A Tale of Two, Part 4: Caroline

September 10, 1891

Mr. Calloway visited our farm today. I had not been aware he was coming, nor that he had arrived until midday when Father came in from the fields with our guest. I was preparing lunch for Mother, John, Marie, and myself when he unexpectedly returned. Father normally worked the fields from sunrise to sunset, when he could see what he was doing no longer.

“Margaret, Marie, John, Caroline! We have a guest,” he called, shutting the front door with a heavy thud.

I started toward the living room, but shied into the shadows when I saw our guest. Marie bounced before him; John stood there, hands shoved so far in his pockets he might have punched holes in them, and said, “We met him a fair few days ago, Papa. At the market when Caroline took us shopping with her. He lives in town.”

“Yup,” Marie agreed as Mother joined them. “He was really nice to Caroline. He said he hoped to see her again. He kept on smiling at her and made her cheeks turn red. I thought it was funny.”

I listened to them from back in the kitchen, slowly preparing the rest of lunch, adding more to accommodate Father and Mr. Calloway.

“So you have all met?”

“Yes, sir,” John replied as Marie said, “Yup.”

“It is a delight to meet you again, Marie and John.”

I could imagine Marie beaming and John sulking.

“This is my wife, Mrs. Smith.”

“Tis a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Tis a pleasure to have you with us,” Mother said. “It is not often we have young men come to call.”

“It is not often they visit the countryside,” Mr. Calloway mused.

Mother and Father laughed. I didn’t know what to do. My heart was pounding rapidly in my chest again and my stomach felt as if it were flying and sinking into my feet simultaneously.

Mother excused herself and came into the kitchen. “Is everything ready?”

“The bread and cheese are in the basket, and the soup is just about finished.”

“Very good, Caroline.”

“Will you finish the soup? I have some chores to finish.”

“We have company, dear.”

“I shan’t be long. I promise.” I slipped off my apron and hurried outside the back way before she could object or grant permission. I had completed my chores at dawn, as Father demanded, but a part of me wanted to be away for a while. Away from Mr. Calloway.

Part of our fields Father kept as pasture for our few heads of livestock. Flowers were long gone from sight, but the pasture grass was still green. I made my way to the tree on the other side. I sang to myself as I climbed into the lower branches and pulled my book from an unused hollow. I am not sure how long read; to me, it seemed they would only have begun lunch, but my sense of time was almost as good as my haggling technique.

“How does one find themselves in a tree with a book? Particularly a lady?”

I nearly fell from my perch. My hand flew to the locket at my throat so as to stop my heart from bursting forth.

He laughed goodheartedly. “I am dreadfully sorry. I did not mean to startle you.”

“Well, you did, Mr. Calloway, very much so. And I do not understand your humor,” I said rather sourly.

“Do not be mad, dear Caroline.”

I was utterly confused. Why would he refer to me in such a way? Gentlemen did not show such favor to a farmer’s daughter.

“What would you like?” I asked, very much glad I was in the tree.

“Three things if you do not mind my asking.”

“I am indebted to you. I have no choice.”

“If you prefer to view it that way. First, I would like it very much if you came down from there.”

Reluctantly, I slid my book back into its burrow. Mr. Calloway held out his arms and I slid off the branch into them.

“Very well then, Mr. Calloway. What is your second demand?” I asked, stepping away from him and straightening my skirts.

“Secondly, I would like you to call me Josef.”

“It is highly irregular—”

“Please?”

I breathed deeply, wishing he could have demanded something that would not get me into trouble. “Very well…Josef. And your third demand?”

“Would you honor me by attending a certain party at my side?”

“Such a decision is not up to me. You must speak with my father.”

“I already have. He gives you permission to go. But I would like to know if you want to go.”

I was taken aback. Did I want to go? “I would have to consider it. But even if I decided to go, I would not have anything grand enough to wear.”

“I shall see to that. As for an answer, the party is in three days’ time. I shall return for a reply in two. Is that time enough?”

“More than enough.”

“I should hope you decide to attend.”

“I am very much flattered at your invitation…Josef.”

“Now is that not better than Mr. Calloway.”

I giggled. It did feel better, more relaxed than Mr. Calloway. But I was not ready for him to know that. “I should head back. They will wonder where I have gone.”

“They already know, Caroline. How do you think I found you?”

“Of course, I should have known.”

“Your mother suggested I start here, at your hide-away. Do I intimidate you?”

“No,” I said aloud as my mind screamed, “Yes!”

“That is good. I should hate to think someone is afraid of me.”

Not afraid, I thought, unsure of what is going on inside myself when I am near you. “No one could fear you,” I whispered, looking at my hands folded neatly before me.

“Is that so?”

