Well! I've finally returned. Now I can get working. I need to sit my lazy little butt down and start typing.
We'll be looking at Ion's past. I'm pretty sure this will take more than one chapter to finish, so bear with me!
Here goes, hope you like!
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Chapter TenFirst Memories, pt I
He knew he had seen her somewhere before.
Somewhere deep in his heart, he knew exactly who she was, why she was here, and why he thought he knew her.
He just hadn't realized it yet.
As he walked alongside her, he thought. He lost himself in thought as he walked and talked with her, not really paying attention to what she was saying.
He usually never forgot a face, a name, a voice, or anything that marked someone for who they were.
He had an excellent memory.
But for one reason or another, he had forgotten who she was.
He didn't even notice when she stopped walking.
"Is something the matter, Ion?"
She looked up at him innocently with wide eyes. But there was something behind those eyes that was far from innocent.
Just like that, he remembered.
How could he have forgotten?
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It was a gorgeous sunny day. Exactly the type of days Ion hated the most.
So he sulked in the shadows. Why he was forced to go to something as pointless as school, he probably would never know.
Students were clustered in various areas around campus. Comfortable chatter filled the air, occasionally punctured by bouts of laughter or loud, hoarse shouts.
It was normal enough, he decided, but not the place for him.
With a sigh, he stood up and turned, preparing to leave, until a small girl approached him.
"E-excuse me…" She looked up at him with wide, shining eyes.
Ion sighed heavily and turned around.
"What?" He snapped, his ruby-red eyes glinting from the darkness of the shadows.
The small girl seemed startled by his harshness. She quickly composed herself.
"Because I want to."
He didn't like speaking with humans. He had better ways to spend the day. 'hanging out' with humans at an all-human school was far from his ideal day. His ideal day would be spending time inside. Oh how he hated sunlight.
Apparently the small human wasn't going to go away just yet, much to his displeasure.
"Why?"
Such a simple word, yet it drove him insane.
"Just go away. Leave me alone." He scowled at her.
She simply blinked a few times. "You haven't answered my question."
He narrowed his eyes. He had always been told that his glare was vicious, and this theory was proved as the annoying young human flinched, now looking slightly fearful.
"When I said 'go away' I meant it. I want you out of my sight, so leave me alone you useless pesky creature!"
His bitter, cruel words did their job. The girl turned around, her head hung low, and sprinted away in the direction of the lunch tables.
Under normal circumstances, he would have snorted in disgust, but instead he found himself feeling a little bit guilty. What brought this on? That was all he could wonder.
He relaxed his glare and frowned slightly, concerned that he cared how that human may have felt.
The thought continued to bother him as he continued to walk away.
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Ion swallowed, feeling his throat tighten and his heart beat speed up.
"Are you alright with finding your classes now?" He was amazed he could speak at all.
She nodded, her eyes focused on him.
"Very well." It didn't sound like his voice at all. It sounded like a stranger speaking. "If you'll excuse me, there is somewhere I need to be right now."
He didn't wait for a response; he turned on his heel and left her, his hands clenched into tight fists.
Behind him, Lea tried her best to suppress a wicked smirk. "So now you remember me, Ion Fortuna. I'm flattered."
She turned on her heel and walked in the opposite direction, a glint of malice in her eyes and a wicked smirk upon her lips.
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He saw her again.
That annoying girl.
The one he felt guilty for yelling at.
As soon as she saw him, he looked away, drumming her fingers quickly on her desk.
So that was how she knew him.
That brat would pay dearly for making him feel guilt.
Other vampires didn't give a damn about humans, so why should he? It was so pointless to care, but the concept continued to bother him all through class.
When the bell rang, he didn't leap out of his seat to be the first one out the door. Instead, he waited for the strange young human girl.
She looked horrified when she saw him standing over her.
"You. Come."
She only nodded fearfully, quickly tossing her things in the back.
It had been a week since he last paid attention to her, and a week ago was the same day she approached him.
She kept plenty of distance between him and herself.
Good. That was the way it should be.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
"Why did you approach me?"
His voice was cold and low, his eyes narrowed and focused only straight ahead.
She gulped and looked down, apparently contemplating an answer that would not anger him.
"Because you looked lonely." She kept her eyes down, her face calm and serious.
Instead of sneering at her like he might have, his voice was soft and quiet.
"What made you think that?"
She looked up at him this time, her eyes wider than usual. She bit her lip as she wondered whether she should answer him or not.
"Because," she paused, her eyes meeting his, "that's how I usually act. I have no friends. So, I thought that maybe…" Her voice trailed off and she ooked away.
Ion stared at the back of her head, eyes narrowed slightly.
She suddenly turned back to him.
"Why do you glare all the time?"
The random question caught him off guard.
"Because." He didn't feel the need to say anything else. Besides, he couldn't think of anything else to say anyways.
"You would look much better of you didn't look so bitter all the time," she began, "and maybe you would be less lonely."
That girl acted as if she knew his loneliness. "Be quiet girl." He hissed quietly.
She immediately averted her eyes, biting her lip again. It was a few seconds before she spoke up again.
"It's Lea."
"What?"
"My name is Lea Kahn." She lifted up her eyes to meet his somewhat astonished ones.
By God, this girl was persistent. Annoying, foolish, and not too bright either.
"I'm Ion." As if such a thing mattered anymore.
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Ion gripped the wall with one hand tightly.
How, how, how?
How was this happening?
Why?
He felt like bashing his head into the wall. He resisted, though. His head already felt like it was going to fall apart anyways.
He could have sworn she was dead…
He gave his head a violent shake, gripping the wall so tightly he felt it would crack.
He would always see that same scene over and over again in his mind. She was his waking nightmare. She was the very thing that haunted his dreams.
And now…he feared himself. He feared what he could do to others like her.
Ion knew he was far from innocent.
He was a killer.
…And somehow, she was still alive…
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First part of chapter ten! Wow, this story is going very far, isn't it?
Well, keep on reading and reviewing readers, there will always be more to come!