Silver Linings

There is a fine line between love and hate

Ayana is 16 years old

Ayana lays across her bed, her dark hair cropped to a bob that framed her warm features. She bit her thin, red lip, her doe-like eyes fixated on the boy above her. Her soft palms glided over his wide, firm chest. Brushing her hands through the boy's thick chestnut hair, Ayana smiled as she brushed lips with her companion.

"Come on Ayana... You'll enjoy it, I promise." The boy above her kissed the tender flesh of her neck.

The gentle smile that had graced her lips faltered, but only briefly. Carefully, Ayana subtly angled her head as to deny access to such a vulnerable place on her small frame.

"Danny, I don't know... I don't think I'm ready yet."

The boy, Danny, stilled, the veins in his temple bubbling under his skin, his jaw clenched tight. Ayana, recognizing her mistake, stretched a smile across her mouth and attempted a nervous giggle in order to ease tensions.

"Hey, don't worry, there's plenty other things we can do! We can make-out, we can go for walks, we can-"

"I don't want to go for walks, Ayana... Baby, you know I love you, and I do so much for you... Don't I hun? It upsets me that you won't give me this one little thing, just because it makes you uncomfortable." Danny's piercing blue eyes pierced Ayana's own set of grey. Ashamed, Ayana broke eye contact, she guessed it really wasn't very fair on Danny... Yet she dared to shake her head.

Ayana opened her mouth to apologise, when harsh, unforgiving lips crashed against her own, bruising her gasping lips. Ayana cried out into the boy's mouth, his thick arms hold her waist against his, pressing their bodies together. In a panic, Ayana bit down on her boyfriend's tongue, a growl like a feral animal escaped his throat as blood trickled over his quivering lips.

Pushing her down into the mattress, Danny's heavy fist collided with Ayana's cheekbone. As her head swam and her muscles weakened, the predator like boy hooked his finger into the waist band of her pants, and made to rip them appart.

"Hey!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A pale skinned teenager sat in out in a hallway, his back pressed against the wall, his legs sprawled out in front of himself. His fists rested clenched on his thighs, the soft sighs and sounds of lips parting trickling through the door beside him.

He squeezed his eyes together, tilting his face down, trying to subdue the rising liquid fury in his veins.

"I don't like him either, but you can't just sit around and wait for something to happen, Tate."

Opening his dark brown eyes, Tate glared at the middle aged women who stood above him. Without replying, Tate tilted his head back down again. He knew Vivien was right, but that didn't mean he had to listen, she wasn't his mother and even if she was he wouldn't care. Vivien had always been like a mother to Ayana, God knows her own mother was as useful as a bag of shit.

After a few more seconds of silence, Tate sighed in surrender and began to stand, figuring if Vivien was planning on shadowing that doorway he best vacate it. He had only just began to turn when the sound of bed sheets rustling and muffled cry of alarm broke the heavy silence. As the two froze in shock, heavy sobbing could be heard through the door.

Both Vivian and Tate's eyes snapped to the door, then to each other. As though a silent temporary truce had been made, Vivien flung the door open. Before them they saw Ayana's jwaste of space boyfriend kneeling between the girl's legs, his knees pinning her thighs apart. The dark haired girl's hands were firmly glued to her face as violent sobs escaped her lips. Tate and Vivien's blood ran cold as they took in the dazed, hazy look on the 16 year old's face's bruised face.

Simultaneously, the two intruder's eyes fell upon the monster's hands, that clutched the fabric of her now torn cream pants.

"Hey!" Vivien yelped, "What the hell do you think you're doing!" Danny's eyes widened in surprise.

"Shit, Ayana you said your mom was away for the weekend? And who's this ass-" Tate's supernatural strength flung Danny from the bed, causing the jock to land on his back against the far wall. Tate made to attack towards the boy, when Vivien suddenly grabbed his arm.

"No, you stay with her Tate. I'll deal with him."

Tate glanced back to the mortal boy, who now was pulling himself to his feet and towards the door. The fair haired spirit rushed to the bedside, Ayana's small shaking frame now curled into herself on her side. Tate reached out his slender hand, gently stroking the girl's hair; Leaning in, he whispered comforts to the girl.

The sound of a slamming door reverberated through the aging mansion. "Don't even think about setting eyes on our girl again, you hear?!" Vivien barked at the retreating boy. Ayana's eyes snapped open as she leaped from her bed and sprinted down the stairs and out her front door.

"Danny! Danny please I-I'm sorry, please we can fix this!" Finally catching upto the limping teen, Ayana clutched at his clothes, begging him to stay. Filled with indignation at his easy defeat, the boy snarled.

"Get off of me you, you freak!" Danny flung her away, her body falling and causing her skull to bounce off the ground before her hands could respond.

Ayana lay there, listening to the sound of Danny walking away from here, slamming the gate behind him and peeling away in his truck. Sobbing Ayana stood, trembling as she ran back inside of her home.

Tate's long arms wrapped her in a tight embrace as she entered. "I'm so sorry, Aya, that guy was a real douche-"

Ayana suddenly shrieked hysterically, violently breaking away from Tate's arms. Breathing heavily, she pointed her slim index finger into his face, Tate frozen in shock.

"You! It's always you! You just don't want me to be happy so you drive all the men I meet away! This. Is. Your. Fault, Tate." She yelled, her finger jabbing at his chest to emphasize her fury.

"I-I... I was protecting you, Goddamnit!" Ayana's hard gaze held strong.

Without a word, the girl turned away from the immortal teen, slowly she made her way to the kitchen. She paused in the doorway.

"Go away Tate."

Tate vanished from the hall.