Dark Secret

'Damn it, Leanna. Hold still!’

I sighed for the fifth time this hour. My brows furrowed together as I stared at the beauty who sat beside me, holding her left arm out, and pouting like a little girl. She glared at the innocent lamppost next to the bed, muttering something about ‘idiot girl’. I couldn’t help but to shake my head in disappointment.

Seriously, how could she possibly be this immature? Anyone who actually had a normal functioning brain would never guess that she was such a childish girl.

I meant, come on, she was a vampire.

Then again, humans—especially males—didn’t know what to think when they first laid eyes on her. They would be simply dazzled by her extraordinary appearance. Whether be it her golden curls, full, luscious lips or silky skin, but most of them would be held captive by her shinning crystal blue eyes. And when I said shinning, I meant literally. Of course, not as bright as the sun, that would be too obvious, just faintly.

Wrapping the bandage around her left forearm, I began to wonder about vampires. Although teen's novels were nothing more than fictional stories, it should contain some truth in it, right? Like the Twilight series or House of Night series or whatever vampires stories, shouldn’t matured vampires be intelligent, flawless creatures? Considering they had all those years to study and learn about the world, they were supposed to be one of the wisest beings, not reckless and stupid, unlike my friend.

Unlike Leanna.

I sighed for the sixth time while I tightened the white bandage with a little more force than required, ignoring her shouts.

(‘Hey, watch it! You’re gonna break my fragile arm.’ I rolled my eyes. Pft, yeah right, like that would happen. Fragile? You wished. As if that would ever happen in her entire undead life. Impossible, buddy. I was sure that, to her, I was nothing more than a toothpick. Oh, woe was me, the puny human.)

Yes folks, I was a human. Positive. Affirmative. I still had a pulse, heartbeat, and a mouth-watering scent to the blood-suckers.

I was a hundred percent human.

Leanna looked at her arm like it was an alien from another galaxy while I finished bandaging her with a neat tie. I figured it must be a foreign feeling for her. She was a vampire, after all. They didn’t need bandage since they had fast healing (some even had regeneration too), unless it was a very bad wound. Still, it was highly doubtable. Maybe Leanna had not touched this kind of things for decades, or centuries. Who knew? She remained silent till I had put away all the stuff.

‘Wow…it’s so…weird.’

‘You’re a vampire, you don’t need these things. Duh, it feels weird’ I sat on her bed across from her. ‘And it’s totally you’re fault. You just had to play with your food.’

‘It’s boooooooring to hunt a bear. They’re like, easy preys.’ Leanna whined.

I sighed for the seventh time in an hour, a new record. There she went again, full of herself. How could she say enraged grizzly bears are easy preys? I knew that some vampires had difficulties facing them.

‘That’s not the problem. The problem is some humans saw you with a bear and a scratch on your arm. They’re also from our school!’ I nearly yelled at her. She was too careless. I told her to check the area first, but no, she never listened to anything I say. ‘You’re lucky I K.Oed the bear with my gun just in time so you looked like a victim instead of the predator.’ I rubbed my temple to calm myself. ‘That’s why now you have to wear the bandage, or else they’d start spreading rumors about the Homecoming Queen, Leanna Wood, was wrestling grizzly bears as a weekend hobby!’

She rested her chin on her ‘good’ arm, an annoyed expression on her face. I lied on her giant bed with a groan. She wasn’t listening again. What would she do without me? Did I look like her babysitter or mother?

‘Stop being a spoiled brat. What would Tom say when he sees you?’

‘He’ll laugh at my cuteness, that’s what.’

‘You’re impossible.’ I resisted the urge to sigh for the eighth time.

Tom was Leanna’s boyfriend, for shows only, though I did feel kind of sorry for the poor boy, being oblivious to Leanna’s act. He was the most wanted boy in our school. Handsome, nice, modest, athletic and had good results, he was the kind that was too good to be true. I used to have a crush on him like the other girls too, but I gave up since he started dating Leanna. It wasn’t because I quitted due to his relationship with Leanna, I wasn’t so selfless. I was selfish human. I just discovered that Tom was merely, dumb. Not the stupid kind of dumb, it was the thick-headed, clueless kind. He seemed a bit too…dense, I supposed.

‘Where’s Tyler?’ I asked, wondering where her pet, her servant in disguise was.

