Disclaimer: Balandria owns nothing. She owns not L.J. Smith, L.J. Smith's books, the concept of Nightworld, the use of Ellen Schreiber's book title that she so loosely threw around, or the characters that she made up herself. She supposes that she should say that she owns her three characters (yes, only three. Because that's all you really need. Right? Right? Yeah, I'm right.) but she is too frightened. Maybe next time she'll make characters that are less independent and openly hostile. But then, maybe not. Her bad.
Mmm. Yes, this is my first fanfic, and I greatly appreciate reviews. I wish I could say "If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say it" but who am I to deny my reviewers creative burning?
Enjoy the almost-constant dropping of the f-bomb and the awesome-ness of a love triangle. Balandria shall now go and read her some Final Fantasy IX and Shadow Hearts fanfictions. Yuri is a god.
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Hmm. Vampires are among the living, the book was trying to convinve Callia. With modern civilization, vampires can blend in, acting as humans.
Callia glared at the page. It was a random buy. She saw it, saw there were vampires in it--the history, actually--and thought it would be an interesting read. Instead, it was just some whackjob rambling about some shit. Which was ironic, because you'd think that she would be on the side of the author. She loved vampires. Really loved them. She wished with all her heart that they were real, but alas, no such luck. She wasn't delusional and she knew where, in real life, her priorities lie. In doing something substantial. Work, maybe. But she couldn't tear herself from her goddamn vamp books.
Still, she disagreed completely with the author. Even if vampires were in fact real, she liked to imagine them standing out. There was no way to hide them! For one, they were devastantingly beautiful--well, most of them were, anyway. Two...well, for Christ's sake, they were vampires! Do you think that vampires want to flounce around being mistaken for a human? Hell no. They had pride. Well, as she had thought before, most of them. It was hard to imagine them being other than what they were, as depicted in literature. The kind that Callia read. Beautiful, heartbreaking, romantics, cruel but sometimes kind...Well, it all really varied. There was always the same foundation for each vampire, and it was usually: they always drink blood from humans. And now some authors were creating wussy vampires who only drank from animals. It made her angry--which was weird, because, come on, this is just fiction, but whatever--because it was like they were changing what they knew about vampires.
But I digress, she thought mournfully.
Her thoughts floated back to the whole blending-in issure. In Callia's mind, vampires would always be those sorrowful and cruel men who, somehow, spirited away a beautiful princess to be his forever...and so on and so on. But that was just the romantic side of Callia speaking which had grown more prominent the more books she read. She always caught herself wishing for a vampire love herself, but then she remembered her pride--and the fact that she didn't want to be anything like Raven from Vampire Kisses--and stopped her thoughts. But the mind can wander...
And, eventually, she just gave up holding back. What was the point of staying away from daydreams? Wishful thinking can leave you to heartache? Yeah, probably. And, God, the daydreams were wonderful. She loved dreaming up different vampires and creating stories in her mind. She could never write but her dreams were vivid. Even while she was asleep. She couldn't tell if the main character in her dreams was always her, but it was occasionally. There were vampire usuals in her dreams as well. The whole princess thing was getting to her, she supposed. Men lined up to court her...vampire men, to be exact. Well, young men. Always looking around the sixteen to eighteen range, but she knew very well that most of them were far beyond that.
There was Amarande: noble, statue-like, quite frankly, but he was generally nice and he was good looking. He fell under the eighteen catagory. There was Wynn who always made her laugh, always kept a grin on his face and Callia constantly wanted to hug him. Under the sixteen catagory. And then there was Lucine: a bit awkward but rather positive and very good looking. She felt a sort of sibling affection for the mysterious shy vampire. Under the seventeen file.
But she could always remember one, one specific vampire who stood out the most and whom she dreamt of every night, picturing his face, having the impulse to draw him, knowing it would do no good. She couldn't capture on paper what he meant to her. In her dreams they were nothing serious but she liked him and he followed her in her dreams, changing from venue to venue. Never managing to get him out. Some of the other vampires she was fond of appeared in her dreams again in different situations, but he was constant.
And thinking about him hurt. Callia already wished for a night companion, and thinking about the one she truly craved didn't help any.
She wasn't really being true to herself, or fair to anyone else. She had someone who loved her. It just wasn't enough.
Callia didn't have many friends. But she was proud of this fact. She didn't want anybody else in her life. In her opinion, they weren't worth it. There was no point in staying friends with people you can't connect with. That was like continuously eating broccoli, hoping your taste-buds would change so you could enjoy it. She did, however, have one friend. Who was more than a friend.
She frowned sourly at the thought, but he interupted her reverie.
The sunlight glinted off his white-blond hair, and his dark eyes sparkled. "Hey." He smiled and shook his head, sitting on the bench beside her wrapping an arm around her. She felt comforted by the touch, but there was no...magic. Nothing there. It was like was she felt for Lucine, only more, um, not so much like a sibling. She liked him, but not like...Callia didn't want to think about him.
"Hi, Aldon." She smiled up at him.
He pulled her close and she tucked her head in the crook of his neck. She felt guilty about taking comfort from being held by him but she had no where else to go.
"I missed you." Aldon said, and Callia assumed he was going for indifferent but she could feel the sorrow radiating out of him like daggers.
"I missed you, too." She replied back, and she meant it. Just this small embrace made up for the time they'd been away from each other, though. It had been winter break and she spent her two weeks with her dad. He lived about five hours away.
Callia felt Aldon gather himself. He picked himself up and laughed. "It's a good day, though. School may be a pain in the ass, but at least it's a nice day."
