Replacement

by Wojciech Cram

  Just as she hoped, Mari felt the searing pain that ran through him as he listened. It didn't matter if she felt the same pain, because the pleasure of hurting him made up for it.

  Nobody insulted her mother, nobody. "It's a comical tragedy, your life. Killing this person, that person, putting on that show of belligerency to cover up the wretched boy hiding

  behind it. A child would laugh at your attempts of toughness," she sneered mercilessly.

  Mari couldn't bear the thought of leaving him untouched, he had to be punished.

  But Valdis could take only so much from his nemesis. "At my attempts? Look at you. But you can't, you can't see yourself. That shell, that ugly shell, has caked over you so much

  it's impossible to get back the real you." Tendrils from his mind wrapped around her, drawing her closer to the pain.

  "When I look at you all that's there is this wretched mask that covers up that stupid vermin underneath. That's all you are because that's all what you ever wish you were. Because

  you sink to their level, you become their equals. Well, you're not their equal. You never will be again. You're my equal!" The already unstable atmosphere quaked, threatening to

  drown them both. Valdis' words were a burning knife in her heart, making her stumble back from him.

  The earlier intent of torturing him was immediately forgotten. Mari wrenched her sweaty palms out of his hands. But he didn't want to stop. A rough hand darted out as quick as a

  snake and clamped around her neck. Once again Mari was plunged and washed away to Valdis.

  "You're equal to me, to the other Night World people. But it was a mistake changing you because you're too weak. The only thing that's keeping you from killing yourself is me and

  your mother." Mari tried to pull away and remember she'd only fed the other night and that wasn't enough to fight him. His stabbing words were pounding into her head. "The

  disgusting prostitute you call your mother has more worth than you could achieve in your life time. Think about it, Mari, do you mean anything to any one? Hunter amuses you for

  his sake, the Daybreakers are sick of your games, you were a mistake to your mother, and your father didn't even know about your existence.

  "What else? The adoptive family was ashamed of you and your looks. And I, your soul mate, don't give a shit about you! And you call me pathetic? You, of all people, say I am a

  damnation. People care about me, Mari. Can you honestly say the same thing?" He pushed her away with such a savage force that she almost fell in the water.

  To her surprise, she didn't even feel like crying. It would be a waste to cry tears over him. "I used to think that the reason you act the way you do was because you thought it was

  honorable in a vampire's eyes. That it was your duty to keep the humans in line, because you thought you were doing the right thing. But that's all just bull shit, isn't it? There is no

  reason for your behavior, there is no reason for the way you life your life."

  For fun, he told her mentally, the virulent force of his thoughts hurting her mind again. "There is no good reason," she corrected herself.

  "Leave. I mean it, before I hurt you."

  "It's too late for that!" Mari cried, the hurt and anger evident in her voice. She controlled herself, she didn't want to show him that she took his insults to heart. "You don't exactly

  have a gentle touch," she said, her voice impersonal and cool as she rubbed her neck for show.

  "Gentle with gentle people. Like Pearl."

  "I do hope you manage to get an appointment so that you will have children of your own. Women like your wife are busy, you'll see." She turned to him looking straight into his

  eyes, unable to stop her mouth. "What kind of freak are you, not even good enough to give good sex to a nymphomaniac, who should be satisfied with a toothbrush?"

  He backhanded her the split second she paused. Her head whipped to the side, tears coming but she made them leave just as soon. How dare he do that? True they had meant to

  hurt each other, but she never thought physically.

  "I know how to handle her, just as I handled you now. I can't believe they screwed this up. How could anybody think we would be soulmates? I want obedience and compliance in

  the women around me, all women. Those who don't learn, are punished," he said coldly, and rather satisfied with himself.

  "I hope," she said, her voice dangerously hollow, "you don't have plans to have any kids." She kneed him the groin, and grimaced, knowing she hit her target. It wasn't enough. As

  he stumbled away, she gave a little, but powerful, snap kick to his groin again, to make his expression show more pain than hers did. While he was still down, she turned away.

