Blue Moon

They always had a feast this time of the year. The New Year carnival drew plenty of tourists to the area, especially those escaping the cold winters. The main attraction of the Corcovado Mountains was the Christo Redentor, Christ the Redeemer. (He always thought the Conselho was after the irony, people losing their lives at the feet of the redeemer.) Although the statue of Christ was visible from afar, they could always count on a human's curiosity or love of art to tempt them closer. The Conselho had built their fortress at the peak of the mountain centuries ago. The humans assumed it was part of the statue, where they could pray and seek solace at Jesus' feet. 

During the day, they feasted on the curious and religious, but the night was reserved for lovers. The beaches of Rio were a romantic hot spot. They knew they would find several couples snuggling on Copacabana beach. Unsuspecting lovers who thought life could not get much better. 

***

They weaved through the streets, chasing after their own. The Conselho authority had been challenged by a rebel society. They posed a danger to the order of power, the governance of the immortals. He stood with his second and third in command flanking him. Leo and Rick were the only immortals he trusted. Stephan watched as his men caught their targets one by one. They had orders to immediately execute them. A sudden change of allegiance or surrender was not to be taken into consideration. There were no second chances.

He stood over their burning corpses, a sneer on his face. He stopped feeling when he had been turned into the creature he was now. A soulless monster. There was no turning back, so he embraced his new role in the world and did what was expected of him.

As they tracked some of the vampires to the far border of the Ipanema beaches, he spotted a female. She did not look human; she had to be a vampire. Considering she was on their territory, he assumed just as much.

No other supernatural creature was allowed to cross into their land. It was grounds for war. That was their way of ensuring their safety and power. Any other creature that was not one of their own was a threat to be eliminated on sight. 

She was beautiful as the night light danced around her curves. Her hands were outstretched, and she was spinning around. He was taken by her and her child-like manner. She played in the water, running into the crashing waves and letting them engulf her. He abandoned his men and stepped forward to watch her. No one questioned him. No one ever dared. He was capable of merciless things, and because of that, his men never questioned him. When she spotted him, she stood still and stared at him. They looked at each other for a while, but then he broke the connection and headed back to the coven. 

She occupied his thoughts through to the next night. His dazed stares into thin air weren't missed. At the council meeting, the other vampires could tell he was distracted. 

Marquis was the only one to ask. She held favor with him and he with her. Even with this closeness, he couldn't tell her about the lady under the moon. And though she tried to use other means, she could never penetrate through the walls protecting his secret.

He went back to the beach that night, hoping to see her again, but she wasn't there. He returned every night thereafter, vowing to take advantage of every chance he got to go there. He often delegated the command of his men to Leo. He knew he could trust him to make wise decisions. Relieved from his military duty, he came up with excuses to miss council meetings. He continued to disappear, night after night, avoiding Marquis' suspicious glances. She did not believe the lie he fed the other elders, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Stephan walked to the end of Ipanema beach, crossing into Copacabana beach. He paid no attention to the humans rolling around in the sand or playing in the water. Usually, he would feed on them, thirsty or not. He did it because he could. However, tonight torturing them did not appeal to him. He had to find the female.

It had been a few weeks and he was about to give up when he saw her. She was playing with the human children in the water. This was absurd to him, but it only made her all the more beautiful. She seemed to love being amongst the human children. She was happy. Her smile touched the empty cave he called his heart. Unlike all the other vampires, his heart still beat in his chest. He wasn't an ordinary vampire. He made his way to her, careful not to frighten the children who brought her joy. She was very cautious of him, but she let him join her in the water. He watched her as she protectively took the children to the rest of the humans on the beach, their parents, he assumed. When she came back, he connected with her in a way he never thought possible.

That night, their romance began...

***

"NO! NO! NO! PLEASE DON'T!" she reached her hand out to him. Her eyes were begging him to save her. This was the moment to prove his love for her.

Help me!

She mouthed the words. She couldn't find her voice, not with all this pain running through her body. 

Please!

He watched, held down on his knees by four vampires, as the only woman he ever loved was tortured. This was his punishment for being happy. Tears rolled down his face. He couldn't bear the grief that exploded in his chest. He watched, through clouded eyes, the repercussions of his love for her.

