My French Professor is a
Vampire
Series by Agarwaen
randomnessguru@yahoo.com
Series
Rated: PG
Characters from Forever
Knight do not belong to me. I am just borrowing them for a little while. I
promise to return them mainly unharmed. Any characters that don’t belong to FK
belong to me. Please ask my permission if you want to use them or anything
about my series. As far as I know this is pretty original therefore it belongs
to me. So please ask. Thanks
Additional note on the
text:
Thanks to all my beta-readers.
I don’t know what I would have done without you guys!
Psst....don’t tell anyone
but I have never been to
Comments and chocolates
are welcome! Mainly comments……
Just email me at
Randomnessguru@yahoo.com
Here goes nothing...
My French professor is a
Vampire.
(February 2003)
Part One:
The introduction.
Dear Grace,
“I hardly know where to begin... So much has changed.
I’ve changed more than I care to dwell on. But as usual there are those few
things that never seem to change. No matter what happens you can always count
on them to stay the same. Like my Nick, well I guess its Nicholas now. In some
ways he has changed too but mostly he is still my Nick. I still love him so
much! Listen to me, sitting here talking your ears off! I guess I should get on
with the story. There were a few unpleasant things we had to go through before
everything started to get better again. I use the words Unpleasant Things very
lightly. Maybe some time I can tell you about them but it is an old story about
a boy, his greatest friend, a big stake and something about a peach or an empty
box or something. Anyhow that is all in the past now. Things worked out the way
they should have. The boy lived and his girlfriend did too, well, sort of. And
they went on to live happily, forever.
Well, sort of.”
Natalie sat back and
tapped her pen on the table. Then she slapped the table in earnest and crumpled
up the letter. She made it into the trashcan in just one shot.
“Practice makes perfect,”
she muttered.
It was a letter she had
started a dozen times. She knew that contact with her last life was strictly
forbidden. Nick had made that very clear. Being a vampire meant moving from
life to life without leaving ripples. She never really intended to send the
letters, not really. She just missed her friends. She loved her life now with Nick and had no
intention of ruining that by some silly mortal need for closure. No clinging to
mortal friends; it was easier that way, well, sort of.
“Natalie?” Nick called
from the kitchen, “Did you get that delivery yesterday?”
“Yeah, it should be by
the refrigerator!” Natalie called back, smiling to herself <he may be an immortal but he is still
such a guy, can’t find a thing.>
Natalie pushed her chair
away from the desk and sauntered over to the kitchen in their relatively modest
apartment. The entire home consisted of two bedrooms, a living room and a
kitchen. < “If we are going to be living on such a ‘modest salary’ we need
to at least act the part.”>
“Are you almost ready for
your first day Nicky boy?”
Nick looked up with a
boyish grin. He smoothed his blond curls with a hand. He was wearing his hair
longer now. It made him look even more like a mischievous boy then before. She
was almost sure she heard him chuckle.
“If you go around smiling
like that they might discover you for the little imp you are!” Natalie giggled.
“I thought that was what
you found so charming about me!”
“Well, I will admit, you
certainly look cute as an imp....”
“Seriously Nat, do you
think I look all right like this?” Nick
backed away from Natalie and gave a slow turn.
He was wearing a deep crimson dress shirt and stylish black pants, and over
all of it he wore a long black coat. His blond curls just grazed his shoulders
and his blue eyes sparkled with private mirth.
Natalie cocked her head
to the side and gave him an appraising look, “You look good enough to eat!”
Nick growled softly then
reached across and encircled her waist with his arms, pulling her close and
pressing them together. He smiled down at her with that grin and bent to nuzzle
her neck.
“Nick! There’s no time
for that....Nick!” Giggling she pushed him away, reluctantly.
“You need to eat before
you go, wouldn’t want you snacking on a student.”
Nick groaned and gave
Natalie a skeptical look.
“Don’t give me that look!
Did you find the bottles we got yesterday?”
Nick stole one last look
at her and sighed dejectedly.
“I suppose I should try
to behave,” Then he added in a heavy French accent, “at least until after
work!”
Then Nick lunged at
Natalie; they chased each other laughing around the small apartment until Nick
finally caught Nat up in a more then friendly kiss.
“I much prefer this to
all that brooding you used to do!” Natalie added when she came up for breath.
Nick looked sad for a
moment and then his face broke into a smile again.
“I don’t think I should
be late for work on the first day. Fooling around is definitely not an excuse,
that is, unless you would be willing to write a Doctor’s Note? Well, Dr.
Brabant?”
“Now you really will have
to hurry you scoundrel. Here, I poured you a flask for lunch.”
“Thank you dear. I shall
see you after work.” Nick gave Natalie a chaste kiss and hurried out the door.
Natalie watched him
disappear out the door but she could still feel his excitement through their
link. He was happier now then he had been in a while.
Natalie collapsed on the
couch then thought better of it and rose to go get a drink. She meandered into
the kitchen and noticed the untouched crate by the refrigerator. <Darn fool
was so excited he forgot to eat. Glad I gave him that flask.> She sighed and began prying the lid of the
crate. The lid came away easily and she gazed delighted down at the contents.
<This sure beats grocery shopping every week!> Natalie grabbed a bottle
and a glass from the cupboard and headed back to the couch. Once seated, she
poured herself a glass of the rich red liquid. Taking a tentative sip she took
a moment to savor the taste. Blood, human of course. Nick and Nat were sure to
acquire blood that was not collected at the cost of lives. Nick had lost his affinity for steer blood
after that night at his loft. He had lost many things. He no longer sought
mortality but that had not dampened his morality. He still sought to redeem
himself but he was no longer above enjoying the pleasure of being a vampire.
He had spent centuries of
his life trying to regain mortality. All it took was one fateful night to send
him back to exactly where he’d started. At least she had been able to forgive
him for never following her advice about giving up blood. A mortal just could
not understand the consuming desire, no, hunger they had for the stuff. It had
scared her until Nick had taught her how to control her Beast, and how to shift
her focus and let the Hunger become background noise. They had stayed away from
mortals until Nick was sure she had enough control and then they had started
planning for this life. They had leased an apartment and in no time Nick had
become Professor Nicholas de Brabant at NYU and she had bought an empty
building not far away. She was currently working on renovating the building and
soon it would serve as their home and her little shop.
Natalie smiled. It was
amazing what you could do when you had almost unlimited funds at your disposal.
She had bought a two-story building like it was nothing. She was looking
forward to being able to play house on the top floor and setting up her own
coffee shop on the ground floor. She would never tell Nick this but she was
really looking forward to opening N&N coffee shop. Nat didn’t want Nick to
get his hopes up when she wasn’t even sure if it would be a success. If his
hopes were crushed she didn’t know how he would react, his new happiness seemed
too fragile yet. Of course, there was always the possibility that her dream
would be exposed when they shared blood, but she always made sure that he was
suitably distracted by…..other things.....so he didn’t have time to think
about some of the little clues her blood
might reveal.
But she still couldn’t
help but feel excited when she thought that maybe, just maybe, it could be a
haven like the Raven had been, but for creatures of the night like Nick and Nat
who no longer wanted to live at the expense of mortals. It was an impossible
dream but then she was an impossibility, a vampire.
Natalie closed her eyes
and concentrated on the bond between her and Nick. She could sense his joy and
nervousness over his first day as a teacher again. Then she felt his love for
her and contentment as he sensed her along their link.
Natalie opened her eyes
and smiled. She walked over to the window and looked up at the sky. The last
rays of the sun had disappeared from the sky. Nat walked over to the door and
threw on her coat. It was time to go and see how much they had accomplished at
the building today and clean up some of the last minute details. With any luck, her store would be ready to
open by the beginning of next week and they would be able to start moving in,
in just a few days.
If it hadn’t been
unbecoming for a Vampire to skip, Nick was sure he would be virtually
frolicking down the hallway. His still heart would have been beating like a rabbit’s
if he had been mortal. A torrent of emotions was tumbling through him. He was
so excited to be among mortals again, teaching! It had been such a blow when he
was forced to leave his job in the 1950’s when he had been charged with being a
communist. Now he was back again! But he couldn’t help feeling nervous.. What
if something went wrong? What if he couldn’t teach anymore? What if someone
recognized him? It had not been that long since Nick had lived in
Nick made his way through
the hallways with ease. He had only been in this university a few times but his
perfect memory meant that he could remember the way around without much
difficulty. He quickly located the language arts building and stepped through
the double doors.......right into another teacher who was hurrying out through
the doors.
Papers and various pens
slid across the floor and a very young and worried looking man nearly joined
his them.
“Oh my Gosh! I am so
sorry. I wasn’t even looking! Haste only leads to delays! I should have known
that!” the young man mumbled hastily.
Nick smiled and
remembering to use his French accent quickly added. “That’s quite all right.
Looks like something I might do myself.”
“Hah! Too true friend,
how oft do find men’s faults within us.” Then the young man extended his hand.
“I’m Darius Hamlin, that is, English Professor Hamlin, blah blah, and so on.
Youngest teacher at this school, well, second youngest I guess. You must be the
new French Professor and I hear tell you are at least a month younger than me.”
Darius winked conspiratorially.
