Sunny Eve

by Shayla Hyde

  "What is it?" I mouthed silently, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning forward.

  "Iris has a plan," he said aloud, shushing the whispers at once.

  "What kind of plan?" I blinked.

  Iris groaned in the backseat, "I was still trying to decide.!"

  He chuckled, "So I heard. Go on, tell her."

  I curiously turned to face her. I could faintly see her in the orange glow of the streetlamps. Her mouth was agape, and her hands were tightly glued together in the lap of her blue jeans.

  "What is it, Iris?" I asked, a soft smile finally cracking on my lips. She snapped her jaw shut and cleared her throat, breaking her eye contact with me. She shifted in her seat and unlaced her fingers, shoving her black hair behind her ears, "I don't know," she shrugged. "I know you've had a not-so-good day, so I thought we could, like, I don't know."

  "Thought we could what?" I raised an eyebrow, encouraging her to go on.

  "Well, the night is still young, and we have some time to kill before... you know, everything goes down," she shrugged again, "Why don't we celebrate tonight? The four of us. You deserve it... after everything." I nodded impressively. "You've got my attention," I grinned a little bigger. "What did you have in mind?"

  "I'm good with anything,” she said. “Movie night?”

  "Hmm," I stroked my thumb and index finger against my chin. "As long as I can pick the movie. I can't deal with any more of your romcoms."

  She glared at me, and I felt her foot strike the back of my seat. I couldn't hold my laughter. I heard Jake chuckle followed by the feeling of Iris's sneaker against my backside again.

  "Whatever," Iris playfully shouted, then opened her door.

  We all got out of my Dad's car and started toward the house while I Googled the number for a local pizza place on my phone. Kaden clicked his tongue ahead of me, grabbing my attention.

  "Here," he said, tossing me the car keys.

  With my incredibly slow hand-eye coordination, I was surprised when I caught them in my hand. "Thanks."

  I unlocked the front door as I dialed the number for the pizza place. My arms were covered in chill bumps and I could see my breath in the air. I shoved the door open and stepped inside my warm house. Iris followed pursuit, and we stood in the doorway staring outside at the other two. I grinned over at Iris, and she peered at me unknowingly. "They have to be invited in," I informed her, quickly walking away to the kitchen whenever someone picked up the phone.

  "Paco's Pizzeria," a woman's nasally voice answered.

  After ordering two pepperoni pizzas, I joined the others in the living room. I expected them to be lounging on the couch by then, but they were still standing in place like mannequins.

  "Um," I mumbled, glancing at each of them.

  "We have to be invited in by someone who actually lives here," Kaden informed me, leaning against the doorframe with his elbow.

  "Oh," I laughed, "Come in, then."

  "I pretty much live here, why doesn't that count?" Iris folded her arms.

  "That's just not how it works, Iris," Kaden said, stepping by her.

  I ended up letting the three of them decide on a movie, and they

  settled on some kind of action movie from the 80’s that I didn’t even watch. I was too worried about Halloween night to focus on anything else.

  Iris and Jake sat on the living room floor together, Kaden took the couch, and I sat on the recliner. For the entirety of the movie, Iris and Jake didn't stop talking to each other. When the pizza arrived, Iris and Jake went to the kitchen. I sighed, capturing Kaden's attention. He smiled over at me. He knew what I was thinking.

  He huskily whispered, “It was a nice gesture anyway, huh?"

  I nodded. "Yeah...," and trailed off.

  He looked me up and down, his eyes pausing on my neck. "You okay?"

  "Nervous," I admitted, "Really nervous."

  "Don't be nervous," he shook his head. "It’s going to be okay."

  "How do you know?” I whispered, my voice shaking. He smiled softly, patting the space next to him on the couch. I hesitate but joined him.

  "I understand, Eve. I would be afraid, too, but I have a good feeling about this.”

  I grinned at him, “Well, that makes one of us."

  He chuckled softly, then his smile faded a bit, “I believe you will be okay. We have a plan.”

  “I’m just worried about what could go wrong, you know? Like, what if the spell doesn’t work, or we’re too late?” I grimaced.

