by Tara Brown
I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a frying pan, “Like omelets?”
He nodded sitting at the bar.
“So you are a flesh and blood human with a beating heart?”
He nodded not answering. I could see I was wearing on his last nerve and stopped asking questions. I was stewing on safe questions while I beat the eggs and chopped the vegetables.
“Are vampires real?” It only made sense to me that if the wolves were real so was the vamps.
He didn’t answer but when I looked at him I got my answer. His face was grim as he watched me chopping.
“Are you a vampire?” He had said he was an immortal maybe he was a nice vampire.
Again he didn’t look amused, “No for god sake. I’m sorry I said you could ask questions you’re the most inquisitive person alive. I am not a vampire, yes they’re real. I think that in our world you will find things have changed now that your second sight has started.”
I interrupted, “Second sight?”
He nodded impatiently, “Your ability to see me will make other things easier to see as well.”
I couldn’t stop my brain now, “Do Vampires become vampires from a bite?”
He slumped at the bar and groaned, “No, Hollywood is not the place to look for facts. No like lycanthropes vampires have to be turned special way. If a vampire bit you he would drink your blood and heal your wounds before you even realized it happened. They’re very charming.” He smiled as I passed him the plate of toast and omelets.
I sat beside him at the bar with my orange juice and steaming plate of food and blinked, “So they drink blood?”
He nodded blowing on his fork full of eggs, “Yeah, unfortunately they do. They aren’t all bad but they need human blood.”
“Could they drink yours?”
He sighed, “This is the last question for a while okay, no they cannot. I am an immortal, my blood would mean death.”
I nodded eating my eggs stuck in all the empty knowledge that lead nowhere and the millions of questions I couldn’t ask.
I turned and watched him eating, I distracted myself with his jaw flexing.
He frowned at me with a mouth full of hot eggs and peppers as he tried to suck in cold air and talk, “Eat Aimee you’re weak and watching me eat isn’t gong to make you feel better.”
I took a bite of the eggs on my fork and chewed barely tasting the food. My stomach seemed to turn at the thought of food. I ate to make him happy and tried to seem like I could move on.
Having suddenly nothing to say and sitting in silence proved that to be quite a challenge. I waited for him to talk about anything he wanted to talk about but he seemed content in the silence. We finished breakfast and I started cleaning up the dishes and I realized I had a whole line of questioning I hadn’t even touched on.
He saw the gleam in my eye and moaned. I ignored him and moved in for the kill, “Do you know who the rapist is?”
He sat perfectly still and then nodded slowly not making any noise.
I frowned, “You have to tell the police.”
He shook his head, "I can't."
I leaned against the kitchen counter, “Are you telling me that you know who is raping and attacking girls, including me who you say you love but you wont tell me or the authorities who he is?”
He nodded still sitting tight-lipped, "What kind of proof do I have beyond seeing him running through the woods? What kind of witness am I? I have no I.D. I have no address."
I pointed to the door, “No, you need to tell the police."
He shrugged, "Aimee I can't get involved I'm sorry. I have other things and people to protect."
"That could have been me. I could have been face down in the dirty grass with my skirt around my waist. Get out of my house. I’m fine, protect my sister and dad from bad karma but leave me alone. I don’t believe in Karma anyway. I don’t even believe in you.”
He stood and looked at me. His eyes were full of regret as he turned and walked out of my house. Feeling sick as he left I cried and went back to bed and slept some more.
I woke hearing rustling in my room, assuming it was him I shouted, “Get out.”
My sister peaked her dark head of hair up at me out of my closet, “I need that shoe you wore the other night. I found one but where is the other one?” I looked around the room seeing the mess everywhere. My room had slowly become my sisters. It exhausted me to think about the mess around me even though I had slept for days. I sat up feeling the best I had in a while and gave my sister a look, “Why cant you just wear one of the millions of other pairs?”
She frowned, “You okay Aims? Normally I really wouldn’t care but you’ve been in bed for five days again.”
I frowned, “Huh?”
She nodded, “Yeah you’re sleeping a lot. The doctor came four days ago and checked your vitals out when you were sleeping and he said as long as your eyes and skin aren’t turning yellow you would be fine, you’re just recovering which he said can take a couple months.”
I looked down at the floor to see a cup I didn’t recognize and a few dishes.
“Have I been eating up here?”
She nodded sitting on my bed looking confused, “Yeah dad’s been bringing you dinner and feeding you. Dude you don’t remember any of this, yikes. He called the doctor again today and the doctor wants you to come back for a check up on Monday. He said its normal after what you’ve been through to feel sick like this. He said it could be another month. But now we’re getting worried.”
I didn’t recognize this person on my bed. Her steely silver glistened as she spoke softly, “Aims Jaime is awake now. She said she doesn’t remember anything but the doctors confirmed she was raped, he never got to finish because you and that guy came upon them. You saved her Aimee.”
