Eternal: Chapter Seven, Part 6

“It is not yet time for that.” He reached out a hand to me, but I didn’t want to accept it if he was going to ask me to consider never doing so again. “We are not the choice you must consider. We are almost there.”

I stared at him for a moment longer—ensuring he meant what he said—before taking his hand. Drei pulled me into an embrace, holding me tight, and my doubts dissipated as I breathed him in, inhaled his luscious scent. Part of me was frightened by what he might ask of me, but I had trusted him this long. A little longer wouldn’t hurt.

We continued and a knot started forming in my stomach. The further we walked, the more I remembered this place, and, if I was right, we were heading toward my old neighborhood. That meant the choice dealt with either my mother—my adoptive mother, my dad’s wife—or Dad. But the likelihood of my dad being home was slim; before I’d left, he was rarely home. And if this was for my mother…that wasn’t even a choice, really. I wanted nothing to do with her, and that I’d decided long before I’d left.

Sure enough, we ended up at the end of the drive leading to the gate of my old neighborhood. I was grateful we were here and not at the school; I wasn’t sure how I might have handled that, but this I could handle—maybe. There were a lot of good memories here, at least, even if there were some less than pleasant ones to wish me off.

“Your first choice,” he said, stopping at the bottom of the drive. “We can continue, or we can check into our hotel for the night.”

I stared through the darkness at the neighborhood ahead, contemplating the option before me. To go on might mean having to face one of my parents, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. On the other hand, I wasn’t sure I wanted to just disregard it all. Against my better judgment, I had bottled up the final events here years ago and avoided thinking on them when I could. The downside was I never found closure for myself, and letting go of my own emotions was much more difficult than helping someone else release theirs. So while I wasn’t sure if I was ready for confrontation or reunion—whichever awaited me—I wasn’t particularly keen on giving up a chance for resolution.

“If we continue, there will be one more choice for you to make,” Drei said.

“One more choice.” He nodded beside me. “We’ve come this far,” I said, “why not a little further?”

“Very well.” He turned to start along the outside perimeter.

At first, I thought to suggest we go through the front as I used to know the night guard fairly well; then I realized how long it had been and how much I didn’t know about this place anymore. If it was a different guard, he would probably call ahead to verify my identity and then whatever second choice I had to make would be made for me. Even if it was the same guard, many of my team hadn’t recognized me in my new state and we had lived together. Without a suitable alternative, I jogged to catch up to Drei.

“When I used to visit you at night, I took a back way in, never through the gate. They would have asked too many questions.” After a moment we came to a tall tree and Drei smoothly climbed up to the first set of branches. “Here.”

Though he reached down to help me up, after glancing around—mostly using my element to sense around us—I formed a block of air below me and was sitting on top of the wall in a moment. He smirked—probably at my ingeniousness—climbing the rest of the way and joining me.

“I take it no one is around but us?”

Nodding, I glimpsed over the wall. “Want a lift down?”

He nimbly jumped from the wall and landed in a low crouch on the other side. Slowly, using the air as an elevator, I joined him.

“Show off.”

“I am not the only one,” he said, smiling. “It is not much farther.”

“It’s just down the street.”

He nodded, a brightness to his eyes. I followed his lead out of this yard and onto the street.

In a couple of minutes, we were standing on the driveway of my parents’ house. I had never thought I would be there again—not this soon, anyway. It hadn’t changed from what I remembered, though it seemed larger and more intimidating now. Lights shone through various windows, mostly on the ground level.

“What’s my choice now?” I asked, looking up at him.

“I am not sure if you will take this opportunity, but I have felt for some time now that you left some things unfinished when you came with me,” he said, and as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t disagree with his conclusion. Maybe Caroline had rubbed off on me and now I wanted to disagree for the sake of disagreeing; I couldn’t be sure. “You must decide whether or not you’ll see your father.”

I had known that was coming. Despite my suspicions, I hadn’t given it much thought. Drei wouldn’t have brought me here if Dad wasn’t going to be home. But could I face him? After he had told me I was the only reason he could stand missing Mom, I’d left him without a word. There wasn’t a note. I hadn’t called, or written, or anything in the years I had been gone. Nothing, in all my experience, could suggest how this might play out. He could hate me for all I knew. Then again, he might be worse than before, and that would be my fault; no matter what anyone else said, it would be my fault, because I’d known how he was. He’d told me how bad he was.

A light came on in what I remembered as my old room. A backlit figure passed by the window and I wondered if that wasn’t Dad. My mind immediately filled with images of him wandering my old room, everything tidied and left in place like some kind of monument to my memory; I wanted to go to him, to show him I was okay and well and deeply regretting the hurt I must have caused him.

But what if he asked me to stay. Part of me would want to say yes, but I had Drei to think about; I had myself, and everyone else…not to mention my movement. I had to lead that; no one else could. If he asked, though…I felt obligated to say yes just thinking about it. Should I face my dad, I knew I wouldn’t have the heart to deny him.

“No,” I whispered, taking in the empty windows, the lifeless exterior, the cold building that once had been my favorite place in the world.

Drei waited until I turned away before he took my hand and we left. He didn’t ask why, though he probably knew; I had a feeling I was thinking loud enough for him to know anyway. But it was the best thing he could have done. As much as I wished I could see my dad again and make it up to him, now wasn’t the time. I wasn’t sure there would ever be a good time. Maybe after this was over, I could start to make amends.

Eternal: Chapter Seven, Part 5

Drei wouldn’t tell me where we were going, just that I would know soon enough. Until then, we were on a train traveling west, and he was keeping a tight hold on our tickets.

“Are you sure I’m going to like this?” I asked for perhaps the tenth time since we had left the apartment that morning. Part of me hoped if I was annoying enough, he’d slip and tell me.

“I cannot guarantee you will,” he said, as he had all day, “but I know it is something you have been considering doing.”

