When the sun finally rose over the trees and lightened the pale pink and blue sky she drew the curtains down and turned to the bed David had bought for her. He was kind, certainly a lot kinder than his son but she couldn't figure out why. She had just laid back on the bed when she heard the doorknob twist under someone's grip. She watched as the door pushed inward and a shadow spilled in first, followed by a familiar figure. Troy had slipped in and shut the door behind him quickly and even when she sat back and asked him why he was in there, he said nothing. He sat on the edge of the bed, his arms propped behind him for support and his shoulder blades flexed inward. Her wandering eyes looked down at his spine hoping that he at least had pants on when he invaded her space which was technically his space. He flipped his head back and spoke softly, “I'm sorry I've been a huge jerk to you.” His fingers stretched out across the fabric and he balled some of the sheet up in his hand as he went on, “I had no reason to act like that even if you did kill my girlfriend, you know?”
He tilted his head to the side, his eyes now studying hers.
“I do not,” she said.
He flipped over onto all fours, just barely steadying himself to keep from tumbling off the side. With serious eyes he crawled toward her and when he was just inches from her face his eyes brightened. She thought she even saw a curl of his lips but she wasn't sure as she kept her eyes on his. He sat up on his legs and put a hand to her cheek, warm and smooth as they rubbed against her skin. He slowly pulled his palm up, leaving his fingertips on her cheek and let them travel to her ear to tuck some loose strands back. He leaned in so close she could feel his breath against her lips and when he parted his own she caught the smell of mint. He smirked but by then Olivia had already figured it out. She pushed him off of her and when he slammed into the closet door, he took the shape of Erika.
“You knew?”
“You forgot his markings.”
Erika looked down at her right arm, “Ah, how could I have forgotten?”
Seventeen
Troy had managed to escape Erika's tortuous lessons for Vic's funeral. His wife orchestrated a small and succinct one with lots of his crew. After the funeral which was set at dawn, he went to beach and sat on the rocks as the water from the waves sprayed their mist on him. Even when the stars filled the sky, he continued to lie out, quietly taking the world in.
****
Olivia was thrown back after she tried to charge toward Erika for the seventh time. She flew through the air and collided with the ground, tumbling a few times as dirt and sticks encased her. She had been prepared for the impact and the following as she bit down hard and sat through her broken bones affixing themselves. When her bleeding skin stretched and pieced themselves back together, she jumped up and sped toward Erika again. Instead of attacking her straight on, she showed up at her side and tried to toss her as David had suggested and it would have worked if Erika hadn't overheard his tip. She grabbed Olivia's arms and flung her over and slammed her body into the ground. It hurt but she at least learned one thing, Erika had a weak spot and if she could get there she could finally beat her.
“Better, but you're never going to beat me like that. And if you can't beat me, you will never beat your mother.”
“You're mistaken,” she said, holding her arm out. Erika helped her up and she continued, “I will not kill my mother for you.”
“Why did you come back then?”
“I had to get away from someone.”
“And why are you still training with me?”
Because I killed a little girl, she thought and then looked up at Erika. “Because I'm bound to my sire and he is bound to you.”
That had at least been half of the truth. She looked out onto to the still water and thought about how at peace it was. She briefly wondered if she could ever find the peace that the lake had. She wasn't familiar with the area but it reminded her of the edge of the forest behind Mr. Steven's house and when she thought back on the edge of the forest she realized the colony had never fully been closed in because of that. If anyone had wanted to, they could have snuck through the forest and made a daring swim across the flowing water and would have been gone. She figured the deathly currents of the water had probably been what had kept any sane colony member from leaving though. Noah may have not enjoyed living there but she knew he had at least enjoyed living.
They were encapsulated in thick trees, leaves painted dark yellow and red that reminded her it was autumn. Not too far from her was a pier that sat just above the water and a large tree where a rope hung from it's branches. It was like its own world between Troy's house and her home and she knew she recognized it from her dream. As she stood staring out at the water she heard the two rocks rubbing together and the sound of them cutting through the air as they headed toward her. She moved and just barely missed the flaming rocks that were now hissing and cooling off in the water.
“No more daydreaming. Back to training,” Erika yelled. “Now, try and attack me.”
She was already tired of meeting the ground every time she tried to attack and so desperately wanted to tell her she was done for the night but instead she tried to fight once more. She was in front of Erika quickly, as if she transported to her. She put her hand up to Erika's neck and was taken aback when she briefly felt the skin under her palm. Erika had let her grab her neck. She wanted to pull free, knowing that it was a trap but she felt compelled to hold on and relish in it as the first time she had ever gotten to her like that.
“Feels good, doesn't it?” asked Erika. “Having someone's life just a thread between your fingers?”
“It doesn't actually.”
“Don't be modest. I know how you feel about a human life.”
“But you aren't human.”
Erika shrugged. “Yeah, you're right, but that doesn't change your feelings towards someones life. That's just how you were made, how your mother made you and the only way to get any kind of humanity back is to steal it back in the form of her life. Now, kill me. Get a good idea of how great it will feel when you do.”
