by K. A. Poe
The room had fallen silent as a man approached the podium before us. I had intended to listen to his words, but my mind had completely numbed as it occurred to me how real this was. The woman that had raised me, that I had known as my mother for my whole life until recently, was gone – completely – and nothing I could do or say could change that fact. The man’s gentle voice faded from my ears and I began to feel like I was watching a muted TV show, barely able to comprehend what I was seeing. Desmond tapped me on the shoulder after what had felt like mere seconds.
“Alex, hun?” he sounded concerned.
“What?” I blinked. The man was no longer up there. Everyone was lining up beside the open casket at the front of the room. I swallowed the bile that was rising in my throat. I wasn't ready for this.
“You don't look well,” he commented. “You don't have to go up there, you know.”
“I-I know...” I muttered. “I don't think I can. I'm going to go get some air.”
“Okay,” he frowned, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “This isn't easy for me, either. I hope you know that.”
“I know,” I said, turning to leave. “I'll take you up on that offer, by the way.”
His expression softened into a smile. “Great. Mel and I will meet you outside in a few.”
“Okay. My car is the silver Alero, you should be able to find it,” I paused, then said “Tell mom...tell her I love her,” I started to sob uncontrollably and ran outside. I struggled to find my car through the blurring of the water in my eyes. Fumbling with the handle proved useless, but it didn't matter anymore. Salem was at my side immediately, holding me tight against his cold chest. I didn't hold back, I let the tears fall relentlessly.
His hand soothingly caressed my back and I realized how right he was. This wasn't something I should have passed up. I may not have been able to bear seeing her, lying still and lifeless in her coffin, but I would have forever regretted not being present at the funeral at all. She may not have given birth to me, but as far as I was concerned Janet Hobbs was my mother. Salem tried to pull away from me, and I attempted to stop him but it was useless. My strength was nothing compared to his.
“Someone is coming,” he whispered and disappeared from sight.
I looked up through the haze and saw Desmond approaching, Melissa linked onto his arm. I groaned. Maybe agreeing to go out with them wasn't the brightest idea.
“I am sorry for your loss, Alex,” Melissa said silently, pulling me into her arms. This was far more awkward than the hug I shared with Desmond.
“Thanks...” I said, grateful that the hug didn't last long.
“Your friends – Jason and Karen – said they were sorry, too,” Desmond said. Did I notice a hint of tears behind his glossy brown eyes? “I told them I would pass that along to you.”
I nodded slowly. “Thanks,” I repeated.
“Speaking of friends,” Melissa said with a sly grin. “Who was the handsome young man comforting you just a minute ago?”
My eyes widened. She'd seen Salem. How lovely. “He's a friend,” I lied. He was so much more than that, now.
“It's too bad he ran off, we would have taken him along with us,” Desmond said with a gentle smile.
“That's okay...he'll-” my voice was broken off when I saw Salem appear from nowhere. I eyed him frantically.
“I would be happy to join you,” he said, walking to my side. “I'm sorry I disappeared so suddenly, I was saying my farewells to Mrs. Hobbs.”
Desmond stared at him curiously, and then smiled, “Great.”
We agreed to take separate vehicles and meet up at the restaurant. It was an Italian place, which made me sicker than I anticipated. I remembered vaguely the man on the plane to Denver reminiscing about some Italian restaurant he had been to – it reminded me too much of what I had seen and endured in Denver, which had led to all of this.
We reached the restaurant shortly after Desmond and Melissa pulled into the parking lot. Salem grasped my hand tightly in his as we entered the building. The smell of fresh cooked bread was almost overwhelming. My stomach reacted immediately, growling ferociously as we followed my ‘father’ and his girlfriend. Our waiter led us to a table in the center of a full room. Fortunately, I didn't feel over-dressed as I scanned the surrounding tables. Women were clad in dresses, men in button-up shirts and some even tuxes. I had forgotten that Desmond could afford to dine at these fancier places.
I scooted into my chair, Salem sitting in the one adjacent to mine. Desmond and Melissa sat on the opposite side of the table. My throat felt like it was going to swell when I noticed the shining rock on her finger. She appeared to notice my gaze and grinned.
“Don't you worry, Alex,” dhe replied in a gentle tone, “Des and I aren't to that stage just yet.”
I exhaled and smiled. “That's good to know. Well, it isn't...that's not what I meant,” I rambled and Salem gripped my hand underneath the table. The cold of his touch was somehow soothing.
“So, are you going to introduce us?” Desmond's eyes swept across the two of us.
“This is Salem,” I said quietly, “I met him in music class.”
“That's lovely,” Melissa smiled. “Are you two, y'know...together?”
“Something like that,” Salem replied with a grin as he peeked at me through the corner of his eye.
Our waiter took our drink orders – Salem requested a glass of ice water, which I knew he would either seldom drink or not touch at all. I got a soda, Melissa followed Salem's order and Desmond requested the finest wine they had.
“You aren't originally from around here, are you, Salem?” my foster father asked, obviously hearing the accent in his voice.
“I was born in Wales, actually,” he replied with a polite smile.
“Speaking of places outside the country, where have you been off to?” I asked, eying Desmond.
