Bliss and Bloodlust

I fantasized about the kiss all day.

I didn't talk much and only nodded in response to whatever anyone said, my mind elsewhere. Cassie was working the same shift and on our lunch break we sat and ate as if the events of the past few days were irrelevant. She didn't ask me about the whole Jayson/Stephanie thing which was good. I didn't want to talk about it today.

When we got off it was after three. We were in by our lockers gathering our stuff when she got a text. “You seem happy.” She said as she changed her shoes.

“Do I?” I said trying to seem oblivious.

“Well, yeah.” She shut her locker. “Did you know Jayson got beat up?”

“What? No.” I said innocently.

“Yeah. Aaron just text me. He said he saw him and he look pretty bad. He's all bruised up.”

“Did he ask him what happened?”

“Yeah, but he wouldn't give a clear answer. He said it was the other night and he thinks he was drunk when it happened because he doesn't remember much.”

“Wow.” I said as I shut my locker door and hiked my purse onto my shoulder.

“Tourie?” Cassie asked following me down the hall.

I turned to her. “Hmm?”

“Did you have anything to do with it?”

“Why would you think I had a hand in it?”

“Well he did, you know,” she lowered her voice, “try to kill you and he has that whole thing with Steph. Then he get's beaten up badly. It just seems like a strange coincidence.”

“I don't know anything about it.” I turned away from her then.

“Tourie, I'm sorry, I just had to ask. If it were me you'd do the same.” Yes I would. She and I walked in silence.

“Do you think it was Aaron?”

“No, it was a few days ago, right?” I said, “Aaron only found out about the situation yesterday so it doesn't add up. And why would Aaron tell you about it if it were him.”

“You're right.” She paused then said “Are you going to ever see Jayson?”

“Eventually I'll have no choice.” We were bound to run into one another.

“No. I meant go confront him like you did Stephanie.”

We were in the lobby now. It was still raining outside.

“Cassie I don't know if I can.”

“You need to get it over with, the sooner, the better. For your own peace of mind at least.”

“I know, Cassie, just not today. I can't.”

We both left out to go to our cars Cassie hesitated then said, “You saw how Steph reacted yesterday. I can only imagine what Jay will do. Aaron said that Jayson is a bit spooked. Of course he didn't tell him why but he said he was looking around as if he'd seen a ghost.”

Not yet he hasn't.

As I drove home I thought about what Cassie said and made a detour. I parked across from Jayson's apartment and waited. Cassie said Aaron told her that Jayson had left out earlier, so I suspected he wasn't there at the moment.

It felt weird sitting outside his place in broad daylight. I started getting paranoid thinking he would magically show up and strike me dead somehow. After an hour or so of waiting and just as I was about to pull off he came.

He slowly got out of his car and I saw some of his injuries. He had a white bandage on his forehead, he was limping and his face was bruised up black and blue. Plus his eyes looked sunken, as if he hadn't slept in days. He looked terrible.

He was nearly to the sidewalk when he turned around and spotted the truck and then his eyes found mine. He looked as if his worst nightmare was coming true.

I did nothing but stare as he dropped the bag he had been carrying and the contents fell out. I wanted to smile to show him that the joke was on him but my heart wasn't in it. He seemed to gather some strength and pulled himself together and painfully picked up his things off the ground.

There was nothing left to do and I since I was not confident enough to get out and confront him like I had planned to do in my mind, which had begun to replay the scene of him pulling the trigger, I drove away.

When I got home I found a single white rose laying on the front porch by the door. I picked it up and underneath it was a piece of paper and what looked like a small, semi-flat, broken bloody piece of metal.

A bullet I finally figured out.

My bullet.

The note, written in beautiful handwriting, read: Just a Reminder.

I turned it over but nothing else was written. I knew it was from my vampire savior. I looked around but no one was around. At least no one I could see. I picked up the smashed bullet, closed my hand around it and headed inside, feeling afraid.

A reminder, the note had said. A reminder of just how close I came to becoming just a memory?

Or how close it still can become a reality?



