Chapter Five

Dinner was a dreary event, with Aunt Serene talking non-stop about Chris. Blake was absent-he was eating over at his friend's place. Chryseis fretted about in her seat, wishing that it were over by now.

When it was finally over, Chryseis went up to her room on the pretense that she was tired and wanted an early sleep. She slipped out of the house as soon as she was certain that everyone was asleep.

The grove was nestled in midst of the forest that bordered on the edges of the town. It took Chryseis an hour to find it (She didn't dare ask for directions and it didn't help that everything looked different at night.). It was ten o'clock at night and the moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery sheen on the bluebells that filled the grove, giving it a magical appearance.

Chryseis remembered that once her mother had told them about how fields of bluebells are very magical, caused by the faeries that lived amidst them. She had laughed then, and said that faeries didn't exist in this world. But now, she wondered. She switched off the torchlight she held in her hand. The place was illuminated enough by the moon.

She glanced around at the grove for any sign of Chris or anybody at all. The place seemed empty. She wanted to ask him just what he had known about Alianne's death. One thing she knew for sure now: Alianne did not die of natural causes.

Her other hand clutched tightly around the sizable kitchen knife she carried in her pocket as she moved forward. She had taken it randomly from the kitchen drawers. Hopefully, her aunt would not notice its absence until she got back. If she got back, that is. It would at least give her some advantage if Chris, whoever he was, decided to ambush her.

She stepped out into the clearing, her heart pounding as she scanned the trees around her for any movement at all. Then, she took a deep breath. She would be damned if she let him see how afraid she was.

Raising her voice, she called in clear tones," Chris, I know you are out there." She paused, then added thoughtfully, "On second thoughts, I don't really know, but if you are, do come out."

A rustle in the bushes had her whirling around, her heart pounding. Chris stood there, leaning casually against the trunk of a tree, hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans. He smiled at her, the same dashing smile he had given Aunt Serene.

"Miss Elafros. It is a pleasure to see you again."

"Cut off the pleasantries, Mr Whoever-you-are. You know very well why I am here and I want my answers now." Her firm tone belayed the fear lodging in her.

"All in due time." he strolled to Chryseis, "Nice moon we have here, don't we?" he tilted his head upwards.

Chryseis forced the urge to shred him to ribbons using the knife she had in her pocket. "What game are you playing, Chris?" she snapped.

He turned back to her, face reproving. Then his expression turned tender, gentled. "You didn't used to be like this. Alianne's death changed you. You used to be shy and gentle."

"Death changes everyone. Too much pain involved not to." She said shortly, uncomfortable at the change of topic. Then the significance of what he had said sank in.

"How did you know?" her tone incredulous, she spun around to stare at him.

"Let's just say that I have my…ways." he smiled.

"You have been spying on me?"

"Not spying, just observing."

"It amounts up to the same thing!" her tone rose up a few decibels on the last word.

Chris winced. "You are getting a bit loud, you know. You might like to tone down a little."

"You have been spying on me for god-knows how many years and you expect me to tone down?"

"There are reasons, Chryseis. Reasons that I, unfortunately, cannot gave you. What I can give you, however, is an easy death. One privilege that Alianne did not have, I am afraid."

Chris smiled briefly.

Chryseis backed away, not trusting that smile, her hand tightened on the knife even as she backed away.

"What do you mean?"

"Alianne was but a stepping stone, amidst a annoying one, to our plan." Chris smiled genially, as though they were talking about no more than the weather.

"You killed Alianne?" Chryseis stared at Chris in horror.

"Not me, Chryseis." Chris' voice was chiding. "How can you think such of me? It came as a surprise, Alianne's death. Surprising but convenient. It speeds things up considerately. Now, for your turn."

"You are crazy. Mad, demented, mental, crazed-" Chryseis's eyes dart around her surroundings, looking for a way to escape.

"Okay, okay. I got it the first time. No need to repeat so many times." Chris rolled his eyes, and took a step forward.

Chryseis took a step backwards.

Then, maybe it was a trick of light, but Chryseis watch in fascinated horror as Chris suddenly grew fangs, his eyes turned liquid silver.

