All My Balloons Are Popping

"What? I don’t understand” he choked, his body flailing against my iron grip.

“What did I just see? What was that?”

“You saw that? How?” He was laboring to breathe. He looked so different to me now. He was no longer the mysterious stranger who easily overpowered my defenses, now he was nothing more than a helpless dog.

“I am asking the questions here. Who are you and why did I have a vision or whatever that was?”

He coughed and his face was turning beet red.

My fingers tightened around his throat, crushing is windpipe. His eyes were shut tight as he gasped for air. Suddenly his body went limb in my hands. Without thinking I dropped his lifeless corps on the concrete.

What have I done?

I bent down next to the motionless body. What should I do? I was afraid to touch him. To cause any more damage. How could I? I placed my hand on his chest and shook him gently like I was trying to wake him from sleeping. I leaned over his body; a single tear ran from my eye and landed on his cold cheek.

His outstanding eyes opened without warning as he sucked in a large amount of air. His chest started to rise and fall on its own . He closed his eyes again as he focuses on his labored breathing. Dazed, I was unable to leave his side. I placed my icy hand on his chest once more. His heartbeat instantly sped up from my touch. His eyes popped open once more and before I could react he was standing in front of me. He held his throat and looked at me with a shooting expression. He didn’t look angry or scared he looked bewildered at most. I stood up slowly with my hands out in front of me in surrender. His eyes never left my face. I wanted to speak but I didn’t know how to apologize for almost killing someone. I felt his eyes on me but I was no longer able to keep his gaze. The silence nearly drove me mad.

“Why did you let me live?” the silence was broken but I was now too shocked to answer.

What did he mean by that?

“W-What” the word barely escaped my mouth.

“Why didn’t you finish me? You could have. Why didn’t you?”

“I didn’t want to hurt you” my head still faced away from him.

“Interesting” was his only response. I popped my head up to look at him. He had a calm form on his godlike face. Why wasn’t he screaming away from me? I was now more confused then he was.

“Did you want me to kill you?”

“No of course not.” He cleared his throat and winced. ”Ow.”

“I am so sorry” Another tear ran down my face. Suddenly his hand was touching me skin, wiping the tear from my cheek. I flinched away from his touch, feeling more like a monster then I ever have. He didn’t seem to notice. Why was he so comfortable touching someone who almost killed him? Eagan lifted my chin with his free hand so that I had no choice but hold his gaze, then he let the hand that rested on my cheek trail down my face and neck, down my shoulder, then finally capturing my hand in his.

“Lets go.” His voice was almost a whisper, but out of nowhere he turned and hauled me out of the allay way. If I was being rational I could have easily stopped him with little effort, but my mind was so jumbled that all I could do was stumble along as he led down the street. It wasn’t a far walk, but the crowded diner he was heading for seemed to be miles away. When we finally made it, he didn’t seem too concerned about the wait. Instead it seemed like the crowd was what he was hopping for. We walked past the group of people outside the diner to a small bench that was just out of hearing range, but not out of sight.
I guess he isn’t as comfortable around me as I thought. He sat me down on the bench and sat ridiculously close to me.

The boy has serious personal space issues.

I watched, as he seemed to be struggling with his words. Finally he said. “ So I have these visions, and back there in the library I had one and for some reason you saw it to.”

Wow that was…abrupt.

“Err – okay” my ability to form coherent thoughts didn’t seem to have improved much.
He smiled at my obvious retarded-ness. I could only imagine what my face looked like. It made sense that I saw the vision; I shouldn’t have been as shocked as I was. I mean whenever I’m around Cal I can hear peoples thoughts so why was having visions any different? So instead of thinking it through like a normal twenty year old should I pushed it to the side and said the first thing that can to my mind.

“Do they always hurt like that?”

Eagan’s laugh was the most musical thing I have ever heard. It echoed in my ears. There was no sign of discomfort; the man was completely at ease.

“Why are you here?”

Thank goodness, finally I am able to think of a logical question.

“Cause you asked me to be.” The smile still placed perfectly on his faultless face.

Crap. That was not a logical answer.

I think my blank stare tipped him off because after I didn’t respond he continued talking. He shifted his body toward me so that there was no way anyone else could hear what he was telling me. Again I was forced to stare into his “freaking awesome” eyes.

“A few months ago I saw you, in my vision, and you asked me for my help. At first I just ignored you, thinking that there wasn’t anything I could do, but you became sort of a reoccurring “dream” of sorts. I kept seeing you in my head so her I am” He went from being playful to very intense during his little babble, like he was trying to make me see some point he was failing to make.

“That’s it? I mean do you always go running off to help people you don’t know?”

“No you would be the first.”

Those simple words had my pulse pounding in my chest. It is strange how this man could affect me so much with out me knowing him. At that instant I wanted him to know me and I wanted to know him too. How strange is that?

“So what did I need you for?”

“I don’t know. That’s what I’m here to find out,” he said. He turned his face away from me and dropped his eyes. For that one second he looked worried. Worried about someone he doesn’t even know. That made me nervous. No one should care so much about someone they saw in their head.

“You know what it probably was, I was having a problem picking out and outfit a few weeks ago. Just so you know, I figured it out so you can go home now” Sarcasm seemed to be the only way to deal with this crazy situation. Eagan shook is head back and forth, almost as if he was trying to erase an image from his mind.

