I want to thank you guys, BeachVampire17 and AshRedfernAndMorgead, for supporting me, and reviewing for every single chapter. Thanks guys! It makes me do a happy dance. =) I won't really have time to write, cause skool's starting, and I have lots of stuff to do. BUT. I will try my hardest to write as much as I can. Thanks guys. You rock!!
Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Sorry. WAIT. Except for my gang (L)
Love is in the Air, Chapter 12: The Soulmate Principle
Stefan gently asked, "Where are your parents? What are you?" At the same time as Elena asked, "How do you know about vampires?"
ShayLynn looked past her black and green bangs to glare at Stefan first, shook her head sharply and replied sarcastically, "My parents are dead, as I told you." She nodded at Elena. "I'm a shapeshifter, if you haven't noticed." She turned her glare to Elena. "And as for your question. Why do you want to know?"
Stefan and Elena exchanged a look at her tone and Stefan carefully answered, "We want to know why you think all vampires are not all of them are."
ShayLynn glared at him again, while fiddling with the chain attached to her skinny black jeans. "I know they're not all evil. I just don't trust most of the shitheads." Her thoughts drifted to Caine. "But fine. It's kind of a long story, though." She said dully.
Elena sat up straighter, and nodded in encouragement. "Okay. We have plenty of time."
ShayLynn sighed, and sat back in her chair. "Well, here it goes. It was Winter, and I was 9 years old. My cousin was 13. We were playing hide-and-seek."
Stefan raised his eyebrows at this, and ShayLynn snapped, "It was for my father's sake. To keep me from bothering him." Stefan nodded, and gestured for her to continue.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "I was supposed to hide, and she was supposed to, obviously, seek. But Jordana was getting tired of this game. So while I was looking for a place to hide, she just sat on my dad's bed, watched T.V. and fell asleep." ShayLynn's eyes unfocused and the memory enveloped her.
The excited ShayLynn hid in the kitchen cupboard, next to a pile of pots and pans. She kept quiet to wait for Jordana, while her dad was busy working at a table in the living room. Sometime later, ShayLynn and her exhausted dad fell into a deep slumber.
When it was dark, around 11pm, ShayLynn awoke with sounds of quiet murmurings and her cramped muscles. She opened the door, just a little crack, and looked through it. What she saw, was not what a 9-year-old heart could possibly take.
She saw two young men in black, one with black hair, and one with brown hair. There was one shorter, but more muscular man, about 21 years old, putting tape over her father's mouth. The black-haired man said something, but ShayLynn couldn't hear him – she was too far away.
As she watched, he grinned, and struck at her father's neck. She looked in horror. Blood splattered to the floor. The man was…drinking her father's… blood. Vampire. A voice whispered inside her. He's a v…vampire.
ShayLynn, frozen to the spot, couldn't help but watch as the two vampires drank her father's blood. Her common sense kicked in at that time, and she stayed quiet, no matter what happened. ShayLynn could only hope for Jordana to keep on sleeping, not noticing what was happening.
Once her father was drained, the brown-haired vampire flung the corpse aside and ripped off the tape covering his mouth.
"What about the half-breed?" The muscular man asked, sniffing the air.
"I'm sorry, my furry friend. She wasn't part of our orders. We have to leave her alone, Randall. And stop sniffing." The black-haired vampire snapped. Randall sighed and then all three of them left the house.
ShayLynn stayed frozen for another hour and then meekly crawled out of the cupboard. She stumbled to her father's pale dead body and started to sob, her soft cries echoing in the house.
Time passed. It could have been minutes or hours, but it passed. She got up, her face blank with shock and grief. She wanted to call the police, but she didn't know the number. She also thought of running to her next door neighbour's house, and telling them what happened. But she had used all her energy, and was tired. She couldn't form enough coherent thoughts to make a plan, and only when her eyelids started to droop, did she remember her cousin, asleep in the upstairs room.
"Jordana!! Jordana!!! Jordaaanaaaaaa!!!" She shrieked, half sobbing and half questioning if Jordana was murdered by those terrifying men. With new adrenaline pumping through her veins, she shot upstairs, trying to find Jordana's body, at least. When she stormed out of her own room, she bumped into a tall figure. She fell back and almost bounced back, hugging the figure tightly.
"What happened ShayLynn? Why are you screaming, hmm? And why were you crying??!" A shocked Jordana added, as she looked into her cousin's face.
"Daddy…daddy…" ShayLynn gulped, as new tears flowed down her cheeks.
"Oh my god Lynnie! What happened to your dad? Is he downstairs?" ShayLynn nodded weakly, and Jordana flew down the stairs, carrying ShayLynn tightly.
