Hey Guys. I know this chapter is a little rushed - okay, a lot rushed - but I came up with the idea and I couldn't wait to put it down on paper. Or Microsoft Word. Or whatever.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
P.S. Thanks to Emzy2k11 for giving me the idea of the line 'you look like you've seen a ghost.' Much appreciated.
"To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the ultimate tragedy."
I was aware of someone lying next to me. Panic bubbled within me, frantic to escape, but I knew I had to stay calm.
Who could it be? Jay? The last thing I could remember was sitting on the beach with him . . . and the next thing I know I'd passed out. But boy, my subconscious did not want to behave.
I could remember my dream very clearly.
In my dream, he'd come back. He hadn't died. The antlers had missed his heart . . . if that was even possible. He'd looked pretty dead to me.
"Becca? Becca, are you awake?" a soft voice whispered in my ear.
Oh. Oh shit. My eyes flew open. Ice-blue irises greeted my vision, and I balked. Was I hallucinating? Because . . . that could not be David sat in front of me.
I pressed my finger warily against the stiff fabric of his trench coat, and my eyes increased to the size of golf balls when I realized I could actually feel it.
The imaginary David frowned. "Becca, are you okay?"
I ignored him, figuring that if he was a figment of my imagination, he wouldn't mind. I prodded him some more.
"Becca, that's getting quite annoying. Please stop it."
"Be quiet a minute," I commanded, annoyed that my brain wouldn't do what I wanted it to do.
I imagined David leaning down to kiss me – dangerous, I know, if I woke up from this strange hallucination – but he didn't.
I glared. "Are you real?"
His frown deepened. "What kind of a stupid question is that?"
"You can't talk to me like that. You're part of my imagination . . . so I would basically be insulting myself. That's actually quite lame."
I pondered this for a moment.
"Becca, I am not part of your imagination."
"Yeah, right," I snorted, "as if I'm going to believe that."
"Becca, this isn't funny. I – am – not – a – part – of – your – imagination."
As the grogginess from sleep started to fade, I realized that he might actually be right.
I poked him one last time to make sure, and then grinned. "You're alive!"
I threw my arms around him, pushing him flat on his back. He laughed and rolled his eyes.
"You seem happy," he commented.
"Pretty darn thrilled," I agreed.
It was true. Even the part of me that felt guilty for leaving Jay couldn't resist celebrating along with the rest of me. I laughed wildly and hopped up, smiling when I saw that we were in the cave.
David took my hand as I walked across the room with my eyes fixed firmly on a patch of bright colour against the dull grey backdrop.
A colourful, patchwork jacket was slung across the armrest of a chair.
A frown carved its way into my forehead. "I miss them," I whispered.
"Me too,"
A tear formed in my eye. "It'll never be the same without them."
"Never,"
I brushed the vivid fabric with my fingertips, noticing dark blotches on it, and a ragged hole in the centre.
My mind wandered back to that night.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do," I murmured to David.
He sighed, turning away from the sombre relic. "Where shall I begin?"
I slid my eyes open. Yep. Definitely asleep. David's breathing was deep and peaceful, his face slack, his lips parted slightly. His expression was calm. I touched my lips to his forehead before hopping up.
I managed to find his motorcycle hidden cleverly in a corner and haul it out of the cave. It was louder than mine, a loud roar instead of a drone, and I winced when the engine came to life.
Don't wake up, please don't wake up, I begged silently.
"Yes!" I cheered under my breath when I managed to speed away along the gleaming sand without being caught.
When I got to the small block of apartments my stomach started doing somersaults, tossing over and over in petrified little flips.
How was I going to do this?
I shook my head and leaped off the bike, heading over to meet my doom. Well, not literally. But near enough.
Stood outside the door, I waited anxiously as the chime of the doorbell rang. Then it opened, and someone stepped out.
"Hello?"
Jay squinted, and I saw his eyes widen as he saw me. A flare of shock flashed across his expression. And then a smile broke out on his face.
"Hah! I knew you'd come back!" he cheered.
He grabbed me into a tight hug.
"Uh . . . I was just coming to, well, y'know . . . clarify things . . ." my cheeks reddened at the pathetic excuse for an explanation.
"What do you mean?" he released me.
