The Vampire Queen and the Mortal Pauper

Chapter Three

Her Personal Chauffeur

"How is it possible? Were my eyes deceiving me? Was I hallucinating? A mere fragment of my imagination... perhaps? Then again, how can a mere hallucination be so real? She was standing right there. Standing so near with her appearance so clear. Her peerless beauty, her blond hair, her almond-shaped eyes, her captivating voluminous body, even her familiar cold demeanor; it was all the same. There was no mistaking it. It was her! How can it be? How can she be here? No, no, no, NO!! This is an impossibility!!"

Sharael felt like he was going crazy. Those confusing thoughts violently raced across his mind_ threatening to split it asunder. What he just saw was something... No, someone who shouldn't exist. Someone who should forever be long gone. Someone who marked his past like a dried up blot of ink. A past he wished to forget. A past that was filled with nothing but scars of utter betrayal. Different complex emotions consumed him that shook his entire soul.

She was the reason. She was the culprit. The abhorrent culprit who caused all his misfortunes.

Crunch!

Splash!

He unconsciously tightened his fist and crushed the canned soda. The cold drink splashed to the ground and brought him back to reality. Few students nearby threw him strange glances but he ignored them. All that filled his mind was her. The woman who betrayed him. The woman who crushed his heart to bits. The woman who...

A sudden vibration in his pocked disrupted his raging train of thoughts. It was his phone ringing. Fishing it out and seeing the caller ID, Sharael hissed and mumbled a curse.

Swiping right on the screen to receive the call, he began hesitantly, "Oh, hey Little Bee. Was just about to call you..."

"You forgot, didn't you?" A nonchalant girlish voice sounded from the other end.

Sharael bit his lower lip in dread. Before he could say anything, or come up with an explanation, the speaker told him off with a fed up sigh, "Mr. Michelson, if you're not up for the task, I can as well find someone else..."

"No don't! That will not be necessary," Sharael quickly refused. "I am already on my way. 30 minutes max."

"You are full of shit!" Came her cold response.

"Ouch!" Sharael flinched.

Unconcerned with how he took the response, the girl on the other end continued with a curt voice, "It's quite clear to me you no longer take your job seriously. I'm even starting to reconsider terminating your contract. My money is better of spent somewhere else."

"Hmph! This girl... seriously? What my money when it's your grandfather's. The nerve this rich brat has." Sharael complained, but only in thought.

Still, he implored her in a meek voice, "What? No, not at all. How can you say that? Your money is well spent on me... uh... I mean the job--"

"Aargh, cut the crap! You got only 15 minutes!" Her high-pitched shout interrupted. "And one more thing, Mr. Michelson, never EVER call me Little Bee!"

Then the line went dead, leaving Sharael to gawk blankly at the blank screen. Finally, he muttered helplessly, "What is it with women and being moody today. Is it that time of the month already?"

Since duty calls, the young man knew he'll be skiving all of his afternoon classes. Not that the lecturer would notice his absence, given the hundreds of students who would be filling the lecture hall.

Sharael soon left the campus premises and rushed to the one of the main bus terminuses in the city. Here there were some public minivans called matatus. He could easily and cheaply hitch a ride from one that was enroute to his destination. Ubers were also an option but he was currently cash-strapped. Also, these local means of transport had a way of bypassing traffic with their unruly driving, hence saving precious time.