Jordana let ShayLynn take the lead once they entered the foyer. ShayLynn lead her into the kitchen, to her cupboard, and turned Jordana towards the living room.
Jordana could only gasp, and collapsed to the floor, as she spotted the dead body of ShayLynn's father. "How did this happen Lynnie?" Was all she could manage. How could she have slept through all of this?? Jordana felt ashamed. And then she broke down, crying.
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Half an hour later, Jordana and ShayLynn sat on the kitchen floor, trying not to break down again.
Jordana cleared her throat, and hoarsely said, "ShayLynn. Stay right here. I'm going to call the police. Okay?"
ShayLynn could only nod her head numbly.
When Jordana came back, she quietly asked, "Lynnie, are you okay? The police said they're coming right now, and they'll arrive soon." She added softly.
ShayLynn looked up at Jordana. She can't believe she lost her last close relative, her father. She vaguely even noticed when Jordana wrapped her arms around her. Without warning, the tears began to come again. But this time, Jordana was there to comfort her.
As the tears began to recede once again, Jordana cleared her throat and began hoarsely. "Okay ShayLynn, now back to the question. How did your father… die?" They both winced at the word "die".
"V…vampires… a big man…" A sad ShayLynn answered.
Jordana sighed, and said gently, "Lynnie, you know vampires don't exist. You said a big man. So how many people were there, including the big man?"
ShayLynn looked indignant. "It was a v…vampire. I can see. 3 people."
Jordana sighed again. "Fine. Have it your way."
ShayLynn shook herself out of the memory. She glanced at Stefan curiously, to see what he thought of his own kind now, and saw his eyes burning with anger. At what, she did not know.
Then she glanced at Elena, who was sitting with her arms crossed, lips pursed, and sympathy written all over her face.
ShayLynn carefully went on to finish. "So then the police came, and found his body, drained of all his blood. Every time they asked me what had happened, I always said that two vampires drank his blood. But they never believed me and laughed. I, on the other hand, always knew that they exist.
"Then I got taken to my damned aunt and uncle's house. They ignored me and didn't give a shit of what I did. So when I was 13, Jordana went out and rented a flat. I went with her. And that's where I'm staying now, as you can see." ShayLynn concluded moodily, while folding her arms.
There was a dark silence that crept up on them. ShayLynn continued to fiddle with the chain on her jeans, with her head down. Elena and Stefan couldn't see, but her golden eyes were filled, because of the memory. She concentrated solely on making them go away, not allowing them to spill over and let the two see weakness. Finally, Elena spoke, and her tears were hidden.
"I'm sorry ShayLynn. I understand why you hate vampires now. I know how it feels to see the closest people in your life die." Elena's voice cracked on the word die. ShayLynn kept her face smooth, showing no sign of emotion that was inside. She felt torn. Her new friends, the ones she just started to open up to, was a vampire and a vampire's lover.
"But Stefan… you know Stefan. We've been friends for almost a month and a half." Her face was pleading.
"No. Who killed him. What was Randall?" Stefan's voice was low and throbbing with fury. "We'll kill them. We'll kill them right now."
ShayLynn's face was a calm, hard mask until Stefan spoke. She looked at the opposite wall, but studied his features. He really did seem angry and gentle. You let Caine in, might as well let him in too. A little voice said in the back of her mind. He was feeding on pigeons. Come on. Only Daybreakers do that. He's probably good. Finally, ShayLynn let her breath out in a hiss.
"Fine. I'll trust you guys." She spoke each word clearly. Both their faces looked relieved. "After all, we've known each other for so long." She looked away. "And I don't know who killed him." She looked directly at Stefan as she spoke. "If I did, would they still be alive?" She asked sarcastically. "Randall… most likely a werewolf. "Randall" means "shield wolf" in English." She added. Both of them mouthed, "werewolf" silently.
"Thank you… for trusting us." Elena's voice was wobbling slightly. Suddenly, she jumped at ShayLynn, and gave her a tight hug. "We have nothing else to hide." Her voice was muffled slightly. ShayLynn smirked and hugged her back carefully. She didn't want to break any bones.
When they separated, ShayLynn scrutinized them. "Before, you guys didn't know what I am. You idiots don't know about shapeshifters?!" She shouted incredulously, springing up in the process. When they both nodded, slightly startled with her outburst, ShayLynn sank back into the chair. So they probably didn't know about witches or werewolves either. Which means… they don't know about the Night World. Which means Stefan's unconsciously breaking one of the Night World rules – loving a human. She tapped the armrest of the chair thoughtfully. That means she had to break one of them too… telling it to the human… Elena.
