by K. A. Poe
“I know,” I said, turning to leave. “I'll take you up on that offer, by the way.”
His expression softened into a smile. “Great. Mel and I will meet you outside in a few.”
“Okay. My car is the silver Alero, you should be able to find it,” I paused, then said “Tell mom...tell her I love her,” I started to sob uncontrollably and ran outside. I struggled to find my car through the blurring of the water in my eyes. Fumbling with the handle proved useless, but it didn't matter anymore. Salem was at my side immediately, holding me tight against his cold chest. I didn't hold back, I let the tears fall relentlessly.
His hand soothingly caressed my back and I realized how right he was. This wasn't something I should have passed up. I may not have been able to bear seeing her, lying still and lifeless in her coffin, but I would have forever regretted not being present at the funeral at all. She may not have given birth to me, but as far as I was concerned Janet Hobbs was my mother. Salem tried to pull away from me, and I attempted to stop him but it was useless. My strength was nothing compared to his.
“Someone is coming,” he whispered and disappeared from sight.
I looked up through the haze and saw Desmond approaching, Melissa linked onto his arm. I groaned. Maybe agreeing to go out with them wasn't the brightest idea.
“I am sorry for your loss, Alex,” Melissa said silently, pulling me into her arms. “Truly.” This was far more awkward than the hug I shared with Desmond.
“Thanks...” I said, grateful that the hug didn't last long.
“Your friends – Jason and Karen – said they were sorry, too, and that they would stop by later.” Desmond said. Did I notice a hint of tears behind his glossy brown eyes? “I told them I would pass that along to you.”
I nodded slowly. “Thanks,” I repeated.
“Speaking of friends,” Melissa said with a sly grin. “Who was that handsome young man comforting you just a minute ago?”
My eyes widened. She'd seen Salem. How lovely. “He's a friend,” I lied. He was more than that now. In fact, despite my reservations and the little time I had known him, I was beginning to believe his soul-mate notion.
“It's too bad he ran off, we would have taken him along with us,” Desmond said with a gentle smile.
“That's okay...he'll-” my voice was broken off when I saw Salem appear from nowhere. I eyed him frantically.
“I would be happy to join you,” he said, walking to my side. “I'm sorry I disappeared so suddenly, I was saying my farewells to Mrs. Hobbs.”
Desmond stared at him curiously, and then smiled. “Great.”
We agreed to take separate vehicles and meet up at the restaurant. It was an Italian place, which made me sicker than I anticipated. I remembered vaguely the man on the plane to Denver reminiscing about some Italian restaurant he had been to – it reminded me too much of what I had seen and endured in Denver, which had led to all of this.
We reached the restaurant shortly after Desmond and Melissa pulled into the parking lot. Salem grasped my hand tightly in his as we entered the building. The smell of fresh cooked bread was almost overwhelming. My stomach reacted immediately, growling ferociously as we followed my ‘father’ and his girlfriend. Our waiter led us to a table in the center of a full room. Fortunately, I didn't feel over-dressed as I scanned the surrounding tables. Women were clad in dresses, men in button-up shirts and some even tuxes. I had forgotten that Desmond could now afford to dine at these fancier places.
I scooted into my chair, Salem sitting in the one adjacent to mine. Desmond and Melissa sat on the opposite side of the table. My throat felt like it was going to swell when I noticed the shining rock on her finger. She appeared to notice my gaze and grinned.
“Don't you worry, Alex,” she replied in a gentle tone, “Des and I aren't to that stage just yet.”
I exhaled and smiled. “That's good to know. Well, it isn't...that's not what I meant,” I rambled and Salem gripped my hand underneath the table. The cold of his touch was somehow soothing.
“So, are you going to introduce us?” Desmond's eyes swept across the two of us.
“This is Salem,” I said quietly, “I met him in music class.”
“That's lovely,” Melissa smiled. “Are you two, y'know...together?”
“Something like that,” Salem replied with a grin as he peeked at me through the corner of his eye.
Our waiter took our drink orders – Salem requested a glass of ice water, which I knew he would either seldom drink or not touch at all. I got a soda, Melissa followed Salem's order and Desmond requested the finest wine they had.
“You aren't originally from around here, are you, Salem?” my foster father asked, obviously hearing the accent in his voice.
“I was born in Wales, actually,” he replied with a polite smile.
“Speaking of places outside the country, where have you been off to?” I asked, eying Desmond.
He frowned somewhat, possibly hoping I hadn't noticed. “We flew in from Egypt when we heard the news,” he said casually, flipping through the extravagant menu.
“Egypt is a very interesting place,” Salem said and I glanced at him fiercely. He gripped my hand tightly – reassuringly. “My parents and I took a vacation there a few years back,” he added and I relaxed. “It’s much closer to Europe than it is to America though,” he added, laughing slightly.
“Are they travelers, too?” Desmond asked.
“Were,” Salem corrected forlornly.
“What shall we be having this evening, ladies and gentlemen?” the waiter asked, interrupting our conversation and setting our beverages down. I took a chance to look up at him; he had tanned skin and a curved mustache above his thin lips.
