First Blush

Back Cover Blurb
Student Cassandra Lain thinks she has the perfect life, engaged to be married to the love of her life, Kaz Stewart, but the impossible happens. Kaz is taken from her, and as she searches for the truth she will uncover mysteries that were thought long dead to be the awful truth. With a knack for finding trouble and diving in deeper than she should, Cassandra quickly finds herself waist deep in the paranormal world of creatures she had always believed to be urban legend. Only now, they are threatening her very life. A line is drawn and she must choose quickly join the forces she has always shunned as evil and monsterous, or leave her love for eternity. In this tempt of fate she is asked the hardest question in life, love or live.

I was ninety-nine point nine percent sure, similar to what most anti bacterial hand sanitizers say, that what I was seeing was a dream. On the most beautiful day imaginable, in our magical secret place, (the back yard tree house we had built as kids) here was the love of my life on one knee asking me the hundred dollar question.

The voice so soft and warm giving me that security blanket I had always felt when he spoke to me, now seemed to choke as the words finally escaped his mouth, “Will you marry me?” His beautiful white eyes piercing my deep blue ones. Tears floated to my eyes in a rush of emotions, as the moment in life I had always dreamt of became a reality.

“Of course!” I answered, letting him put the ring on my left hand and standing to embrace me. The tears I knew so well how to control fell without restraint and not for lack of effort. He quickly let me go and kissed me gently on my lips, his sweet scent captivating me once again. His tall lanky arms were holding me tightly. He stood a nice foot or so above me. Yeah, Kaz was very tall, where I stood a measly 5’ 4”, he stood a tall six feet, he was skinny but still kept himself in shape, his rock hard abs pressed firmly against my head as he bent down to kiss my forehead then quickly let me go, his sweet scent captivating me once again.

“Come on, let’s go tell our parents.” He pressed rushing towards the trap door only two steps away, the expression on his face priceless. That simple joy that is so rare in anyone over the age of seven in the time we live in. I took another look around at my favorite place in the world, now so even more than ever as Hhe lowered the ladder to the ground, offering me his hand to steady myself as I descended to the ground me.The view I took in was great, it had been our hangout through the years. The layout was simple, one room, in which a single couch was placed and two windows glass and all, (his dad had loved these kinds of projects) the tree itself the center of the room. I had gone through and decorated over the years as had Kaz, his version of decoration a complete opposite, having each plank painted a different color, a rainbow going in an entire circle around me. I took a spin around, remembering the purpose of these colors, it was our own man made rainbow and I was in the center, the pot of gold was our love. I smiled at him once more taking his hand as I descended to the ground. A second after my feet grazed the ground beneath me his appeared a set match next to mine. I looked at him in astonishment for only a split second, as the tree was far too tall to jump off and remain unscathed and he hadn’t been climbing while I was, had he? I quickly shook off the thought resolving that I must have been mistaken.

Our relationship was most easily described as a carbon copy of a TV show most popular to our generation, Boy Meets World. To put it more pointedly, our nicknames were the TV characters on the show, but only to our families and close friends. I was the strong intellectual Topanga and he the gracefully funny Corey.

As we entered the house he had grown up in, our house as it had been said so many times, I found I was the only one who hadn't known he was going to propose. Inside, a flock of our closest friends and dearest relatives stood holding glasses and raising them high speaking in chorus, “To Corey and Topanga!” My mother stood at the front, her green eyes glistening with tears as she came up to hug me.

"And you thought he'd never ask." she laughed as she remembered about what I had said only days before, her red dyed hair a straight and perfect frame around her face leaned to one side as she wrapped me in the hug. "You had no idea did you?" she said in a whisper in my ear, before letting me go. I shook my head, my long brunette hair shaking with it as a smile traced my lips and my father stood next to her, his hand over her shoulder, like me, my mother was short, but she only stood five feet, and my father was about the same height as Kaz, which when I had first realized it made me laugh. It had been years ago, when we had first decided to start dating, I had walked in on my dad’s version of “The Talk” and my mom was beside me when I walked up to her. I looked from Kaz to my father to my mother then began laughing hysterically earning me weird looks from everyone. Kaz walked slowly to my side and instinctively mMmy hand instinctively intertwined with his the moment he stepped near me.

