All My Balloons Are Popping

“Wait. What?” Callia asked me in utter confusion. I fell back on my bed after I delivered that unsightly news. I’m sure my expression matched hers, but I imagine my face was redder out of embracement. Unable to stay in one place, I got up from my bed and peeked my head out the door of my bedroom to see Cobra and Billy having a Rubrics cube competition in the living room.

“I’m mated.” I pause for either dramatic effect or contemplated horror “To Cobra. You are practically looking at the new Mrs. Ship.” I turned back to face Cal with a look a true terror “Oh God I don’t even know his real name!”

“Calm down, you don’t know that that isn’t his real name” Callia stated like it was nothing more than a pothole on the rode to “Whateverville”.

“Cal c’mon this is serious!”

“Okay Okay well let me just say this; if I was to be “mated” to someone I would damn well take advantage of all that… Man!” She said the word like it was not just noun but a verb. I mentally blocked Cal’s thoughts from my mind. I really didn’t need be witness to her implications.

“I don’t know what to do. I’ve only known him for what…Four hours? I mean I’ve never even had a boyfriend, aren’t you supposed to shop around a little before you bind your soul to someone for all eternity.” I hope I didn’t sound as tense as I thought. I hate showing weakness but this was absolutely a time to be tense.

“I doubt it is as bad as you make it sound.” I gave her a look that said ‘of course it is as bad as I make it sound I just mated with a total vampire stranger’ “Okay tell me again what happened?” Cal said lying down next to me on the bed. As I stared up at the ceiling the evening events started to play out in my head. I remember the euphoric feeling of the night, of the city calling out to me in song. I remember the way Cobra looked at me like I was the most innocent creature he had ever known. My mind wandered then delayed on the memory of Cobra’s lips on mine and how he gave me the fiercest kiss I have even known. Then the inevitable black events came to mind.

“Mated? What do you mean mated!?

“I mean we are bound to each other…didn’t I explain all this?” Cobra scratched the back of his neck like a nervous child who got caught doing something that he shouldn’t. “Didn’t I say that you had to find a partner-”

“Yes! Partner like a playmate not like a life long blood booty call” I shrieked at him. And just as all hell was about to break lose the vampire man giggled. GIGGLED!

“What is so funny!?”

“Booty call” he snickered.

I had an uncontrollable urge to throw him against the wall like I did Eagan but decided against it given that this man could probably do a lot worse to me. Sobering from his infancy flashback Cobra took my hands and kissed me on the cheek.

“I thought this was what you wanted.” He said in the most sincere voice that I wanted to cry.

“I don’t know you. How are you okay with this? How is it that you can be okay with all of this?”

“We have eternity to get to know one another and honestly I’ve been waiting for you for a very long time. Ever since the first time I saw you.” He looked deep into my eyes and I notice he had flecks of gold in his dark eyes that somehow made him seem more innocent and beautiful.

“What do you mean? I only met you a few hours ago.”

“I’ve known you for much longer than that. I was friends with your father and I was there the day you were born. I saw your pale beautiful face and your fiery red hair and I knew there was something special about you ”

“You fell in love with me when I was a baby? That’s sick!” I said trying to sound as disgusted as I could but if I was being honest with myself I wasn’t disgusted at all. It was sweet the way he talked about me. As I looked deeper into his eyes I felt an overwhelming need to touch him and trust him.

“You know what I meant,” he said flustered by my statement. “I wasn’t in love with you I just knew you would grow to be someone important. When your parents died I went looking for you and now I finally found you and I was right, you are special.”

“But you knew. I mean you knew I was a vampire.”

“You were born a vampire Skylar.” He laughed at me with no humor.

“No I mean that you knew I was a full vampire.” I said trying to clarify my statement.

“Yes I knew because I could sense you. For all those years I looked for you I was never able to find you but the moment you turned it was like a light bulb went on in my head and I knew exactly where you were.” As he explained his story to me I knew I was lost. I was going to be his forever. I never knew that the world could be so scary and peaceful at the same time. I was a new person and now I had someone to teach me and grow with me. Every time he time he spoke it was like a fire igniting in my body. I felt like a groupie hanging on ever lyric of her favorite rock star. Eagan was nothing more than an after thought.

