Chapter 5: Common Ground
Speeding up-and-down a dirt road, the boys finally stop at the edge of a cliff. Anwyn look out into the distance. Scanning the waves that were crashing against the rocks below, Anwyn spotted an opening of a cave. David turned and gazed across the water at the opening. He turned and smiled at Anwyn, "Home sweet home".
"There? You guys live in a cave"? Anwyn was weirded out, yet at the same time slightly intrigued. "Ok, these guys are definitely bat shit crazy. What sort of humans live in a cave?" she thought to herself. Looking around Anwyn noticed that there wasn't a way to get to the entrance. No path way, no bridge…..nothing she could see. "How do you guys get over there"? David dismounted his bike. Reaching and grabbing her hand, David helped Anwyn get off. He turned and glared into her eyes. With a smirk on his face, he leaned into her.
"Fly of course".
"Fly…." Anwen glared at David with a "what- the-what" kinda look on her face. "Fly? Uh, David…..not that I'm calling you crazy, because that would be stating the obvious, but humans can't fly". A huge grin spread across his face.
"Who said we were human"? The boys began to laugh as they hopped off their bikes and moved next to each other. "Boys, I think it's safe to show Anwyn what we really are". Normally vampires wouldn't reveal themselves unless they were either planning to eat or turn their victims. Since it was certain that Anwyn was neither prey nor a candidate to turn, David didn't see the harm in revealing their true nature.
Standing there glaring at them, Anwyn was intrigued. Without warning, the boys began floating off the ground. Their faces started to contort into a demon like state. Their eyes color changed to a solid yellow. Their teeth morphed and fangs emerged. Mesmerized by the transformation, Anwyn slowly walked towards them. Reaching out, she placed her hand on David's face; slowly running her fingers passed his eyes onto his cheek. She stared deeply into his transformed eyes, fascinated by their changed appearance. A smile started creeping across Anwyn's face.
"I knew it!" she exclaimed excitedly has she removed her hand. "I knew something was different about you guys. I could feel it! Your aura was so different from the others. You're not human! You're..."
"Vampires", David interrupted. "Sleep during the day and feed at night. We never grow old and we never die and yes, we can fly". Anwyn's eyes lit up. For as long as Anwyn could remember, she was the outsider. It was always a relief to meet others that were different too. Holding all the power in the world made no difference when you couldn't relate to anyone around you. Anwyn always knew she was different; never fitting in among those she surrounded herself with. Now….well now she found others that were different too; wonderfully different. Anwyn stared at them for a moment. So many questions flooded her mind.
"Why do you guys sleep all day? Why not go out and enjoy the sun"?
"We can't", Dwayne explained. "The sun would kill us. We're limited to the night time only".
"So you guys can never see the sun"?
"Nope. Don't really remember what it looks like or what it feels like. It's not an option for us anymore". There was a hint of sadness in David's voice. All the boys had been vampires for so long; they had forgotten how warm the sun felt. How bright it was and how it radiated in the sky. Steering the conversation, Marko was shocked that Anwyn was asking questions rather than showing fear.
"Wait a minute...you're not afraid of us?" Marko asked.
"Afraid? Pfftttt, please! I could blast you guys off the side of the cliff if I wanted too. I mean come on; I conjure up fire…. I open the ground and make lava appear…among other things. I think I can handle myself. Besides, you guys don't seem afraid of me…are you"?
"Not afraid", answered Paul. "Definitely intrigued though", he said with laughter in his voice.
"Well, then I have no reason to fear you", Anwyn said as she flashed a smile back at Paul. Still floating in the air, David came up behind Anwyn and lifted her into his arms.
"I'll give you a ride across".
"I appreciate the gestor, but I've got my own ride".
"Can you fly? Because that would explain a lot back there on the bridge." David asked as he placed her back down on the ground.
"No I can't fly….but I can air bend though". As a confused look swept across David's face, Anwyn reached behind and grabbed her staff. Slamming the bottom of it into the ground, a glider unfolded. Making sure her bag was secure; Anwyn ran towards the cliff and lept off.
"Holy shit, she did it again!" Dwayne yelled. The rest of the boys, in shock that she lept off an edge again, ran over to the cliff screaming her name. Scanning the bottom, Anwyn was nowhere in sight. Without warning, Anwyn flew past their stunned faces, laughing.
"Damn…you guys are awful concerned about someone you just met", Anwyn said as she headed toward the opening of the cave. Not being able to resist laughing, the boys took to the skies and followed Anwyn towards their home. Skimming across the water, Anwyn flew through the opening of the cave. Landing on her feet, she spun her glider until it turned back into a staff. The boys soon landed next to her. Settling right at home, the boys took off in different directions.