Salem passed on food despite Desmond’s insistence, stating he had no appetite. I wanted to say the same, but forced myself to request the lasagna. I didn't listen for the other two's orders – the dish’s names were far too complicated to understand, anyway. The waiter walked off and I watched Salem wink at me as he took a small sip of water. I wanted to giggle, but I fought the urge.
“You two seem happy together,” Desmond mused, watching us closely. “That’s good.”
“We are, sir,” Salem said with a smile and turned to kiss me lightly on the cheek. I felt warmth rising where his mouth had touched, despite the cold of his lips.
“Good. Maybe I will have to make a trip back here in a few years for the wedding,” he grinned.
I gasped as I took a sip of my soda, nearly choking. My lips moved to talk but I couldn't make the words come out. Salem smiled back at Desmond.
“You never know,” he replied, his smile ceasing to fade.
I wanted to cover my head in my hands. Fortunately, the food didn't take much longer to arrive and our table was filled with silence as we dug into our meal. Salem simply sat and watched, sipping his ice water every now and then. I had to admit, I was glad I had opted to eat. The food was amazing! Salem and I barely spoke, just nodding and muttering the occasional “Wow's” every once and a while between the stories Desmond and Melissa told us of their adventures around the globe. I could tell that Salem was somewhat eager to further discuss travel with them, but perhaps felt it would be a dangerous topic to delve too deeply into.
“How have you been, Alex?” Desmond said suddenly after recounting a long, tiring description of a trip they had taken once to New Zealand. He must have forgotten he already asked me at the funeral.
I put down my fork and looked up at him, “I've been all right, considering...” I replied. “I know Paul is my real father now, and school is going...not so great.”
“Oh. I had no idea your moth…Janet had told you. I must confess that is one of the reasons I brought you out to eat. That and to catch up, of course,” he smiled. “And that’s no good about school, Alex. You need a good education if you want to get by in this world.”
“That’s not always true; mom said you dropped out of school.”
“There are e
xceptions to almost every rule, Alex. And despite being well off now I still regret dropping out to this day. I was lucky enough to get into a teaching career, despite my poor choices as a teenager.”
“Well, maybe I will be lucky, too.”
“Are you trying to tell me you are dropping out of school, Alex? Your mother and I raised you better than that.”
Salem must have sensed the fire starting to burn under my skin and thankfully changed the conversation before I could retaliate against Desmond’s remark. “Thanks for taking us out, Mr. Hobbs,” Salem said, feigning a yawn as Desmond finally stopped staring at me and dabbed a napkin to his lips.
“It was my pleasure. I hoped it would lighten the mood, make things a bit easier for all of us, considering.”
“It was definitely good,” I murmured as I chewed on a piece of bread, still angry at his comment. What kind of nerve did he have to try to say he had any true part in raising me?
The waiter returned moments later with the check, and a handful of mints. We each took one and stood up from our chairs. Desmond and Melissa walked us to the car and I received yet another embrace and condolences from each of them. Desmond shook Salem's hand and I wondered if he noticed how cold his skin was, but he didn't seem to react.
“Alexis, if you ever need anything…anything at all,” Desmond handed me a business card with a number written messily onto the back, “you call me, okay?”
“Yeah, da…Desmond,” I said as he smiled at me.
I relaxed some as I watched them wander off to their own vehicle. Salem and I climbed into the Alero and headed back to his place. All I wanted now was to curl up in bed and cry myself to sleep – I knew it was inevitable. After all of the stress I had endured and emotions I had tried to hold back, it was time to let it out.
18. HUNTING
Three weeks had passed since the funeral. Despite all that had happened I was happier than I had ever been. Salem and I spent most of our time walking through the woods, reading one another books from his vast collection, or simply lying in the grass talking. For someone who seemed plucked from a different era I was amazed how much we had in common. I felt as though I could spend a lifetime with him and never get bored or run out of things to say. Before long it felt as though years had passed since I scoffed at the thought of being in a relationship with a vampire. To me he was no longer some mythical and frightening creature. He was Salem – my charming, caring, handsome Salem. Few things could pull me from this happy existence, and one of those was ringing in my pocket.
I stopped reading the page of Moby Dick I was on to Salem and pulled out the familiar little cell phone. The flashing screen alerted me that it was my best friend, Karen. For a moment I was reluctant to answer, knowing already what she would say. She and Jason had called me innumerable times since I stopped showing up for school shortly after the funeral.
“Hello?” I said timidly.
“Alex! I swear sometimes I think you’ve disappeared. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Karen, just like last time.”
“Well, excuse me for caring! So are you like, dropping out of school or what?”
“I…I don’t know.”
“Well, either way I don’t think you’re going to be graduating with us. You’ve missed way too much, Alex.”
“I know.” She had said this all before, several times.
“I thought we were supposed to graduate together, you know? I mean we always talked about it. Walking up there in the gown, throwing the cap. What happened to that, Alex?”
“I don’t know. Look, I am sorry…really. I just don’t think I can do it. I mean…I don’t think I want to.”
“You know you can tell me anything, right? What’s going on?”
“It’s just…mom…and…”
“And what? Is that boy you’ve been with controlling you or something? You tell me and I will get you away from him for good!”
