CHAPTER 19
Michael and Bel sat on a picnic blanket cuddled up together at the hill top. It had been months now since they had first met. Bel visited Michael at his place and sometimes found Sophia who also visited him from time to time. Bel got to know Sophia and they got along very well.
That afternoon, Michael held Bel close to him as though he was saying goodbye to her. It worried Bel alot because she had never seen Michael cling to her that way, only in bed. But in bed he held her like his missed her for years. This was a different kind of touch.
She touched the side of his face lightly and gently turned him to meet her gaze. She stared at him for a moment with nothing but a warm smile on her face.
Even when you're so serious, you still look so handsome, she thought to herself.
"Michael?" She called, still staring in his eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked gently.
He stared at her for a while and couldn't bring himself to say anything. "It's nothing, I'm fine," he said, lowering his head.
Bel traced her plam under his chin and rose his head gently to meet hers. Their eyes locked on each other, Bel stared at him and with her perfect smile. Her innocent eyes looking into his.
"Something's bothering you, Michael. It's okay, you can tell me."
He stared at her and still couldn't tell her what was on his mind. "I just don't want to lose you," he replied, still staring at her.
She said nothing and placed both her hand on each side of his face, dragged him slowly to meet her and their lips met.
She gave him a slow and smooth, passionate kiss. She opened her eyes and looked at him with a smile on her face.
"You're not going to lose me," she convinced him. "Tell me, what's on your mind?"
Michael stared at her but couldn't hold his gaze and he closed his eyes. He exhaled lightly, and he looked her in the eyes again. "I know I should have told you this long ago but I didn't know were to begin," he said.
She had a worried look on her face. "What it is?" She asked.
"I'm not who you think I am."
She had a confused look on her face. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, shaking her head lightly.
"When you told me about what happened to you, to Lana, about what you saw. The creatures that you've seen that aren't actually human. I should have told you the truth then. I was a coward and I was scared," he said.
Bel wanted too freak out from everything he just said, but she kept calm. "So what are you saying?" She asked
"Bel, I'm one of them, I'm one of those creatures," he said.
She chuckled with disbelief. "What are you talking about," she smiled.
"You don't live in the world you think you do."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked with a confused look on her face.
Michael said nothing and closed his eyes for a few seconds and exhaled heavily. He opened his eyes and they were crimson red. Bel's eyes widened and she was startled. She crawled backwards slowly but couldn't get herself to stand. Her breathing was heavy and her heart was beating very fast. She had seen this before and now she's looking at it closer. Suddenly she froze and couldn't move her body.
Michael's eyes changed back to their normal sky blue, but Bel didn't look at him the same way she always did. They was something different about him now. He wasn't the same Michael she knew.
"Bel, it's okay. Don't be afraid," he tried to reach and touch her, but she pulled back.
"Please don't," she said, stopping him from reaching out.
"I'm not going to hurt," he said softly.
Michael got up from the blanket and walked to the adge that showed the view of the town. He didn't know how to begin, all he knew was that he had to explain himself at that moment.
"I know you have a lot of questions," he said without looking back at her.
Bel said nothing for a while and slowly started to get up. She wanted to approach him but from what she just saw, she was afraid. Her heart was racing fast, and even though she didn't know it yet, Michael could hear her heart pounding.
"Start talking," she said softly. "What are you people?" She asked.
Michael exhaled and turned to meet her gaze. He'd never seen the that she have on her face. She stared at him like he was a the devil himself.
"It's complicated, I don't even know how to start," he said.
"Try," she shot at him.
"They call as demons," he said.
"Why?" She asked.
"It's a name humans gave as centuries ago," he replied.
Bel's eyes widened. What does he mean centuries ago? She asked herself. This began to make her unease. She was more confused than ever and had a lot of questions running through her head. She didn't say anything, she just stared at him quietly and waiting for him to continue.
"They are two kinds of demons. True bloods and half bloods."
"Which one are you?" She asked.
He stared at her and saw that she looked at him differently. He exhaled.
"I'm a true blood, he replied.
"And what does that mean?"
"True bloods were the first mortals to get turned into-" he pleased for a while. "Into what I am," he started. "Unlike the half bloods, true bloods got turned by drinking the blood of an ancient demon."
"And half bloods? How do they turn?" She asked.
"If a mortal is stabbed with a demon's dagger to the heart, or if they stab any kind of demon in the heart, they become a half blood. Half bloods were given that name because the never got their rebirth from the first demon.
"So you're not no a vampire." she asked.
He shook his head, "no."
"Why are you telling me all this? She started. "One minute you're Michael Gray, and the next you're some-, I don't know, Michael Gray the true demon blood or whatever you call yourselves," she looked at him from a distance.
She realized that she might have hurt him and regretted saying those words.
He slowly walked towards her and tried to reach out of her but she took steps backwards, rejecting him.
