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By
Gabrielle & Lorealei
Chapter 1:
I've roamed this earth for a long time. I've been alone for so long, I can't remember what simple kindness even feels like. The darkness has swallowed me whole, alive and kicking...really not putting up much of a fight. I haven't had much to live for since.... But that's past. So I roam, wandering in search of the one thing that I'm really still around to do, and that's prey. Without it, I would be so much scattered ashes blowing in the warm summer breezes that give me absolutely no comfort. I have considered more than once forgetting about finding shelter at dawn, and simply standing, facing east, watching the sun rise, something I have not done in a great while...and something that would destroy me. Would my pain stop, then? Even as the rays of the sun charred my flesh, would the pain that I have felt for too many years go with my blackened soul? I fear it would not, that is why I haven't tried to face the sun, instead I move within the shadow realms of the night, feeding, keeping alive for one more night. Then, one night, something happened, something that gave me a glimmer of hope.
I met him.
It was a sultry summer night, the humidity stifling to the mortals that moved sluggishly about. I passed through with no ill effects. I had fed, and was content to move about silently, looking up at the star-filled sky. I walked through a heavily wooded area, coming out into a clearing...and stopping at what I saw. A house, not huge, yet not small, stood there, candles burning in the windows. A shadow moved in front of one of the windows, the shadow of a massively built man. I watched from behind a tree, then noticed a small garden in back of the house. I made my way there and climbed over the high stone wall built around it. I looked around at the flower beds, meticulously cared for, it seemed. I had not seen such beautiful flowers for a while, and sat at the edge of one of the beds, admiring them. Strange to say, I never heard footsteps approach from inside, nor did I sense the presence of the figure until he was right in front of me. I leapt up, startled, eyes flashing red. Then I looked at the figure, and something...something happened.
He was tall, impossibly tall; even though I stand at six feet two, he still would have towered over me. His long curly auburn hair fell over his massive shoulders. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt, buttoned up, and black jeans that hugged the muscles of his thighs and legs. He was certainly an impressive physical specimen, but the thing that made me stop was the mask that covered his entire face. It looked to be made of sturdy leather, red shot with black bolts. His eyes stared at me, but one was filmed over, as if blinded. The other, a rich hazel color, looked me up and down. It was difficult to read the expression in that eye, but suffice it to say, he was as scared of me as I was of him. My fear subsided a bit as we stared at each other, and I wondered if he knew just exactly what he was staring at. He did not speak, the sound of his breathing underneath the mask a bit raspy. I took a step toward him, and he stepped back just as quickly. "Please don't be frightened, " I said softly. "I didn't mean to startle you, I was admiring your flowers. They're very beautiful..." My words dried up as I saw he wasn't going to speak, wasn't going to do anything but stare at me. The sadness that permeated my soul washed over me again, and I turned to walk away.
I felt his concern immediately, just as I felt his hand come down on my shoulder. It was a powerful hand, capable of great destruction...but at that moment, it was simply a gentle touch. He spoke then, and I realized that the reason he didn't speak before was because he was ashamed of his voice. "Stay", he rasped, his voice unused to talking. "Please..." I looked at him, at that gorgeous hazel eye staring back at me, and suddenly I knew that he could feel everything I had felt. He understood the loneliness, the emptiness, that my own soul could not shake. He was a kindred spirit, and something akin to hope leapt up in my heart. "What's your name?" I whispered to him, wanting to know who this most intriguing man was. He paused for a moment, considering. Then he spoke again, his voice a little stronger. "Kane."
