Tears Of Fire

Chapter Three, Part Two

I stood there, facing Drake, watching as his eyes　sparked with flames, he　didn't realise that while I was hearing the lie, I was reading the truth. I knew about the lives he had just taken, the girls he had talked to so　sweetly, kissed them lightly at first, and then when　they were willing, he took their blood in a way that came natural. He was the universe's night, Dallas　it's day, and I it's twilight, everything bad, banished to the night, everything good free　to roam　in the day. But everything　was allowed　in the Twilight. A tear slipped down my cheeks. Drake stopped with the lie and stood there, almost afraid.
"What's wrong?" He　asked me. I wiped the tear off my face.
"Nothing, I just heard something, earlier about you, but you　would　must have　told me if it were true, yes?" I asked him, my eyes appearing innocent and trusting, childlike　and beautiful. He looked me in the eye and put a hand to my cheek, leaning in so that our foreheads touched.
"Of course I would, I'm sure it wasn't true." He whispered and kissed me.
I woke up the next morning beside Drake, I sat up, he wouldn't stir most of the　day, he liked to sleep the sun hours away. I placed my hand against his cheek,　closing my　eyes as I watched his dreams and memories. All of last night. All of the innocent girls and the lives. I felt tears slip　down my face, I took my hand away and cried until　my soft sobbing and many tears woke Drake. He sat up, alarmed.
"What is it?" He asked, he asked it softly, yet angry at whatever was making me cry.
"It is just nothing. Just please forget it." I told him. He shook his head.
"What is it?" I racked my brains for an excuse.
"I　do not　think that the　

