Chapter 14

"Shall we eat now". Mrs Salvatore announced. Everyone at the table begins to eat with Aurora and Arianna slightly rushing their food since they had somewhere else to be. All the while Mr Salvatore keeps picking his food unable to eat comfortably. Remembering the occurrence just before he left the office yesterday a certain someone had sent pictures to his personal email, his personal email wasn't known to too many people and so receiving something on it had surprised him but seeing the message has been even more destabilizing. Pictures he took with Helen the girl was an agent of the council he had taken a liking to both of them had decided to keep things under covers and had met up occasionally at hotels and had several secret rendezvous. The girl was also useful she occasionally gave him tips being a top agent however he has no idea how pictures of he and her got leaked to the sender. The girl had announced not wanting anything to do with him the week before and ha afterwards found out it was because she had a crush on his eldest son. Now the blackmailer he had sent the picture and the threat without any requests for money or any form of compensation. This was odd and whoever it was had used a fake IP that was untraceable. "The rate of blackmail keeps increasing at a steady rate". Brandon said all of a sudden that all eyes at the table looked at him except one that suddenly showed so much interest in the food he had been picking earlier. "Why the sudden mention of blackmail son". Mra Salvatore asked worried someone might have tried to blackmail her son. "A friend of mine needed help tracing an IP yesterday, the owner had been blackmailing him". "That's so bad". "Exactly mom, what do you think dad". Brandon said and all eyes shifted to Mr Salvatore. "Well it is indeed so bad what have you guys been able to do about it". Mr Salvatore asked. "Am I the only one who thinks dad has gotten paler". Damon asked looking at their dad who had almost turned white. "Honey are you okay you look like snow". Mrs Salvatore asked also very worried now,she had ignored it before thinking the children were just being naughty but now she was also worried. "I'm fine I guess I just need some rest, I'll not be going to the office today ". Mr Salvatore said and stood up from the table. "Well we're also done and would be going upstairs to prepare, Paul would be here in any moment". Aurora said and pulls Arianna up to her feet. They go up to prepare for their outing with Paul leaving the others at the table. "Now tell me what did the council say". Mrs Saint said immediately Paul was out of the house. "Well they said the kids are now coming of age and want them to join the agent training of this year". The air around the table gets thick at this point, Mrs Saint could hardly breathe memories were hurting her and her head had started to throb. She had almost lost herself during those trainings you were kept and taught the worst things and was also made to do extreme things, loyalty would be tested ,strength would be tested, and the fact that as a successor you were not allowed to fail. She had been a successor just like Paul and she had gone through the training each time she failed she would go through it again all over with pressure from her own family she had almost lost it, she didn't want this for her child no way no way . "Why are they in a hurry, the kids aren't eighteen yet it's supposed to be next year right". Mrs Saint asked shaking now . "Julianne, calm down, we knew this was coming okay". Mr Saint replied crouching in front of her and holding her hands they were shaking so much and we're cold. He had seen the effect of the council on Julianne, her parents were no help she has to put up with their punishments everytime she failed a mission the missions had to do with wars and handling terrorists attacks. The children were never to be told or exposed to this side of the vampire world until they were eighteen. "At least, he has us, we're going to help him it's not going to be like what we had to go through we'll be there for him okay". "How , how until after half the year we aren't allowed to see him so how, can't we tell him and tell him not to tell anyone". "Julianne" he snapped at her. " Snap out of it, you know better he'll go through the lie detector and just like that he'll be exposed do you want to see your son to through the blade valley nobody survives. I won't have my son go through that just because you wanted to ease your guilt". Mr Saint says looking beaten and battered. " How could you say that Saint how could you even think that I just want him to be prepared to know what's coming if he's not caught off guard maybe it would be better". Her voice is so heavy at this point although her heart was heavier, she had tried to put all this behind her but it was a never ending tradition her son has to go through it. "I'm just as beaten on this as you are I didn't sleep a single bit after leaving the council meeting last night. Memories kept haunting me, but there is nothing to be done it's a sealed fate". Mr Saint says resignation so obvious in his voice. "How about I go to dad, maybe he can". "You would do no such thing, he was at the council meeting, he is an elder you know he does what the council decides on". "Paul cannot, he cannot they'll break him like they did us". "It is his fate as our son as a vampire, he has no choice". Mr Saint said with finalty and bends to pull her into his arms her sobs breaking his every person and the pain getting more toxic in his heart. THE VEIL ON THE DARK