by Stina
“Kesh,” she panted, barely able to speak. “This is so beautiful. I’ve never seen anything . . .”
A flock of beautiful pink and blue birds soared through the sky overhead as she spoke. She’d never seen birds as colorful or majestic as these. Adirah watched them glide through the beams of light and disappear into the canopy.
“It’s all about what you believe in, Dira. If you believe in beauty, you’ll be around beautiful things,” he said.
Adirah closed her eyes for a few seconds and felt the warmth of the sun on her skin. She inhaled the scent of the flowers and the air. The air smelled so marvelous, she could stand there and inhale it all day. She could taste the sweetness on her tongue. If she had to imagine the Garden of Eden from the Bible, this would be it.
“Is that honeydew?” she asked, sniffing again.
“It is whatever you want it to be,” Kesh told her.
A butterfly zigzagged its way up to Adirah. She reached out her hand, and the butterfly gently landed on her open palm. “Kesh,” she said, holding the butterfly up to her face to get a closer look. “Kesh, this . . . this is so beautiful. How did you know it was here?”
“My people found this place a long time ago,” he told her, motioning for her to take his hand again. “It’s hidden back here, and because the world has become too cold and callous to stop and see the beauty, it is one of the most overlooked places in the world.”
Adirah shook her hand softly, motioning for the butterfly to take flight, before she took Kesh’s hand. He took her to the edge of the pond and allowed her to peer in it. The water was so clear that she could see the bottom thirty feet down. She was almost certain that she could drink the water and not get any type of sickness. She dipped her hand into the crystal clear pond. The cool crispness of the water felt therapeutic. Adirah watched the ripples she had created fan out in rings until they disappeared.
“But how did this get here?” she asked. “There’s a waterfall, a fresh pond, untouched trees, and beautiful birds and flowers. It’s like an enchanted garden. It can’t be real.”
“It’s real. It’s real for anyone who wants to believe. Not everyone has the capability to witness this place. But I stopped asking those questions a long time ago.” Kesh chuckled while facing her. “Don’t you realize yet that everything happens for a reason? And there is a reason you are here.”
“Why did you bring me here?”
“So that you can know yourself.” He rubbed her cheek softly. “Now, what is it that you were telling me? Well, complaining about on the long walk here?”
“I’m just different,” she said, furrowing her brows and looking into his face. “Kesh, I’m so different now. Like stronger . . . wiser . . . I don’t know. It’s kind of strange.”
“Strong? How strong?” he asked, teasing her.
“Like really strong. Stronger than I would’ve ever imagined myself being.”
“Show me.”
“What?”
“Show. Me.” He released her. “Look at this.” He pointed at a rock the size of a small boulder. “You think you’re so strong you can pick that up?”
“Kesh, come on.” Adirah rolled her eyes at him. “Now you’re trying to make fun of me. You missed my point.”
“No. No. I’m serious,” he said, waving her over. “You said you are strong, and I want to see.”
Adirah hated to be challenged. From the first day in class until now, she had never let Kesh win another argument. She walked over to where he stood, and looked at the huge rock. She bit the inside of her cheek, highly doubting that she would even be able to make it budge.
“Go on. Lift it. I bet you can do it,” he urged.
“You think I can’t do it, huh?” she said, slightly annoyed. “You know what? I don’t have anything to prove to you, anyways.” She folded her arms across her chest. “You’re a bully.”
He nodded at her and then at the rock, ignoring her little tantrum. Then he also folded his arms across his chest expectantly.
“You’re so lucky I hate to lose,” Adirah grumbled.
She sucked her teeth, bent down, and closed her arms around the rock. She tugged gently at first, not expecting to move the rock even an inch. Her eyes shot open and her jaw fell when the rock flew up easily, like it was as light as a piece of soft cotton. “What the . . .” Adirah was shocked. She knew that rock had to weigh at least a hundred pounds, but there in her arms, it felt like almost nothing.
Kesh laughed raucously. “Throw it,” he instructed.
Adirah looked from him to the rock and then back again. “Whew,” she said under her breath. “Okay. This is really happening. Okay.”
“Throw it!”
Adirah tossed the rock with all her might and sent it soaring through the air and across the pond. When she heard the loud thud of it landing on the other side, her mouth hung open. She turned to Kesh with wide eyes to make sure he’d seen what she had done. He didn’t look surprised at all.
Instead, he pointed to where the rock was and said, “Now go and get it.”
Adirah, pumped and ready to throw the rock again, started to head around the pond, but Kesh stopped her.
“Not that way,” he said and nodded his head toward the body of water. “That way.”
Adirah crinkled her face. “Are you saying to . . .” She looked back at the water. She shook her head, feeling Kesh’s gaze and pondering his challenge. “My clothes. I don’t want them to get wet. Besides, I can’t swim.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back. The sneaky smile that came to Kesh’s handsome face was too much for her.
He shrugged his shoulders. “If you don’t want to get wet, jump.”
“Jump?”
“You heard me. Jump over it.”
“Kesh, that’s crazy!” Adirah waved her arms toward the pond. “Do you see how big that pond is? This is crazy. You’re being ridiculous now.”
