Chapter 38 38: The Letter
Chapter 38 38: The Letter
Atlas noticed Lancaster standing near the wardrobe, glancing at him. He noticed what tattoo Lilith was talking about; however, he was also worried if he heard.
There was a foreboding feeling inside him. Even though Lancaster couldn't do anything even if he heard since he wasn't awakened to have his strength, he could still hurt him in other ways. Fortunately, Lancaster couldn't go to the Vampires to alert them either since his identity was also needed to stay a secret.
"You sure love talking to yourself," Lancaster said, placing his shirt back in the wardrobe. He brought another shirt out and placed it on his shoulder.
"How much did you hear?" Atlas asked straight.
"Nothing. I just saw you mutter something. Were you talking to me?" Lancaster asked ignorantly.
Atlas didn't know if he was serious or he was lying because he was worried that Atlas was going to kill him if he found out that he heard.
He couldn't interrogate him too much though. If he truly didn't hear, it was wise not to do anything. "It was nothing. I was just talking to myself."
"Alright. I'll be in a shower. If you need anything, just wait for me to come out." Carrying his clothes, Lancaster walked back again, but this time, Atlas noticed something strange.
Lancaster wasn't limping anymore.
"This guy...." he muttered, frowning. "Did he know who I was when he saw me? Did he pretend to be hurt? He can walk just fine."
"Even if he isn't unawakened, he can still have better healing than most humans. That's a trait of Werewolves," Lilith exclaimed. "I think you were right. You need to talk to him about himself. I'll sure he must know about his faster healing."
Atlas got off the bed, holding the paper in his hand.
"I didn't say talk now. He's having a shower," Lilith reminded.
"You dummy, I'm not going to talk to him. I'm checking around," Atlas rolled his eyes. In his seriousness, he even forgot that Lilith was much older than him as he addressed her like a kid.
"Did you just call me a dummy?" Lilith asked, catching the minor detail. "You're really looking to die, aren't you?"
Atlas didn't respond. He walked to the wardrobe that was just opened by Lancaster. He forgot to lock it again.
Atlas opened the wardrobe and started looking inside. Most of the wardrobe was empty though. The first shelf only had a couple of clothes. Even those clothes looked old and worn out.
"He wasn't lying about lacking money." He checked the second shelf, patting it to make sure there wasn't anything hidden.
Finding nothing, he closed the wardrobe, moving to the table on the side where he had picked up the application letter for the selection.
The table had two drawers, none having a lock. Since Lancaster had just gone for shower, he knew he had plenty of time to look around.
He checked the first drawer. The first drawer had a small notepad and a pen. He also found a few coins in the drawer. In the back of the drawer, he felt a small folded piece of paper.
He picked up the piece of paper and closed the drawer.
Lilith moved closer. "You found something?"
"Not sure," Atlas said, unfolding the piece of paper.
As he opened the piece of paper, he was surprised by what he saw. It was completely unexpected.
It was a letter... A letter that was addressed to Lancaster. The paper looked really old, and so did the ink, as if it was written many years ago.
Atlas went through the letter. The more he read, the more serious he became as a heavy feeling welled up in his heart. Soon, he even forgot to blink as he went through each word, walking back and forth.
After he finished reading, he turned the paper around. On the back of the paper, there was a small drawing. It appeared to be made by someone who didn't know how to draw properly. There were shaky lines all over.
"I see you found my father's letter," a shaky voice came from the back. "It's been so long since I read that. I even forgot about it."
Atlas blankly looked back, noticing Lancaster standing in the back. His hair was wet, and a towel was wrapped around his waist.
"It's alright. You did nothing wrong. It's easy to let your curiosity overwhelm you," he walked to Atlas and took the paper from his hand. "This is the last memory I have from my father... My real father. I'm sure you already know everything by now since you went through it."
He gently caressed the drawing in the back. "Apparently this drawing was made by my father. This is supposed to be him. The boy in the middle is me. And the woman on the right is my mother."
