First Blush

Chapter 1
Blue Opal

I was ninety-nine point nine percent sure, that what I was seeing was a dream. On the most beautiful day imaginable, in our magical secret place, (the back yard tree house we had built as kids) here was the love of my life on one knee asking me the hundred dollar question.

His voice was so soft and warm, giving me that security blanket I had always felt when he spoke to me, now seemed to choke as the words finally escaped his mouth, “Will you marry me?” His beautiful silver eyes piercing my deep blue ones. Tears floated to my eyes in a rush of emotions, as the moment in life I had always dreamt of became a reality.

“Of course!” I answered, letting him put the ring on my left hand and standing to embrace me. The tears I knew so well how to control fell without restraint and not for lack of effort. His tall lanky arms were holding me tightly. He stood a nice foot or so above me. Yeah, Kaz was very tall, he was skinny but still kept himself in shape, his rock hard abs pressed firmly against me as he bent down to kiss my forehead then quickly let me go, his sweet scent captivating me once again.

“Come on, let’s go tell our parents.” He pressed rushing towards the trap door only two steps away, the expression on his face priceless. That simple joy that is so rare in anyone over the age of seven in the time we live in. I took another look around at my favorite place in the world, now so, even more than ever as he lowered the ladder to the ground, offering me his hand to steady me.

The view I took in was great, it had been our hangout through the years. The layout was simple, one room, in which a single couch was placed and two windows glass and all, (his dad had loved these kinds of projects) the tree itself the center of the room. I had gone through and decorated over the years as had Kaz, his version of decoration a complete opposite, having each plank painted a different color, a rainbow going in an entire circle around me.

I took a spin around, remembering the purpose of these colors, it was our own man made rainbow and I was in the center, the pot of gold was our love. I smiled at him once more taking his hand as I descended to the ground. A second after my feet grazed the ground beneath me his appeared a set match next to mine. I looked at him in astonishment for only a split second, as the tree was far too tall to jump off and remain unscathed and he hadn’t been climbing while I was, had he? I quickly shook off the thought resolving that I must have been mistaken.

As we entered the house he had grown up in, our house as it had been said so many times, I found I was the only one who hadn't known he was going to propose. Inside, a flock of our closest friends and dearest relatives stood holding glasses and raising them high speaking in chorus, “To Kaz and Cassandra!” My mother stood at the front, her green eyes glistening with tears as she came up to hug me.

"And you thought he'd never ask." she laughed as she remembered about what I had said only days before, her red dyed hair a straight and perfect frame around her face leaned to one side as she wrapped me in the hug. "You had no idea did you?" she said in a whisper in my ear, before letting me go. I shook my head, my long brunette hair shaking with it as a smile traced my lips and my father stood next to her, his hand over her shoulder, like me, my mother was short, and my father was about the same height as Kaz. Kaz walked slowly to my side and instinctively my hand intertwined with his the moment he stepped near me.

As we neared the kitchen, hugs and kisses, and “Ooohs” and “Ahhs” abounded as each person passed my hand with the ring to the next person waiting to see the ring. Stepping past the couches and wide screen TV mounted over the fireplace others were gathered watching recordings of us before prom, as well as other clips, which I stopped to watch for a moment as the scene changed from Prom to graduation. I smiled and entered the kitchen then, my eyes settling on one thing. There it stood the cake with a snapshot of Kaz and I in our caps and gowns holding our diplomas. I smiled instinctively and kissed Kaz on his lips ever so gently. This was absolutely the happiest moment of my life.

Hours later, the party was over and the guests gone, those who remained were my parents, his mother, a beautiful woman with black silky hair and brown eyes that softened her face and our version of Shawn and Angela, Ethan and Danielle, Ethan had been in JROTC, which he followed in college, and it showed, his muscles were tight and strong, his hair a clean cut brown and green eyes, while Danielle was my height too, her hair was cut short and neat a mix of blonde and brunette, and also similar to me, she had blue eyes, but her lips were what everyone noticed, she had Angelina Jolie lips.

Each was picking up trash in a different section of the house. Ethan was in the dining room, picking up the last of the paper plates from the oak table, and the cups that were scattered on Michelle’s different antiques, my favorite of which was her silver set. Four silver goblets a platter and four matching sets of regular silverware, the only difference was that these had the family crest on the tips of them as did the tray. Michelle was in the kitchen closing up the cake that was setting on the island in the blue tiled and chocolate marble counter topped room.

My parents had split up into the different bedrooms, Kaz was the first on the left and the games had been set up there, the room was painted in his artwork, he loved to do different styles each year so each year from a very young age he had started painting different things all over the walls. My favorite painting being of a sunset (or so I called it) that peeked over the edge of a mountain instead of a flat horizon and the blues mixed with the pinks had made it even more glorious when he added different birds flying in the background.

Next was his parent’s room, a lovely design of cheetah spots decorated not only the bedding but the conjoining bathroom as well as the curtains to the window and a soft blue covered the walls. Kaz was stuck with bathroom duty, something he had been volen-told (basically being told that he was volunteering to do it) to do.

I had finished mine, the living room, which had involved cleaning up a few spilled drinks a cake mess on the great new carpet Michelle had bought and picking up various stray cups that had been left on the mantle of the fireplace that stood in the center under the TV.

I sat on the couch with a deep sigh staring down at the new ring on my finger. He had always known my favorite gem, although he never would buy it for me, blue opal. Which I guess made it why this ring was even more special. The stone shone brightly in the last rays of sunlight left outside now shimmering through the sliding glass door behind me, causing little white lights to dance on my face as I stared.

"I knew you liked opals, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to give them to you." he sat right next to me on the couch and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I love you, always and forever."

I curled my neck as a shiver ran down my spine the heat of his breath igniting my senses to a new high. It was in that moment I felt I could live forever in his arms and never have to leave again. The last rays of the day became shorter and less translucent on my ring. The rays slowly crept to their daily slumber beneath the land allowing the night to take over; sounds of crickets began instantly, chiming in with one another and the birds softly fluttering into their nests signaling the day to be done.

I dosed off into a dream fixated around the day’s events. Night and day seemed to be embodied persons who began bickering back and forth, and somehow it became a skirmish, both of them fighting over Kaz. Like two wolves to a single lamb they tore at his very being pulling him relentlessly in either direction. I awoke some moments later to find myself back in my bed in my house, my mother and father talking in the other room with each other. I had elected to stay at home for college and study photography, an art that was slowly becoming extinct by mass amounts of digital advances. I could see that it was morning by the light shining through my curtains, but where had the night gone? Why couldn't I remember anything? I lifted up my bangs and felt my forehead for fever or even an ounce of information as to why I couldn't recollect ever leaving Kaz's house.

With a deep sigh I got up and carefully walked into the kitchen, mom and dad both wore worried expressions on their faces, dad with a cup of coffee in his hands and both looked up to me trying to hide it instantly as they realized I was there.

"You don't fool me, you know. What's wrong?" I asked partially upset as to why they would try and hide something from me. For years now they had included me in all the issues that arose with my mother’s dissipating health and many other crisis bearing issues.

"Sweetie, its jus-"

"What your mother is trying to say," my father interrupted, "is that there's been an accident, involving Kaz."

My heart stopped I stared at them in disbelief as they both measured my reaction I quickly changed my facial expression to better suit my ability to handle the situation. “What is it?” I said slowly, reasoning the best play for me to make would be to grab a cup of coffee and sit with them. I walked towards the clean cut wooden counter that Kaz’s father had built for us to save money, my feet feeling the cool of the linoleum as I walked across it.

