What You Deserve

Finally, I had managed to compose myself enough to stand up, and make my way to a hotel, where I quickly paid the man behind the desk for a key for a room - whatever room, I didn't care. He tried to make light conversation with me, however, had a concerned look on his face the entire time. Of course, how else would one react to a young woman walking in with red, swollen eyes, sniffling every few minutes? I wasn't much for responding, either.

After the key was handed to me, I quickly scurried off to the elevator to find my room. Once I was on the floor, I looked around, locating a little plank on the wall, with an arrow pointed in two directions with room numbers listed on them. I sniffled, before hurrying in the direction of my room, and fiddling with the key and doorknob, before the door creaked open, and I hurried into hiding behind it.

Once within the room, I curled up on the bed, and my mind engulfed myself with sorrows. I could feel my body trying to reject the crashing feeling. Tears welled in my eyes, and I buried my face in the overly cushioned pillows, until it was uncomfortably wet, and heaved myself off of the bed. I grabbed the phone off of the table beside the bed, and dialed a few buttons, before a more familiar number.

"Hello?" a soothing, bell-like voice chimed.

"Em?" I sniffled.

"Jade?" I could hear a sudden panic in her voice. "Jade? Where are you? Where've you been?"

I brushed the tears from the corners of my eyes, "Jersey..." I mumbled, "I took a trip... Did you have a good birthday?"

My question lacked an answer, however, "Jersey? What are you doing there? Can you come home? Are you okay?"

I fingered through the money that Frank had given me, "I can... but I don't know if I'm going to yet... I'm fine... Was here on personal reasons," I mumbled, "sorry I haven't been able to call... I've been busy," was the only excuse I could come up with.

"Where in Jersey are you? I'll come see you - come get you," Em still sounded panicked, especially when she received no answer beyond my breathing into the phone, "Jade?" she murmured, questioningly. "Jade, answer me!"

"I'll talk to you when I get home, Em," to her, I may not have even heard her question, "hope you had a good birthday..." I could hear my voice trail off.

"Jade? Jade! Wait... Whe--" before she could continue, I put the phone down on the receiver. I didn't want to leave New Jersey just yet - and I certainly didn't want my relatives here.

As it began to get late, I wandered outside the hotel, deciding to explore the city. As I was out, I found myself slowly getting closer to the vampire's home, and my heart seemed to get caught in my throat. Especially as I could hear Bob's voice, and turned to see his arm around a young woman - not too pretty, but not ugly - smiling. I could almost see his body grow rigid as he threw a glance at me - however it was only for a second. The second that ruined his entire act. He looked at me with a dark glare, as if trying to make me deter my gaze, before walking towards his home with the girl.

That poor girl.

As I turned down another street, I found myself in front of the playground where I had met Eve. She wasn't there today - neither was anybody else. I found myself at one of the swings, and rocked back and forth slowly. The sun was almost down when a new face came to the playground. A dark, matted haired man - probably a little older than Gerard - sat down on the swing next to me.

"You know," his voice made my head turn for a moment, and I almost gasped at the ease to see his eye color, "it's not safe to wander around without your vampire. That's why you never see your kind alone." His eyes seemed to keep my gaze, though I felt like it was rude to stare. "But I doubt anyone will touch you anyway. We usually keep to ourselves that way - so as not to draw the wrong attention. Don't want to unleash the fury of a vampire that's lost someone. Who knows what they'll bring to behead you with."

I didn't quite understand his babble, but watched him anyway. His glowing, light red eyes keeping my attention. "Okay?"

"But playing in the park alone is dangerous, you and I should both know that," his tongue slipped out of his mouth, quickly licking his lips, "Her friends usually show up here - I don't think they much care where you're from... The right hand is the only one that I think respects the guidelines we follow."

Her? Who was her?

"Pardon me being naive, but who is 'Her' anyway? I've only heard that as her name..." I fidgeted a little, looking at him.

With this, he looked around nervously, "if I say her name, her pets may hear me and come. It's a bad idea - I don't want to be at fault for what happens to you. People who don't want trouble don't say it."

"Oh..." I shifted uneasily, the red eyes still seeming to hypnotize me. "Is she that dangerous?"

The man flashed me a knowing smile, his white teeth glinting from the light of a street lamp. "You really are naive, aren't you?" He opened his mouth, inhaling air with a soft sound of air sucking into his lungs, "you should probably go home, little girl. Why you came out here is beyond me - and how a vampire cares enough about you is further," the knowledgeable person turned away from me, "I'll walk you to your vampire's home, if you so desire an escort. It's how I was raised; be polite to women. Everyone, really, but it's hard to be polite to everyone - the least I can do is assist the one that can keep a value to a vampire's so-called life."

"No thanks - I'm staying in a hotel," I crossed my arms over my chest, and rubbed my arms. "Frank and I..." I felt a lump growing in my throat, and the man turned, staring at me vacantly, which quickly turned to concern - his red eyes still glowing, however with a gentle look.

"Now, now... don't do that. Don't cry," he reached out for me, and I instinctively jerked back, trying to avoid his frozen touch. "I don't know what's wrong, but there's no need to cry. I'm sure there's no need," after a moment, the sound of his breathing ceased, "Frank? Frank... Iero?" There was nothing in the air now, but my uneasy breathing.

I realized something now. I didn't ever learn Frank's last name. I cared so much about him - but I didn't even really know him.

All I could do was nod, assuming it was the same Frank. "I..." my voice quivered, and I began to shiver as a cold breeze rippled across the playground.

"Frank Iero," the man mused, "found his love again..." After watching me shiver, the man pulled off his jacket, and dropped it on my shoulders. It was icy cold, but quickly warmed up with my body heat. "So many years," his breathing finally rose into the air again.

Frank. It made me think about him more. I didn't know much about Frank. Perhaps Frank Iero. But the words stuck to me. He had "found his love again." Again? Was this just his terming, or was he hinting at something else?

Finally, the vampire looked up at the sky, then back to the streets, "so... Where's your hotel?"