“Almost as crazy as you throwing that rock all the way over there? Well, you thought you couldn’t do that, and look how easily it happened.” He shrugged. “You never know what you can do until you actually try.”
Adirah opened her mouth to say something, but then she shut it. Nothing in her life was making sense anymore, and maybe it was because she was trying so hard to understand it. Nodding her head, she backed up a little farther from the pond and studied the water. She figured she would be jumping the length of a city block to make it across the pond. If she jumped and nothing was different and she didn’t make it, then she would probably be only a few feet from shore. Either she would be able to get herself back on land somehow or she had to trust that Kesh would save her from drowning. He had saved her once from burning to death, so Adirah figured he would save her again if she went into the pond.
Okay, Adirah, you can do this. She took a deep breath while she coached herself. Go!
She took off, running full speed, focusing only on the other end of the pond. Her legs were moving faster than they ever had in her life, and right when her feet would have touched the water, she leaped high into the air and over the water. She looked under her and saw the ripples of water passing by as her legs did a running motion in the air. The entire jump lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like things were going in slow motion around her. Suddenly, she was terrified; it felt like all the wind had left her chest. She lost control and felt her body dropping. When she had almost made it completely across, she fell. But not before she saw a blurry figure moving even faster than she had. It landed in the water before her. It wasn’t until she was in his arms that she realized it had been Kesh. He looked down at her as she looked up, frightened, at him. His complete torso was submerged in the water, but he had made sure not even a drop touched her.
“Kesh, what am I? What are you? What did you do to me? This is insane.”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he held her as he walked out of the water.
“Kesh? Tell me,” Adirah demanded.
He put
her down gently in the grass and sat beside her. Kesh stared out at the pond. He pulled at the grass between his legs. There was something on his mind. Adirah could feel a shift in his energy.
“You’re going to give me the silent treatment now? I have to know what is happening to me . . . to us,” she said.
Kesh looked into the water. Adirah studied the troubled expression on his creased face. She couldn’t say she was dreaming, because she knew she was awake. Still how could she explain what had just happened? That kind of thing happened only in movies, and even then they had props to help them pull off the stunts. A ray of sun engulfed the two lovers as they sat side by side. Kesh was lost in thought and was playing with the ring on his finger, spinning it around and around with his thumb. With a shaky hand, she grabbed his wrist, making him stop the spinning.
“Are you nervous? What’s the—” She stopped mid-sentence. She had been about to keep pressing him with questions when a glint from the ring hit her eyes. Adirah had to blink and throw her hand up to her face because it hurt her eyes to look at the ring while the sun beamed down on it. Adirah grabbed Kesh’s hand and brought the ring closer, to where she could get a better look at it. She examined it closely, running her fingers over the markings. She’d seen the symbol before. It was the fraternity’s symbol and was branded on Kesh’s chest.
“What does it mean?” she asked, sliding the ring down his finger to the tip.
Kesh grimaced. “Dira . . .” There was a warning in his tone, but he didn’t stop her. She held the ring tightly and brought it back up to the light. Kesh fell back and began trembling. His hand began smoking, and he cried out in pain. He was writhing in complete agony. His hand was charred to a crisp.
His reaction almost made Adirah’s heart stop. “Kesh! What’s the matter?”
He held up a weak hand. “The ring,” he wheezed.
She quickly slid the ring back on his finger. Kesh choked and coughed and labored for breath. He lay there on the grass, grimacing in pain, battling to regain his normal breathing. As his breathing began to normalize, Adirah watched in amazement as his hand slowly healed, returning to perfection. She witnessed it go from burnt to a crisp to smooth and beautifully manicured in a matter of seconds.
Adirah’s eyes were stretched so wide, they watered at the edges. “I don’t understand. . . .”
“The light . . . it’s one of the many things that can hurt my kind,” he told her. “This . . . this makes it possible for us to walk in the light,” he continued, holding his hand up. “That is why we wear these and never take them off. They allow us to walk in the light. They allow us to live and love.”
“Y-y-y-you’re a vampire?” Adirah gasped, jumping to her feet. “Lina was right?” Adirah started backing away from him. It was beginning to make sense now. Her heightened powers and senses, the hold he had on her. It wasn’t just that his blood had healing powers; he was a vampire. How could she be so gullible? Of course he was a vampire. Adirah felt like she should have known, and maybe she had, and she had chosen to ignore it. Adirah was even more confused now.
“Yes,” he answered honestly. “Now you know what I am . . . what I will always be. I, Kesh, am the king of my clan. The Sefu Clan of vampires. You figured it out on your own, but if I had told you, I would have had to turn you.”
Adirah pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. “Wait . . . the other . . . all the others?”
Kesh nodded. “They’re my people, Dira. And you’re my queen.”
Adirah couldn’t grasp what he was saying. “And Vila?” Adirah asked, thinking about how protective she was of Kesh.
“She is a vampire too. I am her maker.”
