DARKNESS LULLABY (part 4) (part 1 is in novel excerpts : vampires, part 2 is in novel excerpts: fantasy, part 3 is in novel excerpts: uncertainty)
I didn't know what to do now. In general, I wasn't good at this romantic stuff. I mean, I've had a couple boyfriends (who hasn't?) but I had never experienced anything to this magnitude. It wasn't all physical, although I will admit I do admire his beautifully sculpted body. We had a mental and spiritual connection that I'm not too sure I understood. "Now," He said, the desperation completely gone from his Irish voice, "it'll be a while before Nathalie gets here. What do you wish to do, mon petit amour?"
In school, I had only taken a semester of French before getting a schedule change (Because not only do the French have difficult language rules, but they tend to break them at every opportunity. And every single thing from the wall to a pencil had a gender! And you had to make the adverbs and adjectives and everything else match the stupid gender. Honestly, who really cares if the floor is feminine or masculine? No, French wasn't for me.) but I was pretty sure he just called me his love in some way. "Let's talk. Not about anything you don't want to, of course."
"Then let's move to some place that is lesstempting." He said, extending an arm out the doorway.
A smile lit across his face causing me to silently act like a giddy school girl. I giggled slightly as I bent my head and let my brown hair slide to cover my face. The gesture was obviously worthless because I knew he saw me blush. Still, my face was easily hidden with my hair. I loved the way it was cut to let it do that. It was called tapered' or something. I loved the way it framed my face and made me look good with the way it was parted to the side (which, if I didn't fix it properly, looked like it was eating the right side of my face).
But hair gestures and internal babble aside, I went down the stairs and passed through the music room to enter the living room. It was relatively huge, about three-fourths the size of Nat's kitchen. A titanic flat screen hung on the west wall. What space on that wall the TV didn't cover up was filled with row after row of DVD's. Couches were sorted skillfully around the room. All were white to match the walls and carpet. I almost didn't want to walk in; afraid I might get it all dirty.
Sitting on the couch not quite in the center of the room, I saw Rikken take a seat on the couch opposite to me. It was so hard to not stare at in a stalkerish way (it's kind of hard becausehellohave you seen the guy?) but I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. His brilliant emerald eyes were trying so hard not to get too connected with mine. "So tell me about yourself." I said absentmindedly while playing with a strand of my hair.
"If you must know," he started, flipping his shaggy skater hair to the side. It was the same color as mine and covered his ears and almost brushed against his eyelashes. "I was born circa 1360. It was such a different place then. I came from a wealthy family. As my father's only son, I was assumed to follow in his footsteps while inheriting his fortune. My sister, Katherine, didn't like that very well. She was two years my junior but more than that passed my maturity."
I was raving inside as his voice danced in my ears. "Although she and I fought constantly, we really were good friends. I still can't get rid of the image of her expression when I revealed to her that I hadchanged. She was so upsetnot angrybut upset. She knew if others found out, I would die a horrible, disgraceful death. So, she pretended to get into a fight with me. Our mother and father joined in and it eventually resulted in me storming out. Later that night, I snuck back in to get my things and tell Katherine goodbye. It was so terribly awful to see her cry so much. But, I was dangerous and if I was found out, my family would risk their deaths too for association with me. So, after giving her one last embrace, I threw my bag over my shoulder and walked off into the darkness with the intention to never communicate with them again."
"Oh my God! Rikken," I said rushing to his side. "how horrible. I can't even imagine what it would be like to go through that."
I now sat on the same couch as him, but here was a distance between us (dang). "Yes, it was very horrid. Century after century has passed and, although time has dulled the pain, it has never gone away. My first decade or so was the hardest. I thought that maybe I could go back every once or so and visit, but I couldn't. I kept telling myself that no matter how much I missed them, it wasn't worth risking their lives. What really confuses me is that you didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to any of your loved ones and you seem so content."
I thought for a moment. I had hardly thought about my family since I was changed. "Well, I guess I've accepted that I can't ever see them again. I mean, even if my thoughts got the best of me and I went to go see them, what would they think? What would they think if their dead daughter showed up on their doorstep just as healthy as ever? No, I know it's best to stay away. Better to let them believe I'm at the bottom of a lake than drag them into this dangerous world."
"That's verymature of you. I half expected you to cry for at least a week straight."
"What good would it have done? That's the way I look at it. But, enough about me, you know all about me, remember guardian? Tell me about you."
"After I left my parents, I stayed close in the deep forests making sure they were safe. It made the hurt a little better watching them. Anyway, I lived like that until they all passed away. My mother was the first. She had a severe heart attack two years after I left. I didn't see it first hand, but I heard Katherine and a doctor talking outside as well as saw them bury her. That one almost killed menot being there to grieve with Katherine and my father. Three years later, there was an outbreak of a fatal disease that I can't recall the name of anymore. My father was one its first victims. It attacked him so slowly, dragging him through five months of intense pain before death. Katherine was quite lost after that. She met her husband, David I think it was, a couple years after that.
