He frowned a bit at me, before seeing the looks from various men around us; he put his arm around me and leaned his head down towards mine. “How about, I play the part of acting like I’m your boyfriend and keep you away from the men here tonight; you can stay with Sarah and the others.” He said whispering low enough only I could hear.
I looked at him, then his arm blinking a few times as the thought of what he’d said to me sunk in, and nodded my head slowly.
“I won’t do anything except for keep the one’s like Roland away from you, because he didn’t leave.” He added and I nodded again instead of actually answering him “Call me Phoenix though, and we’ll be copasetic.”
He walked with his arm slung around my neck, leading me back to the front row with the others, who quickly flocked over to us examining me and talking worriedly to me. I hadn’t really heard a word of it though, who’d really listen after something like this?
Even Phoenix could tell their worries weren’t really registering in my mind, and sighed deeply speaking to them in low voices asking for them to back off. “Listen, how about we just let her have some room? Let her talk to Sarah and Anthony for now alright?”
“Geez, fine Al we were just worried.” That was JoAnn.
“I know, but don’t you think she could use the room right now?”
“Fine. Fine.”
He pushed past them letting his arm go around my waist and lead me in front of his body towards Sarah and Anthony who were standing off to the side alone talking to one another.
“Sorry to intrude.” Phoenix said letting me walk over to Sarah and wrap my arms tightly around her body, Sarah went tense for a moment before wrapping her own arms around my body hugging me tightly for a moment.
“What happened?”
“Roland…” I whispered before I heard Phoenix sigh.
“The stupid son of a bitch was going to beat her to death if he didn’t get his way with her, he was already hitting her when I got there and he hit her pretty good across the face, bruised her arm pretty well too. I made him run off for now…” He locked his jaw as he spoke, his eyes darkening a little.
“Thank you, Alex…” Sarah said looking from him to me “Honestly, thank you.”
He nodded then looked over to Anthony “We need to talk now.”
“Yes, I know we do.” Anthony said gesturing to a farther off area where they both began to walk off to, standing there and beginning to converse silently to one another, jaws locked, muscles tensed it was still easy to see.
“Angie…” Sarah started holding me at arm’s length as she scanned me “You alright?”
I nodded slowly before letting a small sigh escape from my lips “I’m just a bit shocked, I don’t know… There was something completely wrong with his eyes like they were dead.”
“Listen…Phoenix is kind of...” Sarah searched for words “He has a façade on at the moment so don’t fall for it…”
“What?”
“He’s acting nice and kind all that, so that you don’t hate him or not trust him… He’s an asshole normally to be truthful.” She laughed softly, “There’s a lot we have to explain to you later tonight, you’re going to come home with me.”
I nodded slowly listening to her then looked back over towards the boys, Phoenix’s face was twisted into pure, raw anger and he looked completely different than he had only minutes before. He looked almost evil, sinister…Killer.
“Though, I’m not sure all of it is really an act, even he can’t keep himself like that this long.” Sarah said rubbing my arm gently.
“Can you, tell me what’s going on?”
“I-… What would you do if I said I died about, four years ago?” Sarah asked calmly.
“Wh-what? You couldn’t be standing here if you died, that’s…That’s...”
“Impossible?” Sarah asked arching an eyebrow.
I nodded to her staring as if she was insane.
“Trust me…It seemed impossible till it happened, remember my car wreck?”
I thought for a long moment, letting my eyes go anywhere but to her before I nodded slightly remembering the occurrence. “The one when you were coming back from Las Vegas. Yeah, you were with Anthony and she got you to a hospital, you were in critical condition and no one thought you’d make it but you were fine after a while.”
“I died, about two days after I was admitted there, my heart had suffered too much damage and I was losing too much blood - basically my body had given up…” She spoke softly looking down at the ground “I’m not even human anymore.”
“What?” I asked laughing a little bit, almost hysterically.
Sarah looked pitiful with how she was staring at me “Please, don’t hate me or think badly of me or anything, I expect fear…” She took in a long deep breath “I’m a vampire.”
I giggled some more nodding my head sarcastically “Nice one Sarah had me going.”