As we neared the kitchen hugs and kisses and “Ooohs” and “Ahhs” abounded stepping past the couches and wide screen TV mounted and playing recordings of us before prom and other clips, that I stopped to watch for a moment as the scene changed from Prom to graduation when we walked across the stage and how he met me and picked me up from the end of the stage to carry me out of the stadium. He had gotten in trouble for it later, but we both agreed it had been worth it, the whole crowd had broke out in cheering as we had done that, holding our diplomas and kissing, he had given me my promise ring that day. I smiled and as we entered the kitchen, my eyes settled settling on one thing. There it stood the TV picture of Corey and Topanga as they got engaged still in their cap and gown for graduation, happily hugging each other. I smiled instinctively and kissed Kaz on his lips ever so gently. This was absolutely the happiest moment of my life.

Hours later, the party was over and the guests gone, those who remained were his mother, Michelle, my parents,Hours later, the party was over and the guests gone, those who remained were my parents, his mother, a beautiful woman with black silky hair and brown eyes that softened her face and our closest friends, our version of Shawn and Angela, Ethan and Danielle. Each was picking up trash in a different section of the house., Ethan had been in JROTC, which he followed in college, and it showed, his muscles were tight and strong, his hair a clean cut brown and green eyes, while Danielle was my height too, her hair was cut short and neat a mix of blonde and brunette, and also similar to me, she had blue eyes, but her lips were what everyone noticed, she had Angelina Jolie lips. Each was picking up trash in a different section of the house. Ethan was in the dining room, picking up the last of the paper plates from the oak table, and the cups that were scattered on Michelle’s different antiques, my favorite of which was her silver set. Four silver goblets a platter and four matching sets of regular silverware, the only difference was that these had the family crest on the tips of them as did the tray. Michelle was in the kitchen closing up the cake that was setting on the island in the blue tiled and chocolate marble counter toped room. My parents had split up into the different bedrooms, Kaz was the first on the left and the games had been set up there, the room was painted in his artwork, he loved to do different styles each year so each year from a very young age he had started painting different things all over the walls. My favorite painting being of a sunset (or so I called it) that peeked over the edge of a mountain instead of a flat horizon and the blues mixed with the pinks had made it even more glorious when he added different birds flying in the background. Next was his parent’s room, a lovely design of cheetah spots decorated not only the bedding but the conjoining bathroom as well as the curtains to the window and a soft blue covered the walls. Kaz was stuck with bathroom duty, something he had been volen-told (basicly being told that he was volunteering to do it) to do. I had finished mine, the living room, which had involved cleaning up a few spilled drinks a cake mess on the great new carpet Michelle had bought and picking up various stray cups that had been left on the mantle of the fireplace that stood in the center under the TV.

[/color]Having finished mine, I sat on the couch with a deep sigh staring down at the new ring on my finger. He had always known my favorite gem, although he never would buy it for me, blue opal. Which I guess made it why this ring was even more special. The stone shone brightly in the last rays of sunlight left outside now shimmering through the sliding glass door behind me, causing little white lights to dance on my face as I stared. I sat on the couch with a deep sigh staring down at the new ring on my finger. He had always known my favorite gem, although he never would buy it for me, blue opal. Which I guess made it why this ring was even more special. The stone shone brightly in the last rays of sunlight left outside now shimmering through the sliding glass door behind me, causing little white lights to dance on my face as I stared.

"I knew you liked opals, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to give them to you." he sat right next to me on the couch and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I love you, always and forever."

I curled my neck as a shiver ran down my spine the heat of his breath igniting my senses to a new high. It was in that moment I felt I could live forever in his arms and never have to leave again. The last rays of the day became shorter and less translucent on my ring. As theyThe rays slowly crept to their daily slumber beneath the land allowing the night to take over, sounds of crickets instantly chiming in with one another and the birds softly fluttering into their nests signaling the day to be done.

