The First Musical: Chapter One: Gisele, Part 3

I didn’t used to have stage fright. I used to sing all the time, every chance I could. Music and performance were my life; it felt like I wouldn’t be able to breathe without the ability to sing. Though I never learned to read music, I could feel it. At least that’s what my mom had said once when I'd asked her. So even if they weren’t always the right notes, they were beautiful. That’s what everyone told me anyway.

But then he came along, and changed everything. He made the stage dangerous and music foreign; he shattered my confidence because I wanted his approval above everything else. And then he left, crushing my heart and spirit in the process.

Carmen and Baron didn’t know that story. Carmen had moved to town the next fall and Baron transferred the following spring.

If I’d had my way, no one would know. Very few people knew what had happened, and that was out of necessity. But not knowing led to things like Johnathan.

Sitting in the study room, trying fruitlessly to concentrate on my accounting assignment, I realized she would probably still insist I acquaint myself with him, maybe even date him. Not out of maliciousness or naivety, but in the name of putting myself out there again.

Giving up on homework for the moment, I grabbed my bag and left the library, wandering aimlessly around campus. Upperclassmen passed by and glanced at me long enough to register I wasn’t a familiar face before looking away. Over the past couple months I had grown used to that. Despite a population of around 6,000 students, it was a fairly close community. Part of me envied the upperclassmen who seemed to know someone everywhere they went on campus.

As I continued walking, I contemplated what Carmen had said concerning his questions about me. She was right that it wasn’t general interest, though I had determined that long before she had. For whatever reason, he had picked me out of our group; I wasn’t even the performer…at least, I hadn’t been in the past three years. Could he see I’d been broken before? Had he marked me as easy prey?

“Hello, Gisele.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Off the path was an old maple tree; leaning against the trunk was Johnathan, a crooked smile on his lips, his blue-green eyes reflecting the light from the nearby lampost.

Without answering him, I continued down the path, heading toward my dorm room and hoping Carmen had decided to spend the night with Baron practicing her audition pieces. I didn’t want to have a conversation with or about Johnathan. If she was there, she’d certainly let him in and then I’d have nowhere to go.

“I really must speak with you,” he said, his footsteps following me down the sidewalk. “Perhaps Carmen has already told you? I’m putting on a musical…an ancient musical.”

Ignore him, I told myself. I repeated it several times in my mind, trying to block out his voice.

“I’m holding auditions for it soon. There’s only one role with a closed audition.” He caught up with me, his hands buried in his pockets as if to assure me he meant no harm.

“I really don’t care,” I said, hoping he’d stop following me.

“But I think you will,” he confided. His footsteps ceased to follow me and I hoped that was the end of the nightmare. “I want you to be my lead.”

Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, I faced him. His features were stoic and his eyes scanning my face for some trace of my reaction. All I could do was stare dumbly at him. I must have misheard; that was the only logical explanation. There’s no way he had said he wanted me to be the lead.

“You’re insane.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t perform. Now leave me alone.”

Without waiting for a response, I ran the last several yards to my residence hall. Even inside my room with the door locked, I couldn’t help thinking about him and what I couldn’t be certain he had said. As I had turned to retreat from him, I could have sworn he'd said, “You will be my lead.”

The First Musical: Chapter One: Gisele, Part 2

“Freak out much?” Carmen asked, dumping her bag on her desk and then plopping onto her bed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, trying to focus on my homework. Something was off in the general ledger my teammates had sent me to review and I couldn’t figure out what.

“I mean with Johnathan earlier. You didn’t even have another class.”

 “So? I have homework.”

“Doesn’t count,” she said, setting her favorite teddy bear in front of her and playing with the arms. “Baron and I ate lunch with him. He’s not a student, you know. Supposedly he graduated already and now he’s promoting this musical he wants to put on. Some ancient thing no one’s seen in forever.”

“Sounds perfect for you. You’re auditioning, I’m guessing.”

“Of course;” she rolled her hazel eyes. “I’m passing up the school auditions for his. Personally, I think I totally have the lead nailed. She’s supposed to be sweet and creative; there’s supposed to some improv involved.”

“Of course, it’s yours. You’re the best performer I know.” I opened a new spreadsheet on my laptop. I hadn’t wanted to, but it looked like my only option was to start the assignment over; I just could not find the error to make everything balance.

“Johnathan kept asking about you, too. He wanted to know if you’d audition,” she said, doing her best to sound disinterested. “I told him to forget it, before you jump me.”

“Thanks.”

