by G. K. DeRosa
Nico came home to find Roman pacing nervously in front of the fireplace. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen his brother in such a state, and it was very unsettling. Roman was always so calm and collected. Nico shuddered at the thought of the few times when Roman had lost control; it was not something he liked to think about.
“You’re going to wear a path into the rug if you keep that up,” said Nico jokingly.
Roman glared at him and continued pacing.
Nico pulled out two ornate invitations from his backpack. “We have been cordially invited to attend Celeste’s eighteenth birthday on Friday. It will be at Natalie’s house. Apparently her family is out of town for the weekend.”
“Great,” said Roman, “I’ll make sure to send my tux to the dry cleaners.”
“Now that’s the spirit brother! A little humor is exactly what we need in this situation.”
“I know your main concern is this party, but there are some more pressing matters we need to discuss.”
Nico dropped his backpack and settled in on the massive leather couch. “Please proceed,” he said dramatically.
Roman let out a breath. “I have been debating whether or not we should tell Celeste about Fabian. On one hand, I believe she deserves to know that her life could be at risk. On the other, I don’t want her to be concerned about something that she has no control over,” he said.
Nico paused to consider. “I don’t think we should tell her. We really don’t know much for certain, and I agree that having her worry isn’t going to help anything. She has enough going on right now with final exams and graduation. Let’s let her enjoy her last few days of normalcy.”
“Fine, we will keep this information from her until we know more, and in the meantime I will keep her safe,” Roman said.
“What are you going to do, follow her everywhere she goes?” asked Nico.
“Yes, if that’s what it takes.”
“Okay, well, that’s not creepy,” countered Nico sarcastically.
“Be careful, little brother, you are starting to sound like her,” Roman said with a smirk.
“You are the one that needs to be careful Roman. You are falling in love with her.”
***
Ralph’s Diner was packed with rowdy students celebrating the end of the first day of final exams. No one was giving a second thought to tomorrow’s exam or the next day’s; that could wait until later this evening. Celeste, Natalie and Brian sat at the end of a large communal table with half of their senior class happily eating, drinking and chatting away.
“Okay, we need to talk details for your birthday on Friday!” said Natalie excitedly.
“Let’s not go too overboard, okay? I just want a low key get together with my dearest friends,” said Celeste.
“But it’s your eighteenth birthday! That’s a really special year, and who knows where we will all be next year. This could be our last year celebrating together.” Natalie crinkled her nose and furrowed her eyebrows looking as determined as ever.
“Okay, okay, so what were you thinking?” she asked afraid to hear the answer.
“I was thinking a costume ball would be fun!”
“What? That’s not low key, Natalie. That’s the total opposite of low key!”
“Come on, it will be so much fun to get all dressed up in costumes. I already know what I want to be – Cat Woman – meow!” said Natalie. “And anyway, the invitations already went out so there’s really nothing we can do now.”
Celeste just shook her head and laughed. Natalie was absolutely incorrigible.
“Hello there beautiful ladies—and Brian,” said Nico as he sauntered up to the table and pulled up a chair. His short dark hair was gelled perfectly in place (as usual) and his designer sunglasses rested casually on his head.
“Hi Nico!” the girls replied, as the entire female population of the table turned to stare at him. Even the cute young waitress in the poodle skirt who had been ignoring their table for most of the afternoon appeared out of nowhere, flashing a smile.
“I don’t want to be a bad influence, but can you bring me your finest pitcher of beer please?” asked Nico playfully.
“Bad influence… only if you don’t share!” said Natalie with a flirty wink.
As the chatter ensued, Nico took a second to send Roman a text message.
I’m with Celeste at the diner. Don’t worry she’ll be safe with me.
Surely his brother would relax a bit knowing she was with him at a crowded restaurant filled with eye witnesses.
Later that evening Celeste attempted to study for her calculus exam, but she kept glancing out the window into the oak tree hoping to see the falcon. She unlatched the lock and pushed open the window, peering into the dark branches of the tree. As unnerving as it had been when it first appeared, she had started to feel curiously comforted by its presence lately. Nearly every night before she went to bed, Celeste saw it perched on a limb watching her. There was something almost human about the way it looked at her. And those eyes - she had never seen a bird with blue eyes. It was the strangest thing. It was those familiar blue eyes that had caused her to unconsciously shout out Roman’s name the other night. A part of her knew she was crazy even thinking it, but after everything she had discovered in the past few days, nothing seemed impossible anymore.
“Celeste, are you still awake?” whispered her mother as she noiselessly came up the stairs.
“Yup, still studying,” she responded. “What are you doing home?”
“It was a slow night, and I feel so guilty about how I’ve abandoned you lately. We haven’t had a night together in weeks, and I miss you!” said Mrs. Wilder as she sat down on the bed next to her daughter.
“I miss you too, Mom,” she said as she hugged her tightly.
“You seem so preoccupied lately. Is everything okay?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.
Celeste wished she could tell her mother about Roman and Nico and all of the wild thoughts that were running through her head. After her reaction the last time, she had a feeling it wouldn’t be wise.
“I guess so, except for the fact that Brian kissed me yesterday.”
Her mother’s eyes lit up. “He did?”
“Yup.”
“Well, I can’t say that comes to me as a total surprise,” she said. “He’s been crazy for you since you were little kids.”
“How come I’m the only one who didn’t know that?” Celeste pondered aloud.
“Sometimes it’s harder to see when you’re the one in the situation.”
“I guess so.”
“How do you feel about it?”
“I kind of freaked out when it happened. It was a total surprise to me. Brian and I have been best friends forever, but I had no clue he felt that way about me.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Pretend like it never happened!” said Celeste, closing her book.
