In This Age, Would It
Really Matter?
Prologue:
The
characters in this story are original.
I got the idea for this story when re-reading In the Forests of the
Night directly after Risika wondered, "Would I have been as horrified at
what I have become, I wonder, if I had not been raised in the church, with the
ever-present threat of damnation?"
Chapter One: Matthew
I let the
boy drop from my arms in the middle of a street in a shabby part of the small
town where I chose to pass through.
Licking the still-warm, ruby colored blood off my lips, I took out a
knife and slit the boy's throat, placing it in his hand afterward to disguise
the kill. It would not do to alarm the
inhabitants of the neighborhood.
Shaking my
head, I stare up toward the night sky, enjoying the sensation of the wind
ruffling my jet-black hair. No, my hair
didn't turn black when I died, nor did I set an illusion to make it seem that
way. It was that color when I was
alive, and I let it remain that way after I died, thank you. It suited me well then, and it does so now,
contrasting with the frosty white skin that my kind naturally possess.
Looking
back toward the boy, I recall what his life had been like. I have a bad habit of looking into the mind
of my prey before I kill them.
He had been
seventeen. A talent-less,
good-for-nothing who took it upon him to upset his relations, and the people
around him. He had no future, no
friends, and all in all, was a loser. I
don't often kill innocents, or humans who have a good life ahead of them. I'm 150 years old (I look much younger,
about nineteen since that was the age I was when I was born into the night.)
and I still have somewhat of a conscience; a weakness, if you would wish to
call it so. Though unlike many of my own
who still feel guilt, I do not let it get in the way of my survival; but rare
was the time when I was forced to feed upon an innocent. There are many humans, such as this boy,
that do not bring guilt upon me when I kill them.
Vanishing,
I soon reappear in Los Angeles, a city which is the home to many like me. The era which I had lived in never really
satisfied me, and I much prefer the modern towns that humans spring up. I do not live in a house, I usually just
stay at a hotel of some sort. It's so
much easier to just get up and leave rather than be tied down to one
house. I do not make reservations,
simply find a vacant room then leave the next day. I have, on the occasion, been discovered, but it is not difficult
to ah.. "convince" my finder that I made a reservation and belong in that room.
The night
was still young, and I made my way to a movie theatre to see if anything of
interest was playing. I hid myself from
the ticket office agent, about to pass right by her when a girl of fifteen caught
my eye.
Chapter
Two: Katie
Chewing on
my lower lip, I looked around for him.
He isn't coming, I realized. I
blinked hard a few times, trying to hold back the tears which flood my eyes
like a pool of rainwater about to overflow, hating myself for it all the
while. Why did I have to be so
sensitive all the time? I should be
used to this by now, I thought.
After all the jokes they played on me, I should have seen this one
coming... Should have
realized..Stopping my thoughts there, I recalled yesterday…
I sat in my
desk, sinking lower and lower into it as the teacher once again praised my
work. All the while I could hear
snickering and jeering around me and occasionally saw a few pointing fingers at
me. Why did this bother them so
much? It didn't concern them at
all… The bell rang just then, luckily,
and I picked up my things hurriedly, rushing out the door when I tripped on a
chair leg and flew out of the room, dropping my things all over the hallway
floor and generally causing a hold up.
I flushed
red as I picked up my belongings while people shouting various comments. "Clutz!" one said. "Who the- Oh... Katie…"
After the shouting went down, I heard whispered comments such as, "What
is the little teacher's pet's problem?
She's such a clutz. It's no
wonder she has no friends." I bit back
tears and dashed off to my next class much like a snowshoe rabbit darting back
toward its hole in escape from a vixen fox.
The rest of
the day went pretty well. No one
commented on my fall and I kept a low profile in all of my classes.
I was at my
locker after school when Jaime Lutcan came up to me. Jaime had been an average kid…until he got into football when he
shot up in the social standing. He was
pretty good-looking, I guess, and he had said hello to me a couple of
times.
That was
how the evening started, he asked me out to the movies, and never having been
asked out once, said yes right away. I
was elated! He told me the time and the
movie and said he'd meet me there. I
stood there after he left, hefting my backpack up to my shoulder and closing my
locker. A few girls were staring at me
with something like envy on their faces!
I went home
to my mother. My father ran out on us
when I was three years old and we'd never heard from him since. My mom said me it was the pressure. We do pretty good without him, and I don't
really feel bad about not having a father around. Though sometimes when I watch girls with their fathers I feel
like I missed out on something. The
feeling never lasts long, but it's always there, cramped down into a small
crevice of my mind.
