A Fatal Attraction

What have I done? I have left them in the hands of danger and now Imera, my baby sister is alone and terrified. The Kalibary Clan has murdered my mother and my father, only to leave warnings that my sister is their next victim. I never took their threats as promises and I have been proven wrong. I should have taken the threats more seriously. Maybe then I could have saved my parents from their mercilessness. There is only one thing I can do now; I must get Imera.

I ran as fast as I could to get to her. My heart was racing and my lungs felt like they were going to explode, but I was determined to get Imera away from the Kalibary clan. It felt like I had been running for years, but it had only been minutes. I had to pick up my speed if I would ever make it to her before they did. She was no longer safe at home. If you could even call it home anymore.

I burst through the front door to find Imera curled into a corner, with tears streaming down her colorless cheeks and sobs escaping through her shaky lips. I cradled her in my arms, holding her close to my chest. Our parents now dead – murdered - are separated from us only by a thin wall.

“It is okay, Imera. You will be safe soon enough.” I promised, but that was a promise I could not completely guarantee. I wrapped her in a soft blanket and headed into the night. There was no destination; I was just going to take her to someplace that was far away from home. There had to be someplace that I could take her that was safe. But what place was that?

“W-where are w-we g-going, Aiden?” Her voice was a tiny whisper to my ears. She was like a sweet angel in my arms, scared but faithful.

I pushed her hair from her face and looked into her wide, pale blue eyes and said, “We are going somewhere safe.”

After that I walked with her in my arms, in silence. Her gaze met mine. Tears filled her eyes once more, but she wasn’t going to let them fall. She blinked the tears back at once. I didn’t know why she didn’t want to cry, but she seemed satisfied with herself, despite what had happened only a few hours before.

I walked a few miles with Imera and then we sat at the brink of the forest. I looked intently into the forest, to try and see something, anything, but I saw nothing. In my arms, Imera drifted quietly to sleep and I whispered, “Sweet dreams.”

*********

I jolted awake, gasping for air, that I didn’t need. It was the nightmare I have had many times since the night of my parents’ death. I was thankful for waking up before the terrible scene of my sister’s death. I was also grateful that I wasn’t woken up by Lillian’s usual panicked voice screaming at me to wake up from my nightmare. They always insisted on asking what my nightmare was about, but I never told them. Like I never told them about my life as a human. It was something that I kept in secrecy from my vampire family. I didn’t want them to know about what I had done in my past. It is something I was truly ashamed of myself for. I despise myself for what had happened to my family; because it is my fault they are gone. I was supposed to protect them, but I failed them.

I decided not to tell anyone about what had happened centuries ago, because I am not sure how they would treat me after finding out it was my fault for the death of my whole family. The Kalibary clan had threatened me and my family after I had met my first vampire. Of course, at the time I didn’t believe that she was a vampire or that they would really hurt them. I should have. Because of me, the Kalibary clan murdered my mother and father, poisoned my sister, and turned me into a vampire.

I rose to my feet and walked to the bathroom. I looked at myself intently in the mirror. I still don’t understand why humans think we can’t see our reflection. Nonetheless, I was a mess - my hair was tangled and sweat covered a thin layer on my skin. I turned the cold water on and splashed it in my face. It was refreshing. Each night, I had the same reoccurring nightmare, which had me waking up drenched in sweat. The dreams have made Adrina worry about me, which I didn’t understand, but she naturally worried as most mothers do, worry needlessly.

Speaking of Adrina, she walked into my room with Lillian and Jamien. They whispered to each other about me. About my dream. Maybe they forgot that I could hear them, or they didn’t care whether I heard them.

I am not telling you about my nightmare. So, you can all give up on finding new ways to figure it out. I thought to all of them.

I opened the bathroom door to reveal the dumbfounded expressions on all of their faces from the tone of my voice. Walking past them, I felt their bare eyes staring at me, trying to understand the source of my anger and pain. Unsuccessful, they continued to stare until I was out of the room.

I walked downstairs to the kitchen, for a glass of water to remove the dry, sticky taste from my mouth. As the cold water slid down my throat, I remembered Tristan and what had happened yesterday. Sadness clouded my mind from thinking of anything else. I couldn’t understand why I was so upset. Maybe I would understand later? Who knows?

I stared out of the kitchen window that was just above the sink. In plain view were a few children playing jump rope. I never found the game very exciting, but they seemed to be enjoying it. A mother of one of the children sat on a lawn chair watching them play. In another yard, a group of adults were sitting on a porch, talking and laughing at something one of them had said. Clouds strewn across the sky were turning grey. Soon enough, rain would fall from the sky and all the happy people would run inside like the rain was going to harm their skin or something. The way people reacted to the weather change always baffled me. Rain started sprinkling from the sky and surely enough, they abandoned the outside and returned to the safety of their homes. Lillian walked down the stairs with exceptional slowness. She smiled sweetly at me, trying to hide something.

