Chapter 7 — DÉJÀ VU.

FRIDAY. TWO WEEKS LATER

My mind had been frantic throughout out the night. I had done something unforgivable not to mention killing a vampire in the process. Wasn't I supposed to not be able to feel love or to care? Wasn't I supposed to be unfeeling, unnerving?

But all that had changed in the face of Dawn. I wasn't an unfeeling, cold demon when I was with her. In fact, I only felt alive when I was around her.

I could still seer her cowering in fear under his grip. She had looked at me like I was a red horned demon from hell.

The heavy weights of guilt, sadness and fear had been thrown over me. I was careful to burn the clothes I wore in an alley before returning home. I was oozing of Dawn.

For the first time I didn't sleep through the night. Leya could see the fear that leaked from my skin. She tried talking me to tell her about it but I knew better than to trust anyone. Whatever happened yesterday stays in yesterday.

The rest of us were soon to be return. Leya had opened the door when I knocked, I reasoned that if the rest had actually returned it would be best I walked through the main door unsuspiciously than to jump through the window of my attic.

I could still feel the heat from her body, her delicate lips inbetween my own. But all those warm thoughts were dissolved by the thrilling sight of the vampire as he disintegrated into the air. Before yesterday I wouldn't have thought I could kill, and with such ease it only took about a second to do it. But I did I for Dawn. I couldn't let her slip away from me under the arms of that delusional vampire. I heaved out a heavy breath, trying to calm my mind. I had to at least look at ease if I didn't want Jhan to look into my mind.

But one question still troubled my me, it was like an ache in my head that wouldn't go away no matter how hard I tried not to think about it; would she love me if she knew what I was, a demon, a monster, a vampire?

I had to put Dawn in the dust. If I kept what we had up only God knew how long it will be before the others found out. And killed her along with me.

Two whole weeks had passed and I hadn't for once left the house. I hadn't seen Dawn jog by or even the red of her car. I stayed in my room thinking about what I had done that night. I needed to clear my head and nothing worked better than a good old walk down the block—that, I was sure I wasn't ever going to do again. The only problem was how to shake off Tia. She wouldn't let me out of her sight for up to five minutes. Leya had returned from school rather late yesterday. The others didn't seem to care, she was stronger than a fully grown man—and I was sure stronger than seven put together—so we had nothing to worry about. She could take care of herself.

The little angel had kept her mouth shut about my late return, even going as far as confirming my lie that I had stayed indoors all day.

I glanced at the window. It was getting brighter with the grey light of morning. Jhan hadn't returned home since yesterday and whenever Jhan wasn't at home, mostly, Jereum wouldn’t be at home either so I could be a bit freer. I hadn't eaten since, I had no appetite and normal food tasted and smelt like mud and spice, something I had actually eaten to compare. I went down to the parlour and sat beside Tia. Her attention seemed to be swallowed up by the book she held in front of her face but I could see her glance at me from the corner of her eye. The main door opened and Jereum stepped in. He wore identical silver boots to the ones the adjudicator was wearing, and I could see smears of blood on his jacket.

"Tyrants?" Tia asked.

"Yeah, one of them almost got away though, good thing Jhan was there to take 'em out," He said, "they had an unauthorized clan hunt two weeks days ago, say one of their members even went missing,"—a knot tied in my stomach and I knew if I had something in my stomach I would have vomited it all out—"but we rounded the rest up."

"Where is Jhan?" I asked, taking heat off the missing vampire topic.

"None of your business," He snapped.

"You have to stop Jereum,' Tia said, "it's not fair the way you treat him."

She probably felt guilty for the way she had treated me the day before yesterday.

"Yeah, he'll get used to it." And he tramped up the stairs without another word.

So there was an illegal clan hunt, that's was probably the reason why the vampire boy was in that forest. He was probably looking for some lone human campers to get his fangs into. I felt a slight relief at that but the images of the burning skeleton of that vampire crept into my mind and it froze me on the spot for just a moment.

"Is Leya back from school?" Jereum shouted over the distance, snapping me out from my reminiscence.

"No, not yet," Tia said, we could hear each other talk without needing to shout, Jereum was just a loud person.

 Silence fell in the room and the only sound that could be heard was the clocking of the vintage grandfather clock that stood at the corner of the room.

After a few minutes. "You didn't need to that Tia," I said.

