Chapter Three
Jade had been expecting to see the vampire next to her, but when she turned over and saw that he wasn't, she wasn't surprised. She stretched her arm over the empty space where Eric should've been. She felt no desire to move, because the first thought that came to her mind was the other vampires that had left her in bed alone.
"You ready?"
She quickly turned her head towards the voice and saw Eric leaning against the wall, wearing a subdued smile.
"I need to show you something."
She sat up, noticing the differences of his face. It had shown no fear or confusion as if his memories were restored.
He reached his hand towards her. "Come on, Jade."
She threw the blanket off from her legs and grabbed Eric's hand as he helped pull her up from the bed.
They walked outside, an eerie calm hovered over the town of Bon Temps and the moon casted a yellow glow over the countryside.
"What are you trying to show me?"
He grinned at her but continued to walk away. Jade awkwardly followed behind, looking left and right, searching for anything that Eric would show her. They went through the woods and halfway through the cemetery when he finally stopped. He glanced at her and then to the sky.
"Look up."
She looked up and was astonished by the trees standing tall against the polished sky. She looked back over to Eric and couldn't help but to smile at the excitement in his eyes.
"This is the only thing I'm familiar with." He said, looking back at her.
She softly touched his arm, remaining silent. She understood because the sky was timeless and he was a vampire of age. She didn't know how old he was, but something about him had told her that he must be old. She was used to older vampires because they were numb to the idea that time would go on and they would too. She looked up at the sky, joining Eric with the night.
She kept looking back at him, she saw both serenity and suffering in the calm of his face. Strangely, it had made him look human. He did not look like a vampire that was afraid, but like a man who could bare the feeling of pain.
She didn't want to look away because he too resembled the moon.
"Jade."
She blinked, trying not to look away from the intensity of his eyes. Eric returned the touch by placing his fingers on the side of her face.
"Are you afraid?" He asked, rubbing his thumb across her cheek.
She shook her head. "Are you?"
"I am."
She had known it from the moment she saw headlights reflect in his eyes. He was not only afraid, but he was mostly sad. She pressed her hand on his chest and tried not to smile at the vulnerable vampire.
"I will keep you safe, Eric. I promise."
She said it softly, almost jokingly, but she had meant it and he knew that.
He grabbed her hand that was placed on his chest and they continued to stare at each other.
"Jade, I was born the moment I was running down the road, until you took me, I was a void."
"Me too," She replied, glancing at his feet. "I forgot what it was like to be close to the moon."
He grabbed both her hands and lifted them into the air before he brought them around his neck. His hand grabbed the back of her neck and the other wrapped over her waist. She could feel the intensity and the longing between them. She closed her eyes, hoping that the feeling would match the sky: timeless and unforgettable.
When she didn't feel his lips against hers, she opened her eyes, only to see that the vampire had been looking away. His blue eyes were wide and his nose was pointed up towards the sky, sniffing the air. He had been looking into the distant and not at her. It had done something to her chest, it was a stab of rejection and she couldn't handle the way it had made her feel.
"Jade, do you smell that?"
She wanted to answer, but she couldn't ignore the feeling that settled at the gut of her stomach. But as soon as she was about to speak, the vampire had zoomed off, leaving her alone in the cemetery.
"What the—?"
She didn't feel she was in danger but after he had left her, she suddenly felt out of place and the feeling of rejection had suddenly changed to a precarious one. She folded her arms, trying to remember which way to get back to the house was, but as soon as she heard Sookie's voice in the distant, she started to walk towards it. She kept alert of the shadows the moon casted and she listened for other sounds other than Sookie's voice. But even that wasn't enough, because a hand from behind her had cupped her mouth and pulled her back further from the cemetery.
She tried to kick away from the stranger or even scream out for Eric, but the gloved hands had kept her from doing that.
When they reached an isolated area where the moon didn't shine and the trees were starting to smell of rot, that's when she knew that the stranger had been planning this.
"Listen to me," a deep, unfamiliar voice whispered. "If you scream, I swear to god, I-I will kill you right here."
She nodded, hearing the shakiness in his voice. He wasn't confident about this and that had made her feel more secure, because she knew he didn't have the guts to hurt her.
He released his hand from her mouth and he brought both of her arms behind her back, holding them together.
"What do you want?" She asked, turning her head to the side, trying to see who it could be.
"She has sent me to you. She knew you would come."
"Who?"
"She is the one who is going to finish this. She is going to be our savior."
"What are you talking about?"
"Forgive me." He whispered; his breath hot and raspy against her ear.
