§Disclaimer: I own all the characters. The lyrics are from Jay Gordon of Orgy, "Slept so Long." From Queen of the Damned soundtrack. Blood to blood, life for life, enter the darkness, leave the light—from Neveada. Enjoy!§

Chapter Seven: The truth comes out

§Anetka's POV§

Anetka groggily opened her eyes to the sunlight that was streaming through her semi black out curtains. Just as soon as she opened them, she quickly closed her eyes again. She hated to wake up when the sun was out. She turned over and glanced at the clock. The clock read 10:43. She noticed that she was still in her outfit from last night. She also noticed that she was actually in an unmade bed. She didn't remember making down her bed last night. Then it came to her. 'He lied! That fucking bastard lied to me!! While I was getting beautiful for him, he was off sleeping with some slut! That fucking bastard asshole!!' She climbed out of bed and got in the shower. She couldn't believe that she fell for his dirty ass tricks. 'I should know better than that!' She got out of the shower and quickly threw on some black clothes. She didn't care what she looked like at the moment. She was looking around for her brush, when she saw it. 'His letter.' She picked it up and ripped it into a million pieces. 'It's not true. He is just messing with my head. I need air!' She quickly ran downstairs and out the door. She had no clue where she was going; she just kept on running. A half hour later, she finds herself on the grounds of some high school. 'Beecher Falls High School,' Anetka read on the front of the school.

"Are you new here?" Someone asked her. The guy that stood in front of her had short black hair that was spiked up. He wore a dark green shirt and a pair of jeans with black boots. He had an ear full of earrings that started at the bottom of his ear and continued all the way up to the very top. He had a tattoo that started at the bottom of this neck on the right side. She assumed it continued down his arm. The color of his eyes was something that stunned her. They were this medium violet color. His eyes were amazing. 'He's a hottie!'

"New? Oh, yea I am. I was just about to go register, even though I am kind of late. I forgot to set my alarm." Anetka lied. She was hoping that lie would work.

"Well, I can show you to the office if you want?" The guy offered with a smile.

"That would be great." She responded. "So, what's your name?" Anetka asked, as they started to walk toward the front office.

"My real name is William, but everyone calls me Will. What about you?"

"I'm Anetka." She said, as they neared the office.

"Well Anetka, it was very nice to meet you. Hopefully I will see you soon. Bye." Will said with a smile as he left. She liked him. She reached into his aura and found out the information she needed. 'How about I give this high school stuff a shot; how hard good it be? Plus, I could always call Will if I need help!' A playful grin found its way to Anetka's face. So, she walked into the office and registered. She would be starting tomorrow, bright and early. She was going to have fun!

§Rafael's POV§

Rafael was currently sitting in Black Rose. He had been here a while now. He had been informed from Dawn that Vincent was with Jade so he ended up here. That was about six hours ago. He was trying to poison himself again, but he knew it wouldn't work.

"Ok, stop this moping around and tell me what you did wrong this time?" Topaz had been trying to get it out of him ever since he walked in here. He wouldn't tell her, but now he was rethinking that.

"Ok, I'll start from the beginning. I had this dream about the night I died. You see, my father was this king and he would always have these grand balls like every night. One night, the night I died, I met this young lady named Kathrine. We had all sorts of fun that night. I liked her a lot. Later that night, she became my first kill. I thought I killed her anyway. Well, when I woke up, I put that dream aside. I decided that I would write a letter to Anetka, explaining everything that she wouldn't let me ever get out. On the back of the letter, I wrote her a poem. Well when I went to Vincent's bash last night, I met up with Kathrine again. She informed me that Kamet didn't let me take enough blood to kill her and later that night, he changed her too. We danced a while and soon ended up in my bed. Supposedly, Anetka walked in on us. She ran home. I felt so guilty; so ashamed. I don't like it when I make her pissed at me. So, I went to her house and saw her lying on her bed. She cried herself to sleep because of me. So that was my night! Wonderful, right?" Rafael finally finished.

"What am I going to do with you? Will you ever learn?"

"Learn what?"

"You need to learn that if you want Anetka, you gotta give her some respect. Meaning, don't say you love her one minute and then go gallivanting off with some other girl in your past a minute later!"

