Chapter 6-Ghost
I’m not sure how long I had been out, but I could feel my body coming around again and I wished I couldn’t. My head was throbbing worse than it had at the party and my muscles ached as I gently opened my eyes.
“How are you feeling?” someone asked.
I searched for the source and landed on a ghostly apparition sitting neatly in the chair across from my bed. A pale yellow light fluttered through the window and illuminated my room causing him to glow a shimmery silver instead of the flat dull gray color he normally was. If I had to guess I would say it was around noon on Sunday. I snuck a glance at the clock and sure enough it says 12:00 p.m. I never slept this late, so I was feeling a little overwhelmed. I pondered a few minutes before responding. At this point, I didn’t know whether to run and hide or thank him unconditionally. He was there when the creature attacked and was fighting it, so I could only imagine that would mean he was trying to help. Other than randomly appearing wherever he felt like it, he’d given me no clear reason to doubt him. Well, besides all of his cryptic messages, but deep down I knew he was just trying to warn me of something. I went with my gut and decided to trust him.
“I have a migraine,” I said rubbing my temples.
He grabbed some pills that were lying on my side table and brought them over. “Here take these,” he said handing me two white oblong shaped objects. As if sensing my hesitation he chuckled. “It’s just Tylenol.”
“Ugh, I think I might need four,” I groaned and cupped my head in my hands.
We let the silence linger as I desperately searched for what I wanted to say. There were so many questions popping up that I just couldn’t find the words to actually speak them. Our eyes finally locked and we continually stared at each other, neither of us making a sound or move. I’m not sure why I felt it so strongly, but right at this moment, I knew I could probably stare into those eyes for thousands of years and never get bored. My cheeks flushed at my internal revelation, but I still couldn’t bring myself to break eye contact.
Finally, to ease the tension I said, “So, weird stuff is happening to me and I’m beginning to think it’s not just my imagination. Care to expand on that?”
He smirked and replied regally. “I would love to. My name is Draven and I came from the Kingdom of Sheol where an immortal named Thanatos rules.”
A nervous tingle ran through me. I felt as though he was speaking in riddles. I must still be dreaming, right? If I wake up now, will all of this just be a nightmare I can forget later? “Okay,” I trailed off, “so, why are you in my house, or more specifically my room?”
“I came to warn you about the Asema, among other things,” he said as if I should have already known.
“Right,” I said blankly, “I vaguely remember that conversation. So, that’s what that thing is called that keeps attacking me.” Garbage meowed loudly interrupting our conversation as he hopped up onto the bed and snuggled in beside me. Draven gave me an odd look, but continued on.
“Let me guess,” he said settling down in the chair again, “you already don’t believe a single word I’m saying.”
That was a hard question to answer. I mean, he clearly knew what he was talking about, but in general this all just seemed so crazy. It couldn’t be real, right? “I’m just a little out of it. I did bonk my head pretty hard last night, in fact, wasn’t I bleeding at some point?”
He paused for a moment and then nodded as if accepting that answer. “Yes, you did, but I cleaned you up before your parents came in to check on you.”
My parents, oh no! How did I manage to forget all about them and the party I was supposed to go back down to? I wonder if they were concerned when I didn’t return. “Thank you,” I said shyly. “Did my parents say anything when they came in? I’m worried they might think I snuck off on purpose.”
“Nope, when they saw you asleep under the covers they assumed that you were just exhausted from the whole ordeal and left you alone.”
I sighed in relief. “Good.” I rubbed Garbage behind the ears and he purred loudly. I stole a peek at Draven out of the corner of my eye and caught him staring again. What did he find so fascinating about me and a stinky ole’ cat? “Why do you keep staring at my cat like that?”
“No reason,” he said avoiding the subject and turning away.
I decided to move on to the more important questions instead. “Okay, so, what’s an Asema?”
He scooted closer and folded his arms across his chest. I wished I could reach out and take his hand in mine. There was something about his presence that was comforting. Even though I didn’t know him at all and some of the things he said were unnerving, he still made me feel safe somehow. “As hard as this may be to believe,” he said shaking me from my thoughts, “Asema’s are a rare strand of vampire that can take on the form of balls of light and attack humans to change them. In most cases, they are contracted assassins. This means that its employer is either supplying it blood or has promised it something valuable as payment for its services, whatever that may be. But more than that, and what makes them a problematic foe, is that they have the ability to alter dreams and in a sense, lock you in them. If that happens, you’d be like Sleeping Beauty until someone ultimately killed you. That’s the only way I’ve ever heard of someone getting out of their trap.”
How very reassuring, I thought as my skin pricked up and I shuddered. “So, this ball of light is an Asema and that’s what has been attacking me?” He nodded. “Wow,” I said shaking my head in disbelief, “that is epic. I just can’t understand why it’s picked me. It’s dead now, isn’t it?” I stammered, my mind recalling the way its jagged teeth reached out for me.
“No, I’m afraid not. I got a good stab in thanks to your distraction, so it should be seriously wounded, but it was able to get away before I could finish it.”
I winced. “Yeah, sorry about that, I was just trying to get a closer look at the weapon you took out and I tripped. I’m very clumsy if you haven’t already noticed. Are you okay? Did it manage to nick you with those razor sharp claws or teeth? The Asema took a chunk off my back at a dance a couple weeks ago so I know first hand how painful it can be.”
“I’m fine, unscathed, for now.”
“Okay,” I said relieved. “I hope I’m not being too forward, but what are you? I know you’re not a ghost, but you’re not really alive and whatnot either.”
“You’re correct, I am not a ghost. Where I come from there is a name for my kind and that would be Unforgiven.” I frowned at his vague answer to which he responded with similar frustration. “It’s a long story. I will tell you everything I know tomorrow, but for now you need to get up and start moving around before your parents get suspicious.” He had turned to go until I said “Wait.”
“Yes?” he asked grinning. It’s almost like he knew what was coming next, but I was too exhausted to care.
“I know this may sound weird because I don’t really know you and all, but do you think you could stay here tonight in case it comes back?” I asked shyly.
“It would be my pleasure,” he said starting to walk away. “Can I ask you one last question before I go?”
“Sure,” I replied curiously.
“Why aren’t you scared by any of this? I mean you seem pretty calm for someone who’s being attacked and everything.”
I tried to process that information. He was dead on, I was way calmer than I ought to be, but what was the reason for it? I searched through my heart and head trying to come up with an answer to this more than puzzling question, but got nothing. So I said casually, “I’m not sure exactly, I guess some part of me feels like I knew this was coming.” I smiled at him as he disappeared. Was he always going to leave me feeling this giddy?
I don’t remember much after that, just falling out of bed, puttering around the house and making myself look useful, all the while day-dreaming about Cole and Draven. Two very di
fferent guys, but both had somehow managed to awaken something inside me that I never knew existed