She nodded, closed her eyes, and rested.
"Callia?" He asked with a smile in his voice. "Hello?"
"Mmm?"
"Are you okay?"
She laughed quietly. "I'm just a bit tired. And you're comfortable. And warm." She nestled in just a bit more to make her point.
Callia felt the silent laughter that shook his body slightly. "Glad to oblige. I'm your handy dandy pillow. I suggest you not fluff me up, though. I don't even want to know how that would work out." He rested his cheek on her head.
A moment later she groaned, "I don't want to go to school."
"Well, it's sort of mandatory, sweetheart. We can't do much about it."
"But do we have to go today?" She lifted her head and caught his gaze beseechingly. "Please, Aldon?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting I skip school with you?"
"Um, yes?"
"I've never skipped before, you know."
She smiled a little. "Neither have I."
"This could go on my permanent record."
Callia layed her head on his shoulder. "Fine, fine." She sighed.
"We could still go if you'd like."
She yawned. "No, it's fine."
"No, really, Callia." He yawned, too. "We could both get some sleep."
"Wanna rest at my place?"
Aldon nodded and grinned. "I'll keep it strictly G-rated."
"Aw, with teddy bear and all?"
"Why do you think that I'm here?" He smiled warmly and Callia couldn't help but returning it.
"Let's go, then!" She said excitedly. Aldon stood and knelt down.
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Get on." He demanded.
Callia rolled her eyes.
"No, seriously. Piggyback ride for the lady."
"I didn't think that you'd take G-rated this far."
Aldon snorted and picked her up when she didn't move.
Callia woke up later, dazed, and glanced around her large room for Aldon. She finally noticed that she was wrapped in his arms and she snuggled closer to him.
"Awake?" Aldon asked, voice groggy with sleep.
"Nah, not yet." She replied and wrapped her arms around him.
"Mmm, I'm fine with that." Callia looked up at his grin and kissed him gently on the lips before resting her cheek on his throat.
She felt so comfortable and normal there. It didn't feel awkward with Aldon. It was like wrapping yourself up in a blanket and hiding there, hoping no one will find you. That was how she felt with him.
He ran his fingers up her spine and down, repeatedly and she found the motion oddly soothing.
Aldon chortled about something he was thinking. "I wanna be your vampire, Callia."
She laughed and smacked his head lightly. "What are you talking about, psycho? Been reading my diary?" Callia was only half-kidding.
"Only if you say it's cool. But, no, if vampires are real--and hell, they could be--I'd become one for you just for your strange fascination."
"That's so sweet, Aldon. You'd become a bloodsucking monster just to tickle my fancy?" She played with his curly light hair. "Aldon, you're a human. I honestly can't imagine you anyway else."
"Fuck that. I'd be a badass vampire, roaming the streets, snapping my fingers, I'll get a gang, slicked back hair, leather jackets, the whole shebang." Aldon laughed. "Or maybe just a badass vampire. There's no need to add sixties culture to the mix."
"Oh my god, that decade must have been a nightmare for the--supposed--vampires." Callia laughed with him.
"For the humans, too." He stretched a little and scooched away to observe Callia. He blushed and layed back down, gathering her back into his arms.
She smiled. "What?"
"Hmm?"
"What were you thinking just now?"
"Oh, nothing." Aldon said, voice all cool and breezy.
"No, tell me. Please?"
He sighed. "You can't always get whatever you want with a pretty face."
Callia pulled away and pouted. "But it works with you. That's all that matters, right?"
He appraised her again. "I was thinking about how you'd look. You know, as a vampire."
She sat up and spread her arms wide, turning as to give him different angles. "What did ya think?"
Aldon grinned. "Beautiful. Painfully beautiful. You already are."
Slowly, so slowly she didn't even notice, she dropped her arms and cocked her head to the side. Their relationship was like that. They were playful all the time but Aldon liked to be serious sometimes too. Whenever he did, her stomach felt all fluttery like butterflies were wreaking havoc in there.
He moved over to her and kissed her. Not taking anything further. He didn't do that. Aldon liked it so Callia was the one who took things a step forward and on this particular evening, she did. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down over her, the feel of his mouth on hers was warm and soft and he always tasted sweet. She could taste his sugar-sweet breath and somewhat minty lips--probably from brushing his teeth this morning.
They pulled away from each other. Aldon layed down next to her, and smiled.
She smiled back. "Thank you for saying that I'm beautiful."
"You forgot painfully."
Callia frowned. "Pain isn't a good thing."
"Ah, that's where I beg to differ. Do you ever feel sad for something but enjoy it anyway?" He asked.
She nodded.
"Well, that's sort of how I feel around you. Like, knowing that I'm really unworthy of being in your presense but I indulge anyway."
Callia grimaced. He wasn't unworthy. It was the other was around. But she didn't want to tell him that. She wanted him at least semi-happy.
Instead, she gave him a shy smile. "You're worthy." Callia held out her arms to him. "But am I worthy of a hug?"
He tucked her in the bed together with him and they talked a little more, kissed a little more before falling asleep again.
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Balandria says: Enjoy it? Wish you were a monkey so you could throw crap at my fanfic? Tell me about it and I might make Aldon do the chicken dance. Yes, readers, just for you. =Þ
By the way, if any of you have noticed that my author's notes wasn't here before, then you are sharp. I thought that it might be necessary to put a disclaimer so nobody sues the Balandria and so that my readers know that--wow!--Balandria really isn't some creepy robot with an interest in human-vampire relations. 'Nuff said.
