Save Before You Quit
By: Komo Pineconeseed
Disclaimer: The Den of Shadows (In the Forests of the Night and Demon in My View) belong to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes and her publishers. Story title belongs to whomever named the ripped Silent Hill 3 Unreleased Tracks.
Summary: Jessica's life with Aubrey shortly after her change in Demon in My View. Risika, Jager, Kaei, Dominique, and Caryn make cameos.
Warnings: Aubrey/Jessica. Segments are mostly, but not completely, in chronological order. I'll try and remain true to the canon established in ItFotN and DiMV as much as possible. I know AHAR has a much more extensive mythos both online and in her newer books, but if it didn't appear in the first two books, it won't be appearing here. I also go into some detail about the editing process when it comes to publishing novels, something I have no experience in, so if you find something odd, tell me, and I'll change it.
Rating: T for Possible Language, Violence, Romance/Sexuality, and Alcohol.
Genre: Slice-of-Life/General/Romance/Action
3:13 AM, September 13, 2000
Aubrey's House, Edge of New Mayhem, New York
"I want to retrieve my manuscripts and floppy disks," Jessica said suddenly during her heated make-out session with Aubrey. She hadn't given it much thought when she voiced it, but Aubrey raised his eyebrows at her announcement. He moved his body so he was no longer completely on top of her to see her face better, and by doing so, lightly scratched her collarbone with the spiked dog collar he frequently wore.
"You want to retrieve your manuscripts and your what?"
Jessica sighed. Especially after writing Dark Flame, she should have known that Aubrey wouldn't have a complete grasp of modern technology. He was nearly three thousand years old, so she should cut him some slack, but especially after he successfully infiltrated Ramsa High to look for her, she had thought he would have some grasp on how modern technology worked.
"Floppy disks. They're small pieces of plastic that save information." Her explanation did little to ease the confusion in Aubrey—that much was obvious from looking at his facial expressions. "I have pretty much all my manuscripts saved on them. I wanted to get them so that I could have a copy of what I've written before. And also because I don't want Dominique Vida getting her grubby little hands on them."
After Anne, Jessica's adoptive mother, was killed, Dominique had ordered Caryn and Hasana to retrieve Jessica's things from the Allodola house. This included the floppy disks, the manuscripts, and Jessica's laptop. After Jessica had been changed, Caryn had Aubrey bring the laptop back to his house, but the floppy disks and manuscripts remained in the witches' possession. They had thousands of years of love, hate, pleasure, and pain of her vampires on them. Well, over the past hundred hours, she learned that they weren't exactly her vampires anymore, but the sentiment was still the same. If there was one person who should use that information to blackmail or threaten the vampires whose lives she recorded, that person was going to be her, dammit, and not Dominique Vida.
"In other words, Dominique Vida and her little clan of witches will be guarding them," Aubrey paused and smiled lazily at Jessica. "You've been a vampire for less than half a day, and you already want to take on the deadliest vampire hunter?" Aubrey wolf-whistled at Jessica. She responded by pulling him back down and captured his lips with her own.
6:05 AM, September 13, 2000
The Smokes' House, Ramsa, New York
It had seemed like a simple plan when she was making out with Aubrey. Appear in the Smokes' house, grab the stuff, and then appear back in Aubrey's house. But apparently after Caryn returned home, Dominique had increased the strength of the magical wards around the house so vampires couldn't appear directly inside the house anymore. Add the fact that she didn't know exactly where the stuff was, if it was all together, if it had been read…
All of the anesthesia in Aubrey's saliva that she had swallowed must have addled her brain.
Of course, she would never obtain her lost information if she just stood outside the witches' stronghold, looking like an idiot. While Jessica had never been an angel in life, she had no experience breaking and entering.
The doors would be locked more securely than the windows, Jessica reasoned. She transformed into an owl with some difficulty due to pressure from the wards, but she managed to fly to a second story window. Transforming back, she barely had time to grasp onto the gutter of the house. The magic infused onto the glass simultaneously burned and froze her fingers as she tried to pry the window open. Luckily for her, while Dominique had acquired a decent house for the Smoke witches, the house was old, so the locks on the windows were rusty. After some jiggling, Jessica got the window open. She sucked on her hurt fingers to numb the pain, and she could feel the pressure of the witches' magic as it tried to latch onto Jessica's aura to push her out. Had Jessica been from one of the weaker vampiric lines, it would have succeeded.
After she climbed through the newly opened window, the fledgling found herself in the room that the Smoke witches had very temporarily given to her. When she left, the floppy disks and manuscripts had been on the desk right next to the door, but they were obviously no longer there. Jessica closed her eyes and tried to smell her own human scent. It difficult with Dominique's ward washing over her body with electric fervor, but Jessica managed to pick up her own scent in a room across the hall. She reached over, grasped the doorknob, and winced when it made a sharp creaking sound. She transformed an owl with great difficulty and flew over the floorboards. While flying into the next room, she saw something that answered a question she had since she broke into the house.
How the hell had none of the witches living in the house noticed her? The fact that they should have felt their magical ward being breeched, the presence of a vampiric aura (dampened, but still present), and the creaking sounds of the floorboards and doors should have alerted them to her presence, but nobody had shown up.
And now she knew the answer to that question. Despite the relatively large number of witches, they were all concentrated in a meeting of some sort. Judging from Caryn's location away from the rest of the witches, the frown on Hasana's face, and the crease between Dominique's eyebrows, they were deciding Caryn's fate. Her punishment for saving Jessica's life, working with Aubrey, and letting Jessica become a vampire.
Jessica didn't give Caryn's fate a second thought. Even though she was grateful that Caryn saved her life, Jessica found Caryn to be too soft, too whiny, and too clingy. Furthermore, even if Jessica were to somehow step into Caryn's life again, the fledgling would only make things more difficult.
The black-haired vampire landed in the room with her floppy disks and manuscripts and hopped over to where they were hidden. Judging from the number of large brown envelopes and disks, everything seemed to be there. She let go of her transformation and quickly grabbed everything. Jessica had only then fully grasped how much information she managed she record as she shoved six floppy disks in between her teeth. It was then that she saw something that made her blood run cold, metaphorically speaking.
