Vampiric: Chapter Three, Part 1

Chapter Three: A Time for Everything

“Nervous?” Conan asked. He had been walking around assigning specifics to jobs that had been kept a secret until now. No one knew all of what was happening, just his or her own part. Drei and I had been standing in the warehouse for an hour, waiting for someone to tell us it was starting…whatever it was.

Conan had just directed Drei to a group dressed in black from head to toe and practicing serious faces between jokes. I guessed that was the rest of her inner circle, and it was even more obvious how Drei stood out from them all. For starters, most of them were shorter, and though a few had some bulging muscles, their dispositions were too cheerful to be threatening—though I had no doubt they could possibly intimidate someone.

“Why do you ask?”

“You keep looking around, like you’re trapped or something,” he answered, marking something on his clipboard. I noticed for the first time his hair wasn’t brown, like I had thought, but it had an orange tinge to it. Strange how it seemed kind of important now. Maybe that was because I was hoping he would go away without forcing me to be rude.

“I like to know my surroundings,” I lied, hoping it satisfied him. “And I like to know what’s going on, but that doesn’t ever really happen.”

He laughed at that. I didn’t like his laugh; it was a harsh barking sound that better resembled a cross between yelling and howling. “C never likes people to know everything; too risky.”

“I figured as much.” I wished he’d stop talking to me.

“Well, you’re pretty much one of the only lookouts. We don’t group you all together since you need to stand off on your own anyway. So…just wait here I guess until we’re ready to go.”

I nodded, turning away from him slightly. Not taking the hint he should move onto whoever was left, Conan laid a hand on my forearm.

“It’ll be fine;” he shrugged. “We planned it out really well and nothing should go wrong.”

“That’s not what I was thinking.” I stared at his hand and wished it away; I resisted the urge to brush it off or move away from him. That would be rude and might give him the wrong idea. Not just about how I treated people, but possibly—since he wasn’t taking the hints—that I was playing “hard to get.”

“It’s on everybody’s mind. But if you need someone to talk to, I’m here; I’m told I have a good ear, too.”

I forced a strained smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He finally sauntered off to a group of blonds in the corner. I couldn’t help noticing he didn’t bother them as he had me—and they wanted him to flirt with them, too, from the way they were constantly touching his arm and adjusting their hair.

Conan didn’t know what he was talking about. I wasn’t nervous about tonight; I was worried about what would come after. I couldn’t shake the feeling something would go terribly wrong. And these feelings hadn’t been wrong before.

Vampiric: Chapter Two, Part 2

Drei must have sensed my unease after leaving the meeting with Caroline because he made a point of spending more time with me. During the days he was teaching me the tango, his aggravation at my inability to close my feet on the fifth step kept at bay until I finally managed to remember. After successfully completing the step for nearly half an hour, Drei added music to the formula, swiftly taking off into a more complex tango, my feet following obediently, only occasionally stumbling. At those times, he smiled, telling me I was doing wonderfully, and slowed down until I was comfortable again.

After dancing for what felt like an hour, he smiled approvingly, spinning me out and back in, kissing me as I stopped in his embrace. Neither of us pulled away, too content in being close. If things continued as such, I thought I might be able to overlook Caroline’s negativity altogether. If nothing else, it was bringing us closer, even if there was still a nagging voice in the back of my head telling me I had to be cautious.

Ballroom dancing was a way we could be close without necessarily drawing attention to our relationship. The tradeoff was, of course, when we went out at night, I taught Drei how to dance to regular music, and sometimes he added his own twist of classical dance. Though he did try his best, his attempts were humorous as he tried to add familiarity to the new. He often teased this “new dancing” was a cruel joke to make a fool of him.

The day before we were supposed to meet Caroline for her project, Drei and I went walking. He judged it was safe for him since the sun was hidden behind the heavy white-gray clouds. I still wasn’t sure about his tolerance to light. He had once told me sunlight didn’t matter; now it seemed to matter and, though I was curious, he would probably shrug it off as being unimportant.

When we were halfway through the park, it began to snow. I ran out to the center of the open field where snow from earlier in the week still lay peacefully. There, I spun in circles, holding my arms out.

Snow was the one form of precipitation that didn’t make me feel like I was suffocating. Rain made the air heavier and, since air was as much a part of me as my skin and hair and thoughts, it always depressed me. But snow was different. It was solid enough to affect me much like falling leaves—which wasn’t at all.

Drei stood on the cleared path, watching. I stopped, the corners of my lips curling upwards.

“Come on,” I shouted across the distance, waving my arm in a huge arc. “Dance with me.”

“No thank you,” he replied, smiling, his hands buried in his coat pockets.

“Fine,” I said, bending down to scoop up a handful of snow.

“Do not—” Drei’s sentence fell flat as the snowball smashed against his shoulder. At first, he just stared at the clumps of white embedded in the crevices of his coat, bright against the dark material. In one swift motion, he scooped up a handful of snow and tossed it in my direction.

A yelp escaped my lips as I dodged it, laughing giddily.

“It is unfair,” Drei said, the beginnings of a smile on his lips. He was already throwing another snowball in my direction.

“Fair?” I questioned, changing the course of the snowball. “Bombarding me is what’s unfair.”