popoli here like me. I am　not from here, they still must trust to me. I am afraid that it is taking away from you're opportunities to be all you　can be." I　said, and it was true. Drake had found me in Italy; I had been born there many times. More　times then anywhere else.
"That's not right, they love you here, you watch the children, tell them stories, to give the adults time to themselves. And they trust you with their lives, you know that." Drake said, putting a hand on my knee. Again, all I could focus on for a minute was the freshest of his memories, the　girls from last night.
"But I miss my home,　Drake. I can live here forever, but Italy　will　always be my home." I told him, now blocking the flow of thought pouring in to me. I hoped that in my lives to come, it wouldn't be as strong.
"Okay, so we can go visit sometime, but you that right now is a bad time for that kind of stuff, with the wars and everything." He told me. I nodded.
"Well I haven't visited the bambini today;　I guess I should go now. I will　see you at tonight." I told him, and walked out.
　　　　　　　 I opened my eyes, seeing the room of the here and the now, I sat up, remembering all the memories I hadn't been able to stand. All involving Drake. He was evil; I had to get that in my head. But I loved evil. I looked in the mirror to　see tears still falling gently down my cheeks.
　
　DRAKE'S POINT OF VIEW
　　　　　　　　 I stood there, shocked, unable to speak or move as the angel in front of me walked away. She knew, but　did she know why? She probably did. I couldn't stand　for her　to hate me. I slumped down, my back to the cupboards. I shook my head.
　　　　　 What i she didn't know? What if she was only trying to confirm a suspicion? All these thoughts filled my head, but they all blurred in to one thought, one feeling, as normal.
Huger.
　　　　　　 Not hunger in the human sense, I am always born as a vampire, and until I remember, that is all I am. And when　I　do remember what I really am, I am still three　quarters　vampire, I still　need to feed. But, I admitted to myself, I do not need to kill. But I do anyways.
I closed my eyes against the rush of bittersweet pain in my jaw. I let myself be what I am only when I am alone, I don't like　most　people　seeing, and really knowin what I am.　The looks on their faces hurt. I knew my eyes would be a red colour, just as Sapphire's flashed purple, but I don't think she　realises that they do. Sapphire. She was an angel, and she was mine. I hoped she was at least. She was soft, and beautiful, and I loved her. But I　would never hurt her, and I had, time and time again. I tried, and succeeded at making my teeth and　eyes　go back to normal. I stood　up. Sapphire was standing in the doorway, staring at me. I looked at her, pleading with my eyes. Her eyes were like stone, and her mind blocked. She seemed to want to say something, but she shook her head, tears　falling　down her face.
She looked at me, and stopped shaking her head; she　gasped lightly and was suddenly in my arms. One movement and we were kissing. We had never been able to fight for long, but this was a bittersweet kiss, it felt like a final goodbye and the very beginning all at once. That's what she did to me. I could never tell what she was feeling, or thinking. She pulled away and stared in to my eyes, no words needed to be said I knew, in that moment of silent communication, what I had to do to keep her as mine. Then she hugged me hard, as if she wanted us to become one,　to never separate again. That hour that she had left me, was like an eternity. We had never had a single fight and for her　to hate me would　be unbearable.
She pulled back again, and　stretched up on to the tips of her toes and gently pressed her lips to mine. I was the one to pull away now.　I hadn't eaten　in a week, and I normally fed every　night. She put a hand to my cheek and forced me to look at her. I shook my head, but she ignored me.
"I need you　now." She whispered.　And she was too strong to resist. I pressed my lips to hers, not caring if the　world fell in to ruins.
I felt a bittersweet pain in my jaw and pulled away. She turned my head so I　would look at her.
"You think that I have never been with a vampire? There is always the time when I do not remember,　and　I am always drawn to the night walkers." She whispered to me, using the old word for vampires. She leaned up and kissed me again, not seeming to care about my teeth. It made me angry that she had been with others, but then again, what　have done while I was with　her, that　she hadn't　done　when she wasn't aware of my existence. She　reached behind me and found a knife, I was slightly stunned.
"I know what I'm doing." She whispered against my lips. She made a small cut on her wrist; she obviously didn't　want to cut her throat. Her blood was almost too much to bear after not feeding. I leaned towards her wrist, pulling her to sit on the floor with me.
SAPPHIE'S POINT OF VIEW
　Drake　leaned towards my wrist, I had made a cut there, but it was a test, and if he passed, I would love him forever. But if he failed,　well, I　didn't　want to think of that. He gently put his lips to my wrist, he couldn’t read my thoughts, even then. So, I had confirmed, he was more vampire then he was human/angel like Dallas and I. I hadn't lied; I had been with vampires before. I felt slight pain at my wrist, and an instant, painful tugging at my mind. I pushed him away, but he kept trying.
"Stop." I told him. I pulled my wrist away and pressed my hands against my sides. He waited until he wore his human face. "Who are you?" I asked him.
"Sapphire, why do you need to ask that?" He asked me, not answering my question.
Because this wasn't how I remembered Drake.
I was happy he was showing me him, but if this was him, how could I stand to love him? When I love who I hate most? I was done with tears, I convinced myself.
"Drake, if this is who you are, then how can I love you? How can I love　who　I hate?" He was about to　speak but I cut him　off. "For the past however many months, I've been lost in a cloud of happiness that you were here, that you were you, I couldn’t let the bad memories of what you had done touch me. I loved you and you were here and that was all　I could think about." I closed my eyes.
"But you showed me who you really were, I realised that when I was passed out on　a tunnel floor. I'm happy you’re alive, and yes, I love you, but how can I? My love has never made sense, even　to me. But no matter what you　do, I will always love you. Even if I hate you." My wrist was really starting to hurt, "and Drake," I stopped suddenly. My wrist　hurt like really hurt. I don't feel pain. I never have.　I started again, saying something different. "And when your kiss is poison to me, how can I keep　letting you kiss me? This has been a long night, but a night that has　to happen. I have to say this, and I hoped　I wouldn't say it all at once, but I　just need you to understand. I can’t love you because of who you are. So don't blame what you are." I told him, and walked away. I saw Jade standing there,　a question in her eyes. She followed me to my room and I told her everything that had happened.
　
　
"I know." She said when I had finished, tears pouring　down my　face. "Aria told me." She said and I nodded.
"I just keep saying it, because I have to convince myself. I can't love him, it's not right." I　told her.
"I know." She repeated. "Life sucks. But in the end,　there will always be sunshine. If　there is no sunshine, it's not the end." She told me, her comforting words and peacefulness with the earth calmed me down enough　to think a little. It was for the best. I laughed lightly. "Everyone else is gone, they left last night, and it’s just you, me, and Drake." She said, I laughed lightly. "What?" She asked me.
"You let me sit here and blubber and you didn't slap me once. I was so stupid for not doing this sooner. All I can remember about is that I thought I could last one more lifetime with him. But I should have done it sooner, the longer　I made him wait, the more it probably hurt in the end. If he even cared at all." I said to her. She nodded.
"But you know what?" She asked me. I looked at her and opened myself, but she continued on without really pausing. "None of my friends, or sisters　for that　matter" She said looking at　me, I smiled. "Are allowed to sit around and be mopey break-up girl. You're going to throw yourself out at the world with that fire burning bright. Because I can see you're fire, well aura, and it's so strong and　bright, you can　do anything. It's as strong as the sun and a purple-red colour.　Perfect for you." She said grabbing my hand,　barely letting me get my shoes on. I　guess all those lifetimes of preparing myself for this; let me　not　be sad over Drake for that long. I had long since convinced myself　that it was best this way.