"To her, David did no wrong. She had such a kind and gentle nature. He, however, didn't deserve the dirt he walked on. He beat my baby sister. Sometimes to the point where she could barely move. That was what broke my resistance. One night while Katherine was away, I snuck in and ripped him to shreds. Then, I threw the pieces of him into the fire to burn. I left a note that said, Don't worry; I took care of things, sis.' When she returned and found the note, I was back in the shadows of the forest. I knew she found it because she burst out of the door and frantically looked in all directions. A tear slid down her cheek as she fell to her knees. She whispered, 'Thank you brother Rikken, thank you.' With my enhanced hearing, I heard every word crystal clear.
"A couple years passed and she finally found someone who deserved her. Some nights, she would come out when everyone else was asleep and talk to me. More or less, she would sit on her porch and just talk. I didn't give my presence away by replying, but even without my response, Katherine knew I was looking out for her there. When she had a child, a beautiful baby girl, she would bring her out to talk to me, too. I was so honored when she named her Rikka. When little Rikka was able to speak, she would talk to me, too. It was so precious.
"One night, while Katherine and the others were sleeping, a man came into their house. He didn't look suspicious at all, just like he needed to borrow something. I didn't think anything of it. I heard screamsKatherine's husband was dead by what I heard. I rushed to the house, but I was too late. The man had escaped with all of the valuables he had come to collect. Katherine and little Rikka, little baby Rikka, weren't going to make it. Rikka had been stabbed several times and was bleeding furiously. Meanwhile, Katherine had only been stabbed oncein the heart. I scooped them both up in my arms and held them in their last moments. Rikka had said, Uncle Rik-Rik, I knew yous was real! Daddy didn't think so, but I knew it!' I shushed her and told her I loved her.
"Katherine was the last of the two to go. She thanked me for watching over her and keeping her safe. I told her that I hadn't kept her safe at all, she was about to die. She only said, If it weren't for you big brother, I wouldn't have made it this far.' She struggled to hold on for ten more minutes and then she couldn't hold on any more."
I realized then that my small pains were nothing compared to his. I closed the distance between us and stroked his hair trying to comfort him. "Rikkenyou didn't have to tell me that. It was so personal and painfulYou don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, remember?" I was holding back tears.
"Painful, yes, but it is a part of my past. It doesn't hurt so much to talk about it when you've done it for years and years. Well, centuries later, I met up with Nat and Ben in England. I lived with them until about the 18th century, when the New World had a revolution. We decided to head for America then. We first lived in Virginia for a while, but after some time, people started to notice that we didn't age, so we moved far, far west. No one had yet settled there. When colonists decided to expand their lands, we were pushed into the shadows. It stayed that way until about the late 20th century when we came across more vampires. They were living deep in the outskirts of their states. It was strange to see that they interacted regularly with humans. They told us that mostly the humans thought of us as things out of stories and legends, so it was easy to be around them without suspicion. Then they told us of the prophecy. From then on, I've lived here and watched over you."
"Wow." Was all I could push out.
"I've been to plenty of places. I've been to large cities and small towns. I've been practically every place on the globe and after it all, I like it right here in Emissy."
"Emissy? Emissy, North Carolina?"
"Yes, I know it's a long way from"
"How did we end up in Emissy? I lived in Bismarck, North Dakota!"
"Haven't you noticed, darling? I'm a teleporter."
"Sorry, just didn't expect that jump." I'd actually been through Emissy before. Me and my parents were on a road trip to Charlotte. I remember thatalthough it was one of the smallest and rinky-dink towns everit was easily the most beautiful place on Earth. Aside from the main town, the rest of the place was lush forest. There were waterfalls and such abundant wildlife. The climate was perfect too. Aside from winter, Emissy stayed at a constant lightly warm temperature. Just warm enough that when a frequent ocean breeze blew by, it felt delightful. Now that I think about it, Emissy seems like a good place to be.
In the middle of me contemplating my thoughts, a knock came on the door. Had it been an hour already? Nathalie came through the door without waiting for Rikken to open it. She briefly told us hello and then gracefully rushed upstairs with the first box. When she had dumped it in my closet, she ran back down to her car to grab another. Rikken and I walked outside to help and saw it. Sitting there outside of Nathalie's Lambo wasno jokeat least fifty boxes of clothes, hangers, jewelry, and accessories such as scarves and hats and gloves. There were also boxes with nail polish and shoes galore! I don't think Nathalie went shopping at all. I rather think she packed up the entire mall and brought it here.
"Nat, how did all that fit in your car?" I asked puzzled.
