Disclosure
"Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her. But once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game."
- Voltaire
When I was a little girl, I used to be scared of the dark.
Every night I'd drag Mom and Dad to my room and make them search the closet thoroughly to make sure there were no monsters lurking anywhere. Only then would I be able to sleep.
I don't know why the darkness frightened me; I just know that it DID. There was never telling what could be out there.
But the fear did not come without humiliation. There was Ash, for instance, who got a kick out of my silly phobia and would purposely try to scare the daylights out of me. He'd sneak into the closet and slowly slide the door back and forth until I'd run shrieking down the hall to our parents. "Baby Angel" Aunt Sekhmet would call him, smothering him in kisses. I never understood why no one could ever look past his innocent façade and see the REAL HIM. Yup, the five year old version of Ash was no less evil than the current one.
Mom and Dad always told me there were no such things as monsters.
That they were made up creatures meant to scare kids into behaving. But for some reason, no matter how hard they tried, I wouldn't believe them. Maybe it was because, deep inside, I knew they were lying.
Rodrigo laughed.
The cool wind from the ocean swirled in the air blasting my hair into my face. The lights flickered and went out completely.
"Shocked?" He purred, taking a few steps in my direction. I backed away immediately, my mind numb. "They all are. Fear, it consumes your kind. Must be a human thing."
Human thing. I had a sudden urge to laugh. Your kind.
Rodrigo stared at me with what seemed like keen interest. The corner of his mouth tilted up as he leaned down over me. "You're different." He said matter-of-factly. "Different from the rest. I knew that from the moment I saw you." He reached out to touch my cheek, his red eyes burning with curiosity. I backed away further, repelled by his proximity.
"I really don't like humans Jezebel." Rodrigo said, looking unhappy. He was frowning, his eyes a dark red, almost burgundy color. "Especially young hunt-"A knock on the window interrupted him. He froze, his hand motionless in the air as he tilted his head and listened. A moment later he dropped his hand and sighed dramatically. "Come in." He said turning towards the source of the sound.
A second was all it took before the window slid open and in came two cloaked male figures, swift as panthers. They shut the window behind them and one drew back his hood. He was startlingly handsome, six feet tall with golden skin and onyx black eyes.
"What do you want Fernando?" Rodrigo asked addressing him. Fernando stepped forward and bowed.
"Only to help, brother. Some rebellious dinner has arrived." He said, glancing at the splotch of blood near his feet. "They want our hides. Our blood."
Rodrigo hissed, literally hissed, like he was some sort of snake. "Who?" he asked, jaw clenched.
"Oh, the usual, some young nephil humanlings. Not to mention the Sull-" The other cloaked figure kicked Fernando in the shin, sending him toppling to the floor flat on his face. Fernando lifted his head and glared menacingly at the hooded guy. "ARE YOU INSA-"
"Enough!" Rodrigo's voice rang out. All the glass in the room seemed to shatter. He snapped his fingers at Fernando and gestured towards the window."Leave."
