A Fatal Attraction

The still scenery surrounding me as I ran past it was blurry, but not because I was running too fast to see it. My mind was too wrapped up in a blend of thoughts about Tristan and Reziv that I couldn’t focus on anything I was running past. I was expecting Reziv to show up soon after I made it to the house, so I wouldn’t waste time to call Allyson before I readied myself for the long trip I had away from home. At least prepare myself as much as I could. Nothing could prepare me to be with Reziv for however long I’d have to be.

Once I made it home, three curious faces pointed their attention to me. They must’ve been waiting for me to come since I ran off without an explanation, not that they really needed one. I gave them a weak smile, but I knew they didn’t believe it.

“Where have you been?” Adrina spoke first.

I needed to go see someone before I take my leave, I thought to them. I wasn’t too trusting of my voice to not give me away about Tristan, so I kept my mouth closed.

Confusion eased its way to the surface of their facial expressions. They hadn’t thought about the incident with Sir Iren and Reziv. Though, I know it was somewhere resting in the back of their minds, secretly hoping that was what I was talking about.

“What are you talking about?” asked Jamien.

I have decided to join the other vampires in this war. I still didn’t trust my voice.

Adrina’s face lit up brightly. She was happier than I’d hoped. She knew the truth about what happened to my family and for some part of me was hoping that she would feel sorrier for that than the death of the many vampires. Lillian was happy too, but not as happy as Adrina’s and it seemed that Jamien just didn’t care as much as Lillian. He seemed to have a touch of anger instead. Jamien didn’t like my telepathy, because he didn’t have something unique. Could he be jealous that I was asked to join them and he wasn’t? I hoped not, because I would trade with him in a millisecond. I would do anything I could to get away from joining them, because honestly, I didn’t care about what happened to the vampire race.

“I’m glad you decided to join them.” Adrina hugged me. “It’s such an honorable thing for you to do.”

She wasn’t aware that I was practically being forced into joining them by the familiar use of blackmail and I certainly wasn’t going to tell her. I wasn’t going to pretend to be excited and happy about it, but I wouldn’t show them how much I dreaded going. I would show them some of the truth, I’m going because I have to, not because I want to, but I wouldn’t show them just how much I don’t want to go.

“I suppose it could be considered such.” I said, finally trusting me to speak directly to them.

“Have you contacted Sir Iren or Sir Reziv?” asked Lillian with a small smile playing on her lips.

“Not yet, but I don’t think I have to.” I said, and she nodded in agreement.

I have to go get ready now. I thought to them as I headed towards my room.

I grabbed my overly-large suitcase from the top of my closet and set it on the bed. I assumed this trip will take longer than I was hoping it would, so I searched my older clothes for things to bring with me. The only thing I was happy for was that I would be away from humans and I would finally get to wear my “strange-style” clothing. Yes, vampires still were the medieval gothic clothing people see in the movies. Some of them prefer not to – the newer ones. I folded all of my gothic clothes and put them into the suitcase. Noticing the extra room, I grabbed some more “normal” clothes and added them. After putting in all the hygiene products in the suitcase, I put my laptop and the cord in, along with my cell phone charger.

I heard a loud knock on the front door and my stomach twisted. I knew it was Reziv. I didn’t know if Sir Iren was with him or not, but Reziv was definitely waiting for me to be done. I began walking down the hall, suitcase dragging closely behind, so I wouldn’t leave them waiting too long.

“Sir Iren, Sir Reziv,” Jamien formally greeted them, “please, come in.”

“Hello Jamien. Is Aiden ready to leave?” asked Sir Iren, calmly.

I made it to the stairs before Jamien could answer for me. “Yes, I am ready.”

Sir Iren’s face wasn’t happy, nor angry, but calm. Not calm as in peaceful, but the kind of calm that people get when they aren’t feeling anything in particular – you’re just there. Reziv was very pleased with him and the sick smile that was pressed perfectly on his slender face said it all. The ill twist in my stomach worsened as I walked closer to them but I didn’t dare let Reziv see my discomfort. Discomfort is weakness. I may not be that strong, but I’m not the same weak human boy I was. I would not give him a reason to see me as such either.

“Ah, Aiden, it’s nice to see you ready.” Sir Iren spoke stern, but gently as if afraid to anger me. Why would he be afraid to anger me?

“Yes, I suppose it is.” The normal tone of my voice was even surprising to me.

Sir Iren walked to me and gestured for my suitcase. Reluctantly, I gave it to him and walked towards my family. I hugged them and said goodbye to each of them individually. Adrina was still excited, Lillian seemed slightly sad, and Jamien still held a hint of anger in him, but was happy for me. They all wished me good luck and to be safe.