“Why don’t you have a seat first love?” my mother said holding back the tears I knew were ready to begin falling. I followed my mother’s instructions knowing that this was something was wrong setting at the smooth table that still wobbled. My mind was racing at the ample amounts of possibilities that might have happened, and how much he needed me at the hospital.

“The house burned to the ground sometime last night. We thought you were there but when we were on our way out we found you sleeping in your room the door wide open.” He said as if the explanation didn’t seem to fit.



“Then that means Kaz is safe, he must’ve brought me home.” I said walking from the coffee pot to the table, still trying to absorb the loss of memory and the fact that my, now fiancé, was suddenly in a mysterious accident, only the day after our engagement.



“No, sweetheart, he didn’t make it out.” My dad said with a grim expression covering his face.In that instant my world shattered, the glass fell from my hands and the simmering hot liquid was now burning my legs. The world became a blur as my mother rushed to my side and started patting my legs franticly with a towel to soak up the hot substance. I couldn’t even feel the tears rolling down my face. I sat there as that same numb feeling spread so that even my sight was gone. I was alone.

Chapter 2
Mr. Hurst

Some hours later I woke up to an annoying beeping sound next to my ear, I was laying on my right side sleeping, my pillow cold and damp and turned slowly to the left side trying to find the alarm clock. I was glad to be awake, the dream I had was too much to take in for real, there was no way he would have just proposed to me and then be gone the next minute, and how would I have explained falling asleep in his arms then in the kitchen a little later. Suddenly a bright light shone into my eyes from what seemed to be a doorway. A shadow came in trying to be quiet and instantly I became wary of this figure now closing the space between itself and me. I sat up leaning on my arms and that’s when I felt it, in my left arm was a tube? I turned franticly to look at the figure to my left that was now unhooking a bag and switching it with a full one. I looked around confused. Where am I? I franticly felt around. This isn’t my bed, where am I?! I looked to the figure and put my arm up in defense afraid that any second the figure would attack. Instead my gesture was answered with a small laugh. Then the lights behind my head came on.

“There, there now sweetie, my name’s Elaine, I’m your nurse.” She whispered with a sweet smile and then looked past me on the other side of the bed.

As my eyes followed her gaze I noticed on the pull out bed made available for any hospital room was my mother now sleeping a look of worry and sadness on her face. My eyes got wider as I realized why I was here and instantly my eyes turned to Elaine.

“What happened to Kaz?” I asked my voice raised higher and cracking, the tears falling once again on my face. I could feel it already; my heart was racing a choking feeling filling my throat and hot moist tears falling from my eyes which were now soar and burning. The expression on the nurse’s face changed instantly.

“Right now you need to concentrate on calming down sweetie, that’s why you’re here.” She said coming straight to my side and grabbing my hand to comfort and hitting a button on the side of my bed.

“NO!” I screamed, or so I thought, but my voice was replaced with a failed attempt to speak only air escaping my throat the words now caught inside when another nurse ran in and instantly ran to the bag Elaine had just changed and put a needle at the end of the bag sending a burning sensation through what I had realized was a tube in my hand. The medicine worked its magic into my veins as it quickly sedated me sending me right back into my dreamless sleep.

September

October

November

It had been a few months since the accident, and yet it still seemed like yesterday he had gotten down on one knee I still hadn’t taken it all in, it just didn’t seem right. I was in the darkroom developing all my old leftover rolls from the semester and prepping for finals which wasn’t too far around the corner, and I had a lot of catching up to do. I sat there unrolling the film from the developing roller staring into space, my heart and mind in a different world entirely. I hadn’t taken a picture since that day, and I didn’t know if I could even pick up a camera again, hence why I was developing old rolls, which didn’t help at all in my situation I might add. I pulled down a dry roll from the drying rack as I set the newer one in its place. I took it instantly to the cutting room and lined it up on the light so I could look over the pictures. I took the magnifier and placed it over the first picture only a second later my eye followed to look at the picture. Sitting on a bench in the upper left corner with their backs to the camera and an arm around the girl was a couple, the girl with long dark hair and him with a lighter shade and spiked, a piece of paper setting next to a wastebasket near the bottom right corner semi-crumpled saying I LOVE YOU above a heart in what seemed to be a rainbow effect and below were the words FOREVER AND ALWAYS, a small picture taped to the corner of the paper showed you the face of a male similar to the one facing away from the camera.

My heart ached and the same lump that rose nearly every day, more than once or twice since August and the pang of anger that had recently started building for whomever caused the fire. The police believed it to be a kitchen fire, but I knew better. It had started way too late and he wasn’t the type to cook for a late night snack. His mother hadn’t been home so she couldn’t have turned on the stove therefore it wasn’t possible for it to have been an accident.

As the anger filled my lungs my fist curled into a ball, my knuckles going white and numb at the amount of force behind the clench. Suddenly I erupted in a rush of anger banging my hand on the desk next to the light screaming loudly in anguish. I felt the eyes of my peers instantaneously look at me and then away again as soon as they thought I was about to look. I knew it, they all thought I was crazy, and truth be told, I was. I had become obsessed with finding out why, who, or what it would benefit if Kaz was gone. How any of it would have mattered to anyone besides his friends and family, namely me. I had become so bad that even Ethan and Danielle were worried that I had lost it; I thought them as suspects as well. I took a deep breath and went back to looking back at the pictures in front of me and resolving to not think about that matter until I was done with at least this roll.

Later that day I went to Michelle’s house, like I did every day since the accident, and talked to her but somehow today was different. I walked in the door as I had since I was 10 with the Stewart’s house, not bothering to knock on account that I had been told not to bother anymore that it was my home as well, only to be surprised by the appearance of a strange man. I couldn’t place it but there was something different about him, and that’s when I noticed it. His scent made my knees go weak as the smell reminded me of Kaz instantly. I fell straight into the nearest chair and looked up at him in confusion.

“Who are you?” I asked callously, my mind racing about him changing small details and finding him to be a striking resemblance of Kaz, or was it the other way around? I shook my head and looked at him my eyebrows hunched over my eyes and my forehead creased in contemplation.

“I am Kaz’s father, his biological father.” He replied not taking any offense it seemed to my rude behavior, or so it was pointed out to me a moment later.

“Cassandra. I will not have you speaking to our guest rudely. He has come here for you.” She said bustling out of the kitchen with a warm apple cider for him and me then going back to get one for herself. I stayed seated not knowing what to expect.

I had known that Kaz was adopted but I had never expected to meet his biological parents. I figured that if they had the craziness in them to give him up that they’d obviously stay away for the better for both him and me. I still looked towards the strange man the same puzzled expression that Kaz made so adorably cute masked his face as well and I found I couldn’t look at him anymore, it was too much and my anger was rising far too quickly. I averted my eyes to the cider now in my hands.

“I am Bruce Hurst, and there are a few things I need to tell you about Kaz.” He said slowly and very soft, it was as if the words that were about to come out would be as tragic as those only a few months before.

“Please, Mr. Hurst, I do not care for soft spoken words or a tone of displeasing news. I have had enough of that to last me eternity.” I said still refraining from looking at him at all.

“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to- what I meant was-“ he stuttered a few more moments before speaking a full sentence to which I rolled my eyes. “I am not human, and neither was Kaz.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Hurst, but I believe our meeting is through.” I turned to Michelle my eyes already watering and left my cider setting on the glass next to me. My eyes bored at her with the anger of a thousand sharp needles coming from my eyes alone. I regretted it almost immediately.