I dosed off into a dream fixated around the day’s events. Night and day seemed to be embodied persons who began bickering back and forth, and somehow it became a skirmish, both of them fighting over Kaz, like two wolves to a single lamb they tore at his very being pulling him relentlessly in either direction. I awoke some moments later to find myself back in my bed in my house, my mother and father talking in the other room with each other. I had elected to stay at home for college and study photography, an art that was slowly becoming extinct by mass amounts of digital advances. I could see that it was morning by the light shining through my curtains, but where had the night gone? Why couldn't I remember anything? I lifted up my bangs and felt my forehead for fever or even an ounce of information as to why I couldn't recollect ever leaving Kaz's house.

With a deep sigh I got up andI carefully walked into the kitchen, mom and dad both with worried expressions on their faces, dad with a cup of coffee in his hands and both looked up to me trying to hide it instantly as they realized I was there.

"You don't fool me, you know. What's wrong?" I asked partially upset as to why they would try and hide something from me. For years now they had included me in all the issues that arose with my mothers dissipating health and many other crisis bearing issues.

"Sweetie, its jus-"

"What your mother is trying to say," my father interrupted, "is that there's been an accident, involving Kaz."

My heart stopped I stared at them in disbelief as they both measured my reaction I quickly changed my facial expression to better suit my ability to handle the situation. “What is it?” I said slowly, reasoning the best play for me to make would be to grab a cup of coffee and sit with them. I walked towards the clean cut wooden counter that Kaz’s father had built for us to save money, my feet feeling the cool of the linoleum as I walked across it.

“Why don’t you have a seat first, love?” my mother said holding back the tears I knew were ready to begin falling. I followed my mother’s instructions knowing that this was something was wrong setting at the smooth table that still wobbled. My mind was racing at the ample amounts of possibilities that might have happened, and how much he needed me at the hospital.

“The house burned to the ground sometime last night. We thought you were there but when we were on our way out we found you sleeping in your room the door wide open.” He said as if the explanation didn’t seem to fit.

“Then that means Kaz is safe, he must’ve brought me home.” I said walking from the coffee pot to the table, still trying to absorb the loss of memory and the fact that my, now fiancé, was suddenly in a mysterious accident, only the day after our engagement.

“No, sweetheart, he didn’t make it out.” My dad said with a grim expression covering his face.

In that instant my world shattered, the glass fell from my hands and the simmering hot liquid was now burning my legs. The world became a blur as my mother rushed to my side and started patting my legs franticly with a towel to soak up the hot substance. I couldn’t even feel the tears rolling down my face. I sat there as that same numb feeling spread so that even my sight was gone. I was alone.

Some hours later I woke up to an annoying beeping sound next to my ear, I was laying on my right side sleeping, my pillow cold and damp and turned slowly to the left side trying to find the alarm clock. I was glad to be awake, the dream I had was too much to take in for real, there was no way he would have just proposed to me and then be gone the next minute, and how would I have explained falling asleep in his arms then in the kitchen a little later. Suddenly a bright light shone into my eyes from what seemed to be a doorway. A shadow came in trying to be quiet and instantly I became wary of this figure now closing the space between itself and me. I sat up leaning on my arms and that’s when I felt it, in my left arm was a tube? I turned franticly to look at the figure to my left that was now unhooking a bag and switching it with a full one. I looked around confused.Where am I? I franticly felt around, This isn’t my bed, where am I?! I looked to the figure and put my arm up in defense afraid that any second the figure would attack. Instead my gesture was answered with a small laugh. Then the lights behind my head came on.

“There, there now sweetie, my name’s Elaine, I’m your nurse.” She whispered with a sweet smile and then looked past me on the other side of the bed.

As my eyes followed her gaze I noticed on the pull out bed made available for any hospital room was my mother now sleeping a look of worry and sadness on her face. My eyes got wider as I realized why I was here and instantly my eyes turned to Elaine.

“What happened to Kaz?” I asked my voice raised higher and cracking, the tears falling once again on my face. I could feel it already, my heart was racing a choking feeling filling my throat and hot moist tears falling from my eyes which were now soar and burning. The expression on the nurse’s face changed instantly.

“Right now you need to concentrate on calming down sweetie, that’s why you’re here.” She said coming straight to my side and grabbing my hand to comfort and hitting a button on the side of my bed.

