Rasheen Perpetua
AUTOMATIC 14
Eugene Macmillan
Her curled brown hair hung down her back, past the hunched over shoulders until it reached where her arms were wrapped around her body – they almost looked like someone else's. If I concentrated enough I had a feeling that I would see her shivering – shuddering – and if I listened hard enough maybe I'd hear her small sobs that she tried to hide. I might be a male but I wasn't completely oblivious to female feelings – it depended on my mood.
I caught up with ease and I watched her quickly wipe away her tears and straighten her back, she thought that she had to act tough for me.
"So you've upgraded from snail speed?" she smiled but any dumbass would see pain behind it. Maybe not pain but fear. The lack of glow in her normally sparkly eyes and the small stains on her cheek – vampires didn't cry blood, for the record.
"You don't have me fooled, sweetheart," I told her as I looked away, I couldn't bear to look at her. Every time her eyes avoided mine was like a stab to the heart because I hadn't taken care of her. Here I was, enjoying being different and enjoying having power over other people yet she acted as though it were the plague. I wanted to slap her and hug her at the same time, "You expect me to believe you're tiny little smile, try harder."
She made her smile larger but most certainly not brighter.
"That's better, psychopathic looks good on you," I chuckled but then added, "I'm here to talk, you know,"
"I know," she whispered in a croaky voice. I waited for her to continue but was only met by an awkward silence. I hated being the one starting a conversation about emotions – I much preferred a joke or even sarcasm to hide my pain but Jane was different. I think she required a push.
"Then tell me why you're sulking when we could be making the best Halloween prank in a century?" I gently pulled her to a stop and turned her to face me.
"I don't know," she didn't meet my eyes and I knew that meant she wasn't going to tell me anything so, in determination, I slowly moved my hand and tilted her chin up slightly so she had to look me in the eye. I couldn't hear anything; all I could see was her. Her lips began to part but she turned away and out of my grip. I was tempted to pull her back and threaten to glue her feet to the road until she talked.
"Do you know how amazing this is?" I asked her quietly. It was a daring question to ask her but I needed her see this from another angle. I wanted her to think something else – think about life in a new way where we could do anything anywhere.
"I'm tempted to think death would be better right now, Eugene." She threw her hands up and swore at the sky, "I don't know shit about vampires. Hell, I didn't even believe in them until yesterday,"
I didn't tell her I had spent half a night researching about them; she'd surely kill me and put me in that pit. I was about to reply to her when I heard a high pitched yell of pain and, just like that, her work mode kicked in. Jane disappeared into the darkness to the source of the scream but my eyes were drawn to movement. I rushed forward and was caught by a strong grip that pinned me to the back of a fence. I'd be a coward if I asked Jane for help so the thought barely crossed my mind before the girl place a finger to her lips before giving a small wheezing cough.
Tangled, black hair framed her pale ivory face as her murky eyes gazed into my own. She was pretty and the lack of heartbeat in my ears told me she was a vampire.
"You're a funny boy," she studied me with fascination and I tried not to shiver in disgust as her soulless eyes trailed down my body, "Your girlfriend goes to the sound but you go to the movement even though everything in your body tells you not to."