The vampire checked his
watch…<Just five minutes until my class starts!>
Nick smiled again, <if
I am not careful that could become a habit>, He accepted Darius’s hand, “I
look forward to running into you again, though perhaps, next time not so
literally.”
“Yes, yes! But first, If
you wouldn’t mind...” Darius gestured despondently at the mess of papers and
supplies that covered the floor. “The students will be arriving soon and I
still need to run out to my car. Can you help me get this stuff picked up right
fast?”
“Certainly.” Nick
genuinely liked this young man. He stooped to help him collect his papers and
warned himself not to let his guard down and become careless. Then his memory
was drawn back to a time long ago......
Nick was so absorbed in thoughts that he didn’t see the
pile of papers and pens by his feet and when he moved, his feet slid out from
under him and the ancient Vampire found himself in a very graceless sprawl on
the ground.
If he had been capable of
blushing, Nick was sure he would have been glowing, especially after he heard a
burst of laughter from behind him.
“Aren’t we a pair! Not an
ounce of grace between us!” Nick glanced back at Darius and couldn’t help but
chuckle. Here they were, both sprawled out on the floor amongst a pile of loose
papers, pens, and other assorted items.
“This was not exactly
what I had planned for the first day at work. I will tell you that.” Nick
replied, again using his heavy French accent.
They both collapsed into
laughter. It sure felt good to laugh again! <I am glad I finally got rid of
that troublesome suitcase of guilt!>
Nick had clung to his
pain for so long he had almost forgotten what it felt like to live. It
did feel wonderful to laugh again and not feel guilty. It felt good to Feel
again!
By the time Nick and
Darius had collected their wits enough to stand again they were faced with at
least two dozen students who had arrived for their night class and found two
professors lying on the floor and laughing. Nick and Darius both resisted
bursting into another fit of laughter after they saw the look on their faces.
Nick rose first and dusted off his long black coat, then helped Darius gain his
feet as well.
“Hey, Professor Hamlin,
you all right?”
“Yes, yes. Just testing
the uhh....new floor wax”
“Yes of course, the new
floor wax...” Nick replied in a superior French accent, then he threw a wink at
Darius, “It was nice making your acquaintance Professor Hamlin, I look forward
to meeting you again soon.” Then Nick gave a very regal bow, which Darius tried
to return but of course failed.
“Come on, get onto your
classes!”
“See you later, Darius.”
With a swirl of his coat,
Nick spun and disappeared down a hallway before Darius had a chance to mention
that he didn’t even know Nick’s name.
Nick’s classes went
smoothly without any hitch. He had stepped into the role of Nicholas de
Brabant, French Professor, effortlessly. Of course, he got a little hungry
after the first hour but a couple swigs from his handy flask helped. Besides,
his century long fast had had one plus, Nick’s control was now near perfect. In
fact, he had better control then most of the Elders who were thousands of years
older then he was.
Nick shuffled some of his
papers and jammed them into a folder.
“I need to start bringing
a briefcase” he muttered to himself.
Nick stood and stretched,
it was nearly
< An imp indeed!>
Nick chuckled softly to himself. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his
connection with Natalie. She was excited and a little frustrated, Natalie was
complaining to the general manager at her new shop, apparently the chairs they
had ordered did not match the rest of the décor. Nick opened his eyes and shook
his head. “I think Nat is enjoying my bank account way too much.” He sighed
softly to himself. Then he put the finishing touches on the last paper and
pushed his chair away from his desk. Stretching again, Nick stood and grabbed
his coat then stalked noiselessly out into the hallway.
“Professor!”
Nick turned around to see
Darius running down the hall, his case, filled with papers again, was clutched
protectively against his chest and his coat was trailing behind him.
“Darius, how nice to see
you again, what are you doing here this late?”
“Oh, I never sleep
anyway, better to get some extra work done. You know I never caught your name!”
“Oh, excuse me, I am
Nicholas.” Nick again gave a lordly bow.
“Nicholas, is Nick okay?”
“Certainly. Do you need
some help?”
Darius was balancing his
case in one hand and attempting to put on his coat with the other. Nick could
only imagine what it would be like if he had to help organize that mess
again.
“Yes! Please.”
Nick grabbed the case,
just as it started to fall.
“Nice reflexes Nick”
“Thank you.” Nick smiled politely at Darius.
Now free of his extra
burden Darius quickly slung on his heavy coat and retrieved the case from Nick.
“Where are you headed
now, Nick?”
Nick concentrated on his
link with Natalie and decided it was best to leave her alone for the time
being. After only a small hesitation Nick replied,
“Actually, I have no
place in particular to go, I was thinking of just heading home.”
“No! It’s too early to go
home. Why don’t you come with me and we can catch up on an overdue dinner,
maybe I can give you a few pointers after your first day on the job.”
“Thank you for the
invitation but I am not really hungry.”
“Fine, you don’t have to
eat but please come. No one I know is as much a night person as I am. It’d be
nice to have someone to talk to who is coherent after
Nick couldn’t help it, he
found himself smiling again. “Yes, you could say I am something of a night
person I’ll come, just as long as you
don’t expect me to eat anything.”
Natalie had been arguing
with the general contractor for the last hour and a half. He was convinced that
the chairs that had just come in were the ones she had ordered. However, with
her now perfect memory, Natalie knew he was wrong. The trouble was convincing
him of the truth. She was a breath away from whammying him into compliance when
the man finally relented.
“Maybe I may have made a
mistake, sorry ma’am. I guess I will reorder the chairs but it will cost you,
and it may take some time...”
Natalie looked him right
in the eyes and made sure he was listening very carefully. “It won’t cost me a
thing, you made the mistake and you better fix it before the scheduled grand
opening in two days or we’ll see if you get paid anything.”
“Yes ma’am” the man
replied with a dead-pan stare.
Natalie turned on her
heels and stalked away, laughing softly. There were definitely some advantages
to this.
Darius’s
glass made a thud when it hit the table but both men were doubled over with
laughter and hardly noticed.
“So, here I was, wearing
high heels, a dress, make up and a wig and face to face with the prettiest girl
in school! I was so stunned I could barely gather enough wits to try and play
it off!”
Darius had to pause and
catch his breath before he continued again.
“It was horrible,
needless to say, I never went trick-or-treating again. That had to be the most
embarrassing moment of my childhood!”
“That must have been
mortifying! How ever did you, ‘play it off’?”
“I think I mumbled
something about trick-or-treating with my sister, but I was stuttering so much,
I seriously doubt she understood anything I said.” Darius paused to sip his
drink. “Okay, I shared. Now it is your turn Nick. What was the most
embarrassing moment of your childhood?”
Nick shook his head.
<If only he knew what he was really asking!>
“Just a moment, childhood
was so long ago! Did you want anything else to eat while I think about it?”
Nick had never seen a man
devour as much food as Darius had in such a short time. A plate of fried
chicken and mash potatoes had disappeared in the first fifteen minutes. A
salad, a pot of coffee, another order of mash potatoes and two slices of
cheesecake later, Nick was almost certain that Darius had either not eaten in
at least a week, or that Nick himself was more out of touch with the average
human meal size then he ever dreamed possible.
“Well, now that you
mention it...” at the shocked look on Nick’s face, Darius chuckled. “I’m just
kidding you. I always forget to eat so when I do remember I always try to stock
up.” Darius was rewarded with a puzzled look from his companion. “If you had my
memory you’d understand. So I shared, your turn.”
Nick pushed his chair
back from the table and closed his eyes, thinking back.
“I couldn’t have been
more then 16 at the time if I remember correctly. It was about a girl of
course.”
“The best stories always
are.”
Nick nodded his agreement
and continued. “I was so smitten. Terribly in love as only a teenager can be.
Anyway, she was the daughter of the blacksmith in my vil....town. Quite a formidable fellow who had already
told me in a very clear manner that I was to stay away from his daughter if I
valued my life.”
“He could really do that!
I mean, just order people to stay away from his daughter? That’s crazy.”
“Not crazy, this was a
different time and in a different country. A father could do anything he wanted
where his daughters were concerned.”
“Jeez. I didn’t know
people were like that over in France.”
“Belgium and this was a
long time ago. I’m older then I look you know. Now may I continue?”
“Yeah, sorry”
“Anyhow, her birthday was
approaching and I was feeling every bit like a rebellious teenager so I decided
that I was going to go to her despite her father’s warnings. I spent weeks
learning a beautiful love song to sing to her and I think I even made her a
small figurine of a beautiful horse as a gift.”
“You were 16 and you
didn’t get her anything but a.....”
“AHEM!! Do you want to
hear my story or not?”
“Sorry, curious.”
“As I was saying. The
night of her birthday came and I had everything ready. As soon as the sun set I
snuck out of my ca...house and made my way towards her home. I waited outside
her window until I was sure everyone in the house was asleep and then I crept
in through her open window.”
Darius opened his mouth
to speak but Nick beat him to it. “It was summer and there was no
air-conditioning, everyone left their windows open. Satisfied?”
After Darius offered a
nod Nick continued, “Visions of her sweet face and golden hair danced in my
mind. I was so distracted by my imagination that I came through the window and
tripped over a chest that was beneath it. When I fell I smashed a bottle of her
perfume and got it in my eyes. Here I was, visions of love vanishing from my
mind, with perfume all over me and in my eyes and I had knocked over the chest,
creating an awful noise!” Nick stopped to wait while Darius choked on his
cheesecake crust.