I felt my eyes light up, “She’s awake? So she’ll be okay?”
Alise nodded, “Yeah I guess she didn’t have an allergy like Giselle. Speaking of Giselle, your phone’s been going nuts dude. It’s been like fifty messages a day and Shane’s called about twenty times a day. He’s really worried. Dad wont let him in your room so when he shows up he stays at the door and then leaves after a while. A few times he stayed and watched Discovery with dad, I think he’s hoping you’d wake up and he could see you one time.”
I put a hand to my face, “Oh my god I’m like a mono victim. I need to get out of bed and go see Giselle and see Shane.”
I looked at her deciding to forgive and accept, “How’s Blake?”
Her smile became so deep it hit her eyes making them sparkly like platinum, “He’s the weirdest guy I’ve ever met. I hate the way he just sits and reads sometimes for like hours. He is like you but a dude. He wears all these shirts that make no sense and I bought him this super expensive watch and he hates it and keeps wearing that nerdy N.S.A one. And he never tells me I’m beautiful or wants to you know, do it. I think he’s never done it before which is cool with me but he seems happy to just lie on his bed and read beside me. I’m so tired of him but I can’t stop going over there.”
I laughed, “Oh my god you like him. It’s N.A.S.A by the way, it’s the space ship people. This is you gushing sis. I’m glad but please go easy on him, I know its not your nature but try. He’s my best friend.”
She frowned, “He wont fight with me. He just sits there. I accused him of flirting with Jessica at a hot tub party we had at his house on Sunday. He sat on the couch watching some special on how they’re making the astronauts retire and work in tourism. I yelled at him and he cut me off mid screaming fit and said, ‘Hey babe can you get me a drink of water?” She changed her voice to mimic a mans for the question.
I smiled knowing the exact face he would have used, “Guess you’ve met your match.”
She nodded, “I’m scared though. What if I mess it up?”
I shook my head, “He wont let you. He doesn’t buy into your drama.”
She put a hand down on my arm and rubbed a little like mom used to, “Aim
s can you try to get better? I know you’re sad about something but can you just try a little harder I cant take this. Giselle is dying, Jaime is sick like you and you’re scaring us with all this sleeping.”
I nodded gulping back a tear lodged in my throat, “Yeah. I’m going to take a shower and get dressed now. Have the police got any idea what’s happening?”
She got up from my bed and shook her head, “No they’re still kinda lost. I guess they found the cup she was drinking from though so that’s good. They know what the drugs are that the rapist is using.”
I got up from my bed slowly, “Okay well what day is it?”
She smiled, “Friday, the big dance is tonight. I think Shane’s’ worried you wont be able to go.”
“I’ll go, I need to go to Giselle’s to get my dress though. She wants me to wear her spring formal dress.” I felt weird about it.
My sister’s face lit up again, “You’re gonna go? I’ll drive you over when you’re done showering.”
I looked over at my open window and felt lost.
The shower was relaxing on my aching back. I hadn’t done anything in nearly a week, which seemed to be killing me. I decided even if I was dead assed exhausted I wasn’t going to bed until it was an actual bedtime.
I felt so many emotions all at once that my poor little wall had been crumbled and ground into stone. I didn’t know what to do about Shane who was the perfect guy for me and I really didn’t know what to do about Aleks who was all wrong for me but for some crazy hormonal and chemical reaction based reason my heart seemed to need.
I pictured his face and I melted, I remembered our kissing and touching even though he had never crossed the second base line and I felt naughty like I wanted to lick my lips and breath through my mouth. Everything about him turned me into a person I didn’t know. Everything about Shane made me feel safe and relaxed but more like the girl I was before everything had happened and changed me. I put my face into the shower and turned the water to cold hoping the shock was helpful. I had never been in real love before and of course my first romance had to be a love triangle with a supernatural being as the one I wanted instead of the guy I’d always loved.
My brain still treated him as a joke, I couldn’t help thinking about the fact my dad had been feeding me all week long and I didn’t remember that. Perhaps my memories of Aleks were also not correct.
Not feeling any more convinced of anything beyond my absolute love for him I climbed out of the shower angry with myself.
For all my grades and common sense I hadn’t gotten any good taste clearly. I decided maybe I could force myself to learn to love the person that was right for me instead of obsess about the person who wasn’t even real.
I walked into my room to dry off to find Aleks sitting on my bed, so much for not real, I was naked except for my towel which really only covered the essentials. I wanted to jump on him and kiss him but I stood my ground at the entrance to my room and leaned against the doorframe.
He sat there quiet for a while staring at the stuffed bear he was holding, it was my bear from when I had my tonsils out when I was nine.