“NO!” I screamed, or so I thought, but my voice was replaced with a failed attempt to speak only air escaping my throat the words now caught inside when another nurse ran in and instantly ran to the bag Elaine had just changed and put a needle at the end of the bag sending a burning sensation through what I had realized was a tube in my hand. The medicine worked its magic into my veins as it quickly sedated me sending me right back into my dreamless sleep.

September

October

November

It had been a few months since the accident, and yet it still seemed like yesterday he had gotten down on one knee I still hadn’t taken it all in, it just didn’t seem right. I was in the darkroom developing all my old leftover rolls from the semester and prepping for finals which wasn’t too far around the corner, and I had a lot of catching up to do. I sat there unrolling the film from the developing roller staring into space, my heart and mind in a different world entirely. I hadn’t taken a picture since that day, and I didn’t know if I could even pick up a camera again, hence why I was developing old rolls, which didn’t help at all in my situation I might add. I pulled down a dry roll from the drying rack as I set the newer one in its place. I took it instantly to the cutting room and lined it up on the light so I could look over the pictures. I took the magnifier and placed it over the first picture only a second later my eye followed to look at the picture. Sitting on a bench in the upper left corner with their backs to the camera and an arm around the girl was a couple, the girl with long dark hair and him with a lighter shade and spiked, a piece of paper setting next to a wastebasket near the bottom right corner semi-crumpled saying I LOVE YOU above a heart in what seemed to be a rainbow effect and below were the words FOREVER AND ALWAYS, a small picture taped to the corner of the paper showed you the face of a male similar to the one facing away from the camera.

My heart ached and the same lump that rose nearly every day, more than once or twice since August and the pang of anger that had recently started building for whomever caused the fire. The police believed it to be a kitchen fire, but I knew better. It had started way too late and he wasn’t the type to cook for a late night snack. His mother hadn’t been home so she couldn’t have turned on the stove therefore it wasn’t possible for it to have been an accident.

As the anger filled my lungs my fist curled into a ball, my knuckles going white and numb at the amount of force behind the clench. Suddenly I erupted in a rush of anger banging my hand on the desk next to the light screaming loudly in anguish. I felt the eyes of my peers instantaneously look at me and then away again as soon as they thought I was about to look. I knew it, they all thought I was crazy, and truth be told, I was. I had become obsessed with finding out why, who, or what it would benefit if Kaz was gone. How any of it would have mattered to anyone besides his friends and family, namely me. I had become so bad that even Ethan and Danielle were worried that I had lost it; I thought them as suspects as well. I took a deep breath and went back to looking back at the pictures in front of me and resolving to not think about that matter until I was done with at least this roll.

Later that day I went to Michelle’s house, like I did everyday since the accident, and talked to her but somehow today was different. I walked in the door as I had since I was 10 with the Horn’s house, not bothering to knock on account that I had been told not to bother anymore that it was my home as well, only to be surprised by the appearance of a strange man. I couldn’t place it but there was something different about him, and that’s when I noticed it. His scent made my knees go weak as the smell reminded me of Kaz instantly. I fell straight into the nearest chair and looked up at him in confusion.

“Who are you?” I asked callously, my mind racing about him changing small details and finding him to be a striking resemblance of Kaz, or was it the other way around? I shook my head and looked at him my eyebrows hunched over my eyes and my forehead creased in contemplation.

“I am Kaz’s father, his biological father.” He replied not taking any offense it seemed to my rude behavior, or so it was pointed out to me a moment later.

“Cassandra. I will not have you speaking to our guest rudely. He has come here for you.” She said bustling out of the kitchen with a warm apple cider for him and me then going back to get one for herself. I stayed seated not knowing what to expect.

I had known that Kaz was adopted but I had never expected to meet his biological parents. I figured that if they had the craziness in them to give him up that they’d obviously stay away for the better for both him and me. I still looked towards the strange man the same puzzled expression that Kaz made so adorably cute masked his face as well and I found I couldn’t look at him anymore, it was too much and my anger was rising far too quickly. I averted my eyes to the cider now in my hands.

“I am James Wellington, and there are a few things I need to tell you about Kaz.” He said slowly and very soft, it was as if the words that were about to come out would be as tragic as those only a few months before.

