Circle of Death

by Thais Lopes

  THAIS LOPES

  Copyright © 2015 by Thais Lopes

  Cover design by Thais Lopes, model Iana Domingos, photographer Studio Le Photographie

  All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For my friends from Dark Insanity:

  you were the first to believe my words.

  Part 1: Mistakes

  Death should be above mortal weaknesses. However, arrogance is something so typically human that I never thought it a mistake I would commit. Pure arrogance.

  1. Kelene

  It had been two months since I had placed the ad looking for someone to share the apartment with me, and no one had showed up so far. Unless, of course, I counted the freshmen who called trying to make some kind of joke. I say “try” because I don’t think they consider those calls as jokes, after all. And they’ll probably think twice before any other trick like that.

  At this time of the year, the end of June, many students – especially freshmen – were looking for someplace to live, in preparation for the next semester, and sharing an apartment used to be better than the dorms. I didn’t live in a central place or near the campus, but I was really close to a train station and many bus lines passed there, including two that went straight to the university. I can only imagine that the phrase “no prejudices and able to deal with surprises” wasn’t exactly an incentive for potential roommates. Especially if I remembered that the girl who lived there before had died of inexplicable causes not long ago.

  Somehow, I missed her. Nara had been living with me for more than a year when she died, and had become a friend… Or as close a friend as I could allow someone to become. I had protected her as much as possible, and if it wasn’t for her own fear she would still be alive. After all the repercussions of the case, the cause of death was confirmed as a heart attack. I knew that wasn’t true, and many people suspected that too.

  After all, “heart attack” was the official response to everything that couldn’t – or shouldn’t – be explained.

  That’s why the apartment was the last thing in my mind when I looked at my ringing phone and saw an unknown number on the screen. Crossing my fingers and hoping that it didn’t mean more problems, as the end of the semester used to be chaotic, I answered.

  “I’d like to talk to Kelene Mares.” It was a man, his voice low and controlled.

  “It’s her.”

  “I saw your announcement about the apartment, and wanted to know if the place is still available.”

  “Yes. And you are…?” I answered, stopping to sit in one of the courtyards of the college, finding a spot in the shadow beside one of the ornamental plants.

  “I´m not a student.” He spoke quickly, avoiding my question. “I’m moving to the city and can’t find a good place to live. Your ad seemed promising.”

  A good evasion. Something that most people wouldn’t recognize for what it really was. And I knew that there were lots of apartments for rent in the city, and with good prices, especially at that time of the year. There was only one reason someone might have trouble finding where to stay, and I mentally cursed myself for not figuring it out sooner. With an ad like that I should have guessed that I would attract someone who was part of what people called the Otherworld: the creatures we once thought were only legends.

  “By ‘promising’, I guess you mean when I said ‘no prejudices’”. I said.

  “Exactly. What kind of tenants won’t you accept?” I could hear the relief in his voice.

  “Shadows and humans blacklisted for serious crimes or under investigation.”

  The line went silent, and I even checked if the call hadn’t ended. No. Once again, it was something most people wouldn’t realize. But there wasn’t even the soft sound of someone breathing, and that was enough to tell me what he was. Vampire. And one of the old ones, as the breathing reflex took centuries to disappear. It wasn’t a surprise that he couldn’t find a place to live. Honestly? It had been a long time since vampires stopped scaring me. That’s what happens when your first love is one of them and the story, predictably, ends badly.

  “Only that?” He asked, his surprise clear in the way he spoke.

  “Yes. But I have a special contract for predators like vampires, shapeshifters and demons that forbids anyone to follow me to hunt those around me and puts me out of range.”

  “And why do you mention it?” Now there was a warning tone in his voice.

  “I may be human, but I know how to deal with the Otherworld. I don’t care if you’re a vampire or not, as long as you don’t turn my apartment into a slaughterhouse or use me as a snack.” My voice came out harsher than I intended.

  The line went dead for a moment. “I think I deserved that.” He finally said. “Can I take a look at the apartment?”

  “Of course. Ten o’clock?”

  “PM.”

  “Obviously. And I still don’t know your name.” I tried again.

  “Lucio.”

  “See you later, then, Lucio. I’ll be waiting at the door of the building.”

  “See you.” He hung up.

  I took a deep breath. An old vampire, moving into my apartment. Yes, that would be interesting, to say the least. Thoughtful, I got up and went to my class.

  I entered the classroom quietly, while the professor was writing something on the old blackboard. In silence, I went to the back of the room where the guys always left an empty chair for me. As usual, everyone back there was doing something unrelated to the class. They were mostly young people, around my age, twenty or twenty-something, forced to study by their families and with no real interest in all that shit. I could see the cell phones on their hands while they played games or checked their Facebook, and one guy was drawing a caricature. One glance showed me the sharp features of the professor on a zombie-like face and body.