"Okay. You assholes should come to my flat right now." ShayLynn decided. Both of them nodded, and led the way out.
ShayLynn pursed her lips. She didn't really trust them that much, so she decided to call the gang for backup. I guess the hunting trip's cancelled. She sighed. She led the way in the dark to her bedroom. She turned on the lights and grabbed her phone.
"You guys can watch TV, surf the net until the gang comes." She said.
"Why? You don't trust us? Do they know about vampires and shapeshifters?" Elena sounded hurt.
"No. Different reason. You'll see." She rolled her eyes. "Yes they do know about them." They nodded and turned on the TV.
ShayLynn turned on the speaker system she had behind the bed and speed-dialled Mina first. The phone rang three times before she picked up. "Hellooo?" She sounded tired. "Mina. It's me. Come to my flat right now. Emergency meeting." She hung up and speed-dialled the rest of the gang in the exact same way. She lay on the bed, but kept an eye out for the both of them. This is going to be fun, she thought, smirking.
Finally they all came in the door, groggy. "This better be good, Lynnie." Haruki mumbled sleepily. Only Caine looked tense and alert. "What's wrong?" He whipped at her.
"Okay, you guys all have to be awake." She creased her brow and turned off the TV and music. They all tensed at that. "Stefan and Elena, sit on the couch. You guys, the bed." She herself stood up. They all assembled each other in the right place. She noticed with approval that the gang was all in defence mode, even though they were sleepy.
"Assholes. Meet the vampire, Stefan Salvatore." She said grandly. The gang all widened their eyes. "Really?" Nanami murmured.
"Yes. Stefan's a vampire. But he hates it, and is weak. He only drinks human blood when I force him to." Elena explained.
"So he's like Daybreakers?" Mina asked ShayLynn. She nodded. "That's why I trust them. And guess what? They don't know about the Night World." The gang all looked stricken, and turned to stare incredulously at them.
"Umm, what's the Night World?" Elena asked, uncomfortable with the stares. "And Daybreakers? So you do have something to do with the people in the building!"
"Later. Now I want to introduce you to the gang properly." ShayLynn said. "I'm ShayLynn Creed, and I'm a shapeshifter. I shift into a great black hawk."
She approached Nanami. "This is Nanami Maru, and she's a shapeshifter. She shifts into a kitsune that's russet brown." Stefan and Elena's jaws fell open.
"This is Haruki Maru, and he's a shapeshifter. He shifts into a kitsune, too, except his colour's chocolate brown."
She slung an arm over Mina's shoulders. "This is Wilhelmina Mystral, who likes to be called Mina. She's a fighting witch." Mina grinned, closed her eyes, and cupped her hands together. A few seconds later, something in her hands appeared. It seemed to be some sort of reddish-brown flame. She opened her eyes, and the flames vanished. She winked at the two on the couch.
"Last but not least, this is Caine Jacey, who is a vampire, like Stefan." He smirked, and then his caramel eyes went more jewel-like, looking sort of like ShayLynn's. His features became more chiselled, like stone, and his lips became redder. Caine parted his mouth slightly, and two fangs emerged, curved delicately and pearly-white, indenting his lower lip. He closed his mouth, and his eyes and face returned to normal.
ShayLynn looked back at Stefan and Elena. They were both shocked still. "Wow." Elena breathed. She smirked proudly, and turned to the gang. "Sorry guys, but the hunt is off." Nanami and Haruki shrugged, but Caine pressed his lips together. "I haven't fed like that since last time. I can't live on steak blood again." He said stiffly. ShayLynn searched his eyes carefully. She could see nothing but the truth.
"You guys talk for a while. Me and Caine have to talk." She dragged Caine into her closet, and carefully shut the door. She took a deep breath, and slowly turned around. Caine was staring at her, with his hands shoved in his pockets. God, those eyes were really mesmerizing. She let her breath out in a hiss, looked down, and said slowly, "I'm sorry I cancelled the hunt." She took a deep breath and looked up. "And in return, I'll be a willing donor."
Caine's eyes widened with surprise. "But…you hate vampires. How could you be a victim of one willingly? You're my best friend. I can't do that to you. "
ShayLynn smiled a little. "You're different, Caine. I know you have the control to stop." She whispered. "And that shows how much a love you." She added teasingly as she ran her hand along the hanging shirts.
Wait, what? She was shocked by her own words. It had spilled out unintentionally, and somewhere deep inside her had recognized the truth of it. Ever since he had been friends with her, she kept track of everything he did. She always thought it was because he had helped her but… it wasn't just that. She always felt both of them connected deeper than words could convey. They understood each other without speaking, without the need to look at the other.