We lived in
an apartment in a not-so-nice neighborhood.
Our rent was due and we were trying to hold off the rent collectors with
ill luck. My mother always did her best
to keep cheerful no matter how low things got for us. How she would be surprised and happy at the invitation to the
movies, I thought.
"Mom, I'm
going to the movies with this boy tonight," I said casually. I didn't expect the reaction I got from
her. I thought she would be excited
about it.
"A
boy?! You're only fifteen, Katie," she
scolded while wiping her hands on the dish towel. Seeing the crushed expression on my face, she added, "I'm sorry,
Katie, but you're just not old enough, and you know how men are. Remember your fa-," I cut her off. "I know!
He told you he would always love you and never leave you, and he ran out
when things started to get tough! I've
heard this, Mom. I don't need a
reminding of it!" With that, I ran to my room, slamming the door behind me,
letting the tears pour out. Why did I
have to be such a crybaby?
How could
she do this to me? This was my big
chance! I didn't want to be a loner
geek forever. But what could I possibly
do about it?
I suddenly looked up, my tears
slowing as an impossible, yet at the same time intriguing idea entered my
head. I would go that night, whether my
mom liked it or not. I'd sneak out, and
with luck, make it to the theatre on time.
Sitting up, I chewed my lip wondering if it really was a good idea. But I recalled the looks of pure envy on the
girls' faces when they witnessed Jaime ask me for the date, and my mind was
set.
I dressed
myself in a pair of black kapris that were fairly new and tossed on some
sneakers. I added a grey tank over the
kapris. I wasn't into bright
colors.
I looked
into the mirror. My features were
somewhat exotic, my father having been Asian.
What he was exactly, I couldn't say.
My mother didn't like to talk about him. My eyes were a bit slanted and were a dark brown color. My hair was plain, straight, and black and
seemed to just scream, "Blah!" at you.
My skin, however, was a creamy color and I had a pretty nice complexion.
I decided to let my hair down. I ran a brush through it a few times then picked
up a small silver purse, filling it up with some coins and hastily cramming in
a few dollars.
I glanced at my clock. I had enough time, I thought, seeing it was
half an hour before I was supposed to be there.
I locked my door and climbed out my
window, which was, luckily, on the first floor. Walking toward the movie theatre, I arrived fifteen minutes
before the date was scheduled.
Chapter Three:
Matthew
Being the
way I am, I automatically looked into her mind. Her date had stood her up, it seemed. It was supposed to be her first date and she was
dissapointed. I paused, marvelling at
how cruel humans could be to one another before going in deeper, finding she
had snuck out that night in order to get there. She suddenly snapped her head in my direction as if sensing
someone watching her. I knew she
couldn't see me, but I left her thoughts, nevertheless, and she gradually
looked away.
Continuing
to watch the girl, I couldn't help feeling curious and somewhat sorry for
her. She glanced down at the floor
again, blinking rapidly. I didn't know
why, but I felt an obligation to help this girl. Perhaps she reminded me of myself when I was alive. I wasn't sure then why I did what I did, and
I still puzzle over it even now.
I stopped hiding myself, not caring
if anyone happened to see me just appear out of nowhere, and walked up to her
casually, not wanting to seem as if I'd been watching her for a while.
"Hey, what
movie did you come to see," I asked her.
She seemed surprised, even somewhat startled when I walked up to
her.
She
hesitated before answering, "A Vampire's Secret".
A Vampire's
Secret..how quaint, yet that was the the only movie scheduled to start anytime
soon.
I smiled at
her, assuming the friendliest posture I could think of at the time. "Me too.
Are you waiting for someone?" I,
of course, knew the answer, but I have no doubt she would find it odd of me if
I just said something that stated that her date had stood her up.
She seemed
to relax, seeming to sense that she was in no immediate danger and returned my
smile, though she hesitated to answer my question. "He couldn't make it," the girl answered finally.
I could
have walked away right then, it would have seemed as though I was discouraged
because I had assumed she had a boyfriend.
But I didn't walk away, rather, I did just the opposite.
Chapter Four: Katie
I must have
blinked or my jaw must have dropped, because after he had invited me to go
watch the movie with him because he stopped smiling and his friendly expression
turned to a questioning one. Get a
grip, Katie, he just asked you if you wanted to go with him, I thought to
myself before I nodded my head in acceptance to his offer.
