Leilani

by LM DeWalt

  “Seat belts everyone,” I yelled behind me. “But keep your heads down.” The rustle of clothing and the acceleration of hearts and breath in the back seat told me they were doing as I said. As seat belts clicked into place, I coaxed the car to an impossible speed on such a narrow curving road.

  “They’re getting close. Can’t this thing go any faster?” Giovanni yelled.

  I pushed the accelerator to the floor. The car rattled and shook. “Doesn’t look like it. Take the wheel,” I yelled to Giovanni as the wind hissed in my ears.

  “What are you going to do?”

  I took a deep breath and gripped the door handle. “I’m going after them.”

  “Are you crazy?” he yelled.

  “Lily, don’t,” Lucia pleaded from the back seat, her eyes in the rear view mirror wide and terrified.

  “We have no choice. This car won’t go any faster. They’re getting too close,” I explained as we were jerked forward with a heart wrenching bang. They were trying to push us off the road.

  Giovanni grabbed the wheel and nodded, his focus straight ahead, as I rolled the window down further and gripped the roof with both hands. “I’m going for it…just keep driving and get them out of here!”

  Sitting on the window ledge, the wind blew my hair in my face, blinding me almost completely. I took a deep breath and pictured Christian’s face before pulling myself up onto the roof. Even on my hands and knees, the wind from the speed of the little car rocked my body and threatened to throw me where ever it wished. I concentrated on keeping myself, hair around my eyes and in my mouth, steady.

  Giovanni, warn me if you’re going to turn…

  Pretty straight for a while…be careful…

  I had to act before the humans started shooting. Fighting the wind to keep my balance, I bent my knees and pulled the hair off my face with one hand while keeping the other out to my side. I threw my hair behind me, letting the wind take over while I freed my hand, stretching my arm out in front of me. Would this work? I had no idea. Flying was something completely different from what I was about to do now.

  Lily, the road curves in less than a mile…hurry!

  My fangs protruded without intent as a fierce growl escaped my throat. With my knees bent and my head forward, I pushed off the roof of the speeding car. The wind pushed me back as my arms flailed in front of me to counteract it. I pictured Christian’s blue eyes before I slammed into their hood with a deafening crunch.

  EIGHTEEN

  “What the hell are you doing?” a woman’s voice screamed as the wind hummed in my ears. “Get her off us!”

  My body jerked to the right but I grabbed the window frame, keeping myself on the hood. It was taking all my might to keep my flying legs from pulling me off the hood of the car.

  “This damn window won’t go up! Do something to get her off!” She yelled at her passenger.

  “I don’t know what to do. There’s nowhere to go. Where’s your gun?” he yelled as he looked over at me and his eyes grew wide. The car swerved dangerously close to the edge of the road before the driver recovered and looked straight ahead again. I reached in and grabbed her arm, making her jerk the wheel to the right, one front tire dangling on the edge of the hill for a moment. I took that opportunity to grab her and pull.

  Hard, pointy things scraped my back, my bare arms, my legs, my face. The wad of hair in my mouth tasted like mud. My hands gripped something soft and warm, my left hand feeling something damp. The screams were hard to distinguish; which was mine, which was hers? Was the dizziness going to stop? A piercing boom in the distance made me open my eyes enough to realize we were tumbling tangled together down the side of the hill.

  The searing pain in my back and the stillness of the trees made me realize we stopped. Still gripping her shirt, I jumped to my feet as she lay limp in front of me. Her wide eyes stared past me and down the hill where black smoke blurred out the scenery. She licked at the blood running from the side of her mouth.

  “Please…don’t kill me…” her voice came out in a gurgled whisper and she tried to get up.

  “Why shouldn’t I? You came to take an innocent woman and her children to their deaths,” I spat at her as I let go of her shirt and pushed her against the ground. Her cries were immediate as she landed against a rock.

  “I had to get them,” she cried harder. “They would have killed me if I refused. Please, let me go.” She will believe me. She doesn’t know who I am…who I am and what I can do…I can get out of this…come back for her later…

  “Oh, really? Is that what you think?” I crouched in front of her, lifting her face with my fingers under her bruised and swollen chin. “You think you can hurt people and everything will be just fine. No problem at all for you, huh?”

