"Won't she see us?" I asked, ready to hide behind a tree.
"No. This is one of my memories." A hint of a smile danced on Kenmei's lips. He was happy. I felt it flow off him.
"Who is she?" I took a step closer, mesmerized by her song. She seemed so innocent, carefree. Her hair was long, and blond (the color of Abernathy's mane). She wore a brown skirt, and a white shirt. The sleeves were long and poofed at the wrist. Her feet were bare. On one arm hung a basket.
She sang:
Carry me
Up to the clouds
Let me soar
I want to fly
Birds of all kinds fluttered around her, but they were silent. Even they seemed enamored by her voice.
If I had feathers
A tail too
I'd carry you
And you
And you
"Can't you tell?" he asked, distracted. Then he answered, "That's Aurora."
"No," I began, but regarded her more closely. She looked almost exactly like the girl in the Disney inspired pictures my stepmother used to keep in the house. "Wow," I said.
"She's exquisite, isn't she?"
She was very pretty. "Yes," I answered, keeping a step behind Kenmei, as we moved nearer.
"Aurora is the reason I took on a human form. It might seem odd, but I was a dragon in love with a human girl."
"No way."
Aurora plucked an apple from a tree, and placed it inside.
"Yes way, Shiryo-san." His eyes sparkled, and radiated the love he felt for her.
"Wow," I said again.
"I had all this magic, but no one to love. It was her song that drew me. And once I heard her laugh, that was it. I was gone. In love."
"She sings beautifully," I breathed.
"If those birds possessed my magic, they would've become men as well."
I snickered.
"You think I'm kidding?"
I saw the look on his face, and knew he wasn't. I even sort of loved her now. Her words swayed in my head, and filled my heart. "Does she possess magic?" I asked, shocked I could be twitterpated after a few seconds of hearing her sing.
"Yes, Shiryo-san. Aurora was the first enchantress. Though she didn't know it. Her song bewitched me, but not to the extent that I lost control of myself. Her magic awoke my amorous feelings. And I wanted to experience them. With her. So I took on this form, and became Kenmei."
"Did it work?" I asked, surprised. "Did she love you back?"
His brow furrowed. And I knew she didn't-at least not the way Kenmei loved her.
"I'm sorry," I said.
He cleared his throat. "Don't be. We became great friends. Even after she married, we visited together often. I taught her how to use her magic. And she created the book your friend Cindy keeps, the Eye of Abernathy."
"Ohhhhh."
"That's right," he nodded, and a whimsical smile smoked across his lips. "She loved me, but it wasn't the kind one feels for their eternal mate. Still, I wouldn't trade a second of the time I spent with her."
I nodded, but felt bad. "Mulan loves you though?"
"Oh, yes. And I love her." He sighed. "Perhaps it's the heartbreak of a first love, or maybe dragons love differently than humans." He chuckled. "Either way, my heart has always, and will always belong to Aurora." He paused, and wiped at his eyes. Was he crying? "It was the love I felt for Aurora that allowed me to break free of the Vampire Queen's grasp."
That was interesting. "How does that work?" Christopher kind of told me, but I was still a little confused.
"The token must have great meaning for the Hunter. It's different for each of us."
For Christopher it'd been the bear he carved. I wondered what helped Professor Pops. Someday I'd ask him.
Kenmei went on, "I shared this memory with you because I wanted you to understand the power the Vampire Queen holds."
"What do you mean?" I picked an apple blossom from a low hanging branch and brought it to my nose.
"Sharra drank from me at my weakest moment. When Aurora shunned my romantic affections for another. I was angry, filled with hatred, consumed by grief. When Sharra found me, I believed I was using her-at first. Of course once she changed me, I realized my folly."
I was still confused.
He went on, "By drinking my blood, she stole some of my power." He paused. "Each time you allow Christopher to drink from you, you're giving him some of your power. And when you healed him?" Darkness passed over Kenmei's features.
Had he expected me to let Christopher die?
"I know you saving him is part of who you are. You love him. I understand. What you must understand is the consequences of your actions."
"But-" I began, and Kenmei held up a hand to stop me.
"You love him. And I believe he loves you too. He's..." Kenmei turned away, and fixed his gaze on Aurora. Her basket was almost full of apples.
I got the feeling Kenmei wanted to tell me something important. He either couldn't or wouldn't. And where Christopher was concerned, I didn't want to discuss it. My feelings were already confused. I knew I loved Christopher. But, Dorian.
His kiss.
Not that it mattered. Dorian was gone. Still, the experience, his lips on mine... I didn't think anything else would ever compare.
"Did you speak to her in this memory?" I asked, turning my attention back to Kenmei.
"No."
The landscape smeared watercolors once again, and then I was home. Abernathy and Kenmei were gone. But his voice whispered in my mind.
"Seek out Sharra immediately. Finish this, little vampire."
Chapter 4
Urgency boiled to overflowing. I went to the back door of the mansion. It was unlocked, and I walked in. Glints of moonlight cut through the windows, basking the kitchen in its glow. The clock on the microwave said four-thirty. Everyone should be asleep. Quietly, I tiptoed up the stairs, and entered the bedroom that used to be Dorian's. Gatsby jumped off my bed, and wound his body around my feet.
"Hi, boy." I picked him up, and went to the window. I could see my house through the trees. An ache filled my heart, and I wiped the tear sliding down my cheek. Placing Gatsby back on my bed, I sat, and removed my shoes. Weariness weighed heavily.
Even though the room had been redecorated, I could still see Dorian's football posters on the walls, could still see his clothes strewn over the desk and on the floor, his laptop flicking through Patriots photos.