He paid for
both of our tickets, which I thought was rather nice of him, considering we had
just met. He was several years older
than I, I realized; eighteen, nineteen maybe.
But what was one date? I'd
probably never see him again in my life.
Besides, I thought, he was rather good looking. Deep black eyes, hair the color of the night
sky, and light, perfect, skin. He was tall, but not too tall, and had a
nice, muscle-toned body. He wasn't bulky,
I didn't like buff guys, but he wasn't skinny, either. Why he would waste his time with me, I
didn't know. I still don't know now,
and I don't think I ever will.
I handed our tickets to a woman
beside the hanging ropes, who let us in.
Normally, I would have bought something else; a soda or something, but
it would seem rather forward of me to go ahead and do just that. She already seemed quiet and nervous. We both walked past the crimson ropes, our
feet sinking into the matching blood-red carpet. I suddenly noticed my thirst and realized I hadn't fed that
night. Glancing back toward the girl,
my eyes fell on her fair, tender-looking throat. I turned my head, amusing myself by lecturing myself on how you
should never feed on someone on the first date.
Sitting
down at the back of the theatre, I noticed it was rather empty. I always prefer being in the rear of a
movie, rather than in the front, looking up at the picture and blinking in the
light. Sneaking a look at Katie, (I had
acquired her name while I was probing around in her mind.) I noticed that she
didn't mind being in the back, in fact, she seemed to prefer it as well.
The
previews weren't on yet, so I tried to break the silence by asking her
name. I didn't want to risk the chance
of addressing her by her name when I hadn't even asked her for it.
She said,
"Katie," in a quiet, almost timid voice, and I grew even more curious about the
girl when she didn't imply for mine.
Nevertheless, I would be polite and inform her so she wouldn't be
ignorant of the fact.
"Katie," I
repeated her name, "My name's Matthew."
At that point, the previews started, so I cut whatever conversation I
had started short.
Chapter Five: Matthew
The movie
failed to catch my interest for two reasons, though Katie was apparently into
it. I found it stereotyped the myth of
the vampire and felt insulted that it portrayed all of us as hungry, mindless,
bloodthirsty animals. I can't speak for
the rest of my kind, but I certainly wasn't, or at least tried not to be. And, of course, they used the old wives'
tale of how crosses, sunlight, and churches bothered us. Indeed, though I was damned, I had come from
a rather religious family when I was alive, and always made it a point to
attend mass on Easter; though I saw no reason to, as I knew very well by now
that I could not save my damned soul.
The other,
and perhaps the stronger of the two reasons why I couldn't pay attention, was
because by the middle of the movie, my thirst had grown stronger. I found myself staring at Katie's throat
more and more often.
Not now,
I thought. If I fed on her now, I'd
probably kill her, hungry as I was.
Tearing my eyes away from the girl, I smiled to myself. No, not now. My grin faded to a smirk.
Not today, at least.
Chapter Six: Katie
I dragged
myself over the side of the bed the following morning. I had made it to the theatre and back all
right. My mom never knew I was
out. Yawning, I turned my thoughts away
from the movie and situated them on Matthew.
He seemed nice. Polite, well
dressed; but there was something about him that would make you hesitate to walk
past him on the street. He wore a calm,
cool expression, but his eyes… When
they turned on you, it sent a shiver through your body; like black pools of
darkness just waiting to reach out and drag you down into the icy black waters
of evil.
I started, suddenly aware of my own
thoughts.Get a grip!, I thought to myself as I got dressed for
school. It was Friday, luckily, and I'd
see Matthew again tomorrow.
The day
wasn't bad. It was rather good as far
as my school days go. I saw Jaime who
told me that he couldn't make it as his friends snickered behind him. "Don't worry about it. I had a great time with a guy named Matthew
yesterday! Thanks for inviting me, if
it hadn't been for you, I never would have met him!" I gave him a hug just to spite him and increase the shock and
surprise on his face before striding on
to my next class leaving the jock and his friends open-mouthed behind me.
Chapter Seven: Matthew
I stalked
my prey through the shadows of the street, following him stealthily as he stalked
his victim. A seventeen year old
girl.
It was about eight o'clock.
The sun was down, and the street lights weren't all on yet. The girl came to a dead end and started
turning when she saw the man who started walking toward her. Stepping out of the shadows, I took this
moment to come in and break up this little scenario.
