I woke in a cold sweat my heart hammering in my chest, not fear though, I wasn’t scared it was a different kind of adrenaline. I was haunted by a pair of eyes and a name, watching me as I slept fitfully. Why? Because I’m an obsessive weirdo who has no life, obviously… I groaned dropping my head forward into my hands pulling my knee’s against my chest ignoring the flaring pain from the burn on my chest.
Frustrated tears built in my eyes, why? This was the second night that I had been haunted by those eyes and that name waking in a cold heart stuttering sweat. Only then to find out that the room was empty except for me. I had to go to school tomorrow, I didn’t want to be dead tired again.
I let out a heavy breath swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and rising to my feet letting the blanket fall to the floor leaving the sleep corset and my little black panties exposed. I suddenly felt strange standing in my own bedroom in such little clothing. It was like now even when I was awake those damned eyes were watching me.
I scrambled to my dresser yanking the top drawer open grabbing my grey tank top and matching grey shorts. In five minutes I was clean and dressed for a work out, my gym bag was set by the front door waiting for me. I paused at the front door turning to face my empty apartment and shouted out at the silence. “Going out!”
I turned to open the front door and felt my blood chill. Why? Why had I done that! My jaw clenched and I pulled the door open pushing out into the cool 5 am morning air. I let out a heavy breath looking out at the foggy courtyard, my breath clouded in front of me as I jogged down the cement steps.
I swung the bag onto my back and jogged out across the slippery grass my sneakers sliding treacherously as I moved through the thick fog that always enclosed the school this early in the morning.
The gym was part of the main building of the University it was just across from my dorm room, so I made it there within three minutes give or take. The doors swung open and I walked through swiping my student card on the red light signing in.
As usual the front desk was empty this early, Sabrinna would come in around the time that I would be leaving to go back to my dorm. She usually was very late, but she was the sweetest girl I knew. She was also a Were-cobra, albino to be exact. She was pale skinned with white shimmering hair that fell to her waist with dark green eyes and the weird vertical iris. She was pretty though and I had seen her take down 3-4 hundred pound men without breaking a sweat.
I walked up the main staircase heading to upper level where the heavy bag, treadmill and main work out stations were. I moved straight to the hanging black heavy bag that was worn around the middle from people hitting it repeatedly. I dropped my bag to the floor not even taking the time to properly wrap my hands, I was in desperate need to blow off steam. I set to work on pummeling the heavy bag, the first punch sent it spinning and swinging a little. I spun around bringing my heel into the swinging bag making it rock back and forth coming straight into my elbow.
I repeated this painful motion until I lost feeling in my legs and arms. My knuckles were split and I had rug burn from the bag on my legs and forearms. Stepping away from the rocking heavy bag I gasped for breath as sweat dripped down my face.
I could feel somebody watching me, trying not to draw attention I stood up straight rolling my shoulders. Those eyes watching me, I cursed under my breath pulling my fist back and slamming it in against the bag feeling more aches and pains ripple up my arm. The chain creaked on the ceiling hook and it slammed against the wall.
Grabbing my gym bag I turned around to see a woman leaning against one of the treadmills her hair billowed out around her face coming down to her ankles in warm rolling blonde curls. Her face was plump and round with two bright blue gems for eyes, a small beauty mark underneath her left eye. She looked like a life sized doll dressed in the schools uniform.
“You’re bleeding” She whispered in a soft Russian accent.
I looked down at my hands then back to her, “Yeah I noticed” I said narrowing my eyes at her.
She giggled moving across the room towards me her feet barely touching the ground, “You’re cute, I don’t understand why we can’t keep you” She sighed cocking her head to the right pressing it to her raised hand.
I took a step back and scowled at her, “Excuse me?”
“Do you still think about him? Even though it was for a few seconds, he touched you” She whispered grinning at me.
My hands tightened at my sides at the sight of pearly white fangs, “You’re a Vampire” I shuddered.
Suddenly she was next to me jumping up and down excitedly clapping her hands, “Such a quick girl” She cheered.
