When Secrets Run Out

Powers and Laughter

Elijah's POV

   I watch my breath come alive in front of me, the warm mist disappearing into the cool air, the sun quick to snatch the vapor away.

   Looking through the thin strong branches of the tree, I can feel the lift of warmth in the air, the reality of life growing closer the more the sun slowly melts away the only thing keeping me here. The snow that brought me.

    My face conforms into a frown, dead and fear wracking my bones, but I ignore it, turning towards the living myth sitting beside me, long ancient legs hanging over the large branch he sits on, my back still resting against the trunk as I sit next to Oliver. The Vampire.

     "What is it like? Growing old with the world and watching it change?" My lips form words on their own, but I listen to the unintentional question, needing to know the answer.

    Oliver doesn't answer at first, his gaze far away into the past as he stares out into memories I couldn't dream of. His face turns towards me, but his eyes stay away as his mouth opens to answer. "In the moment, especially the beginning, every day is never ending. Always something to do. Always something to see. A revolution to partake in, a war to engage. A plague to outwit. It all felt so exciting and enthralling. But after a while, the skies all look the same. History repeats itself, and you begin your life of solitude, unless you're lucky. But the wells of luck and hope have been barren for thousands of years."

   My heart is heavy as I think about all the hidden souls in the world, watching the days go by on a time-lapse, waiting in vain to find love.

    "But there had to be happy times." I insist, refusing to believe so many people are forced to be miserable for the eternity of their life all because they fear the reactions of my people if they come out into the open. I can't except it. His eyes finally focus, seeing my face in front of him, and his cold ancient eyes melt, the butter scott warming before my eyes.

     "Of course there were happy times. Before you, mine were London."

     "When were you in London?" I ask him, thinking about the beautiful cities across the sea and how different everything was back then.

     "In the late 1700s. I remember how much I adored the new styles of thinking, the growing i street in people wanting to make something of themselves while also protecting their own and others rights. It was a glorious time that while tedious at times, was amazing. We tasted foods we never even dreamed of before. But it all came with a hefty toll I was not willing to pay. The Supernatural did all we could to halt Slavery that was holding the world by the throat. But too many of us started getting caught and killed, and Europe turned into grounds of a Super Hunt of anyone different. We had to flee to the one place where people were too worried about their own safety and greed to hunt others that looked like us." His voice sounds hollow as if the things he had to do before doesn't phase him, but I can tell that watching the world go up in flames for so many people must have been hard.

    "It's not your fault." I tell him, reaching over to touch his slightly colder hand, his skin skin smooth and flawless.

     "Just a hundred random Supers could have stopped all those bleeding breathing men. But more would have came. We would be hunted again. And I chose my long, never ending life over their precious short ones." He's silent for a second before he smiles, the pain of the past gone with just the move of a few muscles. "Tell me of your life."

    I chuckle nervously. "My life isn't nearly as exciting as yours is. I live outside the city in a nice house. There's books everywhere even in my car. I work for a major tech company that's fun and it pays pretty well. A lot of people my age tell me how lucky I am. My friends live six hours away. And I don't have any pets since I work too much to own one." I rattle off random facts nervously, my sentences jumbled and strange as I try to explain myself to Oliver.

     "Sounds lonely." His voice is just as soft as mine when I said the same to him, but the sting of pain is harsh and public, making me look down. There's a beat of tension between us before it melts away with the sound of his calm voice. "I'm surprised you haven't asked to see them."

     "See what?" My response is immediate, my curiosity always getting the better of me.

     "My teeth." I find myself looking towards Oliver in apprehension and excitement, my jaw slowly falling open as I watch long strap teeth grow out of Oliver's mouth.

      "Whoa." I breathe and he chuckles.

       "You wouldn't be able to feel it much. Some humans say it even feels pleasant. But they look the part, don't they?" He asks me, a slight lisp coking from his larger teeth that sends a shiver of both fear and want down my spine. His eyes focus on my body and he chuckled shaking his head in disbelief. "If I'm to be with a human, perhaps I should account for your body reacting to weather. Irresponsible of me to steal you away without a jacket."

    "I'm fine." I try to say, but I find myself shivering, my teeth clattering slightly as I do. As if flipping a switch, Oliver brought to my attention just how cold I really am.

    "Come, fragile human. Let's go warm you up and feed your frail body." He says as a mocking gentleman and I roll my eyes and he chuckles, but my breath falls short when he pulls me closer. This time when he pulls me up into his arms and around his back, I feel every second. By the time I'm sitting on his back, I'm breathing hard, before he even begins running back to his mansion.

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Are you guys ready for this book to be over? Because I am. I am putting every inch of determination I have into finishing this book this week even if I wanna bang my head against a wall when I write it. It's bc I would never leave you guys an incomplete story.

Thoughts?

Comments?

QOTD: Kar-mel or Ca-ra-mel?