章節 21: Ch.21

AN: Just remember I don't want to waste too much time on not-that-important things, like the minor details of the vacation. So there are going to be a lot of summaries about the early part of the vacation.

______________________________________________________________________

(Matt Pov)

The last few weeks felt like they were taking forever to go by, I bought two plane tickets for a first-class flight to Sweden. I told Charlie that I was going to visit my dad's family in Sweden for a few weeks, maybe the whole summer depending on if I liked it. I invited Alice too and she was excited to go on a 'vacation' even though it's not gonna be much of a vacation. Then eventually the school year ended and a week after it ended our flight was here. Saying our goodbyes to everyone and heading over to the closest international airport we boarded our plane.

"I haven't flown in forever!" Alice says as we take our seats in first class and she took the window seat.

Getting in the air, Alice was looking out the window excited and even though the sun was shining on her she was wearing one of my hoodies so it covered her up. The flight was going to take ten hours, with one stop in between to fuel back up. As it turned nighttime on the plane, I tried to get some sleep and not be jet-lagged when we landed.

After finally arriving in Stockholm, Sweden the biggest city in Sweden and their capital. We stepped out of the airport, I promised Alice we could spend a few days in the city before going to find my family. Plus I wanted to go to the bank here that I own some of and see it for myself.

Going to Nobis Hotel to check into our rooms, our room was one of the best they had to offer. If I have money now might as well spend it enjoying myself. Getting to my room I collapsed on the bed, we have this room for a week to see the city and enjoy ourselves.

"Let me take a quick nap, then we can go sightseeing," I say as I lie on the bed slightly jet-lagged.

"Ok, it's still pretty bright out anyway," Alice says cuddling up next to me wearing my baggy hoodie that was keeping her covered. And as she says 'let's her smell like me', the little freak. Waking up I see I slept for a few hours making it eight at night here and Alice seeing me awake smiles.

"Let's take a shower and then head out," Alice grabbing my hand and dragging me to the large bathroom. After showering together and having some fun too we spent an hour in the shower before remembering to head out.

(Not every time they spend some 'alone time' together is going to be detailed, so use your imagination you perverts.)

Leaving the hotel to go walk around the city, we spent an hour enjoying the sights and nightlife. Then we went to one of the recommended restaurants, where I surprised the locals with the amount I ate while Alice was laughing at the scene. Then we went to a nightclub and danced there for the rest of the night. Getting back to the hotel around three in the morning, and fell asleep waking up the next day in the late afternoon. The next few days we hit all the recommended locations for tourists in the city and took all sorts of pictures. Even during the day as Alice worry skinny jeans, my baggie hoodie, and sunglasses. On the last day of having an actual vacation before looking for my family, we went to the bank I have partial ownership of.

Walking inside the several-story tall skyscraper, we can see it is a fairly busy bank. Waiting in line until a teller is available. We walk up to the young man, who greets us in Swedish.

'I really should learn this language,' I think to myself hearing him greet us.

"Uh, sorry. We don't speak Swedish," I say to him hoping he can possibly understand me. Seeing an understanding look on his face he nods.

"Sorry, sir. I speak not good English. I will get a colleague who speak better English," the man says with a heavy accent and gives us an apologetic look, before walking away to get someone who speaks better English. A few minutes later the young man comes back we a blonde woman who seems to be in her late thirties.

"Hello sir and mam, I can help you. What is it you need today?" the woman says with an accent but not as heavy as the young man earlier.

"I recently inherited some stocks in this bank and was wondering if I need to finalize any paperwork for it. I also became a part of a joint bank account here," I say to the woman handing her the paperwork I have showing proof of my claims. Taking the paperwork and looking through it, her face slowly becomes more and more surprised.

"Follow me, sir and mam," the woman says still holding the paperwork and gesturing for us to follow her. She takes us to the second floor.

"Please wait here," the woman says gesturing to the waiting area on the floor. Then she walks over to the receptionist on this floor and talks in Swedish to her. After a short conversation, the woman who brought us here handed the paperwork to the receptionist.

"Ms. Anna is going to take your paperwork to the bank manager, then they will be out shortly after looking through it," the woman says to us.

"Thank you," I say to her and she nods turning around to go back downstairs.

After about thirty minutes, with my patience running thin and Alice seeing it, made me put my head in her lap. Running her hands through my hair, making me relax a bit. Then I smelled a scent I thought I wouldn't even smell off a person. Sitting up quickly I look at the person who entered the area. It was a woman who was in her mid to late forties, with blonde hair, a very fit strong-looking physique and very tall for a woman around 6'4" (193cm). The smell she gave off was like a bear, she also paused staring at me and giving Alice a suspicious look. Alice smelling her tensed up too, feeling her nervousness I subconsciously got tensed up ready for a fight.