“Please, Mr. Wellington, I do not care for soft spoken words or a tone of displeasing news. I have had enough of that to last me eternity.” I said still refraining from looking at him at all.

“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to- what I meant was-“ he stuttered a few more moments before speaking a full sentence to which I rolled my eyes. “I am not human, and neither was Kaz.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Wellington, but I believe our meeting is through.” I turned to Michelle my eyes already watering and left my cider setting on the glass next to me. My eyes at bored her with the anger of a thousand sharp needles coming from my eyes alone. I regretted it almost immediately.

She came after me, but I had already shut the door and was on my way home the weather cool and brisk sending chills down my spine as I stepped into my truck and drove away from the newly built house that had been fixed to replicate the one I had long cherished. A tear rolled down my cheek, followed by another, then two more, when suddenly I couldn’t see anymore and I was forced to pull my truck over so I could clear my face before driving again. Taking a deep breath and pulling back onto the slippery road I trudged on pulling down my street and, not bothering with the garage, parked and went straight to my warm and burnt smelling room where I laid and, like so many nights before, cried myself to sleep.

Instead of a dreamless sleep, which was part of my numbing process, I found my dreams leading me down a road where I saw Kaz. He was sitting on a branch halfway up a large oak tree set in the center of the road. Rushing towards him I screamed his name, the response being quick, he jumped to the ground from where he was, and landed unscathed before coming my direction, me rushing into his arms.

“I’ve missed you.” I told him, tears falling from my face like waterfalls.

“And I you, but I don’t have much time.” He said briskly. “My father visited you, he was right. I am not human, and I’m still alive, you are the only one who can find me.”

I looked up to meet his silver eyes, stricken with tears as well, and peering into mine pleading that I believe him. Confusion filled my head as I my mind raced around the ideas of what he could truly be, and as I did so, he began to fade from my arms.

“Don’t go!!!” I wailed as he disappeared from me.

“I’ll meet you again, in your dreams. I can see you then and then only.” His voice echoed to me as he withered from view, sending me to reality my eyes fluttering open, crusted with the tears I had gone to sleep with, and my face wet from the fresh ones shed during the dream.

“I love you.” I whispered, mentally cursing myself for not saying it in my dream. I knew he knew that I did, but getting to say it again was what I had wanted so badly.

Sitting up in my bed I looked at my bedside table and turned on the light staring at the ring I had been so afraid to wear since the day I had received it. With a quivering hand I picked it up and placed it back on my left finger, hyperventilation beginning in my breathing style, my hand instinctively reaching for the brown paper bag kept neatly next to the lamp so I could keep my breathing together. Once I had calmed down I decided I would visit this Mr. Wellington tomorrow and get some real answers.

It was dawn now, the first bit of light was slowly caressing my face as I stared blankly into the field in front of me. I was sitting with my feet dangling out the floor exit of our tree house. After waking up I couldn't find the nerve to sleep peacefully my heart aching so badly, but my face a drought for tears, I drove to the Stewart house and went to the tree house. Which, thankfully, hadn't been touched by the fire. My scarf flew into my face by the wind, December was too cold, and I mean this is Texas for crying out loud. That’s when I noticed him, suddenly standing in the field merely a second after the scarf had been put back in place. He wasn't looking at me, just standing there staring at the sun, the sky barely turning a light pink. He took a deep breath then looked directly at me. No, through me! It was like he was looking straight into my soul. Digging into the fabric of whom I was and why I had come to choose this lifestyle. I shook it off and climbed down the rope ladder, sticking my hands into my pockets and the hood back over my head. My ears are freezing! How can he be out here with just a pair of jeans and a tee shirt?

He walked towards me as I did to him, as if he knew. With a deep sigh I looked at him still not sure what I was going to say, this was all new to me. I got lucky.

"You ready to talk now?" he asked, walking with his hands seemingly casual, but with his palms towards the sun on both sides, odd, but I guessed I hadn't noticed yesterday with the hysteria of the news.

"I guess." I said trying to sound indifferent. "How did you know I'd be out here?" I asked. The question had been bothering me.

"Kaz." he said without a sound of remorse.

