by Lillian Grey
“No its just every time someone asks me that they never understand what I mean.”
“Well try me.”
“It’s clear,”
“So like glass, I can see that in your work.” I was blown away by that simple answer, no one had ever understood till I explained. “How long have you wanted to be an Architect?”
“Umm…” I was still thinking about his answer. “Since I was a little girl,” I recovered.
“I didn't figure it out till I was almost done with highschool. I really liked art,” He reaches into his bag and pulls out a large sketch book and hands it too me.
I begin to flip through the pages and its just page after page of the most realistic sketch art I have ever seen, A little girl on her fathers knee in time square watching a street performer, A boy at bat in a baseball game, It was so real it almost felt like black and white photographs.
“This is amazing,” I said a little breathless, then I turned the page and saw myself, I was working on a drawing at a drafting table. I looked up at him, “when did you draw this?”
“It was right after our first presentations that you caught my eye, So I watched you work for a little while... Wow I hope that didn’t sound as creepy as I thought it did.”
“No,” I was still looking at the sketch, Even my plans were perfect in it. “You have a gift,”
“I like to think I am just good at drawing, I was really close to trying to get into a more automotive design but then I just sort had a day where everywhere I went I saw a house or high rise and thought I could do better, I will do better. Do you think thats conceded?”
“Not at all, I have just kind of lived and breathed this from a young age, its all ive ever wanted to do. My parents have tried to steer me towards other fields but I always drift back to this.”
“I like that.” He smiled taking a sip of his drink. “So whats your favorite food,” The rest of the day was just us throwing questions at one another until he got bold and asked. “So… Is there anyone special in your life?” I froze.
“What do you mean?”
“A boyfriend/girlfriend kind of special.”
“I wouldn’t say that?”
“But thats not a no...”
“What about you?” I asked flipping this on him.
“I honestly I’m a virgin, I’ve kissed a few girls but I was a coward in high school.”
“What about now?” I leaned in and placed a hand on his, his eyes went to it for a moment then back to mine,
"Again it was kind of like with architecture, All of my friends were girls and they were in and out of terrible relationships and I was kind of their go to guy. I like to think I designed the most comfortable friend zone possible but one day I just thought I could do better than the guys they are dating so I started to speak up. It's gotten me noticed but no one has really interested me. However that was only two months ago.”
“How can that be,”
“Well that's not completely true considering im here with you.” He said turning his hand in mine and moving it to his lips for a soft kiss.
After that the project had us meeting for hours after our other classes ended. Sam even made a joke about us: if she wanted to find me, she just had to look for us by the lone light that lit a single window on the fourth floor of the studio building. Even after the project ended, which we passed with flying colors, I was still spending most of my time with him. Sam often remarked that she began to feel a bit lonely, despite her amazing ability to find or start a party wherever she was. Study dates, lunch dates, dinner dates, movie dates, and any kind of date you could think of we would go on. Then one night, he kissed me. Walking back to my dorm in the hall, he stopped me and turned me around to look me in the eyes. His lips were warm and soft like mine and made my heart race. I looked at him, blinked, and took a step back, my heart still racing. "Good night," I said in a low and shaky voice, and it was like when I kissed Seith. I had such a hard time getting my key in the lock that he had to steady my hand. I glimpsed his face as the door closed, a mix of confusion and sadness. I hadn’t said anything about the kiss. Sam was out and I was glad because for some reason, after the door had shut and Phil was walking away, I began to cry.
In the studio the next day, Phil came straight to me and slipped his arms around my waist and kissed me on the cheek.
"That was nice, but I still like the first time more," I said. Can you tell I was confused?
"Really?" he asked surprised.
“If you were expecting me to react in anger, why did you do it?”
“I guess I just couldn’t stop myself.”
"Well, I haven’t slapped you so it was a good thing.”
"I like the model by the way; nice use of aluminum foil on the railing," he pointed out, trying to change the subject. There was something on his mind and he didn’t seem like he was sure if he should say it or not.
"Thank you."
"I have a question for you," he said, spinning my chair so I could look him in the face. "What are we?" The look on his face was so intent on my expression for any signs of hesitation.
"What do you mean?"
"If I were to call you my girlfriend, how would you react?" he asked, still intent on my reaction, so I leaned in to kiss him and when I broke it off, he stood there for a moment, blinked, opened his mouth, and then blinked again. "I was hoping for something along those lines," he said, a grin breaking across his face and he lit up.
"Now, hand me that glue over there," I said, spinning back around.
