“I’m sorry, I really am,” I said as I reached for him, but stopped and grabbed for the handle.
“You know, I could turn you now and all of this would be over,” he said, almost as if I wasn’t supposed to hear it. “This isn’t over, you know?”
“Have a good night; I’d like to say see you soon, but I rather not.”
“I know you wouldn’t, that’s why it will be harder the next time I see you. Good night, Vanessa.”
I got out and closed the door and walked up the path to my front door. I placed the key in the locks and once inside, I walked upstairs to the bathroom and washed my hands. I took my clothes off, placed them in a bag, threw them in the back of my closet, I showered for what felt like and eternity and got into bed. I then heard his car start and pull away. I lay awake a long time until sleep finally won out.
Alyon Alik
Chapter 07.0
I sat outside her house and just listened to her moving about, waiting for the first sign of tears or a break down. I imagined bursting in and wrapping my arms around her and soothing her, saying everything would be alright and we could go off together and be alone. Then I came back to reality and knew I was just listening for her to pick up a phone and try to tell someone or her parents what had happened. Then what would I do? Would I burst in and kill her parents, saying it was for the greater good and then steal her away? At that point I had to leave, damn the repercussions.
I drove fast, the lights and signals of the streets meant nothing to me as I unconsciously made my way home. I hadn’t expected the reception I met, but I wasn’t thinking.
“Alik”, said Ayara brightly as I walked in on her, my mother, and Ario.
“Yes, to what do we owe this pleasure?” asked Ario, more disgusted.
My mother’s eyes were on me, but she stayed silent as I spoke. I could feel Ario’s temper rising as I told my story, but it was my mother who I kept my eyes on; she was the danger in the room. Vampiric law had been broken and I was one of the laws’ keepers; my Masteria wasn’t helping my case either. Ario, third and lowest of the three elders, was expressly in charge of keeping Vampiric law, and instantly saw it as his duty to punish me. My punishment, of course, was destruction. Talking had allowed me to claim and become myself once again and fully see the room while keeping my eyes on my mother, who sat unmoving.
Ario saw it as a chance when I went on one knee to apologize for what I had done, and he attacked me, appearing next to me. He made a grab for my throat to rip it out, but I had no intention of dying. I blocked by grabbing his wrist and spun, holding onto his wrist to put his hand behind his back, tilting his arm up to force him to kneel. In the same movement, I pulled the dagger at his belt from its sheath and put it to his neck.
“Alik, what is it you are doing?” asked my mother so calmly that it scared me. “Ario is well within his rights to kill you for what you have done tonight.”
“He is not. Nothing I have done was done for lust or sexual joy. I did it to save a life. The law states that our blood shall not be shared with a human for those reasons. In the fear of creating banshees and succubi. However, it is conveniently overlooked when it is done to network with the businessmen and the higher classes of the world.”
“A technicality!” shouted Ario, still at my mercy.
“True nonetheless.” My mother’s smile gave nothing away as to her intentions. “Nonetheless, this is still a danger to us.”
“What does this girl bring to us?” asked Ayara.
“Nothing,” I admitted.
“Release Ario,” demanded my mother. I did as she commanded and moved back, keeping the dagger. Ario turned to attack me again. “Brother, stop it, you will just embarrass yourself again.”
“Do you intend to let him live then?” spat Ario, and just the look the two females gave him made him step back.
“I do, taking the law in the light he has cast it in... No law has been broken. We can bring this girl into the veil and all will be right. On the conditions that she be turned.”
“No,” I stated and my mother gave me a look that made Ario cringe further, but I held my ground.
“You may meet her and bring her into the veil, but she is still human. There wasn’t even enough blood to hint at a change. She merely healed, in less than six months she will be no more than a human,” I informed them.
“She will still know about us. It is a secret life of vampire or death,” said Ayara.
“Again, I mention your human consorts.”
“He has us there, sister.”
“Okay Alik, if you wish to play this game, you may. I will go meet with…”
“I will bring her here and be present at the meeting,” I cut in.
“Of course,” said my mother, reaching the limits of her patience. I think Ayara picked up on it.
“Brother! Come, you have a cut on your neck and the sun in here is keeping it from healing and we have some justice to deal with in China. I know how much you love your justice,” stated Ayara, taking Ario by the hand and moving him away out of my mother’s hall. Everything was still for the ten minutes it took both of them to be out of earshot. That’s when my mother moved.
I had never been so scared as Vampire as I was at that moment when I lost sight of her. Her next gesture felt as if it was intended to wound. Where she might have attacked to punish, I moved on instinct and it could have been to save face or her original intent, but her hand was placed on my shoulder.
“You might not be admitting this to yourself, but you love this girl, I can see that. Still, that does not excuse what you put me through with Ario and Ayara here.” Her voice was chilling and I was clutching the dagger harder than I should.
“I am sorry; I didn't know they would be here, I was not thinking,” I said ashamed.
