Can We Live Again chp. 7

"Where is he? Where is the boy?"

I flinched as Queen Soledad's powerful voice came from atop her throne. "I don't know, Queen Soledad."

Queen Soledad stood up, her golden heels clacking on the marble floor as she walked down the steps to me. She stopped in front of me, her flaxen hair slipping over her shoulders as she bent down to stare me in the eye. Her blood red eyes were unsettlingly unreadable. "Ivan Szelsky, if you are lying to me about this boy-"

"I am not, I assure you." I interrupted, resisting my urge to back away from her stare.

Queen Soledad narrowed her eyes before straightening, the gold sash around her waist slipping along the floor as she walked back to her throne. She then sat back down, the white-and-gold material settling around her in a big whoopmf. "Ivan, I am trusting you for the moment. But if you are lying-"

"I have Bellatio Giotore personally escorting him to Court." I interrupted yet again. "Do not fret, Queen Soledad."

Queen Soledad coughed delicately and tapped her long fingernails on the arm of her throne. "I will wait a bit more. But if he is not here, I will throw you in the jail."

"Understood." I said bitterly, crossing my arms. It was uncomfortable under her stare until the giant doors to the throne room creaked open and two officers came running in. "Queen Soledad, Queen Soledad!"

"Speak," Queen Soledad said, silencing the two men.

The officers bowed. "You have visitors, Queen Soledad."

"Let them in." Queen Soledad instructed.

The officers nodded curtly before running out again, whooshing past me. A few minutes later the officers came dragging two people in- recognizable people.

"Giotore. So nice of you to join us." Queen Soledad said sarcastically, tapping her fingernails on her throne harder with a smug smirk on her face.

Bellatio squirmed in the officer's grip. "Queen lady. Hello to you too." I could hear sarcasm in his Italian voice.

I turned my head slightly towards my right, where the officer holding Noah was.
Noah smiled at me. "Hi Ivan."

I smiled back at him. "Hello No."

"Okay!" Queen Soledad yelled demandingly, standing up and walking hastily down towards us. "Horatio, you may release Giotore."

The officer, Horatio, let Bellatio loose. Bellatio worked his shoulders in circles. "That some grip you got."

Queen Soledad turned her attention to Noah.

I tensed, stepping back a little bit so as not to get tangled in her long trailing dress.
Queen Soledad leaned down to Noah's level.

"You. Your name."

"Noah Andrew Harlan." Noah said diligently. He wasn't fidgeting under her gaze- he didn't even look uncomfortable.

"And your age?"

"14, ma'am."

Queen Soledad appraised his face before tapping the lens of his glasses with her fingernail. She raised an eyebrow when he didn't react. "Why are you so serious?"

"I see no reason to be uncomfortable, ma'am." Noah said.

Queen Soledad looked at me. "Have you even told this boy about me?!"

"Yes he has, ma'am." Noah said before I could reply. "Ivan told me about you. You're Queen Soledad de la Cruz, ma'am."

Queen Soledad looked at him. "Then you know what my position entails, don't you?"

Noah nodded. "It means you could kill me, ma'am."

"Exactly. So why are you so calm? Most humans would be squirming by now. Most vampires would be squirming."

"I see no reason to, ma'am."

Queen Soledad sighed, a low growl, before she looked away from Noah's face. And towards his neck. "Your throat."

Noah looked down out of the corner of his eye, towards his throat. "Oh, yes. Axys Demibul bit me, ma'am."

"Why?"

"Because you sent the Eradication Team after me, ma'am."

Queen Soledad looked at him dumbfoundedly before twitching and grumbling. She then turned to Bellatio. "Did you tell him that I gave the direct order for his destruction?"

"Y-Yes I did, Queen lady." Bellatio said, trying to be confident. "Queen lady, you kill me if want, but I tell Noah boy the truth. I always tell truth, Queen lady. I like Noah. He deserve know you want him dead."

Queen Soledad marched up to Bellatio and backhanded him, one swift motion. It seemed as if it would simply hurt, but Bellatio fell backwards. I knew personally the power of the Queen's slaps.

"You do NOT disclose confidental information to a HUMAN, Bellatio Giotore! Horatio, take him to the jail." Queen Soledad commanded, turning back to Noah.

"You heartless woman, Queen lady! You deserve die! You deserve die a million times!" Bellatio screamed as Horatio dragged him out of the throne room.

Queen Soledad stiffened before relaxing as the giant double doors closed. She then looked at Noah.

"... Queen de la Cruz, do you mind if I ask something?" Noah asked, shifting in Paul's grasp.

Queen Soledad looked at Noah. "It depends, Noah."

"Well... I wanted to know why you wanted me dead." Noah asked innocently, looking up at Queen Soledad.

Queen Soledad paused. "... It is because I operate of the old text. Adiama did not. That is why vampires were almost discovered by the common people during her reign. She did nothing to prevent the discovery of the vampires. I do not wish for that to happen under my rule."

"... Queen de la Cruz, I'm not a tattle tale. I wouldn't tell anyone that I didn't trust about vampires." Noah said confidently.

