Legacy of Secrets 01-Cursed Secrets (2 page)

Christian

Bored. That’s what my constant mood was. Everything was boring. The only enjoyment I found was from the texts I read. It’s hard to be truly excited when you were alive before they were ever written.

I liked the human company, though. It kept me grounded. I didn’t give up on the hope of seeming normal and no one really seemed to know the difference. I held no interest in forming relationships with the humans. I couldn’t bear to think of hurting some poor girl because I was hungry. Vampirism isn’t what it used to be.

True, I was considered young for my race, but I had traveled and studied enough to understand the gravity of my actions. If I chose to live among humans, it had to be only within my means without killing anyone on purpose. Humans were the dominant race, according to whom I wasn’t sure, but any other creature was thought to be unnatural. I couldn’t exactly argue with that.

Yet, I craved to be human almost as much as I craved the blood. Standing on the quad, watching them making friends and having lovers, made my cold heart ache. I acted the part well, but I could never watch someone I loved die. Not again. Being alone definitely had its perks.

If it wasn’t for a good sorcerer friend of mine, I wouldn’t be able to appear human, though. I wouldn’t be able to walk in the sun, eat normal food, or refrain from tearing out the throats of every human I saw. He concocted a special drink, an elixir, which altered my vampire state and curbed the thirst. I was never really satiated, but it was enough to make it bearable.

I’d stopped searching for others of my kind, content with the idea of staying out of the politics and living my very long existence in peace. I was kidding myself if I didn’t admit to the hollowness inside. There were other vampires here and there, but it didn’t matter. There was never a spark or a longing. It was always about the blood.

The crowd thinned as I watched in envy. A strange prickly feeling danced over my skin, igniting my senses. I scanned the crowd, assessing for anyone or anything out of place. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Frustrated, I tuned in to their conversations. None of them talked about me, my name not mentioned once, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. I shifted slightly and the feeling faded.
That was odd
.

Shrugging through the crowd, I made my way to Biology. The subject itself wasn’t the slightest bit interesting, but the humans were really very funny. I sat in the back at the farthest corner of the room. It was dimly lit, which mattered little for my keen sight. I could hear the whispering and quiet chatter, about which I didn’t really care.

I watched them move about their tasks, blissfully unaware of what I was. There was something almost tragic in knowing I could potentially kill every one of them before anyone knew what happened. Taking a large drink of elixir, I settled further into my seat. Unfortunately, Biology was never over quickly.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up as the same feeling crept through my body. I scanned the room, hoping to find the source that undoubtedly assaulted me in the quad. Nothing stood out. I strained to pay attention to the faces of the humans around me. Some were sleeping, talking, writing notes and a few were actually paying attention to the lecture. I zoned in on the hushed conversations.

             
She’s a freak, don’t worry about it. Chances are she’ll run away or get killed or something. Hey did you see Leslie bite her head off this morning? It was classic…

Such hatred; I shook my head.

I feel kind of bad for her. She always sits off by herself. Do you think anyone ever talks to her?

Who would want to? I always get these weird vibes when she’s around. It’s just creepy.

She’s so pretty though. Do you think she just acts that way because something happened to her?

I don’t know and don’t care. I feel strange sitting just a few feet from her.

My brow furrowed. I looked to the back of the room and saw who I assumed to be the girl. She wore the hood up on her jacket, hiding her face, with music streaming from the carefully hidden ear buds. She stared straight ahead, pretending to take notes, but didn’t move an inch until the hour was over.

She was strange, compared to most others, but she was just another human girl. After the bell rang, I set off to the quad again, yearning to satisfy my human curiosity.
Sad, sad man.

Lia

Some classes were better than others, but it didn’t matter much. It was my last year of college and I would be gone; somewhere desolate. It was my experience that the greater the population, the more likely I was to encounter something not easily explained; a situation that could spark rumors and fuel the fire to figure out my past. No thanks.

Many people had heard about the tiff with Leslie and Dallas to which I was the brunt of many jokes. It didn’t bother me much anymore; the whispering. It bothered me more that he sold me out when I thought we were friends. So much for that
.

I took my time walking back through the quad where I was sure to evade those who took part in my demise. The day was truly beautiful, despite everything. I walked along the tree line, savoring the sunshine. Part of me felt like one of the animals, busying myself with necessary tasks preparing for the day I would be able to leave.

I noticed Christian again, sitting atop a picnic table. He looked content, just watching people. The sun cast a golden hue over his skin, reminding me of honey. The few male partners I’d had looked and acted about the same; hard bodied, sex-crazed adolescents. None were quite as beautiful as Christian, but he was also way out of my league.

He whipped his head up in my direction as I turned and walked away. I desperately hoped he was too far to sense anything. I couldn’t take anymore torture. Key marks riddled the driver’s side of my car and I gritted my teeth, vowing to get even with Leslie and Dallas.
Piece of shit!
I yelled in my head and wretched the car door open.

The days that followed were particularly tense. I completely avoided some of my classes in hopes of thwarting further attacks. I was able to get by with it for a week or so before Dallas tried seeking me out. Every time he called my name, I’d duck into any hiding spot I could find. I felt like a fugitive.

I didn’t know which was worse, knowing that he told her my deepest darkest secrets, or losing him. Granted we didn’t do much talking, but I wasn’t close to anyone else. I wanted to confront him, but the fear kept me frozen. So, I resorted to spending as much time in the mostly deserted quad as I could. It was peaceful and provided a decent hiding spot.

“You’re a hard person to find,” Dallas ducked from behind a tree, scaring me so badly I nearly jumped out of my skin.

