Chapter 294) Fate Encounter

 “Each meeting occurs at the precise moment for which it was meant. Usually, when it will have the greatest impact on our lives.” 

– Nadia Scrieva

Brindleton Bay
Near Abigail & Jay Cameron's home with their five kids Esmée, Ewan, Emmy, Silas and Sophie

The female, a young girl, no older than mid-teens, her delicate build further magnified by the flaxen hair flying after her like like a fine veil, came running over to the young man to aid him, after out of her peripheral vision, she had seen him collapse way back in the fields near the path she had been walking on her way home.

“Oh my God, what’s wrong? Can you hear me? I totally forget how to do CPR? I think I have to break your ribs.” she stuttered, breathing hard from the exercise, as she crouched down next to him, gently touching the man’s arm.

“Get away from me!” he said rudely, sitting up, trying to shake her hands off him.

“I am just trying to help. Are you drunk? At this hour?”

“Wishing I were. GO AWAY, girl!”

“No. Pretty sure that’s illegal, to walk away from someone needing help. Mom and dad taught me better than that. Both dads did. Not going to disappoint any of them. I am staying!”

“I don’t need help. And what the hell does that mean? You can’t have two dads. That is biologically impossible.”

“No, it’s not. I have two dads. One bio one, one who raised me. And a mom and a step-mom. So what?” she pushed her bottom lip out with defiance, the man couldn’t help to find amusing.

“Okay. That’s … messy.” he said, softer now, as his icy purple eyes caught her warm light golden-brown ones.

“And you are rude! You don’t even know me. Speaking of, what’s your name?”

“Let’s leave it at I don’t know you, you don’t know me. Please just go away.”

“Again – no! You clearly need help, I will help you up. Do you see that house there, right behind you? That’s my home. Can you make it there – with my assistance? Not very far.”

“Why would I?!” the young man sounded as if hers had been the silliest suggestion imaginable.

“My mom and dad will know what to do with you. They should be home.”

“Just let go off me and go away!” the man said, shaking his head.

“NO!” was her very defiant reply, once more underlined by a pushed out pouty bottom lip.

“If you want to help so badly, I am parched, can you run home and get me some water, since you live right there?”

“As if I would fall for that. I will call my parents.” she pulled out her phone, lifted it to her ear, but he held on to her wrist. She could feel icy coldness radiate from his hands.

“Please don’t. ARGH – OUCH.” he had twisted, which apparently hurt, grimacing and laced with cursing he interrupted his plea.

“Fangs! Oh my god, you are one of them! You’re a …. Now I get it! I never REALLY met any of you. Only Blaine and Scarlett, but they don’t really count, and we don’t see them much anymore anyways.”

“Fantastic. Please go now.” he groaned, visibly in pain.

“I thought you are immortal.” she said.

“What’s your point?”

“So, I didn’t think you could get injured.”

“Of course we can get injured. We just heal faster and don’t die from everything like you mortals do. So, please leave me be and go away already.”

“No. My aunt and uncle know a bunch of vampires. Maybe they know what to do and they don’t live far, just over on the Isle. Let me call them. Oh crap, just remembered, Aunt Viv and Uncle Liam are traveling again. Darn it!”

“Vivien and Liam? As in CAMERON?! You are related to the Camerons?!” the young vampire deduced.

“Even better, I AM a Cameron. And who are you?”

“You Camerons really are everywhere, worse than mushrooms in fall. Where are we anyway?”

“In a meadow, near my home. Outside of town. Rural area.”

“I can see THAT! Which town, blondie?! Where are we?”

“Windenburg. And you are a blonde yourself, dummy. So blondie back at you!”

“How the hell did I end up in Windenburg? I was porting home, but was too weak, I may have passed out, maybe that affected my ability, but how did I end up HERE of all places? Makes no sense. ARGH. OUCH.” he moved, his heavy leather coat opened just enough to expose a gaping, oozing wound.

“Oh God! You are bleeding! You can bleed?!” the girl put her hand up to her mouth, staring at the injury with huge eyes.

