by Kailin Gow
Was it a dream – or not a dream? Kalina was delirious, lost in Octavius, lost in her love, in the psychic pleasure that bound them together, in a world of night, and sleep, and stars.
Chapter 6
Kalina woke up the next morning in a haze. What had happened last night? Her body was aflame with desire – hot with memory. She remembered not a concrete, discrete event but rather a series of disparate images – a hand upon her thigh; lips upon her shoulder; her hands tangling in a sea of hair. She remembered too individual sensations – pleasure at once harsh and soft, desirous and delirious – remembered losing herself. Had it been a dream? Kalina looked down. There, upon her flesh, were a series of small bruises – dark clouds of purple flesh set against her snowy skin. No – it had been real. All of it. Her encounter with Octavius – mired in darkness, mired in pleasure – a dream that had inflicted itself upon reality. She had longed for him – how she had longed for him! -and he had heard the voice of her desire and so he had at last come to her, in the night.
She could not breathe. Could such a thing have really happened to her? Suddenly Kalina felt more removed from the human world than ever. How could she even explain such a thing to Maeve, who had already sensed that Kalina was losing her connection with the human world and its mores. How would Maeve react to these news – news of a dream, that was not all a dream. She sighed as she put on her dressing gown. The silk felt cooler than ever to the touch; it was only then that she realized how scorching hot her flesh had been.
“I'm coming in!” came a voice, as Maeve flung open the door. Kalina gasped and quickly shut her dressing gown
“What are you doing?” Kalina looked down hurriedly. “Don't you knock?”
“Time for school,” said Maeve. “I don't care if you did get into Yale – you still have to graduate.” The envy in her voice was apparent, although it was clear that she was doing her best to hide it from Kalina.
“Today? School?” But school wasn't until the first week of January. “Oh, God! School!” How quickly the time had gone by. She hadn't even remembered. “Like, now?”
“Like, five minutes ago,” said Maeve, throwing down a pair of jeans on the bed. “Come on – some of us can't afford to be docked tardy marks.”
Kalina scrambled into her jeans. It was the first time she was going back to school since she had left on her fantastic voyage with Octavius. How different everything had seemed then! How would she sit in her seat, listen to teachers lecture – when she had spoken to Renaissance men and Ancient Romans directly! When she had seen so much more of the world than she could ever have imagined! How could she sit in the lunchroom, pretending to worry about cheerleading and popularity contests, when all that mattered to her now was the voice of Octavius echoing in her ear.
It had meant so much to Octavius that she get an education, that he not come between her and the life she would have lived had she not met him. Yet high school seemed so far away now.
They arrived at the high school only a few minutes late; Maeve had driven past more than a few stop signs on the way. “Worth the fines,” she muttered, as they parked and Maeve scrambled for first period calculus. They stopped briefly on the stairs.
“Who are those guys?” Maeve frowned. “New security guards or something?”
Kalina recognized them instantly They were vampires – ferocious vampires, able to withstand the sun. She glanced at the seal of their rings – Octavius’ men. So the ones he had promised to send to protect her had materialized. One of them gave her a reverent nod – almost, she thought with not a slight hint of amusement, like a knight nodding to his queen.
“Probably some businessmen or something,” said Kalina. “Or drug dealers!”
Maeve conceded the laugh – a small sign Kalina had been forgiven for their argument of the night before. Then she looked around, nervously. “I don't know,” said Maeve. “These guys seem...weird, somehow.”
Kalina knew she could no longer lie to Maeve. “They're Octavius' men, I think.”
“Octavius, your....?”
Ex-boyfriend? Boyfriend? Even Kalina didn't know at this point. She sighed deeply. “He said he'd send them to protect me – to protect us.”
“Since when?” Maeve sputtered.
“Since last night.” Kalina admitted.
“Last night?” Maeve looked confused. “What happened last night?”
“Octavius visited me,” Kalina tried to explain, knowing ever more how much stupider she sounded by the day to a human. “In my sleep – in my dreams. We communicate that way. Telepathically.”
“You do what?” Maeve put her hands on her hips. “Kalina – that's ridiculous. Are you sure you didn't just have a dream?”
“No – it's not like that!” Kalina protested. “Octavius and I – we have this telepathic connection. We can talk to each other in our sleep, or in our minds. Whenever I need him, he's there.”
“So why isn't he here himself, instead of sending these goons?” They clearly made Maeve uncomfortable; she shuddered. “I don't get it.”
“He's in Europe,” said Kalina. “I don't know where – he's hunting down Mal. He sent his best men to keep us safe – he wants the best for us.”
“Well, they can protect you,” said Maeve, “as much as you want. But listen, Kalina, I don't want any vampires following me around. I don't see why one vamp is any more trustworthy than any other.”
“But it's Octavius,” said Kalina. “It's different with him.”
“Yeah, like it was different with Stuart? Or different with this Jaegar guy – who suddenly wants to kill you?”
