Prologue She remembered the soft surface of the bright leaves in the woods behind her old house. Her tiny hands skimming the surface of them as she walked past. She remembered her mother; her vampire mother with her cool voice of velvet and caring ways and her father who was human but as caring a father there was. Her life as a child was one she could never forget, it included both the best and worst parts of her life... "Father, why are we not allowed to tell others about mother and me?" She had asked in her high childlike voice. "Because some people may get frightened. Humans have a tendency to be afraid of the unknown, and fear can make people do very irrational things," her father replied in his soft voice. "So people do not like mother and me?" Her voice dropping into a melancholy tone. "No, my dear daughter, they just do not understand. You will understand when you are older, and with that knowledge I know you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to and trust your heart to make decisions you are not sure of," he said while smiling and patting her head. She smiled up at him and then proceeded to run outside in the backyard, little did she know that would be the last smile of his she'd see. 'STOP,' she thought viciously to herself as she cast out the memories of her past that she mourned to have back; how could she let herself get carried away in her thoughts like that? She turned and swiftly put on her boots and faced her reflection. Her shiny black hair falling past her shoulders to land on her mid back was straight. She continued to study her reflection, the one people called inhumanly beautiful, that was because she was not human but in fact half vampire. 'You are Echo,' she thought, but you are not to give in to your other half. Her mother was constantly telling her as a child to embrace her vampire half, but how could she when a vampire had killed them? This caused a burning hatred for the vampire half of her, she hated but she also feared it... a fact she would tell no one. Then her eyes... they were silver, a dead give away that she was not of the average human, they stared back at her almost demanding her attention. Sighing she slowly made her way to the door of her apartment, it was time to go hunt some vampires... because this was her life now. The life of a vampire slayer. ********************************************************************* Chapter 1 The Night ********************************************************************* The night was cold as Echo slowly made her way towards the black BMW R1100S that she now owned; Echo thought driving a motorcycle suitably fit her personality well. As an effect of her parent's death, Echo had received lots of money and everything they owned as a result of their will left behind. A friend of her parents took her in as a child when her parents died and looked after her until she was old enough to decide what she wanted to do. She was 18 now and had decided that selling the house was best since it was too painful to look at now and the memories of her past haunted her at every glance. Echo swiftly hopped onto the bike feeling the cold metal against her legs and took a tight grip on the handles. She started it up while slipping on her helmet and heading towards her destination at a speed of 90 mph. Her shoes crunched onto the dry gravel of the filthy parking lot of the club she was going to go into. As she approached the door, the bouncer gave her a nod and let her through while shushing the line of people who protested; she came here often and had made quite good friends with the well-built man who ushered her in and he let her in every time she came here (which was often) even though she was only 18. As she walked through the smells of alcohol, cigarettes, sweat and food filled her nose. And she made her way through the crowd of people swiftly to the bar where she almost always spotted a vampire that she would make pay for that night. She could feel the curious stares of several men on her as she plopped herself into her usual seat and greet Damion the bartender for tonight. The stares, she knew, were not only because of her unhuman beauty but also from her silver eyes that caught in the light. She slowly scanned the crowd of clubbers and settled on a man. He was muscular (as all vampires were) and had hair almost as black as hers. She got up and made her way slowly to him; his eyes slowly caught her movement and watched her make her way through the crowd. "Hey there", she said in a dry voice. Think, Echo thought to herself, what's wrong with you? You need to try harder than that if you want to lure him somewhere... His eyes appraised her and made their way over her body. "Hey there sexy," he said in a deep voice, "You find what you're looking for?" "Indeed," she replied in a light tone she had mustered up. She smiled flirtatiously and curled her finger urging him to follow her. She walked in long strides towards the door and pushed it open easily. She needed to focus now, just because she was half vampire did not mean she had advantages over full vampires. Sure it made her faster, stronger, more agile, and faster healing than the normal human but she still had a disadvantage towards full vampires. One small mistake could mean the end of her. She made her way towards the darkest area of the parking lot and slowly made a note of just where she kept her sword. She looked back and smiled at him playfully. "And just what is your name?" She asked. "Briar," he responded again in his deep voice while his arms wound around her tiny waist. She despised the feel of him on her as she always hated this part, but she knew he would soon be dead. She turned around and ran her hands up and down his chest, and then she reached behind her and slowly pulled out a small sword from underneath her leather jacket that would expand when she swung it. Her sword was her highest possession she owned, it was specially made for her and was sharper than anything she knew. Its handle was dark red with a red ruby implanted in it. There were severally ways she knew of to kill a vampire but she preferred the beheading, some may disagree but she found it less messy and making less of a scene than burning or staking them. 'Oh well,' she guessed she could say it was not the most brutal way but still allowed her to have some satisfaction. She held her sword in her right hand and backed away. "Wha-" He started to say. But she would never know what he was going to say because she raised her sword and the familiar sound of the metal expanding was heard. And in an instant his head fell to the floor with a loud thump and a squashing sound. She looked around cautiously surveying her surroundings as she always did as a precaution and her eyes found the figure of a man at the end of the parking lot. There was little light so she could not make out his features but she could see that he was looking right at her and she definitely saw the slow smile that spread across his face.
Chapter 2 Echo studied the stranger for second before smirking inwardly at herself, she did not worry for, she knew that they could do nothing of it. What would they say? They saw a girl chop off a man's head with a sword; that would sound absurd. She turned on her heel and picked up the head and body of the man and chucked it into the bushes. She would return for it later and dispose of it properly while no one was watching. Turning she looked at the dark space of the parking lot where she saw the man and he appeared to have left. She cleaned her sword which was dirty and crusted with dried blood and stashed it underneath her jacket where it lay snug. "What exactly are you doing?" Echo was momentarily surprised at hearing a voice quite close by but regained her composure back in an instant, surly not showing any hint of her surprise to the stranger behind her. "Nothing of interest", she responded smoothly while turning. The man was tall, and had broad shoulders and a hooded jacket, she knew that this was the man she had seen earlier and as before his jacket concealed his facial features. "Ah, but it is. You see, this is a matter not taken lightly with me... for that man is of my kind." So he was a vampire, she thought, how convenient. "Very well, what do you plan on doing about it?" She said briskly. She had not planned on taking on two of them tonight but she would manage just as she would have, the other times. The man extended his arm out as if to grab her shoulder but she was quick, and smoothly stepped out of the reach of his touch. He flashed the smile he had earlier showing his amusement and interest in her agility but other than that showed no sign of any other emotion he was feeling. "You are different from humans... why is that?" He asked with small curiosity brimming in his voice. "What makes you think I'd share any information of myself to a stranger who is also in fact a vampire," she said sharply. He smiled in response and sighed as if he was expecting such an answer. Slowly she reached under her jacket; her fingertips brushing against the edge of her sword's handle. She grabbed hold and swung the blade out and over head. His face was caught in surprise but not for long as he darted back and missed the blade's sharp edge by seconds. He gave her and incredulous look that was disbelieving and appalled at her choice of action. She laughed inwardly at his expression that he quickly hid away and rushed him again. This time he was more prepared... he lashed out and the blade flew from her grasp clanging against the hard gravel as it landed several feet away. This made her nervous yet did not falter her. She stepped and attempted to swing his legs out from underneath him, but when this did not work she resorted to giving him a shove to his chest which sent him back several feet. She smiled for she knew, she was making a point of just how strong she really was and proving to this man that she was no force to be reckoned with. "You are quite daring, but you forget... I am a vampire and therefore... whatever you may be... I have advantages you don't," he said with and edge to his voice. And with that he took a few steps back while giving her a meaningful look which seemed to warn her and disappeared. Sighing she gathered her sword and smoothed her hair off her face. 'You stupid girl', she thought to herself, 'How could you be so slow and careless?' She huffed out in frustration at herself and slid onto her shiny sleek bike and started it. She listened to the slow rumbling of it come to life and then took off towards her apartment. She opened the door of her apartment and walked in leaving it dark, it was a habit of hers that she kept because she liked the comfort of the dark enveloping her. Sighing again, she walked out onto the balcony and breathed the crisp air of the cold night but turned suddenly at the sound of her haunting ringtone which alerted her of a call. "Theron," she responded in her cool voice, "Why have you called?" "It's been awhile my darling, how about a visit to an old friend?" He said in that dangerous tone of his. "....Very well," she said. She hung up the phone and sucked in and uneven breath, she knew this was a bad idea but she did not want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he made her uneasy. She changed out of the clothes and into a black tank top and jeans but still kept the boots. Snatching her keys off the hook, she slammed the door of her apartment. It seemed... like this was going to be a long night.
Chapter 3 Echo sighed as she pushed open the hefty Oak doors that led into a dim-lit corridor that had several smaller doors on each side. She walked down a way and turned knowing the way and feeling the familiarity of the house. She had been here, many times and had felt comfortable even joyful once while here, but times were different now. She walked in quietly, the soles of her boots lightly brushing the wooden floors. Theron turned from where he was staring intently out of the window into the busy night of city lights. "Echo", he responded expectantly, "how's my beautiful warrior?" Walking forward stiffly she looked at him head on, into those hazel eyes that always seemed so warming long ago. "Fine, why have you called?" She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, this situation made her uneasy and she wanted to leave. He eyed her shifting feet and smiled, she stopped immediately. He opened his mouth to speak and stopped when he saw she was focused on the distant sound of feet stopping in front of the door behind her, in response her ears perked and she turned to see the owner of the footsteps. A tall man walked into the now, still room and looked up and stilled too as he had noticed he had clearly interrupted the two, she was tensed but didn't know quite why. "I apola-", the man started but was cut off by Theron. "Lucian, meet my dear friend Echo", Theron enthused to the man. The man turned to Echo and she studied his features. The man had a strong face which held eyes that were a vivid black which made her freeze and she immediately knew why she had tensed. The sixth sense she owned gave her the realization that this man was not ordinary. He was a vampire. Lucian nodded and seemed to try to hold her gaze but she broke it and turned to Theron who cleared his throat. "Echo, I always admired your heightened senses, you and I enjoy the same... hobbies if you will. But yet you have always been better at it than I; how I envy you," he said in rueful tone which was meant to be taken lightly as he was only joking. "Ah, well you see... I have my ways", she said matching his tone, if only he knew... "Well I'll let you keep your little secrets but as for Lucien... what is it you came to me for?" Theron asked, his attention now turned towards the man. "I wanted to go over the plan we talked about. Where is it you wanted all of us to meet?" Lucian said while still eying her. "THAT... will be discussed later but for now let me speak with Echo," and with this Lucian nodded once more and left without another word. 'Plans?' she thought and made a mental note to check in on it. "That man, he is a vampire..", Echo said lightly not sure if she was treading somewhere she shouldn't. "Yes, I am fully aware. Me and you are vampire slayers, but over the course of time I have met my share of them that I befriended. We may both be humans Echo but we differ there," he said knowingly. "I see..." She turned away from him and cast her eyes towards the window he had looked out from. The lights of the city now lessened as the night was late; how innocent all the humans were. Even Theron, he was human too, but his behavior made her easily forget he was just as normal as them. She breathed in and contemplated as to why he had asked her here. It had been months since they had talked, almost a year, yet she felt as though she knew him just as well as before. They were once together in a way, but after some thinking she had deduced that her being half a vampire was just too much of a secret to have him find out and broke it off before it even had a chance to pick up. "Why did you ask me here?" She said flatly. "I wanted to see you Echo, why is it that whenever you talk to me now it sounds all business...hmm?" He said more resigned now. This made her think. This was not him, he was not this man he was playing the part of now. She knew this was not him, never once had he acted so, and this tipped her off that another topic was brewing behind those words. "No, what else?" She asked ignoring his previous question. "Nothing else, just to see you. You are just as beautiful as I remember, those stunning silver eyes of yours and then I remember you'll never be mine though I'll never know why." She looked at him now sharply. Who was he to be putting her on the spot this way? They had spent some time apart and he was now digging out the conversation again like an old enemy she never wanted to see again. Her blood turned cold and knowing she was acting rather childish she decided it was time she head out. She turned and left the room. She walked fast down the steps she had climbed to the door earlier, the cold wind blowing soft jet black strands across her face. She turned back to survey her surroundings as her usual routine before leaving an area and caught site of Lucian leaning against the side of the building eying her. He smirked, a habit that reflected her oddly of herself because she found herself often doing that to others. She raised an eyebrow and turned to get on her bike. "A nice bike you have..." A voice said admiringly. She turned and stepped back startled. Lucian chuckled quietly at her momentary shock. Her face went cold and ignored his words, she would not befriend him... he was one of the many kinds she slayed. "Do not converse with me Lucian," she informed him, "I am no one you want to find yourself getting too close to." "Hmm... well we'll see," he said thoughtfully. She sighed and eyed him. Studying him once more and found herself realizing that if he had not been a vampire, she might have thought him worthy of talking to. He gave off the impression of being humorous and to her surprise a small hint of kindness there too. Looking back to her bike she realized she was tired and decided that it was best to take her leave. Getting on her bike she gave Lucian a look she couldn't even read herself and left towards her apartment. The night was now silent for most were safe in their homes now. Speeding down the highway she had to admit... tonight had been very productive and above all, would need some further looking into.