"Please relax....I only want to talk," the woman says walking over to us and seeing our reaction to her and she has a slight accent like the woman who lead us here.

"I also have some questions," I say to her slightly relaxing a bit as Alice is standing next to me sightly still nervous.

The woman nods to me and gestures for us to follow her. Walking into the elevator we wait in silence as it brings us to the top floor, walking further in she brings us to her office which is very large and has windows overlooking the city. Taking a seat at her desk, she gestures for us to take a seat across from her. Sitting we stare at her, with my body still slightly tense ready for a fight.

"Matthew Strömberg...…I never thought you would come to visit us. I'm sorry we never came to visit, but after your father died we became very busy," the woman says to me with some sadness in her voice while looking at me. Turning a picture around on her desk to show us, it is of my teenage father and looks like his immediate family in a group photo. There are two adults, his parents, him, and a young girl maybe around ten.

"We miss him very much and it is unfortunate that he passed away so soon….. and not being able to see you grow…..into the fine young man you seem to be," the woman says with a small tear coming out of her eye looking at me, quickly wiping the tear away.

"I'm your father's younger sister and your Aunt. My name is Eva Strömberg, you can call me Eva if you want," Eva says to me now introducing herself to us.

"...nice to meet you..." I say to her as my brain is flooding we so many questions I want to ask.

"Ask away," Eva says seeing my look.

"I.....Are you like me? Is everyone in our family like me? Are they all in the city? The journal my dad left me says they are in Kiruna," I say to her quickly asking the most important questions I have on my mind.

"Yes I'm a bear, not everyone has the gift in the clan. Only a few awaken it, there are some clan members in the city, but most do live in our ancestral home in Kiruna," Eva says to me smiling at me now, a smile of familial love.

"....I came here, hoping someone could help me. I've been losing control of my emotions more and now that I have two….balls of emotions inside me. It has only made it harder recently," I say to her sighing. Though hearing that I have two sets of balled emotions has given her a surprised look.

"You have two wells you can tap into? That.....we need to see my father, your grandfather. He will know more. How long are you here for?" Eva says to me thinking about what I said.

"Uh, we can be here for the duration of our summer break if necessary, so until the end of August if needed. Though…..we can leave to meet him whenever you want," I say to Eva after looking at Alice for confirmation and she gives me a supportive nod.

"That is good, we can leave now if you are ready," Eva says to us.

"We will have to grab our things from the hotel we are staying at first, though don't you have to work here?" I say to her curious about what her job is here.

"Our family completely owns the bank, your father was given his share at eighteen. Then you inherited it, the joint bank account you are in is the clan bank account. That one anyone can use for emergencies. I am the current CEO of the bank, so yes I can leave whenever, if needed," Eva says to me remembering why I came here in the first place.

"I'll have my assistant finish the paperwork for you and the account your father had where his money from the bank accumulated I will have switched to your name. I will have my driver take us to your hotel, grab your things and I will take you to our clan's home," Eva says as we leave the office.

She then talks we her assistant in Swedish about what she just told me presumably. Then leaving the building we get into her luxurious black and tinted window Rolls Royce. Going back to our hotel, we grab our things and check out. Putting our belongings in the trunk we get back into the car as my Aunt is on her phone talking to someone in Swedish. Then putting the phone down tells the driver in Swedish to drive us to our clan home I assume.

"That was your grandfather, I told him you were coming to learn about your heritage. This is going to be a long drive," Eva says to me as we start driving.

"So I assume this woman and vampire is your mate," Eva says to me and I realized Alice was never introduced yet.

"Yes, she is. Is that a problem?" I say to her now getting defensive again. Eva just smiles at us.

"No I don't care, we bears had some fights with vampires in the past. Though most vampires stay away from Sweden now because of us. Father might not be so happy about it, but no one will hurt her since we respect the mate imprinting," Eva says to us making us relax slightly.

"This is just the first time in history, as far as I'm aware, that a bear has imprinted on a vampire. This makes your imprinting even more special. When a bear imprints we connect with our partner on a very deep spiritual level. Since we bears have extreme vitality we can live twice as long as humans sometimes three times as long, so when we imprint on our partners, they age as we do. You have an immortal mate, which makes things…..interesting, are you immortal now too? We won't know, only time will tell," Eva says to us. Then Alice and I share a look of uncertainty since we both knew I might not be immortal or that she can't turn me immortal and never openly talked about it.