Nocturnal

Halloween night rolled around and I found myself at home, just like I'd told Dawn. Only it wasn't being as peaceful as I had anticipated.

"I don't understand," my mother said, filling the candy bowl again. "I thought things were going well with that boy. What was his name...? Phillip?" I bit a raging sigh, nodding. "What happened?"

"He just didn't like me that way." It was part of the truth. "We're only friends." We weren't on talking terms, so friends didn't apply.

We weren't anything. Mom didn't need to know, though.

She placed the bowl down by the door, coming into the living room, where I was sitting.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry." Hearing those words, in that intone from my mom was heart wrenching. I didn't need pity. "You really seemed to like him—"

I just needed to be left alone. Getting up, I spared her a single look as she called my name. Then I pulled my jacket on—and was out the door before she could stop me. The last thing I needed was to listen to mom cuddle me like a little girl. I wasn't five anymore.

The streets were filled with kids in costume, some accompanied by parents, others by an older sibling or cousin. Nigel always took Henry, it was tradition. This year there had been a little argument about him being too old. Of course he got his way with a temper tantrum.

I breathed and a puff of air showed in front of my nose. It was cold. Walking down the lane of houses, I shoved my hands into the jean's pockets. I walked down Mason Avenue, towards the heart of town. I pretended to be scared when a boy-mummy got the 'jump' on me. I smiled when the kids laughed; children were easy to please.

Ten minutes later, I arrived at town's square. Haven Park wasn't far, I heard they decorated it every year, for every holiday in a different way. I'd only been there with Phillip. We'd sat under a big tree, studying. Or I tried to, while he made me laugh by making jokes about Bio and frogs. My heart squeezed sharply; those memories weren't so sweet anymore.

The main entrance was marked by a Gothic archway; at the very top, the park name was written in bold, metal letters. Skeletons hung from some trees; a rope around their neck. Other trees were covered in sticky substances that imitated spider-webs. Every now and then, I'd see a punkin patch, illuminated with little orange lights. There were other things, severed heads laying along the trail, hands...

I sucked in a breath, hugging my arms. I walked down the stone pathway, until I sat on a bench. Looking up, I sighed. The trees were tall keeping the stargazing to a minimum. I rubbed my nose, but the itch didn't go away—sneezing, I grimaced.

"Trick or treat?" My heart leaped to my throat—I nearly slipped down the bench. "Scaredy cat." A warm laugh bubbled and Cameron took residence beside me.

I was still holding a hand over my heart, the rate hadn't normalized yet.

"You..." I dragged short of breath. He smirked under the artificial light. "What are you doing here? Do I need a restraining order?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Rapunzel, I had no idea you'd be here. Cool your jets." He crossed a leg looking like he was posing for a cover magazine. Head tilted, dimple showing in a lip corner. "You're the one who shouldn't be out here. Alone."

Shivers racked my shoulders. Did he know something was lurking? I took him in, again. Totally relaxed. That made me melt a bit.

"I was seeing the Halloween decorations." I pointed at the crow perched on top of the bench. "Shouldn't you be at the school party?"

His nose wrinkled, "I wouldn't be caught dead going. Halloween's for kids." A wolfish smirk crept. "It surprises me that you aren't there."

I shoved his shoulder, it barely jostled him.

"I'm not a child." My cheeks fumed.

"If you weren't a child you would've brought something warmer."

"It... was a last minuted storm out." I glanced away.

The weight of his eyes was unlike any other, calling my attention even as I strove to remain apathetic.

"Hey," a hand pressed my shoulder, gently. "You're upset?"

"My mom asked about Phillip and I couldn't stay there." I shook my head, a little. "My own mom was giving me a pity look... it made me so..."

My lips twisted as emotions boiled within, I couldn't decided which one should take the cake. I felt overwhelmed. My chest shook with uneven breaths. The loneliness inside crippled my will.

I didn't know what set it off. There was just... so much.