A black stretch limousine was waiting outside for us. How had I not expected that? I realized that I hadn’t called Allyson before, so I decided I would call her on the ride to where ever it was they were taking me.

I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and found her name through the contacts and climbed into the limousine while they discussed something on the outside. They could stay there, it was fine by me. I pressed the call button and listened to the rings until I heard a sad voice on the other end.

“Aiden!” She cried my name; I could even hear the silent sobs she probably thought I wouldn’t. “Are you alright? What’s going on?”

“Yes, I’m okay,” I said, worried about how she would be at the end of this talk. “Ally, I need you to know that I don’t have time to say proper goodbyes. I’m leaving tonight; turns out he’s sicker than we thought.”

She gasped and tried to stay silent, but I could hear the muffled cries she pretended weren’t there. She took a few seconds to breathe and try to recollect herself then said, “Well, I hope he’s okay.”

“Thanks,” I said, showing as much appreciation as I could for the concern of my fake father’s illness. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She said, still trying to hide the sadness in her voice.

I could see Reziv and Sir Iren getting ready to get in the limousine so I quickly made up another lie. “I have to get off the phone now, my plane is about to leave. Goodbye, Ally.”

“Goodbye, Aiden.” The other end went dead and I shoved it into my pocket right before Reziv and Sir Iren started for the door.

Reziv climbed in first, to get the seat farthest away from me. Good. Sir Iren climbed in second, finding a spot between us. Even better. Once the car door was shut, Reziv told the driver to take us to a place called Immortal Café. I knew there wasn’t any place around here called that, so I knew it was going to be a long ride. I wasn’t willing to go to sleep in front of Reziv, so I kept myself engaged in conversation with Sir Iren.

“Exactly how many vampires are at the Immortal Café?” I asked when he told me all the vampires were waiting there or on their way.

“A lot.” Stupid answer, but I knew what he meant it. “We’ve gathered vampires all across the country to help us defeat this thing. You’d be surprised how many are gifted.”

“How many of them are like me?” I asked.

“You mean, telepathic? Well, you see, there are many like you, but not all of them are telepathic, some have mind controlling abilities and the likes. That’s why you’re here, to further develop your ability and help us. The range of abilities is enormous though.” His explanation was more than I cared for; I wasn’t too interested in others’ abilities because I knew I wouldn’t be learning anything more than advancing my own.

“How many vampires has this, or these, things killed?” I asked, pretending I actually cared.

“It has killed quite a few. The count is up to 42. I don’t know how it’s getting to them so quickly the count is growing very quickly.” Genuine sadness poured into his pale blue eyes as he spoke of it. He truly cared about his race, unlike Reziv who was sleeping, or pretending to be.

I faked sadness and outrage, not knowing what else to do. I didn’t want him to find out I didn’t really care, because that certainly wouldn’t be a good thing. It’s never good to let higher level vampires know you don’t really care about their race, because it will get you killed in a way more horrible than any human could imagine.

“It’s terrible how something could do this.” He agreed and just like that, the conversation was over.

Time seemed to be taking a standstill, dragging by very slowly and it was honestly aggravating. I had nothing to consume my time except to watch the scenery drag by. It made everything seem so far away, like nothing mattered. I was alone with my thoughts and right now, that didn’t seem too calming. I couldn’t keep my mind focused on anything long enough to even slightly entertain myself from this unnerving boredom.

The light shaking of a hand against my shoulder let me know I had done the thing I’d hoped I wouldn’t – fall asleep in front of Reziv. The nightmares didn’t come, so I wasn’t too worried about him seeing me asleep. I couldn’t let him know that I was still haunted by the memories.

“We’ve arrived Aiden,” Sir Iren spoke softly.

I looked him in the eyes and nodded. I was ready to get out of the limousine. My body was stiff from the ride, but I managed to get out without much difficulty. I glanced all around me and noticed the sun was near time to set, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d have until the sun set. The grass smelled fresher and looked a dark green color, much healthier than my current city. The Immortal Café was big – not big, but huge. It wasn’t a café, but something more along the lines of a hotel specifically for vampires. Reziv was already heading for the giant front doors. I hadn’t seen anything like this since I was visiting Kyla in England.

Sir Iren handed me the handle to my suitcase and I walked alongside him to the giant place waiting for us to enter. The inside wasn’t old looking as the outside was - remodeling at its finest. The gothic theme was still evident, but at a lighter tone than I’d have liked. The newer vampires wouldn’t have been as appreciative for a heavier set gothic theme as the older ones would.

I saw a few of the vampires that were asked to be a part of it just as I was. The oldest in the room, besides Reziv and Iren seemed to be somewhere around four centuries, she was blonde with raging sapphire orbs for eyes. She was talking with a new vampire, who hadn’t made it to a century yet, so you know she’s not prejudice – yes, there are prejudice vampires, who discriminate against age. Silly? Yes.

