Night Shadows

by Billiejo Priestley

  “It is strange, Olivia; those places had the highest rate of people walking through alone and the lowest risk of others seeing anything. Has anyone been hanging around here lately?” Maybe they found out where she lived and have been lurking around her house instead?

  “I wouldn’t know; I’m at work all day.”

  “Right, I obviously meant at night. Have there been people around this street when it’s dark?”

  Olivia glances to him knowing she can’t answer that question either. She has no idea, it’s not too often she’s here at night and when she is she doesn’t pay much attention.

  “What? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

  “Okay, fine. I wouldn’t know, because I’m not usually home most nights. I’ve been staying away from the places you told me to, I kept my promise, but I may visit some other areas at night.”

  Cayson stands up suddenly, a storm crossing his face as he turns to Olivia, his body towering over hers. She can’t help but smile a little wider as she inhales the scent that radiates from him, her head falling back in pleasure slightly.

  “Why? Where? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” He stares at her, almost like she’s some crazy person who needs to be locked away. She isn’t crazy though. Although… maybe she is, just a little? A small squeaky laugh escapes her mouth at the thought, Cayson staring at her now like she is a lunatic.

  “I go down by the canal, sometimes to the abandoned mill house. I don’t really know why, I just feel compelled to go there, like my mind is telling me I should.”

  “While you’re there, what happens? What do you do?”

  Olivia glances at him, her face becoming confused as her head tilts to the side in confusion. She can’t remember. Some nights she remembers sitting there, but there are no other memories; nothing else. A laugh escapes her mouth.

  “Maybe I was dreaming about it all and never did go?” She must have been; how can she not remember anything from all of the nights she sat there?

  “Olivia, the first night you went, when was it? Can you remember where you’d been before or why you’d gone there? What made you go to the canal?” She thinks back. As far as she can remember, she had felt that she was drawn to be near a vampire so she’d have a chance to see Cayson. It was him, really, she’d only gone in the hope that she’d see him, but she doesn’t want to admit that. Cayson watches her as she tries working it out, knowing already her reasons.

  “I had been to work; it was my turn to lock up that night. There were a few people around and I honestly just remember walking there. I don’t know why.”

  “Did anyone speak to you, Olivia?”

  She shakes her head, she knows no one did. She’d remember if they had, wouldn’t she? Her mind replays the steps but for some reason it isn’t all there, she’s missing things.

  “Why can’t I remember? I remember walking out, pulling the shutter down and locking it, and then- I don’t know, I don’t remember anything else until I was on my way home.” People have blind spots, don’t they? She tries in vain to reassure herself. Those moments in life where you do the same thing so many times that your mind doesn’t process it, and it’s almost like it never happened?

  “Olivia, were you going there tonight?”

  “I think I was; I remember walking out thinking about it, I- I don’t know. I feel like I should only go when I’m alone.”

  Cayson nods. He has a theory but in order to test it he needs to leave, or at least pretend to.

  “Look, I need to get back. It was stupid of me to even consider staying here. Stay safe, Olivia.” Standing up, he walks out, letting himself get far enough down the street before he stops and tucks himself behind a wall in wait. Olivia glances around her. He really does make no sense sometimes, she laughs, and when she realises she’s alone, her eyes glance at the clock. She stands, throwing on some trainers and leaving, locking the door carefully before walking down the street. She finds herself walking to the canal.

  Cayson follows, staying at a distance so she doesn’t notice him in the shadows. It’s clear she isn’t in control, but what – or who – is making her go there?

  Vampires can manipulate if that’s their power, but they never leave the victim alive. The problem is that he doesn’t know what else it could be. He stops, as he sees Olivia come to a halt; watches as she sits down, his eyes widening as he sees a man walking to her. Olivia stands up and hugs the man, who the moonlight reveals to be… Dan? She must have been right earlier, it was Dan she saw, but the fact just renders Cayson more uncomfortable. He watches knowing he can’t do anything even though he wants to: there’s a reason Dan keeps pulling her in and Cayson needs to know it. Why would he taunt her by getting her to come here every night then making her forget she saw him? He’s fascinated by Dan’s behaviour. It isn’t exactly typical. He watches as Dan’s head lowers towards Olivia’s shoulder, Cayson fighting back every urge to go over there and drag him away from her but he just can’t. He needs to be sure Olivia has no idea what’s happening rather than just lying to him because she’s enjoying it for some crazy reason.