I had been cornered and I reacted without really thinking. We spent the studio class finishing project models and talking as I was still getting to know him. Although, I don’t remember anything that we talked about during that class because my mind was on other things. I should feel horrible to get trapped like that, but I didn’t; I wanted to feel horrible, but I felt at ease. That was until I was alone and broke down again. I told myself that I got my wish and started to slowly cry as I walked back to my dorm. I laid on my bed for a while until I reached for my little crystal phone and called Alik.
Alyon Alik
Chapter 24.0
June stood across from me, no more than ten feet away. She was crouched low to the ground, her sword tucked behind her in her right hand. I stood unarmed, my knees loose and ready to move in any direction. Then, she was gone. I closed my eyes and heard June to my right. With a step, I dodged her sheath, which she slammed down into the ground so deep that it stood there on its own. In another move, she drew the blade in a upward stroke and I took another step back, dodging it. As one continuous motion, her upward stroke turned into a twist and on the way back around, her foot kicked her sheath and it flew at me like a bullet. In a twist, I caught it in a awkward flip and as she charged me, I held out the sheath and caught her blade, pulling her in close. Three quick jabs to her wrist, arm, and shoulder and she dropped the blade. Grabbing her, I lifted her body and slammed her to the ground, pinning her still.
“Damn it,” groaned June as she hopped up and dusted herself off.
“One day, you will get me, your creativity is getting better,” I told her when my phone rang. I listened to Vanessa’s tears and I knew June could hear it all. “I will be there soon,” I said and ended the call. I smiled at June. “Another day, little sister.”
“Why... Alik?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you put up with her, she doesn’t know what she has in you. So she goes and kisses some other? Now you have to run to her?”
“She is confused.”
“She is stupid!”
“And I am a monster. Should the maiden be happy she loves the beast when her sweet prince is next to her at every step of the way?”
“It doesn’t bother you that she is using you?”
“She isn’t using me.”
“She is, keeping you so close but never intending to go that extra mile and love you, as you love her.”
“You, as well as I know that
we cannot choose who we love, or how we love, or even know why we love. I love Vanessa and have loved her since I first saw her at Masteria. But you have to remember,” I caught June off guard, crossing the distance between us and pulling her sword from her sheath. I held it loose in my hand and placed it to her throat. She disarmed me, twisting my wrist so hard that it popped. She kicked my legs from me, holding me to the ground, her sword reclaimed in her hand at my neck. “We are predators. The love I hold for you has been tried and proven, yet still if I were to raise a blade to you, you have to force all your natural instincts to obey and not kill me.” She let me up. “With Vanessa being human, every fiber of her being is telling her my love is a trap to draw her in and kill her, the only difference is now she knows what I am. So she will do all she can to stay away whether she wants to or not. I’m tearing her up inside. But I cannot stop myself; she is not the villain here, I am. So do not think too harshly of her.”
“Alik…”
“Don’t worry about your big brother, June. What’s sixty to seventy years to my millenia.”
“I understand…” she said and I turned to leave. “Can I meet her then, formally that is? Last time I was standing over her with a sword, telling you to kill her.”
“Of course, in a less troubling time.” She smiled, and I left her as I headed to my car.
I put on the brave face for June, not showing that Vanessa’s call bothered me, but my first thought was that I would kill whoever touched her. Taking the slower drive to get there gave me the time I needed to relax and remember who I wanted to be.
Vanessa Stanton
Chapter 25.0
I sat on my bed with my arms wrapped around my knees. I was trying to figure out how I would explain this. But I told myself this was stupid because Alik was no more than a friend. However, our relationship sort of transcended the word friendship. We had kissed, most of those kisses far from innocent; they were something wonderful, passionate, and more loving than anything I had ever felt. Then thinking about those kisses made me remember the feeling that moved down my spine and how my heart stopped for a single moment when Alik’s lips were on mine. There was so much more in those kisses between Alik and me than there ever would be between Phil and me. “Why was I being so stupid?” I yelled out loud into my pillow. Then the conversation we had right before I left popped up.
‘It’s not like that, but I can’t guarantee my feelings for you.’
‘Why?’
‘Is there no reason for my doubts?… ‘I don’t want to start this if it’s just…’
All of a sudden, I felt a pair of cool arms around me and I looked over to see those golden eyes that made me calm down and relax.
“Do you ever just knock?”
"You made it sound so urgent; I didn’t want to waste the time?" he said quietly.