I rolled my eyes turning my back to her walking away, “Hasn’t anybody ever told you not to turn your back on a Vampire?” A shiver ran down my spine as the sensation of cool fingers brushed against the nape of my neck.
Another freaking Vampire, what was I wearing a sign that said blood bank! Her breath felt abnormally hot against my skin where her fingers had touched.
“His scent lingers on you, how strange.”
“Get away from me” I begged my body to move forward or anywhere just get away from her.
I jumped backwards choking on a scream as she appeared in front of me wagging her finger in a motion to scorn, “Now listen here, you need to learn some manners. When we offer you the chance to have us sample you, you need to react in a much more pleasing fashion. Like dropping to your knees and begging us with tears in your eyes.”
“Why tears?” I asked honestly curious, why add in tears?
“Oh because they make everything taste a hundred times better” She laughed waving her hand as if I had done something amusing.
Like a dog rolling back and forth, she was treating me like a stupid dog. Shaking my head I pushed forward shouldering past her, my feet felt like lead as I moved. I listened to her scoff and then a soft animalistic growl rumbled through the air as I made it to the stairs.
I didn’t glance back at her not wanting to risk what would come from looking back, sometimes in life not being curious is a good thing. Especially if coming face to face with one of the greatest predators known to mankind is at the end of that path.
Sun streamed through the front doors finally breaking the mist apart showing a couple other students out for a jog or heading to the church. Sabrinna stood at the front desk playing solitaire online, she cursed suddenly and slapped the screen. I walked past her tapping the desk, she jumped letting out a short yelp. She spun to stare at me then her eyes flashed down to my hands.
“Please tell me that you did not just do that” She grimaced pointing at my hands.
I looked down at them and sighed, “Sort of, mind helping me patch them up?” I asked.
“If I have to, come here” she said waving me in.
I walked to the opening and stepped inside her little island, she pulled out the white box of doom. I had gotten to know this box very well in the years I had been going to this school. I sat down in the red cloth chair that was meant for Sabrinna to use. She pulled out white roles of gauze and glared at my hands then to my legs.
“Damn girl, what did you do up there!” She exclaimed, “Wrestle with a Vamp?”
My spine stiffened and now I took the chance to glance back up, no sign of blonde hair peeking out anywhere- bullet dodged.
I shook my head and turned back to Sabrinna, “Nope, fought the heavy bag and I think I won” I laughed awkwardly.
She smirked and poked my hands roughly, “Don’t you have school tomorrow? How are you going to be able to write with hands like this?”
I shrugged my shoulders wincing as she grabbed my left hand to start wrapping it, “I’ll deal with it” I hissed watching her wrap up my hand clipping it shut with one of the silver bands. She took my right hand gently and began to wrap it just as tight as the left.
“Well at least you won’t get mugged” She murmured.
“I doubt anybody would mug me, Maybe just to beat the crap out of me” I grumbled turning away to glare out the front doors.
My heart stuttered in my chest, there stood the black haired Vampire that had broken into my house, and haunted my dreams. He stood in broad freaking daylight, and he wasn’t even sparkling… Damn you Twilight.
“Sabrinna do you see that!” I shouted pushing to my feet.
I blinked and he was gone, Sabrinna rose as well looking the direction I was, and finding nothing. She glanced at me worriedly nibbling at her bottom lip.
“You feeling alright?” She asked sitting me back down.
I shook my head, “No, no I’m not. I think I’m just tired is all, I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately” Not a lie, but this couldn’t be a coincidence.
She stared at me with her exotic green eyes and nodded, “Alright, well you go home and get some rest then. Call if you need anything Aderyn, I would hate to lose these little talks we have while I patch you up” She said patting my hands lightly.
I smiled at her nodding my head, “I’ll see you later Sabrinna!” I called grabbing my bag and walking out the front door.
I swung it up over my shoulder and walked out across the courtyard looking around as slowly people began to emerge from their dorms dressed in shorts and t-shirts. I yawned pressing the back of my hand to my mouth as I walked across the grass. I really was tired, I was starting to hallucinate shit.
