Eerie Calm

Beware the eerie calm; beneath it, lies the storm's hidden wrath.

Eerie Calm

Darkness... A bloody figure... I must run, I must escape...

Suddenly my eyes popped open, and at the same time, I sat up in bed, frightened. When I realized I was dreaming, I fell back into bed and hugged my pillow. Fucking hell! I had no idea why I was so scared, but it was horrible. I'd never been so scared in my life.

"Good morning," Alice greeted me and pressed a mug of hot cocoa into my hand.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

The seer seemed to have woken up early, as he even made me breakfast for letting him sleep over. I was snacking on a fried egg when there was a soft knock at the door. Alice deliberately pretended not to hear it, so I didn't react.

Something told me Des had visited my flat that morning a couple of times already — I was about to feel sorry for him, but when I found myself confronted by the dark aura surrounding Alice, I decided my brother was better off outside.

The knocking intensified into banging, and then, when the little patience he had left ran out, the hunter simply kicked the door down. The fork fell from my hand. What the hell did he think to just kick my door down? Who the hell's gonna pay for that?!

I was about to open my mouth to say something, but he seemed to have guessed what was bugging me because he said:

"I swear I'll fix it."

So I shut my mouth. I thought I'd have to put myself on the back burner, sit back and watch my life turn into a substandard soap opera.

Alice refused to look up from his breakfast.

"I... overdid things last night," Des filtered through his teeth.

The seer glanced up at him but merely looked at him as if he didn't understand. My brother just stood there with that typical 'don't-wait-for-me-to-apologise-I'm-not-going-to-apologise-to-you' look on his face.

"Sorry, okay?"

Alice was still staring at him.

"I'm really sorry," the hunter kept trying, "I regret it and it won't happen again, I swear."

I munched on my scrambled eggs indifferently. It was at this point that the armor broke and the seer smiled.

"Darling, you've been a bit too much, will you get out so that I can finally get my sleep?" Alice said, but there was no anger in his voice.

It seemed my instincts were right and Des had been knocking on the door for a long time. How could I sleep through that?

"So everything's OK now?" the hunter continued, "I mean, show me another man you can tell freely that you've had enough of him and get out. You have to admit, I'm hot stuff and it would be a crime to miss me! I could have even taken offense at your words..."

"Don't you want to be a little offended?" Alice asked playfully.

"Oh, stop it," replied Des, his face coming dangerously close to the other boy's.

I cleared my throat.

"Okay, okay," I said, "I know you love each other, but this is a little too intimate for me."

"Piss off, Shay," my miserable brother growled and continued unperturbed.

Luckily Alice stopped him in time and I didn't have to claw my eyes out myself.

Des is a real hypocrite. Resting his chin on Alice's shoulder, he looked up with his big blue eyes, and sure enough, anyone would have believed him to be the epitome of perfect innocence. Oh, Gods, save the earth from this beast!

"There is something you must see," the seer stated seriously and thrust the future diary before him.

The hunter froze. "Is this..."

Alice's face answered the unfinished question.

"I have to take it to the Crosspherat. Maybe if they examine it there, they'll be able to tell me something new," he suggested.

The seer nodded. Soon after, I left for school with Alice, and Des took the diary with him as he had promised.

(...)

Wednesday was another long and very tiring day, which was doubly tiring without Alex. Especially since there were even group assignments in literature.

"I'm Moses," he told me. Not that I hadn't heard of 'Misfortune Mose'. "Wanna partner up?"

I gave him the stink eye. I don't even know who he is — or rather, I know exactly who he is — but we should make friends? No, thanks. Anyway, I sighed. I have to work together with someone...

"'kay" I muttered, and then turned to the teacher because he had come to our desk and seemed very intent on giving us instructions.

It was then that I really realized that school life is best for those who fear solitude. For those who like to spend time in the company of others, even if they don't get on so well. Being a student means having to study as if your life depended on it, having to socialize, be part of the community, and suffer together.

So, it's not for me at all. Not without Alex, anyway. So, as was my old habit, I plopped down on the bench hidden in the bushes again. I decided I needed an hour of peace and quiet to calm my nerves.

Jo didn't look for me this time, but I knew it was because she didn't know I was missing. She used to find me every time. And I was slowly growing to like her. When exactly did I notice the change? It's really hard to say. But there was one time that I remembered very clearly:

The girl just sat down next to me and made a face as if this lousy, out-of-the-way bench was the most interesting seat in the whole school. For a while, I just smoked my cigarette in silence and she fiddled with the zipper of her jacket.

I sighed deeply.

"What?"

"Ah," she looked up at me, "nothing."

I raised my eyebrows doubtfully.

"I just wanted to be alone," she muttered.

"I don't think you understand the meaning of the word," I said, "You can't be alone when there are two of us."

I was about to get up and walk away, but she stopped me with her touch. Although she only grabbed my coat sleeve, she clung to it as if her life depended on it. I was stuck somewhere halfway between sitting and standing, which was both uncomfortable and made me look rather stupid, so I had no choice but to sit back down.

