Child of Lilith

The school was still mostly deserted save for the sparse over achievers or the misfits whose parents had to work early. Eirene was neither an over achiever, looking for a yellow brick road through the Ivy League college transfer program, nor was she a misfit forced to be dropped off early because she was without a car of her own. She had driven to school of her own violation at the ungodly hour of 6 o’clock in the morning because she had nowhere else to go.

She could have chosen to stay home but that was not an option for her. This was the beginning of her first year of college and she did not want to have to explain away the bruises on her face or the limp in her step. Just the thought of it made a bile rise in her chest and her tears to well in her eyes. She looked to the heavens to keep them from falling.

Finding her composure once again, she grabbed her schedule and her school bag and headed out her car in the student-parking garage toward the cluster of buildings in search of her class, GRK 1114 Introductory Classical Greek I. The paper in her hand stated that the class was located at C4332b. She had wondered around for a while, gotten herself completely, and utterly lost. She looked at her surroundings and saw a grassy courtyard with shady trees and soft looking grass. There was a bench scattered around the field that grew wider the farther it went. Watching the small yet peaceful nature before her, she remembered the main reason she chose this campus. It was a large community college that had been around since anyone in the town could remember, and had many different patches of nature on it premises.

At the current moment she happened to be located in between the R building and the F building. Sighing in frustration, she decided she was getting nowhere fast and that a break was in order. She sat near a grassy corner of the school courtyard stretching out her sock covered legs with her black Mary Jane’s touching. She frowned thinking that maybe she had dressed a little too strangely for the first day. Looking at her smart phone she realized that it was now 8:15 leaving her about 30 minutes to find her class.

Sighing she stood back up and looked around completely lost and frustrated. A man sat in a shadowed area underneath the white ash tree. Lounging under the tree gave him a calm muted appearance, he sat draped in soft earthy tones reading some thick paper back book; he was the picture of tranquility.

Slowly and reluctantly, Eirene made her way over to the man. To calm her nerves she told herself he was small enough to defend against if the need arose. Nearing the man, she took a calming deep breath.

Dmitri pulled his legs close to his chest and pretended to read the book in front of his face.

Small, small and harmless. He wanted to appear small and harmless for her. She would come only if small and harmless was what she saw.

When she stood, he got a better look at her. She was a delicate looking creature. Her small heart shaped face nearly taken over by her thick chocolate brown ringlets of hair, which made her, appear smaller. Her long curls seemed to have a red twinge in them once the sun began to shine through her large tresses. Large doe like eyes, lined lightly with black, seemed to be a dark blue outlining a lighter blue were framed with long fanned out eye lashes that he could almost bet were natural. Her small pouty lips one captured by the straight pearls of her teeth were slightly red and bruised. He assumed the constant nipping she had put them through caused it. Following the length of her tresses, he enjoyed the gentle curve of her simple bust and the delicateness of her hips that bloomed from her waist. The stands of her hair curved around her hips and ended there. She was dressed in a smooth form fitting light blue button-down shirt untucked but free of all wrinkles. Her pleated navy blue skirt sat mid-thigh flared just a little wider then her hips. There was a sparse showing of her thighs maybe two inches at the most before long socks followed the curve of her legs down in to cute little shining Mary Jane’s her small feet were clad in. She was an innocent seductress, the kind of understated sexuality that made men like Dmitri, yearn to capture and dominate her.

He smirked to himself, sure, that she would be his in little more than a week. Looking back down to his book in faux concentration, he willed her to notice him. He folded his legs laying them crossed each other in a much more natural position one of less fear but more relaxation. He felt her hesitate then approach him a small smile almost broke free of his façade but he would not let it. She approached him and he pretended to ignore her before the soft little chime of her voice broke through his mind.

“Um, excuse me. Would you be able to tell me where class C4332b is by any chance?” she nearly whispered.

Her soft voiced shook him for a moment. Within the confines of the demure serenity, he heard the power and strength behind it. Stilled for a brief moment Dmitri was at a loss for words. He realized this was not a woman he should trifle with. She could not just be another one of his lovers or conquest. Something in him warned him but still he wanted to be ever closer to the creature he had just encountered. She was not just a human; this was a fact with which he knew with certainty. What exactly she was he could not tell something ancient was mixed in there but so soft were its traces that only the chime of her voice could have lead him to it.

