Fate of Immortality

Because I could not stop for Death
He kindly stopped for me
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality
~Emily Dickinson

Rain poured from the sky in a steady rhythm, covering the ground and everything else in a heavy coat of water. Stalking her prey from the balcony, Selene stared into the darkness, scanning the room's contents. Adorning her body was a form fitting black leather coat, covering even more skintight leather beneath. Thick black heels anchored her to the concrete railing as she waited.

Her cold blue eyes found their target, quietly and innocently sleeping in his bed. As a vampire, Selene had to find a way to sustain her immortality; that way was blood. She was never fond of killing humans just so she could live on, but she did what she had to do to stay alive.

On this stormy night, she sat perched on the fourth floor balcony of Michael Corvin's bedroom. Her mission was simple: go in, feed, and get out before dawn. She had done it so many times that it became second nature. Her dark brown hair clung to her face and she pushed it away. She took a deep breath and bared her fangs.

She was hungry, and food was right in front of her.

+ + +

She effortlessly hopped off the rail, not caring if she made noise. Whether her prey was awake or asleep didn't matter, she just needed food.

She slowly stalked towards the bed, her long coat brushing the ground beneath her. Her heels clicked against the tile, echoing off the walls around her. Her prey moved in his bed and she stopped at the foot of it. She had never liked seeing the pain she inflicted on her victims, it reminded her too much of her own fate as a child.

Seeing her family brutishly slaughtered before her own eyes had turned her cold, and she no longer felt anything. She sustained herself from day to day, never looking back, priding herself on never showing weakness. She was a Death Dealer, she was not supposed to feel sorry for those she killed. It was her life, and she accepted it.

The bed's occupant suddenly sat up, smoldering blue staring right into his brown eyes. He was startled, taking in her jet black clothes and the fact that she was standing in the middle of his room.

"Who are you?" He questioned, still mesmerized by her ice blue eyes.

"It's no matter." She said cryptically, sidestepping the foot of his bed and making her way around the side. Sitting down next to him, she softly grabbed his face, looking deeply into his eyes.

Her hands were cold and wet from rain, but soft to the touch. She grinned and slowly lowered her mouth to his neck, smelling his sweet flesh. He was too stunned to move, sitting by and watching as this stranger held him still.

A loud noise from the hallway startled her. She pulled back from his neck, not finishing her task, and retreated to the window. The storm outside sent a bolt of lightning through the sky, briefly illuminating her in the doorway. Before he had the chance to look more closely, she jumped off the balcony.

Startled, Michael got out of his bed and rushed to the railing. He watched her walk down the sidewalk, black coat flailing behind her, and off into the night.

+ + +

She sat on the roof's edge, watching as Michael stood on his balcony. He knew she would come again tonight. She had to come back to finish the job. She couldn't allow him to have seen her face and live; he needed to be taken care of.

Selene felt sorry for him. He had done nothing wrong, he was a mere mortal. Her thoughts had been distracted by him all day. Being cooped up in that manor certainly had it's effect on the young vampire. She was over four hundred years old, but that was nothing compared to the elders who had been alive for centuries.

She certainly didn't want to spend eternity hiding from the daylight, but she couldn't rest in the sun without becoming it's victim. So she lived at Ordoghaz with the other Death Dealers.

Every once in a while, her thoughts would stray to happier days when she could play outside for as long as she wanted.

"Daddy! Come look!" Young Selene called from atop her new horse. She rode around the arena on the pony, teaching it how to jump over the hurdles.

Her father had promised her that she could train it however she wanted. It wasn't one of the barn's horses, it was all Selene's.

Her father walked out of the barn, wiping his hands off on his apron. He worked all day outside, crafting things out of wood and metal.

"Selene, that's wonderful." He congratulated as her horse went over another jump. She smiled proudly at him, glad that he approved. Her father leaned on the fence, content to watch his daughter for a while. Work could wait, his daughter's youth wouldn't.

Or so he thought.

She was still only twenty-three. Her body had never aged, and she still thought of herself as that age. She looked down upon Michael, who was still leaning against the cold concrete rail, waiting for her.

She jumped off the roof, falling a good three stories, and landing close to the building on the railing. She leaned against the wall, somewhat surprised that he hadn't jumped.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd join me." Michael greeted, still not looking up at her leaning against the wall of the building.

"I was just taking my time." She replied, shifting her gaze to look over his toned tan body. He stood there, unaffected by her stare, acting calm and collected. It unnerved Selene that he wasn't afraid.

"Still can't go out in daylight I see." He smirked, not truly knowing he'd hit home with that one. Selene wanted desperately to go outside in the sun and be normal. She hoped onto the balcony with him, and only then did he move to look at her.

He took in her lithe figure, coated in the same tight black leather. Her stare connected with his and he gazed into her cold blue eyes.

"You still haven't told me your name." He commented, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Does it matter?" Selene asked weakly, trying to get the acid back into her voice, but failing. Something about Michael Corvin made her weak. She didn't like it.

"Well, I'd like to know." He replied, looking questioningly into her eyes. He was the first mortal to talk with her in almost four hundred years. He was the first mortal not afraid to look into her eyes.

"Selene." She answered, giving up. It didn't really matter what he knew. He would be dead in a matter of minutes anyway.

"That's pretty." He smiled at her and she blushed. She couldn't remember the last time she was complimented for anything but a good night's slaughter.

"Thanks." She decided she needed to cut the small talk and get what she came for. She was already feeling weak from going without blood last night. She leaned into his neck like she had with so many others, about to sink her fangs into his sweet smelling flesh.

"Don't worry, I trust you." He whispered into her ear. It sent a shiver down her spine and she pulled back, dry, just like last night. She glanced into his eyes; the eyes of the one that would be free, and dove over the balcony before she changed her mind.

The least she could do was grant one less the burden of immortality.

{Fin}