A couple more snowballs hit Drei as I blocked whatever he threw my way. Even when he attempted dodging my missiles, I just manipulated the air to make sure they hit their target—his punishment for being so resistant to dancing with me.

“What is unfair,” he said—snow dusted over his slightly shaggy light brown hair—“is the fact you have an advantage.”

“I have no clue what you mean,” I teased, running to a new location that hadn’t been scavenged clean.

His amethyst eyes sparkled as he loudly replied, “And that is why you have yet to be hit at all—”

“I’m just that good.” When I noticed him running towards me, a fistful of snow in his possession, I screeched joyfully, running away from him. Drei caught me fairly quickly, holding me in his free arm and rocking us back and forth.

“I will not use this snow against you,” he said, his features serious, but a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“That’s why you’re still holding it.” I glanced at the clump of snow he still clutched.

“I am still holding it because it told me you deserved this.” I flinched in his grasp as he crushed the snowball on top of my head. He laughed as I shook large chunks out of my hair, my cheeks bright red and cold, both of us wearing veils of snow in our hair. “You cannot avoid me forever.”

“I never said I wanted to.” Our eyes locked on each other.

Everything around us was silent, almost as though it was afraid to interrupt us. All of the laughter and teasing that had echoed in the clearing had faded away. What was left was the soft snowfall and us, together, seemingly suspended in time.

And then he kissed me.

There, in the open, for anyone to see—not that there were many people out for leisurely strolls—in one of the most peaceful settings of which I had ever been a part.

It was a moment free of worry, false pretenses, fear…everything but love.

On the way home, Drei asked, “Are you ready for tomorrow?”

I gazed up at him, unsure how to answer. No matter what, every time I thought about Caroline, or Ian, or the whole faction, I couldn’t shake the feeling something was going to happen. Something was going to ruin what I had with Drei, whether directly or not.

“I don’t know,” I said after a while.

“I will be there with you, every step of the way.” He took my hand in his, stopping to kiss my fingers. His eyes were serious and a darker amethyst than usual. He was right; he would be there. Drei would be at my side so long as I needed him; tomorrow I needed him, more than I had in a long time.

“So long as you’re with me, I’ll be fine.”

Another thought occurred to me as we reached the apartment, though: what if what was going to happen would transpire not because of someone else, but because of Drei?

Vampiric: Chapter Two, Part 1

Chapter Two: Learning to Live

The drive was longer than it had to be, in my opinion. But everything Caroline did seemed to be done with the utmost care and secrecy. I had just finished the thought when Drei commented that she was an intelligent person, seemingly for no apparent reason to our driver. Not for the first time, I reminded myself not to think so loudly.

We circled various sections of the city until I thought it was a joke and some movie star was going to jump out screaming with laughter. The thought of punching said movie star in the face crossed my mind briefly, before I realized we were driving in absolute darkness. Looking back through the rear window, I saw the city lights twinkle in imitation of the stars.

Drei took my hand, gazing at me in a way that seemed to say wait. He knew I was impatient—though it contradicted the common nature of air elementals—but he also knew I could wait if he reminded me to.

It seemed hours later—I cannot begin to explain how numb my rear end was or how badly I needed to stretch—we finally pulled into a pier with rundown warehouses and a shabby looking dock. Ghostly tugboats rocked fitfully against their ropes, wishing to drift aimlessly into retirement.

He stopped the car outside of a stoic warehouse, a soft light falling through one of the broken windows at the top momentarily before flitting away inside again.

“We’re here;” the driver climbed out of the car.

Drei and I followed suit, walking next to each other a few paces behind him. Pulling a strand of air towards me, I heard voices inside. Though soft, I could hear them perfectly.

“—they’re here, C,” a masculine voice said.

“About time,” she replied in her smooth voice, a note of irritation apparent.

“You never told Ian she’d be difficult to locate.”

“Well, I didn’t know,” she snipped back.

We entered through a side door then. From the inside, it became obvious the windows of the lower level had been covered with black paint, explaining why this warehouse also seemed disused.

Caroline stood in the center of the room, a black, long sleeved tunic and blue skinny jeans covering her thin frame. Her hair was down, the natural curls framing her sharp features.

“Finally,” she huffed, crossing her arms. “Ian,” she nodded in our driver’s direction, “and Conan,” she said, motioning to the other man standing beside her. He was medium-height—just slightly taller than I—with crew cut brown hair and sea green eyes. A few other people dressed in dark colors moved around behind them, but she didn’t bother introducing them. “We’re the only ones you need to know;” she signaled us to follow her. “Now we get down to business.”

She walked from the large front room and jogged up a set of stairs, disappearing into another room. This one was smaller, containing a couple of file cabinets, a desk, and three chairs. She sat on the far side of the desk, shuffling the haphazard piles of paper out of the way. We sat in the chairs opposite her.

“Give me a moment,” she said, still shuffling through papers. “Conan was supposed to clean this up for me and now I’ve lost your stuff.”

The room was cold, the chilly tendrils of air burrowing into my skin. Drei stood momentarily, removed his coat, and dropped it over my shoulders. He shook his head as I opened my mouth to object. There was no arguing with him, at least not on this, and most definitely not here.

