A Shade of Halloween

by Robin Todd

  “Gross!”

  “Exactly. Trust me, you don’t want to spend all your time compelling people to forget they saw you drinking blood when there’s a whole lot of other stuff you could be doing.” He replied.

  “I thought vampires had all the time in the world. Spending time compelling people shouldn’t really bother them.” I said, squeezing the wrap of my now finished Burrito and tossing it into the trash.

  “You can say that, but humans don’t.” He replied.

  I was going to ask what humans not having that much time had to do with vampire timing when he spoke again.

  “I could be kissing you right now for example, instead of answering all these questions.” He said, leaning towards me with a grin plastered across his face.

  I could immediately feel the heat rising in my cheeks, making me shift uncomfortably on the sofa. He leaned in even closer, such that his lips were barely inches from mine. His eyes went down to the curve of my lips, before coming back up and staring into my eyes in a piercing gaze. Then he smiled and pulled back. I was a little disappointed when he pulled back but I didn’t dare show it. I just stared at him like it was nothing and watched him turn the TV on with the remote. He flipped to the local news channel and all the blood drained from my face.

  “What?!” I screamed, staring at the screen in disbelief.

  I was on the news, WANTED by the police!

  “Eighteen-year-old Selena Ryder who was recently released from a mental institution is on the run. Police believe she murdered her mum in cold blood at their Duck-Ville neighborhood home, to prove her claims that vampires are after her. While investigations are still on-going, the police have issued a statement urging members of the public to be vigilant and call 9-1-1 as soon as she’s spotted. She is believed to be mentally unstable and highly dangerous...” The news reporter read out, to my shock and horror.

  “Yeah. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t want you to go out.” Ryan said, giving me a sympathetic look. “The other reason is even worse. My brother Ros will be out there looking for you by now.”

  Chapter Four

  Selena’s POV

  I sank back into the sofa, completely shocked by the breaking news on TV.

  “How can they think I killed her?” I asked.

  My mind was going into overdrive, trying to process a million thoughts at the same time.

  “I’ll never hurt my mum!”

  “They don’t know that. Besides, you were the only one in the house at the time of her murder, after which you disappeared mysteriously.” Ryan replied, making a face and flicking his fingers to describe the disappearing act.

  “...because you literally kidnapped me!” I yelled.

  “They don’t know that either. Take a chill pill.” He grinned.

  “How is any of this funny?” I asked, looking at him in disbelief.

  “You’re all the same. Fussing over the unnecessary, when the real danger stares you in the face.”

  “...and what do you mean by that?” I fumed, placing both hands on my hips.

  “My brother is probably out there right now, trying to find you and you’re bothered about whether or not the police think you killed your mum. What will it matter when you’re dead?”

  “That’s the most insensitive thing to say right now!” I snapped.

  “You think? How are you any different from the police? You were warning them the entire time and instead of considering your warning at the very least, they chose to focus on the state of your mental health...”

  “How did you know that?” I cut him off.

  I got up from the sofa and backed away from him.

  “I never told you I warned them.”

  “Selena.” I could hear the cautiousness in his voice.

  “Who the hell are you, really?” I yelled, turning to face the door completely.

  I had barely moved two steps when I saw him in front of me, stopping me from moving any further.

  “Stupid vampire bully!”

  “I’m the only one who’s trying to keep you safe in all of this... and I’m far from being a bully. You’ll see!” He said in a stern tone.

  I could tell he was beginning to get irritated.

  “You can hear my thoughts?” I asked, shaking my head and backing away from him some more.

  “You really don’t pay attention, do you? I’m a vam-pi-re!” He said, dragging his words out. “Of course I can hear your thoughts if I want to.”

  “How did I get myself entangled in this mess? Why did your brother pick me? What does he want from me? I’ve never even met him and he’s killed everyone around me!” I sank to the floor, letting the tears flow freely down my cheeks.

  Ryan walked up to me and sat beside me. He pulled me into his arms and cuddled me. He didn’t say anything, he just ran his fingers through my hair and held me close. I felt safe in his arms and though I wasn’t going to admit it to him, I was happy he was there. I had no idea what I would have done by now if I was left all by myself. Perhaps I would have been in an interrogation room being questioned for a murder I knew nothing about, while the real killer walked free. My sobs eventually quietened and Ryan cupped my face in his hands. My eyes lifted up to meet his and I could see he was hurt by my grief. He wiped my cheeks with his thumbs while holding my face and staring straight into my eyes. I blinked a few times, sniffing and looking back into his deep... very deep green eyes. They represented hope for me and I knew that I could trust him. He held my face like that for a while longer, as if he was frozen in time. Something in his eyes made me feel like he knew me. I didn’t have the time to think about much else because he lowered his face towards me and brushed his lips against mine.

  I was frozen for a few seconds, not reacting to his kiss. He must have misinterpreted my reaction as me not wanting to kiss him because he pulled back immediately. In reality, not wanting to kiss him was very far from the truth. I just froze because I didn’t know what reaction would pass off as too much or too little. Though he had pulled away soon after, his kiss lingered on my lips. It felt like everything was perfect in those few seconds. I wanted him to kiss me again but he didn’t. He pulled me into his arms instead and cuddled me some more. After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke.