Chapter 4 Echo woke to the darkness of her bedroom, the sound of soft music playing in the background soothed her. Looking up at her ceiling not wanting to get up she felt her plush black sheets and blankets with matching pillows that was her own little haven. It was the one place she found she could think clearly. The night before seemed like a distant memory now. She breathed out and slipped her feet out from underneath the warm covers and reluctantly stepped out of her enormous bed. The whoosh of dark curtains sliding to the side was heard as she let the gray light of the cold winter day seep into the room and then... as always, she was now prepared to take on another day. She slipped on a comfortable yet stylish outfit and cooked herself some breakfast; the delicious smell of it filling the small space. Just as she was to go make her bed she heard her phone go off and picked it up. Her silver eyes involuntarily flicking to the caller id... Theron. "What do you wish to speak to me about now?" She asked not even bothering to hide her annoyance from the previous night. "I apologize, I did not mean to upset you Echo, I have forgotten that short temper of yours," he chuckled obviously not effected by her tone. "What do you want?" "I wanted to invite you to a small party I'll be throwing. It's tonight... now I know it's on short notice but you'll just have to forgive me because I know you're a girl, who loves to have a good time, and I'm sure you haven't had any of that lately." She was quiet for a moment. This may be her chance to look into those plans Lucian had spoken of. She could just ask, but with her she decided to always choose the hard way, not from her lack of courage... but because she was always in need of a good challenge now and then. "I'd love to," she said lightly while smiling even though he could not see, doubting that she would have fun like he expected her to. "Very well, I'll see you at 8?" He asked. She could tell he was smiling too by the way he said it. "Okay, see you then." With that Echo hung up and looked at the time. It was 9:30 in the morning and the party was tonight. Smiling inwardly at herself she made her way to the front door of her apartment. Wincing, Echo slipped on her dark shades hiding her eyes from the harsh glare of the sunlight that now shone through the clouds. Within minuets she was at the clubs parking lot and picking up the body of the vampire in the thick bushes she had left him in earlier. She picked up the hefty body and carried him to a nearby deserted building and set the body aflame watching as the smoke rose. Turning away disgusted at the revolting smell she walked out, and leaned against the side of the building's brick wall watching people from a distance, wondering what her life would be like if she were like them. She found herself thinking of the life she had as a child again and was soon lost in it. Echo raced up the steps of her house and pushed the glass door aside running towards the kitchen shouting as she did so. "Mom! Look at the ladybug I found!" Her six-year-old voice had shouted excitedly and proudly held out the red and black beauty she revealed before her. "It's beautiful my darling," her mother exclaimed going along with her daughter's fascination and stroked her hair softly. Echo smiled triumphantly and strutted away off to find another she could show her mother. Sitting down on the soft grass Echo surveyed the area around her to see to her mission of finding another bug. Soon she grew tiresome and headed up the wooden stairs, her feet dragging and walked into her room which had been painted a dark purple. She sighed and looked out the large window and saw the leaves sway to the light breeze outside and listening to the sound of her mother's and father's voices talking down below eventually drifting off to sleep. Not a care in the world going through her childlike head. Life was easy; life was not an everyday struggle for her then. Shaking her head she forced the tears down that had brimmed her eyes. She looked around her letting her shaded eyes glide over her surroundings. Shrugging off from the wall she had rested on she decided to head back to the parking lot where she found Arturo, one of the many workers at the club, heading in to start his shift. "Echo! How have you been? It's been awhile since I've seen you," he replied in the happy voice he always seemed to have. "Arturo," she nodded and smiled, "I've been splendid, and yourself?" "Fantastic!" "I thought your shift started at 1?" "No, 2. Echo... you should check the time," he said while chuckling and shaking his head in mock disapproval. Confused Echo checked her phone and to her surprise it was in fact 2:15. Had time really passed by so quickly? She shook her head and smiled at Arturo, they talked outside the building for a while but eventually she left and headed home. She idled around for some time but eventually she concluded that it was time she take a shower, letting the hot water engulf her she relaxed and stepped out after some time heading to her bedroom to get ready. One hour later Echo reluctantly opened the door to Theron who had knocked only twice. He flashed her an appraising smile which made her feel nervous. "You look rather beautiful Echo," he said while giving her another smile. "Thanks." "No really, I'm not used to seeing you in a dress, and I must say... you look stunning." "Thank you, shall we leave now?" She said awkwardly. She was not used to receiving such compliments and was uncomfortable when being the center of attention and in return did not know how to react to them other than changing the subject. They headed to the awaiting car and Theron held her door open, she slid in the passenger seat and onto the soft leather seats. He closed her door and headed around eventually getting in the driver's side. They drove in silence but she could feel his eyes on her every once in a while. She looks out the window into the night. They arrived at a big building and once more Theron opened her door and they headed towards the doors. As they walked in she saw some people stare in their direction immediately resulting in her getting nervous once more but deciding to act as though it didn't bother her. "Well we all know they're not looking at me," Theron whispered in her ear. She glanced at him and decided not to respond. As they walked towards the main area of the party she got the feeling of uneasiness. Not knowing why she continued forward. They walked into the room and she looked around. Spotting Lucian she looked away hiding her obvious irritation at having to attend a party with a vampire present. But looking around she knew why at the moment before walking into the room why she had felt uneasy... she looked at Theron who was looking at her reaction. "How could you drag me to a party full of vampires when you know just how I feel about them?" Echo whispered venomously at Theron after she had dragged him out of the room and into a secluded spot. "I was hoping you would be able to cope with their nature and enjoy this night for me," he said. She glared at him letting her eyes stare him down. He looked back and she turned away seething; he did not even care that she hated vampires and did not care to be around them. "You will stay," he continued, "Because I've already told them of you and they wish to meet you." Turning back to him she let her chin fall. She did not want to do this but if she left acting childish once more she would not be able to put up with herself at her lack of self-control.
Chapter 5 Feeling eyes on her, Echo sunk deeper into the dark corner where she tried to disappear into. She regretted coming to the party; regretted what she had gotten herself into all because she didn't want to just ask Theron what he was planning for. But something told her he wasn't going to tell her easily so she had decided to choose the hard way. Her black dress made it easy for her to blend in with the shadows, but soon Theron had spotted her. He then proceeded to make his way towards her and stopped as he reached her. "Why must you act this way Echo?" He said frustrated, "You're acting ridiculous, really." She eyed him thoughtfully as he spoke and he in return stared back. "Very well, I'll try to act remotely interested." She could not stay in this corner all night after all. Theron reached for her hand but she quickly placed her hands behind her and walked to where he gestured hearing him sigh in response. The people who stood before her appeared normal but with her trained eyes she could easily tell what they were. They looked at her as she approached and eventually she could see that they settled on her eyes which had always been the main focal point of people's attention. Smiling politely she kept silent as Theron proceeded to introduce her. "Everyone, this is my friend Echo. I'd be delighted if you'd make her feel welcome amongst you." They smiled at her until eventually one lady who had dark red hair and wore an elegant blue dress came up to her. "Echo, I'm pleased to have the honor of meeting you. My name is Emmer," the lady said in strong voice that she could tell was used to giving orders. "It's my pleasure," Echo managed. "Is that really so?" The woman said while her eyes narrowed a fraction studying her. Echo studied Emmer's face with her high cheekbones and strong jawline; something told her that Emmer was someone who was dangerous in a very conservative way. Maybe it was the way she held herself, shoulders out and chin up. "You and I are alike in some ways Echo," Emmer said speaking quietly. "We are both strong; not taking kindly to people getting away with things easily." An she smiled as if her and Echo were old friends who knew something everyone did not. Her long canines glistened against the dim lights. A warning sign flashed silently to Echo; something telling her for certain to a great extent just how dangerous Emmer could be. Echo cut off the feeling of uneasiness inside her and brought out the bold part which would help her seem more confident in a situation such as this. "So I see", Echo said matching her volume. "You and I will be seeing more of each other I hope?" Emmer said bringing the end of her statement to sound like a question. "Perhaps we will," Echo said dryly not really caring much to speak to Emmer any bit as she did now. With this Emmer turned smoothly and walked off towards a gentleman who was of medium height and had light blond hair. She stared after Emmer wondering if she really would be seeing this woman who seemed to carry a deadly atmosphere around her. After some time Theron got everyone's attention and ordered them to kindly make their way into another room that had a huge wooden table that was rectangular and many seats that adorned each side. Echo looked at Theron curiously surveying the scene. He took a few steps into the room and looked back at her expectantly while holding out his hand. She questioned him with her eyes wondering what exactly was going on but gradually took his hand. He led her to the end of the table where he sat and she beside him. "My guests," he started and rose to speak as everyone finally quieted, "We now get to main part of tonight. The reason why we are all gathered here." Echo stayed silent still while watching him speak. What exactly had he brought them all here for? Had he brought her into something else other than a party full of vampires? Perhaps this was the part of the plan that was to be discussed. She would finally find out what exactly Lucian wanted to speak of with Theron. She spotted Lucian some couple of seats away, as he was the only other person she recognized. He stared at her with his dark eyes raising an eyebrow at her questioning stare. He smirked as if he knew something she did not. She turned her eyes towards Theron who continued to talk. "We all know that there has been some news of some of our fellow vampires being slayed". Her breathing stopped. OUR? He was one of them? Her mind whirled in circles, and she tried to recall how exactly she could not have known. She was a vampire slayer... she had trained herself to know how to spot them. She had trained herself to be the best at what she did. Somewhere far off she could hear her breathing pick up but then she gradually forced it to return to normal. She knew she was in a spot she needed to desperately get out of. She was a vampire slayer in a room full of thirty-some vampires. It hit her just how fragile she was compared to them. Theron smiled at her and went on speaking towards the others. "But luckily for us, I know just how to stop it. You see... the person that has been killing our kind is not one of our own but it is in fact a human." An intake of breaths from the others around the table was heard. "But not just that... it is a girl which I have brought here, this very night." And with that he turned towards Echo. And now it was her turn to take in a sharp breath as she looked into her former friends eyes. Betrayal and hatred were coursing deep into her veins as she stared him head on and standing up beside him. He was a head taller but this fact did not bother her as she looked up at him; what did bother her was the fact that every vampire now had its eyes on her. Her blood seemed to run cold as fear slowly seeped into her taking the place of the other emotions she had felt. "Echo my warrior," he breathed ," my friend... I know you feel as though I've betrayed you but-" "You have." Echo cut in. "But this is like my family, and family comes first. I can't just let you murder my own family," he continued unaffected by the accusation she had thrown at him. Had he gone mad? She had watched him kill his own kind; time after time and she even aiding him in those fights. Had he forgotten that? Was he leaving this factor out in order to protect himself. And framing all the killings on her so as to not face his own harsh fate? She glanced to the others who had looks of pure hatred toward her. Then as she watched, Theron's smile slowly dispersed and a more threatening and evil one took its place. She forced herself to look away and back to the others. "Echo my darling... your consequences I must say..have come sooner rather than later", Theron conveyed. And with this out of her peripheral vision she saw him raise his hand but she was too slow to stop it. And everything went black..
