Long Live the Writer Chapter 2

The mirror glistened before him as the sunlight fell through the large window into the room. This was the first time in weeks that he had opened the heavy maroon curtains to let some light into the room. You would think that the sun almost burned. I understood him honoring his ancestors but his great-grandfather was long dead and dust somewhere. I couldn’t ever understand why he got so fascinated by all antics that brought him closer to the dark ones that had to worry of the limitations. His reflection in the mirror looked at me standing silently in the shadows behind him. He saw me. I looked silently back as I examined the beautiful face looking at me. His dark hair and pale skin contrasted perfectly. His blood red lips, high cheekbones, and his burning, piercing blue eyes all drove me insane. How I wished he would stop chasing them and finally see that what he wanted, what he needed was waiting for him right here. The darkness, the power, the sexuality, the queen he wanted waited for him. I went along with all his girls only because he wanted it. I kept my eyes on his and stepped forward. Knowing he was studying me up and down as I stepped out of the shadows. 1

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As she walked towards me out of the shadows I noticed more than her eyes. I saw that she had changed clothes. Now instead of the dark jeans and corset she donned a black silky nightgown. The full length of the tapered piece hit so high that if she walked I could see more than any woman wanted to reveal. It was tight and almost shear above the waist. The black silk was embroidered with dark red. The dark colors of the nightgown looked delicious on her fair skin. Her blond hair fell softly to her shoulders now instead of the tight bun that usually held it captive. I wanted her now, so passionately, but I would never let on. If she realized she would never let me go. I couldn’t handle that, I needed to find my queen. I couldn’t quit when I was so close. The family prophecy was clear. I couldn’t stand to look at the reflection any longer.2

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He spun on his heels and looked straight at me as he settled back against the counter. His eyes melting my green ones. He didn’t have to say anything, I was drawn to him. While I had only been looking at him in the mirror I could resist his charms. Now that his eyes pierced mine, I could do nothing. The pull of his eyes forced me to him. I moved toward him until my body pressed up against him. He raised his hands from the counter and ran them up my legs. His fingertips only reached the edge of the nightgown. That was enough, I let out a breathy sigh as he continues to hold my gaze. It was impossible to look away. My hands fell on top of his and I pushed them up under the nighty all the way to my waist.3

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My fingers slid under her hands up her silky skin until they reached her waist. She wasn’t wearing underwear and wanted me to know it. The emotions welled in me and I wanted her more than ever. I couldn’t hold it in anymore, I had to have her. I wrapped my arm around her waist and raised her off the ground. With my other arm I raised her legs and held her like a groom would hold his new bride. The only difference is this was far from a white wedding and the union far from life-long. I took her to the next room and threw her on the king size canopy bed. 4

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I landed softly on the bed and looked up at him expectantly. I could barely focus as what I imagined was actually happening. He threw off his black trench coat and climbed onto the bed. He moved toward me on all fours, like an animal stalking it’s prey. He moved until he was directly above me and his eyes were set on mine. He leaned forward and kissed me never closing his eyes. The deep blue pools spoke volumes of how much he wanted me, and I wanted him, but this moment meant nothing still. He was still devoted. Despite this I let him take me. 5

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His lips felt so warm, so soft that I didn't want to let go. The doors to the hotel towered over us as we sat in the blue Cadillac. He pulled away from the kiss and looked at me his hand still on my neck. He gazed into my eyes and I was back at that field wishing he'd never let go. I had been foolish back then but it seemed that fate would offer me another chance. His other hand lay on my knee and I placed both of mine on it.
“Would you like to come in for a while?” 6

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The invitation was exactly what I had hoped for. I never expected things to move this quickly or even at all, but to question this would be sheer stupidity. I nodded slowly and watched her open the door behind her and lean out. I pulled her back for a momentary kiss and then sat behind the wheel facing forward, trying to regain my focus. She elegantly climbed out of the car and pushed the door shut. I watched her walk to the large door as I let my foot of the brake and accelerated towards the parking lot.7

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The large doors swung open and Miss Marshall entered with a bright smile on her face. This one seemed much more genuine than the one she had given me when she first arrived. What could make the lady so very happy? This wonder of a woman breezed into town and half of the customers at the hotel, the male half, seemed to fall head over heals. Her charm was immeasurable and her looks though nothing special seemed to capture the interest of every male she came across. Even the strangely attractive gentleman on the upper floor inquired about her. My first impression of him had been that he was extremely attractive and very alluring. Girls seemed to swoon and go weak in the knees from just standing next to him. The only description I could think of was that he had piercing eyes, all other characteristics were impossible to describe. Though men weren’t my cup of tea, he had unearthly beauty. 8

His girlfriend, at least I assumed that’s what she was, was equally as beautiful and enchanting. Why this gentleman was suddenly inquiring after some other lady was beyond me. I couldn’t say much though, his presence here was beyond me as well. His accent was clearly British and why he was holed up here, in the middle of nowhere for several months was just one more mystery. He payed the bills and the boss didn’t mind so I didn’t ask questions. 9

Just as the thought crossed my mind in walked Geoffrey Dalkins, the man himself. He owned this fine establishment and as far I was concerned was my favorite person. He was the only boss that I’d ever had who treated me well and paid me equally.
“Hello Mr. Dalkins. How are you today?” For a moment the confusion settled like a fog in my mind, until I saw him take Miss Marshall’s arm and wave to me.10

