Eden (12 page)

“Its funny how all the legends about your kind are really referring to the humans that feed off of Deva,” I said, “The vampires are actually the innocent ones.”

“I wouldn’t call it funny,” Eden pointed out, “I think the word you are looking for is ironic; the humans were the ones guilty of all the sins that they had accused us of committing.”

All of this was getting to be too much for me. To think that all of this was occurring in the background of human history for millennia and no one knew anything about it.

“So, let me see if I got all of this straight,” I said getting to my feet and pacing like Eden had been doing moments before, “Vampires don’t drink blood, don’t fear crosses or the sun; humans hunt vampires and drink their blood to become leeches; and the leeches are actually the source of all the evil vampire stories that we know today. Is that about right?”

“That’s the synopsis,” Eden assured me, “but please don’t call me a vampire, it has nothing to do with what I really am and it’s kind of like a racial slur.”

“I won’t and thanks for telling me,” I said feeling real gratitude that she trusted me enough to tell all of this to me, “It explains a lot.”

I suddenly felt guilty for being afraid of her and trying to avoid her. She seemed to read my expression.

“It’s ok,” she said, her eyes tender, “I guess seeing me lift the couch was quite a shock to you. I didn’t know what to say when you confronted me with what you saw. I didn’t want to lie to you; so instead, I decided just not to say anything.”

I nodded my head that pretty much summed up everything that had happened since last night.

“I wasn’t afraid of you,” I assured her, “I was more afraid of where you came from.”

She looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“I had this theory that you escaped from a secret government experiment and that the government was soon going to be tracking you down,” I continued, “I was afraid that if they found me with you, they would eliminate me and maybe my friends and family.”

“And here I thought you would think my explanation was crazy,” she smiled.

“I was afraid that someone would come after my family,” I pointed out.

“I could understand that,” Eden commented, “but you don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

“What about those leeches?” I pointed out, “Couldn’t they have had some friends that will now come after you?”

“Leeches aren’t very trusting creatures,” Eden told me, “If there were more than those two, they would have all be there to take me down. They would have all wanted a share of my blood if I was defeated.”

“What if one of them had hidden somewhere and saw you kill its friends?” I was still worried about other leeches coming after her.

“Leeches don’t have friends,” she said with a sneer, “The only loyalty they have towards each other is earned through fear and power. If there were any more leeches in their pack, they would have been present in the warehouse.”

“So we don’t have to worry about more of them looking for revenge?” I was relieved.

“Hardly,” she laughed, “I still can’t fathom how they found me. I’ve been so careful since I moved here; but we are safe now.”

“So, I don’t have to worry about any blood-crazed leeches or secret government agents apprehending me in the middle of the night?” I asked again, just to make sure.

“No,” she reassured me, smiling.

“Thanks for saving me,” I said, my eyes rooted to the floor.

“My pleasure,” she replied with a smile.

“And I’m sorry,” I continued.

“Sorry for what?” she asked.

“For the way I have been acting lately,” I explained, “for the way I’ve been ignoring you. If it is any consolation, it was really hard for me to do that.”

“I’ve been trying to figure out why you were acting that way,” she said, “but now that I know, I can understand, it’s ok.”

“Are you sure that you aren’t upset or anything?” I asked just to make sure.

“No,” she told me, “I could never be mad at you.”

“Really?” I asked wanting to be sure.

“Really,” she confirmed.

“So…,” I stalled, not knowing how to proceed, “can we start over again as if last night had never happened?”

Eden looked at me with a smile and nodded her head.

“Of course, Thomas,” she replied.

Slowly I walked over to her and put my arms around her. I found it hard to believe that someone so strong could feel so warm, so soft in my arms. Her lips were inches from mine; soon they too felt warm and soft against mine. Her tongue pressed between my lips, probing.

I held her tighter feeling her warm body press against mine; I had no idea how to react. I’ve never faced a situation like this before. Feebly, my hands fumbled with her sweater.

“Thomas,” she interrupted, her voice muffled against mine.

“What?” I asked my voice equally muffled.