  “Halloween’s day is special to my brother because it’s the day we got married.”

  “We what?” I pulled away from his arms so I could look straight at his face. If he was kidding, I wanted to know.

  “This is the exact reason I didn’t tell you at first. There are a number of things I’ll have to explain to you. Only then will you completely understand.” He said.

  “I get it… But what do you mean we got married? Like actually tied the knot kind of married? When?” I couldn’t mask my shock.

  “It was a very long time ago, my Selena.”

  “It doesn’t make any sense. We got married on Halloween’s day in some alternate universe and now your brother wants me dead for it? You actually expect me to buy that bull? What does it say on my forehead? Moron?”

  Ryan gave me a sad smile before replying.

  I saw the anger flash in his eyes again, but it disappeared as soon as it came.

  “Before we got married, you were engaged to Ros. You met me and we fell in love. You chose to be with me, and ended things with him. Everything went ugly after that.” He said.

  I could tell each word hurt as he struggled to let them free. He looked like he went back in time to relive painful memories he would have preferred not to have. I didn’t know what to make of the situation but with my recent experiences, nothing seemed impossible anymore. I stopped talking for a few seconds, totally stunned by the last sentence he made.

  “You should probably read about it before I explain.” He said, pointing to the book on the coffee table.

  “Wait... Is this the same...”

  “Yes, it is.” He replied, before I could even finish the question. “The Selena Ryder book... your history.”

&
nbsp; “How did it get here?” I asked.

  “It was in your room when I packed your stuff.” He replied. “I’m sure you’re wondering how it got there. It’s part of the reasons I had to take you out of that house. Either Ros or one of his goons must have dropped it there which tells me he’s only bidding his time.” Ryan replied.

  The things Ryan said would have made no sense to me on a normal day but the past few months of my life have been nothing close to normal. I remembered the fact that the book predicted pretty much everything that had happened so far. Ryan was right. I needed to read more of what was written in there. I needed to know what Ros had planned for me.

  Chapter Five

  Omniscient POV

  Trina walked out of her room and locked the door behind her. Her roommate, Jason was over at the sick bay because he was feeling a little under the weather. The room was pretty lonely and if things hadn’t turned out the way they did, she would have invited Selena over to keep her company. The two girls had been cool with each other since they met a few months ago. They weren’t exactly best friends, but they had been there for each other on a number of occasions. Everything inside Trina told her this was one of such occasions. She needed to be there for Selena... if only she knew how. She had watched the news on TV and knew something was off. There was no way Selena could have killed her mum. They were way too close, and loved each other dearly. She had paid Selena a number of visits at the hospital before she was transferred to the psychiatric ward and during those visits, Selena didn’t seem crazy to her. A number of other things stood out as well. The bodies of the victims the police claimed Selena murdered all had one thing in common. There was a single slash to the throat. That meant whoever killed them had a pattern, a killing style. If that was the case, then Selena couldn’t have killed them all, because she was isolated in the psychiatric ward when the librarian was killed. What disturbed Trina most however, was the demeanor of the Police Chief when he held his press conference on the Selena Ryder case. His eyes lacked focus. His pupils were dilated, like he was staring at nothing in particular. His words came out like he was reading from a script, even though he wasn’t. He sounded pretty convinced Selena was the murderer which was also off. The police always concluded their investigations before sounding so convinced. Even then, they usually referenced overwhelming evidence, which was missing in this case.

  “I have to find a way to prove Selena didn’t do it.” She thought, making her away through the hallway.

  As she walked past Selena’s room, something caught her eye. The door was slightly open. She looked at it curiously for a few seconds before walking towards it. No one else was supposed to be in the room because the school had locked it up after Selena was taken to the sick bay. Besides, she passed by that room everyday on her way to class and it was always locked.

  “Who could be in there?” She wondered.

  At first, she considered the fact that Selena had come back. She quickly discarded it because there would have been a frenzy if that was the case. It wasn’t like Selena could just walk around. She was on the WANTED list now. The second thought she had made her heart rate quicken. Perhaps the killer was in there, looking for something. If that was the case, this was her chance to catch him. She pulled out her cellphone and held it up in front of her. Getting her camera ready, she walked silently towards the door. Her plan was to get anything that could serve as evidence, perhaps a picture or even a short video if she was fast enough to capture one. She pushed the door slowly and slid inside. There was no one in sight. Trying not to make any noise, she tip-toed through the short walkway until she got to the main part of the room which had the beds. Surprisingly, it was empty too. There was no one there. Trina shook her head and turned the camera of her cellphone off. She concluded that there had to be another reason for the open door. Perhaps the student office wanted to revamp the room after the tragedy.