Dmitri was still, shocked for a moment, and almost didn’t notice her starting her retreat. Coming back to his senses, he reached out a hand to grab her. His fingers encircled her wrist and then some. Her skin was hot and trembling at his touch. Looking into her eyes, he noticed their dark blue almost black outer circle leading to the royal blue and the golden brown that circled her iris. Tears pooled in her eyes as she shrank to the ground her legs tucked under her. Fear passed through her eyes then anger and suddenly she was fighting him. She was trying to pull away, yanking her arm with so much force that she almost had him pulled from under the shade of the ash tree. Realizing what was going on he released her wrist and backed away with his hands held open in a pose of surrender. Panicked sobs were escaping her lips and tears ran freely down her cheeks as she clutched her hand to her chest. A wild look was in her eyes before a breeze gust past making her still. The fire in her eyes dulled to a small ember. The wind rustled her hair and her eyes slid closed as she inhaled deeply calming herself.

Dmitri was mesmerized once again and overwhelmed with the urge to possess her. Remembering the feel of her skin on his made his thoughts shift.

No, she is far too precious for that. That thought gave him pause, never had he thought of a woman as precious. Women were pawns that he controls. It was true of his father and true of himself. Confusion passed in his eyes, noting the uprising of an unfamiliar emotion he pushed it away quickly.

Looking at the serenity that now held her face as the wind played in her hair. He longed to be the wind, to have permission to caress her and to belong to her and only her. He envied its effect on her and watched as she looked at him with far more docile eyes. Searching for the words, he had suddenly forgotten he watched her watch him. He did not want to disrupt the calm that molded to her features however, he could comprehend that she was waiting for him to say something.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to frighten you, I just, I lost myself for a moment. Are you ok?” Worry was evident in his tone but he kept his voice soft. Looking at her for any changes in movement or any hitches in emotion.

“Yes, I’m fine. Sorry abo-” before she could finish he cut her off.

“No please don’t apologize it’s my fault, I shouldn’t have grabbed you that way.” His voice was disturbing gentle and foreign to his own ears.

She looked at the ground, “No, I shouldn’t have over reacted that way.” Her voice had gained more volume but still held the power and sedated sexuality as it did before.

She looked back at Dmitri and any protest he had were once again lost. This woman was commanding him he was sure. Every move she made had him itching to be with her. Her latent power had stunned and confused him. She was a topic he knew his father would have to hear about. He was also sure he didn’t want his father to know she existed.

They looked at each other for a few moments before she looked away looking around the courtyard. Freed from the prison of her eyes slowly Dmitri stood and brushed himself off. She looked slightly surprised at the size of his full height but if it scared her, she did not let it show. He offered his hand to her.

“Let’s try it this way;” more to himself then to her. A gentle smile graced his lips and softened his expression, “I’m Dmitri. Would you mind if I escorted you to class miss…?”

“Eirene.” She slowly grasped his outstretched hand and rose to her feet. Once she was stable, she let go of his hand and placed her hands in front of her skirt clasped together. Her eyes were once again on the ground but this time she seemed to be far less guarded. Her bashfulness had given him a slight pause. She looked back at him with a small smile playing in her eyes waiting for him to start leading her.

Dmitri smiled to himself, “Follow me.” As he began walking in the direction of the C building in search of her class. She followed silently and kept her eyes planted on his shoulders still keeping track of the way to the classroom. They walked for about 10 minutes when he stopped in front of an elevator.

“Right after you get off, it’s going to be the last door in the left side of the hall.”

“Thank you.” She smiled slightly in a show of gratitude.

Dmitri stood stunned by the beauty of her smile small dimples sitting in the center of her cheeks; rose-colored lips curved slightly showing a small row of pearly white teeth. He cleared his throat. His new found interest in this particular girl was perplexing at best.

“My class is down stairs in this building, I’ll wait by the elevator after class to show you around if you don’t mind.” He was hopeful but unsure about her answer.

Her lip, once again placed between her teeth as she thought weighing the pros and cons. Finally, she nodded in affirmation.

“Yes thank you, I’d like that. See you after class then.” His soft tone wrapped around him and pulling him just a little closer.

“Yeah, see you.” He smiled and watched her take the elevator giving her one last wave before the doors to the elevator shut her away from view. Once she was gone, he broke out into a run back into the direction of the courtyard, attempting to make it to his class in time. He did not know why he lied to her or why he offered her his help.

Almost to his classroom, Dmitri felt the winds rush past as a gust of ancient power and fury engulfed him. The amount of raw power stilled him forcing him to remain still and not to summon assistance. He then heard a voice so dense in latent fury and bared yet controlled anger. The voice was gravely, barbaric, and oddly enough, seductively female.

Hurt her, and you will perish. Lost in the voice of many he could not trace the sound to its owner. The wind flurried, twisted, and suddenly just as it arrived, quickly and without worry, it left.