Temper
�Val, I don�t mean to be offensive or anything, but have you been to a psychiatrist lately?� Morgan asked when she was finished with the first part of her story.
�I stopped going to one of those years ago, and why do you ask? Do you think I�m crazy?�
�Well� Yes.�
�Out of all those I used to call my friends I would have thought you would understand, but you don�t even believe what I say.�
�What do you mean, �used to call my friends�?�
�I meant exactly what I said. You should know I don�t like to elaborate on what I say, nor repeat it. So, why do you think I�m lying?�
�Vampires? Come on, everyone knows vampires are fiction brought about only to keep people indoors at night.�
Val got up and began walking with Morgan getting up and following by her side. They left the gym and walked through the parking lot and to the playground a few yards away.
�All of what I tell you is the truth.�
�You always did have quite the imagination.�
�I tell no lies!� she roared.
Morgan backed up, slightly surprised at the loudness of the shout.
�No need to yell,� she said quietly.
They sat down on the swings and Val looked up at the stars.
�Sorry. My temper gets the best of me at times. Believe what I say though. All of which I tell you is true.�
�Ok, fine. So what happened after he came into your room?�
Chapter IX
Loving Evil
Dawn was but a mere three hours away and I had gotten nowhere with Aeneas. Still we lay in his bed, and still I wanted what he had more than anything. Finally he had finished his story and was now staring at the ceiling in silence. Was there nothing more to say? Nothing to say to me?
�After hearing all I have said, you still want what I have to give?� he asked turning his head to look into my eyes.
�More than anything.�
�Why?�
�What do you mean?�
�Why on Earth could you possibly want this torment; this hell?�
�It might be hell to you, but that is only because you were happy in life. I want nothing more than death, but I am terribly afraid of dying. I couldn�t take living any longer knowing that you exist; knowing that all I have ever wanted is so close. You have forgotten how terrible life is. Consider yourself lucky.�
�So presumptuous. I remember what living was like, and it was wonderful.�
�Maybe it was all those years ago, but things are different now. Life isn�t worth all this pain.�
�What pain could you possibly have? You come from a family who loves you and has more than enough to provide you with a comfortable life. You have friends who love you.�
�That�s just it. All my friends are gone; they left long ago. I come from a broken family. Perhaps you simply skipped over that part.�
�At least they are alive.�
�Don�t throw that at me. Trust me; I would rather some of them be dead. And if you don�t take me now, I shall kill myself within days.�
�Must you women always throw that in my face?�
�Yes. Do not tempt the starving man with food only to take it away. That man would surely die.�
�What if I am wrong again? What if you aren�t the one? I could not live with myself knowing that I have wrongly changed another.�
�That�s a risk you will have to take. What if I am the one and you don�t change me? What then? Shall everything you�ve been told be a lie? What would your mother say to know her son had become nothing more than a shadow?�
�Don�t bring her into this.�
�I will bring her into this if I must. Aeneas, don�t leave me hanging like this. You can�t do this to me.�
�Time will tell if you are meant to be what I am.�
�I don�t have time!�
�Yes you do. For now you shall live and go on with your normal life-�
�No!�
�You will cherish the life you have. If indeed I do make you what I am you shall be grateful that you did.�
�Don�t make me go back to that school. Don�t make me go back to the life I have wanted so desperately to escape from. Don�t make me live any longer! I can�t take life any more! If I don�t become someone else soon, I think I�ll explode.�
�My precious Valeska.�
I stopped practically sobbing and looked questioningly at Aeneas.
�What did you call me?�
�Valeska. It really is a beautiful name; you should use it more often.�
�But how did you-�
�I believe you forget that I can read minds.�
�Well that�s just rude.�
He smiled and ran his fingers through my hair.
�I won�t leave you like this if I truly believe that you won�t make it living. In a few days time I shall decide what to do. In the mean time you will go on living life here. You won�t be where you were, but at least you�ll be alive.�
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
�Thank you so much.�
He looked out the window and gently pushed me away from him.
�The sun approaches; I must leave you for now. You have free reign of this whole castle. My servants have received word that you shall be here, so do not hesitate to ask them for anything.� He stood up and walked to the door. �Until tomorrow night, my sweet.�
The castle was as beautiful as I imagined it would be. Metal knight suits lined the main hallway complete with weapons and intricate poses. There were beautiful Oriental rugs in most of the rooms. There were even fireplaces big enough to hold a dozen men. As for the servants he spoke of, a better term would be �arsenal.� Never in my life had I seen so many people serving one man, or one family for that matter. He even had chefs, but as to why, I could not say. The whole east wing of the castle were servant rooms. They lacked in the beauty of the rest of the house, but they were still very nice.
I got a quick bite to eat and left to do more exploring and to locate a room for myself. This proved to be a much more difficult task than I had planned on. All the rooms were so beautiful. Finally I chose a room decorated to resemble one of English royalty. The bed was bigger than any I had ever seen; surely it was larger than King size. The bathroom attached surpassed the room itself. The bathtub took up almost an entire wall, and every inch of the floor was covered in black marble. I was beside myself.
For the greater portion of the day I slept. It was six o� clock before I woke up. The first thing I did was take a bath. Steam and bubbles greeted me as I slipped into the water. My body welcomed the warmth openly. It had been a few days since I had washed myself. With the relaxing water and fumes, it was only a few minutes before I fell asleep again.
When I awoke I saw Aeneas leaning against the door frame looking at me. The water was still warm, which surprised me; surely I must have been asleep for at least an hour. Aeneas stepped over to the tub and knelt down before it.
�How was your day?� he asked.
�What day? I slept.�
�You shouldn�t do that you know. If indeed I do change you, you�ll regret not treasuring that sunlight.�
�Yeah yeah yeah, so you�ve told me.�
�So maybe you should listen.�
�See, then I�d be listening to authority, and that�s something I have never done. Why change just for you?�
�Because I can take you away from this.�
�Good point.�
�So, are you having a nice bath?�
�Yes. Never before have I been this relaxed.�
�Well, continue with your pleasure. I have to leave and finish a few things.�
�Like what?�
�Things. Best not to ask a vampire of his endeavors. I�ll be back within an hour. Feel free to explore.�
He got up and left the room.