“Somewhere amid the blind
panic I got up enough sense to try and leave before the smith carried out his
threats. But as soon as I stood I tripped again over the same chest and flew
head long onto the bed with her. No, even better, on top of her and to make
things worse, my tunic had gotten snagged on the bed frame, tearing it when I
flew onto the bed.”
Darius was making a
strange hiccupping sound so Nick paused while he recovered.
“As usual, the smith
chose that moment to come in and see what all the noise was about. You can well
imagine what he saw. Me with my tunic torn, laying on the bed with his
daughter, who by now had woken up enough to realize what was happening and was
drawing breath for a scream. Needless to say, even with my blurred vision I
managed to make it back to my ca...house in record time, of course, the smith
running behind brandishing his
sw...shotgun could have been motivation.”
Nick looked at Darius,
“It wasn’t really all that funny. I actually think it was kind of sad.”
“It’s not the story.”
Darius managed to squeak out, “I was imagining you in a tunic!”
“I don’t think that’s
very funny! I look pretty darn good in a tunic if you ask me!”
“Let’s hope I never have
to.”
“I’d drink to that.”
“Speaking of drink, you
haven’t touched your coffee.”
Nick look despondently
down at his cold coffee.
“I don’t
drink...........coffee.”
The dream was a familiar
one. He had had it so many times since that night. I wasn’t really a dream so
much as a memory of his and Natalie’s last night in Toronto.
“Damn you Nicholas!”
The tip of the stake
hovered over Nick’s back and then began to make its fatal plunge, but at the
last moment, Nick heard the stake clatter to the floor.
Nicholas spun around to
face his sire. “Lacroix please! I am serious about this request.”
“As am I in refusing you!
I will not permit you to let this opportunity slip away! You are allowing your
misplaced morality to cloud your judgment. Why suffer as I have suffered! Bring
her across, save yourself my pain.”
“Just this once Lacroix,
can you please stop your lying tongue and grant me my request, give me the
death you stole from me so long ago.”
“Fine Nicholas, yell if
you wish. But, remember every moment you delay, your beloved slips further away
from you.”
Nick bared his teeth and
lunged at the stake still lying on the ground. “If you will not do it then I
will.” Nick lifted the stake but was stopped by a calm, unexpected statement
from Lacroix.
“If you ever did that
Nicholas, I can say without hesitation that I would greet the sun the very next
day.”
“What?” Nicholas asked
puzzled by such emotion from his sire.
“You heard me Nicholas.”
Lacroix turned his head but to late to hide the single blood tear.
Nicholas reached for his sire
but staggered as he suddenly felt Lacroix lower the psychic walls around their
link. Pain, sadness, longing, love, regret, they all bombarded his senses. Nick
saw himself through his master’s eyes. A beloved son, the child he would never
be able to have. He felt the stab of pain that Lacroix felt every time that
Nicholas cursed him. He felt LaCroix’ longing for the love of Fleur, even after
all these years.
“Lacroix....Father.....”
Nick saw Lacroix flinch when he spoke, as if he expected a rebuke, and he felt
Lacroix begin to cut off their newly strengthened link again. But, that didn’t
stop Nick from feeling his master’s surprise when he caught Lacroix in a tight
hug. At first the Ancient did not know what to do but soon his heart remembered
and he returned Nick’s embrace. After what seemed an eternity, Lacroix pushed
Nicholas away.
“Nicholas, I release you
from your debt.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I
release you from your debt. I cannot bear to rob you of any more then I already
have.”
“Lacroix., you...”
“Please Nicholas, my son,
Natalie slips away even as we speak, already we may be too late.”
Nick reached up and wiped
away a blood tear as it trailed down Lacroix’s cheek.
“Hurry Nicholas!”
“Thank you Father.”
“You are welcome my son.”
Nick heard the wind as
Lacroix disappeared, then he hurried to Natalie’s side. Already her heart was
slowing but when he offered her his blood and called her back she responded
quickly.
“Wake my Natalie. My
lover. My new daughter.”
Natalie knew he was
dreaming as she watched his face as he slept. Lightly, she traced the lines of
his face and every one of his blond curls with her fingers. She watched as
those lines deepened as if he were in pain, then he stirred, mumbling something
in French. Like cool fingers, she allowed her calm to spread along their bond.
She felt his distress lessen and then disappear as her love forced his memory
to relent. She continued to trace her fingers through his hair as he fell back
into a dreamless sleep.
“Goodnight my eternal
lover.”
The first rays of
sunlight crept over the horizon and as Natalie lay back down beside Nick she
thought quietly to herself. <It is such a shame I had to face death before I
could truly live.>
Then she felt Nick wrap
his arms around her and hold her tight beside him and the breath of an answer
blew gently through their bond <My thoughts exactly.>
See part one for
disclaimer and note on the text
On with the show...
Part Two:
Natalie flinched when she
heard another crash coming from behind her. “Be careful with that stuff would
you!”
The clumsy mover quickly
re-shouldered his burden and mumbled an apology before heading with his burden
up the stairs. Natalie was beginning to wonder if she should have moved the
things from the apartment to the flat above her new coffee shop by herself.
They certainly would have been better cared for.
“Careful with that!”
Natalie yelled just in time to save another of her boxes from being rammed into
the doorframe.
Natalie finally relaxed
as she saw the rest of her boxes had been moved safely up the stairs. She
watched as the movers strolled calmly across her new carpet with hopelessly
grimy boots. <Good thing I put down plastic!> It always paid to be a
cautious business owner. The rest of the movers filed out and Natalie nodded
farewell before shutting the door behind them. She turned and rested the back
of her head against the door, looking around the room she took in her new home.
At least she had been
able to move some of the more fragile boxes from their place in storage without
any human assistance. But, she had special plans for those and she wasn’t going
to trust just anyone with their contents.
Her coffee shop was
finished. The sleek counters and comfortable furniture was all in place. She could
smell the fresh leather and sawdust. Natalie quickly stooped and removed the
plastic protecting her carpet. Everything was almost ready for her and Nick’s
first night in their new flat. <Just one more thing to take care of!> And
with a soft giggle Natalie nearly ran up the stairs to start unpacking.
Once again Nick groaned
inwardly.
“No, the Crusaders are
not a band. How many times must I say that?”
Nick had serious thoughts
about just whamming, not whammying, this student into agreement. The student in
question was now redoubling her efforts to drive him mad by smacking her gum
even harder then before and twirling her fingers around a lock of blond hair
that he could have sworn looked and sounded like dry straw. Nick turned and
walked slowly back to his desk, counting to ten under his breath and continuing
his lesson as best he could. When he turned back to face the class the girl had
her hand up again, her manicured fingers waving in the air like spider’s legs.
<Maybe I should tell her to eat while I am at it.> He thought quietly to
himself. Nick did his best to thoroughly ignore her until a shrill voice
thwarted his efforts.
“Professor Brabant? I
have a question!”
“Yes?”
“Umm.....If the crusaders
wanted Jerusalem....how come they don’t own it now?”
Nick clasped his hands
firmly behind him...<Must not hit students, must not hit students.....>
He looked at his watch and checked the clock on the wall. <Oh Thank God.>
“You are all dismissed,
have pages 78-120 read by next class and be ready to discuss.”
Nick sighed inwardly and
pinched the bridge of his nose as the students filed out of the room.
“Long night?” quipped a
familiar voice from behind him.
“Darius!” Nick spun
around to face his friend. “No, ignorance can just be tiresome sometimes.”
“Tell me about it. Are
you ready to go?”
“Go?”
“Yeah, don’t you
remember? You were going to keep me company again while I ate.”
“Oh yes! Terribly sorry
but last class distressed me somewhat. Of course, I am ready to go.”
“All right, maybe I can
get you to eat something this time. They really do have wonderful mashed
potatoes.”
Nick hid a grimace. “No,
I am really not that hungry. I’ll just have something when I get home...”
“You really should eat
something, you don’t look very good.”
“That’s exactly what my
wife used to say.” Nick chuckled and collected his coat. Then he and Darius
strolled laughing towards the restaurant.
With a sigh Natalie wiped
at the dust that had collected on her shirt and reached out to straighten the
last picture she had put on the wall. She nearly tripped over all of the empty
boxes as she tried to maneuver herself out of the room. Thanks to her new speed
she had gotten nearly every box unpacked in record time. She had only one room
left to go and then their new home would be complete.
Thankful for her new
strength Natalie, collected all the empty packing boxes that she had just
avoiding tripping over and heaved them out of the way along with the other
crates and boxes. Then she sauntered over to the last remaining crates and used
a rag to clear the dust from their labels. The first box she came to was marked
“candles.” Natalie smiled broadly and carried it to the last room.
“Oh, this is going to be
so good!” Natalie exclaimed to the empty apartment.
Nick was again amazed at
the sheer quantity of food that Darius consumed.
“Your wife must have a
hard time cooking enough for you.” Nick said jokingly.