Jade dragged me in to the car and started backing out before I had a chance to close my door.
"So where exactly are we going?" I asked her, she looked at me, still driving, not paying attention to the road.
"Where ever you want, I　was thinking the mall, you know, new you, new look?" She said, I smiled. "What? You don't like that idea?" She asked me.
"No, I love it, I've been there done that." I said and she smiled at me. "Now watch the road!" I told her. When we got to the mall, it was practically　empty. Empty but very much　open. I hated going on huge shopping sprees, but it was inevitable, with Jade, she was like a child in many ways, her mind was clear and open, she saw everything with wide, trusting eyes, and a mind that wouldn’t judge until after the story. But when she had to be, she could be as sharp and dangerous as the tip of a sword. I took a deep breath as Jade dragged me into the first store she saw, I didn’t even have time to see what store it was. The mall was open 24 hours so we had no time limit. And Jade knew I had no price limit. I laughed as she pulled out this outfit, one that are among the ones I never wear, unless they’re picked out for me. I thought back to all the dresses amethyst had bought me. Thinking of them was easy now, they had a chance of being alive, and even if they weren’t, I had gotten over the sadness of their death. This dress was black, with a cut out on the hip. It had a low neck line and went halfway down my thighs. Not my style of dress. But Jade threw other things in my arms and we played dress up, her squealing with a childish delight when she found something she loved, then kind of giving me a look when she didn’t like what I had on as much as the others. And, as she had promised at the end of the day, I had to have had at least thirty new outfits. We ended up lying on the grass at a park, the tops of our heads touching, staring up at the clouds.

“

Hey Sapphire?” She asked me suddenly, fiddling with a piece of grass.

“

Mm-hm?” I answered, my eyes closed.

“

Do you think you should maybe talk to Drake? I mean, it all happened so fast, and, well, I just, Oh God, I don’t know what I’m trying to say!” She said, throwing the grass down.

“

I know exactly what you’re trying to say, Jade. And, either way, when I was with him, I held on to the happiness that I had found him. I didn’t bother to let myself remember who or what he is. And when I do remember, I see all the faces, people whose lives are over because of him. Loving and trusting him fells wrong when I remember. I mean, it’s different when say, you or I kill. We kill the bad guys, and by killing them, we’re saving more lives then what we take. It balances out a bit. But Drake just kills for pleasure, he can shut his vampire nature off in a snap, but he like killing, taking innocent lives. And that’s what makes me a little scared to talk to him. Because, all these years, I knew, and I never said anything to anyone.” I told her. Jade sighed.

“

So, we’ll have to go home at some point.” She said, making a point.

“

I know, I just don’t know if I want to.” I said, staring up at the sky, it was getting dark, but I smiled, in a world like this, how could you be afraid of something as simple as the dark? Because even on the darkest night, a light will always shine. Always.

“

Well, look on the bright side,” she paused for a minute. “You could always talk to Avery about it.” She said eventually.

“

That’s bright?”

“

At least it’s a light in the darkness.”