COLD ONE

ONE: MEETING

I gaze at her from behind my glass. She looks no different from when I last saw her – 10 years ago. She still has that long hair I always dreamed of touching, lips that curve in a mischievous smile every time she looks at someone she likes; and her eyes – eyes that glint like sapphires when she's happy and turns to shards of ice when she's angry. Those eyes are looking at me now.

I straighten up without turning away. She's still looking – no – she's staring at me unblinkingly. I feel uneasy. Her eyes – they're neither sapphires nor ice, they're different – like they are staring at me from a different time and looking at me like I belong to another life. I struggle to look away from her.

My girlfriend, Neri sits next to me and she seems oblivious of my discomfort. I sigh in relief. She's not someone I want to answer to right now.

"Neri, I need to smoke." I whisper in her ear. She nods and I slid down my chair.

From the corner of my eye, I see her and she's watching me. I turn away from the bar and walk to the back where the smoking area is. The place is congested. I glance at the bar and see Neri talking with the bartender. She's laughing and I can tell she's having fun. I turn left from the smoking area and climb up to the second floor instead. The second floor is circular with VIP rooms lining one side and glass windows across it overlooking the stage. The other side has an alley that leads out to the balcony. I walk to it purposely. I long for the night air. I open the door and go straight to the railings. I breathe in the cold air and expel all my suppressed anxieties.

"It's been a long time."

Her voice comes from behind me. I shiver. I bow my head to stop myself from turning to her direction.

"Why don't you look at me?"

Her voice is melodious and it lures me. I close my eyes and silently wish she is somewhere else – somewhere far from me.

"Where would you want me to be?"

I raise my head. It sends me shivers to know that she can hear my thoughts.

"Look at me." She cajoles, "I can smell fear from you."

She even knows how I feel. I close my eyes tighter willing myself to shut her out of my mind and stop her from interfering with my thoughts and feelings.

"You can't do that."

I freeze.

She's right. I can't do that. I can't remove her from my system, lest run away from her.

"Why don't you just let me be?" I ask her between gritted teeth. My chest wants to burst from pain and frustration. "Just leave me alone, Cleo."

"You know I want to."

"Then just go!" I shout at her. "Leave like you did before."

"You don't' understand."

Her voice changed. It turned very cold and menacing. It's scarier than her melodious one. I slowly turn to her. Her eyes are dark and smoking with anger. I feel her and I choke as if I'm being strangled. I drop to my knees and clasp my chest.

"Cleo?" I rasp. I'm out of breath. Air is quickly escaping from me like I'm drowning. I gasp for air like a manic. "Stop it."

Her eyes turned back to normal and I realize she must be very angry to nearly kill me.

"You don't understand." She whispers.

I look at her, pained and afraid; and slowly, she vanished.

I know she'll be back.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Neri lay sprawled on the bedroom floor with blood coming out from an open wound on her neck. Cleo wanted her out of the picture, I had figured that out a long time ago but I refused to believe she'd really kill Neri – but she did.

"Dirt." I mutter as I look at the trail of Neri's blood. I turn to Cleo and notice blood stains on her dress and hands.

"You liked her." She says. She sneers at me. Her eyes glint like ice. She's mad like hell.

"I still do."

Her sneer vanishes. Her eyes turned colder.

"Too bad she's dead." She says icily.

I sigh. There's no point in continuing the conversation with Cleo. It won't bring my girlfriend back to life.

"You bet."

"Why did you do it?"

"You tell me why."

"Were you bored or was it to spite me?"

"Both." She snaps. I stare at her. More than I want to acknowledge it, what Cleo thinks matters to me like the world. It means a lot that I would even turn blind eyes to her unreasonable killing. Perhaps I would even provide her prey. She looks at me.

"Maybe you love me?" she mocks. It wasn't love and she knows it – it was more like obsession.

"You scare me." She says but I know she's still mocking me.

"You scare me more." I tell her and turn away. It pains me to see the once vibrant girl slowly becoming a monster. She wasn't the Cleo I knew – liked – loved?

I suddenly felt her shudder. I turn back to her and I see her staring at me with wide eyes. Fear is etched on her face and confusion is evident.

"What's wrong with you?" I ask her with a frown.

"Monster?"

"That's what you are, didn't you know?" She flinches.

"A monster?" she mutters to herself. She looks at me again and then vanishes in thin air.

I take a deep breath when she was gone. I didn't think she'll take it seriously – but she is a monster and we both know it. She's a predator who feeds in human blood and I am her life line – her immortal prey. Only my blood quenches her thirst – mine and no other. I'm her life.