How to Date a Dead Guy

by C P Fleur

  I’d always known Nova was special, but I couldn’t have imagined how powerful she could be. My entire body ached from her hits. She was stuck in limbo between two dark forces, the product of dueling enemies fighting against their nature. Perhaps she was the best of both worlds.

  I took her hand, allowing her to help me to my feet, letting my hand linger on hers for an extra moment.

  “When all of this is over, if you come to seek revenge, I won’t fight you.” My eyes searched hers, hoping she understood; hoping she’d put me out of my misery.

  “What you said in my room, about wanting me to end your life –”

  “No one would blame you.”

  “I would blame myself.”

  “After all I’ve told you, still...”

  “Every night since the accident, I’ve had these nightmares about being stuck in that car with him and not being able to save him. But last night, it was you I saw.”

  “Maybe you knew I was the reason you lost him.”

  “Or maybe it’s you I’m supposed to save.”

  Rule 11: Be Your Own Hero

  Nova

  I TOOK A BITE OF MY sandwich, my eyes dancing over Lucas as he watched me with fascination.

  “Want some?” I asked, holding it out to him as he sat in front of me on the fluffy rug at the center of my room.

  “Absolutely not.” His gaze flicked to my neck, and I rolled it to the side, causing my hair to fall in my face.

  “If you need to... you know... I’ll be fine on my own for a while.”

  “I’ll eat when I need to, Nova. I promise you’re safe with me.”

  “How long can you go without –”

  “A few days before it becomes too painful. Without blood, we lose control. We become more monster than human.”

  “Does it kill you?”

  “No, but an unfed vampire is one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet.”

  “What’s the longest you’ve gone without –”

  “Feeding? Four days. After... the accident, when you left the hospital, you wouldn’t leave your room. I thought a broken heart alone would kill you, and if you somehow managed to survive that pain, you may decide to end it all yourself. I didn’t go until I was forced from your side.”

  “What would you have done?” I asked. “Would you have stopped me, forced me to suffer so you could bring me here?”

  “No, I would have stopped you because I couldn’t bear to suffer through eternity without you ever being in my life. I didn’t want you to come here, Nova. I didn’t have a choice. But I know now that you can protect yourself.”

  “And what if it comes down to saving me or them?”

  “You’ll save yourself, Nova. Rule number eleven – be your own hero.”

  “What if I need your help? What if you have to make a choice?” I asked, my eyes searching his.

  “I chose you, Nova. I’ve always chosen you.”

  I nodded, taking another bite as I glanced at the television. The corny vampire show now seemed ridiculous. “I feel like I’m going to wake up, and all of this had been some elaborate nightmare.”

  He cringed, looking toward the doorway. “Soon, you’ll be able to go back to your life and forget you ever met me.”

  “No,” my voice was barely a whisper. “I won’t. Because half of the people I love are dead. If I return to New Salem, I risk the rest of their lives. I can’t ever go back.” I dropped my sandwich on the wrapper, my throat suddenly feeling thick with sadness. “And I don’t think I’d ever be able to forget you, Lucas.”

  Lucas pushed to his feet, holding out his hand for me to take. “Come on.”

  “Where are we going?” I asked before slipping my fingers over his. He tugged me up to my feet, my body nearly colliding with his.

  “You need to have a little fun and relieve some stress. I still owe you that date.”

  Lucas

  WHEN NOVA SLIPPED INTO her bathroom to shower, I paced the floor of her room, wondering if all of this would be for nothing. I still wasn’t even sure what Fellows was planning. That’s when my eyes landed on the copy of Wuthering Heights I’d given her. She said her copy she had owned was left behind by her father. But why? I grabbed the first edition that I’d gifted her, and that’s when I realized it was under Emily Brontë’s pen name - Ellis Bell. That is Sylvi’s last name. Did he know she was helping Fellows? Was he trying to give us clues?

  I took my moment alone to call Lachlan. If I was going to take Nova out in public again, I knew that Sylvi might not be far behind. She had to be following us to know I’d taken Nova to Edgewood, and I knew she didn’t give up easily.

  Now I just needed to figure out why she was working for Fellows and what he stood to gain from all of this.

  “I knew you couldn’t resist my offer,” Lachlan answered with a laugh.

  “You want to show the world that we can coexist with humans? I need your help.”

  “Anything to get back out on the field.”

  “I’m worried Sylvi may be looking to finish what she started with Nova. If it happens in public, you can kiss your future in the NFL goodbye.”

  “So, you want me to take her out?”

  “No. I don’t want to just make humans believe we can control ourselves. I want to prove it’s true.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Maybe it’s time for you all to see just how special Nova is.”

  Rule 12: Always Break the Rules

  Nova

  I RAN THROUGH THE SHOWER, braiding my long dark hair down my back and throwing on a pair of old jeans and a tank top. The sun was blinding after the freak storm that had destroyed the gym.

  The storm I’d caused. I hadn’t believed it at first. But none of this seems possible, yet here I am, my hand clasped in the grasp of a vampire; a vampire whose sole existence was to protect me. Now, he’d also made himself the fun police.

  “A carnival? Really?” I asked, unable to hide the excitement in my voice.

