Evanescere: Origins (13 page)

VER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, I
MADE several trips to Orange in the hopes of attracting my prey’s curiosity. He
was bound to become curious. He just had to. I forced myself to believe this
and I repeated it like a mantra. I desperately wanted to will it into
existence. Jack and Ambrogio had been staying in Orange. At my old house. I
made sure to not stray far from the house, despite the temptation to see my
family. I could not endanger them this way.

I hunted again. This time I found myself in
Houston looking for that one particular meal. It was dark and rainy this day. The
sky looked ominous. It was the perfect day for cover and I was able to be
outside without running into innocent lives. The only thing I carried was a
large black umbrella. Over time it had become easier to blend in with the
humans. I imitated their actions, their movements. Everything was about timing.
Where I moved faster than the human eye could see, I had to learn to slow down;
it was as though I was a newborn child having to learn to walk and crawl all
over again.

I was walking the streets of downtown Houston,
scanning the minds of those around me trying to find that one thief, murderer,
robber. Raining days tended to keep everyone in doors. My hunt would be a bit
more difficult. I breath in, the smell of the evening rain brings to me back to
the faded memories of my past. I used to enjoy the morning rain. It was those
days I would open the windows and air out the house. It was those days I would
sit on the patio with the kids and laugh and play. Those were happier times.
That life no longer belonged to me.  

Suddenly I hear the anger, the rage. I follow the
sounds. Slowly I approach, the sounds drawing closer. From the outside looking
in, the store is being robbed. The cashier has his hands up in the air. I
notice there is a glass divider meant to keep him safe. It did not look as
though he was cooperating with the would be robber. I walked in the store. I
hear the surprise in the robber’s thoughts. I looked at the clerk and put my
finger up to my lips. The robber seemed uncertain what his next course was. I
approached him and gently lowered his arm, gun still in hand. I could tell by
the weight it was loaded. I looked at him are eyes locked on each other. I
could hear his thoughts a mixture of confusion and lust. I cupped his cheek and
removed his hood.

He was a young man, with an olive complexion and
deep brown eyes. I noticed the tattoo on his neck his name in block old English
letters. He had a green tattoo on his left eye of a teardrop. I scanned his
thoughts to determine his reason. I saw a group of men planning how to make a
quick buck. This sealed his fate. I reached out to him and held his hand and
lead him out. I looked at the clerk one last time and I put my finger to my
lips. He was safe now.

I fed on the young man. His blood was warm and
delicious. He did not fight back. When I finished my meal, I sealed the wound
and disposed of his body. I knew where to find the others. I would deal with
them at a later time. For now, I ran back to Orange, there was more important
things to do.

*****

I continued making runs to Orange and still no
luck. Then one day, as I was running back to New Orleans I crossed the feigns
trail. He had followed me to Orange. The trap had been set. The curiosity of my
daily runs, must have got to him. I reached out to Ambrogio. He and Jack were
ready. I turned around and headed back to my old home.

I slowed as I approached, unsure of what to
expect. Jack and Ambrogio were inside talking quietly. The feign was near. His
scent was stronger here. I deviated from the plan. He wanted me alone. I headed
back east into the bayou and climbed a tree when suddenly I was hit from the
side. As I flew across the air, I heard the crack of several trees. I had
crashed straight through them, snapping them in half. I heard a menacing
laugher in the distance.

I landed softly on my feet and curled into a
crouch. I let out a growl. I heard him running at me again. I was ready for
him. I waited for him to get closer before I jumped out of his way and landed
behind him. I jumped on his back and wrapped my legs around his neck. I threw
him as I flipped. I heard more trees snap. He came at me again. I heard
Ambrogio’s thoughts telling me they are on the way. The must have heard the
trees snap.

“Hold off,” I project this thought to them.

He rushed at me again and once again I was out of
his way. It was a dance of death. I ran for him and we crashed into each other.
When we crashed it was loud like the sound of thunder. Again I was on his back.
I grabbed him by the neck and squeezed. I tried to take his head clean off of
his shoulders. He tried to throw me off of him and I would not budge. He was
mine and I would end him. He managed to throw me off again I felt myself fly
through the air. I heard Jack and Ambrogio making their way towards me.

I landed with a loud crack. Another tree. I
crouched again.

“What do you want?” I yelled

Laughter.

“Come and get me,” I taunted.

He walked into my line of vision, his hands
brushing off the debris from his clothes. I noticed they were finely made. He
wore a navy button up shirt with khaki colored slacks. His eyes were black and
full of hatred. His hair had been cut short. I noticed his build was something
that as a human I would have feared. I am no longer human and no longer afraid.
Today I embraced the battle. I had nothing left. Everything had been taken from
me.