"Even I only found out about this letter just a few years ago. I never even knew that the man I'd been calling my father wasn't my father. It was on his deathbed that he told me the truth. They found me when I was a newborn."
He started folding the paper again, placing it back in the drawer before closing it. "There were only two things with me, that letter and a small ring which was too big for my finger at that time."
"I wonder if you can guess my shock when I was told that I had my father wasn't my father and the person who was my father abandoned me right after I was born," he commented as he started wearing his shirt as if he wasn't even going to talk about how Atlas was sneaking around without his permission.
He was more immersed in his past memories that he had buried long ago. With the letter, all those buried memories returned with all the pain. If there was a person I hated the most in the world was the father I never saw before. It's only after reading that letter I realized that he had a reason. I was able to forgive him."
"So you know you are a Werewolf," Atlas commented, keeping his eyes on Lancaster.
"Of course, I know. Why else would I hide this mark whenever I'm outside and have a chance of being seen by a vampire? I always wondered why my adoptive Father never allowed me to take off my shirt, even in the heat. It was because he also knew."
"We knew that through the letter; he knew much earlier than me. I always doubted it though. Werewolves are fairy tales, after all. However, I know my fast healing. This isn't ordinary, so only one thing can justify it. I'm a Werewolf," Lancaster explained. "By the way, I lied to you that I didn't hear what you said. I heard that you're a Vampire."
"What do you want to do about that?" Atlas inquired. "I'm not looking for a fight."
"Hah, you think I would? I haven't even awakened. I wouldn't fight a Vampire in a city filled with Vampires. However, I must say it's the first time I'm seeing a Vampire who doesn't have red eyes. It sounds impossible; then again, so does being a Werewolf in this city," Lancaster chuckled as he kept getting dressed.
"I don't know what enmity the Vampires and werewolves have, but it has nothing to do with me. I am just a human with a bloodline that even I don't understand. I don't want to jump into any rivalry," he further added.
"I don't want to do that either. I'm not here for you. I'm here for something else," Atlas responded, walking to the window.
He gazed at the streets outside, noticing hordes of people walking.
"What are you here for? Let me guess. You said you want to work as a servant in the Carlisle Clan. A green-eyed Vampire is so rare; you don't need to work as a servant, yet you want to. That can only mean you want to sneak inside without them knowing. Do you have any enmity with them?" Lancaster asked.
"Carlisle killed my sister..." Atlas exclaimed.
The jaws of Lancaster dropped.
"She was a human. Her only mistake was looking into his eyes... That's all there was to it, and that bastard took her life!" Atlas clenched his fist v
? "She couldn't even resist when he sucked her blood, killing her. Then he took her body with him. I'm here to take the body of my sister back so I can bury her properly, and then I'll destroy the Carlisle Clan!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with determination.
"Destroy the Carlisle Clan? That's a really big statement. If anyone heard it, they would start laughing at how preposterous that sounds, even if coming from a Vampire. However, for some reason, I feel otherwise," Lancaster placed his hand on the shoulder of Atlas.
"I don't know why but I feel like it's possible for you. Maybe it's a gut feeling, but I hope you succeed. Moreover, the Carlisle Clan deserves it. Not only your sister, they killed thousands of innocents, but because they're strong, no one can even complain."
"I was right about you. You aren't a bad guy. You're here for a good cause, and you even helped me. I feel like I can trust you, and I'm never wrong about my feelings. That's why I allowed you in my house."
"Also, I am sure I can't help you much because I'm also weak, but I won't back off. I'll help you in any way I can. You're not alone in this! I think it's time the Carlisle Clan goes away!"
Atlas glanced back at Lancaster, smiling. "You're not a bad guy yourself. Thank you. With your help, things should become easier."
"Of course." Still talking to Atlas, Lancaster noticed two Vampires coming towards his house through the window. "Huh? What are the Vampires doing in this area? They usually don't come. Something is wrong. Do they know about you?"