That told me a lot…not really. There were a lot of things I had considered doing over the years and most of them I hadn’t thought much about lately. I was preoccupied with other, more pressing matters. However, it was rather nice to be alone with Drei again and not having to worry about anyone else. Resting my head on his shoulder, I said, “Should I thank you now or later?”

“Neither,” he whispered, taking my hand in his. “Later, you will make a decision. Now you should sleep.”

“I’m not tired,” I insisted, holding back a yawn. I didn’t want to waste our time together sleeping. Especially since this was only my second day with him in weeks.

“You are.”

“You can’t know that.” I hoped I could convince him.

“It is raining outside;” he smiled kindly down at me, knowing he had won. I didn’t hate him for it; I honestly should have remembered it was raining. Rain made the air heavier; I’m no scientist, so I don’t know how to explain how exactly it does, but I can feel it. When it’s raining, I usually feel somewhat depressed if I don’t have someone near me to change that. Lately, that hadn’t been as true; instead I found I felt tired, though I could push past that if needed. Drei insisting I give in to it wasn’t helping anything.

“When you wake, we will have reached our destination.”

His arm wound around me, pulling me close. The next thing I knew, he was gently shaking me awake, saying something about arriving.

“Five more minutes,” I bargained groggily, curling closer to him.

“You may sleep when we are returning home, and I promise not to wake you then,” he said, combing the hair out of my face with his fingers. “But for now you have to wake. And look, the rain has stopped.”

Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes to clear the sleep from them. “Where are we?”

“It stops being a surprise when I tell you,” he teased kindly, grabbing our overnight bag and taking my hand.

It seemed since the Council knew, he didn’t care how we were seen in public. Before, everything had to be done with the utmost caution; no one could know—though this attitude had relaxed slightly with my turning. Now it didn’t matter, because the only people we had to be afraid of already knew and weren’t going to do anything about it for a while. Personally, I preferred it that way; it was less complicated.

I followed him along the aisle and down the stairs where we joined a few other travelers waiting to depart. Drei steadied me as the train came to a stop at the station.

“Do you mind walking?” he asked, glancing at me as we headed down the street from the station.

“Not at all,” I said distractedly. There was something familiar about this place. I’d been here before, I knew that, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was driving me crazy not knowing, especially since my mind seemed to be putting a block on whatever importance this place held for me.

“Do you remember?”

We passed the Café Cherie, and I knew where we were. I stopped to stare at it, unsure why he would bring me back here now. Drei turned to watch me, a certain glint in his eye at my revelation. His lips were pressed together, though, as if unsure he was doing the right thing.

“This is where you told me about—”

“And you left me there feeling guiltier than ever I had felt before,” he interrupted. My shock at being home—well, in my hometown—was clouding my judgment. Until my movement was fully in motion, it was dangerous to admit being an elemental.

“You said I’d have to make a decision,” I said slowly, staring through the large glass windows. This was the beginning, and some part of me was convinced it might also be the end. “Does that have to do with us?”

Eternal: Chapter Seven, Part 4

Nick would stay with us; Valetta and Mitchell had found a place to rent for a while and wouldn’t be using our spare room. Though I still wasn’t sure how dedicated Kora was at this point, she seemed better by the time she left; she and the others from camp had spent a couple hours catching up with each other and it seemed to calm her worries.

While I washed dishes, Drei came into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around me. I was surprised at first, but leaned into him after a moment, feeling all the worry and self-doubt from earlier in the day fade.

“I missed you,” he whispered into my hair.

“I missed you, too.”

“Valetta told me as much.”

“Are we going walking tonight?” I asked, closing my eyes and resting my hands on the edge of the sink.

“If you would like. Nick may come as well,” he offered. I was hoping this meant any animosity between the two was long gone. Just remembering how they used to fight made me shiver. “Everything all right?”

“Yeah. I was just thinking.”

“Of course.”

We stood in silence for a moment before he asked if I wanted help.

“I’m almost done,” I said, pulling gently away from his to return to work.

He washed his hands anyway; he rinsed the already washed dishes and set them in the drying rack. “There is something else I have planned for you.”

“And what might that be?” I asked, draining the sink and drying my hands off, handing him the towel as he finished rinsing.

“You shall see tomorrow night.”

“You and your mysteries,” I teased, wrapping my arms around him. He bowed his head to stare into my eyes with those amethyst gems. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, the touch stirring my vampire. It wasn’t frightening feeling that part of me anymore; the feeling of something shadowy and burning cold blossoming at my core and winding its way through my body. I wasn’t sure what to make of this new side of myself, but it no longer terrified me.

Drei lifted me onto the counter, kissing me hard. I didn’t know what I was feeling, or what he was feeling. It felt like my element had been completely overridden, but I didn’t mind. All I wanted was to feel his touch, to feel him. I only wanted him. And I knew he wanted me when his lips strayed to my neck.

“Did you guys—”

Drei pulled back from me, glaring at Nick. I slid off the counter, quickly turning and searching for something to clean. For anything that gave me an excuse not to look at either of them for a moment. I felt the dual impulse of injuring Nick for his interruption and grabbing to Drei to continue where we’d left off despite Nick’s presence. The flicker of what I knew to be me didn’t want either of those and began pushing against the shadows.

“Oh, sorry,” Nick apologized, backing away slowly. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You weren’t interrupting,” I lied, glancing at Drei. Even if they weren’t fighting, it was obvious sharing an apartment might still be trying in its own ways. Meeting Nick’s uncertain gaze, I asked, “Was there something you needed?”

His eyes darted in Drei’s direction, as though he felt compelled to leave us alone. However, now that my vampire was again subdued, I felt somewhat embarrassed and angry at myself. Even if that part of me wanted it, I wasn’t ready for it; and Drei wouldn’t know that unless I told him.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to pay anything for staying here?”

“We discussed this already, Nick;” Drei released an aggravated sigh, but it wasn’t because of the question. “You are welcome to reside with us, free of charge, so long as you like. Ask again and I may not be so generous.” He left with that, disappearing into our room, leaving Nick and I in an unnervingly awkward silence.