Chapter 6 Echo felt the cold hard stone floor pressing up against her cheek. She felt a pounding in her head that made her cringe and then soon after felt the sting of the blow Theron had given to her on her cheek. How long had she been out? Where was she? Her silver eyes flew open yet she made no sign of moving. Her dark hair which was spilled across her face created a curtain and distorted her vision. Assessing the scene for some five seconds she forced her eyes shut again so as to not alert anyone of her being awake. She was still in the dining room of which she last remembered and yet half of the vampires seemed to have taken their leave. She could hear Theron's voice hum into focus and she listened intently. "Tell the others who have left that this matter must stay in this room. No other vampires shall know of her; I don't want another slip up," his voice commanded, "Take her to Demetrius's and get rid of her... I don't want a mess in here." She heard the silent agreement of two others and then footsteps coming towards her. She remained still. Then she felt a sharp painful tug as she was pulled upwards and her eyes once again opened as a response. Her eyes flew around the room and settled on Theron's frame which was now exiting the room with the others following behind leaving her with only the one man. Taking advantage of her situation she pulled sharply out of the man's grip which held her and stumbled forward. She whirled around and saw a tall man with dark blue eyes and dirty blond hair. He tried to reach for her with the hand that did not hold the knife, but she once again pulled away out of reach from him. Frustrated he charged her and they both fell to the ground and she faintly heard his head crack as it struck the floor. She tried to scramble up but stopped as she felt a blade being pulled from her body. Gasping she fell back down. Furious the man shot up and glared down at her and grabbed her hair as he whispered furiously into her ear. "Try to pull that again and you'll receive a lot worse than that." The man then gathered her off the floor and pushed her forward ushering her to walk. The night was cold as Echo realized she was still wearing the dark dress she had come in. She held one hand over her side where she bled as she made her way towards the car which was ahead and he trailed her not far behind. Suddenly she heard the loud thump of the man's body hit the floor. She turned to find him decapitated and his head several feet away. Lucian stood there with his eyes on her and just behind him near the doors stood Emmer with the blonde haired man she'd seen her with before. She smiled at Echo and walked towards her. "My dear... didn't I say we would be seeing each other again. I must say though... I didn't expect it to be so soon," she said as she reached Echo. Echo stood there motionless and tried to gather what just happened. "Trust me... I wasn't exactly planning on to either..." She finally said managing a small smirk. "Your ability to behave so boldly absolutely confounds me," Emmer said while laughing lightly and she could even see Lucian crack a small smile. "Especially after you've been through so much," Emmer continued. Giving a weak nod, Echo thanked Emmer who seemed to be an ally of hers now... at least for the moment. "Do not thank me, I have a debt I need to pay from your mother and I'm sure she'll take this as a way of me paying it off," she said with a slight smile still lingering. So she knew her mother... "What do you know of my mother?" Echo managed. "All in good time Echo," Emmer replied, "For now, we must take our leave before someone finds what has come of their dear friend." "Lucian, take Echo to her place, will you?" Emmer said giving him a look with her eyes while slowly walking back to the waiting man. Echo turned to Lucian and was hesitant to follow him back to his car. He had been in the dining room. If he was on Emmer's side, why hadn't he stopped it? Eying him she slowly followed. He waited patiently by the passenger door as she got in and she could see a concerned look on his face. Shutting it, he climbed into his side and started the black Camaro which they now sat in. After some time of driving he spoke. "That was a close call." "Yes it was," she said while still looking out this window trying to give off the impression that she still did not trust him. "I would have helped... but I would have lost the trust Theron has on me. You see, I have worked hard to get to the place I am now. To put that in jeopardy for some girl I hardly know would not be worth it. Don't get me wrong, you are very pretty, beautiful even, but it just would not be worth it." "I appreciate you for making a point of how grateful you are to help," she said. Annoyed she closed her eyes and tried to block him out. Looking out the window she noticed that he was heading the opposite direction of her apartment. "Where are you taking me?" She asked suspicious. "I'm taking you to a diner I like to go to eat sometimes when I'm acting normal," he said smiling at her. She continued to avoid his gaze and did not comment because she was too tired to argue and knew that would be pointless. His strange idea of picking times to go to diners absolutely bewildered her but chose not to say so. He continued smiling like he knew her thoughts and soon they arrived at a diner that she recognized as the one she sometimes drove by but never had the time to go in. Gingerly stepping out of the car she made her way to the front door. He held it open for her and they heard the bell which let the hostess know they had entered. "Welcome to Joe's, I'll be your server..." The girl's voice said as they entered. Echo drowned it out and her attention was more focused on her wound. Excusing herself she made her way to the restroom and studied it. It was healing slowly and had stopped bleeding. The edges were puckered and pink but she could tell it would be just another of her many scars amongst her body that were the result of the dangerous lifestyle she lived. Sighing she covered it with a makeshift bandage and made her way back to the table where Lucian sat. Sitting down he eyed her dress and saw the small slit where the knife had ripped through. "Are you hurt?" He asked with a smooth voice but in his eyes she could see he was concerned. "No, not much." She said then turned towards the waiter and ordered her food. "You don't trust people very often, do you? You are in very many ways the warrior Theron often calls you, yet you are still breakable I see..." He said while eyeing the dress again. "I'm tougher than you may think; forgive me for not noticing how careless I was and making the mistake of trusting Theron," she spit. Looking down she closed her eyes trying to hide the tears that were dangerously close to forming. How could she not have known after the four years she'd known Theron that he was a vampire? She had failed herself. Some small voice in her head screamed that this was the result of her not being cut out to be a vampire slayer after all. Above all of this was indescribable anger at herself for being fooled so easily. Silently cursing herself she remained silent not caring any longer what Lucian had to say and wishing to go home. After some time of sitting there Lucian finally spoke. "That is not what I was implying," he said quietly and returned to silence again. They finished eating and made their way back to the car. Driving was slow on the way back and she was itching to be away from him. She closed her eyes and soon found herself drifting off to sleep, the night's events had slowly caught up with her. She woke to the sound of Lucian speaking on the phone. "Yes, yes I will let her know." He said quietly ,"Very well." He hung up and glanced at her. "You're awake." He stated. She nodded and scanned the outside determining where they were and to her surprise they were parked outside her apartment. Sitting up she reached for the door handle but stopped and turned to him. No matter how much she despised him, she would not be rude to someone who had saved her life. "Thank you." She said sincerely meaning every bit of it. "My pleasure Echo." He said. She stepped out of the car but turned when he called her once more. "Emmer has made it known that she is ready to speak to you about your mother. She has informed me to tell you to meet her at her place which I will give you the address of later. And Echo," he said giving her a look , "I can either be your greatest ally or another person you drive away. In the end it's up for you to decide." She nodded once more not letting any emotion be known on her face and turned to walk into the apartment. She shut the door on the outside world and invited herself in. She let her mind be taken over with thoughts of hate towards her mistakes and carelessness. No longer would she trust people; she would not make the same mistake again twice.
