Struck (A Vampire Novel) ✔

Eleven

“This is never going to work out fairly.”

I was standing blindfolded in the spacious area of the room, my hands half extended and looking to tag supernatural beings that were as quiet as death and as fast as light. I honestly could not fathom how this game would be entertaining to them when I probably wouldn’t be able to tag them without the blindfold either. I reached up to grumpily pull the blindfold off, but felt what had to be Aveline’s hands smacking mine away.

“Don’t be a spoil sport, just try. We’ll make plenty of noises,” Aveline giggled when I lunged out to grab her, but missed no doubt by her darting away with her super speed. I sighed.

“Xander?”

“I’m over here,” I heard his voice extremely close just behind me. I quickly turned to grab him, but my hands reached nothing. “Here.” He was further to my left. I could practically feel his smirk in the air. But I lunged again to find my hands brushing a solid wall.

“Are you sure this is safe? I’m not going to end up in the fireplace, am I?” I was certain I was going to trip and snap my neck somehow.

“We’ll make sure you don’t,” Xander laughed from just to the right of me. I felt his fingers brush my cheek and lunged to grab him. Again, I missed. I growled in frustration, but found my frustration was turning into determination. I concentrated on listening, trying to pinpoint where one of them were at any point in time before leaping towards them. After a few more tries, I groaned and almost stomped my foot on the ground like a child.

“You’re only making me do this so you can openly mock me!”

“No, come on, it’s fun,” Aveline called from nearby to my left. I didn’t even try to attack her position, but rather crossed my arms. I would have narrowed my eyes and glared at them if I hadn’t been blindfolded.

“I feel so stupid right now,” I stated honestly. I didn’t see what type of normal people decided on whim to play a form of Marco Polo. I reluctantly reached my hands out as though I’d feel where they were, moving slowly across the room. I could hear Aveline giggling and Xander would occasionally call my name to draw me towards his direction. I just had to look stupid.

As I concentrated on locating them, something strange started to happen. It started just vaguely, like the temperature rising in a room only by a single degree. I didn’t notice anything different occurring immediately, only that I had stopped lunging and instead was listening as though something were calling to me. Perhaps something was calling to me. I couldn’t hear Aveline or Xander any longer. Instead, I could only hear a low hum, like a note on a keyboard echoing underneath the floorboards.

I lifted my hand and reached forward towards the darkness where the… whatever it was called for me. My fingers traced it, just the tips, and I felt a chill move over my body causing me to shudder unexpectedly. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it was powerful. It called to me, wanting me to more than touch it, but to grab it… connect with it. I withdrew my hand to my chest and stepped back a couple paces in fear.

“Do you feel that?” I asked Aveline and Xander with a subdued whisper. I didn’t hear a response, and wondered if maybe I was dreaming again. I hesitated, but took a step closer and then another. I began to hear whispers upon whispers rushing over my mind, trying to tell me things I couldn’t understand.

Pl… Te… Cob…

When I started to reach towards the darkness that called me, the whispers grew stronger… not louder, but clearer. By now my heart was pounding in my chest out of fear and excitement.

Ple… tell… Cob…

Syllables were between the rains of whispers that rushed like water. I wanted both to answer the request of the call, to connect with it, and I wanted to know what it was the whispers were trying to tell me. My fingers brushed it again, whatever this was, sending that cold electricity through me that rose the hair on my arms.