by G. K. DeRosa
“What were you thinking about when I walked over? You seemed to be deep in thought when I startled you.”
“If I tell you, do you promise not to think I’m crazy?” Roman nodded. “I’ve been having these dreams, and they’re filled with horrible creatures coming for me. Sometimes my father is in the dreams with me. He trains me to fight so that I can protect the human world from these monsters. I don’t even know how to explain it. You must think I’ve totally lost it.”
“Of course I don’t Celeste. Of all people, I know what kind of monsters this world is filled with.” He gave her an encouraging smile.
“When I was looking at the fire just a minute ago, I had another dream—or more of a vision, I guess. It was terrifying.”
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
“No, not really. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m dreaming about my dead father, I’m having supernatural visions. I’m pretty sure I’m going crazy.”
“You’re not going crazy,” Roman began.
“Do you believe in ghosts, Roman? I mean, are they real?” She looked up at him anxiously, her hazel eyes lit by the glowing fire.
“With everything that you’ve learned in the past few days, do you really find it hard to believe that they could be?”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Why are you asking?” He inched closer to her.
“Well, these dreams that I’ve been having about my dad—I guess I’ve never really told you much about him.”
“Nico mentioned he passed away when you were young.”
“I was ten. He was a private investigator so he worked late and traveled a lot. He had gone out to meet a client on a rainy night, and he was killed in a terrible car crash. I never got to say goodbye.”
“I’m sorry, Celeste.” He reached out for her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.
“So do you think he could be a ghost?”
“I’m not sure, but if he’s only appearing to you in your dreams, I would think not,” Roman assured her.
“You’re probably right. It’s just that the things he says to me, they seem so real.”
“Like what?”
Again Celeste considered telling Roman all the details of her dreams, but something stopped her. How could she tell him that she dreamt about killing vampires? “I don’t really want to talk about it. I just hope all the bad dreams or visions or whatever they are go away soon.”
Roman searched for words to comfort her, but anything he said would have been a lie. He wanted to tell her that it was just a dream, to assure her that everything was going to be all right, but he couldn’t be certain of that. So instead he put his strong arm around her shoulders and let the warmth of the fire soothe both their worried minds.
“There you guys are.” Natalie and Nico stumbled to an adjacent bench by the crackling fire pit.
“You two look like you’ve been making the most out of the keg,” said Celeste, looking up at the wobbly pair.
“Well, it looks like the two of you have been making the most out of the romantic firelight,” countered Natalie. “And I am perfectly fine, Celeste, see: I can touch my nose while walking in a straight line—no problem!”
Nico caught Natalie just in time as she staggered trying to keep her balance.
Celeste laughed. “Where’s Brian?”
“We thought he was with you,” she replied.
“No, he went off a while ago looking for you, and we haven’t seen him since.”
“I’m sure he found a cute blonde to hit on or something,” said Nico.
Both Natalie and Celeste shot him a look.
“Should we go look for him then?” suggested Roman.
They split up to cover more ground: Natalie and Nico went toward the center of the bonfire and Celeste and Roman took the outer perimeter. A chilly breeze tinged the air, and Celeste wrapped her jean jacket tightly around herself as they searched. She tried to keep up with Roman, but her stride was no match for his. He stopped suddenly, surveying a tall tree ahead. It was obvious that his keen vampire sight had seen something that she had not.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Nothing. Come on, this way.” A flash of worry crossed his eye.
As they walked deeper into the woods, the festive sounds of the bonfire dissipated and the darkness enveloped them.
Brian, with a red Solo cup in hand, had been wandering around Parker Hill searching for Natalie. With as much as he had been drinking, he needed to stay safely away from Celeste, and Natalie could prove a useful distraction. He had walked up to countless groups of pretty brunettes, but Natalie was nowhere in sight. Tired and losing focus on his mission, he plopped down on the ground. Leaning against a tree, Brian pulled out his cell phone to find missed calls and texts from both Natalie and Celeste. He started to type out a reply when a tall man emerged from the shadows.
“Geez, I guess they don’t have an age limit at the community college these days,” mumbled Brian.
The mysterious man said nothing, inexorably marching toward him. Before Brian could utter a word, the man grabbed his head and forced him to look into his fearsome black eyes. The whole world spun for a moment, and then nothing.
“Are you Celeste Wilder’s best friend Brian?” the stranger asked.
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s here somewhere, but I don’t know where.” He gave the man a vacant stare.
“Do you know Roman and Nico Constantin?”
“Yes.”
“Are they here too?”
“I don’t know,” Brian managed. “I haven’t seen them.”
“Do you know what the Constantins want with Celeste?”
“Want with her? I don’t know, I guess they are into her.” Brian’s shoulders lifted to his ears.
The strange man continued to assault Brian with questions never dropping his dark gaze until the sound of approaching voices drew his attention. He quickly turned back to him. “Brian, you will remember nothing that just happened.” And he disappeared into the dark forest.
