Sitting in the drawing room with Caleb and David, Carolyn had a bad feeling about so much that was happening around her. She feared what Barnabas would do with the information she had given him about Maggie's whereabouts. His obsession with her had over taken him many years before, and she feared it would happen again, and this time, she had no idea what the outcome would be.
"It's so good to be back!" David said grabbing his son Caleb again hugging him.
"I never thought I'd see you again, I just...I can't believe how amazing this feels." Caleb said with a smile that reached ear to ear.
"I'm so sorry that I haven't been here all these years for you and to be here to protect you all from what's been going on. Carolyn filled me in as best she could." David responded looking over at a worried Carolyn who was pouring a glass of wine for Christopher who had joined them.
"The important part is that you're back. And we have you here and the family can try and move on from everything that has happened. I have a very good feeling about this." Carolyn said hiding her worry about Alex and handing Chris his wine.
"I'd still love to see Alex! The last time I saw her she was just a little girl." David said.
"Where is she?" Chris asked concerned knowing they had just had yet another confrontation at the Blue Whale two nights before.
"I can't get a hold of her. She's not answering her cell phone." Carolyn said now showing her worried face.
"That's very unlike her. When was the last time you saw her?" Caleb asked.
"The other night. She came in and we spoke. But I don't remember her leaving Collinwood...I'm getting worried actually. David, I'm so sorry this is ruining your return party." Carolyn said with a grimace.
"Please! Don't apologize. We'll find Alex. Remember. We're family. Everything is going to change. We will no longer live divided. Even you Chris, Carolyn tells me your father recently died. He and I didn't exactly see eye to eye on in the past and ------your my son's half brother. You're connected to him, and he's connected to me. We're all family." David said to Christopher who felt happy to be welcomed this way.
"Speaking of which, where's Kim?" Chris asked of his and Caleb's mother.
"She left early this morning. Kat hasn't been feeling well, and she said she was going out to run some errands and would get her something to settle her stomach." Caleb said with a skeptical tone.
"You mean she didn't want to say hello to me?" David said sarcastically of his ex wife.
As the family continued to chat, and Carolyn sat on the sofa trying to get a hold of Alex by phone Claudia walked in, surprised to see everyone. She was hoping she'd be alone.
"Dad, this is Claudia. She's ....well.....she's also family." Caleb said introducing Barnabas' daughter.
"Is she? Well pleased to meet you. How are we related?" David asked shaking her hand.
"I'm Barnabas' daughter." She replied
David's eyes turned to saucers when he heard Claudia say that name. A name he was fearing would come back to haunt him. He couldn't believe what has hearing. How could this be Barnabas Collin's daughter? How was this possible?
In Carolyn's briefing of the events the family had endured in the last 6 months, she mentioned how Barnabas had never died back in the late 70s. He wasn't too surprised, he knew Barnabas' zest for staying in this world no matter what, but she had neglected to tell him about Claudia.
"Excuse me?" David said furrowing his brow and looking at Carolyn with confusion.
"It's a long story dad. I'll explain later." Caleb replyed.
"I don't know what to do, she's still not answer her phone." Carolyn said from the sofa where she had been trying to reach Alex's cell with the home's landline. "Caleb, can I ask a favor? Do you think Kat can get the police to help find Alex?" She asked Caleb.
"Of course! I'm sure she can make a call to Loomis and have them put a look out for her." Caleb said as he put down his drink to run upstairs to ask a sickly Kat for help.
From what the corner from of the room, Claudia carefully paced listening in on the chatter of Alex's sudden disappearance; a disappearance she was directly responsible for.
"You're looking for Alexandra? I thought she told you. I ran into her late last night." Claudia said addressing the group of Collins family members. "She's gone."
"What do you mean she's gone?" Carolyn asked skeptically.
"She left Collinsport. Late last night. She ... Uhh...went back to London." Claudia said, lying through her teeth.
"That's ridiculous. Why would she do that Claudia?" Carolyn responded, in disbelief.
"Well, it's no secret that she and I haven't gotten along, and now that Christopher and I are together, she felt that it was best for her to go back to London. Away from us, away from here." Claudia said expanding on her lie, all the while Alex was trapped in the abandoned chapel turret above them all.
