Revelations (Formerly known as Promises and Lies (EDITING)

Chapter 13

Thirteen.

A r i a.

This was a dark place, but very windy. The wind flung my hair wildly behind me. It looked like a golden sash, billowing brightly in this dark, dank place. My eyes watered from the breeze and I wiped the tears away hastily trying to clear my vision.

A bright light lit up in the corner. I looked to it desperately trying to see where it came from. But another one lit up, and then another, causing my concentration to break as my eyes frantically searched the place. Soon there were random bursts of light everywhere, and I was able to make out just where I was.

The rooftop to the art studio. It still looked brilliant. A spot of light in contrast to the black night sky. But the feeling was different. There were no stars dotting the endless horizon above me. The feeling was desolate, lonely. I wanted to leave. It didn’t hold the majestic calming beauty that I experienced. There was no comfort here.

A slight shuffle came from behind me, and I strained to listen. I peered over the edge of the balcony. There were no sounds floating up from the street. Now that I looked at it, the streets were empty and void of life. There was a bang somewhere nearby. I turned to face what ever was coming. My muscles ached from being so tense. My nails dug into my palm from having my fists clenched so tight. A tiny drop of sweat, sweat from the pure adrenaline rush trickled slowly down my back.

The door was shadowed by the light that didn’t reach it. I knew someone was there, but I couldn’t make out who it was. You know that feeling, where you can feel all eyes on you, focusing on your every movement? That feeling where you should run, but curiosity keeps you grounded? Well, that feeling was in full swing. I couldn’t shake it.

I waited silently tensed for the person to come out into the light that bathed the rest of the rooftop. But the longer I waited, the more anxious I became. The uneasy feeling clawed at me, telling me to jump the roof if I had to.

So I just stood there, waiting, half tensed to run. The person made a slight noise and I watched as they took a hesitant step into the light.

D a n i e l.

Watching her sleep was both good and bad. It was good because it meant that I was with her for a minute longer. I craved these minutes more than I craved blood. It was a good thing because her thoughts were free from her rational conscience that always interfered. Her thoughts were at the purest state, without rational judgment and criticism. It was good because she was at peace with her mind.

It was bad because I couldn’t help but peek at her dreams. I wanted to know what she was thinking at every second of every minute. I kept her thoughts close to me, because I feared she would figure out everything. It was a bad thing because I had every urge to make the worst come out into her dreams. I wanted to show her that there really is no escape from fears unless you face them head on.
It was bad because some sick twisted part of me enjoyed her suffering.

I watched her hesitating on that rooftop, confused and anxious. I didn’t interfere with this dream. I let it play out. I saw myself walk out into the light with menacing look. I saw myself walk towards her, but I also saw her take a step back. She was scared, that much was obvious. But then everything became clear.

She was a afraid of the secrets I kept. She was afraid that she would never know the truth behind anything. She was afraid that I would hurt her just like that pathetic waste.

‘Daniel, gosh you scared me.’ I could see right through her act. She was faking relief that it was me who came onto the rooftop. I saw her fists tremble beside her. I knew her fear ran deep. She wouldn’t trust me after waking up. And she shouldn’t. I will eventually have to-

I cut the thought short and focused again on the scene playing out in her head.

‘I came here to let you know something,’ I heard myself say to her. That cruel grin was plastered on my face. I wondered for a minute if I really was that intimidating. But then I remembered: I was supposed to be.

I watched myself walk towards her again, and noticed her backing away. My grin became a hard line, and my eyes were fixed into a glare. I watched as I practically stomped my way over to her.

‘Don’t come near me.’ Her words from earlier echoed in her dream, and they tore at me from somewhere within. The ghostly pain radiated through my chest and wound its way through every part of my mind and body.

Four little words can inflict so much damage in a split second. But the version of myself in this dream didn’t give a flying fuck about that sentence. I watched myself continue forwards, trying to appear calm. Trying but failing without a care. I kept walking and she kept taking a step back. She reached the edge, her heels hanging slightly off of it.

This is who she saw. This version of me that was so callous and menacing. A dream was only a reflection of thoughts buried deep inside someone. She wanted to believe that I was good. That I wasn't going to hurt her. But deep down she knew. She knew that I wasn't normal.

‘I won’t hurt you. I promise.’ The fake sincerity was so thick in that one sentence. I couldn’t believe that her dream version of me was so deceiving. But I was even worse in reality.

I took that one step forward, and she fell off the edge. Simultaneously, she flinched hard in her sleep and shot up in the bed gasping for her breathing to calm. I just sat at the edge of the bed waiting for her to say something.

A r i a.

I think I almost leaped out of my bed when I saw Daniel sitting at the edge of my bed. He was so calm that it was eerie. I drew ragged breaths trying to clear my head and shake that nightmare away. I needed to calm down.

I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and stood up, watching Daniel out of the corner of my eye. I didn’t know where we stood. The revelation from earlier was still fresh in my mind. It wasn’t possible for someone to move that fast and fluidly.

“How did you do it?” I repeated my question from earlier, not really sure if I wanted to know anymore.

“What are you talking about?” He asked in a confused tone, but I could see right through him. He was just as nervous as I was. His skin was no longer flushed, but as pale as the walls in this room.

“You fucking know what I’m talking about. So don’t act like you don’t.” I was shaking from my anger. He just sat there calmly, acting like there was no problem. I didn’t understand why he would lie. Was the truth really that horrible?

He sighed and then stood up next to me, taking my hand in his.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” The thrumming began slowly and steadily. I got lost for a moment, as pure calm took over me. I stopped shaking and my thoughts were becoming hazy. This always happened when we touched.

I knew he was trying to distract me so I pulled my hand sharply out of his, with will power I didn’t know I had.

“Stop doing that!” I glared at his stupid smirk. He was enjoying this and he didn’t care that I caught him trying to distract me.

“Aria, you won’t like what you hear so just drop it.” He said his eyes becoming dark. His pupils retracted and the black ring grew, a warning for me to back off. He looked strangely beautiful with black eyes. A dangerous kind of beauty.

“Why won’t you tell me?” I asked looking down. I won’t lie, I was doing this to break him. Maybe this vulnerable act would work. But I was also doing it because I was hurt. I told Daniel everything. The least he could do was reciprocate the trust.

I heard him heave a heavy sigh and walked over to me.

“Alright,” he said “Take a seat. I don’t want you to faint or anything.”

I waited for him to continue, with my heart crashing against my chest. I was finally going to solve the mystery of Daniel. The thought made me smile inwardly.

“I don’t understand why you’re so persistent about this but I’m tired of lying to you. What do you want to know?” He was looking straight into my eyes trying to scare me out of asking my questions. But I wasn’t having that.

“Why do your eyes change colors?” I watched his reaction as he heard my question. His eyes widened for the briefest second and they returned to their usual icy blue.

“When I can’t control my emotions, they change. It happens all the time.” That was all he said.

We both know that wasn’t normal. I tried to push the new thoughts from my mind. I didn’t want to come right out and say what I was thinking. But I had a feeling he knew anyway.

“I’m not human, Aria. I never was.” I felt like I couldn’t breathe. What did he mean ‘not human’? I started shaking again, but this time for a different reason. Fear gripped me tight and I suddenly became aware of how close we were. I felt like I was trapped in the little space that was the headboard and him.

“You should have been afraid from the very first day you saw me. I’m not a person you should trust.” I tried to move but he held onto my wrist.

“You have been wondering what that whole thing with the beats are. And when I tell you, you won’t like it. But we both can’t avoid it. Every vampire needs a mate. Our case is just a little more extreme.”

Wait, did he just say vampire?