“I believe so.”

He smiled. “May I walk you home?”

“If you would like.”

“I would, very much so.”

I smiled, controlling the emotions bubbling inside me. We did not speak as we walked. He was hesitant; I felt him looking at me every now and then and saw him open his mouth as if to say something. At the house, he promised to return soon. I am not sure if this excited or frightened me. My emotions confuse me greatly.

Mother beckons me to help with sewing Marie’s birthday dress. I can hardly believe she is nearly six years old! My how time flies.

Bored Room

“I move to blahdy blah…”

“Second!”

Always a race and the most interesting part of the night

to be the first to second whatever is moved;

isn’t that sad and almost pathetic

for the highlight of the meeting

to be a race,

—like Mario Kart minus the dreadful dangers

of Rainbow Road and Wario’s Gold Mine,

or the thrilling rush of pressing the buzzer first

in Jeopardy-like games—when

really we are here to serve a higher purpose

as representatives

for one thing or another, although some don’t seem to care,

letting our hard work and endless nights go

unnoticed. Hard work that oftentimes is

boring and sees more members drifting

or wandering off to the forests of social media, email,

and note passing. If only our high

school teachers could see us now; how strange

it must seem for note passing to be acceptable,

encouraged even,

so the meeting may resume uninterrupted

by murmurs and whispers of

making plans, listing complaints, and playing

Who Has More Classwork They Could Be Doing Right Now.

And yet, through the boredom and minds

drifting away on fluffy white clouds,

everyone perks an ear for those three little words,

regardless what follows after,

and the chance to glow with pride, winning the race

that is barely enough

to keep their interest.

Eternal: Chapter Four, Part 5

Drei, who had reappeared overnight, didn’t want me to go; he insisted I shouldn’t press my luck. It wasn’t a surprise when I objected; I had to go. When the day proved sunny, he attempted again to talk me out of going. Then, relenting, he brought out an umbrella and made me swear I wouldn’t forget to use it. Though his worrying seemed like it was because he thought I was incapable of managing myself, I knew it was because he loved me and he worried.

He wasn’t coming with me, despite my asking, and it was because he was still working on his secret project. I promised myself if his project wasn’t done by the time I had brought everyone together for a first official meeting, I would ask—and when I did, I would have an answer.

At first, it was strange walking through the streets with an umbrella—something came up and I assured Ian I was fine walking there. But after a while, I realized people didn’t care; they weren’t staring at me. Most of the people who even glanced at me probably either questioned my sanity or suspected I had a heightened threat of skin cancer or something to that effect. It made me grateful for the city.

Caroline was waiting in the lobby when I arrived.

“What’s with the umbrella?” she asked, gesturing to it, her lips scrunched to the side in disapproval.

“Direct sunlight is detrimental to my health,” I said, shrugging. “Shall we meet your lawyer?”

After eyeing me a moment longer, perhaps hoping to lure a better answer from me, she conceded; “Angeline’s waiting for us upstairs.”

It wasn’t long before Caroline was leading me into Angeline Baxter’s office, which may have been poor timing on our part as she was angrily talking into her speakerphone about someone named Brommer.

“…And you know what he did today? He had the nerve to assume how I make my coffee every morning. So, not only does he show me up in success rate—which doesn’t even make sense since he doesn’t have nearly as many connections within the system as I do—now he’s trying to get to know me?” she complained, pacing behind her desk as Caroline and I sat down. “He makes me so angry.”

Caroline let her rant on a short while longer before clearing her throat—more from boredom than irritation.

“Oh, I’ve got to go. My twelve o’clock is here,” she asid, and the person on the other end assured her they’d talk more later. “Sorry about that.” Angeline sat down, composing herself. “It’s great to see you again, Caroline. Nothing wrong, I hope.”

“Not at all,” Caroline assured her, sitting back and lacing her fingers together in her lap. “I’m actually here because my friend, Leirba Jones, is looking into beginning an endeavor and wanted to make sure she had legal backing.”

“You must be Miss Jones,” Angeline noted, facing me. A strand of her brunette hair fell free from her careful pinning; she shoved it behind an ear, her hazel eyes scanning me to figure out what kind of endeavor this was exactly and how much quick thinking she was going to have to do.

“It’s nothing necessarily illegal,” Caroline offered, studying her nails now.

“I’m starting a revolution and I need to make sure what I do won’t be slowed down with legal problems,” I elaborated, sitting upright, my hands folded in my lap. “Caroline tells me you’re the best.”

“Caroline told you right,” a tenor voice said from behind us. Caroline and I turned to stare at the stunning young man entering the room. He was easily five eight and of a slender build, dressed in a brown three piece suit. His hair was clean cut and auburn in color, and his dark gray eyes glinted joyfully as he approached the now standing with her hands on her squared hips Angeline. “Miss Baxter is the best. It’s an honor to work for the same firm as her.”

