"I have something to ask you," he said.
"What?"
"Right after your first semester ends on December 31st, there is a gathering; the Elders and all vampire of power will be there. Will you come with me?"
"You want to take me to a vampire party?"
"Yeah, it’s something like that. I’d really like you to go with me. My mother has expressed something along the same lines as well. If I’ve read her overwhelming hints accurately, that is."
"Where will it be at?"
"Tanzania, Africa. It’s near the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro."
"Are you serious?" I was shocked.
"Very."
"What’s the party for?"
"It’s more of a ritual; the Elders believe that Aaliyah's prison is beneath Kilimanjaro and every year, they make a trip to it on December 31st. It translates to the day Aaliyah was betrayed by Lucifer on the modern calendar. There will be other humans there as well."
"Other humans?"
"A diplomat or two, some political figures, and some businessmen: the pets of some vampire."
"Am I going to be your pet?"
"No, you will be my date. Kind of like taking your cousin to the prom." He smiled.
"Alright, I will get my passport from my mom when I get back."
"Thank you," he said in a low voice, as we had slowly been getting closer together unconsciously. I found my lips against his, I’m not sure who kissed who but I didn’t care. I told myself that I wasn’t going to let this happen; I’m not supposed to get attached to him like this. Although, I also told myself that I didn’t want to become a vampire as well, but I had found myself considering it an option after school ended. We broke apart and he looked into my eyes. "Sorry," he apologized.
"Don’t be, I didn’t stop you."
"I will behave myself from now on, I promise. Do you still have your phone?" he asked and I pulled the crystal square out of my pocket.
"I never go anywhere without it."
"Call me when you want to see me and I will be here."
"I will."
"I’m going to say goodbye to everyone. Will you walk me to the car?"
"Yeah."
We found everyone and Alik said his goodbyes and we walked out to the parking lot where a group of kids were standing around his car. He got in and lowered the roof and gave me one more look before starting the engine. "Remember, call me and I will be here." A moment
later, he was speeding down the street. I looked down at the phone and had to stop myself from calling him back.
Alyon Alik
Chapter 20.0
How do you make a girl you love, love you back with so much going against you. You can’t...
“Hello,” I was expecting Sam’s call.
“Hey Alik, so I have good news and bad new,” she told me. I didn’t think this would be good either way.
“Okay, how about the bad first?”
“I couldn’t get into her room to get at her drawings,” I gave a sigh. “However,” she said loudly in response to my sigh, “I do have something she made for me. They are quickly sketched copies, but I still have enough for you to work with.”
“What does it look like?”
“It was designed for a car lover so the garage is the largest room in the whole thing, but you have to see it to really get a good sense. I will bring it to Masteria in an hour.”
“Perfect, thank you.”
Samantha Marie Castillo
Chapter 21.0
Vanessa might be lying to herself about how she felt about Alik, but I could tell she really loved him. She is just one of those girls who likes to torture herself where love is concerned. I, on the other hand, thought Alik was good for Vanessa, but that was only if my feeling that he was hiding something was wrong. In part that is why I picked to go to him at Masteria in the day. I wanted to get to know Alik a little better with Vanessa not around.
The beautiful black Aston Martin was parked outside, but there were also a few other cars I wasn’t expecting; I began to get nervous. In the daytime, the tent looked not less impressive, but then it didn’t hold the same vibe that made you feel like dancing just walking up to the opening.
“Hello?” I called out as I walked in.
“Hi,” came a female voice behind me, causing me to jump. “You must be Sam, Alik is waiting for you follow me.”
“Oh,” was all I could think of as we walked.
“I’m Alison by the way. Nice to meet you,” she spun, holding
out a hand for me to shake while still walking backwards. I shook, her grip was light but very cold. “Are those the plans?” she asked. I was worried she was going to trip when we hit the stairs, but she just kept walking backwards.
“Yeah, they were the only ones I could get. Vanessa is very protective of her work,” I said, still unsure about this girl.
“I wish I had a guy to build a house for me,” she said dreamily.
“This is for her? He didn’t tell me that.”
“Well, it is and it isn’t. That’s why it’s so sweet.”
“Oh, I see what you mean. Yeah.”
“Yeah, I haven’t seen Alik this sweet in a long time.”
“Have you known him long?
“Since I was a little girl. His mom took me in.”
“He has only ever said that he has one sister,” I was confused.