I was hoping she was done so I could focus on recording these transactions. It was bad enough I’d wasted two hours searching for an error I couldn’t seem to find. I didn’t want to mess something up and waste even more time.

“He was really interested in knowing about you,” Carmen said, sounding more intrigued. “Like if you sang, what kind of music you liked and disliked…that sort of thing.”

“That’s nice,” I said, distractedly, really wishing she’d shut up. I didn’t want to know Johnathan was interested in me or anything about him. As far as I was concerned, I’d be content never crossing paths with him again. Just thinking about the encounter gave me chills.

“Why don’t you have lunch with him sometime…just get to know—”

“I’m going to the library,” I interrupted. “This is due tomorrow and I have to start over from the beginning.”

“Gisele, just give him a chance,” she said as I packed my laptop and course materials. “You’d like him. You really would.”

She didn’t understand that I didn’t want to like him, or get to know him, or anything to do with him. All I wanted was to make it through my classes and keep my scholarship. I didn’t need a boyfriend or to perform on stage, despite what Carmen seemed to think. I was happy to be invisible. It was safer that way. Something about the way Johnathan had looked at me had made me feel very much exposed, and that was a terrifying thought.

The First Musical: Chapter One: Gisele, Part 1

“You’re beautiful. So smile like you’re beautiful. So sing like you’re beautiful. So dance –”

“—like you’re beautiful?” I supplied, interrupting Carmen. She had a tendency to make up her own songs and sing them all around campus in her flighty soprano voice.

“Exactly!” She walked backwards in front of me, bouncing on her toes with every step.

“You’ll run over someone like that;” thankfully, most people walked around her, some glaring.

“Why not sing with me? You aren’t half bad, yourself.”

“No, thanks. Remember, I’m the one who will only do karaoke if you pull me up on stage with you.”

“That was only once and no one complained.”

“Hey, Carmen, Gisele,” Baron called from across the quad, catching my eye. His name was Barnaby, but everyone called him Baron. Carmen beamed brighter than a spotlight while we waited for him to join  us.

“Hey, Baron. What’s up?” I asked when he was close enough I didn’t have to yell.

“Nothing much. Heading to lunch?”

“Baron, tell her she should sing more. She really isn’t that bad,” Carmen pouted.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to mumble something cutesy into her ear that made her face light up again. To me he said, “You really do have a great voice, Gisele. It wouldn’t hurt to join a group or something.”

“Will you drag her to auditions this week for me?”

Baron raised his eyebrows at me as though asking my opinion.

“I’m not auditioning,” I said, not for the first time. Auditioning was something I didn’t do. Kind of like being on stage wasn’t something I did. “And you know that, Carmen.”

Baron shrugged and returned his attention to Carmen. “She was always exempt from in-class presentations.”

“Your stage fright is fictitious,” she said, shrugging off Baron’s arm and walking backwards again. Then, as was commonly Carmen, she randomly burst into song; “It’s all in your head, my darling girl. You can do so much more than you give yourself credit for…”

“You can ignore her,” Baron whispered, grinning.

“I always do. Carmen, watch—”

Carmen fell over a guy who had wound up behind her; the two of them landed in a tangled mess of limbs on the sidewalk.

“I am so sorry,” Carmen fussed as Baron helped her to her feet. She shoved her golden locks over her shoulder before turning back to the guy on the ground. He picked himself up slowly, almost like he was distracted, running a hand through his shaggy auburn hair. His blue-green eyes met hers for a second as she gushed apologies before sweeping over Baron and landing on me for the longest two seconds of my life.

“It’s fine,” he said, dusting the seat of his pants. He then reached out a hand; “I’m Johnathan.”

“Carmen,” she said, shaking his hand. “My beau, Baron, and my best girl, Gisele. Nice to meet you, John.”

“Johnathan;” there was a slight edge to his voice.

“You don’t shorten it at all?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.

“No. Do you shorten yours?” The look he gave me was so intense I had to divert my gaze. Part of me wanted to run even. Something about the way he regarded me was different from when he looked at Baron or Carmen and it made my skin crawl.

“Baron does.” Then, glancing at my phone, I added, “I’m going to grab something to eat before the food court closes.”

“May I join you?” Johnathan asked.

“No,” I said a little too quickly. “I mean, I have a class in a little bit. It’s just to hold me over.”

“Gisele—”

“I’ll catch you later, Carmen,” I cut her off. I didn’t want him to know I was lying. I just wanted to be away from him and whatever it was he saw in me.

