The Lost Love of Leora

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The Lost Love of Leora
By Aliea Monique

Leora Michaels is a girl who complains about work, school, and life in general. Nothing has ever gone right for her. At least not since her parents were killed in a car accident a few years ago. Since then everything has gone downhill. She’s been in college for 3 years now and this semester has been the worse. Right now she’s failing all her classes. Only a few weeks ago she and her boyfriend broke up because they never got along and now she’s close to getting fired because they don’t need the extra help.
Leora is at work leaning against the counter staring off into space. She works at the Holiday Inn in Downtown Denver. Right now the hotel is only 20% full. There’s only one server working and he is somewhere in the back playing a video game. They have not had a single customer all night and it is already 9:30. Everyone keeps ordering room service, which is keeping Rachel busy. Not that anyone can blame them. It’s raining outside. Why would anyone want to leave their room when they can stay up there and have food delivered to them.
The clock now says 9:32 and Leora sighs when she sees this. They aren’t allowed to close the restaurant early, even if no one has been down all night.
She starts tapping her pen on the counter and staring at it when she hears someone speak to her. “Hello.”
Leora jumps slightly and looks up, putting on a sweet smile, “Oh, hello! Sorry I didn’t hear you walk up. Will it be one for dinner tonight?”
The man is about 6 feet tall with dark eyes and dark shaggy hair. When he smiles at Leora she notices he has dimples and his smile is gorgeous. He’s wearing a black button down shirt and black slacks.
When he speaks again his voice is deep and romantic, “No thank you, not quite yet. I am just checking things out at the moment.” His eyes roam over her face and begin moving down. Leora smiles wider.
Some college guys come out of the bar and start yelling to each other. Leora’s gaze shifts towards them for a moment and when she looks back at the man, he’s gone. She frowns and looks around for him but he is no where in site. She sighs and starts getting her things together.
At 9:45 she closes the restaurant, not caring if they get mad at her later or not. She walks into the employee restroom and takes off her uniform and slips on a short blue jean skirt, a pink halter top and black flip flops. Leora looks in the mirror and pulls the hair-tie out of her long brown hair and brushes it out quickly. Then she checks her makeup. When she thinks she looks better she grabs her bag and walks out.
Leora takes the elevator to the parking garage where her pickup truck is parked. As she is walking she hears something that sounds like footsteps and looks around thinking it is a fellow employee or guest walking to their car, but she does not see anyone.
“Huh, I must be tired,” she mumbles to herself and climbs into her truck.
When she turns the truck on, the music is blaring but she does not bother turning it down. She drives down to a club called the Purple Monkey where she is suppose to meet her two friends.
She has to wait in line for a few minutes before she can get inside. Once Leora is inside she starts working her way towards the bar.
It is very crowded and loud inside, but that does not surprise her a bit. She spots her friends and takes a seat on a stool beside Karen.
“Hey you guys!” Leora has to yell over the noise.
Karen smiles and sips her beer. “Hey, we weren’t expecting you so soon.”
Madison leans forward so she can see Leora, “Yeah we were having fun without you.”
They all laugh and Leora orders a beer. As she waits for her drink she spins around on her stool and glances at the people. She notices someone walking towards her and her gaze shifts in the direction of the persons face. Right away she recognizes the man from the hotel.
Leora stares at him, surprised to see him there.
As he walks towards her, Leora gets a sudden feeling to join him. Just then Karen nudges her.
Leora pulls her eyes away from him, “What?” She asks rather irritated.
Karen arches her eyebrows, “What are you doing? Your drink is here.”
Leora shrugs and turns away from her, back in the direction of the man but he is gone. She frowns and looks around frantically.
“What is your problem?” Karen is staring at her.
“Nothing, it doesn’t matter.” Leora shrugs again. She spins back around and grabs her drink, sighs and brings the bottle up to her lips.
Suddenly she feels someone standing behind her so she turns around quickly and sees the man standing there.
He is smiling and staring into her eyes, “Well hello again Leora.”
Leora frowns slightly, “How’d you know my name? I didn’t tell you earlier.”
“I read your name tag when you were working. It’s an interesting name. Very beautiful, just like the woman that bears it.” This makes Leora grin and blush.
By now Karen and Madison are both gawking at Leora and the man.
Madison slides off her stool and moves towards Leora, “Are you going to introduce us to your friend here?” She gives him a sexy grin.
Leora has not moved her eyes from the man, “What?” Slowly her eyes turn to Karen and Madison. “Oh!”
She shakes her head, “Karen, Madison, this is…” Her gaze turns back towards him. “I don’t know your name.”
He smiles and takes her hand, “My name is Lucian,” he kisses her hand.
Leora’s mouth falls open slightly for a few moments. “Oh, well…It’s very nice to meet you Lucian.”
“Likewise.” He continues to hold her hand until Karen interrupts by clearing her throat.
