Distant - Chapter 6 and Chapter 7

        Alyssa casually walked into the room and stood by the hearth with her back to the others.  She acted as if she had never left.
        “Where have you been?” asked Mark softly.
        “Why did you leave us?” asked Paige, who was still fighting back tears.
        “I didn’t know what else to do.” Alyssa said simply.  “At first it was due to Jonathan’s words –”
        “I knew it.  I knew it was because of me.”
        “Please, Jonathan, let me finish.”
        Jonathan muttered an apology before sitting down on the coffee table.  Alyssa had, by now, turned to face her audience.
        “As I was saying, at first it was because of Jonathan’s comments, but I realised later on that I would have left at some point no matter what.
        I have been worried about what I would tell you all, when and if this day would arise.  While I was gone I was able to compose my thoughts and piece together what I am going to say.”
        She glanced around the room quickly to see if anyone had anything they wanted to say, before continuing.
        “As you are all aware, I have been researching for a number of years.  Of what I have been researching, I failed to tell you.  This was partly due to the fact that I didn’t know what to say.  Well I have come to realise that now would be the best time to say something.
        Firstly, so that I can tell you my story without being interrupted, I need to tell you all that I do not know everything.  There are still parts missing that I have yet to find, hence the research.  And secondly, if at the end of my explanations you think that I have betrayed your trust, or, if you do not wish to take part any longer you are free to leave.”
        Riley started to interrupt but Lucas jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow before he could do or say anymore.
        “I suppose now I should start from the beginning.  My name is not Alyssa.  I was born with the name Rikala, three thousand years ago and was turned when I was 21.  I was among the first vampires - the Ancient Coven.  I grew up with other vampires, a few were older than me and took me in with open arms, others were younger and although they welcomed me, they were never too friendly.
        Each one of us had a certain ability; all unique in their own ways, however mine was different, mine was the most dangerous because I had not yet learnt to master it.  Therefore I posed a threat to the others.  When my abilities became know to the rest I was cast aside and left to fend for myself in a world I knew very little about.           
        Over the many years I have lived through, I have had many friends none of them knew of what I was; all of them human.  Throughout the years I knew them, it became harder for me.  The bloodlust became so strong that I had ended up killing my friends other times I would have to leave before they realised I was not aging; however I still hung around, I never liked to leave them but in doing so I found myself watching my friends growing old and dying around me; this caused me more pain then killing them myself because I realised that I could never have a family, friends – I could never be normal again.  And I missed it.  Once the Georgian Era had come round, I was living in France and had changed my name to Rikala Le Fay, which still stands to this day; although I do change my name it is never by any permanent means and any documents with my ‘new names’ are forged.  While in France I found the one person who has ever taken my breath away – Armand Parick – he was a vampire and part of the Ancient Coven; he had joined after I was perceived as a threat.  Armand and I were inseparable; we loved each other so very much and stayed together no matter where we went.  Many years later we were found by a small group of vampires, younger than we were, bitten and turned by the Ancient Coven.  They informed us – once they knew who we were – that we were the last of our kind, and that we were now the leaders of all vampires.  Many vampires named us their King and Queen, others took us as leaders and some took us as being too old for the times. 
        After many more years had passed, war started to break out amongst vampire kind.  A war that involved Armand and I.  There were those vampires who stood by us and those who stood against us; those who stood against us believed that we should be killed because the Ancient Coven brought nothing but misery and death to all humans and vampires alike.  However those that stood with us believed that we should be allowed to live because although, yes, we had been part of the Ancient Coven, we had both been ostracised from them.  The war continued and our friends agreed that for the war to stop Armand and I would have to be hidden from the world.  We had both been separated and were then injected with a high dose of human blood; this caused our vampiric blood to dilute, which meant that we were, although still dead, human.  We could breath, eat, sleep; everything a human can do and does do.  The serum caused us to forget who were, what we were. We were given to a family who knew roughly what we were but did not know the details of our origin or our ‘lifestyle’.
        For years I have been living with one family, each generation would then take me on as their daughter, each time moving to a new location, a new house, and I would be none the wiser because after so many years my mind drew a blanc and I would forget everything; it was as if I was starting again.”