“I really am sorry,” Nick said, gesturing futilely toward where I had been sitting a moment before.

“Don’t be.” I closed some of the distance between us. It was less awkward if we were standing beside each other. “We were getting a little carried away. I haven’t seen him in so long—and…I’m just making you feel worse;” I crossed my arms and leaned against the counter.

“No, I understand. I really do;” he buried his hands in his jean pockets. “You love him, and you missed him, and it was your first chance all day to be alone together and I messed it up.”

Shaking my head, I wanted to tell him he hadn’t messed it up. Valetta had talked about my vampire’s lust, and I was fairly certain that’s what that had been. It wasn’t Drei’s fault for not being able to tell. He was as swept up as I was, but I couldn’t say that to Nick. No matter how I put it, it would sound wrong. Especially since I couldn’t tell him Drei had turned me. I couldn’t tell anyone.

Nick looked at me, his eyes clouded. “Sorry I didn’t get to say bye this last time.”

“Don’t worry about it…really.”

His lips curled in their signature crooked way, and he ran a hand through his hair. I felt a twinge better seeing him relax.

“You probably want to go talk to him, huh?”

“Yeah,” I said. “But we’ll talk more, okay?” He nodded. “Help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge or the cupboards.”

“Of course.”

Before I left, I squeezed his hand, saying, “I really am glad you’re here.” And then I went to find Drei.

He was leaning out the open window, basking in the cool night air. From the emotions circling around him, he was still perturbed but calming down.

“Nick really didn’t mean anything by it,” I said, approaching him and leaning against the wall beside the window.

Drei straightened and faced me. “I know,” he said softly. “I wanted to be alone with you and had forgotten he was here.”

Smiling, I said, “You’re the one who invited him to stay.”

“I, too, am entitled to forget some things.” Pulling me closer to him, I felt my vampire start to return and, this time, it did scare me.

“Drei,” I whispered, not wanting to offend him, but still wanting him to hold me, maybe even kiss me, vampire or no.

“Yes?” he murmured softly.

“I’m not ready,” I told him, before I lost the words altogether.

“There is nothing wrong with that,” he breathed into my ear. “I shall stop us before it goes that far.”

“Thank you.” And I was gone, slipping into his kisses and the burning cold darkness of this other me. I trusted him; I had to because, in this state, I couldn’t trust myself.

Eternal: Chapter Seven, Part 3

“He knows who I am,” she yelled at me, returning the outer edge of our group. “There’s more to me than my element!”

“But your element is still a huge part of who you are,” I calmly rebutted, moving to stand before her. I didn’t want to push her too far, just enough to see what Ian, Jake, Mikael, and Xenia already saw. “You can’t deny it exists; trust me…I tried. And it ruined every plan I had for myself.”

Kora didn’t say anything; she didn’t look at anyone. Caroline had gone to stare out a window, still prickling, though I wasn’t sure why. I’d find out in a moment, once Kora had made her decision.

“It may not seem like a gift at times, maybe not even most of the time, but we were born this way for a reason. We’re different for a reason. And there’s a good chance that our children will be like us.” I didn’t know if Kora wanted children, but I knew she could relate to being an elemental child and the challenges it created. “Growing up, didn’t you ever wish things could be different?” I squeezed her shoulder gently. “We could make things different; we could make them better.”

A glimmer of hope entered the mix of doubt, anger, and fear enveloping her. Unspoken arguments and questions flew around her mind as she tried at first to talk herself into leaving and then transitioned to all of the reasons she should stay. “Fine,” she said softly, returning to her seat.

“Caroline?” I said, going to stand before her. “Are you in?”

She huffed, staring hard at me, her bronze eyes searching my face and those of the others. Caroline wasn’t warring with fears and other emotions as Kora had been; all I felt from her was…petulance.

“Say yes, Caroline;” Ian sighed, rolling his eyes. “She’ll play unsure as long as you let her…just for the sake of playing devil’s advocate.”

Shrugging, she smiled in her mischievous way. “Of course I’m in. I always love shaking things up a bit.”

“Any more objections or concerns?” I asked as Caroline and I returned to our seats. Kora was still mostly in her thoughts, but everyone else seemed content. “Then onto jobs.” Picking up the folder on the table, I passed a stack of papers around. “This is the general timetable Caroline and Ian drew up for us.” Passing out the next sheet, I explained, “Right now I have two different teams. Mikael and Xenia, can you two set up a website?”

“Those are easy,” Mikael assured me and Xenia agreed.

“Fantastic. Caroline said she’ll pay for the server space; you two are webmasters. Whenever you need the space, talk to her.” Turning my attention to the other, I continued, “Kora, Jake, Ian, and Caroline, you’ll be responsible for the commercials. Ian already has some story boards I believe;” he nodded. “Valetta and Mitchell, you’ll be ambassadors.”

“What for?” Mitchell asked, cocking an eyebrow at me.

“You’ll see soon enough. Nick, I wasn’t expecting to have your help,” I admitted.

Laughing, he said, “You should have.”

“I know, but it works out great anyway. I don’t have a sheet for it yet, but you’ll be the head of my security detail.” At his confused look, I added, “I won’t need it until later, so you can help with either the website or the commercial for now.”

“Definitely the commercial;” he grinned, his eyes sparkling with relief. “I think I’d be more likely to crash the site than help set it up.”

“Perfect. And Drei you’re helping to oversee everything.” Drei nodded, though I could sense he wasn’t happy with his assignment. I’d talk to him about it later; I hadn’t known where else to put him. I needed him here with me, and I wasn’t sure how much use he’d be with either of the technical options. “Before we adjourn, any final questions?”

“I think we’re good;” Caroline began munching on one of her cookies.

“Before you leave, make sure to meet with your group and figure out when you’ll be meeting. I’ll e-mail everyone about the next group meeting, and help yourselves. There’s still plenty of food left. Meeting adjourned.”

