The gray slabs of concrete were stable beneath my feet. My knees were still turning rubber as I stepped out onto the ledge of the building. Even a thousand years could not cure my fear of heights. I was still scared. After all this time, I still had human fears. �And I still have a human�s mind�� I thought as I crawled out onto the neon sign I had been hiding behind. The metal creaked beneath my feet with each step. I sat down and swung my feet over the edge. I moved them back and forth as I watched the people below. They were barely visible under the glow of small streetlights that lined the sidewalk. I could hear the horns of all the cars in the universe. The smell of all the perfumes and the scents they were to cover up lingered around my nostrils.
I don�t know how long I sat there before I heard the distant sirens. They screamed out that I was their target. �Jumper! Jumper!� they screamed out in long wails. I laughed into the wind and did what they were afraid I would do. I lifted my hands above my head and dived into the open air, away from the building. I was falling down, down, down.
I smiled into the night. My grin and laughter bounced off the walls and echoed down the alleyways. My black hair flew into my eyes and around my cheeks. I still laughed. I laughed because I knew�
I hit the ground. I crushed the cardboard boxes with my body and finally hit asphalt. The cardboard boxes flew into the air somewhat then landed on top of me. They hid the truth that I existed under all the debris. Something had cracked as I had hit the ground. I�m not sure if it was the street or some bone in my body. I would never care.
Soon the noise of my landing stopped. The sirens drifted away from me, out to catch a druggie or burglar. I closed my eyes and sighed. The blood dripped slowly from my nose and forehead. I felt it descending in a thin line of bitter red. The fall wasn�t painful. Nothing was anymore. I could feel my cells begin to reproduce and heal me. It sent a tingling up and down my legs and arms. It felt like I was dying all over again.
I sat among the garbage until I heard the footsteps drawing closer. It was then that I decided to pull myself up from the ground. My left arm dangled limply from the elbow down and it was twisted on backwards. I wasn�t concerned with it though. As the silhouetted figures of two policemen began to turn the corner I ducked into the shadows behind a Dumpster. Their voices turned down until they were just loud whispers of German.
�Someone said they saw a kid jump. So where�s the body?�
�I dunno. Maybe he got up�
�And walk away from this? No way. The roof of that building is ten stories up. Now tell me how��
�There�s blood here�
That sentence seemed to silence both of them. �Where is he? Hans?� asked the other police officer. Hans stood in reticence as he stared down at the ground. �Let�s go. There�s nothing to see here. If he actually jumped, he�ll turn up. But for now, there�s nothing. Let�s get out of here. This is giving me the creeps,� Hans said finally. After a few seconds, they left together. �This is like that show� the Twilight Zone,� said the one officer. �This is real life, not some ancient vid,� Hans said. The conversation faded along with their footsteps.
I crawled out of my safety hole. With a grunt, I jerked my arm back into its socket and walked to where my blood had been. It was dry and of no use to me now. Disappointed, I levitated then lifted away from the streets. The wind soon met me again. I looked down at the alley once more before I turned my eyes to the sky. I wiped my nose of the blood and sniffed. My immortality disgusted me now. Tears burned in my eyes as I sailed into the night.
Nathan�
Nathan�
Nathan�
The name echoed in my mind as I flew through the night. Sometimes the name made me cry. Sometimes it made me laugh. Every so often it made me angry, but not at Nathan. Pandora had been such a murderous and dark soul. I hoped she was serving her time with Satan.
My brothers and family had been dead a long time. Almost one hundred years had passed since I had seen my family. Blaze was dead and Neve had returned to her place among the mortal and died a grandmother. I was alone now, so alone�
The clouds ripped along my face. I felt as if I could touch the stars. But what had Gramma always said about stars? Oh, yes, that they were homes for souls. I wondered if I had a home there too. I knew Gramma did. I knew my family did, too. But how did they feel? They were just waiting up there in Heaven, waiting for me. But I knew God could never forgive me for my sins. I never asked for what she had given me. She stole it from me. That made me angry.
Whipping violently through the wind, I returned to my castle on the hill. It had been given to me from Blaze�s will. With my money from the music, I restored it. He also left me to take care of The League for him. Little did he know, it dissipated soon after his death. The walls of the castle were cold and echoed with memories. Occasionally, I could still hear Neve calling me to dinner or Pip, Star and Quentin laughing as they played. But it always turned out to be Sachi or one of my own children�s laughter. As I traveled the West wing�s hallways, I looked into my old room and trembled. The blood was still on the floor and it had stained it for years. I knew the blood would never wash away.
Everyone, who had gone out tonight, was returning. I heard their footsteps near the door, and then the creak of old hinges. There was a little wandering before their shoes soon reached the door to the catacombs. Then I heard them descend the darkened staircase without a lantern to guide them.
To stay out of their sights, I climbed the stairwells to the tallest tower. I stuck my hand into my silken pocket and pulled out a letter. It was neatly written, so Charlotte could understand every detail. This letter held everything that would be needed. With a sigh, I looked out onto the night like I had on the top of the building, but with different soul. I remembered� I shuddered unconsciously as I did so. I remembered the way it looked a long time ago, when my nightmare started.