And so, I fell into him. Cameron was frozen when I latched for his jacket, grasping weakly. My frame shook and at the first quiver, he held me. Arms slipping around my waist, fitting perfectly.

Cam tucked my head under his chin, saying nothing. He heard my little broken mumbles, they shed more pain than any tears I could cry; the despair I'd been losing myself in suddenly felt better, not such a heavy suffocation.

A hand moved over his firm chest, the only thing keeping our skins apart was the cotton of his shirt. There was something about him, something about how he made me feel...

"It's... it's just so much..." the leather was cool under my cheek. "I'm lying to Dawn... to my mom and—and Phillip and..." I repressed tears. "I hate it... everything. And those looks... the pity it makes me so..."

"Angry, devastated, hurt?" he whispered, breath grazing my lobe. I nodded. "I got a lot of those as a kid. After my parents were killed." Killed, not "died in a fire"; desolation coated his every word, as well as understanding. "I remember going back to school, how everyone gave us a free pass for anything—picking fights, arguments—they should've treated me like they did other kids. I wanted that." His hand rubbed my back. "I wanted normal." I closed my eyes, listening to the velvety tone whisper, confessing itself to my ears. "I hated that they asked about my 'uncle'," I heard the quotation marks in a whirlwind of sarcasm. "What was his job, why wasn't he around more—I couldn't tell the truth. So, I lied. And eventually, I shut them out."

He sucked in a deep breath—I'd never heard Cameron speak so... unguarded. Not that I didn't like it. It just felt... right. Me listening to his problems, his insurances—me getting the same things off my chest.

I looked up at him, into his eyes. He exhaled slowly before going on, "They weren't like me, they could never understand what it felt like... I'm part of two races, but I can't fit in with either of them, never completely." My eyes softened, my fingers nimbly traced his leather-clad shoulder. Part of two worlds, but never fitting in. That sounded... frustratingly lonely.

"You have Phillip, though." For the first time since our break up, his name didn't leave bitterness.

"Phillip still thinks he can be human. Or at least, that he can have everything normal people have while being caught between a centuries old war." He muttered wryly. "He's an idiot." His chest heaved a long breath. "He's the reason why I'm on the football team in the first place. Phillip thinks mingling in normal activities makes us like them. He deludes himself into thinking we can have real relationships with others while keeping secrets..."

Cameron would rather keep his distance. Phillip wanted to be as close as possible. They were opposites.

"You never told Dawn you played guitar." Cameron's arms pulled me in—trapping me—when I shivered. "Is that why you never told her? Because you don't feel... like other people?"

A dry chuckle later, he said, "I'm not like everyone else, Nina. You've seen what I can do. It's inhumanly possible." His voice lowered, "You would be scared if you saw..." my chin tipped, my focus all on him.

"Saw what?"

"What I can really do."

I glanced around. We were alone. Then I thought back to that night at the cafeteria; the way lightning shot over his palm, the gorgeous color of it.

"I have nightmares about people dying," I stated, trying to sound dismissive. "I'm pretty confident I can handle whatever it is you do." He snorted—I gave a light push at his chest. "I'll prove it to you. Show me."

I swear I felt his heart stop. Eyes going wider, Cameron's slight smirk dropped.

"I can't."

"Why not?" no reply. "Cameron Leale losing a chance to show off? Gasp." That ripped a chuckle from Mr. Stonewall. His pupils were shining like silver moonlight, a silent glint. "Come on, it can't be that bad, Cam. I've seen you, what you can do with electricity?" he said nothing. "And the lights? I figured you can control electricity and Phillip fire." I shrugged.

It didn't sound all that scary.

"Archangels are the strongest beings in all Creation," his hand ran down my back, sorting out some tangled hair. I leaned into his shoulder—part of me wanted to push away, this was wrong. But... why did it have to feel so good? "Me and Phillip are twins, so when our mother became pregnant, our father became connected to the two of us. His Power was divided between both of us. We're not as powerful as an Archangel. They have many special abilities. We got one—plus all the other perks." He pursed his lips. "The ability to control an element takes a great amount of Power, concentration, control and practice. It can go very wrong otherwise."

