Sunny Eve

by Shayla Hyde

  "Oh my God," I exclaimed, quickly springing into action. I had to get him inside just in case whoever or whatever had done this to him was still out there. I ran to him and grabbed his arm, looping it around my shoulders, "Can you try to stand up for me?"

  He groaned loudly while trying to straighten out his legs. I struggled to hold him up on my own, but I managed to shuffle him inside my house. I helped him onto the couch, and quickly ran and locked the door. When I raced back to help the guy, I saw his familiar face clearly for the first time. It was Jake, Iris's ex-boyfriend. Blood was gushing from his neck, and he was beginning to lose consciousness. I rushed to the bathroom, where I grabbed some fresh towels, and gauze and hurried back to him.

  "What happened to you?" I asked softly, trying to catch my breath. I wasn’t even sure if he could hear me.

  He winced and moaned quietly as I used a towel to apply pressure to his wound. His eyes rolled to the back of his head until all I could see was white. Through his harsh breaths, I heard him utter the word,

  "Vampire."

  I was taken aback, but I reminded myself that he had lost a lot of blood. After a moment of applying pressure to his wound, I pulled the towel back to see if his bleeding had slowed down any. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Ironically, on the left side of his neck were two gaping holes in his flesh. They were side-by-side, identical to the markings of a set of fangs. I told myself it had to be an animal bite of some sort.

  I quickly and tightly wrapped his neck with gauze and reached for my cell phone to call for help. While I was dialing 9-1-1, Jake's breathing began to shallow. I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I impatiently waited for the operator to answer. I grabbed Jake's wrist and felt for his pulse, but there was barely a heartbeat. I started sobbing. I knew he was going to die right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do about it. Before anyone answered my call, my cell phone shut off with a dead battery.

  "Dammit!" I shouted, slamming it down on the couch. I remembered my charger was plugged up beside my bed in my bedroom, so I sprinted down the hallway after it. I swiftly jerked the plug from the wall and dashed back out to the hallway, stopping dead in my tracks when I saw a disturbing sight ahead. Jake was on his feet now, standing motionless at the end of the unlit hallway. His head was tilted downward, but his crimson eyes were on me and glowing ominously. His breathing was so raspy, it sounded more like snarling. With one hand, he reached up to the gauze on his throat and ripped it off in one quick motion.

  I felt my charger slip through my fingers and land on the hardwood floor below my feet. My heart pounded in my throat as I took a single step backward and he took one forward. He smiled at me sinisterly and unveiled long, pointed fangs. Through my confusion, I was able to think fast and dart into my bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me. I twisted the lock and threw a pile of unpacked boxes in front of the door.

  I kept telling myself that this couldn't be what it seemed like. Jake was just bitten by a rabid animal or something. Jake groaned in frustration and began striking his body against the door with so much force that it was about to burst from its hinges. I scurried to my bedroom window and promptly tugged it open. I knew my boxes weren't going to be enough to keep him out.

  Trying not to make too much noise and without a second thought, I crawled out the window and dropped five feet to the ground. I

  scrambled to my feet and charged across the street to the Clark’s house. I desperately pounded on their front door, despite there still being no vehicles in their driveway. There was, as expected, no answer. I glanced back at my house and saw Jake was now standing in my front yard, glaring right at me. I bolted behind their house and ran for the woods. My chest was on fire as I struggled to retrieve my breath. The tears in my eyes were clouding my vision, making it strenuous to dodge the surrounding trees and brush. The only sound I could hear, aside from my heartbeat in my head, was the distinct reverberation of another pair of feet gaining on me.

  I propelled myself forward in hopes of losing him, but inauspiciously, I could hear his footsteps speed up as well. Then, a taunting cackle echoed throughout the forest coming from just a few feet behind me. It was at that moment that I knew escaping him was hopeless. I could feel it in my heart that I was going to be doomed if I didn't take action. So, I stopped running. I stopped dead in my tracks and quickly examined the forest floor for some sort of weapon. I grabbed a semi sharp, blocky piece of a broken tree branch and gained the courage to turn and face Jake. He was right there; his ashen face only inches from mine. He had a stunned expression on his face that quickly transformed into a cold glare.