It was a ripped computer's power cord. Now that she thought about it, Aubrey never gave her the power cord. Jessica took a closer look at it. Just as she suspected, it was hers since it still bore the stupid rabbit sticker Anne had put onto the adapter box.
Jessica was pissed. Why the hell had they destroyed the power cord to her computer? Incensed, she opened the window with a load bang.
"What was that?" The sharp tone of Dominique Vida's voice echoed up the stairs and into the room.
Realizing she had only a fraction of a second before the witches found her upstairs, Jessica grabbed all of her manuscripts and jumped out of the window. Behind her, she could hear the witches' footsteps as they raced up the stairs. But by that time, the vampire had already slipped past the ward and disappeared.
She reappeared just outside of Aubrey's house at the edge of New Mayhem. As it was nearing dawn, Jessica was surprised Aubrey was up and about. He was speaking with one of the humans blood-bonded to him, and it was clear that Aubrey was amused at whatever he was being told. Jessica only caught the tail-end of the conversation ("Go and tell Jager," commanded Aubrey) before the human left.
He turned his attention to Jessica and then glanced at the items she held in her hands.
"Those are it, I take it?"
"Hmm," Jessica replied thoughtlessly, mouth full of floppies. She walked into the house, and set everything on the living room table. "I have everything. To my knowledge, the envelopes should contain all the manuscripts and my contracts."
Aubrey smirked as he reached toward an envelope and pulled out the contents. "May I read this?" Jessica caught sight of playful impishness in his gaze and acquiesced. As Aubrey turned his attention to the words on the page, Jessica wrapped her arms around him.
"You know," she began, "you really should proofread for me."
Their eyes met: Jessica's gaze insistent and Aubrey's duty-shirking.
"I'm serious, Aubrey. I need someone who's well-versed with vampiric politics. My editor can't catch all my mistakes, so I usually need to wait long periods of time between editing to make sure I get everything."
Aubrey gave a noncommittal shrug. Jessica poked his ribs.
"Fine! I'll think about it," Aubrey eventually said.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Jessica responded. She snuggled up to him while he started to read, smirking mischievously the whole time.
11:34 PM, September 13, 2000
Ambrosia, New York, New York
It was the first time Risika returned to Ambrosia ever since she met the vampire that managed to take a small bite of her twin brother.
Alexander…
Even though years had passed since the incident, Risika still couldn't shake off the way Alexander had looked at her: disappointment, disapproval, and disgust. Risika had walked the fine line between monster and human for so long, and to see Alexander's disapproval...
But that was years ago. Risika had done all she could to shield her golden brother from the world of darkness, and Alexander hadn't sought her out since. For that, the vampire was grateful.
Now was the not the time for musings, however. She had company coming. Risika didn't even bat an eyelash when Jager sat down next to her.
"Risika."
"Good evening, Jager."
"I'll spare the pleasantries. I'm here to claim that bit of territory you just lost."
Risika frowned. "What do you mean?"
Jager chuckled, amused by the look on Risika's face.
"You lost the bet, Risika. Aubrey didn't kill Ash Night." Jager continued when Risika didn't answer, "The territory in question is the western half of Boston, correct?"
"Wait, what do you mean he didn't kill Ash Night?"
"Ash Night is as alive as you and I, Risika," his face was schooled in the calmness typically found on a vampire of Silver's line.
"He changed Ash Night!?" Risika, on the other hand, was completely shocked and seemed to see no point in disguising it. "Are we speaking of the same Aubrey?"
Jager smiled a cat's smile, one that showed off teeth in a lazy and condescending manner. "You made a similar comment when I said you were stronger than he."
Risika frowned. "You will have to forgive me, but I do not believe you."
"Jessica Allodola. That is Ash Night's real name. You would probably find her feeding somewhere within Aubrey's territory."
"What? He's letting her feed on his land!?"
"Yes. Now, don't be so difficult. The territory has that reservation located at the center, right?"
"Don't change the subject, Jager, we're talking about Aubrey. That bastard is as territorial as they come! Sure, he changed her, but why would he let a vampire of Silver's bloodline hunt on his territory?"
Jager rolled his eyes and gave out a little sigh. Risika, it seemed, could not wrap her little brain around the obvious conclusion.
"It's because he's in love."
"What?"
"Aubrey is—"
"Yes, Jager, I heard you the first time. And now I am positive we are speaking of different Aubreys. The Aubrey that I have known since my change scoffed at the notion of love. He probably changed Ash Night to spite her."
"Yes, well, the Aubrey that scoffed at the notion of love has fallen in love with a human, changed her, and is now letting her feed on his territory. Can I have the land, now?"
"Just a moment," Risika stared at Jager, "this I have to see for myself. And until I have confirmed that Aubrey did not kill Ash Night, stay out of my territory."
And with that, Risika left.
2:34 AM, September 15, 2000
Aubrey's House, Edge of New Mayhem, New York
It had been the first time Jessica had sat down to write since she got her laptop back, and her writer's block was starting to drive her insane. The dream-like bubble she typically entered to write would simply not appear, and Jessica was certain it would never come back. She turned off the laptop, frustrated. She hadn't replaced her power cord, and it was pointless just having the laptop on if she wasn't being productive.
Jessica groaned as she leaned forward and rested the side of her face against the desk. Being in Silver's line gave her powerful mental shields. While they would be useful in a fight, those same shields separated her own unconscious from Siete's. Now that Aubrey changed her, the bubble where manuscripts churned themselves out would never form again. She seriously had to work on her writing flow so it won't seem forced. Thankfully for Jessica, she now had a second set of eyes.
As if summoned by her thoughts, Aubrey appeared. His pale skin was flushed from feeding, and he immediate pulled Jessica into his embrace. He started licking the shell of Jessica's ear. She giggled and punched him. He flipped her around so they were pressed chest-to-chest, but Jessica was the one who pulled his head down. She shuddered when their lips touched and moaned when his tongue traced her canines.
Careful. Those are sharp.