  I greeted some of them and then sat down, leaning against the wall while deciding between paying attention to the class or sleeping. None of what was on the board would be really useful for me. I didn’t need any classes about early 16th century, I had firsthand experience. Why would I waste the opportunity to catch up on my sleep schedule? I was there only to have something resembling a normal life, after all.

  And now I would have to go back to some old habits… Leaving the apartment without a human noticing me was easy, but getting out without a vampire realizing would require more planning. Yes, my new roommate would force me to make some changes.

  I didn’t have any doubts that he would like the place. I knew what Otherworld’s residential areas were like. They were slums. With a better appearance, but that was the only difference between the Otherworld’s neighborhoods and an actual slum. Unless they had lots of money, those where the only places where people from the Otherworld could live. Even with all the opportunities the nonhuman races offered, humans were still too afraid of what they couldn’t understand… Of whatever didn’t submit to them. And then they isolated, segregated them, but the Otherworld was persistent and wouldn’t hide again.

  With a smirk, I halted my line of thought. Sometimes I couldn’t avoid thinking about myself as something different from them. I had never been exactly normal, and my relationship with the Otherworld had taught me a lot – and almost killed me more than once. But, still, I was just another human girl.

  Sighing, I glanced at what the professor was writing on the board, again. It was nothing I couldn’t keep up with on the next classes. Then I leaned more comfortably before closing my eyes. It was better to sleep while I could.

  2. Lucio

  She had identified me as
a vampire through the phone. That was the only thing in my mind as I walked from one side to the other in my hotel room. How? Since I withdrew from the vampiric community, I became a specialist in passing as human, fooling everyone in such a way they’d never think of asking if I was what I seemed to be. But I refused to go as low as lying about what I really was, if asked directly. And she, a simple human student, had identified me and appeared completely prepared to deal with possible tenants from the Otherworld.

  And that took me to another question. Did I have the right to put a human’s life in risk by living with her? Someone from the Otherworld could easily defend herself against a vampire, but humans were so fragile… I knew that unforeseen problems happened, and I might find myself hungry in the apartment, alone with a young woman. Death wasn’t a stranger to me, how could it be? But I still remembered the human boy I had been. I was a predator, but I didn’t want to risk someone who was willing to help me. For that, she was untouchable.

  Besides, there was still the reason that had brought me there. The flight. I was sure Seth would hunt me after what I did to him. And, this time, he wouldn’t be looking for his childhood friend, his brother in betrayal and slaughter. He would be searching for a way to destroy me. How could I expose a human to him, someone who hadn’t done anything besides offering me a place to stay?

  But I had no options. The Otherworld’s neighborhoods were too risky for me, at least until I found out how the balance of power was working there, after so many years away from the city. And I could only try to discover it if I had a safe place to go back to, which the hotel room wasn’t. I would be expelled if they found out I was a vampire.

  I was apprehensive when I went to Kelene Mares’ address. She had said that she would accept a vampire as a roommate, but I was afraid that she would change her mind. Her apartment was my last option, and if I couldn’t stay there I would need to search for another city to hide for some time. Even I couldn’t keep a human mind under influence all the time; there was no way to simply make her “want” to have me there if she wasn’t already addicted to our venom.

  I can’t say what I was expecting of Kelene, but it certainly wasn’t the girl in jeans, flip-flops, and a long sleeved red shirt who was waiting for me in front of the building. She looked too normal, of medium height, with straightened and dyed dark red hair that went just past her shoulders. But her light brown eyes showed a kind of inner strength I had only seen in a human once before. She had certainly been through a lot.

  And that took me back to the dilemma. Did I have the right to put her in danger while seeking my own safety?

  “Hello, Lucio.” She greeted me, her soprano voice sounding clear.

  “Kelene.” I lowered my head in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Same here.” She lowered her head, the response looking too natural and familiar for a girl of the 21st century. And then she smirked, the expression more along the lines of what I expected. “Why were you so surprised when you saw me?”

  This time I hid my surprise. She was very perceptive, it seemed.

  “You are not what I expected.” I answered honestly. “You look too much like everyone else, too normal for someone so prepared to deal with the Otherworld.

  She smiled in a reserved way, as if what I said was amusing, before replying.

  “Believe me, the number of vampires I met is higher than my age.” Another small smile, and then she continued. “But let’s go inside, it’s getting cold.”

  I nodded, being surprised once again, and followed her inside the building. We went up the stairs, and she unlocked a door.

  “Come in.” The invitation sounded natural, as if she took vampires there every day.

  As soon as I was inside, she locked the door, and didn’t waste any time to show me the apartment. From the living room, I could see the not so big kitchen, a hallway that went ahead, a study room, with a bookshelf that caught my attention immediately, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. Yes, it was small. However, compared to what a vampire would be able to rent or buy, it was excellent. In addition, from what I could gather about the woman, it would be pleasant to stay there.

  Surprised once again, I realized that all the windows had thick curtains, the kind that would block any solar light.

