"What? Why are you looking at me like I've got snakes coming out of my ears?"
Bliss's panicked voice finally snapped Oliver back to life.
"Sorry, sorry. It's just Schuyler mentioned having a similar dream. Strange coincidence I guess?"
He looked to her as if she could provide a clue to all this, but Bliss just shrugged helplessly; that seemed to be the way she felt a lot lately; helpless, and she hated it.
For awhile Oliver just sat uncomfortably in her gaudily decorated room. He had no real reason to stick around, but felt guilty leaving. She attempted small talk, but nothing seemed to cut through the tension.
Tap tap
"What was that?"
Bliss' head spun around to the window where the noise had come from.
"A branch or a bird."
Oliver tried to stay calm. Bliss was already jumpy enough for the both of them. He awkwardly reached over and patted her hand. The reassuring gesture was lost on her though; she was intently focused on the window.
Tap tap
"There you heard it, didn't you?"
Oliver wasn't sure how to answer. Confirming that he had heard it would only scare her half to death, but denying it would only fuel her paranoia.
"Yeah I heard something." He tried to sound as casual as possible and stood up. Bliss had never realized how tall he was before.
Walking to the window he unlatched it and surveyed outside. Bliss was comforted by his chivalrous act. Back in Texas men taking care of woman was a given, but since moving here it was a rarity. Even though she was sure Oliver was just doing what came natural to him from years of taking care of Schuyler, warmth still ran through her.
"Um, are you expecting someone?" he asked her from outside the window.
"What?"
Oliver pulled his head back inside of the window, followed by a second darker head of hair.
"Dylan?" She managed with what little voice hadn't left her at the sight of him.
Dylan stood up and stretched once inside her room. Bliss was in shock; she had convinced herself that she had just imagined him showing up in her room a few months ago. Was this another hallucination? No, Oliver was seeing him too. She had grieved twice for him and wasn't going to go through it again. She desperately tried to form questions, but they wouldn't leave her mouth. Dylan came and knelt down by her on the bed.
"It's me, I'm really here. Just like I was really here a few months ago."
"I thought I had been dreaming. I thought you were dead."
Dylan stood up and walked back over to her window.
"Maybe I am? I don't know what I am anymore. Things have gotten weird."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think I've attacked anyone since that night." He nodded towards Bliss not wanting to elaborate.
"But there is a lot I don't remember. I'm having a lot of blackouts and then waking up in strange places."
Bliss and Oliver shared a concerned glance.
"What about your parents?"
Dylan shrugged, "They just keep sending me from one specialist to the next."
"Aren't they worried that you might be a…a…," Bliss choked at the thought, "a silver blood."
"Not really and that's the weird part."
I felt Jack's eyes burning into me the second I stepped into the room; green lasers calculating my every move. It wasn't hard to figure out who he was talking with on the other end of the phone; only Mimi could cause such a guilty look on his pristine face. He spoke a few more words to her,
"Are you sure?...You don't have to…No, really…bye…"
And finally broke eye contact with me as he closed the phone
"Who was that?" I played dumb.
"Madeleine."
I had never heard him use her real name before, at least not around me.
"Really Benjamin? Is that so?"
"Knock it off Schuyler," he spat at me.
"I thought we were playing the formal name game. That's Ms. Van Alen."
He gave me an exasperated sigh and picked up an apple off the counter. Why had all our encounters lately taken place in the kitchen? Does food and stainless steel evoke uncomfortable feelings to be discussed?
"I'm a wreck Schuyler. Because of you."
"Me?"
"Yes you," his tone was edgy, an angry accusation in it.
"What did I do?"
I had a clue, but couldn't bring myself to actually comprehend it.
"My sister's coming home early. She's worried that there's something between us."
I felt guilty, even though I had done nothing.
He put the apple down and placed his hands on my shoulders. The reaction was instant; a wave of sweet burning sensation ran through me.
"I have to sort this out before she gets back," he paused to stare down at the counter for a minute, " Is there something between us?"
My mind instantly went back to the night of the Masquerade; how much I had hoped it had been him, every fiber of me had known it deep down.
I looked into his intense green eyes as he challenged me.
"Kiss me," I ordered softly.
He didn't move. My eyelashes flickered against the black curtain of my bangs that they were hiding behind. I held on desperately to the surge of unknown strength that was now controlling me.
"Kiss me," I demanded again.
He wasted no time in closing the distance between us. He pressed his body against mine as his hands grabbed forcefully around my face; pushing into my hair.
My whole body felt alive; every one of my senses dove eagerly into the kiss; his smell intoxicating each pore as I breathed him deeply. His lips moved expertly on mine with purpose, no game. We moved in perfect harmony. His hands added to the full body sensation making it almost unbearable pleasure.
Time stood still, until his mouth began to move more slowly against me; letting each connection linger. With one last brush of his warm lips against mine he pulled away.
"Sky?"
I whirled around. In the doorway behind me stood Oliver and Bliss; startled and unmoving.
Bliss' small hand was over her gaping mouth. Shock and hurt were easily readable on Oliver's face.
"Oh Oliver, no. It's just…it was a test…just a …stop!" He turned for the door as I spoke and I finally found my feet again to go after him.
"What did you expect Perry?" a voice taunted at him from behind me,
"You're not a blue blood. She is."
My mind was quickly filled with the image of my mother; laying in the bed forever in love with her red blood familiar.
"Ollie please." I reached my hand to him, struggling to find the words to make everything better; there were none.
Before I could speak again my mind began to buzz. My legs went weak and I dropped hard to the ground.
Not now, not now! I thought.
"She's weak. When's the last time she fed?"
Bliss questioned Jack urgently. Through my heavy eyelids I saw him look over at Oliver.
"No way!"
Oliver backed away from the huddle around me.
"She needs you!"
While they spoke, their voices sounded like they were further and further down a tunnel, my ears hummed and then everything went black.
The smell alone was enough to rouse me awake with a fierce jolt. The only noise I could hear was the strong rhythmic thumping of my best friend's blood. I couldn't think straight. There was no easing into it this time; no seduction; he thrust his neck to my mouth. I let my fingers dig into his brown hair, pulling him even closer. And then Ia new desire took over, my body craved another test. I didn't bite him, instead I pressed my lips hard onto his. The revitalization was instant; all my weakness, nausea was gone. My brain was screaming at me,
"What the hell are you doing?"
Suddenly,the air felt different; a cool breeze was around me, I opened my eyes tenatively.
I was no longer in the Force's kitchen, I was in a field; a thick overgrown field with forest surrounding the outlying edges. I couldn't feel the itchy ground under me, I was on something soft. The light pink of dusk washed across the sky. I had heard flashbacks being described like this before, but I had never imagined they would be so vivid. But I had no flashbacks; this wasn't supposed to be happening. Oliver's voice broke the confusing silence,
"Uh, Sky, where are we?"
A/N: Just to let the readers know...htere is no chapter 5. I took it out because it was a note to my readers. It's not missing any part of the story though. The story continues from chapter 4 to chapter 6!! Thanks for the support all my wonderful readers!!