The Vampire's Rival

When she walks away

This was an intervention.

Jamila was strong, capable, responsible, helpful and the glue that kept this group together. It was because of her that no one from the Barn had lost their minds despite hiking through a wilderness that they had been made to believe was worse than hell. Instead of looking at this as the Dantean journey it was, Jamila had been able to convince the others to believe in Hadley and her ability to find the Wildlings. And because Jamila fully believed in Hadley, everyone else did because everyone else fully believed in Jamila.

She was one of the only humans I knew who had a power that was closest to mine. It was why my plan to use her would have worked. She could mute and amplify emotions in others when she needed to, vastly improving their mood, or bolstering their hope and positivity. And it was fascinating to watch because she did it all without telepathy.

But while she was taking care of everyone, no one was taking care of her.

And that irked me.

Enough to want to do something about it.

I was curious about what her mind would taste like. Every mind has its own taste, and as I slipped into hers, I was not disappointed. Jamila's mind was warm and welcoming. Like walking into a pool that you expected was going to be frigid, only to find that it was heated to the perfect temperature. Or like walking into a cabin with a fire crackling and warming the space after you'd been in the snow for hours. Her mind invited me in, compelling me to explore it further.

Centuries ago, I realised that fear was the only emotion I ever needed to tweak to push others into doing what I wanted. Desire would come in handy every so often, but fear was my mainstay. Manipulating fear also drained me the least because a quick pull on it would flood the mind with a cascade of hormones that maintained the feeling, like adrenaline. What I was about to do now was nothing like manipulating fear. And this wasn't about Jamila doing what I wanted.

"How do you feel?" I finally asked, feeling slightly shaky. That was the fastest I'd gotten close to the blood starved edge purely from telepathy.

"Your eyes," Jamila whispered, her golden eyes looking into mine.

"I'm fine." I assured her. "You?"

Jamila sighed. "I'm exhausted. I need to take a break."

I smiled. The risk had paid off, although I did feel a twinge of guilt at doing what I had. It was Jamila. I hated to admit it, but she was a paragon of good. I had no right messing with her mind. However, my telepathic manipulation of emotion was never a permanent change, and what I'd done was for her own good. I'd muted her unchecked selflessness - this incessant need to always put others above herself no matter what. This was something I had never attempted before, and the precision needed to make sure I wasn't turning her into an insufferable, narcissistic, selfish bitch was why it had drained me so fast. Although the effect wouldn't last, I did hope it would make her feel different – and that she'd like it enough to encourage the feeling on her own from now on.

Jamila laughed, then blushed. "I know you need my help with something, but is it okay if we talk later?"

"Of course." I nodded.

"I'm really sorry, but I promise we'll talk when I'm rested." Jamila said. Then she looked at the trunks of clothes around us, becoming a little conflicted about leaving.

"Don't apologize. And don't worry about the clothes. I'll find the others and get them to pick something out for themselves. Go. Rest. We'll be okay without you until then."

Jamila smiled, nodded, and walked away.

Well, that hadn't gone the way I thought it would.

I was rethinking everything now.