I sighed. "Down to the point – I think it would be best for you if you didn't see me anymore. Because, well . . . David might . . . get a little . . . angry."
"And you care about that?"
"You haven't seen him when he's irritated. You wouldn't want to be in a ten mile radius of it, trust me. He can get a little . . . out of control."
He muttered something about anger management, and I smacked his arm.
"Well . . . at least you came, I suppose. That has to count for something."
"Yeah. Right."
His face darkened. "I hate him. I wish he would just die."
"Don't say that!" I scowled.
"I mean it, Becky. Things would've been just fine. But oh no . . . he has to come and screw things up. I wonder who would win, if it was me against him . . ."
"Jay!"
He sighed. "Sorry. I'll pretend I don't want to murder him, if you want."
"Yes," I snapped, "I do want that."
"Is he really allergic to garlic?"
"No, he isn't. But if you don't shut up, then I'm going to have to hit you."
He ignored me. "But stakes work, right?"
He seemed to take my pained silence as a 'yes', and smiled. "Well, at least I have one advantage, if it comes down to it. The undead can't be that hard to make dead."
"He isn't undead. His heart is beating, and he breathes. Like you and me. He really isn't that much different from us."
"He drinks blood and kills people, but, of course, he's not that different. Not different at all."
"Jay, shut up."
"Shutting up."
He grinned, but his eyes seemed far away. I wondered what he was thinking of, and whether it had anything to do with vampires.
I sighed. "I've got to go. I can't let him know that I'm here."
"Why? Is he going to physically stop you? Y'know, that's really abusive. Why doesn't he just come and drag you back now?"
"He can't go out in the sun."
Jay snorted. "That's pathetic."
"Not as pathetic as you were when I hit you in the face last night."
He scowled, and I sighed. "I've really got to go," I admitted.
"Please," he begged, "just stay for a little longer."
"I can't. I'm sorry. Goodbye,"
I leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.
"Bye, Becky. I'll see you around, I guess. Or not."
I shook my head. "This'll probably be the last time . . . it's for your own good. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Yeah, I know. You've got to do what you've got to do, right? I get it. It's fine."
I put my head in my hands. "Aw, Jay! I'm sorry. But I've got to."
"Yeah, yeah. Go on, then. Back to your vamp."
"Bye, Jay." I whispered, touching his face.
"Bye, Becky."
He hugged me once, squeezing me tight, and a tear ran down the side of my face, crystalline and sparkling.
A tear full of guilt.
Something roused me from sleep as darkness had barely fallen. Whoops of laughter rang in my ears, and I squeezed my eyes tightly shut.
"Shut up!" I grumbled.
I felt David stir beside me, just coming out of the sleep he'd been in since I'd left to find Jay. Once I felt him roll over, I managed to heave myself up into a sitting position, opening my eyes.
"Holy shit!" I croaked when I saw past the thin curtains that used to be Star's.
After hearing that, David shot up like a bullet, whipping his head round in search for what had startled me.
When he caught sight of his three family members outside of our little bubble, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped so low that it was in danger of touching the floor.
"Oh, hey guys," grinned Marko mischievously, "I hoped you'd wake up sometime." He frowned. "Are you alright, you two? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Are you a ghost?" I gasped, wondering what kinds of things were possible in this crazy world.
Paul laughed, whipping his wild lion-mane around his head. "You really believe in those things, Becky? So superstitious."
Even Dwayne cracked a smile.
But David still hadn't moved; he was a perfect statue, unmoving and static.
"David?" I asked, shaking him. "David, are you alright?"
He blinked, and then his face contorted into a feral mask. "You show up here after months?" he barked, eyes wild. "You didn't even bother to let me know you were alive! Why not? Why not? Answer me!"
The cave went silent. For the first time, I noticed Max stood in the corner, fidgeting nervously.
"Well," began Paul, out of his comfort zone for once, "Max kind of . . . thought it would be best to leave it for a while."
"Max?" hissed David, glaring at the dark corner where Max stood.
Max's uneasy expression faltered, and then turned into one of apology. "I'm sorry, David. I guessed that if you thought your brothers were dead, then you might leave Santa Carla, and in doing so, leave the girl." He gestured to me, and David stiffened.
"Sorry, man," offered Marko, ashamed. "He wouldn't let us tell you we were still here."
