A World of Obsidian

Keira rubbed her protruding belly, her mind elsewhere. Outside, the moon rose, pregnant and full, into the night sky beckoning its creatures to come out from hiding. She lived a simple life now, had been living it since she became with child. She hadn’t eaten any normal “human food” since before she met Ace and hadn’t basked in the light of day since that same time. In some ways, she missed living the normal life. She missed sleeping throughout the night, the warm caress of the sun’s rays on her skin. She missed being able to look at someone without her eyes straying to that spot just below the chin. She missed not having the urge. The baby within her womb swiftly kicked, knocking her from her moment of nostalgia. Outside, she could hear the others, their hunger buzzed in the air. Somewhere afar, a human screamed in the night but was silenced almost instantly after. Another would soon join their growing clan. Another with an urge, a certain hunger. The baby kicked again, more urgently this time. She sighed and slid off the bed, thrown slightly off balance by the unfamiliar belly she sported. Her eyes strayed to the window and met the obsidian eyes of another. Ace. The baby had sensed his presence long before she had. She crossed the bare room, her feet padding softly on the wooden floors, and stood at the window.

“May I come in?” Ace asked, his normal greeting.

“You may.” Keira nodded and stepped back. Immediately the window flew open and Ace surreptitiously slipped inside. Keira planted her gaze to the floor, suddenly shy though she had no knowledge for why. She could feel his eyes on her, examining her.

“How are you feeling?” he touched her shoulder gingerly, Keira shrugged it off.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you hungry?” Keira kept her mouth closed, refusing to answer, but her stomach spoke up for her.

“You haven’t been eating.” Ace said matter-of-fact. His long fingers gently cupped her chin and tilted her head up so he could look at her. She tried to look away, but his eyes, pools of nothingness, held her. She simply shook her head.

“Why?” he dropped his hand, but not his gaze. Keira sighed, her chest felt heavy. She knew she would cry soon.

“I hate it,” she admitted, “it’s horrible.”

“Not everyone likes it in the beginning, you’ll come to like it in time.”

“That’s what you said in the beginning but I still don’t like it and I don’t like this.” Ace didn’t have to ask what ‘this’ was…he’d had conversations like this before in the past with Keira and in the end she always gave…she always went out to feed.

“I did what’s best for the baby, Keira.”

“Why couldn’t you just let me die? The baby would have lived without me.”

“But I wouldn’t.” Keira, who was just warming up, suddenly stopped, in awe of his affection. She dropped her eyes and Ace let her. She began to rub the top of her belly, unable to say anything more.

“You don’t hate this, Keira.” Ace said patiently. He moved closer to her, not making a sound.

“Yes I do.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do. Who are you to tell me what I hate and don’t hate?” she glared at him. Ace tried not to grin, but found he couldn’t help it. Her fire was what had attracted him in the first place, like a moth to a street lamp.

“Trust me Keira,” he grinned, ignoring her question, “I know.” He reached out and stroked her fiery red hair.

“How?” now she was sulking, knowing he was winning or had already won.

“Because I was like you when I first started out. I convinced myself, or tried to convince myself that I hated being a vampire, that I hated sleeping all day and staying out all night, that I hated having that urge to feed, that need for blood. But deep down I loved it. And I realized I only hated the fact that I loved being a vampire…and you love it too.” He kissed her gently on her cheek. Keira said nothing to protest because she knew he was right. He stepped back from her, grinning toothily, his large canines were quite visible.

“I brought you something.” he flew out the window and reappeared with an unconscious human in his arms. Keira saw that it was a young girl, in her early teens. Her skin was fair, her hair dirty blonde. Her eyelids were slightly red, her lips were peach in color. So young… Yet, so tantalizingly beautiful. Keira could almost smell the blood pulsing through the young girl’s veins. Ace gently laid the girl on the floor, still smiling, and stepped back. For a second, Keira felt the urge to turn away from the child, but that second passed quickly and without thinking, she fell upon the unconscious girl, her mouth opened, her canines ready to puncture the soft flesh just below the girl’s chin.