“I will not kill you.”
“Should I try to kill Troy again? He'll be here any minute.”
Olivia saw the cruel delight running rampant on Erika's face as she spoke but she didn't move. She knew the feeling of when he was in danger, her heart temporarily revving up as if she were alive again and beating fervently only to stop seconds later. That wasn't what she was feeling now. She was first and foremost annoyed and maybe a bit angry but she couldn't really tell. When Erika raised her left hand, Olivia tightened the grip around her neck but that didn't stop Erika's arm from stretching out at her side. It had been moving all too fast, even for Olivia who heard the rustle of bushes and footsteps as someone trudged toward them. A small flame shot from her hand just before Olivia snapped her neck and moved toward the boy. She extended her arm outward in a vain effort to block the flame but it had already burned a hole through his chest and he was on the ground. There lie two dead kitsunes, at least for a few minutes.
Erika was the first one up, massaging her neck. “You did it,” she said, wincing. “But that really hurt.”
Olivia's eyes were on Troy as the hole in his chest closed up and he rose to his feet, angry. “What the hell was that?”
“Part of the lesson plan.”
“You really get on my nerves,” he said with his focused on her. He briefly glanced at Olivia then walked away from them and sat on the pier. Olivia watched as he stalked off then she turned to Erika.
“You shot him in the heart. How could he have lived?”
“To kill a kitsune you have to cut off all its tails and since I'm rarely in true fox form and Troy doesn't even know how to shift it'll be pretty hard for anyone looking to kill one. I imagine he has about three now from all the times that I've killed him and given him one of mine. You could drain it of all it's blood but that would take forever. No matter what happens to our heart we'll always live but on the other hand, the vampires born f
rom us will definitely die from having their heart ripped out or being burned by fire or sun, whatever they choose.
“You should have known that since the first time you tried to go out in it. You will forever be exiled to the night, but I'm done talking...”
She chased Olivia around, giving her barely any time to react to her quick blows. She was cautious not to use fire around her and instead relied on fighting hand to hand in an effort to bring up her speed and responsiveness. Sticks and leaves were intertwined in Olivia's hair from being thrown through the trees over and over again. She watched as blood seeped from wounds and closed up and felt every sting as her bones found their way back into place. Troy didn't watch as the two continued to fight but listened in as Erika talked down to Olivia and called her names to which she didn't respond. She had been too focused on evading Erika's attacks to concentrate on what was being said. While Erika was cutting down the small trees that surrounded her with her arm, Olivia stood outside in the open area panting.
“I think I'm a little tired...”
Erika had stepped out of the trees and spoke so softly only Olivia could hear. “A little, huh? I'd rather you be shrieking in terror from the pain I'm inflicting on you.”
“What?” asked Olivia and in that same second she began screaming. Flames encircled her, roaring as they lashed out and threatened to touch her. There was nothing like the sight and heat of flames to inspire fear in her and as the circle grew smaller she screamed louder, falling to her knees. Troy turned around and saw Olivia's arms clasped around her body as she sat on her knees but he couldn't figure out why she was screaming. He saw nothing harming her and then narrowed his eyes as he turned to Erika.
“Simple hallucination, nothing to worry about.”
Olivia's shrills forced him to look back at the girl who for the first time to him looked truly frightened. For just a minute, he thought he saw a tear roll down her cheek.
“That's enough!” he yelled.
The flames grew stronger to Olivia and only from her reaction did Troy know that she hadn't stopped whatever she was doing. “Will you just stop?”
“I'm trying to get her to see through the manipulation. If she can do that, she'll be a much better vampire in the end.”
Troy was half ignoring Erika as he walked to Olivia who was screaming at him to get out of the fire. He bent down and swung her into his arms despite her protests and walked her to the pier, her face buried in his neck. When she could finally see what was going on, she immediately jumped from his arms and looked at him with wide eyes. Troy ignored her stare and plopped down on the planks, his feet dangling in the water. She took a cautious step toward him and sat down beside him. The soft rustle of the water filled their silence, comforting them as they looked up at the night sky.
“Thank you.”
“Don't thank me 'cause I didn't care whether you lived or died...I just don't like to see someone get bullied, murderer or not. And don't think of this as me forgiving you....” he trailed off, distracted by a sound from behind him. Olivia had heard it as well and jumped up. She darted toward the sound and held the person at their neck, her fangs bared.
The boy blinked several times, “Olivia?”
Eighteen
Olivia's fangs retracted and she looked at the boy in utter disbelief. “Noah?”
She thought she saw his mouth moving and imagined he was expressing his feelings on the reunion but her mind had muted his words as she wondered how he could have possibly found her here. She didn't even know where here was other than it was halfway between what she called home and where she had been staying. There was only a small dirt path that led through the trees to get here so she figured the only ones who would get to this place were those who already knew where it was. When her eyes settled back on his, sounds gradually poured back in until she was aware of everything around her, but he wasn't talking. He hadn't said a word, completely stunned at the sight of her.
