The angel

Sitting on the side of my bed, Alice waits with me. A soft tapping at the door has Alice answering it for me. Mai carries the orders I made much earlier before Alex even collapsed.

"So I am told this is your last meal Christian?" Mai says.

"It is…" I answer.

Taking the box of pizza and bag of fast food I un-crinkle the folds in the bag opening it to retrieve the contents, laying the boxed burger and fries to the side.

"You are going to regret it…" Colton states.

"Shut up!" I yell at Colton, "Don't…don't…"

"Whatever, enjoy your last meal!" Colton comments.

"Can't you two ever get along?" Alice shouts.

"Alice, stand down, Christian what's more important is when Alex is better," Mai affirms.

"You will be in a safe environment when you turn." Alice smiles.

I slowly eat each fry on its own, despite its saltiness, I feel like I haven't tasted anything at all. The bitterness of the day left an awful taste in my mouth.

The disembodied voice, the halo itself? What exactly are we playing with here? First Chara now Alex…but I knew deep inside he would be targeted, but is it true he will only be temporarily sick?

Putting down the fry I was eating, I gawked at Mai. She rises, messing with the back of her heel. Letting it drop to the ground she stamps it on the hard ground a few times before slipping it back on.

"Alice, could I have a moment with Christian?" Mai asks.

"But I know the procedure!" Alice says sternly.

"I need to umm…do an examination, but if you want to stay then." Mai comments.

"Hmm…I will wait a little bit outside then." She concedes.

"Thank you, Alice!" I shouted with relief.

Alice opens the door leaving outside shortly after eyeing me on the way out, I take my chair getting closer to Mai. I could feel Alice most likely pressing her ear against the side of the door so I saddled up pushing my mouth nearest I could get to her ear.

Mai always has a big perverted smile planted on her smug face, I get nervous just in her company. No wonder why Dominique wanted to go out drinking with her. She has an interesting take on herself and how she carries it.

"Mai…how is Chara?" I whisper.

"You made all this big deal to find out if a maid is okay?"

"I am worried about her, why should I not worry?" I say in a soft voice.

"I am just surprised it's all…Christian…Chara…"

"She isn't up is she?" I ask disheartened.

"No, I am sorry."

"I see…thank you, Mai."

"Saniya is doing everything she can, she knows your affections after all."

"That's good at least…poor Chara…"

"Chara is not reacting the same way Alex is Christian."

"What do you mean?"

"Recently she got up, Dominique swears she had wings. She was speaking a language we do not know." Mai explains.

"We need to keep an eye on Alex then."

"Tell me…why did you faint?"

"I think the halo is reaching out to me or maybe I will be infected next Mai."

"Come to me if you are feeling faint again, I need to go Christian."

"Understood…thank you."

Mai departs, Alice strolls back in with her arms crossed looking unhappy with me in general.

"Sometimes I really don't like Mai." She pouts.

"Mai is okay, you are just jealous of Alice."

"You are a pervert!" Alice claims.

She swings her clenched fist in the attempt of hitting me, I grab her wrist thrusting it downwards.

"We aren't dating, we barely seem like friends anymore Alice…"

"Christian…"

"I am not hungry anymore. I want to check on Alex." I insist.

Walking away from her I leave my meal on the table and Alice behind to stroll back to Alex's small room. No one was there with him as he rested peacefully

"What is going on with you Christian!" Alice chides.

Activating the 'golden gaze' I take advantage of my newly gifted sight peering into Alex from afar, I am confused at first as nothing appeared. A fog manifested, everything morphed into an inverted image changing the atmosphere around me. We were frozen in time.

That's when I caught it, an angel with short hair. Her arms were placed around his neck squeezing firmly. Her head was down, her lips lovingly and gingerly touching his messy brown hair. She wore a long flowing teal robe that caught my attention.

Her shoulders were barren, her tremendous wing length drew the fear out of me with the mere length taking up almost the whole space of the room wrapping Alex in her warmth. She glimpses up at me, the only color in the room is her icy blue eyes staring back at me.