“What’s this about?” she demanded defensively as he stopped just before her. She tried to stand straighter to appear taller than her five foot six height—with heels—but she only succeeded in seeming slightly flustered. “You have no right to interrupt my meeting.”

“I just wanted to see what kind of new clientele you were attracting,” he said, glancing a moment at Caroline and I before turning his eyes back to her.

“You could have seen from the window instead of interrupting us,” Angeline snipped, though I had the feeling it was more for show.

Caroline was disinterested, studying her nails again, waiting for it to pass. I couldn’t help but wonder if Angeline was always so easily distracted. Though watching her and whom I assumed to be Mr. Brommer, I was beginning to see why he bothered her. That wasn’t the only thing I picked up on, though. There was something about Mr. Brommer that was different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I knew he was here for a reason.

“You’re both hired,” I stated, standing up.

The two stared blankly at me, their prior conversation forgotten. Mr. Brommer spoke first; “What?”

“Both of you will be my legal consultants for the duration of my movement,” I elaborated to catch him up. “I want you to work together.”

“But—” Angeline began.

“Are we done then?” Caroline asked, looking up from her nails for the first time in five minutes.

“Justin Brommer,” he introduced, shaking my hand, then Caroline’s. “I’d be delighted to work with Miss Baxter for you.”

“I know,” I assured, smiling kindly. “We’ll be in touch.”

Caroline added, “Charge my account for payment. It was nice to see you again, Angeline.”

In the elevator, I said, “You don’t have to cover the costs.”

Facing the elevator doors, Caroline replied, “I want to.”

“I don’t want you paying for everything, Caroline.”

“I’m going to, whether you want me to or not,” she said in her annoyingly level voice. There was no way I could convince her otherwise.

Shaking my head, I relented the argument. Some things would never change.

Eternal: Chapter Two, Part 4

Drei left and, a short while later, Valetta and Mitchell followed suit. Not long after I watched them disappear around the corner, I left Drei a note requesting he meet me on the roof. The night was unusually chilly for the end of spring, but it was still beautiful—almost perfect in some ways.

It didn’t feel like I had been waiting long before Drei showed up. I heard him before I saw him, and I could tell he was uneasy about this. Valetta and Mitchell may not see us leaving together, but he was more concerned about if they saw us return together.

“Don’t worry,” I said as he pulled me into his arms.

“I do not want to cross her,” he said, the caution and the longing competing to be dominant in his voice. “The last time I did, it was rather terrifying.”

“Do you trust me?” My eyes searched his, hoping the answer I thought I knew matched the one his features revealed.

“Of course;” his brow furrowed, his eyes were shocked and incredulous I even had to ask.

“Then don’t worry about it.” When he nodded, I asked in a lighter tone, smiling, “Are you ready?”

“I do not even know for what to be ready.”

Laughing, I began pulling my usual breeze of strings. “Don’t be scared, Drei. I’ll be with you the entire time,” I assured him, stepping onto my breeze.

“You have been busy experimenting again, I see.” His eyes followed me as I moved in slow circles before him. “Now how do you suggest I join you?”

“Step up here with me.” I increased the number of strings and their thickness for added strength. “I’ll help you find your balance.”

Cautiously, he took my offered hand, jumping up to join me and nearly falling off again before taking my other hand and catching himself. I couldn’t help but laugh; I had never seen his eyes so wide before.

“You enjoy tormenting me,” he said, the corners of his lips curled upward and his eyes glowing.

“Only when you let me,” I returned, adjusting my balance so I wouldn’t fall with him. “Tell me when you’re used to it.”

“Not when I am comfortable?” he asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, if I wait for you to be comfortable, we won’t have time to go stargazing.”

“And where do you suggest we do that?”

“Are you used to it?”

“I would assume so.”

Turning my back to him, I announced, “Then we can go,” taking off over the rooftops beyond the city limits, but not too quickly—I didn’t want either of us to fall. Drei held onto my hands as he readjusted his balance to match mine. He was coping better than I had expected, but that might have been because he could use me to help him balance and I would adjust my own footing to accommodate both of us.

Neither of us spoke, but that was probably because neither of us knew what to say to the other. II didn’t mind much; I was just happy to be with him.

“We’re here;” I stopped us in the middle of an old, disused highway. The stars were brilliant here, practically lighting everything on their own. I stepped off of the breeze and Drei followed clumsily; I tried to hide my giggling behind my hand but he still glared playfully at me.