  “Try to focus on the positive,” he said quietly. “Instead of what might go wrong, think of what could go right.”

  I found my eyes traveling to his lips as he spoke.

  “Thank you, Kaden,” I said softly, dropping my gaze.

  “For what?”

  “Everything,” I whispered, my eyes stinging, “You could’ve left me in the woods that night to figure everything out on my own, but you didn’t. You’ve stuck with me the entire way.” I stared up at him again. He shook his head side-to-side, “You don’t have to thank me for any of that.”

  “Why, though? Why do you care what happens to me?”

  His dark eyes traveled from mine to my lips, “is that a serious question?”

  “Yes,” I whispered, breaking our gaze again.

  He shifted closer to me, so close that his body was touching mine.

  My heart began to throb in my throat.

  "In the beginning, I was just... curious about you. Our paths crossed multiple times, and you had this mysterious mark on your skin that was so similar to mine. I wanted to know you. I wanted to figure you out," he said quietly.

  "So, you were stalking me?" I lifted my eyebrows suspiciously.

  He scoffed, "not exactly.”

  I closed my eyes briefly, my smile extending. "But that still doesn't answer my original question," I finally said. “Why do you care about what happens to me?”

  "Right," he agreed, letting out a soft sigh. "I honestly don't know the answer to that. I don't know why I care. Being a vampire for all these years has numbed me. I've watched every single person I've ever known waste away to nothing. Death is something I see on a daily

  basis. But you," he paused. "You come along, and there's just something different about you, Eve. Something I don’t even know how to explain, but it makes me want to keep you safe.”

  My cheeks were on fire and my heart felt like it was going to leap from my chest. Kaden licked his lips, gazing at mine. His dark eyes were full of desire, and his icy fingertips gently traced my jawline. I leaned in to him, but just as our lips were about to connect, Iris shouted at the top of her lungs, “Eve! Want some pizza?”

  I pulled away, awkwardly biting my bottom lip. He chuckled softly, gently dropping his hand from my cheek.

  “Yeah, I’ll be right there!” I exclaimed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY:

  The next morning, before the sun had a chance to rise, the four of us left out. The weather channel had forecasted a beautiful sunny day, so we had to leave early enough that Jake wouldn't get trapped inside my house.

  I sleepily fumbled with the house keys, locking the door behind us. I was sure I was a welcome sight in my purple pajamas, fuzzy pink house shoes, and my hair in the messiest bun I'd ever mastered. I'd just crawled out of bed not even five minutes prior.

  Jake started speed-walking across the street without Kaden. He was in a hurry to get back before sunrise, and rightfully so. “Dude, come on,

  I’m running out of time,” Jake exclaimed, staring up at the sky as he took off in a sprint.

  Kaden was leaning against Iris’s truck, his arms folded. “I guess we are taking the shortcut,” he sighed, “but you two need to come to the cabin, okay? Victor and Elizabeth want to talk to Eve.”

  Iris slipped her hands in the pockets of her sweatpants. “Yeah. I’ll drive us my truck. I’m expected home in a couple of hours, anyway.” Kaden nodded, his eyes traveling to me. I didn’t want to make eye contact with him. I
was feeling a little awkward about our almost-kiss the previous night. I heard his shoes scrape the ground as he darted away to catch up with Jake.

  Around ten minutes later, Iris and I were parked in Kaden's driveway.

  By that point, the sun was brilliantly peeking at us over the treetops. We made our way to the front of the cabin, and my heart palpitated with each step. Why do they need to talk to me?

  Kaden met us at the door, not making much eye contact with either of us. He motioned for us to go on, and I took the first step inside. Victor

  and Elizabeth were firmly glued to each other on the living room’s antique sofa. They awkwardly shifted apart at my entrance. Jake and Sebastian were nowhere in sight.

  Victor smiled at me, "Eve, how did it go yesterday? I see you still have your mark."

  I frowned, "Well, not so good, but not exactly bad."

  Victor rose from the couch, leaving Elizabeth to sit alone, "How so?" "They can help me get rid of the mark, but not until Halloween night," I explained, feeling a little intimidated by him.

