Entering the room felt as if a wave of sorrow washed over me. I hadn’t been in here since the day after my mother’s death, and the same emotions flooded me just as they did before. Images of my mother came rushing back with each step, Jackson close behind me, almost as if he were waiting for me to faint and was ready to catch me.
It had been nearly two years since I came here. Her desk and belongings were covered with white sheets to preserve them, but today, I would be taking them off, exposing everything and searching everywhere, not just in her desk but other places, to perhaps find other clues. Other secrets she had hidden from me.
“Are you ok?” Jackson asked with concern in his voice.
Standing in the middle of her room, dust covered the windows and there was very minimal light coming from them, just a few streams of sunlight as it hit the wooden floor. Pulling off the sheet that covered her desk, I dropped it to the floor as dust danced in the air, and coughed as it entered my lungs.
“Darius gave me a letter written by my mother last night, and she said there is a hidden folder buried in her desk. A folder on Darius, and more of his kind.”
“His kind?”
It was very rare I kept anything from Jackson, he was my brother in all ways and we shared a close and unbreakable bond, however, the word "hybrid" was caught in my throat, and I didn’t know if I wanted to share this information, especially with any potential moles hiding within the manor.
“I will tell you everything, but not here.”
He nodded as if he heard my own thoughts, and went to switch on the small table lamp, to allow us some more light, he then went to shut the office door behind us, locking it.
“Do you not trust me?”
“I trust you Jackson, with my life, but not while we are here. I am even more suspicious after that conversation. I need to find this folder so please be quiet while I try and remember what my mother said.”
It’s under the fourth floorboard to the left of my desk, you will find a hidden panel, under there is a key to a secret compartment in my desk. It’s in the third drawer down on the right.Mother always enjoyed hiding her things in the most complicated way and although it was handy to have so many hidden compartments and drawers in furniture, it was also very annoying to remember every little detail.
Standing at the left of her desk, I counted the four floorboards as I walked before trying to pry it open with my fingers, of course no such luck. Pulling out the small knife that was concealed in my boot, I flicked it open and began feeding it into the gap in the floorboard until it shifted and popped open.
Fishing through the dust and dirt underneath, I felt for the key but no such luck. Leaning back on my knees, I looked at Jackson with confusion, I was sure this was the right place as per her instructions.
“Let me try.”
Shifting out of the way for Jackson, he knelt down and ran his hand over the space, and nodded as if he was agreeing with something he had already come up with.
“It’s cloaked, your mother wouldn’t have just left a key or something here, just in case someone did come fishing. Now, to figure out what spell she used.”
He sat cross legged as his mind wandered, closing his eyes, and running his hands back and forth across the space. Jackson was a master witch, and the best the Van Helsing clan had seen since Serena.
Had I known she was the same Serena my mother had protected and helped, I think I would have felt differently. Being a direct descendant from Lady Elizabeth Grey did, however, have its drawbacks, and as Jackson's fingers began to crackle and wake with magic, he started to slump as his life force began to drain.
Taking one of his hands in mine, I allowed him to draw from me, use my energy to help aid him in his time of need. I would never class myself as fully human, a vampire or that of a witch, I was a mix of all three and that meant my life force was a little different, more advanced in a way.
“She’s used a very complex spell, but nothing I can’t get past. I won’t take much.”
“You take as much as you need.”
The floor beneath me began to tremble a little as red light appeared under Jackson’s hands, it felt warm and welcoming. Looking at him, he opened his eyes as they shimmered almost gold. He was heart stoppingly beautiful, and any man would fall to their knees at his beauty.
“Jacqueline really didn’t want anyone finding this, did she? I wonder what else is hidden in that drawer?”
I hadn’t thought about what else she could have tucked away from prying eyes, it never occurred to me that she may have more secrets but the more I thought about it, the more I realised maybe I didn’t know my mother as well as I thought, or at least her true self.
“I haven’t thought about it, but we will soon see.”
“There.” Jackson let go of my hand and started fishing around in the under-floor dust and grabbed something, hopefully the key.
“Let’s go see what else she hid away from you.”
Walking over to the desk, Jackson handed over the key, and I put it in the third drawer down. It unlocked, but at first glance, it was empty. Of course, it was empty. Sighing, I felt a small ounce of defeat, and I ran my hands in the under part of the drawer and felt a little dent.
I pushed it, the desk clicked, and then the bottom of the drawer popped up, revealing a hidden compartment. Lifting off the cover, there was a large brown folder and a few other smaller folders tucked underneath.