natalie had broken it from behind him.

"You heard that." Alice said softly. Natalie nodded. "I am so sorry my dear. We did not know that is why when you came we treated you so badly. Especially me."

"It is okay, Mrs. Gregory. You did not know. I understand. I would have done the same thing. As for your despicable son." The two women looked at the man lying dead between them. "I had really hoped it was not true. If it was true that indeed he had left me dead, I would have lessened the grudge and it would ease the pain in my heart. But I was not, and he did all he did because…"

"He is a selfish spoilt man." Alice said and help Natalie's shoulder. "Come, let us leave him before I scatter his body parts in different corners of the world. And how many times shall I ask you to call me Alice." Natalie smiled and they left the study. Alice felt a piece of the story was missing.

It was already nighttime when Francis came round. He found himself alone in the study and his neck stung for a bit. Someone dared snap his neck before his mother got to him. He was not sure whether he should thank the person after killing him or vice versa. He knew with his mother; it would be much worse. He heard laughing in the dining room area. Before he left the study, he smelt it. The one scent in the world he found completely irreplaceable. 'It was her! She broke my neck! That means, she overheard my confession!' He said to himself and rushed down. At the dining area, the whole family had sat, including the twins who were happily having ice cream. They all seemed so happy. That was the problem. Everyone was always happy, but him.

"I see someone took his sweet time getting up from his rest." Gregory was the first to speak up as soon as he noticed Francis.

"Yes. It is not every day that someone snaps your neck." Francis answered and looked at Natalie who completely ignored him but smirked. Francis took a seat opposite his twins. They did not seem to pay attention to him. He felt his heart ache. He looked around. "No Uncle Dylan?" He said sarcastically and the children looked at him.

"He dropped us off and left daddy." Kyla answered. Then went back to eating ice cream.

"We had a lot of fun." Anthony added and licked the ice cream from his spoon. Francis' smile faded while Natalie's increased.

"Okay my darlings. Finish up your ice cream and rush to bed. Tomorrow is school and you have to be up early for that." Natalie said.

"But mommy, why do you call it school? It is only uncle Matthew and Aunt Flora teaching us here at home." Kyla said and giggled.

"Because you are learning either way." Then she leaned over from behind them and asked: "Do you understand why you have to do it here at home?"

"Yes mommy. It is because we are different from other children our age." Anthony answered.

"Not different, special." Natalie corrected and kissed her son. He smiled at her.

"We are special. We are growing up too fast for children our age."

"Do you understand how special? Kyla?" Natalie pushed on. She always made sure her children understood their situation.

"Because we say we are eight yet we were born three years ago. We look eight but were are only three and a half and we shall continue to grow rampantly until we suddenly stop and we stagmate." Kyla answered. The whole family giggled. She was so innocent.

"It is 'stagnate' honey." Natalie corrected and smiled sweetly at her daughter, giving her a kiss. She hugged her back. "And?"

"No one who is not our family member or Uncle Dylan should know." The twins chorused. Natalie hugged them again.

"Finish your ice cream, brush your teeth and go straight to bed." She said lovingly. The whole family watched the bond between Natalie and her children and felt warm. She was such a fascinating mother. Francis was burning with jealousy. He had raised his children for the first one year of their life but they were just as sweet as their mother. He would not prefer any other mother for his children. He found himself wondering what if… Natalie could feel Francis' gaze on her and she immediately shot back at him a warning glaze, making his dream fantasies disappear. The children did as they were told and within twenty minutes they were already in bed. Natalie, to Francis' surprise, asked Francis to tuck the children in bed. He immediately agreed and carried them to bed. She felt that it was not good for the children to despise their father yet he had been good to the. She felt her problem with him should not affect their children. As Francis put the children down in their shared bedroom, he felt happy. He did not understand why Natalie did it, but he was grateful.

"Daddy, will I get my own room?" Anthony brought him back to reality. Francis lifted him and laid him in his bed.

"Yes. When you are older. For now, you sleep together and protect each other." He answered sweetly and tucked in his son.

"Protect each other from what?" Kyla asked. Francis moved over and put her in her bed at the left side of the room.

"From bad dreams. And because you love each other." He answered simply and tucked in his daughter.

"Just like we love you." Kyla answered. Francis felt his heart move. It was the first time in months he had felt so happy. He nodded in agreement. The woman listening outside the door smiled too. Her plan was working. "Just like you and mommy love us. Just like we love each other." Kyla added happily. Francis nodded even more and kissed his daughter after he tucked her in. He moved over to kiss his son.

"And just like you love mommy." Anthony added. Francis was speechless. He looked at his son, smiled and wondered how his children had become so smart. Natalie frowned and turned around to leave.

"Yes. Just like I love your mommy." She heard Francis answer as she walked away.

"We know." The children chorused and she heard Francis chuckle.