The Wardens Boxed Set

by Heather D Glidewell

  How did Mrs. Jensen die? I sighed to myself at the involuntary thought. I really shouldn’t be putting my nose where my nose did not belong.

  After ten minutes of going from room to room we stood at the entrance to his bedroom. He opened the door and my mouth dropped open at what I saw. The walls were covered in band posters (many of them the same ones I had on my own walls) and his bed was huge, with a black comforter. There was also a couch placed in front of an entertainment center that included a large flat-screen TV and three of the most expensive gaming consoles money could buy. Wesley’s room told me more about him than anything he had told me. He was obviously more like me than I had thought; he just disguised it better than I did.

  Wesley pulled me in and closed the door behind me before locking me in his arms again and crushing his lips to mine. The fire surged within me and I fought to control it as his kisses became more intense, more eager. He was backing me towards the bed. My heart was pounding. Here we were again in the same situation as the previous day.

  I shivered and suddenly I felt nervous. The voices were back in my head. This time they pestered me with just a single word: “mine,” repeated over and over again. Despite this, the fire continued to rise and I clenched my fists tight to keep the flames at bay.

  “I can’t stop thinking about you,” Wesley breathed. “Even when I’m asleep I keep replaying what happened yesterday in my dreams.”

  He was fumbling with the buttons on my shirt, trying to get it open. I looked up at him. His eyes had darkened and they were seductive and hungry. I smiled and knew I was blushing.

  The make-out session that followed came hot and fast. Through it all I felt myself once more being torn in two emotionally. The darker side of me was a bit tamer than it was the first time, but I could still feel it cheering me on while the lighter side of me covered its eyes so it couldn’t see.

  Suddenly I felt woozy. The room spun and I raised my hands to my temples. Then I crumpled up and the world went dark. All I could hear was a female laughing in the distance.

  ***

  When I came to I was lying in Wesley’s bed, but he wasn’t in it with me. He was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, watching me with a puzzled expression and chewing on his bottom lip. I hadn’t been out long, but it was enough probably to give him a scare. I crawled out of the bed as he stood and walked toward me. As I bent over to fix the cuffs of my jeans he came up behind me and pushed me face first into the mattress. Fear and anger surged through me as my fingers caught fire for a moment before I could force them to fizzle out.

  “What are you?” he demanded.

  There was a heat in his voice I had never heard before and I was suddenly afraid.

  “Did she send you to retrieve me? Well played to her for sending a girl who looks exactly like the one in all my visions!”

  What had I done? Who was he talking about?

  “I’m nothing,” I stammered. It was all I could think to say as his face came down close to mine. Then, suddenly, I was aware of a smile spreading across my lips. “Ich bin der Engel des Alpträume,” I heard myself telling him.

  The voice was mine but yet it wasn’t; it was sultry and foreign. I was scared. I could feel the fire throbbing at my fingertips, willing me to let it go. My mind was racing a thousand thoughts per second, yet I managed to convince myself not to hurt him.

  “Der Engel meine Alpträume nicht Ihr Gesicht!” Wesley threw himself away from me and I clambered off the bed. In an instant I was on my feet and looking at him. There was terror in his eyes.

  “The angel in my nightmares does not have your face!” he exclaimed, his breathing accelerated. His hands grabbed my face and he searched my eyes for an answer. I think he was looking to see who had control. When he seemed satisfied that I was in fact myself he let my face go.

  “What is this? What’s happening?” I gibbered, seriously frightened.

  “You were just standing there when you grabbed your forehead and screamed. I was concerned so I reached for you. Then suddenly you were smiling at me.” He paused and ran his fingers through his hair. “When you spoke again it wasn’t you. It was something else in you, only it had your voice, and your face. Your tone was malicious and cruel. You looked into my eyes and said, ‘Meine Liebe, wie du mich betrügen.’” He stared at me and seemed to realize I had no recollection or understanding of anything I might have said. “You asked me why I betrayed you. But why would I betray you? I have no reason to betray anyone.”

  “How do you know what I was saying?”

  I was becoming more and more scared and confused. I had never spoken another language in my life, though my mother had once told me it was possible for me to pick up on something just through thought. Apparently, my father was a linguist of some sort. I had prayed for that gift but had never yet possessed it.

  “My father made me learn German as a child,” said Wesley as he ran his fingers through his hair again. “I speak it rather well. But how did you sound like someone else? Your voice was so... so.... creepy.” He put his head in his hands.

  I felt defeated. I turned to go, thinking this was it; Wesley would never speak to me again.

  “Dawn, don’t leave.”

  Wesley stood between me and the only exit from the room. The expression on his face was so sad. He was obviously shaken up over what had just transpired. “I have seen a lot of weird things in my life. The last girlfriend I had was special, to say the least. But this I never experienced before.”

  “I don’t know what I said or why I said it!” I screamed at him. I was holding back tears.

  The whole thing didn’t feel right. I had heard the voice with my own ears. I had felt like I was being forced against my will to speak and I was afraid what I might say next. I had to get out of there before I said something worse, something that would reveal to Wesley that I was far more than just a normal girl. Not to mention that I had no idea who was controlling this odd magic in me. They might be probing around in my brain at that very moment. I had too many secrets to keep hidden.