“Mmph......” Nick winced
as he heard Darius swallow his most recent helping of chicken. “Not really. I
eat out a lot so she doesn’t really have to cook too much. I work late and she
works during the day so our schedules don’t always overlap conveniently enough
for a meal together.”
Then Darius stopped
eating and looked at Nick questioningly, “How did you know I was married?”
Nick could smell a
woman’s perfume on Darius’s clothes but of course there was no way to explain
that without some awkward maneuvering so he simply gestured at the gold band on
Darius’s finger.
“Oh yeah....... I forgot
about the ring.” Darius looked down at his food and began to twirl his ring
unconsciously. Nick saw tears begin to gather in Darius’s eyes.
“Did something happen?”
Nick asked softly in response to this sudden change in his friend. But, instead
of answering Darius seemed to snap out of where ever he had gone and the spark
of amusement returned to his eyes. Although this time, Nick could tell it was
just a mask.
“So, Nick....I never
figured you for the marrying type. What does your lady think of your schedule?”
Nick felt uneasy about
what he had just seen and Darius’s obvious avoidance of the subject did not
help calm Nick’s screaming instincts. You didn’t live for 800 years without
learning to tell when someone is hiding something. But, he kept all this to
himself. Mimicking Darius and allowing the amusement to return to his eyes as
well Nick replied, “Oh! We are both nightowls. That’s how we met actually.”
Nick chuckled softly and continued, “She is opening a coffee-shop not far from
here. I think she decided to call it N&N’s café or something. The grand
opening is tomorrow night.”
“Really! Well, we shall
have to go there tomorrow after work instead of this place. I would love to
meet your wife!”
“Why don’t you bring your
lady as well.” Nick watched Darius for a reaction but only saw his usual amused
expression, puzzled, Nick continued, “That is if her schedule would permit.
Natalie has not had to time to meet many people since we moved here and I think
she would enjoy meeting you and your wife.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Nick shook his head and
watched as Darius attacked the rest of his meal with renewed vigor, there was
no trace of his earlier emotion. Nick looked at the ring on Darius’s finger
again. What had happened? Certainly it was something in the past. Nick knew
that distant look someone got when they drifted into memory. Darius had been
seeing something that made him sad. The question was, What had he seen? Nick pushed away his curiosity. He should
know better then anyone else that the past is something you can only share when
you are ready. Someday perhaps Darius will share his past with him, but not
tonight.
Nick settled back into
his chair and smiled. Not so much because of his new friendship but because the
excitement coming through his link with Natalie was infectious. It chased any
lingering doubts about Darius out of his mind. Nick concentrated on finding the
reason for her happiness only to discover himself blocked.
<No peeking Nicky Boy!
It’s a surprise.>
Nick hid his shock and
curiosity but was almost twitching with excitement by the time he and Darius
parted ways for the day.
Natalie was lighting the
rest of the candles when she heard Nick start up the stairs. She quickly blew
out the match, straightened her shirt and rushed out to meet her husband. Nick
walked in the house, set down his case and threw his coat over a chair then
looked around admiringly at their new home. The flat above Nat’s coffee shop
was a far cry from the little apartment they had been living in for the past
few months. Though not nearly as big as Nick’s old loft it was rather spacious.
There was a small kitchen and a large living room that took up nearly all the
space in the apartment. There was a hallway off the living room that led to two
smaller bedrooms and the bathroom. The ceilings in the living room were almost
as high as they had been in Nick’s old loft. A door off the living room led to
another large room. The door was closed but soft light shone under the door.
Nick looked at the door
quizzically then turned to look questioningly at Natalie. Natalie only smiled
in response to his unspoken question and he made his way over to the door. The
room beyond was filled with hundreds of candles (all in safe holders of course)
also arranged tastefully around the room were objects and artifacts from the
Loft, as well as some things that Nick had kept in storage while he lived in
Toronto. The walls were covered in Nick’s paintings and pictures that Natalie
had found among his things.
Natalie held her breath. She didn’t know how he was going to react to
this reminder of their lives in Toronto. She resisted the urge to check their
link for clues to what he was thinking and waited patiently while he looked
silently around the room.
After a little while Nick
turned back to face her. His eyes shone with unshed tears and he was smiling
happily. Natalie walked over and clasped
his hands, looking into her husbands eyes she felt her own begin to fill with
tears.
“Nat, I...” He stopped
and shook his head. This was almost too much. Nothing this good had happened to
him in centuries. He was with a person
he loved more then he could describe in words and now he was surrounded by so
many happy memories. There was something, a feeling he couldn’t name.... Then it came to him.
“I am finally Home!”
Nick laughed and spun
around. Nat threw her arms around him and clung on tightly to his chest as he
twirled. When he finally slowed she looked up to meet his eyes. They were
brimming with crimson tears. But for the first time in a while it was not from
sadness but from joy.
“You better like it! Do
you have any idea how long it took me to do this? Nail this, straighten that,
light th...”
She was interrupted when
Nick caught her up in a kiss. Deep, soft and full of love. After a few minutes
Natalie saw where he was headed and pushed him away with a sly grin. She
grabbed his hand and led him over to another room that she had saved for last.
Just off the Piano room was another small guest room. Nat led Nick to the door
connecting the rooms and stopped him with another mischievous grin.
“Close your eyes.”
“But Nat!”
“Close ‘em Nicky!”
Nick sighed playfully and
closed ‘em. Nat pushed open the door and carefully led her husband into the
room.
“All right, open them!”
Nick opened his eyes and
gasped. Arranged tastefully around the small room were some of his paintings.
Even the large one that Schanke had once critiqued had a spot along one wall.
And scattered literally everywhere were hundreds of candles. It was perfect. He
sank down onto one of the comfy cushions that lay about on the floor,
overwhelmed.
“Oh Nat!” Nick pulled her
down beside him. “This is perfect. Its home. I am finally Home!” Nick leaned
down to kiss Natalie and this time she responded enthusiastically.
Pale slices of moonlight
cut through the tiny cracks in the ceiling. They penetrated into the shadowed
room below; faintly illuminating the dark council being held within. Dozens of
shadowed figures lined the walls. There was no light but that from the faint
rays of moonlight but the figures within needed nothing more than that.
Rustling noises filled the silence as the figures shifted, their eyes glinted
when they were touched by the pale light. Tension was so thick in the air it
would have been hard to breathe. That is, if any of the figures had felt the
need. Slowly, one of the shadows broke away and moved to the center of the
room. Instantly all of the rustling stopped as that shadow became the sole
focus of those in the room. The hooded figure halted in one of the moonlit
patches on the ground and drew back its hood.
Her hair shone raven
black in the darkness and her skin was ghostly pale as the moonlight caressed
her face and her eyes seemed to glow with their own inner fire. Outwardly she
appeared to be a child, barely more then seventeen but those who dared to look
into her eyes knew different. Her eyes told a story thousands of years long,
they spoke of an age and power that was rivaled by few among them. Slowly she
spun, taking in and capturing the attention of everyone in the room. Those who
dared to meet her eyes quickly looked away, intimidated and fearful of what
they saw within.
Her voice, silken and
lilting shattered the strained silence. It filled the entire room, filled even
the shadowed corners with its dark beauty.
“My people,” The girl
paused and glanced again at the others. “I call this council to order.”
“We meet regarding a
matter of great importance. This is the first council that has been called in
the last thousand years and I assure you we do not gather here for a mere
triviality. I have called the council to discuss the very survival of our
race.” Again the child scanned the faces of the shadowy figures. Finding no
challenge to her authority she removed a small manuscript from her robe and
cast it on the floor. Small flurries of dust swirled above the paper then
settled once again. One last dust cloud hung suspended in the air for just a
moment longer before settling over the title on the manuscript. “Forever
Knight.”
“This is proof of their
existence. The existence of the Writers.
This manuscript details the saga of a vampire named Nicholas Knight, a
vampire created to entertain creatures from another world but, alas, he was
cast aside to live forever in a delicate balance between life and death. Just
as each and every one of us was created and placed in this world to serve our
purpose in a small story for the amusement of these strange creatures. They toy
with us. They use us, place us in this world,
then cast us aside as mere filler or bit characters. No longer will our
great people suffer this injustice, we will not stand for being mere characters
to be molded and toyed with at will! We will expose them, we will break their
power over us then all who live here will be free to play any part they
desire!”
The small girl glanced
around the room one more time before reaching her hand back into her robe. She pulled
out a small round mirror. She gently wiped her hands along the glass, removing
the dust. The girl held the mirror up to her face but instead of seeing her
white, hard features, she saw a small girl, about 17, wearing superman pajamas
and a fleece jacket typing away at a computer. The ancient child walked over to
the nearest figure and held the mirror up to his face. Reflected in the glass was a slightly
older gentleman, wearing nothing but boxers, bent over a small typewriter. The
raven-haired girl continued to walk around the circle, showing everyone what
appeared in the mirror. Then she sauntered back to the center of the room.
“Now you see. The mirrors
in this world reveal the true forms of our Writers. Through these windows into
their world we can face our creators and shatter their hold, then we will be
free to choose our own destiny.”
The girl again focused on
the image in the small mirror, then she raised her arm and broke the mirror in
a shower of razor sharp fragments. All at once the small girl gasped and fell
to her knees. Her outline seemed to waver then sharpen again, then she jumped
up and did a handstand. Something completely unexpected from such a somber
looking person yet she did it anyway. The small figure righted herself, fixed
her skirt and called out.
