He jumped down, landing in the knee-high water.
Caitlin took off her shoes, holding them in one hand, and followed.
The water was freezing on her bare feet, but it only came up to her shins as the wave receded. And it actually felt refreshing on her bare feet, as did the soft sand.
She looked up and saw the horses galloping away, down the empty beach, towards the sun.
Rose ran along the sand, testing the waves, then running back to the sand again, yelping.
Caleb came over, grabbed Caitlin, and playfully picked her up as a wave came in, keeping her dry. He was so strong, the wave crashed into his legs, and it didn’t even budge him. He was like a rock. He held her close, hugging her, keeping her dry, laughing and smiling, as he whirled her around.
She felt her heart swell.
As he gently lowered her, holding her tight, she looked into his eyes, and he looked into hers. Their eyes locked. Slowly, his smile faded. His expression turned more serious. Turned to something else.
She saw his eyes change color, from brown to a sea-green. He stared down at her, right back into her eyes, and they both felt the same thing at the same moment.
Her heart pounded, as he leaned in and kissed her.
*
It was a kiss of one thousand suns. Her body filled with a warmth and tingling unlike anything she had ever experienced. She kissed him back, more forcefully, and soon he was holding her, picking her up out of the water, and walking her towards the shore.
He brought her to the dry sand, and they lay down together, on the empty beach, with seemingly the entire world to themselves. Their kisses became more passionate, and she reached up and ran her hand through his hair.
She had been imagining this moment from the first time she met him.
She had never loved anyone as much as this.
TWENTY THREE
As Sam stood there, facing his father, his heart sank. He couldn’t believe it. While he’d been disappointed by the trailer park, by the mobile home, by the unkempt surroundings, nothing had prepared him for his disappointment upon seeing his Dad. All of his dreams came crashing down at once.
His dad was a short, thin, frail man, maybe in his 50s, balding badly, with long stringy hair that draped down over one side of his head. He hadn’t shaved in days, and it looked like he’d slept in his clothes. His skin was covered in warts, and scarred by bad acne. He had small, beady black eyes, which darted about in his head. He stared back at Sam, looking not unlike a rat. In fact, his entire aura exuded sleaze. And he reeked. He probably hadn’t bathed in days.
He looked nothing like Sam. And he looked nothing like the Dad that Sam had imagined he’d come from.
Sam couldn’t fathom how he possibly had come from such a human being. He felt worse about himself than he ever had.
Maybe he had the wrong address. He prayed that was the case.
Please, God, let it not be him.
“Sam?” the man suddenly asked.
With that word, that confirmation that he was indeed at the right address, Sam’s heart completely sank. It was him.
Sam tried to find his words. “Um, like, are you…”
“Your dad?” he said, trying to smile, revealing rows of small, orange teeth. “That’s right.”
The man looked from Sam over to Samantha, looking her up and down. He licked his lips.
“I thought you were coming alone?” he asked Sam, looking at Samantha as he said it.
“I…” Sam began, “well, I, um…”
“Who’s this?” he asked, still staring at her.
“This is Samantha,” Sam said, finally. “She’s my…” Sam trailed off, not quite knowing what to call her.
“Girlfriend,” Samantha filled in for him, graciously.
Sam was grateful that she had. And he loved the sound of that term, especially coming from her.
“All right, well…” the man said, trailing off. He turned his back and walked inside.
Sam and Samantha looked at each other, both caught off guard by his odd welcome. Neither of them knew what to make of it. Was that an invitation to come inside?
Sam stepped tentatively inside, Samantha close behind.
Before she closed the door, she looked both ways carefully, and then closed the door firmly and locked it.
*
Samantha surveyed the small, darkened mobile home. The blinds were all drawn, and the room was lit only by a small lamp in the corner. It was a nice sunny day, but you’d never know it in here. It was a gloomy home, and packed with clutter.
The instant she’d met this man, Samantha had sensed that he was not one of them, not a vampire. She would have known. This told her that Sam’s father was not the vampire—that his mother was. That they had been searching for the wrong line of his lineage. They were wasting their time with this man—unless he could lead them to Sam’s real mom.
She could see the obvious disappointment on Sam’s face, and she actually felt sorry for him. She couldn’t remember how long it had been since she’d actually felt sorry for a human, and she chided herself. This kid was really throwing her off guard.
“So, well…” the man began, obviously socially awkward. He paced around his place, barely looking at them. “What are you drinking?” he finally asked. “Want a beer?”
Sam paused. “Um, like…whatever is fine,” he said.
The man went to his tiny kitchen, and returned shortly with two tall cans of warm Schlitz. He set them down on the coffee table. Neither Sam nor Samantha touched them.
She could see Sam standing there, fidgeting, and that he didn’t know what to say. And that his Dad didn’t, either.
An awkward silence fell over the room. Something was very odd. His dad didn’t seem that happy to see them. Either that, or he was just very socially awkward.
Samantha looked around, surveying what she could see of the place. There was clutter everywhere, and it was completely unkempt. Empty soda cans littered the floor, alongside stacks of newspapers and magazines. There was a small desk in the far corner, and she could see his laptop was open.
Samantha sensed something, and she used her vampire vision to zoom in, across the room, onto the details of the screen. She could see that he was logged on to Facebook. And under a different account name.
“So, like, did you tell anyone you were coming to visit?” his Dad finally asked.
Sam stared back at him, puzzled. “Uh, like—”
“Like did you tell your mom you’re coming to see me?”