  He watches as Dan finishes feeding and stays sitting with Olivia; they seem to be talking, why is he doing this? What does Dan have to gain from getting her to come back night after night? He can see from here that Dan has killed and became a Monventla, but the question is, why is he stupid enough to keep getting Olivia to meet him here? Cayson holds the phone in his hand, feeling his hand tightening on it in frustration. He angrily swipes to open his messages.

  This girl either needs waking up or she’s fucking crazy, he sends, tapping a lot more forcefully than he needs to. His eyes raise up, the blood draining from his face. They’re- they’re having sex while he’s feeding, her legs are wrapped around his body; is this why Dan gets her here? He stands staring at them; confusion swirling inside of him why is he keeping her alive? Just to have sex with her like she’s some sort of personal prostitute? Cayson’s been thinking it’s Olivia who’s crazy, but right now, he seems to be sending himself crazy with all these questions. He glances back, watching as the couple finish, Dan clearly whispering in her ear before he walks away, leaving her standing alone. She’s dishevelled, her hair mussed from both her night out at the club and whatever this thing with Dan is, and she still looks dazed, like she’s still out of it. Olivia turns and walks off and Cayson follows again, still keeping his distance. When around five minutes have passed he speeds up until he catches up with her and he grasps her arm. She jumps and turns to look at him.

  “Where have you been just now?” Cayson demands, his hand still gripping her upper arm. His fingers dig into the soft flesh and when he looks at it he can’t think of anything but the image of her and Dan

  Olivia shrugs her shoulders like it’s nothing.

  “Just the canal.”

  He nods, plastering a smile across his face. He doesn’t want to scare her. “Why? Who did you see there?”

  “I don’t know why; I didn’t see anyone. I was alone.”

  That’s all the proof Cayson needs. He believes her; she is fooled.

  “You’re coming with me, Olivia. You need to be woken up, and then you’ll hopefully remember everything you’ve been doing this past week.”

  Olivia glances at him, brow furrowed. What on earth is he talking about? She lets Cayson pull her along as he resumes walking, only stopping when they get to a house that looks like just like all the others on the street: perfectly ordinary. Olivia looks at him confused as he opens the front door and walks in.

  “Oh for Christ’s sake, Cayson, you were told to stay the hell away from that.” The guy points to her and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little bit offended. What has she done that’s so bad it means people are ordered to stay away from her?

  “Alright, I know, but the lecture can wait. As I said before, she needs waking up. I won’t say what she’s been doing, but one has got into her mind.”

  The guy nods, gesturing for Olivia to sit down on
a basic wooden chair in the middle of the room. It sits on simple wood floorboards which creak as she walks over them, the chair mimicking their cries as it feels her weight on top of it.

  “You realise you could just do this yourself, right?”

  Cayson sighs. He can’t, he’s too close to her and that will make it much harder.

  “I know I can usually, Gwenael, but this isn’t a normal situation. Even I know that with this one I can’t alter the way her mind thinks.” Cayson stares pointedly at Gwenael, praying he just accepts the answer for the moment. He can’t get into it now, not with Olivia sitting in front of him looking so vulnerable.

  “Fine, this may hurt.”

  Olivia looks confused as Cayson moves to grasp her body and pin her down. She screams when Gwenael takes her head with his hands, his nails digging into her scalp, uselessly trying to break out of his hold while a burning sensation builds up behind her eyes. Her yelling becomes tangled with tears as the pain becomes almost unbearable. Olivia shakes, her body feeling like it’s hardening beneath his touch; images flow through her mind, too many to pick out details; the sickness builds up inside her as she sees Dan, but it isn’t Dan, just some sort of twisted version of him- her eyes widen as more screams escape her mouth. Gwenael jumps back and stares at her in shock, Cayson’s arms loosening around her.

