Sunrise at Sunset (13 page)

Well, at least it’s nice that people are taking an interest in me around the office after a semester
, he considered.

On Tuesday, he only taught two sections of history in the morning, so he had most of the afternoon free after his office hours. By the time he walked out to his car on that sunny, cool November afternoon, he’d already decided that he needed to return to the scene of his recent mental collapse with Katrina. He needed to understand what had happened to him. He was floating in a state of limbo and wanted to be on solid ground again.

Instead of bothering to change clothes, he remained in his khaki slacks and long-sleeved blue shirt. He grabbed a sandwich and bottled water from a sub shop and drove out to the exclusive Pine Valley edition. She had given him the access code to the edition gate entrance and the code for the wrought iron gate to her driveway on Friday, though he had no intention of trying to go up the driveway or even approach the house itself.

Everything looked quite different by daylight. Things didn’t seem quite as ominous, though it was still distinctly remote and secluded with the edition’s sparsely populated residents and heavily forested surroundings.

He was pleasantly surprised to find that the edition entrance code still operated correctly for him as he drove between the large rock columns. The asphalt road winding through the neighborhood presented a series of leisurely curves to negotiate the somewhat hilly terrain. There were large areas of densely forested sections between the various five-acre or larger plots of land. All the homes remaining visible from the street were large estates, each with their own architectural style. One aspect they had in common was how stately everything was maintained. The trees, shrubs, and lawns were manicured meticulously, though each reflected unique landscape artistry.

Katrina’s property was further into the edition near the still-developing section of a particularly hilly area. He drove to her property’s gate entrance and glanced up the winding driveway as he passed. He saw the house through the dense trees and shrubbery looming in the sunshine like a castle. Caleb rarely had the opportunity to appreciate such properties from a distance, much less actually know someone with the capability of owning any.
Dream homes like this are more like pure fantasy on my salary
, he considered silently.
You don’t choose a career as a teacher or professor with hopes of getting rich
.

He stopped at the side of the road next to a more gently sloping area that he thought he would be able to negotiate on foot. He wanted to revisit the park area next to Katrina’s property, while not going too close to her house. Caleb felt that daytime was best because he didn’t want to risk an uncomfortable meeting in person just yet, and he recalled her comment about staying out of sunshine.
Classic vampire issue
, he mused. What with the day being so sunny and bright, he considered conditions were about as safe as they could get for him.
Just
g
reat
, he chided
, too scared to skulk around at night. Instead I’m sneaking around in the daylight!

He scowled at the thought that he was actually taking all of these things seriously and even felt a little foolish. But his memories of her physical feats from Friday night engendered a more sober expression on his face. In fact, his pulse increased noticeably as he focused on his current intentions.

He strode up the hilly incline to the scrub and trees scattered at the top. If not for the serious nature of his visit, he might actually have taken the time to appreciate his surroundings. Instead, he sighed and tried to focus his thoughts on the events of Friday night.

After a short time, he made it to the top of the incline and looked back downhill to where his car was parked. He felt a cool breeze in the air and noticed that considerably more leaves had fallen since Friday.

He made his way back to the central park area, soon reaching the winding concrete pathway they had walked together. Pausing to glance towards her estate, he began slowly walking in that general direction. He was pleased that conditions seemed much less ominous on such a sunny day.

Before long, he stood outside the black iron gate separating the park area from Katrina’s property. He studied the large house looming across a relatively wide expanse of partially green lawn dotted with pine and oak trees. After a sigh, he stared up at one of the windows of the house, though he saw no activity present. The blinds were turned down completely.

He turned and focused on the events of last Friday evening.

Katrina sat at her computer and glanced up at a flat panel display off to her left that hosted approximately two dozen miniature viewing screens, each hooked up to a camera viewing both internal and external parts of the estate. Her eye caught movement from one particular camera located on the side of the house facing the gate to the public park area.

She breathed in sharply and immediately enlarged the window to full screen.

Caleb stood beyond the trees at the gate.
Has he come to visit me?
she wondered.

A hopeful feeling washed through her. She zoomed in on his face as he stared towards the house, the sunlight bathing his gentle features in light. Yet he had a focused expression. She frowned as he turned to gaze back in the other direction and slowly walked away.

What’s he doing?
Maybe he came to discuss the revelations I sprang on him last Friday evening. Maybe I should call his cell phone or text him
, she ventured with uncertainty.

Something occurred to her which sent a small chill through her.
He probably came during the daytime because he knew I couldn’t go to him. He must be here for some other reason
.

She watched him walk away until the camera could no longer focus on him and sighed deeply with resignation. Despite the strong desire to see him, to talk to him, she would have to remain patient.

Caleb’s memory began replaying the events in his mind as he perched on the edge of the bench he and Katrina had sat on that night. He recalled how disappointed he’d felt when she tried to be honest with him about her secret identity. He stood, took a moment to recall his actions that evening, and walked the path leading towards her house. He paused and then proceeded in the opposite direction. He halted suddenly, unsure if he were in the exact spot as before. Frowning, he concentrated intently to recall the sight of her glowing green eyes. A momentary flash appeared in his mind’s eye, and his heartbeat fluttered. He turned slowly and began walking off in the approximate direction in which he had run into the trees that night.

