Vespertine

Prologue

The scarcely lit highway was almost always empty at such an hour. It was a daily occurrence — although it was a highway plenty used to reach many destinations, this wasn't the busiest highway during nights. Tonight was no exception. The highway was almost empty save a lone car that was speeding past trees after trees, riding the silent highway with furious speed.

The night outside was brightly lit under the brilliantly sparkling moon. The sky was clear, the night was serene.

The lone car on the highway, though, shot past trees with incredible speed. Somewhere in the jungle that surrounded the highway, a loud howl rung in the air.

The Volvo's speed increased.

The warning howl sounded louder.

Suddenly, as the Volvo passed the bridge it had crossed a hundred times before — the loud howl died, a piercing screech of the tyres against the tar seal of the road echoed around the night as the car took a sharp swerve to its right. Right off of the bridge.

The sharp rocks under fast-flowing water beneath the bridge guaranteed no survival. The grey Volvo disappeared underwater almost seconds after it hit the water.

The night outside was brightly lit under the brilliantly sparkling moon. The sky was clear, the night was serene.

However, the unmistakable pungent stench of blood was definitely present in the air.

Tonight, this highway would take another innocent soul.

Under the dark water, the brown-eyed boy sat in the vehicle staring wide-eyed at the beautiful girl seated in the passenger's seat right beside him.

He was aware — the water was filling the vehicle at an alarming rate, but he couldn't look away from the girl. Her long blond hair flowed in the water framing her face as she smiled at the boy. Lovingly.

He had been in love once. Not too long ago. With this very same face. He had been in love.

Her porcelain hand slowly moved up and her fingers found the boy's cheeks. As the girl's fingers traced the boy's skin, down his jaw — the light in his eyes began dimming

The smile on her lips became brighter.

Slowly, softly her fingers grazed the skin of his neck. Her blonde hair moved in front of her face as she softly caressing the thick vein on the side of his neck. Softly. Slowly. Until she had her delicate looking fingers wrapped around it. In a blink of an eye, her eyes turned cold and her smile transformed into a smirk

She looked at the boy who was slowly losing the light in his eyes. The boy who had looked into her eyes with love for the past couple of days. Her eyes moved to his neck.  And with a flick of her wrist, she snapped it.

The girl smirked proudly as she watched the lifeless body. "Good riddance," she thought as her pristine looking form began to become translucent. More and more... until she was disappeared.

The boy's lifeless body floated in his seat, his brown hair slowly drifted in the water, moving against his forehead as his head bobbed with the motion of water. His once wide eyes were now shut close. His body, that was once always warm — now growing cold.

Suddenly the door on his side was ripped apart and thrown to the side, a strong almost translucent arm reached inside and pulled the boy out until both males floated in front of each other

The shining transparent man looked at the lifeless boy in front of him carefully. His icy blue eyes evaluated the boy's features. An accomplished grin on his own sharp face.

His bright form slowly moved forward until he and the boy were barely an inch away.  Closer and closer until the almost invisible man had absorbed himself into him.

A minute passed, and the dull boy's body floated in the water. Just floated. With the weeds.

Then it began. A very small movement. Almost unnoticeable when the boy's fingers twitched, a small glow emitting from the tips of it. Almost as if the waters whispered his name, the glow slowly began to grow. Grow until it took over the boy.

The glowing dead boy's body twirled in the water. It felt like slow motion. His neck snapped back into place just as his arms began twitching and turning, his legs kicked at the water. His movements were bizarre, it looked painful, almost as if his bones were suddenly rearranging themselves.

All of a sudden, the boy's mouth shot open, letting out a silent scream as his transforming body turned in the water.

Gradually the glow began to dull down and the boy's body slowly began to sink down into the depths of the water.

Then... his eyes snapped open.

Brown & Icy blue.