Kane. It was a wonderful name. He tilted his head at me in a questioning gesture. "I am Gabrielle, " I replied, and that hazel eye softened. The hand on my shoulder was removed, but not before he had let it slide down my arm, as if reluctant to let go. "Gabrielle," he whispered, and to hear my name in that voice sent a strange sort of electricity through my veins. "Lovely..." I stood, frozen. We were utter strangers to one another, yet there was something unspoken that drew us together. I put a gentle hand on his arm. He flinched; he obviously wasn't used to being touched. "Kane, I'm not going to hurt you." I grasped his arm with slight firmness; I wanted him to understand I meant no harm. His arm was still stiff under my fingers, and I suddenly felt ashamed for doing this to him. "I'm sorry, forgive me, I had no idea..." Then he relaxed, tilting his head at me again. That gesture was beginning to endear him to me, it was so innocent. "It's been so long since I've had someone to talk to," I said, and he nodded. He pointed to the door that led inside. "Father...doesn't...understand, " he struggled to get out. "He...loves me...but he...doesn't...understand." I looked at him, feeling whatever sorrow had built up in me drain out as my heart went out to him. I wanted to understand him. I wanted to be able to listen. I led him over to a small bench, carved out of gray marble. We sat down and I faced him. "Kane...if you want to talk, I would love to listen. I...I want to be your friend." But would there be more there in my heart than just simple friendship? I looked at his eye again and felt that perhaps there was already something more there, something I had not felt for eons, it seemed. I just didn't want to frighten him away, with the truth of what I was...
He nodded, and we talked, or I talked; he would make gestures, not really wanting to use his voice anymore than he had to. We sat there for hours, lost in this world that had begun with me scaling that stone wall. In fact, we conversed for so long, I didn’t notice the sun starting its slow creep up from the horizon until it was almost too late. I jumped up suddenly, feeling the uncharacteristic heat, even though the sun was still hours away from even showing its blazing face. I felt like I was going to burn alive as I looked frantically about. Kane stood up with me, concerned that perhaps he was the cause of my abrupt silence. I looked at him then, understanding what he thought, and almost smiled.
“Kane, it’s not you, it’s…it’s…” I couldn’t tell him. I was so ashamed of what I was, of having to kill every night just so I could live a few pointless more hours. What would such a good, kind human as Kane think of a filthy night-stalker like me? Fact was, I didn’t have to tell him; he figured it out as soon as my skin started to blister. Kane forgot all about not touching me; he literally grabbed me and pulled me over to the small shed that stood at the back of the garden. He threw open the door and yanked me inside; his frenzied grip probably would have bruised a normal being. Thankfully, the shed had no windows. He looked down at me, a unreadable look in his good eye. He spoke barely above a whisper. “Stay here…you will be…safe…”
I looked at him gratefully. “Thank you…thank you for understanding, Kane.” I almost hugged him then, the impulse was so strong. And I think he would have embraced me back, out of sheer joy. But things as they were, we were content to simply look at one another, and I think that somehow, Kane was smiling underneath that mask.. He nodded to me then, as the sun was starting its ascent into the heavens, and my body began to feel sluggish. I lay down on the cool concrete floor, my eyes heavy, yet I still managed to look up at Kane. He was looking down at me, and the expression in his eye was that of content…and something else. Something I would not learn until later…He walked out, gently shutting the door, and I fell asleep…
Night fell, and I awoke, the hunger ceaseless as always. I was immediately afraid for Kane; if he came out here now…I shook off that thought and slowly opened the door. No one was outside, but the lights were all on in the house, and I could hear a man’s high-pitched voice emanating from inside; was this Kane’s father? “You did WHAT?” he said, and yes, it was Kane’s father, no doubt about it. I couldn’t hear Kane’s side of the conversation, but his father was obviously upset, and I suspected it involved me. But the hunger was insatiable; it would not wait for such things, and I had to obey. I scaled the stone wall like an agile lizard, and ran off into the night to find my quarry…
I came back a few hours later, finally satiated. Criminals always made the best prey; their hate-filled blood seemed to calm the storm inside of me. I climbed the wall and dropped to the ground. Kane was sitting on the marble bench, seemingly waiting for me. I smiled at him, my heart automatically swelling with some unknown human emotion. I did not have many memories of affection, but this was almost overwhelming. I walked over to him and sat down beside him, still keeping a prudent distance between us. He looked at me with that breathtaking hazel eye, and I felt my insides seem to liquify. “You waited for me?” I asked hesitantly. He simply nodded. Then I remembered the argument I’d heard when I’d woke up, and I immediately felt bad. “Did I get you into trouble with your father?” He looked at the house, the lights still on in every room, and didn’t speak for the longest time. When he finally did turn back to me, his few words poured like balm over my wounded soul. “No…Father was angry…but now…he is not…he wants…to meet you…” Meet me? Surely Kane had told him who-what-I was… “He knows…” he said, as if reading my mind. “He is…intrigued…” “Yes, I certainly am,” another voice broke in, and I leapt up from my seat, ready to run if I had to. A portly figure walked out of the shadows beside the shed, his pale face stretched with a huge grin. The man walked up to me; I probably towered over him by a few inches, yet his presence was more than enough to make up for his height. He extended a pudgy hand and I was completely taken off guard then.
