dead love.

1. cigarettes

"AFTER ALL THESE years and you couldn't even send a message?" Her voice brimmed with frustration, her words stressed and angry.

I pressed the gas pedal further.

"I don't owe you anything. I'm sure that works on your girlfriends, but I've known you long enough to know you're planning something." I reminded her, passing the lifeless blurs of dying fields.

"Two decades is long enough to ask you a favor. It's more of an offer," she added hopefully, and I heard papers shuffling over the phone. I rolled my eyes, although she couldn't see.

"A night club opened up in New Orleans. I won't even make you wear a dress. Can't you do this for me?" she pushed, desperation leaking into her voice.

"You know how I feel about crowds, Olivia." I reminded her tensely.

Silence hung between us until she spoke.

"I just need to see you," Her voice was thick with emotion and I sighed heavily.

We both know there's a reason you haven't.

"Fuck," I mumbled, frustrated and on the verge of giving up. Stubbornness ran in her family.

"I have a place for you to stay, I'll send you the address." She rushed, taking advantage of my silence. Excitement colored her words.

As I neared the forest, I parked my car near a lampost, the dim orange light illuminating the rain that had puddled the long empty roads.

"I keep an apartment open for when Sébastien comes to visit, but he hasn't left Venice for a few months. You and I both know how much he loathes The States," There was an edge to her voice and I clenched my jaw.

"I'll plan to visit for a few weeks then leave for Seoul." I responded smoothly. I glanced at the address she had sent, and turned my McLaren to the road, speeding for the airport.

"Aren't you in Milan?" she asked.

"Not for long."

I reached the highway, sliding between cars as they blared their horns.

"Tell your brother to stop calling me. I've had to change my number enough times for one man, I don't need to do it again for his sister."

"He just wants to apologize, Lilith. It wasn't his fault for what happened to her." she whispered quietly, sounding like a child.

Although she hadn't said her name, she flooded my mind.

The soft touch of her skin made me shiver as her fingers ran down my arm, interlacing our fingers.

"You mean everything to me, Lilith." Her voice was as warm and soothing as honey, the sound passing through me like a wave. I felt her pulse, the racing of her heart in echo with my own.

"You are everything to me." I murmured.

The petals from the cherry bloom tree danced at our feet as a breeze rippled the ground, the tall grass tickling our hands.

The moment I pressed my lips to hers, a familiar voice echoed through the moors.

"Amélie!"

"Amélie," Olivia whispered. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white.

"Think about what I said." she said.

I hung up.

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I held my breath passed through the crowd of people in the lobby on the apartment building.

Rain always made them smell so much worse.

Or better, the darker side of myself thirsted. I could almost hear it laughing as I winced.

Every person and animal had their own scent. I am a creature designed to be drawn to weakness, to heighten certain hormones to make my prey more comfortable. To lure them easily, and give them an easy, blissful death. But past their body was the one craving I could never fully satisfy.

Their soul.

No matter how many I consumed, how evil or pure, young or old, I was never complete.

An eternal void.

I made my way into the elevator, pressing 4 as I stared dully at my reflection on the doors.

I had my long, dark curls pulled into a messy ponytail at the nape of my neck that was slowly becoming undone. My pale grey eyes stared emotionlessly at the sunken bruise-like bags underneath. I ran my skeletal fingers over the bone white skin of my cheeks, a hint of pink showing the cold rainy weather. I pulled the loose, black knitted sweater over my hands as I stared at my black boots in frusteration.

Every feature reminded me of how I wasn't human, barely alive.

With a ding, I walked into the room marked 4B and opened the door, the key turning the lock in a fluid motion. I closed and locked it behind me, reminding myself that if anyone were to break in that it wouldn't be a bad thing.

I'm always hungry for the bad ones.

I unlocked it.

The apartment was larger than I had expected, with a long stretch of hallway reaching the single bedroom and bathroom. The kitchen had wine bottles hanging from a rack underneath the dim bulbs of the ceiling lights, and a small smile twitched over my face.

At least there's something I can drink.

Grabbing a bottle of Merlot, I shrugged myself from my sweater and pants, leaving me in my black undies and beige david statue shirt that hung at my thighs.

I walked into the bedroom, taking a swig from the bottle as I noticed a paper note set beside a small velvet box.

tu me manques - O

A silver chain slipped from the paper and I opened the velvet box, checking to see if it had fallen.

I stared at the thin silver ring that was identical to the one on my right middle finger.

I couldn't stop myself from shaking as I took the ring, the engraved words the same as the one that were molded to my skin.

my love

I slid the ring over the chain, clasping it over my neck.

It seemed to burn me, knowing it was the last thing she had touched.

My love.

I pulled out my phone as I walked to the porch, sliding the glass door behind me as I lit a cigarette, allowing my lungs to swallow the smoke.

I'll be there in an hour  - L

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