I wasn’t even paying attention to where I was going, my mind was in a fog,my body moving on auto pilot, but I was not surprised when I found myself standing in front of Shaylyn’s apartment building. I go inside, I know Shaylyn’s apartment is on the ground floor. There are only two apartments on the ground level. I can hear yelling coming from one (a middle aged woman yelling at someone named Steven for ”losing half our life savings gambling when you said you were looking for work!” Then something about how “I should have listened to my mother and married Richard he had a career!” There was the sound of breaking glass, then a male voice I assume was Steven said “Come on Roxie, baby you know I love you.”

“If you love me you wouldn’t keep lying to me.” Roxie yelled breaking something else as another shattering sound filled the hallway. Steven yelled back “I don’t need this!”) A few moments later Steven stepped out looking a little disheveled his short brown hair was messy and sticking up at odd angles looking like he just rolled out of bed, he was wearing a blue plaid shirt unbuttoned, a white t shirt underneth, a pair of blue jeans with brown leather shoes and no socks and a trench coat with a suit case in hand. He took one look at me and slurred “Never get married.” before stumbling out of the building.

I took a very short moment to pity the man but with my own life currently in shambles I had far more important things to worry my mind with. I took a deep breath and knocked three times.

I heard a voice that was not Shaylyn’s yell “If it’s that loser Steven again tell him no he can not sleep on our couch.”

“Come on Serena, I feel bad for him, he’s just having a hard time.” That however was my Shaylyn.

“I don’t care he can go have a hard time on somebody else’s couch.”

“Okay, okay if it’s Steven I will tell him to get lost.”

“Good.” Serena shouted.

Shaylyn opens the door with a pleasant smile on her face which morphs into a look of pleasant surprise. “Draya?”

I wished I could smile back at her but something about seeing her made the dam inside of me completely crumble and break open and I was powerless to fight it and just began sobbing. The look on Shaylyn’s face was instantly one of worry and concern.“Draya are you alright?” She asks before opening the door more and pulling me in the apartment by the wrist. I dropped my suitcase by the door before Shaylyn leads me further into her apartment. A girl, who I assumed was Serena was sitting in a chair in what appeared to be the living room and she was glaring at me. “Shay I know you two are like an official couple now or whatever, but I never agreed to allowing her into our apartment.” Serena spoke as if I were not there.

“Well these are extenuating circumstances, and as you said this is our apartment so I am assuming that I have some say I on who is and who is not welcome in our apartment.”

She said waking me into the living room and sitting me down on the sofa.

Serena is still sitting in the chair arms crossed and glaring at me in a hostile way. I don’t know why but it actually made me feel worse, but my attention is soon pulled away from her when Shaylyn kneeled in front of me taking my trembling hands in hers. “Draya precious, please tell me, what happened?”

“I… my coven…they…” I tried to choke out a coherent sentence, but was having trouble doing so in between choking sobs. The reality was staring to set in. I was alone…Celeste, the only person I felt I could always count on, the one to take me under her wing, teach me, take care of me, I trusted her un-dauntingly and she turned her back on me, she didn’t even try to protect me, she stood by let me be shunned. I wasn’t even a full fledged vampire yet. She abandoned me, and now shunned by the coven I can’t ever go back. I have no place to go! I started sobbing harder, breathing faster.

“Draya it’s ok calm down; what ever it is I will be right here no matter what. Whatever it is we will get through it together I promise.”

I could hear Shaylyn’s voice; comprehend what she said, but calm down that was easer said that done, as my mind was beginning to descend into panic mode then I hear Shaylyn’s voice again.

“Draya, sweetie, please I need you to look at me.”

It took me a minute, maybe more but my eyes finally found hers and our gaze locked onto each other’s.

“That’s good, now try to match my breathing.” Shaylyn said placing one of my hands to her chest so I could feel the rise and fall as she breathed, “Come on Draya big deep breath in…” she breathed in through her nose and I copied her “…and out.” she said as she blew the breath out through her mouth and I copied her again. We continue to do this for a few minutes and I calmed down; there were still tears running from my eyes, I was still letting out little hiccuping sobs but I was calm.

“Okay good, now you take your time and when you are ready tell me what happened.” Shaylyn said in a comforting tone.

