by Bell Stoires
Ari looked from Ragon to Clyde and then back over to Sandra. She was just about to argue and ask what the hell was going on, when Larissa joined her, and together the two girls pulled Ari into the kitchen, singing, “You put the lime in the coconut…”
Less than five minutes later and the rest of the group joined the girls inside. Ari already had three shots of bourbon when Ragon came and sat down beside her. Crystal was asleep on the couch and Ari kept glancing over to check on her, afraid that she might start crying, afraid that somehow the dog might know what had happened to its owners.
“So what brilliant plan did you come up with?” she asked, holding up her fourth shot and eyeing the dark liquid grimly. “Though it may not be necessary; apparently Sandra and Larissa think that they will be able to drown the power out of me.”
Ragon hesitated for a moment, but then Clyde moved over to them, took the undrunk shot from Ari and downed it, saying, “It wasn’t going to work. Falling out of an aeroplane without a parachute just has too many logistical problems.”
Ari gulped loudly, and quickly poured herself a replacement drink, all the while eyeing Clyde evilly.
“Don’t worry,” Ragon said, leaning close and whispering into Ari’s ear, “I won’t let Clyde throw you out of an aeroplane.”
“Yea,” Clyde muttered sarcastically, “he’s a real keeper. You can’t find shivery like that anymore.”
Another three or four shots later and Ari’s eyes had become a little lazy, allowing the room to slide in and out of focus. Sandra had turned the radio on, so that triple J’s finest selection played in the background. Moving out onto the veranda, Ari hoped that the still night air might refresh her. Instead her eyes raked the forest at the edge of Ragon’s property and she shivered.
“So you’re sure it’s not too much for me to hang out with you?” asked Ryder, a puppy dog look taking over in his face, as he moved outside to join Ari.
“It’s not too much, I just… I just don’t want you getting hurt.”
“We’re all grownup now Ari, and I know how to take care of myself,” he replied, “besides, how do you know that it isn’t Patrick who needs to be careful of me?”
Ari smiled weakly; she hadn’t been thinking of Patrick, she had been thinking of Clyde.
“Do I?” Patrick asked loudly from inside the house.
His voice was casual, even suggestive, as if he were hoping that there was something dangerous about his new human interest. She was just beginning to feel awkward when Ragon blurred outside and took her by the hand.
“I have been dying to dance with you since the Halloween party.”
Ari beamed at him, listening to the song that was playing- ‘Endless summer’ by the Jezabels. She had just taken Ragon’s hand and he had directed her back inside, when the music suddenly changed.
“Nice,” said Sandra, glaring at Clyde, who had just put on, ‘I like big butts,’ and was humming tunelessly to it; a wicked grin on his face.
That was enough, Ari thought. How could Clyde even fane sarcasm after everything he had done tonight? She was half way to Clyde, intent on punching him, when Ragon dragged her back to the dance floor.
“Just pretend,” whispered Ragon, humming lightly in her ear, as he began to dance with her.
Ari had to fight back a snide remark directed at Clyde, involving the uprooted tree in the back yard and the dead neighbours, but as soon as Ragon intertwined their fingers, all previous thoughts were lost to her. All of a sudden she felt like she was floating. When Ragon dipped her low, she opened her eyes and saw Patrick outside, his head rested in his hand so that he cupped his cheeks, watching intently, as though he had never seen anything more adorable. The pair continued to glide through the living room, forgetting that everyone was there. When Ragon’s hypothetical music ended, he swept Ari into his arm and kissed her slowly on the lips.
“Ohhh,” Patrick sighed, unable to look away.
Ari blushed, releasing Ragon’s hand as she moved over to her room, swaying a little as the alcohol took effect. She was desperate to use the bathroom. She was just checking her reflection in the mirror, when the sound of crashing glass made her race out the door.
“Whoops!”
Ari watched Ryder reach down behind the kitchen counter to pick up broken pieces of glass.