As usual, the tears stung the backs of my eyelids but my well was dry. "How?" I asked a bit short of breath.

"Let's go inside. Okay?" he asked, motioning towards the greenhouse Kaz's father had built three years before he had died.

I nodded my head and followed him my head filling with my list of questions I had formed through the night. "First off, what are you?" I asked as we reached the entrance door. He sat down directly facing the sun, and I was surprised to see that he didn't put his hand over his eyes to shield them.

"I am an ancient being, called a Pramevy." he said in a matter of fact tone. Pramevy? What the heck kind of word is that? I wondered to myself. "I am different from humans in the fact that my main source of energy and life doesn't come from foods, although garlic seems to do wonders for an energy boost." he chortled to himself as he thought of some joke I knew nothing about.

"So what do you eat?" I wondered my eyes starting to widen slightly.

"I don't really need to eat, but I can eat regular foods. I drink in my life force from the sun." he said in such a matter of fact tone I wanted to laugh.

"So lemmie, guess, you're from a planet called Krypton or something, next you're going to tell me that you can move faster than a speeding bullet, and you're stronger than a train." I said sarcastically starting to let go of the laugh but stopped when he didn't talk. "You've gotta be kidding me!" I said with a gasp, "No way am I believing that."

His stare rose from the rising sun to my face. "I assure you I'm from earth, but I am strong, and fast." he said squaring his shoulders as if the next few words would be vital. Great. "Kaz was different from me too I'm afraid, something the likes of this world has never seen, but first you have to know more about me and my kind."

"Like what?" I asked incredulously. How am I supposed to believe that kind of statement without some kind of proof? In that instant he nodded to me, I'm sure on my face was a look of pure puzzlement as he stopped moving again.

"That’s why you have to come with me." he said softly, as if he was ashamed.

"You're not gonna like kill me or something if I don't believe you, or like if I choose not to follow you down this path right?" I asked making sure I could always find myself a way out.

"No no." he laughed at the idea of it, "My race actually preserves human lives." he said turning back towards the door. "There are some very eager people that want to meet you." he said his voice ringing as if it were a dare for me to follow.

"Like who? And why do they want to meet me?" I asked bewildered.

"Friends, and they want to meet the one Kaz has chosen as his eternal mate." he said as he opened the door, the cold wintery air biting at me as it whipped my hair around my face, and filling the warm sunlit greenhouse with freezing rigid air. I followed, but I didn't trust him fully still. Why would he want to tell me so little then lead me away unless it was a trap.

Pulling out my phone I typed up a text message to Danielle.

I'm goin 2 some place w/Kaz's bio. dad, if I don call in 1 hour, call. If I don answer, call Michelle & the fuz. I'll text u when I kno where am.
Love – R

U said you’d call, I don kno if I trust this is u if I don hear ur voice. Im callin. U better be the right voice.
~The same luvable Dani~

It's so like her to not trust. That’s why I had depended on her to be the one to keep this whole thing in check. Honestly though, how do you put this in check? With people eating sunlight, superhuman strength, and speed, oh, and now, Vampyres are real?

Walking back from the bathroom the phone rang, obviously she had given the text a few minutes to reach me before calling. Touching the answer key on my blackberry pearl I placed it to my ear. “Hello, Dani.” I said casually.

“Good, so you are safe, you’re not being forced to talk are you?” she asked, realizing now that she may have tipped them off.

“I actually went to the bathroom so I’m alone, and no, I’m all good on this end, I’ll call you in another hour then okay?” I said in a regular tone, hoping I didn’t sound too rushed.

“How about we talk a few minutes first?” she asked, Great so I do sound rushed.

“What about?” I asked casually.

“What does he want? And where did he bring you to?” she asked trying to make the second question seem normal.

“I’m at his office, he works on base. Turns out he and his wife are military and just didn’t want that for Kaz.” I had already been told the cover story for the adoption. “His dad is the current officer over the Blackhawk Helicopters. You remember? It’s the one that Ethan’s team always performed at for ROTC?” I said hoping that this would satisfy her. “Well mainly he wanted to get to know more about his son, and the life he had. Truth be told it’s all a bit weird. If he wanted to know about all of this you’d think he would have called him through his life or something.” I said, and her sigh confirmed it, she believed I was okay.

