Promises

Jayde's Compulsion

 "Oh my God, I thought you were dead!" Drake hugged my body tightly. Tears were streaming down his face, onto his chest. I held onto him, feeling heat radiate from his body. Wait... heat? I pulled away and looked around. I was in some strange room. I was laying on a bed with a purple velvet curtain blocking the room. "You... why would you do such a thing??"

I looked at him, questioning what he was talking about. "Wh-what?"

He looked into my eyes, his hand on mine. "You jumped. I had to compel that kid to leave and forget what he saw. I watched you die. I had to hide you, so I brought you back here. You actually survived!" He cried more, clinging to me. "I thought I had lost you again."

It all came back to me, making tears come to my eyes. "Jayde... she... so now I'm ... a vampire." He looked at me, nodding. "So I'm a vampire now?"

"Yes, you have to listen to me. I'll help you. I can show you how to get by with the disease, okay?"

"I can't." I turned away from him. More memories came flooding back from my past life. I could see the day we fell in love. I could see how in love we were. I saw the sparkle in his eyes, felt the way his hands held mine as he secretly tempted me with his hips. I don't know why I ever doubted his love. I thought it was a fairy tale. Maybe even a dream, but when I woke up the next day, I knew it wasn't.

He broke me from my spell as he started speaking. "I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you. She's not going to do anything."

"Do we have to move?" I asked, switching subjects. My throat was super dry. It felt like I hadn't eaten in days. I could smell something so great, but I couldn't just place my finger on what it was.

"We have to move away from here, but we don't have to move far if you're uncomfortable with it." He sensed the questions on my face. "What is it?"

"Can you still read my mind? And what are you cooking? It smells amazing!" I reached for the curtain, but he pulled me back, pushing me up against the wall.

"You can't do that," he said. I blushed. He was cute when he was stern. "No, I cannot read your mind anymore," he laughed. "You have to be careful now. You can't walk in direct sunlight without getting used to it first. Even then, it still hurts like a bitch. I'm not cooking anything. What you smell it this." He pulled out a blue plastic sports bottle. "It's filled with blood. Take a sip."

"Ew, no. I refuse." My stomach started grumbling. "Fine. I took a sip and almost couldn't stop. He grabbed it away and giggled at me. "What's so funny?"

"I couldn't have ever imagined you as a vampire. You're cuter than you used to be a few centuries ago." I blushed. "Now, here are some lessons."

We stayed inside of the curtain all day going over the "do's and don'ts" of being a vampire. Especially a newborn. I tried to listen, but sometimes my new gifts distracted me, such as being able to see practically everything, having razor sharp canines, and not having to breath. Drake told me I might still breathe for a while, having gotten into the cycle of a human, but eventually it comes naturally not to breath as well.

"Okay, these are really great lessons and all, but can I please go see Aaron now? I've been dying to see him." I laughed, not being able to help myself. "Get it, 'dying'?" I continued laughing, but he just rolled his eyes and smiled.

"We can go see him now. Just remember what I told you, okay?"

"Fine," I said. He decided to let me try out my new speed as we headed over to wherever this 'secret safe hiding place' for Aaron was. Drake stopped, grabbing my hand to keep me from running any farther.

"Aaron!" he yelled. I could hear leaves crumpling a few hundred yards ahead of us. Almost instantaneously, Aaron was standing before us. He had a shocked look on his face.

"S-sissy? Something's different about you." He paused, looking me up and down. "Are you one of us now? You don't smell like a meal anymore."

"Yes," I said, hugging him. I hugged him tightly and let tears escape onto his shoulder. "He helped me, too. We can see each other whenever we want, now! Just please, be safe. You know we can't go out in direct sunlight at first, so even when I'm not here. Okay, you promise?"

"Yeah.." he trailed off. "Are you mad at me? Jayde said it was because of me. Did you kill yourself because of me?" Tears welled up in his eyes.

"No, of course not, why would you ever say that? Jayde told you? I swear." I was shocked. Jayde has been around Aaron? "Why would I even be mad, silly?" I faked a smile.

"Because of when I attacked you."

"Aaron, that doesn't matter." I held him tighter, not wanting to ever think I lost him again. It wasn't his fault, after all.

I pulled away, feeling a strange urge wash over me. I wanted to harm Aaron. I wasn't mad at him, but the urge was so powerful. "What's wrong?" Drake had grabbed my arm and squatted down next to me, looking into my eyes sincerely.

"Umm... nothing. It's nothing." The thoughts were stronger than I imagined. I wanted to look into Aaron's eyes as I ripped his body apart, scattering him over the woods. I broke free from Drake and quickly reached for Aaron. I caught him by the shirt, but Drake was much faster than me, releasing my arm and ordering Aaron to run. He zoomed off, killing me inside. The look of fear on his face made me shame myself.

"Well, well. If only Drake wasn't here. Then you could see how strong my power of compulsion truly is." It was Jayde. She stood in front of me and Drake laughing and clapping her hands, her hair shining in the moonlight.

"It was you!" Drake sped over and held her pinned up against the tree by her neck. "You leave her alone!" This made her smile even wider.

"Go ahead, Delilah, you know what to do." I had no clue what she was talking about. I had no control over my body as I grabbed a twig, snapped it in half, and held it extended in front of my chest where my heart was. "Release me or she'll stab it through her heart."

Drake looked back, tears in his eyes. He slowly released her and walked towards me, taking the stick and throwing it far away. "You see, Delilah, what you don't know is that whoever turns you also has limited power over you. They have an extra strong compulsion, can read into your thoughts, and are basically puppet masters. You are just my puppet. Next time you don't heed my warning to stay away from Drake, Aaron will end up with a stake through his heart, got it?"

"Y-yes." She laughed and walked over to us. Jayde ran her finger around my neck, smiling. Then she ran off. I shuddered. If she can control me, than that means she could make me kill Aaron, myself, or even Drake.

"Don't worry," Drake said, holding my arms. "I won't let anything will happen to you, I promise."  He leaned over and kissed me, filling me with that warm tingling sensation.