Caroline watched the exchange, slightly interested, as if trying to figure what had happened or why. She then cleared her throat loudly to draw attention back to herself. “Sign these,” she ordered, handing us each a pile of papers. “The first one is your waiver paperwork, since I can’t guarantee you won’t be injured. Signing it means you won’t hold me accountable for anything that happens, though we do try to prevent injury.”

I skimmed over the packet of possible injuries—one of which was death through various means (electrocution and shooting for two)—slightly shocked at the list. Drei signed his, handing it back, so I did the same. If I died doing this—I couldn’t think about that. It was like setting myself up for it. Besides, the thought was actually pretty bitter, and not towards the person rubbing me the wrong way.

“The next is an agreement to follow all of our policies, rules, regulations, and to keep your traps shut on matters concerning our operation,” she said, filing the waiver forms into separate folders.

The policies and such were straightforward, including regulations on apparel while working and tips on how not to have your head burned off, though it didn’t explain how the burning would occur; so while it was useful to know, it was apparent Caroline wasn’t letting everyone know about her secret. As for the confidentiality agreement, it too was blunt—I was beginning to think she didn’t know how to do things any other way.

“Don’t say anything about our operations, ever. Don’t question motives or activities. Don’t even think of whining. Not when you’re alone, and not when you’re at work. If you can’t hold your liquor, forget about drinking and find an AA group to join.”

I signed both forms, handing them over before I could change my mind and shred them. Drei had been watching me as I read through everything; I think he was scared I would change my mind about this. He should have been, though. It wasn’t something I really fancied doing at all; but he had asked me to.

Caroline filed them separately again, leaning forward when she was done, fingers laced and set before her.

“Jobs;” she sighed and grimaced. “I’ll find the actual descriptions in a moment;” she waved dismissively at the file cabinets, probably not wanting to think about dealing with them at all. “Both of you will be backup. I run the show because I am the show; everyone else just gets to help. Buddy—Drei was it? You’ll be on my security team, inside circle. You look tougher than most of the guys I have now.”

He nodded, as though he had expected this. I guess he kind of had. If looking around downstairs had been any indication, he was the tallest and strongest person she had currently. Then again, if that was everyone she had downstairs, this wasn’t as big of a setup as Drei had led me to believe.

“What exactly that entails, you’ll see when I get you the description sheet Conan drew up for me.” She turned towards me. “You are on my lookout team. Your talents would be most useful there from what I can guess. If not, tell me now so I can reassign you.”

“I can do it,” I said firmly. She was not going to intimidate or insult me. I wasn’t in a very generous mood, especially not towards her. There was just something about having your evening ruined with a ridiculously long car ride and being talked down to that didn’t sit well with me.

“Not what I asked,” she snapped, her eyes cold and her features hard. Maybe she was used to making people do what she wanted by intimidating them, but it made it that much more apparent she underestimated me. I wasn’t scared off as easily as most—not in situations like this anyway. “I asked if your talents are good for it.”

“They are,” I replied flatly, wishing I knew some way to shut her up. She might have been older and whatnot, but that did not give her the right to snap at me.

“Good.”

While she searched through the cabinets to find the job descriptions, Drei whispered into my ear, “You gave her the right when you signed the agreements. She is the boss now.”

“Be in the same place you were tonight in one week, at five. Don’t be late.” She handed us our respective descriptions. “You aren’t needed now, so you can do whatever.” She waved a hand toward the door, settling back down to glower at the mess of paper surrounding her.

Ian herded us through the now busier warehouse and out to the car.

“Welcome aboard,” he said, tearing away from the pier and taking a different route back to the city.

All I could think about was how I was going to survive taking orders from someone as hotheaded and infuriating as Caroline. I didn’t care who she thought she was, but she wasn’t so great I couldn’t live without her.

Vampiric: Chapter One, Part 4

We walked to a classy club with live entertainment, dimmed down lights, and tables tucked into various nooks and crannies. It gave off cozy, romantic vibes. I let those fill me and replace what was left of my nerves.

“You have been extremely diligent in your studies,” Drei said loud enough to be heard over the music. “I think it is time you learn something different.”

“Like what?” I asked, opening my water bottle and taking a drink.

“Classical dance;” he said it with a straight face, which, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to muster myself.

“My mother made me take ballet as a kid.” I grimaced at the memory of my first recital. “It wasn’t pretty.” Pretty really wasn’t the word for it. It had been more like disastrous. Ballet had definitely not been my forte, and I doubted much had changed since then.

“Not ballet;” he smiled, no doubt imagining me in one of those ridiculous tutus falling center stage. “Nor anything of that sort. I meant ballroom, mostly.”

“Like the quickstep and waltz?” I had always wanted to learn ballroom, but the only time my mother condoned it was for debutante balls, and that was mostly the waltz.

“Exactly.”

“Can we start now?” The house band sank into a ballad.

Without waiting for a reply, I stood and pulled Drei along after me. He seemed shocked, and if I stopped to think about it, I probably would have been, too. On the hardwood dance floor, we struck the typical waltz position—it had been so long since I had danced a waltz, he had to correct my posture. At least he was nice about it, smiling bemusedly. It was fortunate the man leads since the variation Drei led me through was different from the ones I had learned.