Eternal: Chapter One, Part 4

About a month after he had first brought up the phone calls, we were walking through the park, discussing my movement. I still hadn’t figured out what exactly I would do, though I had figured out what the basis of it was going to be. I hoped by the time I had brought everyone integral to my revolution in, I would know how to carry it out.

“So who all is included as integral?” Drei asked as we left the park, walking along a predominantly empty residential sidewalk.

“Mikael and Kora, because they’re both earth. Jake and Xenia, for water. Caroline, though I’m not sure I’ll find her counterpart. And Ian will match me in air. Then of course there’s you,” I added, glancing up at him.

“Anyone else?” he prodded, a glint in his eyes suggesting I was forgetting someone.

For a moment I thought about saying Nick, one of my friends who, unfortunately, was trapped working for our corrupt government. The very government I would be moving against. But I didn’t know if he’d even be able to partake in the ensuing events. If he showed up, I wouldn’t deny his help, but I wasn’t going to count him in when I couldn’t be sure.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted slowly, still trying to think of an answer.

“So there is no room for us?” a woman’s voice demanded indignantly from behind us.

My head whipped around to take in the sight of Valetta and Mitchell as Mitchell said, “I guess we are unwelcome, Valetta.”

Mitchell smirked teasingly at me before I hugged him. Both Valetta and Mitchell were vampires, though I hadn’t seen them since I had left the elemental safe camp Drei used to run. Valetta had been left in charge, and I guessed in the years we had been away, some relationship had blossomed between her and Mitchell. They stood closer together than I remembered, and Valetta seemed to radiate a happiness I couldn’t remember having sensed around her. There was also a flicker of some secretive smile when he said her name.

Valetta was pale in complexion with dark hair and long flowing clothes that made her elegant in an old world way while keeping with the new world trends. She had been one of my first new friends after I had run away from home, though, then, I had been convinced Drei was in love with her. That wasn’t the case, as I found out from both of them—at separate times—though she did love him.

On the other hand, Mitchell had dark ebony skin and was bald, more than likely a choice of his own. He used to drive me crazy, never once having answered any of my questions directly. What was almost worse was he seemed to enjoy it. So many times I wanted to hit him, but now I was just so happy to see them. It felt like it had been forever.

“Of course there’s room for you,” I said, throwing my arms around Valetta. “There’s always room for friends.”

“Do you like your surprise, Abriel?” Drei asked from behind us.

“I love it;” I kissed his cheek, asking, “Is this what all of that phone call business was about?”

Smiling, he replied, “Yes, love.”

“He insisted on surprising you,” Valetta said. “You know I cannot resist a good surprise.”

“I know.”

“You must have matured some,” Mitchell said, smirking mischievously, “as you are not yet berating us for the surprise. If I remember rightly, you did not used to care for them.”

I shrugged; “I’ve had so many surprises the past few years, I guess I learned to just deal with it.”

“Walk with us,” Drei said, tilting his head in the direction in which we had been going. “We will soon be at the apartment again.”

“We have a spare bedroom, too,” I added, slipping my hand back into Drei’s. “You could share, or however you want to split it.” I didn’t much like the possible thought of not sleeping next to Drei, but I didn’t want them to be uncomfortable either. I guess my mother’s drilling in proper hostess behavior hadn’t been worn away with my distaste of surprises.

“We shall discuss that later on,” Valetta said, walking beside me, Mitchell on her other side, their fingers loosely interlaced. “For now, we are more interested in this secret Drei has been keeping from us.”

“What secret?” I looked from Valetta and Mitchell to Drei. Why didn’t I know there was a secret? You’d figure I would know if there was a secret.

“Concerning you, Abriel,” Mitchell said casually, his gaze fixed at some point down the street.

“Though I think I can guess what it is;” Valetta voice retained a light-hearted quality though her features were considerably stonier. “Drei, please tell me this secret is not what I believe it to be.”

“And what, pray tell, do you think it is?” Drei asked, staring ahead like Mitchell. There was a stiffness about him, and though I still held his hand, it didn’t feel like he was really holding mine back.

I had this sinking feeling I knew what the secret was. It wasn’t a secret to either of us since we’d been dealing with it for a year, but if he hadn’t told them, it was still somewhat of a secret. I couldn’t be sure how I felt about him not telling them; they deserved to know, especially since the Vampire Council would eventually know; I honestly preferred if they knew before the Council did.