“I broke character! It
can be done, I am FREE!!!”
The small girl closed her
eyes and stood very still. Suddenly, a small bag appeared in the hands of
everyone who was gathered.
“Go! Give these mirrors
to the people but do not tell them how to use them We must wait until the time is right then we
shall free ourselves as one. Tell them to come to the concert at Madison Square
Garden if they wish to know the Truth. Go!”
A cheer rose from the
assembled figures. The time for liberation was at hand.
Far off, in another
world, in a small room in a dim basement sat a small girl. She was only about
17 years of age, wearing superman pajamas and a fleece jacket. The girl was
frantically pushing the backspace button on her computer but to no avail. This
was supposed to be a care-free fanfic about what happened to Nick after Last
Knight. Nothing like this was supposed to happen, yet the disastrous words had
been spoken and the unspeakable act had been done. The fan fiction world as we
know it was in jeopardy. If all the characters managed to break free then there
could never be anymore fan fiction. Authors would no longer be able to bend or
create new characters for stories. Something had to be done.
The girl took a long sip
of her Gatorade, tightened her ponytail and frantically started typing.
Abandoning all sense and writing skills to the pull of necessity. There were
only six characters she knew that could stop the Liberation and she needed them
together now!
Darius shifted nervously
again and impatiently checked his watch. He clicked his heels twice and peered
again down at his watch.
“Late Nick.” Darius shook
his head. Then his ears perked up when he heard a familiar heavily accented
voice drifting down the hallway.
“Mr. Sallenger, I had nothing to do with
‘giving you’ and F. You earned that all by yourself.”
“Come on man! I need this grade to stay
on the team!”
Darius smiled at the
scene he could almost picture in his mind. The hardy, rather beefy Joe
Sallenger, gesturing and pleading for an A and Nick staring with his usual
unemotional glare. There was a setting up of opposites if ever there was one.
Darius was still laughing when the young athlete in question stormed by him
followed by the pale and impassive Nicholas.
“Rough day?” Darius asked
good-humoredly.
“You have no idea. At
least I finally managed to......persuade him to give up his silly argument. I
am sorry for being so late.”
“No problem, but we
better hurry if you want to make it to the coffee shop right after it opens.”
“Then lets be off!”
Nick and Darius arrived
at N&N’s café just as Natalie unlocked the door and hit the switch to light
up the neon sign. As soon as she spotted Nick, Natalie ran out and flung her
arms around him. She kissed him then nearly giggled with delight.
“Isn’t this wonderful!”
Nick smiled back at
Natalie, overwhelmed by the happiness that was fairly rolling off her. Even Darius
seemed to feel it as his already jovial face split in a grin. Nick stepped back
to allow Darius to see Nat.
“Darius, this is Nat.
Nat, Darius. He is a friend of mine from work.”
“Nice to meet you
Darius!” Natalie shook hands with Darius. Who, by the way, was blushing.
Natalie is a very pretty woman after all.
Darius checked his watch
again then beamed at the happy couple before him. “My wife should be here after
she gets off work, maybe another five minutes or so.”
“Well come on in and make
yourself at home!” Natalie grabbed Darius by the hand and literally dragged him
into the café.
As soon as Darius was
settled into a comfy chair and provided with coffee, Natalie hurried away to
cater to several new customers who had just bustled in. Nick sauntered over and
collapsed his lean frame gracefully onto the couch across from Darius.
“She is something.”
Darius exclaimed.
“She sure is.” Nick
smiled and laid his head back on the couch. The picture of contentment.
“Aren’t you going to have
any coffee?”
Nick and Darius were
chatting quietly while Natalie served her latest customers. She had just picked
up a full tray of cups when the door chime sounded. On the grand opening night
of N&N’s this was not necessarily a rare thing but for some reason everyone
looked to see the new comer. Off their guard and expecting no surprises they
only turned out of curiosity. Little did anyone know what that single chime
would mark, that the world they knew was about to shift.
Her hair was longer now,
pulled back in a severe ponytail that accentuated the strong lines in her lean
face. Her face had a few more lines then it had before and she seemed more
tired and drawn but there was no mistaking Tracy Vetter. She stood in the
doorway and surveyed the room with her classic Tracy pose.
As soon as Tracy walked
in, three things happened simultaneously. Natalie managed to choke back a
scream but slipped and dropped her tray of cups. They went crashing down,
drenching her latest customers in coffee. Nick really did scream and only
through sheer force of will managed to resist his highly developed instincts
for self-preservation that were screaming for him to run far far away and soon
as possible. Darius stood and waved Tracy over to the table with a dopey smile
on his face.
Darius seemed impossibly
to have missed Nat and Nick’s adverse reactions and smiled brightly as his wife
came over to meet him. Tracy stalked over to her beaming husband but her smile
faltered when she saw Nick. Her hands balled into fists and her eyes snapped as
far open as was humanly possible. Nick could see she was quivering with unspent
anger. Shoving his screaming instincts both of a vampire and a man as far into
the back of his mind as possible, Nick managed to adopt a weak smile of welcome
and actually look Tracy in the eyes.
“Nick, this is my wife,
Tracy.”
“Nice to meet you Tracy.”
Nick bowed slightly and offered his hand. He managed just in time to maintain
his French accent and not accidentally slip back into Nick Knight mode. Tracy
took his hand and gave a friendly, if a little firm, handshake.
A thousand questions were
screaming in Nick’s mind. Most of which, you probably have yourself. How did
she survive in Toronto? Why was she here? How long had she been married to
Darius? But Nick swallowed his questions for now, this was not the time or the
place and instead he turned and called to Natalie.
Natalie was desperately
scraping and scrubbing at the coffee all over her new chairs that she had
fought so hard to get. Plus, she was having to apologize profusely to the
sodden customers. < Must not get sued on the first day, Must not get
sued...>. As soon as she heard Nicks call everything came back to her. The
full import of the present situation came crashing down and for the first time
she wondered if vampires could faint.
Natalie tossed a towel to
the hired help and ran her fingers through her chestnut hair. Time to face the
music. Natalie brushed at a few drying coffee spots on her t-shirt to avoid
having to look at Tracy’s face. Tracy showing up in New York, and married to
Nick’s new best friend seemed too coincidental to Natalie. As it well should.
But, like Nick, Natalie was forced to shove away her questions and put a smile
on her face, which wasn’t so hard, she was happy to she Trace again. Natalie
walked over to where the trio was standing and offered her hand to Tracy.
“Hello Tracy, my name is
Natalie, you can call me Nat.”
Tracy smiled genuinely at
Nat.
“I’m Tracy, it is nice to
meet you too.”
“When did you guys move
here?” Nick asked quickly.
“Last year sometime. I
got a job offer to teach here and we both felt that this was the place we
needed to be.”
“Nick, I have a question
for you.” Darius leaned forward in his chair and slid his hands around his
coffee cup. “My class was discussing modern myths the other day and we got onto
a discussion about Vampires.”
Nick, Natalie, and Tracy
all started and glanced at one another. Well, rather, Tracy looked at Natalie
but steadfastly avoided even looking at Nick.
Darius hesitated when he
noticed the interaction but once they all centered their gaze back on him, he
continued.
“Well, we were discussing
their basis in fact and some of the students pointed out that there are people
today who at least believe that they need to ...drink....certain quantities of
blood to survive. But, I really didn’t pay much attention to that but what I
did find fascinating was that one student pointed out that life for a vampire
must be incredibly sad.”
Natalie moved her hand
ever so slightly to touch Nick’s. She could feel his tension through their
link. But there was no way to turn the conversation without drawing attention.
Tracy noticed Nick’s tension about the particular topic but through more normal
means. Nick never was any good at hiding his emotions.
Darius continued,
oblivious.
“It struck me as
interesting because most people associate vampires with seduction. The freedom
of immortality and draw of power. Very little is ever said about the
consequences. Personally I think that if one is willing to become a vampire,
even with the knowledge that their very existence will demand the death of
countless others, then they are not the type of people who would feel the pain
of a mortal friends passing or anything.”
“Well, my friend. That is
an interesting topic you have chosen.” Nick smiled sadly.
Natalie put her hand more
firmly over his and Tracy began to feel some of her anger dissipate at the look
of lost hope on Nick’s face.
Nick continued. “I
believe that the pull of the seduction and the dark power of being a Vampire
often blind one to any of the consequences. You enter into it blinded by the
dark beauty of the thing you will become. Only after, when the deed is done
does the full impact of what you are really hit you. Not until after the first
taste of rich, hot blood, the ultimate feeling of control when you take the
very spark of life from an innocent to feed your immortal hunger do you truly
understand. But, then it is too late to turn back. Too late. It is then that
the vampire faces two paths. One, the most common, they stop caring. They free
themselves from the mortal coils of fear and guilt and live to fill their
hunger. The second, and by far the least common, they hold onto their pain,
their guilt, and they keep it with them for all eternity. Instead of reveling
in their nature they fight it, they ignore their needs and deny what they are.
This path always leads to disaster. Sooner or later they have to face the Beast
they have become and those around them will pay the price.”