She was dying because he chose to live a different life with her. 

He watched as they dragged her petite body over the dirty road, the crisp salty ocean wind blowing through her hair. The moon shone down on them as the swirling twinkle of the stars danced along the ocean waves. This should be the setting of a romantic tale; instead, it was the scene of her death.

Sotera had touched a part of him that he thought had died years ago when he stopped being a human and began his life as an immortal and a killer. His heart beat only to keep the beast in him alive. The cold side of him, the vampire, the killer.

She had a gentle nature, a deep respect for life. She never saw the differences that existed between all the creatures under the sun and the moon. Life was life, and that was what mattered to her the most. She taught him not to kill humans to satisfy his thirst and not to take away life just because he could.

He had never had anyone who cared for him that much. No one had bothered. They only took from him, never giving back. He was a pawn. 

"Stephan, help me, please!" 

The lifeless tone of her voice told him that she was fading away. It wouldn't be long now.

If only he didn't love her. 

If only he hadn't stopped to talk to her. 

If he hadn't drowned in her amber eyes, as she swam along the Brazilian beaches, then she would live. 

Then she would still have forever. 

His head sagged, but it was immediately forced back up. He had to watch. This was his punishment. His need for freedom would take away her life.

They moved her closer to him. They were eye to eye now. He leaned his head forward to touch his cheek to hers. He longed for a single touch from her. He needed her. His lips brushed against hers. She would die again. But this time, she wasn't coming back. This was the end.

"I love you. I'm sorry. This is my fault. I had no right to love you. No right." That was all he could do now, love her to her last moment. 

He hoped she could see the love in his eyes, the pain he felt.

Sotera's eyes burned bright with love as she smiled and tried to kiss him. And in that same second, she died.

He watched in horror as they twisted her head off her body and tore her limb from limb. He couldn't shut his eyes—not because they were forced open, but because they wouldn't close. He had to witness the end of something beautiful. He felt the pressure on his body lift, and the vampires dropped him to the dusty gravel. Slowly, he crawled towards her, the seven different parts of her. Stephan picked up the pieces of what had once been Sotera and held them against his chest. Sobs escaped his lips. Crying was a sign of weakness that he never condoned, but now, all he felt was weak. He rocked her in his arms just the way she liked. He could see in his mind the countless times he had done this before.

They always thought that they had forever to be in each other's arms. As he held her close to his chest, he thought about their first kiss, the first time they made love, the promises he made to her. He could smell her scent. It was like a lighter to his flaming soul. She always brought out the best in him, uncovering the gentleness he once possessed as a human.

Stephan struggled against his assailants when Sotera was snatched out of his arms and his body was dragged back by his legs. They lugged him a few feet from her dismembered corpse. As much as he tried to claw his way back to her, he couldn't. He was outnumbered and overpowered. He wanted to turn back, to take her back into his arms. But he couldn't. He had once been considered a warrior among vampires, feared by all who knew or heard of him. Now he was reduced to nothing. He may as well have still been human, not the greatest being ever created, but a powerless human.

She was on fire. There would be no evidence of her existence. Nothing! 

Fire. 

On his knees, he watched motionless as the flames touched every part of her body. His hands, his gentle caresses, were now replaced by a ruthless blaze. He could hear their laughter from a distance. They mocked his loss. He didn't move, didn't make a sound. He just sat there and watched the flames. He watched his Sotera as she turned into nothing. Her stunning body disintegrated before his eyes, and there was nothing he could ever do to put her back together.

As the fire died down, he knew that it was time for him to die. This was what they did—what he used to do—so he knew the drill: torture, weakening their spirit until they wanted, begged, to die. They would wait for them to beg to die then grant them their wish, killing them as many times as was possible. This was the Conselho's way. He should know.

He turned around to face his executors. He would face his death. Welcome it. 

But they weren't there. They were nowhere to be seen. He didn't understand. Was this a trick, a game? Would they come back for him? Rage welled up in him. He called out into the night. 

"Where are you? Come finish me off! Where are you, you cowards?" Why had they left without killing him?