She came after me, but I had already shut the door and was on my way home the weather cool and brisk sending chills down my spine as I stepped into my truck and drove away from the newly built house that had been fixed to replicate the one I had long cherished. A tear rolled down my cheek, followed by another, then two more, when suddenly I couldn’t see anymore and I was forced to pull my truck over so I could clear my face before driving again. Taking a deep breath and pulling back onto the slippery road I trudged on pulling down my street and, not bothering with the garage, parked and went straight to my warm and burnt smelling room where I laid and, like so many nights before, cried myself to sleep.

Instead of a dreamless sleep, which was part of my numbing process, I found my dreams leading me down a road where I saw Kaz. He was sitting on a branch halfway up a large oak tree set in the center of the road. Rushing towards him I screamed his name, the response being quick, he jumped to the ground from where he was, and landed unscathed before coming my direction, me rushing into his arms.

“I’ve missed you.” I told him, tears falling from my face like waterfalls.

“And I you, but I don’t have much time.” He said briskly. “My father visited you, he was right. I am not human, and I’m still alive, you are the only one who can find me.”

I looked up to meet his silver eyes, stricken with tears as well, and peering into mine pleading that I believe him. Confusion filled my head as I my mind raced around the ideas of what he could truly be, and as I did so, he began to fade from my arms.

“Don’t go!!!” I wailed as he disappeared from me.

“I’ll meet you again, in your dreams. I can see you then and then only.” His voice echoed to me as he withered from view, sending me to reality my eyes fluttering open, crusted with the tears I had gone to sleep with, and my face wet from the fresh ones shed during the dream.

“I love you.” I whispered, mentally cursing myself for not saying it in my dream. I knew he knew that I did, but getting to say it again was what I had wanted so badly.Sitting up in my bed I looked at my bedside table and turned on the light staring at the ring I had been so afraid to wear since the day I had received it. With a quivering hand I picked it up and placed it back on my left finger, hyperventilation beginning in my breathing style, my hand instinctively reaching for the brown paper bag kept neatly next to the lamp so I could keep my breathing together. Once I had calmed down I decided I would visit this Mr. Hurst tomorrow and get some real answers.

Chapter 3
Encounters

It was dawn now, the first bit of light was slowly caressing my face as I stared blankly into the field in front of me. I was sitting with my feet dangling out the floor exit of our tree house. After waking up I couldn't find the nerve to sleep peacefully my heart aching so badly, but my face was drought for tears. I drove to the Stewart house and went to the tree house, which, thankfully, hadn't been touched by the fire. My scarf flew into my face by the wind. December was too cold, and I mean this is Texas for crying out loud. That’s when I noticed him, suddenly standing in the field merely a second after the scarf had been put back in place. He wasn't looking at me, just standing there staring at the sun, the sky barely turning a light pink. He took a deep breath then looked directly at me, no, through me! It was like he was looking straight into my soul. Digging into the fabric of whom I was and why I had come to choose this lifestyle. I shook it off and climbed down the rope ladder, sticking my hands into my pockets and the hood back over my head, my ears were freezing! How could he be out here with just a pair of jeans and a tee shirt?

He walked towards me as I did to him, as if he knew. With a deep sigh I looked at him still not sure what I was going to say, this was all new to me. I got lucky.

"You ready to talk now?" he asked, walking with his hands seemingly casual, but with his palms towards the sun on both sides, odd, but I guessed I hadn't noticed yesterday with the hysteria of the news.

"I guess." I said trying to sound indifferent. "How did you know I'd be out here?" I asked. The question had been bothering me.

"Kaz." he said without a sound of remorse.

As usual, the tears stung the backs of my eyelids but my well was dry. "How?" I asked a bit short of breath.

"Let's go inside. Okay?" he asked, motioning towards the greenhouse Kaz's father had built three years before he had died.

I nodded my head and followed him my head filling with my list of questions I had formed through the night. "First off, what are you?" I asked as we reached the entrance door. He sat down directly facing the sun, and I was surprised to see that he didn't put his hand over his eyes to shield them.

"I am an ancient being, called a Pramevy." he said in a matter of fact tone. Pramevy? What the heck kind of word is that? I wondered to myself. "I am different from humans in the fact that my main source of energy and life doesn't come from foods, although garlic seems to do wonders for an energy boost." he chortled to himself as he thought of some joke I knew nothing about.

"So what do you eat?" I wondered my eyes starting to widen slightly.

"I don't really need to eat, but I can eat regular foods. I drink in my life force from the sun." he said in such a matter of fact tone I wanted to laugh.

"So let me, guess, you're from a planet called Krypton or something, next you're going to tell me that you can move faster than a speeding bullet, and you're stronger than a train." I said sarcastically starting to let go of the laugh but stopped when he didn't talk. "You've gotta be kidding me!" I said with a gasp, "No way am I believing that."

His stare rose from the rising sun to my face. "I assure you I'm from earth, but I am strong, and fast." he said squaring his shoulders as if the next few words would be vital. Great. "Kaz was different from me too I'm afraid, something the likes of this world has never seen, but first you have to know more about me and my kind."

"Like what?" I asked incredulously. How am I supposed to believe that kind of statement without some kind of proof? In that instant he nodded to me, I'm sure on my face was a look of pure puzzlement as he stopped moving again.

"That’s why you have to come with me." he said softly, as if he was ashamed.

"You're not gonna like kill me or something if I don't believe you, or like if I choose not to follow you down this path right?" I asked making sure I could always find myself a way out.

"No no." he laughed at the idea of it, "My race actually preserves human lives." he said turning back towards the door. "There are some very eager people that want to meet you." he said his voice ringing as if it were a dare for me to follow.

"Like who? And why do they want to meet me?" I asked bewildered.

"Friends, and they want to meet the one Kaz has chosen as his eternal mate." he said as he opened the door, the cold, wintery, air biting at me as it whipped my hair around my face, and filling the warm sunlit greenhouse with freezing rigid air. I followed, but I didn't trust him fully still. Why would he want to tell me so little then lead me away unless it was a trap?

Pulling out my phone I typed up a text message to Danielle.



I'm goin 2 some place w/Kaz's bio. dad, if I don call in 1 hour, call. If I don answer, call Michelle & the fuz. I'll text u when I kno where am.
Love – R


I went with him, and discussed what he meant by his eternal mate, and how things in the Pramevy world worked. The time passed quickly and I realized a few minutes after the hour that I hadn’t called Danielle yet, so I sent her a quick text while Bruce talked hoping it would stave her off from the call.

U said you’d call, I don kno if I trust this is u if I don hear ur voice. Im callin. U better be the right voice.
~The same luvable Dani~


It was so like her to not trust. That’s why I had depended on her to be the one to keep this whole thing, in check, but really how could you put this in check? What with people eating sunlight, superhuman strength, and speed, oh, and now, Vampyres are real.

Walking back from the bathroom the phone rang, obviously she had given the text a few minutes to reach me before calling. Touching the answer key on my blackberry pearl I placed it to my ear. “Hello, Dani.” I said casually.

“Good, so you are safe, you’re not being forced to talk are you?” she asked, realizing now that she may have tipped them off.

“I actually went to the bathroom so I’m alone, and no, I’m all good on this end, I’ll call you in another hour then okay?” I said in a regular tone, hoping I didn’t sound too rushed.

“How about we talk a few minutes first?” she asked, Great so I do sound rushed.

“What about?” I asked casually.

“What does he want? And where did he bring you to?” she asked trying to make the second question seem normal.