I gave my head vigorous shake jogging the rest of the way up to my apartment hip-checking the door open then kicking it shut. I dropped my bag on the couch and walked straight to the bathroom so I could wash off the sweat. I could have showered at the gym but then I would have risked being cornered by the Vampirellie and I didn’t want to risk that ever.
I stepped from the steaming bathroom rubbing my wet hair with a towel, my hands still wrapped tightly. I had taken a couple Advil so the pain was nearly gone, thanks to my high pain threshold it didn’t bother me much. I moved into my bedroom dropping the towels to the floor as I moved to the dresser, grabbing the necessities first then slipping into a jean skirt and tight black blouse. I collected the wet towels and dropped them in my hamper, as I turned to leave my bedroom the phone began to ring.
I smiled glancing at the time, She was right on time every day. I ran from the bedroom racing to the phone in the kitchen, it was sitting on the small black base next to the silver microwave on the white linoleum countertop. I hit the call button and jumped up onto the counter myself leaning against the wall swinging my feet back and forth so my heels tapped the cupboard doors.
“Morning sunshine!” She shouted over the phone at me.
I smiled shaking my head, “Morning Rilla!” I replied just as cheery as her.
“How are you doing today sweetie?” Caprilla Taun was my aunt and only living family member apparently.
Because she had a criminal record she was unable to take custody of me when I was young. So she had lost me to the system for years until about a year ago she had finally tracked me down to the school. She moved close just so she could be with me, her sister had been my mother so she apparently felt obligated to make sure I had a family of some kind. She called me every Sunday just to check up on me.
“Not too bad, my work out this morning left me bruised and bleeding, but Sabrinna helped patch me up” I said looking at the ceiling.
“Thatta girl! You’ll be kicking ass any day now, you could be a cop!” She said proudly from the other end.
I nodded my head indulging her new choice for my career, “Yeah and I could also be a quarter back, or next boxing champion” I sighed bringing up her other ideas for what I could be.
“Don’t go picking on an old woman now” She sneered at me through the phone.
“Me never, I respect my elders no matter how ancient they may be” I said pressing my hand to my chest.
There was a moment of silence before we both burst into a fit of laughter, “You girl have guts”
“Yeah well with two Vampire encounters under my belt I better” I said rubbing my eyes with my free hand.
Silence answered me from the other end until I heard her breath shudder out, “Two encounters? Aderyn Taun what are you doing with Vampires!” She shouted angrily at me.
“It’s not my fault, one was in my bed when I got home from school Friday, the other showed up at the gym this morning. Both times it was not my fault”
“Sounds suspicious, you get yourself protected Aderyn before they get you”
I frowned, “Get me? Aunty, everybody here hates me… I disgust the Vampires, I’m just the weird girl” I said dropping my head forward.
“Woman, Aderyn, you are becoming a woman. Even vampires won’t be able to resist that, their minds are stuck in adolescence that they were turned with. Soon they will realize this and that barrier that has protected you for so long will crumble”
I gave a nervous laugh, “Aunty, your kinda scaring me here”
“Good, listen anything else happens you’ll tell me right away. I’m only half an hour away, I can come and get you”
“Why? What’s wrong?” I asked my voice getting tight, I did not need her to get like this on me.
I needed my happy joking carefree Aunty. Not the witch Aunty that would put death spells on every single one of my classmates just for picking on me.
“It’s nothing Aderyn, just worrying more than I should. I just want you to be safe honey” She cooed her voice relaxing.
“Jeez, I’ll be fine. Even if nobody here likes me necessarily the police have to do something to help me if I get into a jam” I said shaking my head.
I heard her sigh heavily, “You’re right, by the by! What colour do you like more, sea foam green, midnight purple, or cobalt blue?” She asked suddenly.
I frowned and shut my eyes feeling a shiver run down my spine, “Sea foam green” I murmured opening them again.
“Really, I would have thought you’d go for the purple over the green. Oh well than” She began to murmur to herself.
“Wait what!” I shouted realizing what I had just done, I hadn’t meant to say that colour, it had just caught me off guard.