He frowned somewhat, possibly hoping I hadn't noticed. “We flew in from Egypt when we heard the news,” he said casually, flipping through the extravagant menu.
“Egypt is a very interesting place,” Salem said and I glanced at him fiercely. He gripped my hand tightly – reassuringly. “My parents and I took a vacation there a few years back,” he added and I relaxed. “It’s much closer to Europe than it is to America though,” he added, laughing slightly.
“Are they travelers, too?” Desmond asked.
“Were,” Salem corrected forlornly.
“What shall we be having this evening, ladies and gentlemen?” the waiter asked, interrupting our conversation and setting our beverages down. I took a chance to look up at him; he had tanned skin and a curved mustache above his thin lips.
Salem passed on food, stating he had no appetite. I wanted to say the same, but forced myself to request the lasagna. I didn't listen for the other two's orders – the dish’s names were far too complicated to understand, anyway. The waiter walked off and I watched Salem wink at me as he took a small sip of water. I wanted to chuckle, but I fought the urge.
“You two seem happy together,” Desmond mused, watching us closely. “That’s good.”
“We are, sir,” Salem said with a smile and turned to kiss me lightly on the cheek. I felt warmth rising where his mouth had touched, despite the cold of his lips.
“Good. Maybe I will have to make a trip back here in a few years for the wedding,” he grinned.
I gasped as I took a sip of my soda, nearly choking. My lips moved to talk but I couldn't make the words come out. Salem smiled back at Desmond.
“You never know,” he replied, his smile ceasing to fade.
I wanted to cover my head in my hands. Fortunately, the food didn't take much longer to arrive and our table was filled with silence as we dug into our meal. Salem simply sat and watched, sipping his ice water every now and then. I had to admit, I was glad I had opted to eat. The food was amazing! Salem and I barely spoke, just nodding and muttering the occasional “Wow's” every once and a while between the stories Desmon
d and Melissa told us of their adventures around the globe. I could tell that Salem was somewhat eager to further discuss travel with them, but perhaps felt it would be a dangerous topic to delve too deeply into.
“How have you been, Alex?” Desmond said out of nowhere - having must have forgotten he already asked me at the funeral - after a long, tiring description of a trip they had taken once to New Zealand.
I put down my fork and looked up at him, “I've been all right, considering...” I replied. “I know Paul is my real father now, and school is going...well.”
“Oh I had no idea your moth…Janet had told you. I must confess that is one of the reasons I brought you out to eat. That and to catch up, of course,” he smiled. “And I'm glad to hear school is going well.”
“Thanks for taking us out, Mr. Hobbs,” Salem said with another smile as Desmond dabbed a napkin to his lips.
“It was my pleasure. I hoped it would lighten the mood, make things a bit easier for all of us, considering.”
“It was definitely good,” I murmured as I chewed on a piece of bread.
The waiter returned moments later with the check, and a handful of mints. We each took one; Salem and I left ours on the table. Desmond and Melissa walked us to the car and I received yet another embrace and condolences from each of them. Desmond shook Salem's hand and I wondered if he noticed how cold his skin was, but he didn't seem to react.
“Alexis, if you ever need anything…anything at all,” Desmond handed me a business card with a number written messily onto the back, “you call me, okay?”
“Yeah, da…Desmond,” I said as he smiled at me.
I relaxed some as I watched them wander off to their own vehicle. Salem and I climbed into the Alero and headed back to his place. All I wanted now was to curl up in bed and cry myself to sleep – I knew it was inevitable. After all of the stress I had endured and emotions I had tried to hold back, I knew it was time to let it out.
18. HUNTING
Three weeks had passed. Paul was beyond relieved to hear the tragic news about Salem and I 'breaking up', and eager to train me in his ways. More than anything, he was intrigued by the fact that I could transform into an actual raven. He had never believed it was possible, despite the legends. He was somewhat over thrilled at the fact that his daughter was one of the very few capable of such an ability. I, personally, dreaded it.
Five out of seven days of the week were spent in the back of the auto shop. Paul had it cleared out to make room for us to practice combat techniques. He taught me to use the crossbow he had gifted me. I was reluctant to begin with and my aim was very poor, but after just a week and a half I had mastered that skill, practicing on targets he had crafted out of old emptied fuel tanks. The fact that I enjoyed the use of it scared me. We practiced mostly in the late afternoon and into the night, during after school hours because I had him believing I was still attending.
It was difficult coming up with tales to give him about how school was, what Jason and Karen were up to, and the upcoming graduation in six months. He pressured me from time to time to ask Jason out to a movie, even if Karen joined us. He wanted nothing more than for me to forget about Salem entirely. In fact, one of his main goals at training me was with the hopes that I would be the one to kill him.
We went through simple close combat techniques. At first, it was a little difficult. I had not been in a gym or done any physical activities aside from P.E. class in forever. I was actually amazed by how flexible I still was and how easily I learned to kick and punch – Janet and Desmond had put me through gymnastics and martial arts lessons as a child, but that had been so long ago. Just another group of things I had lost interest in after Desmond had abandoned us. I learned that these particular two classes had been Paul's idea, with the obvious intent of me using that skill for my future ‘job’.