He took off his shirt and tried to gather what was left of her into it. She loved wearing his shirts. He would take her with him. Find a suitable place for her, perhaps in one of her favorite vases. But he would take her with him, everywhere he went. She was part of him, and they would be together. He was going to keep her ashes until the day he died.

As soon as he was sure he had gotten almost all of her off the ground, he carefully folded the shirt and held it against his chest. He had to get going. He had to decide what to do now. He had nowhere to go. No one was waiting for him. The only person who cared was in his arms. 

Stephan had to make up his mind about how he would react, about whether or not he would live past this night. He walked into the dark and let his feet lead him to the only place he was ever happy. 

He stepped into her home. He could feel her, and he could see her in everything in the room. This was her place, her sanctuary, where she felt safe. That security was taken away the first time he came here, the moment he decided that this would be his home. Now it was empty without her.

He pictured her dancing around the room, humming and singing. She was so beautiful, so precious.

Stephan headed for the mantle. He picked up a white vase. He thought it best described her—pure and beautiful. He still held Sotera to his chest. He slowly poured her into the slim small vase. He then took a cloth and wrapped it around the mouth of her vase. This was where she would be for eternity.

He turned to leave the apartment, all these memories tormenting him. The loss he felt drowned him in pain and sorrow. He had to leave. He wouldn't come back, but no one else would either. As he closed the door, one of the neighbors smiled at him while unlocking the door to his own home. 

This was why his gifts were weak, why he was too weak to fight to save her: the preservation of human life. He was no match for six vampires on a steady diet of human blood. If he had been feeding as he should have, they both would have survived the night. He was a warrior, and with his gifts, they would have avoided the whole ordeal altogether. Anger took over, and he made up his mind. This was his life, and he was going to live it as he should. In that same second, he attacked the unsuspecting neighbor, sinking his teeth deep into his skin, and his mouth gulped down all that it could. 

Seven years later...

San Francisco Bay area had always beautiful at night everything about it spelled romance. The white sandy rocky oceans to the starry night sky, it was so peaceful. Soon she would be leaving it all behind to follow her dreams. At twenty-four she had the strength and time to do what she wanted. She decided to pace her life and not miss out on anything.

Scarlet McKyle and Kayla Turner were out for a night of fun. They had just done their finals, soon they would join the world of the working, but now they would have their fun. Scarlet thought of the day’s earlier events, graduation was beautiful. The day she and her parents looked forward to since she had first joined university. Kayla’s mother and grandmother were there but her father wasn’t around much. Her parents divorced when she was five but still visited her from time to time. She had always made a fuss about it until that day. The day Scarlet’s parents died Kayla appreciated every call and all the scolding she got from her parents. 

Scarlet had taken a major in psychology she wanted to help children who had suffered the same loss she did. A grief counselor, she understood all too well about grief. She knew in her heart that her parents were proud of her. She worked hard to make them proud though at times it felt ridiculous trying to please the dead. All her successes were due to her parent’s sacrifices and dedication. They always did everything together like Siamese twins that were why she was glad when they had died together. She didn’t think one could live without the other. It all worked out in the end, she had graduated top of her class and now the world was her playing field.

Kayla’s grandmother and mother threw a party on behalf of the two graduates. It was more than she had expected. She had always known that Kayla’s family took her as one of their own. They had been friends for the past four years. She held her hand when she watched the two coffins with her parent’s bodies as it was lowered into the ground. She was her best friend and a sister to her.

They had held the party in their little home on Russian hill Lombard Street. The houses there were a bit costly but she was comfortable there. Besides, she and Kayla had jobs and could pay for their necessities. Scarlet's parents had also been kind enough to give her some money which she received in instalments from the executioner of the will.

She chose Lombard Street because it was far enough from where she lived with her parents but not too far, also because the house reminded her of the home she shared with her parents. Scarlet travelled to San Jose occasionally to visit their graves, and even when she tried, she could not run away from that part of her life no matter how far she chose to go.

Scarlet had applied for a Psychology internship in Washington, she hoped to get it. She needed a change of scenery but she still knew she would have to come back in October. She looked over to her friend an aspiring journalist hoping to work at the Washington Post. They went everywhere together as long as the universe allowed it. Kayla was a bloodhound and her sassy attitude favored the career path she had chosen. 

