by Avery Kloss
“It kinda blows my mind you’ve been alive for a hundred and sixteen years.”
He smiled. “My little eavesdropper.”
I shrugged. “I’ll admit to being curious about you. I thought I could sneak in and check things out. I know now you guys can smell me.”
“And what a lovely smell.” He toyed with my hair, his fingers tangled in the strands. “Just one little bite would be … a dream.”
Getting to know him better, I let my guard down a fraction. “Where? Where would you bite me?”
His eyes darkened. “Where do you prefer?”
“Nowhere, but you seem to really want to.”
“The neck’s the best, but there are other places.”
“You just sweet-talked me into this, didn’t you?”
“Nothing’s happened … yet.”
“If you bite my neck, my mom will see.”
“True.”
“And … ” I scooted away from him, “this is a bad topic. We should talk about something else.”
“I find I really like the subject.” He inched closer.
Oh, boy. I came here voluntarily, knowing what he was. The fact that he wants to suck my blood should not come as a shock.
“You’re worse than those crack addicts, I swear.”
“Yes, and no.” His gaze lingered on me. “I could have a small nibble of your wrist.”
I should not agree to this. “W-would it hurt?”
“A little.”
Chewing on my lip, I pondered the situation, and weighed the pros and cons. “I … guess, but if I tell you to stop, will you?”
“Of course.” All this talk about blood affected him in a terrifying way, his eyes growing larger and darker, his teeth distending. “It shall be over in seconds, I promise you.”
Before I changed my mind, I lifted a hand, which he grabbed at once, sinking his teeth into my wrist, which hurt like hell. I screamed, stunned by the pain, but he released me a second later. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Jumping to his feet, he shouted, “God’s teeth!”
“What’s wrong?” I glanced at the wounds on my wrist, seeing two puncture holes, although they closed at once. It now looked as if nothing had happened at all. “That’s weird.”
He eyed me curiously, his expression stunned.
“What’s the matter, Gabe?”
“Well, that question’s been answered.”
“What question?”
“You do taste good, but … I can’t drink from you.”
“Why not?”
“You’re not … human.”
Finding that amusing, I laughed, “Right.”
“There’s a type of magic in your veins. I can’t place it. It’s not something I’ve ever encountered.” He sat down again, his attention on me. “Oh, Suzie. What have you done?”
“My ghost?”
He nodded. “She searched endlessly for ways to be immortal. She longed to be with me forever, but, in the end, we only had two years.” A wistful light danced in his eyes. “Two beautiful years. I never knew how lonely I was until I met her. The mechanics of life keep me busy enough, going through the motions and such, but it’s never been satisfying. In my earlier years, the thrill of the hunt distracted me, but … that soon faded. We’re creatures of habit, much like humans. We do what’s necessary to survive, living among those of the world, yet, never in the world. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I think so. I’ve been doing that. I did what everyone told me to do, but I wasn’t happy at all. I don’t think I’ve ever been happy, even as a child. I can’t blame it on anyone either. I have amazing parents. They were always there for me. I just … failed at being a kid, I guess.”
“I doubt it.”
“Things have changed, though. Ever since that night, I feel totally different. I’m not depressed anymore. It’s such a blessing, I can’t even tell you. Nothing I ever did got rid of that crappy feeling. The only escape was starving myself. Being hungry was a distraction. The same with cutting. Stuff like that was a relief, for a little while.” Outside of my therapist’s office, I had never confessed such personal things.
“So, in some ways, we are alike.”
“I guess.” The heat of the fire relaxed me, a yawn escaping.
“You’re tired.”
I leaned into the cushion. “I dunno.” I offered a smile, finding his handsome face appealing. “I’m sorry you can’t feed on me.”
“No, you’re not.”
“That means other vampires can’t either.”
“I wouldn’t tempt it, if I were you.” He scooted nearer, an arm going around my back.
I softened in the embrace, feeling a measure of security. “I’m sorry you’re lonely, Gabe. I hope you find some happiness.”
“I doubt it. Nothing ever lasts.”
“You’re so negative.”
“It’s an occupational hazard, I’m afraid. Been around the block a time or two. The rose-colored glasses have long-since fallen off.” His arm around me tightened fractionally. “I treasure these moments, though. I know how precious this is.” His lips grazed my forehead, and they felt cool. “You’re special, Brieanna. I’ve yet to unravel the mystery entirely, but I … I adore everything about this.”
29
I barely made it home in time that night, because mom arrived ten minutes later. After I brushed my teeth and changed into a nightgown, I heard music downstairs, the sultry refrains of jazz. Mom only played that type of music when she was in a “mood”. Something was the matter.
To satisfy my curiosity, I found her with a glass of wine in the parlor. She sat on the sofa and stared into the fireplace, where flames leapt over several logs. “What’s going on?”
She eyed me, her expression dull. “Is it too loud? I can turn it down.”
“It’s fine.” I sat in an upholstered chair across from her, the coffee table between us. “You’re home kinda early. How was your date with Clark?”