  "Leave now." He was sprawled face down on the dock.

  "What does it look like I'm doing?" Mari seemed to be reduced to snappish tones and nothing else. Valdis waited on the dock until the yacht was miles away from him. With her

  flawless eyes, she met his gaze when he sat up steadily until he turned his back to her and stood, after some difficulty, and walked away.

  "Good bye," she heard him mutter under his breath.

  "Good bye," she whispered back.

  December 2, 1999

  Mari's apartment

  "You what?" Hunter sounded only mildly surprised.

  "It was an accident. I have no idea where that other yacht came from," she said. She had been sitting on her couch and staring at the painting he sent her for hours until she finally

  decided to tell him. She wasn't afraid. It would take a lot more than Hunter to make her afraid.

  "Who was on the other yacht?"

  "Don't worry about it. Just a vampire couple." Who were talking about what a cute couple Valdis and Pearl made. "And once they found out who I am, they even made it sound like

  it was their fault."

  "How did they hit you?"

  "Weren't you listening? I hit them. They were anchored and I accidentally," casu consulto "hit them. It's no big deal."

  "Let me get this straight. In the vast ocean that happens to be void of any confining roads, you collide with a yacht, which I presume is in equal in size of my own. It was staying

  still. Still. It was not moving."

  "I think we covered that definition."

  "You were unable to sail around it because…?"

  "I didn't see it. You're not going to take away the car are you?"

  "No, I have hundreds on end. Good bye."

  Mari sat back on her white leather couch and stared at the painting. It had two lovers trying desperately to stay together. They're hands were straining toward each other, but one

  the girl's side sunlight and clouds were dragging her away and on the man's side the moon and stars were pulling him away. They would forever being reaching out toward each

  other, but never meet.

  "What the hell were you thinking when you sent this to me?" she yelled to a Hunter who couldn't hear him and threw the cell phone at it. Then she calmed down and watched

  silently as the cracks began to spread like a web over the doomed lovers faces.

  December 4, 1999

  Briar Creek, Oregon

  "I'm coming!" Mary Lynette ducked under her bed and groped blindly for her gloves. It was already ten thirty and Rowan told her to be at their house at ten.

  "I'm leaving," her brother threatened.

  "I'm coming!" she yelled again. "Aha!" She scrambled from under her bed and pulled on one yellow glove and one green. She frowned at the sight of her mismatched hand and the

  looked at her mirror. Some strands of her brown hair floated, the static caused by the friction from the under side of her bed and her blue eyes were unnaturally happy. "Mark!

  Mark, wait."

  He was sitting calmly on the couch when she came down. "What took so long?"

  "Just had to find my gloves. Come on let's go," she hurried, dragging him to the door. "Claud, we're going to the
sisters for a while! Bye."

  "Bye! Be back by um…twelve thirty! I wouldn't want you to get stuck at the Redfern's if the storm popped up tonight.

  "Kay," Mark called.

  "You do realize that you have two different gloves on, right?" Mark asked as they walked in a fast pace to the Redfern's home.

  "Yeah." After that they didn't talk. It was too windy and cold. Old Mr. Hank at the air conditioner and space heater store said that there was going to be a storm brewing soon. Maybe this was it. In a silent understanding, they slowed their pace as soon as the house was in view.

  "Did he say why he was coming?" he asked after a while, words faded by the wind.

  "He said he needed to be with me. I suppose that's part of the truth any way."

  Mark nodded. Mary Lynette sighed, thinking about her brother. Mark wasn't sure what to think of Ash. He liked that Ash made her happy when he visited, and then he hated him

  when he left her. And he didn't trust him, Mary Lynette wasn't the only one who could see that.

  "What was that sigh for?"

  She shrugged. "Just thinking about stuff." Mary Lynette forgot about that problem. She used to tell Mark whatever was on her mind, but she just couldn't describe some things to

  him now. It would be just too weird to talk to him about Ash. Mark knew that too, but it still bothered them both when she evaded questions like that.

