I can’t entertain the idea for more than a moment. “It could just all be a coincidence. Maybe the vampire saw her out somewhere and followed her home. She is a rather striking young woman, and you can’t deny the appeal she seems to have. I know I feel incredibly drawn to her,” I say.

  Roman looks at me skeptically and also perhaps with a hint of jealousy. “Regardless of what the reason is that this visitor has dropped into Oak Bluffs, I think it’s time to consult with our dear friend Stellan, and the sooner, the better,” he says.

  Lying in bed trying to sleep, I can’t get the memories of Fabian out of my mind. I remember the first time I understood what real fear was. I was a boy of only about five. As my eyes begin to close, my subconscious drifts, and I’m transported to that very day.

  “Hurry, Nico!” said my beautiful mother in an urgent whisper. She had pulled my small suitcase out of the closet and was filling it with my clothes and shoes. I sat staring at her wide-eyed, not quite understanding what was happening. I held onto my ragged bear and rubbed his plastic nose with my thumb as I watched her scramble about my room.

  Mother had told me that we had to leave, but I didn’t want to. I liked it here. I sat down on the floor with my teddy in my lap and reached under the bed for my red fire truck. I pushed it around in circles by the foot of the bed making a siren noise as I went.

  “Nico! Stop, please!” yelled my mother as her golden curls tumbled loose. She pulled me up onto my feet to look directly into my eyes. “There’s no time for playing, son. We have to leave now.” She took my teddy bear and fire truck and threw them into the suitcase before hastily zipping it up. I was about to object because I saw that many of my toys were being abandoned, when I noticed she had stopped moving. She stared blankly ahead, completely still. There was something about the look in her eye, the fear and desperation, that shook me to the core.

  Suddenly, my father and Roman appeared at the doorway, each toting a suitcase. Roman’s face was tear-stained and his little hands were balled into tight fists. “Are you ready?” asked my father. My mother nodded and hauled the small suitcase off of the bed and handed it to my father.

  As he packed the car up, our mother circled around our home a few more times. While we waited at the entryway, I glanced over at my big brother. He was only a few years older than I, but he was a superhero in my eyes. Seeing him so upset was troublesome.

  “Mommy says everything’s going to be okay,” I said to him.

  “She doesn’t know that,” Roman responded bitterly for a seven year old. “I overheard them talking last night, and father said Fabian will never stop hunting us until we’re all dead.”

  His words sent a shiver down my spine. I remembered hearing the name Fabian mentioned in fearful whispers, but I never really knew the power behind that name. My mom reappeared with a small picnic basket hung on her arm. Wherever we were going, I assumed it must be far, if we needed to bring food with us.

  She grabbed the two small jackets from the coat hanger and handed one to Roman and bent down to help me with mine. Now that she was at my eye level, I realized that she had been crying too. Her eyes were red and bloodshot and though she tried to hide it, she looked scared. That terrified me. She buttoned my coat all the way up and plopped a hat on my head. I felt like a stuffed sausage, but I dared not make a peep. She ushered us out of the house with one last remorseful glance at what was once our happy home.

  The following morning, Roman and I pack up his Porsche convertible for a road trip to Stellan’s. The weather is perfect for a drive through the countryside, and I’m thoroughly enjoying the feel of the wind in my hair. I am eager to see Stellan, but I’m also dreading it since I am fully aware that he’s not going to be happy with us. He had been adamant about staying away from Celeste.

  Pulling into the long gravel driveway, I take in the quaint wooden house and sprawling land. It’s exactly as I remembered it. Stellan appears at the doorway, wearing the same royal blue robe I always associate with him. His graying hair has grown past his shoulders and his lengthy beard is a snowy white. His kind gray eyes brighten at the sight of us.

  “How are you doing, old man?” asks Roman fondly.

  “Now Roman Constantin, I know you have better manners than that. Your parents taught you to respect your elders,” he scolds. Smiling, he says, “It has been far too long, my boy,” and he yanks Roman into an awkward embrace. I’m just a few steps behind and quickly join in on the long overdue reunion.