He recalled the feeling of flight, running for his life. But now, his pace was deliberate and measured. He marveled at how far he must have run as he trudged slowly among the trees and bushes. A short time later, he stood at the edge of the drop-off where he had nearly fallen before Katrina caught him.

She caught me, spun me around, and threw me to the ground
.

Looking down, he noticed a broken branch on the partially sandy ground, realizing must be the branch he had grabbed that night. He picked up one piece and inspected it more closely. It was a rather solid-looking length of wood, and he had swung it at her with what he believed had been an impressive velocity. But he recalled how it broke against her arm as if nothing more than a flimsy yardstick. Illustrating that point, he lifted the piece of branch and popped it into the palm of his other hand.
Solid chunk of wood
, he ventured with a frown before absently tossing the branch back to the ground.

My God
, he realized suddenly,
it should’ve broken her arm, or at least knocked her over.

His eyes widened while marveling once more at how Katrina was indeed no ordinary woman.
If she’d been able so easily to withstand such an attack, then she could’ve effortlessly killed me,
he suspected. But she didn’t, for which he was extremely thankful.

“That should count for something,” he muttered hopefully.

But there was an underlying feeling after going through his brief mental exercise: wariness. Despite how kind and helpful she had been to him, he felt a degree of unease.
Is it a simple aversion to the unknown or something else?
He supposed that only time would tell.

He considered a very important question while returning to his vehicle.
What am I going to do next?

Wednesday passed quickly for Caleb. By the time he went home from work, he had finally determined how to proceed with Katrina. He still had feelings for her after everything they had experienced together and felt he owed her the benefit of at least talking things out to see how they both wanted to progress.

He was deeply intrigued by her, but couldn’t deny the thought of her being a vampire still unnerved him quite a bit. The whole situation was still a little unbelievable to him. All his life he thought the concept of vampires made for great films, but never once had considered there could be an ounce of truth to any of it. But what was the truth to separate from the fiction? That was a question only Katrina could answer.

He picked up his cell phone while leaning against his kitchen counter and dialed her number. It rang only once.

“Caleb?” ventured Katrina in a soft voice.

He still loved the sound of her voice, among a host of other appreciable qualities. “Hi, Katrina,” he said. “Is this a good time to call?” His eyes gazed out the living room window to note the sun just beginning to set.

“Sure,” she offered curiously. “You’ve called me during the afternoons before, you know.”

He nodded, wondering why this was so difficult for him. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been interacting with her for months. He felt he was starting everything from scratch.

“Sorry, you’re right of course,” he apologized. “Katrina, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the past few days, and I…”

“Yes?”

“I’d like to know if you’d mind meeting with me to chat,” he asked.

She paused, and he thought he heard a small sigh from her end, as if she’d been holding her breath.

“Of course, Caleb,” she replied with a hint of relief evident in her voice. “I’ve been hoping you’d call.”

The edges of his mouth upturned marginally, and he proceeded with a more confident tone, “Great. That’s just great. What’s your schedule look like this week?”

“You mean like tonight, for example?” she asked.

“Uh, no. How about tomorrow instead?” he clarified.

She paused. “Day or night?”

He hadn’t expected that. “You can do daytime?”

“Daytime is harder, Caleb,” she answered with amusement. “But I can prepare the house to accommodate your preference, especially if it makes you more comfortable.”

He considered her offer for a moment, but felt it might seem an affront to select an uncomfortable setting deliberately. He respected her too much to do that, though it was at least nice that she was willing to accommodate him.
That’s good, right?

“Evening’s fine, actually,” he said.

“Good,” she accepted gently. “Come by around sunset then.”

As he said goodbye and disconnected, he smirked at the way she’d said that and realized if he didn’t know she was a vampire, he probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

Thankfully, Thursday went by quickly for Caleb, because he was anxious for the arrival of evening. He changed into a pair of dark casual slacks and a red oxford shirt and sat on his couch watching the sun begin its descent. A list of questions mingled in his mind, and he hoped none of them were particularly insulting to her. It wasn’t every day someone told you they were a vampire and actually meant it.

Caleb grabbed his leather jacket and drove across town on the I-20. He proceeded north on the I-285 towards the Mableton area. As he neared his destination, his anticipation grew to a fever pitch.

Once again, the onset of night gave the secluded edition an ominous feel. Despite the various driveway lampposts, lawn lighting, and house lights surrounding the visible homes, large patches of darkness permeated the uneven landscape and clusters of thick trees within the edition. The scene seemed out of character for the normally well-developed regions throughout Atlanta. He momentarily considered how perfect it was for a horror film, but felt a pang of guilt for associating such thoughts with Katrina.

When he arrived at the gates blocking the entrance to Katrina’s winding driveway, he entered his code on the small, metal kiosk and proceeded up the drive. Perhaps for his benefit and comfort, all of the exterior lights around the estate were turned on, creating a subtle glow in the night. He parked his car in front of the garage and emitted a heavy sigh before exiting his car.

Caleb walked up the steps leading to the grand front entrance of the house, once again marveling at its considerable size. He noticed many of the windows emanated an inviting luminance from inside, suggesting that many lights had been turned on throughout the house. He reached the front entrance and barely had time to ring the doorbell before the door opened to reveal Katrina standing before him with a bright, encouraging smile.