"There are ways." She said taking another box up.
Although the quantity of things was large, it didn't actually take that long to get all of it upstairs and unpacked. "Now," Nathalie said before she left, "I expect you to look fabulous every day." Giving me a hug, she then walked out and drove off. It was strange to me that when I first met Nat, she was so standoffish and absorbed in Rikken, and now, she was like my BFF.
"She's taking a liking to you." Rikken whispered in my ear when we went back up to my room.
"Is she bipolar? Just wondering." I asked turning around to face him.
He laughed a golden laugh and said, "No. She's like that with everybody."
Before I knew it, I was on the floor grasping my head in pain. I felt so weak. Rikken knelt down next to me and had the worst look of concern in his eyes. "You need blood." He said helping me up.
"I'll be fine."
"I know you're against hunting, but this is ridiculous."
"I'll sleep it off and be fine in the morning."
He reluctantly agreed and left me to sleep. I didn't bother to get under the covers of my princess bed. I just laid on the top and went into a comatose kind of state. I knew that I needed blood, but I just couldn't find it in myself to take it from another person. Rikken knew this and, as a result, took it upon himself to get it for me. That night, I heard a stifled scream and then Rikken started playing the piano as if to soothe away the fact that he had just killed someone. The intertwining melodies of his Midnight Wind easily put me to sleep with the way it sounded exactly like the wind blowing through the willow trees ever so lightly in the midst of the night
The next morning, I awoke to find a wine glass on the nightstand next to my bed. It was filled with a red liquid that's color was too rich to be wine. What else could it be? (Hmmm.I wonder.) It had to be blood. I grasped the cup in my hand and chugged it down. Rikken came into my room then and told me, "Don't worry, Adria. This thirst will dull down as time passes. You won't need blood this much surely by the time you get your powers."
I gave him a hug and thanked him for what he did (no matter how gruesome it was). This routine, if you will, continued for five consecutive nights. Every night there was a different scream from yet another innocent civilian. Although the screams varied, Rikken's selection of music stayed the same. Each scream became lost in his Midnight Wind. It seemed odd to me that such a beautiful song could follow such a deed of darkness and put me fast asleep. Nevertheless, his Midnight Wind became sort of my lullabymy darkness lullaby.
I woke up my seventh day as a vampire feeling slightly less thirsty than I had the past six. Still, like always, there was a wine glass filled with blood on my nightstand. I reached over to grab the glass, but instead of getting a hold of it, it slid effortlessly into my hand. Picking it up, I looked around the room for any sign of Rikken. With my newly gained ultra-hearing, I heard him in the kitchen pacing back and forth. So he wasn't the culprit. Who was? Thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't any outside partybut me. My powers were finally starting to seep into the new vampire me.
"Rikken." I called after I drank my glass. I was quiet, but I knew he wouldn't have any problem hearing me. Before I could set down the glass, Rikken teleported in front of me.
"Yes?" He said sitting on the edge of my bed.
"Can powers come in early?"
His eyes got a tad bit wider when I asked that. "They canHave yours?"
"If this is part of it." I said demonstrating to him what I had effortlessly done by accident earlier. I held my hand at the edge of my bed and, like before, the glass slid into my grasp. Rikken looked like he had just seen the most amazing thing ever.
"I have a question, though." I said. He nodded to signify that I could proceed. "I thought I could control the elements and stop time. You know, cool stuff like that."
"It's only been a week since you were changed. And yes, eventually you will be able to do those things, but for now, this is a great accomplishment."
"Yeah, but you never said anything about me being able to move things like wine glasses."
He laughed slightly. "Sorry I wasn't clear before. When I said you could control the elements, I meant that you could control everythingsuch as wine glasses."
"Oh, okay, that makes a little more sense." I said with a smile. (Gosh, I was such a brainless dork sometimes.)
Our conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Rikken said he'd be right back and teleported away. Instantly, I heard the door bust off its hinges. Whoever was at the door had caught Rikken by surprise and was restraining him to the point where he couldn't use his power. (I didn't understand that. I'd have to ask him about that later.) From downstairs, I heard him shout, "RUN!" There was only one place I could think to go and I'll bet Rikken would know where to find me. Although I was afraid for him, I knew that he could take care of himself. So I sprang to my feet and jumped out of the window, nimbly landing on my feet.
Rushing over to the Vette, I slid in and started it up fast. Within half a minute I was peeling out the driveway and headed to Nat and Ben's mega-mansion at a hundred and three miles per hour and climbing. I hardly noticed that the radio was at full volume and about to blast my speakers out as it played Hand of Blood' by Bullet for my Valentine. It was a fast and hard song that seemed to coincidentally fit the mood. (Freaky coinky-dink movie moment!) But, I turned it down to half volume as I concentrated on how to get to my destination.