Replacement

by Wojciech Cram

regret for three years. And yet, here you stand, unharmed, undisturbed."

  "That's not true." Emerald said, tears swelling up behind her eyes.

  "Not now maybe, but before you met Storm…." Trinity trailed letting Emerald finish her thought.

  "Only because of what they did." Emerald objected through her teeth. She spun without warning lashing out at Trinity with her stake. Trinity caught the two times she tried to get a

  hit in.

  "Yes, but you've got your revenge. How many vampires have you killed?" Trinity asked before taking a couple shots of her own. Emerald easily dodged, blocking one.

  "I haven't even gotten close to achieving my goal. I haven't found him yet." Emerald jabbed and slashed, but Trinity jumped back and intercepted.

  "But you have found his buddies, correct?" Trinity asked.

  "It was too easy. They're not the sharpest tools in the shed."

  "But you enjoyed it, didn't you?" Trinity asked. "It's okay to admit it. We all have secrets. Yours are just darker than most."

  "No." Emerald answered in a low voice. "I didn't. I don't enjoy. I don't get angry. I don't feel sad. Emotions don't help. They blind you. Fog your judgment, make you make bad

  decisions. If I fought with emotions, I'd be dead already."

  "You keep telling yourself that, honey." Trinity mocked. "But what keeps you going? Keeps you going back to the street to kill more and more of my kind? Is it because you feel

  neutral about us? Or is it because of the anger that you'd built up inside for us? For what we did to you.

  "Because, my dear, I would call that anger and vengeance. Now, if I'm not mistaken, I do believe that anger and vengeance are emotions."

  "I don't enjoy killing!" Emerald snapped. "I don't! I'm not a monster!" Without thinking she lashed out at Trinity with her makeshift stake, but she easily deflected it and it went

  clattering out of Emerald's hand, sliding across the floor.

  Trinity smiled. "You're right. You can't let emotions control how you fight. You never really know what's going to happen." She walked forward toward Emerald, who was glowering

  at her. That was sneaky, using the very thing she had tried so hard to keep repressed against her.

  How stupid could Emerald have been? Letting Trinity do that to her. She shouldn't have. She really shouldn't have.

  Trinity walked up to Emerald and took hold of her neck, pushing her back against the wall. She didn't have a strong grip, her airways still open, but who knew how long that would

  last.

  Instinctively, Emerald reached up with both of her hands to hold Trinity's wrist. She pressed her lips together tightly and glared at her mother.

  "What do you want?" Emerald asked. "What's so important that you had to get to me before my father?"

  Trinity made a noise at the back of her throat, almost like a laugh, but not quite. "You're much too young to understand just how important you are to us."

  "I'm seventeen," Emerald spat. "You're only two years older than me; I think I can keep up."

  Trinity's had twitched and tightened its grip on Emerald's neck cutting off her windpipe this time. Emerald dug her nails into Trinity's wrist, but did nothing to push Trinity away.

  Besides, if Trinity needed Emerald for something she wasn't going to kill her.

  "You're a stubborn girl!" Trinity growled finally removing her hand and backhanding Emerald, who fell to the ground coughing and gasping for air. Emerald looked up at Trinity as

  her head cleared.

  "Well that's something we have in common." Emerald told her sitting up.

  Trinity reached down and grabbed a fistful of Emerald's hair, pulling her to her feet. "Don't you mock me! That is no way to treat your mother." she hissed.

  "I don't see a mother. I see a pathetic woman who turned to becoming an immortal vampire after heartbreak." Emerald retorted. "Why'd you do it? Running away from

  responsibility? Just wanted that wonderful feeling of a broken heart forever? Revenge on my father? Or, swinging in the other direction, trying to win his heart back by presenting me to him as a peace offering?"

  With a shriek Trinity threw Emerald down onto the floor again. "You don't know what you're talking about!" she cried. She may have supposed to been 35, but she still had the mentality of a 19yearold. "He left me to fend for myself! He left me to take care of a baby all by myself! And I just couldn't! I was only eighteen!" She continued.