“Brian, where have you been? We’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Celeste peered down at her friend.
“Oh sorry, I think I passed out. Too much beer and not enough sleep I guess.” He shook his head drowsily.
Roman offered him his hand and hauled him up to his feet. “Come on it’s getting late. Why don’t I get you kids home?”
Walking back to the bonfire, they reconnected with Natalie and Nico, and all piled into Nico’s car with Roman at the steering wheel and Celeste riding shotgun. As Roman drove, Celeste looked over at him and he caught her eye. She silently mouthed “thank you,” and he shot her a quick smile before turning his focus back on the road.
Shortly after dropping Natalie off, they pulled into Celeste’s driveway. Brian mumbled his goodnights and walked unsteadily home while Nico snored in the back seat. Roman escorted Celeste to the front door.
“Is your mom home?” he asked, regarding her intently.
“No, she’s working the overnight shift again.”
“Are you going to be all right by yourself?”
“I’ll be fine. I do it all the time,” Celeste reassured him.
Roman watched at her for a long moment, and she could see the inner struggle flash through his eyes. Finally he said, “I can stay with you for a little while if you want, so you don’t have to be alone.”
Celeste’s face flushed at the thought of spending the night with Roman in any capacity. “I’d really like that, as long as we get you out of here before my mom gets back in the morning.” She tried to hide the beaming smile on her face as she leaned against the front door.
Roman returned to the car to wake Nico and let him know he’d be staying for the night. Even in his inebriated state, Nico questioned this decision.
“You’re going to spend the night inside her house, just the two of you? Do you really think that’s wise?”
“I’m doing it to protect her.” He ran his hands over his face. “It’s the night before her birthday. According to Stellan if we are right about her, it will happen tonight. Someone needs to be there for her.”
Nico shook his head and huffed. “Have you fed today, Roman?”
“No, but I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes,” he said resolutely.
Celeste put on her cutest pajamas and was brushing her teeth. As she glanced at her reflection in the mirror, she contemplated how much her life had changed in a matter of weeks. Just a few short weeks ago she knew nothing about the existence of vampires, and now she was falling in love with one. An intense excitement built inside of her as she giddily thought about a night alone with Roman.
Am I crazy to think he could possibly feel the same way about me? He must have dated hundreds of girls…literally! The sound of Roman’s footsteps coming up the stairs snapped her out of her musings.
“Hi.” She popped her head out of her bedroom door. “Come on in.”
“You don’t have to invite me into every room in the house individually,” said Roman, eyes twinkling.
As he walked around the room admiring her pictures, Celeste’s heart raced, her palms sweating.
“Everything okay?” he asked as he sat down on the foot of her bed.
She was a bit thrown by his observation. She wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t reading her mind. She wondered if he felt the intimate connection as strongly as she did. “Yeah, sure, I was just thinking about how my mom would totally freak out if she knew I had a guy in my room in the middle of the night when she wasn’t home.”
“Am I making you uncomfortable? Do you want me to leave?” He sounded a little hurt.
“Of course not. I’m really happy that you are here. Maybe we can go sit in the den instead?”
“After you,” said Roman and he let her lead the way back downstairs.
Once they were settled on the couch with the television tuned into a late night talk show, Celeste’s heart rate decelerated and her breathing normalized. Roman had taken off his jacket to reveal a cozy black Henley shirt underneath, paired with dark, stylish jeans. She tried not to stare at him, but her eyes kept wandering in his direction. His dark, wavy hair rested right above his brow, drawing attention to his beautiful deep cobalt blue eyes. His hand rested casually next to her thigh, almost touching it. The attraction that she felt toward him was uncanny. As striking as he was to look at, she knew it was much more than his good looks drawing her in. She’d felt something similar when she had first met Nico, but it was nothing as powerful as this. Looking up, her eyes met his.
“It’s almost midnight,” said Roman, dispelling the building tension.
She squirmed on the couch. “Yup! You know, when I was little I used to have to beg my parents to let me stay up until midnight the night before my birthday. Then after my dad passed away, Mom was hardly ever home at night so I kept the tradition going. Only, it was always just me.”
Roman placed his hand on her leg and gave her a comforting smile.
“Thank you for staying with me tonight. It really means a lot to me.” Steeling her nerves, she slowly leaned in and planted a lingering kiss on his cheek.
Roman, giving in to a brief moment of abandon, pulled her face toward his. When he was only inches from her lips, he grimaced and his fangs began extending. Before Celeste could process what had happened, Roman leapt off the sofa and pinned himself up against the far wall. She glanced up to see his face, and he looked utterly mortified.
“I am so sorry, Celeste.” He turned toward the door, avoiding her eyes. “This was a bad idea, I never should have stayed. I must leave.”
“No, please Roman, don’t go. I’m fine, you didn’t hurt me, I promise.” She took a step toward him.
He backed further away from her. “No, but I could have.” Sorrow drowned his beautiful eyes.