‘He’s out for food. Won’t be back till tomorrow.’ She replied nonchalantly. ‘He can take care of himself. Don’t worry, you fool. He’s a vamp too, remember?’

I wasn’t worried about him. Of course I knew he could take care of himself just fine. It was strange that Tyler would actually leave Leanna alone. Usually, he’d tag along with her, wherever she might be. He served Leanna since she saved him from vampire hunters decades ago. She didn’t mind having a servant. Leanna enjoyed having someone else to do her work for her voluntarily, something she could achieve easily in school.

Tyler was my crush after Tom. The vampire was sweet and caring. He was the boy-next-door type. From a photo album I had read accidently, Tyler used to be blonde. He dyed his hair black when he had dedicated himself to his life-savior to avoid being captured as experiment since he could shape shift into a bat, so that it wouldn’t raise suspicions and unnecessary rumors about Leanna living with another boy. A blond bat would look down-right weird.

Or Leanna would be the crazy girl who dyed her bat blond.

‘So…’ I started, trying to keep our conversation from dying, ‘How’s Richard?’

Richard, on the other hand, was no play-thing. He was Leanna’s real boyfriend, he was a vampire too. A rich one, nonetheless. From what I had heard (from Leanna), they had been going steady for about half a century. Not a big surprise, considering they had forever to spend. But still, I wondered how Richard could stand Leanna. She could be quite a handful, like a kid.

‘He’s coming next weekend for a short visit.’ Leanna sat up, stretching her arms. ‘He said something about important stuff he had to show us. I wonder what it is.’

‘Us? But I’m a pathetic low-life that you call human.’ She had got to be kidding. How could anything in their ever world relate to me? Leanna was the first and only mythical creature I had ever met. No fairy, no unicorn, no werewolf. I didn’t plan on meeting one either. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes,’ she looked at me with one of her rare serious look. ‘Us.’

I got a bad feeling I didn’t like. Whatever Richard was going to show us, it would be bad. Way bad. And I had no doubt about my intuition, for it had helped my ample times.

However, for now, I had to prepare for school.

================================================
Walking down the hallway reminded me the reason why I hated school so much. The corridor was flooded with teenagers of different ages and labels, chatting with tons of laughter. Noisy and crowded, things that could piss me off in no time. I was not the same as them. A weirdo, you might say. I had always considered myself an alien among them. I didn’t cry in funerals, I enjoyed other’s torment, I laughed at the sight of my life fluid. Sadly, my birth paper proved I was indeed a human.

The twist of the game called life.

‘Don’t be so gloomy, school is fun!’

Leanna swirled around, dancing down her path to out lockers. She loved schooling, unlike me. She blended in well, no, great. Sometimes I wished I could switch my identity as a human with Leanna, it would have suited us better. Leanna would have enjoyed high school, while I…would simply adore my immortal life.

I looked behind her, Tom was holding both his and her books, grinning like a love-sick idiot he was. Anyone with eyes could tell he was actually happy to carry them, as if a glow of happiness shone from him.

He looked so happy and cheerful that I wanted to puke.

Be quiet, me. Quiet.I chided in my mind. It had become a habit for me to argue with myself ever since there was a little voice in the back of my head whispering evil thoughts and nonsense. The voice usually gave me replies, making it more even annoying.

Whatever. The voice answered, waving her nonexistent hand airily.

I hate you so much.

Love you! She shouted back, fading into the darkness I didn’t dare to explore.

Although it was my mind, I never took a clear look at the entire area. There were so many things I didn’t know about my mind, too many. When I got close to figure it out, it disappeared from my memory, leaving a blank gap. Later on, I decided was too dangerous to do so. It might erase everything I knew, and I couldn’t risk that. I gave up, there was no choice but to get used to it. Besides, it didn’t bother my life. This was a secret I kept from Leanna.

Opening the same locker I had used for years, I stuffed piles of text books into it, and slammed without a second thought, ignoring the mess inside. My locker was empty, no posters or other decorations, just an ordinary tin can for books. Leanna put her books neatly into her locker, one by one, as all students did. Mum used to complain I was too untidy, even more than a boy.

‘Watch out for the envelope,’ Leanna said, still organizing her locker. I caught a glimpse of posters and pink feathers before I bent down for the letter. In my opinion, her locker was like her personal miniature library, adorned by pink stuffs everywhere. I would have burnt it if it didn’t belong to her.