I had the violent urge to destroy him. I felt pure
madness in my mind. I needed to destroy him to keep my family alive and safe. I
walked up to him. Again we fought. We missed each other’s blows. I had him in
my grasp, my hands around his neck again and I pulled. Suddenly, some unseen
force grew inside of me. I followed its lead and I bit into his neck. His blood
flowed down my throat. I bit his neck again, taking chunks of his flesh with
each bite. It sounded like granite breaking. In the back of my mind I could
hear his screams of rage.

I felt the weight of the world suddenly fall off
of my shoulders when we collapsed to the muddy earth. My arms and legs wrapped
around his body. The sound of approaching thunder did not frighten me. I did
not let go. I felt that if I let go he would flee and the world would never be
right again. I felt my prey snatched out of my arms and a warm hand on my
shoulder. I pulled away, into a crouch and snarled at who would steal my kill.
It took a minute for me to realize Jack and Ambrogio had arrived. I looked over
at Ambrogio, he had the feign held over his head by the neck. Blood continued
to gush from the wound.

As Ambrogio, held him I tried to enter his mind. I
found myself blocked from reading it. I grabbed his arm still he blocked me. I
shook my head. Ambrogio and Jack tore him apart. The sound of him being
shredded was something I had never heard before. It was a sound I could not
describe, but neither would I be able to forget it. We gathered the pieces, and
started the fire. We burned him there in the woods. The sweet smell of death
polluted the air around us. It would be a matter of time before the smoke would
be noticed by the humans.

Already I could hear the sound of dogs barking in
the distance. They could sense when death was near. The being was almost ash.
We made sure to scatter the ashes once the fire was out. If I was human, I
would have been exhausted. I was just glad it was finally over. No more chasing
him and no more murders of innocent people.

I still could not believe it was over. Jack was
reassuring me every few hours. Now I could begin to live. Now I could let go of
the past and move on. I had to make sure my human family would be okay without
me. I had to give them closure. It would be the only way they would let go.

FTER WE DESTROYED THE
FEIGN WE returned to New Orleans. The council members patiently waiting our
return. Lorelei embraced me upon our arrival. We discussed everything that had
occurred in Orange. The council was just as confounded as we were. We still did
not have an answer as to why he chose to come after me, or why he killed so
many. I had come to terms that I would never get an answer. Life will never
give you answers, no matter how much you beg you will never get one. Life
happens and it goes on. When death happens life still goes on without you.
There is no rhyme or reason it is all a part of nature. One thing about life is
that you will never, ever understand it.

After a while, I just wanted to be alone, but
Ambrogio would not hear of it. He was in a bright and festive mood this
evening. We drank his wine and celebrated our bittersweet victory. Everything
about my actions were false. Well except my drunken state. Ambrogio would be
leaving us soon to return to Italy. He has been with us for some time now and
he has been away from his villa for almost a year. He craves his home, his
people, his family. He would be returning to his home a hero, a savior and
protector. I envied him at times. He has never been happier or more alive than
what he was now. The other members of the council would be leaving us as well.

We drove Ambrogio to the airport the next day and
saw him off. I felt sad seeing every one leave. Lorelei plans on staying in New
Orleans a bit longer, since she has a home on the Rue Royal.

I stare out of the window lost in my thoughts. I
tell Jack to turn around. I needed to go back to Orange. I could feel myself
begin to tear at the seams. I was trying to hold myself together and I was not
about to put Jack through this again. I had to say goodbye to my human family.
I needed to know that they could and would survive my absence.

The drive to Orange had been uneventful. I felt myself
momentarily withdraw from the world. I felt Jack’s gentle hand cover my own. I
came back down to reality. We drove to the woods behind my family’s new home.
We climbed out of the car, and walked to the back of the house. We climbed the
great pine tree and perched on the second to last branch from the bottom. It
was one that would offer the best view through the great bay window.

I lost track of how long we sat there, so still,
unmoving.

“I find you human family fascinating,” Jack said
so quietly.

“They were, I mean they are, my everything. It
saddens me that I cannot be there for them,” I explained.

“Salome, I have been alive for almost six hundred
years, I have never met another one of our kind, who had such a beautiful human
family. I envy the living at times for their mortality, their ability to move
forward. I am sad for you. To have lost so much and to now give it up so that
they can have a future. It tears at me. We have been together for almost four
years and I see your eyes and feel your emotions. I know it is killing you to
have to stay away from them forever and no kind words will bring you comfort,”
he gently told me. His tone trying to find some way to bring me solace. I
appreciated the attempt.