Chapter 7 She was back home in her old house, yet something was off about the scene. Whirling, Echo now looked out towards the windows. The red tint that cast from the sun gave everything she saw a red tint as well. Startled, she turned away and walked through the house finding no one about. Her breathing started to pick up; growing more panicked she continued to search... yet she didn't know what for. Stopping in her purple room she heard a voice behind her. "Echo." The voice said hauntingly. She turned slowly and saw her reflection in the long mirror that hung on the wall. She slammed her eyes shut and turned away. It was the same reflection she saw day-to-day, but everything seemed wrong. Forcing herself to look again she studied it once more. Her long dark hair was the only remaining thing she saw that did not have the strange red tint giving her some comfort, but what frightened her the most was her eyes. The shining silver was replaced by a dark red. They stared her down as if they had thoughts of their own. To her horror, she saw as the dark red lips of her reflection slowly lifted up into a smile. The reflection, which she presumed was no longer in her control, lifted her hand. Echo thought that she was about to wave when instead she knocked on the mirror that separated them. Growing more panicked, Echo looked about trying to see if she could attempt to keep the reflection from escaping. She didn't know why she formed the irrational thought in her head that her reflection could escape but she thought it nonetheless. The knocking persisted and gradually grew louder until she couldn't bear it any longer; spinning she turned once again to face the mirror... Echo sat up breathing heavily. It had been just a dream... but it remained in her memory so that she was not able to push away the images of it. She turned towards the door picking up on the knocking that told her someone was there. Getting up she quickly smoothed her hair and went to answer it. Lucian stood there waiting patiently when she finally opened the door. He studied her startled expression she still wore from her dream and she quickly replaced it with a calm one. "Are you alright?" He asked amused. "I'm fine." She said quietly, "Did you need something?" "I came to see if you would like to visit Miss Avoca today. I can come back if you wish." "Miss Avoca?" "Emmer." He stated, realizing she did not know her formal name. "Oh I see, no, it's fine. Just give me a minute." She said and gestured him inside. He stepped inside and looked about the small space she had for an apartment. Seating himself on the couch he began to wait as instructed to. She then went to her room and began to get ready. "Why must your apartment be so dark?" He called from the living room. "It's makes it more comfortable." She called back. "Yes, sometimes I find myself doing that too at my place... the sun can sometimes be too bright..." He said as if he were pondering. Stepping out, Echo stood by the door waiting. Lucian rose and they headed towards his car. Lucian eyed her curiously as he saw her slip on the dark shades as she often did when she headed out. "Echo, you are different from normal humans. Why is that?" Lucian asked after some time of driving. The same question, she realized, that the stranger she fought at the club's parking lot had asked. Turning, she eyed him knowingly. "What makes you think I'd answer a question like that?" She said giving a similar response to the answer she'd made last time. Smiling, he met her gaze realizing she had made the connection. "So now you know." He stated still smiling. "Yes, It's one of the few things I can take pride in. Recalling facts and putting them together can be quite useful in many situations." She replied. "So I see." He said while starting the car. Echo knocked on the front door of the massive house that belonged to Emmer. The man with dirty blonde hair that she always saw with Emmer answered the door. "Echo, come. Emmer is expecting you." The man said. He led her through the living area and down a hall where they walked to the farthest room, Lucian silently following behind. "Ah, Echo. I'd rather hoped you'd come. Come, sit down," Emmer said in the strong voice of hers. Echo stepped into the room and smoothly made her way across it and into the soft seat across from her. "Emmer." She said greeting her. "I expect that you want to know how I knew your mother?" Echo nodded signifying to proceed. "It's a rather interesting story I must say. You see... I didn't just know your mother by some odd chance; we were friends... best friends. When you were just a little child I would visit you... so you must know by now that I know of your little secret of being half vampire is no secret with me. " She could see Lucian had turned to look at her but she continued to stare at Emmer who carried on, unknowing of how she had given away her secret to Lucian. Annoyed, Echo chose to focus on the story once more. "We met long ago, back in the 1900s, long before she met your father. It was a different time then, everything was not so easy as it was now. I did not know her as a human but I do know we developed the strongest of friendships. Now you see, in London, where I lived at the time, I knew I was not the only vampire. It was one night that I remember, I was starving having not fed in days. I chose to enter a local pub at which I sometimes came into and was known fairly well. Not in the best of mindsets, I easily lured a man of around his 20s into the alley and began feeding on him. Little did I know a woman walking past the alley had seen and ran into the pub to alert someone. A short time later I found myself being chased through the streets by a mob still weak from not finishing my meal. This was when I met your mother, Evelyn, she had witnessed the whole scene and took me in and hid me. It was deed that left me in her debt until just yesterday. From then on, we were friends and we traveled meeting new vampires here and there, even meeting your former friend Theron. He was a very wealthy merchant then who was good at what he did, making a good life for himself. I believe he was there with his brother, Demetrius. We all have our history as vampires and the story to go with them. It's just a matter of whether we're willing to share them," Emmer finished and winked. Echo stayed silent for a time thinking back on this new information. She wished she could see what her mother was like so long ago, she longed to be able to ask her mother herself of all the questions that swirled in her mind. "Thank you for sharing this with me," Echo said at last. She realized that the sharing of this information was not Emmer's usual routine. "It's my pleasure." She replied and reached over to place her hand on Echo's. The gesture was foreign to Echo and she had the urge to pull away. "I miss her, and I know you do too. Although you never show it, I know you still do. If you ever need anything, I'll be glad to help. After all, you're like a niece to me." She said while looking into Echo's eyes. Uncomfortable, Echo looked away and silently rose to leave. She strode toward the door and saw that Lucian was no longer in the room. Making her way down the hall and into the living area she spotted him speaking with the dirty blonde haired man. He looked up from their conversation as she approached. "Echo, this is Cedric, Emmer's husband." He introduced. Cedric shook her hand and politely greeted her. "You had a rather close call, didn't you?" He said in a low voice. "Yes, perhaps I did." Echo replied giving a small smile. She turned to Lucian and informed him with her eyes that she was ready to leave now. Lucian tuned to Cedric and informed him that it was near time that they must be going and they said their goodbyes. Echo did the same and followed him out. "So you are half vampire?" He started as they entered the car. She had rather hoped to avoid this topic but could see he had other plans. Sighing she nodded. "Yes, my mother was vampire and my father was human." She concluded. "Interesting, and yet you never would know that other than your eyes sensitivity to light." He mused. She stayed quiet knowing he still had more to say. "Why don't you ever show your other half? It's part of who you are." "I do not wish to be like you. Nor do I wish to show that I have any relation to being vampire." She said making it clear that she wouldn't speak any more on the subject. "How can you say that? We are not all bad like you seem to think, I don't know what experiences you've had that made you think so but I can assure you that it's not true." She closed her eyes forcing away the irritation she had towards him. "What's it to you? You don't know me, I don't know you." She said over the sound of the car's engine. "I suppose, but we could get to know each other if you tried. You won't even give me the time of day." He stated truthfully. "I don't wish to speak of this anymore." She replied and crossed her arms over herself. "Very well." With this they grew silent and rode the rest of the way without a word. She contemplated on why exactly he would want to get to know her when he very obviously knew that she hunted his kind. After some time of thought she still hadn't ruled out why and was still left confused. This man frustrated her; he brought up conversations and said things that set her on edge. She looked at him and studied his dark eyes with her silver ones and wondered why exactly that was.
Chapter 8 "I just hate her mom! Why did she even have to come to our house?", Amy shouted in her high voice. Echo shrunk back against the wall around the corner listening to the conversation between Natalie, her mother's good friend, and her daughter Amy. It was a memory of when Echo had first moved in with them at the age of 7. She had been hurt and felt abandoned as though everything she knew was lost and overhearing these words from Amy was a blow that contributed to everything she felt. Their family was different, she had known as soon as she stepped through their doors. They lived a life that was drastically foreign to the one she grew up in and the pastel colored room she was shown to that would now be hers was anything but comforting. Lowering her head she allowed one lonesome tear to slide down her cheek and continued to listen despite what other hurtful things she would hear. "You must make her feel welcome love. She has gone through so much and we need to make it known that she is not in this alone and that she is one of us," Natalie said in her soft low voice trying her best to shush the conversation that had already been heard. "But she is not one of us!" Amy pressed on waiting for her mother to prove her wrong. Echo could hear Natalie's hesitation, perhaps contemplating on how to word what she was going to say. Amy took her mother's hesitation as a confirmation and continued. "She will never be one of us. Do you see how she is dressed in her dark clothing and her black hair which stands out so boldly from ours? She is so quiet and withdrawn that I can't see any way that I can converse with her mother." Echo glanced down at the dark clothing she wore which consisted of a black velvet dress that draped her small shoulders and had a blood-red ribbon that encircled her waist. Cringing at the truth of Amy's words at how different they were she allowed herself to peek around the corner and catch another glance at the scene that had unfolded. She saw Natalie staring down at her daughter with a disapproving look in her eyes. "Can't you see what she has been through? Amy, I wish you could understand her situation better. Yes, her family may have raised her very different from the way we raised you and Brandon, but that does not mean she cannot see how unwelcome she is when it comes to you two. You treat her as though she was some outsider, when in fact her parents were very good friends of ours." With this she turned from her daughter and headed towards the kitchen calling out to Brandon, her 10-year-old son. Amy stood there for a brief second before looking towards where Echo stood silently. She leered at her before storming up the stairs in the direction of her room. **************************************************************** The times from when she lived at the Dale household were rough for her as a child as she remembered. Brandon had moved out as she had, but Amy still remained a fact that bothered Echo as she made her way up their front steps. If it was up to her, she would not step foot anywhere near the house, but Natalie and her husband had been kind to her despite their children's perspectives and she owed it to them to pay a visit every now and then. Breathing in she knocked briskly against the white-painted door and waited. The outside of the house was neat and the grass trimmed to perfection Echo saw and also noted the white fence surrounding the yard. It was the definition of perfect and she wondered quietly how she had managed to grow up here when she was the exact opposite. She snapped to attention when she heard quick footsteps coming towards the door and stood there expectantly, hoping it was Natalie or her husband that opened it. She smiled the best she could when Natalie opened it and had caught sight of her. "Echo!", she cried and took her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. Echo's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected contact but gradually returned the hug. "Natalie, I'd hoped I could drop in for a visit." "Why of course! Come in," she said in her lively voice and shut the door as Echo entered. She surveyed the inside of the house as Natalie spoke to her, it was just the same as she remembered except the colorful patterned couches had been replaced with leather ones. "Why didn't you visit sooner? You know you're always welcome here," Natalie continued speaking. Echo smiled and nodded though she knew in her heart that her words were not true for everyone living here. As she was thinking that she soon heard the expected voice which came from the top of the stairs. It was Amy. "Echo", she said in a grim voice thinking it was someone else Echo assumed. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders in a slight wave and her long bangs framed her heart-shaped face. Echo watched as she slowly and regretfully descended the long wooden stairs. "How nice of you to visit", she said once more shooting her mother a look of annoyance. "She hasn't visited in 2 years Amy, show her how much you missed her", Natalie said hopefully in an attempt to lighten the mood. It was a failed attempt. "Did my mother invite you?" Amy asked ignoring her mother's statement. "No", Echo answered in a calm tone. One word answers were her friend when it came to Amy, otherwise everything she said could be turned into a spectacle. "So you invited yourself?" Echo sighed. She had hoped that Amy had changed for the better but now all doubt was gone out the window. She watched as Natalie left the room in dismay at her daughter's attitude towards her. "Yes, I invited myself in for a visit to see the people who raised me for most of my life. Is that what you want to hear?" Amy stood in shock at the tone Echo now used when Natalie was out of earshot. Echo took her silence into consideration and decided to continue speaking while gradually walking towards her. "I'm not the same quiet girl I was back then, Amy. I won't put up with the mindless games you played on me. Don't come near me, don't look at me in any way I can take offensive, and don't talk to me if you have nothing nice to say." With this Echo backed away from Amy which she now had standing against the wall, and walked off to join Natalie. "You're so kind to have invited me for dinner Natalie, I can't tell you how much I've missed you guys." They now sat at the dinner table eating quietly chatting every now and then after Natalie had asked her to stay for dinner. Amy all the while sat silent while picking at her food every so often peeking up at Echo whenever she thought she wasn't looking. "We did too. I wish you didn't have to live so far from us, but it's good to have you with us now." Echo ate her salad slowly while sipping her drink. David, Natalie's husband spoke up when the opportunity for him to speak presented itself. "Echo, while we were cleaning out our things from the attic we found something of your mother's we think you might like." Echo looked up towards him smiling. She watched as he made his way over to her and handed her what looked to be a necklace. She took it in her hands and examined it. It was indeed a necklace. The first thing she noticed was the striking red ruby much like the one on her sword. Around the border of the ruby there was a snake; its tail was at the top and its body wound around the ruby where its head eventually met up with the tail biting it. She closed her palm and tucked it into her pocket. "Your mother always did have a unique taste in jewelry. That necklace could always be seen around her neck though at the time until she left it here never getting the chance to take it back." "Thank you", Echo breathed to her, her voice wavering. This was perhaps the only thing she had of her mother that really meant something. She got up from her seat and announced that it was about time she leave. She cast her eyes down in an attempt to hide her eyes which were on the verge of tears. With a quick goodbye Echo headed out the door when she felt someone had followed her out. "Echo, wait!", she heard Amy call out. Turning, Echo stopped and stood there waiting for Amy. Seeing Echo had stopped, Amy ran up to her and came to a gradual stop before her breathing hard making her breath blow smoke out into the cold night air. "I...