I sit on the bottom under the water and I begin to wonder if I can last up to five minutes like Margo Robbie. I doubt it, it has only been twenty seconds and my lungs are already screaming for air another ten and I unbend my legs so I can push off of the bottom sending my self rocketing towards the surface. I suck in a sweet breath of air once I break the waters surface and my senses return to me. Under the water it was silent but now I can hear the splashing of the pool and the sounds of kids playing in the shallow end. I open my eyes and just sit there sculling water for a little while then I hear Hallie call to me from the side of the pool.

“Hey Sare Bear we are all going to go get in the hot tub want to join us?”

“Of course I do.” I said swimming over to the side of the pool and getting out fallowing Hallie.

The room with the hot tub was a bit dimmer than the pool was but it gave the area a calm and comfortable relaxed feeling and it was just me and my friends in there right now. I went over to the side of the hot tub and sunk in to the hot water. Hallie pushed the button on the wall and the bubbles came on and then she joined us. It was silent for a little while as we all let the water and bubbles relax us. “

So Sarah what was the reason you said that Draya couldn’t join us?” Kelsey asked

“Oh right, Celeste had some kind of family emergency going on and she wanted Draya with her for moral support.”

“It’s good for couples to spend time apart sometimes and honestly I was beginning to think you and Draya were becoming fussed together. I mean don’t get me wrong I like girlfriend we all do but I was starting to miss hanging out with just you, you know.” said Raquel.

“I have been spending a lot of time with her lately but that’s because…well remember this is supposed to be a short term relationship, nothing permanent, so I might as well spend as much time as I can with her.”

“Is it still just short term though? I mean it seems like it’s becoming more the way you two are together, it’s like it’s just meant to be.” Tracy said. None of my other friends knew about the conversation Tracy and had in the woods. It seems that Tracy clearly is willing to die on this hill.

“I’ve been given no indication that anything has changed.“ I state

“You do love her though right?” Hallie asked

“Yes I do.”

“And she loves you?”

“I don’t know. She has never said that she does, I mean she says that I am special to her but that’s not the same thing. Hell Hallie you’re dog Freckles was special to me but that didn’t mean I wanted a relationship with him.”

“Honestly I would be worried for your mental health if you did but that being said I think you should figure out where Draya stands on the relationship matter, because maybe she wants more now. I mean you do right?”

“Of course I do but what if she doesn’t? What if telling her scares her away? I don’t want to screw things up. I mean this is the best thing that I have ever had and I want to enjoy it while I can and not mess things up causing it to end sooner.”

“At least you would know Sare Bear.”

“Hallie is right nothing ventured nothing gained.” said Kelsey

“Fools rush in where others fear to tread.” I countered

“Sarah you don’t tell her soon you never will and then she’ll be gone and it will be too late and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life, never knowing what could or might have been, so get your big girl panties on and tell her.” Tracy said

“I’ll think about it, hasty climbers have sudden falls.”

“Girl, problem is you all ready fallen, right off of lovers leap and you know what happened to Wah-Wah-Tee and her Apache brave.” said Raquel and I did indeed know what happened.

The Legend of Lovers’ Leap, Waco Indian maiden Wah-Wah-Tee secretly accepted a marriage proposal from a handsome Apache brave despite the enmity between their tribes. The two hoped to elope but were thwarted in their effort to run away quietly at night by Wah-Wah-Tee’s father and brothers who objected to the union. Cornered at the edge of a steep cliff above the Bosque, Wah-Wah-Tee and her brave chose to embrace one another and leap into the swollen river below rather than face a lifetime apart. The bodies of the two, still holding tightly onto one another, found a final resting place on the banks of the river close to the site of their first meeting. While stirring, no historical basis exists for the tale. It is most likely a byproduct of late-Victorian romanticism and efforts to promote one of Waco’s natural wonders to outsiders.

Nevertheless I always loved the story of the star crossed lovers. I found it even more romantic than Romeo and Juliet I could only hope that my own story didn’t end in tragedy.

I feel Draya crawling in to my bed next to me. I open my eyes and peered at my clock the glowing green numbers read 1:12AM . “Your late.” I say.

Draya usually shows up around 11:00 every night with out fail.

“I am sorry Princess the council ran a little long this time.”

The story I told my friends was of course not true, not entirely true anyway. David had asked Celeste to accompany him to the bi-monthly High coven meeting. He hated going but was obligated. All large coven leaders are and Celeste didn’t want to go either but that was mostly because she didn’t like most of the other coven leaders, but she would go for David’s sake and wanted Draya there for moral support; that part was true and since the coven is a vampires family what I told my friends wasn’t a lie it was at best a half truth.

“Anything interesting happen?” I asked

“Not really just lots of political stuff the only one I really paid any attention to was this case of a vampiress who thralled another vampiress’s consort, a very high offense by vampire law. She claims she didn’t know he was a consort but that doesn’t matter. Her thralls were taken from her and she is shunned; not forever but for the the next five centuries at which point they will review her case.”

“Seems harsh.“

“Not by vampire standards, but it won’t be easy for her. The ones I feel bad for were the two thralls. A young man and a teen girl. They fought quite hard to stay with her but that was expected. The next few months won’t be easy for them.”

“What is a thrall?”

“Vampire Thralls are alive. Thralls are mortals whom the Vampires have fed their blood to a living human becomes addicted to it, as if it were strong drink, or some horrifyingly strong opiate.

Vampire thralls are eternally obedient servants their only want is to serve and please their vampire masters. Their regular small doses of vampire blood keep thralls compliant utterly and fanatically loyal to their masters, it also prolongs their life. Most thralls are willing, but not all. It is not unheard of for Vampires to punish their living foes by attacking their loved ones, and in especially cruel cases, turning them into thralls.”

“What’s going to happen to the man and girl?”

“They are going to go through a sort of withdrawal but it won’t be easy on them. Withdrawal from vampire blood is extremely painful. We often have to restrain those who go through it other wise they are liable to injure or even kill them selves but they will recover and then they will belong to themselves again.”

“Sounds horrifying.”

“Don’t fret darling the soon to be former thralls will be fine and I would never allow anyone to even attempt to make you a thrall.”

“Lighter subject matter please.”

“Well there was a witches coven that wanted to form an alliance with us.”

“That sounds interesting and you can never have too many allies.”

“Lots of the coven leaders thought so but the queen or at least the vampire she sent to speak on her behalf over ruled all other votes. The he queen is very much against allying with anyone outside the vampire community and it is understandable there have been alliances in the past that had gone sour with betrayals and double crossings of both sides none of them happened in my lifetime but the queen is one of the first vampires ever created thousands of years old and she remembers all of it.”

“Why do the witches want an alliance anyway? I thought they mostly kept to themselves.”

“Usually they do but we also have a common enemy.”

“Hunters?” I inquired

“Hunters.” she confirmed

I let out a yawn

“I think someone is tired.”

“Just a little.”

“Sleep darling and I will hold you awhile.”

“Okay.”

Normally I would argue with her but I didn’t have the energy to tonight and I let my eyes slip closed and drifted off to sleep in her arms.

THE END to be continued in the story titled First Day Of School