  “Why would he do that?” Gwenael asks Cayson in disgust. That's the question Cayson’s been asking himself, and he still doesn’t have a response. Gwenael looks at Olivia, shocked by her memories that had pulsed through him as he pushed her to remember everything, to wake up from the daze he had put her under.

  “Why do I see Dan and I together?” Olivia demands. “What the hell is going on? And who the hell is this guy, how did he do that?” She remembers nothing from her nights for days and suddenly with his help she remembers so much: Dan is alive! Or at least, he’s kind of alive. She’s seen him every night this week, every night. Her hand moves to her shoulder and neck, tugging on her collar to run her fingers over the raised marks from him feeding off her like she’s some kind of thing.

  “I’m Gwenael,” he says. “My mother was French.” Olivia nods a response and Gwenael continues, this time to Cayson. “I’ll grab a drink, she needs one.”

  He walks out, Cayson sitting down on a chair not too far from Olivia’s. She looks puzzled as she realises Cayson’s size compared to the chair. Has he grown?

  “Look, do you remember the conversation we had earlier tonight at yours?”

  Olivia thinks back, nodding slightly.

  “Dan did that thing to me, didn’t he? To make me do what he says, is that why I couldn’t remember?”

  “I think so, yes. From what I saw, he makes sure you can’t remember anything after you leave. You leave, and you forget everything about him again.”

  Why would Dan do that to her? There has to be a reason. She looks at Cayson; her eyes widen in shock.

  “You lied! You said that it wasn’t him, that no part of him is left if he’s turned. Surely there is if he keeps bringing me back there and letting me go without killing me!” She jumps to her feet abruptly, the chair clattering onto its side as she shouts.

  “No, now you’ve gotten the memories back how can you say that was the Dan you knew? How he used to be? Think back to every night and remember.”

  Olivia nods, her mind thinking back, it is Dan, but he was different.

  “It’s a game. He’s a new-born, where’s the fun for him in getting a woman to have sex with him? There isn’t. But with you all he has to say to you is that it’s him, that he isn’t a vampire and that you love him again. You’ve not been forced; he isn’t making you want him. He’s just making you remember who he was, who he used to be. Sure, he misses the human connection but he’s mainly in it for the game, and that’s you. You’re the game. He wants to see how long he can keep this thing going, telling you he’s human and sleeping with you, then making you forget.”

  Gwenael re-enters with the promised glass of water. Olivia’s hand shakes slightly as she takes it, causing a few drops of the liquid to lap over the rim and escape. She takes a sip gratefully and finally looks properly at Gwenael, whose olive skin is visible as he stands shirtless, his bottom half clothed in a pair of slacks. There are tattoos covering his chest, the inky designs caging his torso. Olivia glances to Cayson. Does he have tattoos? She can’t quite remember but she finds herself wanting to know.

  “Well, thanks,” she says to Cayson, feeling the heat blossoming in her cheeks from her previous thoughts, “because now what am I supposed to do? Am I going to have to go back there tomorrow night and pretend I’m not aware of what’s happening?” She feels sick. Every time an image flashes across her mind she sees Dan, just different.

  “You don’t go back. If he wants you he’ll just do the same again. He can’t have you know he’s alive, or, at least, alive in your mind. Remember, he doesn’t know you know about vampires. So he has to stay dead. You need to carry on as if you still think he’s dead.”

  Olivia feels herself nod slightly. Out of the singular window she can see the sun peeking through the trees. She needs to go home and get some sleep before work.

  “I’m going home,” she says, and she walks out leaving Gwenael staring questioningly at Cayson.