“It’s really late,” she pointed out, finally pulling her face away from mine, “Aren’t your parents worried sick by now?”

All of a sudden I remembered about my parents. It had to be after one in the morning by now. They must be crazy with worry.

“Oh no,” I moaned, “I am so dead.”

Eden could detect the worry in my eyes, and smiled, “Maybe you should go home before we start anything.”

I wanted to stay with her; I wanted to start everything; but I knew that would only get my parents more upset than they probably already were.

“If I go,” I warned her, “it might be a while before I’ll be back.”

“Why is that?” she asked, even though by her face, she knew exactly why.

“Because by the time my parents let me out of the house again,” I said with a smile, “even you might be dead from old age.”

“It won’t be that bad,” Eden assured me, “At least we can see each other in school.”

“You don’t know my parents,” I warned.

“You might be surprised,” she laughed.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “I’ll be surprised if I ever see you again.”

“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Eden complained.

“Ok,” I agreed, “but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Good night, Thomas,” Eden said with a tone of finality.

I couldn’t stall anymore.

“Good night, Eden,” I finally said as I headed out of the door and onto Eden’s front porch.

Walking across Eden’s front lawn, I could see that all the lights were still on in my house. My parents were usually never up this late. I was in big trouble; there was no way around it. Looking back, I could see Eden still standing on her doorstep. I looked at her pleadingly, but she just motioned for me to go inside.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled open my front door, ready to face the music.

13

My mother pounced on me as soon as I walked through the door; I didn’t even have a chance to take my jacket off.

“Where in the hell have you been?” she practically screamed at me, “I called over to Kyle’s and his mother told me that everyone had left at ten.”

She pointed to the clock in the living room, “It is now after one in the morning!”

I flinched as my father entered the room. Generally he was more easy-going than my mother, but I could see that I even he was upset.

“Where have you been all this time?” he demanded.

I couldn’t tell them the truth that I had been taken hostage by vampire abominations.

“I ran into Eden on my way home,” I lied, “She was waiting for me.”

“So you’ve been at Eden’s house for the past three hours?” my father questioned.

“That’s right,” I admitted.

“You did it, didn’t you?” my mother asked. If her voice hadn’t been so hostile when she asked, I might have smiled.

“No, we just talked,” I told her, it was the truth.

“Did you make up with her at least?” she asked, her face getting softer.

She thought that Eden was the most beautiful girl in the world and nothing would make her happier than to be able to brag to all her friends that she was my girlfriend.

“Yeah,” I told her, blushing, “we made up.”

“I don’t know what you two were fighting about,” my mother said, “but don’t let it happen again. Eden is a wonderful girl and you better treat her right.”

“I know,” I said sheepishly, lowering my head.

“Don’t let her get away,” she said in a tender voice, “You’ll never find another girl like her.”

I almost laughed; my mother didn’t know how right she was. Instead I just nodded my head and didn’t say anything. I realized that I had so many more questions for Eden; ones that I had never gotten a chance to ask. Like how does she age? She was the hottest looking two hundred year old girl I had ever seen. If we were together ten or twenty years from now; would I get arrested for child molestation?

I, also, was interested in her past. Even though Eden had said that she lived most of her life in seclusion; two hundred years was a long time, she had to spend it somewhere. Plus, what was her family like? Did she have brothers or sisters? How were her parents? What would they think of me, if our relationship ever went that far? Would they be ok with their beautiful daughter spending her life with a mere human? Ok, maybe not her life, but a few decades at least.

“I don’t know how her parents feel about this,” my father continued, breaking me from my contemplation, “but you are not to be out until all hours of the night.”

“It won’t happen again,” I assured him.

“You’re damn right it won’t, young man,” he began. Oh no, my father called me young man, here it comes, “because you will be in this house every night at nine; even on weekends!”

“Come on, Dad,” I pleaded, “that’s going too far.”

“Would you like it to be eight instead?” he glowered at me.

“No, sir,” I replied, defeated.

