Monday, December 3, 2012

Gathering Clues


Hi everyone, this is Clare. After our discovery that our old nemesis group may be responsible for poisoning Summer, we spent quite a bit of time debating what we ought to do. In the end, we decided that for the moment, it was probably best to do nothing.

All we really had were suspicions and one piece of circumstantial evidence. There were clues pointing away from the suspects too, though. For instance, as Inna pointed out, there was no obvious motive; in fact, the Elders would seem to be acting against their own best interests if they had done it. Then there's the fact that Summer was poisoned at school - i.e. during the day. It was cloudy and snowy that day, so it may have been safe for vampires to go outside without burning to a crisp, but we aren't certain it would have been. 

Also, the Elders themselves aren't exactly... um... the most normal-looking group of people. They tend to go for the more Dracula-style vampire dress, and they're so old and out of touch that they couldn't really fake modern fashion even if they don't physically look their age. When they were active, they would generally send more conventional-looking lackeys to do their dirty work when humans might see, and used a network of spies to keep an eye on the outside world. Now that they've lost their power, though, the Elders have also lost most of their workforce. Caped and fanged figures lurking around like giant bats would probably attract attention at the local middle school... but no one noticed anything suspicious.

So all this to say, even we weren't sure. Accusing fellow members of the vampire council of a crime like this would really destabilize things. It could be the end of the council if people started taking sides. It could even lead to an all-out vampire war. 

That doesn't mean that we're going to let someone get away with hurting Summer, of course... but it does mean that when we make a case, it has to be so solid that no reasonable council member would be able to accuse us of treachery or using the council for our own gain.

There was a council meeting scheduled for Saturday. Summer is recovering at home (she was released from the hospital on Friday) but we decided that under the circumstances, it would be best if the vampire members of the family went to the meeting anyway. Maybe there would be clues. Maybe the Elders would be acting suspicious, or would somehow let slip another clue if they'd done it. We also didn't want to tip our own hand that we might have figured something out by staying away.

The Elders were not acting suspicious. Or at least, they weren't acting differently from their baseline weird behaviour. There are three of them left, and as usual one was friendly and pleasant to us, one was sullen and petulant, and the other was looking silently murderous. In other words, exactly how they've been for the past almost-year. If they knew something was up, they weren't giving any sign at all. These are... not vampires known for their subtlety, to put it mildly. They were big bullies back in their day, but they've never been great actors. I started to seriously share Inna's doubts.

My doubts only increased when I noticed that a handful of other members of the council were acting... the only way I can describe it is to say they were acting expectant. Whenever there was a break in council business, someone would glance over at us to see if we had something to say next. That's actually pretty typical, because we organized the council so we're kind of treated as leaders sometimes... except that they were trying to hide it for some reason. They were trying not to let us notice they were waiting for us to do something.

I scribbled a note on a scrap of paper, and slipped it to Marie-Grace. She nodded slightly, and passed it to Cécile, who then passed it to Tabitha. I didn't want to let too much slip, in case someone else got hold of it, so the note just said "framed?"

In other words, I was starting to suspect that someone else did the poisoning, and wanted us to think the Elders were responsible. I wasn't sure which of the councilors just knew about it, and which had actually been responsible, but I was starting to think none of the remaining three Elders had anything to do with it at all.

Suddenly, the motive made a lot more sense. The culprit was trying to destabilize the council by getting us to accuse our known enemies, so it would look like the result of a grudge. Proof of the Elders' non-involvement would be "discovered" and offered, and then the council members would be forced to take sides.

We weren't falling for it. We just sat silently, watching. Finally, one of the ones who had been waiting for us to talk asked directly if we had any business to put before the council. He definitely looked surprised for a split second - then he managed to hide it - when Marie-Grace smiled cheerfully and said no.

Between now and the next council meeting, we need to figure out who did this, and make sure we can prove it. Whoever did this seems willing to be patient and let things play out, but he or she probably won't wait forever if nothing comes of it. We don't want to give the person the opportunity to try again.

Love,
Clare

P.S. No news about Marigold, unfortunately. 