  “I stayed away, I swear I did,” Cayson responds defensively, “I was walking back from taking Austin home, and she ran into me, literally ran straight into my chest. She swore she’d heard Dan behind her and I didn’t want to leave her alone after that so I walked her home. That’s when I found out she was regularly going to the canal and to the old mill house at night. She couldn’t remember what she’d been doing there so when she left I followed her and I saw everything.” He couldn’t just walk away from her. He knows he should, it’s the right thing to do, but he just can’t.

  “Look, decide. Right now, Cayson, decide. Do you want her, yes or no? You can’t say no then keep appearing in her life, she knows about too much as it is without you showing up every two days.”

  He knows full well he can’t, but something keeps drawing him back in. He has to stay away from her; he will stay away from her. How hard can it be?

  “She’s a witch, Cayson. I felt it when I connected to her. She doesn’t have a clue; I’m guessing her parents and siblings aren’t witches, maybe her grandmother or great-grandmother.”

  Cayson stares at him in shock.

  “But… Dan-”

  “Yes, Dan will know, Cayson, when he feeds off of her he will feel it as well. He’s new enough to not care, to him blood is blood and these games he’s playing with her are just that. Look, walk her home; she has to walk through a few hotspots so best not to risk it.”

  Cayson nods before leaving, rushing to catch up with Olivia. She looks hurt, her gaze staying fixed ahead while she strides. Is she hurt because of Dan or because of what they - Cayson and Gwenael – had done to her?

  “I’m sorry about hurting you, Olivia, I really am, but it was the only way to make you remember.”

  Olivia doesn’t answer, she doesn’t care that it hurt. She can still feel Gwenael’s grip on her head, like she’s being crushed by the pressure.

  “So, come on,” Cayson tries again, “tell me a bit about yourself while we walk. You never mentioned your dad, your grandparents, any other family.” He hopes he’s not being as obvious as he thinks he is, asking about her family. Although why she’d be suspicious he doesn’t know, after all, she doesn’t know she’s a witch. He’s still curious, though, about her origins, about why she doesn’t know what she really is.

  “That’s because there’s not much to say. I don’t know my dad. Actually, I don’t know my mum either. I was adopted as a baby; I never knew my birth parents. My adopted mum, well, you saw, she doesn’t care. Her husband – well, ex-husband – left not long after they had adopted me. Mel obviously isn’t my biological sister. They wanted her; she was born into their family. I was just dumped on them.”

  Cayson
looks at her shocked. It doesn’t help at all with his unofficial investigation but it’s not at all what he had been expecting to hear.

  “You were hardly dumped on them, they wanted you.” They must have or surely they wouldn’t have adopted her.

  “They wanted a boy. That’s part of the reason they adopted, they wanted a perfect boy to complete their lovely perfect family. For some reason the process was taking ages, but I was apparently high priority or something, so I was easier, and they agreed to adopt me. So yeah, actually, I was dumped.”

  Cayson nods, unsure how to reply. “And your real parents?”

  “No idea, I never asked. Why would I? They didn’t want me either.” Cayson can feel himself rolling his eyes.

  “Because they’re your family,” he says quietly, “there could be things about them that link to you, to who you are.”

  “Well I’m me; I’m nothing like them or my adoptive family either.” She unlocks her front door and walks in, Cayson trailing behind and shaking his head.

  “You can’t possibly know that though. There’s a chance you’ve inherited something from your real parents. Something amazing.”

  Olivia laughs. “Well, I guess I had to get my blue eyes from somewhere, but what else could they have given me? Let’s be honest, other than how to walk away from your baby when you can’t be arsed to be a parent, they’ve given me nothing.”

  “You assume they left you, Olivia. They could have died; they could have done it to save you. There are so many reasons they could be gone other than just not wanting you.” Why is she so set against finding out who her parents are? “You’re a damn crazy woman,” he adds, looking at her.

  “I wonder if I got that from my mum or my dad,” she laughs. “Would it really make a difference? What could I possibly find out that would change who I am? Nothing. Just go home, Cayson, I’m safe in my house now, see?” She gestures around her, staring pointedly at the man in front of her who lets a low growl escape from his throat at her words. Her body shudders at the sound, hair standing up on end like tiny needles.