“Where are her parents, anyway?” he asked my mother, “I don’t like the idea of them leaving a sixteen year old girl all by herself in a new neighborhood for so long. It doesn’t matter how mature she is for her age that is just neglect!”

“I agree with you,” my mother told him, “As soon as they show up, you can bet that I will give them a piece of my mind. They are probably some couple that had children way too early in life, and still want to have fun, but that is no excuse.”

I almost laughed at her comment. Way too early in life? If Eden was two hundred years old, how old would that make her parents; four hundred, maybe older? It was a little strange that they would have let Eden move out all on her own, especially with leeches on the hunt. I would have to ask Eden about that, as well.

It seemed like my list of questions kept growing and growing, maybe I should write them all down so that I didn’t forget them. It would have to wait, though, as it was after one in the morning and I had school in a few hours.

“Is it ok if I go to bed now?” I asked my parents.

“Sure, get some sleep,” my mother said, “See you in the morning.”

Saying good night to my parents, I dragged myself upstairs, the excitement of the night was finally wearing off and I was practically dead on my feet.

I didn’t recall how I had gotten into bed; all I remember was the shrill sound of the alarm as it went off way too early. Rolling over, I slapped the alarm off and slowly got out of bed. I couldn’t believe it was already time to get up. I felt like I had just gone to sleep. Pulling myself out of bed, I groggily made my way into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face, waking me up.

I had gotten pretty lucky with my parents. I had thought that my punishment would be a lot harsher than it had been. At least I was still able to spend some time with Eden after school.

Trudging downstairs, I tried my best not to appear as exhausted as I felt; I wasn’t in the mood for an ‘I told you so’ from my mother. I just grabbed a toasted bagel with butter that my mom had prepared and washed it down with some coffee.

I usually never drank coffee, I considered it a boring adult beverage, but this morning, I really needed the extra boost that it would give me. After my second cup, I felt vaguely human again.

“Is it ok if I go to Eden’s after school?” I asked hesitantly.

I knew that I shouldn’t push my luck, but I hated the thought of spending all day in school wondering if I would be able to ask Eden any of the questions that were running through my mind.

“I don’t see why not,” my mother replied, “as long as you are home by nine.”

“No problem,” I said gratefully, “I’m leaving for school.”

“Have a good day,” my mother called after me as I grabbed my backpack and headed out the door.

As soon as I reached the bus stop, my friends could see that I was in an unusually cheerful mood. Kyle looked at me suspiciously.

“What happened to you last night?” he asked and the others turned to stare at me also. Obviously they had been talking about me before my arrival.

“What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

“Your mother called my house around eleven asking if you were still there,” he said suspiciously, “even though you had left at ten.”

“Oh,” I said, “I stopped at Eden’s house before I went home.”

At the mention of Eden they all perked up anticipating a good story.

“You didn’t leave Eden’s until after eleven on a school night?” Matt asked incredulously, “What did your parents say?”

“Who cares about that,” Drake said, pushing Matt out of the way, “what happened at Eden’s?”

“Nothing like what you are thinking,” I told Drake, “we just talked.”

“Are you gay?” Drake asked me, narrowing his eyes.

“No,” I assured him, “so don’t get your hopes up.”

“Please, even if I was gay,” Drake told me, “I could do better than you.”

“Keep thinking that,” I replied, “I’d be the best you’d ever had.”

“Dude,” Kyle broke in, “I’m finding this argument just a bit disturbing.”

Realizing the strange turn that our conversation had taken, we all breathed a sigh of relief when Howie pulled up.

Our ride to school was unusually silent; I guess no one wanted to acknowledge that the conversation at the bus stop had ever taken place and that was fine with me.

Once we arrived at school, I immediately ran to my locker and retrieved the books I would need for my morning classes; I was in a hurry to see Eden. It felt nice to be honest about my feelings once again.

“Hey handsome,” I heard Eden call as I entered the classroom; luckily it was empty except for her, otherwise my face would have been beet red.

I looked over my shoulder as if I didn’t know who she was calling handsome.

“I meant you, silly,” she said playfully hitting me on the shoulder.

