Cause I don't wanna lose you now
I'm lookin' right at the other half of me
The vacancy that sat in my heart
Is a space that now you hold
Show me how to fight for now
And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy
Comin' back here to you once I figured it out
You were right here all along
She ran as fast as she could, kicking her feet against the ground, her heart racing, her lungs begging for a release of breath. She didn't stop running though, as if she were on stimulates of energy she forced herself to keeping moving forward, passing every tree, maneuvering over every branch and rock, and as she speed up even faster, pushing herself to the maximum, everything began to blur. As if she were running way too fast, her speed made it seem like the woods were all green and brown blurs, all forming and colliding together in only those two colors. She was like lightning through the ground, too fast. Tori looked around frantic. "How?" she screamed as she continued to run.
"TORI STOP!" She heard from behind her. Jade was catching up.
Her face, she looked like a monster… like a demon. Scared and confused Tori ignored the calls and continued to run. Her heart was drumming against her chest and like a song it beamed through her ears.
"VICTORIA, PLEASE, STOP!" she heard again, this time it was Beck. Her dream flashed through her mind and she quickly looked to her hand, it was still bleeding. "HOW?" she yelled again. And just then she saw a black blur run pass her, she stopped, her heels digging into the dirt so deeply she slid and fell back. Groaning she kicked against the ground and backed up against a tree. Jade and Beck slowly moved forward, coming into view.
"Stay back!" Tori yelled, looking between the two.
Beck and Jade shared a look before turning to her, "Tori please, I can explain." Jade said.
"Explain? Explain what? Y- Your face… it was like a demon- how? What are you?" she yelled.
"You know the answer to that." Beck said.
Tori's head boomed and hammered, flashes of images coming back left and right.
She was killed at a very young age, accused of messing around vampirism and murder.
Beck smiled down at her, "The song writer Zaret focused a lot on his lyrics, he said the song was about someone who pines for a lover he has not seen in a "long, lonely time." "See…tragic." Tori dismisses. "Not if he found her again." Beck said.
Tori reached up and held her head, her stomach aching as her eyes grew dreary and mind went hazy with images.
Tori reached into the necklace spot and pulled out a locket. It was golden and a tad rustic with a rose-bush out in the center of it, turning it around Tori could read that it had something engraved on it.Amis Pour Toujours, friends forever in French. "Wow. This is beautiful. Where'd you get it?" Tori said, turning to look at Jade who was staring at her. Tori coughed and looked down at the jewelry she was holding up. "Thank you. It was a gift from an old friend of mine." Jade said.
"No it's not possible, it just - it's not. I can't believe this. You two have some serious issues, why - what's happening to me? What have you done to me?" Tori asked, crying, shaking, unable to be consoled.
"Tori please, let us explain, it's all very complicated." Jade said.
"Well make it simple!" Tori barked.
"Stop it Victoria! Just let us explain the situation." Beck snapped.
"You two have been lying to me, the dreams, my hand-"
"Look at your hand." Beck told her.
Tori turned her face and looked at her hand; the only thing remaining was a faded scar, the bleeding stopped, and the gash gone. Her eyebrows scrunched and time seemed to have slowed down dramatically. "How is that possible…?" Tori looked up at them, tears streaming down her cheeks, "What are you? What am I?" she asked, lips trembling.
"We're vampires." Jade said, looking at Tori with a pained expression.
Tori closed her eyes, "That's not possible."
"Please Tori, take my hand, come back to the house and we'll explain everything I promise." Jade said, inching closer. Tori saw Jade stepping closer, frantic; she crawled backwards, pushing herself harder against the tree trunk. "Don't come any closer." Tori warned. Jade flinched.
"Look at me Tori, look at me… do you believe I'd ever hurt you?" Jade asked.
Tori bit her lip, "I don't know."
"Look into my eyes," Jade said, carefully inching closer and closer, Beck looked between the two with careful eyes, "would I ever hurt you?"
Tori looked at Jade, staring deeply into her blue orbs she felt peace; she knew deep within that Jade would never hurt her.