  "And Halloween night is more than likely when the Primevals will make an appearance," Kaden added, stepping in behind me and resting his hand on my lower back.

  "Damn, the timing is close," Sebastian's disembodied voice echoed from the darkened dining room area.

  Victor raised his eyebrows, "We will be prepared if things don't go as planned. I will stay here through Halloween. That’s if it's okay with you, Kaden."

  Over Victor's shoulder, I saw Elizabeth smile softly and bite her plump bottom lip.

  "Of course," Kaden agreed. "Whatever it takes."

  Victor peered at Kaden, then at me, wearing a thoughtful expression.

  He took a step back toward the couch, and Elizabeth slowly stood up, staring at me.

  "I was also wondering if I could talk to you, but, like, alone?"

  I reluctantly nodded, "Uh, sure."

  Her pink lips stretched into a smile, and she motioned for me to follow her. I took one step forward, Kaden's hand slipping off my back and landing at his side. A warm hand suddenly latched on to my wrist and stopped me from making another move.

  "Wait," Iris demanded from behind me. "I'm coming with you."

  I glanced over my shoulder at my friend, "It's okay, Iris."

  She looped her arm through mine, refusing to take "no" as an answer. "Actually, Iris, I need to speak with you, too," Elizabeth nodded, continuing her stroll to the glass door overlooking the backyard. Iris gave me a puzzled glance, but tightly held onto my arm as we followed her outside.

  "Um," I stuttered, shutting the door behind us. "So, w-what is it?" Elizabeth gazed at me and released a deep breath. "I don't expect you to accept my apology since I have literally put your life in jeopardy, but I feel like you deserve to hear my side," she explained.

  I squinted at her suspiciously. Is she apologizing to me? "I know you think I purposely put you in danger, but it really wasn't like that. At least, it wasn't supposed to be," Elizabeth stared at her shoes.

  "Then, why?" I questioned her, interlacing my cold, clammy fingers. "It's a long story. I'll have to start from the beginning... which is literally the year 1810," she told me, a crease forming between her eyebrows.

  I felt my eyes widen, but I tried not to let it show. "Okay, start from the beginning," I glanced away from her at the surrounding trees, watching as the softest gusts of wind sent colorful leaves flying every which way.

  Elizabeth cleared her throat. "Okay. So, here goes. In Europe, in the year 1810, there was this serial killer named Luis Vidmar. I was walking home one afternoon, and little did I know, I would become his twentieth and final victim. I’ll spare you all of the gory details,” she paused.

  I looked at Elizabeth again. She was staring at her feet. This clearly wasn’t an easy subject for her, but she carried on.

  "As I lay on the pavement, the blood draining from my body, Luis Vidmar stood over me and laughed. He had this terrible, shrill, maniacal laugh. He was so amused… watching me die. I was so close to death, and I was ready for it. I was ready for the pain to end," she told me, her voice cracking.

  “All of a sudden, a man that I’d never met appeared and attacked Vidmar, killed him in front of me. The last thing I remember before everything became dark was this man pulling the tape from my lips, slitting his wrist open with his teeth, and pressing it to my mouth. I didn't know what he was doing, and at that moment, I didn't care. I wanted the suffering to end, and it did. I finally died. That man was Victor, but Victor was too late in saving my human life." Elizabeth looked at me, her eyes glistening, "So, when I woke up, I was this." I sighed shakily. Her story made me feel something for her besides aversion. I felt sorry for her.

  "After the math, Victor and I," she whispered, glancing at the door, "we spent many weeks together. He taught me things, took care of me. He convinced me that my life wasn't over, but instead, it was just beginning. Over those few weeks, I guess, I guess I..." she trailed off.

  "Fell for him," Iris said, tightening her grip on my arm. I’d nearly forgotten she was there.

  Elizabeth glanced at her, nodding one time in agreement, "But after he trained me on how to live this way of life, we went our separate ways. I stayed in Europe for many years, but I had to stay hidden from my family. It was heartbreaking... Watching them grieve and not being able to talk to them, not being able to tell them I was okay. So, I eventually left Europe and began exploring the rest of the world by ship. That's how I later met my brothers.”