“Do not look down,” Drei instructed the few times I peeked to make sure I really was following him. He would smile when my eyes returned to his. In those moments, we seemed to be in a separate world, only the music able to slip through. It was enough to make me grateful I had agreed to join him.

When the song ended, Drei smiled approvingly, as though he thought teaching me dancing would be an interesting endeavor. He also seemed to want to kiss me, and tell me I was beautiful or brilliant or some other compliment. I wanted to kiss him too, but not here.

A few couples gawked at us, as though dancing something less vulgar than “the grind” was new to them. Drei either didn’t care or didn’t notice, so I decided not to mention it. It was paranoid of me to think they were taking a special interest in us for other reasons. I realized Drei was right in thinking I needed to go out more. Especially since that was the first thing that came to mind when people looked at me.

On the street, we walked close to each other. I wished it were safer for us to be together and he could put his arm around my shoulders or hold my hand or something. But he couldn’t, and I had to be okay with that.

“You folks having a good night?” a man asked, approaching us slowly.

Drei didn’t stop, completely ignoring the man. As we passed, something about him seemed strange. He was decked out in black cargo pants and a turtleneck, with a black stocking cap pulled partially over his ears in a poor attempt to hide the brilliant red hair beneath. He smiled at me, winking as though I had guessed right and won a prize. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what the prize was.

However, I laid a hand on Drei's forearm, stopping him. His amethyst eyes held mine for a moment, and he understood what I was beginning to. The man was our contact. Whether that was a good thing or not, he was the rabbit we were supposed to follow.

“C wanted me to pick you two up together; didn’t say it would be so difficult,” he said, a slight Irish accent coming through in his speech. “I’ve seen you plenty enough times,” he explained, nodding at Drei. “But you, love, are a hard one to pin down.”

“Where are we going?” I asked, anxious from his rambling.

“Into the car,” he replied, jerking his head in the direction of the nondescript vehicle behind him. He added, in response to my next question, “You’ll see when we get there.”

Drei squeezed my hand briefly in assurance this guy couldn’t do anything to us. It seemed to say we just had to jump through whatever hoops Caroline sat before us. If we could do that, we were in.

“Are you ready?” he whispered, regarding me carefully.

“I trust you,” I said, just as softly. It was the only true answer I had. I wasn’t sure I was ready, or that this was the right thing to do, but I trusted him. Had for years. That was all of which I could be sure.

Sitting in the back seat of the car, watching the nightlife fly by, I realized this was what Drei wanted. He wanted us in on everything, because you can only learn so much from history. I wouldn’t find the answers I needed in old books about past times. If I was going to succeed, I would need firsthand experience with someone working toward change.

I would need Caroline.

Vampiric: Chapter One, Part 3

After the meeting with Caroline, Drei had me quit my job, warning me that working for Caroline would be a full-time occupation in and of itself. Luckily, my manager hadn’t yet posted the new schedule and assured he would edit me out of it. Though he wouldn’t openly admit it, I knew Drei was grateful I was done with waitressing.

I spent most of my workless half-week buried in books, studying the lesser-known European Revolutions of 1848 and others. The drudgery of studying figure after historical figure caused me to go into a stupor of sorts. My eyes read what lay before me as my brain stored it in some dark corner, but my conscious thoughts were elsewhere. Primarily, where was the contact Caroline had promised?

Drei was pondering the same, though he would never admit it. Admitting it would be the equivalent of saying he believed I had fumbled the meeting altogether.

“Would you like to join me?” Drei questioned, sitting across the living room from me.

I marked my spot in the reading to look up at him. He was dressed in a simple black t-shirt and slacks. His coat was still hanging by the door. Usually when Drei left, I was finishing up at work, so he had never asked before.

“Don’t you have something you’re supposed to do—someone to meet?” I convinced myself I asked because I didn’t want to be more of a burden. No matter how much he insisted I wasn’t, I couldn’t help feeling he lied.

“Not tonight.” He wasn’t lying, which was, or course, a good thing. But his eyes were sad and there was something like worry in them. Worry for me.

“I’m fine, Drei.” I smiled to assure him.

“Abriel,” he sighed, shaking his head and sitting down across from me; he leaned forward on his elbows. “You are the most perplexing person I have ever known.” Though this wasn’t necessarily positive, I saw the hint of a smile on his pale lips. “You wanted to leave, so you left. But you have yet to really leave. You have merely traded one hideaway for another.”

I sighed, knowing he was right. Of course he was right. But it was a lot more complicated than he made it out to be. “I had a job,” I reminded him, hoping it would constitute as not hiding.

“It was a start, a small one,” Drei conceded, but I knew it wasn’t what he meant. “I will protect you, Abriel. No bounty hunter will take you away so long as I am with you. You have nothing to fear.”

“I know that, Drei.” I had thought my life would just return to the way it had been, except with a different town and different crowd. But the moment we reached the city, I wasn’t so sure. Suddenly, it seemed like everyone was a bounty hunter in disguise and would try to drag me off to some awful fate. Outside of work, I made excuses—which Drei unintentionally helped to provide—so as to not have to leave. After so much freedom, the city seemed like a prison in and of itself.

