DECISIONS
by Vanessa Zisman
It's difficult to see the world through blind eyes once you've learned your cozy cushion of a life was a fasade.
Every family has secrets. Every family has a mask they parade around for the public while the walls inside their homes wrap the horrors and the lies in pretty red ribbons of deceit.
I was turning eighteen that summer. Alot of things would fall on my shoulders. My father in his passing had passed his legacy down to me, and I was about as thrilled as an orphan on Christmas morning knowing there would be no presents. My life was not my own.
Whatever it was my father before me had done was now to be my responsibility, though I was ignorant to what that meant.
I dressed in my best suit and allowed my father's handler's to lead the way to the west corridor of my families mansion. I'd lived here all my life, and yet, I had never ventured to this section of our home.
One of the handlers, a dangly man with wire-rimmed glasses three sizes too big for his shrunken head, retrieved a key from his vest pocket, opening the red stone door to my left and ushered me along.
Inside the room, the faint scent of whiskey and dust made my nose twitch and my eyes water.
"Jacob!" my mother exclaimed, shaking me back to reality.
"Sit, there is much to discuss!" she continued, gesturing to a recliner across from hers.
Reluctantly, I did as she asked and waited for her to speak.
"Jacob, there are things we've kept from you, my son." She paused, fiddling with her skirt. "Secrets that have been kept by our family for generations." She explained, gesturing to a female handler.
Another door opened to the right of the room, and I watched as three young women no older then myself entered. They were beautiful by every extent of the word — red hair curling down their backs, eyes the color of emeralds.
I probably would have taken more time to admire this beauty had it not been for the iron shackles they all bore on their wrists and ankles.
Sensing my uneasiness, my mother continued her explanation:
"Jacob, four centuries ago, a family of bandits and murderers began coming every year to take the first born son of our bloodline. The goal was to create a new bloodline between royalty and thieves and murderers, thus creating a new race that would be the undoing of pure blood."
She stopped, letting me take this information in.
"Two centuries ago, in an attempt to stop our bloodline from dying out, our ancestors began kidnapping the daughters of our adversaries. In doing so, leaving them without a mate, for they would be captives of our bloodlines."
She paused again, reading my expression. I rocked in my chair uncomfortably, waiting to hear where this was headed.
"Both bloodlines began to dwindle leaving us with only one choice: to make a deal with our enemies," she explained. "Making a deal with snakes is never easy. We wanted one mate every eighteen years. Instead, they give us three. Two of which can and will destroy us if given the opportunity and one who is to be mated. They saw it a fair deal for fate to be decided by our own hands."
She waited for me to react. I just stared ahead, trying to make sense of it all.
"In making this deal, we've created a race that is both strong and smart and ruthless and sneaky, making us untouchable," she finished.
"I don't understand…." I trailed off, overwhelmed by what I was being told.
"Jacob, one of these three girls is to be your wife. The other two…they must be bled dry…"
"That's ridiculous!!!" I yelled, bolting upright. "What the hell kind of freak show was I born into? I'm no murderer!"
"Part of you is, son!" my mother replied softly, a darkness in her eyes I had never seen before.
It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was one of those she had spoke of — a race between royalty and snakes.
I stood there, mouth ajar, at a loss for words.
"I know this is a lot to take in, Jacob," she said mockingly. "But it's time for you to follow through with the family's legacy. Choose wisely!" With that, she stood and exited through the red door followed by the handlers. The door slammed shut behind them, leaving me alone with the three shackled girls and a sickening feeling in my gut.
"I'm Joanna," the girl in the middle exclaimed.
"Kylie," grumbled the girl on the left.
Joanna nudged the girl on the right.
She sighed. "Sasha."
I remained quiet, trying to make sense of what I was meant to do and how everything I had known had been lies.
"Jacob, you have to choose, but choose wrong and…." Joanna trailed off.
"Choose wrong and what?" I demanded.
Kylie snickered, and Joanna elbowed her in the side harshly.
"Well, if you choose correctly, you won't need to worry yourself with that now will you?" Joanna cooed.
I looked at Sasha who was eyeing the floor quietly, humming to herself while her partners seemed to be amusing themselves toying with my mind. No way this soft-spoken, shy, childlike demeanor could exist in the same mind as a murderer.
I jumped from my seat, bolting across the room, taking Joanna by the neck.
"No more games! What happens if I choose wrong?" I spat through clenched teeth.
She laughed, taking me aback. Something evil lurking in the cackle of her throat echoing through the room.
"Stupid boy, you don't scare me!" she spat back.
Kylie laughed. Her eyes met mine, mocking my ignorance.
"Better hurry, coward!" she warned.
They both laughed, sending chills the length of my spine.
"Shutup!!! Just stop, both of you! He didn't choose this anymore than we did!" Sasha broke her silence, tears trailing her cheeks.
I released my grip on Joanna's neck. Backing away to gather my bearings.
"Aww, look at lil Sasha trying to protect her lover boy!" Joanna hissed harshly, swinging swiftly and precisely into Sasha's nose, sending her on her bottom on the cold hardwoods.
Kylie wrapped the chains conjoining her shackles around Sasha's frail neck and pulled tightly. Sasha struggled against the chain, trying to breathe and choking.
In that moment, I was so sure I knew the right choice that I flung all of my weight into Joanna, sending her body crashing against the wall, lifeless and limp.
Gaining my composure, I peered across the room to see Sasha's eyes bulging and begging me. I barged across the room, grabbing Kylie off of the ground by her hair, her shackles loosening enough for Sasha to break free and crawl away.
With all of the strength I could muster, I flung Kylie's head against the hard stone of the fireplace and watched as her lifeless body collided with the floor.
"Ooooo…." My breath caught in my throat as pain ricocheted through my body.
I turned my head to see Sasha grinning, an evil seeming to have possessed her that wasn't there before. Blood dripped from her nose to her mouth, staining her teeth.
"But…I saved you!" I cried out.
She pulled the knife from my back.
I screamed as, again, pain rippled through my body.
I fell to the floor, the room seeming to spin.
"Get off of him! Leave him the fuck alone!!!" Joanna yelled.
Joanna?
Everything went dark.
My eyes fluttered open. Disoriented, it took me a minute to realize I was in my bed. I tried to roll over and almost yelled out from the pain.
"Easy, cowboy. You'll tear your stitches," a familiar voice soothed me.
I looked up to find Joanna's soft smile, her emerald eyes looking over me, concerned.
"You really are a stupid and brave boy, aren't you?" she teased.
"Wh..a…?" I stammered
"Risking your life to save the wrong girl!" she replied.
I raised my eyebrow quizzically.
"It's always the quiet ones!" she laughed.
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