He saw at me and started taking out
a knife, but I was there in a flash and managed to knock it out of his
hand. Smiling sadistically, I parted my
mouth, letting my fangs slide down my lips.
The girl, meanwhile, went running past the corner. She had learned her lesson.
Not bothering to lessen the pain on
the wide-eyed felon, I grabbed him by the shoulders while he was still in
surprise and sunk my fangs into his throat rather roughly and drank, the
screams slowly subsiding into groans, and those into silence.
I dropped him, leaving him to die
on the ground, giving him a hard kick that sent him sprawling into a wall
before vanishing. It was, after all,
the time scheduled for my date with Katie, and I didn't want to get thirsty
again at an inconvenient time.
The night went smoothly. We watched another flick about
vampires. It was almost Halloween and
there were a lot of horror movies coming out.
She seemed to have had a good time, though by reading her thoughts, I
knew she had snuck out again and was worried that her mother would find out.
The movie wasn't so bad. Instead of it being focused directly on
feeding, it was more of a conflict between two vampires. Something like a struggle for power. Far more realistic than creatures humans
portray who thrive on pain, death, and destruction.
As we were leaving the theatre, I
offered to buy her a meal, but she said no.
"I really ought to be going back.
It's rather late and I don't like being on the streets by myself after
dark." "Want me to walk you home,
then?", I offered. She seemed to
hesitate, but she finally nodded her head in acceptance to my offer.
Chapter Eight: Katie
I wasn't
sure about whether or not to let Matthew walk me home. I had only seen the guy twice, but it was
late, and I didn't want to walk home by myself.
We talked a
little on the way to my house. Mostly
about me, my family, my classes. I
didn't tell him how, despite my grades, I was miserable, but I think he sensed
it by the way his charcoal black eyes seemed to pierce right through my brown
ones and see into my mind. It didn't occur to me to ask him about himself
until we arrived at my house. It felt
awkward, having him there on the stoop and I asked him in, dreading the
answer. What would my mother say if she
caught me up? Worse, what would she do
if she saw me with Matthew?
In all my
thoughts and fears, I didn't notice the sadistic way he smiled right after I
invited him in.
He gave me
a quick, light kiss on the cheek, bid me goodnight and walked off, his form
seeming to dissapear in the shadows while I stood there, staring after
him. Coming to my senses, I shut the
door quietly, creeping upstairs to my room.
Perhaps if
I hadn't invited him…..no. He would
have found another way.
Poor girl, I thought to myself as I
walked into a motel, collected a key and walked into a vacant room. She had no clue about the doors she had
opened to me when she invited me into her house.
Collapsing onto the bed, I thought
about what exactly I planned to do with her.
It seemed a shame to simply use her as a meal, and I didn't think she'd
be happy as a vampire. Not that many of
us had gotten a choice.
I
couldn't just abandon her. I had grown
somewhat fond of the girl who seemed to cling to me for happiness, and besides,
I had made her my problem the day I asked her if she wanted to watch "A
Vampire's Secret" with me. I could
simply kill her and be done with her, if I chose to. With these thoughts, I lay back onto the bed and drifted off into
a dreamless sleep.
Tossing and
turning, I sat up in bed and looked at my clock. 1:48 a.m. Closing my eyes
to go back to sleep, I snapped my eyes open when I heard something at my
window. Squeezing my eyes tightly,
something told me not to turn around and look to see what it was.
My window was actually two panes of
glass that open outwards, and there's a nice window seat under it. This was why I heard both windows swing open
and felt something enter the room, though I heard no sound. I felt it..wait..what exactly was it?!
It came closer and I realized I was
holding my breath, but I didn't let it out.
Finally unable to stand it, I turned around and screamed as I saw the
outline of a figure dressed in black.
Coming closer, the black figure turned into the figure of Matthew; but
it wasn't the Matthew I knew. The
darkness of his eyes seemed to spread through his entire expression and he took
a step closer to me, lowering his head to my neck…
I woke up for real, gasping, my
body glistening in cold sweat. Rolling
over, I went back to sleep and had no recollection of the dream the next
morning.
Chapter Nine: Matthew
Looking
across the table in the hamburger place we were in, I noticed she was
nervous. "Is something wrong,
Katie?" She looked up at me and smiled,
shaking her head no. "Nothing..just had
a strange dream, is all.." Curious as
to what it might be, I implied to her about it. "What was it about…that is, if you don't mind telling me." I smiled reassuringly at her.