“Come out tonight.” He crossed the room and pulled me to my feet. His pale amethyst eyes were bright and excited. It seemed he was certain this was what I needed, and perhaps it was.

“Okay,” I whispered, nervous and unsure but not wanting to disappoint him. He had done so much for me; some days it felt like I never did anything for him in return. But I could do this.

His lips upturned in an infectious smile, a smile that seemed to burn away the uncertainties in my mind. “I will wait for you to change;” he kissed my cheek.

Away from him, my nervousness about a night on the town returned, but now I felt like it was about time as well.

My wardrobe had expanded slightly since we had arrived to include clothing other than just blue jeans, sweaters, and shirts. From my closet, I pulled out a white, off the shoulder blouse and a black chiffon skirt, pairing them with black ballet flats. As I brushed through my somewhat unruly hair, I looked at the angel necklace Drei had given me a few years back at Christmas. Impulsively, I put it and the matching bracelet on. I left the room, my former nerves now a bubble of excitement.

Drei was stalking around the living room, his features betraying his nerves, tight and furrowed; if he was the sort to chew his cheek, he probably would have done that as well. He seemed to be having second thoughts about his insisting I join him.

“Let’s go,” I said, smiling. I grabbed our coats and handed him his before he could change his mind or I lost my nerve.

When he looked up, his eyes glowed warmly with love and adoration for what they saw. He reached out and touched the necklace, as though he couldn’t believe I was finally wearing it and it completely changed the way I looked to him.

“You are gorgeous, Abriel,” he whispered, pushing a stray curl behind my ear.

All I could do was smile and revel in the fact he had chosen me. He loved me.

“Let’s go,” I repeated, though I had no idea where he was planning to take me. It didn’t seem to matter much anyway. Not as long as he was there.

Vampiric: Chapter One, Part 2

Numerous events spanned the two years leading us to the meeting with Caroline, most from before we left the camp Drei had started. It was the second location of the camp, as the first had been compromised by decisions I had made about one particular boy. He was also the reason we were able to escape and continue protecting children like me. Children born into gifts over an element—elementals as we learned to refer to ourselves. Our protectors, and the administrators of the camp, were a group of vampires led by Drei; they believed in the good we would do for the world if we were allowed to grow in our talents and learned to hide ourselves from a government that would turn us into experiments.

Lily—a blond vampire turned in the 1920s—disappeared some months after we had settled at the new location and never returned. I asked Drei once where she had gone, and he told me not to think on it. I did, though. It was strange losing someone so integral to the camp. She was the only vampire who smiled regularly and was in a cheerful disposition more than half the time.

I had been free to do what I wanted during the day, now that the older children had taken over leading and creating new games. Sometimes I would join in, for old time's sake. But it wasn't the same, and I would soon leave, unable to feel as young as I thought I needed to believe I was.

That first Christmas there, more children I knew left. Of course, new children with earth or water elements kept appearing throughout the year, but I felt more like a stranger. Not even the occasional night Drei and I would spend talking could make it feel like home.

A week before my twentieth birthday, I went to Drei and Valetta. I had decided I wasn't needed there and it was time I returned to the reality of life, hopeful to figure out where I was heading. The longer I stayed, the more anxious I became that I was losing time. Valetta had said once I didn't have a lot of that. Time, that is. It might have been depressing if I hadn't had some mystery to keep me pushing forward.

They sat sipping something from teacups and Mitchell—a dark skinned vampire who enjoyed teasing me and answering my questions in riddles he knew I couldn't solve—was on his way out when I entered.

“Join us,” Valetta said, setting her cup before her.

I slid into a chair between them and inhaled, trying to remember the words I thought would sound best.

“I want to thank you for everything over the last couple years,” I began, aware of the curious looks I received from both ends, “but I feel it's time for me to leave.”

Drei nodded and flashed Valetta a look that seemed to say they knew this had been coming.

“We were hoping you would stay a while longer,” she said softly.

“I'll stay until the thirteenth.” My tone suggested this was long enough as I gauged both of their reactions. It hadn't bother them as much as I had imagined. In my mind, they would be furious and insist I wasn't ready. Alas, I had underestimated them.

As I waited for one of them to say something, a scent filled my nose. It was coppery and disgusting in my mouth. Nearly gag worthy, and somehow familiar.

The smell was wafting from their teacups, and I realized they were drinking blood, not tea. Why this was so shocking, I couldn't determine, but it was. It made me sick to think of whose blood it was, and how they went about retrieving it. When I tried to stop the thoughts, more came.

Drei noticed my discomfort and said, “We need to drink to survive. We do not harm people; this is from—”

I waved at him to stop, not wanting to know. Though I loved him, I didn't need to know what he was drinking; and I decided never to ask or be around when he was. It would be better that way.

“So you have decided to leave,” he restated.

“Yes. A week from yesterday.”

“Valentine's Day will not be the same without you,” Valetta said. With that, she stood and left, as though Drei had demanded her to do so.

He drained the last of his beverage as I tried to find something interesting in the room to hold my attention. The children’s rooms had more personality; Drei’s cabin hardly looked lived in. There was a distinct dearth of posters or anything to sufficiently distract my mind from his drinking. His lips were stained red when I faced him again.