Eternal: Chapter Seven, Part 2

Turning around, my eyes found the young man who had spoken. He was tall with bright jade eyes, sharp facial features, and a crooked smile; his pine colored hair was long and shaggy. Words escaped me; I hadn’t expected to see him, though I should have guessed he would show up somewhere.

I hugged him as his arms enveloped me, holding me tight, as they had so many times before. “Nick,” I murmured into his shoulder. I don’t know how long we embraced, but I did eventually remember I was playing hostess and pulled away. When I did, there was Drei, leaning in the door frame. Walking over to him, he pulled me into his own comforting, familiar embrace.

He kissed the top of my head. “Do you like my surprise?”

Nodding, I stepped back from him. “But now we’re ruining the meeting.”

He chuckled a little. I smiled goofily at him before taking his hand and then Nick’s and walking them into our circle.

“Drei’s here now. And the last member of our council will be Nick.”

“Can we trust him?” Mikael asked skeptically. It was a fair question; Mikael, Kora, and Xenia had lived through the aftermath of Nick revealing his involuntary involvement with the government. What information they’d received at the time was likely limited and compounded by rumors, particularly when Nick didn’t join us during the relocation.

Glancing at Nick, I nodded. “If we couldn’t, Drei wouldn’t have brought him.” There was still some uncertainty, though it was considerably dispelled as they contemplated Drei’s endorsement of Nick’s character. I turned to Nick and Drei. “Would either of you like something to drink before we start? And did you catch everyone’s name?”

“I think so,” Nick replied, nodding. “If not, I’ll ask you about it later. And I’ll take water, please.”

“The same,” Drei said as Valetta went to the kitchen. I would have objected, but I understood. We had already been derailed enough.

“So, to business then.” I smiled at everyone sitting around me, feeling better than I had not minutes before. I knew, without a doubt, I could do this. “I’ve talked to all of you about the general timeline but I’ve withheld what the focus of our movement is…until today. From talking with all of you, I know more than ever it’s the right thing to do. To prevent others from experiencing the same dilemmas and heartaches we’ve faced over the years. To protect, or to heal, the ones we love. We’re taking down the government by letting people know we exist,” I said. “We, as elementals, have to stand up for our own rights as people; the only way to do that is to show regular people we exist to begin with, that there is a unique group being exploited and endangered by the very institution that’s supposed to protect us.”

“We’re admitting we’re different?” Kora asked slowly, her hands shaking in her lap. Her hazel eyes were wide.

“It’s the only way,” I said gently. “We don’t physically look different, so no one knows unless we tell them.”

“So what’s with the miracle tagline you gave Ian and I to work with?” Caroline asked, eating another one of her cookies.

Drei raised an eyebrow at me. I felt myself blushing, knowing it was a silly thing for me to have remembered for so long. “I once asked why the government hated us, and Drei told me the only reason he could think of was because they wanted to erase miracles.”

“What’s the tagline?” Xenia asked, taking one of the sandwiches.

“Miracles still exist,” Ian said, a smile in his voice. “So it was your inspiration?”

“It seems that way.” He smiled at me.

“I’m not sure about this, Abs,” Caroline said, setting her napkin of cookies on the coffee table. “I’m all for taking down the government—you know that. And I don’t mind putting myself at risk either. But you’re not talking about just us;” she stood and began pacing behind the couch and talking with her hands in broad, sweeping gestures. “You’re talking everyone. That’s everyone who’s managed to live their life without getting caught, and everyone who’s just starting to figure it out. That’s a ton of people, Abs. Who says they want to come out of hiding?”

“If they don’t, nothing will ever change,” Jake argued. “When the Black Civil Rights Movement started, not everyone was sure they wanted to fight that battle. But the few, and then the many, did anyway; look how that turned out.”

“You’re seriously comparing this to the Black Civil Rights Movement?” Kora demanded, going to stand by Caroline. “We’re not black…well, not all of us.”

“But we’re oppressed,” Ian said, shifting on the couch to look at the two. “Our civil rights aren’t being acknowledged, and they won’t be until we do something about it.”

“And what about the people who are fine hiding?” Kora asked, crossing her arms, trying to control her shaking.

“No one’s fine hiding,” Xenia said. “No one likes to hide who they are; eventually it eats away at who you are inside and then what are you left with? Some ghost of who you might have been?”

“Well, I don’t mind hiding;” Kora turned and walked towards the door.

“What kind of lasting relationship will that make, Kora?” I asked, hoping it would at least stop her from leaving; if she walked out the door, I wasn’t sure there was anything any of us could say to bring her back. “How do you know if he loves you if he’ll never know who you really are?”

Eternal: Chapter Seven, Part 1

Chapter Seven: Leading Change

“Drei isn’t back yet?” It had been over two weeks since I had spoken to Jake and everyone was out of school except Mikael—but he was on a brief break before the summer session. We were having our first meeting in a few hours and I hadn’t seen Drei since before I had started recruiting. I ran my hands through my mussed hair. “Why isn’t he back? He told you; I know he did.”

Valetta sat on the couch, watching me pace around the living room in my nightgown. She had told me he called a few days ago while I was asleep and promised to be back by now. But he wasn’t.

“You really should calm down,” she said before sipping from her teacup of blood. “Drei said he would return today, and he will.”

I wasn’t sure why I wasn’t calm to start with; it wasn’t like I was speaking to people I hardly knew. But this was an important day. They finally were going to know what our focus was going to be and I had this sinking feeling I was going to screw things up.

“Abriel,” she said gently, setting her drink aside and standing; she held me at arm’s length. “Stop worrying so much. Everything will go as planned and Drei will arrive safely.” Glancing at the clock on the wall, she added, “Besides, you had better change into something more presentable before Mitchell arrives with the others.”

