Chapter 4: Nightmare

Carine and Earnest left Edythe and Beau alone for the remainder of the night, not wanting to encroach on the progress Beau had made with the newest human of the family. Edythe felt more relaxed now that the vampires weren't in close proximity to her, but she was still slightly unnerved that they were probably still in the house, just out of sight.

Her mind was struggling with an internal war, her rational side versus her new human instincts. She knew in her mind that she trusted Earnest and Carine, that they would never willingly cause her harm; but now her subconscious had a registered a new instinct to shy away from the beautiful creatures, seeing them as enticing predators of humans rather than her adoptive parents. She hoped with time it would fade, but for now she was content to lie to herself about the distance between her and them.

Beau quickly settled into a supportive figure, helping Edythe through little things she had never had trouble with before or she had never had to do after being changed. He didn't laughed at her for asking possibly absurd questions or making mistakes, gently correcting her without fault.

She knew how to shower, of course, as vampires continued to bathe regularly, but for no other reason than the warmth of the water feeling soothing on their skin; they did not need bath supplies though, as nothing could stay attached to their granite skin. Carine had gone out earlier in the day, while the couple were secluded in Edythe's room, to get a supply of essentials for Edythe. Edythe regarded the items with curiosity, knowing what they were but they were still as foreign to her as anything else remotely human.

Beau easily explained how to use shampoo, conditioner, and body soap, resulting in Edythe successfully showering without his aid, though he remained outside the bathroom door in case she needed help. Beau switched with her after she was done, taking a turn in the shower while Edythe brushed her teeth, something she had seen Beau do before and merely copied.

She was now dressed in a simple pajama set, a white sleeveless shirt with baby blue pajama pants. The material they were made of were very soft and Edythe finally understood why humans chose to purchase clothing specifically for sleep. She was particularly worried about sleeping; she had never done so as a vampire, and did not know how it would go, if she was even able to at all.

After she had finished her nighttime routine, she began to rummage through the shopping bag of essentials Carine had gotten her, looking at each item and inspecting it intensely. When Beau returned to her room, he found her staring at a box of tampons, surprised to find a light blush overcome her slender cheekbones. He hadn't seen her blush yet, and he found he enjoyed the look it gave her, a fullness, a light he had not seen before. She looked up to meet his gaze, her eyes betraying her questions and worry. He smiled, perhaps a little indulgently.

"I wouldn't know how to use those," he told her, "You would have to have Carine or someone else show you." Edythe nodded, placing the box back into the bag, not enthused to the idea. She may be over a hundred years old, but the teenage girl in her did not like the idea of having to ask her vampire mother for help with menstrual issues, her overwhelming instincts aside.

Issues, she thought to herself, that she was still not certain she would even face.

Edythe had no idea if, now that she seemed fully human, she would get everything that came with the package; so far that had been the case, but it had only been a few hours. Beau saw the worried expression on her face and came to sit by her, pulling the bag and its contents away from her view. He brushed her wet hair away from her face and she glanced up to meet his gaze.

"You'll get there when you get there. No need to worry about it now," he assured her. After a moment, she nodded, appeased for the time being. Beau snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her with him as he slid to the head of the bed. He pulled back the comforter and lifted it over the both of them. They lay on their sides, facing each other, and Edythe inched closer to run her fingers through Beau's hair. She sighed contentedly.

"Thank you," she said, "For everything. For helping me, for understanding." Beau kissed her forehead affectionately.

"Of course," he replied, "You would have done to the same for me, if I had been changed. I probably would have been the worst vampire in existence."

The abrupt reminder of their argument of his transformation, which had caused a lot of turmoil in the few months since the incident in Phoenix, was now met with different feelings. Edythe hesitated; she sensed in his tone, his flippancy, his use of the words 'if' and 'would have been,' that indicated he no longer considered the idea of changing as seriously as he had before.

She frowned, unsure how to take the change in mood; she knew, selflessly, she should be thrilled that he no longer wanted to condemn himself to the life her family and she formerly led. But a nagging feeling in the back of her mind wouldn't go away and she let the question slip out before she could really think about the ramifications.

"If you had been?" Beau could see from the question and the look in her downcast eyes that this topic bothered her, probably since she had awoken in her new state. He knew how much she had fought him—and the rest of her family—about the possibility of him changed. She had always pumped the brakes on his enthusiasm and willingness, refusing to 'damn' and 'ruin' him.

He hadn't completely understood the motives then, but then he figured she may not have realized then, or now, why he wanted to turn in the first place, even though he had tried to make it clear that all he wanted was her. Beau pulled her tighter to him.

"I love you and I want you more than anything. Before this"—he indicated her new human body—"being changed was the only viable option," he told her; she made to argue but he put his finger to her lips.