Although people thought she was better suited as a lawyer, the one thing they didn’t know was that she resented them. She blamed them for being instrumental in her parents' divorce. Some of her opinions and beliefs were absurd but no one dared to challenge them.

They walked into the darkness headed towards the next spot. Kayla loved club hopping and tonight Scarlet was indulging her every whim. 

Kayla was five foot six with ebony skin and curly hair. Her long legs held up a curvaceous body, her luscious lips and brown cat-like eyes made her look like a goddess. Scarlet always thought that they had a huge contrast between them. Kayla was beautiful and confident in her beauty and she was shy and reserved. They were the same height and resembled in all but some of their features. Her white pale skin, her thin lips, her long straight brunette hair, and the hazel color of her eyes. She lacked the confidence and presence that her friend easily commanded.

Scarlet had her guard up, strolling at night was not one of her favorite things to do. Two beautiful girls walking the dark lonely street seemed like tempting the fates. Martial arts were not something she had at her fingertips, but she had a can of pepper spray. She was doubtful it would hold up against a psychopathic killer but when she felt it in her purse she was comforted. 

An eerie feeling crept up on her. She turned to look back a couple of times, it was like someone or something was following them. When she saw nothing, she passed it off as her usual paranoia.

***

Stephan had taken to attacking unsuspecting drunks in the dark. Now he had his target's insight, feeding on the two girls would last him a week. They were a bit petite but they would do. Planning his course of action, he decided to start with the black girl she talked to too much, and finish with the white one she looked timid and wouldn’t fight him. Not that she could wrestle him off anyway. He needed an easy kill and they were it.

 He wondered why the white girl kept looking back, it was as if she knew he was as there.

 Whatever, it didn’t matter to him much. With a snarl, he flashed before them, his lips pulled back as he bared his teeth, but stopped. The look in her eyes, her hazel eyes pulled him into them. Though her eyes weren’t the same, he could see Sotera’s gentle nature in them. 

He noticed her chest wasn’t moving. The function of her lungs ceased not allowing her the air she needed to scream. But the other one found her voice. “What do you want? Money, here take it!” She threw her purse at him. “Just take it, please don’t hurt us!”

Stephan paid no attention to the other girl, she was screaming something at him but he couldn’t take his attention from the one standing before him. She was petite, couldn’t be more than five foot six. Compared to him she was like a child. Way over six foot three, his body was the size of three human men combined. He lifted his hand to stroke her cheek his senses pleading to touch her but froze mid-air. He couldn’t go through with it. Unable to bring himself to hurt her he turned and walked away.

***

“What a freak! What was he doing? Checking us out or what?” Kayla snarled, her newfound bravery replacing the fear that had gripped her a heartbeat ago.

Scarlet turned to look at her friend. They had to get out of there as fast as possible. “Let’s get a cab and get out of here! Now! Kayla!” She shrieked out the order. “Pick up your purse and let’s go before more weirdoes come out.” 

“Where did he come from? One second there was nothing, and then whoosh!” Kayla used her hands to gesture the wind. “There he was. He just appeared in front of us.” 

“Yeah, I know.” What could she do but agree with her best friend? She hadn’t seen him approach them. Scarlet felt relaxed in the comfort and safety of her home.

“This city is full of crazy people. Crazies, they should just be picked up and thrown into some mental facility, right Scarlet?”

Her hysterics were met by silence. “Scarlet! Scarlet are you paying attention to me. Now is not the time to be disappearing into your head.”

“I hear you Kayla, crazy people. I heard you.” Scarlet didn’t understand it. “He took nothing. Did you notice how he stared at me? It was as if he…cared.” 

Kayla turned her whole body to look at her. “What! Are you serious? Do you think he wanted to have a conversation with you? Take you out to dinner so that you could talk about your future babies!” She touched the back of her hand to Scarlet’s forehead as if checking for her temperature. “Sweetie, are you feeling okay? Are. You. Crazy!”