Breathing deeply Tori shook her head, "No."
"Then take my hand." Jade said reaching out to Tori, "let's go back home, to my place, we'll explain everything there."
Tori looked between both Jade and Beck, Beck too inching closer and reaching out, and in that moment without hesitation Tori reached up and took hold of Jade's hand, pulling herself up from the floor.
"I want the truth, all of it, from both of you." Tori said, letting her hand slip from Jade's.
The twins nodded, "Ok." They said.
(x)
Tori looked outside the window; she stood, needing rest, looking up at the clouds. They were all in living room, the twins on separate seats waiting for her to make a move or say anything. This was all up to her, the rules in her hands.
Breathing in deeply she turned to face them, they mirrored her every move.
"What are you?"
"Vampires." Jade said.
"How is that possible?" Tori asked.
"We were turned. It's a long story." Jade said.
"Lucky for you I have the time." Tori said crossing her arms.
Jade looked over to Beck. They shared a look before turning to Victoria.
"We were eighteen at the time-" Jade started
"At what time?" Victoria asked cutting her off.
"1492." Beck said.
"No… then that would make you two-"
"540 years old." Beck finished.
Tori stayed silent for a while before catching her breath, "Who turned you?" Tori asked.
"Our father did." Jade started, "There was an outbreak, vampires used to be monsters told to scare children into bed, until one night he came home, his clothes all stained in blood, he had just been turned and came feeding, we asked him how it happened but it was like he wasn't even himself, he attacked me. Beck tried to stop him but it was too late, he bit me and when Beck tried to run for it he caught him quickly and bit him. It didn't hurt, it was like a foggy sleep, everything tightening inside of you, every muscle growing harder, blood pumping stronger, our hearts baptized new. And when we awoke it was like the entire world had gone 3D and we could see everything clearly. Our visions increased, and if we focus hard enough we could make out flowers growing miles away, if we allowed our hearing to stretch we could make out what the town next-door is doing, what parties are happening, whose sneaking out late. And taste, it's so much better, if we were to place a strawberry on our tongues we could taste the sweetness, the sugar, and the ground it came from, every fiber of its taste all blasting like flavors exploding and wrapping around our tongues." Jade said smiling, getting up from the sofa. "But then there was blood, the craving was so powerful, so menacing and driving… it was as if we had to have it, we couldn't think straight without it in our systems and if we denied blood it would haunt us and hurt us, our bodies bending for a taste. Eventually we caved in and we feed."
Tori stared, "Did you kill people for blood?"
"At first, yes, we were uncontrolled, wild for the taste of blood, it was too strong of a need, after a while we met others who taught us how to feed without killing, we learned, we controlled, I switched to animal." Jade said.
"And you?" Tori asked Beck.
"I feed with control. I prefer human blood." Beck responded.
Tori looked down at her hands. "And your mother, what happened to her?"
Beck looked away and Jade stiffened. "She got turned too, only she didn't want to be a vampire, she thought it was a sinful way of living – evil – she staked herself. We found her in bed, dead, with a note left." Beck said.
Tori looked up at them with the deepest of sympathy, "I'm sorry."
"It's ok." Jade said.
"What about me… I've been having dreams, I can't control them, and they're real, I mean, I cut myself and I was bleeding when I woke up and now it's healed… how do you explain that?" Tori asked.
"This is where it gets so much more complicated." Beck said, rubbing his hands together.
"Tori, maybe you should sit down."
"No I think I want to stand." Tori said pacing back and forth.
"Ok…that girl you keep seeing in your dreams… it's you. And the reason you keep having the dreams you're having is because you're not fully human." Beck said.
"I'm not what? Ok I think I need to sit down now." Tori said as she stopped pacing and grabbed a chair. She sat, pulled back at her hair and held her face in her hands. Taking a beat she then looked up at him, "What do you mean? My dreams have been about my great-aunt Victoria…are you saying that's me?"
"Yes." Beck said.