"I just... He shouldn't treat you like that. It's not fair to you," She said, looking at me amorously and she leaned in closer.

I let a few seconds pass by.

"Thank you," I said, and she nodded. I looked at the open window. It was getting darker now. A frequent chill had been tearing down my spine the longest I stayed indoors. It reminded me about how much I enjoyed the walking in the open. With Dawn.

"I want to go out Tia," I said, still looking at the window.

"Okay, where to?" She asked.

"Let's just take a walk, maybe just down the street," I said.

She looked skeptic, but I knew I wasn't asking for too much.

"Okay, just down the streets alright." She said.

"Deal," I agreed.

We left the house and got to the roads. A few people walked pass us, probably heading to the other parts of town was actually mostly a ghost town. Empty houses and Every clan that lived here were spaced out greatly to different blocks to avoid conflicts. It was like we owned an entire street.

We walked slowly, and I used the time to take in the view of the environment. It was a peaceful area, although I knew that was because of the vampires that secretly dominated this town. Vampires lived in perfect peace, we didn't need to rob or kill each other for money or food. The vampires that served under the higher court were paid in excess, money that they barely used because our food didn't need to be bought.

We walked down the streets. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Tia nervously glancing at me.

"So... About the higher court," I said, "they said something about a squad of elites."

"Oh, yes, about that... It's like a team of vampires, Supreme, ordinary and Abnormals that have exceptional battle skills and training. Supreme vampires are easily adopted into their team because of their increased strength, speed, agility, tolerance to wood and all those other abilities you have. Same goes for vampires who possess the mind’s-eyes—"

"So is Jhan amongst them?" I asked her.

"Yes. Jhan, Jereum and I are all elites."

We were turning a corner and I didn't even notice until I had bumped into someone. I was startled, put on high alert. Everything around slowed down, this was my dialled up speed in action, just like the time I fought the tyrants. I looked at who I had hit, it was a girl. She looked to be about Tia's age. She was falling backwards, slowly.

I spotted the mp3 music player she had plugged in her ears, falling between us. She must have dropped it when we hit. Not wasting any more time, I grabbed her mp3 player and then grabbed her by the waist. But a long chill serrated its way down my back as I locked eyes with Dawn.

It had already been two whole weeks since I saw her but to me it felt like yesterday. I could see the fear seep from me into her as we looked into each other's eyes. The knowing fear of what had happened that cold night when we kissed under the bright moon.

 Everything returned back to normal and Dawn wore a mixed expression of shock and surprise on her face. The fear that had enveloped her was almost totally gone.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. She didn't answer me, just looked at me straight in the eyes. Her hands were around my neck; she must have flung them out in a vague attempt to balance herself and caught hold of me.

Her breathing was heavy and I could hear her quickened pulse. She straightened herself, I noticed she had a grey turtle neck sweater on this time, probably to hide the bruises on her neck.

Like Tia, her blue eyes were bright, almost sparkling in the early light of morning.

 I looked into her eyes, those same eyes that had been heavy and laden with fear and dread two weeks ago now looked at me with perplexity.

Her blonde hair was packed to a point tail that fell to her shoulder length. Above all, she looked nervous and disoriented, like as if she had just survived a hundred meter fall.

"Here's your…err…device." I handed the mp3 to her; she still held eye contact and seemed to be heavily dazed. With a shaky hand, she took the mp3 from me and muttered, "thank you."

Her scent filled the air around me, a nice smell

"Oh, err...sorry about that. I wasn't watching." I was surprised at the amount of control I had over my voice. Who knew I would bump into Dawn the very day I finally decided to leave the house.

She walked past me without a word and I watched her walk a distance away before she glanced back over her shoulders, looking at where I stood beside a dumbfounded Tia.

Once she was a safe distance away I took my gaze off her back and to Tia.

She heaved out a breath of relief as she looked at me “Finally decided to take my advice did you?”

I remembered that she had caught me the day I went to Dawn's house.

I remembered the way I felt the night I was with Dawn surrounded by those thick trees. The heavy pull of something inside me to break free, something that changed me in such ways I couldn't even recognize myself.

“Tia, you won’t tell Jhan will you?” I asked her.

“No, nothing bad happened anyway. It will be our little secret,” she said.

And with her words came the closure I needed. Everything might just play out how I want it. Dawn will be safe and I could live happily with the thought that in mind. That's if I could hold back the urge to be with beside her