“No, I’m being serious.” Sarah said looking at me as if pleading, I only looked back at her with a dumbfounded look, Sarah opened her mouth widely for me to have a good look while she did so, pulling on her incisors for good measure. The ones next to them after wards to show they were in fact real, then slowly, the teeth began to slide down into sharp fangs.
I stared, unable to do much more than that; I felt like I had just been dragged into another realm all together, I mean who’s teeth even did that? Vampires weren’t supposed to be real, at all just an old myth that people told kids to keep them safe.
“The ones in the back are for show really, we only use the canines; they’re sharper and easy to use.” She said to me, her eyes shifting into a deep red color, I was shocked, and confused all at once and really a bit frightened.
“What…What the hell?” I said.
“Angie…”
“No, I won’t hate you! But, be afraid of you, any of this Sarah…” I said taking in a deep shaken breath “But…why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because, we’re not supposed to expose ourselves.” She said frowning “There’s a lot you need to learn yet…”
“Them…The boys, are they...” I said thinking of how to word it “like you?”
“Anthony changed me…” She said softly. “Alexander. Yes he is too, he’s like Anthony’s little brother, But like I said, he’s an ass.”
I put a hand on Sarah’s face, staring directly at her even in the form she was “You’re my best friend; we’ve known each other since we were seven years old.” I smiled softly as I continued to speak “No matter what, Sar I love you to death, it won’t change.”
Sarah nodded before pulling me into a tight hug, laughing a little bit “They’re coming, ah hell…” She muttered and let go of me looking over in the direction of the boys, she hadn’t even bothered changing back at all.
“Great, Sarah you showed her didn’t you?” Phoenix asked her “Are you a mental case now? Do I have to put you to sleep?” He asked glaring at me; I raised one of my eyebrows looking at him “Not even talking! You traumatized her, Sarah!”
“Overreaction award winner is, Phoenix!” I said shaking my head slowly, his eyes narrowed into slits and he stared straight at me. “I’m fine.” I frowned as I spoke, watching him.
“Last time you said that you were “fine” you were beat up.” He huffed.
“Oh, boo hoo you’re not my boyfriend or my father, don’t worry about me.” I snapped at him. “A bruise is a bruise it will heal and my cheek is fine so shut up.”
“The nerve of humans - no of women!” he muttered throwing his arms up a bit “I’d destroy all of you if I could.” He said walking off past me.
“I think that went well…” Sarah said happily shrugging a bit.
Anthony smiled at her trying to hold back a laugh, it was easy to tell by how he was smiling and looking away “It’s good to know you didn’t overreact, I know many humans would have rather try to run and get themselves killed than know we exist at all.” He said patting my shoulder lightly.
“I only told her what we were, nothing more I swear.” Sarah said to him quickly
Anthony nodded his head “Then, we will have much to tell you.” He spoke softly then let his lips press together into a thin line. “Something is wrong.”
Almost the same moment he said that, my stomach had rolled and my head began to pound, the necklace that sat on my chest felt like it weighed a ton and was burning into my flesh. It was my warning that something was horribly wrong here.
I stopped breathing for a moment, then gagged and caught my breath again hearing a noise close by. How I had picked up on it, I wasn’t even sure it was loud as hell and the noise was very quiet but I heard it still. “That noise…” I mumbled.
“What?” Anthony asked staring straight at me, in shock and disbelief “How could you even hear that - What did you hear?”
“On the stage... Behind the band, I don’t know it sounded like a scream… then a clawing noise like something was dragging across the floor right after there was a loud ripping noise.” I started “Rebecca, she’s back there.” I took off towards the stage like that without a thought.
“Avangeline!” Sarah shouted back at me, I heard the clatter of feet on the ground chasing after me right after but I didn’t stop, I had to see what was going on. Once I got there I just stared, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and I just couldn’t.
About the Author
Leah Diane Hutchinson is a Paranormal Author; though this is her first book she is hard at work on her first two novels - Shadows in the Dark and Book of Curses.
She's been writing since she was in grade school, always getting in trouble for not paying attention enough.
She's attending college for English Lit. and she wants to mainly become a tattoo artist as well as an author.
You can reach her at: http://Facebook.com/Leahdianehutchinson
The Darker Side: Short Stories Page 11