Tori stared to cry again, hysterically, tears streaming, body shaking. "How is that possible? I'm me, I'm right here… I'm right here." Tori said.
Beck looked away and Jade licked her lips trying to find the right words. "There was a murder, the year was 1864, the year we met, you were framed Victoria, and sentenced to death."
"No!" Tori said standing up, "I don't believe you."
"How do you explain it then, the dreams, the feelings you get when we're around?" Beck said standing. "You're dreams aren't just dreams… they're visions, memories, of your past life."
Tori shook her head, "Then how am I here now? And why didn't you do anything to stop them from hanging me? Huh? How is any of this real?"
"Tori I'm so sorry, we never wanted this for you, and we never wanted to hurt you. There was nothing we could do, we didn't know who framed you and we didn't have enough time. The place where they kept you was a church, sacred ground; we wouldn't have been able to get close enough to set you free without burning up in flames. Vampires aren't allowed in holy places." Jade said fear and sadness clear in her eyes.
"We made a deal with a witch, for your life to be spared. Instead he cast a spell, the only one he knew that could save you." Beck continued, "He made it so your soul would wonder the world until you were to be reborn. But there a glitch in the spell, he needed to use our blood, vampire blood, to complete it. You have vampire blood in your body, and it will turn you to a vampire if you feed on blood before your eighteenth birthday, after, you'll just stay mortal."
Tori turned away from him, them, trying to think clearly. "Say that I believed you, that I somehow was reborn from the past, framed of murder, and now half vampire – sorta – why me? Why not just let me die?"
The twins looked at each other and exchanged pained expressions, it was clear, the answer right in front of her face. They loved her, how could they not try to save her.
"I have your blood in my veins?" Tori asked.
"Yes." Jade said.
"And I have until I turn eighteen, in a month, to decide if I want to be a vampire or mortal?" Tori asked.
"Yes." Beck said. "It's also why you have at times… supernatural abilities."
Everything clicked instantly and Tori's mouth dropped, "When I hit Naomi with the volleyball…"
"It was your vampire strength sneaking through." Jade said, "your abilities are tied to your emotions, when your emotions are high and when you push them far enough, you'll be able to do things most humans can't, like throw a volleyball that can break a person's face or run like lightning through a forest."
Tori stayed silent for a long time; she sighed, thought a lot about the situation and tried hard not to cry. Everything in her life had changed so quickly. And yet all at once, everything became so clear.
"My dreams… they're real, everything, the pass, everything tied to you two." Tori said.
"Yes." Jade said. Tori turned to them, "How can you walk in sunlight?"
"The black Delilah, it's a flower that carries certain venom inside, take a needle to a vampire vein and it allows us to walk in daylight. We take that alternative or we can ask a witch to bless a piece of jewelry that allows us to walk in sunlight."
"Holy water?" Tori asked.
"Burns." Beck said.
"Crosses?" Tori asked.
"Stings." Jade said.
"Mirrors?" Tori asked.
"Myth." The twins say in union.
"Can you turn into bats?" Tori asked.
Jade chuckled, "No… and we can't fly either."
"This is so surreal." Tori said taking a seat.
"I know it's a lot to take in Tori, but we're here for you, just take your time we'll be as honest as we can be." Beck said.
Silence fell once again and it was hard for Tori to keep her mouth tamed, she still had so much she wanted to ask, the headache was beginning to clear and the fog faded but with the truth out she didn't know what to do with all she now knew. For starters she knew absolutely two things. One: She was hung, for a crime she didn't commit, and Two: the twins had saved her life at the expanse of becoming something unnatural. It was all so overwhelming. After a long silence she stood up.
"I need time… to think clearly about everything. I want to go home." Tori said.
Beck nodded and Jade stepped forward, "I'll take you home." She said.
"Ok. I just… I'm not mad at you two, you… you saved me, before, but it's all so much, too much, to take now. I need space, time away, just give me that." Tori said.
Beck and Jade looked at her and nodded. Smiling a weak smile at the both of them, she grabbed her purse and without turning around to face either of them again, she walked away.