Aubrey apparently heard her mental warning and moved his lips down her throat. Jessica mewled. Aubrey smirked and licked up the slender column of her neck. Jessica's submission was intoxicating. In his nearly three thousand year existence, no vampire with her strength willingly pressed his or her neck against his fangs. He slid his right hand upwards from around her waist and cupped her breast.
Jessica smiled. She could feel the beginnings of his erection pressed against her stomach. She let Aubrey fool around for a while before she snaked her hand around it. It was so much fun getting him… worked up.
Jessica, your bad puns are ruining the moment.
Jessica snorted as Aubrey pushed her on a bed, but she was soon distracted from her amusement when Aubrey displayed a talent of his he hadn't used since his days as a human.
…A while later, they laid side-by-side, both satiated. Jessica was playing with one of Aubrey's hands while his other hand was playing with her hair. He broke the companionable silence.
"So, is anything the matter? You seemed stressed when I came back."
Jessica smiled. "It's nothing. Just a bad case of writer's block."
Aubrey turned to face Jessica better. He brushed some of her bangs out of her face. "Writer's block?"
"The one down side of your changing me is that I don't, for lack of a better word, dream Siete's thoughts anymore. So I can't get new information to write about. It has seriously dampened my inspiration."
Aubrey sat up quickly, and turned his full attention to the conversation. "What do you mean?"
Jessica smirked and pulled him back down towards her. "Why are you so curious all of a sudden?"
Aubrey glared at her. "Now that you've reminded me, I have questions I would like to have answered. Where does your information come from? I've read Dark Flame. You got every point of my past correct, down to the last detail. How?"
"It's a long story."
Aubrey leaned down; his lips just barely brushed against hers. "I have time."
"Alright then," Jessica smiled, "The story begins with a woman named Jazlyn Raisa. She was everything you would expect of a classic housewife. Young, beautiful, and married to the love of her life. The only difference between Jazlyn and other housewives was she had a special friend. You've heard of him. Green-eyed, black-haired Siete.
"Siete had known Jazlyn for years and frequently offered to change her. Jazlyn refused, of course. She wanted her human life. But one day, her husband Carl was killed by a drunk driver, and a week later, she found out she was pregnant with his child.
"It would have been difficult for her to remain human, I guess. She would have had to remarry quickly to provide for her daughter during those days. And I guess she was too enamored with Carl. So, she agreed to be changed."
Aubrey interrupted her, "I've heard of Jazlyn. A weak human who became a weak vampire. Despite being a direct fledgling of Siete's, none of our line or any of the others respected her. Fala complained about her; how Siete spent so much of his time protecting a vampire with a prey-like mindset. The irony was amusing."
"Fala would complain," Jessica snorted.
"So, Jazlyn was changed. I also heard rumors about her being changed back into a human. I didn't think much of it at the time, but from the sounds of things, the story is more interesting than just that."
"Yes. As the years passed, Jazlyn couldn't let go of her human life. She kept returning to Carl's grave to grieve. And then one day, she ran into a witch. Monica Smoke, Caryn's aunt. Monica offered to turn her back into a human. She accepted, and she became a pregnant, living woman again.
"Jazlyn gave birth to a baby girl. She originally wanted to keep the child, the symbol of her loving relationship with Carl, but the girl in question had green eyes and black hair. She looked nothing like Jazlyn or Carl. I guess, being in Jazlyn's womb, sustained only by Siete's blood made the girl mostly his child. And Jazlyn wanted for forget that past.
"So, she put the girl up for adoption. But adoption didn't break the girl's connection with Siete. As she grew older and moved to Ramsa with her mother, she started sharing his thoughts in her half-asleep moments. And through his thoughts, she learned about the lives of the vampires he created."
Aubrey finished the story. "The girl didn't realize those vampires were actually real and thought they were just figments of her imagination. That's why she was so eager to publish stories about them." He sighed. "Well, that explains why your mind was blocked from my influence and why you wouldn't be caught in my gaze."
"What?" Jessica smiled, "When did you try to influence me?"
"When that pathetic little girl was coming onto me. I caught your eye, and that's when I tried. I was surprised when I couldn't give you a command."
"Is that why you looked away? I thought you were choosing her over me. I was a little jealous, truth be told."
Aubrey answered her with a kiss which Jessica returned enthusiastically.
11:00 AM, September 15, 2000
Ramsa Town Hall, Ramsa, New York
Jessica found the letter addressed to her when she was searching through the Allodola house for cash for her power cord. At first, Jessica disregarded the letter sent through the mortals' system, but out of curiosity, she looked closer. It was a summon to the court house, where she would be discussing about her inheritance with a lawyer working for the district. Despite being Anne's adopted daughter, there was no problem, but she had to fill out paperwork to inherent the house and to pay state and federal taxes.
To be honest, Jessica was simply surprised that the state responded so quickly following her adoptive mother's passing.
She arrived to the courthouse at the appointed time and watched as people instinctively shied away from her in the exact same manner as when she was human. Jessica then reached into the minds of the humans in her vicinity, and suppressed their anxiety. The humans' shoulders relaxed, and their breathing calmed.
"Miss Jessica Allodola?" A young blond man read her name from a list. His tone was light.
"I'm here," Jessica smiled at him. His reply was equally jovial as he gave her his name and title. It was the first time a human greeted her warmly, and Jessica liked the control she had over him.
"If you would just follow me."
They walked down through a set of double doors and down the hall. The hallway only had three doors leading from it, and they entered the one at the end. The small office they entered had a desk and a few comfortable chairs. The man gestured for her to sit and took a seat on the other side of the desk.
"There're no problems with your inheritance, Miss. We're just here to fill in the paperwork. If I may have two government issued ID's and proof of your current address?"
Jessica produced the required items, and they set out of fill the basics of paperwork.
"Since, you're only 17-years-old, it's probably best for you to choose a guardian until you're eighteen…"
The vampire snorted. This simply would not do.
"…but perhaps it would be better for you to become an emancipated minor?"