“Oh, he does. I’m not his sister. My parents weren’t the best and Lilith helped me get emancipated and gave me a place to live. I think I impressed her when I lied about my age to get a job at one of her hotels.”
“But you said you knew Alik since you were a little girl.” We reached Alik’s office.
“I have, he used to make me laugh when I was crying because I didn’t want to go home after school. He would get me an ice cream and make me feel better,” she reminisced.
Wow, was Alik like he is now as a kid, too. I guess I could see that. “You never tried...”
“To get in his pants? Of course, all the time. I kind of lost touch with him in middle school and it was a stroke of fate that I was able to find him during that interview. He came out of the elevator and it was a little shocking for both of us. I think he talked to his mom and got her to call me back, but she won’t admit to it.”
“Is all of his family so giving?” This girl might be my way into Alik’s head.
“No, giving wouldn’t be a word I’d use. You have to be useful to invoke this sort of kindness out of Lilith.”
“Lilith?”
“Alik’s mother. She can be a ruthless person, but very sweet underneath. The hardest thing is to know which is the act and which is the truth with her.”
“Is Alik the same way?”
“He is his mother’s son.”
“Alison,” Alik said as he walked into the office, she was still walking backwards.
“Hey you!” she shouted, bouncing over to give Alik a kiss on the cheek.
“Why are you here?” he asked. I had to hide my shock.
“Just talking about you with my new friend here,” she teased. “I was just leaving however.” She came over and gave me a kiss on both cheeks. “Maybe I will see you later,” she smiled and made her way out the door.
“I’m sorry for her, the new liberties my mother has given her has made her bold lately. She’s my mother’s spy on how my new business is going, but anyway you said you found some plans for me?”
“Yes.”
I was sort of in a daze by Alison’s kisses, I snapped out of it when he brought up the plans I was still holding. “She did these about a year ago, I asked her to design me a house.” I laid the plans out over his desk. “My favorite part is the four car garage with a glass wall leading to the bedroom so I can always see my cars. The loft’s are just to break up the space in each room with the ceiling hitting almost 18 feet in places. Other than that, it’s very open to natural light with all the glass and double skylights,” I explained as I walked him through the floor
plan.”
“It’s... just perfect,” he said, still looking over the plans.
“I know you like your cars and that’s what made me think of this.”
“Can i borrow these?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.” He gave me a tight hug that caught me off guard. Alik then rolled up the plans and put them back into the tube I brought them in.
“Do you seriously intend to build this?” I just had to know.
“I’ve been looking for someone to design my new house, who better than Vanessa?”
“You really love her, don’t you?”
“I’d do anything for her.” It was sweet how he said it, but with what Alison had just told me, was this the true Alik or the act?
Vanessa Stanton
Chapter 22.0
I always had a problem falling asleep in a bed other than my own so I ended up needing Alik more often than I would have liked in the first few weeks. On my call, he would be here in under an hour to let me fall asleep and wake up in his arms without Sam ever knowing he had come. I didn’t seem able to leave the newfound comfort Alik seemed to create in me. Our talks allowed me to tell myself that this was harmless, that he wished to be with me this way. With some effort, I slowly began to call him less and less, till I made it a full week without him about two months into the semester. Without Alik here every night, I began to let my new life at school take over.
I thought back to that speech Jenny the valedictorian gave, about our new beginnings after high school and thought maybe the teachers who wrote those speeches were right in some ways. I could feel the start of a new life here in this place, but they said "leaving for college was the start", so was that leaving home? Or walking out the doors of the school for the last time as a student? When I walked out of those doors in that gown, it was free reign from that point on for anything to walk into my life and for me to seize it if I desired. Alik had walked into my life, was I going to let him slip away? It took a long conversation with myself not to call him that moment, and I drowned
myself in thoughts of my classes.
My design studio professor assigned a group project the next day. We were to develop a small, secluded bit of land to a very open and flowing home for a family with two with children, and that was the day I met Phil formally. Phil was a very nice guy with bold ideas on new age design; he was very passionate about his work. He might even have seemed a little overbearing to anyone outside of the Architecture majors. He had long black hair and green eyes with tanned skin. His smile would make you smile back even when you didn’t feel like it. He immediately came over to me to see if I would work with him. In our first assignment, where we had to do quick sketches on a place for teens to hang out, he seemed the most intent during my presentation and gave the most comments and asked the most questions.