“Just great, until the part where we broke up.” She had a sip of wine, and shrugged. “He’s not looking for anything serious right now, at least not with me.”
“Oh, Mom. I’m sorry.” That would explain why she came home so early. “What a bummer. He was kinda … dorky anyway.”
“I didn’t want this, not at this time in my life. I thought I’d be with your dad forever. I never imagined having to start over in my late thirties.”
“Thirty is the new twenty,” I offered lamely, trying to make her smile. “You’ll find another guy. It was a little awkward anyway, you dating my shrink.”
“You only had one session with him.” She appeared contrite, eyeing me over the rim of the glass. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m just giving you a hard time. He wasn’t the guy for you anyway.”
“I plan to drown my sorrows for a bit, then hit the hay. We’re going to Portland tomorrow; remember? Need to pick out wallpaper and furniture. It’s going to be the perfect distraction. I’m kinda looking forward to getting out of this town for a few hours.”
“Me too.” I nodded enthusiastically, still feeling ridiculously happy from the time I spent with Gabe tonight. “Can I buy clothes?”
She made a face. “I guess.”
“I could use some more pants and stuff.”
“You seem in good spirits.”
“I am.”
“It’s nice to see you smile, Brie. I was so worried about you.” She narrowed her gaze. “You’re not on drugs, are you?”
“Nope.” I got to my feet. “Just a natural high. That’s all I need.”
“Are you going to bed?”
“Yep. It’s late.”
“All right. I’m gonna have another glass of wine. I’ll turn the music down.”
“I won’t be able to hear it in my room. Don’t worry about it.”
She eyed me. “You have a good night, honey. We’ll hit the road tomorrow around ten, okay?”
“Can
’t wait.” I headed for the stairs.
We browsed through various decorating books, and chose wallpaper for each room in the house, laying out the patterns all over the floor with tile samples for the fireplace surrounds. Despite mom being bummed out by her recent breakup, she took it in stride, laughing and joking with the salesperson. We found some traditional-looking light fixtures with a modern edge for the formal parlor and the music room. I loved my bedroom the way it was, but I agreed to buy new curtains, the old ones faded from the sun.
After lunch, we headed for the mall, and splurged on jeans, tops and shoes, struggling to carry the bags back to the car. Settling in for the ride to Clatskanie, I marveled at the scenery, an expanse of oak woodlands butting up to the highway.
“Well, that was successful.” Mom grinned behind a pair of sunglasses.
“It was. I can’t ever remember spending that much money in such a short period of time.”
“We can’t do it every day, that’s for sure. Most of that was house-related. Once I’ve got the first floor finished, I’ll work on the bedrooms. Then I can open it up to visitors.”
“What about the carriage house?”
“Oh, good Lord. I forgot about that. I haven’t even been in there.”
“The inspector was in there. If there was something horrible, he would’ve told you.”
“That’s last on the list. That’ll bring in income as well.”
“Is it safe to have strangers in our house?”
“I have worried about that. It’s a risk, I guess, but there’s a vetting process. I’ll list the house on reputable sites. I have to check into that some more, but I’m not overly worried. It’ll be nice when I’ve everything set up, and then the house will pretty much pay for itself.”
I picked at a fingernail. “Yeah.”
“You’ll be gone anyway.”
“How’s that?”
“College.”
I frowned. I had not given school a great deal of thought, especially considering how dark my life had been these last few years. “College.”
“You can go, you know. You don’t have to hang out here forever. I’m sure you want to explore everything. At your age, I did.”
“Travel the world?”
“Or go to a bigger city.”
“We lived near Denver. That was a bigger city.”
“With everything that’s happened, we never really discussed what your plans might be. We just barely managed one crisis after another.”
The blame lay squarely on my shoulders. “Sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, honey.”
“Yes it is. I was a mess. I put you and dad through hell. You can admit it. I know what I did.”
“But, you were struggling with mental illness. I’d never criticize you for something like that. Moving here did wonders for you; I can see it. I worried at first, but you’ve really blossomed, Brie. I’m so proud you’re so happy. You helped me decorate the house. I love the things you picked out. You’ve a natural sense of style. It’s going to be just beautiful.”
“It will be.” I gazed at a passing car, the image blurred for a second, as it went by. “I just don’t know if I want to go away to school.”
“You could take online courses.”
“True.” I hadn’t even thought of what I wanted to do with my life, suddenly feeling like a major loser. “I never took the SATs. I missed the boat on that one.” While all my friends prepped for the tests, I was at The Hope Unit, banging my head up against the wall.
“I shouldn’t push you. Progress has been made, and I should just appreciate it.” She spoke mostly to herself, mulling ideas over. “I’m gonna back off. When you’re ready for whatever you want to do, you’ll tell me. We should just focus on graduating right now. You’ve been doing your work, right?”
“I have.”
“Good. Just stay the course, and everything else will sort itself out … eventually.” She unscrewed the top of a water bottle, and took a sip. “Wow, looks like we’re heading for some traffic. Must be an accident.”