"Not to make your ego inflate or anything, but I think you ace those requirements."

He didn't smile. Or smirk. Or grin. Cam's face was shrouded in something... something close to remorse. My gaze flattered; had he... done something bad? Something he couldn't take back?

I didn't know. And with Cameron pushing would get me nowhere. His walls would smack my face.

"Show me," I repeated softly. "Show me just a little—like what you did the other day." I pulled off him somewhat, making his powerful arms unwrap.

He held out an open hand. Quickly, shimmers of sparks showed, shooting across his fingers. Cameron's brows were creased as more static built on his palm, until a steady flow of crackling energy he didn't glance towards me.

The blueish sparks hummed contently, like being with Cameron made them happy.

"That is just..."

A hesitant smirk took his perfect lips, "Wow?" I rolled my eyes.

"How do you do it?" my voice transpired wonder. My fingers twitched wanting to touch it—it was so shiny, beautiful... dangerous.

Cameron shrugged off, "I don't really think about it now. It's been a long time since... since I can call on electricity, lightning, thunder—anything related." Our eyes met through the mini-electrical field on his hand. "Abilities aren't hereditary. Like, just because my father had control over water—in its every state—doesn't mean I do, or Phill."

"Elemental abilities are the strongest ones?"

"They are very powerful, destructive—hard to control. But there are others equally as effective." But they were amongst the most powerful. "Only Archangels manipulate elements, if that's what you're wondering."

I smiled a little.

"See? I wasn't scared." I stated proudly as he closed the hand, making the static vanish—crushed by his will.

"That wasn't what I was talking about." He whispered, briefly letting my touch his hand. "That was nothing compared..." his eyes closed, troubled. "Compared to what I can do."

His cool touch burned me to my depths, like nothing I'd ever felt before. It was mesmerizing. I hated seeing him sorrowful, like he carried a weight on his shoulders and he could never let go—otherwise, he'd lose control.

Over what, I didn't know. And frankly, when my eyes traced his full lips I couldn't think about much more.

Creak.

Cameron's head whipped. I got the wind knocked out of me.

My heart pounded as hard as the eyes above mine pulsed. I couldn't bring myself to move. A corner of my brain knew this was danger. I'd seen someone's eyes do that.

Vanessa's—when we'd been attacked.

"Don't move." The woman whispered in a tingly tone. "Do you understand?" I blinked; what was she doing? "Do you understand?" her voice was more insistent.

I didn't speak—I didn't need to.

A shadow rammed, knocking her over.

Cameron.

I watched the scuffle sitting up. How had I gotten to the grass? I'd just felt a really strong push...

The park bench was thrown to the side. She'd ripped it from the cement. That... thing knocked us and a park bench over, like it was nothing.

"You," the girl hissed kicking Cameron off. "You're not human." The blond haired woman meant me.

Cameron stood his ground, arms parted, hands twitchy. He was on high alert.

"You're either a very brave Vampire or a very stupid one. Showing your face here after what you did?" Cam bit nastily. "I'm gonna go with stupid." He cocked his head, eyes flashing dangerously.

The Vampire cackled dusting the worn jacket. Did they know each other?

"I'm a vengeful woman. Did you think I would let this go? What I did was nothing." She spat. "You killed my boyfriend."

"It might come as a shock to you, but he'd been dead for a while." The blond snarled—an actual snarl. "I only made it permanent."

Veins materialized around the eyes, two razor canines came forward.

"I came here to finish what I started," Jane Doe's eyes lingered on me. "But looks like you've already traded the other one in for a new model. It doesn't bother me, though, this way I won't have to kill a Vampire I sired."

The dots connected. Cameron said she did something stupid, she came back to finish what she started, a new model, a Vampire she sired...

The Vampire in front of us was Vanessa's maker. It had to be.