  Seeing Stellan reminds me of my parents, and I feel the familiar sting of loss. Then I think of Fabian and everything that he has cost us. I shudder at the thought of him coming after Celeste.

  “It’s been much too long since I last laid eyes on the two of you. I’d like to start with some pleasantries, but from your tone when we spoke last night I imagine this is a rather urgent matter we need to discuss,” says Stellan, ushering us into the expansive great room which smells just as it always has.

  Walking through the bookshelf-lined entrance hallway, I run my finger along the dusty tomes. I look up at the vaulted ceiling overhead and remember vividly wanting to climb on those rafters as a young boy. Nostalgia hits me as I reminisce about all the fond memories in this old house.

  Roman interrupts my musings as he begins to recount the story of the vampire he tracked to Celeste’s house. As he speaks, I’m astonished at the depth of emotion behind it. Though my brother has yet to admit it, he’s profoundly affected by her. I can’t help but feel a nagging twinge of guilt. Perhaps I really should stop pursuing her.

  “What if this has something to do with Fabian?” asks Roman when he finishes. “Do you think it’s possible that he has found out about her?”

  Stellan peers over his horn-rimmed glasses. “There’s always a possibility, but the question is why would he even want to interfere with guardian affairs? Those are matters beyond his concern, unless of course, he stumbled upon her while tracking the two of you. But you two haven’t been associating with her, have you?”

  Roman and I look at each other nervously. Here it comes.

  “What did I warn you two about before you came back to Oak Bluffs?” asks Stellan, his voice rising as he moves to the edge of his seat. “You must not get involved with her; it is too dangerous for all of you. The only reason I told you about her was to protect you both, and now it seems I’ve done quite the opposite– not to mention that I have put her at risk as well.”

  My heart plummets. If Celeste really were at risk because of me, I would never forgive myself. I can’t let anything happen to her. I glance over at Roman and by the grimace on his face, I know he’s thinking the exact same thing I am. We screwed up big time.

  The three of us sit in silence for a while. I’m not comfortable with the fact that Celeste’s life is in our hands. Roman’s jaw is tense; his teeth have been grinding for the past half an hour. I’m tempted to put my hand on his shoulder to reassure him, but I’m afraid he might bite my head off.

  “So what are we going to do?” I ask finally breaking the heavy silence.

  “We are going to protect her,” answers Roman with a menacing sparkle in his eye.

  As we drive back to Oak Bluffs, I feel the rush of a nervous excitement. After lengthy discussions, we decide that finding this vampire was of the utmost importance. Between Roman and me, tracking him should be no problem. As Roman turns the wheel of the car, I can almost see the wheels turning in his head, his emotions churning. I’m suddenly grateful to be the lighthearted one.

  We arrive back in town just as the sun is setting in the distance. It’s the perfect time for vampire hunting. As Roman and I split up to cover more ground, I feel the thrill of the hunt come over me. This is exactly what I need. I head to the pier first; it seems like the most seedy part of town. Vampires can’t be exposed to sunlight, and dark warehouses always provide the perfect hideouts. I end up by the containers where the party was held the other night, but I find only a few homeless people sleeping inside. There are red cups and empty beer bottles strewn across the ground, but no dead bodies, thankfully.

  As I round one of the containers, four guys surround me. I recognize one of them from the other night. It’s the werewolf guy with the crying girlfriend.

  “I told you to stay out of our territory,” he growls.

  “And I told you, I’m not trying to start anything. I’m actually trying to keep the peace,” I say trying to keep my tone cool.

  They eye me nervously, their bodies tense and ready to strike.

  “Look, maybe you can help me out, and I’ll get out of your hair,” I continue. “Have you seen a new vampire in town?”

  The big guy from the other night lets out a chuckle. “No. We don’t let their kind survive in our town.”

  I can’t help the sardonic smile that forms on my face. “Well if you see one, will you let me know?” I say as I start to turn away.

  A girl suddenly steps out from behind a tree. She’s petite with fierce dark eyes and black hair. She looks completely different than the crying figure I observed the other night.