  “What are you saying? I didn’t hurt anybody.” Her tears stopped. Her eyes grew blank as the color drained from her face.

  “You have and you will. The first chance you get, you’ll kill me since you couldn’t get to them. I don’t think I like that idea,” I put my hand to my temple as if I were thinking. “What to do with you now?”

  “Please, señora. I am begging you. Let me go,” she whispered, avoiding my eyes.

  I leaned in close to her bloody lips, inhaling her scent. It was familiar though I wasn’t sure where I knew it from. “I am going to give you what you deserve, eternal rest.”

  Pulling her to her feet, I put my face close to hers. A moan escaped her as she threw her head back, whether to scream or give me easy access, I wasn’t sure, but I sank my fangs into her neck, letting the warm sweetness flood my mouth, warming my throat, filling my mind with images of her pathetic life. When her heart stopped as the last drop filled my mouth, I picked up her limp body and held it over my head. The black cloud, flames now visible, were right below us at the base of the mountain. I hoisted her toward the burning rubble. Straightening my shirt and wiping the hair away from my face, I turned and made my way back up the hill and toward the road.

  Giovanni met me at the top and took my hand, pulling me the rest of the way.

  “Are you ok?” he asked as he examined my face, lifting my chin softly with his fingertips.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” I answered. “The woman isn’t though.”

  “I know. I saw the insane stunt you pulled. The children haven’t stopped talking about it. They think you’re like Wonder Woman or something.” He laughed and shook his head.

  “What about the others?” I asked as we started walking toward the car parked on the side of the road.

  “Did you happen to see all the smoke?” he asked. I nodded. “That was them. They lost control when you pulled the driver out and went off the bank. I watched for a while but no one escaped the wreck.”

  “Any witnesses?” I asked. I wanted to feel bad about killing the humans but I couldn’t make the feeling come.

  “No. We seem to be the only ones crazy enough to use this road. It was more treacherous than I expected.”

  “Lily, that was incredible!” Paco screamed as I got into the car.

  “Paco, please. She could have been killed,” Lucia warned him.

  “But I wasn’t. And neither were any of you. I think we’re safe to leave here now,” I turned to Giovanni. “To the airport?”

  ***

  The flight back to Lima was uneventful, with the exception of the questions. Every time Paco and Alegría tried to ask about what I did, about what happened to the woman, and about what happened to the others in their car, Lucia changed the subject. After a while, they gave up and let their excitement over their first airplane ride take over. They smiled from ear to ear, though Paco looked a little nervous when the plane tilted as it made a turn over La Cordillera Blanca, part of the Andes Mountains.

  Walking down the hall to the apartment, Lucia and the children looking around them with fascination as they followed, I tried to communicate my happiness to be back to Christian. When he did not respond, though I knew we were close enough to communicate that w
ay, I stopped. Paco bumped into me and started laughing.

  “Sorry about that,” he said.

  I could sense Fiore, Aloysius, and even Mateo inside the apartment. Margarita sat outside on her chair, her eyes shifting over everyone in our company, but no Christian.

  “Maybe he went to feed,” Giovanni whispered, reading my mind.

  I shook my head. “He wouldn’t go by himself. Besides, he just fed. Something’s wrong.” I signaled for Margarita to open the door before we even reached it.

  “Oh, you’re back,” Aloysius stood from the sofa. “Welcome,” he said to Lucia and her children.

  The children inspected Aloysius from head to toe before moving their eyes to Mateo. When they reached Fiore, Alegría’s face lit up. “You are so pretty, like a doll.”

  “Thank you, Alegría,” Fiore said, plucking the girl’s name from my head. “You are very pretty too, like an angel,” she smiled at Paco before taking Alegría’s hand. “Let me show you to your rooms. I’m sure you’d like to freshen up and rest before dinner.”

  She disappeared up the spiral stairs with Alegría and the others. I turned to Aloysius.