“Fetch me some … urgh.” the young vampire collapsed, unconscious.

“Oh no … please please please don’t die. Don’t do that to me. What do I do? Oh, I know …”, her eyes welled up, reflecting fear and worry as she dialed her aunt Vivien’s number.

“Auntie Viv? Sorry to bother you on vacation, but there is this vampire here and he collapsed. Can you call someone and have them do something? What? Describe him? Ahem .. long blonde hair, long leather coat, pretty eyes. What? Yeah, I think his eyes were like purplish? Oh you know him? Caelan will come? Oh good. Auntie Viv – Caelan won’t do anything to me, right? Okay. Yeah, I will wait and look for him. No, I don’t remember what he looks like, but I am pretty sure I can figure that out. Thanks Auntie, give my love to uncle Liam and my crazy cousins. Love ya too! Oh, and enjoy your vacation!” her voice sounded whiny as she sniffled, while hanging up the phone.

Later that same day ...

With a startled meep Emmy awoke from slumber, a nightmare, probably. Trying to calm her night fright, she reached for a glass of water, then noticed she forgot to bring one at bedtime.

With a sigh, she folded back her covers, flipping on the lights, then rose up when she noticed a movement at the window, but when her head snapped around, there was nothing.

“You’re losing it, Em.” she whispered to herself, while slipping on her house shoes, then left the room, snuck down the stairs into the kitchen. As she was filling her glass, she felt watched, looked up and nearly dropped the water glass. A face. Right there, outside the window, clear as day. After the initial shock, she realized this time there really was a face outside, no error possible, and this time it stayed. Right as she was about to scream for her parents, she realized that she knew him. Her vampire! She sat down her glass.

Ignoring her fight or flight instincts, she went to the patio door in the living room and stepped outside. Much to her surprise, he was still there, and suddenly he was close.

“Are you here to rob us? Oh no – did you come to kill me?” she whispered.

“What if I were?” he whispered back.

“What if I’d scream?”

“And then?”

“Then … my dad would beat you senseless. He is VERY strong. Like a bear. My parents’ bedroom is right there.” she pointed at a window behind them.

“Adorable. Relax, little girl, if I wanted you dead, you’d already be dead before you ever saw it coming. I came to thank you. For helping me.”

“You’re already better. You sound better. Wow, that was fast. Wish I healed so fast. My last papercut took almost two weeks to quit hurting because it got infected. I can be a bit clumsy sometimes. Dad always jokes about buying stocks in all companies that makes wound care items because of me. I am kinda jelly right now how fast you walk something like that off.”

“Being like me definitely has its advantages. I had a little garlic oil poisoning; someone wasn’t fighting fair when I elimin… ahem never mind that. Anyway, as soon as my grandfather applied some neutralizing potions, it healed quickly and now I am good as new. So, you are Emma then.”

“EmmY. Not EmmA. How do you know that? Are you reading my mind? Can you guys read minds?”

“I am not much for generalizations, but yes, some of us can indeed read minds. I didn’t have to; your aunt Vivien called my father to see how I was doing and mentioned you.”

“Oh, okay.”

“I am Connell. Connell Vatore of the Forgotten Hollow Vatores, son of Caelan, grandson of Caleb.”

“Ah. Well, I am Emmy Cameron of the Windenburg Camerons, daughter of Abigail Cameron and Elliott Evans, but also kinda Jay Randalls-Cameron. Oh, and granddaughter of Jamie Cameron. Sounds cool when you did it, but REALLY weird when I do. So, a boy does have a name after all. Sorry, Game of Thrones nerd here. Are you a fan? Which House? Do you like Bridgerton?!”

“What?”

“Never mind. You probably don’t know what a TV is. Oh, you are probably ancient. Like several hundred years and all. Oh, this is so cool! Can you tell me how true what they teach us about history is?”

“I know what a TV is!!! I am not that old. I think in mortal years I am … ahem … wait ….19, I think. Maybe 20. I’d have to ask my mother. Father and I don’t keep up with that stuff.”

