"Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future,
making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible."

-Hannah Arendt

An unfathomable sound lures me out of my dark and hazy slumber and my lethargic mind is slow to determine what I'm hearing till I came to realize that the soft and alluring notes were spoken words.

...family. Until then don't lose hope, I'll visit you. The voice tells me which at first I confused as my own till I realized that the message itself wasn't derived from my own thoughts. Then I heard other voices, muffled and distant compared to the melodic one that spoke in my head before. It took me a moment to realize that I'm hearing Godric's voice but my lazy mind couldn't be bothered to understand what he was saying or to whom he was talking to. At this moment, I am just a floating consciousness hearing and discerning, but not anchored to anything physical and therefore I didn't care about what was going on around me or if Godric was talking to me.

A disturbance in my equilibrium prompted me that I was floating but my momentary paralysis kept me from realizing that I was actually being carried somewhere. Once again, sleep was enticing me and I was all too willing to succumb into its arms till I felt something cool being pressed against my lips and something else trickling down my throat. Regaining the feeling of my physicality came to me as quickly as- what I now understood as blood- spread to my entirety and I was suddenly grounded and aware of my own flesh. I opened my eyes just as my maker commanded me to stop feeding by just saying 'enough', and seeing Godric's face comforted me even though I have forgotten why it did and what had gone on before the darkness.

"Now that you're awake dear sister, would you like to enlighten me about what just went on with your magic fingers?" Someone asked from my peripheral and I turned my head expecting to see Jason considering I was acknowledged as 'sister' but saw Eric instead.

Right...that kind of sister, I thought before his words dawned on me and I slowly pieced together what had happened beforehand. Godric helped me sit up and I looked around only to find that our setting has changed to what looks like a storage type office.

"What was that creature?" I asked looking at Godric and Eric, taking note of Eric's intense determined look towards me.

"We're not sure but I know someone who's old enough that might know," Eric replied and his comment immediately had me thinking of someone who I also thought might have an idea because of his age—Jax. The only thing is I don't know his number and I didn't wanna be asking Godric for it just in case my asking might just open a can of worms that I wouldn't be able to explain or too lazy to explain; like why would I want to contact him.

Maybe I could look him up or Facebook him? I sighed thinking Facebook might be a stretch, I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait for Eric's contact.

"Did you guys try Googling the creature?" I suggested just in case they haven't thought of looking her up online yet.

"Yes and we found nothing," Eric replied. Not only did that stump my plans but I thought it's actually cool that someone as old as Eric proficiently uses technology and seems to rely on it to some degree.

"Whatever she was, she had an unusual...anatomy," Eric went on which caught my attention and I noticed that Godric didn't seem at all surprised.

"How do you know?" I asked assuming they weren't just talking about her face.

"When Longshadow had to clean up the mess you've made out of her body, we noticed that her blood wasn't spilled and she didn't have the same brain matter as humans do. So naturally we decided to chop her up and we noticed that she didn't have innards of any kind, or bones for that matter. The only thing that was holding her form together was a red jelly-like goo." Eric explained and I figured that Longshadow must be the bartender.

"Well, that must've been something to see." I replied to Eric perturbed about the creature we encountered and the casual mention of dismantling her body.

"She might be a demon trying to glamour us," Godric mentions after some time.

"That seems like a possibility, it did feel like I was under some sort of spell and I started feeling...things," Eric added agreeing with Godric's theory.

"From what I heard, she was feeding on you guys...and me too I guess, and your faces were distorted like she was sucking a part of yourselves. I heard her talking and replying to herself as if she were schizophrenic talking about how good we tasted to her." Godric pondered on what I had said and he agreed and added how he also saw the same thing happening to me.