Since Jo wasn't going to let go, I couldn't drag her all the way to the classroom — it would have been hard to explain. Anyway, even though she didn't want me to leave, she remained silent. She just sat there, chewing her lips occasionally, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words.

I sighed again. "What is it?"

"Nothing, just..." she said and was quiet for a moment before continuing, "I envy you a little."

I grinned haughtily and she pursed her lips. We remained silent again for a while and I thought Jo wasn't going to say anything else.

"You seem so free," she whispered to herself, as if in a whisper. "You don't care at all what other people think of you. You can do whatever you want."

I sucked the acrid cigarette smoke deep into my lungs and held it in for a long, long moment before exhaling. I guess I've always been like that.

Hunters loathed me with a visceral hatred, so I didn't have to worry about being disliked more even if I did something scandalous. I never had to worry about what they liked or didn't like, because no matter what I did, they always found something to look with disdain upon. I got so used to it that I didn't treat others any differently.

"Everyone had high expectations of me ever since I was a kid," Jo continued quietly, "Sometimes I just want to say no. Sometimes I just don't want to be a good girl anymore."

"Then there's only one thing you can do," I stated, and Jo looked up at me questioningly with her big green eyes.

I smiled. "You just don't have to give a shit about other people's opinions."

We didn't really talk after that, Jo was lost in thought. I smoked my cigarette contentedly, not even realizing the impact my words had had. I didn't suspect until the next day when Jo turned up with dyed blond hair and glamorous make-up.

Most people hardly recognized her. I myself was so surprised that I stopped for a moment. Alex beside me whispered worriedly to me to ask if everything was all right with the class's pretty little flower. Well, I didn't know the answer to that question. I honestly didn't.

It took a week for the class to get used to her new appearance. On top of that, most of them had to face the fact that Jo was no longer giving out her homework to anyone. These were not earth-shattering changes, but I thought Jo seemed a little more relaxed just because of it.

In any case, by the end of the week, the humans were no longer looking at her as if she had at least grown another head. And Jo found me back on my usual bench when I was skipping physics class.

She sat down next to me and grinned.

"So, what do you think of my new look?" she asked confidently.

I blew out the cigarette smoke I had in my lungs and only then answered. "Blonde doesn't suit you."

Jo's smile faded from her lips.

"Anyway, that confidence is sexy," I nodded and sent her a charming smile.

The smile returned to her lips. My grin widened and I took another drag of my cigarette, satisfied.

"Can I have a cigarette?" she asked.

I looked at her doubtfully, but as she looked at me with unmistakable expectation, I took out my packet and she chose a sympathetic one for herself with a graceful gesture.

"Light?" I asked, and she nodded and raised the cigarette to her lips.

I lit the lighter for her and she leaned closer and stuck the cigarette in the flame. Her movements were a little unsteady, but her eyes sparkled with real determination. And that gave her a really charming look.

"You should suck it, girl," I added with a grin.

At that Jo's cheeks flushed a little and she took a drag as best she could. The end of the cigarette stub waxed wildly and she started coughing. For the first time in my life, I thought a human was cute. And my hiding place was slowly becoming our hiding place.

(...)

Perhaps the highlight of the day was lunchtime when I ripped off another unlucky one at the buffet. Plus, Jo had made some insanely delicious cookies for me and even kindly packed some for Alex.

When everyone was done, I talked to Coffee again.

"What do you know about vampire-blood dealers?" I asked.

Even a drop of vampire blood is addictive. It's said to be as sweet as the finest nectar, and for a moment it takes you over completely. With spiritual healing comes subtle physical healing. I have read accounts of hunters who have captured vampires and used their blood to fortify their own bodies. They avoided all human diseases and their physical condition improved.

Although few people know it, the real power of vampires is their regeneration. If you cut off any part of a vampire's body and sew it back on accurately, it will be able to use it again within a few days. That's why hunters burn them even after their heads have been cut off. You can never be too safe.

Bloodsuckers never resort to taking the blood of their own kind, it's a kind of taboo. There have been examples in history, such creatures were called dhampirs. They posed such a threat to their species that armies would die to defeat a single one.

Of course, there are loopholes, and I'm one of them. Though there are vampires among my ancestors, bloodsuckers can drink my blood. While it is certainly not as tasty as pure vampire blood, it is not addictive.

"Rumour has it that the Crosspherate has one of its best hounds on the case," she replied.

"Indeed," I nodded, "But I was wondering what it is that I don't know that you do."

Coffee pondered. She pondered hard.

"I heard that the Fifth has something to do with it," she said at last.

"Why would he be selling vampire blood?" I frowned.

"That's how he lures humans in," she shrugged, "You know, you have to feed an army. They lure humans to them, who, once they have the taste of vampire blood, will no longer be able to escape. It's an effective plan if you think about it."

"How's your dad doing with the case?" I inquired.

She looked deep into my eyes, perhaps wondering if she should tell me the truth.

"Not well," she finally admitted, "His army is now bigger than ours. The problem extends beyond our limits."

"Is war coming?" I needn't have asked the question, but she nodded.

"Most certainly."