Crystalline

05

Who would have ever thought that the stuff we learn in school would ever come handy in life? But as I was sitting in the library reading through some old articles, I figured that surprisingly the research for my father's history assignment was quite useful. I didn't want to waste my time searching for some other mythical creature to write about. After all, the vampires were the one and only topic I was most interested in. Okay to be honest, maybe not in history matter - but they were in Jaime Valentine's one.

Let's be clear about something, I'm not a believer when it comes to things like this. I live in a world where the sun rises every morning and sets down in the night, people are born, live their eighty to ninety years of life and they die - end of story.

But also, I know what I saw. I'm not delusional, nor are my eyes deceiving me. What I faced the other day was not human. And because I always go with my own judgment on things - I've decided to go to the bottom of this. Jaime Valentine can say whatever he wants to change my mind, but his lies would never wipe away what I saw. Of course that I won't forget about it when his bloody red eyes were hunting me even in my dreams...

You may ask how I am not afraid. But who says I'm not? This thing, it terrifies me to death. The feeling that I had when we first moved back in this place is invading my chest even more than before. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like my anxiousness is somehow connected to him. The fear - it disturbs my sleep, it's getting bigger every time I think of him - so big that it cuts my breath away...

And I have a feeling that it won't go away anytime soon...

• • •

I didn't have to wait longer to find out what was happening to Jaime because my mission started as soon as I left the local library. Walking down the street headed toward my home, I spotted him. Turning just around the corner, he walked on a path that didn't lead towards my house. Did I follow him? What do you think?

As my steps followed his, I tried to keep a fair distance between us. My walk was rather short because as soon as Jaime turned another left, our journey had finished in a dark alley. In the passage between the two buildings, there was a man who was waiting for him.

He had his back leaned against the bricks of one of the buildings and was smoking his cigarette while lazily digging dirt with his boot heel in the ground. At first he looked relaxed, but as soon as Jaime appeared in front of him he stood straight and suddenly his posture tensed.

Neither of them seemed surprised to see the other, which pointed out that the meeting was arranged. The man who was at least twenty years older than Jaime looked at him with respect as if he was the younger one between them.

"Tell me how to open it?"

Without any kind of a greeting, Jaime crossed his hands over his chest and spoke first. His action caused his arm muscles to flex, making his figure even more attractive than it already was. Not that now it was time for me to have those kinds of thoughts.

Trying to keep my eyes away from his body, I adjusted so my gaze fell over the man he was meeting. He was gray-haired and shaggy-faced. He wore dark linen trousers that didn't go well with his yellowish shirt whose first two buttons were opened showing the loose skin over his neck as a result of his aging.

The gap that I kept between me and them was close so I could hear their conversation, but not enough for them to sense my presence.

"I didn't find anything more than what I have already told you. You have to find the crystal - it's the key for everything."

The man answered him quietly, almost in a whisper. I wondered what had caused him to feel that great amount of fear in front of Jaime to even speak in hush tones.

"That's not enough! How should I find something that I don't know how it looks like? You know what will happen to him if we don't open it anytime soon."

Jaime suddenly roared breaking the short silence that fell between them. He didn't seem very satisfied with the man's answer about what he was asking. His hands, no longer crossed over his chest, tensed beside his body. His posture bent a little and from where I was standing, he looked unusually predatory.

"The matter is out of my hands, Young Master. I'm really sorry."

It seemed as if the man sensed the sudden change of mood in Jaime's behavior and bowed in terror almost immediately. Even from where I was standing, I could hear the tremble in the man's voice; see the way his lips shivered in fright.

His words ignited Jaime's anger even more causing his knuckles to whiten as a result of clenching his fists too hard. Now his palms were firmly curled around the collar of the man's shirt, as he brought the man's face closer to his. His eyes were red from the suppressed rage. But were his gritted teeth from the effort to remain silent or there was something else behind his lips?

I saw the hesitation in Jaime's eyes, as if he was wondering whether he should let the man go or eat him alive. I would lie if I say that his temptation wasn't enormous. But in the end, something else caught his attention causing him to slowly loosen his hold.

"Leave!"

He uttered only one word, but it held enough power to urge the man to squeal. He rolled out of Jaime's grip, almost falling on the floor while trying to bow half in respect and half in fear. He turned his back on Jaime and with fast steps felt the alley.

Leaving me to wonder, why did he feel the need to bow to a teenage boy and call him 'Young Master'? Those kinds of thoughts stayed with me, but before I could dive any further in them, to my misfortune a voice got me out of my daydream. That voice was as cold as ice, but at the same time burned like fire over my skin - it was his voice.

"Maya Reed, you can come out now."

• • •

N O T E :

Would you believe me if I say that I felt when Maya got busted? Did you feel it too?

I hope you like the chapter, it may not be the best - but I tried... I promise to do better on the next one. Thank you for reading!

THIA