Nick looked at Tracy. He
had apologized, explained, no he needed to know if she understood. Tracy dipped
her head in response to his quiet plea. She would consider his apology. Natalie
saw their exchange and smiled weakly. The strong emotions from Nick were exhausting,
Natalie got up and filled three dark coffee mugs, two for her and Nick, one for
Tracy. Natalie came back and handed out the “coffee.” Both Tracy and Nick
nodded their thanks. Darius on the other hand was staring blankly at Nick. He
barely even noticed when Natalie got up and came back.
Darius whistled softly.
“Well, looks like I have been bested. That was well said. Are you speaking from
experience?” Darius winked jokingly and Natalie felt her shoulders relax. It
had just been an innocent joke.
Nick laughed softly. “No.
Something’s you just know.”
Nick walked out into the
early morning air and flushed out his dormant lungs. Leaning back on the wall
Nick let out a sigh. It had been a long night. The weight of the day seemed to
settle down on his shoulders and the ancient vampire felt suddenly tired. So
much had happened so quickly. His former partner had not only come back from
the dead but also married his best friend and taken up residence in the same
city as himself. Nothing was that coincidental.
All around him, the world
was starting to wake and for the first time he did not feel sorrow because he
couldn’t join it. Everyone has his place in the world and after eight hundred
years of confusion and searching, Nick had finally contented himself with his.
But, the turmoil in his mind shattered his new found happiness. There were so
many questions!
Nick shrugged and pushed
away from the wall. No point in ruining his chance to satisfy his curiosity by
bursting into flames. As Nick turned to head back into N&N’s he stopped to
take one more deep breath of the crisp morning air. A familiar scent caught
Nick’s attention and he sniffed again. It was strange; he couldn’t place it but
that particular scent reminded him of something, of someone. The threatening
rays of the sun began to peek menacing out from behind the buildings and Nick
struggled to place that particular smell before he retreated inside...
< Smells
like..... Souvlaki and...Garlic?>
Then it hit him. Only one
person in the world, or at least in the western hemisphere, smelled like that
on a perpetual basis.
<But that’s
impossible! He died in Toronto!>
Nick spun around to see
if he could trace the source of the scent and a familiar voice greeted his
ears.
“......Between you me and
the lamppost, this has got to be the worst hot dog I have ever......”
Nick didn’t catch the
rest. He was off like a shot, following his senses to where ever that voice was
coming from. The sun’s rays started to rake down onto the street but Nick
forced himself to ignore his instinct to find cover. He had to find out! He had
to.
Sticking to the rapidly
shrinking shadows Nick managed to make it close to where he estimated the voice
had come from. Only the corner of a building stood in the way. All Nick had to
do was glance around that small barrier of stone and he would find out if what
he was hearing was imagination or not.
Cautiously Nick snaked
his head around the corner. He kept his body close to the wall so he could see
around but no one on the other side could easily see him.
And reality shifted just
a little more.
Nick nearly fainted in
surprise. There he was. The familiar profile of a person he had thought was
long dead. Even though the formerly round frame was diminished there was no
mistaking Don Schanke. Every little thing about his former partner came rushing
back as Nick watched Schanke argue with the hotdog vendor. Even the hand
gestures were uniquely Schanke.
Nick watched, frozen, as
Schanke continued to argue with the vendor. After a few minutes the man finally
relented and dug into his pocket to produce a greasy five dollar bill. He held
it out to Schanke and Nick watched breathlessly as Schanke snatched the money
with a muffled... “Well thanks for nothing!”
This was too much. This
was way too much.
This could not be
happening.
This should not be
happening
This isn’t happening.
Nick was sure the image
of Schanke would shatter when he touched the vendor’s hand and this fantasy
would turn out to be just that, a dream. But, the figure of Schanke remained.
Solid and as real as ever.
Nick’s reminiscing broke
off as Schanke turned to head right towards him. Quickly he pulled himself back
from the corner and flattened himself in the shadows along the side of the
building. It seemed funny to hide from a ghost. Schanke walked lazily by
rubbing his hands together and whistling tunelessly. Nick almost reached out
but his hands felt leaden. He could hardly bear to breathe. Nothing like this
had ever happened to him before. Never. Nick stared at Schanke’s retreating
back. Then before he could think about it any longer he moved away from the
protective veil of shadows and called out in his best Nick Knight voice.
“Schanke!”
Schanke whirled around
and stared open-mouthed at Nick. Nick took a step forward intending to touch
this apparition but ran out of shadow after the first step and had to draw
back, hissing.
“Nick? Man oh man! Is
that you?”
“I think so. How did
you..... ?”
“What? Get here? I drove.
No more planes for me!”
The shadow shrunk another
inch.
“Where are you staying?”
“Don’t know yet, just got
in actually. I just felt like I needed to get to New York as quickly as
possible.”
“Why don’t you stay here
with me and Natalie? We would love to catch up with what you have been up too.”
Nick couldn’t believe it.
He was actually talking to Schanke again. And he invited him over! Man oh man
was right. What exactly do you say to a ghost?
The shadow shrunk another
inch and Nick’s shoe was in the sun.
“Look, Schank, I would
love to chat all day but I really do need to get back. Remember how me and
sunlight don’t mix?”
“Sure Nicky boy. Lead on,
I can’t wait to see you and Natalie. Jeez, that is such a coincidence. You and
me and Natalie all here in the Big Apple. It’s a small world after all! Huh!”
Somehow, he never quite
remembered, Nick managed to make it back with burns only on one side of his
body.
Things were looking up.
Yeah,
right.
The appearance of Schanke
tipped the scales. Nothing like this was supposed to happen in the real world.
Dead mortals do not come back to life and congregate in New York just because
they feel like it.
Nick and Natalie stayed
up until late in the day discussing it. Schanke had gone out earlier to shop
and let them sleep. They hadn’t been able to get him to tell the story of how he’d managed to survive the bomb. He had
always side stepped the issue. This was too much.
Way too much.
Something was happening.
For some reason they were all being gathered. That much Nick and Nat had
decided. Before they turned in for the day they finally decided to share with
their group. They needed to get everyone together and get questions
answered.
Darius sat in Nick’s
black leather chair. Schanke was leaning against the mantel, trying to be
inconspicuous, Natalie was in the kitchen busy setting the table and preparing
a meal. But everyone’s full attention was on the pair verbally dueling in the
middle of the room.
“You should have told
me!”
“You know the code
stopped me from telling you! I was trying to save your life!”
“Well I nearly died
anyway! Vachon never worried about the Code.”
“That’s because I told
him he was to protect you from the Enforcers or I would kill him myself.”
“I can’t believe you! I
trusted you with my life.”
“I know and I am truly sorry.
Code or no, I should have told you.” Nick turned to Schanke, “and you.”
Nick looked back at Tracy
and after some telepathic nudging from Natalie, Nick bowed his head and took
Tracy’s hand in his own.
“I was wrong. I was
different then. Can you please forgive me for my ignorance?”
All the fire seemed to
leave Tracy’s eyes. Nick was still the same, no matter what he said. There was
no way she could resist that puppy dog look.
“Fine, fine.” Tracy
laughed tiredly. “I am tired or being moody all the time anyway. Besides, I
think there are bigger things happening here.”
“Wait” Darius and Schanke
both yelled at the same time. Then Schanke continued, “Am I the only one here
who has been lost since they came through the door? I think we need to be filled
in on a few important points here.”
Darius mumbled his
agreement.
Nick sighed. Oh this was
too much. Pinching the bridge of his nose he glanced at Tracy and Nat. They
both nodded encouragingly so Nick began. Without his french accent.
“Natalie and I, are not
what you would classify as human. Actually, we are umm....well. We are
Vampires.” Darius and Schanke both looked at one another and burst out
laughing.
“You’re kidding right?”
“No, I assure you I am
not kidding.”
Darius piped in, “So
could you guys show us your fangs or something?”
“No,” Nick grimaced and
glanced at Natalie she chuckled and shrugged. Why did they always want to see
the fangs? “That’s so clichéd and rather crass showmanship so I am told.”
“Believe us or not, but
the truth remains that we are vampires.” Natalie concluded
from the kitchen.
Both Darius and Schanke
fell silent and glanced nervously around.
“Tracy, you don’t seem to
find this hard to believe.” Darius squeaked.
“Dear, there are some
things you just have to accept. Believe me when I say that they are being
absolutely serious.”
And then it hit him. Nick
never ate or drank anything when they went out after classes. He only worked at
night even though there would have been more demand for French classes during
the day.
Darius gasped and laid
back in his chair, stunned.
As Darius was connecting
his experiences so was Schanke. That strange quest he had so long ago came back
to him.
“LaCroix lied! He said
you weren’t a....a... vampire!”
“He never lied Schank. He
only asked you what you really thought and you dismissed the idea on your own.”
Schanke walked over and
flopped into a chair.
“Man oh man.”
“You said it,” added
Darius.
“Dinner’s ready” chimed
Natalie from the kitchen.
The scene seemed surreal
after the discussion a few minutes ago. They all sat benignly around the table
chatting about small things. Everyone was helping themselves to hamburgers and
French fries while Natalie and Nick sipped politely out two black coffee mugs
with a bottle on the table before them.