“If you were just going to mock me all night, I should not have indulged you;” he slowly approached, wrapping me in his arms.

“How can I make it up to you?” I asked, sinking into his embrace. I can’t begin to explain how wonderful it felt. It was almost like I was whole again. Almost, because I knew he was holding back, uncertain if this was appropriate or not considering the current situation.

The playfulness racing across his features disappeared to be replaced with a seriousness I was hoping wouldn’t rear its head tonight. “Do you think I deserve you?”

Sighing, I couldn’t help feeling I knew this had been coming. I knew it had been on his mind the past week, ever since Valetta first said it. “Drei, what happened was both of our faults. I don’t want you feeling discontent because someone else thinks you should;” I stared at him, taking in the sorrow just under the surface of the seriousness. “We’ve talked about this; we’ve both come to terms with it. We’re past it.”

“But do I deserve you?” he repeated slowly, painfully.

He really needed this answer, and I couldn’t help but feel obligated to say something. I had been there, after all, needing an answer I didn’t have, hoping it would make things better—feeling unable to move on or make a proper decision without it.

“I think so. Do I deserve you? How do you even measure that?” The question was confusing. How does anyone determine who has a right to be with whom? People make mistakes; just because they know better doesn’t mean they can’t be forgiven.

“You deserve the world, Abriel,” he whispered into my ear, holding me closer to him.

“So do you;” and I meant it. He hadn’t made nearly as many mistakes as I had. The only difference was I always had other people to help me fix them—or just fix them for me in some cases; he didn’t have that leisure or luck. Valetta might have held that against him, but I wouldn’t. If I did, there were a lot of things they should be holding against me and weren’t.

I turned in his arms so we could stargaze, deciding that was enough of that conversation. To be honest, I’m not sure how much stargazing we actually did. It seemed more like we stood together and stargazing was our excuse. When Drei suggested we head back, I created our breeze and waited for him to adjust before flying us back to the apartment rooftop.

Even if the whole rendezvous had been shaky from the start, at least we had spent some time together. I wanted him to be the way he had been—loving and confident, if not still somewhat penitent—but I wanted to be with him more. I didn’t care if that made me selfish or naïve. It’s what I wanted.

Vampiric: Chapter Ten, Part 4

Caroline joined us then, sitting at her desk, tossing me a pad of paper. “How do we want our supporters to show the government this isn’t all hot air?”

“What about having them do something with the flag?” Ian asked, slipping easily into business-mode.

“No, it’s too direct an attack too soon,” Caroline argued, tapping a finger against her chin. “What about buying something?”

“Not everyone is going to want to spend money on something they won’t necessarily use,” I countered, logically, surprised I had switched gears as quickly as Ian. “How about an online petition or something like that?”

“We already have things like that. It doesn’t mean they’re all serious,” Ian returned, shaking his head. “We could do a download or something along those lines?”

“Nah,” Caroline dismissed, waving it off. “It wouldn’t be accurate. Some people would download just to see what it was. It has to be just for the supporters. The people who are taking this seriously. A game, maybe?”

“You’d run into the same problem,” I said. “People would buy it just to have it. And it would take ages to set up. You want something they can do now.”

“A nationwide march day,” Ian suggested. “It could work, right?”

“And not everyone who may support us could get off work,” Caroline said, pursing her lips. “Besides, that’s a lot of work to organize in not a lot of time. We want it to show up soon after the broadcast.”

“What about…” The idea was only half formulated in my mind, but it had promise. I remembered the sermons on the plagues of Egypt from back when I attended church. The Israelites had marked their doorways so their firstborns would be safe from the hand of death.

“What?” Caroline said with an edge to her voice, twirling a hand in the air. “We’re running out of ideas, so you might as well come out with it.”

“I don’t have it all figured out,” I confessed excitedly. “But what if we had them mark their house or apartment or wherever they live?”

“How do you mean?” Ian asked, sitting forward as well.

“Like, with a certain color or marking in the window or on the door. A way to admit…they’re supporting us without forcing them to spend money or do anything extravagant.”

“But what marking?” Caroline questioned, slightly skeptical, but her eyes alight with interest.

“That’s what I haven’t figured out.”

“I got it!” Ian smacked his hands together, his face glowing with pride. “The letter C. It’s how they know you, for one.”

“And it can be red,” I added. “The color of passion, and the most related to fire.”

“We’ll only have one for windows,” Caroline said, pointing at both of us. “On the door risks being stolen. And that wouldn’t do us any good.”

“I think it’s perfect,” Ian said, sitting back and smiling.

“Great thinking, Abs,” Caroline praised

“Don’t thank me yet,” I warned, the next problem coming to mind already. “We still have to figure out distribution.”