“Oh, my God! Why didn’t you tell me? You can’t just have me fall in love with you and then tell me you’re not real!” Tears began rolling down her cheeks. She couldn’t keep track of each emotion she was feeling. They were coming in such fast waves, there was no way for her to process any of them.
“I kept it from you to protect you.”
Adirah shook her head no. “It was dishonest.” She began to sob.
“It is against our law to tell a mortal of our true nature. But you are different now, Dira. You’ve always had gifts . . . even before me. You’re a spirit walker. That is why I was so attracted to you . . . your gift. The voices . . . the visions . . . they’re not a mistake. You are here to save our clan. There is a greater purpose for you.”
“But I’m not a human anymore? You changed me? Did something to make me different?” She stopped at a realization. “Oh, my God . . . I’m a vampire! That’s why I can . . . I can—”
“No, my beautiful Dira,” Kesh said, grabbing her to calm her down. “Just as I expected, you’re freaked out. I wish that I had had a little bit more time before I revealed this to you, but that would be selfish of me. Everything you were saying, I already had taken notice of. You didn’t know it, but whenever I fed you food or drink, I fed you some of me . . . my blood,” Kesh confessed. “I had to do it.”
Adirah pulled away from him. “You liar! You wanted to make me a monster,” she boomed.
“Dira. Listen to me,” he begged. “It’s not what you think.”
“No!” She pounded his chest and backed away from him.
Kesh put his hands out in front of him, pleading. “Hear me out. I knew that if I didn’t give you some of my blood, you would get too weak. Vila was right. When I saved you, you were on the brink of death. There were only two things that could save you. The permanent fix would have been to turn you into one of us, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I took away your chance to decide whether you wanted to live for decades, unable ever to rest in peace. So instead, I used the healing powers of my blood to save you.”
Adirah, mortified, covered her face with her hands. She fell down on her knees and sobbed. “You’ve turned me into a monster.”
“Dira.” Kesh tried to tug her hands away so he could look at her, but to no avail. “You looked so mortified about the new gifts that I had to set things straight. It crushed me to know how sickened you were by what you thought you’d become. I did not change you, but allowing you to drink my blood was the only way to save you. You almost died. I had just found you, and it might have been selfish, but I loved you already. I couldn’t lose you so soon. But . . .”
“But what, Kesh?” She ripped her hands from her face and stared straight into his eyes, challenging him.
“You must drink from me, or else you will grow too weak to live. You will succumb to your original wounds and . . .”
“Die?”
“Yes.”
Adirah went silent. Her body shook all over. She looked at the ground, at the pond, even at the ladybugs crawling on the grass around her. Anything to keep her from looking into his eyes. The juxtaposition of the beauty of their surroundings with the ugliness of their truth was not lost on Adirah.
“So, I’m at your mercy forever?” she said defeated.
Kesh’s silence gave her the answer that she didn’t even need.
“Why didn’t you just turn me? And make me like you?” she asked.
“Living for decades and decades, roaming and feeding, is not something that should just be given. It can be a curse, a long, lonely curse. I would never do that to you, not unless you wanted it. I can keep you alive just like this if you choose,” Kesh said.
“But then I would grow old . . . and you wouldn’t, right?” Adirah thought about everything he was telling her. She was trying to make sense of it all. Her views on fact and fiction were forever altered. “If you had turned me, then . . .”
“I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if you were unhappy with me after that,” Kesh said. “Like Vila. She’ll never really forgive me. She has gone through decades, unfulfilled. Unable to find love. She hates it, but she is loyal and will not leave my side.”
“If you had turned me,” Adirah said, “then I wouldn’t have been lonely for eternity, though. I would have h
ad you forever.”
She finally turned back to Kesh. He was gazing at her with his mesmerizing eyes, a look of hurt on his face. Adirah could see that his decisions had weighed heavily on him. The love he had for her seemed to ooze from his skin. Looking at him, she realized that it wasn’t Kesh whom she was frightened of. She could never be afraid of him. Rather it was the knowledge that was staring her in the face that she was scared of. She’d been feeling the presence of spirits since before her brother died. In the deepest part of her mind, she had always known that there were supernatural forces in the world. But now she was being forced to acknowledge that they were real and that she couldn’t ignore them any longer.
They sat in silence as they both wrestled with their inner demons. All the cards were on the table, and decisions needed to be made. Kesh hoped that his decision finally to reveal his true self didn’t backfire and destroy the only true love he had ever experienced. Adirah needed time to untangle her emotions and make a clear decision about the rest of her life.
“Kesh.” Adirah broke the silence.
“Yes?”
She turned her head to look at him. “I love you.”
He picked his head up from staring at the grass and looked into Adirah’s sparkling eyes.
“If I sat here, mad at you, that would be the most awful thank-you known to mankind. You saved my life, and for that I should be grateful,” she said.
Relief washed over his face. Kesh pulled her on top of him and pressed his lips against hers. Her fingers got tangled in his dreads, and she felt his clothes drenching hers, but she didn’t care. If his clothes didn’t do it, the ocean between her legs soon would.
“I have to tell you something,” Adirah said.
“What is it?” Kesh pulled away from her and stared into her face.