"What do you want?" I asked the vampire who was lounging on my bed as if
she owned it. Her hair was a forest green color and so were her eyes. I
wasn't really sure if it was an illusion or if her hair really was that
color. Her forest green tanktop and rather short skirt matched her hair
rather disgustingly and she smiled a pearly white smile. I could tell
instantly that she was Indian or Egyptian. Her skin was a deep tan.
"Do you know what Kendra calls you?" She asked simply as she sat up on my bed and tilted her head like a curious puppy at me. The name made me want to tense up but I did not want to show any reaction and so I kept still. When I didn't respond, she got off my bed and circled me, her long manicured nails tracing my cheek as she passed in front of me. "The Painted One."
"What do you want?" I asked her again, neither my voice nor my face changing. I was very good at hiding my emotions. I did have my whole human life to work on it, and I have all eternity to perfect it.
I kept on trying to place her somehow. She wasn't a Silver fledgling, and I narrowed it down quickly to my own blood line, Kendra's. This girl had the look of an artist about her, but I could not really place how. "Who are you?" I finally asked, my eyes locking on hers. I hadn't changed my eyes back to their ink black state, and so they still were like ice. Ice against Forest. Ice always won. She looked away.
"Rayne." She simply replied, but I could tell that there was something to add and so I kept my lips shut. "Rayne Forrest." There was no mistaking the smile in her voice and so there was no point in hiding mine.
"Rain Forest?" I repeated. She shoved me somewhat playfully, somewhat offended.
"No. Rayne, with a Y and an E and Forrest with two R's."
"Kendra's line?" I did ask what line she was from, but that was a given. What we Kendra line vampires ask each other was what caught her attention.
"Kaleo's fledgling," Rayne answered. Kaleo had a habit of turning girls who he thought himself in love with. Nissa was a prime example. Of course, she is the only one that has Nikolas as a brother. He was actually a pretty cool vampire. I had been to a few of his bashes before I gave up and moved here.
When I was about to rephrase my question, she added, "Horticulture." I laughed. I never could really see Kaleo sitting on a bench in a garden, sniffing the flowers, but I never expected Kaleo to do lots of things. "And I know what caught Kendra's attention for you, Cairbre."
"Does my little so called nickname give it away?" I couldn't disguise the disgust in my voice and I was surprised to see Rayne look offended.
"For your information, there are a lot of Kendra's line that were damned for the same reason." I knew that, but why had Kendra picked on me? Rayne lifted her hand and touched my hair. "You are the only fledgling that had paint flakes in his hair no matter how many times you wash it."
"What are you here for?" I growled at her, gently pulling her hand away from my hair. Three is always the magic number, I thought to myself when I saw Rayne walk over to the corner of my room and pick up a piece of covered canvas. Odd, I hadn't seen it there before.
"Well, I was here to hang around at Las Noches, but Kendra told me to bring this to you." She set it down on my bed before blowing me a kiss. "See you later Cairbre." And with that she was gone.
For a moment I stared at the canvas from across the room; my eyes fading back into their true black state. I wondered what it was but made no move to see it. I could really only think about Rayne. She killed her prey, every single one. No doubt she went to bashes, and I could tell by her eagerness to leave that she was going to a bash after she had dealt with me.
I remember trying to convince Christopher, lessly known as Kristopher, to come to Single Earth. He after all had told me about it. Hypocrite.
I returned my attention to the canvas and I walked over slowly, my mind beginning to wander. What's this Cairbre? Kendra's voice echoed in my head, but it was only a memory. You don't like my gift? I did not like the one she had given me then. That poor girl......
Jerking my mind from sickened memories, I pulled off the covering of the canvas and growled angrily when I saw what it was. Navy blues, burgundies, blacks, greys. My painting. My last painting. The date was signed in white sadistically in the corner. May 13, 1963.
Anger surged through me. I left my room and went into the city. The first girl I saw, I fed.. I let her screams pierce the cold night air. I let her feel the mind numbing pain. Her screams were like music to my ears. That night, for the first time in three painful years, I killed.
"Do you know what Kendra calls you?" She asked simply as she sat up on my bed and tilted her head like a curious puppy at me. The name made me want to tense up but I did not want to show any reaction and so I kept still. When I didn't respond, she got off my bed and circled me, her long manicured nails tracing my cheek as she passed in front of me. "The Painted One."
"What do you want?" I asked her again, neither my voice nor my face changing. I was very good at hiding my emotions. I did have my whole human life to work on it, and I have all eternity to perfect it.
I kept on trying to place her somehow. She wasn't a Silver fledgling, and I narrowed it down quickly to my own blood line, Kendra's. This girl had the look of an artist about her, but I could not really place how. "Who are you?" I finally asked, my eyes locking on hers. I hadn't changed my eyes back to their ink black state, and so they still were like ice. Ice against Forest. Ice always won. She looked away.
"Rayne." She simply replied, but I could tell that there was something to add and so I kept my lips shut. "Rayne Forrest." There was no mistaking the smile in her voice and so there was no point in hiding mine.
"Rain Forest?" I repeated. She shoved me somewhat playfully, somewhat offended.
"No. Rayne, with a Y and an E and Forrest with two R's."
"Kendra's line?" I did ask what line she was from, but that was a given. What we Kendra line vampires ask each other was what caught her attention.
"Kaleo's fledgling," Rayne answered. Kaleo had a habit of turning girls who he thought himself in love with. Nissa was a prime example. Of course, she is the only one that has Nikolas as a brother. He was actually a pretty cool vampire. I had been to a few of his bashes before I gave up and moved here.
When I was about to rephrase my question, she added, "Horticulture." I laughed. I never could really see Kaleo sitting on a bench in a garden, sniffing the flowers, but I never expected Kaleo to do lots of things. "And I know what caught Kendra's attention for you, Cairbre."
"Does my little so called nickname give it away?" I couldn't disguise the disgust in my voice and I was surprised to see Rayne look offended.
"For your information, there are a lot of Kendra's line that were damned for the same reason." I knew that, but why had Kendra picked on me? Rayne lifted her hand and touched my hair. "You are the only fledgling that had paint flakes in his hair no matter how many times you wash it."
"What are you here for?" I growled at her, gently pulling her hand away from my hair. Three is always the magic number, I thought to myself when I saw Rayne walk over to the corner of my room and pick up a piece of covered canvas. Odd, I hadn't seen it there before.
"Well, I was here to hang around at Las Noches, but Kendra told me to bring this to you." She set it down on my bed before blowing me a kiss. "See you later Cairbre." And with that she was gone.
For a moment I stared at the canvas from across the room; my eyes fading back into their true black state. I wondered what it was but made no move to see it. I could really only think about Rayne. She killed her prey, every single one. No doubt she went to bashes, and I could tell by her eagerness to leave that she was going to a bash after she had dealt with me.
I remember trying to convince Christopher, lessly known as Kristopher, to come to Single Earth. He after all had told me about it. Hypocrite.
I returned my attention to the canvas and I walked over slowly, my mind beginning to wander. What's this Cairbre? Kendra's voice echoed in my head, but it was only a memory. You don't like my gift? I did not like the one she had given me then. That poor girl......
Jerking my mind from sickened memories, I pulled off the covering of the canvas and growled angrily when I saw what it was. Navy blues, burgundies, blacks, greys. My painting. My last painting. The date was signed in white sadistically in the corner. May 13, 1963.
Anger surged through me. I left my room and went into the city. The first girl I saw, I fed.. I let her screams pierce the cold night air. I let her feel the mind numbing pain. Her screams were like music to my ears. That night, for the first time in three painful years, I killed.