Carolyn was half in disbelief and half furious so that all this happened under her nose without her knowing. She looked at Claudia with a skeptic eye, but had no concrete reason not to believe her.
"That's it, I'm going after her. There's no one in London for her to be with. Her emotions have been in a terrible state, I can't just leave her alone." Carolyn responded.
"What are you doing?" Caleb asked Carolyn as she reached for the phone again.
"I'm calling up the driver, and I'm going to charter a flight to London on the company jet. I'm not going to let Alex be in London alone. I'm bringing her back. Something has been amiss with her for weeks now and I don't think she should be alone. No matter what she feels about Claudia and Chris." Carolyn said furiously dialing.
"Then I'm going with you." Caleb said in support.
Christopher began to worry. Something about Claudia's story didn't add up in his mind. He could sense it. He could feel it inside his bones that Claudia was keeping something hidden. But she was a well versed liar, she knew exactly how to control situations around her. It was a trait he once believed she had given up, her cunning, wicked side. But there was no doubt, something wasn't right.
****
As the day pressed on, and the sun began to dance in the sky, moving across and soon setting on past the hills that bordered Collinsport, Barnabas awoke. He lifted himself out of his coffin and prowled his room in the old house lighting candles. The lights flickering on his pale skin that glistened with iridescence.
He knew tonight was the night he would be reunited with his beloved. The one woman that embodied Josette's spirit, the one woman he longed for all these years, the woman he felt all the world had taken from him. His love. His life.
As he prepared himself for the evening he walked over to the closet and pulled out the painting of Josette. She was beautiful. Youthful. Her eyes warn and calming. Barnabas kissed the tips of his fingers and placed them on the painting of her lips. A tender moment that would, hopefully, change once he found Maggie. Where ever she was.
Barnabas' destination of the night: Windcliff Sanitarium to retrieve Maggie Evans where he knew she was being hidden. He had forced Carolyn to disclose her location in an argument when he heard her talking to David upon his return. It would all culminate tonight, long after their 50 year separation.
Barnabas' destination of the night: Windcliff Sanitarium to retrieve Maggie Evans where he knew she was being hidden. He had forced Carolyn to disclose her location in an argument when he heard her talking to David upon his return. It would all culminate tonight, long after their 50 year separation.
"Soon, my love. Soon." he whispered to the painting, as the candles continued their warm glowing, and the night crept on in stillness and in darkness.
****
As the night progressed Alexandra remained locked away in the part of the house no one knew she was in. Sad, alone. and with her body mutilated with by spell she could not undo. A spell that locked her youthful body in an aged cage of skin and bones. A punishment of vanity. Claudia's last effort to weaken Alex and keep her away from Christopher.
Claudia's plan was two fold, locking Alex away, but making sure Alex could use her powers. In fact those powers were useless in the room that was blessed by god, a room where witchcraft and black magic had no place. But that didn't mean Alex wasn't still connected to the other side of her powers. Those that connected her to nature and the elements.
Alex, now dressed in the old black dress she found in the room from the 19th century, and veiled in black from her head to her hands covering her cursed skin and face by the poisonous tea leaves, placed her hand on the boarded up windows and took a deep, hearty breath in and out.
"Worth a shot." Alex said to herself hoping she could reach the elements on the outside hoping the world would reveal her location.
"Wind find me. Rain find me. Storms come. Make this undone." She said over and over and over again.
"Wind find me. Rain find me. Storms come. Make this undone."
"Wind find me. Rain find me. Storms come. Make this undone."
"Wind find me. Rain find me. Storms come. Make this undone."
Soon the night winds began to wail, and serge. They swirled and circled Collinsport; giant mountains of storm clouds, thick grey and angry.
Carolyn and Caleb sat at a small airport just outside of town seeing that the weather looked frightful for their flight to London.
"It doesn't look good out there." the co-pilot said to the pilot.
"It's just a little rain. Should be fine." The pilot responded.
Carolyn picked up her bag, nervous but determined to get to London to bring back Alex, took a gulp of air and walked herself to the airplane.