"Your problem's with me, leave her out of this." He stepped forward, chest rising with a massive breath. "Leave her out of this and I swear I'll kill you a lot faster."

"Did you actually think I'd come back—alone—to face a Nephilim?" my eyes darted around. I only saw shadows among trees. "I'm alone, just on a different diet." Cam's jaw hardened under the mid-lit park. Her lips sneered. "Feeding on humans keeps us alive, but feeding on others with Power? It makes us sharper, faster, stronger. Even if it only lasts a few days."

While she shrugged, Cameron zoomed, lounging for her. I thought they'd go down all over. Instead, Jane Doe twisted his arm behind his back, and I heard a very loud pop—next, she gripped his neck throwing him across the field—back smacking into a tree.

Turning my way, she smiled—a between-us-girls kind of smile—I felt my brain stop. What should I do? If I ran, she'd catch me. There was nothing around here I could use to defend myself.

The veins on her cheeks grew redder, more prominent. With each step she took, teasing me, I glared beyond her. Cameron was shaking himself out and... I think he was popping the shoulder back into place. Ouch.

"I won't kill you," I darted attention to her, taking a step back. "I think..." her tongue licked across her lips. "I'll eat you."

Cameron charged, grasping her shoulders from behind. She let out a growl as he slammed her into the ground. He pushed a broken branch forward, towards her chest—the female vamp groaned, turning his wrist, inverting the sharp side to Cam.

"Nina, go." Jane Doe smacked a heel into his stomach, his lips curled into a snarl.

I heard what he said, my brain liked it—loved it. My heart was another story. I hadn't left Vanessa, I wasn't capable of running off on Cameron.

The air swished with voltage, my blood pumped harder as the saturation cut my breath. It all converged to one place, on one person. Cam's hand lit, a hiss tore from the Vampire.

I dropped to my knees to avoid getting hit by a flying Cameron. Head twisting around, I gasped. The broken branch was stuck in his shoulder. He rolled over, pain contorting his fine features.

"Nina!" His yell overpowered mine. Dread coating the single word—my name.

Jane Doe grabbed a handful of hair. She tugged me close and I saw brunt skin on her neck—it was mending, though. The silver light streaming between the foliage caused her fangs to look bigger—sharper—her ivory skin made it all the more terrifying.

Cameron turned the branch—sucking a gasp—he did it again, trying to dislodge it. She smirked.

"There are main arteries there. Hope you know anatomy, otherwise you'll die faster than you can heal." Her voice sounded a little whistled. "I hope you don't die," I recoiled when our faces were inches. "Not before I kill your little girlfriend." She taunted as he hurried, twisting the branch gently, so he wouldn't bleed out in the process. "You're going to watch me suck her dry."

My scream spread through the park, bouncing off trees, losing itself in the oblivion of shadows.

Thoughts came slowly: I wasn't in a world of pain. I hadn't been bitten.

I'd been thrown away, landing on my bad arm, it sung with dormant ache. But I was alright. On the outside, because on the inside all of me spasmed. Like my blood was aflame, leaving holes in my soul.

Jane Doe had her canines buried in Cam's neck. Her fingers dug into his scalp, angling his head. There was a second where I thought she was going to flick him away, come for me. Greedy desire overtook her eyes then, and Cameron's neck wound became deeper; Jane was enjoying it, the taste of his blood. Cameron writhed, lashing with an arm for her head, she simply smacked it, curling a free hand on his shoulder wound.

Extracting her bloodied teeth, she glared to me with a sense of sick fulfillment, "I always thought an eye for an eye was poetic justice but..." my fingers dug into the grass, I doubted throwing clumps of dirt would help. "Revenge is sweet all the same—"

A cry made my eyes shut. Her fangs were deep in, once more.

I couldn't bare looking at his handsome face distort by acute torture. I glared everywhere trying to find something to hurt her with—the stake. Cameron had pulled it out, it had to be somewhere behind me. My hands felt around, I could see next to nothing with the bad lighting.

There was a half-cry, half-growl—my heart hammered.