  “Where is Christian?” I asked.

  “After we returned from the television station, he said he needed to go for a walk, get some air,” he explained.

  “He should be back any minute,” Mateo added. “He was anxious for you to get back.”

  “Will there be anything else, Señor?” Giovanni interrupted.

  “No, Giovanni, and thank you. You did a wonderful job as usual. Go on home and take a break.” Giovanni nodded, smiling at me before leaving the apartment.

  “How long has he been gone?” I asked.

  “Oh,” Aloysius looked at his watch. “About two hours. He shouldn’t be much longer.”

  “You let him go off by himself?” I crossed my arms across my chest.

  “Lily, he’s a grown man,” Fiore said as she descended the stairs. “And a vampire. He can take care of himself.” She wrapped an arm around Aloysius’s waist.

  “Does no one think this is the worst time for him to be wandering the city alone?” I threw a glance at Mateo, who stood by the window, anxiety in his eyes, and looked as if he’d jump out any moment.

  “Lily, you’re exaggerating. What were we supposed to do? Send him to his room so he wouldn’t go anywhere without you?”

  I rolled my eyes at Fiore. They were right. Christian was a grown man and, as a vampire, he had powers of his own. I couldn’t blame them for having faith in him.

  “You’re right. I guess I worry too much. Anyway, you said something about dinner? I could…”

  “No,” Aloysius threw a hand up. “Carmela will be here soon to prepare dinner for the humans.”

  “I’m a little offended that you don’t trust me in the kitchen,” I turned my lips into a frown, pretending to pout. “I could make something just as well as Carmela.”

  “Actually, it’s not that we don’t trust you with the cooking. We just would like to keep the apartment fire free.” Aloysius’s smile grew wide.

  Mateo laughed and finally walked away from the window, his soft features twisted. He sat on the edge of the sofa and looked at the floor.

  “Mateo, what’s wrong?” I asked rushing to sit next to him.

  He turned his face toward me, looking at me but not seeing. “Mariana didn’t come home last night.”

  “Oh,” I turned to Aloysius who nodded to confirm he already knew. “So you haven’t fed?”

  “Not blood, just food,” he finally focused on my face. “But I’ll be ok. She will be back. I know she will. She wouldn’t do that to me.”

  I wished I had as much faith in her as Mateo did.

  Aloysius changed the subject before I could say anything else. “Do you want to watch the tape of Christian on the news before the others come down?” he asked me.

  “Uh, sure,” I replied and looked at Mateo. His lips smiled weakly though his eyes betrayed his worry. If Mariana didn’t return before the night was over, Mateo would be in danger.

  As we watched the tape of Christian pleading with the public about Jose Luis’s disappearance, the others came down the stairs, the children running ahead of their mother. Aloysius clicked stop on the remote and stood to retrieve the cassette from the bulky old VCR he had instead of a DVD player. Alegría ran toward me, her rosy cheeks freshly washed and her hair in two neat braids.

  “It’s so pretty upstairs. I love our room,” she settled herself on the sofa between Aloysius and me, pulling her little legs up and wrapping her arms around them. “I get the top bunk. I beat Paco at rock, paper, scissors,” she whispered to me.

  “Alegría, feet off the sofa,” Lucia warned as she took a seat in the arm chair. Paco walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside.

  “Wow! I can see all of Lima from here. This is great!” He turned and smiled at us before returning to the scenery sprawled out below him. Just seeing him there made me dizzy.

  About an hour later, as we sat and chatted in the living room, Carmela called us to the dining room. Aloysius tried to find out all he could about Lucia and her children, avoiding silence at all costs. I knew he was trying to keep my mind off Christian, who still had not returned. When I had gone upstairs to wash my face and comb my hair, I tried to call his cell but to no avail. It went right to voice mail, telling me that his phone was turned off. A lump claimed my throat at that moment and refused to go away. Now we sat around the table, Aloysius, Fiore, and I pretending we weren’t hungry but sipping on coffee, while the others enjoyed their dinner. Piled on three plates was a mound of green rice they shoveled hungrily into their mouths. It didn’t smell at all bad but it looked as if it were moldy.