Valetta stopped under a streetlight, tugging on my hand to stop me as well. Tilting my chin up to the light, she ordered, “Open your mouth.” Obeying, it took her a second before she dropped my chin and slapped Drei. “What the hell do you think you are doing? This jeopardizes everything,” she berated quietly, pointing violently in my direction.

I had been right. He hadn’t told them he had turned me. My eyes studied Mitchell as he buried his hands in his pockets, staring into some dark void. He was disappointed as well, but he wasn’t going to rip into Drei while Valetta was. I wasn’t sure if he would at all, or how opposed he was. For the moment though, he wasn’t going to say anything.

“You do not understand the circumstances,” Drei said, attempting to tower over her, but he was no match to her anger. I’d never seen her so livid, as though she could kill him and not think twice.

“Circumstances? They might take her from you. Did you think on those circumstances?”

“I would rather they take her from me than Death,” he hissed, trying to force her into backing down. It wasn’t working. This was Valetta, after all. She was highly intelligent and as stubborn as Drei. Maybe even more so. I might have been able to coax Drei into some things and stood up to him when he was out of line, but if anyone was going to drag him from a high horse, it was Valetta.

As the words settled in, Valetta seemed to shrink. “You lie,” she said, trying to hold onto her anger, still wanting to paint him a villain. I guessed I had been wrong; even that subject could stop her. But I was sure she wasn’t going to forgive him.

“He doesn’t.” She turned towards me, her eyes finding me as though they had forgotten I was still there. “I thought I had died, and then he told me I hadn’t.”

She held my face in her hands, whispering, “You poor thing; this never should have happened.” Pulling me into her embrace, she rubbed my back. It felt more like the gesture was an attempt to comfort herself instead of me. I had already come to terms with it and her consoling did nothing for me. “You should never have been doomed to this fate.”

“She has accepted this, Valetta,” Drei said, still standing away from us.

“Because you have convinced her she should, or because she has decided to?” Mitchell asked politely, a threat hidden in his words. So he was going to speak after all. I made a mental note to stop guessing how this was going to go; I hadn’t been around them recently and all of us had changed, it seemed.

Removing myself from Valetta’s hold, I decided this was enough. I didn’t want to keep discussing this because there wasn’t a point to it. What was done was done, and no amount of reprimanding would fix it. Period.

“I accepted it because it was the only way I can do what I need to, and because I love him,” I said, wrapping my arms around Drei’s waist and resting my head on his chest. “And even if it doesn’t last long, at least we can be together for a while.”

“For a while may be all you have;” Valetta sighed, as Mitchell soothed her, whispering into her ear and wrapping his arms around her.

“I’ll take what I’m given.” As hard as it was to even consider possibly losing Drei, I knew the time was fast coming when we’d have to admit this was a possibility; that the Council would not rule mercifully in his favor. It wouldn’t stop me from fighting for it, but no matter what happened, I would always have some part of him.

“Let us not ruin this beautiful night,” Drei said solemnly, holding me close for a moment.

“It has been ruined already, friend,” Mitchell said, though there was nothing friendly in his voice. He took Valetta’s hand as we continued down the street.

“Then let us not waste what is left,” Drei said as Valetta took my hand and squeezed it.

She gave me a look then, her dark eyes full of a strange mixture of sadness and happiness. They seemed to say she was glad Drei and I could finally be open about our love, but she also feared whatever came when the Council found out—for my sake, anyway.  Even if Drei wouldn’t admit it, he was afraid of that time as well. I could feel the fear washing off of him, even as he struggled to dismiss it.

But there was something else there in the sadness of her eyes. Almost like a loss of faith, or perhaps trust. I couldn’t be sure, though. Whatever it was, it was deep and troubling her. A sinking feeling overcame me. This storm wasn’t over. Drei’s vain hope the rest of the night wouldn’t be ruined seemed that much vainer.

Eternal: Chapter One, Part 3

We went walking almost nightly after that. The only nights we didn’t was when Drei had other things to do, but then he’d let me open the windows in the apartment and do as I liked, so long as I didn’t leave. He still wasn’t sure why I wasn’t constantly hungry anymore, and didn’t want something to happen when he wasn’t there. I didn’t hold his worries against him; I loved him, and somewhat knew how he could be before I told him as much. Despite everything in our past—the fights, the separation, the disagreements—I couldn’t fathom loving anyone else as much as I did him.

Before Drei had come to some conclusion about my hunger “issue,” I had guessed it was heavily rooted in my element; it was the only thing that really made sense considering how intense it was now. His conclusion reflected this.