Our eyes locked across the little distance separating us. If she kept feeding off him, Cam would die. They could be bled to death—having every last drop of blood sucked out would do the trick.

I saw him fighting with blinding agony, saw him retaliate, shaking her off—my golden orbs pleaded.

Don't die, I wanted to say. I also wanted to know what to do—I felt utterly helpless, where was the damn branch?

The Halloween lanterns and park lights flickered, they reflected the agitation and anger skipping across Cameron's face. The same emotions were branded in my heart.

Piercing screams knocked me off balance. The Vampire fell, grabbing her head, rolling and twitching under excruciating pain. Cameron stumbled glaring daggers, blue-white light hit her, again. I yelped as light bulbs burst—he was shocking Jane Doe. It was hurting plenty, skin was beginning to burn—it wasn't enough. Cam reached for her head—bones broke and too my horror and relief, the screeching ceased. All movement stopped.

Her head had been ripped off.

There wasn't much time to admire the headless corpse, or head, they grayed before becoming pulverized ash.

Amazing—amazingly spooky.

A 'humph' called for me; I was up, running towards him. Cameron knelt, having trouble holding his head—or himself upright. The lights continued flickering in and out of existence.

"Cam," I clasped his cheeks; sweat caked them. "Cameron?" my thumbs brushed hair from his temples. "Please don't be dead..." I whispered when his eyelids didn't move.

I edged closer, leaning him on me. The neck wound was dripping heavily, little droplets, not gushing. Still, it was open. It was too dark to see how the shoulder was doing, Cam's choice in dark clothes didn't help.

"Please say something." My forehead touched his. "Something annoying, rude, you choose." I steadied his head. "Just... don't be dead." I closed my mouth to repress a sob.

He didn't move. If I wasn't there he'd fall over.

"I knew you had a thing for me." The croaked tone jolted my sorrow, making me tilt his face from mine. "I think I'll play dead more often... it makes you much nicer—ow." I punched his good arm.

I stopped a relieved laugh from bursting, "Were you pretending? God, you're a dick."

"You were worried." He sing-songed with a rugged voice that didn't fit him.

I stopped dead, face turning into a cooler one, "Yeah, I was worried about getting rid of your body. If Phillip found out you were dead he'd burn me to a crisp!"

It was a lie. I knew it, he knew it. The smile grabbing at his lips made my heart fall into its steady rhythm. A feeling of delight ran me through and through. He wasn't dead. That realization made me want to run in circles.

Losing some edge, I brushed a strand, "Are you healing?" Cameron lifted the good arm, feeling his neck injury—he bit a wince.

"Yeah..." he mumbled. "Let's get out of here. My car's close," he exhaled moving to stand, I helped him—allowing him to lean. "I'll... I'll take you home."

We wobbled down Haven Park. Cameron was heavy, all muscle, but heavy. Our height difference played a big part in it, too. People saw us walking down the street, hunting for Cam's black Camaro and thought the blood and wounds were fake. It was Halloween, after all.

He collapsed into the driver's seat. The oozed blood trailed under his collar; he made a face.

"There's a towel in the back, in my gym bag—"

"I'll get it." I closed the door. "Here," I threw it on his lap, settling myself into the passenger's seat. "I don't think you should drive." Cam's black eyes eyed me from under his eyelashes. He didn't like being told what to do. Too bad, I didn't feel like having a car crash. "If you're planning on driving in that state, I'll walk home."

He rolled his eyes, "I'll wait until it's healed." I hadn't expected him to give in, not just like that—but he was hurt.

Cameron sighed, head falling against the headrest. He dabbed away the lost blood allowing me to see the wound. It was superficially healed, something that would've taken a normal person days, his body accomplished in minutes. No more blood poured out, at least.

"That Vampire," I started. "Was that... was it the same who turned V?"

Turning his head, he said, "She... yeah, it was her." I frowned. "She didn't mean to turn her. She meant to kill her. Like she did her father." Of course, Vanessa and her dad hadn't been jumped by mountain lion—they were attacked by a Vampire.