“I’m at his office, he works on base. Turns out he and his wife are military and just didn’t want that for Kaz.” I had already been told the cover story for the adoption. “His dad is the current officer over the Blackhawk Helicopters. You remember? It’s the one that Ethan’s team always performed at for ROTC?” I said hoping that this would satisfy her. “Well mainly he wanted to get to know more about his son, and the life he had. Truth be told, it’s all a bit weird. If he wanted to know about all of this you’d think he would have called him through his life or something.” I said, and her sigh confirmed it, she believed I was okay.

“That is odd.” She agreed. “So you’ll call me in an hour right? Not text?” She asked.

“How about I take a picture on my phone and send it with a message?” I asked. The call was already taking too long for my taste, I wanted to know more and this was making me wait.

“Fine.” She said reluctantly. “But you’d better put the time stamp on it!” she threatened, I laughed.

“Deal.” I answered back to her, “I’ll text you in an hour then.”

“Love ya, bye.” She said her usual goodbye.

“You too, bye.” I clicked the end key, and then locked the buttons placing it back in my pocket before returning into the hangar.

“So does she believe it then?” he asked me as I got closer, he was outside the large doors staring at the water that pushed against its concrete shore.

“What?” I asked a bit bewildered. He couldn’t have known I was talking to Dani, could he?

“Your friend on the phone, does she really believe that you are okay, and the story for the adoption?” he asked.

My face contorted then I looked back at him. “So super-hearing is another little tidbit you forgot to mention about your kind.” I said a bit upset that he had been spying on my conversation

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to spy.” He said. “Yes we can hear very well, and as I said, some have unique gifts. I am one so lucky. I can read minds. I heard your thoughts as you came in. I don’t mean to intrude, but I have no choice really.” He said apologetically.

“I’ll let it go this time.” I said and sighed. “So as you were saying, you had to let go of your son at birth because you could be the cause of his death? How is that?” I asked, picking up from where I had left off.

“As adults, we secrete a hormone. That, as adults helps us, but as children can weaken our immune system. So, say he broke his arm, or got a scratch on his leg. He would be very susceptible to getting an infection, and if I were to stay close to him, then it would only have gotten worse, since his body would be so weak from my hormone. So in order for him to grow healthy, his mother and I put him in to the P.A.A. It’s an organization of both Pramevy and Humans, that train human parents how to raise their adopted child, we entered into the program as soon as we were able to tell he wasn’t human. That’s how we met Michelle and Bruce.” He answered me turning back towards the water and taking a seat on the ledge of concrete between the two hangars.

“So how did your wife take it?” I asked, his wife had been human and really, she could have kept him on her own if she had wanted to, but she didn’t.

“I wasn’t married to her at the time, and my wife isn’t his mother.” He answered me slightly sulking. “I had fallen in love with one of our human agents; she would infiltrate the Vampyre lairs at night, and help us through the day.” I was now sitting like him, dangling my feet over the edge as he spoke. “Well, she had been chosen by a Vampyre as his mate, and well, let’s just say I wasn’t the only one who loved on her because of it. When she got pregnant she feared it was his child, but it wasn’t and she stopped working the field, but it was too late, the Vampyre didn’t know it wasn’t his child, so he changed her. She was turned from human to Vampyre and there was nothing I could do.” I could see the tears start to well.

Wow, harsh. Oh, shoot, he can hear me! I thought and winced as he looked towards me. “Sorry.”

He laughed at my inner comment, “Yes, it is, he knew he was Pramevy when he turned 13, but he didn’t know about his mom. When he was born, his mother risked her life to bring him to the P.A.A., an organization of both humans and Pramevy that help humans who will adopt Pramevy children learn how to raise them, and what to do if they develop abilities. Since he has been taken he has recently learned how to communicate through the REM sleep. So since he contacted Michelle, she came to the P.A.A. and told us about it, allowing for others to start the search for him. Also, it allowed him to learn of me and his mother through these dreams with Michelle. From there he contacted me, and I went to see you, knowing that you were his only hope of salvation. He didn’t want to hurt you any more than he already had, so he didn’t like it when I contacted you.” He sighed.

“That sounds about right.” I said sighing with him and fiddling with the gloves on my hands, my striped scarf blowing slightly in the wind around me.

“So, lemmie make sure I have this right then.” I took a deep breath and started over the explanation again.

“You and your love got pregnant, she was changed to a vamp, she had Kaz, Michelle and Bruce adopted him. Now he is kidnapped and has developed an ability to communicate through dreams. So, since she was changed to a Vamp, does that mean he’s part Vamp, or still part human and Pram,” I had adopted his nicknames for the races from the earlier part of the conversation, “or does it mean he’s all three?” I asked incredulously.

He laughed, his smile returning to him again. “When Prams and humans have children, they are not mixed breeds. It is a recessive gene, so the child is either human, or Pram. In his case, he is the first mix, of both Vamp and Pram together. When Vamps have children with a human, the same process occurs; it is either human, or Vampyre. If the child is Vampyre, the mother will be changed to keep her alive, if she isn’t the one who is Vamp to start with. With my lover, the one who chose her as a mate could tell it wasn’t human, but didn’t see that it wasn’t Vampyre either, so he changed her, making Kaz a mix of both. That is why he has silver eyes. Part of the process as a vamp is having your eye color change according to your mood.” He explained.

“This is a lot to take in and I’m actually getting sort of hungry.” I said, and in agreement my stomach growled.

“Right, I am sorry, here I’ve been consuming my own style of breakfast, and you haven’t touched food since lunch yesterday.” He said casually.

“How did-“ I cut myself off without finishing, “Right.”

We got up and started towards his car driving to the McDonalds on base, after ordering he took me back to my house and dropped me off. “You should get some rest. You need it, and we can continue tomorrow.”

I nodded and headed into my house. Today I start fresh, I thought to myself, Kaz is alive and I’m going to find him.

Walking in my door I found my house had been raided. I rushed to my bedroom my eyes dashing straight for the nightstand. “NO!” I screamed. The ring wasn’t there. Then, I felt like a fool, it was on my hand the whole time, it took me starting to cry to notice it when my hand wiped away the tears scratching my face in the process. I laughed at myself but then I realized I wasn’t alone. From the kitchen a grey robed figure started walking towards me.

"You!" the figure said, an arm rising up and a finger pointing directly at me. "Pabulum, state your name!" I pointed to myself and the fear hit me.

"Who are you?" I said my voice slightly shaking. "What are you?" I corrected slightly realizing I may not be dealing with a human. Why is it calling me a Pabulum? I thought. What is a Pabulum? I got up and walked in the direction of the figure stopping at my door frame as I noticed two more on either side in the hallway.

"Riley,"

"Odette,"

"And Jacob." the three said on their own, lowering their hoods to show their faces. “You haven't said who you are." the one in front of me, Jacob, said.

My eyes wandered from my left to Odette, and my right to Riley. Odette was a stunning straight haired brunette with piercing green eyes, and a long thin figure. Amanda was similar, but with her eyes a turquoise color and her hair had black low lights accenting her curls. Jacob was muscular but thin, not like the broad shouldered guys, but with black curly hair and lightly, was it purple eyes? They were all gorgeous their piercing eyes and mocha skin made them perfect for models.

"Cassandra. What is going on, why are you in my house and what have you done?" I nearly demanded, my fear slightly vanishing.Ignoring my question, the two girls looked to Jacob and he nodded. Simultaneously, the girls grabbed my two arms and in a flash of colors I was somewhere else.

Chapter 4
Answers

“Like I’ve said about thirty times now, I don’t know who you’re talking about!” I nearly shouted.