Burn it, burn it… She sang in my head.

Why are you out again? Go away. I blocked out the chanting like it was a fly buzzing in my ear.

The bell rang, screeching in peril like a captured prey. Quickly, I picked up the envelope and put it into my messenger bag. Standing next to me, Leanna dragged me to our classroom with her inhuman speed. So we made it just as the teacher stepped into the room.

Mr. Pitt, as he had introduced himself, gave a welcome speech and a lecture regarding rules of lessons to the class. I paid no attention to what he was saying, but to the strange letter. The envelope was pure white, obviously new, was a contrast to the old-fashioned words on top on it. I even suspected it was written with a quill, noticing there were drops of ink splatters on the edges. My brain ran through possible candidates who could’ve written this letter. I frowned with dissatisfaction when I confirmed there was none. Maybe I’d show this to Leanna after class.

Curious about its content, I opened the letter with the silver letter-opening double edged knife I carried with me which acted as my weapon for self-protection. I was paranoid about anything, especially there were mythical creatures in this world. Flipping it open, I scanned the words briefly for its main idea. I felt my mouth hung apart, my eyes bulged out, receiving the biggest shock of my life.

What the hell?!

I was flabbergasted.

Leanna was doing a horrible job on stifling her laughter.

The black stylish hand-written words on the letter stared back at me.

I never thought I would receive such a thing in my life. Countless thoughts ran through my mind that second. I wanted to scream, to rip this letter apart, to crush it, burn it. I couldn’t decide. My eyes scanned the letter one more time, hoping this wasn’t real, and I was merely dreaming.

Dear Charlotte,

You may not know me, but I know you. I’ve been always watching you from afar, loving you.

All this time I’ve been waiting, looking out for you, shielding you from any danger. Yet, I can’t do it anymore. I can’t stand being so near to you but I couldn’t be with you, separated, miles and miles away.

So, I’ve decided to write this letter to you, to confess my love to you, my world, my goddess.

Meet me at your favourite park at six pm. I’ll wear a black trench coat so you can recognize me.

See you soon, my love.

Kenneth

‘Look at the picture at the end.’ Leanna pointed at a sketching at the empty space on the paper, a breathtaking sketching of me. ‘It’s beautiful, and so detailed.’

She was right. If the letter didn’t freak me out already, the picture sure did. It was so detailed that as if it was a photo, not a drawing. It was when I was shooting the grizzly bear last Saturday. The picture focused solely on me, where the others—the background and Leanna—were roughly sketched. I looked at the picture carefully. My messy hair, wrinkles on my clothes, the gun…He could only achieve this by observing very closely. But that was impossible. I was sure there was nobody around us.

‘Leanna, it’s so weird, and not to mention creepy.’ I shuddered. ‘The pic is too detailed for my liking.’

‘Don’t worry, hon.’ My friend rolled her glittering eyes, ‘He wasn’t there. Look at your position and gun, they’re different. He’s just good at drawing and heard what happened from rumors and drew this. Big deal.’

Leanna’s sensible reasoning comforted me little, not much. It didn’t explain the whole ‘watching’ issue. All I knew I had earned a stalker since who-knew-when. While this dude crept me out, I wasn’t worry for my own safety. Leanna would be together with me, and she was perfectly capable of protecting me.

‘You’re going, right?’

‘I guess so. And you’re coming with me.’ She had to, or I’d need to find my long-forgotten pepper spray, and I wasn’t counting on that. My blunt knife would not be enough.

‘Sure, I’ve got nothing to do. Besides, I’m curious.’ The vampire gave me her charming smile that spelt trouble.

It wouldn’t be walk in a park alright. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

‘Behave Leanna, behave.’

I arrived at the park five minutes before six. Although I was not going to be his girlfriend, I had dressed up a bit better than usual, wearing a knee-length indigo summer dress and light make-up. I thought I should at least be courteous by looking good to meet my secret admirer. I was not a preppy girl, but I could be lady-like, even if it was buried way deep in the crooked heart of mine. Sometimes I thought I belonged to the medieval times of ladies and knights, not the modern 21st century, age of technology.

‘You’re gonna give him unnecessary hopes, dear.’ Leanna warned me.

‘You…shut up.’