Leora pulls her hand away and blushes again. “Right, so Karen, Madison, this is Lucian. I met him at the hotel tonight.”
They both smiles sweetly and Madison puts her hand out and shakes his hand gently. She moves in front of Leora, blocking her off.
Lucian just smiles and pulls his hand away gently, keeping his attention on Leora. “Would you care to dance?” He extends his hand out for her.
Leora grins and steps around Madison and places her hand in his. He starts towards the dance floor and she follows close behind.
A rock song is playing so they begin dancing. Leora does not hesitate to move closer to him. She wraps her arms around his neck, while he wraps his around her waist.
A few minutes later a slow song starts playing and Lucian keeps her close to him. She does not even try moving away.
“Why do you remind me of someone?” Leora asks, staring up at him.
Lucian shrugs and smiles, “Maybe you knew me in another life.”
Leora just laughs, “Oh don’t tell me you believe in all that junk.”
He frowns slightly, “What junk?”
“Reincarnation and all that mumbo jumbo,” she says rolling her eyes.
“I would not call it mumbo jumbo.” Lucian sighs and looks around at the other couples dancing.
Leora frowns, “Is something wrong Lucian?”
“No my love, nothing is wrong. Everything is wonderful now that I have found you.” When he smiles down at her, her heart melts.
They dance through a few more songs, then head back to the bar to take a break. Leora does not see Madison or Karen anywhere but she does not really care. All her attention is on Lucian.
When they are situated at the bar, Leora orders a bottle of water. She looks at Lucian and takes a deep breath, smiling. “You wore me out.”
Lucian is sitting on the stool beside her, watching her and smiles back at her.
“It’s so hot in here. How is it I’m sweating my butt off and it looks like you’ve been relaxing in front of a fan all night.”
He just smiles and shrugs, “Not sure…” He stands, “Can I take you somewhere?”
Leora’s heart starts pounding in her chest and smiles wider. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
“There is a place I would like you to see.” He gently takes her hand.
She nods and stands as well, “All right, I’ll come with you.”
Lucian smiles and nods, then leads her out of the bar.
They walk for about thirty minutes but Leora does not seem to notice how long it is taking. She is enjoying the night air and being close to him. The entire time, they do not say anything to each other. But it is not an uncomfortable silence but it is nice and peaceful.
Suddenly she notices a large, abandoned warehouse that is covered in graffiti. Lucian gently starts pulling her towards the building.
Leora looks around at the building. “We’re going in there?”
Lucian nods, “Yes, but don’t worry. No one is in there and even if there were, I would not let you get hurt.”
She nods, trusting him and follows him inside. They walk up some stairs and through a door that leads onto the roof.
Lucian lets go of her hand, “This is what I wanted to show you.”
Leora looks out and can see the entire city. She smiles, “This is beautiful Lucian.”
He takes both her hands now and looks hopeful, “Does it remind you of anything?”
Leora smiles and nods slightly, “Just of when my parents took me onto the roof of a hotel when we were in New York City. Why do you ask?”
The look on Lucian’s face changes quickly to sadness, “Oh…”
“What’s wrong?” Leora asks, frowning.
He smiles sweetly, “Nothing my dear. I’ll take you home now.”
“No, please tell me what’s bothering you.” She squeezes his hands.
Lucian sighs deeply, “It’s nothing for you to worry about. The less you know, the better off you will be. In fact, it would be best if we never see each other again.”
“What? Why Lucian? I don’t understand what’s going on.” Leora sighs, “I know this sounds dumb, but I don’t think I can live without you.” She looks down at her feet.
Lucian smiles at this and whispers, “Really? Then maybe you are Maria.”
“Who’s Maria?” Leora looks up arching her eyebrow.
“I’m sorry. I should not have said anything. It would be too hard to explain and even if I did try you would not believe me.”
“Lucian, I feel like I’ve known you forever and I don’t know why. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Every time I’m around you my heart speeds up and I feel like I’m going to float away.” She stops talking and laughs, “I know that sounds silly. I’m sorry, I’ll stop talking.”
Lucian shakes his head quickly, “I was hoping you would feel this way.”
“You were? Why’s that?” Leora asks.
“Because I have been looking for you for a long time, even though I thought I would never see you again.” Lucian replies.
Leora looks puzzled and confused, “What? I don’t understand. We’ve never met before tonight.”
Lucian sighs, “This is hard to explain but I will try and if you never want to see or speak to me again I understand. Now please do not say anything until I have finished talking.”
Leora nods in agreement and sits down on the ledge.
Lucian begins to speak again, “I’m a 300 year old vampire…”
Leora’s eyes widen and she opens her mouth to say something but shuts it quickly, remembering she is not suppose to speak.
Lucian continues, “My mother died when I was born. My father raised me and he had a farm. So when he passed away I took over and kept it going. I went into the village one day to sell some things when I saw the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen.” He looks at Leora, “It was you, except then your name was Maria. You look exactly the same as you did then.” He stops talking and stares into her eyes for a few moments before looking away.