-", she started hesitating not knowing what to say. She frowned as her brows drew together and started again. "I'm sorry, I realize now how sure of yourself you are and it makes me see how wrong I was back then and the way I acted today." She didn't look up as she said this, but Echo felt there was some genuine emotion put into what she just heard. "It's in the past Amy." Amy looked up at this. "But it's not okay. I made you feel less than unwelcome when you came. Spreading nasty rumors in school and being the reason you were socially cast out. How terrible it must have been! I even cut up the dress your mom-" "Stop", Echo said interrupting. She couldn't bring herself to listen to anymore of her words not wanting to relive her past. Amy reached out as if to comfort her but Echo slid back from her range shaking her head. "Goodbye Amy." With this Echo turned and slid onto her bike guiding it onto the road. She then headed off in the direction of the club leaving Amy looking after her with a sad expression. ************************************************** Echo pushed open the bulky metal door of the club and made her way towards Arturo, an employee of the place. "Echo, what brings you here?" he said smiling always seeming delighted to see her. "Oh, you know just as well as I that I'm here to see you," she said joking. He smiled at her joke and turned to get her a glass of tea. While she waited she scanned the club's inhabitants that were there that night. She then remembered the necklace that sat in her pocket that she had been given and gingerly took it out. Slipping it on she turned to Arturo who had plopped down the drink in front of her. "What's that?", he asked curiously while gesturing towards her neck. "A necklace that was my mother's." "An interesting symbol, I always thought of it as one of my favorites." Puzzled, Echo turned more towards him. She never thought that the necklace could represent anything more other than a necklace from her mother. "What does it mean?" "It is the ouroboros. It represents the cycle of life showing death and rebirth. Meaning eternal life basically. Pretty neat, eh?" he said smiling again. Echo stiffened at the second meaning knowing just why her mother wore it now. She could not find a way to respond other than a distant nod. She sat there quietly after Arturo returned to his business and sipped her tea. It was sweet and quenched her thirst. She watched as the perspiration rolled down the glass and gathered at the base of the cup. She was so focused on watching it that she did not see that someone had sat down beside her. She heard as he ordered a rum and coke and turned her head slightly towards him. "Pretty busy tonight", he said loud enough for her to hear. She kept looking at her drink wondering if he meant that to be to her when he nudged her showing that it was. "Yes, I suppose it is." "What brings you here?" "Fun", was all she could manage but then frowned when she realized it could be taken many different ways. "Well, me too. You look very pretty, I noticed you right as I walked in. Never seen you here before, are you new?" "No, I'm a regular", she said. She had to admit she wasn't one for conversation. Finally she decided to look up at the man who spoke to her. He looked to be around his 20s and had bright green eyes to go with his light brown hair. She had to admit, he wasn't bad looking. Smiling at him she decided that she would give herself a break for one night. He would probably be no more than a stranger who would let her down in some way but she wasn't looking for a relationship, just someone to talk to. "What's your name?" she asked. "Andrew, and yours?" "Evalyn", she said using her mother's name. "Well Evalyn," he said while flashing her a smile, "want to dance?" Echo laughed quietly as she watched Andrew stumble forward after being shoved by people trying to enter the club. He was normal, she thought. He reminded her oddly of how human and normal her father was. They had spent a good amount of time dancing in the club but then she saw how late it was. Ready to leave Echo had headed towards the door when Andrew offered to walk her out. "When can I see you again?", he said laughing slightly with her as he reached her. Her smile faltered and then dissolved as she realized just how much she'd misled him. Feeling guilty of leading him on she hesitated while choosing her words. "You won't. I'm sorry but I'm too busy for a relationship at the moment," she said quietly not wanting to hurt him. He looked at her for a moment then nodded showing that he understood her. He lifted his hand and she stiffened waiting for him to attempt to strike her, but instead he touched her face lightly. 'Why on earth would he hit me?' she thought. Her everyday life was taking a toll on her. "You're so beautiful, I just want to have one date with you," he said softly. He leaned in and in response so did she. Feeling his lips brush hers she leaned more in to deepen it. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. She knew she would regret this decision but decided that she would deal with the consequences. She ran her hands through his light brown hair as he backed her up against the wall and molded her to him. Her eyes snapped open as she saw someone standing in the darkness of the parking lot watching them. She gradually detached herself from Andrew as he looked at her questioningly. "I'm sorry", she said and was about to make her way towards the figure. "Wait, here's my number, call if you change your mind." Taking the number and smiling apologetically at him she walked into the parking lot and spotted the figure which now stood near her bike. "Having fun, are we?" She got closer and realized that it was Lucian who spoke. Huffing out she showed her annoyance towards him. "What's it to you?" "I never saw you as the type of girl who makes out with a man she just met," he saw slowly making the impression that he was thinking. She turned and proceeded to get on her bike. She knew that whatever he had to say was not worth her time. "Wait, I apologize. I didn't mean to offend you," Lucian said in his smooth voice while stepping closer. "I came to warn you that Theron knows that you're not being dead. He'll be on the lookout. He's the type of man that if he wants you dead he'll make it so. Be cautious Echo, don't tread too much in places that are not safe for you." She looked at him and nodded her head thanking him for the warning. He eyed her in return with tired expression, years of leading this dangerous life showed on his expression. She noticed that he was not all he was put out to be, underneath she could sense that he wanted just as normal life as her. His black eyes once again were demanding her attention and she tore hers away from them. "Take care Lucian", she said as she started her bike hearing the roar of its engine. In response he backed away and watched as she drove off.
Chapter 9 Echo carefully drove to a stop reaching her apartment. Her boot hitting the pavement seemed eerily loud compared to the silence that surrounded her and interrupted her thoughts which still lingered on the incident from the parking lot. She did a scan of the area and wrote it off as just her being paranoid. Yet she couldn't shake off the mood around the place that seemed to hold its breathe as if awaiting her reaction to something that was yet to come. Slowly Echo swung her other leg off the bike and brought her foot down to meet the other. Walking, she quietly opened her door finding it unlocked. Her eyes narrowed as she realized someone was either inside or had been. Quietly closing the door, Echo reached under the entrance table where her fingers found the familiar blade she kept there. Never had she had to use it but she thanked herself inwardly for at least keeping it there as a precaution. Grasping it in her right hand she proceeded forward and stopped when she heard the slightest of noises. Her breathing sped as she prepared herself to face her unwanted guest. Looking forward she saw the figure. She watched as they rummaged through her belongings frantically searching for something that they would not likely find. A string of profanities arose from their mouth in a low hiss. The person was well-built and judging from the person's voice and figure, it was a man. Echo quickly thought through whether to give away the element of surprise and question the man or use it to her advantage and attack him. The man rose to his full height and turned towards her direction as if to leave and stopped when he saw her. Reaching under his jacket he brought out a knife. Seeing that her second option was now gone, Echo chose to question him. "What business do you have that brings you here?" She said in a hard voice. Ignoring her question the man looked about frantically, his breathing hitched. After many seconds of trying to decide what to do the man then looked her head on. He then fixed into a low stance and proceeded to head towards her. Rising from the low crouch she was in, Echo unsheathed the short blade she had in hand and came at him. Swinging out, the man stumbled forward when his fist made no connection. Taking this opportunity, Echo tackled him and they fell to the floor with a loud thump. Crawling over to him she punched him in the face as he attempted to swing again. Scrambling still, the man crawled towards the blade that he had, which now laid several feet away. Arising from the ground, she walked and kicked it from his reach and grabbed him firmly by the collar. Dragging him she then fixated him onto a chair where he slumped groggily. "What business do you have that brings you here?" Echo said repeating her question. "The man, he asked me to search your home for..." He stopped as if remembering that he was not supposed to be telling her. "What man?" She hissed. "I don't know!" He replied clearly scared out of his mind. His eyes widened at her fury. "Well then, how about you tell me what on earth you were doing in my apartment?" "I was told to look for-", stopping once more he looked at her and cringed as her expression grew darker. "Look for what?" "I can't say." "Tell me," she threatened, her expression telling him she didn't need to state what would happen if he didn't. "I will not, they'll kill me if I do. Either way it seems I'll be dead by tonight but if I'm to die than it won't be because I've betrayed them." Frustrated, Echo turned away from him. The man was clearly not experienced in fighting and judging from the enemies she had, she could say confidently that he worked for Theron. Whirling, Echo focused her gaze back on him. "What's your name?" "My name is not your concern Echo." He knew her name, yet she knew nothing of him. This left her deeply troubled at how far behind she was. Leaning close to him she put a hand on his shoulder. "Who. Do. You. Work. For? Is he known by the name of Theron?" She stared him down and he looked off to her right avoiding her eyes when she said the name. Just as she was about to repeat her question she heard her phone ring in her pocket. Placing her blade she held onto the table she answered. "Yes?" "Echo, It's Emmer. Lucian has informed you of the Theron situation, yes?" "Yes he has. How did you get this number?" "I have my ways. Now tell me, are you up for a visit?" "Not quite.." She glanced down at the man still sitting looking off in the distance while blood trickled from his mouth. "Well how about tomorrow? There are still a few things that need to be discussed." "Yes, I'll call you and set up a time tom-" Echo cut off as she felt a sharp pain in her hand. Looking at where it rested on the man's shoulder she saw as he bit down hard. Panicking, she clawed at his face in an attempt to get him to release. Still, he persisted while a throaty laugh arose from him. Crying out she lifted her leg and kicked him as they tumbled to the floor and she distantly heard the chair crumble beneath them. Gasping in pain the man released and smiled at her viciously. Kicking away from him she finally managed to push herself up and punch him square in the jaw before he proceeded to pass out. Her breathing spiked as she looked at her hand that dripped with blood onto the ground below. Looking towards the man she exhaled in relief as she saw the man was only human. 'Why would Theron send a man, who not only didn't know how to fight, but was human to her house to retrieve something she possessed?' She thought. Bending down, she picked up the phone which was still on the conversation. She brought it to her ear. "Emmer, I'll call you and set up a time for tomorrow." "What happened?" Emmer exclaimed. "Trouble, but don't be concerned, it's well handled." "...It doesn't sound like it." "It is. I'll call tomorrow." "Yes, well alright. Goodbye." Hanging up, Echo leaned against the wall for several minutes. She still shook with fear at having the man bite her. Questions rose in her mind; What would she do if he had been a vampire? Would she be forced to become the thing she loathed the most, or would she kill herself and end it? Images of the red eyes from her dream popped into her mind. Her vampire half was clearly taking on a power of its own waiting to be let out, and she struggled with the task of ignoring it. Shaking her head, she dismissed the thoughts and headed off to find something to tie him up with. When she returned to the living room she was relieved to see that the man still lay there sprawled out. She kneeled and began to wind the rope around his ankles. A brief knock at the door interrupted her and she rose once more grabbing the blade that she had set down earlier. She stopped near the door and listened... nothing. "Who is it?" She called out. "Lucian." Great, she thought, now she had to deal with him. Sighing, she opened the door still holding the blade. He eyed her questioningly but entered without saying a word. "More business?" "No, Emmer mentioned you had trouble." "And I also recall saying that I had it under control." He stopped as they reached the living area and saw the cds that laid sprawled everywhere from the man rummaging through her things. His eyes finally rested on the man who laid there sprawled out and halfway tied up. He looked at her and she saw as he rose an eyebrow. "Echo, I keep finding you in more bizarre situations..." "He broke in," she said flatly. Smiling he laughed. "I know, do you know why?" "Something about the man he worked for, I'm guessing Theron, wanted him to retrieve something but he didn't say." "I see, and then you just decided to knock him out when he wouldn't give you answers? That's a little harsh." "No, he attacked me. I was forced to restrain him and this was the only option." "I see", he repeated. Walking over to the man, Lucian began to finish the task of tying him up while Echo decided to get some water. She looked at her hand which began to heal. Lucian stood by the door after finishing and watched her. "What's wrong with your hand?" "He bit me, nothing more. I'm fine." "He bit you?" "Yes, a nasty little joke that he found quite funny." "It is good he is human, no? If not you would find yourself in a difficult situation." "Yes, I suppose I would. Thank you for... checking on me? It was nice, even though I didn't require your help," she said smiling. He nodded and smiled back. "Ah, yes well, maybe one day you will." "You already have", she corrected him. "Yes, I suppose I have, although that was more on Emmer's account." They stood there for a moment in awkward silence. Lucian cleared his throat. "Well I suppose I should take him and see if Emmer or Cedric can get any information." "Alright, that sounds like a good plan. The interrogating thing is not really in my field of work anyway." "I would say otherwise by looks of him," he chuckled. Echo closed the door as Lucian took his leave. She surveyed the apartment and exhaled in frustration once more at the mess that was left in the conflict. She sipped her water and went throughout the apartment turning off the lights that Lucian had flicked on as habit. Turning off the last one she heard a crash. The sound of glass breaking. Running Into the main room Echo saw a small note that was surrounded in bits of glass. The glass gleamed against the street light from the outside as she carefully walked around it. Picking it up she saw the words in a neat script. -Echo, you didn't think that human was the only one I'd send... did you? -T Looking up Echo saw another figure that was hooded, seeing no features it reminded her distantly of her first encounter with Lucian. The man smiled and she saw the glimmer of his fangs as he proceeded to walk towards her.