  “Did any vampire live here before?”

  She frowned, not understanding my question, and then widened her eyes.

  “Oh, no, no. This is just to keep anyone from seeing what they shouldn’t inside my apartment.”

  Of course, I thought, ironically, the answer should have been obvious. What did she mean with that? What could possibly happen there? With each passing instant, I realized that Kelene was not a normal young woman, but what could she hide? She had no ties to the Otherworld, I would have noticed if it there were anything. However, then, what was that strength in her eyes? In addition, I knew she would not answer me if I asked. She had that aura of mystery around her, and probably not even those who saw her everyday knew much about her.

  “I like this place, but wouldn’t you have problems with your neighbors?”

  I was not sure that she would understand what I meant, but she just shrugged.

  “Don’t do anything to call attention, and they’ll act as if you were human.”

  I stared, not really believing what she had said. They would ignore the fact that I was part of the Otherworld and a predator? She sighed before going on.

  “Many people who lived here early on had some kind of tie with the Otherworld. This place isn’t new, I’m sure you noticed. The complex was built in the years when the Otherworld showed itself. When everything was just like the fairy tales, remember? These people had the chance to know the Otherworld better than most humanity. There were even a number of nonhumans living here.” She gave me a quick smile. “I bought this apartment from a witch who left when all the persecution began. But the fact is that most of the ones who lived here back then wouldn’t sell their apartments. They passed it in the family, along with the stories and what they learned. Believe me, they’ll treat you as if you were human.”

  “And the ones who moved in later?” I tried to keep my surprise from showing in my voice.

  “They’re the minority. They probably won’t even notice you’re a vamp, unless you make that clear. And if they notice… Well…” Another reserved smile, but this time there was a touch of something naughty on it that made me lower her probable age in some years. “Two years ago they learned not to talk about what happens in my apartment. And, some time ago, they learned that not annoying me would bring advantages for them. They won’t do anything.”

  I nodded. I had always imagined that places like that existed, where Otherworld and humanity had lived together. But since the reintegration of the Otherworld, I had always been running from one place to another, with no chance to search for those places.

  And what did Kelene do to gain those people’s respect? What advantages could she give them? What did this woman hide?

  “Was that the reason why you chose to live here?” I asked, voicing at least one of my various questions.

  “Yes.” Her voice was calm, but something wild shone in her eyes when she answered.

  3. Kelene

  It was already eight o’clock when I woke up. Damn, I had fifteen minutes to get ready and run to the bus stop, or I would be late to class. In a hurry, I took a shower and dressed in the first clothes I found, while I balanced the phone on my shoulder and called the bakery in front of the bus stop, asking them to have my breakfast ready. Still almost running, I grabbed my bag of books and left home. My hair was having bad day, and I tied it up in a passable ponytail while walking to the bus stop.

  I barely had time to pick up my package at the bakery, and the bus was there. I sat on one of the last seats and opened the paper bag. A bottle of orange juice and three cheese breads. I hated eating on the bus, but the other option was to wait until lunchtime. No way.

 
I managed to arrive on campus exactly at nine o’clock, and got into the classroom shortly after the professor. Philosophy class was one of the few ones that really interested me. But I was so sleepy that I went straight to the back of the room and sat down leaning against the wall.

  “Philosophy class and you’re here in the back of the room, Kelene? What kind of miracle is this?”

  I turned to face the guy who had spoken. Artur was tall and thin, with that kind of lack of motor coordination you see more often in someone who just grew up a lot and didn’t exactly know what to do with his body. His dark hair was always short, and he had deep blue eyes that saw too much, sometimes. He looked just like a normal guy, but I knew he had some ties to the Otherworld. And, of course, he had no idea I knew it. I never said anything because I also knew that, if someone else noticed it, he would start flunking all classes. They couldn’t expel him for being part of the Otherworld, but they would do everything they could to make him give up.

  “Bad night.” I answered.

  And it had been a bad night. After Lucio left, I had started working on how to hide what I did from him. At around three in the morning I had been called to deal with a problem, couldn’t finish it, and would have to go back there later. The result of it all was that I had slept for less than two hours, and was exhausted.

  “Is all this because of the guy who was interested in sharing the apartment?” Artur asked, sitting on the desk beside mine.

  “No.” I had forgotten I mentioned the vampire’s call to him. “He seems to be a nice person.”

  Artur kept staring, waiting for me to tell him why I was so sleepy. I ignored him and leaned against the wall again, closing my eyes.

  “Okay, I get it, not my business.” He muttered, before starting to listen to what the professor was saying.

  I almost smiled when he gave up questioning me. After Nara, the girl who died, and one of my neighbors, he was the closest thing to a friend I had. But I needed to be careful, otherwise his curiosity would give us problems. I feared he would figure out what I was if I slipped just once. If that happened, he would have to make a not so pleasant choice, as mine had already been made.