"Well, I'm so sorry. It's just that I let her get to me."

"You let her get to you or did you let your ego get to you?"

"I hate it when you make a point!" Rafael gave her an evil look.

"You should know by now that I am always right!" Topaz said with a big smile.

"Well, I should probably go sort this out now."

"Sort what out love?" A voice said behind him.

"Kathrine look, I might have had feelings for you 500 hundred years ago, but not anymore. Last night should not have happened. I'm in love with someone else." Rafael said as he walked past her and out the door. So, Rafael headed toward Anetka's house to try and sort things out. He usually liked to will himself places, but this way it gave him more time to think about what he wanted to say. It took him about 10 minutes to get to her house. It usually would of taken him 5, but he walked super slow today. He didn't bother to knock. He never did.

"Anetka? Anetka are you here?" Rafael yelled as he was heading up the stairs. He got no response. He just figured that she didn't want to talk to him or she was still sound asleep. He finally made it upstairs and in the doorway of her room. The bed was still unmade and empty. He smelled the fruit smell of her shampoo. 'She obviously had gotten up this morning. She must have left somewhere. But where did she go?' He walked over to her bed. It wouldn't hurt if he just made up her bed. He noticed that there were little pieces of paper all over the floor, closest to her bed. He saw this piece that was bigger than the others and picked it up. It took him a few seconds to realize what he was reading. 'My letter. She ripped up me letter! I wouldn't blame her though. I would hate me too.'

"Really? I would hate you too! Big improvement for you! Now, what are you doing in my room?" Anetka asked him. Her bad mood was coming back again.

"Oh, I was just looking for you. We need to talk."

"No, I don't think we do. Why did you just make my bed up? Wait! Oh my gosh!!" Anetka screamed. Anetka was freaking out. She paced back and fourth in her room. Rafael couldn't stand it anymore.

Rafael grabbed her by the shoulders to stop her pacing. "Ane, will you stop pacing. Stand still will you. I don't know why you are freaking out about anyway."

"Why am I freaking out? I am freaking out because you came into my room last night. You made my bed down and who knows what else you did to me!" Anetka threw up her hands in disgust and anger.

"I came in your room last night to see if you were ok. You cried yourself to sleep last night, Ane. I saw the tears; you can't deny it. All I did was make your bed down and put you back in it. Ok, so I kissed your forehead and left. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Oh. But what about that girl you had in bed with you last night? It didn't seem like you were too excited to see me. Do you like lying to me?"

"About that, I made a huge mistake. See, my father was a king. At one of his grand balls, I met this lady named Kathrine. Later that night, she became my first kill. Or at least I thought she was. Kamet didn't let my take enough blood. She was changed later that night. She found me last night and the feelings came back, just not as strong as before. I could never love her like I love you. I don't even love her. I love you Anetka, only you. I guess I was kind of getting back at you because of the whole Slasher thing. I'm sorry, about everything. I'll be going now. Bye." Rafael turned and started to walk out the door.

"Your words are just a bunch of bullshit!"

"I'll let you think whatever you want to think, love."

§William's POV§

William was in his 5th period class and all he could think about was her. 'Anetka.' He never met a girl that he wanted so badly. Heck, he never met a girl that he actually liked! There was something about this girl that he liked. He felt like she was surrounded by something new, something different. But he couldn't put his finger on it. 'Maybe she's this magickal witch that practices dark magick? Or maybe she's in a gang? Maybe they'll recruit me?' William was full of questions. The only thing that he knew was that he wanted her to be his. There was something about her that made him want her. 'The weird thing about her was the fact that she sounded happy, but didn't seem all that happy. Maybe she just got dumped or something? That could be it.' William had no idea how close he was on that guess. He had so many questions for her, that he could hardly wait for tomorrow to come.

§Anetka's POV§

"Oh, I hate him with a passion!" Anetka yelled to no one. "He thinks he can prance right in here and make everything all right! Well, he's wrong. I'll turn William and he'll see how perfect we are for each other! Rafe will forget all about me when me and Will hook up!" Anetka continued to ramble on and on. She paced up and down the hallways all day. She was determined to get Rafael out of her mind and continued to try to be pissed at him. But it didn't work too much. She couldn't figure out why she wasn't that pissed at him like she usually was. 'Oh, I'm so confused! Maybe I should pay a certain someone a visit!' She hoped Kenosha could help.