"What do you mean you heard her?" Eric asked and by the look of him, I could tell that he was determined to unravel whatever mysteries I've kept from him-I guess he's the type who can't stand unsolved puzzles. I looked at Godric, silently asking if Eric could be trusted with my secret and with a nod from my maker I told Eric that I could read minds except for vampires. Eric seems delighted about what I've said and I'm not exactly sure if he was happy because he knows that I'm a faery or because I wouldn't be able to read his mind.

"I've encountered a psychic once, she was absolutely intoxicating," Eric told me his smile still in place. And from what I've gathered from what he has said, it's safe to assume that he might not know about my actual origin.

"I'm sure she thought you were too," I replied masking my sarcasm with a small smile.

"And you smell like her too actually although your scent is not as intense as hers...but it doesn't really matter how light it is, the smell of a fairy is always enticing and hard to forget." Eric went on with a grin plastered on his smug face.

Godric recounted to Eric the tale of how we met and the following events that led to me becoming a vampire, although the tale took a while to tell since Eric would occasionally throw some playful euphemisms my way. Eric made arrangements- per Godric's request- to have someone drive me to Bon Temps in the morning. That someone came in a five foot ten frame and gruffly introduced himself as Bobby Burnham. He was a sturdy man in biker attire with black leather jacket, sunglasses, bandana, and an untamed beard to boot and he was no fan of mine. I tried to be as amiable as I can towards him and even made some casual positive observation at the beginning of our trip. But after I heard him internally refer to me as a 'fangbanger', I had shut my mouth and went on to privately mull over the feminine voice that had woken me up after my collapse.

Conjuring up the memory of how the voice sounded like in my head proved tougher than I thought. First of all, I don't even remember what the voice sounded like, it was spoken right into my head that for a moment I thought it was my own since that kind of encounter doesn't happen often with me. Although it has happened these past two days in a row...it's like I suddenly became a beacon device to faes around me and now I'm either running into them or they're seeking me out. That's another thing I had to think about, a fae woman sought me out and was within my telepathic proximity despite the fact that I was surrounded by vampires and I happen to be half of one too. Thinking back on her message I remembered she mentioned family, and visiting me...I wonder if she was some sort of long lost cousin I've never met before. Well, I guess I'm to expect a fae visitor sometime soon, the question I'm now left with is when?

I decided to avoid the lunch crowd and entered Merlotte's through the back where Bobby dropped me off. I ran into Holly, the new girl who was meant to replace me and had asked her if she could call Sam for me while I wait for him in his office. She seemed like a genuinely nice person and although I've never met her before, she was internally glad to know that I'm not hurt in any way which was speculated amongst the patrons when I was M.I.A. The only damper with her was that I knew from the moment she went through the back hallway, that she was gonna let everyone know just how glad she was for my well-being and just where to find me if anyone else wanted to check on me.

I felt Sam's indecision before he came into his office, he was hopping mad and relieved and I'm getting a general idea that he wasn't sure if he wanted to chastise or hug me-but when he walked through the door, he chose to ream me. I have never seen Sam angry or lash out at anyone before, and considering the amount of respect I'd always had for him my eyes got teary.

"...I thought you were hauled off somewhere only to be raped and even murdered! Do you have any idea what I had went through reporting you missing to the police and to call your grandmother too! Jason was upset!" Sam must've realized when he mentioned Gran that he might've been overreacting and might've been harsh on me considering Gran's recent passing. He turned away from me breathing hard, bowed, with his hands on his desk most likely trying to clear his mind since his mood was calming down. Sam was one of those rare ones that I couldn't properly hear what he's thinking but I can sense his emotions unless he touched me- cause then everything he'd be thinking would come at me loud and clear.

"I'm sorry cher, I didn't mean to lay one on you. I know you ain't the type to just vanish without an explanation, and I'm sorry about your grandma," he sighed finally calming down with disapproving contentment creeping up on him, replacing his anger.