I glanced out the window, seeing debris in the road, the car ahead put on its break lights. “Oh, man. That’s fresh. Like it just happened.” The emergency vehicles had not arrived yet. “You should slow down, Mom.”
A truck had stopped, the accident now in view. A mini van had flipped over, with two people lying in the roadway, and neither moved. A pick-up truck drove into an embankment, the man still in the vehicle. Several cars pulled to the side to help, someone kneeling by the injured woman.
“We should stop and help them.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, pull over.”
“But, if they have a head injury, they shouldn’t be moved.”
“I dunno. Stop, Mom.” My hand on the door, I pushed it open a second later, and sprang from the car.
“Where are you going?”
I approached the scene, finding shattered glass beneath my feet, and pieces of metal. A woman held a cellphone taking video, while a man ran by with a blanket. Someone else spoke on the phone to police, giving them the location of the accident.
“Brie, honey!”
“I’ll be there in a second, Mom.” A man dabbed blood from the woman’s face, her leg twisted at an odd angle. “What happened? Is she okay?”
He glanced at me. “I don’t think so. I’m just trying to make her comfortable. She was thrown from the car.”
I had never seen anything as horrific as this, and I felt for the woman, wishing I knew what to do. “Is she breathing?”
“Barely.” He dabbed away the blood from her face, but her wounds continued to bleed.
I knelt beside her, my hand on her shoulder gently. “It’s going to be okay. Just try to breathe.”
Mom came up behind me. “Oh, my God, these poor people. When are the cops gonna get here?”
“Not fast enough,” muttered the man. “We need water and more blankets.” He eyed the gathering crowd. “Anybody a doctor or a nurse? I don’t know what to do for this—”
The woman began to cough, spitting out blood. Horrified, I stared at her, and wondered if she might die now. “Oh, man.”
“Honey, we shouldn’t get in the way.” Mom touched my back. “I admire you wanting to do something, but we’re not really qualified.”
The woman’s eyes fluttered open, her gaze on me. “Are you okay, ma’am?” I left my hand on her shoulder, where I felt a buzz of energy. I prayed she would survive the ordeal, but it seemed doubtful. I could not imagine how much pain she must be in. Tears filled her eyes. “You’re going to be fine. You’ll get better soon,” I said, trying to reassure her.
She moaned, moving her head.
“Lady, you should remain still,” said the man. “She needs a neck brace.” He dabbed at her forehead. “She’s not bleeding as bad.”
She shifted, and adjusted her leg, which now lay straight. Then she coughed again, although, this time, there was no blood. The man who wiped her wound sat back on his heels, his expression slightly stunned.
“She’s not bleeding anymore. The gashes are … closing. What the hell?”
I gave her shoulder another squeeze. “You’ll be fine.” Getting to my feet, I looked for the injured man, although I only saw a group of people some yards away. They surrounded him. “I’ll be back.”
“Good gracious,” said a voice. “What happened?”
“You were in an accident,” I heard my mother say.
I bumped into someone with a cellphone, the woman taking video. Annoyed, I muttered, “Don’t you have something better to do?” Breaking through the crowd, I approached the man on the ground, his face full of blood. A man performed CPR on him. This person appeared to be in worse shape. The barking of a dog distracted me.
“Somebody get control of that animal!” a man shouted.
The person administering CPR stopped to blow into the man’s mouth, while another woman wiped blood from his face.
“Keep going,
” someone said. “You can do it.”
“I think he’s gone.”
“The ambulance is on the way,” said a woman. “I hear sirens. Keep going.”
He continued with the chest compressions, the man entirely unresponsive. I could not get any closer, because several people stood in my way, but I spied his foot, one of the shoes off. Grasping it, I sent out a silent plea, asking God to help him, praying that a miracle might restore him to health. I did not normally pray, but I felt oddly compelled to do so in that moment, not being able to offer anything more.
“I have a pulse!” shouted the man. “Heck, yeah! We got him!”
A murmur went up, people cheering. I closed my eyes, while clutching the man’s toes. I wished him to health. The same sort of odd buzz made my hand tingly and warm. I let go a moment later, with the arrival of the emergency people, not wanting to be in anyone’s way. Casting one last look over my shoulder, I saw the injured man with his eyes open.
“Brie!” my mother shouted.
“I’m here.”
“Oh, thank goodness. We should go, honey. The police are here. They’ll take care of it.”
“Okay.” We headed for the car, with a line of traffic piled up behind us for miles.
The last thing I saw before we drove off was the injured woman walking about, appearing slightly dazed. With bloodstained clothing and dried blood on her face, she embraced the man. Both of them survived the ordeal.
Mom said, “That was weird. Wasn’t that weird?”
“What do you mean?”
“They should’ve died. I mean, that mini van’s totaled. They just … got up like nothing happened.” She sighed dramatically. “My goodness. It was their lucky day, wasn’t it?”
I glanced out the window. “Guess so.”
30
After taking a quiz in US Government, I left my things in a locker, and closed the door. People loitered in the hallway, someone’s laugher loud.