“Fine Kenneth. I’ll see you in the morning.” He walked out of the lavishly decorated lobby up the grandiose staircase. I was left alone once more to ponder the events of the evening. I stared at the Renaissance style navy furniture and the expensive rugs and wondered why Geoffrey was here. He visited approximately once a month to check on the records. He’d be here morning? Finally it clicked. Apparently Miss Marshall had an effect on even this man.11

“Hey Kenneth.” I turned to face the voice, the voice that had become familiar over the past few months. 12

“Yes Mr. Daemon? How may I help you?” he looked at me through powerfully daunting blue eyes. 13

“Who was that man with Miss Marshall?” He smiled weakly to fake comfort. In fact he seemed acutely out of sorts. 14

“Why that’s Mr. Dalkins, sir. He owns...” 15

“I know who he is ” he cut me off curtly adding a wave of the hand as he stalked up the stairs again is overcoat flowing elegantly behind him. 16

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The dark night outside was a comfort as I looked out the window. Dalkins posed a new problem. As far as all had know Nikole was single. Now I’d have to deal with him. I could feel my fangs get sharper and scrap my tongue. Rage always did that to me.
As Liana slept comfortably in the next room I stalked up and down between the expensive burgundy upholstered couches. My reflection in the mirror taunted me. 17

I was not as my ancestors had been nor was I human. I should never have survived my first birthday.
The curse on my family prevented many males from every reaching their first birthday. Those born with teeth were immediately killed. The reason being vampirism. The cursed placed long ago by a vengeful gypsy was never to be broken, but would eventually run it’s course and end. Long before my birth my great-grandfather was the only male child left alive that had ever been born with the curse. This had been a mistake. He was born with an aversion to sunlight and no reflection, but his mother had refused to let her child die. She ran and raised her child alone. Once he grew he met a woman and fell in love. Their children produced a bloodline that would eventually birth me, a halfling of sorts. 18

After both my father and grandfather were born normal it was thought that the curse was broken and that there would be no more strange demon children in the family. Then to the surprise of all my birth came. My great-grandfather was killed and burned to be dispersed as dust and I was sentenced to death. My mother refused as had her ancestor many years before. She ran with me. Unlike my ancestors I grew into a normal child, only in my teen years did I discover my faults and strengths. 19

That was over 70 years ago. Or so I think, over the years I’ve lost track. Now the sun and the mirror are my memories of what I should not have.
As I paced the room, remembering I wished that I had never known. I wished that on that fateful night she had just given me up. As she hadn’t I had no choice now. For years I had struggled wandered lost and confused and not dared take a drop of blood. Then Liana found me. Looking back this seems as both a blessing and a curse. She made me stronger, taught me new skills and taught me to be what I was. She made me but she didn’t believe. To here I was just an eccentric student that somehow was stronger and faster than most. She refused to believe in my true nature and I couldn’t blame her, but because of this I also couldn’t take her to be mine, not truly.20

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I awoke to the sound of him pacing in the next room. Most people would never notice but after years of training footsteps were a sound I could recognize instantly. He usually paced when something was on his mind. I was sure it was her again. Some years ago he paced whenever he knew he would see me, but my critical view of what he believed to be his nature soon ended that. As his confidence soared with my training he stopped relying on his past to make his personality. Instead he let a dark appeal shape him. 21

After the physical training had been done we set out to start on the black arts. What criminal wouldn’t love to be unrecognizable, indescribable and so forth. It was dream. I had never found a student who had taken to the arts so quickly or so well. I had also never had a student who had needed to take to them. His blood drinking practices would have caused many problems if for some reason the incantations failed. That didn’t matter though. 22

They never failed and we never got caught. The only supernatural things that ever rang true for me were the ancient teachings. Herbal potions and charms and spells that worked. All else, vampires and ghosts were just a hoax. A bedtime story to scare children. He wholeheartedly believed them and searched for his prophecy. 23

So far every woman he had attempted to turn wound up dead in the woods. Each time he said it was simply because she was the wrong one. In reality, every one had just died of blood loss, which was a natural reaction. He believed his fantasies nevertheless, causing impatience to sprout in me, as I had hoped he would eventually get over this. 24

Now his obsession with her was beginning to bother me. All the others he had chased but still come back to me, now he refused to be mine. These prophetic scrolls, that I had never seen, claimed his queen would understand, so how could I ever be his queen. They claimed that she would turn at his hand, and I refused. As far as he was my pupil I was still stronger and could still stop unwelcome advances. So now despite the physical intimacy we had, there was nothing else.25

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The Polaroid on the desk sent shivers up and down my spine every time I looked at it. She was the first to be found. 26

Earlier that morning the young man had come in here solemn and quiet. The badge on his chest was a familiar site, but the look on his face was new. He handed me the pictures of the crime scene, a piece of wooded land with seemingly soft soil. There were woods all the way from the edge of town where the nightlife took place to the hotel and many miles past it. I had to ask where this particular scene was. The young officer never taking his eyes of his books informed me that it was just about a mile out of town.27

Now I held my coffee mug with a death grip and refused to look at my desk. It wasn’t that it was much bloodier than things I had seen in the past. In fact it was probably much tamer than a lot of crime scenes I had visited. It was also, however, much more twisted. The mind that thought up this crime wasn’t as lucid as most. Where a gunshot wound was messy it was simple to understand, this was beyond my comprehension at first. 28

I glanced at the photograph again. It was the same girl that had seemed so pretty in her photograph when she had gone missing. Her red hair was impossible to miss. I almost felt sick to my stomach at the site. I resisted ralphing in the trash can under my desk. Instead I placed my mug over the Polaroid and walked out of the office. Lizzie looked at me in shock as I stormed out to my car for a drive.
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