What’s wrong Lillian? I asked her. She just stared at me with the same smile on her face. I couldn’t tell whether she was trying to hide sadness or anger. And I don’t think she is going to tell me any time soon, so I let it go and moved away from the sink. Lillian didn’t say a word; instead she walked past me, brushing her arm lightly against mine. She noticed, but it didn’t make her stop.

I watched Lillian attentively, as she sat motionless as a stone in one of the dining room chairs. I left her alone and made my way to the front door. I looked back in the direction of the dining room then twisted the doorknob, opening the door to see the prevailing rainstorm. I closed the door behind me and walked into the rain. I didn’t know where I was going, but I was going somewhere. I had to get my mind off Lillian’s saddened face and the terrible reoccurring nightmare. Is Lillian sad because I won’t tell them? It is a possibility, since I know a lot about their human lives while they only know a little of my own.

There is only one person who I have ever told about my life as a human, and that was my once best friend, Jessika Devine, a vampire belonging to the Sevoca clan. Jessika was much like Lillian in the compassionate sense, but Lillian is so much more judgmental of personal choices, than Jessika was. She was the only vampire I knew that would not judge me for my past. Unfortunately, the Sevoca clan, torn her body limb from limb once they discovered her love for a human. The ancestor vampires of the Sevoca clan were very strict when it came to humans. She was given no chance to justify herself. They came into her home one night searching through her belongings, waiting anxiously for her arrival at home, so she could meet her death. She fought for her life, but the ancestors were too strong for her to match alone. After killing her, they went after the man she had loved for three years. Her death has left a thin hole pierced through my heart since that dreadful night.

“Aiden!” A familiar voice called my name. I glanced up from staring at my feet to see Allyson, or Ally, running towards me. “Why such the long face, handsome?”

As always Ally wrapped her arms around me in that bear hug of hers. If I had air in my lungs, I would have been gasping for air right now.

“Hey, Ally,” I said forcing a tight-lipped smile. “I don’t know.”

Ally didn’t say it, but she could tell that I was lying. So, she invited me inside to get me out of the rain. I enjoyed being in the rain, but being inside her house always relaxed me with the scents that welcomed me, so I accepted her invitation. The scent that greeted me this morning was sweet sage and roses. It was a pleasant calming smell and it immediately made me happier.

“Let me get you a towel so that you can dry yourself off.” She smiled and disappeared down the hallway. Thankfully, her parents weren’t home. It wasn’t that they didn’t like me, because they did like me. It is just that whenever I come over they ask me why I never eat with them. My excuse is usually either, “I have already eaten,” or, ”I am not hungry right now.” They always gave me funny looks when I said it. It is like I can’t eat human food, it just taste horrible.

Ally appeared around the corner with a fresh white towel. It smelled of fresh laundry softener. I wiped off my face and arms with it then dried my hair. Ally sat on the couch, watching me, waiting for me to finish. When I finished she said, “What is wrong?”

I sighed deeply. “If I tell you, you have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone especially Lillian, Jamien, or my mom.”

She put a hand over her heart and said, “I promise I won’t tell a soul. Now spill.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me to sit next to her. I looked at her blue, curious eyes. They were staring back at me waiting for me to speak.

“Okay. Yesterday, when I was in the woods, Lillian and I found a guy, Tristan. The most gorgeous person I have ever seen in my life. I think I may have fallen in love. Only, I scared him, so I don’t think I will be seeing him again.” Ally looked like she wasn’t sure what to say, but at the same time she looked like she knew everything she wanted to say. Surely enough, hearing her voice was no surprise.

“I’m sorry, Aiden. I hope that Tristan comes back.” Ally’s voice was sincere and true. I loved talking to her because she accepted me, as Jessika had. And she always knew what to say to make me feel better. Ally was the first person I had met in my new school. We had been friends ever since. She smiled sweetly at me and I had to smile back at her. I smiled a real smile and not a forced one like I had when I first smiled at her.

“I hope so, too,” was all I could bring myself to say. It was all I needed to say. We sat in silence, but it wasn’t the uncomfortable silence that you wish someone would break immediately by saying something completely random and out there. We’ve never experienced that kind of silence, they’ve always been the nice silences that you enjoy every moment of and you don’t care if they’d last a long time.

The silence was broken by a long ding from the kitchen. A timer, I guessed, from the oven. She was probably baking those delicious brownies of hers. Not that I’d ever eaten them, but everyone else absolutely love them.

Ally rushed into the kitchen with a big grin across her face. Baking was one of her hobbies. I never really understood it. Within ten minutes she came back with a tray of the famous brownies in her hands. “Aiden, I know you don’t really eat when you are over here, but will you please try one of my brownies? Everyone has tried them except for you.”

I looked into her eyes and she was actually begging me to try one of the brownies she had made. I couldn’t tell her that I had already eaten, because she knew that I never liked to eat when I was upset. So, I reached for one.