Caleb looked at Carolyn nervously and followed her in. The pilots followed too, the last ones to board and close the small door of the private jet.
The winds and rain came pouring down, thunder clapped and slammed against each other in the sky.
Boats in the bay bobbled and bounced like toys in a bathtub, some even crushing themselves up against the rocky shore.
Alex, with her hands on the walls of her prison cell in the turret chapel continued to reach the natural elements outside that was causing the storm. It was her one last hope for freedom, hoping that somehow the story would set her free.
"Scared of a little thunder?" Chris said smiling at Claudia.
"No, not at all." Claudia responded looking out of Collinswood's perfect windows facing the wild sea.
"Hmm...you sure seem like something is bothering you. What is it?" Chris asked noting Claudia's nerves were on edge, and remembering he felt she was keeping something from him about Alex.
"Nothing. Just a little tired. I'm going to check on Kat. Kim was supposed to bring her home some medicine for her stomach ache but she hasn't been back all day. Excuse me." Claudia said making her exit.
"Your strange behavior wouldn't have anything to do with Alex would it?" Chris said to a surprised Claudia.
"What? No! Why would you say that?" Claudia said again lying.
"Just an observation." Chris said slyly.
"I assure you. Its not about Alexandra. I'm fine. I'll be right back, Kat needs me." Claudia said making her quick exit.
"Your strange behavior wouldn't have anything to do with Alex would it?" Chris said to a surprised Claudia.
"What? No! Why would you say that?" Claudia said again lying.
"Just an observation." Chris said slyly.
"I assure you. Its not about Alexandra. I'm fine. I'll be right back, Kat needs me." Claudia said making her quick exit.
Christopher now felt his hunch was right, Claudia's behavior and Alex's sudden departure was too coincidental. Now he new for sure Claudia was keeping something from him.
****
As the stormed brewed and swirled around Collinsport, it's lasting effects too, spilled off to near by Bangor where everyone at Windcliff Sanitarium took cover.
Kimberly had been there all day with her sister Joanna discussing what they would do about David's escape, what would he tell the family about his time at Windcliff? They wondered. It was all too much, and Kimberly began to feel like she was going to crack.
"What do you think he's going to do? Just not tell everyone what we've been doing?" Kim said panicking.
"I think you're jumping the gun a little. The Organization won't allow this to happen. I've worked too many years to pump David for information about this family in my hypnosis sessions with him for this to all just blow up in our faces. And unfortunately, the Chancellor is not happy with us." Joanna said.
"The Chancellor?" Kim said terrified.
"This situation has escalated to her. She called me this morning." Joanna said.
"What did she say?" Kim asked in fear of the answer.
"She said that the work she started 50 years ago with the Collins family has almost been destroyed thanks to our negligence. She said that 50 years ago when she first infiltrated the family's inner circle and began this journey for the Origination has been almost ruined by us. So basically, she's pissed Kim." Joanna said sarcastically.
"What do we do now?" Kim asked.
"The Organization has had a long storied history of Vampire hunting, ridding this planet of the most vial and ruthless beings from the depths of hell. The Collins family has done nothing but breed the evils and the wicked for centuries, and 50 years ago, our current Chancellor did what no one else could. She penetrated this family's inner walls and sent back information to the Organization that helped us better understand our enemies. We have failed our leader, Kim, we have to redeem ourselves. We're going to go to Collinwood and we're going to kill every last one of them. Forget all the research you've done over the past 20 years. It's time they all die." Joanna announced grimly.
Kim knew that the Chancellor had worked her way up to the most powerful position of The Organization and was now the leader, and they were sworn to do what the leader of the Vampire Hunters wanted. All of them. Victor. Kim. Joanna. Sebastian. All of them. But could Kim actually kill her own son Caleb, the son she had with David in the name of The Organization, in the name of the one and only Chancellor?
As the sisters, Joanna and Kim, contemplated their next move, Joanna removed a plaque from her drawer and walked over to place it on the wall of her office...a phrase in plaque read The Organization's Creed in Latin: VERA ENIM DE CORDE (for the true of heart) ...and just above the phrase the photo of current esteemed Chancellor........Victoria Winters.
