The Vampire That Loved Me, Chapters 1 and 2

CHAPTER 1

“I’ve got to meet that guy,” Isabelle said. She turned to her friend, Emma, and gave her an expectant look. Emma looked back at Isabelle, puzzled. Frustrated, Isabelle pointed a finger in the direction of the man she’d just seen and looked back at her friend.

Emma looked in the direction of Isabelle’s finger and tried her best to find someone interesting in the sea of bodies. She couldn’t pick out any one person in particular, so she turned back to Isabelle and asked, “Who?”

They were at the local fair that came around in the early fall of each year. The town they lived in was small and had a population to match its size, but it looked as if the whole state of Pennsylvania were there. Instead of answering, Isabelle began to drift forward in the direction of her gaze, but Emma grabbed her sleeve and pulled her backwards. “And just where do you think you’re going?”

Isabelle snapped out of her trance. She turned around to look into the eyes of her friend. “Stay here. I’ll be back shortly. Don’t move and don’t follow me. I’ll be back. I promise.” She rushed off toward an empty lot on the edge of the fairgrounds where she’d last seen the man. It was already 7:00, and Emma tried to yell after her to tell her to stay because of how dark it was getting, but Isabelle didn’t hear her and continued towards the lot.

She stopped in the middle of the lot, glad to finally be free of the mass of moving people. What was she doing? She’d seen the guy for a few seconds and was following him? She knew she should just turn around and go back to Emma. The sun was already barely visible on the horizon and something about it felt terribly wrong. But there was something inside of her that told her to move on and she decided at that moment to listen to her instinct, so she continued moving.

She stopped again a few seconds later to look around. She looked for his dark, jet black hair and dark clothes. She caught a glimpse of him going into the woods and she yelled after him, but he didn’t hear her and soon disappeared from her sight. She yelled only once more, with the same response, before she was racing off to the edge of the lot towards the woods.

She reached the edge of the woods after only a few moments, but came to a screeching halt. Isabelle was fearless, but her whole body protested strongly against going into the dark woods after sunset to follow a man she didn’t even know. She swallowed hard, closed her eyes, and forced her legs to take a step forward.

She took a few steps and froze. She tuned out the sounds of the fairgrounds and concentrated on the sounds of the woods. In the distance, a cardinal chirped to its mate. A few feet away, a rabbit scurried into its burrow. She heard many animal sounds mixed with the sound of wind blowing through the trees, but nothing sounded even remotely menacing, so she took another few steps and stopped to listen again. When she was positive nothing was going to jump out and attack her, she started running up the path.

She’d only got a glance of him before he’d turned around and walked away. But for some reason, that one short glance was all she needed to instantly fall for him. She didn’t normally fall easily, especially without even knowing the person. But in that moment, she’d gone straight to cloud nine. Images of everything imaginable, from getting to know him to kissing him, flashed through her mind in a blur. But before any of them could come true, she had to find him first. She put on another burst of speed, not paying attention at all to how dark it had become.

She broke through the trees and came upon a meadow. Even through the inky darkness, Isabelle could see that the meadow was huge. Probably bigger than the stupid fairgrounds, she thought to herself. She could see nothing, except for the dark silhouette of a person standing in the middle of the clearing.

She squinted at the figure, trying to make out any features possible. When she realized she could make out none, she took several steps forward. The figure didn’t seem to notice, so she took a few more. As she grew nearer, the figure seemed to grow taller and it tensed, its limbs growing taut. When she was almost within reaching distance of it, the figure turned around.

She made an instant connection to the face and gasped. It was the man she’d seen at the fair. She hadn’t seen his face back there, but she knew in her heart it was him. Who else would be out here in the middle of nowhere in the dark? But something was different and definitely wrong. His eyes, instead of being one of the normal human shades, were glowing a bright orange, piercing the darkness like a laser. They were locked on her and seeming to stare right through her. He let out a menacing sound, something between the hiss of a snake and the snarl of a dog. It sent a shiver down her spine, causing her whole body to tremble.

Isabelle took her eyes off of his and looked down at his mouth. The lips that she’d pictured kissing were now obscured in two places by two large, gleaming white fangs. Another shiver rocketed through her body. Sure, she’d read about them, everyone had, but she never thought she’d see a real vampire.

She took a cautious step backward just as he took a step forward. The man stopped and seemed to shrink in size. His fangs suddenly shrunk, becoming normal sized and shaped. His eyes dimmed as well, becoming a normal shade she couldn’t make out in the darkness.

At that moment, she finally took notice of the sky. It was pitch black, lit up only by stars and the moon. She shivered again. Here she was, in the middle of the woods with no one around, in the dark with a vampire, a creature of the night. She took another step backward, trying to make as much space as possible between her and the man without him noticing.

“Don’t....please don’t be afraid,” he said, reaching out an arm and taking a step forward.

She flinched and he stopped, bringing his arm back down to his side. She shook her head from side to side, trying to rid herself of the awful images of him. If she wouldn’t have seen him, she would’ve still been walking around the fair with Emma, not here, standing before a vampire.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. He extended his hand again, for her to shake. “I’m Richard, but you can call me Ricky.”

