by G. K. DeRosa
“Do you know Roman and Nico Constantin?”
“Yes.”
“Are they here too?” the stranger questioned.
“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,” said Brian.
The strange man continued to assault Brian with questions never dropping his dark gaze until he heard voices approaching. He quickly turned back to him saying, “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,” said Celeste.
“Oh sorry, I think I passed out. Too much beer and not enough sleep I guess,” he said shaking his head drowsily.
Roman offered him his hand and hauled him up onto 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.
When 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, looking at 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 looked 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 if you want, so you don’t have to be alone.”
Celeste felt her face flush 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 said, trying to hide the beaming smile on her face.
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 had to question 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 responded. “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, but knew there was no arguing with his brother on the matter. “Have you fed today, Roman?” he asked.
“No, but I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes,” he said resolutely.
Celeste had put on her cutest pajamas, and was brushing her teeth looking at her reflection in the mirror contemplating 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 fairly sure she was falling in love with one. She felt an intense excitement building 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 said as 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 suddenly felt uncomfortable being alone in her bedroom with him. Her heart was racing and her palms were getting sweaty.
“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 asked sounding a little hurt.
“Of course not. I’m really happy that you are here. But 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 in on the couch with the television tuned into a late night talk show, Celeste felt much more at ease. 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 towards him was uncanny, but as striking as he was to look at, she knew it was much more than just his good looks drawing her in. She had felt something similar when she had first met Nico, but it was nothing as powerful as this. Looking up she realized he was staring at her too.
“It’s almost midnight,” said Roman, dispelling the building tension.
“Yup! You know, when I was little I used to have to beg my parents to let me stay up until midnight on the night before my birthday,” she said. “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,” she said. Slowly, she 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 felt an agonizing pang in the pit of his stomach and his fangs began extending. Before Celeste could process what had happened, Roman had leapt off the sofa and had 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 said, turning towards the door. “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 said as she walked towards him.
He backed further away from her. “No, but I could have,” he said with such sorrow in his beautiful eyes.
“But you didn’t,” she insisted as she took a step closer.
“Please Celeste, don’t…”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know if I can control myself around you.”
Celeste just 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. She wasn’t scared of him.
“Do you remember when I was telling 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 whispering, “Happy birthday Celeste.”
***
Olivia Wilder stared at the glowing computer screen in her small offic
e 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 she clicked send.
***
With quite a bit of persuading, Celeste was finally able to convince Roman to sit with her on the couch again. All of a sudden, she was feeling very sleepy, and as hard as she tried to fight it, within minutes her head had 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.
Roman awoke abruptly with Celeste thrashing wildly in his arms. “Celeste, wake up, you’re having a nightmare,” he said, while gently trying 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 suddenly 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.
She could hear her voice echoing 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 had hoped she would find herself safe and sound in her bed, but to her disappointment she was still in front of the panel of scrutinizing faces.
“I don’t understand what you want from me,” she said. “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 was bordering on hysterics now, though she tried to remain calm, she knew 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 saying, “Perhaps we should call on Kristof.”
At the mention of her father’s name, Celeste looked up anxiously. And just like that, he appeared before her.
“Daddy,” she said, tears streaming down her face. He knelt down in front of her and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
Holding her hands tightly he said, “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 clutched onto his hands desperately.
“I wish that I could be here for you, to help you 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 that you can do this.”
Then he was gone.
Celeste choked down a sob and tried to process what her father had said. 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, continuing with, “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,” said Celeste. She looked up at the strangers before her, eyes desperate.
“Everything will be revealed to you in time. Let your instinct guide you. It will lead you on the right path.”
Well that’s not the least bit cryptic…
“Good luck, Celeste Wilder, and may good always triumph over evil.”
“But wait –”
Celeste opened her eyes warily, and saw Roman’s anxious face hovering over her. Startled, she looked around and saw that she was back in her cozy den on the couch with a blanket wrapped tightly around her.