“I feel like I should yell out taxi,” said Clyde, looking down mournfully at the smashed vodka bottle. “What a waste.”
Ari moved automatically to the dustpan and broom she knew was kept under the sink, and began helping Ryder. They had almost finished picking up all the glass, when Ryder winced and held his finger up. Ari looked across and saw blood. Thinking of getting a band aid, Ari made to stand, until a long, low growl caused the hairs on the back of her neck to prick upright. She turned to see Clyde, staring down at Ryder, his eyes wide with hunger. In a second the atmosphere in the room changed, and it felt as if it were suddenly ten degrees cooler. From behind Clyde’s top lip, two sharp fangs were revealed, and without pausing he moved over to Ryder. Ryder looked up helplessly at the monster, too paralysed by fear to respond.
“No!” screamed Ari, throwing her hands up protectively into the air.
And, to her amazement, Clyde stopped. She blinked up at him, the confusion crinkling her eyebrows, and saw that it wasn’t just Clyde who had frozen: everyone had. She breathed hard, trying to wrap her head around the situation. Glancing around at the other frozen vampires, she was surprised to see that no-one else appeared to have tried to stop Clyde. Dismissing this confusing thought, she deliberated on what to do next. She tried to pull Ryder away, hoping to at least drag him across the living room, out of Clyde’s range.
It was hard work. Ryder’s dead weight felt as though it was suspended in gelatine, and Ari fought hard against the gravity which tried to keep him frozen in place. Panting from her efforts, she managed to drag him a few feet away from the group, into the living room, before sudden movements told her that time had re-started.
Ryder seemed surprised to find himself in the living room, but he leant over to Ari smiling and said, “I knew you’d save me.”
“What?” Ari asked, looking back at Clyde, whose fangless face was now broken into a smile.
There wasn’t a trace of malice in Clyde’s eyes, only surprise; a surprised look that seemed to be mirrored by all the other vampires in the room, though none more than Sameth. After a moment Ragon moved over to where Ari was sitting, and gently placed an arm on her shoulder.
“You did it,” he said simply, looking at her sideways.
“Does someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?” asked Ari, glaring at Clyde.
To her surprise it was Clyde who moved over to her and said, “I thought the best way to err... test you, would be to put you in a more make believe situation. I thought you’d be able to save a friend, more easily than yourself.”
For a few moments she stared disbelievingly up at him, but then slowly said, “But…”
“-it’s fake,” said Ryder, putting his finger into his mouth and licking off the bright red liquid.
“Only starved vamps attack mortals when they bleed,” said Sandra, turning to face Clyde and patting him on the stomach, “does he look starved to you?”
“Not nice,” said Clyde, reaching out for Sandra. “Besides, blood hunters attack anything walking, as do vamps on blood candy and fledglings. I thought you would have an easier time believing that I would attack Ryder than anyone else in the coven.”
He was right about that; she had been sure that Clyde was going to kill Ryder. She looked back and forth from Clyde to Ryder, and then her eyes rested on Ragon. It was true; she really could stop time.
“So what the hell does this mean?” asked Sameth.
He was still standing in the kitchen but there was a strange unrecognisable look plastered on his face.
Chapter 18 - Patricks Fledgling
The next week was occupied with test after test of Ari’s ability; though it was the
middle of November, Ari had not so much as frozen an ice cube since her initial display of powers. The incessant encouragement for Ari to practice her powers had long since become annoying, with only the new addition to the coven, Crystal, making it tolerable. Ragon had not argued when Ari had insisted that they keep Crystal, and Ari had been overjoyed that she could offer the puppy a home. She still hadn’t forgiven Clyde; not only for the death of the two neighbours, but also for the trick he had played on her with Ryder. She couldn’t believe that he could be that cruel.