"But don't misunderstand my change of heart; the only point of my change was to be with you in the way we couldn't be any other way; I didn't want to cause you pain or stress being near me or caring for me. But that has all changed now. Your thirst is gone; you need not worry about hurting me, and I don't need to worry about it either. Not in the original way. Many things seemed to have resolved, making my change null and void, in my mind at least. Yes, there are other things that are worrisome and need to be dealt with, but we will deal with it, together."

Beau's speech left Edythe kind of awed, and full of butterflies. Though he had said he loved her many times, she—perhaps in her self-loathing vampiric state—always found a way to misconstrue it to see it as if he were merely placating her, that one day he would turn his back on her and walk away.

But now, she could begin to see the truth in the simple words he said to her; how he had helped her all day, the care and tenderness he took to with her, all coming naturally, as anyone would do for someone they loved. He loved her, and his change really had been based on her vampirism, not simply the desire for immortality, as she admitted she did consider a few times. But that was not the case, and he was right; the idea, as of now, was a moot one.

He loved her, and she loved him. And she hoped she would be able to show him how much, once she was able to get a handle on her new surroundings and new way of living.

Edythe leaned forward and pressed her lips ardently to Beau's; before, such an act probably would resulted in a broken jaw and possible insurmountable bloodlust. But her lips molded to his easily and she relished in the lack of thirst, the surge of confidence as she realized he was right—again—that the loss of her supernatural strength allowed her to absolve herself of the fear of hurting him with her touches.

She reached behind his neck and pulled his face closer to hers, deepening the kiss. Beau reacted in kind, his flush reaching up his neck; this time, different than all the others, the rise of blood did not result in flames licking at her throat, only causing her own skin to turn pink in kind. She tried to get closer to him, a familiar feeling, a different kind of want, radiating through her body.

Beau, as much as he might like to have continued, was still very aware of thee vampires in the house, his girlfriend's parents no less, and he stopped her. He chuckled against her lips though and pulled away. She pouted at him, not wanting to lose the contact. He smiled gently and pulled her against him, her cheek against his shoulder as he kissed her forehead.

"You do remarkably well for some human things," he said, his voice a little husky from the kiss. "But now I'll need to rein you in, rather than the other way around." She giggled and snuggled into him, just relishing the love he evolved her in with his words and touches. Edythe knew he was right about one other thing; if he had been changed into a vampire, she would have helped him adjust to his new life just as he was doing for her now.

"I'm probably the worst human in existence," she countered. Beau shook his head, pulling her closer.

"You're perfect, just like you always were. You're just learning," he confessed, making her blush gently at the comment. He ran his fingers over the flush of blood in her cheeks, already loving the sensation. He grinned after a moment though. "And I don't mind that I'm actually stronger than you now." She huffed, pretending to be offended, moving to disentangle herself from his arms, but he just laughed.

"No, none of that," he said as he pulled her back to him. Edythe could feel his body shaking with suppressed laughter; she smacked his shoulder playfully while holding back her own grin, which she pressed into his arm to avoid him seeing. Before, the strike probably would have broken every bone in Beau's arm; now, he barely felt it, and his laughter was released. He bent his head to the crook of Edythe's shoulder, kissing there tenderly.

Edythe sighed again as they both relaxed in each other's arms. She felt so calm and relaxed that her eyelids slipped shut of their own accord. Beau noticed and began running his fingers up and down her spine soothingly, trying to lull her to sleep. He himself didn't know if she could fall asleep, but he was willing to bet she could. Edythe felt a warm foggy cloud haze wash over her, but instead of letting it overcome her, she fought it, forcing her eyes open.

"Beau," she murmured, the feeling unfamiliar to her, a reaction that had occurred numerous times in the past few hours. Beau calmed her though, like always, his hand continuing to run along her back.

"It's okay, Edythe, just let it happen. Close your eyes, relax your body, breathe evenly, and try to just think about nothing," Beau told her, his voice gradually getting softer and more methodical as she obeyed him. She snuggled closer to him, laying her head on the same pillow as him. He watched her face, continuing his ministrations on her back, and watched as her body relaxed and her breath evened out. She was asleep, that was certain.

Beau pulled the comforter closer around her, enveloping her in the warmth of their combined body heat. He watched her doze for a while, entranced by the changes he could see. Watching her so calm and free of the stresses that had plagued her in the past few hours, he felt gratitude that she could get temporary relief from everything she had endured today. He also now more clearly understood why Edythe had enjoyed watching him sleep every night; it was entrancing watching Edythe, and she wasn't sleep-talking like he was prone to do every night—though part of him hoped maybe she might.

Beau didn't know how much time had passed before he heard a quiet knock on the door. He looked up as Carine swiftly entered, closing the door quietly as to not disturb Edythe. She stood at the foot of the bed for a moment before sitting down, on Beau's side. Her golden eyes took in Edythe sleeping peacefully in Beau's arms and she smiled slightly before her eyes went to Beau.