§ Rafael's POV§

'Why is she so stubborn?! She knows that I wouldn't lie to her by now! There's got to be some way I could get her. Or maybe it's hopeless. I should just give up. No! I will never give up on her! I know I'm being selfish, but she's the one thing I n this world that makes me happy. And I know I can make her happy!' Rafael continued on like this for hours. He paced up and down the hallways in his house, just like Anetka. They were so much alike, it's weird that they haven't seen it yet. 'I need to talk to Kenosha.'

About 5 minutes later, Rafael walks into Black Rose. Kenosha was sitting at the bar, as usual. He was styling his normal black and red. The half sphere necklace clung tightly to his neck. 'Damn, does he ever take that off?!' The necklace was a gift from his first girlfriend in his new world. He continued to wear it, even though she had broken his heart over 400 years ago.

"You're a fool!" Kenosha heard this, but didn't say anything. "Look, I need your help. I know we haven't been the best of brothers, but I really do need your help." Before Kenosha could reply, Anetka walked in.

"Kenosha!" Anetka had obviously had not seen him yet, because her expression was still the same as when she walked in. Half way there, she froze. He didn't know why. 'Maybe because I'm here!' Whatever it was, he would probably never know. She had finally gotten up more courage and finished her short walk to the bar.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded.

"For you information, I needed to talk to my brother about something. So, what are you doing here?"

"As a matter of fact, I need to talk to Kenosha too."

"What do you two want?" Kenosha had been sitting there very patiently while those two argued.

"I was about to tell you, but then she came along. Now, I can't tell you." Rafael growled.

"The same goes for me, but I can't tell you when he's around." Anetka agreed. 'At least we agree about something!'

"Ok look, how about I listen to both of you separately in private. Will that make you guys happy?" Kenosha asked with a sigh.

"Only if I go first!" Anetka exclaimed.

"Ladies first." Rafael spat with a cynical look at Kenosha.

"We'll be back later then." Kenosha said right before they both disappeared.

"Help me now!" Rafael thought out loud. Rafael knew Anetka was plotting revenge on him. After those two parted that morning, she was so angry at him. But when she first walked in, he could see happiness and fear in her aura. How could she be happy, but afraid at the same time? She must have another guy she fools around with. But who is the question. While in the middle of his thinking, he didn't realize it, but he was jotting down another poem. He looked down and read what he wrote right when Anetka and Kenosha appeared. Rafael knew he wrote about Anetka, again. All he ever does is write about her. He knew he had to get it to Anetka some how.

"Back so soon!" Rafael exclaimed with an evil grin. They just nodded back to him in response.

When Rafael passed by Anetka, he whispered in her ear. "Blood to blood, life for life, enter the darkness, leave the light." Just when Anetka was about to respond, he disappeared with Kenosha. He got the last word again. He loves to confuse her! They both appeared in Rafael's house.

"Is she plotting for revenge?" was the first words that came out of Rafael's mouth. Kenosha just laughed at that.

"No, my dear brother, she's not."

"Then what did she say?" Rafael demanded.

"I can't tell you. But you can ask her when we're done here. Now, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Kenosha asked.

"I need advice. I need help. You know how deeply I love Anetka. I just need a plan to win her over. Every one knows she hates me. I don't really know why though, but that's not the point." Rafael explained.

"She doesn't hate you. She just gets frustrated with you. But I'm not the one who should be telling you that. Do you want to know what advice I gave Anetka?" Kenosha asked, patient as ever.

"What did you tell her?" Rafael eagerly asked.

"I told her to calm down and think clearly. If you just back off a little bit and don't get her angry at you, maybe she'll like you more. She told me about the letter and poem. Now, that was good. But making love with Kathrine right after that was stupid. What were you thinking?" Kenosha demanded.