"You are a human. Therefore, you will tell what you know." Queen Soledad replied swiftly. "For the moment, I will have Zaharia interview you." She said, walking back to her throne. "Paul, take Noah and Ivan to the lobby. Zaharia will be waiting."

Paul nodded before guiding Noah out of the throne room, me following close behind.


"Hello, hello." Zaharia said, standing up from her place on the couch in the small room and smiling. She looked like a schoolgirl, with her black and white uniform, and she was clutching a clipboard in her gloved hands. "You must be Noah, yes?"

Noah nodded meekly beside me. Away from Queen Soledad he was apparently nervous.

"Come on, sit down, yes?" Zaharia said, smiling and sitting back down as Paul departed from the room.

Noah slid down on the couch opposite to Zaharia. I sat beside him.

"Okay, the Queen ordered that you be interviewed, yes?" Zaharia consulted the clipboard for this answer. "Yes she did. Okay, so, this is how it goes. Your names, yes?"

"Noah Andrew Harlan." Noah replied, smiling slightly.

"Ivan Szelsky." I responded, putting my arm around Noah.

Noah blushed lightly before snuggling closer to me. "You're warm."

I chuckled and patted his head.

"Okay, okay. Your ages and date of births, yes?" Zaharia said, smiling.

"Fourteen, December eleventh, 1997."

"Fifteen, February 15, 1992." I said, noticing that Zaharia was flipping between two forms. Oh right. I'd been interviewed before by Marisol, so I piped up. "Oh yeah. Date of vampirism is June 16, 2007."

"Oh, you're so smart, yes." Zaharia said, laughing slightly and writing the date down. "Okay. Now, history, yes? Such as where you were born, who your parents are, where you live now..."

"I was born in Billings, Montana to Gregory James and Erica Ann Harlan. I live in London, Kentucky now." Noah responded, smiling happily at the information.

Zaharia wrote that down before looking to me.

"I was born in Novosibirsk, Russia to Petr and Viktoria Szelsky. I live in London, Kentucky as well. I was changed into a vampire by regular means."

Zaharia knew what 'regular means' meant- normal vampire out to make another vampire for no reason at all. "Okay, now, the last question, yes? What is your opinion on Queen Soledad?"

I jumped on the topic. "I think she's a stuck-up arrogant priss that only wants money, power, and subjects to preside over. She doesn't care one bit about the vampire race and could care less if we all died. She stole the throne from Adiama's only son Antonio. I hate her and can't wait until next century's election. Or until she gets killed."

Zaharia looked at me before scribbling all of that down on my form. She then looked to Noah.

"... I think that she probably was a good person when she was human... But when she turned into a vampire, she started hating herself... so she secluded herself... I think she probably has self-esteem issues, and maybe her social skills aren't the best, either... But I think that if she were to try, if she were to wake up and see that her people need her, that she would be a really good lady." Noah said, smiling fondly at the thought.

Zaharia wrote all of that down.

"But... Zaharia, what do you think of her?"

Zaharia jumped at the question, looking at Noah. "I... I-I... I... I think... that the Queen is too harsh, yes... but that she has a good heart... she just doesn't put it to use, yes... Yes, that's what I think! She's too harsh, but she is nice on the inside, yes." Zaharia said, smiling and nodding.

"You see, I'm one of her personal assistants. My brother Lucian is the other. But Queen Soledad treats us so badly, yes. It was an honor to serve Adiama... not Soledad." Zaharia twisted a ringlet of her black hair around her finger. "So... I'll leave it at I don't particularly care for Soledad, yes?" Zaharia asked, smiling.

Noah nodded, smiling.

The door suddenly creaked open. Zaharia looked at the new arrival before standing up. "Lucian!"

I looked to Lucian, Zaharia's older brother. "Luci."

Lucian smirked at me. "Ivy." He then looked to Noah. "Ey, you're the kid, aren't you?"

Noah nodded quickly before standing up and offering his hand. "N-Noah Harlan."

Lucian looked at Noah's hand before taking it with a fanged grin. "Lucian Movborne."

Zaharia sat down and started tapping her fingernails restlessly on her clipboard. "Lucian, what are you doing here?"

Lucian shrugged. "I dunno. I was lurking through Court and Paul told me that you were doing an interview with some kid, to quote the brute, and I came to check it out."

"Lucian, you have no business being here, yes!" Zaharia exclaimed, standing up again.

Lucian raised an eyebrow at Zaharia. "Why not? Did Soledad suddenly give you some great honor to tell me what to do?"

"Okay." Noah said abruptly, standing up. "I really really hate it when siblings fight, so you two need to stop. Right no-" His phone rung abruptly. Noah froze.

Lucian and Zaharia both looked over to Noah.

Noah blushed and dug his cell phone out of his pocket. His eyes grew wide when he read the caller ID. He reluctantly opened the top and pressed talk. "H-Hello Mom..."

I shifted in my seat and crossed my legs, watching Noah talk to his mother.

"I'm fine Mom, I'm safe... I promise... I'm just... in trouble... really big trouble... I mean it's like Texas sized trouble, Mom. Not Rhode Island."