“No…it’s not that. Not at all. Look, I need to go. Okay? I will talk to you soon, I promise,” I said, hanging up the phone.
I immediately felt guilty hanging up on Karen like that. She really was still my best friend and I knew I should treat her better, but right now I just needed this escape. Talking to her reminded me of everything that had happened. I was much more content being hidden from reality with Salem.
Just as I had thought the disturbances from my reading were over, Salem took the opportunity to present me with yet another reoccurring pull from my happiness.
“Are you going to go to Paul’s shop today?” He had been pressing the issue more and more the last few weeks.
“Fine!” I yelled, still slightly upset from the call with Karen. Despite being annoyed with him presenting this now old argument at such a bad time, he was right. I had put it off for too long. The sooner I learned to control…whatever it was I had been ‘gifted’…the safer my remaining family and friends would be.
“I’m sorry, Salem, I was just upset. I shouldn’t take it out on you. You’re right…I will go. First thing tomorrow…”
He looked at me with suspicion for a brief moment before opening his mouth. “Good. I believe you this time. Now come on, let’s finish the book. I am simply dying to know if he gets the white whale!” He smiled wide.
I hit him playfully with a couch pillow. “As if you don’t know, how many times have you read this? A hundred?”
“A few.”
“Yeah…a few hundred!” We both laughed for a while before resituating and continued the read.
When I arrived at Paul’s shop the next morning he was beyond shocked to see me. The surprise was soon overshadowed by his immense relief when I told him the tragic news about Salem and I 'breaking up', and that I was eager to become a hunter. More than anything, he was intrigued by the fact that I could transform into an actual raven. He had never believed it was possible, despite the legends. He was somewhat over thrilled at the fact that his daughter was one of the very few capable of such an ability. I, personally, dreaded it.
Five out of seven days of the week were spent in the back of the auto shop. Paul had it cleared out to make room for us to practice combat techniques. He taught me to use the crossbow he had gifted me. I was reluctant to begin with and my aim was very poor, but after just a week and a half I had mastered that skill, practicing on targets he had crafted out of old emptied fuel tanks. The fact that I enjoyed the use of it scared me more than a little. Maybe Salem had been right about this addiction. We practiced mostly in the late afternoon and into the night, during after school hours because I had him believing I was still attending.
It was difficult coming up with tales to give him about how school was, what Jason and Karen were up to, and the upcoming graduation in six months. He pressured me from time to time to ask Jason out to a movie, even if Karen joined us. He wanted nothing more than for me to forget about Salem entirely. In fact, one of his main goals at training me was with the hopes that I would be the one to kill him.
We went through simple close combat techniques. At first, it was a little difficult. I had not been in a gym or done any physical activities aside from P.E. class in forever. I was actually amazed by how flexible I still was and how easily I learned to kick and punch – Janet and Desmond had put me through gymnastics and martial arts lessons as a child, but that had been so long ago. Just another group of things I had lost interest in after Desmond had abandoned us. I learned that these particular two classes had been Paul's idea, with the obvious intent of me using that skill for my future ‘job’.
I was dumbfounded by how graceful Paul could be as well. I had heard from Salem how Paul wasn’t the best hunter he had ever seen – how he could barely hit the broad side of a barn with his crossbow, and was far too slow to be of much concern. I was not sure if Salem had been exaggerating or if Paul had just improved ten-fold from their last encounter. Neither would have fully surprised me.
During the weeks of training, I had actually grown a lot closer to Paul than I though
t imaginable. He told me that he was envious of my natural skill at fighting and my impressive aim, as well as my raven abilities. I knew he was just flattering me in some regard but I couldn’t help but to admit that I had gotten quite good. He also reflected on when he first started his training. One of his favorite memories was how he used to hunt wild game with his dad, long before he even knew of his heritage. Eventually, he began training to hunt the undead with his sister and father but he seldom took it serious back then. He was far too focused on the relationship he had formed with Destiny, which he partially blamed for his admitted lack of skill back then. He regretted it, but at the same time was thankful that he spent so much time with her – before she was gone.
Every night after practice I went to Salem's house, exhausted and sore. Paul's plan was working, but not in the way he had hoped. With how much time I spent away practicing and in bed sleeping, I had little time with Salem. He would stay with me as I slept, and treat me to a late breakfast. That was about all the time we got together during the past three weeks.
“Are you eager to return tonight?” Salem asked, sitting across from me at the dining table. He was turning a spoon around in his fingers; the ceiling light glinted off of the metal. He appeared nervous.
“Not really,” I sighed tiredly. “Paul wants me to try...changing.”
“Have either of you figured out how to do that?”
“He thinks being around your kind might trigger it somehow,” I said quietly. “When I am in danger and my adrenaline is pumping…even though it didn’t happen when I was around Mark.”
His eyes grew cold and the spoon clattered to the floor. “What does he expect you to do?” his voice was harsh.
“He wants to take me hunting tonight...” I murmured, barely touching the food on my plate, “real hunting, against a vampire.”
Salem shut his eyes and shook his head, “No! You're not ready!”
