Immortals

Isaac's Return

Lola:

"Isaac, what are you doing here?" I ask, making sure my tone isn't unwelcoming. He flashes me a smile, his teeth astonishingly white, considering what he consumes. "I told you I would return," he says lightly. Without speaking, we all move to the kitchen table and sit down. I glance at the clock, noting that it's not long until daybreak. "I won't be able to stay long. I just wanted to check on my fledgling and his lovely Lola," Isaac says, still smiling. Dan looks slightly jealous, and I don't understand why. I'm his, always his, and Isaac isn't in any way competition. I can practically feel jealous anger rolling off of Dan in waves, and I glance at him, startled.

"We're fine," Dan says shortly. I hope he knows I will never turn away from him. I place my hand on his leg under the table in an attempt to calm him. He's always been jealous, but then again, so have I, unable to stand the thoughts of other girls look at him, even though I knew he'd be faithful to me. The thought makes my blood boil, which is strange, because, while I never liked it, it never bothered me this much. I never had a temper this bad before. I guess my transformation has changed me.

Just then, a wave of nausea hits and I race to the bathroom. Selena and Dan get up and run after me, Dan reaching the bathroom first because of his vampire speed, but Selena determinedly slipping past him and pulling my hair back. Dan kneels down and rubs my back, murmuring to me. I always hated throwing up. With my transformation, I thought I'd never have to deal with it again. Apparently I was wrong, I think, as I finish retching and lean back against the wall. "I guess that man's blood didn't agree with you," Isaac says. I look up to see him standing in the doorway, Phil behind him. Good God, had everyone come to watch me throw up? "Is that normal?" I ask after a few seconds of silence. Isaac nods, giving me a sympathetic smile. "Sometimes the blood we get doesn't agree with us. There's a number of reasons for that, but it happens to all of us at some point," he says. Thank God there was nothing wrong with me.

It's only an hour until the sun rises, and at that moment, Isaac realizes this. "I must be going," he murmurs quietly. "See you later, young fledglings, humans," he says, then departs. After a few minutes, Selena's the one to break the silence. "Well, that was unusual," she says quietly, almost to herself. That's the understatement of the century. Glancing at Phil and Selena, both of them look exhausted. Neither of them had a particularly nocturnal sleep schedule before, and I know the past few days must have been hard on them. "Do you want us to take you home?" Dan offers gently, and Selena nods. She acts like she's fine, but I know she isn't, not really.

The four of us walk to my car, which doesn't get used much, and I toss Dan the keys, wordlessly climbing in the passenger seat. I don't feel like driving tonight. Selena and Phil slip into the back seat, and Dan takes off. The drive is silent, and within five minutes we're in front of Selena's flat. I'm glad that Phil's been staying with her since the attack. I'd hate for either of them to be alone. I'm thankful that they have each other to protect them.

After wishing us a goodnight, they depart into the flat, and I reach out and turn on the stereo. A My Chemical Romance CD is in the player. Dan and I have similar music tastes, so we never really argue about it. In another five minutes, my car is parked and we're upstairs in less than thirty seconds, both of us wordlessly having decided to test our limits. We probably could have gone faster, in all honesty.

Once inside, I shut the door behind us, then press my lips against Dan's. "How about that distraction?" I purr, leading him to the bedroom.

Selena:

I'm glad that I've got Lola and Phil to support me through this pregnancy. I couldn't do it alone. Even now, the exhaustion tugs at me in a way it usually doesn't, seeping into my bones and settling there. Maybe soon Phil and I can get back to a regular sleep schedule. I was also glad when Dan offered to take us home. I was too tired to walk, and I can barely keep my eyes open. "Let's go to bed," I say to Phil, turning to look at him. He wraps an arm around my waist and gives me a small smile. "Let's," he says, and together we walk to the bedroom and collapse in the bed, not even bothering to change into pajamas. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I'm asleep.

I'm standing in a field, all alone. I'm wearing a black lacy dress that I haven't seen in years, and the sky is dark and ominous. Frantically, I look around for Phil or Lola or Dan or anybody. There is no one. The horizon stretches out before me, going into infinity. Something feels wrong about this place. It's a scene from a picture, and it's quiet, too quiet. Everything is still, the grass only moving when I move past it, and then stopping as quickly as physics allows. I can feel pure evil radiating up from the ground, and it makes me uneasy. Glancing down, I see that I've got a noticeable baby bump now. I look like I was going to go into labour at any moment.

For some reason, I begin to run, my only thought being that I need to get away. I don't know what I'm running from, I'm still alone, until I crest the rise and start down it. I hear footsteps behind me then, and look over my shoulder to see a cloaked figure gliding after me. No matter how fast I'm running, the figure is coming ever closer. "Death is coming for you," says a voice, skating over the wind. It's an ancient voice, one all humanity will hear at some point, but I can't place it. I run faster, but still the figure glides after me at the same pace as before.

Another figure appears in front of me. "Death is coming for you," I hear again. I push past the figure in front, wrapping my arms protectively around my stomach. I have to keep my baby safe. I enter a forest, my muscles aching. I can't run for much longer, and I'm too far along to defend myself. Glancing behind me, I no longer see the figure. I stop, keeping my back to a tree, breathing heavily. I need a break. Suddenly the figure is in front of me again, except this time, I can see the glimmer of a dagger. Before I can run, he stabs me in the stomach, and I slowly sink to the ground. The figure is gone, but I can still hear whispers of "death is coming for you". Blood is gushing out of the wound, and I know that my baby is dead, and I'm going to die. My unborn child will remain unborn. I won't get to see my son's face, or hold his tiny little hand. The last thing I see is the mask above me, blurring into nothingness. I'm sorry, Phil, I think, unable to speak. I tried to save us.