“I’m getting you a phone, a Cell phone to be exact. That way you have access to me and anybody else you want.”
I grimaced at the idea of adding phone numbers into a phone, if people saw me with one they might actually want to see how many ‘friends’ I had added on there and then I couldn’t even pretend to myself that I had a lot of friends… Sadly. My short lived glass house was shattered by my aunts kindness.
“Thanks, but you don’t have to you know”
“I don’t have to, but I want to. If I could Aderyn I would give you the world” She said her voice so warm and affectionate.
I felt my face flush, this is what I wanted for my life. People that would tell me that and mean it, that they would give me the world, the moon, the stars, and beyond just to make me smile. I really was gluttonous when it came to wanting these kinds of happiness.
“Oh right, you said that a Vampire entered your house. If you get me the name I can make a warding spell so they can’t enter again”
I sat up straight and grinned, “Seriously!”
“I’m being cereal, like Lucky Charms here darling” She drawled.
I snickered nodding my head, “Alright, I’ll figure out what his name is and get it to you a.s.a.p.!”
“The phone should be there tomorrow morning if these guys live up to their boasting fastest delivery motif” She said I could feel her smiling through the phone.
“What if they don’t?” I dared to ask, already knowing the answer.
“Then I’ll Hex the hell out of their asses! I paid money for them to be quick and they better be dammit”
I laughed again finding my cheeks aching from the laughter, “Alright, alright, so let’s talk more about school. How’s class?” She asked sounding curious.
“Pretty good, I have an algebra test coming tomorrow actually. But I understand the basics so I think I can pass this test no problem”
“Winters coming right?” She asked jumping topic again.
“Yeah it is” I sighed closing my eyes with a smile.
“Which means!” She cheered, “Your birthday!”
I dropped my head down again my wet hair dropping down around me, “I thought we were talking about school…”
“Well you do amazing in school anyways. I don’t need to worry about you flunking out anytime soon. Unless you suddenly start doing drugs… Which I doubt you would” She started rambling leaving me to sit there listening to all the things I could do that may cause me to flunk out, “Promise me you won’t fall in love with an Immortal Aderyn” She whispered suddenly jerking me back to reality.
“What?” My voice was tight again, Why would she ask this?
“Promise me Aderyn, that you won’t fall in love with an Immortal. Nothing good comes of the Immortals, they’ll only serve to destroy you” Fear struck through me, this was not my Aunty.
“Aunty… Trust me I’ll only go for something with a pulse promise” I gave a nervous laugh.
“Aderyn, that’s not good enough. I need a promise Aderyn, I need to hear to say that you won’t”
I pushed off from the counter and began to pace my kitchen, I wish I could say those words but making promises only ended with broken hearts. I didn’t want to care for Immortals but there were so many different kinds. If I wanted to be a preternatural worker helping integrate them into society then I had to keep an open mind right? Despite some of my misgivings towards them, and my natural fear of their powers I had to look beyond that.
“Honey, you’re spacing out. Something’s wrong isn’t it? Aderyn answer me!” She shouted.
“Sorry Aunty I have to go, love you bye” I whispered hanging up on her.
Why couldn’t I make the words come out of my mouth, was I really that desperate and hopeful that somebody anybody would tell me they wanted me. That I couldn’t even push out the monsters as possibilities. I gave a weak smile dropping the phone on the counter as I walked out of the kitchen.
It began to ring again and I left it there, I was pathetic. But I had this fear that the minute I said I would lock out somebody then they would become the one that cared for me. Pathetic… Desperate was what I was. Caprilla was only trying to help me, she could obviously hear the anxiety over the Vampires suddenly taking an interest in me.
I straightened, that’s right the spell she was going to do for me! Once I had the spell I could swear to her I would never ever in a million years love an Immortal!
It was just this Stockholm’s infatuation/fear of the green eyed man, he had captured me with his eyes and once I had the spell I would think clearly and come to my senses! I sulked into my bedroom closing the door behind me shuffling over to the bed, I jumped forward sliding over the blankets to hug the pillow tightly to my chest. I just needed his name…
Saebriel