Reaper

Chapter 2

"I'll have the, um...Claire what are they called again? I'm too drunk to remember..." My glossy blonde haired friend - the only one left of us that was still sober - rolled her eyes as she turned to the guy behind the bar.

"Four jäger bombs please." She said in a bored tone, and I watched as the drinks were passed over. The din of the room was a familiar soundtrack to our hard earned Saturday night, and our favourite haunt was packed with people; from the merry bearded bikers to the young girls whose eyes would pop onto stalks each time they thought they'd spotted a Jonas brother look alike, it was never quiet in the Boar's head pub.

"So tell me about this mysterious guy from the other night, or have you forgotten about that too?" Said Claire, taking the drinks before I had the chance to spill them. I screwed up my face in an effort to remember.

"It was very dark, I don't remember much...he had his hood up." I offered as we made our way back to the table. I caught sight of my reflection in the window as we walked past, and I noticed how much I looked like a large potato wrapped in tinfoil. Why I decided on the metallic silver crinkle dress for such an occasion as this one I will never know. I looked over at Claire; she seemed so casual yet subtly elegant in her pink top and white shorts, like a strawberry sundae ready to eat. I smoothed down my dress self consciously.

"You don't remember his face?" She was saying, and I turned my attention back to my friends as we sat down. I racked my brains for details of the cold night.

"He was very veiny." I recalled, and Claire looked at me funny as she set the drinks down in the middle of the table.

"Veiny?" She repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Who's veiny?"

"No-one Saffira." I said, keen to move on with my brother watching me so closely. "So who's gonna start?" Claire asked, crossing her legs and looking - as usual - too sophisticated to be here.

"Me, I never get to start." Said Damon, and I turned to my brother with a smirk. "Since when do you play 21 jäger bombs?" I asked, expecting him to come back with some witty response from the first seasons of Big Bang Theory. Instead he leaned down from his perch on top of the window ledge until his lips were practically touching my ear.

"Maybe you should ask that guy playing darts over there." I followed the direction he was staring in and saw that guy from the other night over by himself playing darts. For some odd fucking reason, the most important thing in my mind at that moment was finding out why he was wearing the same zip up hoodie from before.

"Talon who the hell are you staring at?" Saffira asked, snapping me back to attention. I blinked several times and realised that the whole table was waiting for me.

"Um, nobody...I won't be a moment..." I made to get out of my chair, but I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked, frowning. I shook him off and got up,

"I won't be long." I said firmly, and pulled up my bra strap as I wended my way through

tables to get across the room.

He had his hood down this time, but he wasn't that veiny - just very pale. I watched at first as he scored each time with careful precision, never taking his eyes off the board, then being the compulsive drunk that I was, I shouted;

"Is that the only jacket you own?" He turned to face me, and his expression triggered something else in my memory; he looked just as broody and annoyed as before. He fixed me with a sharp eyed stare, but all I could think of was how brilliantly ice blue his eyes where. They were almost white, it was kind of creepy when complimented by the large scar that ran down his chin. More memories, but this time of something my brother said.

"The overlord is obsessed with making the perfect vampire...I don't think it will be long before they take the experiments to a level of biological fusing or some shit..."

"What part of 'leave me alone' don't you get?" He said in a gravelly voice, and I had to concentrate hard on not tilting too far to the left as I answered.

"Um...all of it? Apparently?" I said, and he turned back to his darts.

"Do you usually make a habit of following people around who tried to kill you?" He asked, his voice measured. I scratched my arm as his words penetrated my intoxicated brain.

"No not really do you?"

"Yes." His answer surprised me, and I had nothing more to say. I knew more would come, but I just couldn't think of it, so I clumsily sat down and watched him for a few more minutes.

"Am I annoying you by watching?" I asked after a while, and he turned around with the most obvious 'are you even for real?' kind of face I'd ever seen. Somehow I stopped myself from laughing.

"Damon says you're a vampire." I tried, and I was satisfied to see his chest heave as he took a deep breath. He sighed, then stooped to pick up his coat.

"He said that did he?"

"Yeah, Damon's my brother."

"Well your brother doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about then, because I'm not a vampire." He replied in annoyed tones.

"Are you a werewolf?"

"Do you see a tail?"

"No." I said

We stared at each other for a long moment, and I could tell he was judging how

drunk I was, and that annoyed me.

"Stop staring." I mumbled, hunching my shoulders as I stood up.

"Stop following me." he said coldly, and with one last hard stare, he turned and left. I watched him walk out the door, look one way down the street and then turn in the opposite direction with his hands in his pockets.

"I wasn't following you, I was here already." I said to myself, hoping nobody could hear me talking to myself as I stared at my own confused expression in the mirror.