Caine chuckled. "Yeah, sure, whatever you wanna say bastard." He paused. "And thanks, Lynnie." He said softly.
Unconsciously, they had moved towards each other, and they were now one step apart from each other. Caine now closed the space with one stride, and held her shoulders gently. He looked down at her, not at her face, but at her throat. She closed her eyes, and breathed deeply. She felt him tilt her chin back – gently but with irresistible force, and lean down. She imagined his caramel eyes growing more metallic, sort of like her own, and his teeth lengthening to beautiful, curved fangs.
She felt a warm breath and then a quick warm swipe – his tongue licking her throat quickly. She waited, and felt the sting at her throat – closely related to a jellyfish sting – and tried desperately to keep calm. She kept waiting for the pain, but all she could feel was Caine nuzzling her neck, and holding her gently. She suddenly realized he was trying to make this better for her, because she was making a sacrifice.
All of a sudden, in a silent explosion, she was floating in white mist. Not physically, but mentally. What the hell was happening? Is this what happens when you give blood or something? She never felt anything like this before, and there was sort of a tug that made her go forward, searching for something. Oh hell, she knew this was a bad idea. There was a sense of foreboding as she was dragged forward, and then suddenly, it was as if she burst in, she felt Caine's mind. It was surrounding her, and gently holding her, light as a feather's touch. She could see him, his soul, his mind; things that made him Caine Jacey. And she knew without asking that he could see hers, too. Oh, shit. He could see everything. She desperately tried to hide, or cover up her secrets, but something interrupted her.
No! Please… don't hide from me.
It was Caine's mental voice, or just plainly his thoughts. His thoughts flowed to her, just as easily as she knew hers did. She hesitated, and let him see everything, laid out in full view.
I enjoy you here.
Yeah… but what's happening? Is this some shit that happens when vampires drink blood?
She felt strangely confused and scared. She felt the irresistible pull that wanted to mix their souls together, merging like two halves of a whole… but it was terrifying. What would happen after that?
No… I've never felt this before. But you seriously don't know? He seemed surprised. It's… the Soulmate Principle, idiot.
The moment he said that, ShayLynn felt realization dawn on her. Of course. They love each other. It was there all along, underneath the layers of protection she had built. She felt a happiness bubbling up inside her. But… that was impossible. Caine was her best friend… and a vampire.
I'm sorry.
She felt the hurt behind his words, and instantly regretted what she thought. Here, in this peaceful mist, it wasn't ShayLynn the shapeshifter, or Caine the vampire. It was more like ShayLynn and Caine the person. Just people of different species. It didn't matter that he was a vampire.
No, I'm sorry. I don't think I hate vampires that much anymore…
ShayLynn… His thought drifted off.
She didn't need him to explain. She could feel his fierce protectiveness, and his undying love that was mirrored with hers. Suddenly, the mist parted, and she saw a strong silver chord. She knew without checking that one side was attached to her heart and the other was attached to Caine's. The chord was throbbing and humming, pulling both of them closer and closer, until they melded together. She sighed happily, and lapsed into a comforting silence as they became closer and closer.
Suddenly, she felt someone shouting at her from far away. She grumbled, and tried to block it out. But it was consistent, and she heard, "ShayLynn! You bitch! Wake up you idiot!" Come on. I guess we have to wake up.
She grumbled again and dragged herself out of the state. Everything was confusing for a moment, as she blinked rapidly. It was as if she was resurfacing from deep water, or going back into her body. She didn't know where she was, what position she was in, and what time it was. Slowly, she saw Mina in front of her, arms crossed, and foot tapping impatiently. Oh right. She was in her closet, lying on top of Caine, one hand on top of his chest. Caine had his arms around her, and it seemed he had stopped drinking her blood at some point. She tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness came across her, and she slumped back to Caine's body.
"Ugh… what happened? I feel so… weak." She groaned.
She felt Caine gently help her up, and whisper, "I might've taken a bit too much. I'm sorry." She nodded distractedly, and leaned to Caine for support. "What do you want?" He snapped at Mina, who was watching with one eyebrow raised.
"Well, ShayLynn dragged you in here with no explanation, and we just tried to talk as much as we can without revealing anything. You never came back so they got worried and forced me in here. Then I saw both of you… like this." Mina answered icily.
"Oh… sorry." ShayLynn tried to steady herself, but ended up falling back to Caine.
"So what were you doing in here?"
"The hunt was cancelled, so ShayLynn graciously offered me a little blood because I'm getting weak." Caine said brusquely.
Mina looked startled. "But ShayLynn… you hate vampires."
"Whatever. Go away. I need to do something."
