27. The Fallen One

Chapter twenty-seven

The Fallen One

M ost of the week, Oliver and I spent practicing every evening our roles for the play. Difficult for him to get used to touching me while we were dancing so close. Regardless, something Seth said just kept playing in my mind. Perhaps Oliver was meant to bite me before the play, because then it would stop him from doing it during the play itself. I hadn't been able to get him to budge otherwise. The boy is just completely against the idea of hurting me. Even giving me a bit of a pinprick. Not that I know exactly what a vampire bite feels like, but I imagine it feels like any other regular bite. As Saturday rolls round, I jump out of bed quite quickly and I take a shower, brushing my hair and waving it out. I'm really excited to meet my aunt and uncle. I have a lot of questions and perhaps they will be the only people that will give me answers.

Seth arrives, and we pull up outside a quaint house that radiates warmth and nostalgia. The white paint contrasts starkly with the dark grey roof, and the elegant pillars at the front are adorned with intricate designs. A cobblestone path invites us to the welcoming front door. I follow Seth inside, my heart thumping in anticipation. Standing in the doorway are a woman and a man. The woman, Clarice, is striking with her dark grey hair gracefully thinning, exuding an air of elegance in her simple, yet chic attire. Beside her, a man whose smile mirrors mine captures my attention. He stands tall, his youthful appearance belying his age.

“Amelia,” The woman says, reaching out to me. I accept her hug without any hesitance. “You are so gorgeous. You look just like Amiee.” Amiee? A shiver rolls up my spine. Is that my mother's name? The man ends up also grabbing onto both of us and giving us both a huge hug. As they pull apart, they stare at me and I'm starting to feel a little bit awkward. “I'm Clarice. And this is my husband John. Your father, James, was his twin brother.”

“Twin?” I ask. That means this man standing here before me looks exactly like what my father would have.

“Yes, and I understand you have a lot of questions, so let's take a seat, shall we? I've got some brunch nibbles ready for us.” As she ushers me towards a plumpy and cosy white floral living room, Seth takes a seat in one of the armchairs and his father in the one opposite while his mother sits down right next to me on the large couch. On the small coffee table in front of me, I can see several items. I'm a little surprised to see cream cheese crackers and things similar to it. “I think I've got most of your favorites.” She smiles.

“I'm sorry, how did-”

“Oh honey, you think Seth is psychic? You haven't seen anything yet.” I look over at Seth with a bit of a glare.

“You could have warned me.” But he just shrugs his shoulders and reaches for some food.

“Don't worry dear, I don't purposely use it most of the time, but I just wanted to make sure that you were comfortable. Please ask me anything you want to know.” I want to ask them a lot of questions about themselves. But I'm wondering if I should ask questions specific about my parents.

“Can you just tell me what happened? You guys seem like an amazing family, and if he was your brother, wouldn't he have given you his child? Why did they give me to strangers?”

“This is going to be a lot for you to take in, so we're going to take it a bit at a time.” I'm not ready to hear whatever bombshell she has to drop on me. But I smile and nod anyway. “When I met John, we had a bit of a whirlwind romance, but like I said, I'm psychic. So I knew that it would end up well. His brother and I also grew to be great friends. One day he meets this girl and I actually had no idea it was going to happen. It was very unusual for me back then because my power was quite active. I wanted to know as much as I could about this girl, but to be honest, James seemed to keep her away from me. I wasn't sure why, but perhaps he was just trying to be private. We still get to know her quite well. Eventually we find out that we’re pregnant, of course, we're absolutely ecstatic to hear that. A few months later, we hear that voice James and Amiee are also pregnant. I was over the moon. We were all going to have kids at the same time and they could grow up together.” She looks over to Seth and then back of her husband before turning to me and grabbing onto my hand. It's really strange to know that this woman is actually my family, but for some reason, even though we've only just met, I completely trust her. “Truthfully, I was always afraid to ask why I couldn't see your mother. Even with the use of my psychic abilities I couldn’t see her future. She was about seven months pregnant when we found out the reason.”

“What was the reason?”

“You're not gonna understand what this means just yet, so I will let you know, she was one of the Fallen.”

“What's a Fallen?”

“I’ll let Seth explain it to you later, dear. What I do need to tell you is that the ones that I have not fallen don't take it lightly upon those who have. Your mother was technically on the run trying to do her best to hide. But she ended up marrying your father instead of running. She stayed in one place for too long. Your parents ended up needing to run eventually. Of course, that's difficult to do when you're seven months pregnant. The stress ended up being a little bit too much. They did come close enough to San Francisco so that when she had her baby, a little bit earlier, mind you, we were able to take the baby straight away. We were going to raise you. That's what we wanted. Unfortunately, the ones who were after your mother knew who we were and they knew that you were at least half of what she was. We couldn't keep you because they would find you. Your mother then let me know that she was working with someone for a long time. That seemed very polite and very kind, yet they had been struggling to have a baby of their own. I knew where she lived, so I went to go see her that night. Wonderful woman, and she accepted you with open arms. But by the time we had returned to your parents, we were just too late.” Her voice goes quiet.

