Exiled

Chapter 18

The past few days had been spent plotting—making sure the plan we had to lure and trap Ezekiel was fullproof. We've even been spending a lot of time with Carrington and Julia. I guess you can say we're officially friends now.

After taking some time to calm down and come to terms with everything that's happened, I find myself more conflicted than ever. I want to make Ezekiel pay, but there's still a small part of me that cares for him, that's believes he can be redeemed. It might seem foolish, but it's how I feel.

I haven't shared this with the others, of course, because they'd be livid. I know I should despise him—he's a murderous psychopath for crying out loud. But he's also a vampire, so unfortunately his nature is to hunt and kill. But if Zarya, Carrington, and Julia can change, why can't he?

For some strange reason, the darkness that surrounds him intrigues me, and I almost feel drawn to it. Its probably my unwavering desire to fix people, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm conflicted.

All of that aside, I know what I have to do. He has to die. I guess I was just hoping that he'd show some kind of emotion, give me a reason to trust these conflicting feelings.

"Why are you always daydreaming, Altiair? Its incredibly rude to ignore your company" Carrington sneered from the other side of my bed. I glanced over at him in shock, coming out of whatever dazed state I had been sucked into. I tried to push him off my bed but before I could even touch him, he was standing on the other side of me.  I know how this looks, but we didn't sleep together—he just randomly snuck into my room to bother me.

"Company also shouldn't break into other people's rooms—now that's rude!" I argued

"I assure you, I did not break in. I merely walked up the stairs, opened the door, and made myself comfortable upon your bed—all in the span of but two seconds"

I laughed and got out of the bed. "What do you want Carrington?"

"I just simply wanted to see how you were feeling, being that todays the day we'll be eliminating Ezekiel—I predict that won't be easy for you"

"And why do you say that?"

"Whether you want to admit it or not, your still attracted to the darkness that clouds him. You care alot for Ezekiel underneath your feelings of rage and betrayal. You probably feel like some part of him cares for you too, even if he denies it. You don't want to kill him but you know you have to."

I stood paralyzed—it felt like he had read a page from my unwritten diary. I felt exposed, mostly because he was undeniably, irrefutably right.

"Yes, I am conflicted. Does that make me a bad person?"

"Not in the slightest. You simply see the good in him, no matter how deeply it's burried within. And when the time comes for you to kill him—you will know exactly what to do." He assured me with a comforting smile.

I smiled back at him. "You're right. Speaking of Ezekiel, I need to use you as a vessel so that I can channel your vampire essence and communicate with Ezekiel telepathically."

Confusion filled his eyes. "How exactly does that work?"

"So essentially, by using you as a vessel, I can tap into your vampire essence. I'll draw that power and focus it through a spell, which will allow me to talk with Ezekiel. It works because because you're both technically dead and I have no item of his to use as a connection. It's like magical telephone but much more intimate and intrusive.