  Jade greeted them at the door. "Hey guys, watch out for that hole." Mary Lynette had no idea why she said that; after all, who could miss it? They always put the task of fixing it

  off, so instead they put a nice welcome rug over it that said How long are you going to stand there?

  She ushered them into the living room, where Rowan's friend was talking. One Patrick White, a sophomore in Mary Lynette's college who, in her opinion, thought far too highly of

  himself. Patrick went to the same high school she did, but she only remembered him as the snobby upperclassman who wouldn't have noticed her if she bit him. Unfortunately, he

  noticed her in college and, like her, went home early for the Christmas vacation. The boy was convinced it would only be a matter of time before Mary Lynette gave in to his

  "charms."

  But he was also dependable, honest (sometimes too honest), and Rowan trusted him completely. In short, Mary had to put up with him. She was surprised when Rowan once said

  that she found his advances toward Mary Lynette amusing.

  "Hello Mary Lynette," he drawled, purposely making his voice husky. She rolled her eyes and gave a wave. She crossed the room and sat on the couch, making them a room apart.

  Patrick decided to sit next to her.

  "Ash is coming soon," she said haughtily. And she hoped that she was telling the truth. Rowan told her that he might be running late, possibly even coming the next day.

  "And how long is he staying?" Oh Patrick I hope Ash beats the crap out of you, she couldn't help thinking. He was looking at her, probably didn't notice she was wearing her favorite

  blue sweater and jeans; his eyes looked as if they had x ray vision. Patrick would stop ogling her once he met her soul mate.

  "That's undecided. I can't wait till you meet him, Patrick. You'll get a kick out of him." Literally.

  "Well, we do share the same interest." He scooted over, and she scooted over, until she met the arm rest and had no where to go. Mary Lynette saw Rowan smiling as she left the

  room.

  "Mutilating morons who hit on his girl friend? Because he does that, you know." Mary wished that Ash was there to prove her point.

  "I don't have a girl friend…yet." Mary Lynette looked around the room to see if any one cared to stop him. There was Jade and Mark on the ottoman, Rowan checking Patrick's work

  on the floor, Kestrel reading some ancient looking book and…

  It was at that time when they heard a short zzzz and the lights went out. The sisters had no trouble seeing and she could hear Kestrel move to the kitchen. Mary Lynette tried to

  follow her and ended up banging her knee against the coffee table.

  Kestrel yelled, "There's no candles in the cup boards."

  "You haven't bought any, you don't need them," Mary Lynette muttered. In the darkness she could only hear people moving around her and guessed that some people moved

  upstairs to find some candles. She hoped that Patrick was one of them and fell down the stairs, breaking both arms so that he wouldn't try to touch her.

  She felt a warm arm hook around her waist. Then again Patrick may have stayed down stairs. "Patrick, if that is your disgusting hand touching me, I am going to chop it off and

  serve it to you a la flambe. Understand?"

  Much faster than Patrick could ever be, the person behind her spun her around and kissed her. All too soon, the lips pulled away. "Um…I thought that…because he was…never mind."

  She pulled Ash back to her lips. Again, he pulled away sooner than she wanted him too.

  "Who's Patrick?"

  "Guy. Guy who was here. He's a guy." Before she could kiss him again, Ash brought her to the ottoman and pulled her into his lap.

  "Oh he's a guy? Couldn't figure that one out. Guess how long I'm staying."

  Mary Lynette couldn't see his face, but she could tell he was smiling. "Forever?"

  "If I can. I know seeing me every summer and winter isn't enough, but apparently being in Circle Daybreak means I have to go on missions. Who would have thought?"

  "Did you set this up? Lights going out, making every body leave the room…"

  "Nope. But it was all very convenient. I forgot to get gas before I got here and with the snow storm coming, I went as fast as I could to get here. And of course with my luck, it ran

  out and I had to run here." He stopped talking and then they just sat and thought together, Mary Lynette couldn't tell how long. It felt like there was no time in their minds, as if just

  holding each other could carry through the years. Nobody came down to check on them, she supposed they were still looking for those silly candles.