“I am coming with you.” His tone was stern and direct.

“I wasn't going to tell you no.” I stood, knowing I still had to figure out what I was taking and where I wanted to go.

Drei kissed my cheek, pulling me into his embrace. “I would have followed even if you did refuse me.”

My arms wrapped around him, my face buried in his chest. It was my favorite place in the world, just being in his arms. There, it felt like nothing could reach me; I would be forever protected and safe from injury of any kind. Moments like that were so sparse, they were even better when they happened.

“When are you telling Martin?” I whispered, fully aware that Martin wanted to take control of the camp when Drei left. Martin was a stubby, albino vampire who liked to agree with Drei even when he was wrong—not that he often was.

“I am not telling him a thing. Valetta will take over in my stead; she was always my chosen successor.”

“He won't be happy.”

“His happiness does not concern me,” Drei said in a way that made the cruel words sound gentle. “He does not care about our goal or our purpose; he cares only for what power he may grab for himself.”

“I love you,” I told him, smiling. I was delighted Drei had noticed it, too. It was the one thing I was most worried about when I had made my decision. If Martin took over, I would have found a way to make Drei stay or change his mind. The camp would fall apart, and that would be on me. Enough things like that were already on me and I didn’t want more.

“I have always known Martin's kind;” Drei kissed my hair. “Just as I have always known my duty here would end.”

Our embrace seemed to last forever in my memory, but eventually the thirteenth came, Valetta was officially declared new lead vampire, and we left. Martin threw sinister glares our way until we disappeared into the foliage. Somehow I knew that wouldn't be the last of him, but it didn't stop me from feeling relieved he was gone for the moment.

We traveled for a week to a city known for its constant ebb and flow of people and faces. There we rented a small apartment and I took on a part-time job—I refused to let Drei pay for everything from his mysterious source of income. While he spent the nights doing his thing—mostly research on the city he would later share—I often kept to the apartment, content with leaving to work and occasionally buying a new outfit.

It really was a cozy space. There were two small bedrooms, a kitchenette, and a living room. Though we each had our own room, sometimes, after he had been out late, he would lie beside me until morning when I would get ready for work.

When I wasn't working, Drei had me read up on the work of great revolutionaries, from those who developed revolutionary theories, to those who led the fights, marches, protests, boycotts, and numerous other political devices. He insisted I needed to know the past if I wanted to succeed in the future. That, and I needed to see how the fire elementals led their movements in contrast to how the air elementals led theirs.

Though we were alone, we still kept our distance, except for the occasional embrace or kiss. You could never be sure how alone you were, and it was just good practice. We knew we could have thrown our caution to the wind if we really wanted to, but it was best to be reserved. Whenever—if ever—I began to lead my revolution, it would be the most valuable thing to us.

If you're careless, you will be found. And, as my lessons had proven, very few air elementals lived past their movements. Very few fire elementals lived after as well, but that was our burden. No one had said it would be easy.

Vampiric: Chapter One, Part 1

Chapter One: New Flame

She sat, legs crossed under the table, an arm draped across the shiny surface while the other hand supported her thin face. Her bordering on too long fingernails, sporting chipped nail polish, tapped a rhythm across one of her high cheekbones; probably bored out of her mind and already disinterested. At first glance, her flaming crimson hair seemed more like a wig, but roots don't lie. It flared around her head like its own version of the sun.

Drei stood next to me, tall and powerful. It had been his idea for me to meet with her. Caroline, he insisted, would help me to learn what it was I was supposed to do. She already had a following—however small it might have been—and a plan. I had neither. Not to mention I didn’t have a clue as to where to start.

“Are you sure that's her?” I whispered, crossing my arms over my fluttering stomach. There was something in her demeanor that made me feel threatened. But Drei wouldn't purposely put me in harm's way. He had spent the five years we had known each other keeping me safe. He was my rock, my love; I trusted him.

“Caroline is a bit of a wild child, but she has much to teach you if you are willing,” Drei said softly.

I couldn't tear my eyes from her; she couldn't have been more than 25, fresh from college if she ever attended. Throughout my entire life, I couldn't recall once talking to someone like her. She was so much freer of society and could care less what people thought. I was her opposite in every way.

“Go on;” Drei waited for me to start towards her. He had made the initial contact; I had to prove he wasn’t dragging me into it, even if this really wasn’t my choice.

As we reached the table in the corner of the cafe, gold flecked bronze eyes swiveled towards us, seeming to absorb what she liked and disliked. The judgment cast on me was obvious: I wasn't someone she worked with. She was intrigued by Drei, her eyes lighting up a moment before she buried it, fearing she would have to take me on if she invited him.

“Sit,” she commanded in a rich voice.

At her questioning gaze, Drei introduced us; “I am Drei, the one who contacted you. This is Abriel.”

She nodded as though she hated the formality of it all, but didn't want to start talking before she knew for sure we weren't mistaken. Rather intelligent on her part—not that she didn’t seem intelligent.

“I don't usually consider people like you,” she said, pausing to sip her latte. From the sweetly spiced smell wafting from the cup, I knew it was a mocha chai. Personally, I found them too sweet. “It may be your too normal hair, the cutesy ballet flats, the skirt—I couldn't tell you. But something about people like you…” she scrunched her nose a bit, staring at me, “makes me not trust anyone.”