I knew that it was a playful hit because my arm was still attached and it didn’t hurt…much.

“Are you able to come to my house tonight after school?” she asked hopefully.

I waited for the slight throbbing in my arm to subside before answering.

“I can, but I have to be home by nine,” I told her.

“That’s great,” she said enthusiastically, “I was afraid that you wouldn’t be able to see me at all. That would have been horrible especially right after we just made up.”

“It sure would have been,” I agreed.

Eden leaned in; closing the remaining distance between our lips I gently kissed her.

We were interrupted by the sound of someone noisily clearing his throat; it was Mr. Olsen, our homeroom teacher. We both quickly separated, blushing.

“There’ll be none of that in my class,” he scolded as he sat behind his desk.

I was too embarrassed to even apologize; I just took my seat and stared at my desk until class began. All during class, I found my eyes drawn to Eden like a magnet and every time that I looked her way; I was surprised to see that she was looking at me, too.

Lunch time finally came and afforded us a little more privacy than the classrooms had offered. Eden and I headed out to the tennis courts to eat our lunch in the bleachers again so that we could talk.

“My parents seemed concerned,” I began, not sure how to broach the subject.

“About what?” she asked looking up from her sandwich.

“About your parents and your family,” I said, “It’s been almost a week since you moved in and your parents haven’t been home at all.”

“Oh, that,” she answered reluctantly.

“Yeah, that,” I pushed, “You do have parents, right?”

“Yes, I do have parents,” she laughed.

“So why do they leave you alone for so long?” I asked.

“Well,” she stalled, drawing out the word, “they didn’t exactly leave me alone.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked wondering where she was going with this.

“I kind of ran away from home,” she said embarrassed.

“Why?” I was stunned.

“They wanted me to stay in hiding,” she explained, “They couldn’t understand my need to experience real life before I…”

She stopped, as if she realized that she had said too much.

“Before you what?” I prompted.

I could see that she didn’t want to continue. What could be that horrible?

“Before I get married,” she finally finished.

I was speechless. Eden was going to be married? I didn’t know what to say.

“You’re engaged?” I finally managed to ask in a squeaky voice.

“Not exactly,” she said softly.

“Well, what exactly is it?” I was getting a little angry, not the smartest thing to do with a girl that could easily crush my skull.

“Since we are in hiding all the time, Deva don’t get a chance to socialize much,” she began, “we usually depend on arranged marriages between families to…procreate.”

A small, uncomfortable silence fell between us.

“I can’t even remember his name,” she admitted, “but according to my parents, we have been promised to each other since we were both children.”

“So, because you are arranged to get married, you ran away from home?” I asked.

“I didn’t want to get married to a guy that I didn’t even know,” she stated.

“So you bought your own house?” I exclaimed, “How could you afford that?”

“I’ve had almost two hundred years living at home to save up the money,” she laughed, “it came to quite a little nest egg.”

“I could imagine,” I said even though I couldn’t imagine living with my parents for two hundred years at all, “So you grew up all alone in seclusion?”

“Not in seclusion,” she replied, “We lived in small villages and towns across the United States, but we could never stay for long. We were always moving. My parents always frowned on my making any long term friends because maybe someone would notice how slowly I aged. It wasn’t a big deal for my parents because they were mature, but for me, the gap between ages was more noticeable.”

I nodded my head understanding her parents concerns, if Eden played with a human child and they both appeared to be five years old, when the human child turned eight or nine, Eden would most likely still look to be five; it would definitely raise some suspicions.

“But what about playing with other Deva children like your…” I paused, trying to utter the next word, “…fiancé?”

“That would have been great,” Eden admitted, “but there are so few Deva left in the world that we live far apart from each other. His family is the only other Deva family in the United States, actually. I might have met him once or twice, but I can barely remember.”

“So are you going to marry him?” I asked her, cutting to the chase.

“No,” she said firmly, “I want to be with you, Thomas.”

I could feel a warm flush of emotion stirring inside me. I leaned over and kissed her deeply.