“What do you want?” I stood, putting space between us.

“I just want to talk to you. Why do you keep running away from me?”

“If you have to ask, then you don’t need to know,” I started gathering my things, but he rushed to stop me.

“Please, just give me two minutes. Leslie is nowhere near here. Just hear me out,” he pleaded.

“Time’s ticking,” I tucked behind another tree, hoping I was out of sight.

“I never meant for this to happen. Like I said before I don’t even know why I told her. I’ve never said anything to anyone else about what happened to you, but I can assure you I wouldn’t have told her if I knew she would act this way. So, how much sucking up do I need to do for this?” he asked with a crooked smile. I wanted to punch him in the face.

“Seriously? Is this a game to you? Of
everything
I’ve told you, I guess you didn’t understand that I have no one else to run to. There is nothing you could do to fix this. Why not just tell her I cut you off? Instead, you’re telling her things that aren’t any of her business. This is more than just a disagreement, Dallas,” I stared at him incredulously.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. Look, would it help if I talked to her? We could all just sit down and discuss this and maybe she’ll see that it’s not what she thinks,” I laughed at him.

“Right, because she’s
so
understanding. I don’t think so. Your two minutes are up,” I turned from behind the tree and found Leslie waiting with a menacing grin.

“Oh, are we feeling chatty today? I know a few people who are like that,” she said snidely.

“Talk to him, he’s the one who scoured the campus looking for me. I think you’re blaming the wrong person, sweetie,” I nodded in Dallas’ direction.

“Oh I’ll take care of him later, but for some reason I don’t completely believe you. It must be because you’re such a damn good liar. How did you get away with it? Did you hire someone to kill your parents or did you just have enough time to clean up before the cops showed up?” I took several steps toward her, not bothering to hold back the rage pounding inside.

“You’re a bright girl, I assume, so I’m going to say this to you once. The next time you imply that I killed my family, I will show you just how fucking crazy I am. Dallas might not have the balls to shut you up, but I do. Watch your tongue, before you lose it,” she backed up, trying to look away. I could feel the fear radiating from her and, sadly, I enjoyed it.

“What makes you think I’m afraid of you?” she stuttered.

“Because the difference between me and you, is that I know what you’re capable of, but you have
no idea
what I can do. Are we understood?” I hissed.

“For now” she moved behind Dallas, who stared at me wide eyed.

“Good. Oh and the next time you key my car, I will break your fingers. Have a nice day,” I turned my back on both of them, the anger so raw I could barely stand it.

Christian

I heard her voice like a knife piercing my senses and turned, finding myself mesmerized. She looked nothing like the girl in class; her face no longer covered. I had a hard time believing this creature was the one I’d heard whispers about. She was elegant and earthy with flowing dark hair passed her shoulders, slightly olive skin, and hazelnut eyes like I’d never seen. She was strong, yet delicate, and every part of me screamed for her, but everything I knew went against it.

I watched as she stalked away from a young man with a stricken expression on his face. The girl behind him seemed frightened as they watched her go. I cursed myself for not picking up the conversation from the beginning; clearly it was human drama at its finest. She moved to the furthest side of the quad and lay beneath a tree. She was frazzled, but I watched as the emotions eventually faded from her face. The wind picked up and I caught her scent. It was sweet with a hint of pine. My mouth began to water and I took a few sips of elixir.

She suddenly looked at me and if I’d been able to blush I would have. Instead of being embarrassed by my blatant gaze, she picked up her things and stalked towards me. I fought the urge to disappear, but meeting her would satisfy my curiosity.

“So, if you’re going to stare you can at least tell me why? Have you heard the stories about me? Or are you just in line to watch the freak show?” she glowered at me.

“Pardon? I don’t even know you.”

“Right, so because you don’t know me, you decided to stare at me for the past fifteen minutes? I’m sure you’ve got a better excuse than that.”

“Actually I was trying to figure out
why
I don’t know you. I know just about everyone else in town, yet I’ve never seen you before.”

My friendliness puzzled her, “Well actually I’ve lived here for a few years. I usually don’t spend my breaks on the quad, but recently it’s become a second home. Sorry for being so weird. My name is Adalia Klein, but I prefer Lia.”

I smiled as I took her outstretched hand and bent to kiss it, “Christian Mason, and Christian is fine.”

She blushed, “Well Christian, I’m sorry for being rude. Maybe I will see you around,” she added and slowly walked away, turning her eyes at the last second.
             

Maybe indeed
, I thought as I watched her leave. I could sense her excitement and confusion and it almost drew me in. I touched a finger to my lips where her pulse lingered. Venom flooded my tongue. Seeing her would be dangerous, but a part of me had been awakened. I sensed things from her that I couldn’t explain, but it left me wanting more.

I was missing something, though. She wasn’t evil, she wasn’t a vampire, and in fact I didn’t know
what
she was. The only thing I could do was use other humans for more information. I groaned internally. Human girls were always too eager for my attention. Still, it was the only way.

Keeping a low profile called for compulsion. I hated doing it, but had to admit it was useful. I just couldn’t let it go. She became an itch I couldn’t scratch. I knew that whatever she was, she didn’t know it and that made me all the more curious.

I noticed one girl I’d had a brief friendship with making her way back into the commons, “Ah, Rosa how nice to see you on this beautiful day. How’ve you been?”

“Well if you called every now and again you might know the answer to that question,” she propped a hand on her hip.

“Now, now let’s not be so hasty. Mystery is what keeps it exciting does it not? What do you say I make it up to you, hmm?”