Authors: Alexandra Hope
“She died in a fire.”
Olivia and Natalie turned their heads to see the person who had made that comment. Felicity was walking through the house, her boots clattering against the porcelain tiles on her way to the kitchen. She had said it so nonchalantly that it almost sounded like wishful thinking and the two of them didn't put it past her. She was wearing tight black pants and a white jacket that as her hair did, almost blended in with the white of her skin. Olivia spoke as if Felicity had never made the comment.
“Well, I must be on my way.”
Outside the house was empty and she knew the student's were in science class so she just continued out the gate. Once she had been out of ear and eye shot, she took off at an immeasurable speed, zipping through the area and past the beach until she found herself back at Alexa's home. She briefly wondered why it had been so easy to find her house when it had been so difficult to get back home but as usual, she didn't dwell.
She heard shifting from within the house but had only heard one heartbeat. Forcing out an unnecessary breath, she took one step and then another toward the house until she was at the steps. She pressed the doorbell and when the door opened she was relieved to see that it was her sister. A deep red encircled her eyes and her lips were tight as she shook her head. Olivia suppressed the urge to hold her arms out, to place a hand to her face and tell her that everything would be alright. Alexa opened the door wider and motioned for her sister to come inside. Olivia stepped inside quietly and followed Alexa to the living room. Alexa fell back onto the couch but Olivia continued to stand just a foot away from her.
“You are alone?” asked Olivia.
Alexa nodded her head.
“Where is the boy you have mated with?”
Alexa shook her head.
“He has abandoned you?”
“No!” she screamed. “I thought Mom was going to send some people after me and I didn't want him to be her so I told him to go to the store.”
“She sent me,” Olivia said gently.
“Are you here to kill me?”
Olivia couldn't believe how little her sister thought of her. They may have been separated for two years and of course she was angry for her sister's disappearance but the last thing she wanted to do was kill her. She shook her head and took a step toward her sister. Alexa flinched underneath her cold fingertips and shut her eyes. “If she wants me dead, I want you to kill me since you're the one I hurt the most.”
“She does not want to kill you; she wishes to be reunited with you.”
Alexa's eyes shot open and she looked at her with incredulity. “She couldn't possibly....”
“She does.”
Alexa ran her hand through her dark brown hair, flailing it back in anxiety. She was biting on her bottom lip as she studied her sister's expression. Mar had taught her how to read facial expressions, the emotions behind people's eyes but Olivia's were blank as if she didn't have a single thought. After failing to read her thoughts, Alexa averted her eyes to the bare walls in an attempt to hide the tears but Olivia had heard them before they spilled over the rims.
“I'm sorry Olivia.”
“Don't be sorry and please do not cry,” said Olivia as she took Alexa's trembling hands into her own. They were like cold marble stretched around Alexa's warm and imperfect fingers and within seconds she no longer felt the difference in their skin, only a smooth and icy surface as if they were her own. She thought about how her mother's words had so naturally slid off her tongue and how at times she felt like she was growing into her, but the thought was interrupted by her sister's voice.
“Olivia?”
“Yes.”
“Take me to see Mom.”
Whether Alexa knew she was a vampire or not, Olivia didn't want to risk scaring her by sweeping her up and speeding through the city. Instead they walked through the night for want seemed like hours. She was surprised to find that her sister still had the same endurance that she had in the colony despite being pregnant. After all, she had been the fastest and highest ranked student in their weapons training class before Felicity. They had approached the gates to the colony and when Olivia pushed them open and they stepped inside Alexa noted that not much had changed. Outside was quiet as before and Alexa figured the students had to have been in class. Alexa's feet were soundless as she dashed up the steps less in eagerness and more in wavering apprehension. She pushed the door open and Olivia followed behind her.
“She's not here,” said Alexa.
“How do you know?”
“I know my mom's scent...” she said. “Peppermint.”
Olivia's wide eyes returned to normal when she realized what Alexa said hadn't been what she expected. Instead of going further into the house's first floor she sprinted up the stairs with Olivia running behind her. She walked down the hall, passed Olivia's room and a guest bathroom to one at the end of the hall. It was the master bedroom and much bigger than Olivia's, pink floral bedding neatly folded onto the queen size bed. Automatic shutters had made it hard for her to see so she flicked on the light and took in the sight of her room, everything just as she remembered. A wooden desk positioned cater-corner held a laptop and hundreds of books that she read to learn about the outside world. She pulled open a closet door and saw all the clothes she left behind neatly folded as they had always been. They both turned their attention to the door when they heard a creak beneath them.
“Is it mother?”
“Go check.”
Olivia left the room but as she exited she heard a clank as if a blade of sorts was being drawn. When she got downstairs and walked through the halls toward the kitchen she saw the man who had given her the blood bag. In the few short nights he had been there, he seemed to have lost a significant amount of weight but was still much larger than her.
“You've brought your sister?”
She eyed him suspiciously. “For my mother, yes.”
“The task has been given to me now. I've been given strict orders to kill Alexa.”
“You have not!” Olivia spoke in a louder voice than usual and a disbelieving tone.
“But I have...”
Alexa had walked in at the tail end of their conversation but had already known exactly what they were talking about. Olivia turned and tried to tell her anyway. “This man is trying to kill you.”
“I remember you,” she said to the man, ignoring Olivia. “Nolan Martin...?”
“You can call me that or simply the guy who is charged with the task of killing you.”