She stared at his hand for a few seconds, wondering what to do. “You just had glowing eyes and fangs and you want me to just forget that and shake your hand!?”

Even in the darkness, she saw him lower his head to look at the ground. She instantly felt regret at what she’d just said, feeling as if she’d offended him. She extended her hand slowly and grasped his in hers. “I’m Isabelle, but you can call me Izzy,” she said, mustering up a smile.

Still holding her hand, he looked up and said “Well, it’s nice to meet you Izzy.”

She smiled a genuine smile. Something inside her told her that he wasn’t going to hurt her. She let go of his hand. “It’s nice to meet you too. It was....interesting.”

He hung his head again and said, “I’m so sorry you had to see me that way. I guess I’m not good at making first impressions.”

She grabbed his hand again and held it in hers. “No, it was actually kind of cool, after you got past the scary fangs part,” she said, laughing a little.

He looked up. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

He looked up at the sky. “Oh my, we should probably be getting back.”

She nodded. “My friend is going to be worried sick. She probably has every cop in the town looking for me.”

“Well let me escort you back then,” he said, “Hold on.”

He picked her up and put her on his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, careful not to cling too tightly. Once he was sure she wasn’t going to fall off, he took off into the woods at a breathtaking inhuman speed.

Isabelle got dizzy and closed her eyes and listened to the sounds he made while crashing through the undergrowth. He stopped suddenly and she opened her eyes. They were already back at the fair, standing in the empty lot!

“That was....amazing,” she stammered, trying to catch her breath.

“T’was nothing m’lady,” he said in a fake British accent.

She giggled and looked up at him. The fair gave off enough light that she was finally able to see his eyes. They were the most gorgeous blue eyes she’d ever seen. They looked as if someone had taken a bit of the Caribbean Sea and poured the water in around his pupils.

Little did Isabelle know, Ricky was doing the same. He was able to look at them back in the meadow, but hadn’t. But now that he had some time, he looked down at her and into her eyes. They were the color of denim. He was gazing so intently at them that he didn’t notice she was speaking. She noticed he wasn’t listening and stopped, clearing her throat to get his attention.

“I guess I better get going,” she said. He thought he heard a bit of sadness in her tone, but dismissed the idea so he wouldn’t get his hopes up.

He nodded and smiled at her. “Your friend must be very worried by now, so I think that would be for the best. I’ll see you around,” he said. He bent down and kissed her cheek, then turned around and dashed off, back into the woods.

She stood there for a bit longer, too stunned to move. Her cheeks were on fire; probably looking like someone had painted them with a bright red paint. She needed to get back to the fair and find Emma, so she turned around and walked toward the place where’d they’d last been together.

Chapter 2

She walked as slowly as possible, not wanting to enter the sea of bodies again. It took her several minutes at the pace she was going to get close enough to feel the heat radiating off of the crowd. She was just about to step across the make-believe line when she stopped. She hadn’t noticed before, but she now heard footsteps coming from behind her. She was about to turn around to see who it was when she felt arms around her waist and a voice in her ear, whispering, “On second thought, I’ll see you now.”

She was so stunned that she didn’t really pay attention to the voice of the person speaking to her. She wanted to believe it was Ricky, but she couldn’t be sure. She asked, “Ricky?”

Instead of answering her question, the person behind her covered her eyes with one hand, while keeping the other wrapped around her waist. “Close your eyes,” she heard, confirming that the person behind her was definitely a man.

She did as told and was picked up into the arms of her kidnapper. He started running and she knew at once, at the speed they were going, it was Ricky. She heard the crashing of undergrowth and realized that they had gone back into the woods.

They stopped suddenly, and he put her down on her feet. “Open your eyes,” he said.

She opened them and her jaw dropped. The scene around her was amazing. They were back in the meadow, but it had changed completely. Everywhere she looked she saw fireflies lighting up the darkness. And in the middle, she saw a circle of small white candles. He heard him move behind her and turned around. He was walking toward the circle, so she followed close behind.

When they got there, he sat down while she just stood there, still amazed. He’d done all this in the few minutes they’d been apart. He looked at her expectantly and then grabbed her hand. He pulled her to the ground, surprising her, but then pulled her into his lap, making her blush.

She tried to avoid looking at him because she was blushing again, so she looked around. The place was amazing. Above her, a black sky, full of tiny white stars and a full moon. Around her, ten or so beautiful white candles, the wicks burning brightly. Below her, a man more gorgeous than her surroundings put together.

She began blushing again at that thought and she heard him laugh behind her. She turned her head around and turned her body as much as the arms around her waist would allow. She looked him in those beautiful eyes of his and asked, “And just what is so funny?”

He laughed again and shook his head from side to side. “If you blush anymore, your cheeks will catch on fire,” he said, smiling at her.

This caused her to blush all over again, making him laugh even more. She decided to change the subject. “How’d you set this up so quickly,” she asked.