“Celeste,” scolded her mom, “you know Brian is a wonderful boy, and I know he cares about you so much. Maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss his feelings for you, or your feelings for him.”
“But that’s the thing, Mom, I just don’t feel that way about him. I almost wish I did.”
“Not the way you feel about Nico, you mean?”
Celeste smiled and said, “Well, yes and no. I really like Nico, he’s sweet, and super hot and a lot of fun—”
“But?”
“When I first met him I thought maybe there could be something there, but there’s someone else.”
“Oh really? Spill young lady!” said Mom excitedly.
“It’s Nico’s older brother, Roman.”
Chapter 9
“I can’t believe we’re done!” Natalie exclaimed as she, Celeste and Brian walked under the archway of St. Alice’s for the last time.
Celeste looked back at all the swinging classroom doors, seniors spilling out from every which way. She suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia remembering he
r first day of high school. Mrs. Kennedy had driven her and Brian, and Celeste had been so nervous, wondering if she would make new friends, if she would like her teachers, meet a cute boy. The last four years had flown by, and she felt that she had missed out on some of the best parts of high school because she had felt so empty inside. But now everything was changing. She could somehow feel it: deep inside, she knew that nothing was ever going to be the same.
“Cel, are you coming to the bonfire on Parker Hill tonight?” asked Brian as he threw his backpack into his car.
“She needs to get her beauty sleep tonight,” interjected Natalie. “She has to be well rested for her eighteenth birthday costume bash tomorrow!”
“Actually, I was thinking of going for a little while.”
Both Natalie and Brian paused dramatically.
“I never thought I would see the day when Celeste Wilder actually wanted to go to a party – two days in a row, even!” said Natalie.
“This is the new Celeste Wilder,” she said with a smile.
“Great, do you want to go together Cel?” Brian asked.
“You can pick us both up,” said Natalie. “I’ll be at Celeste’s making sure her costume is appropriate for the birthday extravaganza I have planned.”
“So what do you think?” Celeste asked Natalie as she did a little twirl in her costume.
“I love it! That black mini dress is super sexy with that chiffon cape, and is that a bat on your belt? Amazing! Let’s see the fangs!”
“I don’t want to put them in yet. I sound funny when I talk,” said Celeste, holding out the pointy white fangs in demonstration.
“This is going to be the best party ever! I am so excited.”
“I am too, Nat. I don’t think I ever thanked you for planning this amazing birthday party or for being such a good friend. I know I was the one that pushed you away when we were younger, and I really appreciate you giving me a second chance.”
“Don’t be silly Celeste, I love you! You are one of my best friends and always will be,” she said, putting an arm around her friend.
Celeste felt tears welling in her eyes, but Natalie interjected, “No, no, none of that tonight. We are going to our last bonfire as seniors, exams are over and we are done with high school!”
When they reached Parker Hill, there was hardly a place to park Brian’s Mustang. It seemed like all of St. Alice High School along with some of the recent grads now attending the community college had shown up. The clearing was teeming with students drinking, laughing and enjoying their first night of freedom after exams. Natalie bounded ahead toward a group of girls, leaving Brian and Celeste struggling to keep up.
“I’m going to grab a beer. Do you want one too?” asked Brian over the blaring music coming from a nearby parked car.
“I thought you were our designated driver,” she said with hands on her hips.
“I said I’d bring you girls here, but I never promised a ride back,” he said.
Now Celeste really frowned.
“Relax, I’m kidding, Cel. The Oak Bluffs taxi company is giving free rides for graduating seniors all night so I’m planning on leaving the ’Stang here for the night.”
“Then yes, I will have a beer!” she said with a grin.
Brian had gone off in search of Natalie, and Celeste sat sipping her beer gazing at the flickering flames of the fire. As she stared, the flames appeared to change and transform, taking on ominous figures – first a skeleton, then a monster, next a demon. It seemed like they were dancing in the firelight. She gasped and quickly turned away, but when she looked back they were gone. As Celeste rubbed her eyes in disbelief, she felt a cold hand on her shoulder and almost jumped out of her skin.
“It’s okay Celeste, it’s just me, Roman. Are you alright?”
She leapt into his arms without thinking. “Oh Roman, yeah, I’m okay.” Feeling suddenly awkward she quickly released him and took a step back. “What are you doing here?”
“Nico forced me to come along so that I would get out of the house and have fun, and serve as his designated driver, no doubt.” The look on his face made her think he didn’t mind it as much as he was pretending to. She laughed and slid over on the bench to make room for him.
“What were you thinking about when I walked over? You seemed to be deep in thought when I startled you,” he said.
“If I tell you, do you promise not to think I’m crazy?”
Roman nodded.
“I’ve been having these dreams, and they are filled with horrible creatures coming for me. And my father is in the dreams with me sometimes, training 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 up by the glowing fire.
“With everything that you’ve learned in the past few days, do you really find it that hard to believe that they could be?”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Why are you asking?”
“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,” said Natalie as she 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.
“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 stumbled trying to keep her balance.
Celeste laughed and asked, “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 all 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. It was a brisk night for May and Celeste wrapped her jeans 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 did not.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Nothing. Come on, this way,” he said with a worried look in his eye.
As they walked deeper into the woods, all of 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 looking for Natalie. With as much as he had been drinking, he knew 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 and noticed missed calls and texts from both Natalie and Celeste. He started to type out a reply when a tall man came out of 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 towards him. Before Brian could utter a word, the man grabbed his head and forced him to look into his fearsome black eyes. Brian felt like the whole world was spinning for a moment, and then he felt nothing.
“Are you Celeste Wilder’s best friend Brian?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s here somewhere, but I don’t know where,” he replied with a vacant stare.