That took us forever. Most of the people celebrating were well gone by the time we came to a conclusion. For the longest time we toyed with the idea of sending them to a major superstore, but came to the dilemma of trust. Just because they arrived didn’t mean they’d be distributed for free. Then we played with the thought of setting it up online, but that was too risky. Too easy to trace to a source. Then Ian suggested a mass mailing. To hire different companies to mass produce these decals and then mail them to every household in their region. With the sponsorship money Caroline was somehow collecting in an offshore account under her project name, C, expenses weren’t a major concern. She was even willing to pay double to ensure the product was made and shipped so they arrived the day after the broadcast. And so everyone knew what it was for, she was going to talk to our technicians about hacking a satellite or something to make the announcement truly nationwide.

It was ingenious. Provided we could pull it off.

As the sun rose that morning, we left yawning, agreeing after a much needed rest, we’d use prepaid cell phones to call every sign company in the nation, setting them up to have the decals ready to mail in three week’s time. According to Caroline, she couldn’t have asked for a better team.

Vampiric: Chapter Four, Part 4

The problem with being trapped in a white room with hardly anything in it was there was nothing to hide behind when the other occupant started to drive you batty. So I settled for pouting in a corner, my back to her as she started babbling on again about the guy she thought would come for her. There didn’t even appear to be dust in the room, otherwise I probably would have entertained myself with a mini dust devil. So I half listened to her nonsense about a guy with cinnamon hair and deep brown eyes while I tried to imagine what it would be like when Drei burst through the door. I didn’t expect it to be any time soon, but if it happened—

Forcing the doubt out of my mind, I silently cursed her for putting that seed there in the first place and then returned to my images of Drei storming in with guards draped hopelessly over him, trying to stop him. It was melodramatic and ridiculous, yes, but it was better than listening to her tell me it would never happen. Looking at her, it was obvious what happened when you gave up hope in this place.

“…I felt so bad disappearing for all that time and then showing up again with a baby. And that I led him on for hours before taking him to see her; he was so angry; I knew he would be. I hated dropping it like that on him. I hope he’s forgiven me. Charlie never did forget well…”

I turned to look at her then, leaving behind any thought of completely ignoring her. Something in her ramblings was triggering a memory of mine—no, not mine. It was my father’s. The one I had taken all those years ago before leaving him. My mom had left for a year and then she showed back up with me, leaving me in his married hands, trusting him to protect me from ending up in a place like this.

She was older than in the memory, but that was a given. What I didn’t expect was that she had the same build and features. How could it be that the person in my father’s memory, and the woman in front of me, were one in the same. They couldn’t be.

“What’s your name?” I interrupted, praying she would say it was something other than my mom’s.

She gazed at me, smiling softly. “You’re not mad at me for being honest?” she asked, her pale cerulean eyes large and doe-like. “I was really worried about that.” She fidgeted with her fingers, twisting one fingertip between two fingers on the opposite hand.

Her comment made me wonder how long I had been ignoring her, how much I had missed, and how much of it I might have wanted to know.

“What’s your name?”

“What’s yours?” she countered, springing up and darting across to sit in front of me.

“Abriel,” I said, wondering how someone her age could have so much childish energy; especially when I was feeling exhausted. Perhaps it was a side effect of whatever experiments they conducted there.

She clutched my hand excitedly, bubbling about how pretty my name was and how she’d always liked that name. Then she abruptly changed subjects, saying, “My name’s Tyrene, but everyone calls me Ty—I guess I should say used to call me Ty; no one really calls me that anymore—except for the one night guard.”

My mind felt like it overloaded and shut down.  She couldn’t be my mom. This bubbly woman who had looked so worn and defeated to my father the last time he saw her. This person who shared my element, who had given up hope on anything ever changing. She just…couldn’t.

“You look really familiar, do I know you? From before obviously,” she babbled, oblivious to what I was going through.

“I’m—I mean, I think I’m—” The words stuck to the roof of my mouth and I couldn’t seem to pry them loose. Though I had learned to cope with so much that never made any sense, this topped it all. I couldn’t even manage to say it.

“Come to think of it,” she prattled onward, “I named my baby girl Abriel. I don’t know how long ago that was; you kind of lose track. I think the one guard who is really nice to me all the time said my record shows I came years ago; like—”

“Twenty-one?” Part of me prayed she’d say that wasn’t right.

“Yeah!” she screeched, bouncing again before sitting on her feet. “How’d you know?”

“I’m your daughter.” The idea kept being rejected by my brain, even after I said it aloud. It wouldn’t fit; I had thought I’d find her dead, or out doing something, but I never thought I would find her here. Not like this, at least. I had convinced myself, when I thought on it, that she would be serious and plotting; that was so far from the truth.