  His lips pressed tightly together. I whimpered as he reached out a dominant hand and snatched the branch from me, snapping the thick wood in two like it was a frail twig. He cackled wildly as he tightly seized my throat in his icy fingers, his eyes now burning furiously. I gagged and fought against his firm grip, but it was to no avail. He dragged me deeper into the forest, restraining me by my throat. He moved so quickly that I tripped and stumbled over my own two feet trying to keep up with him. I was on the brink of losing consciousness when he finally came to a stand-still. He loosened his clutch around my throat, and I plummeted to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

  "Why are you doing this?" I asked through harsh breaths.

  Jake's face lit up with amusement, then turned to stone.

  "You let me die," he growled.

  "No, I didn't. You're still alive," I argued, holding my throbbing throat.

  He laughed out loud. "Is that what you think?"

  I stared into his evil eyes as he stepped closer to me. He kneeled to the ground in front of me and held out one of his hands.

  "Come," he said, "let me show you something."

  I frowned at him, not moving a millimeter in his direction. He snatched my hand in his frosty clutch and jerked me to my feet. I felt my fingers crack and cried out.

  "Take my wrist. Feel for my pulse," Jake demanded, wrapping my

  fingers around his cool wrist. “Since you think I’m alive.”

  I did as he said, pressing my index and middle finger over his radial artery. I felt nothing. I positioned my fingers a couple of times, frantically trying to find his pulse, but there wasn't one.

  "I hate to say I told you so," he said sarcastically.

  "How is that possible?" I shouted. "You should be dead!" "I am dead," he sharply retorted. He gently pushed my hair behind my ears and whispered, "and you're about to be, as well."

  I was frozen in horror as he lunged at me, grabbing me by my face. I wailed in agony as the pointed tip of his fangs broke through the flesh of my neck. I was paralyzed there, unable to move, and as the blood was drained from my body, I could feel nothing. The forest around us whirled, and my heart rate began to slow. I knew I was going to die.

  Suddenly, everything stopped.

  But, much to my surprise, I wasn't dead. I was shoved face first to the muddy forest floor. I winced and rolled over on my side, spitting out the sludge between my lips. I peered over and saw Jake kneeling on the ground next to me, deep gurgling sounds escaping his throat. I noticed an extra presence looming near. I peeked through squinted eyes at the shadowy silhouette of a man standing over me.

  "Eve, hey, are you okay?" a familiar voice asked, dropping to his knees beside me. I found Kaden's midnight blue eyes. They were full of worry as he examined my injuries.

  "Vampire," I said hoarsely, reaching for him.

  A crease formed between his eyebrows as he glanced at Jake, then back at me. Jake started crawling toward us at an abnormally quick rate of speed. Without hesitation, Kaden forcefully kicked Jake in the face with the heel of his boot, making him fly backward and land on his back with a thump. Jake grunted, rolling over on his side and began to vomit a thick, red substance. His body began to harshly convulse. I covered my eyes, not wanting to see whatever was happening to him.

  "What the hell?" Kaden said quietly, sounding perplexed.

 
"What is that bitch doing to me?" Jake asked through rough snarls.

  I kept my hands tightly glued to my face.

  "Her neck... Why is her neck glowing?" Jake asked, deep coughs lodging in his throat.

  This caught my attention. I slowly lowered my hands, wondering why the forest was so bright. It had been pitch-black just a few seconds before. I glanced down at myself, catching a glimpse of the light source. A bright, golden ray of light, remarkably similar to the sun, was coming from my birthmark area and zapping Jake's body.

  "It burns!" Jake shouted, "my skin burns! Stop! Please, stop!" I helplessly stared at him, his flesh beginning to melt before my very eyes. My birthmark was literally cooking him, and I didn't know how to make it stop. I tried covering it with my hand, but that had no impact.

  The light only illuminated through my fingertips.

  Kaden took a few steps away from me, a puzzled, yet surprisingly calm expression on his face.

  "How do I stop?" I shouted, my voice cracking.

  Kaden stared at me silently.