“Hello, missy, I’m Kane’s father, Paul Bearer. And you must be Gabrielle.” The voice was the same shrill tone that I’d heard before…and amazingly, I found myself shaking his hand. “Yes, I am Gabrielle, and I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Bearer.” He laughed at that, and when he spoke again, I could hear the slight Southern accent in his voice. “My dear girl, please, call me Paul. ‘Mr. Bearer’ sounds so formal…” He was grinning the whole time he spoke, and I felt myself beginning to like this man. Kane stood silent throughout this whole exchange, then his father turned to him and put his hand on his shoulder. “Kane, my boy, I don’t quite understand how this all came about, but I’m just glad you’ve found someone to trust. And Gabrielle, I hope you comprehend the situation that my son is in, why he’s not quite like everyone else.”
I nodded, when in reality, Kane had only briefly touched on the reason he wore a mask. It had something to do with a fire, and his mother, and his older brother…But Kane hadn’t wanted to talk about his brother, and I didn’t pry. I only got the feeling that something horrible had happened…
Paul broke into my thoughts, shaking my hand again like a campaigning politician. “Gabrielle, it was so good to meet you, but I really have a lot of work to do. You see, I’m working on getting Kane a wrestling contract, and it’s been a lot of b.s. so far, so…” I nodded, not really understanding what a “wrestling contract” was, and smiled at Paul. He smiled back, his pale face luminous in the moonlight, and patted Kane on the shoulder as he walked back into the house. When he was inside and the door was shut, Kane let out an audible sigh. He stood up and paced for a bit, and I could feel his anxiety coming off of him in waves. He turned back to me, tilting his head at me again in a way that made my heart leap, and I could almost swear that he was smiling. “Father…has a way…with words…” It was an attempt at a joke, perhaps the first one he had ever done, and I admired him for it. “Your father is…unique, “ I said weakly, but I heard the strangest sound issue from underneath the mask, and it took me a moment to realize Kane was trying to laugh. I walked over to him and didn’t really know what I was going to do. I looked up at him and he looked back at me, our eyes locking in a very electric moment. I suddenly realized how attracted I was to this man, dressed in his red and black patterned shirt and his black jeans; clothes that hugged the bulges of his muscles, defined the finely cut lines of his muscular body….My knees wobbled slightly at the thoughts running through my mind. Kane must have felt the same way, because he turned away from me and walked over to the cast iron door at the back of the garden. He peered through the bars and I came up behind him, but not too close. We seemed to have an unspoken agreement not to touch one another, but deep in my soul, I wanted to touch him. I wanted to take him in my arms and hold him close to me, hiding him from the rest of the world. I wanted him to be mine, solely mine…It was then that I came close to telling him I loved him, but no…It was too soon, and I wasn’t really sure of how I felt…not then, anyway.