“Your element and your vampire inhabit the same space, obviously,” Drei said one evening at breakfast. “It makes sense they would share everything else, including your nutrition. When your element is sated, which happens when it is being actively used as much as I can tell, your vampire is also sated.”

“But not vice versa?” I asked.

“No, because your element cannot draw nutrients as your vampire does.”

“So how does my element draw nutrients?” That was the concept I didn’t understand. Drei shrugged in response; because he didn’t have an answer, I still had to drink a mug of animal blood once a week to ensure I was receiving all of the nutrients I needed. Though I had grown accustomed to the taste, it wasn’t something I had learned to enjoy consuming.

It took a long time for me to figure it out, but I eventually did discover how my element drew nutrients. When we went walking, my element automatically began exploring everything, reaching out to hear, see, and feel various things and people in the surrounding area; by doing this, my element was extracting energy from people, plants, animals, sound, anything and everything, basically. It never drew so much from any one thing to be disruptive, but it drew enough that by the end of our walk, I had nutrition enough to fulfill my needs.

I thought about telling Drei, but he seemed satisfied enough having pieced together what he had. Besides, I doubted it would dissuade him from my weekly blood requirement.

Oftentimes, I would fall asleep in Drei’s arms around sunrise, though I knew he would leave again to wait for his phone calls. Part of me was concerned with how many calls he had been taking lately, considering he’d never been much for chatting. I chose to trust him. If it continued on much longer, I would ask about it again, I decided. I had a right to know, and it would be better to ask than to do nothing and let the nerves build until they exploded. We had already been there once before; I didn’t think either of us was too keen on revisiting.

Eternal: Chapter One, Part 2

It was wonderful being away from the apartment. My element picked up on everything around us: the wild party-goers; the happily drunk couples; the families leaving the movie in the park, babbling excitedly; the varying conversations of people leaving the visiting comedian; and so on. I was ecstatic to be surrounded and filled with the sounds of life again, even more so now because I was fully aware of my connection to the air element; we were far more intertwined than I had known while alive.

“Are you pleased?”

“Very much so,” I said, unable to stop smiling. Now that he had turned me, it didn’t matter who knew we were together. Of course, we would eventually have to face the Vampire Council, considering he wasn’t supposed to turn me in the first place, but I forsook that train of thought. Right now, his hand was in mine, we were outside, and that was all that mattered.

“How are you doing?” His eyes scanned me nervously, as though afraid I would fall into a million pieces if the breeze so much as shifted direction.

Nudging him with my shoulder, I assured him I was fine. “I feel better than I have in a long time.”

Smiling and looking at me as though I was the only person he could see, he said, “I am glad.”

It amazed me how much my element was absorbing. I felt connected to Drei, to his every available thought and motion, as well as to everyone else if I paid enough attention. How much I had changed hadn’t occurred to me until then. Before I might have wanted to shut it all out and just be with myself; but I had been with myself long enough and the lively change was more than welcome.

“I love the night,” I said, needing to express some of the happiness bubbling inside me.

“You used to love the day,” he said, almost forlornly.

“I know;” I gazed up at him, my free hand pushing some of his shaggy brown hair behind his ear. “But I can’t have the day.”

“No, you cannot.”

“So I’ll love what I can have.”

“That is a good way to live.”

“Not always. Sometimes that’s just settling.”

“This is true. But if you settle for nothing, you lose a lot.”

“Now you’re just trying to sound smart.”

“Perhaps.” He smiled down at me, his pale amethyst eyes sparkling. I found myself kissing him in the middle of the sidewalk. His arms pulled me closer to him for a moment before he seemed to remember we were in public. Grinning, he pulled away from me. “This is not the place,” he said gently.

“I couldn’t help myself.” I honestly couldn’t. The other part of me—the vampiric essence now a part of my being—had been tempted and had very little restraint.

“You will learn to control it,” Drei said, slipping his hand into mine again as we continued on our promenade. “It will take some time, though.”

“Everything takes time.” I was almost sick of hearing the phrase and its variations. It seemed like all I had heard the past six years. My patience was quickly, and understandably, wearing thin.

“The only person you are waiting on anymore is you;” he glanced at me, and I knew I had been thinking too loudly again. “So what plans are you making to start?”

Shrugging, I said, “I haven’t been able to think much on it lately. I’ve been too distracted.”

“What by?”

“Being outside again;” I grinned sheepishly. “But I think the first move to make is gathering those who are going to help me the most.”

“Such as…”

“You know. Don’t pretend you don’t.”

He smirked. “I do know.”

