by P. Mattern
“Look my gestating angel. You don’t have any problems. I am here. You have nothing to confess to me. I don’t give a rat’s ass for any other possibilities. I want you to enjoy this, Mitzi! It’s-it’s kind of a gift. And I love you now more than ever.”
Mitzi turned to him, her eyes soft but focused. With vampire quickness she moved so that she was practically in his lap, kissing him for all she was worth.
They were interrupted by Cass’s cell phone.
“Who is it?”Mitzi asked, hurriedly getting back into her seat and reapplying lip gloss.
Cass sighed.
“Damn the twin connection! It’s Lux of course!”He handed the cell over so that Mitzi could see the text, which read,
“CONGRATULATIONS!”
Carey continued to work his gas station job and see Kimber. Loki hadn’t transformed since the first time that he had, several weeks earlier, and Carey had managed to put the entire bizarre episode out of his mind. Carey was so entirely in love with Kimber that he had agreed not to pressure her for anything more than making out-and each time they turned each other on to the point of insanity -regretted it.
But as far as he was concerned, she was ‘the one’, and he would rather have her near him on any terms. He admired her personal qualities ad infinitum, and discovered even more of them as the days turned into weeks. Most of what they did was small town stuff, but being with her added an extra element of novelty and excitement to even the most mundane of activities.
He wondered if he could ever share his condition with her. He wanted to, because Kimbra had opened herself up to him completely, sharing with him all of her past experiences ,present feelings and future hopes and dreams. Every time he considered it, though, he couldn’t find the right words, although he had entertained several openers.
“Hey Kimbra ,I wondered if you’d be interested in seeing me give myself head, because I’m THAT flexible!”
“Hey lady,I like your new bra with the flowers on it-no, it’s not showing, I just happen to be able to see through your clothing –sorry I never mentioned it earlier.”
“Hi Kimbra! How would you and your sister like to fly up to the roof and look at the stars-no problem ,because not only am I strong enough to carry both of you but I can fly-didn’t I ever mention that? I could have sworn I did!”
Ironically, the day Carey was finally able to share his unusual uberhuman status with Kimbra turned out to be as much of a surprise to himself as it was to Kimbra. It had started out like any other work day: Carey showed up for his myriad duties at the gas station sharply at 7am.
Kimbra and Channing stopped in midmorning to chat and buy soft drinks, and all three decided to see the feature at the town’s lone movie theatre-a relic from the fifties that still had the original art deco themed décor and ancient looking dusty dark blue velvet drapes held back by huge golden tassles hanging at each side of the movie screen. There was a chance that Tyler and Elle would be able to join them-Tyler was in the process of trying to switch shifts with a fellow employee at the grocery store and would update Kimbra as soon as he made the arrangement.
Carey had very little time after getting off at 6:30 from the gas station to prep for his group date but he ran back to his house, kissed Aunt Ida, told her he had plans to go to the movies and took a three minute shower as hot as he could stand it. Dressed in cargo shorts and a polo short, since the weather had warmed up considerably, his wet hair combed neatly, he thought he looked fairly dashing. He was looking forward to being with young people his age. Before he left he checked with Aunt Ida to see if he could do anything for her, but she waved him off and told him to have a good time with his friends.
The doorbell buzzed at 6:50 and Kimbra and Channing were standing on the porch when he opened the door, giving off an air of high energy and excitement. The walk to the theatre two streets over was not far but because they were running late they decided to cut through the alleyways between the streets. It was dark by then, save for the light of a tropical looking full moon surrounded by sprays of stars, a beautiful spring night. Channing kept up an easy chatter concerning a boy she liked in town, describing the boy and asking Carey(who had become a big brother figure to her) his opinion of the situation.
They were through the first third of the second alleyway when two figures stepped out from the shadowed walls of the two windowless buildings that flanked them. Carey could see the street lights at the end of the alley and the male silhouettes in their path. The hair on the back of Careys neck stood up, and his heart began racing. The trio had stopped walking forward and were about six feet away from the strangers.