“I take it you like my blouse,” I said, lacking any other comment. It felt hopeless. If she didn't like me, what could I do to change it? The only thing to do, really, was make whatever was left of this meeting bearable.

“Have one just like it,” she replied, taking another sip. “A wrap blouse is a necessity.”

Silence ensued. She didn't leave, which was good—for us anyway—but she didn't say anything either. When Drei asked if I wanted a cinnamon chai—my favorite—I nodded and he left.

“Who is he, really?” Caroline asked, her eyes following his departure. She was interested in him, but not in a sensual way. Which was to all of our benefit. If she had been anywhere near drooling after him, I would have left and never glanced back.

For a fleeting moment I thought about revealing him as a vampire, but I knew better. If he wanted her to know, he'd tell her. “A friend.”

“More like a muscle man.” She took another drink. Maybe I had been wrong about her not being interested in that sense.

“Why haven't you left yet?” I found myself saying; it came about more because I wanted to change the subject, but I rationalized I had valid reason to ask. Caroline had already made it clear she didn't like me, so it didn't make sense for there to be an awkward silence between us—especially not when she was still ogling him.

“Honestly?” She raised an eyebrow as her eyes returned to mine, wrapping both pale hands around her cup. I nodded, half afraid I would say something inappropriate. “The fact that we have the same blouse counts for something. It means you’re not totally hopeless.” She thought a moment longer over a more legitimate reason. “He doesn't hang around you for nothing. Someone like him knows who he wants to be around, so there's got to be something I'm missing. Is there?” She held my gaze steadily.

“Perhaps,” I said, my voice even, more uncertain what her intentions for either of us were. The answer she sought was also the thing that put me at risk. If she wanted me to reveal my hand, I needed to know she wasn’t going to turn around and sell me up the river. “Is there a reason why you have such control over who works with you? Why you have such a following when you're so young?”

Caroline laughed. “You're gutsy. I like that.” She finished the rest of her mocha chai, tossing the cup in the trashcan across from the table and sat back. “Every revolutionary is young. You don't see some grandfather leading an uprising, do you?”

“No. But why you?”

Her lips cocked to one side, she laid her hand palm up on the table between us. “Because I can do this,” she answered as a small flame sprang to life in her palm. “Does that scare you?”

Continuing to hold her gaze, I created a vacuum around her flame. When it extinguished, she looked down at her hand, shocked momentarily, but then smiled at me.

“Coincidence?” she questioned for the sake of it. The spark in her eyes revealed she already knew the answer.

“It wasn’t.”

“I'm not the only one with tricks, I see,” she said, still smiling as if amused. “That was pretty nifty. Does he know?” She bobbed her head in the direction of Drei, walking back with my chai and his latte.

“He knows more than I can say.”

“We'll be in touch,” she announced, standing as Drei handed me the chai. She was taller than I had thought, only a few inches shorter than Drei. “I'll have one of my people pick you up. Then I'll tell you everything you need to know about helping me.”

We watched her leave, and then sat with our heads bowed together. It had been a long while since I'd had to trust anyone but Drei. But something about Caroline—whether it was her spunky attitude or her power over fire—interested and frightened me. Not to mention, I still couldn’t make heads or tails about her interest in Drei, though I knew I shouldn’t worry about it—he had chosen me, after all. Ambivalent as I was, I wanted to trust her, to be around and learn from her. As this occurred to me, I realized I wanted to run from her, as well.

“That went well.” Drei sipped his latte.

“We'll see soon enough.”

Elemental: Chapter Twelve, Part 4

We sat on the couch, the fire dancing until it died down, diminishing into a pale spiral of smoke. Drei held me, my arms wrapped around his waist, and we didn’t need to say anything. Words would have ruined the understanding existing between us.

As the sky outside lightened—a misty gray with hints of indigo—Drei sat a small box on my knee.

“It was intended for Christmas,” he explained softly. “I was uncertain how Nick would have reacted.”

“Thank you,” I said, remembering how I had been grateful when no second mystery gift appeared while Nick still questioned everything.

“I believe it is more fitting as a birthday gift. It is Valentine’s Day.”

It hadn’t occurred to me my birthday was here. The last weeks had been such a whirlwind of information, travel, and emotions, I had lost track of the days except in reference to each other. But if he said it was Valentine’s Day, I was probably the worst person to contradict him.

Opening the box, I found a golden centipede bracelet with chalcedony insets, a match to the angel necklace he had gifted me before.

“Drei,” I gasped, facing him and his contented smile. “It’s gorgeous.”

“It is no match for you,” Drei said softly. He kissed my forehead. “You have grown beautifully this past year.”

“You aren’t just saying that because I finally realized I had what I wanted in front of me all along?” I asked, slightly concerned my words weren’t as specific as I had intended.

He laughed. “The end is not something to judge growth on,” he reasoned. “It is the journey you examine to find the character revealed. Your character is bright and heartwarming.”

“Now you’re just flattering me,” I said. He meant every word though I couldn’t fathom how considering the messes I’d made.