In those kind words, I knew he would be there for
me and help me pick up the pieces. He would help me to put myself together when
my world crashes.

“Jack,” I began softly, “I too envy the living. I
envy their life, mortality and the simplicity of humanity. To be human is a
very beautiful thing. Most mortals do not realize how lucky they are to have
the bond of family and relationship. They do not appreciate the fact that they
can bring new life into this world. The world is chaos and we will never
understand it. We must make use of what time we have. Our very nature compels us
to exist to be. If it were not for this, we would continue to destroy our very
nature. We to are human even though some of us have lost the understand of what
it means to be human,” I told him.

“I agree, humanity is very complex in its nature and
I too hope to one day feel the connection, the bond that you have with your
human family. Since making you, I have learned more about humanity than I could
ever have truly know. For this I am thankful to you, Salome,” he said. His
voice trailed off as we sat there and watched my human family. 

IT WAS LATE ON A COLD DECEMBER MORNING, when I
heard the knock on the door. I got up surprised since I was not expecting
company. No one ever came to visit anymore. Ever since Salome disappeared in
New Orleans people tended to avoid me like the plague. I heard the knock again.
I figured maybe it was a salesman or Jehovah’s witness. They seemed to be the
only ones whoever knocked on my door these days.

I opened the door and I was stunned scared. I did
not want them to be here for any reason. I did not want them to take my hope
away. I wanted them to go away without giving me that dreadful news I knew I
would soon receive. It was the Orange Police Department at my door. When police
knock on your door it almost always means bad news. I broke inside in that
instant. I crumpled to the floor tears spilling from my eyes. Jazz ran toward
me, her soft brown eyes wide in fear and uncertainty.

I felt the officer’s rough hand on my shoulder, in
that instant I knew Salome was gone. She was gone forever. I grabbed Jazz and
held her close to me. She cried when the realization dawned on her. Max stood
there at the door way at the hall. His small shoulders sagged in defeat. He
turned away from us and walked to his room. I could hear his door silently shut
and the soft click of the lock.

Max was the one who took it the hardest. He was
the one who swallowed his pain. Sadly, he once again shut us out. I was slowly
losing my son to despair. I did not know how I could help him with this. He had
always been Salome’s shining star. Salome was his world and now his world had
been shattered all over again.

Over the next few days’ things became a blur. I
had what was left of Salome cremated. The forensics could not provide me with
closure. I wanted so badly to know what happened to my Salome. In the three
years and some months since she had been gone, I had always hoped she would
walk through the door with that beautiful smile of hers and brighten the room. If
I walked outside I could catch the faint scent of her perfume. I wondered if
this was just my imagination. This was the end for Salome, she did not deserve
whatever befell her.

My heart broke, it ached in so much pain, I did
not know if I could survive it. Max withdrew into himself. He did not speak. He
just wondered never knowing which direction he was headed. My heart broke for
him. Axel and Olivia came up to help make the funeral preparations. They too
wanted to know what happened to their daughter. They no longer blamed me for
her absence. In this one instance they wrapped their arms around me and cried
with me. We all cried knowing that she was never going to come. She was never
coming back to us.

I looked up from my thoughts and I saw Jazz
looking out of the giant bay window with Chloe in her arms.

“What are you looking at Jazz?” I gently asked her
through my tears. My voice breaking, shaking.

“I’m looking at mom,” she said.

I was shocked by what had come out of her mouth. I
walked over to her and I followed her gaze out the window and I just saw the
great pine tree. I heard Max running down the stairs towards the window
shouting for his mother. He banged on the window and yelled for her only she
was not there. I was losing my children. Their fragile minds could not accept
the fact that Salome was dead and gone forever.

Olivia and Alex tried to help me calm the children
and explain to them that their mother was in Heaven now and she was looking
down at them.

“Dad, listen to me,” Jazz yelled in a way I did
not know she could do.

“Dad,” Max urgently interrupted us, “mom is
outside with a man and they were sitting in that tree and then they flew away,”
Max yelled. “We have to go get my mommy,” he pled as he tried to break free of
me. I did not know that their pain was too great for them little shoulders to
carry.

“Jazz, Max, enough already. Your mother is dead
and she is never coming back,” I yelled. I stopped myself when I saw them
beginning to cry again. “I’m sorry, but you two claiming that your mother was
hanging around outside is beyond ridiculous,” I told them. I did not know how
to explain death to them. Olivia and Axel embraced the children with me.