Midnight Blood (Born Immortal) (15 page)

     “Okay.”

     “And in them, I have this guide, who is showing me these dreams,” Shayna had been looking down at the floor, and looked up to make eye contact with Cain. She felt tears sting the back of her eyes, and tried to force them back. She could tell that his full attention was on her, and what she was about to say. “His name is Aiden.”

Shayna’s eyes never left Cain’s face while she waited for a response from him.

     The expression on his face reamained calm, and loving, he took her hand in his.

“Shayna, I want to tell you everything, but not here, not right now,” he told her.

     “Okay,” Shayna said, relaxing a bit.

      I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before,” Cain looked around the cafeteria, “I will come over, when I’m done at the shop tonight,” a look of relief swept over his face. “I’ve been wanting to tell you,” he paused briefly, “It is definitely time.”

     They walked to their art class together, and Cain wondered if he should tell her
everything
.

    When they walked into the room, Mrs. Olson had everyone taking their original seats. That was fine with Shayna since she and Cain now sat together. She remembered that first day when he had looked at Mrs. Olson so intently, and the teacher had sent him to sit with her. Shayna wondered if Cain had impelled Mrs. Olson that day, so that he could sit next to her.

     “Alright everyone,” Mrs. Olson said, when the tardy bell rang, and everyone was in their seats. “If you will look to the back of the room. I have placed your still life drawings on the wall,” at once, everyone turned to the back of the room. “I have written catagories on the chalk board. I would like for everyone to vote for their favorite in these catagories. I have placed a sticky note on each drawing, assigning it, it’s own number.”

     The catagories read:

    
Best Lettering

      Best Shading

    
Best use of creativeness

      Best Overall

    
Mrs. Olson continued, “Vote for one drawing for each category. Make sure you write the number, and category, you are voting for on a piece of paper, and put them in the box I have provided,” she pointed at the box, “Remember, you can vote four times, for all four catagories. You may begin.”

     Shayna and Cain waited for the other students to exit their seats, before getting up themselves. They walked up behind the other students, and they heard little gasps and whispers. Things like, “She’s beautiful” and “Got my vote.” Shayna looked at Cain, and he just shook his head and smiled, oddly at her. When the students saw Shayna approaching, they stepped aside, for her to see the drawings, and immediately she saw her own face amongst them, on the wall. She stepped closer, completely amazed, and grabbed for Cain’s hand.

     “You did this?” she asked him. He nodded his head, and just stood there and smiled at her, “It’s beautiful.”

     He had been staring at her during class, because he had been drawing her. The drawing was incredibly perfect, it looked just like her. She was the focal point, and the still life was the background. He had captured her looking down at her own drawing, perfectly. They could hear the whispers behind them, as all the students gathered at the wall to see what the commotion was about. Cain knew this was the reaction Mrs. Olson had anticipated. He could hear the jealous thoughts of the other females in the class, regarding himself and Shayna. They envied her.

     Mrs. Olson walked up behind the students, “Should we vote now?” she asked them.

     “Do we need to?”aA tall lanky blonde, named Jill said.

     “Is everyone in consensus?” Mrs. Olson asked.

     “Yes,” they all said together.

     Shayna couldn’t help but blush. The drawing was amazing, and so was Cain.

     After the class was over, Cain kissed Shayna goodbye, on the cheek.

     “I’ll see you tonight,” he said, and turned in the other direction and disappeared down the hall. She couldn’t wait for him to come to her later. She needed to hear from Cain, what Aiden was trying to say.

     When school was over Shayna began walking home. As she walked passed the city park she noticed a familiar figure sitting on the gazebo, like he was waiting for her.

     Aiden smiled at her, as she walked across the grass toward him, glaring at him the whole time. She was still upset that he had made her watch Cain again, and that he had left her again.

     “Hello,” he said to her, when she approached him. She didn’t sit down. She stood glaring at him, with her arms folded at her chest. “Will you please trust me now, and stay away from him?”