At the same time the coven had been on high alert for Kiara. Ragon was convinced that she would want to attack Ari now more than ever; what with the loss of Matthew and Ari escaping her for the second time. At night everyone took it in turns to check the perimeter of the house, while Ryder, who had remained with the coven, had been forced to wake during the day and keep an eye out for any signs of trouble- much to his annoyance. The relationship between Patrick and Ryder contrasted drastically to Ari’s and Ragon’s. For one thing, Ragon did not take her blood, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Ryder’s feelings towards Patrick were fuelled from his role as a source rather than any genuine feelings. Though she checked him for puncture marks every chance she got, she didn’t dare ask him outright again if Patrick had taken his blood.
Still, Ryder’s company was not unwelcome. It was nice having another mortal around. He seemed genuinely interested in Ari’s unnatural abilities, and was taking it upon himself to use his mortality to try and provoke Ari into using her powers. Eventually however, these failed attempts were becoming tedious, if not downright annoying.
Ari had been in the kitchen, stirring a large pot of yellow curry when Ryder walked into the kitchen, a glass in hand, and began drinking heavily, before falling to the ground and convulsing. Ari’s eyes had widened and she raced to his side, trying to still his shaking body, until she smelt an all too familiar minty fragrance, and realised that the froth that was pouring from his mouth, was in fact toothpaste. Crystal, who had been licking the spoon Ari had just tasted her curry with, howled her disapproval and then made her way outside to the veranda, clearly unconvinced of any true danger.
“Have you ever heard of the boy who cried wolf?” Ari asked Ryder, nudging him hard in the chest as he stared off into space, apparently dead. “One day you might be in a real life and death situation, and I will just ignore it because I think you’re faking it.”
Ryder’s tongue retracted into his mouth slowly and he opened his eyes. Standing slowly, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. As he did so, Ari couldn’t help but notice a small pink bite mark. Her eyes widened and she thought hard, hoping to casually mention the bite so as to gauge his response.
“Does that hurt?” she asked, trying to remain casual as she indicated the bite on his hand.
Ryder shrugged, apparently indifferent at his being Patrick’s meal ticket. Standing, he walked into the kitchen.
“Don’t you ever let Ragon, you know…” Ryder asked curiously, after getting a spoon to steal some of the bubbling curry that Ari had temporarily forgotten.
Ari looked at Ryder confused. Ragon had never so much as hinted that he wanted to use Ari for her blood. For a moment this thought concerned her; surely if he had wanted to take blood from Ari, he would have asked.
Ari shook her head saying, “Never.”
“Not even when you’re, you know… in the throes of passion?” asked Ryder incredulously, his eyebrows disappearing behind his dark brown hair.
Since the Halloween party, Ragon and Ari had not slept together. Sure they had slept in the same bed. They had held hands and kissed, but she only had that initially intimate contact to go on. For a moment she recalled the way his fangs had appeared when they had been in the throes of passion. She knew that his drawing them was instinctual, but he had been mortified about it. Clearly Ragon had no intention of feeding off her. Was there some kind of expectation that vampires who date mortals were supposed to become sources?
“Did Patrick ask you before he bit you?” asked Ari, wanting to know if there had been some kind of arrangement between the two, or if it was simply that he could not control himself.
“Not the first time,” Ryder admitted, “but we spoke about it afterwards; I think it’s kind of hot.”
Ari blushed. Clearly vampirism was not something that Ryder found even remotely strange. Again, Ari wondered whether or not Patrick was commanding Ryder. This was how vampire and human interactions normally worked; the vampire would bite the human and then control them, so that their prey wouldn’t run screaming. It would make sense that Patrick had control over Ryder, after all Patrick had taken Ryder’s blood- that much was certain. Still, commanded or not, it was interesting to see how another mortal-vampire relationship operated. Asides from what she had seen in the movies, or had read in Dracula, she had no idea what was normal.
Ari moved over to the large dining table, which sat in the corner of the living room, next to the veranda door, and served up two plates of rice and curry and one large bowl for Crystal. She had gotten use to cooking and eating large meals at once, having found that living with vampires wasn’t exactly conducive to maintaining a healthy diet. This was another reason why she liked having Ryder around; she no longer had to eat alone.