Jade turned to Beck. "At least the truth is out."
"And for what worth? At the price of losing her?" Beck asked.
"Don't look at it like that, she just needs time." Jade said turning away.
"Jade… do you feel it?" Beck asked.
Turning her head to look at her brother she nodded, "Yeah… I do. I feel like I can breathe again." And with that said she walked away. Beck brought up his hand and examined it. The scar was slowly fading away.
(x)
A week had gone by without speaking to them; she had a routine of waking up, going to school, avoiding their lunch table and leaving home with Trina. She would see Cat in the halls and she would greet her smoothly, but whenever either Jade or Beck came into view she'd dodge them, she didn't want to speak to them just yet, she wasn't ready. One morning the most appealing smell had filled her senses and Tori found herself in the kitchen, her aunt Christina holding a tissue around her bleeding finger, she had cut herself while preparing chicken for dinner that night. Trina had asked what was wrong with her but she had just pushed her aside and told her it was nothing. She'd find herself in the attic with the pictures of the past, of her former self, in those dreadful gowns, wearing the locket she must have given to Jade. She would look at the pictures of her parents and cry, her mother killing herself, her father having to carry on. She looked at the pictures of the siblings she would never get to meet, to grow up with, to fight, tease, and love.
It was now Friday and she had come to school early, the days had passed and she had done enough thinking. She had accepted the truth, her pass, her gift, and her choice. She wanted the twins in her life, and she was bound to them, she owed them everything, they had saved her life. She needed them to be truthful, time was ticking away, her birthday was less than a month away, she had choices to make, and relationships to mend. And if she looked deep enough, she missed them, their presence, the feelings she'd get whenever they were around her. Her memories weren't all back but she'd eventually have them. Closing her locker she looked up and saw Jade just as the bell rang. Holding her books she breathed in and walked over to the raven haired girl.
"Hey." She said.
Jade looked up at her and smiled, "Vega."
"Can we speak, somewhere private?" Tori said. Jade smiled, "Yeah, we can do that."
Tori took her hand and led her away, walking only a few halls away and into an empty English room.
"Are you ok?" Jade asked.
"Yeah, I'm better actually." Tori said, "I just wanted to say that I'm ok now."
"That's good to hear. I was worried." Jade said.
"To be honest, I miss you." Tori said stepping closer, "I don't know everything but that's ok, I don't need all the facts to know what I feel."
Jade took a step closer, their personal space gone up in flames, as if Tori were born to fill in the space next to Jade's side. "And what's that?" Jade asked.
"That I want you in my life more than anything." Tori said taking her hand, entwining their fingers, "And sometimes I miss you the way someone drowning remembers the air."
Silence filled the void, Tori had resented that certain silence; it was regrettable that she hadn't said what she had meant to. That she loved Jade so desperately; it was a type of love that made her want to drown in the rain and regret oxygen that was given.
"I wanted to ask you for a favor." Tori said.
"Anything." Jade said.
"Bite me." Tori said.
Jade dropped Tori's hand and stepped back, "What?"
"You heard me." Tori said, "I want you to bite me."
"Tori… you have no idea what you're asking me to do." Jade said, turning away from her.
"I'm asking you to do something for me, if I'm to choose this life; I want to know what it feels like when I'll bite into someone. Please Jade, I need this."
Jade crossed her arms as Tori took off her shirt, leaving herself in nothing but a bra, pulling her hair to one side she came closer. "I'm not afraid, trust me." Tori said.
Jade looked deep into her eyes, hesitant, slowly she took hold of Tori's face, caressing her cheek. "Think about what you're asking."
"I've made my decision." Tori said, closing her eyes and leaning her head to the side.
Taking hold of Tori's waist Jade leaned down and kissed her shoulder, springing forth her fangs she slowly sunk her teeth into Tori's neck.
Tori sprang awake, her hand on her neck, flinging back her covers she got up and walked to her mirror. On her neck she saw two fang marks left, she smiled, it felt nice.
Review lovelies, things are about to get heated.