  "Stop! Please!" Jake shouted, flapping around on the forest floor. His helpless screeches of agony filled my ears, and the nauseating scent of his burning flesh filled my nostrils. I sobbed, covering my eyes again. The shrieks intensified for a moment, then, suddenly, they stopped altogether. I slowly, anxiously peeked through my fingers and saw Jake's charred body was lying still and the light was gone. Then, the dim forest around me faded to black.

  CHAPTER SEVEN:

  I awoke in an unfamiliar setting. I was lying in a massive bed, shielded by a thin scarlet sheet. My eyes darted across the mostly desolate wooden bedroom and landed on a large grandfather clock in the corner of the room. It read 10:01 P.M. Three candlesticks rested on a nightstand, the only light source in the place.

  I leaned up on my elbows and winced as all the events of the evening came flooding back into my mind- being bitten, the light coming from my birthmark, Jake's awful death, that I had caused. I reflexively reached for my neck expecting it to be coated in blood, but there was nothing. My skin was dry, and the surface of my neck was smooth. I didn't feel any pain, either. I began questioning whether I had been bitten at all.

  I could hear faint voices resounding from another room. My anxiety lessened a bit at the sound of Kaden's voice. I focused hard on what was being said, but only caught bits and pieces of the conversation.

  "Great job, Elizabeth," Kaden furiously said. "Do you know how risky that was?"

  "I didn't do this," a female's voice, Elizabeth, argued. "I fed on him, yes, but I didn't turn him! I healed him!"

  "Then who did?" Kaden’s voice growled.

  "How am I supposed to know?" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Why do you always assume that it's me? Do you realize Portland is a vampire hotspot? There are quite literally dozens of others within a 10-mile radius of us. It could have been one of them!"

  "I don't know, I guess because it's always you or Sebastian," Kaden exclaimed. "You are my sister, and there's not much I can do to change that. I'll always have your back, but you've been very sloppy recently, and you need to get it under control. Got it?" The girl fell silent.

  "We are back in Portland which means we have plenty of wildlife to feed on, and if you must have human blood, plenty of hospitals to take from without being detected. We don't have to hurt people to survive." Kaden scolded her.

  "Speak for yourself," a deep male's voice joined in the conversation, "and Christ, would you shut up about the bloody blood bags? They're unbearable. We live in a city of six hundred thousand people, Brother. Tell me, how will we ever get caught if we feed on them and make them forget?"

  "I would say decapitating the quarterback and leaving him on the football field for everyone to see is a damn good start," Kaden snapped back. "Right, Elizabeth?"

  I gasped. I couldn't believe what I was hearing

  "The girl is awake," the unfamiliar male said. "I can hear her heartbeat."

  The house fell silent.

  My heart raced as light footsteps started in my direction and halted right in front of the closed door. I watched as the doorknob rotated and clicked, and the door slowly creaked open. Kaden's dark outline stood in the doorway.

  "Hey." he huskily said. "You okay?" He stepped inside, shutting the door.

  "I'm fine," I said hesitantly, shakily pulling my knees to my chest,

  "but I need you to tell me what the hell is going on." "I understand," he sighed heavily, "I promise I will tell you everything."

  "So, do it," I fiercely demanded.

  "I just need to try something first," he told me. "If that is okay with you." He took a few steps in my direction, stopping in the center of the room. The dim candlelight reached his face.

  "Depends on what it is," I told him, shifting uncomfortably.

  "It's nothing," he comforted me. "It's not going to hurt."

  My entire body trembled, but I didn't feel like I should be afraid of him. "Okay," I whispered, eyeing him closely.

  He nodded, taking a few slow steps toward me before finally reaching the edge of the bed. He gazed into my eyes in a convincing, captivating way.

  "This is what happened. This is what you need to know. You were in the woods, and you got lost. You called me for help, I came and found you, and now I am going to help you get home."

  I squinted my eyes at him, breaking our gaze, "Um, what?"

  I saw a hint of confusion in his eyes, and then he started to repeat himself.

  "Is that supposed to be some kind of sick joke?" I spat, pushing myself off the bed and onto my feet. I glared up at him. "You know that's not what happened."