I sat in my pickup and saw Jayson limp to the sidewalk and just as our eyes met he draws a gun. He fired once, twice, three times in the chest but I wouldn't die.

He emptied nearly the whole chamber on me before he walked over, opened the door, dragging my body to the middle of the street.

He snarled, “I'm gonna make sure you really die this time.”

Then he shot me in my head.

I woke up hysterical. Gripping my sheets as I cried. My body curled in the fetal position, afraid to close my eyes. I was really tired of this. Unable to sleep, I laid in bed until I saw the first rays on sunlight in the sky.

It was Thursday now and Daniel hadn't come back. No one killed me yesterday or today so all in all it was a good day. I got home at four and was preparing dinner when my aunt came through the front door.

“Tourie,” she called out to me.

“Hey, you're home.” I said genuinely happy as I walked into the hall.

My aunt Brenda had her hands full. “Could you give me a hand.” She said holding the door open with her luggage, more than what she had left with.

Aunt Bren was only thirteen years older than me and is the youngest of my dad's three siblings, my dad being the eldest. She was a only few inches taller than me, with her Asian and Irish features, slim figure, and long blonde hair, she was gorgeous.

I grabbed two of the bags and sat them at the foot of the stairs.

“Someone's been shopping.” I said with a smile.

"There was a sale. You know I couldn't resist.” She hugged me then. “I missed you Ve-Ve.”

Ve-Ve was her nickname for me, since my actual name was Victouria and only my parents called me that.

“I missed you too, Bren.” My aunt didn't like to feel old so she she wanted me to call her by her nickname.

Bren dropped the bags she was holding and went to the kitchen. “Mm, something smells good.”

“I'm making diner. Pork Chops.”

I can cook pretty damn well. I had to learn how when my parents moved away. Aunt Bren was still at university then and wouldn't always make it home in time to cook so I had no choice unless I wanted to live off of Ramon... or starve.

“It'll be done soon. I know you're starving.”

“Lord, yes. Airplane food is disgusting.” She made a face. “I'm going to go take a quick shower and when I return I want you to catch me up everything. I know there's something for you to tell me.”

She left and went upstairs. When she returned I had the plates and drinks set out on the table. We sat down and ate. She told me about her trip. I let her speak without interrupting. She spoke for a while before asking about my week.

“Jayson and I broke up.”

“Shut up.” She said dropping her fork. Yeah she's dramatic like that.”What happened?”

So I told her about Jayson's jealousy over Aaron, his possessive nature and his cheating. “So I ended it.”

“I'm sorry Ve-Ve But you know what? He didn't deserve you. I told you I didn't like him that he was wrong for you. Have you had a girl night in yet?”

“A what?” I made a confused face.

“A girls night in.” she looked at me like I was dumb. “After a break up you call all your girlfriends over, you watch shitty romantic comedies, eat ice cream, cry a bit and rant about your ex. You sooo need to do it. Call up Cassie and Stephanie and-.”

I stopped her. “Yeah... about Steph. She was the one Jayson was cheating with.”

“No. Fucking. Way. Geez. That's fucked up. Ve-Ve, I'm sorry.”

“Don't be. I'm feeling fine. All it took was some clarity to make it all alright. I'm not going to wallow in my misery. They can have each other for all I care.” I finished and took my plate to the sink.

“Hey what are you doing this weekend?” she asked as I began washing the dishes.

“Nothing much. I got to work Saturday, first shift. Why?”

“We should do lunch and a movie or some retail therapy. We haven't done that in a while just me and you.” I knew she was trying to make me feel better.

“What about Phil? I thought you two were made plans.”

“We did we're going to dinner Saturday night and spending the day together Sunday. So Saturday afternoon is free.”

I though it over. “Yeah, that sound good.” I missed going to the mall or getting pampered. We didn't have much time to do those things any more.

“Great. Just a warning Phil's coming over later.” She said with a smile. Phil was her lovely boyfriend of four years.

I knew what the smile was for.

“I might go over to Cassie's then.”

“You don't need to go. I just miss him that's all.”

“Yeah. And I don't need to hear how much.”

She threw her napkin at me. “Shut up!”