“But you didn’t.” She took a step closer.
“Please Celeste, don’t…”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know if I can control myself around you.”
Celeste stared at him, not knowing what to say. The thought of him leaving was worse than what she imagined he could ever do to her. Absurdly, she wasn’t scared of him.
“Do you remember when I told you about our mother, and how she helped us when we were first turned into vampires?”
She nodded.
“What I didn’t tell you was how bad it was at first. We couldn’t control our newly found thirst for blood. With every life taken, we suffered horribly with the guilt and remorse because we still possessed our humanity. We promised our mother we would never be those monsters again, but it’s not easy, Celeste.”
“You’re not a monster.”
Bong! Bong! Bong! The old grandfather clock in the dining room struck midnight.
“Well, happy birthday to me,” she said miserably, turning away from him.
The sadness Roman heard in her voice resonated throughout him. He summoned up all his self-control then cautiously approached Celeste. Ever so gently, he leaned down and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. “Happy birthday Celeste.”
Olivia Wilder stared at the glowing computer screen in her small office in the hospital. It was the eve of her daughter’s eighteenth birthday, and she knew it was time. She put on her reading glasses and pulled the crumpled piece of yellowing paper from her pocket, staring fondly at the familiar handwriting. She copied the email address exactly, then typed a short message. She hesitated for a moment and then clicked “Send”.
With quite a bit of persuading, Celeste finally convinced Roman to sit with her on the couch again. She was suddenly very sleepy, and as hard as she tried to fight it, within minutes her head dropped on Roman’s shoulder. He watched her sleep for a while, as he had done so many nights before from outside of her bedroom, before nodding off himself.
Hours later, Roman awoke abruptly with Celeste thrashing wildly in his arms. “Celeste, wake up, you’re having a nightmare.” He gently tried to rouse her.
She tossed and turned and screamed and cried, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t wake her up. It was as if she were in a trance, transported somewhere far away from him.
Celeste remembered falling asleep in Roman’s warm arms, when she was harshly torn away from him. She found herself in a large circular room with no windows or doors. The curved walls were a stark white and the scant furniture cold, metallic silver. As she scanned the room Celeste realized she was seated in front of a tribunal of sorts. There were five somber-faced individuals in dark robes seated on a bench in front of her, scrutinizing her every move.
“Where am I? Who are you people?” she asked unable to keep her voice steady.
Her tiny voice echoed off the walls, and there was a long pause before anyone answered her. They seemed to be examining her, maybe even probing around in her mind. Finally, the portly man with the stern face seated in the elevated middle chair spoke.
“Celeste Wilder, you have been chosen to be the next Guardian. It is your duty to train as a hunter and to protect the human world from all the evil of the supernatural one.”
Celeste’s mouth dropped, and she stared into nothingness unable to comprehend what was happening. She shut her eyes tightly. This is all a dream. I’m just having another bad dream. This isn’t real. I want to wake up, please wake up!
When she opened her eyes again, she hoped to find herself safe and sound in her bed. To her disappointment, she was still in front of the panel of scrutinizing faces. “I don’t understand what you want from me. I’m not a guardian or a hunter or whatever you said. I’m just a normal girl, and I want to go home.”
Celeste’s voice bordered on hysterics now, though she tried to remain calm, she was quickly losing the battle. A silver-haired woman with thick purple-framed glasses at the end of the bench spoke to the others. “Perhaps we should call on Kristof.”
At the mention of her father’s name, Celeste looked up anxiously. And just like that, her dad appeared before her.
“Daddy,” she choked out, tears streaming down her face. He knelt down in front of her and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
He squeezed her hands tightly. “Celeste, you must be strong. You have been chosen to fulfill your destiny. This is our family legacy. You will learn just like I did what it truly means to be a Wilder – a hunter. You are an extraordinary young lady, and you have been given special powers to be used for good. Without guardians like us, the world as we know it would not continue to exist. It would be consumed by evil.”
Celeste could do nothing but stare in wonderment as she desperately clutched his hands.
“I wish that I could be here for you, to help and train you as my father trained me. But I promise you this: I will do everything in my power to help you as much as I can. I love you Celeste, and I know you can do this.”
Then he was gone.
Celeste choked down a sob and tried to process her father’s words. All of a sudden, a series of visions flashed through her head—a sequence of vampires, zombies, phantoms, witches, and warlocks, death and destruction was everywhere. She cried out, feeling as though her head would explode from the onrush. Everything that she had seen in her dreams had been real. She understood that now, and magically was able to accept it. It was as if some part of her brain that had been dormant for all of these years had suddenly been unlocked.
The portly man spoke again. “Now that you understand your duties, you must begin training.”
“Understand my duties? I don’t understand anything about this.”
He seemed to ignore her. “Your powers will begin to reveal themselves now that you are eighteen, and they will get stronger as you do.”
“What powers? And how am I supposed to train? I don’t know what to do.” She looked up at the strangers before her, eyes desperate.