I was so
drawn to him…as if I was a trout in a freshwater lake and he was the fisherman,
using a sure-fire bait slowly luring me in.
He's so sweet and polite. How
did I ever get such a great guy?
"Oh, it was.." Realizing that he
might get offended by the dream, I just said, "It's nothing really..I'm
probably just being paranoid and overreacting." He nodded and the fact that he wasn't eating anything suddenly
struck me. "..Matthew," I smattered out. "….aren't you hungry?" He looked back up at me and smiled
again. But..the smile…it wasn't like
the one before…it was almost…sadistic.
"No…I think I'll eat later, thank you."
His words and tone made a shiver creep up my spine, but I took another
bite of my burger and didn't press him further.
It was only
past seven, so we took a walk through the park after we left the place. It wasn't quite light, so there weren't many
children around, and it wasn't quite dark, so the couples weren't out yet. All in all, the place was all but
deserted.
The park
was large, larger than most around here.
It began at the edge of the forest where there were swings, slides, a
small track for runners… As you got
nearer to the forest, you found less benches and the cement pathways faded into
dirt roads. This was where me and
Matthew walked. We got away from the
laughing cries of the few children in the park and took the path into the
forest. It was getting dark, so we
stopped at some part of the forest that was still light.
We sat down
on an upright root of a tree, the benches having dissapeared a small way
back. We had talked on the way here, so
when we arrived, we didn't really have anything to say.
I looked at
him a moment, taking him in again. He
was wearing all black and was just visible in the shadows of the forest, but I
could see he was smiling at me, a warm, comforting smile that made me smile
back and sort of lean in toward him. He
slid his arm around my waist gently and sort of held me there, not like the
couples I saw in school, where the boys basically grabbed the girls and yanked
them over to them.
This didn't
make me uncomfortable, nor did it seem forward of him. This was actually the fifth time I'd been
out with him, and he never so much as kissed me on the cheek except for that
one time on the doorstep; rather, I was very comfortable with this, and
the feeling didn't go away as he gently drew me toward him. No, he didn't pull me; he drew
me. He would have let me stop if I had
been awkward with this, but I wasn't, and I let myself be drawn in. Then gently, very gently, he kissed me..he
leaned back a bit, then kissed me again.
Being this close to him, I took in
his smell. He smelled so, I can't find
any other word for it, appealing.
Like a clean smell, almost like cologne, though I could tell he wasn't
wearing any. The smell enveloped me,
and I let the feeling wash over me as
he gently moved down to my neck, nuzzling it a bit as I closed my eyes. I felt I should do something, but I
could only sit there…comfortable..feeling safe in his embrace.
My eyes
were shut, but I suddenly opened them as I felt a stinging in my neck, but it
soon faded in a soothing, seductive feeling that I quickly succumbed to,
shutting my eyes to and welcoming…
I wonder
now why it hadn't occurred to me to wonder what exactly the feeling was,
but I suppose that's the vampires' gift: The ability to manipulate people into
doing and thinking exactly what he wants them to do.
Chapter Ten: Matthew
I let off
after a few moments, savoring the remaining taste in my mouth before licking
the remainder of blood off her neck, not wanting to leave any over. She was in a daze, her eyes clouded over, a
look of tranquility on her face. I let
go of her waist, standing up in front of her and offering her my hand. "You look tired, Katie. Want to go
home?" She blinked once and it
was a moment or two before my question registered. "Yes..if you don't mind dropping me off this early." "No, not at all," I anwered as she took my hand. Pulling her up gently, I noticed she leaned
on me for support the entire way home.
I left her
at her doorstep where she nodded a good-bye and closed the door, probably going
to sleep. After waiting a minute to
make sure she was in her room, I vanished, reappearing in a room that I was
currently staying in.
Waking up a
few hours before daybreak, I briefly wondered how Katie was doing. Why don't I see for myself, I thought
smirking, remembering her invitation.
With that, I vanished, reappearing on a tree branch in front of her
window. The windows were locked, but
they opened easily enough under my influence.
I dropped in, or tried to, and landed sooner than I expected on some
sort of cushion. Realizing it was a
window seat, I dropped noiselessly off of it and took a look around.
There was a
small vanity, with a mirror and several drawers underneath, opposite her small
bed made of dark brown wood with deep purple sheets and comforter. The pillows were an even darker plum so they
looked black at first.