  “I’ve seen one,” she says.

  “Stay out of this Paige,” hisses one of the werewolves.

  “Don’t tell me what to do,” she spits back and turns to me. “I saw him here the other night. He’s young, probably around my age, and he’s new. He didn’t even know what I was.”

  “Thank you,” I say genuinely. Now at least I know where he hangs out, and hopefully I can find him again. I turn to leave and feel a vibration in my back pocket. I pull out the phone and see a text from Roman.

  I found him. Come to Ralph’s ASAP.

  Chapter 5

  The tin bells hanging above the entryway chime loudly as I yank open the door to Ralph’s Diner. It’s a classic 1950s eatery complete with poodle-skirt wearing waitresses and a jukebox at every table. My eyes quickly scan the room and fall upon Celeste’s nervous ones. I detect a slight sense of relief from her at my arrival. Roman is sitting next to her, every muscle in his body tense as he glares at the guy sitting across from him. Celeste’s friend Natalie is here as well, the brunette I met at the party the other night, and she seems completely oblivious to what is going on.

  I speed across the restaurant and approach the group with a friendly smile. They’re sitting in a four-person booth so I pull up a chair on the end in between Roman and the vampire. I conduct a quick assessment of the guy, and it seems that my werewolf friend was right: he couldn’t be more than a few months old– as a vampire, that is. In life he had probably been in his early twenties when killed. He’s got sandy brown hair and an unassuming look. I try to picture him with a baseball cap and compare the mental image in my head, but I can’t be sure he was the same guy that was following us. And yet, he does look somewhat familiar.

  “Well good evening all – and you are?” I ask pleasantly as a turn toward the stranger.

  “Patrick. You’re Nico right?” the guy says, extending his hand.

  “Exactly,” I reply, as a squeeze his hand a little harder than I should, causing him to wince.

  The tension at the table is palpable, and I can see Celeste staring at me with a “I hope you can explain this” look. Unfortunately, I can’t so I avoid her glares from across the table and attempt to make idle chit chat. We all have to play along for now, at least until we can get the girls out of here and safely back home.

  “So tell us something about yourself,” I say as I settle in.

  “Before you two got here I was telling the girls that I just started at the community college,” replies Patrick coolly.

  He’s keeping a casual demeanor, but I notice tiny beads of sweat have formed just below his hairline. I also suddenly recognize the brown leather jacket hung over the bright red booth. He was at the container party last night. Could he have been following us the other day too?

  I try to focus back in on the conversation. “Interesting, that’s where I go as well, and yet I’ve never seen you. What’s your major?”

  “I’m still undecided.”

  “And what made you come to Oak Bluffs?” I continue.

  “Nico, stop giving him the third degree!” interjects Natalie.

  “I’m sorry, I hope I wasn’t rude. I simply wanted to get to know the guy vying for my ladies’ attentions.” And I flash my million-dollar smile making the girls blush prettily.

  Celeste starts to fidget in her seat, and makes it obvious she wants out of the tension-filled booth. As she heads to the bathroom alone, Roman tries to get my attention. Imperceptibly, our eyes meet and with a nod he follows her to the restroom. I’m not exactly sure what he’s going to do, but it seems he has a plan. I attempt to carry on the dialogue, switching my focus to Natalie. With Celeste out of sight, it only now dawns on me how attractive Natalie is. I watch her attentively as she chatters on about the prom committee and how busy she is as its head. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Roman and Celeste arguing outside of the restroom. She has her hands on her hips and is glaring obstinately at him. She is quite the challenge for my brother, I think with a smirk.

  Finally, they return to the table and Celeste gives a lame excuse about having to leave to study for finals. Roman looks pleased with himself. Natalie’s smile drops as her friend ushers her out of the booth.

  “But I was having fun,” she says as Celeste practically drags her away.

  The girls wave as they rush out the door and before the final bell jingles, Roman lunges across the table toward Patrick. He knocks over an empty beer mug, and it crashes to the floor.