Odette turned her face towards me from the window she was looking out of. It was night and we were in some kind of cabin, the smell around gave it the feel to a nice night for a campfire and ghost stories. Sadly though, I had already filled my quota for scary stories, I was actually currently living one, what with my hands tied behind my back and my legs tied to the chair I was sitting in, but really, who in their right mind ties a prisoner to a computer chair? After a few more minutes silence she finally spoke. “This should be simple and easy. We ask you questions, you answer truthfully. Where is Mr. Hurst?”

I tried to look as frustrated as possible, and for how lousy I was at acting, I guess they saw through it, since the second I opened my mouth Riley growled her eyes shut and her arms crossed. I had already come to the conclusion that these were not your average human. “Don’t lie, don’t try and act, and don’t bother to try and tell us you’re not lying.” She sounded more frustrated than I could pull off.

“We know you know him, we know he is Kaz’s biological father, and we know you were with him earlier this afternoon,” said Odette leaning over to look me right in the eye. “Kaz contacted me, much like he contacted you. During our rest cycle, in our dreams.” She said with a menacing smile across her face, still looking me right in the eye.

Rage filled me at that moment, now acting wasn’t need. “Who the hell are you that he would even look at you!” I yelled, my mind racing. Why would he talk to her? Who is she? What is she? Was he seeing her when I wasn’t around? How could I have not noticed! She’s beautiful; maybe he was just trying to hide that- No! She’s doing this on purpose! He wouldn’t talk to her cause he doesn’t know her! I convinced myself before allowing another rotten thought pass my mind.

“He has known me longer than he has known you, and he has told me all about you.” She sneered, noticing how the idea had affected me. Great.

Jacob walked back inside in that minute, his muscles flexed and his jaw tight. In what seemed like a split second the two girls were by his side and trying to calm him.

“They are coming.” He said, and registration seemed to click through their minds instantly, cause the next thing I knew, I was seeing another flash of colors. My stomach going into knots as I was drug away.

Setting me down in a different setting, this one seemed like a sewing factory, still night and dark as ever inside, only the light from the moon allowed me to see what was going on near me. Odette was tying me to a pole this time and my feet together. Jacob was staring towards the door I assumed we had just come through and Riley was nowhere in sight.

Jacob looked at Odette after she was done tying me up and she walked away, still in the factory but off in some shadows where I couldn’t see her anymore. When she was gone, Jacob untied the ties and helped me to stand.

“I’m sorry for how they are treating you.” He said softly. My mind was a jumbled up mess of anger, hurt, fear, and a clear sense that getting away wasn’t gonna be easy.

“What do you care? You kidnapped me too.” I said coldly, rubbing my wrists where the ropes had been.

“You weren’t supposed to be taken against your will, but time was forcing us to get you out faster than speaking would allow. I am sorry for taking you, and for the mess we made at your home, but we had to cover our tracks. You are very important, and frankly, too valuable to get hurt.” He said, looking straight into my eyes, his filled with worry and care. Yep, they were purple, but unlike before, now they were a bit more dulled and slightly darker, which from a distance would most likely seem to be brown.

“What in the world are you talking about?” I asked, my feelings becoming more organized, but still I was confused.

“Odette spoke with Kaz a dream vision, when they spoke he told her that you had to be kept safe, at all costs, you are his life force. From the moment you said yes you became his way to feed, but not feed, to live.” He sighed, obviously not too sure himself what I was supposed to be. “Do you know what he is?” he asked softly looking away from me now, but pinning me to the wall behind me, and weirdly enough, I kind of felt safe. Like he was shielding me from something behind him as he leaned against the wall with his hands and looked at the ground, me just standing there with him in front.

“Yes.” I said softly.

His eyes met mine quickly with surprise, “He told you?” he asked seeming bewildered.

“No, Kaz didn’t tell me anything. His father did.” I said calmly.

“Mr. Hurst, Bruce, you mean.” He said letting his gaze fall again.

“Yes. Why do you know so much, and why do the other two want to know where he is?” it was my turn to ask the hard questions. “And what did you call me before, when you were in the hallway?” that had been poking at me ever since he started to talk to me.

“Pabulum.” He said, trying to appease me, obviously. “It's what we Vampyres call a human. It means food. And we know this much, because Kaz is our brother.” He said looking back up at me, a yearning in his eyes, but for what I had no clue.

“We are triplets.” Said a voice from behind him. Odette walked forward seemingly calmer now. “We have the same mother but a different father.”

“Please, we need to keep both you and his father safe, where is he?” Jacob asked again, his eyes pleading.

"If you're Vampyres, why am I still alive, and why should I tell you where to find a Pramevy?" I questioned, now fear was something I couldn't show, to them, it was weakness.

"Our mother, she is the reason you can trust us. She sent us, not Paul." She said, now she too was pleading with me.

"Yet I see no mother here." I said looking from Odette back to Jacob.

"She must stay by Paul's side, or he will find us faster. As our mother, she can always find us, and if forced, we are all dead. Paul thinks we are on his side right now, and the longer he believes that the better." Jacob said.

"Then take me home. What was wrong with me being there?" I asked.

"Paul wants to use you and Mr. Wellington as a motivation for Kaz to choose his side; Kaz is very powerful and could shift the balance of power between Prams and Vamps. Mother just wants him to live his life happy, but Paul wants to use him as a weapon." Said Jacob setting his hands on my shoulders, sending chills down my spine electricity I wasn't used to from anyone’s touch.

"Jacob!" Screeched Odette, pulling on his arms.

"I'm sorry...but I think I understand why he chose her now." he said after a deep breath.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, feeling slightly dizzy as his hands left my shoulders.

"He was sizing you up, measuring how much it would take to change you." answered Odette.

"Change me?" I asked hoping that what I was thinking wasn't what she meant, my voice coming out sounding outraged.

"I'm sorry." said Jacob softly, looking down again before piercing me with his eyes again.

"Well I'll tell you where to find him, but I have to talk to him alone first." I said trying to deal. Last thing I wanted was to become a Vamp.

"Great, so all it took was scaring her that she would become one of us to get her to talk." she sighed and looked at Jacob and me. "Agreed. Where do I take you?" she said.

"You? Alone?" I questioned.

"Yeah, that way you know you're not surrounded." she shrugged.

"Start taking me towards town and I'll tell you exactly where when we're out of here." I said walking past Jacob avoiding his skin at all costs.

Chapter 5
Truth & Lies

We sped through a dense forest area. To me it was just a blur of greens and browns but I knew it had to be much more. I could feel the rush of wind whipping my hair around my face and the blistering cold against my eyes made them water. Forcing me to shut them so they wouldn't go dry.

We reached the town faster than I could even think. She stopped briskly and looked at me over her shoulder, her hair straight and setting perfectly around her face, mine strewn all around me, it had been in a neat pony tail before these three trips I took but now it was just a knotted mess. My long black hair was knotted and sticking out everywhere. I let go of her neck to fix it again, using my fingers as a comb going through it a few times and then realizing I didn't have another tie. Great.

"Well?" she asked impatiently. "Where is he?" she was almost as bad as a hyper dog that had been tied to a pole all day let free at night to come inside for the night. Sheesh.

"Get me to a pay phone and give me two dollars in quarters." I told her making a face at her tone with me.

"You said you'd take me to him!" she nearly yelled at me, a low growl rumbling from her throat that my hands were clasped to.

"I said I had to talk to him alone first. Not that I'd take you straight there!" I yelled at her. Trying to show I was the one in charge here, not her. I failed.

"Watch your tone with me Pabulum." she grunted and turned back to the city.