“Hey, where you going?” one of the shadowy men asked in a low rough voice. Carey thought he could smell alcohol wafting towards him from where the men stood, both in dark colored pants and hoodys pulled down low enough so that he couldn’t quite make out their faces in the dimness. There was a silence then, and the night scents of the alleyway surrounded them, a garbage smell ,cat urine, the burned paper and wood smell from some of the containers that lined the walls that had been used to burn trash.
“Two dates ,huh?” the shorter figure commented.”Doubt you can handle two. We might need to take one of them offa you.”
“I like the red head,” the taller man commented, ”Say ‘Red’-you red all over? Downstairs too?”
Carey spread his arms and swept the girls back behind him as he simultaneously stepped forward. Over his shoulder he said tersely,”Run!” as he moved forward toward the men. The shorter one was also moving forward quickly, and as a beam of moonlight shone down into the alleyway Carey, at the last moment before they impacted each other, saw that light gleaming off the raised blade of a slender knife.
Carey waited until the shorter man was upon him, then ducked down abruptly to pull both the man’s legs out from under him and fling him against the building wall effortlessly, causing the man to make a noise as the wind was knocked out of him, and also causing him to drop the knife, which made a clattering sound as it hit the pavement and spun like a whirligig toward Carey.
Carey picked up the knife and turned in time to be enveloped by the taller man who was reaching around Carey in order to pull him to the ground. Lightening fast, Carey grabbed the mans hand and bent every finger backwards, and then backwards still more. The sound of bones breaking echoed off the alley walls, and the thug let out an unholy wail of pain.
“My HAND,” he screamed over and over, thrashing on the dirty pavement as he held the wrist of his injured hand with his remaining hand and looked at it in horror. The other man had gotten up, and pulling his cohort to his feet never took his eyes off Carey, even glancing backwards over his shoulder as the hoodlums ran away.
Carey immediately felt himself being hugged on both sides by Kimber and Channing.
“OMG you’re a superhero!” Channing chortled.
“Carey are you all right?” Kimbra wanted to know, her mouth muffled against his shirt.”You were so incredible-you beat both those guys, even though they outweighed you.”
Suddenly she pulled back, frowning.”You never told me you had Krav Maga training!”
Carey smiled down at their eager faces, then frowned himself.
“You both were supposed to RUN-why did you stick around? You could have been hurt!”
“The movie,” Channing said sadly,”We missed the beginning. I hate to miss the beginning!”
“Well we’re going to have to stop in at the police station anyway and file a report. Don’t worry Channing, we can go to the 9pm showing. And I’ll call dad…” Kimbra’s voice trailed off as she retrieved her smartphone from her shoulder bag.
Channing grabbed her wrist.
“NO Kimber!! If you tell dad he’ll make us go home! You know he will!”
“He’ll find out anyway,”Kimbra retorted.”Have you forgotten where you are? Everyone in town will know what happened by tomorrow afternoon!”
While Carey listened to the sisters arguing he was engaged in his ow
n internal dialogue, debating whether he wanted to be involved in any way with the authorities in the small town for any reasons, concerned that they might have unending questions concerning his actions fighting off the attackers, that he might be called up multiple times to provide clarification, that filing a report might mess up his routine and make Dr .Bingham fearful of letting his daughters out of his sight. Suddenly he made a decision.
“Kimbra? Channing? Can you listen to me for a moment please?” he asked. Immediately the girls ceased arguing and two pairs of eyes, one a rare shade of green, one the peerless blue of a summer sky, stared up and into his own.
Shifting his eyes rapidly so that he was making eye contact with both of them he said quietly,
“Nothing happened tonight. We’re on our way to the movie, running late, but you feel fine about it. The last 10 minutes never happened. Understand? Now start walking.”
The girls turned and faced forward like twin automatons, not speaking until they reached the street on the other side.
Channing checked her cell phone.