"I knew you thought she was dead, and I wanted you to leave before you found out the truth. I was close to telling you the truth anyway . . . don't be angry, David."
"Don't be angry?" Hissed David. "How can I not be angry? Did you have any idea what you were doing to me?"
Max bowed his head. "I'm so sorry."
"Get out," ordered David. "Just get out."
Max began to open his mouth, but when David glared at him so fiercely that it scared even me, he walked slowly out of the cave into the night, eyes on the ground.
"Well," said Dwayne, in a rare show of speech, "I guess it's good to be back."
The next day, when the sun was burning brightly and the sky was a perfect, shimmering blue, I lay down on the couch with my head back, marvelling at my luck and the sheer impossibility of it all.
Then the roar of a motorcycle cut off my train of thought.
A minute later, footsteps echoed into the cave. My muscles automatically tensed. No vampire would be able to be outside on a day like this. Not without being burned to ashes.
I peered my head over the back of the couch.
"Jay!" I hissed.
The dark-haired man turned to stare at me.
"Becky? You're awake? I thought . . ." he trailed off, and I noticed a pointed wooden shaft gripped firmly in his hand.
"No!" the word came out as a strangled shriek.
There was a heartbeat's silence, and then there were hisses and yells coming from an adjoining cavern.
I turned to Jay with an expression of horror. "Get out," I whispered, "get out before they kill you, and never come back!"
His frozen expression quickly turned to one of comprehension. He turned on his heel and fled, not quite making the exit in time.
A dark form whipped in front of him, knocking him to the floor and blocking his exit.
"I was generous," hissed David, his eyes glowing golden orbs. His teeth were sharpened to points and gleamed in the dimmed light. "I gave you chances. I was even lenient enough to let you get away with attempting to kill me, but I will not be merciful anymore. You, boy, are going to die. Today."
There were howls of agreement from the other side of the room.
Jay looked slowly around, and then started to move away from David, further into the cave. David circled with him, coming to a stop a few feet from me.
And then Jay turned on the three other vampires, raising his stake as if he was going to throw it at them.
David hissed, and moved to intercept him.
I saw the trick before he did.
Jay whipped around and released the stake, sending it soaring through the air, straight in line with David's heart.
There was no missing this time.
I launched myself in front of David, just as the shaft hit. I felt a burning in my chest, a pain so complete it overwhelmed me, and I was pulled into blackness for a short, agonizing moment.
In that moment, I heard screams and yells from every direction. There was so much happening I couldn't make out what Jay had done next. All I knew is that David was safe. I had saved him. I had done what I was destined to do, what I was supposed to do, and sacrificed my own life to save his. And I was happy. Happier than I'd been in the last months of loneliness, happier in this moment of death than in life.
The shrieks faded, and the world grew quiet. Peaceful. I saw two gorgeous eyes – blue, not gold – hover above my face. David's expression was twisted in agony. I felt myself frown. That was wrong . . . he should be happy, happy that he was alive. He shouldn't be in pain.
"Couldn't . . . lose you . . . again . . ." I choked, giving him a weak smile.
"No! Becca!" His lips formed the words, but I couldn't hear them.
I smiled again. He was wonderful. Beautiful; perfect; everything I would ever want . . . I would die. I was bound to die – I could feel the blood pouring out of my ruined chest, the life slowly fading out of me. But he would still live. And I would still love him, forever, wherever, because that was just how things were, how the cards had been dealt.
The pain started to leave my body, and I decided that if the person I loved most in the world was protected, then I could finally rest in peace.
David's face was streaked with tears that I thought I would never see.
Darkness blurred the corners of my vision, and David's form shimmered in and out of focus, evading my searching eyes in a desperate attempt to mock me before I finally departed this life. Forever. I tried to thwart the shadows, but my attempt was as futile as my stuttering heartbeat. The world was fading fast. My eyelids fluttered once, twice, and then they closed. It was almost over.
As the blackness dragged me under, I tried to force my lips to move, but speech failed me. I hoped that my eyes would convey those three, beautiful words that I could never say.
I love you, I thought, and with every ounce of my being, I knew it was true.
I would always love him.
Forever.
Aw. I'm growing far too attached to Becca - I actually feel really mean right now :(
Hope you liked it!