I knew I was being childish in my resistance to Valetta’s soothing and distractions. It was petty of me to take out my frustrations at his absence and desire to communicate with me only through Mitchell and Valetta on everyone else. Although I knew this was my movement, I felt like this was something we were supposed to do together.

“He will be here, Abriel,” she asserted, squeezing my shoulders harder. “But you cannot reschedule this meeting. The others have lives, too.”

Part of me wanted to argue that I didn’t have a life anymore. That to have a life you had to be, you know, living. But I wouldn’t say that to Valetta; I wouldn’t even say that to Drei, though, honestly, I wasn’t sure how I felt about my turning anymore. I told myself if he was here, I wouldn’t be having these sorts of thoughts and everything would be fine.

“Okay,” I whispered, nodding my head. Of course it wasn’t really okay, but she did have a point. I couldn’t reschedule just because I felt like it. I was the leader, the coordinator; I had to appear as if everything was sunny and bright…even if it wasn’t.

An hour later, I had showered and changed into a summer dress and cropped bolero, ready for Mitchell and the rest to arrive. Valetta and I prepared snacks and chilled drinks with our remaining time.

“The door’s unlocked,” I called after someone knocked.

“Good God, Ian;” Caroline gasped, taking in the food and the two finishing the preparations. “We’re early. I told you we didn’t have to rush.”

I hugged Ian, glad they were here and grinning at Caroline’s whining.

“She would have been another hour if I didn’t hurry her along,” he whispered in my ear.

Smiling, I thanked him and then embraced Caroline; she handed me a small gift bag. “What’s this?”

“It’s your Happy First Organizational Meeting present.”

Laughing, I started opening it as she insisted it wasn’t anything special. Inside were several small candles of varying scents.

“They all promote relaxation, which you’ll need a lot of,” she said, kicking her shoes into a corner near the door.

“She’s been researching aromatherapy for you,” Ian said, grabbing a finger sandwich and walking into the living room, winking a sapphire gem as he passed me.

Caroline hit his arm lightly, pouting through her smile. “So shoot me for trying to be considerate.”

“I love it,” I said, interrupting any argument before it started —even if it was playful. Hugging her briefly again, I left my present in the bedroom, then helped Valetta move the finger sandwiches, cookies, and brownies into the living room.

“So how long before everyone else shows up?” Caroline asked, taking a few cookies and the napkin Valetta offered her.

I sat on one of the extra chairs we had pulled into the living room. “Everyone else should arrive—” There was knocking at the door and Valetta made her way over there as I stood again. “—now.”

“Welcome back,” Valetta said to Mitchell as he kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her. She whispered something else into his ear and he let her go. Probably something about Drei not being back yet. Here came the kid gloves…not that my behavior this morning had suggested they were unnecessary. I shoved my emotions aside; I had to play hostess, after all.

“Welcome,” I greeted as Kora, Mikael, Xenia, and Jake walked through the door. I hugged each one, directing them to take a seat and help themselves. “What would everyone like to drink?”

Mitchell sat with them as Valetta helped me gather and deliver the drinks.

“Are Justin and Angeline coming?” Caroline asked as I handed her the lemonade she’d requested.

“I’m going to talk to them separately,” I said, taking my seat again.

“Who are Justin and Angeline?” Mitchell asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“My legal consultants.” Before anyone could freak out, I added, “Caroline and I hired them so we don’t have to worry about the legal side of things. She used Angeline during her revolution and it was apparent to me that she and Justin would make a good team. Any other questions before I introduce everyone and we begin?”

“Is Drei coming?” Jake inquired before drinking some of his water.

Everyone stared at me, waiting for the answer I didn’t really want to give. “He’s still out on business,” I said—my smile probably more on the forced side of the spectrum—before Valetta had a chance to interject. “Now, introductions. You all know me, and you should know that you’re supposed to call me Leirba from now on. I’m air; Ian is also.” I indicated to Ian with an open, upturned palm, then did likewise to each person in turn. “Caroline is fire. Kora and Mikael are earth. Xenia and Jake are water. We also have Valetta and Mitchell to help us. As we’ve mentioned already, Justin and Angeline are our legal consultants, but you probably won’t see much of them, if at all. And then there’s Drei, as well,” I finished, looking around at them all. “Any questions?”

“Am I not special enough to mention?” a familiar, masculine voice asked from behind me. “Or do you just not want my help?”

Vampiric: Chapter Seven, Part 12

Drei was back to disappearing before I could catch him, and I couldn’t miss anymore of Caroline’s calls without some repercussion. I hated that this was what we had been reduced to. We might as well have been time sharers.

It was a week before the next broadcast when we finally happened to be there at the same time. I was just arriving home from another meeting. Drei was sitting on the couch reading a newspaper.

“Can we talk?” I asked cautiously, hanging my purse on a rung of the coat rack.

Drei gazed at me a long moment before setting his paper down. Sitting across from him, I asked the first and most important question I had thought of: “What happened?” His brow furrowed, and before he could demand some clarification, I added, “Between us. Why are you avoiding me and angry, and cold all of the time? What did I do?”

“You are not aware?” he asked quietly, his amethyst eyes flat and stony. I hadn’t seen his eyes so cold since Nick had been at camp. And even then, they had rarely been directed at me.

“I wouldn’t even know where to begin guessing.”

“Let me give you a few clues, then;” the ice in his tone suggested I really had done something and, whatever it was, it could not be easily forgiven. “Our arrival here your first day back? Your new position? Still no? Then you leave me for her. In the middle of something intimate—for me, at least.”

“Caroline? What does she have to do with anything?”

“It is more painful to lie, Abriel;” his features were stoic though his voice betrayed pain and anger. “I witnessed you kiss her that day. This promotion, the phone calls, they are all a ruse. You can tell me.”

“But it isn’t. Nothing happens. I don’t even know—”

“You do not have to lie or justify it. Just be honest.”

“But I’m not lying;” I felt tears press at my eyes and my throat start to tighten. My mouth felt dry and I could barely swallow.