At each feeding, she always felt a differing flood of emotions. A part of her fell into ecstasy at the iron taste of blood. A part of her relished its consistency, the way it seemed to rejuvenate her. Another part simply despised it. Aced watched her, a vacant smile on his lips, as she fed. She didn't dare meet his watchful gaze, a part of her was too humiliated to do so. Even though he was a vampire -the one, in face, that had made her as she was- and could understand her need for the young girl's blood, the part of her that held on to human morals felt shame for this need. She stopped feeding abruptly, even though she wanted to drain this girl of all of her blood and then some.

Ace furrowed his brow but said nothing. He'd grown accustomed to her self-punishment. Always stopping before she got the amount that she needed.

Keira turned away from the sleeping girl and closed her eyes. After feeding, she always had to fight the urge to regurgitate what she'd taken. For the baby, she knew she must keep the blood's nutrients within her. If not for the child in her womb, she would gladly allow herself to perish.

Ace dropped down beside her but remained silent for the time being, knowing that Keira fought within herself the most right after a feeding. As usual, he began to have second thoughts about whether making her like him was the right decision. Even though he knew it had been, her reactions to it always made him second guess himself. He leaned as close to her as he could without disturbing her train of thought and waited for her to open her eyes.

How had she gotten to be like this? She always wondered this as she struggled to digest the blood. Somehow, returning to the beginning helped her accomplish this task and so she returned to the beginning to the time where she met Ace and damned herself with the curse of being a vampire...

Luminous red eyes summoned her from her sleep. She had not sensed that anyone was near, but she had awoken. Her room was lit by the moon's milky brilliance. Her sheets had been transformed into a sea of silver silk. Her hands brushed across its surface, soothing out the waves of wrinkles and molding the covers into the shape of her legs. She hadn't looked toward the window at first. Instead, she had marvelled over how the moonlight's radiance transformed the everyday objects in her room into phantasmagoric shapes that seemed to somehow be alive. It was simply because she was surveying her room's transformation that her eyes chanced upon her window...and the red eyes that peered in. Immediately the hypnosis the eyes cast took hold of her. She felt herself get out of the bed, felt herself walk over to the window, felt her hands rise and settle on the sill. Her eyes remained locked on his and soon his voice rose from the night and he asked her the very question that had become his ubiquitous greeting,

"May I come in?" a part of her screamed NO! A part of her yearned to grab some garlic and throw it at him. But instead of doing either, she murmured her answer, which also became her ubiquitous greeting,

"You may." It had amazed her at how the locks on her window unlocked and the window flew up. He was quick in entering, his intentions -or the ones she'd thought- clearly indicated in his eyes and his toothy grin. Somehow she broke her hypnosis just as he made a grab for her. She stepped back, stumbled on her own feet, and went sprawling to her bedroom floor. He towered over her, still grinning. She'd begun to whimper at that point, trying to shield her neck with her hands. He chuckled and knelt beside her.

"Hello." his voice was rich and slightly accented but in her fear, she couldn't make out what it was. She stared at him, shocked. Afraid to speak.

"I'm not here to hurt you." She remained silent.

"Trust me, Keira, if I wanted to hurt you, you'd be hurt already."

"How do you know my name?" Keira let one of her hands slide from her neck. It came to a rest on the floor beside her. The vampire smiled.

"Ahh...and she speaks." Keira sat up, the other hand leaving her neck. She felt vulnerable without them there, but would have felt silly if she kept them there. She didn't think that he'd come to hurt her. Like he'd said, if he'd wanted to, he would have.

"Why are you here, then, if you're not here to hurt me? You want my blood, is that it?" Again, both hands rose to her neck and it looked as if she were trying to choke herself. The vampire laughed heartily, his crimson eyes twinkled.

"I'm not here for that, either."

"Then what is it that you want?" and soonafter, she'd found out. However, not before she'd found out that his name was Ace and that, of course, he was a vampire. She hadn't thought that she'd be so willing to interact in such a manner with anyone, let alone, a vampire. She wasn't a highly religious person, but she felt strongly about "waiting until marriage". However, after she'd let Ace in, that conviction went out the window as quickly as he'd come in. And also to her surprise, he wasn't a rough with her as she'd thought he would be, but gentle, almost loving. It was, perhaps, in that first meeting that she fell in love with him and the child that she'd never thought to be became.