Chapter 10 Echo looked up at the man who stood there as he approached, but to her surprise he stopped and stood before her. The man was dressed in all black, giving the effect that he was melting into the shadows around him. Despite herself, Echo shivered and her mind went completely blank on what to do. She could find no words that would come to her lips to question him with, and her weapons were too far away. The man continued to smile down at her and now that he was closer, she caught the faint smell of something she couldn't determine. At last he spoke. "Echo, It's a pleasure to see you... alive." His voice was dark and alluring, inviting her in. She snapped out of her state and inwardly scolded herself for leaving herself so vulnerable. Slowly she stepped back away from him but receded when his hazel eyes caught the movement before looking back to her. "Are you frightened? There's no need, do you know who I am?" She shook her head to both questions even though she wasn't so sure about the first. His hazel eyes seemed familiar and she knew that those belonged to Theron, yet the voice was not his. She risked another step back, but he did not notice and continued to speak. "I know you've been working with Mrs. Avoca. There are no secrets when it comes to me. You may be familiar with my brother, yes? We work for the same cause, but what you probably don't understand is that he works for me; he tries to make it look otherwise. I.. on the other hand, don't work for anyone." Echo watched as he bent and took the note from her hand glaring at it as he proceeded to rip it up. The realization came to her then. This was Theron's brother, Demetrius. She recalled Emmer mentioning him beforehand in her attempt to explain her complicated past. She breathed out his name and he smiled again. "You are pretty clever if given the hints Echo. But sadly, you are too slow to keep up in the game we play. Look at what you don't know. You don't know what we're looking for, or why Theron wants you dead, or even why your parents were murdered." She stayed silent as the truth of his words sunk in. He knew who killed her parents and why. That was the only thing he mentioned that held her interest above the rest. Finally she found her voice. "Why?" "Why what? Why were your parents killed? Well that's easy, for the same reason we set out to kill. Except your mother had something we wanted. Your father was nothing, he was nothing more than an obstacle that was easily gotten rid of along with your mother." Echo's blood boiled at his words towards her father. 'How dare he think of her father as nothing more than a useless obstacle?' She thought. She watched as walked forward more and stopped just inches from her. "I have to say, you've grown up to be quite beautiful. Even more so than your mother perhaps," he continued, his voice shifting to a whisper as he leaned in. Echo shied away and bit her lip in an attempt to keep from saying something at him that she would regret. "My brother may want you dead Echo, but I have other plans for you. You'll be seeing me later....." Shutting her eyes, she waited to see what he'd do next. Slowly she felt his hand brush her cheek light as a feather and then it was gone as quick as it came. Echo opened her eyes and found herself alone in the dark room still littered with bits of glass. She let out a breath of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding and shuttered as the cold night air creeped in from the broken window. She walked over to it and looked out past the street light and into the city. Her mind was distant and far away from her, thinking of the future that awaited her. This was not the life that her parents wanted for her, but if she had to live it then she would do the best she could to make them proud. Lifting her head up with the little confidence she had conjured, she turned and packed as much possible things she could in the little time she had, not knowing whether or not someone could come again. This included clothes, her swords, family possessions that had been passed down to her that could possibly be the target of Theron's attacks, and the necklace, which still hung securely around her neck. Rushing with her bags, her foot caught a box by her bedroom closet and she watched as papers flew everywhere skittering across the room. Hearing the loud thump of a book hit the floor, she sighed and bent to pick it up. Recognizing it as one of the many forgotten childhood books that were filled with short stories her mother would often read to her as a kid, she flipped it open and frowned upon finding a thick envelope that was yellowed with age but had no name addressed to it. Folding in half she tucked it into her pocket and grabbed her bags. **************************************************************** Echo heard the ring that told her she was indeed calling someone. Holding it to her ear patiently, she waited and smiled when she heard Arturo is always happy voice answer. "Echo!" He exclaimed through the phone, "I'm so happy you called, you know I'm always glad to hear from you." "Hello Arturo, I'm glad to hear that, you know I'm always glad to hear from you too." "I know haha. So what's up?" "Well, I have a favor to ask. It's a big one and I'll understand if you say no to it." "I'm sure that won't be the case, now tell me, what troubles my friend?" "My apartment is not exactly safe at the moment and I'm trying to be under the radar. I promise I'm not in trouble with the cops but I need a place to crash for maybe a day or two then I'll be off your back." "That's it? Well, I suppose you don't want me to ask questions and quite honestly I don't want to know. Everyone at the club kind of senses the aura you carry about you that practically screams dangerous. But that is not relevant right now. In other words... yes, you may!" "Good, because I'm outside." "Whoa, I remember the time you helped me bring back a few things from home to the club but I didn't think you remembered where I lived. It seems so long ago." "Yes, well you know... it stuck I guess," she said while adding a small laugh at the end. Echo slung her bags over her shoulder that she had managed to transfer on her bike and began to walk up the steps towards his door. Before she reached it, she saw Arturo open it and grin widely. Walking to her, he grabbed her bags and ushered her in. She smiled at his generosity even though she was probably more equipped to carry heavy items than he. She looked around the area that gave the feeling of serenity. It was exactly like she pictured Arturo and his easygoing personality to live in. "You can stay here in the guest bedroom, did you eat?" "Yes, I have, thank you," she lied not really in the mood to eat after her experience from earlier. Smiling once more he nodded and left her alone closing the door behind her sensing that she wanted some time to herself. As the door shut, Echo fell onto the bed and kicked her boots off. Closing her eyes she breathed in the fresh smell of the bed sheets. Turning over, she picked up her boots and moved them over near her backs but stopped when she heard the rustle of paper in her pocket. Confused, she reached in and pulled out the envelope she had found in the book earlier. She flipped it over and looked at the front and saw once more the yellowed and frayed edges of it. She was curious as to what lay inside and brainstormed on what it might be, but one thing made itself very clear. She would have to open first to find out.