"She seems to be coping well, all things considered," she commented, keeping her voice a mere whisper. Beau nodded.

"She's very uncertain about everything. It's been so long since she's been human that she doesn't know how to be one anymore," he replied, keeping his eyes focused on the subject of his statement.

"She will figure it out. She has you to help her," Carine said, her smile growing. Beau smiled in return, not responding.

"Thank you, Beau," Carine said suddenly. Beau looked up to meet the woman's gaze; her amber eyes were intense, emotional. "Thank you for helping her. You can give her support right now that I can't." Beau nodded in acknowledgement, before sighing.

"She will warm up to you, once she gets her bearings. It hurts her that she can't seem to get control of herself," Beau mused, his eyes sad as he remembered Edythe trembling, cringing away from Carine and Earnest earlier. Carine nodded, her expression downcast.

"It's not a surprise, honestly," she said. "That is the natural reaction of humans to our kind. And no one knows how dangerous we can be better than Edythe. But I am hoping the rational side of her will win, the side that remembers us for who we are rather than what we are. I'd hate for us to be the cause of her suffering." Beau voiced his agreement. Suddenly, he thought of something.

"What are you going to tell the others, when they arrive?" he asked. Carine sighed.

"They're too far out in the mountains now that they have no cell signal. Archie is, of course, aware, but as far as I know, he has not told them anything and won't until they are on the way home. Which is just as well; they'll need all the hunting they can get before they meet her like this." Beau nodded, understanding the logic. He worried for Edythe's reaction to her siblings, knowing that as long as her instincts warned her away from them, her heart would be torn, divided between her currently uncontrollable instincts and her desire to be with her family.

He sighed, unsure of how to help her through that particular hardship. It was one thing to teach her how to eat and shower, but this feat he was clueless about how to approach; perhaps he or Edythe would find a solution before the others returned. He fought back a yawn; glancing at the clock, he could see it was already midnight. Carine stood gracefully.

"Get some sleep, both of you. Call for us if you need anything," she said as she retreated to the door.

"Thank you, Carine." he thanked her. She returned the gesture.

"Anytime." With that, she was gone, the light in the hallway dimming as she passed the light switch at the end of the hall. Beau slowly settled into the sheets, and Edythe turned on her side, her face still slack. Assured she was still unconscious, he pulled her to him, her back to his front. He slung an arm over her, the sheets between them and closed his eyes, easily falling into a blissful sleep.

The street was dark and the night was cold as Edythe moved silently, the click of her boots on the cement the only sound, barely audible to mortal ears. Her eyes were trained ahead, watching the dark cloak that fluttered around the man's ankles as he moved briskly to his home, just a couple of blocks away. The brim of his hat was perched low over his face and eyes so no one on the street could see anything but the slight curl of his mouth. He would have been handsome, Edythe reasoned, if his mind wasn't so black.

Edythe did not know his name, but she had watched and listened to his thoughts all night, sequestered unseen at the back of the run-down speakeasy in downtown Detroit. She had kept herself in check—though only barely—as he hunted down his next prey, preferably blond and not yet old enough to hold her liquor. He had been unlucky that night, with only the typical businessmen taking up the bar stool; it was a predictable cycle as they passed out after only a couple of drinks, of course vomiting all over their pristine suits before slipping into oblivion.

While he had waited, Edythe had waited, and she got more than a typical dose of his memories. He rifled through the more recent ones, focusing on their screams, their pleas for him to stop, the rush of control he felt as he kept one hand over their throats as he had unbuckled his pants…

Edythe shook her head free of the secondary memories, forcing her eyes to concentrate on the figure as he made away from her, unaware that he was the one being stalked tonight. Her burgundy eyes were right on the edge of black, and they turned blacker as she thought about the hunt, almost craved it.

He moved quickly through the streets, the usual crowds of evening traffic long dissipated; he knew the city well, an advantage to have when it came to hiding bodies. He sidestepped, taking a narrow byway that would let him cut across to reach his fanciful quarters on the other side of the railroad tracks. Edythe followed noiselessly, letting him inadvertently choose his own path to destruction. As he made froward, her inhuman eyes noticed a small crack in the wall up ahead, a back entrance to the cobbler and bakery that inhabited the buildings. The man stepped in front of the alley and she was suddenly there, darting to stand in front of him.

He skidded to a stop, but she didn't give him a chance to get his bearings.

Edythe reached out to grab his neck like he had his victims, her grip cutting off his airway. She shoved him into the small space, pulling her own coat back from her body to allow her hands free. He gasped at the strength of his attacker, but, as his eyes adjusted to the light and took in the face attached to the incredibly strong hands, he faltered.

