Chapter 7: Reunion

My dream replayed itself. The event that made me leave in the first place. The massacre of Cherry Spring.

But after the massacre, I had a new dream. It was peaceful, and glistening, I was lying on a beach. The soft waves washed onto me, the warm currents flushed my bare skin.

I was human.

I was vulnerable, I was alive and I was one of them. Tears flowed away, and formed a river as it reached the ocean bay. I looked into the ocean, at my mirrored reflection. I was younger than fourteen, I was a younger boy. And I was growing still. A cold breeze flowed through my shivering and my precious body.

Then a warm hand touched my cold watery body. It stroked my face. I couldn't see the hand, but I could feel it. It was welcoming, someone familiar, and someone who loved me.

I opened my eyes. Rachel was lying next to me, her finger stroking my face. Her eyes were dark around the edges, she had been crying. Rachel opened her eyes and looked at my face.

I half expected fury, but instead she hugged me tightly. If I was a human, she probably would have suffocated me by now. Her arms constricted around my body, and then she tangled her legs around mine. She was clamping us together.

"Rachel…" Was all I managed to say, until she shoved her mouth into mine. And then she stopped moving.

I felt ridiculous, Rachel was on top of me like a prison, her arms strangling my chest and back, while her legs constricted my legs, and then her mouth forcefully kissed mine so I wouldn't talk.

I pushed against her, attempting to break free of her hold. She gripped tighter.

And then I changed my strategy, her eyes were closed so she couldn't see anything; I attempted to grab the side of the bed to pull myself away. She felt my moving arm and instantly grabbed it back.

Alright then, how about I seduce her then? I started to kiss her back. Rachel surprised yet happy for my decision started to soften her grip on me. I used my arms to slowly free themselves and then push her away. All this time, I kept kissing her so she stayed infatuated.

I jumped off the bed and landed with a thump on the floor. Rachel stared after me. I turned and looked back at her as I sat on the cold wood floor of the apartment.

"Aren't you happy to see me?" She looked like she had done something wrong, and was guilty of it.

I glared at her. She glared back.

"I missed you,"
"I missed you too,"

She smiled, "I missed you more."

Rachel turned over and posed on the bed for me. A gesture which invited me to come back onto the bed.

"If we were humans, this would look sick," fourteen years olds seducing each other, right.

"Yes but we aren't humans, dear Lucius, we're vampires."

She grinned at my defiance, but it wouldn't last long. Eventually she'll lose her patience, go on a rampage, and probably assault me in the mean time.

"Come back to bed, it's too early to be up."

The four am subway rumbled nearby.

I stood up, I realised at that moment I was half naked. Rachel smiled at me innocently; my shirt was on the other side of the room.

I observed her for a moment, and she stared at my eyes back.

"Bed, now." It sounded like a demand.

I moved back instead, wrong move. Rachel sprung up from the bed and charged towards me. Her face carried an angry expression.

I stood my ground.

"Look Lucius, let me put it this way, you left me once, and how I've found you again. If I ever lose you again, I will probably kill myself. And if that doesn't work, then I'm going to tie you up and personally keep you like a toy." She tried to add humour to her threat. "So are you going to be stubborn again or are you going to come over here?"

I acted like I was thinking. "Hmm…I'm going to be stubborn."

Rachel didn't return the humour, she glared at me. Her eyes portraying fury. She took a few steps forward. I walked sideways, and jumped forward as she attempted to tackle me down. She missed and instead hit the floor denting a small hole. I picked myself up and took the opportunity to run. I smashed into the door, and broke it down. I was away.

"Lucius!" Rachel screamed inside the room. This was torture for her, this was freedom for me. I ran up the stairs, she would catch me by foot if I ran. But by air, I was the fastest bird in the sky.

I reached the roof and sprinted to the edge; Rachel appeared behind me and ran to catch up. I jumped, and fell.

I heard a scream of terror behind me. I then glided up and raced through the buildings, careful not to hit anything glass.

Rachel was soon behind me, flying as fast as she could. But she wasn't fast enough. I was out of her sight in a few minutes.

I could still hear her cursing and sobbing from the other side of the city.

I later landed in the ocean. From there I swam to the city outskirts. I climbed into a suburb and hid in a new park. This wasn't a familiar area. It was around lunchtime. I waited till the darkness of the afternoon took over.

It was unusual for a boy to walk in the dark night all alone. Especially in the ravages of a metropolis city. Lots of things could find you, things that should stay hidden. Your nightmares brought to life or new ones to corrupt your mind.

I choose one of the tallest buildings in New York, the New York Times Tower. Rolfus was next in line. And the most powerful and probably pissed of them all.

He was my leader and figure father, and I had run away from him.

I waited in the surpassing darkness for my next vampire encounter. I could feel the starting droplets of rain splinter on my face. The sea salt in my hair started to dissipate into my clothes.

"There's another girl isn't there?" Wrong person. I sighed; she wasn't going to give up, ever.

"Rachel, where's Rolfus?"

She looked depressed now, her head was hung low and it was evident she had been crying more.

"He's not here yet."

She looked up at me, something within reach for her; I was something she needed badly. Yet she didn't come any closer.

"Who is she?"

"Rachel, there's no one."

"Yes there is, what is her name?" Rachel managed to stay calm. This girl was crazy; her life was centred around me. I had gotten over her a long time ago, well at least tried to, but maybe that was because of her inhumanity. She had nothing to use against me, except that I abandoned her. I had her murderous habits and bloodthirsty habits.

Rachel was going crazy, she loved me. More than I had ever thought before. It was only in times of crisis did our true feelings really show themselves. It was evident in the past. She would kill for me, she would die for me. I was something worth living for and something worth dying for. And it was in that moment, that I realised I would do the exact same thing for her. Why was I running from someone I loved? She only wanted me to be with her again.

I walked towards her; she noticed my movement and looked cautiously at me. A large gust of wind threatened to blow us off the tower.

I placed my hand around her face, and separated any lines between us. Rachel surrendered herself to me. And for a few moments we were one. Then Rachel broke our kiss and looked at me.

"Where does she live?"

"Rachel…" Now she was the one annoying me.

"I can be the only one," she shook her head, "I won't hurt her, I just want to talk to her."

Yeah, and scar Aleah for life. If Aleah mentioned our last experience, I doubt Rachel would control herself. Besides there would be less competition for me then.

"I will find her,"

"No you won't."

"Yes I will," Rachel kissed me suddenly again and then flew off into the gloomy night. The race had just begun. Rachel knew from the start there was another girl involved. Aleah's scent was all over me and my clothes. Rachel would search every single household in New York to find that scent. She would find it very quickly.

I had to beat her to Aleah; I had to protect the human girl.