  "You need to grow up," Emerald groaned, looking up at Trinity.

  Suddenly the cattle prod appeared in her hand.

  "You'd better watch the way you speak to me, young lady. I still have the upper hand." To prove her point she poked Emerald's side.

  Emerald rolled away, trying to get away from the intense pain, and tried not to scream too loud. When Trinity pulled the prod away, Emerald was breathing hard, tears brimming

  her eyes. Without a word, Emerald pushed herself to her elbows and started to slowly crawl away from Trinity.

  "When I'm through with you, you're going to wish you were dead." Trinity told Emerald, following slowly. "It's over." She prodded Emerald again in the back. Emerald gritted her

  teeth and held her breath waiting for the pain to stop. "I win."

  Emerald's hand wrapped tightly around the thin piece of wood and she chuckled. "You're wrong, Trinity." she sang softly. Not giving Trinity time to respond Emerald leapt up, stake

  in hand, and thrust it upward into Trinity's chest. She stumbled back but did the opposite of what Emerald thought: she chuckled and smiled.

  "It doesn't end, does it?" Trinity asked in a weak voice, as she sunk to the floor. Emerald slowly knelt down with her mother, her hands not releasing the stake.

  "It will when I find him." Emerald claimed, her voice shaking.

  Trinity laughed and shook her head as the light started to fade from her eyes. "That's a lie and we both know it, my sweet. I mean, look at you"—Trinity reached up wrapping one

  hand around the stake and taking the other and putting it over Emerald's. She didn't pull away—"to go so far as to kill your own mother. The one who gave you life."

  "You left me no choice!" Emerald objected her voice tight and thick.

  "Just give in to it Emerald," Trinity whispered leaning forward and wincing. "Give in to them and you'll be much happier. Stop lying to yourself and you'll be free."

  Emerald blinked and tears slid down her cheeks. She shook her head. "I won't. I won't. I'm not a monster."

  Trinity simply smiled and laughed again before the light in her eyes died completely and her hands went slack. Emerald let go of the stake and Trinity fell to the floor, a wicked

  smile still on her lips.

  Emerald stood and quickly wiped away her tears, sniffling. She needed to get back downstairs.

  Emerald walked down the remaining steps and jumped to the ground floor nimbly. Storm was standing next to a body covered with one of the sheets from around the warehouse.

  He looked down upon it morosely, his heart aching, his eyes dull.

  "It's my fault," Storm murmured as Emerald slowly walked up him.

  "No, it's not yours. It's mine. I pulled you into this. You didn't have to come looking for me." Emerald responded the guilt weighing down on her shoulders.

  "No, I let her come. I should've made her stay home. If she had, none of this would've happened."

  Emerald took his hand. "But then you'd be dead and I—" She broke off, shaking her head.

  "Let's not do this." Storm sighed. "We need to… clean the area."

  Emerald thought of her dead mother and shuddered.

  "I can't… I can't go back up there." she choked.

  "I'll do it." Storm said pulling his hand from hers and walking toward the stairs.

  Emerald knelt down next to the body and pinched the corner of the blanket before slowly tugging it back. A lock of silver hair fluttered down and Emerald quickly dropped the

  blanket back into place, her stomach
churning. Yet another death.

  Was it ever going to end?

  Taking a deep breath, and with a softest touch, Emerald tucked Tasha's body in the blanket, wrapped loosely like the Egyptians would wrap their dead. Emerald looked up and over

  her shoulder to see Storm disappear into the room where her mother was. Taking a deep breath she turned back around and gently lifted Tasha's body into her arms, careful not to

  jostle it too much.

  Taking measured, moderate steps, Emerald headed outside and set Tasha down on the sidewalk to wait for Storm.

  "We need a way to my house." Storm said monotoned, coming to stand next to Emerald. "I can't call my dad. I'm not ready to tell him—" Storm broke off, his head turning to look

  over at the body.

  "I can call someone. I don't know that he'd do it. But I can try." Emerald muttered. "Do you have a phone I could borrow?"