"You shouldn't see me yet…"

"You are not the same one before?"

A small laugh shook the room with a lone echo, the ground rumbles under my feet. She moves one wing-back. Thrusting it forward I am pelted by a heavy breeze shutting my 'golden gaze' down.

"Christian?" Alice shouts.

"Alice?" I ask.

Alice gives me a concerned look. I look down only able to watch Alex sleeping again without the presence in visible sight, but I could feel her or him now with help of the eye merely lingering.

"Did you tune me out this whole time?" Alice asks.

"No…it's nothing."

"I want to apologize Christian!"

"You just did what you felt was right? Right…" I state.

"You don't believe me do you?"

"I don't Alice. He isn't going to wake…"

"How do you know?" Alice questions.

"Don't worry about it Alice, like how you worry about everything else," I say.

"How dare you!" Alice yells, "Jabber!"

The doll materialized three times larger than last time, this time I don't flinch at the opportunity to kick Alice's ass. I throw my leg up intuitively punting it away.

It bursts mid-air, Alice's face was pure shock watching her doll be destroyed without the bat of an eye. She re-summons it infuriated in wake of my retaliation.

Jabber's eyes flickered an intensity of red, its sewn mouth frowned. My next kick was evaded this time, it would barrage me with a powerful blow upon inflating in anger to my stomach paralyzing me for a couple of moments. I end up falling to the floor in a daze.

"St-op!" The voice cries, "Y-you shouldn't be fighting!"

"Master Alex!" Alice frets.

The icy chill from the angel was suddenly gone…did I scare her away? Or was her job done?

In his best attempts to sit up, he sits against the head of the bed for support with his eyes closed not able to open them yet he stays put struggling to reach out for his leather pouch.

"Alex…do you need blood?" I ponder.

"I do."

Unbuttoning my shirt, I throw my vest off the side bending down. Alex prods his nose into my neck smelling my flesh before snapping his fangs into a comfortable place to consume my blood.

Drooping forward I didn't plan to stop Alex from draining, his warmth and scent hypnotized me from being able to retract. I was pinned to the spot by his peculiar aroma wafting around him. I couldn't find a way to stop him from taking too much.

"Alex, I think you took enough!" Alice scolds.

His fangs rescind, I am exhausted from giving. Resting my eyes for a couple of moments I catch the awareness she isn't fully gone yet. The air grew heavy around us, but only I seem to notice this feeling.

"Christian? Are you okay?" Alex asks.

"Yeah, I…hmmm…"

Pushing my shirt back I fasten my shirt shifting to a nearby chair by Alex's bed saying nothing more, I try to rouse the 'golden gaze' to activate, but it doesn't. Internally I want to panic, but I stay calm in my outward appearance.

I need to contact Mai as soon as possible to tell Saniya, I can't put anyone else in danger, but thinking back to my dream, where was the current Alice as the one I met was not the same one in this room.

Confused about what will happen to us I can not speak for fear I will be the reason everything falls apart after all…I am a traitor…my chains though not visible exist.

Alex opens his eyes, they are normal and grey. I guess right away they are internal now like my shackles, but he doesn't know they are there. I must keep a watch and document if possible. Observing from the sidelines, Alice is chatting with Alex naturally.

"You just need a little more rest is all!" Alice states.

"I am tired of resting!" Alex argues.

"Do you recall your dreams?" I ask.

"Sometimes…" Alex replies, "But not like it's much really."

"Not much?" I question, "Do you generally not dream?"

"A destined person can still dream, but I have sinned Christian…" Alex explains.

"Sinned? There are different kinds of vampires?" I mull over.

"Your mark saves you, I willingly allowed myself to change from human to vampire hence in hindsight I must repay one day…" Alex points out.

"I see…the mark sways me from that punishment?" I challenge myself.

"Not fully, but at your birth, you were fated to be here, and in the future, you will pick another in your stead to either lead him or be dismissed before your demise!" Alex declares.

"I am not letting anyone else take this fate…"