“A first for you and this is why you are still standing,” she pointed out, her voice colder than ice. “Next time you will die for your crimes if you create such a scene. Am I understood?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” she said, patting my shoulder twice. “I look forward to meeting this girl tonight.” Then she walked out of the room and I took a deep breath. And realized the dagger was no longer in my hand, my nails biting into my skin, my hand trying to clutch at a dagger I no longer held. I had heard my mother walk a million steps, but never had I heard her move with the slightest difficulty as she did now, I thought as I felt the blood heat and steam from my hands as I relaxed and unclenched my fingers.
“You hurt mother…” June whispered, walking out of a shadow.
I just turned and left, not daring to think what would happen if I responded to that.
Vanessa Stanton
Chapter 08.0
It felt like I lay wrapped in the blankets on my bed for hours, my eyes opened, staring at the ceiling and wondering what had just really happened. I know Alik explained it... I also know that I wasn’t the most understanding person, but could I have really gotten caught up in some kind of internal Vampiric conflict? I waged a war in my head, hope wanting me to blindly believe Alik while rationality beat on hope. Rationality screamed at hope that I was stupid and Alik was crazy. Rationality admitted that all this was a shame but Alik was still fucking crazy. In the end, rationality gave hope one last savage blow, screaming 'he was crazy' and all my hope died and I sighed, sitting up, I closed my eyes and rubbed them. Images flashed like the scenes of a movie with my eyelids as the screen and I was way too close. It started with Eugene trying to raise the car off the ground, ending in Alik close to me, slipping the key out of my hand, and closing the door to the car. He didn’t get in… Why didn’t he get in; he was supposed to get in... My mind was screaming and I looked around just in time to see him disappear into the dark. I turned around and saw Jessica sitting on the hood of the car and she punched through the glass. My eyes shot open and I was breathing hard.
It was early, but the room was already lit by sunlight, and it felt as if I hadn’t slept at all. I rubbed my eye
s and tried to remember my little dream better; but the cold sweat on my forehead made me think it’d be best not to. The bubbles of sweat clung to my fingertips, small flakes swirling within the bubbles. Was that skin in the sweat... How did I see that? I lowered my hands from my face and turned them over, flexing my fingers. When they came in contact with each other, the sensation felt strange; it was heightened and I could even feel the air surrounding my fingers as I moved them through it. I pulled my blankets off and swung my legs over the side of the bed to stand; it felt like I was doing this for the first time, the feeling was so different. The scary thing was that it wasn’t harder to move, just more effortless despite my exhaustion. When I stood, it seemed automatic; I wasn’t stiff from not moving in the night.
I grabbed some clothes and got in the shower; the warm water hitting my skin was amazingly relaxing. I could feel every drop of water as it hit my skin and bounce off. After my shower, I walked downstairs to the kitchen. A strong scent of bleach hung in the air. My mom had always been a bit OCD when it came to her cleaning, but this was too much. I walked over to open the back door to air out the room as it had become hard to breathe. On the table, wrapped in cling wrap, was a plate with pancakes and a note.
‘I figured you’d want to sleep in but not miss breakfast.’
-Mom-
I heated up the plate in the microwave and as I watch it spin, I heard tiny footsteps in the hall, but nothing was there, until I looked down. The puppy I had gotten last Christmas, Kiwi, was standing in the doorway and I knelt down and called her over. She stood there looking at me, then growled in the tiniest little voice. She had never done that before; she was always such a loving little thing. I took a step forward and she turned and bolted out of the kitchen, yelping in a blur of fur and clicking nails. I started after her when the microwave beeped. Still puzzled, I grabbed the plate and sat down at the kitchen table to eat. The first bite tasted better than any pancake I had ever had; the mixing of the butter and syrup was amazing.
As I pulled the fork from my mouth, a strong taste of: garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper intruded and it nearly made me sick. I rushed to the sink to spit it out and reached for a glass to get some water. The water tasted amazing at first, but then a strong metallic taste like you would expect from rust filled my mouth and I spat that out, too. I went to the refrigerator and grabbed a glass bottle of Coke that sat chilling on the top shelf to chase away the taste; gladly it worked this time. I looked over at the plate of seemingly innocent food, then grabbed another soda and saw leftover pasta on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Did my mom make pasta last night? I tried to remember what she was doing before I left and the conversation I had with her last night as I was coming down the stairs, but it all came up blurred and distorted, voices muted like I was trying to listen through water. I tried to remember the night before that as well and the memories were there, but it was like trying to watch an out-of-focus movie with the volume too low. Then I tried to remember last night, but that was fuzzy also, that is until I opened my eyes in Alik's car.
I closed my eyes and sorted through more memories and again and again, the only thing that came up clear was my time with Alik last night. With my eyes closed, I realized I could hear much more than I should have, not just inside the house, but outside as well. It slowly became too much and I tried to shut it out by placing my hands over my ears, but it did no good. Then there was a low rumble that felt familiar; it grew closer until I knew it was just outside and it shut off. I took my hands off my ears, opened my eyes, and looked down the hall to the front door. My attention focused on that spot; I heard very faint footsteps come up the path and stop at the door.
