Bright Lights and Dark Blood (On Hold)

Chapter 7

Ella felt so cold in the big house. To think that vampires should be used to being alone but she didn’t have to, she had Henry. She took assurance that he’ll be back, they have all the time in the world. She has all the time in the world to wait. It wasn’t a surprise to Ella when she went upstairs to check on him three days ago that he was nowhere to be found. Who wouldn’t? She basically ripped his beating heart and tore it to pieces.

What is wrong with me? Why can’t I love him?

She remembered the time when he disappeared for decades. It wasn’t good for both of them, he went on a house arrest, more of a cave arrest in the Andes and she went rouge and did a killing spree wiping out an entire village and several goats in Central America. When she heard about a savage beast in the Andes she quickly went there and picked him up. It was their thing. They just know.

A click on the door gave shivers.

                “Henry?” she flashed down.  It wasn’t him.

                “Well, I never seen you so unhappy to see me” The foxy blonde sarcastically said before bending on one knee. Ella gave a shy nod before she stood up. “So how’s the heir to the vamp throne doing? Other than the usual i-want-to-keep-my-humanity drama?” she said with a wide grin.                

“I missed you too Olivia” a familiar smile covering her face and the old friends moved to quick embrace. She welcomes her oldest friend. “I go by Libby now, dear” she said breaking off and glancing from left to right. Ella scrunched her face. “Oh no! I am not getting that face from someone named Ella” Libby rolled her eyes. She took a big step and flashed to the center of the house anticipating another welcome. Ella bit her lip.

“Well isn’t it rude for Henry not to welcome a guest” Her hands on her hips.

“He took off Olivia, three days ago” Ella said. She flipped her blonde tresses and gave an accusing look, folding her hands to her chest. “What did you do now, Elizabetha?” Libby pursed her lips. “He asked how I. . .felt for him and I. . .” She trailed off. “You told him the truth” She threw her hands in the air.

“What was I supposed to say?” she said that sentence too much in her head for the past three days that saying it out loud felt surreal.  “You could’ve, I don’t know, LIED?” Olivia raising her voice. “To Henry? I couldn’t do that to him. I couldn’t just. . .” Ella shook her head. “ What?  String him up and give false hopes. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but you’ve been doing that for so long now. I mean, why not continue?” Olivia had it up to here.

What Ella heard was salt to her wounds. She knows what was going on for so long she was just too stubborn to let it sink in. Is it so bad to need him by her side? To hold on to him in this faux understanding? Even Olivia sees it.

“I’m sorry” It wasn’t for Libby but for Henry wishing the wind could carry it to him.

“Hush, Hush El. We both know you and guilt don’t really mix well” Libby threw her hand over Ella’s shoulder “We don’t want you to go La Chupacabra again” she continued musing. They chuckled towards the balcony. Ella took a quick run to get a few bagies then threw one to Libby. She gives a disgusted look before shrugging and taking a bite.

They talked for hours. Libby’s trip to the Carribean,  Santorini and then to Italy. Which reminded her If Ella saw her father lately. Ella shook her head “No, not since the first world war. He does send messengers to check on me once or twice over the centuries. Truth be told, I don’t want to even see him” She stared at the blank openness of the skies.

“That was a long time ago El” Libby looked at Ella with sad eyes. If she still had a parent she wouldn’t be like Ella at all. She snapped back numbing her humanity in a switch. “You should forgive him” She said without knowing that she was thinking out loud.

“I can’t. He destroyed me Lib and I’m still picking up whatever shattered pieces I have” Ella said melancholically.

Libby couldn’t object. If her father controlled her to kill her mother before turning her she would never forgive him or at least take a long time to. But being a vampire does give them a favor. “Time heals all wounds, El” she reminded her. “This is more than a wound, Lib” Ella looked down at the half-empty bloodbag on her hands.

Contemplating the monster she became, the blood of thousands stains her soul, If there still was ‘her’ soul. She could not fight who she is. It is her nature to kill and feed but what bothered her was the blood that first stained her was half of the blood coursing through her veins. She looked at Libby, an audience as she got lost in her thoughts.

“He doesn’t approve of it, my father” Ella gave a weak smile. Libby was confused “Of what?” he inquired to the dreamy eyed Ella.

“Love” she whispered.

Libby sneered, she never heard the word said so fervently by one of them before.

“I know you do to, Lib. You look at Henry and I like we’re a bunch of freaks. Torturing ourselves with emotions that are no longer for us” Ella said without looking at her eyes. Olivia was once like Ella only that she realized long ago that fighting who or what you are no longer made sense. She quit humanity long ago and love has become a mere fairytale. The real vampire love stories are the cautionary tales, more of tragedy than romance. “Love makes us weak El. I don’t understand your hang-up on the matter” She said coldly.

“Why would you live if you can’t love?” Ella’s eyes shot at hers.

“Listen, You know what happens to vampires in love. They don’t live that long after.  It’s our kind’s cancer” she looks at Ella determined that she hears every word. “Love consumes us until we inevitably implode. Leave it to those who can afford destruction” Libby pleads.

“I can afford destruction. If it’s what it takes” Ella looked at Libby with courage ablaze.

Libby is defeated. If Ella wants a deathwish then a deathwish she’ll have. At least her friend doesn’t have the crucial ingredient yet and she can only hope she won’t. She sighed. “Fine, I give up but don’t say I never warned you dearie.” She stood up from her seat and gripped the side of the balcony. She turned and looked at Ella with a genuine smile.

“Whatever you choose El and to whoever it will be, but I hope its Henry though, I will be behind you no matter what” she raised her fists. Ella felt relief and she strode to give Libby a big bear hug.  “Well isn’t this such a dramatic welcome?” Libby laughed “Definitely on my Top three” she looked back at what an evening it has been.

“And you just came in time” Ella smiled.