“Oh, so you are like normal-aged. How disappointing. I thought you got to wear those cool clothes they wore in the Victorian times. Oh, or the Renaissance! And go everywhere by horse. Oh, I can totally see you on a horse in full gallop, your hair flying in the wind. You kinda remind me of those shirtless guys on the covers of my grandma’s historical romance novels. THAT is soooo cool.”

“What? Well, if you like all that stuff, you wanna talk to my grandpa. He did all that, seen it all. Not sure about shirtless horseback riding, but he definitely did ride horses a lot when he was my age. He’s the ancient one. Anyway, the rest of us is like all your family would be, I think. Maybe not Riordan. I think he would be like 150 or something now. Not sure if that qualifies as old to you mortals. I forgot what your average lifespan is again.”

“Wow! Yeah, 150 is DEFINITELY old, none of us live that long. Oh, then he would know my ancestors. The dead ones I mean. That’s also kinda cool, if you think about it.”

“He does. Or did. As did my grandpa. Not a day goes by without an anecdote – or fifty. My grandfather likes to talk. A lot.”

“I think all grandpas do. Mine does all that as well. We kids can recite every story by heart now, yet, they will be told again. And again. And again. So .. why are you here?”

“Already told you. To thank you.”

“Are you’re gonna kill me?”

“What?! Where is THAT coming from now?”

“Isn’t that what vampires do. Like an instinct, drink my blood, kill me or make me into one of you?”

“You’re crazy. I came to thank you. You know, being polite. Something you really aren’t right now. I am borderline insulted.”

“Oh. Sorry. Okay. Ahem, you’re welcome, I guess, but I didn’t do much. Just realized you need help from someone who understands your kind and I knew aunt Viv would definitely know how, since she grew up at that castle. Is that where you live?”

“It actually is. The very same one. That was actually very clever of you. Have you told anyone about me? Other than Vivien?”

“Of course not. My parents would freak out if they knew. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you actually sparkle in the sun? Or is that all fiction?”

“WHAT?! Where do you get all that bullshit?!”

“Twilight.” Emmy shrugged.

“It’s pitch black out. There is no twilight.”

“No, the books and the movies by that name. Please tell me you have at least heard of it.”

“I can honestly say I haven’t. And won’t. Sparkle? Why would we sparkle, that is completely counter-productive to blending in, hiding in plain sight, the same reason why we all always wear black. And how would we sparkle anyway? Like roll around in glitter?”

“I don’t know. At least the author had you being able to be out in daylight right, most movies and books would have had you in a pile of fuming ashes when we met earlier. I don’t know how you would sparkle. Same way you fly and all that. Magic or something.”

“Magic? Definitely got the wrong crowd for that. And we don’t fly!”

“You do when you turn into bats!”

“We don’t. More fiction.”

“You are all sorts of disappointing. So, what CAN you do, other than live forever and recover fast?”

“A lot of things. Most are secret. So, what about you? What do you do with your days?”

“The usual. Go to school, hang with friends, spend time with my family, we have a dog, Roxie, …”

“Wait – school? How old are you?”

“Just turned 16 before Christmas. How old did you think I was?”

“Like me, I don’t know. You are young.”

“Young is relative. I am not a child. We’re only 3 years apart, so don’t gimme that.”

“Look, I came to thank you, I did, I better go.” Connell spoke the words and already disappeared.

“Wow. And bye … super rude to just leave!” Emmy called out into the dark cloud dissipating.

Connell watched from the shadows as the patio door was opened and a woman who looked like an older version of Emmy came out, very obviously her mom, who instantly snuggled her daughter into the robe she had been wearing and taken off right away, as she pulled Emmy inside, rubbing her daughter’s arms, talking excitedly to her.

“Bye Emmy. Sorry, I don’t spend much time with mortals and forgot how fragile you all are, with temperatures and all. And sorry for being rude again. I shouldn’t have come at all but couldn’t help it.”

With one last look, he vanished, already knowing he wouldn’t be able to stay away.