“I have trusted for years what I see. I am not about to change that because you want me to.” He stood, turning away from me. So this really was all her fault. She was the reason he was tearing my heart out of his chest.

“I’m not lying,” I choked, drowning in the accusations and clues and thoughts flooding my mind.

“Just admit it!” He turned suddenly, grabbing the arm rests of my chair. His flaming and vibrantly dark eyes were inches from mine.

“I can’t. Not when you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You love her, just say it! Stop lying to me. Stop pretending your affections belong to me. Just stop it all!”

I covered my mouth and shook my head, trying to contain my anguish and shake out all of the hurtful words. “I’m working for her because of you…because I love you. You told me I needed her; you told me to go back to work for her because she needed me.”

“I did not think you would make a relationship of it.” He pushed off from the chair; though he stood upright, his head was bowed and his shoulder slumped.

“I did it for you. I love you…so I did what you wanted.”

“Your fickleness is not something I desire,” he whispered, turning away.

I bit my lip. He wouldn’t listen; he was too stubborn and set in his belief of this. If he knew me at all, how could he possibly think this about me? It didn’t seem probable in the least. I think that’s what hurt the most. He didn’t know me well enough to trust I wasn’t lying to him.

Trying to hold myself together, I asked, “Do you want me to leave?”

Slowly shuffling away, he didn’t bother to turn back to me. “It might be for the best.”

Unable to stand looking back, I grabbed my purse and shoes and ran from the apartment, still trying to keep it together by forcing myself to breathe slowly, but my chest was too tight and the air seemed too thin.

Outside, I sat on a bench, staring at the blurred phone in my hand. Caroline and Ian were the only other people I knew around there. But Caroline had started all of this and Ian was her friend. It would feel like an admission of guilt to call and ask for their support. For their help. Yet, I didn’t have anywhere else to go.

Before I could make up my mind to do anything, the phone sang out its piano melody.

“Look,” Caroline began before I could say anything. “A problem came up with one of the people we chose, so we have to pick someone else.”

I tried to answer, I really did. I was determined not to cry on the phone to her, not even sure I wanted her help. She was partially responsible for this and I hadn’t begun to think through how I felt about that.

“Where are you?”

Realizing the depth of the situation, I couldn’t help but break down into tears. Drei didn’t love me because I had done what he had wanted. I didn’t have a place to stay anymore. To top things off, my heart was shattered by the one person I never thought could hurt me. Who would never willingly choose to hurt me.

“Abs?” She sounded worried. I wished I could tell her I was fine, but I couldn’t stop the gasping sobs shaking my body. It didn’t feel like I had any control left over anything. “Oh, god, Abs,” she said into the phone, her voice tremulous. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Don’t move.” The phone fell from my hand as I sat there, crying, hugging myself, and trying to keep the rest of me from shattering as well.

Vampiric: Chapter Seven, Part 11

Purposely taking up more time, I wrote a note and pinned it to his door, insisting we needed to talk, even if he had to wake me up. Then, walking at nearly a maddeningly slow pace, I made my way outside and slipped into the passenger seat.

“Take long enough?” Ian asked jovially, speeding off.

“Sorry if I’m not Little Miss Sunshine;” I stared out the window.

“Something wrong already?”

“You obviously wouldn’t understand.” Although he tried to make small talk—possibly an attempt to cheer me up before we met Caroline—I ignored him, adding another thing on my list why I wished I had never met her.

The meeting was to finalize our employee list—since she was adding a few more, but had interviewed probably 20 people—and for her to thank me for redoing the charts—finally finished and filed.

All I could think of doing was going back to the apartment and waiting up for Drei. I didn’t care if he didn’t return until the next day or if Caroline called a hundred times before then. I set up camp on the couch, my phone off and charging, the lights off, and my mind racing. I only wished we could work this out; unfortunately, I wasn’t sure anymore if he wanted the same thing.

Around midnight, there was a knock on the door, which I ignored. Drei had a key; he wouldn’t need me to let him in. He probably wouldn’t assume I’d be there to do so. I continued staring into space. A few hours later, another knock came, louder and more insistent. Around the time the sky began to lighten, Drei entered.

“We need to talk,” I said, rising to face him. Then I noticed Ian standing behind him.

“A shame work came calling.” Drei, not even seeming disappointed, went straight to his room and closed the door, letting the note hang there unnoticed.

“Have you been here all bloody night?” Ian cried, immediately on his phone.

With nothing else I could do, shy of breaking down his door and locking Ian out, I picked up the fully charged phone and turned it on, greeted by fifty messages; there were probably more missed calls than that.

“I’m with her now,” Ian said, pacing in the entranceway. “Yes. We’re going now,” he said, shooting me a tight-lipped look; I hadn’t thought it was possible to anger Ian.

Needless to say, Caroline was pissed because my phone was shut off and, according to her, she had been worried sick about me. I didn’t care. My relationship was falling apart; Drei was a complete stranger to me anymore. When I had first met him, we hadn’t been this foreign to each other. And what was worse, I didn’t know how to fix it. I wasn’t sure there was a way. So as Caroline droned on, berating me in between explaining why she had wanted us there, I was debating if I could even try anymore. If it was possible for me to take anymore.

Vampiric: Chapter Seven, Part 10

The following morning, Drei still wasn’t back, but it didn’t take long for Caroline to call me. Ian picked me up shortly after and drove to the same place as the night before. In the sunlight, it looked even more desolate, as though it might collapse if you sneezed at it.

This time she was waiting for us when he parked. A heap of folders and papers were tossed into my arms the minute I was standing upright.

“Those are the charts. It has everyone’s positions on them as well as their profiles and what we know about each one. This is your copy. If you change or add anything, you have to do the same with my copy,” she said, hands on her hips, staring at the pile in my arms. “There’s some other stuff in there, too. Mostly information and assignments on the next broadcast. You’ll have to make printouts for every person working that night to hand out beforehand. Well, everyone who has something specific or important written in the assignments folder.”