  He stared at me soundlessly for a while, then he dropped his head. "Okay, so mind compulsion isn't going to be an option for you, either," he said tremulously.

  "Mind compulsion?" I repeated nervously.

  "We'll get to that," he waved his hand at me. "Just... tell me what you know. What do you remember?"

  "I remember everything," I admitted. "Every single detail. Jake's face, being bitten, my birthmark."

  "And you're handling it well, I see," he said, seeming impressed. I glanced up at him and shook my head, "That's because the adrenaline hasn't worn off yet. I'm going to be a mess."

  He stared at me, seeming lost in thought for a moment. "Do you know what attacked you?"

  "Jake did," I answered with zero hesitation.

  "But do you know what Jake was?"

  "A vampire," I said, immediately realizing how ridiculous it sounded.

  "And you remember the light?"

  "How could I forget?" I sighed, brushing my birthmark with my fingertips.

  "That's never happened to you before tonight?"

  "No," I snapped, "I think I would remember it if it had."

  He nodded, squinting at me. He took a step closer to me, and I felt my body tense.

  "You're one, too," I said quickly, "I want to know how." He quietly watched me.

  "How is any of what happened tonight possible?" I impatiently asked. "I know how it sounds, Eve. It sounds completely insane." He ran his fingers through his hair, "but immortals live among mortals.”

  "That's the real reason why you ran off yesterday. Not because blood makes you sick," I realized, "but because you're a..." I couldn't bring myself to repeat it.

  He gazed at me in silence, not agreeing or disagreeing with me. Once again, he stepped toward me, but this time he didn't stop until his face was only inches from mine. I suddenly found myself unable to speak or move.

  "Yes, Evelyn." He scanned me over with his eyes and breathed the words, "I am a vampire."

  My breath was lodged in my lungs as I stared at him in silence. "But you don't have to be afraid." he added flatly, pulling his face away from mine. " I am one of the good." "I'm n-not afraid," I boldly stuttered.

  "You're not?"

  "No," I stood my ground and glared at him.

  He bit his lip and gazed at me inquisitively. "There is something special about you," he gri
nned, taking a step back. "I don't quite understand it, but you have a gift."

  "A gift?" I raised my eyebrows, "because I'm not afraid of you?" "Not that," he nodded toward my neck, "but your birthmark." I rested my head in my hand, "Jake bit me. I felt it. He was draining my blood, but there's no bite mark."

  "At the same moment, your birthmark was burning Jake, it was healing your wound."

  I scoffed in bewilderment, softly rubbing where the bite should have been. "But how?" I blinked, feeling puzzled.

  The corners of his lips twitched into a smile, "I'm really not sure, but

  I do have a theory. Let me show you."

  He pulled off the white t-shirt he'd been wearing, revealing his very toned abdomen and broad shoulders. I awkwardly broke my gaze from his body.

  "Look," he got my attention, pointing to a spot above his right rib cage. It was a hypertrophic scar that looked like... the sun. It was identical to my birthmark, only more significant in size and the sun was crossed out by a large X.

  "What does it mean?" I inquired, taking a closer look at it. "This mark is the reason why I can walk in the daylight. It was branded on my siblings and I by a coven of witches in the early 19-" he stopped and waved his hand. "Uh, a long time ago. Long-story-short, it protects me from the sun."

  "So, what's your theory then?" I asked attentively.

  "What if your mark is the opposite? What if it protects you from vampires? When a vampire bites you, it has the same effect on them as walking into direct sunlight without a protection brand. That's why when Jake bit you, it burned him." He explained, his eyes widened, "It also protected you from mind compulsion."

  "So, I was born with, what, like, a vampire shield? How?" I asked, staring at him in awe.

  "I'm not sure, but it's quite fascinating. In all my years, I've not seen anything like it," Kaden noted.

  “Wow, that's," I stopped. "Wait, in all your years? How long have you..." I trailed off.

  He looked down at me and hesitated for a moment before nonchalantly saying, "I have been eighteen for one-hundred and thirty-eight years."