“By too late do you mean…?”

My uncle responds in her place, “Yes, they found them. Back then, the Fallen were hunted for a lot of reasons, especially ones that were on their own and didn’t have a clan to protect them. But in order for us not to lead them to you, we simply couldn't see you. But my wife kept having dreams that we would see you again one day, so we were never too worried.” There’s part of the story I'm missing and I feel like I need to know it, but I’ll wait.

“Would you like to see a photo of them?” Clarice’s voice breaks through my thoughts, gentle and inviting. I nod, feeling a sudden urge to connect with the faces of the parents I never knew. Clarice stands and moves gracefully to the mantlepiece, where she retrieves a photo frame that had been lying face down. She hands it to me with a tenderness that speaks volumes. The photo reveals a younger version of my uncle, his features unmistakable, and a woman whose resemblance to me is striking. Her hair, though shorter, frames her face in a way that echoes my own. “Your mother was truly beautiful,” Clarice says, her voice filled with warmth. “She had an unquenchable love for life, a passion for all things earthly. She had a warriors way about her but the moment she fell pregnant it was all about you.” Holding the photo, a sense of connection washes over me. It’s comforting to know that my parents didn’t abandon me, that they wanted me and loved me. This newfound knowledge doesn’t erase the loss, but it brings a measure of peace.

“So, what do you both do?” I ask, eager to learn more about the family I’m only just beginning to know. I want to understand more about who they are, what their lives have been like, and how, despite everything, our paths have finally crossed.

I didn't end up asking Seth what a Fallen was. I'm at the point where I think I rather blissfully play ignorant. I had a lot more to worry about. Thursday evening rolled around a lot faster than I could have expected. As I knock on Oliver’s door, I enter before he has a chance to answer. It's become more like a routine this week that I've been spending time in his room so that we could rehearse. He's still tweaking the song on the piano feeling like it’s not quite right. And I completely agree.

“Hey, what have you got there?” He asks me as I stand near the door with a piece of paper in my hand. I close the door behind me in lock it just in case I don't really want to be interrupted right now. I step over towards him and he slides over on the piano stool as I sit down beside him.

“Do you remember how a couple of weeks ago you wrote me that note?”

“I remember you getting really angry that I said goodbye in a note, but yes.”

“Well, on the second piece of paper you had this really nice song written out. The lyrics were really beautiful. Anyway, I ended up folding the piece of paper into my pocket and running after you. I hadn’t noticed until now that it was still in my jeans. I think we should change the duet.”

“To what?”

“To this. The music is still good, that's for sure. But I think we should change the lyrics to the ones that you wrote me.”

“It's hardly a duet.”

“Yes, I can tell it's a corny love song.”

“Hey I don't do corny, I do romantic.” He gives me a cheeky smile as he grabs my hand. Lately, this is how our interactions have been starting. It's better for him just to get used to one part before moving on to the next.

“Yes, I know it wasn't a duet. But last night, I made some extra adjustments.” As I unfold the piece of paper, I lay it out in front of him on top of the piano board. He takes a moment to read over it.

“Do you really want to sing this in front of everybody?”

“To everyone else, it'll just sound like a regular old love song. No one's gonna know the meaning behind this.”

“If you're sure, I think you're right, we should change these lyrics. It'll make me feel a lot better about singing them to you.”

“Technically, you're supposed to be singing to the audience.”

“Nah, they'll just be witnesses.”

“Speaking of being witnesses…”

“Amelia don't.”

“You remember what Seth said. He said you should do it before the play. Well, the play is tomorrow night. I don't want it to be too soon before otherwise I might feel a little bit queasy. This is at least the day before.”

“It will hurt you.”

“Yeah, but you said you can make it go away afterwards. Besides, it's not like you're trying to hurt me on purpose. It's just a necessity for you to get used to me.”

“Sorry I can't do it.” He says standing up from the piano stool and walking over towards his bed. He sits down on the edge and I stand up to go join him. As I take a place by his side, I grab his hand and put it in my lap.

“I understand that you're trying really hard to be the good guy here. I realize it's not easy. I know you hate the idea of thinking that you could cause somebody's death, or you have the desire to or whatever it is you said. I don't care. I'm really tired of not being with you.”

“I've been trying so hard to resist any urges to bite you. I'm not going to just willingly do it now.” An idea crosses my mind, but I don't know if he'll let me try it. Although I suppose he will if I don't tell him.

“Alright.” I say. “But we still need a little bit more practice, being a bit closer. I still don't think we've practiced that romantic kiss scene enough.” He tries his best to hide a smirk, but he fails completely. “Why don't you sit back on the bed up against the wall?” He looks behind him and sees that he can in fact sit on the bed with his legs up and his back against the wall, so he does so without questioning my motives. As I go back with him, I surprise him by jumping over his thighs and spreading mine across him.