I walked
over to her softly and as her face was turned towards me, I could tell how she
was easily enough. Her fair skin was
lighter than usual, but nothing to be alarmed about.
I stopped about three feet from her
and continued looking her over. Her
breathing was deep, and I unconsciously mimicked her breathing, feeling the
sensation of air passing into and from my lungs. I, of course, stopped abruptly, realizing what I was doing.
I took
several steps closer to her and bent down on one knee when I could go no
further. She was kind of pretty, I
thought. I never really noticed it
before, but as I was this close to her, I suddenly realized it.. Lowering my eyes to her throat, I could see
two small puncture marks on it. Nothing
big, she'll probably think some bug bit her.
I stood up and drew back a little as I saw her shift, but she only
rolled over a bit so that a strand of hair fell down over her eyes. I drew back in and unconsciously brushed it
out of her face and stood there looking at her for a moment…promising I'd leave
in a bit, but staying there a while more..then a bit more..
Blinking, I suddenly stood up, realizing that I had been there for over an
hour and it would almost be time for the sun to rise. Finally tearing my eyes away from Katie, I leapt over the seat
cushion and out the windows, which closed soundlessly after me.
I was turning the corner about to
reach the motel, when two acquaintences of mine caught up with me.
The one on the right smirked
at me and said, "Hello again, Matthew."
Chapter Eleven:
Matthew
Remus…and
Lyre. Two enemies of mine. Lyre has held a grudge on me ever since I
let one of his prey escape by intercepting him when I was still young. The boy I let escape had been a friend of mine,
and I didn't appreciate Lyre feeding upon him.
Naturally, Lyre didn't appreciate me interrupting his dinner. He dissapeared to find another, but since
then, we've never exactly been fond of each other. Other than that, he had no reason to be there. He probably just went along with Remus for
the ride.
Lyre had
light brown hair that was always ruffled, blue eyes(An illusion, though I heard
they were that color when he was alive) that seemed to bore into your very
soul, and he wore an arrogant smirk all the time. Tonight he was wearing a black T-shirt, the sleeves ripped off to
show off his muscular arms. He also
wore dark blue jeans, ripped at the cuffs.
He basically was just a punk, but his companion was far more
dangerous.
Remus had
dark brown hair that was cut in a sort of bowl-cut, cropped at the back and he
let a few strand of hair in the front hang down over his forehead.
He had kept his eyes black.
When looking at them, one was reminded of black holes. Deep black holes that seemed to suck the
cheerfulness, energy, and the very life of whatever and whoever they cast
upon. Remus had far more class than his
partner and now was wearing black boots with navy blue, almost black jeans that
came down just below his ankles and a dark brown shirt that was tight enough to
show off his muscles. He rarely ever
smiled, and when he did, that was a signal for his enemies to either run as
fast as they can in the opposite direction or to bring their guard up and prepare
for a dangerous fight that could possibly result in death. He smiled now.
Why Remus
didn't like me, I can't be sure.
Perhaps it was because because I had killed his first fledgling when she
tried to draw a knife on me for "giving her a funny look". Or maybe because when I was first changed,
he tried to influence my ways, but failed miserably. Yet the reason I think he loathed me the most was because shortly
after I had killed Alexis, his fledgling, he had tried to attack me, but had
gotten a scar on his chest when I used the knife that Alexis had tried to
attack me with on him. Maybe he just
didn't like me, or maybe it was all those reasons put together. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter, as I
could see he would try to kill me either way.
Remus took
a step toward me, still wearing that evil, despicable, smile. Lyre, meanwhile, stayed behind. Remus tilted his head toward me
inquisitively and asked, "Who was that girl in the bedroom, Matt…?" His smile grew, "I would love to know what
her name was.."
My insides
screamed as if they were on fire, but I
made a point of it not to show it in my face. Two hundred years of learning the skills for survival didn't
betray me now.
I shrugged. "Some
girl I picked up at the movies..why is it you ask, Remus?"
His smile
dropped to a smirk and he chose not to acknowledge my response. Instead, he looked up at the sky, the wind
ruffling his dark hair, his ashen hands in his pockets. "Beautiful night," he said. Turning back to me, he asked, "But it isn't
your world, is it Matt?" Why must he
insist on calling me Matt?! I remained
quiet, inviting him to go on, which, as I expected, he did. "Yes…you are one of us.." He took a step
closer to me while Lyre's smirk grew.