  Storm pulled his recently acquired cell from his pocket and handed it to Emerald. She walked down the street and turned the corner, not so far that he couldn't still hear her, but far

  enough that he couldn't hear what she was saying.

  But from what he could tell, she sounded angry, or frustrated as she fought with this person on the phone.

  As her conversation took longer and longer, Storm's mind strayed to that singular moment that Tasha had shoved him out of the way. How stupid of him! How could he have gotten

  so distracted like that? There was so many things that he could've done. He could've saved Tasha! He could've prevented from either of them getting hurt or dying! It was all his

  fault. It didn't matter what other people said, if he hadn't been distracted Tasha would still be alive right now!

  Storm let out a growl and shook his head, Tasha's wrappedup body catching his eye. Her dying face haunted his mind, refusing to leave, always there when he closed his eyes,

  sometimes there when his eyes were open.

  Storm took a step toward her, wanting to see her again, but Emerald's hand grabbed his arm.

  "You don't want to see her like that." she murmured. Storm's hand fisted and he closed his eyes. She was right, Tasha would've mummified by now. Seeing her in that state

  wouldn't make anything better.

  Emerald slipped her hand into his and they both sat on the curb and waited for the mysterious person that Emerald kept a secret.

  Finally the thrum of a car shook the street, and the sound of a humming engine floated down the nearly empty district.

  A black Honda Pilot stopped in front of the two. Emerald rose to meet the boy, Hal, getting out of the car. He was stiff, his eyes darting around; when he spotted Storm his eyes

  widened and he went rigid.

  "What is that doing here?" he asked.

  Storm stood, but Emerald quickly stepped in front of the Hal.

  "I told you already that he'd be here." she said in a low voice.

  "You didn't tell me that it was the Reaper." Hal spat. "This is a setup, isn't this? I knew I couldn't trust you. After you performed that stunt and let that"—Hal gestured to Storm with

  his chin—"go."

  "You owe me, remember?" Emerald reminded him.

  Hal clenched and unclenched his fists. "What do you need?"

  Emerald stepped back, relaxing slightly and instructed, "Open the trunk."

  Hal assessed the situation and noticed the body, putting two and two together he made a disgusted face but walked back, always keeping an eye on Storm, and opened his trunk.

  Emerald looked at Storm who turned and picked up Tasha's body and reluctantly set her down on the floor of the car. Storm stepped back and Hal closed the trunk but something must've happened and Hal and Storm came into contact.

  With a hiss Storm shoved Hal away roughly. "Watch it vermin!"

  Hal shoved back. "You watch it blood sucker!"

  Before it could amount to anything else Emerald quickly jumped between the two, holding her hands out and looking back and forth between them.

  "Guys," Emerald warned. "Don't do this." She looked at Storm. "Now is not the time." She enunciated slowly and carefully.

  Storm glared at Hal for another minute before turning his heel and getting into the backseat of the car.

  Emerald opened her eyes and looked at the clock. She should get to bed. After all she still had school tomorrow. Now it may have sounded inconsiderate, after Tasha died, but life

  had to go on. That was the only thing that kept Emerald sane nowadays, the only thing that kept her going. The hope for the future. The hope that there would be a better

  tomorrow. She was going to mourn Tasha's death. She died saving Emerald's life after all. But things had to keep moving forward.

  Emerald walked into her room and was just getting ready to lie down when someone knocked on her door, frantically. Who would be knocking on her door at eleven at night? And if

  it was urgent, because the way this person was knocking sounded pretty urgent, what could it possibly mean? What news did they bring?

  Too tired to look through the peephole—which probably wasn't the best idea—Emerald opened the door, only to be engulfed by strong, cold, wet arms.

  It was Storm.

  And he was drenched in arctic rain water.

  Emerald was too stunned at first to comprehend what was going on. Just that, as Storm held her to him tightly, the water running off of him soaked into her own clothes, making

  goose bumps rise on her arms. Storm's hair dripped and shined with little droplets of water. One of his hands came up to knot itself in Emerald's hair. Storm inhaled deeply,

  exhaling through his mouth, his icy breath wafting across Emerald's neck.