"I'm sorry too Sam, I didn't mean to just leave you hanging like that. I told you that I meant to call you the night before, I just...accidentally got roped into some trouble." I told him trying to decide whether or not to tell him about my new supernatural status as a vampire. Sam and I have always had an understanding friendship that was borne out of respect for each other that went beyond our professional relationship. He has always known about my disability and he hasn't treated me any differently, although his attraction for me might have something to do with that. With the mention of the word trouble, Sam looked at me properly with some trepidation.

"You told me that...what happened to you Sook? What kind of trouble did you get into?"

I went on to tell Sam what had happened with the drainers...at least from the perspective I was filled in on thanks to Godric since I apparently still couldn't remember what had happened. I told Sam of my vampire maker mixed with my faery origin which causes my daywalking, Jason's senseless aggravation with me and even the strange creature encountered at Fantasia just last night. Of course, I didn't tell him about Leonard and Jax since I'm not one to indulge in other people's business and I was absolutely ashamed of how I had treated Leonard.

"Well...fuck Sook," was all Sam could say afterward which I thought was properly put.

After taking comfort from the familiarity Sam had offered with his words and his presence, he gave me back the keys he held for me for Gran's house along with my last paycheck. I accepted his offer to take me back home since Jason had taken my car back to Gran's when I didn't come back from Dallas with Sam.

When I finally got home, I'd set out to cleaning and scrubbing down the house from top to bottom to keep my emotions from running rampant. It didn't really take long as I thought it would considering how much I was vamping all over the place. After I was done I went ahead and packed clothes I planned on taking with me back to Dallas and some I took upstairs to the attic.

I called Jason and left a message since the hospital had called in to let me know that Gran's death certificate should already be on its way and should arrive either tomorrow or Tuesday. I searched Gran's room looking to see if she had a burial plan tucked safely somewhere but found nothing. That undid it for me and I laid in Gran's yellow quilted sleigh bed and cried missing her, feeling lost and alone in her house which I suppose is mine now. I reflected on insignificant memories I had of Gran around the house, like the apron she always wore just to wash the dishes or the lavender mint oil she always rubbed on her hands whenever it was cold out. I found it hard to grasp that a week ago I had just kissed her cheek as a way to say goodbye before I left with Sam to Dallas for the Food Expo. And now, a week later I'm planning her wake and I have to cremate her since I couldn't afford the funeral expenses and she didn't prepare for one since not one of us thought that her life was gonna be taken away. Somewhere along my contemplation, I remembered that Gran used to hide some cash in a box under her bed that Jason had found and would occasionally 'borrow' from as a teenager.

Considering as I've never actually seen Jason take anything from Gran's room, I'm basically just relying on his word that she keeps things hidden under the bed. I went through a few boxes full of photographic memories and some wonderfully spoken letters and thoughtful cards Gran has received from Grandpa Earl and friends she's kept in touch with over the years. I was getting sucked into a rabbit hole of emotions and past experiences expressed through the written words when a dust covered wooden box had toppled over. The sound was slight but with my heightened hearing I could tell that it landed on a hollowed floorboard which I went on to investigate. After some prying and with a help of a letter opener, I found a box inside a makeshift hidey hole and I immediately took note of the amount of dust accumulated on the box and its surrounding. Something about finding an old hidden box excited something in me, awakening my inner child as if reliving my imagined pirate adventures; after all, every kid at one point in their lives went through a phase where they wanted to discover a treasure. However, that feeling quickly went south towards disappointment after seeing a rolled up paper inside, written in a language I couldn't place or understand.

I had no idea how long I sat on Gran's bedroom floor, marinating in bleak disappointment waiting to find the motivation to get myself up and clean up the mess I've made around me when a simple thought occurred. Maybe Jax would understand what this scroll's language is. I vamped around the room cleaning, dusting, and packing up what I wanted to take with me to Dallas and took the rest to the attic before I showered and changed to my own jeans and sweater and finally settled at the breakfast table with my phone. I didn't really know how to go about searching for an ancient hybrid being who has kept himself bare from the digital world so I decided to call the operator first. I tried Macklyn Warlow but apparently no one had that name, so then I tried Jax Warlow instead, and the only Jax Warlow they found in Texas had a Houston number which I went ahead and had them connect me to anyway. While the phone rang, I glanced at the clock and found that it was already five 'o six in the afternoon which means Jax should be either done with his daily errands or finishing up.