And so, the meeting proceeded with little conflict. Jessica decided that she was going to sell the house. She had no reason to stay in Ramsa. The only human Jessica ever loved was killed, and the house would be a clear reminder of that and the mortal days where writing was Jessica's only joy in the world.
As she left the town hall, however, Jessica started wondering where she was going to stay. She could be like the majority of Silver's line and acquire a room at the back of Las Noches. She quickly discarded that idea. A room at the back of the nightclub naturally meant it would still be in the building. While Las Noches sound-proofs its walls well, the music would still seep in, and while Jessica cared little about their music selection, she wanted complete control of her music while writing.
This still didn't answer the question of where she should stay. She was temporarily living in Aubrey's house, sleeping in the same bed as him, but how long would that last? She was also feeding on Aubrey's territory, but should she establish her own? Jessica wanted her own land, but at the same time, she wondered. Would creating her own territory distance her from Aubrey? Perhaps she should ask him.
A respectable distance from the town hall, Jessica ducked into an alleyway. She could see some pedestrians on either end, but nobody would notice her. She made sure of that. Like a shadow, she flicked out of existence.
She reappeared in Aubrey's bedroom. Aubrey himself was lying in his bed, sleeping dreamlessly. Jessica could sense that he woke up momentarily when he sensed someone's presence, but he fell back asleep upon realizing it was just her.
Jessica smiled as she crawled next to him and fell unconscious as well. She could ask him later.
11:36 PM, September 13, 2000
Risika's house, Concord, Massachusetts
It was just a few moments after Risika left her impromptu meeting with Jager in Ambrosia, but the full implications of what he said finally settled in her mind as she sat on her bed.
Aubrey changed Ash Night. Ash Night's real name is Jessica Allodola. Jessica.
Aubrey changed Jessica. Risika remembered Jessica, the pre-teen writer who stayed in the house across her own. She remembered sensing Jessica in Concord for only a weekend, but Risika wouldn't forget her. Shortly after her arrival, Risika had sensed a darkness in the human's aura, and out of sheer boredom, Risika decided to probe Jessica's mind. It was much more difficult than expected, but when she finally succeeded, she was surprised to find a vampire story. Normally, Risika wouldn't have given a vampire story a second thought, but the story talked about siblings named Nissa, Christopher, and Nicholas. What shocked Risika was that there were three vampires named such in Kendra's line. Risika continued to watch Jessica, wondering if it was a coincidence. What she found was accurate and detailed understanding of vampire physiology and politics.
Risika always remembered Jessica fondly. She discovered the child days before her victory against Aubrey, and shortly after winning, Risika entertained the thought of visiting Jessica to ask for a commission.
Besides seeing the fact that Aubrey changed the vampire author with her own eyes, Risika now had another reason to seek out Jessica.
She would ask for a commission this time.
8:47 PM, September 17, 2000
Best Buy, New York, New York
Jessica couldn't help but laugh at Aubrey's expression when she dragged him into Best Buy. She knew that he felt only contempt for anything mortal, and showed an apathetic face at best, but even he couldn't completely hide his bewilderment. It wasn't just the sight of human electronics that would through him for a loop. No, it was the smell. The slightly burned acrid scent of the rubber and the sharp tang of the metallic wiring was an odd combination for an ancient vampire, and Jessica was certain the laptops held precious metals that Aubrey rarely ran across.
The atmosphere would equally throw a vampire off. An electronics store didn't have the life of a regular mortal business or the sin of human bars and strip clubs. It was an odd mixture of humanity, transience, and the dead weight of the earth.
Jessica felt it was important to introduce Aubrey to the one of the few aspects of the mortal world she refused to let go: technology. What happened if something was destroyed? Jessica could probably fetch the parts herself, but just in case she couldn't, she wanted the one person she trusted to know how to maintain her life's work. Caught in her musing, she happened to glance up at a security camera. Jessica remembered something she wanted to ask.
"I have a question," she started, "vampires lose their reflections as they age."
Aubrey nodded, prompting her to continue.
"Would our images be captured on cameras?"
"Yes."
They walked around the store in silence as Jessica managed to find a power cord that would fit her computer and paid for it.
While her question about vampiric presence in photos and videos was something she was legitimately curious about, it didn't hit the big question. While the two of them reappeared in Aubrey's house, Jessica felt compelled to ask the question that was really nagging her.
"Where do I stand in your life?"
Aubrey went to lounge on a sofa and lifted a questioning eyebrow in response to her question.
"I don't suppose I'll stay with you for the rest of eternity," Jessica elaborated.
Aubrey frowned. "Are you breaking up with me?"
"No!" Jessica replied as she sat down next to him. "It's just… I can't mooch off of you forever!"
"I suppose not," Aubrey said, "but I didn't expect you wanting to leave so soon."
"I don't."
"Then what's the problem?"
Jessica sighed. "I think it'd be best if we talked about it now. I don't want an unspoken agreement that we don't actually agree on. I've been sleeping here and feeding in your territory, and I know you haven't done anything like this before, and other vampires would usually take this as a sign of submission and weakness—"
He silenced her with a kiss. It was a short but intense, much like their first.
"Is that what you're worried about? Since you know so much," Aubrey spoke, his lips brushing up against hers again, "You would know already that vampires who change their fledglings out of, for lack of a better word, love, usually keep said fledglings around. What I'm doing isn't a shock to anyone. I know that Jager, Fala, and Moira have all done this before."
She sighed as she snuggled next to him. "I'll sleep here with you," she smiled at him, "but I still think I should establish my own territory."
"Alright. If you want, you can start one at an edge of mine. The important question is, would I be allowed to hunt in it?" he teased.
Jessica squinted at him. "Only if you've been good."
Aubrey laughed. He caught his lips with hers, which lead to groping, which lead to other, more carnal activities.
2:05 AM, September 18, 2000
Las Noches, New Mayhem, New York
Aubrey may have said what he was doing wasn't a shock to anyone, but that was false. Risika was an excellent example of someone who was a tad confused. She was sure, however, that meeting up with Jessica would bring sense back to the world.