“Maria and I met and became lovers. Neither of us planned on falling in love with each other but we did. I would have done anything for her. I would have died for her.” Lucian sighs and rubs his neck, “I asked Maria to marry me and she said yes. At night we would sit on the roof of her house and look out at the village. You could see it all on her roof.
“One night I was leaving her house and was halfway across a field when I heard her scream. I ran back as fast as I could and saw her lying on the porch, there was blood everywhere. I saw a man walking away from her body. I could tell she already dead. She was pale and I could not see her stomach moving.” Lucian has a few tears in eyes now and does not try to hide them.
“I felt my heart break when I saw her lying there. I wanted to kill the man that had done this. So I began chasing him through the fields. Suddenly he stopped and grabbed me, I tried getting away but he was too strong for me. I felt this sharp pain in my neck, then I heard a gun go off and after that I blacked out.
“I woke up the next night feeling hungry and ill. I was back at the farm in my bed. Everything that had happened the night before came rushing back so I ran to Maria’s house but I already knew she would not be there. So I ran into town and found out that they had buried her in the town cemetery and the man that had done this was not found.
“I went to the cemetery and sat beside her grave for most of the night. As morning grew closer I began feeling weak. I thought that was odd considering I had slept the entire day.
“I headed towards home and remembered how hungry I was. I saw a man walking out of a tavern and I began to change. I felt more powerful and I felt my teeth growing. I could not help it. I pounced on the man and drank all his blood.
“When he was dead, I ran back to the farm as fast as I could. I did not know what to do. I knew that I had become a monster.
“That night I vowed I would find the man who had done this and kill him. I knew I would have to get stronger first. So for years I traveled from village to village and only ate when I truly needed to.
“As I grew stronger I learned how to feel for him. When I was passing through Paris I felt that he was near and knew he was there. I waited for the sun to rise and killed him while he was sleeping. That is when a vampire is his weakest.” Lucian stops speaking and looks down at Leora.
Leora is watching him looking rather scared. “Lucian I think you need some help.” She whispers and stands up slowly and moves towards the door.
Lucian sighs deeply, “I knew you would not believe me.” He stays where he is and watches her as she walks. “I can prove it though.”
Suddenly Lucian is standing right in front of her and staring into her beautiful green eyes.
Leora screams and tries to run away but Lucian grabs her hand and pulls her against him.
“I promise I won’t hurt you.” He wraps his arm around her waist and lifts her into the air, where he begins flying out over the city.
Leora squeezes her eyes shut and hold onto his shoulders as tight as she can. “Oh God, oh God, put me down! Please?” She begs.
“Please calm down Leora. I already said I would not hurt you and I am not going to let you fall. Just open your eyes and enjoy the view.”
For some reason, Leora feels like she can trust him and slowly she opens her eyes. She is in awe.
“Wow, it’s beautiful up here. I’ve never seen the city from a view like this before.”
Lucian smiles and continues flying for a few more minutes, then he lands in front of her apartment complex. He lets Leora down gently and hesitates before backing away slowly.
Leora glances at the door, “How’d you know I lived here?”
“I read your mind.” Lucian shrugs. “That’s how I knew your name.”
Leora sighs, “I’m so confused right now. I mean, it seems like all that actually happened. It feels like I was reminded of a bunch of old memories I had just forgotten about…”
Lucian stops her by putting his index finger on her lips. “Just take a few days to absorb it all. If you never want to see me again then don’t come looking for me.” He moves his finger away and sighs, “As soon as I got to this city I knew you were here. I could feel you and I can feel the love you have for me. You’re the only one that needs to find it.” He lightly runs his thumb along her lips, then he is gone.
Leora stands there for a minute staring at the spot he was just standing in. She sighs and walks upstairs to her small, cozy apartment. She strips in her bedroom and pulls on a large t-shirt, then crawls into bed. Leora is so tired that she falls asleep instantly.
The next few days go by very slow and Leora stays home, skipping all her classes and calling in sick to work.
On the third night after she met Lucian, she drives to the old warehouse and stands on the roof staring out at the city. She feels him behind not long after.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. So many memories came flooding back to me. I remember everything from my previous life now. I’ve missed being with you and never even realized it.” Leora turns around and stares up at Lucian. “I still love you and always will.” She steps closer to him. “I want to be with you for all eternity.”
Lucian smiles, “Does that mean you want me to turn you into a vampire?”
Leora nods slowly, “Yes that’s exactly what I want. I’ve thought long and hard about it.”
Lucian moves towards her and kisses her deeply, then slowly moves to her neck.
She smiles and relaxes in his arms.
Slowly, Lucian sinks his fangs into her neck and begins sucking her blood.
Leora closes her eyes and does not notice the pain. She just smiles to herself and knows that from now on, everything in her life will be wonderful.