“That is odd.” She agreed. “So you’ll call me in an hour right? Not text?” She asked.

“How about I take a picture on my phone and send it with a message?” I asked. The call was already taking too long for my taste, I wanted to know more and this was making me wait.

“Fine.” She said reluctantly. “But you’d better put the time stamp on it!” she threatened, I laughed.

“Deal.” I answered back to her, “I’ll text you in an hour then.”

“Love ya, bye.” She said her usual goodbye.

“You too, bye.” I clicked the end key, then locked the buttons placing it back in my pocket before returning into the hangar.

“So does she believe it then?” he asked me as I got closer, he was outside the large doors staring at the water that pushed against its concrete shore.

“What?” I asked a bit bewildered. He couldn’t have known I was talking to Dani, could he?

“Your friend on the phone, does she really believe that you are okay, and the story for the adoption?” he asked.

My face contorted then I looked back at him. “So super-hearing is another little tidbit you forgot to mention about your kind.” I said a bit upset that he had been spying on my conversation.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to spy.” He said. “Yes we can hear very well, not that well though. As I said, some have unique gifts. I am one so lucky. I can read minds. I heard your thoughts as you came in. I don’t mean to intrude, but I have no choice really.” He said apologetically.

“I’ll let it go this time.” I said and sighed. “So as you were saying, you had to let go of your son at birth because you could be the cause of his death? How is that?” I asked, picking up from where I had left off.

“As adults, we secrete a hormone. That, as adults helps us, but as children can weaken our immune system. So, say he broke his arm, or got a scratch on his leg. He would be very susceptible to getting an infection, and if I were to stay close to him, then it would only have gotten worse, since his body would be so weak from my hormone. So in order for him to grow healthy, his mother and I put him in to the P.A.A. It’s an organization of both Pramevy and Humans, that train human parents how to raise their adopted child, we entered into the program as soon as we were able to tell he wasn’t human. That’s how we met Michelle and Bruce.” He answered me turning back towards the water and taking a seat on the ledge of concrete between the two hangars.

“So how did your wife take it?” I asked, his wife had been human and really, she could have kept him on her own if she had wanted to, but she didn’t.

“I wasn’t married to her at the time, and my wife isn’t his mother.” He answered me slightly sulking. “I had fallen in love with one of our human agents; she would infiltrate the Vampyre lairs at night, and help us through the day.” I was now sitting like him, dangling my feet over the edge as he spoke. “She had been chosen by a Vampyre as his mate, and well, lets just say I wasn’t the only one who loved on her because of it. When she got pregnant she feared it was his child, but it wasn’t and she stopped working the field, but it was too late, the Vampyre didn’t know it wasn’t his child, so he changed her. She was turned from human to Vampyre and there was nothing I could do.” I could see the tears start to well.

Wow, harsh. Oh, shoot, he can hear me! I thought and winced as he looked towards me. “Sorry.”

He laughed at my inner comment, “Yes, it is, he knew he was Pramevy when he turned 13, but he didn’t know about his mom. When he was born, his mother risked her life to bring him to the P.A.A., an organization of both humans and Pramevy that help humans who will adopt Pramevy children learn how to raise them, and what to do if they develop abilities. Since he has been taken he has recently learned how to communicate through the REM sleep. So since he contacted Michelle, she came to the P.A.A. and told us about it, allowing for others to start the search for him. Also, it allowed him to learn of me and his mother through these dreams with Michelle. From there he contacted me, and I went to see you, knowing that you were his only hope of salvation. He didn’t want to hurt you any more than he already had, so he didn’t like it when I contacted you.” He sighed.

“That sounds about right.” I said sighing with him and fiddling with the gloves on my hands, my stripped scarf blowing slightly in the wind around me.

“So, lemmie make sure I have this right then.” I took a deep breath and started over the explanation again.

“You and your love got pregnant, she was changed to a vamp, she had Kaz, Michelle and Bruce adopted him. Now he is kidnapped and has developed an ability to communicate through dreams. So, since she was changed to a Vamp, does that mean he’s part Vamp, or still part human and Pram,” I had adopted his nicknames for the races from the earlier part of the conversation, “or does it mean he’s all three?” I asked incredulously.

