Vampire Eyes

"Coat, gloves, shoes, Sunflower, locket.....I think that's it." You say, looking over the things you mean to take with you to see Courtney. It gets awfully cold in the winter where you live, or lived, so the coat and the gloves are for you. You had asked Kalira to pick you up a few things, and she gladly agreed. She was afterall, the only one you know who was aloud to leave the castle un-supervised. She had bought you a warm, dark purple coat and light purple gloves, with little gripping stubs on the down side of the gloves. They fit you just right. You did not think it possible for two articles of clothing to fit you as well as the coat and gloves did. You had also asked Kalira to pick you up two presents for Courtney. You had assured her that you would pay her back, though at present you have no idea how. You had, had your eye on those two presents since August. A single, glass sunflower, Courtney's favorite flower, as well as a small, silver locket. The necklace itself was a true work of craftsmanship. A design of ivy was ladden around the edges of the heart, while a plump little raindrop sat within the middle. It was completely unique. Just like Courtney. You hear a small knock on your door just as you are slipping into your coat.
"Come in." You say, cheerfully.
"Master asked me to take you to Courtney's house. I am to stick around town until midnight." Kalira says as she walks into your bedroom.
"Okay, I'm ready. Do you know what time it is, by the way?" You ask curious. The sun is barely up so you know it is awfully early. You had asked Kalira to wake you extra early this morning so you could get an early start. You wanted to spend as much time with Courtney as you possibly can. Away from Devarion, away from this life.

Breathe, just remember to breathe. You tell yourself over and over again as you lift your fist to knock on Courtney's front door. A cold wind blows past your face, causing you to shiver slightly as you finger the small suitcase that you had brought, containing within it Courtney's gifts. Please, be home. You think. The thought had crossed your mind many times before. What if Courtney was not there? Her parents were out of town for Christmas on business, so you doubt that Courtney is gone. But still......
"Coming!" You hear the familiar voice of your best friend say from behind the door. Your heart begins to beat so heavy within your chest that you feel as if it might fall right out. The door knob slowly turns, as time itself seems to stand still. The door creaks opens and you are face to face with your best friend. You read Courtney's face carefully. Her eyes are as wide as saucers and her breathing is very shallow. "Oh.....my....god." Courtney says slowly and carefully.
"Courtney, it's me." You say, after several minutes of simply starring at each other. Courtney opens the door a little wider, allowing you room to come in. You slowly walk into the house. Courtney is still watching you like a hawk. You swallow hard, not knowing what to say. Was she expecting an explanation, or was she just still in shock? You fiddle with your fingers as you try to figure out what to do.
"It's really YOU!!!!" Courtney suddenly screams as she throws her arms around you and hugs you so tightly you can not even breathe. You wrap your arms around Courtney, and hug her just as tightly. "I thought I'd never see you again!" Courtney cries as she pulls away from you. You feel a few tears falling down your face, but you do not care. They were tears of joy, not sadness. "Your grandma must be ecstatic!" Courtney tells you, smiling broadly. Your eyes shift downward. Here goes everything.
"Actually, Courtney. Grandma does not know that I'm here. Only you do." Courtney's face is overwhelmed by shock once again.
"What do you mean?" Courtney asks, cautiously.
"I thought it best that Grandma did not know that I was coming here.......because I can not stay." You continue to focus your eyes on the floor, only occasionally glancing up to make sure that Courtney has not stormed out of the room yet.
"Why can't you stay?" Courtney questions, her voice still careful.
"Maybe we should sit down." You say, lifting your eyes to look for a couch. You find one in the family room, a forest green couch that has more juice, wine, and food stains then you can count. After both you and Courtney have seated yourselves, you look into Courtney's eyes, ready to tell her everything. Though when you see her demanding, yet worried gaze you wonder if it is better to lie. No! You tell yourself. Courtney deserves the truth. For nearly an hour you recount the events that have led up to where you are now. Everything from the night at the movie theatre, to finding Kalira, to the seal, to Delia, to Namir and Rashi. The only part you leave out is the day that Devarion beat you senseless. Knowing it would put Courtney over the edge if you did. You just mention that he is very unpleasent, rude, and the first creature you ever truly hated.
"Devarion only gave me one chance to leave the castle. I knew if I saw Grandma she would never let me leave again. And if that happened, there might be casualities. I have to go back at midnight tonight. Please, don't try to fight against it. I don't want anyone getting hurt." You say as your finishing statement. Courtney folds her hands in her lap as she thinks your story over. You know that rubbish about vampires and cat-girls is all a little bit much for the human brain to comprehend. But you sincerely hope that Courtney's mind, is above that of the average person. Courtney sits in silence for nearly ten minutes before she finally looks up at you.
"You know, if it weren't for that night at the movie theatre, when you and I could not seem to explain to the authorities what our attacker looked like, even though we remembered him perfectly, I probably would not have believed what you are saying now." Your eyes look at Courtney, your face hopeful.
"Then you don't think I'm crazy?" You ask.
"Not anymore then you usually are." Courtney says, laughing a little. "But I don't like the thought of you being somebody's slave." Courtney says seriously.
"Well, there is a chance that I won't be his slave forever. And though he isn't always nice, he's never tried to rape me or anything. So, I guess it isn't as bad as it could be." You almost scare yourself at the words that you say. Am I actually trying to look at the bright side of this situation? That's creepy. You think.
"Look, I'll let you leave tonight at midnight. But, you have to promise me that you will find a way to keep in touch with me. Otherwise, I'm smuggling you out of the country, and we will live underground in China." Courtney tells you. You raise in an eyebrow at the thought of you and Courtney living underground.
"I'll do what I can. But it may be a while before I can find a way." You reply. Courtney shakes her head in understanding.
"Well, now that, that's settled. You have one day to do whatever you would like. What shall it be?" Courtney asks you.
"Hmmm. We should probably stay away from public places. Incase somebody recognizes me. I'm assuming Grandma filled a missing person's report?" You ask. Courtney nods her head.
"Yeah, as soon as she could. Now, if we can't go outside we'll just have to find things to do here."