     “Aiden, I stayed and watched, he didn’t mean to kill her, and he was upset and tried to get her help,” she told him, defending Cain. She knew Cain wouldn’t hurt her. He tried so hard, not to, “Besides, I told him about you, and he’s going to tell me everything tonight.”

     “We’ll see if he tells you
everything.
But, Fine,” Aiden said, and stood up and walked over to her, “I just want to make sure he doesn’t hurt you, and I know he will. He can’t resist, and if he kills you, then I don’t succeed in what I came here to accomplish,” he walked to the other side of the gazebo.

     “What
did
you come here to accomplish Aiden?” Shayna asked him.

     “To make sure he doesn’t have
you
too!” he exclaimed.

     “Doesn’t it matter to you, that I want him too?” she asked. She didn’t care that Cain had taken lives, she didn’t care about his past, she loved him.

     “You won’t,” Aiden said, then paused, “When you know.”

     All Shayna saw next was a brilliant flash of light, and feathers falling to the boarded platform of the gazebo. She ran to where Aiden had been standing, and looked up expecting to see him flying away, but he was gone. She wondered what he had in store to “show her” next.

     “I’ll never stop loving him!” she yelled into the air. She believed Aiden meant well, but he just didn’t seem to understand. Hadn’t he ever been in love before? She wondered.

     When Shayna walked up to her house, Melina was walking out the front door, leaving for work at the Dutch Cup, but stopped to talk to her sister.

     “Hey Shay,” she said, “What’s new?”

     “Not too much,” Shayna answered. She had noticed that Melina had seemed more interested in her these days. Probably because of Cain. She thought. “What time do you work until?” she asked Melina.

     “Ten thirty,” Melina said, then changed the subject, “So, are you and Cain going to the Winter Formal?”

     Shayna laughed, “What do you think?”

     “I think,” she looked at Shayna, in a matter of fact way, as she opened the door to the Honda Prelude, “That you two, would have fun, and should go.”

     “Maybe we would, but, I still don’t want to go,” Shayna stated.

     “Whatever!” Melina said, but she wasn’t about to give up, “Come on Shay. Do it for me,” she paused and looked at her twin with pleading eyes, “Do it for yourself. High School is almost over, ya know? You should go to at least one dance, before you lose the opportunity,” Melina got in the car and started it up, and pulled away from the house, leaving Shayna standing on the curb.

     Maybe Melina is right, she thought. Maybe I should attend one formal function before we’re out school.

     Shayna laughed, “Yeah right,” she said out loud, “Maybe senior prom.” She turned and walked inside the house.

Chapter 11

     Cain never showed up like had said he would, and didn’t answer his phone when Shayna called him either. She figured that whatever had kept him away, must have been important.

     She went to bed around eleven o’clock dreading what dreams may come to her. When she finally did drift into oblivion, she found herself in the meadow, surrounded by daisies, and standing face to face with Aiden.

     “Now what?” she said to him, rolling her eyes.

     He chuckled, “Nothing tonight Shayna,” he said, and reached for her hand, and lead her to the downed tree to sit down. “Tonight I talk.”

     “What if I don’t want to listen?” she asked, she
didn’t
want to listen to him.

     “That’s fine,” he said, smiling at her, “If you can wake yourself up, you don’t have to listen.”

     He won that battle, Shayna could never wake herself up out of a dream.

     “What do you want then?” she demanded.

     “Shayna, those girls I showed you weren’t just random girls,” he told her looking into her eyes. “They were Halflings Princesses, like you.” he wanted her to understand exactly what he was trying to tell her about Cain, and why he was there.

     It took a moment for what Aiden was saying to sink in. When it finally did, a lot of things began to come clear to Shayna.

“He’s a Changeling,” she said quietly.

     Aiden nodded his head, “Yes. He killed those girls, before they ever had a chance to turn. You saw what he did to Roslyn, and that poor girl in Amsterdam,” he looked angry when he spoke Roslyn’s name, “Roslyn had agreed to change him, but then changed her mind. He took her blood, and her life,” he said, and sat down next to Shayna on the tree. “The poor girl had agreed to change him too, she never had a chance,” Aiden looked away into the distance, picking at the bark on the tree, and gouging a divet in it with his finger nail.