  The sound of the door slamming shut behind her caused Trina to jump. She instinctively turned around in its direction and was even more startled to see a guy standing there. He moved towards her so fast that he was already in front of her before her brain registered the movement. Her cellphone fell out of her hand as she let out a horrified shriek that barely left her lips. His left hand covered her mouth, just as his right hand grabbed her, cutting off the sound of her scream and preventing her from moving. She struggled against his grip but he was way too strong for her to break free. All she could do was blink repeatedly and mumble incoherent words. He looked straight into her eyes, stopping them from blinking. She felt like an invisible force was pulling her eyelids apart, forcing her eyes to remain open.

  “Stop screaming and answer all my questions honestly.” He said, releasing her from his grip.

  She stood there terrified, unable to scream for help. She could only hope that someone else had heard the sound of the door slamming shut and was coming to her rescue. The guy walked towards the bed and beckoned for her to follow him. As soon as he turned his back, she made a dash for the door. She had no idea why she couldn’t scream because everything in her wanted to. The weirdness of the situation told her this was not the time to wonder about creepy stuff. This was the time to escape... and her escape plan fell like a pack of cards. By the time she got to the door, the guy was standing in front of it.

  “When I ask you to do something, you do it!” He snapped. “You don’t want to see me pissed off.”

  Fear crawled under her skin, causing her hands to shake. Her heart drummed loudly against her chest as she stared at his face. The guy’s expression was completely different from the way it was before. He looked like he could snap her neck and not bat an eyelid over it.

  “I will not tell you this again.” He said, looking into her eyes in that way that stopped them from blinking.

  “Don’t ever try to escape.”

  Trina turned away from the door and walked to the bed he had asked her to sit on before. This time, the guy walked behind her. There was no need for that though. She no longer wanted to run away. He sat on the bed beside her and placed his hand on her back.

  “I’m sorry I scared you. I’m not usually like that, so let’s start again.” He said.

  It was very surprising to hear him say those words. She wasn’t expecting him apologize after hearing the way he spoke to her. Trina looked at him like a scared puppy whose owner was handing it a bowl of milk and dog biscuit. She didn’t want to be there but she had no choice. He wasn’t going to let her leave until she answered all his questions.

  “My name is Ryan Soille. What’s yours?” He asked.

  “Trina Bayle.” She replied.

  Ryan smiled.

  “Are you a friend of Selena Ryder?” He asked again.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s great. Do you know where she is right now?”

  “No, I don’t. She disappeared after...”

  “Why were you in her room?” He cut her off.

  “The door was open so I thought she was in here at first. When I realized that was most likely not the case, I came in to see who was here. I thought I could catch the killer if it was him.”

  “Killer?” Ryan asked. “What do you mean?”

  “The police think Selena killed her mum and two other people. I know it’s not true because she’ll never do something like that. The real killer is out there and I thought if I could catch him looking for something here, I could prove Selena’s innocence.” She replied.

  Ryan got up from the bed and began pacing around the room.

  “I don’t think she disappeared. I think he has her.” He finally spoke.

  “Who?” Trina asked.

  “My brother, Ros.” He replied, rubbing his face with his palms. “I need to find her before he hurts her. Where’s the last place you saw her?”

  “Her house.” She replied. “Wait, is your brother the real killer?”

  “Most likely.” Ryan replied.

  “Oh no!” Trina gasped, clutching her chest. “W
hy does he want to hurt Selena?”

  “It’s a long story. Let’s just say he holds a grudge. I can fill you in on the way but we need to move now. The sooner we find her, the better.” Ryan replied.

  Ryan and Trina stepped outside the room and were about to make the turn off the hallway when someone shouted from behind.

  “Hey! What were you two doing in there? That room is off limits.” A middle aged, dark haired man in a security uniform yelled, pulling out his cellphone from his pocket.

  Ryan was in front of him before either he or Trina could blink.

  “Forget you ever saw us.” Ryan said, looking straight into the man’s eyes.

  The man turned around and walked off like he never saw them, leaving Trina and Ryan to make their way out of the hostel undisturbed.

  Chapter Six

  Omniscient POV

  Ryan sat on the passenger seat of Trina’s car as she drove towards Duck-Ville. His full dark hair swayed about in the wind, and his dark green eyes were focused on the road ahead. If he wasn’t such a monster, Trina would have found him cute or rather, admitted the truth to herself. There was no denying the fact that he was one of the most attractive men she had ever set her eyes upon from a physical standpoint. Ryan turned to her and smiled. It was a very charming smile, one that made him look sweet and nice. She was about to tell herself he wasn’t as much of a monster as she believed him to be when he spoke.

  “The road is in front of you, you know? You should concentrate on driving instead of gawking.”

  “Nope, definitely a monster!” She thought.

  Ryan laughed and traced a line on her neck with his index finger.

  “A monster would have snapped your neck by now.” He teased.

  She gave him a curious glance before turning her head back to the road. Inside, her body tensed. The slight brush of his finger had evoked a pleasurable tingle that was now spreading through her spine.

  “I didn’t know vampires could hear our thoughts.” She said, a small smirk playing at the sides of her lips.

  It was Ryan’s turn to give her a curious look.