Drei stood, gently pulling me to my feet, smoothing my hair back. His slightly warm hand rested a breath longer on my neck than necessary—not that I was complaining. “You need sleep,” he said before removing his hand. “Valetta and Mitchell have planned a special party for you; do not tell them I spoiled the surprise.”

“Drei,” I joked, lightly hitting him.

The space between us was so awkward in the silence that followed, it was hard to believe we had ever been apart. Being close to him felt natural. From the happiness and longing radiating about him, I knew he felt the same.

“I’d better get some sleep,” I said, moving to leave, only to be stopped as he enveloped me in his arms again.

I didn’t want him to let go; I didn’t want myself to let go. But the door opened behind us and we sprang apart, worried at being caught so soon in our revelation.

It was only Mitchell. If he could have blushed, I imagined he would have; he quickly turned his back to us as though knowing he had interrupted something important. Drei sneaked a kiss to my cheek, then whispered to have sweet dreams. I didn’t need to admit they would be sweet without the worry of destroying an existing relationship. They would be sweet because I wouldn’t wake up feeling guilty.

As I shrugged into my coat, Mitchell smiled approvingly, saying, “It took you long enough.”

“But I got there,” I replied, pleased when he nodded, smirking.

“You are learning…and on your own.”

I felt like I was walking on air—which may not have been an exaggeration. It had all fallen into place after all. I still had questions, but there was time. And with Drei’s love in my heart, I felt like there was nothing—not even the unknown challenges ahead—I couldn’t face.

End Book One

Elemental: Chapter Twelve, Part 3

My gaze swung to meet his; the sadness was still present, but it had changed; there was something else there now as well. “Why have you been waiting?” I asked, needing to hear the words outright, not just locked inside riddles to be interpreted however. It had to be definite. My heart didn’t want to be fooled into thinking one thing when it was something completely different.

“Come inside;” Drei released me from his embrace, taking my hand and leading me out of the cold air.

Inside what I assumed would be his lodgings, he took our coats and hung them on a couple of hooks just inside the door.

“Sit, please.” He motioned toward a soft, worn leather couch. He piled logs in the fireplace, lighting them. “I have been here before,” he said unnecessarily—it seemed weird he was pointing that out when usually he would have known someone had told me. Drei settled next to me, cautiously, his eyes enraptured by the growing, dancing flames.

“I have known Gloria for a long time,” he began thoughtfully. “The second time I ever spoke with her, she told me not to fret about love. She insisted it was rather trivial in my healing process, and when I was ready, it would return to me.” He laughed at himself, shaking his head, and I wanted to kiss him, to always remember how at peace he looked when he laughed. It seemed like forever since I had seen him laugh—maybe longer—and I wished he would more often. “Gloria is funny in that she never reveals too much, but enough to drive you mad.”

“Sounds like someone I know,” I teased, coaxed into smiling. When he furrowed his brow, puzzled, I leveled my eyes at him. “Don’t even pretend.”

“I apologize for mystifying you.”

“No you aren’t,” I was shocked to find myself saying, knowing instantly it was true. “You almost enjoy it. You and Nick both did, and Mitchell—” Thinking about his involvement in the confusion made my muscles spasm for a millisecond. “Don’t even get me started on Mitchell. He really enjoys it.”

Drei laughed, erasing my irritation. “It will make sense in due time.”

“That’s what everyone keeps saying;” I sighed. “I just don’t know if 'in due time' or 'eventually' are going to come soon enough.”

“They will,” Drei said, serious again, that unfamiliar emotion in his eyes as his hand tucked my hair behind my ear. “Everything is clear with time.”

“What are we?” I inquired again, the question more insistent this time.

I expected him to look away, but he didn’t. He took a moment to find the words, sighing before he said anything. “I do not know what the potential of us is, or could be,” Drei admitted, his gaze still serious. In the seconds before his next words, I realized the emotion in his eyes was love—a completely different kind from what Nick and I had. “All I know is that I love you.”

Any hesitation I had formerly possessed vanished with his words, with that sweet confirmation of a feeling requited. My lips found his, and I felt the shock of the gesture settle and dissipate as he was swept away with me. The sleeping world felt left behind; it felt like we were soaring somewhere on clouds, alone together. His strong arms wrapped around me as we parted, his flowery scent enveloping me in my ecstasy. I was glowing, my cheeks hot to the touch; I was pleased to see Drei equally affected.

“I have loved you since I saw you,” he whispered, his voice sweeter and lighter than I ever remembered it. “I have not had the courage to tell you.” Our foreheads were barely touching, and I couldn’t believe it had taken us so long to let go of the fear and hurt. Not when this was the alternative.

“I love you,” I said, my heart amazingly light now that it was stated aloud.

Though I wanted to kiss him again, I settled next to him, my head resting on his chest, his arm draped over me. The fire before us still danced, almost more joyous than before.

“We must be wary, Abriel,” Drei murmured. I knew what he was going to say already: if we didn’t watch our step, if we became too close or too open, he would be barred from me. Then all of this would have been meaningless.

No, not meaningless. It had a meaning; it all had a purpose. If I lost him, this wouldn’t have been worthless; it had affirmed our connection, our love. No one would ever be able to keep us apart.

“I’m not afraid,” I whispered, truly meaning it.