"Even I cannot deny that. But
you aren't happy, are you?" He stopped,
seeing the warning in my eyes. I'm not
entirely sure he was stopping in precaution, but nevertheless, he stopped. "What's that supposed to mean, Remus..? Now you asked me about the girl….what do you
want from her, anyway? Some..distant
cousin from the last person you killed?"
Remus was sort of like a vampiric serial killer. Stories of him say that he goes after the
ancestor's of those who once plagued or abused his family. Although no connection has been made with
the story, it's obvious that he goes for victims who have some blood connection
with each other.
He laughed
softly, an amused, lazy, sort of sound.
"I assume you've been audience to some of those rumours flying
around… But no…I have no interest in
her blood relations.." Once again, I
kept my silence as he slowly circled around me. He was toying with me, taunting me..mocking, even. But I did not turn around to face him when
he was at my back. That wasn't Remus'
style. He didn't make cheap shots, he
preferred an all-out, "fair", fight.
That way, no one could doubt the fact that he didn't win his fights with
pure skill. When he came back around in
front of me, he stopped, still facing me.
"I have no interest in her blood relations," he repeated, taking another
step towards me. "But you apparently
have some interest in her." He tilted
his head in mock innocence. "Are you
attached to this girl, Matty, old boy..?"
He smiled again. "Because you
know that would be an advantage to certain people who don't like you." Lyre behind him, grinned. Remus, as though sensing the grin, turned
around. "Lyre…leave us." Lyre's grin dropped and was replaced by a
look of protest. He was opening his
mouth to say something, but I think Remus must have hidden a threat in his
glance because Lyre at once, dissapeared without a word.
Remus
looked at the sun, which was now about to rise. I also, glanced at it, knowing I should really go back to my
room, but I wouldn't leave without knowing or at least acquiring a hint of what
Remus wanted with Katie. Turning back
to me, various layers of watercolor red, orange, and yellow over his head, he
made a remark. "I'll speak with you
again, Matt..Take care of your mortal friend."
He dropped his smile, a suddenly cold, almost menacing look on his face
that he left me with, dissapearing, as I did also, as the sun was just peeking
over the side of the building, illuminating the ground we stood on a few
moments after we left.
Chapter Twelve:
Katie
Groaning, I
banged the alarm clock quiet ferociously with my fist until it let up. I sat up, feeling a wave of nausea pass over
me and I quickly collapsed back onto the bed.
I felt simply dreadfull.
"What happened last night..?" I mused aloud. All I could remember Matthew, draping an arm around me..a soft
kiss and sweet, sweet pain….pain?!
I sat up again, winced and fell back down. "Pain?"
Lyre was
dead.
I licked a
small drop of blood from my wrist, looking at it in satisfaction as it
healed. Lyre was upset when Remus told
him to back off. Most likely sore about
missing out on the fun and decided he'd have his own fun with me. Smirking, I looked up into the night
sky. He wasn't too hard. He, however, was very good with the
particular knife he was using. It was
stolen from somewhere, the place I can't be sure of, and it should have been of
good use to him. That is, "should
have". I simply directed a bolt of some
of my power at the blade and sent it with perfect aim, across the room and out
the window. He was foolish to have
attacked me in my room, however. After
the knife incident, he jumped out to retrieve it, though I was there at an
instant, attacking him with a ferocious kick that sent him back into the wall,
a bolt of energy flying after. He
relatiated, however, and I got my shoulder broken temporarily against a tree,
and my vision blurred by a whip of his energy.
The knife was no where to be seen, so we fought power with power, body
with body. There wasn't much to tell,
but in the end, I had found the knife accidentally when I fell into a bush and
nearly cut my hand open on it. The
knife hit full force in his chest and I was left with a small scratch with the
knife from when I found it.
Remus would be annoyed, no doubt,
but I hardly suspect he'd be upset. He
didn't exactly like Lyre all that much.
I looked away from the sky. Tonight, I thought to myself. Katie needed a new life, I thought. Sure, she wouldn't be strong, no way, but
with a little progress and work, she could become average strength. I still wasn't sure what Remus wanted. His attitude and lack of action plainly
showed he didn't want anything with me.
But Katie…what did he want with her?
Alright. This is the first part of the story. I'm not exactly sure on how long a story I'm going to make this,
and I want to know what you think of it so I'll know how long to bother with
it.