  “It is cilantro,” Aloysius leaned over and whispered to me. “And duck.”

  “Oh.” I turned to face him. Christian should be back by now. Something is definitely wrong.

  A little more time, then we worry. He thought as he smiled at me. Fiore nodded, agreeing with him.

  If he’s not back soon, we can go look for him. He might just be lost. He will find his way back. She squeezed my hand under the table.

  That is a possibility and, with his limited Spanish, he may be having a hard time getting directions. For the sake of the three humans, I tried to put it out of my mind, at least while they were enjoying dinner.

  As the hour ticked by at the pace of a snail, the conversation at the table continued. The children were both enjoying their second helping of dessert which was some kind of thick purple pudding with bits of fruit sticking out here and there. Alegría told us all about her friends, from school and from the neighborhood, as she revealed a purple tongue every time she shoveled another spoonful into her mouth.

  I tried to listen to everyone and participate in the happy chatter but I couldn’t help but drift away. The feeling in my gut was a familiar one, one I thought I would never again have to experience. Dread filled my dead heart, seeping down from my mind. I shook my head to dismiss the thought but it was useless. I no longer felt Christian’s presence, not in the city, not in the apartment, not in my soul. He was gone.

  NINETEEN

  Fiore, Aloysius, and I sat in the living room, soft classical music playing on the stereo, coffee cups in our hands. It had taken a while to get the children to settle down enough to go to bed. Lucia had been yawning through most of dinner, but the children were too excited about their new surroundings to care about their mother’s exhaustion. Thankfully, due to their excitement about being in the luxurious apartment, they had momentarily forgotten to ask questions about their father. That would probably come tomorrow.

  “I know you’re worried about Christian, and I am too. He’s been gone too long. But I don’t understand what you mean by he’s gone. Gone as in…?” Fiore cut herself off.

  “I’m not sure exactly how to explain it,” I admitted.

  “Please, try, Lily.” Aloysius’s eyes softened as he looked at me with concern, the same c
oncern Aaron often showed.

  My coffee cup clanked against the glass coffee table as I set it down, wrapping my arms around my knees.

  “I feel like I did when Ian left me. Not at first, of course. It took a long time for me to stop feeling Ian at all. I think the feeling decreased as Ian got further and further away, geographically I mean.” Did I even just make any sense?

  Fiore looked at Aloysius and then back at me. “I’m not sure we follow you? What feeling exactly?”

  “It’s an emptiness, an emptiness so complete I feel like I was hollowed out. Even when Christian and I were not in the same room, or even in the same building or city, I always felt him. His mind or soul or whatever, felt like it was intertwined with mine. I felt him when we came back from Chiclayo, for a while, and then suddenly, he was gone.” I looked away so they couldn’t see the red spilling down my cheeks.

  Aloysius stood and came to kneel in front of me. He unwrapped my arms and took both my hands in his. “Do you think he’s…?” He turned to Fiore but she looked away. “Dead?”

  “What? No!” I yanked my hands free. “How could you say that?”

  “We’re just trying to figure out what you’re feeling.”

  “I don’t really know how to explain it. You know the connection between a maker and a vampire. When Ian died, even though it was at my hands, it was as if part of my soul had just been yanked out of my body, however momentary that had been,” I explained, hoping that made more sense.

  “I know what you mean,” Aloysius stood and went back to his seat next to Fiore.

  “What?” I asked, pulling a tissue out of the box on the end table.

  Aloysius’s eyes widened and I could swear I saw his pupils dilate. He looked away before continuing. “I mean, I understand what you’re saying.” He reached for Fiore’s hand, cradling it on his lap.

  “I don’t know what happened to Christian but I know he’s alive.” At least I hoped with all my might that I was right.

  “You know, Lily, I don’t think this is likely, knowing how much Christian loves you and all but,” She looked at Aloysius as if asking his permission to continue. He nodded. “It is possible for a vampire to mentally renounce his maker.”