I take a deep breath, hold it for a couple of seconds then as I let it out I say “I’ve been shunned because I love you. I have been deemed a risk and they shunned me until it is determined that I am no longer a threat.”

Shaylyn almost instantly goes from being in front of me to being beside me putting her arms around me pulling me against her body. I collapse into her warm embrace and cling to her like a drowning person would cling to a life preserver; I was teetering on the edge of a dark void and Shaylyn was my tether, the life line that was keeping me from tumbling into that cold darkness. I inhale her sent and feel a sense of belonging, of home, if nothing else I at least knew that I would always have a place in Shaylyn’s arms.

Shaylyn was sweet as always, stroking my hair and continuously whispering reassurances or declarations of her love for me. I begin to become more and more relaxed in Shaylyn’s embrace, my tears eventually stoped and my mind was nether cloaked in a hase of sorrow nor was it a swirling whirlwind of emotion, it was instead a serene calmness. Shaylyn and I were proected in our own little bubble, somehow separate and hidden away from the rest to the world.

“Feeling better?” she asked me.

“Yes a little.” I replied because although she had soothed my current emotional turmoil we still had a lot to deal with. I would have to ask if we go along with our plans now and if we did we would have to act quickly. Shaylyn would have alot to consider; she stood to lose a lot more than me, but that could all wait till tomorrow.

“You want something to eat?”

“Oh please Shaylyn quit pretending and acting like she’s human.” Serena said her tone sounded angry.

“Vampires still eat Serena.” Shaylyn said as if that fact should be obvious.

“No they feed… they feed on blood or have you forgotten that?” Serena spat back at her.

Shaylyn let out an angry sigh then whispered in my ear, “Excuse us for a moment sweetpea.”

Then she got up from the couch and glared at Serena. “Bedroom.” she said sternly and then walked off down a small hallway off the living room and through a door at the end Serena fallowing her.

SHAYLYN POV

I closed the door as soon as we were both inside. I knew that Draya would probably still be able to hear us with her vampire hearing if she wanted to listen in, but at least it gave us some semblance of privacy. “Seriously Serena, what is your problem?”

“My problem? Oh I don’t know maybe the fact that there is a fucking vampire in my living room!”

“I thought you were ok with this you even said you were rooting for us.”

“And I am, but I mean like from a distance, that doesn’t mean I want her in my home.”

“She has no place else to go Serena.”

“Shaylyn I don’t think I can do this, you know how I feel about vampires. I watched them tear apart my childhood best friend and they would have done the same to me, but lucky for me the hunters showed up, but my friend wasn’t so lucky and the state those monsters left her body in, her face frozen in pain and terror…I will never be able to wipe that image from my mind, I can’t have those thoughts and memories and then sit in the living room with her.”

“Serena, I’m sorry, I know you suffered a lot because of vampires, but the vampires that did that are gone, the hunters killed them and Draya is not like that.”

“Tell that to the traumatized four year old child inside me!”

“Serena please, I’m not asking you to like her or even to get along with her just tolerate her.”

“It’s more than that Shay, what about her necessity for blood? She will have to feed eventually.”

“I didn’t think about that, but I will figure that out when the time comes.”

“Shaylyn…” she groaned out in annoyance and frustration.

“I know Serena, but I will figure it out. In the mean time could you at least try to tolerate her?”

“Fine, just don’t expect us to become besties.”

“Of course not just try to be civil…for me.”

“Only for you.”

We walked back out to the living room and I sat next to Draya and took her into my arms again.

DRAYA’S POV

I lay my head on Shaylyn’s chest; I can hear her heart beat and it soothes and calms me in a way that I can’t even begin ro discribe.

“You don’t have to worry about my feeding habits; I’ll be fine for a few days and after that…well I have a fee diffrent options.” I say with a sigh.

“So you were eves dropping on our conversation?” Serena said angrily.

“I wasn’t eves dropping, but I did overhear the entire conversation…I hope the vampires who killed your friend are burning in hell…I know that probably means very little coming from me but…” I trailed off not sure what else to say.

“I don’t need pity from a vampire!”

“Actually it’s called compassion maybe you should try it sometime.” I said.