As I approached, I kept glancing for a teenage boy with the black coat. It should be a fairly easy task, considering it was summer, everybody would not be wearing coats outdoor. So far, I understood he was a good at drawing stalker who wore coats in summer.

I was getting more and more freaked out.

‘I give up. Do you see him?’ I asked Leanna a minute later. Searching for a specific person in a crowd was not what I was good at. You could stand in front of me and I wouldn’t notice you until you touch me. It seemed ironic to me. After all, I was a psychic in training…in a way.

‘No…Oh, wait.’ She paused, staring in a particular direction. ‘I think I see a guy with the coat…’

I turned her way.

Oh. My. Gosh.

I didn’t believe who I saw. I didn’t want to. You wouldn’t too, if you see your secret admirer was a short nerd with tons of pimples over his face. (No offence. I was also nerd-ish and had pimples over my forehead, which I covered with my bangs.) His outfit was undeniably out-dated. It looked ridiculous on him.

‘Please tell me this isn’t happening.’ I nearly whimpered, highly disappointed by the outcome of this meeting.

The boy looked familiar. I thought I saw him in some of my classes, sitting at the back of the classroom. He must have overestimated himself by assuming I never saw him, what a letdown. I imagined it would be someone I had not met, maybe someone dark and mystifying. That image fitted better with the freaky love-confessing letter.

There was something…

‘I don’t think that’s him, Char.’ Leanna suddenly said. ‘I know that guy. His name is Fred, not Kenneth.’

‘Really?’ I breathed with relief.

‘Yeah, ‘cuz the real one’s right there.’ She pointed in another direction this time—the opposite one. ‘And I have to say, good luck.’

Her words confused me. What did she mean by ‘good luck’? I didn’t need to wait for long to discover it. The breath—the one with my relief—was stuck in the bottom of my throat when I saw the real secret admirer. I knew because he had the presence like I had imagined.

Mysterious.

I couldn’t help to stare at him, even Leanna didn’t have this effect on me, which was very odd. He looked more beautiful than the super models in TV, albeit he appeared to be my age, seventeen. Handsome was definitely the understatement of the century. His short messy jet black hair matched the coat he was wearing as mentioned in the love-confessing letter, sapphire eyes gleamed under the strong sunlight. His skin was pale, but still a few shades darker than Leanna, erasing my suspicion about him being a vampire.

How could I say ‘no’ to him? Tough luck.

A smile broke on his stoic face as his spectacular orbs met my dull azure eyes. I wanted to hide under a hole and rot, feeling unworthy of him or his attention. My cheeks became warm, defying my wish to remain calm. He walked closer to me, moving with grace of a panther and more confidence than a royalty.

‘Hello, Charlotte.’ His enchanting smile grew wider, extending a hand towards me.

‘H-hi, Kenneth,’ I stuttered, my self-esteem abruptly dropped to zero, negative. There was a knot in my tongue, and my stomach. Kenneth’s singing-like voice held me captivated along with his extraordinary looks.

‘Nice to meet you, I’m…’

‘Leanna Wood,’ Kenneth stopped Leanna’s introduction, taking she offered hand. ‘Born in September twelfth, is currently dating Tom White. You have a pet bat named Tyler. Your favourite color is green, favourite…’

‘Enough.’

I stared at him in shock, surprised by his knowledge about Leanna. Where did he gather this information? And I thought her favourite color was pink. Leanna frowned for the first time, her perfectly arced brows furrowed together as if she was solving a difficult puzzle.

‘How…how do you know?’ The words were not spoken by Leanna, but me.

He smiled with slight arrogance, one that could overwhelm any mortal, and shook his head, refusing to answer my question. ‘You’ve read my letter, correct?’

‘Yes, but…’

‘That’s all I need to hear.’

Before I could react, or to even think, I was already in his secured arms. His hug was controlling, passionate. He held like I belonged to him, his Charlotte. Ice cold shiver crawled down my spine. I tried to struggle, but he was too strong for me. Kenneth’s arms were like iron bars, pushing me against his hard muscular body. I flushed with anger and embarrassment.

‘Let her go, boy,’ Leanna glared at him, walking closer immediately. Her eyes flared, glowing brighter than the stars for a split second, then returned normal. ‘Now.’

‘Too bad.’

He kissed me with force which was the same as the possessiveness in the embrace.

There went my first kiss.