She started to walk off in the opposite direction of her office, Ian following a step behind, before she turned back. “I almost forgot,” she said, smiling in her carefree way, tossing me a key. “Don’t lose it,” she warned. “It’s to my office. You should get acquainted with where everything is. If I can’t find something,” she said, turning back around and walking off again, “it’s you I call.”

Thus was the official start of my new secretarial responsibilities. After acquainting myself with her files—realizing how disorganized she was—I sat down to her computer to begin typing out the assignment sheets. Those, once printed, went into a new folder so I wouldn’t lose them. When I was done with that, I crammed what I could into my purse and, carrying the rest, left, walking to the nearest working bus stop and hitching a ride back to the apartment.

Drei was asleep in his room, a heavy blanket over the window to block out what the curtains didn’t. I left him alone, wishing he would be around and awake so we could talk about what was bothering him—I sensed it was something more than my needing to leave abruptly the previous night. I was starting to believe Caroline was right and he was letting something stew instead of talking to me about it, possibly whatever had happened to make him dislike her.

I sat at the coffee table and began reading through the papers. I didn’t know who had put them together, but it was a mess that was quickly driving me as crazy as Mom. Stopping just before reaching a point of wanting to tear my hair out, I left and returned an hour later with paper and colored pens. I was going to scrap the old charts after I remade them.

Those charts took a week. Not because they were particularly difficult, but because, originally, there were eight charts with all of the positions and first names written in. I simplified the charts for future use, only marking down the positions and creating a separate chart for each group of people. Also, I made sheets detailing the positions of each person in any set. That was the most time consuming, mostly because once I had two sets made—one copy for Caroline, one for me—I had to make a copy for each person on the list. True, there was probably some computer program I could have used, and perhaps I would do so later on, but working by hand filled the long, lonely hours and kept my mind busy.

Every night during that week, I fell asleep on the couch. Without fail, Caroline would wake me up by calling. There were a total of 17 calls from her, four of which were while I was working in her office; those meetings covered everything from the location of the next broadcast to new employees and security. While I saw plenty of her and Ian, I didn’t see Drei unless he was asleep. His waking presence was apparent, though; when she did wake me, I found someone had covered me with a blanket. Despite this, I failed to ever come across him. Needing to speak with him, but unable to, I focused even more on finishing the charts.

The next broadcast was still a couple weeks away when Drei and I were finally home at the same time. I had just woken up—surprisingly, it wasn’t because of Caroline. Still slightly groggy, I heard him walking past rather than saw him.

“Wait;” I reached blindly out with one hand, the other still clearing sleep from my eyes.

Sitting up, I watched him shrug into his coat and reach for the door; I did the only thing I could to stop him from leaving. Manipulating the air, I shoved his hand aside.

“I said wait.”

He tried again, and this time I wasn’t as nice.  Shoving him sideways into the kitchenette, I stood and was soon blocking his way out.

“We need to talk.”

“What about?” he questioned grudgingly, his eyes frighteningly cold.

“Well…” I had been waiting for this moment but had failed to develop any specific questions. “For starters, why are you avoiding me?”

“I have not been avoiding you,” he said, though he shifted his weight from foot to foot and wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“I didn’t think you’d lie to me about that,” I whispered, shoving my hair behind an ear. “I haven’t seen you in over a week.”

“We have both been busy.”

“Amazing how you’re suddenly busy after I get promoted,” I snapped before I could stop myself. I dragged my fingers through my hair, breathing deeply. “That’s not what I meant to say.” This was already going so wrong and now I was trying to make it out to be a power trip? Slumping against one of the cabinets and hiding my face, I tried to think of something to say that would help fix this all. “I—Drei—”

My phone started ringing.

“You had better answer. Caroline does not strike me as particularly patient.”

“We still need to talk,” I said, knowing he was right.

“Then do not answer.” When I didn’t move—partially pissed off he could even suggest that—he added, “You know you want to.”

“I don’t want to,” I said, hating the constricted feeling of my throat. Caroline was ruining what could have been a healing moment for Drei and I, something we wouldn’t need if she had never come into our lives.

“Then do not answer.”

Though I knew I needed to, I debated which I needed to do more: talk with Drei or answer Caroline. Just before the ringer quit, I answered, hearing Drei’s disappointed sigh. I didn’t see how he had a right to be disappointed when he was being the difficult one.

“Can you give me half an hour?”

“If we are going to discuss anything,” Drei said behind me, “we shall need more than half an hour.”

“No,” Caroline replied shortly. “I need you now. That’s why I’m calling now.”

“Please,” I begged, knowing I needed to at least spend some time talking with Drei.

“What could be more important than me needing you here?” she asked, a note of incredulity to her voice.

I wanted to tell her there were a lot of things more important, but I couldn’t. Not without unleashing her full wrath—or mine, for that matter. Instead, I said, “This, Caroline. Please.”

“No, and Ian will be there shortly;” she hung up.

“You act as though you did not expect as much.”

Despite my growing frustration with him, I wrapped my arms around him, trying to think of something to say. Trying to convince myself I wouldn’t go…not now. Even though he was stiff in my arms, I didn’t let go; I couldn’t so long as I believed there might be a chance—even if it was in hell.

“It is apparent both of us must be going, so let us not delay.” With that, he broke my embrace and disappeared again, slipping through my fingers.

Vampiric: Chapter Seven, Part 9

Ian drove to a poorer side of town. Ghostly windows stared down from the abandoned buildings we passed, some of them boarded up. I hadn’t known a place like this existed in the city, devoid of life. If I hadn’t been as furious as I was, the despair around us probably would have consumed me. Only once before had I been in a place so desolate, and though I didn’t enjoy returning to such a setting, this was for business, not pleasure.

We drove turned onto a side road behind a warehouse-like building; the building and glimpse of the parking lot I caught seemed large enough to fill a city block alone. Ian drove the car up a makeshift ramp leading inside from a loading dock. The headlights lit up a collection of black cars and tinted windows, most of which were familiar from my one other encounter with them.