"Well... I have a boyfriend." I didn’t mean for it to come out like that, but it did, and all he did was look at me puzzled, the silence drawn out and painful. "Say something," I urged.
"What do you want me to say?"
"I don’t know. If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked," I said angrily.
"Well, is he a nice guy?"
"Yes, he's very kind."
"Was that all?"
"What do you mean ‘was that all’?" It was annoying how he was taking this so lightly.
"Do you want me to go on a rampage and find the guy and kill him? I’m guessing this intrusion on your scent is his." I enjoyed the slight annoyance in his voice.
"You know my scent?"
"Of course, a light vanilla follows you wherever you go..."
"Oh." I found that sweet for some reason. "But no rampage please, and yes, I guess it is.”
"Do you want me to be angry?"
"No."
"Well, you’re not giving me a bunch of options here." He seemed a little frustrated.
"Life isn’t fair."
"Well, I’m dead."
"Ha ha." It was my turn to be sarcastically angry.
"Look, you can date other people. You’re human so you need to be with other humans. I’m vampire; how far our relationship has gone up to this point goes against everything. Don’t think that you have to tell me everything the moment it happens."
"So..."
"So, can I meet him then?"
"You really want to?"
"Of course I want to meet the guy who could get to you."
"I repeat ha ha. Like you haven’t gotten to me already."
"Well?"
"Stay with me tonight?”
“Of course.”
“I will call him tomorrow; we can all have ‘lunch’."
"Really?" he asked with a grin.
"No, we will have lunch; you can watch and talk with him only," I corrected as I hit him, but also smiling for the first time.
"You take the fun out of everything," he pouted dramatically, and then smiled.
I fell asleep in his arms, feeling better than I had in a long time. I had convinced myself that I was creating a life that existed outside of Alik, but that only felt like a dream now. I must be one of those people who live for the moment only and never considered what my actions will do to others; I’m a selfish person. The thing is, I didn’t even consider how I would react myself.
I woke up the next morning with a blanket between Alik and I. That small distance between us hurt more than anything had ever hurt before. His eyes weren’t as bright as they had been last night. Last night had a greater effect on him than he let on and the night with me only gave him time to realize it. I proved how selfish I was to myself by making him stay with me like this. He simply smiled at me as I went to take a shower. The time apart gave me a chance to clear my head. We still hadn’t spoken as I was getting dressed, nor had he said a word as we were leaving the room. I took out my phone as we slowly walked the campus, Alik admiring the surroundings silently. It was eleven by now and I decided to dial Phil’s number.
"Phil, it’s Nessa."
"What’s up?"
"My brother stopped by unexpectedly and he wants to meet you; is that okay?"
"Your brother? Oh yeah, of course. Campus dining hall in twenty minutes work for you?"
"We will be there."
“Oh, one thing.”
“Yeah?”
“Should I be scared?”
“You have no idea,” I said, and my tone wasn’t playful. I ended the call.
Alik was watching me now; the thoughtful look he had was now replaced with a grin. It was the first happy look on his face all morning.
“So, I’m your brother now, eh,” he said, raising one eyebrow comically.
“Well, what else do you expect to be? Should I have said some random guy I want you to meet is here?”
“Gay best friend?”
“Seriously?”
“No,” he laughed his grin made me smile as well, but I still wasn’t ready for what was about to happen.
“Describe him to me,” he said as we walked to the dining hall.
“umm, well he is tall, black hair green eyes, well built."
“His personality not his body,”
“He’s… Maybe overly confident, but when he is intent on something he sticks to it and gives it his all. Very well spoken, knowledgeable, and talented.” I looked at him.
“huh,” was all he said and it drove me crazy.
We got to the dining hall and before we went in, I stopped him. "Behave in there."
“Why do you always say that to me? Don’t I always?" he sighed.
“It’s just…”
“Just what, that I’m a monster? You’re thinking I might lapse in my human ways in there?”
“No, you’re not a monster,” I said defiantly, looking him in the eyes. “This just feels like I’m putting Phil in crosshairs.”
“You are, and I’m making no promises,” he grinned and kept walking, but it wasn’t a happy grin.
Inside, Phil was sitting at a table with a glass of water in his hand
. I walked up behind him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Alik just grinned. Phil turned around and saw Alik and stood up.
"Nice to meet you, I’m Phil," he said to Alik while holding out his hand, which was slightly shaking, and when Alik shook it, Phil winced.
"Likewise. I’m Alik. I’d like to say I’ve heard all about you, but Vanessa hasn’t told me anything."
"Really?" Phil asked as he looked at me.