The first thing to come out is the bored games. You play life, boggle, scattergories, and nearly a million card games, laughing and joking the whole way. The next is the Nintendo 64, sadly the most updated game system that Courntey has. You and Courtney team up to take on the world playing 'Rainbow Six'. You had become a master at the game before you left, but you notice that Courtney has gotten much better in your absence. After the two of you have successfully rescued enough hostages and killed enough terrorists, you both decide to do the four most girly things one can possibly do. Hair, make-up, nails, and cooking! After transforming yourselves into goddess's and baking two batches of christmas tree cookies, you and Courtney crash on the couch. With a bowl full of cookies in hand you both settle down to watch yours and Courtney's favorite holiday movie, 'While you were sleeping'. You laugh, cry, and 'ah' at the very end when the two main characters of the movie finally get together.
"I tell ya, that is STILL the best movie ever." You tell Courtney proudly, as you take a bite out of a cookie.
"I couldn't agree more!" Courtney says, taking a cookie you were just about to reach for.
"Hey!" You say, grabbing a pillow and wacking her on the head. Courtney sits there stunned for a minute, in disbelief.
"Oh, you did NOT just do that." Courtney tells you, grabbing a pillow of her own and smacking you over the head. The pillow fight grows and continues, causing the two of you to run through just about every room in the house. Courtney lands many more hits then you do, but that is to be expected, knowing Courtney. After an hour of running and jumping, you and your best friend finally crash on the floor. You lie there on your backs, opposite each other, your heads touching. As you feel the pillow in your hand, a sudden pain surges through your heart.

"What's wrong, hun?" Courtney asks, noticing how your face flinched.
"I.....I was just, remembring."