“Okay, I will try it.” I took a bite. It tasted awful, but I didn’t show any sign that I didn’t enjoy it. I pretended that each bite was as delicious as everyone had said. Swallowing the rest of it I said, “That is really good, Ally, but I really am not in the mood for food.”

Her smile brightened and she carried the tray of brownies back to the kitchen. I got off the couch and followed her into the kitchen where she was making herself a morning smoothie to enjoy.

“Ally, I am going to head on home. Okay. You can email me or call me later, if you want. Okay?” She looked up from the cutting board where she was chopping up fruits to place in the blender.

“Okay. If you need to talk to someone, I’m always here.” She smiled at me, then added, “and you’d better come to school tomorrow mister.”

I had almost forgotten that tomorrow was Monday. I didn’t want to go back to school yet. With a short melodic laugh, the conversation was ended and I was out her front door. The rain was back at a light sprinkle and I walked back towards my house. Hopefully things had settled down some in the house.

Time passed some and I walked into the front door. Greeted by Jamien’s unnatural happiness. He smiled at me and said, “Guess what I have?”

What? I thought. He ignored my telepathy and continued smiling. He raised his hand with something in it.

“It is your favorite movie of all time.” Jamien’s smile turned more into a I’m better than you, smirk.

“The Avenging Silencer? How?” I rushed over to him. Excitement rushing through my veins. I snatched the movie from his hands and unintentionally smiled widely. The day already was turning around. Even though I had seen this movie a hundred times before, I could still watch it over and over again. There was just something about it that I loved. Probably the fact that it was very similar to my own life.

“I have my ways. Just be happy I was able to find that movie.” Jamien told me that he would find the movie for me one day and he was right, he did. And it was all mine.

“I am very happy. Thank you, Jamien.” I put the DVD in the DVD holder and pressed play.

Half way through the movie, Lillian and Adrina joined us when they were finished with each other’s hair. I barely paid any attention to them as they discussed the scenes of the movie to themselves, trying desperately to figure out was going on.

At the end of the movie, Lillian said, “Oh, Now, I understand it. They killed the guy’s family, so he took revenge on them.” She got the gist of it all. But that wasn’t completely it. She didn’t understand that they were Jaysen’s real family and because he had chosen to go live with the other family, they murdered the innocent. Jaysen thought their act of murder was wrong, so he took revenge on his real family and killed them. I looked over at Jamien who was passed out, snoring beside her. He couldn’t stay awake through a long movie like The Avenging Silencer. After all, it was almost five hours. It needed to be to include all the great details of the story line.

I placed the DVD back in the case and carried it to my room. I tossed it into the chair where Tristan had sat only yesterday, before my carelessness gained control of me. I lazily sat onto the bed and placed my face calmly into my hands. I heard a loud exhale and realized it was my own sigh. Why did I have to be so careless with Tristan? I really liked him. Something I still don’t understand.

Oh, Tristan… I whispered, wondering if he could hear my voice. What if he could? What would happen then? I don’t know. Maybe, he would come back or maybe he would definitely stay away. No way for me to really tell.

I looked at my computer, sitting on the desk. I had an e-mail from Kyla. She was a vampire in England that I had met when moving there. England was a nice place, but I didn’t like staying there too much, so we moved after three months. But Kyla and I stayed in touch by e-mail and phone. I clicked on the ‘view’ button and read the message. It was the same as every other message that she sent me. She just wanted to say hi and see how I was. Except this one was different, her sister had run away, as, I had six years ago. I knew where her sister was going and that is why she told me about it. She wanted to know where runaway vampires end up at. So, I wrote her back and told her everything I knew and told her where she should look for her sister. I also told her about what happened with Tristan. She would understand every bit of it. I could tell Kyla everything about it because she knew that I was gay and that I was a vampire. It would also make her happy to know that she was still included in my personal life enough to know what was going on.

I turned from my computer and looked at Lillian who thought I didn’t hear her come in. I didn’t bother covering up the computer screen because she never bothered to read my stuff. Disappointment crossed her face then quickly disappeared as she got the point of her coming in the first place.

I clicked send and turned off the computer. Lillian sat gracefully onto the bed and said, “Tristan is coming. I saw him walking down the street. I bet he is coming to see you.” She smiled happily.

What are you talking about Lillian? Tristan doesn’t want to see me. I hid the fact that I hoped she was right. I wanted him to be coming to see me. I wanted to explain to him about what happened. Or at least try. She was also oblivious to the excitement that was rising inside me.

“Just look out the window. He is near our house.” I did as she said and clearly enough, there he was, about to turn into our yard. I jumped from my chair and raced downstairs, then slowed myself to a human pace walking out the door.

“Oh. Tristan. It is a surprise to see you here.” I said. And he looked like he was in agreement with what I just said.

“Were you going somewhere?” He asked. Then thoughtfully added, “I can come back another time.”

“I was just on my way for a walk. Would you care to join me?” I offered and he smiled. He accepted the offer and we began walking away from the house.