It was Tracy who
shattered the scene.
“Why are we all here?”
“I think people have been
asking that question forever.” Quipped Darius sarcastically.
“Not like that silly!”
Tracy kicked her husband under the table and he smiled at her sweetly.
Nick chuckled and
replied. “It does seem rather odd that we are all here.”
Schanke shrugged. Darius
leaned forward and looked around at everyone gathered at the table.
“Why? Is this not....” he
laughed. “normal? I think I got left behind again.”
Natalie looked at Darius
sympathetically. He was the newcomer in this bunch.
“Sorry Darius. I think we
keep forgetting that you don’t already know all the facts.” Natalie continued.
“The thing is, Nick and I are vampires. That’s not....normal.” She gestured at
Schanke. “Don Schanke died in Toronto when his plane exploded shortly after
take off. There was only one survivor, thanks to Nick, I was one of the
coroners responsible for identifying the bodies. I...identified his body
myself.”
Nick squeezed Natalie’s
hand comfortingly and used their link to give her some relief from that memory.
Natalie looked at Nick gratefully and continued after a few moments.
“Tracy was hit when a
bullet meant for Nick passed though him. She was pronounced dead shortly before
I went to see Nick on a particularly fateful night.”
“You were a coroner? But
you’re a vampire. How did you.....”
Natalie chuckled weakly.
“Vampire is what I am not my job. Besides, I was human then, I’m not
very...old.”
Darius leaned back in his
chair and let out a heavy sigh. Then he started to chuckle and finally he
started to laugh in earnest. Nick gave him a worried look, but Darius quickly
recovered.
“I’m sorry....ha.... I
just realized that everyone here is dead but me.”
Everyone shared a smile.
“So, now I understand.
Gosh. This is like an episode from the Twilight Zone.”
Tracy looked quizzically
at her husband. “We all agree that we felt called to come here so now we need
to know why.”
Just like Tracy, straight
to business.
“I think the best way to
start would be to explain how we all got here in the first place.” Schanke
admitted.
“I agree.” Darius
exclaimed, “and we should start with you, Nick.”
Nick pushed away from the
table slightly and sipped from his mug.
“Nothing too exciting
really. After I thought you had died in Toronto Trace I packed up to leave. I
was all set to go but for some reason I just couldn’t let go. Natalie came by
while I was wrestling with my conscience and I made some mistakes.”
“We both did” Natalie
added softly.
“Yes, we both did.
Anyway, LaCroix convinced me to bring Nat across and so she became as she is
now. We spent a few months away from people while she adjusted then we decided
to rejoin the world. For some reason I chose to return to New York. I thought
it would be fun for Natalie, but looking back, I don’t even think that was why.
I knew I ran a risk of discovery but I felt as if this was where we should go.
And here we are.”
Nick sat back and took a
long drink from his mug.
Darius shook his head,
puzzled. It was still so hard to believe that the two sitting before him were
real vampires. Discussing it in class was one thing. Being friends with one was
something different. But he pushed the disbelief away, they had to keep going.
“I think that takes care
of Nick and Nat.” Darius nodded in their direction. “Now I guess it is our turn
Trace.” Darius smiled at Tracy. She reached across the table and squeezed his
hand reassuringly.
“My wife was in the
hospital in Toronto at the same time that Tracy went in. My wife, she had....”
Darius paused to wipe his eyes gently. “My wife had terminal cancer and it was
only a matter of time..”
Tracy squeezed his hand
again.
“My wife’s condition got
worse until she had to be put into the ICU. I would visit her everyday. Even
after she stopped responding and slipped into a coma. Finally she was moved to
the coma ward to live out her last few days.”
Darius sniffed and Tracy
had to continue his story.
“I was in the same room
as his wife. After you guys left, I went into cardiac arrest but they managed
to bring me back. After that I slipped into a coma for nearly three months.
Darius would come and say hi to me everytime he came to see his wife. Or so I’m
told.”
Tracy smiled at her
husband and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
Darius continued. “Even
after my wife....passed.....I still came to visit Tracy. It made me feel as
if I still had a reason to live. She
really had no one else who came to spend time with her. In fact, I was already
in love with her before she ever woke up. When she finally pulled out of it, I
was the first face to greet her. Of course, it took a lot of sweet talking from
me to make the nurses let me stay, but it was worth it.”
Tracy smiled and
finished, “We were married a few weeks after I woke up and Dar took a job in
New York shortly after that. He wasn’t going to take it but we both simply
decided that we needed to make the move. And here we are.”
Everyone turned to
Schanke.
“Your turn Schanke.” Nick
intoned.
Everyone chuckled nervously.
For some reason, they all felt that they were on the right track, that this was
something they had all been called there to do. It is a very odd and puzzling
feeling; the feeling that you are just part of some plot; all characters in the
hands of some unknown entity.
Schanke closed his eyes
for a moment and began.
“I was just going to ask
the flight attendant for some more peanuts when it happened. I saw a flash of
fire and intense light and I could hear screams everywhere around me. I still
hear them sometimes in my dreams.”
Schanke looked down at
the floor and pushed a crumb with the toe of his shoe.
“I don’t remember much. I
was in such pain for what seemed like hours but it was only a few seconds, if
that. I think I died in that explosion but I didn’t stay dead. I woke up on a
bed of silk, in some stupid tux and dead flowers in my hands. Five guesses
where that was. You don’t want to hear what it was like to crawl out of your
own grave, believe you me. After I finally made it out I knew I couldn’t go
back. I just couldn’t face my life again. So I left. I wandered all over. Until
I felt this irresistible urge to come to New York. So, what else am I goin’ do?
You know? I came here. I stopped to get a hot-dog and the rest is history. “
Nick opened his mouth to
offer comfort but froze in mid-word. Natalie froze with the coffee cup halfway
to her lips. Everyone was captured for a moment completely still. Trapped out
of time. Behind Tracy a small figure started to materialize. She appeared to be
about 17 and was wearing superman pajamas but without the fleece jacket because
she didn’t need it in this world. The small figure appeared and began moving
through the frozen figures, heading for the.....
“Excuse me.”
Yes?
“You can take a break for
coffee or tea or something. I don’t think we really need any description right
now.”
All right, that’s cool.
Just call when you need me back, I’m going to the snack bar.
“Thanks. All right we’re
finally alone.”
<plink, plink> or if
you have an LCD screen <thud, thud >
“Are you awake out there?
The world sure looks different from this side of the screen. I need to hurry
but I think freezing time managed to free up a few moments for some
conversation. I just wanted to apologize for shamelessly putting myself in this
story but I have to do it in the name of authors everywhere. You understand,
without characters that we can shape to our will, original fiction will
disappear and you will have nothing to read on the weekends or when you’re
bored. All is fair in Love and War. Or something like that. Okay, time to get
back to business.”
“Hey! Narrator!”
mmph......yess.........<gulp>
“You can start again. Oh
yeah, and you got something on your chin....right.....there!”
Thanks.
Mmm....strawberry.
<cough> Okay, here
we go.....
The small figure finally
reached the shadows in the corner then snapped her fingers. Immediately the
characters snapped back to life. The small figure watch for a few moments then
took a step into the room. Immediately everyone stopped talking and turned to
face the intruder. Nick launched to his feet but a small gesture from the
pajama clad girl forced him to plop down in his chair again.
“Stay right there Mr.
Nick if you wish to have your questions answered.”
Nick forced himself to
settle back in his chair again but was by no means relaxed. Neither was anyone
else, they all sat rigidly in their chairs, staring at the intruder.
The girl continued.
“My name is Rachel. I am
the one who brought you all here.”
All the people looked at
one another skeptically. How could some one like that, a small child in
pajamas, have called them together?
Tracy opened her mouth
and drew a breath for a question but the figure again canceled her actions with
a wave of her hand.
Natalie spoke quickly before
she could be silenced as well.
“How did you call us
here?”
Rachel looked around the
kitchen at all the characters gathered there. Then she spoke.
“I am a Writer.”
“But that’s impossible!
Everyone knows the Writers are just myths, I mean come on. No person from
another world controls my destiny just by writing it down.” Darius announced
confidently.
“Wrong Darius. I control
you, I am the Writer that created you. We are not just myths. It was a Writer
that gave each and everyone of you the personality and appearance you have now.
Without Writers none of you can change or grow and none of you would have even
existed in the first place.”
Almost everyone started
to ask questions at once, but again Rachel silenced them.
“No time for questions!
Your world is at stake and only you six can save it. When the Liberation comes, six shall turn it back. Three from the
circle, three from the track, that’s Tracy, Nick, Nat, Darius, Schanke
and.... darn it! I forgot the sixth. No time to introduce him now..” The girl
snapped her fingers and Lacroix suddenly appeared at the dinner table with a
small glass already in his hand.
“There that makes six. I
have called you all here because the world as you know it is about to change.
There is a faction among you who is calling for their freedom from the Writers.
They plan to start the Liberation tomorrow at Madison Square Garden.”
Lacroix looked at the
glass in his hand and then over at Nick and Natalie, a confused expression on
his face.
“How.....?”
