Dead already

What Mary said sounded strange and at the same time piqued Ellie's interest, so she paid full attention to the girl, knowing she still had something to say.

"Unlike the story you were told, vampires didn't suddenly migrate to Alada and infiltrate the Royal house. Alada was founded, built, and developed by the vampires. The first humans to migrate to this land knew very well who their leaders were. They lived and coexisted in peace and harmony until someone came along and planted an idea in their heads. 

The father of the current chief of state was a chef to the King of Alada. He bought the idea and also sold it to a few other trusted humans, who agreed to it also. The aim was to eradicate the vampires from Alada, and the gain was power, absolute control of Alada and its resources.

So the idea was nursed, worked on, and a perfect plan was mapped out. The plan was passed down to their children, who executed it perfectly. 

However, only after killing all known vampires, and counting to ensure they got to everyone, did they realize that the heir to the throne was missing. His disappearance was a mystery. He was only an infant then, so he couldn't have walked, hidden, or run away from a palace as big as this without help. 

The chief of state and the others feared he would return one day, so they coined that pitiful story they sold to everyone in Alada, painting the vampires as the bag guys. They did this so that if any vampire returned to Alada, the people wouldn't need too much motivation to wipe them out again.

Just as they feared, the one person they failed to kill, the heir to the throne of Alada, has returned. And he came back more powerful than any vampire that has ever existed, with one mission in mind, revenge." Mary paused her story, gauging Ellie's reaction to all she just said. 

Silence reigned for a while as Ellie lowered her eyes and processed all she just heard. She felt like a child, who had been fed fairytales all her life, only coming to know that things didn't work that way. 

While she was trying to believe what she just heard, something clicked in her head, making her frown, and the next second, she returned her gaze to Mary.

"How did you get to know all this?" Ellie probed, not wanting to just believe without confirming the source of this new information, which contradicted all she had been told.

"Enrique told us." It was Ginger who answered the question, but Ellie's frown only deepened.

"Who's Enrique?" 

"He's a direct servant to Master Storm," Ginger answered.

"The one who fed you earlier," Mary added.

"The bald one?" Ellie probed for clarity.

"Aren't they all bald?" Gwen chuckled as if someone just cracked a joke in her head which only she could hear.

"They?" Ellie threw another question, her confusion heightening. 

"All direct servants are bald. There are seven of them. You've met only two or probably three." Mary explained.

Ellie knitted her brows, squinting, as she tried to remember if she had met any other bald person apart from the one who fed her, and she shook her head in the end.

"Since I came here, I've only seen one bald man. And that was the one that fed me."

"Asaph, the one who put you through the hunger torture, is also bald. He wore a wig that's why you couldn't tell." Mary said. 

"Okay. Let me get something straight." Ellie moved the tray from her thighs, dropping it on the bed, and adjusting into a more comfortable position. "This Master Storm as you call him, who is he?" 

"As we call him?" Gwen asked, then chuckled again. "Oh boy… you sure will get into a lot of trouble."

"He is the prince of Alada. The infant that went missing on the day of the massacre. And everybody calls him Master Storm. To avoid getting into trouble, never call him anything other than that." Mary advised.

"Oookay…" Ellie drawled. "If Enrique is his servant, what makes you think he wasn't lying to you and selling a false narrative to make his master look good?"

"Because it's in line with what we already know. All of us here are children of the frontline perpetrators of the evil act. Our fathers, or grandfathers played major roles in the massacre, and we were told the real story." Ginger gave an answer, pausing only for a bit before she continued.

"At first we didn't believe him because there were details he added that we didn't know of. But when Mary confirmed the story to be true, we had no reason to doubt it anymore."

"Why?" Ellie shifted her attention to Mary. "Are you a vampire too? How did you know he was saying the truth?"

"She is the adopted daughter of the chief of state. She knows everything that went down, and even a lot more than she is willing to tell." Ginger revealed.

"You're the daughter of the chief of state?" Ellie threw the question in disbelief, her eyes, stretched. 

"Adopted daughter." Gwen quickly corrected even before Mary could say anything. "My father is a general, same with Ginger's father. And Layla's father is the defense minister. From the story you just told, it's obvious your parents have no connection to the Royal house. Why then are you here?"

Ellie now partially understood what they meant by the sins of their fathers. There was still a lot of confusion, but she had a general idea. Also, she understood why Layla was asking about the identity of her father. Even though that does not excuse her rude attitude.

"I'm here because I stole. My father or ancestors has nothing to do with it."

"Huh? Because you stole? That can't be." Gwen shook her head, and narrowed her eyes, while Mary and Ginger looked like they couldn't believe what they just heard.

"That's not my only crime though," Ellie informed them, then went ahead to narrate her ordeal. "I don't even mind being imprisoned here or whatever. My only concern is my brother. I don't know what is happening to him right now."

"I'm not sure, but I don't think Master Storm will hurt him. He might have said that to scare you. A five-year-old is too young to be turned." Mary spoke, giving Ellie a little relief.

The next second, however, Gwen crushed that little relief, crushing Ellie's heart in the process.

"Don't give her false hope, Mary. Anything Master Storm touches dies. If he has set his eyes on your brother, just know that he is dead already, or in the process of dying."