"What happened?"

Cameron regarded me for a minute, eyes half open.

"I found her—them. Her father was dead, and she was feeding on Vanessa. She ran. And..." he stared at the blood-soaked towel. "And I let her go." He closed his eyes. "Then I called Phillip. He took it from there—" he snorted a laugh. "Should have known he'd do something stupid."

"Stupid?" I murmured.

"Vanessa's a Vampire, isn't she? She didn't make that decision on her own. She didn't even know what was happening to her until Phillip spilled all our little secrets." He touched the side of his neck, taking a calming breath. "If a Vampire only bites a human, there's nothing to fear. It'll heal. If a human dies within the next twenty-four hours of being bitten... that person will wake up. And then, there are only two choices." He faced me head strong. "They feed or die."

"I'm guessing they turn if they feed?" Cameron said nothing. Meaning I was right. "But...wasn't V alive when you got there? How did she die?"

Anger swept over him, "I told you the Vampire ran away." I nodded. "Breaking V's neck ensured that I stayed. I couldn't leave her there alone, she'd wake up craving for blood, something she didn't understand. So, I stayed." He pushed out a sigh. "Any more questions or is the interrogatory over?"

My eyes slit, "Well, sorry. But I think I have the right to know why I got attacked—I could've been chow-food for a living-dead-person!" He was so infuriating. "Why did you kill her boyfriend?" Cam glared to the front. I pushed in a yell; why did things had to be hard? "Did he kill people? Here, in Haven Hills?"

The towel got flung to the back. He turned the key. My fingers dug into my jeans. I really didn't like the detached-Cameron.

The drive was tension racking. No music, no small talk, no nothing. I kept checking the modern dashboard, taking in the blue numbers. Almost eleven. Nigel and Henry were probably home already. Absently, I rubbed my throbbing arm. The slash had a nasty crust, I knew because I'd changed the gauze again. It didn't burn now, it hurt when I bumped it, though.

"Did she hurt you?" I didn't respond. He didn't answer my questions, why should I? "Silent treatment?" I looked outside. "What are we ten?" he was trying to get a rise out of me, and I was darn close to exploding.

My driveway came into view before I lost it. My eyes went to him before I climbed out of the car. I hated myself for breaking down around Cameron, that he comforted me—I hated that I'd been worried about him.

I was lucky, the curtains were drawn. I wouldn't like to explain why there was a guy yanking my hand on our porch.

"I don't even get a goodnight?"

I tugged from his hold—he let me. Under the porch light I saw the carnage of his neck-bite. My insides squirmed. That had been meant for me.

Cameron hung back when I stayed quiet, arms crossed. Half his face became shadowed, giving him a somber look.

"He killed people, but—" my eyes jumped for his. "That's not why I killed him. I did it, because he fed on Phillip." He faced me, emotions shut off.

For Phillip. He was always protecting his brother. His only family. He didn't care about anyone else, I understood. But... he'd saved me. Cam suffered because of me. I couldn't phantom what would've happened, if he hadn't been able to tap into his Power. Phillip would've been... broken. And though I was angry and revolted, I didn't wish anything bad to happen to him—both of them.

They only had each other.

"I'll see you on Monday." He began lowering his foot onto the step—I whirled him towards me.

I stood on my toes, kissing his cheek. My heart got plump with warmth, delirium and all-consuming frenzy.

Pulling back was like losing part of myself.

Opening my eyes—why had I closed them?—Cam looked terrifyingly young, maybe it was the touch of vulnerability paired with a pitfall of emotions I couldn't began to name—they were quick flashes.

Our eyes matched in anxiety. I wet my lips, "Goodnight, Cameron." And before fishing for keys, I gave him a soft smile.

He stayed there, tailing my every move, until I unlocked the door. I had to wrestle every thought, every involuntary response, not to turn around and beg him to stay. Because I wanted to make sure he was safe, alive.