I looked outside through the iron bars, and saw two deer standing a few yards away, a doe and her young. I was struck silent for a moment; those delicate animals seemed so beautiful, so innocent to me. I wanted to go to them and pet their soft fur, embrace their fragile bodies…I wanted to be so good in that moment, I didn’t want them to shy away from my evil nature. I know that sounds like so much philosophical bullshit, but it’s true. Kane opened the iron gates and stepped outside, walking calmly towards the deer. The doe lifted her head at him, but made no attempt to run. The fawn stood by its mother, watching the hulking stranger calmly. Kane held his hand out to them, the one that wasn’t gloved. The doe sniffed it like a dog will sniff your hand, and the most wonderful thing happened…she nudged his hand with her head, wanting to be petted. Kane seemed delighted as he stroked her downy pelt. I stood just inside the garden walls, wanting so badly to go out and join him…and secretly wishing I were that doe, enjoying his loving touch. The fawn walked up to him and bumped his hip with its head. Kane turned to it and began to pet it as well. I couldn’t stand it any longer; I wanted to share this moment with him, perhaps solidifying our relationship in such a way that it could not be broken. I walked outside to stand beside him---and the deer froze. Oh, they sensed it, all right; they sensed the evil that pulsed through my Undead body. Kane looked puzzled as they backed away slowly, not daring to run just yet; then, with their typical grace, bounded away from me as if I were a ravenous wolf; perhaps they weren’t far off in that assessment.
Kane turned to me, and he must have sensed my disappointment, for he placed his hand in the small of my back, just barely touching me, and guided me back into the garden. He shut the iron gate and we walked over to the marble bench. We sat in utter silence for a few minutes, until Kane startled me by speaking. “Don’t feel…sad…Gabrielle…it is not…your fault…” But I couldn’t feel any different. Such gentle, innocent creatures as the deer could see the abominable sin that was me; I placed Kane in the same category…he was so kind, why in the hell would he want to associate with the likes of me? The feeling of rejection was so great, I got up and began to walk away from him. I had almost reached the wall with every intention of leaping over it and never looking back, when I felt a strong hand grip my shoulder. The touch sent shivers down my spine as I froze in my tracks. His touch was fire and ice; it moved me and excited me, yet I could not move under its power. Again the thought raced through my head: you love him… But did I? Could I love him?
Kane didn’t release his grip; I could feel the utter desperation running through him,and I knew that he couldn’t bear to lose me. We had known each other one night, yet it seemed as if we knew each other intimately…somehow, I knew his soul, and he knew mine; just how, I could not explain. That would come later… I turned to him finally, my eyes seeking his, locking with his gaze. And then he spoke, the most wonderful words I have ever heard, the words that filled my heart with something foreign to it: Hope… “Gabrielle….stay with me…I …I love you…” His head dipped toward mine and I knew what he wanted to do, what he so desperately wanted to do. My hands came up and held his face on either side; I inclined my head to his…I was so afraid, then, but I knew what I was going to do. My lips settled on his mask, where I knew his own lips were underneath, and I kissed him softly. His arms came around me, warm and strong, and I can’t remember how long we remained like that. My eyes, which had closed, opened to see that beautiful hazel eye staring at me, full of love, yes, love. He rested his head on top of mine; I could feel his breath on my hair, warming my scalp. And I knew I would never leave him, never forsake him. There would be many more trials along the way for us, but we would face them together. I knew I had found my soulmate, my beloved… I whispered to him, the words I knew he had waited to hear for so long from a woman, the words he thought would never be spoken to the likes of him.
“Kane,,,I love you…with all my heart and soul, I love you.” We held each other forever, it seemed. At that moment, I didn’t care if the sun came up then; if I were going to die, I was going to do it in his arms. But the night was still full of time, and the warm summer darkness swirled around us, two lost souls who had found each other… The moon smiled down on us that night, the stars shone for us, and we knew of nothing else in the world but the sanctuary of each other’s arms. We were happy then, blissfully happy, but there were to be rough times ahead….
TO BE CONTINUED...