During the weeks of training, I had actually grown a little closer to Paul. He told me that he was envious of my natural skill at fighting and my impressive aim, as well as my raven abilities. He also reflected on when he first started his training. One of his favorite memories was how he used to hunt wild game with his dad, long before he even knew of his heritage. Eventually, he began training to hunt the undead with his sister and father but he seldom took it serious back then. He was far too focused on the relationship he had formed with Destiny, which he partially blamed for his lack of skills in archery. He regretted it, but at the same time was thankful that he spent so much time with her – before she was gone.
Every night after practice I went to Salem's house, exhausted and sore. Paul's plan was working, but not in the way he had hoped. With how much time I spent away practicing and in bed sleeping, I had little time with Salem. He would stay with me as I slept, and treat me to a late breakfast. That was about all the time we got together during the past three weeks.
“Are you eager to return tonight?” Salem asked, sitting across from me at the dining table. He was turning a spoon around in his fingers; the ceiling light glinted off of the metal. He appeared nervous.
“Not really,” I sighed tiredly. “Paul wants me to try...changing.”
“Have either of you figured out how to do that?”
“He thinks being around your kind might trigger it somehow,” I said quietly. “When I am in danger and my adrenaline is pumping…even though it didn’t happen when I was around Mark.”
His eyes grew cold and the spoon clattered to the floor. “What does he expect you to do?” his voice was harsh.
“He wants to take me hunting tonight...” I murmured, barely touching the food on my plate, “real hunting, against a vampire.”
Salem shut his eyes and shook his head, “No! You're not ready!”
My lips curved upward slightly, “Salem, I’ve had nearly a month's worth of practice. I think it's just you that isn't ready.”
“You might be right,” he sighed and began pacing around the room. “What if I went with you?”
“How would that work? Paul would know you were there in a second.”
“I wouldn't have to be right beside you...just within the area.”
“I don’t know. It might work. I don’t really see the point in you being there though, I’ll be fine.”
“If anything happened to you...” his voice trailed off.
“You’ll be putting yourself in danger if you go. Don’t forget about Paul.”
“There is no reason to worry about me,” he said assuredly.
“I guess I'll tell Paul that I’ll do it. He said I didn’t have to if I wasn’t ready, but I think I am,” I sighed, hoping I really was ready. “He says he’s been hearing some strange things down by the graveyard towards his place. He thinks it may be vampire related.”
“It’s possible,” he said simply.
As Salem cleared my plate, I reluctantly called Paul and told him I would meet him at the cemetery. I was not looking forward to it in the least. The first experience with changing had not only been startling, but also painful. I also wasn't quite sure I was ready to face a vampire, despite all of my practice. Salem and Paul being in the same place together made me even more nervous.
The day was dragging on slowly. Salem and I snuggled up on the sofa and discussed strategies for tonight's event. He was going to leave before I did and await our arrival, concealing himself behind whatever was available, and watching to make sure I was safe. As we talked, my phone suddenly vibrated. Plucking it from my pocket, I saw Jason's name across the screen.
“It's Jason again…” I murmured.
“Answer it,” Salem suggested, “I'll leave you alone if you want.”
“No, it's fine,” I replied and leaned up against him again after I hit the answer button. “Hello?”
“Alex!” Jason's voice was a pleasant, welcoming sound. It felt like forever since I last heard it. As I listened it began to sink in how much time I had spent away from my best friends. I missed a party, at my own house, because I was spending time with Salem instead. There had o
nce been a time when Jason, Karen and I were inseparable and now I had practically replaced them with a boy I had just met merely a month ago. Yet, despite how wretched it made me feel knowing that I had abandoned my friends, I was happier now than I had ever been before – and that just made it worse. These feelings increased at the sound of Jason's voice as he continued talking, but I did my best to suppress my emotions. “I have been so worried about you. You haven't been to school, and I have stopped at the house countless times and you never answer-”
“I'm fine, Jace,” I said, breaking him off. “I have just had the flu really bad. I haven't been able to answer the door. I am really sorry to have made you worry,” I felt terrible having to lie to him.
“Oh...are you feeling better now?” he sounded sincerely worried.
“Yeah, I'm getting better,” I lied again.
“That's good,” he paused for a moment, “I kind of wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it?” This couldn't be good.
“If you are feeling up to it...” he paused again, “would you want to go out for lunch, with me?”
“Um, when?” I stared at Salem hopelessly, wishing he could do or say something to save me.
“I was thinking today, but if some other time would be better...”
The only thing that led me to agree was the hope that it would get Paul off my back. “Where’d you have in mind?”
“There's this really nice diner down by my house. Mitch works there, actually. I’m sure you know the place.”
“Oh, that's cool. I guess that works.”
“Great!” his voice was over-enthusiastic. “Be ready in an hour?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?”
“Yeah, I’m feeling a lot better, really.”
“I hope so, see ya in an hour!”
“See you,” I muttered and hung up the phone. Salem stared eagerly at me, awaiting my story. To my surprise, he wasn't upset.
“You need time with your friends,” he insisted.