At the thought of the growing babe in her womb, she rubbed her belly and the child kicked at her hand. When this had first happened, she'd thought it was by chance. Later, after testing it out, she found that wherever she put her hand on her belly, the babe would kick its exact location. Not hard, but very gentle, as if it wanted to show its affection even before it entered the world. Ace hadn't been surprised when she'd mentioned it to him. He'd told her that all vampire fetuses were highly aware of their surroundings even before they left the dark security of their mother's womb. Keira had taken this all in, her mouth agape, and Ace had lovingly kissed it closed. Ace stirred a little beside her, she felt him waiting, but she still felt a little nauseous and decided to return to her promenade down memory lane. Ace would just have to wait a little while longer.

She remembered the day, well, the night she'd found out she was pregnant. She hadn't suspected it. Her period hadn't been due for another week and she hadn't felt any morning sickness. The only problem had been her declining health. She'd begun to feel increasingly tired and slept more than usual, only waking to grab a bite to eat or to relieve herself. That night she'd barely found the strength to rise out of bed and greet Ace when he'd come. After he'd entered, she'd nearly collapsed onto the floor, her legs feeling as if they couldn't support her. Ace had caught her before she could fall and carried her to her bed. She murmured her apologies and tried to explain her immense fatigue but Ace shushed her. He reached his arm out and touched her lower stomach. A slight smile touched his lips, but worry kept his brow furrowed.

"I was scared of this." he'd murmured.

"Scared of what?" Keira murmured. Her speech was so slurred that it came out as "scaawah?"

"The baby's draining you of all of your energy. It's only because you're human."

"Baby?!?!" Keira rose quickly, her eyes widened. Shock had given her a sudden burst of energy. Ace gently pushed her back down, a sign that he didn't want her to expend any more energy.

"I'm pregnant?" Keira touched her stomach in the exact spot Ace had. She felt nothing but her cool flesh. Ace nodded and though there was no real proof for Keira, though she hadn't felt any of the normal effects of early pregnancy, she believed him.

"I'm gonna die, right?" she'd begun to murmur again, her shock wearing off. She closed her eyes, knowing that sleep was close. Perhaps even eternal sleep. Ace slapped her cheek, not too hard, but hard enough that it woke her. Sluggishly, she brought a hand to her stinging cheek?

"Why'd you do that?" came out as something like "Whyooat?"

"Sorry, but you were starting to drift off and I was scared that..." he let his thought drift into silence, not wanting to speak what he'd feared. He caressed her cheek.

"Baby?" he began, knowing already that she wouldn't like what he'd have to say, but it was the only other option besides, of course, death.

"Hmmm?" her eyes had closed again.

"Remember when we talked about you becoming a vampire...?"

"Yeah."

"And you said that you didn't want that."

"Mhmm"

"Do you think that maybe you would reconsider?"

"No Idonwanthat..." Though she was too tired to be vehement, he sensed it regardless. He decided that beating around the bush was not the way to convince her. She was fading fast and if he didn't act soon, he would lose her forever.

"Keira, if you won't be a vampire, you'll die."

She remained silent. At first he'd thought that she'd drifted off, but he saw that now she was looking at him.

"Really?" She tried to raise her head to get a better look at him.

"Really." Again, she believed him.

"..oothen..." her eyes had closed again and her words were slurred beyond recognition.

"Excuse me?" Ace hoped that she'd agreed because even though he didn't need her consent to convert her, he wanted it nonetheless.

"I said 'do it then'." she spoke the words slowly so that he would understand her better. Ace nodded and knelt so that his head was level to her face.

"I won't hurt you." he promised. Keira didn't respond, she simply turned her head, exposing her neck. Seconds later she felt him biting her. And, as he'd promised, it hadn't hurt a bit.

She opened her eyes after the memory of that night faded in her mind.

“Are you ready?” Ace queried, she felt his eyes trying to draw hers to him but she fought it. This time, she won.

“Yes.” She sighed and Ace helped her get up. He kissed her cheek, grinning.

“Let’s go, then.” Keira nodded as Ace slipped back through the window. Seconds later, she followed him. Together, they crept into the night, blending into the darkness, embracing their world of obsidian.

“Final night out, huh?” Lee grinned as they approached him. He leaned against the only tree in the town’s only graveyard. Keira nodded, slightly out of breath. Ace wrapped a protective arm around her and Keira gave him a half-smile. Lee smirked,

“Love birds.” Ace bared his fangs at Lee and Lee’s smirk vanished.