She looked up from the new vampire and gave a wide smile, revealing her long, sharp fangs. Her fangs resembled that of Jessika’s and I knew instantly that she was a member of the Sevoca clan. The members of Sevoca’s seem to have longer, sharper fangs than most other clans. I smiled back, but the tightness in my stomach returned. Jessika had been my best friend and here I stand near someone of her clan. I hadn’t been face-to-face with and of the Sevoca clan since her death and I didn’t think it would be this troubling to meet another one.

The other vampires in the room were around my age – some slightly older, some slightly younger. This was only the main lobby, so I knew there was going to be a wide range of ages once we made it past the lobby.

“Inessa,” Sir Iren called one of the female vampires against the wall, she was wearing a blue silk gown that reached to the floor. Her black hair was put up nicely in a gently bun. Her silver-green eyes sparkled with the smile she wore. I couldn’t place what clan she was from.

“Yes, Sir Iren?” Her voice was delicate, just as she looked.

“You have been here a while, will you please show Aiden around? I have things that need my attention.” Sir Iren asked.

Inessa agreed to show me around and Sir Iren left us to find our own way around. She seemed to be close to my age, but unlike me, she seemed very excited to be here. Maybe she wasn’t as delicate as she puts off.

“So, what can you do?” She asked, trying to start a conversation.

I’m a telepath. I thought to her, looking down at my down towards me feet, “what about you?”

The question excited her. I guess she really was happy to be here. “I’m a telepath too, well, sort of. I’m not very strong yet, but I can’t wait to learn.”

“I must admit, I’m not too strong either,” I felt weak saying that, but it seemed like the truth. I couldn’t do much else besides speak to people through my thoughts.

“You’re stronger than me,” she said, happily. “I can't send thoughts on command”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I didn’t want to say anything that could be considered rude or disrespectful to her, so I remained silent. To my silence, she added, “don’t worry; I’m not bothered by it. I’m excited to get stronger.”

She began talking about all the people she’s met here and what she likes about it, as we continued the mini-tour or the place. She told me about how they’re running things. Weaker vampires were used as blood donors for the trainers, who were training and humans were used for the trainers when they weren’t training. Different sections of the Café were for different things. Hall 1 was for housing and rooms. Hall 2 is for rest-time after training. Halls 3, 4, and 5 were for training. Hall 3 was the hall I would be in when I start my training. I wasn’t sure when the training would begin, but I was hoping not too soon.

She led me down Hall 1, so I could find a place to sleep. “I think you should bunk with my new friend, he’s nice, like you are.” I didn’t feel like arguing, so I kept silent while she led me into the room where her new friend was.

I didn’t need someone to help me pick out my room, but I let her do it anyway, because it seemed to mean a lot to her that I listen to her. The vampire sitting on the bed in the far corner was my new roommate and a vampire nearly two centuries older than I. He put down the book he was reading and smiled at us. His fangs were smaller than mine, but not that small. I’d seen smaller ones. I couldn’t place his clan either. Were there more clans than I knew about? Most likely. I didn’t like the thought of that honestly.

“Rylan, Aiden. Aiden, Rylan. He likes to be called Rye though. Funny, huh?” She giggled. I think she had a crush on her new friend.

Rylan got up from his seat and walked towards us. His eyes were green with a faint gold, yellow color beside the iris. “Hello, Aiden. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

His voice was like thick velvet; his accent was beautiful and romantic. Even more than that, he spoke and dressed with a dark taste. I loved it. I melted in it. It flooded over my body like a warm lake and I could have drowned in it. He smiled the same smile and I wanted to lick his lips more than I’d wanted to do anything. I darted my eyes away from him and the attractions I’d just felt disappeared instantly. What is wrong with me?

“Well, since you’ve got Rye, I’m off to my room.” She smiled and left without another word. I wish she had stayed. I didn’t want to be in here with him anymore. He affected me the same way Tristan could and I felt horrible. How could a vampire affect me this way?

“Do you need help packing anything?” His voice didn’t have the same affect on me this time and I was grateful for that.

“Um… No, thanks,” I almost stuttered across my words. Was I scared? If I was, what was I afraid of? Betraying Tristan? This was all so confusing. I had barely made it through the door of my new room and I was already thinking of him in a way I began thinking of Tristan. I was hoping it wouldn’t be like this with every man I came in contact with. I was hoping with everything I had.

“Alright,” Rylan said and walked back over to his bed. “Well, if you need help, just ask.”

He returned his attention back to the book. Good. I didn’t need any more distractions and apparently, he seemed to be a big distraction. What’s wrong with me?