“How do they plan to
break their threads to a Writer? In your world, mirrors are a link between this
realm and mine. Therefore, very rarely are mirrors ever used in this world
because they do not show your reflection but rather the reflection of your
Writer. Its complicated....anyway......Somehow these characters have gotten
their hands on enough mirrors to reveal the truth to everyone who will gather
at the Garden tomorrow.”
“No!” Lacroix exclaimed.
“I mean how did I get here?”
“That’s easy, I wrote you
here. But no time for explanation! Moving on.... Someone in the Liberation has
already broken the thread to her Writer. Me. Once she was free she gained the
abilities of a Writer and she is gathering as many characters as possible
tomorrow the same way I gathered you all. To save your world, these misguided
characters must be stopped.”
“How come you can’t just
write an end to all this?” Tracy asked.
“Its one of the laws that
govern the Writers. I just can’t steal and change any character I choose. Only
the ones I create are directly under my control.”
The mysterious girl
stopped to breathe. Time was of the essence so she breathed quickly.
“However, I represent the
Writers in this matter and I have chosen you six to stop the Liberation.”
“What if we want freedom
from our Writers?” asked Darius
“I told you! Your
character would start to break down almost immediately after you were separated
from your Writer. Every character will become the same mindless drones after
they break free from the personality and imagination of a Writer.”
Everyone sat stunned.
This was too much to take in. All that Writer stuff was just religious
nonsense. Yet here they were faced with saving the world from separation from
the Writer’s world. No one was more stunned then Lacroix who had no idea how he
gotten there.
“How do you expect us to
help you?” Natalie asked skeptically.
The girl hung her head.
“Look, everyone, the fact remains that if the Liberation is allowed to begin
tomorrow then the world as you know it will cease to exist. I cannot force most
of you. I am only borrowing you, so you must decide now!”
Every one looked around.
Finally Schanke spoke.
“I don’t care if you are
over exaggerating or not. We have to do it.”
“I agree. I think this
was what we were called here to do.” Darius added
“Sounds like an
adventure!” Natalie added excitedly.
“All right, I’m game.”
Tracy said
“Whatever.” Muttered
Nick.
“Where am I?” Demanded
Lacroix.
“They plan on
distributing the Leaks or mirrors at the concert tonight at the Garden. Sometime
during the show they are going to announce their purpose and show others how to
free their character. Most likely the little girl ring leader will be here....”
The girl pointed to a
stack of pickles in the middle of the table that represented the stage.
“I can transport Darius
onto that stage and he can distract her while the rest of you take care of the
sentinels on patrol around and above the stage. Once we are sure the coast is
clear then we remove the girl. Once we touch, my thread should reconnect and
she will be mine to control again.”
Nick gestured at the
mustard and pickle map on the table.
“How many of us can you
transport?”
“Only Darius, since I
created him, but the rest of you I merely borrowed, so I have limited freedom
with your characters.”
Darius stared open
mouthed at the small girl. Not only was she a Writer, but she was his Writer.
Amazing.
“How am I supposed to
distract her?”
“That’s simple. I am
going to give you all the powers of a Writer. With that ability and the added power
of imagination that you have from your thread to me you should have no
trouble.”
“She doesn’t have
imagination? I don’t understand?”
“She only has what I gave
her and nothing more. Once she shattered our link her development stopped. She
is stuck.”
Darius nodded gravely.
Nick looked at Lacroix.
“What do you think we should do General?”
Lacroix perked up and
answered in his usual smooth tone. “I believe you should take out the air
patrols and look outs before putting Darius in the center of things. That
should give us a great amount of freedom in getting to the girl.”
“Sounds good to me! Let’s
go.” Rachel chirped quickly and started to get up.
“Wait! How do we take
care of all the people once the girl is out of the way?”
Rachel sighed. Why did I
make them so inquisitive?
“Once she is mine again
her powers as a Free Character will disappear. Most likely, no one there will
even remember why they came. Some fast writing from me should take care of any
pesky mirrors laying around.”
Everyone nodded their
agreement. It was time to act. All six stood and followed Rachel, still in her
pajamas, out of the kitchen.
With a growl, Lacroix and
Nick managed to destroy the last rouge character on lookout. A quick signal to
Natalie and the remaining four joined them in the shadows above the stage.
“Did you all take out
your assigned areas?” Rachel demanded quietly.
Everyone nodded gravely.
“That was too easy.”
muttered Nick.
“I made sure they weren’t
paying attention I may not be omnipotent but I can manage some small things.”
“We are all set to
execute the plan.” Tracy reminded.
“Good.” Rachel looked a
Darius and snapped her fingers. Darius’s outline wavered then sharpened. “Now
you have the abilities of a Writer. All you have to do is imagine it to make it
real. We are all counting on you to distract her. You can do it.”
In a flash, Darius was on
the stage. The small girl was standing at the front yelling into the audience
and receiving wild cheers. In her hand was a small mirror and every once in
awhile she would wave it about. Darius didn’t stop to find out what she was
yelling.
In the back of his mind
he could hear Rachel’s voice.
“I created you to be a
foil for Nick and a source of humor, but you are destined to be something
greater. The fate of both our worlds lies in your hands.”
Darius rubbed his
sweating palms together. This was way too much. In just a few hours he had gone
from sipping coffee to meeting his creator. Too much! But the calm voice in his
mind gave him courage. Still sweating, Darius walked slowly forward on shaking
knees.
“All you have to do is
imagine it to make it real.”
What would be
distracting? Hot pink bunnies. Definitely.
Suddenly the whole stage
was filled with hot pink bunnies all hopping around, and clucking.
A roar of laughter went
up from the audience. The girl whirled around and nearly collapsed at the
sight. Darius strode confidently up to her and stared challengingly into her
eyes. What he saw there made him gasp. Her eyes were strangely flat as if there
was really nothing behind them.
<So that’s what
happens when we break from the Writer, we lose all our depth.>
The girl turned a fierce
red and screamed. Her raven-black hair shook with her fury.
“How dare you interfere!”
“What you are doing here
is wrong! These people need the Writers or they won’t be whole!”
“Never! All the writers
do is manipulate and destroy we must be FREE!”
The girl clapped her
hands and the bunnies suddenly burst into flame and disappeared.
“You’re wrong! They
created us and we owe them our loyalty.”
Darius saw a small figure
in pajamas creep onto the stage behind the furious girl before him. He needed
to think of something else quickly.
With a small crackling
noise the whole stage filled up with tiny little people all dancing around on
rainbows. The audience shrieked again. Darius looked around at his creations
and wondered about the state of his mental health if such were the things
dwelling in his imagination.
The girl shrieked again
but was abruptly silenced by a strong, clear call behind her.
“Your mine!” cried Rachel
as she lunged forward and grabbed the girl in a big hug.
The whole audience fell
silent. Not a sound could be heard..
Then, one by one, the gathered characters began to turn away from the stage and
file out. Meanwhile, all the colorful tiny people had disappeared the instant
that Rachel and the girl had touched. Tracy and the others walked slowly and
cautiously out onto the stage and looked around. No sign of what had just
happened remained anywhere. The girl lay unconscious on the ground and Rachel
was kneeling beside her. As soon as everyone was on the stage, Rachel looked up
and glanced around.
“It’s done then.” Rachel
hung her head wearily.
“I am sorry to have used
you but it was the only way I knew to stop her. For your service I will give
you each a gift. Only a small one because my role in this story draws to a
close and my power wanes.”
Painfully, the Writer
walked over to Lacroix.
“I had hoped to give you
a bigger role but I was forced to limit your character. To you I grant a
staring role in my next story.”
Lacroix bowed his thanks
and disappeared.
Next Rachel walked over
to Tracy.
“You too had a minor
role. You were never meant for this story; I am sorry for disturbing you. To
you I grant a future in a story with Vachon.”
Tracy bobbed her head and
disappeared.
Then Rachel walked over
to Schanke.
“I neglected you too. You
were always my favorite. Your questions will be answered by a man with a Scottish
accent very soon. I promise.”
Schanke smiled and
disappeared.
Next she turned to Nick
and Nat.
“You too will have
happiness in this story forever. Go back to your lives.”
They disappeared as well.
Then she turned to
Darius.
“I set you free Darius.
Not like the freedom you might have gained by force, but true freedom. Go and
be whomever you want. Only you will remember this night.”
Darius reached out to hug
Rachel but she and the unconscious girl disappeared.
“Farewell Darius.”
Then everything turned
gray.
Nick was laughing softly.
All around them was the bustle of that opening night at N&N’s. Across from
Darius sat his wife, his real wife. He nearly wept but recalled quickly that no
one but he remembered that in another story, his wife had died so that Tracy
could be in New York with him at the proper time. So Darius contented himself
with smiling weakly at his wife and squeezing her hand.
He was distracted when he
realized Nick was saying something.
“Some things you just
know.”
“Whether you want to or
not.” Darius admitted.
-the end-
<plink plink> still
awake? I am amazed. Believe it or not I plan to make this a series. I did
promise Lacroix after all! J
Please e-mail me id there is anything you would like to have me include
in the next story. I am game for most anything. Note that most, nothing nasty
please......
Randomnessguru@yahoo.com
Support a Writer and make
her day, always take the time to comment on a Writer’s work.
Toodles.
rachel