“What’s the plan for tonight?” Ace asked. Lee shrugged and looked up into the sky, his eyes glinted with the moon’s milky light.

“I say let’s cause some mischief.” Miranda, Lee’s “friend” appeared out of no where. She grinned at Keira’s surprise and then gave Lee a quick kiss on the cheek. Lee blushed and turned away quickly so no one would see it.

“What kind of mischief are we talking about?” Ace asked, his arm fell from Keira’s shoulders. He stared intently at Miranda. Keira watched him closely. Any time Keira asked Ace about his relationship with Miranda, he’d always assure her that they were old news and she meant nothing to him. But sometimes she wondered.

“Murder mischief.” Miranda grinned toothily and Lee chuckled,

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Miranda smiled at him and then turned her gaze back to Ace.

“You two in?” Ace gave Keira a look and Keira muttered,

“You can go Ace, I’ll just go back home. I’m not feeling up to being out tonight anyway.” Ace nodded at her and said to Miranda,

“Yeah, I’m in.” Keira gave Ace a quick kiss on the cheek and began to walk back to her home. She could have flown, but she didn’t have the energy for it.

“Hey, why don’t I walk you home, Keira?” Miranda suddenly called after her. Keira turned around and waved her off saying,

“No, that’s all right. Thank you, though.” She began to turn back around but Miranda persisted,

“No, really. Someone as near to birth as you are shouldn’t be alone. Let me walk you home.”

“Fine.” Keira relinquished. Now Ace spoke up.

“No, Miranda, I can walk her home. I can catch up with you guys after.”

“No, Ace, I insist.” Miranda’s eyes flashed at Ace and a wry grin crawled across her face.

“No, Miranda, I insist. She’s my woman, I can take care of her.” Keira, frustrated with both of them, broke up their semi-argument with,

“No, Ace, it’s okay really. Miranda can walk me home. I’ll see you later.” Miranda grinned and went to join Keira, Ace looked after them, his expression forlorn.

“You sure, Keira? I mean, I don’t mind walking you home.”

“I’m sure Ace.”

“You guys search out a potential, I’ll catch up with you soon!” Miranda called to them as she and Keira made their way away from them. As soon as they were out of ear shot, Keira muttered,

“Ace never offered to walk me home before…”

“It’s because you’re with me.”

“Why would that matter?”

“He doesn’t trust me.” Keira looked at her, but Miranda kept her eyes forward.

“Why wouldn’t he trust you.” Miranda was quiet for a while, almost as if choosing what to say next.

“I know a lot of things about Ace that you don’t and probably won’t ever know. He doesn’t trust me to keep what I know a secret,” she chuckled and then said, “I haven’t before.” Keira gave Miranda a contemplating look.

"What kind of things?" Miranda smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Certain things that if told would mean death for me...at least...until the child is born. Then what I know won't matter."

Keira laughed half-heartedly, "Ace would never...I mean..." she broke off, unsure. Miranda nodded and said,

"You don't know, do you?" Keira said nothing.

"I didn't either."

"Why did you and Ace break up anyway?" Finally, the burning question she'd been too afraid to ask Ace was out. Miranda considered this for a second then answered,

"Let's just say I let him down." Keira started to ask how but her home loomed in the distance, a suburban two story house with white shingles and a roof to match. Who would ever imagine that a new and pregnant vampire took up residence within?

"You're home and I'd better go. Ace will start to wonder and..." Keira nodded to show she understood.

"I'm glad I finally got to talk to you, though." Miranda called to her as Keira made her way into her house. Keira said nothing, she simply closed the door.

Keira had intended to take a tiny nap before Ace would return but she couldn't. Her mind kept returning to the conversation she'd had with Miranda. But it hadn't been what Miranda had told her that bothered her, it had been what Miranda hadn't said. That was what worried her. She didn't doubt for a second that Miranda knew more things about Ace. Miranda had known Ace longer and had once been as close to him as Keira was now. Were there things about Ace that she should know? Miranda made it seem that way. Keira paced in her bedroom, guided by her giant belly. She wrung her hands together and squeezed her eyes shut. She needed to relax, she knew that, but for some reason she couldn't.