“Really?” she squealed, her eyes nearly bulging out of her skull and clutching me close. “How’d you get here? I gave you to Charlie so he’d take care of you. You weren’t supposed to end up here at all.”

Nothing I came up with could fully answer her questions. I ended up here by accident. By sheer chance. He did care for me—until everything blew up in my face. And I was still figuring out how to cope with finally meeting the one person who started it all.

Vampiric: Chapter Four, Part 3

“You’re okay,” a soft voice whispered to me. So far, it was the only voice that managed to penetrate the darkness. “Relax; you’re safe.”

My mind tried to hold onto the voice, to keep its comforting words close. The blackness didn’t harm me, but I was terrified of it because it blocked everything else out. All I wanted was to be free of it again. And it seemed everyone but this voice was insistent on keeping me from that.

“Breathe; that’s right. Calm, relax—listen to my voice.” The longer it spoke, the more I began to realize someone was brushing hair off of my face and the air around me was cool on my surprisingly warm skin. A bright light was shining through my eyelids, and the voice became distinctively feminine—motherly, to be more accurate.

“You’re safe,” she cooed again, combing her fingers through my hair.

When my eyes opened, the first thing they saw was her face. She had faded cerulean eyes and dark blond hair mingled with strands of gray. She had a long, somewhat round face, very motherly in appearance, especially with the naturally full pink lips.

Past her visage, I could see the room. This one had white walls, one high, narrow window with a grid of bars over it, and a menacing metal door in the corner. There was what I guessed to be a toilet in one corner and a padded area in another. The air in the room was stifling. It took me a moment to realize the woman had been removing the warmth from the air and circulating a cool breeze around me. Her power might have explained how she had penetrated the darkness.

“Don’t exert yourself,” she said.

“Where am I?” I asked, sitting up, hoping that was the end of the blackness.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said, avoiding the question. “I’ve seen so many earth and water elementals. But never any air elementals; I’ve been so lonely. I’m afraid I may not be the best conversation. It’s been so long; I thought I was going crazy. One of the night guards was nice and stopped to talk with me some times. He saved me from losing it; otherwise they would have put you alone and then you would have ended up like me—”

“Where am I?” I interrupted.

She stared at me, as though it was the stupidest question in the world. How I loathed that expression.

“Sweetie, you’re in a secret government facility,” she said when I didn’t withdraw my question. It sounded absolutely ridiculous, like the sort of thing you’d dare someone to say without cracking a smile. For some reason, it sounded more so because it came from her. “You really didn’t know? I thought you would have known that. Were you somewhere else first; usually they just bring you right here.”

“I was in a black room the last time I woke up,” I said, hoping she might be able to explain where that had been though I doubted it.

“Oh. Then they didn’t know at first.” She thought about this for a moment before continuing on very hurriedly, wearing a bit of a crazed smile on her lips, “Well, you’re here now, anyway. With me. Sorry you didn’t have better luck, but there aren’t many air elementals; and since you’re with me that must be what you are—but, yes, you’ve been abducted by our very own government, sworn to protect and treat all justly and blah blah blah—so much for that. We’ll be here until we die…or they kill us.” The smile disappeared from her lips fleetingly at her last words.

“You’re wrong. Someone is coming for me. When he gets here, you can come with us,” I said before I could stop myself. I wasn’t sure I would want to bring her with, but if I didn’t at least offer, I knew I’d feel guilty for it later.

“Sweetie,” she said again; her voice softened and her head shook almost pityingly. “No one is coming. No one even knows we’re alive—otherwise he would have come for me years ago. I think about him a lot, you know,” she changed the subject suddenly, her face lighting up. “He was married, but we loved each other more than anything in the world. My baby was by him—I don’t know where my baby is—”

“You’re wrong,” I said again, not wanting to believe her or think about how I might end up like her before he arrived. “He’s coming for me; he promised.”

“He’s not coming. Just like he didn’t come for me. Why would he come for you?”

“Not your ‘he’. Mine. And because he loves me.”

“Not coming,” she singsonged evilly, breaking into giggles as though it were humorous.

“You’re wrong,” I seethed, tired of her insanity and doubtfulness—she hadn’t seemed like that at first, giving me hope it wasn’t so bad. I hadn’t been there more than a few minutes and already we were on the wrong foot. Besides, even if her hope was gone, why couldn’t she let me have mine?

Vampiric: Chapter Three, Part 1

Chapter Three: A Time for Everything

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

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

“Why do you ask?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vampiric: Chapter 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 Eleven, Part 2

Shortly after I had finished packing, Valetta returned to take me to see Gloria. She had requested my audience. We would be going separate ways tonight and she did not foresee our paths crossing again soon.