        Rikala sighed deeply and walked over to the main group, perching herself on the edge of the sofa, she continued.
        “I had never been allowed outside the house during the day, although at night I had full confounds of the property.  My parents – Miranda and Victor Croft – did what they did to keep me from my past and to keep me human.  My brothers didn’t know.
        One night a vampire broke into my home while I was up.  His name was Vladimir.  He seemed so familiar to me yet I had never seen him before; I loved him.”
        “How can you love someone you have only just met and of whom has just broken into your property?” asked Mark, interrupting Rikala’s train of thought.
        Rikala gazed over at Riley whose face had turned from a look of confusion to a look of pain, horror and sadness.  Rikala had always known that he had loved her, and yes, she did love him too but not in the same way she had loved Vladimir. Or the way she loved Armand.  She knew that if he was sad now, he would be distraught by the time she had finished her story.
        “Please, leave your questions until the end.  All will become clearer as I continue.”
        She glanced around the room again; all eyes were focused upon her.
        “I had had many dreams when I did sleep; they were of a man.  I felt safe when I was near him, I could feel his touch on my skin, his breath on my neck; yet I could not see his face.  When I saw Vladimir his face filled the space because I felt safe near him; I felt as though I had seen him somewhere before, that I knew him.
        Vladimir came every night and we sat by the fire in the living room.  One night I was stood in the kitchen watching Vladimir leave, when I was attacked for behind.  Vladimir realised that something was wrong and was back at the house quicker than I could blink.  I didn’t know Vladimir was a vampire.  The fight between Vladimir and the intruder was quick and the other vampire left soon after, but not without seriously injuring me.  The noise from the fight had woken my family and they walked into the kitchen to find the furniture destroyed and me laid in Vladimir’s arms; blood pooling around me.
        My father ordered Vladimir away, and proceeded to carry me to my room; upon where I was cleaned up before being moved to the basement.  The village was told that I was dead, and a fake funeral was held for me.  After a year or two had passed, I was forgotten; left to feed off of the rats and mice that shared the basement with me.
        Drake and Jacob were ‘exploring’ the house when they came across the large locked door to the basement, and on finding the right key; unlocked it.  They entered the room but never left.  I made my way to where my mother was and killed her; my father was next.  A week had passed and the villagers were beginning to worry, as no one had seen or heard from any of the Crofts; a scout party was organised to check out the house.  The men found the bodies of my family and all but one of them were killed.  No one came to the house after that, and for 50 years I was alone.”
        Rikala wiped a single tear from her cheek, which had fallen at the memory of her past.  She paused for a moment before she continued.
        “After those 50 years, Vladimir made another appearance.  I blamed Vladimir for everything.  You see, I was never able to accept what had happened to me; it was never his fault but he was the only one close enough for me to blame.  I realised after a while that I couldn’t blame him anymore and my blame went to Damien: the vampire who attacked me.  Vladimir tried to stop me from trying to find Damien but failed, and I went looking.  Oh, I found him alright, but not before Vladimir, who had managed to get to him first.  Vladimir and Damien where fighting when I turned up, and whilst Vladimir stopped to talk to me, Damien attacked Vladimir.  The attack sent Vladimir crashing down upon a broken pile of fencing and sent me into a rage of fury.  I killed Damien using my abilities and then watched as Vladimir died in my arms.
        It was Vladimir who realised what I really was and before he died, was able to tell me a bit of what he knew.
        You know the rest from there – I researched my past and of anyone I knew or who knew me.  I found all of you and now here we are.”
        Rikala looked around at her friends, hoping that someone would say something.
        “I am truly sorry I lied to you all, but you must understand that I didn’t want any of you to be too involved.  Having you too involved would mean that there could be a chance that you could die, and I’ve already had that happen to Vladimir, and there’s a risk that it has happened to Armand.  I can’t go through that pain again.”
        Lucas stepped forward and placed a hand on Rikala’s shoulder.
        “I’m going nowhere.  I don’t care about your reasons, I chose to help you because you helped me and gave me a home and a chance to change my ways.  I’m grateful for that.”