Risika had been looking for Jessica earlier, but she was not in New Mayhem proper most of the time. Risika was certain that, had she been willing to enter Aubrey's territory, she would have found the fledgling, but the tiger-striped vampire still avoided Aubrey like bad blood even though she didn't fear him any longer.
When Risika pushed open the door to Las Noches, she was hit immediately with the sight of young fledglings moving and grinding against one another. The mirrors that had been shattered in her fight with Aubrey still covered the four walls. A quick scan around the room told her that Aubrey was not there, which strengthened Risika's desire to stay in the night club to search for the author.
When she finally located Jessica, Risika was shocked.
The Jessica Risika remembered was a human preteen. Talented at writing, shy, and withdrawn, Jessica seemed to welcome loneliness like an old friend. If Risika hadn't familiarized herself with Jessica's aura when keeping an eye on her during that weekend, she never would have guessed this young black-haired temptress was Ash Night.
Firstly, Jessica had grown up. Risika knew Jessica wasn't going to be thirteen forever, but since that was the only age Risika saw her at, and that was the age Ash Night stayed in Risika's mind.
Secondly, Jessica was powerful, much more powerful than an average week-old vampire. A good portion of that power could be chalked up to the fact that she was a part of Silver's line, but vampires from their line usually only obtained power when they fought during their change. Jessica seemed a little too content with being a vampire for that to be the case. Of course, another power boost could be from her mysterious connections with the vampiric world as a human.
Thirdly, Jessica was conversing animatedly with Kaei, the ebony-eyed bartender. It was far friendlier than how Risika would have guessed how she interacted given her personality during that brief moment in Concord.
Still, Risika was immensely pleased that the person she was looking for finally showed up in Las Noches. Aubrey's absence was a bonus.
The older vampiress strode to the counter and plopped down right next to ebony-haired one.
Jessica's eyes widened when she realized who was sitting next to her. Risika. Jessica knew she would run into other vampires besides Aubrey and Fala following her change, but she didn't imagine meeting Risika before someone like Jager. After all, Risika wasn't known for leaving Concord.
Risika's voice broke her musing. "I remember you. Although, I'm not sure if you recognize me."
Jessica replied simply, "Of course I recognize you, Risika."
Risika smiled. "No, not from whatever lies Aubrey must have told you. Do you not recognize me, your old neighbor from across the street?"
Frowning, Jessica tried to remember her short stay in Concord. Anne went to visit one of her old college friends, but Jessica was not impressed by gossiping older women. She didn't write the whole entire time she was in her room, but she only looked out the window once or twice.
"I don't blame you for not remembering me. You only looked in my direction a handful of times," Risika explained simply and then changed topics. "I've always found you to be interesting. A human girl with knowledge of vampires. Where did the knowledge come from? How accurate is it? I was even planning on asking you during your stay in my town. However, during that time, Aubrey decided to be a pain in the neck, and well, you slipped my mind. So, I came today to ask you, where did you learn your secrets?"
A mysterious smile graced Jessica's lips. "That, my dear Risika, is a secret. As for how accurate it is, well, none of the vampires that have read Dark Flame have complained about inaccuracies of the events."
"Yes, well, I haven't spoken with any of them. I was hoping to get information from the source. How about this, then? Write a book about me, and then I can judge whether or not your knowledge is accurate."
Jessica laughed. Never would she have imagined that she would be sitting in Las Noches with Risika, talking about Tiger, Tiger. "Too late," she replied.
"Too late? Meaning?"
"Meaning I have written a book about you. My first published novel, Tiger, Tiger. It was just released two weeks ago under my pen name Ash Night. All the major bookstores should carry it. I'd imagine you'd like it, Risika. It contains, ah, spoiler alert, you fighting and defeating Aubrey."
"Spoiler alert," Risika smiled and rolled her eyes. She then frowned. "Tiger, Tiger? This book doesn't include Tora by any chance, does it?"
"Tora was a key factor in your decision in fighting Aubrey. Of course she would be included," Jessica said stone-faced.
"Ash Night," Risika growled, "You had no right to include her."
"Perhaps not. But, think about it this way, Risika. Now, nobody will forget about Tora. She will live on in the hearts of the humans who love the book. Isn't this what you want? Aren't you trying to keep her memory alive with your hair?"
Risika glared and crossed her arms. Her gold and black stripped hair danced around her as she shifted her attention to the drinks in the bar. She did not pick one, however.
Jessica decided to change the subject. While Jessica did not fear Risika, she'd rather have her as an ally.
"You know, Risika, back when I was a young girl, you were my favorite out of all the vampires I'd written."
The older vampire narrowed her eyes but seemed to accept the subject change. "Really."
"Yes. Your life and struggles were fascinating. Your drift between survival and mere existence was something I empathized with when I was younger. You are an intriguing and beautiful woman, Risika. It's why I published your book first, before even Aubrey's. I realize that Tora is a touchy subject. I apologize if you feel like I have crossed lines I shouldn't have."
Risika's frown deepened. "I never assumed you would be a brown-noser."
"I have my reasons for saying what I said." Reasons such as Risika having power over Aubrey. Reasons such as having her first vampire crush not hate her.
Risika closed her eyes while Jessica fetched a drink from the bar. It was unlabeled, but Jessica drank straight from the bottle. The tension between the two women eased a little.
But then Aubrey made an appearance. His hair was tousled, his clothing rumpled, and his aura was chaotically malevolent.
Risika's head snapped up as she met his gaze. The air around the two crackled ominously, and Jessica was watching both with narrowed eyes. It was the first time they met since Aubrey's defeat.
"Risika."
"Aubrey." While the tones were curt, it was the most cordial greeting either of them had ever exchanged.
Risika could feel how delicate Aubrey's mental shields were to her. Having a good sense of what he was thinking made Aubrey much less imposing. What surprised her wasn't something she picked up from his mind, but how he held himself. Something about Aubrey made him seem more emotional. Risika wasn't sure if this made his more or less dangerous.
"Jessica," Aubrey called out, turning his attention away from Risika, "Where have you been?" His light and airy tone was completely alien.