  Lucas laughed, shaking his head.

  “What?” I asked, tugging on his arm as we continued walking down the path to the edge of campus and the lot where his car was parked.

  “It’s nice to see you happy again.”

  “My mom used to take me to the Jefferson carnival when I was little. I’d always ride the –”

  “The Gravitron. You’d ride until you couldn’t see straight and then gorge yourself on mozzarella sticks – an eating habit you haven’t seemed to grow out of.”

  I stopped walking, my eyes locked on his. “Okay, that’s super creepy.”

  He laughed, tugging me forward. “It was my job.”

  “So, all that time, you’ve never once broken the rules? Never tried to talk to me, to bump into me in the halls at my school, or to sit next to me at a movie theater?”

  “Rule number twelve – always break the rules.” A mischievous grin played on his lips. “We’ve had our moments,” he admitted as he pulled open the passenger side door of his car, waiting for me to slip inside before slamming it closed between us.

  I watched as he made his way to the driver’s side, a ghost of a smirk on his lips. He slipped into his seat and pressed the button on the dash, causing the car to rev to life.

  “So?” I asked, eager for him to finish his story.

  “So, what?” he replied as he backed out of his parking spot and took off toward the carnival.

  “Tell me.”

  “You wouldn’t remember.”

  I placed my hand on his arm, causing his gaze to skate to me before focusing back on the road ahead. He shook his head, debating on whether or not to open up. “There are too many times to count, honestly. As you got older, I had to keep my distance from you unless you were in danger. Except –”

  “Except?” I asked, trying to keep my tone even.

  “Nevermind. It’s not important,” he snapped, shaking his head.

  “I want to know.”

  “If I told you, i
t would change everything. Can’t we just have this one moment before our worlds collide around us?”

  I nodded, worrying my lip between my teeth. Everything was different now. Everything was new. I wouldn’t let it taint this memory, not knowing how many more we’d get to make.

  Lucas

  I wasn’t being careful. Just being in her presence was affecting the way I was thinking. I needed to get away from her, to feed, but I didn’t want to leave her side.

  I pulled into the field beside the baseball diamond that housed the small local carnival. Her face lit up when she saw the lights from the rides, glowing in the darkness.

  “Sylvi could be out there. We don’t know how many others are helping Fellows,” I warned her, but she rolled her eyes in response.

  “I’m not going to live my life in fear.”

  “Sometimes, fear can be healthy. It can stop us from making mistakes.”

  She scrunched her nose. “The only mistake I plan to make tonight is eating too much before riding the rides. Come on.”

  I shook my head, debating on whether or not to turn around and head back to the dorm, but she was right. If someone wanted to find her, there was no place safe for her to hide, and I wouldn’t force her to live her life locked away in terror. Besides, this was bigger than the two of us. Lachlan was right; we should be able to live in the open and not fear being persecuted for who we are. The time for change was now.

  She squealed as she pushed open her door, reminding me in that one joyous sound that she was human. Even with the vampire blood that pumped through her veins, it was her beating heart that kept that magic flowing. She was one of a kind. And she was completely off-limits.

  I joined her at her side, and we began to walk through the rows of cars toward the sound of laughter and music. It might be her last time being able to enjoy these little moments, and I wanted to make it worth it for her. I wasn’t going to screw it up by confessing my sins. Not yet, at least.

  We stopped at the ticket booth first, and I made sure to get her an all-day ride bracelet instead of tickets, a mistake her mother often made, year after year, thinking her daughter would tire of riding the same rides over and over again. But she didn’t.

  “Gravitron?” She asked, her emerald eyes wide and hopeful. I couldn’t help but smile back at her.

  She led the way, and I followed after her into the large metal contraption. We pressed our bodies against the wall, and just before the machine began to spin, pinning us against the wall, she grabbed my hand.

  Lights flashed, and music began to blare over the speakers. We began to turn, faster and faster, her laughter an infectious giggle. I watched her in the mirrors overhead that sent the lights bouncing around us. Then her eyes caught mine, twisting in confusion. Her free hand went to her stomach, and had she not been forced back in her seat, she would have doubled over.

  As soon as the ride began to slow, I grabbed her, helping her walk out into the fresh night air. “Nova? What’s wrong?”

  Her eyes searched mine again, but she looked like she’d seen a ghost, one of the few supernatural creatures that didn’t actually exist. “Nothing. I think maybe I ate too much or something,” she reassured me as she brushed a few strands of hair back from her face that had worked free from her braid.

  “Maybe we should have started with the carousel,” I teased, earning me a small smile.

  “I’m okay. We should play a few games or something first. We could throw rings at bottles, climb the impossible nets, or throw darts at balloons. What’s your poison?”

  I stared at her, watching her pupils dilate in the darkness as the rides flickered flashes of light across her face. I couldn’t help but think that it was her. She was my poison and my cure. She was the reason I ceased to breathe, and my heart no longer beat. But if it did, she would still steal my breath with each smile and stop my heart with every brush of her hand.

  I could feel it – the joy vibrating off her in waves – pulsing through my body. The warmth of her was heating my veins. Her happiness was contagious, infecting me with her eternal optimism. Even surrounded by the possibility of death, she still held out hope.