She arched her brow, confused by the way his hands would loosen and tighten around her arms. Suddenly, she was pushed forward and she fell to her knees. When she went to turn around, she felt something cold press against the back of her head, and she froze. She knew what was going to happen. The stranger had a gun to her head and she was helpless.
She closed her eyes, trying to accept her fate, but she could still feel the man's shaky hands on the gun and she didn't have an idea except maybe try to talk him out of it. She didn't have time to think it over so she went with it anyway.
"D-Do you want to do this?" She asked, keeping her eyes closed. "Or are you just doing what you're told?"
The man chuckled, bringing the gun back. "I volunteered to do this."
She winced at his words and brought both of her hands together, holding herself. She didn't have a chance, the man was determined to do his job, and he wasn't going to listen to her.
"But I have a message for you," he muttered, pushing the gun back to her head. "She wanted me to tell you this before you die."
She stayed silent, ready to listen, and she tried to remember everything good that happened to her. She remembered the fang marks, the vampire's laugh, and of course, running away from her home-town. That's when her life started and she knew that in someway that it would end like this. She knew it would end with her dying from another man's hand—supernatural or not—it has always been her fate.
She waited for the stranger to speak up, but when he didn't, she turned her head to the left, looking out to the distant. She was hoping that Eric would save her, but she saw no sign of him. She sighed, letting her head fall.
"What's the message?" She asked her voice almost in a whisper. She hoped to god that the man had heard her.
But instead of words, the man forcefully hit his gun across her head and she went face first into the dirt. She let out an oomph before she forced herself onto her back. She looked at the man, the gun still in hand, and she was expecting to see pleasure from what he did, but instead she could see the guilt and fear that settled deep into his dark eyes. She wanted to say something to him that might encourage him to stop and let her go. But he raised the gun into the air and hit her across the face for the second time.
She caught a whirling glimpse of black sky and the moon, where once, almost ten minute before, she learned that it was as luminescent as vampires. She lay next to nothing, her head resting on a bark from a tree. She couldn't feel her face anymore and she wasn't able to move her body. Blood rushed from her head, the darkness of the sky deepening dangerously, and she made a thrashing, desperate effort to hang on to consciousness. If she passed out now, the stranger would kill her. But it didn't matter if she kept her eyes open, because she was going to be killed here regardless.
She went limp, noticing that the stranger was talking to her, but his voice was muffled and his image was a blur. She dug her nails into the dirt, forcing herself to move, and to stay away from the darkness that wanted to smother her.
She gave up when she felt the cold barrel of the gun on her forehead, and she knew that this was it. She closed her eyes, waiting for the suffering to stop—she hoped to god that the moon was watching—because in some sick way, she was still holding onto the idea, that death was going to be the best thing that would happen for her.
The gun was pulled away from her head and she could here a muffled scream. She opened her eyes and noticed that the stranger wasn't standing above her anymore. She wanted to turn her head, but she didn't have the strength to. She gave the moon one last glance before closing her eyes, only this time she didn't want to open them again.
Alcide Herveaux was on his way out the door when he somehow managed to drop his keys into his cup of coffee on the way out the door. There was a muted ting as they hit the bottom, and as he paused in mid-stride, staring in disbelief at the steaming ceramic mug.
"Fuck."
He checked his watch as he turned back toward the kitchen, cup in hand. Sookie had called and was in desperate need of help, he could hear it in her voice. He was in a hurry, because somehow Eric was running out in the sun, and nowhere to be found.
Muttering darkly he hurried to the sink, feeling tense and angry with himself for his decision to bring coffee along. But lately it has been the only thing that could keep him awake and alerted. He dumped the mug into the sink and scooped the warm, wet keys wiping them against his jeans as he hurried back to the front door.
He stepped outside into the early evening, breathing deeply. The scent of freshly cut grass was heavy in the sun-warmed air. Somewhere down the street, a dog barked happily amidst the shouts of children.
He hurried to his vehicle that was parked in his driveway as he slid into his seat; he immediately started the car and pulled out from the driveway. He drove through the wide suburban streets of his neighborhood, window down, pushing the speed limit but careful to watch for kids and pets.
When he made it out from the neighborhood, he followed down the long street that would soon lead him to the countryside, and to Sookie's house. He remembered Bon Temps only being a small distance away and he had appreciated it.
After awhile of driving, he finally made it to the countryside, and he turned his music up in celebration, he was almost to Sookie's. He gripped the steering wheel when he saw something on the side of the road, he squinted his eyes trying to make it out, and he told himself that it was a deer, but when he saw long, brunette hair, and a puddle of blood. He realized that it was coming from a young girl and that's when he pushed the brake and stopped in the middle of the road.