        Rikala and the others looked at Lucas in awe; he was never one for emotions, so this sudden burst came as a bit of a shock.  Slowly, one by one, they all nodded and agreed with Lucas.  Rikala felt a great deal of relief and thanked them all; lingering that bit more with Riley, pulling him close into a tight embrace and kissing him softly on the lips.

        “I didn’t know you could cook like this.  This is amazing!” Emma said through a mouthful of potatoes and meat.
        “Mmm, you’ve been holding out in us!” said Jonathan.
        As an apology, Rikala had cooked dinner for Emma, Paige, Mark and Jonathan.  She had created a spectacular feast of hams, beef, chicken, vegetables, potatoes and a whole manner of different platters.  Each plate and bowl better than the last – it was a feast fit for royalty.  For Lucas and Riley, Rikala set up a feast of blood; she put out different platters, some of deer blood, some of horse blood, some of bear blood and so on until the different bowls filled the entire banquet table.
        They soon forgave her.
         

Chapter Seven

        “- police have searched the building and as of yet no traces of evidence have been found.  Police say that the thief was very skilled and obviously knew what they were doing; they weren’t even picked up by the security cameras.  A full inquiry is being made into the event and we will be kept informed of the progress made –“
        The TV clicked off and a figure walked over towards a small table.  There were four other figures sat around the table.
        “This poses a problem for us.  If she finds out-“
        “She won't find out.”
        “We don’t know that! She’s getting closer!”
        “We have nothing to worry about.” Came a gruff voice from the corner of the room.  “I have laid a false trail which she will take and follow.”
        “But Ashton, how do you know she will take it.  She’s not stupid.”
        “Because she is desperate.” Said Ashton, walking over towards the small group.  “Rikala will stop at nothing to find Armand and that includes checking if the trails are real or not.”
        “Very well, but we can not let her find him.  If she should succeed, it would mean the destruction of our race.”
        “I am all too aware of the outcome, Peter.  However, I have planned a little something for her, should she get to close.  It will make her think twice about her actions.”

*

        “We did the search for Edward Drake but nothing’s come up.”
        “That’s fine.  Could you try Armand Dubois?  I’m certain something will come up, but not necessarily what we want.”
        “Sure, no probs.  Anything else?”
        “No Paige, thank you.”
        “Security cameras show that you weren’t followed but the TV is showing the break in all over the news.”
        “We don’t need to worry about that, they won't find any evidence.  Keep an eye on it anyway.”
        The next few days were busy, as everyone was set different jobs.  Things were easier now that Rikala had told them the truth.
        “Alyssa, Rikala, oh – what the hell am I meant to call you now?” Grumbled Mark
        “Whatever you feel comfortable with.” Grinned Rikala
        “Right, well, in that case Rikala, I’ve found a file that might interest you.”
        Mark handed over a small brown folder which Rikala took eagerly.  She read through the file quietly, scanning carefully over the information.
        “How did you find this?”
        “Um, just like everything else.”
        “How did you find this?” Rikala repeated, louder this time.
        “I told you. I found it like everything else.  Why what’s – “
        “Something’s wrong then.  There is no way this information would have been so readily available.”
        “It came from a reliable source; there can’t be anything wrong with it.”
        “Are you sure, Mark?”
        “Positive.”
        Rikala nodded and made her way to her room, nose buried in the file.
        The day continued as normal with everyone doing what they can to find Armand.  Once night had fallen, Rikala and Riley took the BMW and went to investigate some of the information from the file that Mark had found.
        “You think it’s safe?”
        “Of course it’s safe Riley, and it’s not like you to worry about something like that.  We’ve done this plenty of times.”
        “I meant the file.  Do you think the information is safe?  Can we trust it?”
        Rikala was silent for a moment; as if she were thinking of her words carefully.
        “I trust Mark.”

        As the car pulled into the dark ally, Riley jumped out and disappeared into the nearby building while Rikala pulled up into a dark corner of the ally.  To anyone who had walked by they would not have seen the car parked there; but then that was the general idea.