"Bel, I'm still the same Michael you've gotten too know," he said, trying to reach her but she slow rose her hand, without looking at him, telling him to stop.
She paused for a while before exhaling. She then stared at him with a confused look on her face.
"But I don't know you. People that know what you are, are the people that know you. I'm just another blind person."
"Bel, darling, that's not true."
"It is true that's why-" she cut herself short as if something just happened. "Darling," she said softly to herself.
She studied Michael's face and started to recalling the night at Tess' house, the party and Lana. Lana's words came rushing back to her mind. Michael's dead. Slowly, pieces started to come back to her. Someone was next to his body.... red eyes... throw his body over the balcony. Her breathing quickly became deep, long, breaths. Another thought came to her mind. Joey getting choked. Darling, you have no idea what's possible. And then it came to her.
"Darling," she said it with a soft tone on her voice, while she continued to stare at him. "It was her, wasn't it? You know her, don't you?" She asked, still Staring at him, hoping everything she put together wasn't true.
He had a confused look on his face. "Who?...what are you talking about"
"The person that throw you over the balcony. The one Lana said was with you when you died, the one with the red eyes. The person that throw Joey to one other side of the diner." She studied him for a few seconds.
"You know that lady, don't you."
Michael exhaled before replying. He nodded his head. "Yes," he finally finished.
"She would have killed Joey that night and you're telling me you know her. I told what happened that night and you couldn't think to mention that you know a killer. Who are you?" She looked more confused than ever.
"It wasn't like that, she was only trying too protect you all."
"Protect? Is that your idea of protection?" She shot at him, but he said nothing. "Every story I told you about what happened to me, to Lana and Joey, you knew these people all along." She paused and stared at him.
"Was it you that saved me the night I was attacked?" She looked at him with a curious but serious face.
He shook his head.
"How so? It's got to be you. I mean, you just told me what you are and it was a demon that I saw that night. You were the last person I was with that night, so please explain how-" Michael interrupted before she could finish.
"I was Jacob," he replied abruptly.
Michael looked into her eyes without saying anything more. Confusion grow inside her and he could notice it. Looked at him in shock.
"What?" Her calm voice came out.
"It was Jacob that saved you, not me." He explained to her.
"How do you know that he was the one that-... Is he also-?" She had so many questions running through her head that she couldn't straight any of them out.
"Yes, his a demon too." He started. "Bel I'm sorry I've dropped all this on you at once, I just thought it would be best if you knew what I am."
Bel's breathing started getting heavy. Her body feeling weak. All this was hard to contain. She decided she has had enough for one day.
"I need to leave," she said softly, looking down at the ground.
Michael was silent and just nodded. "I'll take you home," he said.
"No," started. "I'll walk, I need to think, I need some air," she turned and started walking away from him.
"I just can't let you go down this hill alone. It's a long way down and really dangerous," he said.
"I'll be fine, really. Don't worry about it," she said with looking back at him.
Michael exhaled as he stared and watched Bel walking away with her arms rapped around her waist. He ran to her with inhuman speed, and in a second he was standing in front of her.
Startled by his appearance, Bel was taken aback with a fright. With her hand on her chest, her breathing was fast and her heart was racing. Michael could hear her heart beat and she somehow looked tense.
"I can't stop you from coming with me, but at least I can help you get home safe."
He went into his pocket with one hand and the other reached for Bel's hand. Locked in an eye contact, Michael put something in Bel's hands. She looked into her palm and saw his car keys. Bel quickly looked up at him and shook her head.
"No, I can't take your car, what about you? How-" she was silenced with a finger on her lips.
"Take it, at least I know you're going home safe. I wouldn't forgive myself if anything happened to you." He placed his palm on the side of her face, gazing into eye. "I'll be fine, you can drop it of at my house when you're done using it."
"Michael I-"
"Please," he said before she could finish. "Take it, it's okay."
Bel stared at him for a while. "Thank you," she said softly.
She turned back and headed for Michael's car. He stood and watched as she walked away. Bel later drove away, leaving Michael on Rockwood hill top.
***
Night had fallen. The first cool gusts blow as Michael stood at the edge of the hill, lost in his on labyrinth mind, when flushing movements of shadows passed over his face and he knew in that moment that he wasn't alone anymore.
"Nothing could be more lonely
And nothing more beautiful
Than the view at nightfall
Across the prairies
To a huge hill masses,
When the lengthening
Shadows has at last
Merged into one
And the faint afterglow
Of the red sunset fills the sky."
Michael exhaled. He recognized the voice of the person that had spoken behind him. Un pleased by the sound of it, Michael turn to meet the person.
Michael met the gaze of his old rival and saw that he had an evil grin on the face.
"Hello Michael," the voice came again.
"Marcus." Michael said with an unpleasant tone to his voice
"Our paths cross yet again," Marcus said with an evil smirk on his face.