"Why? Were you looking for me?" Jessica giggled and brought her bottle to Aubrey's lips. He smirked, and took a swig.
Damn both of them to hell, they were flirting right in front of her. Risika sighed. This couldn't be happening, although throughout her three-hundred year existence, she wasn't aware vampires could hallucinate. Maybe it was time for her to return home before Aubrey decided to act even more out of character.
"Ash Night, I'm leaving. Thank you for such an interesting conversation."
Ash Night broke eye contact with Aubrey and smiled at Risika. "You're welcome. It was a pleasure meeting you, Risika," she said sweetly. "Expect me to stop by your place sometime soon. I have a present."
Risika reappeared outside her front door. Jessica's taste in men left much to be desired, but Aubrey's glare before she disappeared was worth it.
2:08 AM, September 18, 2000
Outside Café Sangra, New York, New York
Aubrey let out a soft sigh as he dropped the lifeless body to the ground with a thud. He licked his bottom lip clean of blood, and checked his clothing for any spots he might have missed. Pleased with his cleanliness, he darkened the aura around himself to discourage any human interruptions and burned the body.
Perhaps it was due to his recent energy transfer to Caryn, but Aubrey found himself feeding more frequently lately. He hoped this would not be a permanent occurrence. In the past, hunting more often may had been a welcome change, but Aubrey had other ways to let out his energy now.
Speaking of his new fledgling… He wasn't sure what it was about her that attracted him so. He normally would have moved onto a new plaything by now, but something about Jessica Allodola, be it her beauty, her darkness, her secrets, her fearlessness, or her power was simply addicting.
And like any addict, Aubrey found himself craving another hit.
He turned to leave and find her when he felt an unpleasant aura behind him. It had the distinct flavor of a witch.
He turned again, and sure enough, Dominique Vida was lunging at him with her knife drawn and a wild look in her eyes. He twisted down and out of the way, but Dominique seemed to have anticipated his move as she spun on her heel and changed her knife's trajectory into a downward slash. Aubrey took advantage of the second it took for her to move, and grappled her attacking arm into a tight grip. Pulling her towards him, he hooked his leg around hers, and widened his stance. The vampire and witch locked eyes, as their auras collided like battering rams. Power sparked down Aubrey's spine as he smirked.
"Dominique. What an unpleasant surprise."
"Let go of my arm, leech."
The blonde witch moved forward, using Aubrey as support as she broke out of his lock, landed a meter away before pivoting and aiming a high kick at his head. Aubrey could tell she was wearing steel-toed boots when her foot connected, and he was knocked back. The blonde advanced forward, but in her rush to take advantage of her physical victory, the vampire found a weakness in her mental shield, and he sent a bolt of power as his back hit the ground. The witch was knocked against the brick wall, and by the time she regained her balance, the immortal was back on his feet and throwing another bolt of power in her direction. Dominique hit the wall again, collapsed on the ground, and did not stand.
Aubrey narrowed his eyes at her fallen form. Years earlier, he might had been cocky enough to saunter forward and taunt her, but his loss to Risika taught him never to turn his back on enemies that appear defeated. Instead, he clamped his aura onto hers, searching for a guaranteed weak point. Dominique seemed to put more effort into shielding however, but a witch's power was limited, so when her eyes snapped open and she slashed again at him, her movement was slower than normal. Aubrey easily jumped out of her attack range, transformed into a black wolf, and lunged at her. She fell to the ground. With his new position on top of her, he continuously bit and shredded her clothing and skin with his claws.
A sudden power on his right side forced him off of her and flung him into a brick wall. He dropped his transformation. Damn that witch, she remembered he had a vampire hunter's knife and had used its magic against him.
The witch staggered back onto her feet and clasped her tattered, bleeding clothing around her. With her injuries and exhaustion, Dominique was the weakest she had ever been in a vampire fight, but Aubrey was hesitant to continue when he wasn't sure how she planned to use his knife next.
Drawing the same conclusion, Dominique edged backwards, and when she realized he had no intention of following, she turned tail and fled.
For Aubrey, the fight was simply postponed until he could create a better condition to engage, and then he would challenge her again. Until he had a chance to give his knife to Jessica for safe-keeping, however, he would let her flee.
Thinking about his new fledgling brought a smile to his lips, and he disappeared into the night to find her.
He found her Las Noches, drinking with Risika of all people. For a second, he was thrown off guard, watching his new obsession sitting so casually with that headache of a vampire. He walked over, flirted with Jessica, succeeded in disturbing Risika, and glared at his blood sister before she disappeared.
Aubrey looked at Jessica intently after Risika left. He really wanted to kiss her, but as most of the vampiric patrons were already sneaking discreet glances, having hoped for a show between him and Risika, he decided to wait a while before he gave into his desires. Jessica returned to drinking from the bottle, and he gestured her to share some more with him.
"This is really good. Any idea what it is?"
His fledgling sampled another taste before answering, "I think it's makgeolli."
"What?" Aubrey had never heard of the term before and was fairly sure Jessica had made it up.
"Makgeolli. It's a Korean liquor. I could be wrong though. I tend to get the Asian rice boozes confused."
The two of them finished off the bottle before they returned to Aubrey's house for more fun.
11:00 AM, December 22, 2000
Dell Publishing, New York, New York
Jessica was sitting in the lobby, waiting for her appointment with her editor, an English woman named Jeanne. She was oddly anxious. Prior to her death, her editor was her favorite person because, if nothing else, she understood Jessica's universe the most, and she seemed to be genuine in her desire to help the teen write better. Jeanne also didn't treat Jessica like she was a monster to be feared. In her previous life, the vampire simply assumed the editor was simply a decent person. Now, she knew that when she was in New York, New Mayhem's aura tainted her own less, so humans were simply less afraid.
But this meant Jeanne would be properly frightened of her now. As she should be.
"Sorry for the delay, Jessica. I've been running late all morning after I forgot to pick up the caviar for Christmas that my partner always insists we have. How have you been?"
The vampire smiled as she got up and started walking with Jeanne towards her office. The platinum haired woman seemed to be a friendly as ever, and Jessica didn't even have to influence her mind.