"It's Vanessa, right?" he asked me, walking over as I pulled my computer from my bag.
"Yeah, and you are..." I tried not to blush as he reached a hand out. I totally forgot his name.
"Phil, I’ve been watching your work. I know we are only on our third project, but I really admire what you do."
"Thank you."
"How about we get a cup of coffee and work out a few ideas for this hangout."
"Is this your way of asking me to be your partner or on a date?"
"A little of both, I suppose," he smiled sheepishly.
"I'd like that."
The project had us meeting for hours after our other classes ended. Sam even made a joke about us: if she wanted to find me, she just had to look for us by the lone light that lit a single window on the fourth floor of the studio building. Even after the project ended, which we passed with flying colors, I was still spending most of my time with him. Sam often remarked that she began to feel a bit lonely, despite
her amazing ability to find or start a party wherever she was. Study dates, lunch dates, dinner dates, movie dates, and any kind of date you could think of we would go on. Then one night, he kissed me. Walking back to my dorm in the hall, he stopped me and turned me around to look me in the eyes. His lips were warm and soft like mine and made my heart race. I looked at him, blinked, and took a step back, my heart still racing. "Good night," I said in a low and shaky voice, and it was like when I kissed Seith. I had such a hard time getting my key in the lock that he had to steady my hand. I glimpsed his face as the door closed, a mix of confusion and sadness. I hadn’t said anything about the kiss. Sam was out and I was glad because for some reason, after the door had shut and Phil was walking away, I began to cry.
In the studio the next day, Phil came straight to me and slipped his arms around my waist and kissed me on the cheek.
"That was nice, but I still like the first time more," I said. Can you tell I was confused?
"Really?" he asked surprised.
“If you were expecting me to react in anger, why did you do it?”
“I guess I just couldn’t stop myself.”
"Well, I’m not going to.”
"I like the model by the way; nice use of aluminum foil on the railing," he pointed out, trying to change the subject. There was something on his mind and he didn’t seem like he was sure if he should say it or not.
"Thank you."
"I have a question for you," he said, spinning my chair so I could look him in the face. "What are we?" The look on his face was so intent on my expression for any signs.
"What do you mean?"
"If I were to call you my girlfriend, how would you react?" he
asked, still intent on my reaction, so I leaned in to kiss him and when I broke it off, he sat there for a moment, blinked, opened his mouth, and then blinked again. "I was hoping for something along those lines," he said, a grin breaking across his face and he lit up.
"Now, hand me that glue over there," I said, spinning back around.
I had been cornered and I reacted without really thinking. We spent the studio class finishing project models and talking as I was still getting to know him. Although, I don’t remember anything that we talked about during that class because my mind was on other things. I should feel horrible to get trapped like that, but I didn’t; I wanted to feel horrible, but I felt at ease. That was until I was alone and broke down again. I told myself that I got my wish and started to slowly cry as I walked back to my dorm. I laid on my bed for a while until I reached for my little crystal phone and called Alik.
Alyon Alik
Chapter 23.0
June stood across from me, no more than ten feet away. She was crouched low to the ground, her sword tucked behind her in her right hand. I stood unarmed, my knees loose and ready to move in any direction. Then, she was gone. I closed my eyes and heard June to my right. With a step, I dodged her sheath, which she slammed down into the ground so deep that it stood there on its own. In another move, she drew the blade in a upward stroke and I took another step back, dodging it. As one continuous motion, her upward stroke turned into a twist and on the way back around, her foot kicked her sheath and it flew at me like a bullet. In a twist, I caught it in a awkward flip and as she charged me, I held out the sheath and caught her blade, pulling her in close. Three quick jabs to her wrist, arm, and shoulder and she dropped the blade. Grabbing her, I lifted her body and slammed her to the ground, pinning her still.
“Damn it,” groaned June as she hopped up and dusted herself off.
“One day, you will get me, your creativity is getting better,” I told her when my phone rang. I listened to Vanessa’s tears and I knew June could hear it all. “I will be there soon,” I said and ended the call. I
smiled at June. “Another day, little sister.”
“Why, Alik?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you put up with her, she doesn’t know what she has in you. So she goes and kisses some other? Now you have to run to her?”
“She is confused.”
“She is stupid!”
“And I am a monster. Should the maid
en be happy she loves the beast when her sweet prince is next to her at every step of the way?”
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