When Night Falls

I Need Some Sleep - The Eels
It would be good if you would listen to this while reading this chapter. (: Thanks

-Christine's POV-

Liquid blackness.

It was so dark, so dark I couldn't even see ahead. So dark it was almost suffocating.
I could feel the adrenaline pumping in my veins, hear the sound of my harsh breathing, and the intense pounding of my heart in the silence.

The fear kicked in as I began to feel completely alone.

I reached out, desperately feeling for the way forward, afraid that I would step over the edge, afraid that one wrong move would send me tumbling to the bottom of the abyss.

Then suddenly, there was light.
I gasped as I felt myself being yanked away at the last minute. I was inches away from the cliff, inches away from death. I turned to see who had pulled me back; who had saved me.

Ryan.
"Ryan? What's going on?" I asked him, completely bewildered.

He shook his head, lifting a finger to my lips, hushing me. Without saying a word, he stared, long and hard, at me. Then he pointed across the cliff.

I gasped.

"Dad? Aunt Andrea? Grandpa? Uncle Frank?"

They were standing across me on the other side, on the other cliff, smiling and waving at me. The abyss was what separated us.

"I miss you..." The words came out as a whisper as I reached out my fingers, praying that somehow, they would feel me.

Then I realised that they couldn't hear me.

I shouted the words again.

They merely smiled, nodded, and waved, not saying anything.

I fixed my gaze greedily upon them, taking in their features for as long as possible. Since their deaths, I had feared that soon I would forget how they looked like...

But now... Now was my chance to remember.

I tore my gaze away from them to look at Ryan.

"Ryan?"

He had been staring fiercely at me, his eyes boring holes into me.

Then he opened his mouth to speak.

"You have to choose... me or them?"

I gasped, sitting upright in bed, wiping the cold sweat away from my face.

What a strange dream.

I shook my head vigourously.

I had just been rejected. Obviously that hadn't gone into my thick skull.

I turned towards the direction of my table.

He's still here?
Ryan was sitting in the chair at my table, facing the bed. He had his right arm on the table, propped up to support his cheek. His eyes were closed.

Asleep?
I tiptoed to his side, gazing at him. There was already a bit of sunlight flitering in through the window, and he looked as glorious as ever.

The wind blew gently through the window, and ruffled his black hair. I stared at him, struck by his beauty, tempted to stroke his porcelain skin.

How angelic.

Had he stayed because he was worried about me?
I felt myself soften in response to the thought, a slight ache in my heart.

Even if I couldn't be with him, even if he didn't like me, I would still be contented, just to be able to look at him from afar.

Just to be able to be by his side.

And maybe.

Maybe I could forget about him. Slowly.

I gazed at the clock.

It was still early.

I'll wake up him later.
As I continued to stare at him, a strange thought came to my mind...

I didn't know that vampires actually slept.
"Vampires don't sleep."

His lightning-blue eyes suddenly opened, and I yelled a little, jumping backwards.

"What the hell?"

He grinned at me.

"How the hell did you know what I was thinking?"

He shrugged.

"Wild guess."

I gaped at him.

"Cmon, I've been reading the minds of people since 300 years ago. I've more or less had experience."

My mouth closed shut.

"Then what were you doing just now?"

"Resting. And thinking."

"About?"

"Your training. I've decided what I'm going to teach you."

I stifled a yawn as I sat down on my bed. His eyes were excited.

"What?"

He grinned.

"Everything."

I stared at him.

He shrugged again.

"Well, everything that I know. I'm a jack of all trades, but a master of none."

He grinned again.

I gave him a disparaging look.

Somehow... I think everything meant EVERYTHING.

Jack of all trades, but a master of none?
"BULLSHIT."I muttered under my breath, as I began to rub at my sore back, and at the places where he had delivered a couple of heavy blows.

"What was that?" He grinned impishly as he reached out his hand to help me up from where I had fallen.

I grumbled under my breath as he pulled me up to my feet, and for awhile, his lightning-blue eyes were dangerously close. I feigned a cough, turning away from him, my heart already sputtering in response at the sudden closeness.

"Nothing."

"Alright, let's try that move again."

We were in the basement of his place, where he had cleared a space, leaving a huge area where we could spar with each other without any disturbances. So Ryan had decided to teach me everything starting from the very basics... from karate to judo to taekwondo to god know what else.

I sighed inwardly as I felt myself being thrown over his back and falling rather heavily to the floor again.

"Cmon, you can do better than that." He taunted.

I grimaced.

Then, I stood wearily to my feet, feeling my body ache in protest.

It was going to be a long, long night.