“We’re running later than I thought-but they usually show previews of coming attractions for the first few minutes, so we still should be in time for the beginning of the movie! Yay!”
Quickly they purchased tickets, stopping at the concession stand for a huge buttery container of popcorn to share, and fizzing diet sodas with small squares of ice floating in them. Kimbra was strangely silent, causing Carey to fear that his mesmerization hadn’t worn off of her for some reason, but when he took he hand and squeezed it she smiled up at him and squeezed his hand back, kind of massaging it in the same manner that she’d massaged another part of his anatomy recently , and giving him an an exaggerated wink. When she did that he was able to finally relax and enjoy the movie.
After the movie, as Carey and Kimbra stood by one of the art deco columns in the lobby waiting for Channing to use the restroom, Kimbra turned to him quickly and said in a breathy voice, her beautiful green eyes wide and imploring, ”Carey your-hypnotism , or whatever that was , didn’t work on me like it did on Channing. I remember everything-the guys that threatened us in the alley-what you did to stop it-
Everything!” she finished.
Carey felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. He was absolutely at a loss for words.
“Well?” Kimbra prompted him ,”I’m sure that you have an explanation. Let’s hear it Mr. Carey Floyd.”
Carey looked down at her.
“I’m sorry I tried to erase your memory…it’s sort of a trance-inducing ability I have. I’m even sorrier that for some reason it didn’t work on you…and, look, Channing is going to be coming back in a minute, but I promise I’ll explain everything tomorrow. I’ve wanted to ever since I got here…and I knew that you were the only person that I could tell. So please…tomorrow?”
Channing was walking toward the couple. Kimbra glanced at her sister, forced a smile in Channing’s direction and said quickly, ”Okay Carey-but this better be good, because I saw what I saw!”
Impulsively, even though they were in public view, a relieved Carey scooped Kimbra up in his arms and kissed her. He really meant it to be a ‘thank you’ kiss, but her proximity drew him in until he was lost in her warmth and vitality and sweetness. They only broke apart when Channing made a comment suggesting that they get a room, and afterwards Carey walked the sisters home.
The next day at work Carey was whistling as he cleaned and refilled the various drink machines, restocked the coolers and generally tidied up the service station. He was grateful that Kimbra hadn’t completely freaked out on him, and was hopeful that ,once she heard his story, she wouldn’t label him a freak . In his mind, there was a lot at stake. In his heart, in spite of his relative youth, he knew that he was in love with Kimbra, and that it was the ”love of a lifetime ”kind of love that many sought but few would ever find.
He was fairly certain she felt the same way about him.
After work he met her at the Coffee shop, ostensibly to discuss what she had witnessed. He had decided to do the simplest thing-tell the truth about what had happened to him. He had no idea how she would take it, but if she’d seen enough of the altercation she might just believe him.
At least that was what he was hoping.
As Kimber walked into the coffee show her facial expression was serious, but when she saw him slouched in a chair at a table with two specialty coffees(he had ordered her favorite), she gave him the wide open smile that she usually did.
“Sorry I’m running a little late,” she said removing a light jacket and a pink cashmere scarf.”There was a little trouble out at the farm my dad owns, I ended up running out there.”
Carey sat up straighter.”Your dad owns a FARM?”
Kimbra nodded, ”Yep. We used to live out there but my dad wanted us to be closer to school .He hires people to run it now. And ,hey, if you need another job to supplement your income he’s hiring for spring and summer!”
Carey leaned in toward her.”I might consider that after we discuss the matter at hand.” He was aware that his hands were sweating out of nervousness.”We might start with what you remember from movie night?”
Kimbra’s almond shaped eyes narrowed as she gave him a once over.
“Okay then. We were-all three of us, you, me and Channing-taking a shortcut through the alley to the movie house because we were running late. Two guys blocked our way and started harassing us. One of them came at us with a knife-you pushed Chan and me behind you and told us to run, but we didn’t. What happened next was startling-you grabbed the guy coming toward you, and even though he was obviously bigger than you, you threw him against the wall as if he were a ragdoll, as though he weighed nothing. The other guy tried to grab you and –and-I think you broke his hand, I heard bones cracking and he screamed and he was holding it as he ran off with the first guy.