"Remembering what?" Courtney asks, half knowing the answer.
"Mom, dad, and I used to have pillow fights all the time. It just kind of hurts to remember." You say, quietly.
"I know it does, Elizabeth. But forgetting isn't so good either." Courtney replies.
"Yeah, I know that. But, I've been thinking about them more and more lately. When Delia's henchmen almost killed me, do you know, my mom's face was the last thing I remember seeing in my mind? I saw her like she was when she and I used to have tea parties out in the garden. Then a couple nights after, I had a dream about when I was little, when I used to sketch pictures all the time under my favorite tree. I don't know why I keep thinking about it so much. But I do...and it hurts." You tell Courtney, your eyes getting moist.
"Maybe it's the time of year. Christmas has always been a little hard for you....since the accident." Courtney says, trying to bring a little reason to your pain. She was right, you knew. This time of year always was hard.
December 22 was the day that it had happened. Your parents had been driving home from Christmas shopping. Your parents always were late shoppers. Mrs. Gravious had been baby sitting you that day, the poor old lady could barely see what was in front of her, but still, she had always been your favorite baby sitter. She could tell the best stories. You had been looking out the window, watching for your parents car to drive up. Your desires were met all the sudden when you saw them coming down the street. Your heart jumped as a smile spread across your face.
"Mommy! Daddy!" You remember shouting as you ran out the front door to greet them when they drove up. Raining or not, you couldn't wait to see them. But that chance never came. A wild man, later found to be drunk, was speeding down the road. All in a blur six cars sped, stopped and swerved only to all collide despite their efforts to save themselves. You remember the sound of the policemen and fire trucks. You also remember two days later, Christmas Eve, when you overheard that your parents had been the only ones to be killed in the wreck. Not even the drunk driver died. Infact, he escaped with barely a scratch. The man was in jail now, and was facing life in prison, but still, nothing anyone did or said would ever make the pain of what happened fully go away.

"Enough about sad things." Courtney says, interrupting your thoughts. "I have a present for you." Courtney tells you, getting up and quickly scurrying to her bedroom. You remember your suitcase and quickly leave to find it. You locate it in the family room, right were you had left it.
"Here!" Courtney says, thrusting a medium sized gift at you. You take it in your hands and hold it carefully as you hand Courtney the suitcase.
"Sorry they aren't wrapped. There were no materials." You say, dryly, hating the excuse that you had given.
"It's fine." Courtney says as you both sit down on the floor to open your presents.
"You first." You tell Courtney, anxious to see her face when she opens the case. A gasp escapes her lips when she does, and you smile broadly, knowing you had given a perfect gift.
"Elizabeth! Their beautiful!" Courtney exclaims first taking out the glass sunflower, then the necklace. "I can not believe you got these things!" Courtney says, continuing to marvle over her gifts. She quickly clasps the locket around her neck before lifting up the glass sunflower to properly admire it.
"Oh! Open yours!" Courtney tells you, snapping out of her dream like state.
"Okay." You say happily as your carefully tear the wrapping paper away from the object that it is hiding. Your eyes widen as you run your hands over smooth leather binding. A journal. You open it up carefully to view the golden pages.
"Look, it's got your name on it." Courtney says pointing to the front cover. 'Elizabeth Callahan' is engraved on it.
"I can't believe you did this! Custome made!" You exclaim.
"I though you could use it. You always say that your going to pick up journaling." Courtney tells you.
"Oh, thank you so much!!" You squeal, closing the distance between you and Courtney with a hug.
"Your very welcome." Courtney says. Your eyes shift briefly to the clock.
"It's ten o' clock." You comment. "We have three more hours together."
"Well, come on. Christmas isn't Christmas without hot chocolate. Let's make some." Courtney says, her face becoming very bright. You quickly agree and follow Courtney into the kitchen just after you turn on the C.D. player and fill the house with Christmas music.

"One minute to midnight." You whisper to Courtney. You are both sitting on the couch, quietly talking and at times crying. Neither one of you wants to let go of this moment. Not for anything. The clock suddenly strikes twelve, just before you hear a small meow at the front door. "It's time for me to go." You say, your voice beginning to choke.
"No, can't you stay just a little bit longer?" Courtney asks, a single tear falling down her cheek. When you see this, your own tears start to flow.
"If I could....I would." You say, wrapping your arms around your best friend one last time. You get up and walk slowly to the front door, your legs feeling like they weigh a thousand pounds. "Good-bye." You whisper just before you step out of Courtney's house, for what may very well be.....forever.