I followed Valetta to the far side of the lake—the side none of us ever visited. It was shrouded in thick forest; the paths were overgrown with moss, grass, and weeds. Gloria’s cabin was the furthest in, the windows covered but allowing the sweet scent of marigolds and roses to escape their hidden cavern.

Valetta stopped at the foot of the path leading to the door. “Gloria is waiting for you,” she said. “This is where I leave you.”

Though I wanted her with me, I started down the path, head high and trying to convince myself this was not some fairy tale gone awry—because that’s what it felt like.

“Come in,” a deep voice said from inside, a puff of the thick flowery scent hitting me through the open door.

Gloria sat surrounded by violet, white, and indigo candles, flickering gently across her creamy complexion. Her eyes were gray on the edges, white in the center. Just as Nick had a way of looking through me, her eyes seemed to see everything in their once over.

“I would suggest you sit,” she said gently, her eyes following me as I sat cross-legged. “I would have aired out the fumes if I had been given more time. Under the circumstances, I just hope you can bear them long enough.”

I nodded, unsure what kind of answer she wanted, but hoping she would continue; I was already beginning to feel lightheaded. If she had wanted, I could have aired it out pretty fast, but I didn’t want to seem rude. She was the one who saw everything, after all.

“This was the easy part, the beginning,” Gloria said. Although she spoke softly, her deep voice seemed to fill the room.

“And I thought this was finally ending,” I whispered, lifting a hand to my head, trying to focus.

“No, Abriel. You still have a long journey ahead, with many choices and many more ordeals, increasingly difficult to overcome.” The words were not threatening, or even of warning, but still managed to be disheartening. “Do not fret; you will have a companion always with you.”

“Drei,” I said suddenly. My hands covered my mouth, my eyes wide at my own audacity.

Gloria’s full red lips upturned, crinkles appearing in the corners of her eyes. “You already know; that is more than I thought you knew. You must also remember your friends and charges, you will need them. They will need you.”

“Gloria,” I started, needing to know, “is my mom still alive?”

She nodded slowly, her short brown curls shifting around her clear visage. “You will meet her one day and may ask for yourself.”

I nodded, unsure in what state I would find my mom now. The thought also crossed my mind if I was the only one who would leave her presence feeling even less sure about the future or if she did this to everyone. So far, nothing she said made me feel confident about what came next.

“One thing, before you leave. If you remember nothing else, Abriel, remember life is about perspective. You can see endings or you can see beginnings.” She reached out to me and I took her hand. It was soft and surprisingly warm. “Choosing to focus on the endings will bring sadness and depression. It will paralyze you.”

“And beginnings?” I hated asking since it seemed a simple enough task, but the fumes were starting to cloud my thoughts.

“Choosing beginnings brings hope.” Gloria squeezed my hand and smiled kindly at me. “Be strong, child. Remember, you do not walk your path alone. There may be times you feel abandoned, but know the opposite is true.”

With that she released my hand and ushered me from her cabin. Fresh air had never been more welcome, though I was grateful for the opportunity to finally meet the clairvoyant. As I made my way back along the lake’s shore, my mind pondered the many beginnings I had come across in the past couple years.

When Drei had first ended his nightly visits, I had begun to grow and discovered my unknown strength. Ending things with Ritchie was the start of defining my individuality—from social expectations and my mother’s expectations. Each ending was also the start of something that promised to be better. The move may be the end of this location for the camp and my time with Nick, but it was the also beginning of whatever adventure waited around the corner. For all of us. Nick impacted all of us, whether positively or negatively—or both—and perhaps this journey was the beginning of a long needed change…I hoped.

Elemental: Chapter Eight, Part 1

Chapter Eight: Waiting for Peace

The garden was our date locale most nights. During the day, we’d sit together talking about random things or join in the games. The children accepted Nick because I did, but they were wary of him, as if his skin or breath were poisonous. I had asked why, one day, and they all pretended to know nothing about it.

Some nights we sat and shared the past, his arms curled around me to protect from the cool weather. Other nights, our chatter was dispersed between kisses and laughter over funny faces and even more amusing jokes. I didn’t know what you could call what we had. For me, I wasn’t sure if I would call it love; but it was such an extreme affection, I knew he wasn’t just a friend I regularly kissed. Nick never said what it was for him; the look in his eyes before he kissed me, the crooked curve of his lips when we were together during the day, or the way he’d hold my hand said it all.

I warred with myself whether it was fair to Nick that I didn’t know how I felt about him. When I was with him, none of it seemed to matter. Perhaps it was my power or some other force I wasn’t aware of that caused me to feel as though he was part of me, and I was part of him. That every time our lips touched or his hand slipped into mine, we were melding together.