“So if I forget anyone, you’d better tell me so.”

“Of course.”

We turned into the park in silence. It was pleasant, and there were fewer people around so it felt almost like an exciting secret. Kind of like we could hide each other from the world and always be together. Especially since the sounds of the city fell away in the park, replaced with the rustling of leaves, the sighing of flowers, and the whistling of a warm spring breeze. The ambiance was soothing and seemed to carry away even Drei’s worries. I couldn’t recall ever feeling him so relaxed; it seemed he was always stressed by one thing or another.

When we returned to the apartment, it seemed entirely too soon, like we had barely been away. Drei explained the sun would be rising shortly when I raised the complaint. He wouldn’t say if we could have stayed longer had it still been night for a few more hours. Instead, he suggested I change for bed—arguing I had tired myself out with excitement—and wouldn’t listen when I insisted I wasn’t at all tired.

After changing into one of the long satin nightgowns Drei had bought for me recently—he had taken to showering me with gifts, either out of remorse or in an attempt to placate me—I returned to the living room. He sat, reading one of his magazines, completely engrossed.

“Are you joining me?” I asked, curling up beside him and resting my chin on his shoulder.

Drei dog-eared his page and dropped the magazine on the coffee table. He turned to face me and kissed my nose. “If I sleep now, I will miss something very important.”

“Like what?”

His fingers brushed the hair out of my face, tucking it behind an ear. “Such as the call I am supposed to receive this morning.”

“From whom?”

“You will see soon enough,” he replied, his hand traveling down my bare arm and stopping on my forearm. He lifted my arm so he could examine it while attempting—and failing—to conceal his amazement.

“What is it?”

“This is the arm you burned, correct?”

“Yes,” I said slowly.

“When did you heal?”

Shrugging, I pulled my arm away from him and crossed it over my chest. “I don’t know. Probably during our walk.”

“Are you hungry at all, before you go to bed?”

I failed to see the connection between the two but answered, “No.”

“Not in the least?”

“Not at all, Drei,” I said, knowing it was weird as I used to feel hungry most of the time and just learned to ignore it. But I felt completely sated. It was strange, but I wasn’t going to pay it any mind. For the first time in almost a year, I wasn’t hungry; I counted myself lucky.

“That is not at all like you,” he said, regarding me carefully. “You are certain?”

“Yes. What does this have to with my arm, though?”

“I cannot be sure,” he said, though the set of his jaw revealed he was determined to find out. He didn’t like mysteries any more than I did; the only difference being Drei was allowed to know the answers and I had to find them myself.

Deciding the mystery wasn’t worth it—I was healed, that couldn’t be a bad thing even if it was puzzling—I stood, pulling gently on his hand. “If you won’t sleep yet, will you at least lie next to me until I do?”

“You have become very demanding lately,” Drei observed, standing and following me into his room—where I had been sleeping since my awakening. We still hadn’t been together past kissing, but we were both fine with that.

“Not really; I’ve only asked you for two things.”

“And what message do I send if I continue to give you everything for which you ask?”

“You love me;” I snuggled into his embrace, my previous energy quickly slipping away.

“That I do.”

“And I love you,” I added, yawning.

He kissed the top of my head, tangling a hand comfortingly in my hair, the other pulling me closer to him. “I know you do.”

Eternal: Chapter One, Part 1

Chapter One: Change Comes Swiftly

A sliver of sunlight spilled into the room, illuminating the dark space. It was strange seeing sunlight after having hidden from it for so long. Drei said it was because I wasn’t ready yet; he explained we could handle it indirectly in small doses. I wasn’t strong enough, though, and he never said why not. He seemed afraid to admit it, some days, and ignored my questions.

Outside, it was a beautiful day. I could hear the people on the street, their bustling footsteps hurrying past. A few birds flew overhead, disturbed from their previous perches and searching for new ones. Some corner musicians sang their hearts out, trying to make their dreams come true. There were even a few children, gawking in amazement or boredom at the scenes around them while parents pulled them along.

Listening made me miss the world. It felt like it had been forever since I had been part of it. For almost a year—including my time in transition and healing—this apartment had been my universe, and Drei the only other person in it. I loved him, and I was grateful for the extension he had given me, but I wanted more now. I wanted to smell the air, as polluted as it may be; I wanted to feel the breeze wrap around me, and the earth beneath my bare feet; I wanted to see and experience life again. I had been such a fool for ever wanting anything else.

“Come away from the window, Abriel.”