“What happened?” I said no longer feeling the need to be humorous

“You were so scared, I think something very bad is going to happen,” he explained. “And then tonight…“ his voice trailed off. I almost forgot about what happened in the library. The image of my face twisted and distorted by evil. “How did you see that?”

“It is just something I’ve always been able to do? You know in X-men, Rogue, how she can steal everyone’s “life force” (Yes, I know comics- so sue me) well I think that’s what is happening to me, sort of, except I don’t have to touch someone, touch just makes it stronger. I guess you could call me a “Super Empath” or something. Mostly I just pick up on peoples emotions, unless of course someone like you crosses my path” I was surprised how easy it was to explain my gift to him. I wasn’t scared, he knew what it was like to be different, if only he knew how different.

“So can all vampires do that?”

Or maybe he does know. CRAP!

Crap crap crap! This is not good. I forgot that he said he knew what I was. I guess he wasn’t kidding. Fear and anger fill my body. Fear- because a ‘human’ knows what I am, and I don’t care what silly gifts you have, that is not a good thing. Anger- because if he knows what I am, then why is he here trying to help me, what isn’t he telling me? Fear- what if he goes away? Anger- what if he goes away?

My eyes turned vivid lavender (Yes purple eyes aren’t as cool as red eyes but they have the same affect) Anger was started to win out over my fear. Eagan didn’t have time to notice my little eye trick the last time I was upset, but he defiantly noticed now. His eye widened at the sight of my obvious aggression, but he didn’t flinch. He sat there staring at me. He eyes became so intense as they bore into mine. Understanding flashed across his face.

“I guess you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” He said with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Aw heck. How did he do that? The moment he looked up at me with his big green eyes and unnaturally long eyelashes I was spent. I wanted to tell him everything about me. The good, the bad, and the exceptionally ugly. I once prided myself on my ability to control myself. Never in my life had anyone ever had this kind of affect on me. Suddenly I found this man-child extremely irritating. How dare he make me so weak! Grrr, first he stocks me and makes me feel that icky paranoid feeling, then he appears out of no where with no respect for personal space. Now here he is trying to make me feel guilty for not diving into my not-so-appealing other half. Oh man this boy has another thing coming.

“Good I’m not going to.” As I stood to get away from him he grabbed my wrist trying to stop me. “Get away from me!” I almost growled the order at him. Eagan dropped his hand from my wrist as I stormed off. My eyes burned with rage. How dare he! Because of him my whole life just got turned upside down. And what if he decides he wants to run off and tell someone my little secret. Ugh! This cannot be happening to me.

Stay calm Sky. We can handle this, just stay calm.

As I took a deep breath to help calm myself only then did I notice that the miscreant was following right behind me. Man did he smell good but that doesn’t change the fact that in one night he could have possibly brought my whole world down around me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked as I twirled around to face him. Accidentally misjudging the distance between us I twisted right into him knocking myself off balance (leave it to me to fall on my butt when I’m trying to be intimidating). Before I could stumble onto the ground Eagan caught me in his arms. Instead of letting go like I thought he would (like I wished he would) he did something I never ever expected.

Lifting his hand from around my waist, while the other held me up, Eagan placed his palm against my neck and caressed my check with his thumb. Then closing the already small distance between us he kissed me lightly on the lips.

Whoa!

His lips barely touched mine but still my head was spinning. As suddenly as it started it was over, but it was still the best kiss I ever had (Okay I admit it, it was the only kiss I ever had) As soon as I felt him pull away from me, I actually felt my face turn into a pout. Stepping back, Eagan released his grip around my waist and dropped his hand from my neck and placed it lightly on my shoulder.

“Skylar, I’m here to protect you…help you.” The look on my face told him that I wasn’t in need of protection. How did he know how to read me so well? “ Anything you need. I’m here for you, and I’m not going anywhere” Those were the most beautiful words I have ever heard, but what I loved most about his little speech was the way he said my name. I liked the way he said it with so much emotion. I liked it a little too much.

His touch was making it hard to think and I really needed to think this one through. “Okay well I really need you to let go of me,” I said with a shaking voice. Smiling Eagan dropped his hand from my shoulder and took two steps back. “So what your saying is that I’m stuck with you, correct?”

“Yes”

“You know, that really isn’t fair.”

“How isn’t fair”

“Um… I don’t know it just isn’t” Man what I wouldn’t give to be able to think. With a jerky movement that made me look like I had some kind of mental problems I turned and started way from him. Again he followed.

“You know. I think I’m fine for tonight. You can go home or where ever it is your staying”

“No actually I can’t,” he said with a stern look.

“Why is that,” I asked just as stern. Okay he was starting to get irritating again.

“I just got here tonight. The moment I got off the bus I came looking for you so I was never able to find a place to stay.”

That’s just great! There are those eyes again. I am helpless when it comes to those eyes. I think he knows that too. What a little jerk. Ugh! Grr! Roar! &#*%! This is so not cool. Cal is going to freak out, when I get home.

“Okay fine you can stay at my place, but I am warning you, you try anything and I will rip your heart out and feed it to you before you hit the ground”

“Not a problem,” he said with a smirk on his face.