I closed my eyes again as the rushing wind sounded in my ears and I found myself near a pay phone with a broken light.

"Oh, right, how am I supposed to see when I dial?" I said sarcastically.

A hand moved past me and handed me the phone, brushing against my shoulder and then my hand was placed on the keypad. I could hear the change jingling in the machine and then a dial tone was on the other end of the phone.

"You should know where the numbers are. Unless you want me to dial." she said with what must have been a smile since she sounded almost like that's exactly what she wanted me to do.

"Yeah. I guess I'll have to deal." I said punching the numbers I had written down from my encounter with him earlier on. "You'd just better be glad I'm good with remembering numbers." I said as the dial tone turned into a ring. "Now if you would excuse me, this isn't what I'd call private." I said with an edge in my voice.

"Fine." she said, anger clear in her voice. I could only hear a few steps but there was no way to be sure how far she had gone, I couldn't see diddly squat.

I sighed as the fourth ring came around only to be cut off by a woman's voice. "Hurst Greens, Margie speaking. How can I help you?" the voice on the other end asked. "Mr. Hurst please, it’s C." I said into the receiver, knowing the woman was probably having to look through the new list that he had given her this afternoon, well...more of a stack of names....that was harsh.

"One moment while I transfer you." she said quicker than I had anticipated and just like that another set of ringing started.

"Cassie?" Mr. Hurst's voice said through the phone.

"Yeah, I needed to know if I could meet up with you and then get somewhere safe. There'll be protection." I said being as cautious as I could with the words I chose. He already knew I wasn't alone and that the person near me wasn't human, but Vampyre.

"You sure it’s safe? What if he tries to contact you? You should be sleeping." he said a hint of concern in his voice.

"Well supposedly he said to go. So you tell me, do you wanna go or not?" I said trying so hard to not be figured out.

"Lemmie think about it...what is the number to get you at?" he asked.

"Hang on." I pulled the receiver away from my mouth and turned over my shoulder. "What number can he get me at?" I asked and almost jumped at the voice's clarity and distance.

"My number, 688-8780." she said seemingly yards away but at the same time sounding as clear if she were right next to me.

"Did you hear that?" I asked trying to figure out how well these creatures could hear.

"Yes." he said flatly. "I'll contact you; get somewhere safe, the night is still young."

I tried to hang the phone up three different times before a hand guided me to the right place and I let it go.

"So now what do we do? Waste time till Daddy decides if he wants to hang or not?" she said sarcasm drawing out daddy and I could hear a sneer afterward.

"Sadly that's the only option you get." I told her, my frustrations coming clean and showing on my face. Yet I couldn't see her reaction I could tell she was ticked by the tone of voice she chose.

"I don't take kindly to others thinking they can control me." she said and I could feel the tension in the air.

It stayed silent for a few minutes and I sat down after stumbling over an uprooted branch and leaned against the tree it came from. I wasn't ready to be caught up in this mess. I only just found out about these things and here I am thrown in the middle already! How do I get myself into these situations? I questioned and took a deep sigh. Time seemed endless and I was tired. My eyes began to flutter slightly and my head nodded until I was fully asleep.

In my daze I went back to the tree from before, Kaz there once more and waiting this time. Like he knew I'd come. This time the first words from my mouth were the ones I had longed to say before. "I love you!!" I screamed as we met in the center again. "I don't understand. Why? Why is it that you have to be this important person? Why can't I take you in my arms and just go home already?" I pleaded as the tears began to fall his warm hands wrapping me inside his tender hug. He held me for a few moments before he spoke.

"Cause I'm a big oaf and I have to be pulled like the rope in a tug-of-war match?" he said, his goofy side coming out.

A laugh escaped my lips and the tears began to fade as I basked in the happiness I now had, being in his arms. He smelled my hair and kissed my forehead and we walked back towards the tree. "What was rushing you before?" I asked a need showing in my voice giving me away. I had hated the shortness of our talk before and I needed to know why I hadn't gotten more time with him.

"I had to contact Jacob, Paul was after you and I couldn't let him find you." he said looking away from me as we reached the tree.

"Who?" I asked but then realized who he was talking about. "So he is your younger brother?" I asked trying to understand.

"Yes. He, Riley and Odette are my siblings. Mother is near me, she watches my body while I contact people." he said softly.

"So how do I get you out?" I asked, determination in my voice.



"You don't. I need you safe and away." he said softly kissing my hand. We were setting at the bottom of the large oak holding hands and I was leaning on his shoulder, I could smell the grass and the freshness of the tree, and I could almost feel the breeze.

“And I need you back." I said factually. I took in a deep breath capturing his scent. That oak and lavender mix of a smell he seemed to always smell like. I had already sniffed it out of all his clothes and nearly half his room, it was nice to not have to hold myself back anymore for fear I might never smell it again.

“I’ll get out, I just need you safe.” He sighed, holding me tighter and kissing me once more. “This is our place, think of this every time you go to sleep and I’ll try and be here for you. Always.” He said and then everything started to blur.

If it weren't for the obnoxious sound of the ringing phone I would have stayed in my heaven longer, but no...reality called.

“She’s right here.” She sounded annoyed and after listening to the voice behind the phone I could tell why.

“You okay Sandy?” he asked, and I cringed. That was too soon and I shouldn’t have picked that name. I don’t think I like anyone else calling me that but him.

“I’m fine. What did you find?” I asked.

“I’ll go. But I won’t go alone. Brittany is going with me." and instantly there was a reply, but not from me. A growl escaped from Odette's lips and rippled through the night sky.

“I will not bear more than one of those sun bathers.” She half whined half barked.

“That’s too bad.” The voice on the other end of the receiver said. Calmer than I had expected he continued the conversation. “You either take both or don’t take anyone.” He placed his cards out for her to decide if she would fold or not.

“Fine.” A hiss sounded from her mouth as she paced again.

“Go to the train yard. There you’ll see an out of date train with the name of Southwind. Get on and expect some kind of light. I won’t be completely blinded for your sake, nor will you for mine.” She took the phone from my hand and clicked it off placing it in her pocket and picking me up in one quick move before taking me off again. I could hear different noises but none of them sounded right. Next thing I knew, Jacob was staring into my eyes and Odette and Riley were nowhere to be found.

Chapter 6
The Kiss

There were a few differences to Jacob that I noticed this time. His eyes were no longer vibrant purple, but now a solid brown, he was wearing human clothes and there was something in his hands, but none of that mattered as much as his eyes. Something about them was familiar. My eyes narrowed and my momentary distraction was gone.

“Where the hell did they go?” I asked with fury.

“To get him and his companion.” He answered and seemed disappointed.

“It was supposed to be me and Odette, not Riley and Odette!” I screeched, and a flash blinded my eyes. I rubbed them a few times, my eyes had been used to the dim red lighting in the factory styled place we were in and a flash was a rude awakener. Wait, a flash? I thought they had night vision?

“What was that?” I asked, my voice confused.

“Your face made the perfect picture.” He responded and the reply echoed in my mind as a faded memory made its way to the surface.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I stared out the window of the third story building and into the starry October night, when a flash burned my eyes, causing the white stars to become a red and purple dot.

“What the hell?” I had responded without looking at my flash attacker.

“Your face made the perfect picture.” A warm and inviting voice had answered.

I looked up, anger still evident but was taken aback by his eyes, a beautiful oak brown that seemed to pierce my soul. And, upon further inspection, he wasn’t half bad himself. He looked down to the camera, and back up at me.