She spoke softly. “What are you doing here Noah?”
The way she spoke to him was a stark contrast from how she spoke to Troy. She had been formal and regarded him as a stranger, which he was, but when he heard the familiarity and even a little apprehension in her tone, he took notice. He stood up but didn't walk toward them as he watched them.
“You're a vampire.”
“I am. Are you scared?” she asked nervously.
“Scared? I'm freaking excited!” he shouted, warming up. He bent down and swallowed her in a warm embrace, holding her tightly as they rocked from side to side. “I can't believe I found you!” When he pulled away, he was grinning from ear to ear and her body shifted from the brief warmth of his skin back to cold. She felt Troy's hand when he pulled her into his arms or when Erika yanked her and threw her but they had been so brief it was like she had never been touched but Noah's lingered.
“You've been looking for me?”
“Of course I have! I saw you when you came home...”
Olivia was tugging at the curls at the nape of her neck as Noah's voice lit up with each word. She felt uncomfortable at how he reacted to seeing her since it wasn't what she expected. When she saw him from the gates, he looked different, almost cold and here he was, gleeful Noah rambling so quickly she could barely hang onto his words.
“...and I've been walking around this city this whole time...” he continued. Not wanting to pretend she had been listening only to disappoint him, she raised her hand to stop him.
“It is nice to see you, but I'm confused. How did you find me here?”
“Yes, how did you find this place?” asked Erika, sauntering over to them.
Noah looked her up and down then scoffed. “And you are?”
“This is Erika, she is a kitsune.”
He took a step back, his eyes enlarging as if she had shifted into a bear. “A kitsune? They exist?”
“Apparently they do.”
He looked down at the ground and dug the tip of his shoes into the dirt, confused at what to say next. Olivia didn't know what to say as well and remained quiet as she watched him dig a small hole. The last time she had seen him do that was when they were little children and he was more worried about being caught by the Matriarch than by his mom. He finally swallowed and said his next words cautiously, “So you've been staying with her?” He hadn't acknowledged Troy's existence but felt something at the end of the pier, an unsteady heart beating.
“I have been staying with him,” she half turned and glanced back at Troy.
“A boy!?”
She gave a slow nod.
“What? I mean how, why? Do you even know him? Who is he?” he interrogated.
“Please, one question at a time Noah.”
Olivia's eyes were fixated on Noah's but his were drifting toward the boy who was now walking toward them. He didn't introduce himself as he stalked past them without so much as a goodbye to Olivia or a hello to Noah. Erika followed him, sliding behind Noah to the long pathway through a forest that led to a road but before she got too far, she turned and called to them. “I'd like to say that I have something witty to say but I'm all out of lines. I'm heading off so you guys can catch up.”
Olivia looked down, a barely there smile sitting on her face. “That's the first time she's said something that wasn't rude.” She looked up at Noah, “Let's go.”
Olivia didn't say anything when Noah asked her where they were going, mainly because she didn't really know. She just followed a particular scent through the town though there were a lot to go on. She had to manually strip away the scent of his blood in order to keep her thirst down and then she got rid of the scent of ocean and others until she could only focus on one thing. They passed rows of shops in the historical town center until they found one that was shaped like a boat.
“Dean's Crab Shack?” asked Noah with an eyebrow cocked upward. “I don't think I'll like seafood.” He eyed the sign that was tilting precariously from one of the sails.
She grabbed his arm and pulled hi
m to the door. “Still, it's human food.”
Orange glowed throughout and small tea lights covered in orange paper wraps where situated on the wall of each booth and hung from the ceilings as well. It was an intimate space and scent was indulgent at least for Noah whose lips pulled back as he looked at the pictures of sea animals on the walls. There was a large bar to the right of them where a bartender flung a cloth from over his shoulders and wiped it down. Behind the man was a cabinet with shelves of glassed bottles and cups and they watched him turn around and run a tap that spilled bubbling golden liquid. There was a podium in front of them but no one was there. Olivia turned to him and after waiting for no one to show up, he gestured to a free table. They were stopped by a girl in all black, freckles on her face and her red hair pulled back into a pony tail underneath a cap.
“Hi!” she said enthusiastically, her eyes fixated on Noah.
“Hi yourself,” he said, returning the bright smile she had on her face.
It took more than ten minutes of them exchanging useless words for Olivia to catch on. She lowered her head, groaned and cut the girl off, “I am sorry, but we would just like to eat.”
“Oh, yes! Of course you do,” she bobbed her head around embarrassed.
Noah just stared at the girl with an intrigued expression, his elbow on the podium and his body bent over, studying her. The few girls of the colony just didn't react the way this one had and he had to admit that he was definitely fascinated. Olivia pulled him into a booth far off from the rest of the diners and sat across from him. Noah looked at his hand written menu. He understood it was probably for charm sake but he could barely make out a single word and just imagined they were all a variation of crab or some other seafood and as long as he said crab something he would be alright. Before they acknowledged the waiter, Olivia turned to him and asked, “Do you have money?”
“Of course I do,” he said, pulling out his wallet.
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