§Anetka's POV§

Anetka was heading back to her house, trying to comprehend what Kenosha had told her. She went there because she was confused, yet she came back more confused. 'How does that work out?' According to him, Rafael was really madly in love with her. He told her that she should give him some credit. What really confused her were the last words that Rafael whispered in her ear before he left. The words seemed so familiar to her, yet not. 'This is confusing!' Anetka's thoughts drifted in and out of her head all night. All kinds of different thoughts came and went, but those words kept creeping back into her mind. She must have heard them somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where or how. The words in the letter from Rafe kept coming back to her too. But she didn't want to remember that letter. Every time she thought about the letter, Rafael's betrayal always popped in her head. That was the best night in her unlife, and the worst night. 'How does that happen?' She was in her room now, rummaging through her coat pockets to try and find where she put her mother's ring, which she had found among the ashes. While she was looking, she found a piece of paper with writing on it. She recognized the writing and it scared her.

I see hell in your eyes,

Taken in by surprise.'

Touching you makes my feel alive.

Touching you makes my die inside.

I hate you!

I've slept so long without you,

It's tearing me apart too.

How'd it get this far,

Playing games with this old heart?

His words scared her. What was he trying to say? 'I'm hurting him.'

"You're not necessarily hurting me. You're just…ok, you are hurting me. But the point to that poem isn't totally about that." Rafael said as he appeared in her room. Anetka wasn't really surprised that he had been listening or even popping into her room randomly. She's actually getting used to that now.

"Then what did you mean?"

"I meant that I hate you because you won't give me a chance. You blame me for every bad thing that has happened to you. I mean, is it really that bad that I turned you? Are you happier now or back then? It hurts me when I get you angry. I don't mean to do that." Rafael stated.

"Ok, you're not making any sense. First, you claim you turned me because of love. Then you disappear from my unlife for over 3 hundred years. When you come back, you write me a letter claiming you still love me. Then you go ahead and make love to another woman. Now, you claim you still love me, even though I'm hurting you because I blame you for everything bad. I need you to tell me the truth, here!" Anetka finished, taking an unneeded sigh.

"Look, the moment I saw you, I knew you were perfect for me; I knew you were the one I could love for eternity with. That's why I turned you. The reason I disappeared for that many years was because you needed to time to get used to what I turned you into. I made sure you got to Kenosha that night. I knew he would take care of you until I got back. I made several trips back here to see how you were. Where did you think Kenosha went once every month? I can't really explain kathrine to you. To tell you the truth, I really have no clue what was going through my head then." Rafael took his head into his hands as he sat down on her bed. Before he brain could process what she was doing, she walked over to him and kneeled down between his legs.

"You can tell me anything, Rafe." Anetka said, as she lifted his chin up with her hand.

"Ane, I forgot about you; I forgot about you for the first time since I had laid eyes on you." Rafael said, while a single tear slid down his cheek. "I never stopped loving you, you know." Rafael continued to shed some tears.

"Just let it out Rafe. Just let it out." Anetka whispered calmly. Rafael continued to weep. Anetka repositioned him so that they were both kneeling on the floor with Rafael's head was pressed to her chest. Anetka didn't know why she let herself comfort Rafael, but it just felt right for her. She also didn't totally understand why Rafael was still weeping. It was like he felt bad for betraying her. She didn't question him; she just let him weep. Anetka didn't know how long they sat there. Rafael never stopped crying. She never saw a guy cry before, especially the famous Rafael. All she could do was trace circles on his back with her fingers. About an hour later, she felt Rafael calm down. His tears had stopped and he was just sitting there quietly. While he was just sitting there, Anetka started to think about what had happened earlier. Rafael's words were still fresh in her mind.

"Rafe?" Anetka carefully asked.

"Yea Ane?" Rafael quietly responded.

"Do you remember the words you whispered in my ear before you went and talked to Kenosha earlier?"

"You mean, 'blood to blood, life for life, enter the darkness, leave the light'? What about it?"

"Well, why did you say it? Why do those words sound so familiar to me?" Anetka curiously asked.

"Because I said those words right before I turned you. Do you remember anything about that night?"

§AN: finally I finished this chapter. I started chapter 8 already. Hopefully it won't take me that long to write as the last one. Please tell me what you think of this! Review please!!! JCS§