He laughed, his smile returning to him again. “When Prams and humans have children, they are not mixed breeds. It is a recessive gene, so the child is either human, or Pram. In his case, he is the first mix, of both Vamp and Pram together. When Vamps have children with a human, the same process occurs; it is either human, or Vampyre. If the child is Vampyre, the mother will be changed to keep her alive, if she isn’t the one who is Vamp to start with. With my lover, the one who chose her as a mate could tell it wasn’t human, but didn’t see that it wasn’t Vampyre either, so he changed her, making Kaz a mix of both. That is why he has silver eyes. Part of the process as a vamp is having your eye color change according to your mood.” He explained.

“Wow." I sighed, "This is a lot to take in and I’m actually getting sort of hungry.” I said, and in agreement my stomach growled.

“Right, I am sorry, here I’ve been consuming my own style of breakfast, and you haven’t touched food since lunch yesterday.” He said casually.

“How did-“ I cut myself off without finishing, “Right.”

We got up and started towards his car driving to the McDonalds on base, after ordering he took me back to my house and dropped me off. “You should get some rest. You need it, and we can continue tomorrow.”

I nodded and headed into my house. Today I start fresh, I thought to myself, Kaz is alive and I’m going to find him.

Walking in my door I found my house had been raided. I rushed to my bedroom my eyes dashing straight for the nightstand. “NO!” I screamed. The ring wasn’t there. Then, I felt like a fool, it was on my hand the whole time, it took me starting to cry to notice it when my hand wiped away the tears scratching my face in the process. I laughed at myself but then I realized I wasn’t alone. From the kitchen a grey robed figure started walking towards me.

"You!" the figure said, an arm rising up and a finger pointing directly at me. "Pabulum, state your name!" I pointed to myself and the fear hit me.

"Who are you?" I said my voice slightly shaking. "What are you?" I corrected slightly realizing I may not be dealing with a human. Why is it calling me a Pabulum? I thought. What is a Pabulum? I got up and walked in the direction of the figure stopping at my door frame as I noticed two more on either side in the hallway.

"Riley,"
"Odette,"
"And Jacob." the three said on their own, lowering their hoods to show their faces. “You haven't said who you are." the one in front of me, Jacob, said.

My eyes wandered from my left to Odette, and my right to Amanda. Odette was a stunning straight haired brunette with piercing green eyes, and a long thin figure. Amanda was similar, but with her eyes a turquoise color and her hair had black low lights accenting her curls. Jacob was muscular but thin, not like the broad shouldered guys, but with black curly hair and lightly, was it purple eyes? They were all gorgeous their piercing eyes and mocha skin made them perfect for models.

"Cassandra." I said calmly, showing as much strength as I could muster, "What is going on, why are you in my house and what have you done?" I nearly demanded, my fear slightly vanishing.

Ignoring my question, the two girls looked to Jacob and he nodded. Simultaneously, the girls grabbed my two arms and in a flash of colors I was somewhere else.

Resurved

Resurved

Resurved

Resurved

Resurved

Resurved

Resurved

Resurved

Resurved

Resurved

You have definately got my attention!!! Sounds great!!

Thanks, I have the chapters written, but I'm revising right now, I'll have chapter 1 up tonight..but past that...will prolly have to wait. Changing character names and such can take a while..I'm up to chapter 9 right now.

write!!!!!!

lol I'll give you guys chapter one right now..and later tonight chapter 2 those should be done...

The first two chapters are up and revised and chapters 3 & 4 are looking like they may be combined...I'm not sure yet. We'll just have to see. I may just make them longer. who knows.

yay!!!!!!!!

love it!!!!

Thanks, I'll prolly put up more next week. Sorry that I'm taking so long... I have it finished up to chapter 9 but, its a matter of revision...and changing character names before posting. I have a diff main chara name and nicknames to go with that...so yeah, I'm changing that as I go along as well.

i love this story

Okay..so I'm revising chapter 1 again....I had a friend of mine read it and he had a LOT to say... So there will be more now