  "Storm, what—" Emerald tried weakly.

  "I had to see you." he whispered, not letting go, or slackening his hold on her.

  "What—" She broke off again, still getting over the shock of all this. "What happened?"

  Storm pulled back, moving his hands to her arms, still holding her tightly. His chest was heaving. "I ran here." he told her. "It's pouring outside."

  "But, why?" Emerald asked shaking her head, still not understanding. "Why don't you come in." She said quickly, pulling out of his grasp, closing the door and then taking his hand

  and leading him into the living room.

  "Emerald," Storm said quietly, trying to get her attention.

  But Emerald was afraid of what was going to happen. Storm didn't do rash things like run all the way to the Marriott from his house in the pouring rain. Sure vampires didn't get

  sick or cold, even, but still. This wasn't Storm. She was afraid of what he came here for. She didn't want to face it. Not now. Not after everything that had happened that night.

  "Have a seat," Emerald said, taking her hand out of his and gesturing to a chair. "I'll go get a towel for you to dry off."

  She started to head away, but Storm wasn't going to let her off that easily. He needed to talk to her immediately. He had run across town in the pouring rain. He wasn't about to

  wait until Emerald was ready.

  "Emerald!" Storm hissed. Emerald stopped and turned to look at him, her eyes wide. Storm walked up to her and grasped her shoulders. "Emerald, please just listen to me." he

  begged quietly.

  She shook her head, her ebony locks trembling as she did so. "III don't want to do this." Her voice shook and her eyes watered.

  "Just listen to me!" Storm pleaded, shaking her slightly. "I know you said that you wanted to be good friends. To work things out. To wait." Storm continued on quickly when

  Emerald hadn't spoken. "But I can't any longer. I don't want to be friends! I don't want to wait! I love you Emerald! You're my soulmate and I need you." Storm's voice started to

  shake and tears formed in his own, electrifying, eyes.

  "Storm, I—" Emerald broke off as tears slid down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away. "I just don't know." she whispered. "I just… I just—"

  "Emerald, los
ing Tasha was just as hard as losing my mother. She was like a sister I never had. I loved her. And now she's gone. II only have you and Dad left—"

  "Storm—" Emerald tried.

  "No! You don't understand! Life it too short for us to be just friends. I love you. I want to be with you forever and always. I can't lose you too. I've already lost so much in my life."

  Emerald blinked and more tears spilled down her face, but she didn't wipe them away this time. "This is too much for me." she whispered, her lower lip trembling. "There is a

  reason that I asked to just be friends. It won't last. I just need more time. Please."

  Storm, his chest still heaving, let his hands slide off Emerald's arms. He took a step back, looking at Emerald. His expression was unreadable, the emotion in his eyes were

  undecipherable.

  "Just say the word," Storm finally murmured. "Just say the word and I will walk out that door and never, ever bother you again. You won't have to see me, you won't have to talk to me, interact with me, or hear from me again. Just say the word."

  Emerald looked at him shocked. She opened her mouth and for a scary moment Storm actually thought she was going to tell him to leave and not come back, but to his relief no

  words came out.

  He waited another moment and when Emerald still said nothing he said, "Time's up." Before taking her head in his hands and pressing his lips against hers. She responded almost

  simultaneously, kissing him back; her arms had flown up in surprise as if to push him away, but instead she wrapped them around his neck, knotting one of her hands in his soaked

  hair.

  Her eyes closed and she pressed her overheated body against his: fire and ice.

  Emerald pulled away for air. Both Storm and Emerald were breathing hard.

  "I love you," Emerald whispered, tears now streaming down her face. "I love you."

  Storm smiled and kissed her again, slower. "I love you, too." he said after pulling away. "I love you, too."

  Emerald sharply took in a breath, her eyes snapping open. Her heart fluttered and her chest heaved. She slowly sat up, looking around, slightly disoriented for a moment, forgetting

  where she was for a moment. Slowly it came back to her. Storm had to leave so Emerald had made the snap decision to walk back to his house with him. It had stopped raining