The month passed as such—a not-so-secret relationship and a series of private meetings. When Drei happened to be around while we were playing games, I couldn’t help but notice he always glared at Nick. I had a sinking feeling that the thought of us together was more dangerous than bounty hunters. At least in the case of Drei. Perhaps that had some impact on my uncertainty.

One night, I sat in Nick’s embrace, my arms crossed loosely and resting lightly on his. My head lay on his shoulder, my eyes closed as he spoke to me. Not because I was tired, but just because his voice had a different quality that way.

“One day, Kit was running around with Kate’s doll, her favorite one,” he started, his voice excited as he launched into the tale. “Kit insisted it was hers and she should be able to play with it and the white jeep Mom had bought her for Christmas. Of course, Kate was crying when she came to me; our parents were at some company party my dad had to attend. When I yelled for Kit to bring the doll with her, she showed up sniveling and saying she was sorry. They were in preschool and I guess they hadn’t learned about sharing yet. She kept muttering apologies; Kate only plugged her ears and started yelling that she’d never forgive her again.”

“Oh dear. What did you do?” I had a feeling I knew what he would say already. It was really similar to another story I’d heard before.

“We sat down together, Kit still crying a little because she had been found out, Kate still stubbornly pouting, the picturesque victim. I asked Kate why she wouldn’t accept the apology, and she insisted that it wasn’t sincere. So Kit started crying full out again until I stopped her and told her Kate didn’t mean it. Kate complained I was lying, but I asked if she loved Kit, and she stopped. Then she apologized for being stubborn and mean. Kit hugged Kate, telling her she was sorry.

“That night when my parents returned, they found I’d been cornered into playing dolls with them to keep the peace—which unfortunately also involved playing dress up,” he finished, a blush in his voice as I laughed. “It never happened again. Dressing up, that is.”

“It’s still funny,” I insisted, turning to look at him, less mystified by his ending.

He smiled down at me, that special curve to his lips; “Have I told you you’re beautiful?”

“Never.” I smiled and waited for what came next.

“Well you are,” he replied, leaning in to kiss me.

“What are you doing here?” a vicious voice snarled from a few feet away.

Elemental: Chapter Seven, Part 5

I had left after the other lights flickered out in the cabins, not wanting to explain what I was doing or why. That’s spontaneity for you, never a rhyme or reason, but it always feels so right in the moment. It was the moment after the action you had to watch out for.

Nick called out when he arrived in the chaotically tranquil garden. I sat up from the patch of grass where I had been stargazing, supposing he had waited for Mikael to fall asleep before chancing to leave.

“What are you doing?” he questioned, lying beside me.

“Aren’t the stars beautiful?” The black and white of the sky was bordered by curious leaves; they were either questioning what was going to happen, or what the heavens looked like close up. I doubted it would look more lovely than it did now.

“My dad used to teach me to read constellations, but I never really took an interest.” He shrugged beside me, his arm brushing against mine, surprisingly warm. Or perhaps I just hadn’t realized how chilly it was.

“My dad and I never did anything over our last several years together; he was busy working and staying away from my mother.”

“What are you thinking about?” Nick inquired, shifting to his side, rushing past my sorry statement. He didn’t change the subject in a way that suggested he was disinterested, but in a way so as to lighten the mood. The jade eyes burned into me and I again felt he could see past the skin and bones to something more. It frightened me. Mostly because I couldn’t be sure what he saw.

“Everything,” I said instead of talking about how much this smell reminded me of Drei and all the circumstances in which I’d inhaled it. “Anything.” I avoided admitting I missed Drei, even if I was the one pushing him away. “And nothing.” I shoved away the confession that, as much as I liked him, I wished he was Drei.

“That’s quite a boat load,” he replied.

I didn’t say anything, just rolled onto my side to face him, going over again how he was different from Drei, and what it was about Nick I liked. What it was that made him mysterious and easygoing.

“You’re beautiful,” Nick said, his shaggy hair pushed up by his palm.

Before I could think of a response, his lips were on mine and I felt alive. Not like breathing alive. I was fully aware of everything around us: the whistling breeze, the flowers sighing in sleep, the stars twinkling in an undecipherable code…everything.

My heart raced and my brain tried to find something to ground me. I pushed him away, just so our noses barely touched.

“This isn’t going anywhere,” I warned, praying he’d understand what my lack of words seemed to say in my own mind.

“I wouldn’t dream of taking it anywhere,” he whispered before his lips found mine, and the breathless feeling of life—real life—filled me again.

In that moment, I forgot about my feelings for Drei. All thoughts ceased to pass through my mind except for one: now I knew what the leaves had been waiting for.