I am begining to realize very quickly that I am not going to get along with this girl, but she is a hunter so I honestly don’t know what else I expected. Her hatred for vampires was warranted despite that I personally find the very notion of attacking, feeding from and killing a child abhorrent, but Serena was trained and raised to believe the worst of all supernatural beings and to experience the trauma of seeing a friend die in front of her only reinforced that belief that all ‘monsters’ are evil blood thirsty muddering beings masquerading as humans while spreading death wherever we go. I didn’t like being lumped in with the less civilized of my kind. While it is true that not all vampires are like me or Celeste or David it was unfair to assume that we are all going to automatically rip out the throat of whom ever we feed from, no life has value and is precious no being on earth knows that better than a vampire.

“Monsters don’t feel compassion, thay don’t have that capability.”

“I don’t even want to think what other nonsense you have neen brainwashed into believing as Shaylyn and I have recently discovered niether side is fully informed about the other. Have you ever thought for a minute that maybe you’re wrong? That maybe to us you’re the monster?”

Serena’s eyes burned with barely cotaned fury. “Us monsters? We are protecting society from creachers like you! We protect people while you kill people!”

“You protect humans people is a relative term and I haven’t hamed a human in many years.”

“You call feeding from them not harming them?!”

“I’m not killing them and I never take more than what they can afford to lose, and anyway most humans don’t seem to mind. From what I have heard the experience is quite enjoyable, billsful is often how they describe it.”

“And that makes it okay? That errases the terror the feel before hand?”

“They don’t remember it, I compel them to forget the entire encounter and some are willing doners so they feel no fear whatsoever.”

“It doesn’t matter! I don’t care what your excuses are or how you justify it I will never trust you!”

“Thats enough both of you.”

“She started it!” Serena and I said at the same time.

“I don’t care who started it I’m ending it.” Shaylyn said sounding like a stren parent sroping a squable between two young siblings.

Serena and I glared at each other for a moment then Serena stormed off down the hall and there was the sound of a door slamming.

Shaylyn sighed “I’m sorry about Serena.”

“Don’t be, I don’t care about her right now anyway.” I say snuggling against her.

“As you know, I had asked her to be civil.”

“We cant be too hard on her, she has no reason to trust me and years of people giving her plenty of reasons not to.”

“So did I and look at us now.”

“You had ample time to get to know me and have no childhood trauma involving vampires your case is very different from hers.”

“I suppose you’re right and it doesn’t matter…I expect we’ll be leaving soon like we planned?”

“Yes, but don’t worry about it to much tonight we will discuss it all tomorrow.”

“Think it’s a wise decision to put it off even for the night?”

“I don’t know, but honestly I don’t have the mental or emotional energy for it right now.”

“I have to admit I’m not crazy about this. I mean I know that I want to be with you, but leaving…I don’t much care about not hunting anymore and I barely see my parents anymore if at all and aside from Serena I’m not exactly close to anyone, but that’s just it. Leaving Serena that’s going to be hard.”

“I know I feel the same way about Celeste, I mean I feel betrayed by her, but despite that the thought of leaving her behind…it’s hard.”

“Damn it this is complicated.”

“Yes. far to complicated for tonight…leave it until tomorrow like I said, I don’t have the energy for it tonight.”

“Anything I can do for you?”

“Just keep holding me I need to feel like I am still loved and I need to feel protected and I always feel safe in your arms.”

“I will always protect and love you sweet soul, my other half, always.” she said holding me a little tighter and we stayed like that for a long time. Nither of us spoke until late into the night.

“It’s late we should both go to bed.” Shaylyn said breaking the silence.

“I know and I agree.”

“I would offer you to share my bed, but…” she trailed off..

“I know…it would upset Serena.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“It’s alright I understand, I don’t mind taking the couch.”

“I’ll get you some pillows and a blanket, I’ll be right back.” She said getting up from the couch and making her way down the down the hallway returning a few minutes later two pillows and a blanket held in her arm. “The pillows are a bit flat, but are better than nothing, but the blanket is in near perfect condition.”

“Honestly I’m so tired thay could be made of bricks and I would still be able to fall asleep with no trouble.”

“Well, I’ll help you get settled in.” she says handing me the pillows and I arrange them to my liking.

“Do you want to change before you go to bed?”

“Uh… sure I’ll sleep in my leggings, but would like to change my top at least; could you bring my suitcase over to me?