  “I believe you,” Wesley told me. He sighed, sounding overwhelmed. “So that brings us back to the first question I had. What are you?” His hands were on my shoulders and I had no choice but to look him in the eyes.

  “I don’t know what you are talking about,” I whispered as I tried to keep the fire at bay.

  I stared at him intensely as thoughts, images, and memories flashed through my mind. All I wanted was to forget this conversation. I was forbidden to tell anyone what I was. It would put me and my family in danger. If anyone knew, it would paint a huge red and white target on my back, and most likely theirs as well.

  “I told my mother I would be home for dinner and it’s near that time. I think I need to go.” I couldn’t think what else to say. Escape seemed my only option.

  “Dawn, this isn’t a game.”

  He was seriously not letting it go. I did my best not to betray my inner turmoil and to keep my eyes blank.

  “I am nothing, Wesley. Maybe it’s best you figure it out,” I said as I turned and tried to break free.

  Wesley put his arms around me and pulled me backwards into him. “We need to find out what is wrong with you! Ordinary people don’t just switch to German in the middle of an intimate moment or halfway through a conversation.” He turned me so he could looked me in face. “I love you, Dawn. I don’t know why, and I don’t know how. I just feel it.” He looked deep into my eyes. “Those around me tend to leave. I will not be the one who pushes you away because one of my demons uses your body as a vessel to speak.”

  I stared at him, bewildered. Did he think it was him who had caused this?

  “What are you talking about?” I asked quickly.

  “Some people can communicate with the dead. I seem to attract a lot of those. You wouldn’t be the first.” He said it like he feared it would scare me.

  So he thought I was a medium who could channel outs
ide forces! But he did not suspect me of being evil; on the contrary, he believed evil was using me.

  “So I guess the question isn’t what I am,” I ventured, trying to conceal my relief, “it’s who you are.”

  He looked like he had been sucker punched as he stepped back from me. I had to get away before something else happened, like fire erupting from my fingertips. If I had to hurt him just a little to make this whole situation go away then so be it.

  “Let’s just forget this happened,” he mumbled, putting his hands in his pockets. “But it’s a bit odd. I just told you I loved you, and you have nothing to say to that?”

  I looked at him in terror. He had said it, and I had dismissed it. Nobody had ever said it to me before. I glanced up at him and willed myself to be hard. The words that came out of my mouth were harsh, but I couldn’t love him: if I loved him, it might kill him.

  “I do believe in love at first sight, but it’s only been a week. It’s possible that you love me, Wesley. I just don’t know. And I don’t know if love is possible for me. Now I need to get home.”

  I left him standing staring after me as I hurried down the stairs.

  I didn’t stop till I got to my car. Once I got behind the wheel I pounded it, screaming, with tears pouring down my cheeks. My heart felt like it was bursting. Deep down inside I felt joy, too, but it was drowning in pain. I put my keys in the ignition and stared straight ahead, willing myself not to go back to the house.

  As I prepared to drive off I saw Wesley leave by the back door, then walk into the field behind the house, heading for the trees. He was hanging his head and seemed in no hurry. I guessed he wanted to get away from the place just as much as I did. I threw the car into reverse and took off like a bat out of Hell, spraying gravel as I sped out of the driveway and onto the highway.

  Chapter Ten: Death, Salvation And Heartburn

  I was sitting in a bar. This particular one I had never been to before. Two shots sat untouched in front of me and the room smelled of sweat and stale perfume. People pressed together in rhythmic masses as the music pumped loudly. I downed both drinks and motioned for the bartender to get me two more.

  Four more shots later I looked at the guy sitting next to me. He was around twenty-two with a medium frame, light hair, and dark green eyes. He seemed oblivious to everything going on around us. He’d matched me shot for shot and he had been there longer. He looked back at me and smiled a drunken, twisted grin. I knew he was thinking he could take me back to his place and commit sinful acts with me. I could see the thoughts in his head as they came at me in waves. The images he shared became increasingly disturbing as he made eye contact with me. My stomach crawled at the grotesque detail I got. It was a good thing not all men thought like this pervert.

  “How are you doing?” he asked seductively.

  “Fine.” I kept to a monotone in the hope he would transfer his attention to someone else.

  “Come here often?”

  It seemed he was determined to have a conversation with me. His thoughts were starting to get out of control, and it was becoming harder to ignore them.

  “First time.” I downed another shot and slammed the glass on the bar.

  He didn’t see nor sense the dark shadow coming up behind him. With a quick snap of the neck he was planted face first on the bar, his eyes still open and staring up at me. The shadowy figure sat down on my other side and prickles ran up and down my spine. My fingers were tingling. I found myself looking into the green eyes of Wesley.

  He, or the being impersonating him, said something I couldn’t quite make out.

  “Excuse me?” I leaned closer, trying to hear.

  “Did you not hear me? I said I love you,” he muttered, not looking at me, “You belong to me!”

  I seethed and fire erupted around me. “I belong to no one!”