Mina scowled but left.
ShayLynn went to a cupboard that held boxes of shoes. "Lock the door." She whispered to Caine.
She opened the cupboard doors, and carefully took out all the boxes. When she felt Caine behind her, she murmured, "I need some of your blood to be stronger. Don't tell anyone about this." She crawled inside the cupboard and felt around the back. She found a thin strip of silky ribbon and pulled. The back opened, revealing an open path.
"Follow me." She whispered.
She crawled inside for a moment, and then felt a familiar woody feeling under her hands. She felt carefully around the sides, and found a switch. She flicked it open, and then there was a bright light ahead of her. She quietly crawled until she reached the other side. She stood up, and waited for Caine to come through too.
"Wow." He breathed. They were standing in ShayLynn's secret closet, the closet she hadn't used since she joined Circle Daybreak. It was a room dimly lit by the same gothic lamp on the ceiling. All the walls were padded by thick mats that made a dull thud when it got hit. Behind one of the mats, there was a hidden door. ShayLynn ripped the mat off it and opened the door. It was a smaller space, but filled with lots of wooden and silver weapons, neatly put in drawers. One side of the wall had lots of jumpsuits and boots. ShayLynn ran a hand through them, and felt the smooth skins of dead animals.
She crossed over to one of the drawers, and pulled out a simple, elegantly carved wooden dagger. "Here. I'm still weak, you know." She said.
"What is this ShayLynn?" Caine asked dazedly, as he took the dagger.
"Tell you later." She replied, as he slit open a small cut on his wrist. Blood welled up, cherry-red. ShayLynn took a deep breath, and Caine crossed over, handing the knife back to her. ShayLynn gripped it tightly, and swallowed.
"Come on. It's not that bad." He said softly.
ShayLynn took his wrist, closed her eyes and pressed her lips to the open wound. She felt Caine softly stroke her hair as she drank. The blood was rich and exotic, unlike the animal blood she tasted when she hunted. It burned slightly when it went down her throat. ShayLynn woozily took her lips away from his wrist a moment later, and Caine smiled at her.
"You took the perfect amount." He winked, and ShayLynn licked her lips. She watched with no surprise when his wrist slowly smoothed over. Goddamn healing powers, she thought as she wiped the dagger with a piece of cloth and put it back in its drawer.
Caine chuckled. He heard her. The connection was still there, connected by the silver chord, but invisible this moment.
"So are you going to tell me about this?" He asked curiously, gesturing around him.
"Before I met Circle Daybreak people, I was a vampire and werewolf hunter. This is my closet for those jobs. Everything here could harm a vampire or werewolf." She took out a crude weapon, a wooden sword coated with silver that had lots of secret compartments, and played with it in her hands. "So you see… you're in dangerous territory," She said quietly. Suddenly, she lunged forward, while taking off the silver cover, revealing the wood. The sword landed beside Caine's neck, pressing down menacingly. Unfortunately, he was too busy looking around to defend himself in time. ShayLynn smirked at his expression and removed the sword, once again placing the silver cover back on.
"You wouldn't kill me," He said positively.
ShayLynn raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"
"We're soulmates. You wouldn't kill your other half, would you?"
"Fair enough." She put the sword away.
"Why do you need those?" He asked, pointing to the jumpsuits and boots.
"When we shapeshift, our clothes don't just pop off and on, you know. If we wear animal skins, it works. So they're all made of dead animal skins." She replied absently.
"You know, I'd like to see you 'shift without those on," Caine suggested mischievously.
ShayLynn strode by him, unaffected. "Drop dead, Caine."
Caine just shook his head, smirking, and followed her out. "This is where I practice." ShayLynn said as she put up the mat covering the door. "We have to get out, before anyone finds out." She crawled back into the opening and turned off the light.
When they emerged out the other side, ShayLynn quickly put back the boxes and strode out the closet, with Caine following her. She cleared her throat, and everyone turned to look at her.
"Are you okay?" Haruki asked.
"I'm fine." She smirked. "What did you guys talk about?"
"Uh…" Nanami hesitated. "We actually didn't talk much. You guys weren't here, after all."
ShayLynn rolled her eyes, but smiled. "We're not that important. Anyhoo, Stefan and Elena, you guys have to pay close attention to this. It's really important." They nodded and sat up straighter.
Caine settled down on the bed, and ShayLynn rolled the computer chair to join them. "Everyone in this room, except for Elena, belong to something called…" She took a deep breath, and made the biggest betrayal of her upbringing.
"The Night World."
Cliffie again! But you have to forgive me cause I gave you guys a really nice and long chapter! Review? *puppy dog face*