“No, seriously K!” Scarlet pushed her hand away and got up to stand at the other side of the room away from her friend's glaring eyes. “He looked right into my eyes. It was like he wanted to touch me. Stroke my cheek even. Do you understand what I am saying?” She looked at the expression on her friend's face. She knew at that moment that if she could, she would put her in a strait jacket on her way to the nuthouse.

“Sure I do honey. He was going to touch you.” Kayla’s smile turned into a scowl as her voice rose. “He was going to wrap his hands around your neck and kill you. He was going to choke the life out of you. And he was going to watch you die. That’s not affection. He’s crazy. Do you hear me? Crazy.”

Scarlet lost track of what her friend was saying. Kayla always blew things out of proportion. Such an active and inventive imaginative mind she had. But Scarlet knew what she saw. Or did she imagine it? She didn’t understand why she felt pity for the stranger. Maybe she was losing her mind. 

“Scar, are you sure you are ok?” Scarlet saw the look of concern on Kayla’s face.

“I'm cool, K. It’s just been a long day. I just need some downtime, you know, unwind soak in a hot bath, paint my toenails, and watch a chick flick. That kind of thing. Don’t worry about me I'm fine.” she murmured, all the while trying to make sense of the swirly of emotions in the pits of her belly.

She turned the tap on to fill the bathtub. Once she had put in all the bath salts that she needed she stepped into the bath. A feeling of relaxation enveloped her as the water rushed around her. It had been one of the strangest nights she had. She wouldn’t think about it now. But that was exactly what she ended up doing.

***

Stephan didn’t understand what had happened. Why did she affect him that way? She was a stranger just like every other victim. There was something about her, something about the way she looked at him. He walked into the cave that he called home. The darkness that enveloped him, comforting. If he didn’t need sustenance he would never leave.

He lived above the garage he worked at. His apartment was empty. It was a bed-sitter. The king-size bed and the clothes that hang in his wardrobe was all that he needed. Besides the bed came with the room, all that he could call he were the two pairs of black jeans and the five black and white muscle t-shirts. 

He tried the lights and nothing. 

Snap!

 He hadn’t paid his electric bill. He had only focused on paying Sotera’s rent. It had already been seven years since her death. He could not find the strength to let the apartment go. The apartment was five minutes away from his home. That was as far as he would allow himself to be away from her. Five minutes. The apartment and the ashes were the only things he had left of her. He lived his life as a zombie, confined to three places, his place of employment, his crappy apartment, and his shrine, Sotera’s apartment.

 Nothing appealed to him anymore, there was no doubt that he took pleasure in destroying what she loved to protect. Her love for preserving human life was absurd from the beginning he knew he would go back to his true nature. Now he was slowly getting there, he just needed to sink a little deeper into the darkness. He was not going to fight it, he would embrace it wholly.

He had no friends or family, everyone he knew and loved died back in the eighteen hundred’s. But he did have someone. The accurate term would be had. Solara, Sotera’s younger brother. They hadn’t spoken since her death. He blamed him for his sister’s death. Stephan knew that he would never forgive him, she was the only family he had. She died because of him. In that second the Conselho had taken everything from him.

He took his customary position at the window and stared out. At times he would do this till dawn. He looked out at the world thinking about how it had changed the last few centuries. Tomorrow he would be back at the chop shop, enduring his boss. He chuckled under his breath if only he knew that he could snap him in half with just one try. 

The sun would rise in a while. It was time to go about like any other human. Wanting things they didn’t need, ignoring the fact that there was something out there greater than they were. 

He thought of his life before he met Marquis, he was happy. Deception and greed had gotten him in this mess. He was promised all the riches that he wanted ultimate power and gifts that only existed amongst the supernatural. He peeked into a life he thought he could live without. It was too late now, he had gotten his wish and now what he deserved.

***

Scarlet stirred in her bed, she was back at the Warf, the tall stranger stood before her. She couldn’t help but notice his beautiful body. He must have been six foot three or more, his muscled physique screamed for attention under the white t-shirt. She wanted to touch him, to run her hands over his body, to dig her fingers into his hair. They were spinning around in mid-air, arms around each other. Then it stopped, they stood still facing each other. Holding hands. His eyes mesmerized her, they were...