  “During the war?” I squinted at her.

  “Yes. I was sailing near the Santiago Bay of Cuba. I could hear chaos on the land. I followed the sound until I saw men dying. I thought about what Victor had done for me, and I stopped. There were so many casualties already, but I disguised myself as a nurse and tried to save as many lives as I could. Kaden and Sebastian were two of them. My

  blood wouldn’t heal them, and of course, you know what happens when you die with vampire blood in your system. I went back to America with them after accidentally turning them, and I taught them everything

  Victor taught me. I have been here in America ever since."

  "Wow..." I whispered, "you coached Kaden? That's surprising." "To say the least..." she sighed. "He's always made it look so easy, having it under control. I know I lost my way for a long time, but I'm working on that."

  I nodded in approval, "You can do it. You’ll find your way again."

  She smiled softly, then dropped her head again. "The party was the first time I'd seen Victor since we departed. I was so excited about seeing him again, this man that saved me, the man that had been on my mind every day for over two-hundred years. I wanted to impress him in every way that I could. I wasn't expecting him to bring company.

  “Amelia,” I realized. "You told him about my mark because you wanted to impress him?"

  "As stupid as it sounds, yes. I wanted Victor's attention to myself. I

  had no idea Amelia was even coming or that she’s an Upperclassman. I didn’t know she would tell the Primevals. I thought everyone hated them."

  I shook my head, respiring deeply, "how exactly do you become an

  Upperclassman in the vampire world?"

  "An Upperclassman is any vampire who was turned into a vampire by any member of the Primevals," she explained, "she and Victor are both

  Upperclassmen."

  I nodded, "I see, but I still don't understand why she told them about me to get back at you. What makes Amelia think you care about the

  Primevals coming for me?"

  "Do you really think I don't care?" Elizabeth gazed at me.

  "Isn't it the truth?" I questioned her.

  "No, Eve," she shook her head, "I do care. You're a-a good person," she stuttered. "Kaden cares for you, and that's plenty enough of a reason for me to care about whether you live or die. My brother's sadness is my sadness," she explained, placing a cold hand on my forearm.

  My face was on fire. I nodded, �
��Thanks, Elizabeth.”

  "And… You're not the only person I need to apologize to," Elizabeth said softly, averting her attention to Iris.

  "Iris, about Jake," she whispered, "I know I hurt you, and I know he hurt you. But you need to know that it was never like that. He-he was lonely, desperate, and an easy target. I used him to my advantage, for, um, the blood, and-and I know that it was wrong of me. I know it’s my fault that he’s a vampire. At first, I didn’t, but now-now it makes sense.”

  Iris had a disgusted look on her face, “What makes sense now? And is that what Bradley was for you, too? A food source? What happened there?”

  Elizabeth closed her eyes and exhaled. “That was a mistake. Bradley was a mistake. I didn’t mean for that to happen, but it did, and that’s exactly why I’m trying to better myself now.”

  “Oh, so you decapitated a person and then staged his body in the awful way that you did by accident? And now you get to do your little self-improvement kick and act like it didn’t happen? How convenient for you,” Iris spat, folding her arms over her chest.

  “I never said it was an accident. I said it was a mistake, and it was. Bradley wasn’t a good person, but he definitely didn’t deserve what I did to him,” Elizabeth said quietly, “no one does.”

  Iris’s icy stare softened, and she dropped her arms at her sides. “You said it makes sense now,” she paused, “That you were the one who turned Jake into a vampire. What did you mean by that?”

  Elizabeth nervously twirled her hair, “I-I don’t know if I should tell you.”

  “You’ve already told us your life story. Go ahead, spill it,” Iris demanded. I could see the uncertainty in her eyes.

  “Okay. Okay. On the night that everything happened, I told him to pop by for just a quick visit. I was hungry. I fed on him again. It was different that time, though. His blood tasted… just, different. I decided to stop, but when I gave him my blood this time, it didn’t heal him. It had worked on him before, so it didn’t make any sense,” Elizabeth explained. “Now-now I know that it was because of the high dose of diamorphine in his system. It stopped him from healing.”