  After an eternity, Mary Lynette felt him look at some one. "Hey Jade, go down to the basement and replace a fuse in the fuse box."

  "You just got here and you're already bossing people around," his sister said, but Mary Lynette guessed she left when it stayed silent. Two seconds later, Mary Lynette heard the

  same zzzz noise they heard earlier and saw Ash's grinning face.

  The sisters were the first to return to the living room, and then Mark and Patrick came walking down the stairs. "That's Patrick," she whispered very close to Ash's ear. "Maim him

  for me." Ash laughed aloud, making Patrick finally notice him.

  "Hi," Ash greeted him in a friendly voice. Since Ash didn't couldn't get up with Mary Lynnette in his lap, Patrick had to walk over and shake Ash's offered hand. "I take it your

  Patrick?"

  "Yeah, Patrick White. I guess your Mary Lynette's Ash." She was glad to see that Patrick lost all his arrogance in Ash's presence. Clearly he wasn't entirely too happy of her position

  in Ash's lap. Neither was Mark.

  "You know Mare, there's enough room for you to sit beside him. No need to burden Ash…"

  "She's as light as a feather," Ash cut off cheerfully and then kissed Mary Lynette's nose lightly.

  Then he turned to Patrick, who had an obviously jealous expression on his boyish face. "Don't you have some where to go?" At first Mary Lynette thought he was being rude, but

  Patrick simply nodded and walked out the door without so much as a good bye.

  "Mind control," Mark muttered disgustedly. Only he and Rowan seemed to be bothered by Ash's action.

  "Hey," Mary Lynette said brightly. "Make him streak around town!"

  "Do that in the summer when he won't freeze to death," Kestrel suggested coolly. The sisters found themselves a seat on the couch. Mark had the floor.

  "What's going on?" Jade asked. The sisters always asked Ash about the Fin
al Battle and what actions were being taken.

  "The Final Battle is going to be on the Damned Clan Island. Man to man combat for those who know how to fight. We have all of the witches on our side and about less than half of

  the shape shifters. The other half, some would say the smarter half, is going to fight with Redfern and about a hundred other dragons," he informed them. By his tone, Mary Lynette

  guessed dragons were bad things.

  "What happened to the fourth wild power?" Mark asked. He wasn't as nearly as up to date as his sister.

  "Went back to Hunter. Where have you been?" Ash exclaimed exaggeratedly.

  Mark took it to heart. "Mary Lynette doesn't exactly tell me everything you guys talk about," he snapped defensively. Ash raised his eye brows, but kept his mouth shut.

  "You say any one who fights can go to this island?" It was clear what Kestrel had in mind.

  "You can't go," Jade protested. "You might get killed!"

  "Of course, Jade, it is a battle after all. Who are you to tell me what I cannot do?" Despite her spiteful voice, Kestrel her sister's concern touched her. Then Ash spoke.

  "Of course you won't go. I won't let you." Kestrel sighed. She hated it when Ash got that macho man, head of the house hold voice.

  "It is Kestrel's choice," Rowan spoke up softly.

  "Well, it's a stupid choice," Mary Lynette snapped. She wasn't exactly too fond of Kestrel, but she didn't want her to die.

  "That's all a matter of opinion," Kestrel corrected. "We'll talk about this tomorrow. I have a week or two before I leave."

  "The hell you do!" It had become a custom that Ash and Kestrel fought whenever he came to visit. But this time it seemed to be worse than last summer, when they actually fought

  each other to the ground. Ash was yelling so loud Mary Lynette slid off of his lap so that he wouldn't be so close to her ear.

  He didn't notice, just stood up to loom over Kestrel.

  "You're not going to tell me what to do…"

  "I'll call Thierry, he'll tell you not to go…"

  "Well, if you won't go…"

  "Father will kill me if he finds out that I let you…"

  Mary Lynette looked back and forth from Kestrel and Ash. She felt like she was intruding on family business. And from Mark's nervous gestures, she could tell her brother felt the