"Hello?" Jax's baritone voice cut through my reverie as confidently as his walk- which I was currently picturing in exaggerated detail in my head. I had to clear my throat before I said anything just so he won't detect the kind of thoughts I'm having from hearing my voice.

"Jax? it's Sookie,"

"Sookie, what a nice surprise, I'm happy you sought me out. Is there anything you need or are you just calling simply for pleasure." Jax asked and I couldn't help relishing on his voice.

"I've got about a hundred questions actually...do you have time?" I asked.
"Of course, I'm just now heading home actually. What's up?"
"I might've found something quite old at my Gran's house, some sort of parchment actually, and it's written in a strange language. I was wondering if you might know something about it considering... you know, you've been around?" I told Jax not really wanting to call him old since that would've been just outright rude. He chuckled in response probably thinking along the same lines except he doesn't seem to mind.

"Why don't you go ahead and send me the picture so I can take a look?" Jax suggested, which I told him to hold on while I did just that and sent it to him while he's still on the phone since I told him I had another question for him. While he waited to receive the picture, I went on to tell him about the trouble we had in Fangtasia and the kind of creature that had caused it. He was quiet for a while, hopefully deliberating over the creature till I heard him sigh.

"Sorry Sookie but I'm running blank on what had attacked y'all. You sure do attract all sort of trouble don't you?" despite Jax's words, I could still detect a smile on his face along with what he had said.

"I guess I do, are you trouble Jax?" I asked not really sure if I meant to flirt with him or not. Although to some degree I was dead serious since I'm tired of trouble knocking on my door this past week alone. Lord knows what other kind of trouble he has left for me, and I wasn't about to sit back and find out.

"No Sookie, I promise you I won't be...not like that at least, I'm sure whatever trouble I'll come up with you'll enjoy. But I'd rather you figure that one out on your own. Hold on a minute, I might've just received your message." Jax put me on hold and I found it fascinating that I could actually tell just by hearing that he's going through his phone. I heard Jax make an undescriptive noise that sounded positive to me -at least from what I'm assuming. He came back on the phone sounding pleased and in good spirits which in turn lifted my mood.

"I can actually tell you that not only do I know what that document is but I know exactly who wrote it and when." Jax went on lightheartedly and I had a feeling that I might just have figured it out too by just using the context clues he provided.
"Can I take a guess then?" I asked infected by his liveliness and when he answered with a sure, I coyly went on to first asking if my grandmother wrote it—which I already know she didn't before he said as much.
"You know I'm only kidding right? I'm guessing it's the marriage contract you and my great ancestor Niall wrote apropos of me?" I say in absolute surety which he rewarded with another deep chuckle that did something in me.
"Yes Sookie it is, it's valium written in our mixed blood and completely indestructible except for Niall and me, we're the only two who can destroy that contract so till that day happens, I'm sorry to say that you'll be mine...someday."

"Someday, but not anytime soon" I reminded him, glad that he reinforced his statement from the day before about not forcing me into anything rash.

"By the way, I meant to ask you about something," I remembered as an afterthought realizing I haven't slept in days.
"I figured...you did say that you had about a hundred of 'em." He dramatically sighed out loud although I doubt he really cared.
"Oh I'm sorry, I should probably let you go then, I didn't mean to be a bother and now I've taken up all your precious time. You probably made plans already so I'll let you go," I went on even though I was nowhere near hanging up, just wanted to mess with him and judging by the way he's laughing, he was messing with me too.
"Don't you dare do that, I was obviously kidding. I'm happy you called me Sook...it's nice to hear your voice." His laughter died and I didn't miss how his voice lowered and turned serious which I didn't know how to react to so I cleared my throat and went on with my question.