        Riley walked to the front of the building: it was just an ordinary office block, with at least 10 floors. Glancing up towards the 5th floor, Riley was able to calculate that, should he need to, the drop from there would not be a problem; hoping it wouldn’t come to that he walked inside.  There were only three members of staff on duty in the main lobby area; none of them were security guards.  Riley took a mental note of the room and its occupants for later and headed of in the direction of the lifts.
        When he exited the lift, Riley turned right and over to a large metal door; he grasped the handle and gently pushed down but it was locked.  With a simple flick of his wrist he broke the doors lock, pushed the door open and entered.

        Rikala stepped out of the car and headed out towards the opposite end of the ally.  As she was walking across the empty street she heard a noise from behind her, she didn’t turn to investigate, instead she continued on walking forward.  There was a small side street on the opposite side of the road.  In actual fact it was more of an ally and it was very dark; just what Rikala wanted.  She crossed the road and headed into the ally.  Rikala hid herself behind one of the large dumpsters and waited for her assailant to follow; she didn’t have to wait long before a tall figure appeared at the entrance to the ally.  From where Rikala was crouched, she could easily see that the figure was a man, around 45-50 in age, stood about five-nine and wore black baggy trousers and an ankle length trench coat.  As the man moved further towards her, a small gust of wind whipped around his coat and exposed a small revolver attached to his belt.
        Right.  Thought Rikala as she searched the ground around her for a weapon. He’s only human, a human with a gun, but still just a human.  She spotted a long thin metal pole lying not three feet away from the stalker-guys feet; she knew that to get it, she was going to have to show herself. Great, now I’m probably going to get shot.  I’ll have to try; I can’t stay here all night.  Plus where would the fun be in that.  Getting up from behind the dumpster, Rikala walked out into the man’s path with her hands held high.
        “Please, don’t shoot.”
        At Rikala’s sudden movement and remark, the man had reached into his coat and pulled the gun out of its holster and brought it level with Rikala’s chest.  Even though he was a good four feet away, Rikala had no doubt that the bullet would easily reach her and she didn’t want to risk receiving any injuries.
        “Why are you following me?”
        “Shut up! I’m asking the questions.” He took a few steps forward.  “You’re very pretty, what you doin’ round here on your lonesome? Lost?”
        “No, just taking a walk, you know, to get some fresh air.” Rikala lowered her arms slowly to her waist.
        “What’s your name, darlin’?”
        “Alyssa.  What’s yours?”
        He hesitated for a second, unsure of what to do.
        “Mike.  Put your hands back up; I like to see what your doin’.”
        Rikala put her hands back up and smirked to herself at Mike’s obvious lack of understanding.  Mike had no idea what he was doing; oh, Rikala had no doubt that he had shot a gun before or that he had stolen, but she could tell quiet easily that Mike had never killed anyone.
        Mike took a few more steps towards her.
        “Come ‘ere, slowly.”
        Rikala did as she was told; for humour more than anything else. 
        “Stop right there.”
        Mike took the last few steps and pushed the muzzle of the gun beneath her chin.  He is unsure of himself; it’s an act.
        “My, my, your even more beautiful close up.  Fancy comin’ to a little party I’m havin’?”
        “Is anyone else going to be there or is it just going to be us?”
        Mike laughed at Rikala’s boldness and pushed the muzzle of the gun harder into her throat.
        “We can invite more if you want, but yeah, it’s just you and me.”
        Rikala paused, made it look as if she was thinking before replying to his invite.
        “No”
        “You don’t want to be sayin’ no to me, Alyssa.”
        “Really?” said Rikala.  “I think it should be you who shouldn’t be threatening me.”
        “Ha!  You best be careful, darlin’.”
        Mike’s finger wrapped around the trigger, but before he could fire, Rikala had dived towards the pole laying now only a few steps away and stood poised and ready for the battle.
        Mike was in shock, no one could move that fast – no one.  He realised that he was the one in danger and ran towards the back end of the ally, not knowing that it was a dead end.