“And that’s what I saw.” She finished, adding, ”And one more thing-you moved so quickly you were a blur, my eyes couldn’t follow you. That’s how fast you were moving.”
Carey looked down at the bistro table, then back up at Kimbra.
“Well you nailed it-that’s pretty much my recollection too. Is this the part where I ask for questions?”
Kimbra gave him an exasperated look.
“I also know that you hypnotized Channing somehow-she doesn’t remember any of it even though she was right there. But I do, so apparently I’m immune to your powers of persuasion or whatever that was. I think I want to hear YOUR story. How and why you can do those things. Oh-and in case you’re worried, I haven’t told anyone else.
And I won’t.” she finished.
Carey hesitated for only a second. Then he began speaking in low tones, searching Kimbra’s eyes for her reaction as he did so. He told her everything in as much detail as he could remember, not only about the attack in the woods but also the rapid changes that had appeared afterwards. He even told her about mesmerizing the waitress before he boarded the Greyhound to Cassis. During his recitation he noted emotional reactions of alarm, incredulity ,pity and sympathy in her beautiful blue eyes. When he finished he shrugged his shoulders, waiting for her to speak.
The first thing she did was reach across the table and take his hand in hers, squeezing it tightly.
“You do realize how crazy all that sounds, right?” she said, looking at him intently.”But I saw it with my own eyes. And none of it affects the way I feel about you.
But I have to ask…what ARE you now Carey? Because those things you did…and can do…they’re not humanly possible!”she said adamantly, genuine concern in her voice.
“I’m not really sure,” Carey confessed ,”I’ve been doing online research at the library trying to find out…searching for other cases. So far I’m fairly convinced that I’m some sort of vampire-‘vampyr’ was the original term. Creatures that are prehistorical, appearing on the oldest artifacts that have been discovered, from the times predating recorded history in any cul
ture. There’s a Persian vase that depicts creatures sucking either blood or energy from humans…”
“Do you want to bite me Carey?” Kimbra interrupted, asking quietly.”Suck my blood?”
Carey grabbed her hand, looking both apologetic and desperate.
“No-well, yes-I can smell your blood, and it calls me to you, and I AM tantalized by it. But I would never do anything to hurt you. Even when we’re making out, I might fantasize about it for a second, but it’s nothing that I can’t control- believe me. “
“So-do you drink someone else’s blood? Are you the reason behind the disappearing cat population at your Aunt Ida’s?”
To her surprise Carey laughed.
“No-I’m not reduced to that. I get what I need from the grocery .Let’s just say I’ve become an afficianado of raw foods and leave it at that.”
Kimbra released Carey’s hand and sat back on her chair, causing him to fear that what he was telling her was sinking in and that she was about to let him down as gently as possible. After a full minute she leaned forward again, searching his eyes.
“This isn’t your fault,” she said, speaking slowly and adding weight and emphasis to each word.”And I want to help you to find an antidote, or a cure, or whatever is available to reverse what happened to you, please believe that. But I will never want to be like you, do you understand? Yet I am completely in love with you, and have been from the first day we met.”
Her bistro chair scraped across the floor as she rose simultaneously as Carey did and they embraced. Carey could feel unmanly tears threatening to escape the corners of his eyes. If he had Kimbra he felt as though he could face anything.
Eventually the couple disengaged and sat down again. Carey was grinning, and he squeezed Kimbra’s hand under the table reassuringly.
“I love you Kimbra, from the first time I laid eyes on you . Between us I know we can figure this out. And I love you more, if anything, because you’re willing to give us a chance!”
Kimbra was blushing prettily. Apparently other coffee shop patrons had noticed the couples’ sudden fervent embrace and taken notice. Two middle aged ladies had their heads together, whispering animatedly and casting furtive glances at the couple.