Capella

The all too familiar darkness surrounded me. It had become routine, and I wasn't afraid anymore. I knew what would come next, the ear shattering screech, then the darkness would break and something would happen. "Ago inter vas. Ago inter vas." The whispers repeated itself, sending chills down my spine. They were all around me.

I focused on the darkness specifically. Ignoring the whispers as best I could, I willed it with everything I had to break. Sure enough it did. A picture came into view, it was an enormous room. It seemed to be a throne room of some sort. The walls were a dark blue color with no windows, just a single wooden door. And in the center of the room was a metal table. Everything put together gave off a cruel feeling.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a earth shaking booming noise as it slammed against the wall. Two hideous winged looking creatures dragged an unconscious man to the center. The only way I could describe them would be a mix between a gargoyle and a dragon. Their snouts extended from their face like a crocodile. Their skin looked rusted and decayed, and their bony wings stood to be larger than their entire body.

The man they carried had been beaten, it was obvious to see. He was on his last whim as they threw him on to the cold slab of a table.

The door swung open again, a little softer this time. And the figure who walked through appeared to be the shape of a man. I couldn't tell because he wore a long black draped robe that covered his entire face. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the grim reaper himself. Pieces of his robe were tarnished and swayed as he walked into the room.

"Master." One of the dragon-like creatures called to him. "What do we do with the prisoner? He won't talk." It's voice was horrible. If I was aware of where my limbs were I would have wanted to cover my ears. It was a screech and a whisper combined in one. With a hissing sound added to.

The hooded man spoke then. He reached down to the the beaten prisoner and slapped his cheek playfully. "Now, now, don't fall asleep on us." His voice was sickly familiar. He bent down then, and whispered something in the prisoner's ear.

Whatever he said, the poor man's eyes flew open. He spat at the hooded figure. "You can kill be before I reveal that information."

The hooded figure took a step back. Slowly he lifted his hands and dragged down the hood that covered my face. I was horrified at the man underneath. He wasn't deformed, he wasn't a monster. He was the scarred man from the meeting. "As you wish." He turned and exited out the door he entered.

The prisoner's screams were the last thing I heard before I pulled myself back into reality.

I woke up in a cold sweat again. Good thing is, I'd managed not to wake Caleb up this time. I glanced over at his sleeping features. He was so vulnerable at this time, I couldn't help but smile. Carefully, I slipped out from the bed without disturbing him. I was craving pancakes and there had to be a kitchen in this place somewhere.

The corridor was even darker than when I first walked down it. The only thing that kept me from going in the wrong direction was music. Someone was playing the piano in the Conference Room, and beautifully if I might add. It was a drawing melody and I couldn't stop walking towards it. The music grew louder as I made turn after turn. Eventually I made a final turn and there he was. Jake, sitting there with his eyes closed. His fingers almost caressing the piano keys, forcing them to sing the most beautiful song I'd ever heard.

I stood there and listened in the corner for as long as I could. But to my dismay, he stopped and his head flew up. "Don't stop." I whispered. I knew he could hear me and he did. He spun around to face me and smiled a breathtaking smile.

He motioned for me to come join him and I did. I swung my leg over and sat on the piano bench leaving a foot in between us. I wasn't gonna take any chances being so close to him. "Do you play?" He asked.

I just shook my head, it was too difficult to speak. Why does he effect me this way? I don't even know him. He laughed, probably at my stupid non responsiveness. "It's easy, I'll show you." He slid over cautiously until our thighs were touching. His arm slid around me so I fit comfortably against his chest and his hands slid down my arms until they rested just above my hands. I swallowed hard as he began to guide my fingers along the keys, pressing down on each note flawlessly. We were way too close, I could feel his breath in my ear.

The melody picked up and he started to hum along with it. His breath tickled my ear as he began to sing words to the song. "is cries dormio sulum nox noctis" He sang beautifully, I was instantly mesmerized. I relaxed and let myself be completely controlled by him as he sang to me in my ear.

The last keys were played as the song came to an end. A minute or so passed before either of us said anything, "That was beautiful. What language was that in?" Questions ran through the back of my mind. They were far back, but still present enough to make me ask. It was strange, the language he spoke sounded just like the language in my nightmares.

"It's Latin." He whispered, we had stopped playing but his hands still hadn't moved from mine. "It's about a girl, who feels like she isn't good enough for the people in her life. So, she cries to the stars every night. Hoping that one day they'll fly down and take her somewhere else."

"I can understand." I wasn't looking directly at him, but I could almost feel the intensity in his eyes. This was no good, Caleb was what, a couple yards away? I flew up and out of the bench suddenly. If he wasn't a vampire, he probably would have fallen off the bench. Instead he wound up a few feet in front of me, his eyebrows scruffed in confusion.

"Did I do something?" His hand ran through his hair in an adorable way.

"Can you stop that!" I was on the verge of stomping my foot. This absolute stranger was about to destroy my relationship with Caleb, the one that I just got back. Plus, this was not the time to be having drama problems. The city had just been attacked for christ sake. He stood there, perfectly still, looking at me with those wide green-gold eyes. I realized he has absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.

"I'm sorry," okay maybe he does. "I've just always kind of had a crush on you." He took a step forward. "But it's completely gone now, I promise." He tapped his hand over his heart as if to prove there were no feelings for me inside it. Pft, like I could see through him.

I didn't say anything, I couldn't. I didn't know what to say. We stayed like that for a while, with a really heavy awkwardness threatening to crush us. I knew it was time to change the subject, but my mind was doing that thing where when you tried to really think everything came up fuzzy and blank. Luckily, my stomach rumbled at just the right time and I remembered why I came out here in the first place. "I'm hungry? You hungry? I'm hungry." My voice came out too fast and in a higher pitch than usual. I ran for the first exit I could find, absolutely embarrassed at my depressing attempt to change a subject.

"Melissa?" Jake asked before I could get safely away.

I closed my eyes as I turned around, maybe if I couldn't see him, he couldn't see me. "Yea?"

"The kitchen's this way." I peeked one eye open to see him still standing in the same spot, just facing another direction. He was smiling from ear to ear like he was amused at my failing attempts to be normal. He didn't seem weirded out though and I really really needed some pancakes about now, so I started walking in the direction he was facing.

"Right." I said as I walked past him.