“Amelia-” I don't give him much of a chance to speak. I wrap my hands behind his neck and pull him into me. As we continue I can tell that he certainly doesn't want to pull back – and because of the wall he can't . The more I kiss him, the warmer he seems to get. If I can get him to a certain point, then he might bite me without realizing. I roll my hips forward, which places me in a delicate spot on top of his pants. He exhales sharply as I repeat the grinding movement and push my tongue deep into his mouth. Oliver’s hands are holding my hips tightly, but then I can feel him start to tense. Any moment he’s going to try and push away and I can’t let him. I lean back just enough to undo the buttons of my shirt so that he has complete access to my chest and neck. Letting my hands wander up his shirt he grabs onto one of my wrists and does his best to pull away despite the wall behind him blocking his ability to do so. “We can’t-” But I take over his mouth viciously and pull my hand from his grasp. He doesn’t resist me physically. I leave his mouth but only to slide my tongue down his neck. I let my hands wander further down, unzipping his jeans, and beneath doing its best to push through his boxers is a surprise waiting for me. I let my chest push outward into him as I roll my clothed opening over his dick. Until that moment he had kept his eyes closed, but he opens them and stares at me with piercing green eyes. His mouth is agape and hinting past his lips are elongated fangs. I thought I would be more frightened, I’m anything but that. He takes hold of my back and throws me backward, my head hanging off the edge of the bed he undoes my pants and removes them promptly, along with his own. He climbs back on top of me and I can feel his thick tip wanting to push inside, but he doesn’t. I’m so wet he could probably slip in easily, why doesn’t he? “Amelia-”

“Oliver, you’re going to have one really deflated girlfriend if you stop now.” I speak out, even though it’s difficult to hold my head up off the bed.

“I just wanted to say sorry.”

“For what?” He doesn’t answer me. As he uses one hand to prop my hips in the right place, he enters me roughly and I yell out. I feel his other arm under my back, leaning me up. He pulls back out but with the second hard thrust, my head falls back and I barely catch an upside down moment in the mirror at the opposite end of the room of his fangs delving into my neck. It’s an odd sensation like I’m getting hot, it’s so pleasurable . He moves his hips around only slightly for a moment before he releases his fangs from my skin. He leans up on his palms to look at me, the glistening green of his eyes turning almost completely brown. “I thought you said it was supposed to hurt?” I say, my head spinning a little.

“It didn’t?”

“No, actually that felt oddly nice. The only thing hurting me right now is your unexplainable size and the fact that you’re not moving .” Shooting me his signature grin, he pulls out and slams into me forcefully, but fuck does it feel good. He repeats a few more times before leaning back into me and kissing my neck. His free hand grabs onto my right breast beneath the bra and he plays with it, squeezing and pinching just to see my changing reactions.

The harder he goes, the more I feel like I’m going to fall off the bed. He grabs onto me around my back and flips us over. I guess this is his way of letting me have control. I move on him like he was my own plaything. I don’t know what feels good to him, but something feels really good when I grind on him. He makes an interesting face, something between pain and ecstasy. He moves his hands up my hips as his fingers start to play with my clit. “Oh, fuck. Don’t stop.” I breathe out. I start to bounce up and down a little more and he takes a tighter hold of my thighs.

“Amelia, I have to-”

“W-Wait.” I’m so close I can feel it. A few more thrusts and I feel myself reach a new level of headrush, but something else feels unusually pleasurable. His dick is throbbing inside me, a hot wet mess. I collapse to the side of him in a heap, but he still wraps an arm around my waist. For a moment all I can hear is our heavy breathing.

“You did that on purpose.” He says between exhaling.

“How many people do you know have sex by accident? What do they just fall and slip into the wrong hole?”

“Amelia…”

“Oh, you mean making it nearly impossible for you to resist the urge to bite me? Yeah, that was on purpose too.”

“Also, I don’t think I ever officially asked,” he began, a hint of vulnerability in his voice.

“Asked what?” I replied, my heart skipping a beat.

“For you to be my girlfriend,” he said, his words hanging in the air like a delicate melody. My mind raced – it was something I hadn’t considered amidst the chaos of recent events. “I had planned to ask you properly, you know, with a well-thought-out speech.” Phew . His admission made me smile, a genuine warmth spreading through me. I lifted my head, meeting his gaze. His smile, now broader, revealed his perfectly normal teeth, a stark contrast to the creature he could become.

“Oliver, would you like to make it official, then?” I teased gently, already knowing my answer but wanting to hear his request.

He took a deep breath, his voice softer now. “Amelia, would you be my girlfriend?”

The simplicity of the question, asked in such a heartfelt way, resonated deeply within me. “I’d love to, Oliver,” I answered, my voice a mirror of his own tender tone.

In that moment, all the complexities of our situation seemed to fade into the background, leaving just the two of us, connected by a newfound, sweet bond.