“It's...complicated. Jaegar was like Stuart, but drinking my blood changed him. You know I told you there’s something special about my blood…”
The tension between the two of them was mounting; Kalina could sense Maeve's tension, her anger. The day did not improve. A mysterious-looking exchange student in one of their classes bore clear signs of vampirism, as did the men sharing a cigarette beneath the bleachers, the coach mysteriously submissive to their presence. Wherever they turned, they saw the black-suited men, making stark eye contact with Kalina before retreating into silence and watchful quietude. Soon they even began making Kalina feel uncomfortable. She would, for all that she appreciated the protection, have much rather had Octavius there to protect her in person. There was something in the harsh eyes of these security vampires she did not altogether like. They regarded her, it was clear, with a sense of superiority – they were loyal, but she was to them Octavius' treasure, valued because Octavius valued her, and while they would defend her to the death, they wouldn't take orders from her – wouldn't leave, even for Maeve's sake. They took orders only from Octavius, and Octavius had ordered them to shadow her every move. Their proprietary gaze made Kalina shiver.
They met up with Stuart that afternoon.
“Well,” said Kalina, her voice shaky. “What shall we do now?”
“The Stomping Ground?” asked Stuart. The converted winery had been one of the most popular places for Kalina and her friends to go in days gone by. It seemed so long ago.
They headed over and ordered two cheeseburgers, Stuart surreptitiously bringing his own flask of vampire wine. Kalina could see a table of two more men next to them, ordering nothing but two sodas they had left untouched. Vampires, clearly.
“I heard from Octavius,” said Kalina. Maeve made a face, but she continued. “He says he's pretty sure Aaron's alive.”
Stuart looked relieved. “I've been trying to establish a telepathic connection with him, but...” His voice trailed off. Stuart didn't have the vampire strength of Jaegar or Octavius.
“He'll keep us posted,” said Kalina.
But as she looked at the vampire guards, staring at them over their intact sodas, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt. Is this what Octavius thought of her? A thing to be protected – to be shielded from the outside world? Someone who couldn't be trusted on her own? Her feelings of uncertainty grew worse as t
he days passed, and she did not hear from Octavius again. Perhaps he had only wanted her body – to release himself of stress – and then vanish again. She felt her doubts mount as the days wore on, as Octavius did not respond to her calls, and his men stared stony-eyed at her in the school corridors, behind the bleachers.
And all the while, she heard Jaegar's voice calling intermittently in her head.
I will find you, Kalina, my love. And when I do, you'll wish I had killed you long ago.
Chapter 7
The following day Justin came home from his medical conference. He set down his bags in the doorway and knocked loudly. “Hello?” He called out. Kalina rushed downstairs to greet him. She had gotten his text message and eagerly prepared to meet him after school. After all, it had been nearly a month since she had seen her brother. He had left in early December to attend a medical conference – one that suddenly, inexplicably, his employer had decided he absolutely could not miss, a conference that had turned into an offer to attend a three week long seminar in Chicago. Kalina knew that Justin's sudden, meteoric career progression had been helped out by Octavius, who had used compulsion to ensure that Justin would not notice Kalina's long absence, but she was proud of him nonetheless. She felt that Octavius was only securing for him the successes that his hard work had led him to deserve.
“Justin!” Kalina called out, rushing down the stairs. She enveloped her brother in her arms. “How are you doing? I missed you so much when you were away!”
“You're getting bigger and taller by the day!” Justin joked, picking his sister up in his arms. “How was your trip with Stuart? In Aspen.”
“Yeah, Stuart...” Kalina couldn't believe how much had happened since she and Justin last spoke. She hadn't even told Justin about the breakup – let alone vampires, Octavius, or anything else that might make an older brother's head explode...
“Were his parents nice?”
“Yeah, sure!” Kalina looked down, trying to hide her blush.
“I tried a couple of times, but I couldn't get through when I tried to call you. I figured reception must be pretty bad out there. I shouldn’t have let you go by without me, but you’re eighteen now and…” Kalina saw the guilt on Justin’s face.
“It's a ski lodge,” said Kalina. “The chalet's in the middle of nowhere, seriously...I would have called or written, but we don't even have internet access there.”
“Total wilderness,” Justin laughed. “Well, I hope you had a nice time. And – erm...” He began pacing the room. “Well, a safe time, if you know what I mean. I know Stuart's a great guy – I trust him completely – but my head wasn't exactly screwed on straight at that age, if you know what I mean.”
“First of all, ew,” said Kalina, glad to have even the most unsavory of topics to stall the conversation, “secondly, don't worry. You're not going to see me wheeled into the maternity ward anytime soon.”
“Good – because I would worry...”
“I'm responsible!” Kalina protested. “Besides...you don't have to worry. Stuart and I aren't – I mean we...we're not...”
“You broke up?” Justin reached out a hand to pat Kalina's shoulder.