He squished him slightly feeling the density of the fluff, I raised an eyebrow at him, “What are you doing here?”
He smiled devilishly not taking his eyes off Beary, “Watching over your sister.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at him, "You’re cheating. I can’t get over you if you don’t let me and leave me alone. Stop touching Beary, he doesn’t like you either.”
He looked up at me with his intense blue eyes through his long black lashes, “I don’t want you to get over me.”
I felt like I needed to back up, his stare locked me in and was pulling me to him. If he stood up I would scream I told myself.
“You’re bad for me. You’re going to leave in a few weeks if that. Once the pervert is caught you won’t need to hang around and that feeling is going to come back. You’ll need to move on to the next people.” I spoke the words but to my heart they were hollow.
He nodded still smiling dangerously at me, “I know, it’s a predicament.”
“I have to get ready, I need to go to Giselle’s and get her dress for the dance tonight. Plus I need to go see Jaime, she’s awake no thanks to you.”
I remembered suddenly how angry I was with him, ‘just keep chanting Jaime’ I told myself.
He stood up looking deeply into my eyes, as he seemed to fill the entire space of my room, “You’re going to the dance?” His tone was not something I had heard before.
I nodded, “With Shane.”
He crossed the room in a step and looked down on me, “This is what you want?”
I nodded again not able to speak seeing his lips so close to mine. His scent filled the air around me making me frown not at him but against my feelings for him.
He shook his head, “I don’t think its what you want. I know it’s not what I want.”
“I can’t go with you.” The words were so much bigger than the dance, they were everything. No matter what he did from then on I couldn’t go with him.
I gripped my towel and walked past him and sat on my bed. He closed my door and came to where I was sitting. He knelt in front of me and took my left hand in his. It looked so tiny and thin, “Aimee.” He spoke softly and kissed my hand once, “I am in love with you.” He kissed it twice and then turned it over and kissed my palm. He was driving my body crazy and my brain started to get foggy again. I couldn’t think around him I seemed to only feel.
I pulled my hand away and swallowed hard, “I want to go to the dance. I want a normal boyfriend who isn’t going to abandon me. I want something in my life to be regular again.” I paused for a second knowing that if I finished my thought he would hurt but I needed him to go away even if it was going to crush my soul, “I want a boyfriend who will answer my questions not make more.”
His left eye twitched as if his face would have flinched but he fought it off.
He looked me overwhelmingly in the eyes and as if his body grew in size he took up all the light in the room, “You’re mine, mine.” His words were spoken softly but the meaning was clear. His love scared me, I understood what my sister meant when she said that she was scared of Blake and losing him.
Aleks leaned in slowly and brushed his lips against mine softly and then he dove out my open window and was gone.
I still felt the warmth of his lips as I attempted to process him in my mind.
I got angry again but I smiled this time feeling he hadn’t bested me, he had come back and made me doubt my ability to be with anyone else but never answered a single question. His plan backfired though because I, unlike him, was a mental case who contemplated everything. I had learned to shut my heart off, not around him, no, but when he was gone I could do it.
I got dressed more determined than ever to make things work with Shane or at the very least make it through the dance and then take it one day at a time. Shane was the boy I had loved for a decade, it wasn’t going to be work with him.
I made it down the stairs to see my sister watching TV with headphones on listening to her ITouch. I laughed tapping her on the arm, “Hey, ready?”
She nodded shouting at me, “Yeah, lets go.”
I pointed to her ears and she pulled the baby blue head phones off laughing, “Oh yeah.”
She babbled the whole drive over to Giselle’s parents house. I tuned her out right away with my usual thoughts of how annoying I found her friends to be and how the petty story she was telling was nothing but dribble. I stopped my thoughts though and looked at my sister, she was babbling and her story was dribble but it mattered to her. She was a passionate person and where she rarely thought about anything she felt everything. Suddenly I admired my sister as I smiled still able to ignore the trashy story she tried to corrupt my intelligence with.
She parked in the driveway and waited as I walked up to the door to knock. The house wasn’t huge like Shane’s or Blake's but it was bigger than ours. It
was a very large split level. Her dad opened the door looking very rough. His hair was ruffled and his eyes blood shot. I knew I had woken him and he had been drinking everyday he didn’t spend at the hospital with Giselle.
“Hi sir, I'm Aimee James, Giselle told me to use her dress for the dance. Can I just come in and grab it?”
He looked at me for a moment and then nodded, “Yeah she told me about that. Come on in.” He looked out at the driveway to see my sister wave at him. He waved back and closed the door.
“How is she feeling lately?” I ask casually. I felt so nervous around him.
He shrugged, “Not much better but we heard yesterday they may have found a donor. So I guess she will hear tomorrow. How are you feeling?” He asked giving me a weird look.