     “I don’t think he has any control, once he tastes the blood,” Shayna told him, “He can’t help himself, believe me Aiden. I’ve processed this through my mind many times. I saw him,” she said thinking back to what she had seen, “He didn’t mean to kill those girls.”

     “Shayna you’re delusional!” Aiden said to her, “He’s using you to get what he wants,” he stood back up and began pacing. “He wants your blood, and if you’re not careful, he
will
kill you. Whether he means to or not.”

     “I’m delusional?” she asked, and laughed at him, “
You
’re
the one invading my dreams.”

     “I’m just trying to make sure you don’t die in his hands, you’re no good to me dead. You’re father sent me to protect you from Changelings like Cain. I swore when I set out to spread his ashes over Humboldt Bay, that I would never let Cain, or any other Changeling touch you,” he said, and he had every intention of keeping that promise. He kicked at the ground, and looked at Shayna like he was embarassed, and said, “I have to be honest with you Shayna. Entering your dreams for the last few years, has been nothing compared to actually standing face to face with you,” Shayna blushed and Aiden continued, “If I would have known how truly magnificent you are, I would have tried harder to find you, and come a lot sooner,” he knelt down in front of her, on one knee, took her hand, and said, “For myself.”

     “Aiden,” she said to him, “I do love Cain.” although she was flattered, she knew Cain was her soul mate.

     Aiden stood up, clearly frustrated, “Fine Shayna. See it your way,” he said, “But, I will show you how uncontrolably lethal he really is.”

     “Aiden please. Why is this so hard for
you
to understand?” Shayna said, “Can’t you trust
me
?”

     “I don’t trust him, Shayna,” Aiden spat out. He turned around and walked into the meadow, “I’ll show you Shayna. You will believe me!”

     Shayna watched Aiden walk across the meadow, and out of sight. She didn’t try to stop him because she knew, neither one of them were about to budge on the way they felt about Cain. It would just lead to another pointless argument, ending in Aiden promising to “show her”. She took a deep breath, in anticipation of what he could possibly show her this time, that would make her change her mind about Cain.

     She was beginning to miss the old dreams of Aiden. When he wasn’t trying to stop her from loving, who she believed, was her soul mate. But, Shayna’s convictions were strong and pure, Aiden would have to try harder, and Shayna had a feeling he would.

     Shayna waited for Cain, for twenty minutes after Melina had left the house, and finally gave up and made her way to school. She wondered where he was, and she hoped and prayed, that he had not left for the rest of her mortal existence. She hoped he was already at the academy, but he wasn’t. He didn’t show up later either, and still didn’t answer Shayna’s calls or texts. By the end of the day, Shayna had no other choice, but to believe that he was gone.

     On her way home from school she stopped at ‘Between the Lines’, to talk to Aunt Mill. She did feel a little better when she left the bookstore, with the reassurance from Aunt Mill, that Cain was fine, and although she didn’t know where he was, he would be back soon. The seemingly old woman said she didn’t sense or see, anything out of the ordinary.

     By the time Shayna laid down to go to bed, she had still not heard from Cain. She slept dreamless, but woke up often, sweating and trembling.

     When morning came, she was getting dressed and stopped and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, “One more week,” she said to the reflection, “Then the big day.”

     She had decided she wasn’t going to wait too long for Cain, and after waiting long enough, she grabbed her backpack, and headed for the door. She opened it, and to her surprise, there stood Cain leaning against the passenger door of his car, waiting for her. She smiled, and all but ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

     “Don’t ever do that to me again,” she scolded. “I thought you were gone, and that I would be alone for the next week.”

     He took her face in his hands, and kissed it all over, careful not to touch her lips with his.

“I’m sorry Princess,” he said. “I had to go take care of some things at the last minute. It won’t happen again,” he promised.

     Shayna stood on her tip toes, and tried to kiss him. He gently put his finger on her lips and stopped her.