        Rikala stood still and watched as Mike came to a halt by a large 8 foot tall brick wall; with no way of escape, Mike turned to face Rikala and started to fire his gun in rapid succession.  Rikala was able to dodge the bullets easily, but was too late in moving out of the way of the second to last bullet, and it hit her below her left shoulder.  The hit from the bullet caused her to lose her balance and she fell into the path of the last bullet which lodged itself firmly into the top of her right thigh.  Rikala quickly regained her balance, started to walk towards Mike and then threw the cold metal pole in her hands like a javelin.  The tip of the pole caught Mike square in the chest, going through his rib cage and spine; a small gasp escaped his lips before he collapsed to the floor.
        Rikala staggered over towards Mike’s body; the pain from the bullets ricocheting throughout her body. Damn it! Normally a bullet wound would cause no trouble but unfortunately Rikala was unused to being shot and her injuries didn’t heal as quickly as they should.  Before Rikala could dispose of the body, she caught the sound of a SUV rounding the corner of the empty main street ahead.  She walked as fast as possible to the end of the ally before she heard voices.
        “The shots came from round ‘ere!”
        “I can’t get hold of Mike; he’s not answering his radio!”
        Shit! He wasn’t alone. Did he really have a radio? I never saw it. Rikala listened quietly and sure enough she heard the fizz and crackle of dying technology; she had pierced a hole straight through it when she had launched the pole.  Most of the radio was now lodged inside Mike’s lifeless body.
        Realising that these other men would soon find Mike’s body she looked for an escape route; any other day she would have jumped the wall but with the injuries she had there was no way she could make it.  Rikala looked up at the apartment building on her right and noticed the emergency stairway; it was only a short jump that would cause her no problems.  Crouching down beneath the stairway, she leapt up and grabbed hold of the bottom railing of the ladder.  Rikala had forgotten about the bullet wound below her left shoulder and as she grabbed the bottom rung a fiery pain erupted through her arm, causing her to let go and hang by one arm.  Although Rikala was strong enough to hold on quite effortlessly with one hand, it did cause her a slight inconvenience; recovering, she was able to climb the emergency route to the top of the building and over onto the roof, just as the men from the SUV entered the ally.
        “There’s something down here!”
        “Damn, it’s Mike!”
        “What the – how did this happen?  The guy that did this has to be here somewhere.  Get searching!”
        Rikala traipsed across the roof and leaped over to the building next door.
        “That was too close.” She said to herself.
        Rikala heard it first; the sirens, then she heard yelling and the sound of an SUV screeching around the tight corners of the roads.  Someone must have phoned the police at the sound of the gun shots. Peering down towards the road she noticed in the back garden of a small house straight in front of her, a garden hose.
        “Perfect” she said as she clambered down the emergency route of this building.
        Rikala ran across the road and into the garden of the house she had seen a moment ago; picking up the hose she quickly washed of the blood and made her way back onto the street.  She hadn’t gone far when a police car pulled up beside her, and a policeman who looks as if he would rather have been sat in the nearest greasy-spoon, stuck his head out of the window.
        “What are you doing around here this late at night, miss?”
        “I was meant to pick up my brother around here somewhere, but he never turned up, so I went to look for him.  I got a little lost.”
        The cop looked her up and down; obviously noticing that she was very wet and turned to his partner.  They exchanged a few nods and murmurs before he turned to Rikala again.
        “Very well, but can you explain to me why you are so wet?”
        “Well, actually that was my fault.  You see, while I was looking for my brother – and now my car – I took a walk in the park; thought I might find Dan there but I didn’t.  No, instead I got caught by the sprinklers and then as I ran to get out of the way, I slipped and ended up getting even wetter.”  Rikala sighed and looked down at her sodden clothes.  “Real shame, these are my best trousers.”
        The cops looked satisfied with Rikala’s answer but they picked the radio up anyway, telling the person on the other end what they had found.
        “I’ll be right there, don’t let her leave.” Came a voice from the other end.
        After a few minuets of waiting in the back of the police car, another car pulled up in front.  Two figures stepped out of the car; a woman, who looked about five-two and a man who looked about six-one.  Both looked very formal in their black suits.  Ha, they look like they’ve just stepped out of ‘Men in Black’! They both walked up to the police car, but only the man spoke.