  “Whoa,” I say, holding him back by the arm, “let’s take this outside.” I smile apologetically at the waitress as she bends down to pick up the shards of glass strewn on the black and white checkered tiles. “Sorry,” I mouth silently.

  Patrick’s eyes are wide as unmistakable fear tears through him. Now that the girls are gone, he realizes he may be in trouble. Roman and I get on either side of him and forcefully escort him to the alley behind the diner.

  “What are you really doing here, Patrick?” I ask under the dim light of a street lamp. I’m suddenly reminded of the good cop/bad cop interrogation so popular on TV shows. One look at Roman’s fiery eyes, and I’m disappointed at the realization that I would be playing the good cop.

  “Whoa, guys, I think we got off on the wrong foot here or something. I didn’t know those girls were with you, okay? I just came in here looking for a bite,” he says facetiously. “I’m sure there are plenty of humans to go around, right?”

  “That’s not what my brother asked. Now answer us: what are you doing here in Oak Bluffs?” growls Roman as he shoves him up against the outer wall of the diner. A cat jumps out of the adjacent dumpster with a clang, momentarily startling us. Patrick tries to break free from Roman’s grasp, but my brother holds strong. Tightening the grip around his throat, Roman hisses, “Answer me.”

  I’m slightly concerned by the venom that laces my brother’s voice, but I guess he’s getting the job done. It worries me when Roman teeters so close to the edge.

  The guy finally starts talking. “Nothing, I swear. A couple of weeks ago I was just a normal guy, and then one day I wake up, and I’m a vampire. All I wanted to do was sink my teeth into my little sister, so I freaked out and left town. Oak Bluffs seemed as good a place as any to start my new life so I stopped here,” he explains. “I’m just trying to figure it all out.”

  “What were you doing outside of Celeste’s house the other night?” I question. I’m still unconvinced by his story.

  “I was out flying around looking for a willing donor, and I saw someone walking by themselves so I stopped for a closer look. Geez, what is it about this girl that has you two so worked up?”

  “That’s our business, not yours. This is my suggestion to you Patrick: go home, pack your stuff, leave Oak Bluffs and never come back,” threatens Roman.

  He takes a moment to consider his options and then makes the right decision. “Okay, okay, there’s no need to get violent. This place wasn’t that great anyway, I’m outta here.”

  Almost in unison, Roman and I let out a sigh of relief. We watch as Patrick trudges to his black Honda Civic and drives off. Hondas are extremely popular cars, I say to myself, but even to me the excuse sounds hollow.

  “That was easy,” I say.

  “Too easy,” retorts Roman.

  “That guy didn’t know anything; he was a new vampire and obviously didn’t have the brains to be behind any sort of plot against Celeste. He probably really was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” I say as I start to walk toward my own car. I think I said it more to assure myself than anyone else.

  “I’m not convinced, little brother. It’s all too much of a coincidence. I’m going to keep watch over Celeste tonight just in case. We can’t risk anything happening to her.”

  “I can go,” I offer, knowing full well by the look on his face that he’s going to object. “When was the last time you got a full night’s sleep?”

  “I’m fine, I can handle it,” responds Roman as he takes off.

  Now that my brother has taken on full time protection duty for Celeste, I find myself with some time on my hands. Perhaps I should go find that cute fairy from my dream…

  The realm of the Fae isn’t open to just anyone, but luckily I know people. I pull out my phone, shoot off a text, and moments later a small whirling portal opens in the middle of Ralph’s parking lot. I quickly jump through before any late night patrons notice the bright light and swirling vortex. As I’m pulled through, I have the feeling of swimming through a tub of Vaseline, and it’s not altogether pleasant. Finally emerging on the other side with the odd sense that I now know what it feels like to be birthed, I’m greeted by Roxie. She is dressed to the nines and standing in front of a glowing emerald door. It’s the entrance to the fairy club, Faery Tails. She gives me a mischievous grin as the neon light highlights her short hot pink hair and Catwoman-inspired sleek unitard. I pull her into a hug and kiss both of her smooth cheeks.

 

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