“It's okay, we're still...”
“Are you okay? Do you want me to go, like, beat him up or something? Because I would, you know! Nobody messes with my little sister!”
Kalina laughed. “It's okay,” she said. “It was my decision. I'm not heart-broken or anything – and Stuart and I are still really good friends. It's just – we were more like friends than anything else, you know? And it just became more and more clear the more time we spent together.”
“I won't lie,” said Justin, “those are definitely words a brother wants to hear. What happened?”
“There's...someone else,” said Kalina. “There was someone else I had feelings for. I just felt, like – you know – my blood was calling out for...somebody else.
“For somebody else?” Justin looked concerned. “Kalina, what do you mean?”
“It's hard to explain,” Kalina looked down. “It's just...it has to do with my blood, you know – and maybe I'm just – well – I'm meant for somebody else.”
“Somebody else in particular – or just somebody else generally?”
Kalina took in a deep breath. “I'm not dating anybody right now, if that's what you mean. But...haven't you ever felt that with somebody, Justin? A real blood connection?”
Justin sighed. “For somebody else?” Justin looked concerned. “Kalina, what do you mean? Like a soul connection?”
“It's hard to explain,” Kalina looked down. “It's just...it has to do with my blood, you know – and maybe I'm just – well – I'm meant for somebody else. Like a soul connection.” Except vampires don’t have souls so the connection is through blood and the essence of life or soul in the blood.
Justin drew in a deep breath. “I should have known this would happen one day, Kalina,” he said.
“What would happen?”
“You're curious about your birth parents, aren't you?” Justin looked down. “All this stuff about blood – blood connections – I should have seen it sooner. I know I'd be worried...”
“Look, Justin, all that stuff about vampires...”
“Vampires, yeah!” Justin laughed. “For over twenty years I've thought of myself as a man of science – a rational person. But all this stuff going on lately...it's stuff I can't explain. Shadows of men in trees. Mysterious presences – things I sense but can't know...”
“It's real, Justin,” said Kalina, quietly. “And I think I'm part of it. I think I'm connected to it.”
“Vampires?”
“I've seen them. I've fought them off. I've looked them in the eyes. They've...they've been coming after me...”
“Kalina, are you crazy?”
“It's real, Justin. There's something about my blood, Justin! Something different. Something special. Something that's been sending vampires after me.”
“How did you...”
“When I was in Europe. For that math competition. I went to a library – looked up some records...”
Justin sighed. “You know what I've always told you, right? That you were the cutest little baby our parents had ever seen – that they simply had to adopt you the moment they saw you?”
“Yeah.”
“That's the story. That's the true story. But it's not the whole story, if you know what I mean.”
“So my blood...”
“Listen, Kalina. It's not your fault. You didn't cause all these attacks – these vampire attacks. And people – vampires included, have to take responsibilities for their own actions...”
He was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Kalina shot up. “Don't open it,” she said. “Don't invite...let me see who it is first, okay?”
“Okay.”
Kalina breathed a sigh of relief as she peered through the peephole. It was Stuart.
“Come in,” she said, quickly shutting the door behind them. “Justin, you remember Stuart, don't you?”
Justin looked a bit confused – Kalina had, after all, just finished telling him the story of their breakup – but he shot Stuart a smile.
“I've brought some food,” said Stuart. “I thought you could use a proper meal.”
“Stuart is such a good friend” said Kalina emphatically, and Justin nodded.
“I hope you don't mind,” said Stuart, turning to Justin. “I brought this along from our cellars. 1910 vintage – Cabernet Sauvignon.”
“19...10” Justin started.
“Something special,” said Stuart. “Don't feel obliged to open it now – I've brought a simple bottle for dinner....” He produced one of vampire wine.
I'll need this if I'm going to be around you all the time, Kalina. Unless you want a repeat of what happened in the car.
She smiled and squeezed his hand.
“Nothing for me now, thanks,” said Justin. “My beeper could go off at any moment.”
Din
ner cheered Kalina up somewhat. It was nice being all together again – Justin, Kalina, and Stuart. The two boys got along admirably together, Kalina thought. Almost like a real family.
After dinner Stuart began looking uncomfortable. At last, when he returned to the living room, he turned to Justin. “Sir,” he said. “I would normally ask the parents' permission for this sort of thing....but in this instance – I hope it's not inappropriate…”
“What?” Justin furrowed his brow.
“The – ah – the senior promenade is coming up – and I would love the honor – I would be honored – to escort Kalina...” his voice trailed off.
The prom! Kalina had almost forgotten – the biggest dance of the year had seemed so insignificant against so much else that had been going on in her life.
Justin looked confused – almost as confused as Kalina felt. Never had she heard of any prospective date asking parents – or brothers – for permission. Stuart really hadn't gotten in step with the times. Nevertheless, there was something endearing about his nervousness and gentlemanly ways.