"I've been doing well. I've been trying to write more, but I've been having difficulty getting ideas on paper, so I've been mostly editing my previous manuscripts."
"I'm surprised. You're usually a writing machine. Still, editing is a good way to relax. Plus, I've always found reading can kick start a muse."
A moment of silence passed between the two women as they got onto an elevator. After going up a few levels, they finally reached the office, and after Jeanne unlocked it, they stepped into the room. It was immaculately clean. The editor walked over to her bookshelf and pulled out a binder.
"I've looked at the last copy of the manuscript that you sent me, and I'm very impressed by the changes you made. Aubrey feels like a much rounder character, and you sharpened his dialogue and wit. Well done."
Jessica smiled, but Jeanne wasn't finished.
"I'm also surprised you added an epilogue. Why didn't you end his story when Risika walks into the nightclub like in the previous version?"
"To put it simply, if I hadn't added the dialogue, Aubrey's story would have seem more like a prequel to Risika's story than anything else. I simply wanted him to be able to stand alone."
Jeanne sighed as she pushed her red reading glasses up and over her hairline. Her painted lips pursed as she sighed. "That is true, but now his story feels unbalanced. Ending the book by leading up to the battle in Tiger, Tiger was suspenseful and made more sense thematically. It finished that chapter of Aubrey's life. It would also encourage people to read Tiger, Tiger if they hadn't already."
"I see what you're saying," Jessica replied slowly, trying to find the words to convince her editor. The vampire could simply override her editor's decision by reaching into her mind and planting a suggestion, but the black-haired fledgling didn't want to. It was a matter of pride. "However, as I said earlier, it would make Aubrey seem simply like an obstacle for Risika to overcome, and as he'll likely show up again, I wanted him to be a character who was not simply defined by her."
The editor's grey eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You've fallen in love with Aubrey, haven't you?"
"What!?"
The blonde rolled her eyes. "Don't act so surprised. Authors fall in love with their characters all the time. But whatever you do, you can't let your love of a character dictate a story. You've read that other vampire novel, Twilight, haven't you? Stephenie Meyer's lead vampire, Edward, is a prime example of what happens when an author loves a character too much. Character interactions appear stiff, and the plot heads in directions that is not natural.
"Your fear that Aubrey is simply seen as Risika's villain is unfounded. You spent the whole novel building his character and showing his growth, and she doesn't even appear until the final quarter of the book! And if Aubrey is fated to appear again, then he simply appears again. His involvement in your world is to be expected. Risika didn't kill him, after all. Just remove the epilogue, Jessica. The rest of the novel reads fine, and is ready for the next stage."
The vampire sighed. As usual, her editor's decisions made the most amount of sense, and she eventually acquiesced. The two women then spent some time speaking about stylistic choices, which eventually lead to the topic of choosing a cover. Jeanne was surprised about the turn of the topic.
"Jessica, we've gone over this with your first book. You can make as many suggestions as you want, but ultimately, the artist will choose what the front cover will look like."
"I know that. I simply wanted to speak with him this time. You saw the cover for Tiger, Tiger! It was a complete mess! What were they thinking, blending Risika's and Tora's faces?"
"It wasn't unusual. You made Tora a symbol of Risika, after all."
Jeanne didn't say another word on the matter. She didn't need to, as Jessica had already pulled the information she needed about where to find the artist from the editor's mind.
The two made plans on when to meet again for further planning and launching strategies before they said their goodbyes. Jessica left the office feeling lighthearted. This mood quickly evaporated when she walked through the winding offices and felt a dark presence.
There was a vampire working at the publishing company.
The fledgling quickly followed the aura, and found the owner of the aura. She was an unusually uninteresting creature from one of the weaker lines. She had shoulder length brown hair, pale skin, and a heart-shaped face. Judging from the other vampire's expression upon seeing her, she had no idea who Jessica was, but even she could feel the strength of the author's mind.
"Are you the one who informed the non-human community about my work?" Jessica broke the silence, unimpressed by the older vampire's inaction.
"You're Ash Night." The tone she chose made it obvious that the dark-haired woman was not supposed to hear her.
"Give the lady a prize. Yes, I'm Ash Night. You got a problem with that?"
"You're a vampire? How in the world? Last I checked, you were human! Aubrey was supposed to take care of you!"
Jessica threw her head back and laughed at the inanity of it all. She continued chuckling, but started to feel a trickle of unease running down her spine. Aubrey was supposed to kill her, but he changed her instead. How should she explain this without hurting her lover's status? She stopped her laughter completely and simply frowned. Her aura became darker and bitter.
"Now listen, child," the irony of Jessica's calling the older vampiress a child was not lost, "you're not a stranger to our politics. Let's maintain the status quo. You'll continue editing, and I'll continue writing. Neither of us will interfere with the other, and everyone goes home happy. Capisce?"
The vampiric editor lowered her head and gave a curt nod. Pleased with the response, Jessica turned tail and left the building. She found the nearest shadow and disappeared.
When she reappeared near Aubrey's house, she ran into a surprise. Dominique Vida decided to show up in New Mayhem. She was repressing her aura, and Jessica could sense that Aubrey was still asleep. Obviously, she hadn't gotten close enough to alert him.
What was fun was the witch obviously had not noticed Jessica either. The young fledgling was in a conundrum. Should she ambush the witch? She had the element of surprise on her side, however, she had only been a vampire for three months. Dominique Vida was the most powerful mortal vampire hunter alive. She killed Kala, a vampire of Silver's line with much more experience than her.
But nobody had ever had the advantage of Siete's blood quite like her. It gave her an edge both the power of her mind and the knowledge of Dominique's fighting style.
And Jessica still hadn't forgiven Vida for her taunts regarding her mother's death.
She put all of her strength into a bolt of power and flung it at the witch. The blonde wasn't expecting it, and it blew her into a tree. While Dominique was getting her bearings, Jessica shielded her mind and reappeared behind her.