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Drei, dressed in his usual black. One of his hands was buried in his pocket, the other lay offered to me. Letting the curtain fall closed again, I walked to him, taking his hand. His other hand gingerly touched my arm, and I noticed the skin was riddled with boils and blackened spots. Even noticing it now, it didn’t hurt. I was mostly curious how it had happened, and why.

“You burned yourself,” he whispered, his amethyst eyes fixated on the damage. “This is why I asked you to keep from the windows.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, unsure what he wasn’t saying. Something unnerved him about my being injured but I couldn’t understand what, despite trying to; he kept his thoughts well guarded from my prying.

“You should sleep,” he said instead, kissing my forehead. “Sleep will help you heal.”

I decided not to press him; I’d figure it out sooner or later. Besides, when it came to sleep, that was one argument I could never win. Not with Drei.

She should be strong enough indirect sunlight is harmless, I caught him thinking as I made my way to the bed. It made sense he’d worry about something like that. I had a movement to lead still, and I needed some strength to do so. If his thoughts were any indication, I wasn’t much stronger than I had been since healing from the shooting a few months ago, and that was only enough to venture beyond the bedroom.

“I’ll sleep if you promise to take me walking tonight,” I bargained, pulling back the covers and sitting down. “I haven’t been outside in forever.”

He nodded, coming to the bed. “We shall see.”

“No, you have to promise me,” I said; I wasn’t compromising on this. I needed to be out of this apartment before I went insane. “Or I’ll stand in the window again.”

“You know that will not improve your health,” he chided gently, smiling, trying to make light of the situation.

“Nothing does.” I turned my back to him. What harm could a midnight walk do? There wasn’t any sun then and, if I started feeling weak, it wasn’t like carrying me had ever been a problem for him.

His fingers brushed my hair back, an attempt to coax me into a better mood. He knew, though, it was futile. I could match him in stubbornness. Sighing, he yielded; “Very well. We can go walking tonight.”

Turning back to him, I kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

“I just hope—”

“It’s not too soon,” I said, slipping my hand into his. “I need to leave this place for a little while. This apartment cannot be my entire world.”

Kissing my hand, he suggested I sleep then. A moment later, he slipped into the bed next to me, wrapping me in his arms and kissing the top of my head. I closed my eyes, comfortable and content. While worry thickened the air around him, the sensation was dulled by my own anticipation and excitement.

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 One, Part 5

What had happened back there? Other than Richie thinking it was okay to—I didn’t even want to think about it. It was just one huge catastrophe I wished I could forget, but knew I never could. I didn’t even want to think about how he had ended up crumpled against the wall, but that was reasonable. Figuring that out meant actually having to deal with everything else that had happened.

I wandered out of the gated community, following city streets back across town. I cursed myself for leaving my purse behind—a safe thought compared to the alternatives; what good would a warm coat do when I didn’t have money or a cell phone with me to call a taxi? My heels clacked noisily on the cement sidewalk and the hem of my dress collected all the pollutants and muck it could find.

There was a noise down the alley I was passing. For a split second, I thought it was nothing, just something metal falling out of a dumpster. But a nagging feeling had my feet moving twice as fast as before, reminding me this was a shady part of town where drunks and potential murderers hung out—at least according to Mother. Someone like me, someone dressed like me, was targeted for money and other luxuries. Again I cursed myself for forgetting my purse.

“Where are you running off to so fast?” a man questioned, blocking the path ahead of me.

“N-nowhere,” I said, stumbling backwards a couple steps. I sensed another man approach behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, there he was, looking content with himself. Since when could I sense things so clearly?

The man grinned maliciously, advancing. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing out here?” I attempted to run into the empty street when his partner grabbed me from behind. “Come to see how the poor live?” 

I panicked, starting to kick and scream until the first man clamped a hand over my mouth. They dragged me into the alley and shoved me against a brick wall.

“Scream again and it'll be the last thing you do," the first man hissed at me. As if to prove his point, the second man casually aimed a pistol at me. "Now where’s your purse?”

“I-I-I lost it.” My heart was beating so fast I could barely focus on anything else.

He tore open my coat and ran a rough hand along my exposed skin. Slowly, he moved in until I could feel his heavy breath on my cheek. It smelled stale and smoky, but sweet.

“Such a pretty thing,” he murmured to himself. “I bet you’re mighty tasty.”

My mind succumbed to defeat; things weren’t going to improve and I didn’t have any fight left in me. What little adrenaline that had been summoned was overrun with exhaustion and sadness. That was it. Someone probably would have find me sliced open in that filthy alley the next morning, leaving everyone to pretend to mourn my death.