She blinked in disbelief. They were still there.

"Oh. My. God." she choked out, feeling as if she was trapped in some freakish nightmare. "Draculas don't exist."

In a movement as quick as lightning, Chris was suddenly in front of her, pining her back against the tree behind her, his hand snaking up to grasp her neck in an iron grip, but not hard enough to choke her.

"But vampires do." He smiled, the fangs making him look fiendish in the moonlight.

He leaned close to her ear, his breath brushing her cheek gently as he exhaled, "Let me tell you a secret, Chryseis. You can treat it like a…pre-death present." He let out an amused laugh.

"Your sister, darling Chryseis, was agreeable upon our plan to kill you."

He leaned back, smiling as he waited for Chryseis's reaction.

"You are lying," Chryseis spat out. "My sister would never do such a thing. She doesn't even know you."

Smile widening, Chris said, "Oh, but she did. Believe it or not, she was the one who suggested it."

Suddenly, his smile switched off. Just like that. It changed him completely, into a forbidding person; inhuman with his fangs and liquid silver eyes.

"We have talked too much. Now," his tone reproving as Chryseis struggled in his grasp, "Don't make this difficult. Stop squirming."

He gave her a sharp slap across the face, the sound echoing desolately in the grove.

Chryseis stopped struggling, sensing the futility of the movement. She closed her eyes, adverting her gaze from the sight of Chris' bared fangs. She had read enough about vampires to know how she would be killed.

"That is better. Now, don't move."

Even without seeing, Chryseis could feel Chris moving his mouth to her neck, the light brush of his hair against her cheek, his breath hot on her neck. Chris moved his right hand from where it held Chryseis's hands captive to cup the back of her neck.

Seeing her chance, Chryseis pulled out the kitchen knife from where it nestled in her pocket and thrust it into Chris' back.

An unholy snarl rent the air as Chris pulled back from Chryseis, staggered back a few steps, his hand reaching behind to his back to pull out the knife.

Chryseis slide to the ground, whimpers escaping her at the sight of the blood that covered Chris's hand like a crimson glove when he removed the knife from his back.

Chris' eyes swiveled to Chryseis, their silver depths glowing. With a deceptively casual flick of his hand, he threw the knife away from him, where it embedded into the midst of the bluebells, its hilt quivering from the shock of the contact seconds later.

"You really shouldn't have done that, Chryseis." He said, mouth drawn back in a snarl that displayed his fangs even more prominently.

Terror clutched at her and gave her strength. Suddenly, she was on her feet and dashing madly towards the cover of the trees. Here, the towering treetops blocked out what little light the moon had to offer. Shadows seem to leap out from every crook and cranny at her. Her hands were stretched out in front of her as she raced blindly through the forest.

Suddenly, a light loomed in front of her. The town! She must be reaching the edge of the forest! Her heart leaped at this new discovery. She looked back over her shoulder for Chris. Big mistake. Her foot caught in a protruding tree root and, with a muffled cry, she fell hard onto the forest ground, knocking the breath out of her.

Gasping for breath, she shifted her position on the ground so that she was sitting up, leaned against a tree. From the pain her leg was giving out, she knew that it had been sprained. She felt a presence standing over her and knew that it was Chris. She lifted her eyes slowly and met Chris' silver ones.

"Didn't you learn before that metal doesn't kill vampires?" he smiled at her a chilling smile. "They hurt like hell though, I have to say." He added thoughtfully.

"You kind of need to stick a wooden stake here," he gestured to the left side of his chest, "to kill me."

Chryseis closed her eyes, knowing that she would die now.

"Here is your bloody wood, you bloodsucking leech!" An angry voice snarled.

Chryseis opened her eyes just in time to see Chris run through by Blake with a wooden stake. Then, before her eyes, Chris toppled to the ground and started mummifying.

"Oh. My. God." She gasped out, feeling her vision starting to swim after the "visual onslaught" she had just received. The last thing she heard before she fainted was Blake's rather panicked and concerned cry of her name.

Author's note: i really did not have the time to edit this chapter, i will do so when i have the chance. for now, pls make do with all the mistakes! thanks!