He did not expect to see the beautiful face of a young girl, much like those he had met before. But his eyes widened as he took in her deep red irises and he could feel fear, as sharp as a blade of a knife, slicing under his skin, peeling back the epidermis to the raw layer underneath.

He choked on a scream.

Edythe held him out at arm's length, one hand causally holding him by the throat as her nose wrinkled at the sudden smell of urine. Disgusting.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, something from behind hit Edythe directly between the shoulder blades. She spun mid-air as her back hit the brick wall at the long end of the alley; but, instead of the wall crumbling under her granite body thrown with such force, she held an audible crash as she made contact and collapsed on the soaking wet ground.

Surrounded by molding bread-filled trash cans from the bakery and the outdated leather stench of the cobbler's shop, Edythe gasped as every bone and muscle in her body screamed in agony. As she tried to move, she found her senses clouded and her strength non-existent. Stumbling as she tried to stand, she turned her head up to look in the direction of the attack. Her own victim forgotten, a dark figure stood in the mouth of the alley, face shrouded in darkness as the minimal light of the moon illuminated his silhouette.

Edythe's breaths increased as the person moved toward her, the movement far too swift to belong to anything but a vampire. And she was not; she could feel it, the now familiar comparative weakness in her human body, the inability to see through the reflections of the moon to resolve the face of her assailant.

Combined with the injuries sustained from being thrown into the wall, she could only watch in horror, her green eyes growing wider as the figure reached and stood over her crumpled form, bone white hand reaching for her throat…

When Beau awoke, it was still dark outside the glass wall. He looked around bleary-eyed as he tried to discern what had awoken him. He soon registered Edythe's trembling form next to him, small whimpers escaping her mouth. Her eyes stayed shut, scrunching as her body tensed from whatever dream she was having.

Beau scooted closer to her, wrapping his arms around her, one at her waist and the other underneath her head. Her tremors continued to wrack her body, and Beau debated on whether or not to wake her up. He held her close, hoping his proximity would be enough to get her through the nightmare.

After another minute, Edythe was still shaking in her sleep, overcome by the dream. Her body trembled more violently; she began to cry out.

Beau held her gently, internally praying she would calm down on her own.

She didn't; she suddenly screamed out in her sleep, a blood curdling sound that brought both Carine and Earnest running. They froze at the door, unsure of how to help. Beau looked up at them as they entered before turning his attention back to Edythe, who was still trapped in her own nightmare. Finally, Beau shook her firmly and called her name loudly, effectively jolting her awake.

Edythe gasped as her eyes flew open. Her eyes darted around her surroundings for a moment before she registered where she was. Immediately, her body collapsed, her breaths coming haphazardly; Beau turned her towards him, pulling her against his chest. His arms encircled her firmly, hushing her. He looked up at Carine and Earnest, silently asking them to leave. They complied instantly, allowing Beau to comfort a terrified Edythe.

"Shhh, Edythe, you're okay. It was just a nightmare," he chanted to her over and over again. Minutes went by as she tried to get ahold of herself, trying to rationalize what she had seen as she clung to Beau's arm. Tears she didn't even know were falling finally slowed, Beau speaking to her softly as she finally relaxed and released the fabric of Beau's shirt that had been locked in her clenched fist.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. She shook her head fiercely, turning to bury her face into his shoulder.

"You're alright, Edythe, it's okay," he assured her. Beau had no idea what could have caused this much of a reaction, but he also figured she probably didn't remember having bad dreams as a human, and with over ten decades as a vampire, her mind had more than adequate imagination to terrorize her with at night. He worried as he debated on adding another fear to his mental list, though he hoped this was a singular event.

Edythe took deep, steadying breaths, trying to get control of herself. But all she could see was the grotesque pictures of her dream; though she didn't remember any specifics, all she saw was paralyzing fear and pain, a lot of it. She remembered it was horrific and she had awoken terrified, haunted by the ghastly images. Beau's arms around her coupled with his voice grounded her, allowing her to come back to reality.

In the decades of being a vampire, Edythe had often imagined how sleep would be like. She often longed for the temporary oblivion that evaded her as a creature of the night. But she did not consider the dreams that came along with sleep, the potential for her brain to come up with images and storylines to both entertain and frighten her. They had seemed so real; it scared her beyond all reason, which is how she awoke to Beau's attempts to rouse her.

Edythe cuddled further into his embrace, wanting to feel his presence, his warm, soft skin against hers, his steady heartbeat thudding in the ear she had pressed to his chest. These things comforted her, but they did not take away the fear.

She never considered the negative side of sleep and, as she pondered it more, she never considered the negative side of being human. The unknown obstacles she might face, unprepared as she was, scared her further. What other hurdles must she brave as a newly turned human? She didn't know, but Beau's soothing tenor in her ear calmed her, assuring that, regardless, she wouldn't have to do it alone.