AlyonAlik
Chapter 09.0
As I drew closer to Vanessa’s house, I was at a loss as to how I would get her to willingly come with me. I didn’t want to fuck this up anymore than I had last night. Remembering last night was a big morale killer, but I had to forget about that and try to start new.
“So, hi Vanessa, remember me...” I thought in a cheery voice. I felt stupid thinking that and gave it another try.
“You have to come with me...” I said sternly in my head. Then I imagined her father punching me in the face. It would have to be something else.
“Please! Please come with me, it won’t be bad, I promise,” I imagined, begging on my knees, I just sighed.
“We got off to a bad start last night, can we talk?” I tried out very earnestly. In my mind, she started to close the door. “Please just hear me out, if you still think I’m crazy, I will go away and you never have to see me again...” in my head, she thought about it and then opened the door to invite me in.
Yes, I liked the last one the most, I thought as I pulled up outside her house. I took a deep breath and steeled my courage, ready to do this. I opened my door and walked to her door, rehearsing my lines. I took a final breath and tried to knock as the door flew open.
Vanessa Stanton
Chapter 10.0
I ran to the door and opened it. Alik was waiting for me, his hand held up like he was going to knock.
“It’s you…” I said. looking at him, narrowing my eyes in anger.
“Is that bad?” he asked unsure.
"Depends on whether or not you can explain exactly what the hell you did to me?"
"What do you mean? I just got here," he said, trying to sound innocent.
"You know what I mean," I accused as I pulled him inside and kicked the door shut. I pulled him into the living room and pushed him down on the couch. "Now explain what the hell you did to me last night, and no vampire nonsense."
"We got off to a bad start last night, can we talk?" he asked calmly.
“We are talking!” I shouted.
“I mean, do you still think I’m crazy?”
"I don’t know what the hell to think anymore! Nothing in my life makes sense anymore," I yelled in a sudden burst of anger.
"I tried to explain a few hours ago, but you wouldn’t listen. I thought if you slept on it, it might help. Can you tell me what changes you have felt?"
"I taste last night’s dinner on forks that have been cleaned like it just came out the pan. Everything has gotten sharper and brighter. I can smell things that should have died away hours ago, it’s way too loud in here, all my memories dating back to my childhood that were sharp yesterday are now fuzzy, and my dog even ran away in fear of me when she saw me," I explained, my heart rate increasing with every breath. At that moment, Kiwi trotted in and sniffed Alik; she then barked, wagging her tail and he reached down to pick her up, stroking her ears.
"So your basic senses are stronger?"
"If you wanna put it that way, yes."
"Also your ability to remember got sharper since you woke up yesterday in my car?"
"Yeah… where are you going with this?"
"You know, animals like your puppy are much simpler creatures. In a way, it gives them advantages humans lost long ago even if you do have the thumb. They can sense life and death and changes in those around them much easier than humans can; it’s a part of their nature. Yet if you were to blur those lines, then that distinction would go out of focus and the puppy would react just like an angry crowd yelling because their movie went out of focus." He met my eyes for a moment and I think disbelief was still on my face. "What’s her name?" he asked, rubbing his nose to hers as she yelped happily.
"Kiwi… wait, that makes no sense; stop with the riddles and give me a straight answer."
"The human body is capable of much more than you have control over, I’m sure you know. When the transformation from human to vampire takes place, we trade certain limitations for others and gain strengths in places and lose some in others, like the need to breathe."
"But you’re breathing right now..."
"Of course, how else would I talk..." he stated like that was a stupid question and I fell into a seat. “We don’t really know what it is, but it looks like there is a virus that breaks down and rebu
ilds human blood cells, allowing them to carry another form of a life-giving substance.” He made air quotes around the word life. "Although no system is without flaw; vampire have lost the ability to create new blood cells, and without a heartbeat we can no longer ingest nutrients and take in oxygen as nothing is moving the blood. The only way we seem to survive is a sort of osmosis stemming from the stomach which leeches blood to the rest of the body to keep our strength," he finished.
"There you go talking about vampires again; I’m not a vampire and neither are you, and its vampires with an s.”
“You don’t say persons you say people, vampires just sounds wrong so we drop the s as you would with sheep or fish.”
“Okay, but it’s daytime and you’re out in the sun, explain that!"
He laughed at that. "I knew we would get to that, the sun does affect us, just not in the way you think." He bit his finger; a small drop of blood bubbled on his fingertip and a small spiral of smoke rose from the bubble. He then took a tissue off the table and the small drop was absorbed. He balled it up and tossed it into the direct sunlight coming through the window. It violently burst into flames and nothing was left well before it would have ever come near to hitting the floor.
Bitter Sweet Page 7