13 comments:

  1. I hate to say it, but the odds seem to be in Marigold's favor. Not that she {in general}, hurt Summer, but maybe unwillingly she works for a new force of evil against you.

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    1. Clare says:

      Hi, Madeline!

      Unfortunately, we do have to consider the possibility that Marigold may be involved. We don't think she would hurt Summer on purpose, but someone may have tricked her into doing something she didn't know would be bad - or she might just have information about what happened.

      We're also just plain worried about her, though, and that's the main reason we're looking for her.

      When the Greens first met me, I ran away because I was afraid I was putting them in danger. Fortunately they found me. I hope we can do the same for Marigold.

      Love,
      Clare

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  2. Well if you think about it all the vampires have worked alone for so many years, they just can't seem to figure out how to not! It seems like they want complete power. But it makes sense that one of them did it! Like the guy who was shocked when you girls didn't have anything to say! So it might be him, another person. Though I wouldn't rule out Marigold as a suspect! Even though her name is almost cleared, she still has a slight chance of being it! Or maybe the council people put her up to this! Anyways so many theories! And so much problems, I hope all of it gets solved and no all out vampire war happens! How many Vampires are on the council? Are any of them seem like they've got something to hide? And why Summer? Not that she's not important! But why not anyone else? Do you think they chose at random, or was it planned?

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    1. Clare says:

      Yeah, this power sharing thing is definitely tough for vampires. Overall it's going well, but there are some hiccups.

      Obviously the shocked guy was in on it. Did he do it, though? We need to figure that out.

      It's possible that Marigold was involved, although she doesn't really have anything to do with vampires as far as we know. There may be some connection, though.

      We have twenty-five vampires on the council at present (we're working on recruiting more) and three or four seemed maybe shifty. So fortunately not a huge percentage.

      We don't know why Summer. I'm not sure why anyone on the council would have it in for her in particular.

      Love,
      Clare

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  3. Salut, Clare!
    Wow, this is a lot for me to take in. I have been so busy, so I had to go back and catch up.
    I hate to say this, but I feel that Summer was targeted for a reason, and I think that it probably involves Marigold. I'm not saying that Marigold did anything. Maybe somebody is after Marigold and is therefore after Summer, too?
    Bisous,
    Sabine

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    1. Clare says:

      Hi Sabine, good to see you again!

      We're still not sure why Summer was targeted. We don't know if it was something particular about her, or if she was just somehow the easiest to get to.

      It could have something to do with Marigold.

      Marigold has nothing to do with vampires as far as we know, but there could be a connection we aren't aware of... or the fair folk could be involved somehow.

      Love,
      Clare

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  4. Oh no! I am glad that Summer is going to be okay. I really hope that Marigold is okay. I can't imagine she would ever hurt Summer on purpose- she may have gotten into something over her head.

    I'm glad you girls are back blogging again!

    Love,
    Inky

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    1. Clare says:

      Hi, Inky! Thanks for stopping by. It's good to see you.

      We're very afraid for Marigold. If she got mixed up in something bad, she could be in danger. I wish we knew where she was!

      Love,
      Clare

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  5. Hmmmmm .. very suspicious for sure, hope that Marigold is ok and not involved in anything dangerous, and sooooo glad that Summer is going to be ok, we were worried when we first heard. It is going to be tough to find out who did it and how so keep your eyes and ears peeled, wish we could help.

    Brya

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    1. Clare says:

      Yeah, suspicious indeed. In the past couple of days, we've been tracking down some leads. We'll post when we know something for sure.

      Summer is feeling a lot better.

      I hope your trip to Brazil is going great! We need to catch up on your news. Life has been so busy, but we miss hearing about your adventures!

      Love,
      Clare

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  6. Oh, my word! Poor Summer. I really hope she gets better very quickly! Hmm... I hate to think that Marigold would be involved.

    Dakota

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  7. I've nominated you for the Prestigious Liebster Award! http://agsusie.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-prestigious-liebster-award.html
    ~Susie

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  8. So, I would like to ask: how did you make your header? It's really cool.

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