For a while Ryder toyed with the folk in his hand, as if chewing on something in his mind instead of his mouth. Ari watched him apprehensively, and was just about to ask what was wrong, when a news report on the television caught her attention and she reached for the remote, turning the volume up.
“Police are on high alert as murders in the Brisbane area continue to baffle authorities. Today, at 3.45am, a body was discovered in Taringa. 24 year old Chelsea Livingstone was found dead under an overpass servicing a train station. The coroner’s office has not, as of yet, released a statement, but the police have said, that they are treating the death as suspicious.”
Ari continued to listen to the news report, until Ryder spoke, distracting her.
“Actually,” he said, “Patrick has offered to turn me.”
At these words Ari’s folk fell from her hand, spreading rice and curry all over the table and down her shirt.
“What?”
Had Ryder been trying to provoke a response from her that would result in her stopping time, this would have been the perfect moment, but he continued to stare at her, as though they were having an entirely normal conversation.
“Yea, the other night, when we were… um, in bed together,” said Ryder.
“But you’re not going to do it,” Ari responded, dismissing the notion immediately.
“Well…”
“But… What? You can’t! I don’t understand; you hardly know him,” she stammered, completely astounded.
Outside Crystal barked loudly.
“A few days to some people is like a life time to others,” Ryder said prophetically.
Ari scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief.
“You can’t honestly tell me that you want to spend the rest of… forever with him?” she asked, now picking the pieces of rice off the table.
“Would it be so horrible if I did?” Ryder asked defensively. “I am not saying that we are going to get married, hell, I am not even saying that we will stay together, but, I don’t know… I really want to be one.”
Ari couldn’t believe her ears. Was this really happening?
“I don’t understand how you can make this choice so light heartedly?” she said.
“Just because it’s fast, doesn’t make it light hearted.”
“But do you even love Patrick?” she asked.
“Love?”
“Yes you know love. The kind of feeling that makes you want to spend the rest of your life, or the rest of your existence with one person. How can you feel that after such short a time? How do you know it is right?” asked Ari.
“Oh Ari… do you have any idea how long I have been looking for someone who understands me? Can you imagine how impossibly h
appy I am that he wants to turn me? If Ragon said to you that he wanted to change you; that he couldn’t live without you… can you honesty tell me that you wouldn’t cut your own wrists to hasten the process?”
Ari looked at him in concern. Yes she liked Ragon; she had even confessed to falling for him. But she had spent a hell of a lot longer with Ragon, and still wasn’t prepared to say that she would want to become a monster to be with him.
“Why can’t you be together the way you are now? Why rush into things?” said Ari.
This question was close to her heart. It was one that she absolutely feared; the question of time.
“One lifetime to us is like a few years to them. They live forever; today I’m young and beautiful and he likes me, but tomorrow… tomorrow I am some old person that he has forgotten. I don’t want this to be a fleeting moment; I want it to last forever,” replied Ryder.
His words had hit Ari like a ton of bricks. She felt winded, as though all the air in her chest had gone and her lungs were too stiff to refill. Was Ryder right?
“But, why… wouldn’t just a few more weeks together be better; to wait, just a little longer?” she asked.
Ryder sighed.
“Have you ever fallen for someone hard; the kind of feeling that has you up all hours of the night talking on the phone, or else planning secret meetings in the city? Like your first crush; when everything is fresh and new and perfect. When the feeling of a kiss or a touch means everything, and you can’t think of anything else except being with them? That’s what I feel like now. I don’t care if this feeling last five minutes or five centuries: I’d risk it,” declared Ryder.
“But how do you know these are your feelings?” asked Ari, her eyes narrowed.
It had been a low ball, but it was her last card to play. There was a chance that Patrick had commanded Ryder to feel everything that he was feeling right now. She wasn’t going to let her oldest friend, hell the closest thing to a brother she had ever known, throw his life away, literally, because a vampire was controlling him.