“Sorry, I would have asked, but sometimes that ruins the picture.” He smiled a corny full teeth smile that broke my concentration and made me laugh. Just as soon as it left my lips tears replaced the exuberant giggle as I began to get angry at myself for being happy when Kaz was gone and never coming back. But, just as I began the waterworks I was swallowed by two strong arms and I buried my face in his chest.

“There now. Shhh. I’ve got you. I’ve got you, don’t worry.” Said the warm inviting voice as he stroked my hair and back with one arm. “Let's go get you some very black coffee.

My eyes shot up to meet his, tear filled and mascara running, and somehow I felt at home. That night I found myself laughing more than I had since that fateful August night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“You!” I said, the realization finally hitting me.

“Yes Cassandra, you’ve known me for a while now. Once Kaz was captured I was sent to keep watch over you for Paul, but it became more than that, you needed someone to help you through the transition you were going through, you needed a friend.” His voice had become a calming, caring, warm and sensitive blanket around me.

“You were the only person I let in, not even Dani got through to me like you did.” I said holding myself in a self hug, my protection when the tears fell.

“No one knew where I was, Paul was the only one besides my mother that knew. Riley and Odette have no idea, but I can’t sit here and let him hurt you like this.” His eyes began to change again to the vibrant purple as he leaned in and kissed me.

It was anything but subtle. The kiss I mean, it was electrifying, making my entire body feel as if a thousand watts of energy were flowing through me originating from his lips. It was something I hadn’t done since Kaz’s death, something I thought I would never do with anyone ever again.

Half of me was shocked, the other half, enjoyed the feeling of his hands against my back and neck as they pulled me closer to him the hand on my neck beginning to play with my hair. I could feel everything he was doing, and I knew it was me he was doing it to, yet somehow I felt that I was standing on the side watching as it took place.

My body reacting and moving on its own, reciprocating the kiss my eyes closing as my arms wrapped around his waist. The outer me was standing there gawking at the spectacle as if it were an impossible act, while the bodily me pulled him to me with my hands. My hands! They were pulling closer not pushing farther.

That’s when they came in, Mr. Wellington, Brittany, Riley, and Odette, and as one they jumped at us separating us instantly as they pinned either of us against the walls. I was still split, watching yet being part of it. Mr. Wellington holding Jacob and Riley holding me while both Britt and Odette stared angrily at each other. Jacob’s eyes never left my eyes and my eyes never left his.

“What do you think you were doing?!” Mr. Hurst yelled pushing him farther up the wall with his anger at the lack of attention coming from Jacob.

“Why would you push yourself on my brother!?” Screeched Riley, she was obviously the protective one in the group.

When neither of us answered, nor looked at anyone or anything but each other, I felt myself snap back into my body as I was slapped across the face by Odette. I blinked a few times as my hand went to my face and the shock was evident, the real me was finally back. I looked up with hate and anger in my eyes towards Jacob, Odette nearly jumping out of my way as she realized I had come back to my senses. He still stood there, eyes glazed and an unexplainable happiness surrounding him, making it ever harder to be angry.

“Answer me.” Mr. Hurst said in a stern yet quiet voice, his hands shaking as they held Jacob against the wall.

The anger had welled again and I was back to where I had begun before looking at his eyes. What happened next, I’m not too sure of but as it was explained to me, I seem to have thrown Jacob through a wall in the factory sending Bruce to the ground in the process. After which I pounced on him and began to choke him, the whole time he didn’t raise a single finger towards me or even seem angry. Riley had come towards me to get me off of him and I had turned, supposedly with vibrant green eyes straight at her.

“I felt like you pierced my soul and had the ability to take just my soul and tear it to shreds with just your eyes.” She sighed, sitting against the wall as I held the ice pack to my shoulder.

“Then Odette got you while you were focused on me and pinned you, but not after you two had a fight of your own, landing you right on your arm and somehow knocking you out.” Said Brittany wearily. She was a Pramevy but she didn’t tend to hold the same air of presence that the other Pramevy that I had met did, she was more timid and caring than I had expected for Mr. Hurst’s daughter.

I removed the ice pack again to look at the gash. My arm was a bloody mess; somehow I was all mighty in pushing people around, but still as fragile as an ant against them. Replacing the pack and taking in a sharp breath through clenched teeth at the stinging sensation my eyes reluctantly found their way to Jacob’s.

“What started this?” Mr. Hurst asked, his eyes filled with hurt as they touched mine with the question.

“I don’t know. One minute we were talking, the next I was, remembering things that happened to me after Kaz’s death, and somehow I found myself lip-locked with Jay.” I said without even realizing I had used his nickname from our first encounter, a sore mistake.

“Jay?” Riley said with a hint of anger. Her eyes squinting at me, arms crossed.

“It fits doesn’t it? Just thought I’d try to get along.” I played off as best I could, hoping she wouldn’t dig too far into it, but it wasn’t her I found that was the problem, she just happened to point out something Odette knew about, but obviously not all of it. Luckily, she left it for later, sending daggers with her eyes at Jay as I hurriedly continued my story

“That kiss was unlike anything ever before, I could swear I was being electrocuted, but it felt…well it felt good, is how it felt to be honest…” I could see something ready to break out between Mr. Hurst and Odette, they both looked at Jay with daggers this time and as if they were one their chests swelled up like balloons, I figured the best bet would be to continue my story, “but that’s not the hardest part, I wasn’t the one kissing him. I mean, yes it was my body, but it was like it wasn’t me. It was probably just shock.” I said shaking my head.
I could hear the bursting of air from the two of them as their eyes went from flinging daggers to shock as they turned to face me again. Uh-oh I thought, this doesn’t look good.

Chapter 7
Pramevy & Vampyra

"What do you mean? When you say you weren't you, do you mean it as in an out of body experience style of you weren't you?" said Bruce.

"Well, I guess you could call-" I said being cut off by him again,

"Don't guess; were you in control at all? Did you have any kind of ability to stop yourself?" he said the frustration filling his eyes.

Jay looked at me some sort of realization hitting him as well. "Well, I could feel it, what was going on, but I couldn't do anything to stop it, to be truthful, I didn't try either. So I'm not sure that I couldn't if I had tried." I answered feeling slightly defensive as he seemed to be attacking me. My eyes fluttered to Jay's and I could feel it again, but this time more controlled. Passion and love, but why?

Mr. Hurst looked to Brittany and the Vampyres, and each nodded as if they could all read minds, suddenly I felt more alone than ever before.

Everyone in the little huddle around me sat into a relaxing position as Mr. Wellington spoke. "I haven't told you everything yet. You asked me earlier how we got here, or how this all started, and I sidestepped the question, it’s not exactly something we tell the world." he said as his eyes touched mine again, a feeling I couldn't place showing through them. "We are the next evolutionary step. It all started a long time ago; there were two families who lived out pretty much away from all civilization. They knew each other and no one else. One family would do the farming and such, while the other family would do the hunting. They lived close enough to walk to each other's houses and would trade food and other items with each other, and as time passed, the kids started to develop...abilities." he said looking away from me again and taking a deep breath that he sighed out a moment later before continuing.

“The girl, Vampyra, had already told her father she loved the other family's son Pramevy, and as it would happen, he felt the same for her, but her father wouldn't have it. He wanted more for his daughter than a farmer; he wanted a strong hunter for her husband, who could take over his household when he passed. Pramevy however was given full permission to be with her. When they shared the news of how their parents had reacted, Vampyra became furious with her father, going into a raging fit, causing the death of her mother and sister with her power." he gave a slight pause, but it was obviously too much for Odette to wait.