“I guess I should have suspected that,” Alexa spat as she walked toward him. It was something about returning to the colony that made Olivia see her differently or maybe Alexa had changed as soon as she walked through the gates. In the outside world she looked like a frightened human, afraid of confrontation, but there was a glimmer in her eyes as if she were laughing at the thought of an impending battle and eagerly anticipating it. Nolan's attempt to rush toward Alexa was haphazard and sloppy as she easily dodged him. His face collided with the wall and he turned around with anger in his eyes. They were standing just outside the entrance to the kitchen and he ran in, pulled wine glasses from the island and threw them at her but Olivia moved quickly and shielded her, the glass breaking against her back and shards sinking into her skin.
“Olivia!” Alexa screamed.
“I'm alright,” she said, wincing. “Trust me.”
When she turned her back toward Alexa she could see the shards being forced out of her exposed neck and the wounds regenerating. Olivia moved from in front of her and glanced back quickly to see her paralyzed by the sight but called to Alexa to pull her out of her thoughts. Just as Alexa snapped out of it she saw Nolan headed toward her with a broom handle. Olivia was fast and was once again standing in front of her but this time Nolan anticipated it and shouldered her to the side. He held his arm upward preparing to strike Alexa but she pulled two
Kris
daggers from out of sheaths behind her back. He swung the handle around like as if it was a bat but Alexa jumped back, her small stomach narrowly missing the tip of it. He kept swinging it back and forth but couldn't come close to Alexa as she evaded each one. Growing frustrated, he threw down the handle and ran toward the den and hid in its spaces, the fireplace flickering as he sat behind a chair. His scent and breaths alluded Olivia to his exact position but Alexa held her arm out when she tried to follow him. She couldn't smell him as strongly as Olivia could, but she could at least smell him and smiled as she walked slowly down the hall. She made no sound as her feet trod across the tiles lightly. In the quietness she could hear the bead of sweat tumbling down Nolan's skin and the splash it made as it dripped onto the carpet. She pushed the den door open and slowly surveyed the area. The den was neat and quilts lay over the backs of the leather chairs facing a crackling fire. It was set up just as she remembered, except she noticed one thing was missing as she looked at the fireplace.
Nolan jumped out from behind a chair with a dark iron rod in hand and had once again begun swinging at Alexa who was deflecting each swing with her jagged daggers. Olivia didn't know what to do as she heard the clang of blades versus the fire poker so she remained still in the kitchen, confident that as long as no blood was shed she would be alright. They took their fight from the den and she watched Nolan's graceless moves as he flailed about with the weapon in hand. Alexa jumped backwards towards the kitchen, still evading him with her small daggers. Olivia couldn't figure out why her sister didn't just end it as she knew she wanted to.
Maybe he had to give her a reason to kill him
, she thought. Nolan quickly realized he wouldn't be able to manage a scratch on Alexa with a weapon like that and darted into the kitchen and passed Olivia who was leaning against the wall. He was now in the dining room and he tried to reach for the glasses that were situated on top of the table.
Sensing his intent, Olivia was at the table and had ripped the cloth away, taking the glasses with it before he could grab any. He ran away from the table and back into the kitchen, sliding his hands across the counter top for the knife block but Olivia grabbed him by the neck and held him in the air. She felt the knife go through her heart and dropped him as she spat blood. She rolled her eyes and groaned as she pulled it out but Nolan was already gone with another knife in hand. He was running toward Alexa, hoping that a smaller weapon would make it easier for him to get in close and for the most part it did as he swung it back and forth. She continued to deflect each attempted slash with her daggers—her weapon of choice in class as she had been great at wielding them. Growing tired of his futile attempts to attack her, she figured she would end it by knocking the knife away and throwing her leg up for a roundhouse kick but in a surprising move to her, he blocked with his arm. She barely had any time to recover from being knocked down when he picked up the knife and lunged at her with it. She had scooted back and was using her daggers to push her body off the ground with her back against the wall as she did. Nolan slashed at her and with only seconds to react, she turned away but was cut by the knife. She cried out as she recognized the pain, something she hadn't felt in years.
The warmth of her blood as it trickled down her skin brought memories of being forced to fight to up her skill. In that same moment, as defenseless as she was, she watched Nolan try to come in again with the knife but his body was flung into the shutters, forcing a dent in it. Olivia struggled to keep her bloodlust away as she pressed her fingers onto Alexa's ribcage. The blood was everywhere and her hands and lips were trembling at the sight and scent. Nolan was shaking off his daze and she had forgotten about him until he yelled out, “You're an immortal vampire!”
She stood up slowly and watched him take off but like a burst of white light traveling beside him, she sped past Nolan and stood in front of him before he could reach the door. She thought he didn't deserve the satisfaction of a quick death but hearing her sister's cries reminded her of how quickly she had to end it. She raised her hands to his head and snapped his neck.
Olivia was thankful she fought the urge to bite him because she knew she wouldn't have been able to explain bite marks to her mother. She opened the door and peered around the colony for any wandering souls. There was none. She heard their heartbeats and steady breaths but she couldn't figure out why none of them had heard all the commotion within the house. She turned her head at another of Alexa's cries but this one was quiet as if it could barely come out. She swung her into her arms and pulled the door closed and then she was off at a speed so quick that no one would've seen her even if they had been out.
Alexa's heartbeat was barely audible as she lay in her sister's arms. Olivia's lips quivered as she tried hard to fight the urge to feed. When she approached the house she let out an unnecessary sigh of relief as she heard Alexa's heartbeat pick up and when she knocked on the door it swung open quickly. Troy felt his heart freeze over, plummeting to the ground and shattering into a million pieces as he looked at his girlfriend's sweat soaked and bleeding body.
“Oh my God...” he reached out for her and his eyes began to water. “What happened to her?” he shouted as he pulled her out of Olivia's arms. He ran to the living room and laid her gently onto the couch. He kept trying to put his hands to her face but hesitated as he came in close, afraid to touch her. “What the hell happened to her?”