Chapter 11 Echo lifted her hand and slowly drew her finger along the flap of the envelope, it ripped half way. Frustrated, Echo tore open the envelope no longer gentle with it and grasped the smooth paper inside that was neatly folded. Unfolding it, Echo looked at the first words and was taken away when she noticed that they were addressed to her. -Echo, my darling little girl. It began with those five simple words, yet they seemed to stop time itself. She stopped immediately and folded it up in haste. She knew that if she continued to read she would break apart right then. After a minute of staring down at the note, she heard Arturo knock on the door. "Echo, I know you've been through a lot tonight and I wanted to make sure you were alright." He said through the door, his words sounding muffled in effect. She quickly rose from the bed and opened the painted white door and was met by his gaze. "Yes, thank you for asking." She said. "You, don't seem so. Are you sure?" He asked once more as a small frown appeared on his face out of concern. She looked down as tears bordered the rims of her eyes as she thought back to the beginning of the letter once more. "Hey." He said touching her chin urging her to look up, " I don't know what you're going through, but things will get better. I promise." She smiled slightly at his attempts to lighten her mood. "I know, it's just everything that's been going on lately. Do you ever notice how when one thing goes wrong, life just seems to disagree with you on what you're breaking point is and pushes it to impossible limits?" As she said this she held up the letter in both hands continuing. "My parents died when I was very young, and I was brought up by one of her very good friends. This letter... I found it only yesterday. I know it is to me, and I know now that it is from my parents. I'm afraid of what I'll find; I'm afraid that whatever is written here will tear me apart more so than I feel now. I can't read it; I can't make myself read something that will connect me to them once more and then have reality rip them away again." Arturo watched her closely as she relayed this to him and he nodded. "Echo, sometimes that's just what we need. If you feel torn up now, that means you haven't gotten closure; you need closure in order to reach a balance in yourself. This letter may tell you everything you want to know and answer some questions. I'm not saying you have to read it now... but I am saying that you should read it when you feel ready." "No... no you're right Arturo." She stated seeing the truth in his words, "But before I read it, I want to go somewhere. And I want you to come with me." "Of course I will, I'm always happy to help." ****************************************************************** Arturo stopped beside the curb as they reached their destination, the bright sunlight of morning rising distantly. Echo stared out the window towards her old house. If she was going to hear the last words of her parents, then she was going to go to the place she would feel the most connected to them. Stepping out of the car, Echo and Arturo walked at a swift pace towards the door. Looking about, she could see the early signs of spring making themselves known in the trees around her. Echo knocked on the door stiffly and waited. Slowly she heard footsteps heading towards the door and saw as a middle-aged woman open the door with a smile. Explaining the situation, the woman agreed that they could have sometime in the home she once lived in. As she walked inside Echo saw that the house looked exactly as she remembered it, right down to the wooden stairs. The only difference was the furniture in the house. Stopping abruptly, Echo let past a small girl coming in from the backyard and heard her shout out to her mother. "Mom, Look! I found a lizard!" The girl shouted in a high voice. Echo blinked back tears once more as she relived the old memories that flooded her once more. She looked back when she felt Arturo's assuring hand on her shoulder and nodded continuing upstairs to her old bedroom. The dark purple walls still remained and Echo sat down on the bed that now belonged to the little girl she assumed. Taking out the note, she began the letter once more. -Echo, my darling little girl. Knowing that there is a chance you could grow up without us leaves me with a heavy heart. There is little time and so much to explain. I will start with the most important; the necklace I have left at Natalie's is special, don't let Demetrius and them get their hands on it. If they do, everything your father worked on will be lost. He never told you what he did as his occupation, but it was with good intentions, you are the safest when you know nothing as odd as it seems. Now I have no choice but to inform you; he went to college for a short time, but eventually decided it was best not to continue and went on to work on a project of his own, with some of his colleagues who also knew about vampires. They were working on a way to reverse vampirism and they succeeded. Now Echo, you must know by now that after so many years of living on that I grow tired; meeting your father was my turning point. I want to settle down with him and grow old with him like any other happy couple. I can't tell you how many times I want to tell you everyday that I love you. As I'm writing this, I watch you play in the backyard. I hope that you never have to read this but times are dangerous and I don't want to leave you in the dark- Echo looked up from the page in an attempt to control the tears that rolled down her cheeks hitting the page. Wiping her thumb across the bottom of her eye, she continued. -Me and your father want everything for you. We want to see you grow up, we want to see you graduate high school, and we want to see you become the beautiful woman we know you'll someday become. Know that we will always be proud of you, no matter your mistakes. You are our daughter and we are your forever loving parents. Take care my love, the world is a dangerous place but know that we will be silently watching over you. Always. -Your parents The tears Echo had attempted to control were now streaming down her face. Heart wrenching sobs arose from her throat as she sunk down into the mattress more. Memories of her parents and her flashed before her eyes, her mother's musical laugh, her father's caring words. She knew now that the fear of feeling being torn from her parents was dead on. Reading the letter had hurt her in every way she imagined, but thinking back, she was glad she listened to Arturo and read the letter. She had gained valuable information and words from her mother that helped her cope with their loss. She held her sides fearing that the breaking feeling she felt inside was making itself known to the outside. Arturo quietly came over and held her as her shoulders shook. After sometime she found that she could contain her sobs. "Thank you." She whispered to him as she leaned off of him. "Echo, it's alright to be sad, you've contained it for so many years. Give yourself a break." She smiled and stood. She looked at herself in the mirror against the wall, her eyes were pink from crying but her face was void from emotion, too tired to show any. After sometime, Echo and Arturo returned to his home and she went to the room, more tired than she'd felt in any lifetime. Slumping onto the bed she closed her eyes. A distant ringing awoke her and she looked at the time, it was four o'clock. She had slept for three hours. Picking up, she heard Lucian's voice on the other end. "Echo, Emmer is missing." "I'll be at her house in 10." She replied and hung up. Thoughts and questions spun in her head. Somewhere along the road, Echo had developed a trust in Emmer despite her being a vampire. She had helped her, and in return, Echo would do her best to return the favor. Not knowing what awaited her, Echo dressed hastily and grabbed her sword on the way out. Nothing would keep her from helping someone who had quite simply risked their life for hers.
Chapter 12 Echo leaned against the side wall of Emmer's house as she watched Lucian's Camaro drive up through her dark shades. Its rims reflecting the soft sunlight of the evening. He stepped out and shut the car door with a firm hand and turned towards her. He gave her a nod in greeting and waved his hand implying that she follow him inside. She trailed behind in his footsteps and continued ahead of him towards the living room of the house as he stopped and shut the heavy door. As she entered she saw Cedric enter in from the hallway and take a seat on the stylish couches, she mirrored him and chose a love seat nearby. "Was there any word from Emmer?" Lucian asked as he took a seat also, joining them. "None, I am sorry to say that I do not know where she may be, I've been searching everywhere." Echo glanced at Cedric's grave features as he spoke with his eyes cast down and knew that he cared deeply for his wife with love that words could not explain. "Theron does not work alone," Echo explained to them, "he has a brother, Demetrius, who Theron not only works for but is head of the whole clan." "How do you know?" Lucian asked, not sure whether to believe her or not. "After you left yesterday, Demetrius paid a visit. He explained this, I suppose Theron had sent him to kill me but he had other plans." "He came to your apartment?" Lucian said taking on a serious tone, leaning forward now. Echo nodded in answer and watched as Lucian's eyes grew dark. She saw as the cushion of the couch grew strained against his hands that gripped it tightly. He was clearly not pleased that she figured this out before him even though he had the inside sources. "And you did not call and inform me of this matter?" He said, quite obviously angered at her answer. "No, I suppose I did not," she responded, matching his tone. "Why not? After all Emmer has done to keep you safe, you would just throw that away?" Echo studied him, surprised that he was able to maintain his calm serious tone without exploding. "It did not occur to me at the moment, I apologize. I had no intention of just "throwing that away," it just slipped my mind. I had a lot on my shoulders at the moment, I hope you can understand?" Lucian relaxed his shoulders at this and she soon found him staring at her questioningly, wondering just what was so important that she could not call him soon after. She ignored his eyes and turned to Cedric who sat silently throughout their anything but discrete argument that had occurred in front of him. He gazed at the pale wall behind her, eyes seeming out of focus. Her heart went out to him; she could not imagine what it would be like to lose someone she loved that much. She had never been in love herself, but if she set her mind on the idea of it, she thought she could imagine what it would feel like. She shifted to the edge of her seat, uncomfortable from the silence that had filled the room. "What do you propose we do?" At the sound of her voice, Cedric snapped out of his reverie and looked at her as if she had just said something utterly ridiculous. "We get her back of course," he responded. "And how do you suppose we do that? We have absolutely no leads. When did you see her last?" "It was before I left to go hunt, I don't like to leave her alone and that is the reason I almost always take her with me. This time though, she said she wanted to figure out more from the man who had broken into your apartment. I agreed, not wanting to create an argument and stress her since she already had a lot going on. When I returned, she and the man were gone. There was no sign of a break in and the only thing I could find that seemed odd was that the front door had been left open; she never forgets things like that." Echo sat back into her seat again, speculating over what he had just said. "And the man, were you able to get anything out of him beforehand?" "Yes, he worked for Demetrius also. Why he would have a human working for him I don't know, but his name was Carson Craft," Lucian said in the low voice of his as if we're in deep thought. "I see, but that doesn't make any sense still. Why would he want to work for Demetrius, there is no benefit in for him." "Unless he wants to be turned himself," Cedric inferred. "It seems like it could be a reason. Many humans have been known things such as this so they will have the chance to be turned." Lucian stood, and walked the perimeter of the room. "In the mean time, I think we should all keep close tabs on each other in case anything goes wrong. I'll go tomorrow to visit Theron and see if I can overhear or find out anything on her mysterious disappearance. I think it would be best if you found a safer location to stay also Echo." She looked up at him and nodded her head. "Yes, I've done so already. I'm staying with a friend temporarily, I also will go tomorrow to gather the rest of my things." "Yes, but I think it would be best if you stayed at my place just to be sure. Your friend is only human, am I correct?" Echo nodded once more. Despite her dislike for Lucian, his idea was also better than hers. Staying with Arturo was only temporary and she could not bring herself to ask any more of him. On the other hand, she could take care of herself and did not require Lucian's care but she did not say this for fear of starting another heated conversation. She stood also and made her way towards the door, Lucian and Cedric following close behind. "I'll return soon, so that we can continue to discuss this after Lucian has learned some more on the matter," she said lightly. They nodded at the same time and Cedric turned to leave not saying anything more. She stared after him in dismay wishing she could help, but knowing she could not when his wife was missing and they had no clue as to where she was. Sighing she opened the door and stepped out into the darkening day which showed signs that it was finally ready to give in to the night. "Would you like me to give you a ride home?" Lucian's voice broke the air bringing with it a crackle of danger. She shook her head. "No need, I brought my bike anyway. Wouldn't feel right just leaving it," she said regretfully. She stopped and balked at herself. Regretfully... why was she regretting it? Shaking off the thought she turned to get on her bike. "Drive safe Echo, we all need to stick together. If another one of us goes missing, I won't know what to do." He stood at his car door now, looking at her seriously. A hint of worry touching his eyes. "Don't worry, I will. I've survived this long, I'm sure I can handle things." She hopped on her bike and revved the engine preparing to leave. Glancing at him one last time, she edged away and drove off. ********************************************************* Echo walked into Arturo's house and breathed in the heady scent of Spaghetti. She made her way into the kitchen and saw Arturo leaning against the counter reading a piece of paper intently. He looked up at her and smiled. "Hungry?" "It smells delicious. I had no idea you could cook," she replied with a returning smile. "Well... I can't. I'm trying to," he said lamely while holding up the paper which appeared to have a recipe on it. "Well, it seems as though you're doing pretty well to me." He smiled wider, clearly satisfied at her approval of the meal. Turning to the stove, he continued on with the cooking. Echo left to the room and slipped on clothes that were more comfortable. Sitting on the bed, she got out the small necklace once more for further analyzing of it. She gazed in wonder as it reflected the light of the room from its red ruby. The snake eye seemed to stare back as it possessively held the stone; its scales forming a rounded pattern along its slim body. Turning it this way and that, she wondered how it could hold the secret to her father's workings. Placing it back around her throat, she sat back defeated. After half an hour of studying it, she found no clue on how to uncover the secrets it hid. The alarm of the fire alarm jolted her upright and she stood there unsure. After several minutes of it going off with its demanding ring, she made her way into the kitchen. She found Arturo rushing towards the sink with a pot and dumped it in. Glancing at it she saw the thin noodles had molded onto the pot and left a heavy scent in the air. Arturo looked back at her and smiled guiltily. "Echo, we're ordering take out tonight. I fear I've burned our precious meal." She laughed at the absurdity of burning spaghetti and went to find the phone to call the local Chinese food place.
