Fatal Faith

Chapter 2 - Unwanted Visitors

He watches as she accompanies her family out of the church, her long hair caressing her back and slender hips swaying in naturally seductive way. He watches as she turns at a call, admiring as her face lights up when she smiles at her friend. The two run towards each other, hugging on contact. They grin and start talking about something that he cannot make out from his distance, Shannon’s face lighting up even more brilliantly as her companion talks with animated hand gestures and facial expressions. He dares to walk closer to the duo, hoping to catch a piece of the conversation that seemingly has both so excited.

“I can’t wait! What will you wear, have you chosen your dress yet? Ohmigosh I can’t believe he asked me!” Shannon’s companion squeals in glee. He can’t help but flinch at the high-pitch, wondering how any human can make such an awful sound.

“Yes, yes, Trish, perhaps you should quiet down now? We’re starting to get looks,” Shannon states with a laugh, giggling more fervently when the girl, Trish, glares back at those who were beginning to stare.

“They’ll get over it! You’ve gotta learn to embrace the attention, Shay, besides! This is a once in a lifetime occurrence, how can you NOT be excited?”

“I understand that you’re excited, but really, Trish, Prom isn’t for another month, if you’re this excited now, how will you manage to keep control of yourself for twenty-eight more days?!” Shannon says with a laugh.

“Ohmigosh, I know, right?! I’m going to be sooooo eeesh!” Trish exclaims with a squeal as the girls stroll away arm-in-arm.

He’d almost forgotten about prom. He ponders for a moment whether or not he should ask Shannon, before shaking the ludicrous thought out of his head. She’d never accept an invitation for something so important to her life from someone like him. He turns and walks back to his Hayabusa and mounts his favourite ‘toy.’ Revving the engine, he peels out of the church parking area, reveling in the wind rushing by, tossing his loose hair and laughing in joy at the freedom of riding.

He groans at the sight awaiting him on the front step of his home.

“Did you forget something, dear?” His irate mother stands on the bottom-most step of the porch, holding out his crash-helmet to him. Mumbling under his breath, he grabs the helmet and attempts to pass her by without confrontation. Before he can get out of her reach, she grabs his arm in a vice-like grip.

“What was that, boy?” She sneers. Rolling his eyes he yanks his arm from her grasp, unwilling to deal with the idiocy and accusations so early in the morning. She turns on him, yelling at his back as he climbs the extravagant staircase to his rooms.

“I’m not done talking to you, boy! Don’t think we’re done here!” He cringes at the fury in his mother’s voice, knowing that he’ll have new bruises to boast in the morning for this slight. He closes the door to his bedroom, and carelessly tosses his helmet on the bed. Stripping off his leather riding jacket he walks toward the sound-system on his bureau, intent on drowning his mother’s ever-present screams out. Connecting his iPod to the system, he cranks up Disturbed’s Inside the Fire and grabs one of his favourite novels, ready to submerge inside the words of false realities.

A flash in the corner of his room interrupts the thought, causing him to put himself in a fighting stance and turn to determine what caused the hopefully-imagined light. He searches the corner with his eyes, body crouched and ready to choose between fighting or fleeing if necessary. Finally, his eyes land on the source of the bothersome light, sitting in the corner reading his copy of Romeo and Juliet. The man was dark and menacing, someone who could clearly destroy him before he even reached the door, should he choose such a route. He studies the man carefully, sensing no threat but still wary.

“Who are you?” He queries, voice strong though his heart hammers rapidly inside his chest.

“Ah, that is the question of the day, isn’t it?” Replies the man, flipping a page. “Don’t you find it odd?”

“Find what odd? Who are you?” The man smiles enigmatically at him, showing what appears to be either very sharp canines, or incisors.

“I mean, don’t you find it odd, that they must die for their so-called ‘love’? If God is truly all-knowing and kind, would not he have helped such a pure love to prosper?” His smile widens, revealing his teeth to be vampiric-like incisors, causing a shred of fear in the boy’s stomach.

“What does that mean? What does it even matter? Who the hell are you?!” He screams at the strange man whose smile only grows.

“All in good time dear Ethaniel,” The man laughs sinisterly at the boy’s stunned look.

“How do you know my name? Who are you? Why are you here? How’d you get in my room?” The man stops laughing abruptly and stares at him, his black eyes seeming to pierce through his entire being.

“I see, so she never told you?”

“T…Told me what?” Replies Ethaniel shakily. The man laughs humorlessly at his query.

“Of course not. I suppose we have a great deal to go over in a short time then. I assume you know who your father was, or did she fail to inform you of that as well?” Angered by the man’s callous words, Ethaniel grabs one of the knives from his collection and flings it at the being’s head. He watches in astonishment as another flash appears where the man sat just as the knife would have made contact with the place between his dead eyes. Once the blinding light is gone and Ethaniel’s eyes adjust to the dark room once more, he sees his knife protruding out of the chair where the man sat just seconds before. He feels a tap on his shoulder and spins wildly around to find the same man smirking at him as he laughs lightly.

“Did you really think that I’d let it be that easy, little one?”

“What the hell are you?!”

“All in good time, child. That’s quite the aim you have there.” Ethaniel furiously reaches for another knife, only to have his wrist captures in the iron grasp of the strange man.

“That’s quite enough. Perhaps if you’re not willing to listen now, I’ll come back later. You better be ready to listen when I return if you value your life………Say hello to your mother for me.” And with that the man disappears in another flurry of blinding light. Stunned and confused, Ethaniel falls to his knees gasping for breath, his heart filling with the fear he wouldn’t allow himself to feel in the presence of another.

He turns numbly around as he hears his door crash open, staring at the irate face of his mother. He watches as she looks between him and his knife, her face slowly filling with fury.

“What is the meaning of this, boy?! Do you just throw weapons around now, is that it? Carelessly flinging harmful objects at antique furniture is acceptable behavior now?! This is not how I raised you!” Filling with a fury himself, he climbs to his feet, eyes blazing, and grabs her flailing arms.

“You’re right, mother,” He spat, “YOU didn’t raise me! All you’ve ever done is loath my existence, now tell me why is that?! What are you hiding? Am I your bastard, is that it? Were you unable to keep your pretty little legs closed and now you resent me for your mistake?” He asks venomously. Her eyes widen in shock as she wrenches her arms from his grasp, raising her hand to smack his cheek with a force he didn’t know she possessed. She glares disgustedly at him as she turns on her heel and walks towards the door.

“Oh, by the way, a friend of yours stopped by.” He calls after her. She freezes and turns slowly around to look at him.

“What was that?”

“You know. Your friend. Tall man, dead black eyes and fangs. He seemed to think that you knew him. He also mentioned something about my father, said that you were hiding things from me. Ring any bells?” He watches her reaction carefully, noticing as her eyes widen slightly in surprise. She turns with a huff and stomps out of the room, not saying a word. He can’t help but wonder if perhaps the man was serious about his mother not telling him who he was.