  “You should have thought about that before you claimed me!” he screamed back as he shielded his eyes from the flames. He gave a final hiss before disappearing in a cloud of black fog.

  Wait… my Wesley doesn’t have green eyes!

  ***

  I awoke with a shudder and gazed around my darkened room. It had been three days since my last encounter with Wesley. I had been working hard to avoid him. When I couldn’t do so, I had opted for the unenjoyable tactic of ignoring him. I hadn’t answered a single one of his fifty calls, nor had I responded to any of his hundreds of texts.

  Everything was happening so fast; there was no slow road with him. All this talk about love and this “claiming” word that kept coming up… it was all just too quick.

  What is love?

  I mean, really. Other than some emotion where your heart pounds and every moment you are apart from your beloved you feel like you are being ripped into two million pieces? I blamed my erratic emotions for my dreams becoming more intense. Several times I had awoken to the smell of burning fabric and to find I had singed my bed sheets in my sleep. It was happening even more than it did when I was a tween.

  I wanted Wesley more than anything, and being without his touch had sent me reeling into an alternate reality. He had become a key character in my dreams, but I questioned the subtle changes I detected in his dream self. The green eyes, in particular, made little sense. I loved his blue eyes, so why would I subconsciously change them to green?

  How does someone fall in love in a matter of days?

  I had never felt love before, never known how it encased the entire body in warmth. I had never appreciated how you could long for someone when they were right behind you, or just a room away. It was a positive feeling, but not one I was truly enjoying, at least not right then.

  Wesley deserved better. He deserved a mortal girl who could give him everything he wanted and desired. He deserved to have someone capable of loving him in return. I had already taken so much from him, and I couldn’t bring myself to take more. But the thought of letting him go, even for his own good, tore at me. I just couldn’t fathom doing it. He was mine.

  I picked up my phone and looked at the time: 2 a.m. I sighed and tossed it back on the nightstand. Running my fingers through my hair, I got up, a little shaky at first till I got my balance. I was feeling light-headed and a little groggy as I made my way out of my room and into the kitchen. Holding myself up on the counter, I looked through the window out into the night.

  I was watching the wind blowing the leaves of the trees when I saw something run across the yard. It appeared to be traveling extremely fast. Before I could stop myself I rushed from the kitchen and outside. A hundred yards ahead of me I saw a shape stop and turn to look back. It appeared to be human but had glowing red eyes, which inspected me with curiosity. I willed whatever power I could into my hands and walked toward the figure, which I now saw had the guise of a woman. My fingers sparked as a wicked smile spread across the creature’s face.

  “Wer bist du?”

  The words flowed from me like they were my own. They were not, however. I had intended to ask the creature “who are you?” but it had come out in German.

  What was happening to me?

  “I am the thing you fear most,” she replied in English. “I am your death. I am your salvation.”

  “I do not fear you,” I retorted.

  The creature put her nose in the air and took in a deep breath. “You should.”

  “And why is that?”

  This was creeping me out. I mean, what kind of lunatic runs through someone else’s yard at two in the morning for no obvious reason?

  “Your blood. It smells… different.” The creature smirked. “I have not eaten in so long. What is just a little taste?”

  Without warning the creature lunged for me. I felt my body shift as instinct took over. She was clawing at me, her hands reaching for my neck. I felt the prick of teeth on my skin but the pain faded as quickly as it came. Before I properly knew what was happening the creature lay dead at my feet.

  I looked around in a pan
ic, then cautiously knelt on the ground and pushed the creature’s hair from her face before feeling for a pulse. Nothing. The dead red eyes just peered back at me.

  I didn’t know what I had done to kill her, but at least she hadn’t got to me. I put my arms out in front of me and checked for wounds. I could see no break in the skin anywhere. The shock of the attack soon wore off, and then it clicked in my head what the creature was. I ran inside to wake my mother.

  ***

  “Vampire.” My mother stood up after inspecting the corpse and brushed off her knees. “Judging by the way she’s dressed, she was rogue.”

  I snorted with derision. I knew better than that: everyone knew that vampires weren’t real.

  “Seriously, Mom? You expect me to believe that vampires exist?”

  My mother had jumped out of bed the instant I raced into her room screaming about red-eyed women in the driveway.

  “Dawn, you have been raised on stories of Heaven and Hell.” She pinched the rim of her nose, annoyed. “You know what you are. What makes you think that there cannot be other things similar to you in this world?”

  “Alright, I’ll give you that. But how do you know she was a vampire?” I asked impatiently.

  “Well, the big pointy fangs are a dead giveaway for a start,” my mother pointed out, her words dripping with sarcasm. She turned and walked toward the house. “Do me a favor and burn the body before you come inside. You kill it, you dispose of it.”

  “How am I supposed to do—” I didn’t bother finishing the sentence. It would just make me sound even dumber than I already felt.

  I willed the fire to roll through my veins but I got nothing. Not a single fizzle. My powers had never failed me before. Maybe I had overused them. I opted for a less dramatic approach and covered the body with gas from the mower, then lit a match. The woman went up in flames and turned to ashes in seconds. I had to admit that pretty much confirmed it for me. I felt like I was stuck in a bad dream.