Creatures Of Forever

Lilith lay on the soft gray carpet on her stomach, her arms crossed underneath her head. As soon as Torn left, she had fallen to the ground, and taken that position.

I really hated admitting it, but Torn’s little visit really shook me. His very presence scared the shit out of Marisol. He unnerved Kitka, who was one of the strongest women I knew. His words pissed off Jasper; but that wasn’t hard to do.

And that something about ripping my throat out….. The scary part was I knew he could do it in his sleep. I hadn’t seen the monster in over five thousand years, but he still knew me inside and out.

We all sat in the dark living room in silence. I glanced at the clock hanging on the dark green painted wall by the TV; the glowing numbers read 11:00 AM. Today was just not our day.

I got up from my seat on the floor next to Lilith and sauntered over to the kitchen, my legs slightly weak. I leaned against the granite countertop and dug around in the nearest drawer. My hand came out of the drawer holding a pack of cigarettes that had been in my possession for awhile. Even though I didn’t do it much, smoking calmed my nerves. It wasn’t like a vampire could get cancer.

“Nenorocita de monstru,” I muttered as I lit up. ”Fucking monster.”
I took a long drag from the cigarette, and sighed as the acrid smoke filled my lungs.

I heard Jasper look up. I also heard him huff as put his head back down onto Marisol’s. He wasn’t very fond of me smoking, but I told him a long time ago to get the fuck over it or there would be a nice burn mark resting on his cheek the morning after.
Another drag from the cigarette, and I found myself sliding down the counter to the kitchen tile down below.

From my position on the floor, I could see Lilith raise her head from her arms. She sniffed the air gently.
Her eyebrows furrowed together and she got up slowly. Damn it.

I looked down as she walked into the kitchen, and ran a hand through my dark hair.
Much to my surprise, she walked by me.

Jasper disliked smoking; Lily despised the fuck out of it. There was no exaggerating. She used to catch me smoking and would nearly break my hand to get rid of the cigarette I held. I couldn’t help it; I wasn’t addicted to it – nicotine couldn’t get to my system – but it comforted me sometimes.

Lily opened the refrigerator as I inhaled more of the smoke. The fridge door closed and suddenly the cigarette was plucked from my fingers. I looked up in shock to see her perched atop the counter, my cigarette in her hands and a sour look on her face. My eyes widened as she brought the burnt end of the stick down, and I moved a second before it reached me.
Lilith hopped down from the countertop and, with a lifeless smile, dropped it in the sink.
“I catch you doing it in the house again and next time it’s going in your eye,” she mumbled.

I looked down. “I know why you do it,” she said softly, placing a hand on my shoulder. “But I don’t want you to do it here, ok?”
I raised my head to meet her eyes. I loved her eyes, even though they looked exactly like mine.
There was something about them.

“Ok,” I said simply. Lily smiled, a real one this time, and offered me her hand. I took it and she pretty much pulled me up by herself. She smiled again, and placed a quick kiss on my lips before disappearing back into the living room. Damn me for not being quicker.

I followed her back into the living room, my feet padding across the soft carpet. It seemed we spent a lot of time in that room.

“I don’t like him at all,” Marisol muttered into Jasper’s chest, curled up against his body. Lilith smiled grimly.
“Not many people do, darling,” she said dryly. Lily sat down on the floor, laying back. I sat next to her, leaning back on my arms. “It’s very true,” I said softly.
Lilith stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. “Something’s different about him,” she murmured. “What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

She sat up, facing all of us. “Even though you three haven’t known him as long as Wes and I, something felt weird about him, right?” she asked. “Like… he was more than just a vampire. Like, if he had any humanity left, it was completely and utterly gone.”

Kitka nodded slightly. Marisol took a deep breath, and Jasper wrapped a protective arm around her. I realized, she was right. Five thousand years ago, Torn was really not human. But now, he seems to be even crueler. I remembered something he told me a long time ago.

”It’s said that all animals are created equal. In this world, all equals are created animal, and some are more animal than others.”

I shivered. Lily, with her sharp eyes, noticed.

“What?” she asked curiously. “I was just thinking about something Torn said…” I trailed off.
I told them the phrase, and they stared at me.

“I just thought of it, dunno if it really means anything,” I muttered.

Lily stood up suddenly and left the room. I looked at Kitka in confusion.

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked. She shrugged.

This Torn thing was getting out of hand already, and it had only been a few hours since he had been here. I sighed.

~~

I didn’t try to find Lilith; she seemed like she needed some time alone. Instead, I trudged up the stairs to my dark room, where I laid out on the bed.
After a mere few minutes, my eyelids became heavy. I didn’t blame them; today had been a rough day. I glanced at the clock: 4:00.
Meh, I thought. I rolled over and burrowed into my dark blankets. I had almost drifted off into a dreamless sleep, when I heard a soft knock on the door.

My head shot up almost instantly and I looked to the doorway to see Lilith standing there.

“Um… Did I wake you?” she asked quietly. I sat up.

“No,” I lied.
It was obvious she didn’t believe me, but she entered the room and sat down on the bed anyways.

“Look, I’m sorry for leaving the room so suddenly,” she said. “I didn’t mean to make you think I was mad at you. I just have a lot on my mind.”

I laughed. “It’s ok Lily,” I replied. “I understand. I know the feeling too.”

She grinned slightly. “You could never get mad at me,” Lily laughed, playfully pushing me. I smiled back.
“I really couldn’t,” I said softly. “So hey, how about another kiss?”
She raised her eyebrows, a sly smirk on her lips. She moved her face close to mine.
“I don’t think so, lover boy,” she whispered with a shit-eating grin.

Lily pulled away quickly and laughed at my sullen expression. “I’m gonna get some sleep,” she announced, tapping my bare shoulder and standing up. “I, unlike you, have work tomorrow.”

Oh yeah. Lilith Ciora, the only vampire who worked for a living. Or is it for a death?
I laughed quietly at my lame joke. Lily gave me a strange look but smiled nonetheless.

“Night, Wes,” she said softly, even though it was four thirty in the afternoon.

“Night Lily,” I replied just as soft, and fell backwards as she closed the door.