Eagan

The thought of Eagan brought me out of my reverie and back into the present. Callia and I were still staring at the ceiling while lying on my bed. I laughed silently to myself as I saw my story playing out in Cal’s mind but she replaced me with herself. It would seem no female is safe from Cobra’s charm.

“Where is Eagan? He wasn’t here when we got back.” I said trying to sound casual.

“O he went to go pout after your “peace-out” earlier. That boy has crazy brooding skills. He said he would be back so I wouldn’t worry about him.” Cal explained then added, “Was there something going on between you guys? I thought you guys liked each other but it’s so hard to tell?”

“I’m not sure. I thought he was into me before but, like you said, it’s like he just changed his mind.” I finally forced myself of the bed and headed toward the door. “It doesn’t matter anyways I have someone now and that’s the way its going to be.”

“O c’mon you could sound a little happier about it, I mean Cobra is gorgeous and tall and Spanish. What could Eagan give you that Cobra couldn’t?” Callia said as we both walk out of the bedroom. As I enter the living room Cobra looks up at me with a look filled with heat and amusement. He gets up off the floor and dances toward me.

“Mi amor!” He sings and he kisses me on the cheek. I blush as I feel Callia’s and Billy’s eyes on me. I step away from him and offer him a hesitant smile. “Billy was just kicking my butt and that square do-hicky thing. I don’t know how anyone can figure those stupid things out.”

“You’re just jealous that this mere mortal is smarter than you.” Billy laughs as he gets up off the floor and goes to kiss Cal and stand by her.

“Don’t worry I don’t know how he does it either.” I say to Cobra and move to sit on the couch. Cobra follows me and sits next to me. He puts his arm around me like we’ve been dating forever. There is no effort on the way he holds me. I on the other hand am very stiff and awkward. Cobra slides his hand across my cheek and pausing tracing the lines of my jaw. I sit still not looking at anyone. I feel eyes on me still and its hard to act normal. He grabs hold of my chin and turns my face toward him, forcing me to look at him. He leans in and kisses me like we are the only two people in the room. Its nice but it feels wrong somehow, like he has a motive. Right at that moment the front door swings in and I hear a slight gasp.

I pull away from Cobra to find Eagan looking at me with cold eyes. He was standing by the front door with his hands still on the knob. All the bones in his hands are strained and white. I feel the blood rushing to my face making me turn red. Cobra is still facing me and I see him grin an evil looking grin before he sits back and stares at Eagan.

“Oh E it’s nice of you to show up. Where have you been? You missed all the excitement.” He says in the cockiest tone I have ever heard.

“I can see that. I was out for a walk. So what did I miss?” Eagan says in a casual tone. My heart burns with something in not sure what.

“Skylar is bonded to Cobra, It’s this weird vampire thing. Isn’t it cool?” Billy blurts out without a sound thought. I’m no longer looking at anyone. I keep my head down and my eyes on my purple Chucks.

“Yeah that’s great.” It felt anything but great in that moment. But I can’t say that. I’m stuck. What was I thinking? “So did you tell her?”

“Tell me what?” I pop my head up but I keep my eyes from locking with Eagan’s.

“You know that dart that you were shot with?” Billy asks “Well I’ve done some research and I think I can trace it.”

What?

“Callia what is he talking about?” I ask my best friend.

“He’s a geek Sky, he has some major hook ups and we think we can find out who did this to you. Don’t let the rock star image fool you,” She explains to me.

“So what does this mean?”

“It means we can find these people and see what’s going on. Maybe find out what they want from you. Or it’s the end out the world.”

“If it’s the end of the world I’m throwing the party!” Cobra chimes in but we all ignore him except for Billy who laughs. I stand there for a moment taking this all in. My life changes so much when they shot me but was that such a bad thing? Do I really want to know what’s going on? I look at everyone’s face long and carefully. I end on Cobra’s face but all I can see if the sadness I saw in Eagan’s eyes. Why was it so hard to be around him?

I take in a long breath and say “Where do we start?”