“Sure” she said setting the blanket down on the couch next to me before grabbing my suitcase by the front door and bringing it over and setting it down next to me on top of the blanket. I open it up and after rifling through it a bit pull a simple lose fiting lavender colored camisole before closing the suitcase back up and setting it on the floor beside the couch. I then began unbuttoning my top at which point Shaylyn turned her back and covered her eyes.

“You don’t have to do that I really don’t have any problems with you seeing me topless or even naked it doesn’t bother me.”

“I’m just trying to respect your privacy and modesty.”

“I gave up things like modesty a long time ago…decades ago in fact.”

“Well then I am giving it back to you.”

I smile “Thats sweet… thank you.”

I took off my top and bra before pulling the camisole on over my head.

“Okay you can look now, I’m clothed.”

Shaylyn uncovered her eyes and turned around “Okay well let’s get you settled in for the night… lay down.”

I lay down placing my head on the pillows, Shaylyn takes my shoes off for me setting them on the floor by my suitcase, then shook the blanket out and covered me with it.

“Is there anything else I could get you before I turn in myself? Water or anything?”

“I wouldn’t mind a goodnight kiss.” I said.

She smiled at me and knelt down placing a tender kiss on my forehead, when she pulled away however I didn’t let her get far looping my arms around her neck pulling her in for a kiss on the lips and I reveled in the way her lips pressed and moved against my own the feel and taste of her, soaking up every ounce of it that I could before we broke the kiss pulling away extremely slowly. She is blushing a little after we broke the kiss ‘my adorable little hunter’.

“Good night my precious Draya.”

“Good night Shaylyn, my little hunter.”

LATER THAT NIGHT

I woke up sencing movement near by.

The way the apartment is laid out is that when you walk in you are in the living room and off to the right of the living room is a small dining aera and kitchen, off of the living room straight ahead is a hallway which lead to a door which was the bed room then the hallway turned the corner going off to the right and that was the extent of my knowledge of the apartment.

I sit up and peer over the back of the couch with my eyes glowing. I can see some one standing in the kitchen. They get a glass out of the cubbered and fill it with tap water and took a few gulps before they spoke. “I can literally feel you staring at me.” Serena said.

“Sorry.” I say getting up and walking over to stand beside her.

“Look about earlier, I’m not going to apologize, but I promise I will try to be better. I promised Shaylyn that I would be civil and that is what I am going to do, but lets be clear I don’t hate you, but I also do not like you and I do not trust you, but I do trust Shaylyn and she trusts you please do not betray that trust. Also I love Shaylyn not romanticly, but I am closer to her than I am to my actual flesh and blood and I want her to be happy and you are what makes her happy so I am really going to try to accept you however I don’t think I will ever like you, but I could eventually grow to find you tolerable, but it’s going to take time.”

“I understand.”

“Look it’s not personal, it’s just…try looking at things from my perspective…I’m going to need some time.”

“I don’t condone hurting children and any vampire that hunts children deserves only the harshest of punishments. I am sure had I had the same experience I would want to eradicate the world of vampires as well, but understand we are not all mindless killers masquerading as humans.”

“Well maybe you’re not, but I am not about to start looking for the good in all vampires or something like that.”

“Just don’t go and end the existence of people I care about. I may be shunned, but I didn’t stop caring about them.”

“Yeah well, right now it would be a risk to do so. As far as the rest of the hunters know you and your coven are not even in this city anymore, but if there are suddenly a bunch of vampire kills in a city where there aren’t supposed to be any vampires…that is going to raise some questions and that would mean trouble for all three of us.”

“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but most of my coven did leave David; our coven leader, he had found out there were hunters in the area so he thought our best chance was to leave and go to ground, but some choose to stay and take their chances. Celeste wanted to leave, but I had met Shaylyn at that point and I didn’t want to leave… maube I should have.”

“Doesn’t matter anymore, we can sit here and should’ve, would’ve, could’ve all night, but it won’t change anything now.”

“You’re wiser than I gave you credit for.”

“Yeah well I have my moments…I can’t believe I am about to say this, but what you said earlier about the vamps that killed my friend I don’t take back anything I said, but I appreciate what you said you were right it didn’t mean much coming from you, but it didn’t mean nothing either so thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“It’s late, we should probably both get back to sleep.”