"I've noticed I haven't slept in days...well since I actually woke up as a vampire. Is that normal? I'm not tired at all and I'm not sure if I should force myself to sleep."
"It's normal...but it's best if you force yourself to sleep cause it'll come back to bite you in the ass if you don't. Not that you'll die or anything but you'll definitely feel morose and get angry. There's a trick to it actually...try meditating while you're lying down and empty your mind, that trick works for me every time." Jax offered which I took to heart and promised him I would try whenever I get the chance to.

After some playful banter and light flirting from the both of us, we said our goodbyes and hung up the phone since there was a knock on the door. I checked the time on my way to the foyer to see if it's possibly my maker was at the door and saw that he might be since it's already six thirty-nine in the evening. Time sure went by fast.

I smelled it before I even opened the door and the only way to describe it was intoxicating. I found myself inhaling as deeply as my lungs can expand and tried to commit the smell to memory. I opened the door and I was greeted with the smell of roses, sunshine, and water; and it came together to create something clean, fresh, and sweet. When I opened my eyes I saw a tall slender woman with black wavy hair and her beauty encompassed her stature- she was definitely something to behold. I could tell from her shell-shocked expression that she might not have been expecting me and was about to make a run for it, although I couldn't really blame her considering the manner I greeted her with; like a fanged hungry hippo. I meant to assuage her with a smile but her smell reminded me that I haven't fed or eaten at all today and hunger consumed me and it felt like getting hit immediately with a painful stomach ulcer. Before she could escape I grabbed her arms binding them to her side and knocked us both down as I pierced my fangs into her jugular.

I couldn't hold back the noises I was making as I indulged myself on this woman's blood which I'm sure has ruined me cause I would never be able to feed on any other blood after this. The relief I felt was instantaneous and her blood was humming inside, calling out to me in the most orgasmic way that it thrilled me in ways I never thought could be possible. For a moment, time stood still and I felt a strange electricity not only in me but all around me. Power surge within me and it's as if I understood all and saw not only the world around me but saw it as if I stood at the edge of the universe, witnessing the creation of the cosmos. My earthly body left somewhere behind me along with my petty problems and narrow-mindedness that it all seems so inessential at this point.

Something was tugging the back of my neck and I hear a voice calling me back to the world I'm willing to abandon. There it is again, another tug but I wasn't ready to give up watching the scene unfolding before me. A ball of light or energy so hot and bright was before me and I'm surprised It hasn't burned or blinded me. Streaks of energy were being shot out from the great light and creating planets wherever it touches in the space around it. The great light was calling me, beckoning me to listen without words and the longer I gazed at it the more I understood as if an invisible link was holding us together and I knew it understood me too. The great light filled me with shame, hope, forgiveness, and peace—feelings that were molded into one; as if it was rewarding me with the promise I had offered to it. The promise I offered were spoken in the same way as it has to me, which is showing without words and knowing without thoughts, just simply feeling and understanding. I promised to never give in to my bloodlust again and hoped for the strength to keep my word, and as soon as the great light acknowledged what I declared, I got sucked back into my body. I released my fangs from the woman's neck and felt my maker pull me back as I saw her body disintegrate into glittering ashes.

Fudge, I hope that didn't count as breaking my promise.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thank's again for the kind words and comments!
I don't know if anyone noticed, but I'm pulling some scenes here and there from the book and the show using it as a structure to some of my dialogues or events. I don't really know myself how the story takes place but I'm just going with the flow as I'm remembering some things from the original story and before you know it...the last part of this chapter happened. I didn't want Claudine to die either...she was suppose to become an angel 'getting closer to the light' and all that, but sometimes stories kinda just forms on its own. Again, thank you for the kind words since it really is a big motivational tool.