"Then she found herself to be weakened far beyond anything she had ever been before, she had played with her powers before, but not to such extents. Drained of her power she used her sheer strength to take her father in her hands, holding him against the wall, and as she yelled at him for all the wrongs committed to her as a child, her anger fumed higher, and as she held her father, she drained him of his life, which strengthened her all over again." Odette continued for him.

"Only this time, she was stricken with grief, she hadn't meant to hurt her mother or her sister, and killing them had never been an idea in her mind. She ran out to their place, the place that Pramevy and she had shared. A small grove near a pond in the woods close by both houses. Through her tears and sorrow he could feel her pain, and see her remorse. Leaving his house he met with her, but not until he had finished his day's work." Riley went on.

"Night had fallen," Jay's voice pierced through me like an icicle through the chest as he picked up from his sister as she stopped, "and she hadn't moved all day long, she had cried every tear within her and lost all sanity she had left. As she opened her eyes, he found she had changed, she was no longer the girl he had fallen in love with, no longer the same creature from before, and her knowing his feelings, attacked him for a brief moment as she lost herself again to her rage, leaving large gashes above, below, and on his eyes and took off into the night, leaving him blinded and unable to search for her." as he said the last part his eyes hit mine and fell as he looked to the ground.

Brittany took over now, continuing story in her timid soft spoken voice. "He went home and had his wounds dressed, and in the morning his love hadn't feigned in any way, but his hope that he could return her to the girl he loved had grown stronger than it was the night before. He took off against the wills of his mother and sister searching with his available senses, hearing, smelling, and feeling. As the day grew on, he couldn't help but want to rip off the bandage from his face, his frustrations were so high, and that’s exactly what he did." she looked at Mr. Hurst again before finishing,

"When he did, he found that he could see the shapes and make out everything around him, but it was slightly blurred, different from before, there was only one color that he now saw. Green, everything a different hue, but it was all one solitary color. The rest of the story is unknown; no one knows the exact ending. Some say that they found each other and fought again, leaving both hearts tattered and bruised and pushing them to find others to be with, other stories end it that they never find each other again, but no story is certain. It is said that the Vampyres were started as killers from her and that the Pramevy were forever bound to one color because of the herbs his mother used on him that day." She finished and looked up at me again.

“So what does this all matter to me now? That was a question I asked before, how does that matter with what is going on?" I asked, fearful of my answer.

"Well, another legend says that both of their spirits had unfinished business and that they would one day return." Riley said seeming not to care about any sort of approach on it and figuring that coming out with it was the best solution.

So this was it? This was why I couldn't control myself? I was a reincarnation of the first Vampyre? "Sure, but that doesn't mean me. Why would you think that has anything to do with this? I thought that this was because he was trying to change me into a Vampyre or something?" I said, hoping that putting the blame on Jay would get them to forget this crazy idea.

A small growl escaped Mr. Hurst's lips and he closed his eyes to the process, "He may have started to try and change you, but if he had succeeded, you wouldn't be sitting up right now." he answered the aggression was almost tangible."So that's it then? I'm her, end of story? What happens now?" I asked my eyes pleading for someone to look at me, and the only one who didn't seem too bothered by my fear, Riley, stared right back, seemingly unaffected by the situation.

Chapter 9
Home

We reached a mansion that seemed both condemned and ready for sale at the same time. The only traces that people lived there at all were the warn paths from walking in the grass, even in the autumn the grass was green and growing. To the east the faintest shimmers of sunshine were beginning to come up over the clouds creating an orange glow turning some purple and pink while the darkness of night receded to the west.

"What will you do Hawker, when sunrise reaches its fullest point? We are equals now, as the rays begin to peak your shadows slip away and my light becomes imminent." Bruce said in the overall direction of all the Vamps in front of him.

"We have an intricate system to handle that problem Hurst. Something that neither you nor your little spies have any clue about." Paul said.

Almost instantly as we walked through the gates I lost my vision, and I could hear the gasp from behind me as Brittany had the same thing happen. What is going on? I thought, trying to make sense of how we were just in the middle of morning and suddenly we were in pitch black. I tripped over what felt like a huge rock and fell to my knees at the same time as a very female giggle sounded to my right.

“Oops.” I heard Edith say as she helped me up, “I guess that even though you’re the re-incarnation of Vampyra you’re still Pabulum in genetics.” She sneered as I realized I had control of my body again and I didn’t have any forced hissing or growling of any kind, I was back to being just me. Though I could’ve growled I was so angry at her.

“Edith. Take her to Kaz.” I could hear the commanding voice of Paul behind me and to the left, and I could only imagine that he was right next to Bruce. I didn’t hear a reply from Edith but I still got that she understood and followed out with the order, if for no other reason than to keep me away from Jacob. We took a quick turn, her guiding me with her hand clenched on my arm.

“Where are we going and why can’t I see?” I said flatly, she was going to leave a bruise with her thumb if she didn’t let go soon.

“Not that it matters where we are going, since you can’t see, but we’re going to Paul’s guest chambers. And you can’t see cause we don’t do well with light, you know, being Vampyre and all. We prefer to be in total darkness at all times and we like having our privacy. A very powerful Vampyre lives here with us and keeps it this way for us. When they do change you, cause I’m sure they will,” she said it with such a sure voice yet I could also hear worry rise slightly at that idea, “you’ll be able to see just fine, and understand more why we prefer to always have darkness, even when we sleep.” She pulled softer on my arm and I could hear the clicking of a door handle and the creak of badly oiled hinges as it swung open. “Your dearest princess awaits you.” She said in the truest form of the sentence, almost as if she meant it that he had called me a princess and that I was to be treated as such.

“Why is she scraped up?” I could feel his hands touching my knee where I had fallen when we walked through the gates. The anger in his voice made me jump slightly, he was much more course with how he acted here than I ever knew him to be.

“She fell on her way through the gates.” She replied, a small edge to her voice as if she were actually scared of what he may do. Apparently this thought hadn’t crossed her mind when she let me fall outside.

“And why were you not guiding her through, you know she is human and can’t see.” The scolding in his voice spoke volumes of his position over her just as Paul had done, the resemblance sent a tremble down my spine and I bit my lip.

“I- I’m sorry.” She sounded so defeated and so unlike the whiney, whimpering, and annoying girl she had been when she first walked into the room.

“Leave us.” He picked me up in a princess hold and carried me to what I would guess to have been a bed of sorts as the door creaked once again and this time clicked shut. “Why did you come?” he said almost instantly. “I told you I needed you safe and away from here, far away from here.” He sighed frustrated with either himself or me I couldn’t tell since I couldn’t see his face.

“I couldn’t help it. First, I was trying to get to your dad, then I was trying to get away from Jacob, and then finally I found out the whole history of your two races as well as who I am.” It all rushed out of me not stopping with any questions he pushed in as I continued on. “All I know is that by the time I finally started to get the hang of what is going on, BOOM, something new gets thrown my way. Today has all gone by too fast, I’m still trying to compute half of it, and then at the end they aren’t even done explaining it all when Paul shows up to tote me off with Miss Whiney that brought me in here.”

“Start from the top and tell me the whole story, please. What happened after we spoke last?” he had taken a deep breath and held me to his chest as I let the tears fall and I told him all about Jacob and having slightly fallen for him before I knew who he was, about him kissing me and Pramevy and Vampyra’s past and foretold future that I am a huge part of. Finishing off, I told him Paul’s arrangement to allow Vampyra her wishes, which got him to stiffen in his posture and hold me even tighter. I had had too much happen today and I was exhausted so as he started to tell me how sorry he was, I fell asleep, finally home in his arms.

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