“Are you all right?”
“I think so,” she said trying to sit up. Roman took her hand to help her up, and she felt the oddest sensation when his hand touched hers. It wasn’t the same exciting spark that she had felt before; instead it felt darkly ominous. She jerked her hand away from his touch. He looked at her, and she could see the flash of hurt in his expressive eyes and then it was gone.
“Was it another bad dream?” he asked, clearing his throat.
“I think it was much more than a bad dream,” Celeste retorted.
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
“I don’t know if I can,” she responded. A large part of her wanted nothing more than to tell Roman everything, but a little voice inside of her fought against it. Aren’t vampires one of the evil beings that I am supposed to protect the world against? But Roman isn’t evil. He is a good person…uh…vampire. Celeste felt so conflicted. It was as if she were being pulled apart by two opposing forces – her brain and her heart.
“If you want someone to talk to I’m here,” he said coolly. “But I should leave soon. It’s almost dawn, and I’m sure your mother will be home shortly.”
“Please don’t leave yet.”
Celeste caught his hand and pulled him down on the sofa, forcing him to sit close to her. As if conducting a science experiment, she ran her hand down his arm and felt that dark feeling in her core, but along with it she also felt the familiar exciting pull. It was slight, but it was still there. It was like the opposing forces of a magnet equally pulling her towards and pushing her away from him. Roman sat perfectly still, watching her tensely as she inched closer to him. Abruptly, Roman shot up, “Your mom! I hear her car pulling up in the driveway.”
Celeste was still caught up in the moment, slightly breathless and her senses on high alert.
“I can leave out the back door,” he said.
She could only nod and follow him towards the door. As he opened it to let himself out, he paused and turned back for a moment. She could tell he was wrestling with his feelings just as much as she was. With a quick turn he gave her a hurried kiss on the cheek and disappeared before she could say a word.
Celeste heard the click of a key sliding into the lock, but after all that had happened, she couldn’t bring herself to face her mom. She slipped quickly up the stairs and crawled into bed. Celeste hoped that she would be able to sleep, at least a few hours, before having to deal with the realities of her destiny and the new life that would undoubtedly come along with it.
Chapter 10
Celeste could hear the buzzing from her phone on her nightstand, but she couldn’t muster the strength to pick it up in time. Rubbing her eyes, she looked
at the clock and saw that it was already past noon. She really must have been exhausted. Her phone indicated that she had three missed calls from Natalie, a text from Brian, and another from Nico.
“Good, you’re finally awake birthday girl!” said her mom as she poked her head in the doorway.
“I am!” she said as cheerfully as possible. With everything that had happened last night, she had momentarily forgotten that today was her birthday.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…” Her mom entered her room singing and holding a tray full of Celeste’s favorite breakfast treats – French toast with powdered sugar, crispy bacon and fried eggs with fresh orange juice.
“I made you a special birthday breakfast, and it’s been waiting for you for hours. I hope it didn’t get too cold. Did you kids stay out late last night at the bonfire?”
“Yeah, I guess it was pretty late, and then I didn’t sleep very well last night,” she answered while nibbling on some bacon.
Celeste looked up to see her mother’s eyes fixed on her. Celeste found it oddly unnerving and almost said something, but shook it off attributing it to her frayed nerves.
“You finish up your breakfast, and then get ready. I have a special day planned for us. It’s not every day that you turn eighteen.”
That’s the understatement of the century.
As Celeste got dressed, she kept replaying the vision in her head. She remembered the guardians telling her that she would soon get her powers. She wondered what sorts of powers she would possess, and how would she train to become a hunter. She had never been the athletic type growing up, and now she was expected to battle supernatural creatures? She had seen how strong and fast Roman was when he had knocked out Patrick at prom. How could she be expected to compete with that?
“Are you almost ready sweetie?” shouted her mom.
“Coming!”
Celeste couldn’t help but laugh when she and her mother pulled into the Oak Bluff’s Children’s Zoo.