  “What?” she asked, a nervous giggle erupting from her throat.

  “Now that you’re a part of my life, it’s going to be impossible to let you go.”

  “Let me go? Why would you let me go, Lucas?”

  I shook my head, running my fingers roughly through my hair as the corners of her lips tugged down in a pout. “I just mean, when this is over. When you go back to your life.”

  “I already told you I can’t go back, Lucas. I don’t want to go back.” Her heart began to hammer inside of her chest as her eyes widened with panic.

  “I won’t force you. That’s not what I meant.” My eyes danced around, focusing on anything but her sad expression. “I just meant, I am glad for every moment we get.”

  Her shoulders relaxed as an easy smile spreading across her face. “I’m glad too, Lucas.”

  I smiled back at her – imagining this moment was before I’d been turned – pretending if only for a second that we were just two normal people out on a date.

  “Besides, I can find you,” she teased, narrowing her eyes before pressing them closed.

  Rule 13: A Quick Death is a Merciful One

  Nova

  ALL THE PEOPLE AROUND me slowly began to brighten into mostly red and orange blobs, but to my right, there was one that glowed blue and green like water.

  “There!” My arm shot out to my right, pointing to Lucas. I heard him laugh.

  “No fair. You cheated,” he groaned.

  I spun away from him, folding my arms across my chest. “Fine. Hide.” I counted to ten in my head before turning around, my eyes scanning over the blobs of light behind my eyelids.

  I blew out a heavy breath, forcing myself to focus as I took a few steps forward on shaky legs.

  “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” I sang; laughing as a streak of blue breezed past me. I turned to follow it, but it disappeared behind a game.

  I hurried after him, catching just a glimpse before he eluded my grasp again. “You’re not playing fair,” I groaned before his silhouette came into view, partially obscured by a small booth.

  I moved toward him, squealing as I reached out to grab him, but fingers encircled my wrists, gripping me so tightly I squealed in pain. My eyes shot open in horror as I focused on Sylvi; her fangs bared and ready to attack. She cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowed.

  “Well, look what I found. Dinner.”

  “Let go of me,” I bit out the words, forcing myself to stand tall even though my arms ached in her grip.

  “You don’t look that special to me,” she replied with a sneer. “I don’t see what all the fuss is about.”

  “Let go,” I bit out.

  “What’s wrong, Nova? No one here to save the day for you again?” she asked, fake pouting.

  A large man in a worn jersey stepped into view behind her, his massive arms folded across his chest. “You heard the tiny human. Let her go.”

  Sylvi groaned as she finally dropped her hold. “Lachlan, what brings Fellows’ enforcer to the carnival? Come to eat small children?” she asked, but her voice wavered, giving away that he made her nervous. I couldn’t blame her. He looked to be nearly eight-foot-tall. I was glad he was on my side, although I wasn’t sure why. If he worked for Fellows, why wasn’t he helping her rip me limb from limb?

  “Or feisty vampires,” he replied with a shrug.

  “I don’t know why Fellows is making Lucas chaperone you, but he was promised to me,” she spat at me, struggling to appear like she wasn’t rattled.

  “And what is Fellows getting out of that deal, huh?” I asked, rubbing my wrist gingerly. “What is it you’re doing for him?”

  She shrugged, but it was obvious she’d never really put much thought into it before. He was using her, and she was too obsessed with Lucas to realize it. “I keep an eye out, tel
ling him when I see something.”

  “You keep an eye out,” Kamala called from her right. “Is that why you’re lurking behind the carnival rides, watching her?”

  “Oh, great, You brought motor mouth. Is she going to talk until I die of boredom?” Sylvi snipped back at her. “What’s the matter, human, can’t fight your own battles?”

  “It’s because she’s unpredictable,” Lucas replied from our left, and both our heads turned to the sound of his voice. “He has her following us, claiming it’s to keep me out of trouble, but he wants her to be jealous.” He turned his attention to Sylvi. “He wants you to kill her when I get too close so he can blame you and make sure you’re the one charged with her blood on your hands, and I go down for consorting with a human. He never intended for us to be together, Sylvi. He’s hoping Nova will be the demise of us both.”

  “No, that’s not true. He promised,” she insisted, shaking her head wildly.

  “He doesn’t get to decide who I love.”

  “You can’t love her or anyone; it’s not possible. So why would Fellows think that you could?” her words ran together, her eyes searching his, desperate for him to tell her he didn’t believe it either.

  “Maybe he knows something we don’t.” He shook his head. “But it’s true. I can feel something. I can feel her heartbeat pulse in my fingertips.”

  “We all can hear the pulses thumping around us from these blood bags,” Sylvi shot back, “but that’s not love.”

  “What do you know about love?” Lachlan called out, causing Sylvi to snarl.

  “I know it doesn’t last.” Her fangs dropped down below her perfectly pink lips, and her eyes narrowed at me.

  “Nova’s father was a vampire. He was my maker. And her mother was a witch from Edgewood.”

  “You’re,” she looked to me, a snarl on her face. “Hybrid? But... those aren’t real.”