As expected, Dominique was up and facing where Jessica stood moments ago, and was staring around wildly, trying to find her. Jessica slammed another bolt of power at her, knocking her off her feet again. This time, the older woman was on her feet much more quickly and rushed to Jessica's location. The witch lashed out with her own aura, and it made Jessica's eyes mist from the sheer force. Her veins burned. The witch followed up her mental attack by rushing at her and slashing with her knife. She nearly connected too, but Jessica dodged before transformed into a lynx and dashed further away. The witch bashed at her with her aura, but Jessica was prepared this time, and her shields made quick work of her frontal assault. The witch frowned. Her light hair fanned around her face, making her seem even colder. Despite the hatred in her eyes, Dominique didn't move.
They reached an impasse, and the two women simply stared at each other for half a minute.
The silence was broken when a force sent Vida flying through the air. Jessica sent a lazy glance at the newcomer. "Well, well, well. Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally decided to wake up."
"It's hard to sleep with all this noise." Aubrey was dressed simply. He had black jeans on, a tight shirt that showed off his chest and tattoos, and black leather boots and gloves. Looking at him, Jessica felt overdressed in her dark blazer, suit pants, and one inch heels.
They were distracted from their conversation by a rustle of leaves. Dominique Vida was assessing the situation and quickly realized that she would not win against the two of them. Aubrey, wisely, had not brought his knife to the fight, so the witch's only advantage was also gone.
Jessica looked at her lover, who seemed itching for a match. He threw a bolt at the blonde, but she dodged to right before countering with her own aura as a distraction and running off. Jessica made a move to try and stop her, but a hand on her shoulder ceased her movements instead.
"Let her run."
Jessica spun around, shocked at this unexpected show of mercy from him. "Why?"
"Several reasons. First, if I had forced an engagement, she simply would be defensive the whole time. That's not the sort of blood matches I enjoy. Second, if I had chosen to hunt her down instead, there's no fun when there isn't a challenge, and with the two of us, she would be a complete pushover."
"I wouldn't have gone with you if you didn't want me to."
Aubrey raised a sharp eyebrow and gave her a look. His fledgling didn't need to brush against his mind to know what he was asking. She smiled sheepishly, acknowledging that, yes, if he had chosen to hunt their prey, she probably would have followed regardless of his wishes.
"And finally," the elder vampire said as he walked up to her, pressing their chests together. His head dipped down, whispering in his fledgling's ear, "I'm incredibly horny right now."
The young vampiress moaned as he licked the shell of her ear. Taking her reaction as permission, Aubrey tugged her inside the house. They were rid of their clothing before they even reached his bedroom door.
9:58 PM, December 18, 2001
Strand Bookstore, New York, New York
When the immortal was first turned more than a year ago, she would have laughed in your face if you had told her she would be the vampire most sensitive to the changes in the human world. In general, vampires despised humans and their weakness, and Jessica was no exception. But as it turned out even the vampire world felt the aftereffects of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, although for the older vampires, the new chaos only made it more difficult to feed.
For the fledgling, her book detailing the life of her lover had recently been published. The young author decided to go physically purchase a copy. She had done the same with Tiger, Tiger shortly after her transformation, and she eventually autographed that same copy and mailed it to Risika in Concord. Surprisingly, the blonde vampire responded with a gift of her own, and the two female vampires struck up an unexpected friendship much to Aubrey's dismay.
It started raining as Jessica entered the bookstore and went searching for her newest book. The sight of the cover sent a surge of pride through the black-haired woman. It was much better than Tiger, Tiger's.
As the young vampire paid for her new book and walked out the store, the streets were darker. The crescent moon that had shown in the sky earlier was covered by the storm clouds. Wind was blowing pretty hard, and some of the vampire's hair flown up. Jessica absentmindedly pushed her wet locks down when she sensed a strange nearby aura. It wasn't obvious feeling, but rather in the same wild manner that a wolf feels the presence of a crow. The fledgling wasn't scared—as one of the strongest vampires in the world, there were few creatures that could harm her. So she walked down the street, illuminated by street lights, and slowly became soaked to the bone.
That tingling sensation just would not disappear. It bothered her. It bothered her a great deal, so on a whim, she decided to seek out this presence. Walking rather briskly, she arrived at the lowered gates of a railroad crossing. There was a train slowly edging its way across, and its bright head lights shone down the track. The rain made a loud pitter-patter sound almost completely masked by the train.
As she waited, it started to rain harder.
When the train finally finished crossing, Jessica realized just what, or rather who, it was that brought her there. On the other side of the railroad tracks stood Caryn Smoke. She was bundled up in a large yellow coat, and was holding up a small pink umbrella. Her general appearance belied the aura she gave off, however. It still radiated off the sensation of witch much like Dominique's, but there was a tinge of unexpected vampirism darkening the air.
Both girls' eyes widened as they recognized each other.
The railroad gates rose.
Jessica stood there, motionless and emotionless. Caryn, despite her initial shock at seeing Jessica, soon trailed her eyes to the bag with her purchase. The witch smiled, before looking past the fledgling entirely. She walked forward without sparing Jessica a second glance.
In the next instance, the black haired immortal disappeared like a candle flicker. All that was left at the railroad crossing was the cold abyss of the night interrupted by falling rain.
EASTER EGGS
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines: Smiling Jack spoke the line "not an angel in life" in reference to breaking and entering.
Silent Hill 3: The title of this whole story for one. Also, the story telling style Jessica uses when talking about Jazlyn was inspired by the one Heather Mason uses when telling Douglas Cartland about Harry Mason. Finally, Jessica's surprising knowledge of "Asian rice boozes" was also inspired by Heather from SH3, specifically when Heather just casually let it drop she quit smoking for good.
Bayonetta: All of Jessica's animal transformations are based on Jeanne's Beast Within transformations. Jeanne, Jessica's human editor, is also an expy of our favorite platinum haired Umbra Witch. Did you know that Jeanne canonically teaches history when she's not killing angels? I thought a character like her becoming an editor wasn't that far of a stretch.
5 Centimeters per Second: The final railroad scene with Caryn.
Twilight: I understand the first book of that series was initially published five years after I referenced it in the timeline, but I couldn't resist a chance to critique it.