“Caroline will be up in her office,” he said, slipping lithely out of the car.

I scrambled after him, trying not to fall over anything while mapping the place. From what I could tell, the only items around weren’t here originally; based on how spacious it was, it had probably been a superstore at one point before the store moved with the population, leaving this place completely alone and too expensive for anyone else to buy out. The property taxes and such in this area were probably rock bottom. Then again, who would want a business where there was almost no one to sell to?

As Ian had expected, Caroline was sitting on the desk in her office, legs crossed.

“She came,” he said unnecessarily, standing off to the side of her desk.

“What did you need?” I asked, resisting the urge to tap my foot, but crossing my arms just the same. The only thought in my mind was this had better be good. I could already imagine my reaction if it wasn’t.

Caroline smiled mischievously and tapped her top foot in the air. “Don’t be so impatient, Abs. This was just a test.”

“A test?”

“What’s wrong?” she asked, a doll-like innocence in her wide eyes and slightly parted lips.

Ian sidled up to her, whispering in her ear, “You interrupted something; you should be grateful she came at all.”

“Sorry, Abs,” she said, looking completely sincere. Then her features changed into a wry smile. “But you’ll have to get used to it;” she shrugged childishly. “I had to see if you would come or not.”

“Well, I came.” My heart was hurting because of how Drei had acted, and my hands felt ready to strangle her, forget about using air. I wasn’t sure if I was going to shout or cry or both. “Can I go, now?”

“Sure, Abs. Ian, take her back. Glad you came;” she directed this last comment to me as if my loyalty to her was worth whatever I had to sacrifice.

The drive back was quiet for the most part. At first, Ian had tried apologizing for her, insisting he hadn’t known it was just a test. Nothing he could say made anything better, though. I wanted to be back in Drei’s arms. If they could give me that precious moment back—the one they so blatantly stole—I told myself I could forgive them.

But I couldn’t.

When I entered the apartment, all of the lights were off. I walked through the living room to Drei’s bedroom, but he wasn’t there. He wasn’t anywhere.

So I did the only thing I could do in any semblance of good conscience: I went to my room and cried into my pillow. Venting my anger through silent curses, and nursing my heart by lying to myself, repeating it would be all right. We could fix it. I don’t think I stopped crying even after I fell asleep. I do know I still didn’t believe myself.

Vampiric: Chapter Seven, Part 8

Drei dropped his paper on the coffee table, turning his gaze to me. “How was your meeting today?”

I turned my head from where it rested on his shoulder to return his gaze. “Well, I’m her secretary now.”

“That is quite the promotion.”

“Yes, it is. Apparently, it means I’m privileged to more organizing information.”

Pressing his forehead to mine, he asked, “How do you want to celebrate your success?”

For a moment I didn’t say anything, loving the mischievous sparkle in his eyes. I tried to think of something he might enjoy as well, but all I could think about was kissing him. It was such a strong urge, I thought I understood how she must have felt before pushing her out of my thoughts.

“Kiss me,” I murmured. “Like you did a couple nights ago.”

A devilish grin spread across his lips and I realized he had been hoping I would demand as much. “I cannot recall how it went,” he teased.

“Well, this hand was here;” I placed his right hand on my back. “And this hand was here;” I set his other hand over my shoulder in my hair. “My hands were here, and—”

Our lips met, tender and lovingly. It seemed to infused with the adoration and amazement we shared for each other. I felt enveloped by him—protected, trusted, desired. In his arms, his lips to mine, the emotions washing over me were a reminder of how far I had come in the five years we had known each other, and how far we had come together. I would do anything in the world for Drei—including working with Caroline—if it meant these emotions would never fade.

Then there was music. Unexpected, but the soft piano tune fit the moment so perfectly, it took me a moment to realize it wasn’t supposed to be accompaniment; it was Caroline.

“What is it, Abriel?” Drei asked, sounding dazed.

I motioned to him to wait a moment as I flipped open the phone. “Yes?”

“I need to see you,” Caroline’s voice demanded. I was glad she was back to being bossy, despite how pleasant it had been to see a different side of her. “Where are you?”

“At home;” I started to regret agreeing to this, considering what it had interrupted.

“Your apartment, great. Ian will be there in a little bit. Wait outside.”

The line clicked dead before I could argue. I dropped the phone back into my new purse.

“What is it?” Drei appeared behind me, making me jump.

Turning around, I smiled, hoping it was convincing enough. “Caroline,” I said, though I knew that explained nothing at all. “Part of being secretary is when she calls, I go.”

“I see…” His disappointment was far too apparent, considering he usually didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. It was tearing me apart to leave him; I didn’t want to, but he’d told me to go back to working for her, and that’s what I’d done. We would have to take whatever came because of it.

“I wish I could stay—”

“Then stay,” he said, following me to the door. There was an edge to his voice that I hadn’t heard him use towards me in a long while.

I stopped, midway slipping on my flats, and faced him. “I can’t.” I managed to say though the words felt like bricks on my tongue. Why couldn’t he understand? I needed him to understand, to make this easier.

“Then leave already.”

I stood on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I love you.”

Drei turned away from me, sulking back to the couch. I hated more than anything to leave him like this, but what choice did I have? If I didn’t leave, I was pretty sure that meant I was fired. Without waiting for him to act his usual self and say something to make everything all right—for the time being, at least—I left the apartment, stepping outside just in time to see Ian pull up to the curb.

“Interrupt anything?” he asked, speeding down the half-empty street.

I thought about lying and saying nothing, but I found myself saying, “Yes,” a little more bitterly than I had intended.

He chuckled at me, saying, “You’ll get used to it.”

Even though he’d been doing this a lot longer and ought to know, I doubted him. I couldn’t see how I could ever be accustomed to leaving Drei the way I had. It didn’t seem like a good habit to develop.