“I have a basket hidden in a hole in a tree that I keep the candles and blanket in. On nights like this, I like to come out here to be alone to think,” he replied.

“But you don’t need the candles to see do you,” she asked.

He chuckled. “No, they just add beauty to the scene."

She turned around to look at her surroundings again. She sighed happily. “It is really pretty...”

“Not as pretty as you,” he replied. She looked back at him and became instantly mesmerized by his eyes. She didn’t even notice that his face was close to hers until she felt pressure on her lips.

Her eyes flew open in surprise. He’d kissed her! She couldn’t believe it. But a few seconds later, he pulled back. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Something was wrong.

“What did I do,” she asked.

He shook his head and then lowered it to look at the ground. “I shouldn’t have done that,” he said.

“Why not,” she asked.

“Because...,” he began, but stopped. He looked up at her. She looked upset, not mad at him for pulling away, but sad that he’d done so. He hung his head again.

“That’s not an answer,” she said, hooking her finger under his chin to make him look at her.

“I can’t, and you shouldn’t want to either,” he said.

“And why not,” she asked, sounding snippy.

“Because I’m a freaking vampire for crying out loud,” he shouted. He saw the look of shock on her face and apologized.

“Why would that matter,” she began slowly, trying to find the right words, “If you wanted to hurt me, you would’ve done so already. So why should you being a vampire matter?”

He stared in total awe at her. Anyone else would’ve run away from him the minute they saw him in the state she’d witnessed on their first encounter. But she was still here. He was amazed, but scared for her safety.

“Just because I haven’t already hurt you doesn’t mean I won’t. I have a very short temper. Sometimes the littlest of things set me off. If you ever did that, and I hurt you, I’d never be able to forgive myself,” he said, hanging his head again.

She raised his head with her finger again, keeping it there to prevent him from hanging his head again. They looked into each others’ eyes for a few seconds.

“Well that’s a chance I’m willing to take,” she said. She thought that would’ve ended the discussion.

“Well it’s not one I’m willing to take. Listen, I’ve hurt two people before you. They are the only ones though, so don’t go thinking I’m some cold-blooded killer. But I found out she was cheating on me and I just lost it. I tore into her and her boyfriend, severely injuring them both. The cops thought it was an animal, a wild dog or something. That’s the only reason they never found out who did it. I don’t want that to happen again,” he said.

“I guess I better get going then,” she said, pushing herself up.

He sat there for a few moments, his mind screaming in panic. He knew he shouldn’t get too attached to her. Someone always ended up getting hurt in the end. But even after that realization, he still couldn’t let her leave. He got up quickly, catching up to her in an instant.

“Sit back down. Enjoy the rest of the night. It was nice to meet you Ricky,” she said, trying to hide her tears and disappointment.

He grabbed her arm and spun her around. “Please....don’t leave,” he said.

“And why not,” she asked, her voice rising, her sadness turning to anger. “You obviously don’t want me here.”

“That’s not true,” he said. “Listen. I really like you. I would hate to see you get hurt. I’d never be able to forgive myself. I never really forgave myself the first time. I’d hate myself even more if I let it happen again. But, I just can’t seem to let you leave.”

She looked up at him and smiled faintly. When he looked down at her, he noticed she’d been crying, and he reached up to wipe away what was left of her tears. She grabbed his hands and held them between her own.

“I’d hate for that to happen too. But like I said, I’m willing to take that risk. I don’t usually make people angry, but I’ll try extra hard not to this time,” she said. She looked up to find him smiling.

She smiled back and he leaned forward, touching his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, becoming totally lost in his kiss. It felt so good. But then she remembered Emma and she gasped. He pulled back.

“What’s wrong,” he asked.

“I forgot all about Emma,” she said, “I’m supposed to drive her home!”

“Call her and tell her you’re on your way. I’ll take you,” he said.

Isabelle quickly dialed Emma’s number on her cell phone. After a few rings, Emma picked up and immediately began screaming. Isabelle assured her that she was all right and would be there shortly and then hung up before waiting for a reply. Ricky picked Isabelle up, placing her on his back, and ran into the woods.

In a few short moments, they’d reached the empty lot again. Isabelle dropped off Ricky’s back and onto the ground. She noticed Emma standing on top of a chair, looking around for her. Ricky lowered his head and gave Isabelle a quick kiss on the lips before taking off in the direction from which they’d just come.

Isabelle ran as fast as she could in the direction she’d seen Emma. It was so late that there weren’t a lot of people left, so she found her easily. Emma’s face was red with anger, but before she could say anything, Isabelle waved her hand in front of Emma’s face, cutting off any sentence she was about to start.

“Please, not now. Let’s just go to the car,” Isabelle said.

“You expect me to just listen to you and go off to the car without you explaining where you’ve been for the past couple hours,” Emma said, her nostrils flaring with anger.

Isabelle turned toward her friend, getting angry herself. “Yes, I do. Listen, I’m not in the mood. I’ll explain everything later,” she said. She didn’t want Emma to ruin her good mood. She turned around and began walking towards the parking lot.