He quickly got out of his vehicle and ran to the other side and by the speed he was going, he almost lost balance, and he practically slid to her as he fell to his knees. He brought her into his arms and he put his ear to her mouth, hoping to hear her breathing. But he suddenly felt her hand lightly tugging on his shirt and he looked at her with concern, feeling relief that the girl was alive.
"Are you okay?" He softly asked, sliding her hair out of her eyes, and he noticed blood staining her face.
She didn't move. She didn't seem to hear him.
"What happened?"
No response.
He shook her softly and she blinked twice, tugging onto his shirt with more strength.
She muttered an inaudible response.
"What?" Alcide asked.
"I'm dying," She replied, her voice weak.
He scooped her up into his arms and knew what he had to do. The girl was telling the truth, he knew she didn't have much time, and the emergency room was further away then he would like it to be, and the plan that he never wanted to turn to came into mind. He would make Eric save her. He was done having innocent people die around him. He was going to make sure she would stay alive.
He opened the passenger door and placed her onto the seat. She let her head fall back and that's when he noticed a large, opened wound on the side of her head. He wanted to know why someone would want to hurt a young girl. It never made sense to him. He shut the door, he would get answers later, but for now, he was going to save her life.
He ran to the other side and hopped into his seat. He pushed the gas, knowing that Sookie's house would be coming into view.
"Where are you taking me?"
He gripped her shoulder in what he thought was a comforting manner.
"I know someone who can help you." He said softly.
"I can't remember…can't remember…" Kitty choked out.
"Do you have a name?" He asked, trying to change the subject.
She didn't respond, instead she let eyes close, and she went limp, her head falling onto his lap.
That's when he let his boot ride a little heavier on the gas when he noticed the girl was back into unconsciousness and the blood staining his jeans.
He stopped the car mid-way into Sookie's yard and he quickly got out, bringing the girl into his arms. He ran to the door and without knocking, he pushed his way in, and hollered for Sookie.
Sookie walked out of the kitchen, shocked to see Alcide holding a wounded girl in his arms. She quickly told him to place her onto the couch and he did what he was told.
"Oh, shit!" Sookie shouted, cupping her mouth with her hand. "This is Jade."
Alcide's eyes widened and he ran his hand through his hair, surprised that Sookie knew her, but there was no time to ask how.
"Where is Eric!?" Alcide asked as he shouted out, hoping the vampire would hear him.
"Alcide calm down!"
He looked at her intently before pointing to the girl. "We need Eric to save her."
"I still can't find him, Alcide."
"How can he be running around in daylight?" He asked.
"It's a long story, but I can explain on the way." She turned around, walking to the front door. "Come on, let's find him, and heal Jade as soon as possible."
As they both walked out the front door, Alcide was worried to leave Jade in there for too long, he had to be fast and catch a scent of Eric before it would be too late. He took his shirt off, and didn't care if Sookie was watching as he slid off his jeans. He shifted into a werewolf and he ran to the woods, almost immediately catching the scent of the ancient vampire.
Sookie ran after him, trying to catch up, and as Alcide slowed down, losing the scent, he listened to the story that she was telling him. He didn't quite understand, because all that he could make sense of it was that faerie blood could make Eric "drunk as a skunk."
Whatever that means…?
Finally, in the distant, he could smell the vampire again. He took off again, leaving Sookie behind. He quickly shifted back to his human form and looked off pass the swamp, hoping that Eric would be spotted.
"Eric!" He shouted for the vampire.
Suddenly, the vampire popped out from the water, and brought his arms up into the air.
Sookie came running behind him and stopped when she saw Eric.
"Sookie, come! Come play with me!" The vampire shouted, splashing water around him.
"Eric, I need you back into the house." Sookie said in a serious tone as she folded her arms. "It's an emergency."
Alcide nodded. "We need you to help a girl."
Eric frowned. "Where is Jade? She wouldn't want me to leave the sun to the water."
"Jade's dying, Eric." Sookie said, being direct with him. "She's lost a lot of blood and—"
In a blink of an eye, the vampire was gone from the water, and out from the sun.
Alcide looked at the empty swamp, realizing there was something missing here, and it was Eric—except it wasn't—because this Eric was here and he was different than the one he once knew, because this time the vampire actually looked happy for once.
Hello Readers!
I'm sorry for posting this late, but here it is, and I plan on posting weekly.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a great day!