Chapter 13 Echo dropped the duffel bag she carried onto the black leather couch before her which was the main centerpiece of the floor. She had gathered her things from her apartment; the furniture safely locked away in a storage area and her clothes and other essentials now stood in Lucian's living room. The area was spacious with a balcony looking out to the city, the glass panes the only things separating it from the rest of the apartment. The dark wood of the floors shined from the small warm tinted lights that hung above. She stood for a second taking it all in and her eyes finally settled on the giant 65 inches plasma screen TV. "It pays to be a vampire." She turned towards the voice to find Lucian standing in the entryway smirking. His dark eyes stopped her from her analysis of his living space. "I suppose it does," she replied while flashing him a smile of her own. He walked towards her with fluid movements and picked up the heaviest of her bags. "You will be staying in the room across from mine, I hope you can find it to your liking," he said from somewhere down the hallway he'd disappeared into. Gathering the rest of her things, Echo followed him into a large room. It's walls were painted a dark maroon color and a large king sized bed bathed in black sheets and covers held her eyes. She smiled inwardly; Lucian had taken note of the way she liked things, despite herself she respected him for that. "Thank you," she replied. "If you need anything, just call." With this, Lucian left her alone in the room which she could now call hers. She turned and began the task of unpacking her clothes into the walk-in closet nearby. After several minutes she came out to find Lucian once again in the living room sitting on the long couch reading a book. "You read?" He looked up at her and nodded. "Yes, from time to time I do enjoy a good book now and then." She sat down beside him and stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. Suddenly a thought popped into her mind. "Lucian... do you think that it's possible for one vampire to want to kill another? Not for the obvious reasons of course, but... something more?" The thoughts of Theron's accusation towards her from that one night flashed before her. She never could decide on why exactly he wanted to put the blame on her. Lucian looked up once more from his book to her at noticing the change in topic and a small frown appeared on his face. "It's possible I suppose. All vampires have something specific they crave in people's blood for the traits they have such a greed, lust, or kindness and are compelled towards them. It would not surprise me that one vampire could want to kill others of its kind for things like that. Why do you ask?" She thought as he relayed this to her. Perhaps Theron needed a cover up for his own needs and she was the perfect person to point the finger at. "No reason I suppose. But on more of this trait thing vampires have on people's blood; what happens when they don't satisfy their craving for it?" Lucian studied her for a minute as if contemplating whether to tell her or not. He sighed and continued. "Their craving may intensify until at an unfortunate moment they may snap. Their craving taking hold of them and them having no control over themselves, but they can learn to control it over time with enough effort." Echo held her breath in. She was nervous at this new discovery of information. "And... do you have those cravings?" She asked reluctantly. "Yes I do unfortunately. I'm only vampire as they say," he said with a small smile that had a hint of something else looming in them. "What trait is it that attracts you to a person's blood?" She said quietly, not sure whether she wanted to know. She watched as he reached up and slowly brushed his hand along her jawbone. He leaned in close to her ear, his lips brushing her shoulder. "Beauty..." He whispered dragging out the word as his breath hit her neck making her shiver. As if realizing his intrusion of her space, he leaned away slowly and rose. Turning, he left without another word down the hall and a second later she heard the shutting of his door. Echo sat there still frozen in the same position as she had been trying to figure out what just happened. Shaking her head she got up and retreated to her room not sure on what note the night had left off on. ******************************************************* "And you're sure you didn't hear anything of Emmer?" Cedric asked once more slumping his shoulders in defeat. "No, I'm afraid not." Lucian said answering him in the same tone, "Though I did hear that Theron was furious with Demetrius for letting you slip away. He was not pleased, yet I doubt there's anything he can do since Demetrius is the one in power after all." Lucian said this all while looking towards Cedric and away from Echo. He had said little to her since the past night, and she was left with unanswered questions brimming in her eyes. Cedric crossed the room and took out a thick book. He returned and sat next to Echo and placed it in her lap. "What's this?" She questioned while running her fingers over the rough surface of the cover. "It's a very old book I've kept that was handed down. I looked through it and found something that might be of interest. You say that your mother's necklace holds the key to unlocking your father's workings?" Echo nodded remembering how she'd mentioned it briefly to him beforehand. "At first I found nothing over the section of the ouroboros, but upon stumbling over another section, I found a small passage on a necklace. The necklace does resemble yours, does it not?" She glanced down and studied the small picture next to the neat text and found that the necklace did in fact look like a twin of the one that hung around her neck. "From what I could read, this necklace can hold whatever secrets the owner desires. They must be a full vampire though in order for them to work it, which is probably reasoning for the symbol the snake represents and why it's on there. Now we know your father was not a vampire but your mother was and in here it also mentions that blood relatives can have the possibility of uncovering and working them too." Echo glanced at Cedric's face as he explained this to her not sure as to what he was getting at but knew it wouldn't be good. "So as you could assume," he continued slowly, "you are in fact a blood relative Echo. If you want to uncover your father's workings however, and whatever else this necklace could be holding... you need to be a vampire." Echo stood up quickly looking down on him with a furious gaze. "I refuse-," she started but was cut off by Cedric. "Now calm down, I never said you would be forced to. All I'm getting at here is that if you wanted to, you would need to make the transition." She turned away and grasped at the necklace that hung around her neck, her fingers feeling the grooves of the scales along the snake's body. The choice to change into a vampire willingly would have never once been considered an option, but now she found herself unsure. The decision to this would have to wait, she thought. Time was on her side for now and this was one thing she would not force herself to decide on at the moment.
Chapter 1 Echo shot up out of her bed breathing heavily. The reoccurring nightmare of her twin self in the mirror with blood-red eyes haunted her once more. She lifted a hand and brushed away the stray black hair that had found their way in the line of her view. Her thoughts took another turn and focused on Cedric's earlier words. If she wanted to know what secrets lay inside the necklace, she would need to become that girl in the mirror to do so. How was she to make herself do that though if she could not even embrace her vampire half right now? Many questions were still left unanswered for her and turning would just create another complication. Sighing, she slid out from the soft black covers that engulfed her and felt the cold flooring meet her feet. "Good morning," Lucian greeted as he assessed her now combed hair and usual combination of dark clothing. She nodded her head in greeting and strode toward the door. "Where are you off to?" He questioned while leaning against the wall; his eyes following her still. "I'm headed to the club, maybe I can find a vampire there who will give me answers?" At this Lucian shook his head. "Too dangerous, they will be on the lookout Echo. Maybe it is best you stay here." "And do what?" She said turning and forcing herself to return his gaze while continuing, "I feel like I'm not contributing my part. I can't be stuck up in this apartment all day! I can handle myself, as I said before. I'm going to get answers my way; being a vampire slayer has its perks too you know." She smiled as she said the last words and he frowned at that. "Please let me do this, I'm fully capable of handling a situation." "I realize that, but sometimes I don't think you realize the dangers you put yourself in. You are still half human you know." He turned and walked back to the kitchen; taking hold of the situation, Echo stepped out before he could say anything more. ****************************************************** The warm breeze that passed by her through the parking lot brushed its fingers through her hair as she made her way towards the door. Soft Jazz played through the building and the mingling of people chatting at the bar made their way towards her ears. Damion, the bartender, gave her small wave as he spotted her and ushered her over. "Hey Echo, how you been? Haven't seen you around lately," he said in the husky voice of his. "I've been good, and I know. I've been caught up in... personal matters." "Hey, we all know how shitty life can get, right? No worries, I've got the goods that will temporarily take away your problems," he said laughing and holding up a bottle of liquor. "No thanks Damion, not tonight. I'm actually here to see if you've seen anyone that could be of interest." "Ah, so you're looking to have a good time? I think I know a person who may be interested." She watched as his eyes dropped and his voice took on a seductive tone; he smiled tugging gently at his lips. "You really are something aren't you?" She laughed, "No, I meant like someone who looks out-of-place." "Well now, I suppose I am. But if it's someone like that you're looking for, why not try that guy over there?" He jerked his chin forward towards the corner of the bar near a row of booths and she saw a shape make itself known. She turned and rewarded Damion with a smile and made her way over to the man, upon looking over his face she saw that Damion had not let her down and he was indeed a vampire. The man looked up and gasped sharply as his eyes found hers; the greens of his eyes widened and his mouth stood agape in horror as they met her silver ones. The man seemed to realize his face was like an open book and just as quickly as it opened it slammed shut. He stood and started making his way toward the door muttering darkly under his breath, silent whispers that she could barely make out. Rushing out the club after him, she grabbed his shoulder as he rounded the corner of the building. Lashing out, the man turned quicker than she could have imagined and before she knew it she was pinned against the brick wall of the building. "What do you want from me?!" The man screamed into her face. Echo was taken aback by the amount of hostility in his voice. Her eyes grazed over the deep gash on the right side of his face running from his eyebrow to his lower jaw. 'What could have done that?', she thought. Echo chose to stay as she was in her position; as vulnerable as she was, she wanted to seem as trusting as possible in hopes of gaining some information. "Please, I just want to know some information," she managed. The man held her by her throat. His gasps of breathe forcing their way out of his mouth along with the wild look in his eye gave him a feral look which made her contemplate the choice to stay in her vulnerable position. He slid his tongue over his cracked lips, a low hiss escaping his mouth. "What's your name?" He said; his voice coming out like sandpaper. "Echo, Echo Knight." Despite her shocked state, she found herself answering his questions truthfully. He hissed once more showing her his extended canines; his grip on her throat tightened and her hand twitched up in response to her growing need for air. "It's just as I presumed... you are in fact of the Knight family. I should kill you now for the things you've done." 'What is he talking about?', she asked herself. "I have not done anything; I have no clue as to what you're talking about." "Don't lie to me child! Your family was my downfall, now tell me why you're here." "I don't know what you're talking about. My father was a scientist who worked on his own projects with colleagues. My mother was a vampire, like yourself." "He had a daughter?" He asked to himself, confused now. He released her and stepped back running his hands through his thick hair. "And you know nothing?" He turned toward her again and she could see that the deranged look had vanished from his eyes. She shook her head. "If you are lying to me girl, you will soon be gotten rid of." "I'm not lying to you, now tell me why you hate my father so much," she said. "I will not, if you are not mixed up in this mess, then I will not be the one to get you into it." "I am already mixed into this mess whether I want to be or not, but if you did tell me then perhaps we can both benefit from it." He shook his head and rubbed his jaw. "Not here. If you want answers, it will be on my own terms." "Very well, how can I get a hold of you?" "I will find you." She nodded her head and turned to leave. "Echo." At her name she turned back towards the man. "You may not like the answers you will get. Your father... was not the man you thought he was." ****************************************************** Echo walked into the silent apartment and headed to her room. She found herself staring at the maroon wall and found escape in it. She had never known her father to be someone else other than the man she thought he was; if she found he was in fact the opposite she would be devastated. He was all she looked up to. 'Could he in fact be someone totally different and all she knew about him... a lie', she thought. Soon the light of out her window turned to dark. A faint sound at her doorway snapped her out of her reverie and she turned to find Lucian looking at her. "Are you alright?" He asked in his smooth voice; the lines of his face turning up in concern. She ran a hand through her hair and sat up straighter. "Yes, I'm fine." "How long have you been sitting here?" He looked out of the window into the night and back at her. "Not too long." "Is that so? Because when I got here you were sitting like this and I came in again an hour later and you're in the same position. Tell me what's wrong." "Nothing, I've just got a lot on my mind." "Were you able to find any information?" "No, unfortunately not. I may be going to see my mother's friend, Natalie, tomorrow." His eyes narrowed as if he knew she was lying. The silence filled the room like a heavy blanket. After a few moments, he spoke again. "You know," he said hesitating, "you can tell me things Echo. I may be able to help." He walked over and she briefly noted the dark hood he wore, perhaps the same one he wore on the night they met. He looked down at her, his dark hair falling into his face and his eyes fixing on her stopping her for a moment. He reached out and she closed her eyes as the touch of his hand meeting her cheek; it lingered there for a moment before continuing across her lips. The warm feel it made her lean into it a bit but she stopped at realizing what she was doing. When it vanished she opened her eyes and found him looking at her as if concentrating; perhaps on her reaction. "Sleep well." These were his words to her before he left her alone with her thoughts. She found herself confused by her reaction also. She had never thought of Lucian as someone she could like in that way. By the time she was done thinking it over, only one question ran through her mind. Was there a chance that she, a vampire slayer, could like Lucian, a vampire?