“Yes I agree especially since sunrise is in 4 hours 26 minutes and 13 seconds.”

Serena raised an eyebrow at me

“Internal clock…its a vampire thing.”

“Ok well, good night I guess.” she said walking away.

“Good night.” said to her retreating form before going back into the living room and laying back down on the couch pulling the blanket over me and rearranging the pillows trying to get comfortable.

I don’t know why but I was glad that Serena and I had come to some sort of understanding, not that it mattered, if everything worked out Shaylyn and I would be leaving in a few days so it wouldn’t matter…shouldn’t matter, but it does. I sigh and close my eyes, best get some sleep while I can.

I can hear some one make their way down the hallway in the morning and go into the kitchen. I sit up and peer over the back of the couch like I did last night to see that it’s Serena. I don’t say anything and just watch her for awhile before she breaks the silence. “Are you going to stare at me like rhat every time I enter a room? Because to be honest it’s hella creepy.”

“Sorry…good morning.”

“Yeah whatever… I was going to make breakfast you want some?”

“I think that would be lovely, thank you for offering.” I say getting up to go sit at the small dining table.

“You’re not allergic to dairy or eggs right?”

“Vampires don’t have allergies…honestly it is becoming surprising how little hunters know.” “We know your stranghs and weaknesses, we know how to fight, hurt and kill you thats all we need…all we have ever needed.”

“Sticking to the basics then…I can respect that.”

It wasnt much longer before Shaylyn was awake “Good morning.” she greeted both me and serena before sitting down at the table with me.

“I’m guessing you want breakfast too huh?”

“Please and thank you.” Shaylyn said with a smile.

“I suppose I’ll have to start getting used to making meals for three from now on.”

The smile slipped from Shaylyn’s face before she and I look at each other knowing that if we went forward with our plan the opposite would be true. That she instead have to get used to cooking for herself only.

“Ok what’s going on? What’s with the looks?”

“What do you mean?” Shaylyn said trying to play dumb putting a smile back on her face although now it was forced and fake.

“You know exactly what I mean Shay I am not blind and I am not stupid. What are you not telling me?”

“We have to tell her eventually, might as well be now.” I say.

Shaylyn nodded slowly in agreement.

SHAYLYN POV

I take a deep breath before I speek “Serena I should have told you about this sooner, but I just couldn’t seem to find the right words. Draya and I have a plan, if the other hunters found out about us or if people we are particularly close to reacted badly we’d leave and go to New Orleans to lay low for awhile until we found a place far away where the hunters would never find us or think to look like maybe a little deserted Island somewhere so that we can be together.”

“And what? You were just going to leave me here?”

“It’s not like that…you know how much I care about you, how Important you are to me, you were my friend when I had none, you were always there for me from the moment we met and having to leave you behind is the hardest thing I’ll ever do.”

“Then don’t, you don’t have to leave, nether of you have to.”

“Serena, even if the hunters believe that Draya and her entire coven left every moment she is here puts her at risk of being discovered…puts us all at risk.”

“But there is no garentee we’ll be discovered.”

“There’s no guarantee we won’t.”

“Thats not a good enough argument, look if you are discovered then yes I completely agree you are both going to have to run and fast so make preparations to do that, but in the mean time you can just stay here and I don’t know about you shay, but we made a pact and I intend to make good on that.” Serena was holding her pinky out to me as she finished speaking and without hesitation I linked my pinky with hers. I let out a sigh and turned in my seat to look at Draya. “I know it’s not what we planned, but do think that, at least for now, we could just stay?”

“I am willing to risk it if you are. I honestly don’t care as long as we are together.” Draya said sincerely.

I smile and turn back to Serena “Okay we’ll stay, but are you really okay with living with a vampire?”

Serena smiles at me and says “If it means you’ll stay then yes I am perfectly fine with living with a vampire”

THE END…FOR NOW

For those of you who didn’t catch the twist its that Serena who hates all vampires (even though she doesn’t hate draya she still doesn’t like her) is willing to live with one.

Now I am going to be taking a hiatus from writing for a couple of months do to low motivation. I am going to use this time to work on my emotional and mental health so when I come back I will be in a better head space for writing.

I swear to you all “I’ll be back” (insert bad terminator impression here) but seriously I really will be back, until then take care and happy writing and reading!