        “DI Parick, I’m here to speak to the young woman you found.”
        Rikala was pulled out of the back seat and into the gaze of the police woman. Rikala tensed, ready to pounce.
        “She looks guilty.”
        “Anyone would look guilty if they suddenly found your face too close to theirs.  Move away, Matthews, let the lady breathe.”
        The woman, Matthews, stepped back and Rikala relaxed and looked over to DI Parick.
        “Can you please tell me why you are out so late at night?”
        Rikala recited her story while the two police officers that had found her got back into their car and drove off.  They obviously had something better to do.
        “Matthews.  Take the car; I’m going to walk this young lady back to her own.”
        Matthews looked at DI Parick and was about to protest, when he cut in.
        “Don’t argue with me, Matthews.”
        He didn’t need to say anymore, and she silently got into the car and pulled away.
        “Now then, miss, can you remember the way.”
        “Um, I think it’s this way.  Alyssa.”
        “Sorry”
        “My name.  It’s Alyssa.”
        “Ah, yes, forgive me.  I’m David.”
        Rikala took David around the block before spotting a small blue car park in an empty car park.
      “There it is.” She called
        Rikala pointed towards the pale blue Ford that was sat, abandoned, in a quite car park.  They stopped beside the Ford and Rikala went up to the drivers side and quickly flicked the lock and got in.  Rikala noticed how David mentally noted the registration number. He’ll soon find out that this isn’t my car, but that doesn’t matter; I can easily get round that when the time calls for it. 
        “Can I get a phone number?”
        “Sure, but I’ll get home safely.  There’s really no need to check up on me.”
        “Oh, I’m not worried that you won’t get home; it’s just that there have been a few murders in the vicinity.  You weren’t far from another murder when my colleagues found you.”
        “Oh, my God! I was really lucky.”
        “Yes, you were.  That’s why I want your number; that and because we might need to question you later.”
        “You think I was the one that killed that person?”
        “No, but you were near and there may be a chance that you saw or heard something.”
        “Oh, okay.” She rattled off her number.
        “Thank you, Alyssa.  I’ll be in contact.”
        Rikala almost jumped when the phone in her front pocket began to ring; she had completely forgotten that she had it with her. She pulled it out and answered it.
        “Hello”
        “Where are you, you’re late?”
        “Sorry, got lost.  I should be there soon.  Don’t panic.”
        “Is there someone with you?”
        “Yeah, I know but I completely forgot I had it with me.”
        “I’m at the car.  Hurry up.”
        “Yeah, yeah, okay.  See you in a bit.”
        Rikala hung up and put the phone back in her pocket.
        “My brother.” She said quickly after looking towards David and seeing the look of utter disbelief.
        “Why, didn’t you just use your phone in the first place?”
        “Two reasons actually. First Dan hardly ever has his phone on, so there was no point trying to phone him and secondly, I forgot I had it with me.” Rikala grinned sheepishly.
        Rikala tried to start the car but failed miserably. Trust me to pick a car that’s doesn’t even work.  Should have known that there was something wrong with it, otherwise it wouldn’t have been sat here.
        “Something wrong?” asked David from his car.
        “Yeah, damn thing won't start.  Looks like I’m walking.”
        “I’ll walk you there, I won't be satisfied until your with your brother.  What will you do about the car?”
        “I’ll get Dan to take a look at it tomorrow.”
        They walked back to the ally where Rikala had parked the BMW, and found Riley leaning against the passenger side door.
        “Well, it was nice to meet you Alyssa.  Have a safe journey and please, don’t wander the streets at night alone.”
        “It has been nice to meet you too.  Thank you, I will and don’t worry.  I’ll be fine.”
        She walked up to Riley and got into the car.  Riley followed suit after a glance towards David.
        “Did you get it?” asked Rikala as she backed the car out onto the main road, leaving David alone in the ally.
        “Yes, its on the back seat.”
        “Good”
        “What have you been doing, apart from making new friends?”
        “Don’t make fun, he was just being polite.”
        “Only you would – wait, why are you all wet?”