“Step away from her,” a baritone voice said firmly, just as I closed my eyes to avoid seeing the man put his lips on me. I might have felt it, but that was one image I didn’t want ingrained in my mind for however much longer I lived.

The pressure and warmth of his body receded, allowing a gust of cool air to rush over me. I saw the second ruffian was held by a new man in a way that threatened his neck to snap; the gun he had been holding was nowhere to be seen. His partner, taking in the situation, began to slowly move away from me, never removing his eyes from the challenger.

“We were just messing with the doll,” he said jovially, walking backwards past the rusted green dumpster and bags of trash.

Something flashed in the corner of my eye as something moved in the other. When everything settled again, I saw the second man on his knees, gasping, and the first was now held in a compromising position of his own, his arm angled painfully skyward behind his back until he dropped the gun in his hand. My hero—though I was aware this title might have been completely premature—shoved him forward with a powerful thrust over the still kneeling second man where he landed face first in a puddle of water and who knew what else.

“Leave,” he growled, most likely causing the two to wet themselves as they scrambled from the alley. If I had been one of those two, I might have. The word was filled with menace and the threat of horrible possibilities. Any sane person would have scurried for his life.

I watched, petrified, as he moved to the gun and unloaded it, scattering the bullets and bending closed the barrel. I felt the breath stick to my throat as my eyes widened. What was he going to do? I was dead if he so desired, though, dead was looking like the best of the options I had been presented that night.

He must have sensed my growing terror for he cooed, “Do not be afraid. I am not here to harm you.”

A pale hand lay offered to me, as if I was a small child stuck atop a slide. I took it, shocked at the cool, soft texture of his skin. My hero led me gently back onto the street, glancing at me every so often as if to ensure I wasn’t going to disappear or fall apart on him—to be honest, he was lucky I didn’t. We had been walking a while when I finally managed to speak.

“Why?” My voice shook with the word, threatening to give out.

His features lit with a small, understanding grin as a faint, familiar scent reached my nose. “Why what, Abriel?”

“H-how…m-my name?” I queried worriedly, my knees buckling for a moment. He easily caught me as I started to stumble, and carried me to sit on a bus bench. The faint fragrance was stronger nearer his person, but I still couldn’t place it; that was almost as unnerving as his knowing my name.

The smile grew as he replied, “Have I been gone so long?”

A memory awoke somewhere in my mind and the voice seemed familiar as well. When I prodded further, I found where I knew it and the smell. “Th-the man, who put me to sleep,” I managed, my voice slowly growing stronger.

“I guess I never properly introduced myself,” he said, chuckling softly. Though he seemed genuinely amused by one of us, something was off about the sound, as if he didn’t laugh often. I briefly wondered why he would do so before banning any distractions from my thoughts.

He stood—a tall, pale figure clothed in black—and made a sweeping bow. “I am Drei. The pleasure is entirely mine;” he stood straight again, his light brown hair bouncing back to frame his face. Drei had expressive, amethyst eyes—nearly lavender from their paleness—filled with sympathy. Something in his face hinted at vulnerability, though his chin was strong.

“Why did you save me, Drei?” Some part of me was sidetracked by how lovely his name sounded and how smoothly it seemed to slip from my lips.

Sitting beside me again, he replied, “Because you are unique.”

A smile found its way to my lips. It felt awkward there, considering the night, but it also felt somewhat natural given the current situation. “Everyone is unique.” I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.

“You are more unique than you know,” he said, staring at me a moment before I turned away, pretending to study a piece of newspaper lying in the gutter. His gaze was so much more intense than that of anyone I knew and I didn’t like the absolute uncertainty it gave me.

As we sat in silence, I tossed this tidbit around in my head—still not wanting to meet his eyes—letting it expand into something of importance. I was unique. And more than that, Drei thought I was unique. Somehow that made it even better.

“Come,” he said, standing, reaching a hand out to me. “I shall walk you back to your neighborhood.”

My hand slipped into his, this time with more confidence that I could trust him given our history—if it could even be considered as such. Drei was there to protect me, keep me safe. It seemed then he was my guardian angel, or perhaps a fallen angel, who knew something I didn’t. Either way, he had saved me, and all I wanted was to return home without any more incidents. Since this is what he had silently promised, I was not going to question his motives.

After all, my birthday was already ruined and meeting my mystery man was the sole saving grace. Why spoil that, too, by asking too many questions?