"Make yourself at home", Paul said as he walked past Anwyn, heading around the corner with Laddie not far behind. Marko made his way towards the fountain, sitting on the floor next to it, leaning back and placing his hands behind his head. Dwayne darted for the back left corner. There stood a broken shelf with a few books on it. Grabbing one, Dwayne made himself comfortable on a rundown couch. Anwyn, in awe of the sheer size of the forum, began looking around. Placing her belongings next to her feet, she started walking around. The opening of the cave appeared to be an entrance of what use to be a habitable building. The broken marble floor protruded all around her feet. Pieces of broken furniture and décor lied all around, like a graveyard of forgotten treasures. Remanence of paintings, curtains, and wall sconces were barely hanging on shattered pieces of wall. In the center of the room were the remains of fountain, broken but not beyond repair. To the right, sat a lonely wheelchair; a single beam of light shining down on it.
"Do you like it?" David asked, his voice piercing the silence, as he walked past her and towards the wheelchair.
"What is this place?" Anwyn asked still fixated on her surroundings.
"This used to be a resort; the most popular during its time. About 80 years ago a giant earth quake hit this place. The earth opened up and this place took a dive between the cracks. Now it's ours".
"Charming", Anwyn said in a slightly sarcastic tone of voice as she made her way towards the fountain. Sitting on the floor, she made herself comfortable next to Marko.
"So, you guys live here by yourselves? Where are your families"? Becoming bored with the book Dwayne picked up, he decided to join in the conversation. After all, David wasn't the only one infatuated with this girl. He got up and walked over to the fountain. Reaching his hand out and placing it on Anwyn's shoulder, he lowered himself and sat on the other side her.
"Families?" David asked, confused by the question.
"Yeah, families. Don't you guys have a mother…father"? The very notion made David laugh on the inside. "Families? We are family. We sacrificed our real families ages ago when we turned. Hell we don't even remember them".
"We are family, Anwyn. We are brothers and we stick together. No mother, no father".
"What about you? Where's your family?" Marko asked, curious about her past.
Anwyn grew silent. She really had no answer to that question. Closing her eyes, Anwyn called on her memory to produce any image it had stored away. For as long as Anwyn could remember, she's always been alone. All she's ever really remembered where the spirits that taught her how to bend. Before that…...there was nothing. No mother. No father. There were simply no memories there. Snapping out of her daze, Anwyn looked up, "I don't have a family. It's just me".
"You must have had one at one point, right?" David asked, finally making his way to the wheelchair.
"I really don't know. I remember the spirits that taught me bending but before that, I have no memories". Sensing that Anwyn was getting a little emotional over the subject, David decided to change the topic of conversation.
"So, where do you live then"? Anwyn hesitated telling him. The spirit world wasn't known to outsiders. It's a hidden world that the real world had forgotten a long time ago. Now it's just a fairytale told to children at bedtime.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. You'll think I'm crazy", Anwyn said rolling her eyes.
"Try me", David said forming a slight smile on his face.
"I live in the spirit world".
"Spirit world, uh. Uh yeah...that doesn't sound so crazy".
"I'm just easing you in".
"Oh".
"Spirit world? Is that slang for a drug house or something"? Dwayne jumped in while laughing. Anwyn couldn't help but laugh too.
"No! It's a different realm. Kind of parallel to this one but you can't see it. It's hard to explain. I made my home there centuries ago. I open a portal and that's how I'm able to come and go as I please".
"Centuries? You can't be any more than 20 years old. How can you have lived there for centuries"? David was intrigued. Here was a woman of no more than 20 years old standing before him yet claiming to be much older than himself.
"18 actually but I can remember nearly 1,200 years". David's eyes widened.
"Well, you look incredible considering you're so "old".
"Thank you", Anwyn said taking a bow as she sat there.
"Let's eat", David said while patting his lap, gesturing for Anwyn to sit. Out of instinct, Marko jumped up and walked over where he placed the bag on the floor. Anwyn just glared at David with disbelief on her face. "Really dude"? Anwyn couldn't resist the coy smile that crept across his face though. Standing up, Anwyn stood in front of David. Stomping her right foot into the ground, a piece of earth rose up; making for a more comfortable seat then the floor.
"What's for dinner?" Anwyn asked while she flashed him a "nice try" kind of smile. David reached over and grabbed the bag that Marko offered. David passed the bag on to Anwyn.
"Ladies first".