BORN OF DEATH AND BLOOD.

Pacey, we said no goodbyes.

Amelia had forgotten her dream about dying less than ten minutes after she'd had it. She dreamt of dying often, a thousand times, a bunch of different ways. They were so familiar, she could hardly classify them as a nightmare. The way she perished at the end, was always strangely comforting, anyway. Warm, loving even, like being welcomed home.

So, she forgot about it. There were more important things to worry about, like her date. A second date, and he'd picked a museum. Amelia had almost cancelled, but she'd never been to one before, she'd never go on her own, so might as well take the chance just so she can stand on the excuse of 'I've been' when she scoffed at the mere mention as an activity idea.

Surprisingly, Amelia enjoyed it more than she thought. Not because of the company, no, he actually hindered her experience. he explained everything, as if he'd found it himself, as if he knew. Considering he had an average job and was of average intelligence, she couldn't depend on his information. Not to mention he kept telling her not to touch things. This was only the second date - how dare he tell her what to do ?

Different things captured her attention, distracting her, as he was distracted by the sound of his own voice. She followed her bouncing focus, from item to item, until she'd completely separated from him. Amelia looked, and suddenly he was gone. She didn't consider it much a loss. Now, she had the freedom to explore and poke around herself.

Her eyes lifted to the ceiling, turning as she walked, until she crashed into another body and she stumbled. ❝ Shit - ❞ She'd lost herself, forgotten herself, too. Amelia turned and smiled sheepishly. There was so much to look at, how could she possibly look where she was going ?

❝ My bad. Are you okay ? ❞

SHE ISN'T LOOKING. SHE ISN'T INVESTIGATING, Ismey tells herself as she wanders across the second floor for the museum. She must visit special collections to see if their lost pages of Solomon's book had arrived. A find any museum would be lucky to have. As it is, hers is the one. All thanks to Ismey, really.

The vampire had been breathing through her mouth, a subtle gesture, all in an attempt to block out the fragrance that once again stuffed its way down her nose. Ismey couldn't rid herself of the prickles and excitement but she could shove them far down within her soul and try and focus on other things. Until it all slaps her in the face again. Inwardly, she groans.

A fleshy, female frame bumps into her lithe, stone like body. Hands shoot out to steady the woman, only to drop her like hot coals. Ismey can't believe her eyes. Refuse to. A witch, someone is playing a trick on her. To drag her darkest deed to the forefront and torment her with it. The vampire feels sick, blood churning in her stomach. She's nearly halfway across the room, looking as if she'd seen a ghost.

sweet birthday baby!

are you having fun?

do, uh… do ladies have midlife crises?

aren't you a little young for a midlife crisis?

it's my bad attitude that keeps me young.

you all right?

being a feline lover is not and has never been sad.

i thought you were a real sick fuck, but i see you're pretty deep, actually.

what's up with you?

have we met before?

the universe is trying to fuck with me, and i refuse to engage.

are you gonna tell me what's going on?

you know, your friends can't help you if you don't let them.

you're not helping me at all. you're sabotaging me.

will you help me out with something?

uh, i think i might be losing it, like i'm going crazy.

you will not be alone, okay?

thursday. what a concept!

buildings aren't haunted. people are.

did you kill someone?

i think we have something really, really good. and it's worth pursuing.

he goes, "you're using them as a distraction from the abyss," but he's wrong, because you are the abyss.

i want to cut your hair.

i'll never understand why you're being nice to me.

i think i finally figured out a little something about how this world works.

hey, man. didn't you get the news? we're about to die.

stop playing these mind games.

this is the problem. you're always trying to fix every little thing.

i… i can't do this anymore.

how could you do this to me?

i can… i… i can do it by myself. i can.

no one can do anything by themselves.

you showed up and everything has gone off.

from what i gather, we are in this together.

you're an asshole.

why do you think this is happening to us?

i love that you're a cunt. it makes me feel morally superior.

for my birthday, tell me if i'm a bad person.

nobody chooses me. i'm the hole where a choice should be.

you want me to feel guilty? well, i don't.

i don't want to be attached to anyone.

people thinking that i'm crazy is one of my biggest fears.

sometimes hail marys are the best marys we've got.

you ever been married, engaged?

i think i'm meant to be alone.

not many people could go through what we are going through.

how do you know that you're real?

we… we need each other. i need you. you need me.

look. i am sorry that i yelled at you for just trying to be a nice person, okay?

i just… i do not want to do this alone.

you are the most selfish person i have ever met.

thank you for changing my life.

i love you. i mean that in the truest sense.

no matter how much we think we're fooling people, our bodies… they can't keep lying the way that our minds can.

for years, i've just been… i've just been hollow.

i thought if i kept my head down, did everything right... this aching, gnawing feeling of being an absolute failure would just… would just go away.

i don't know why i'm alive.

life is like a box of timelines. you feel me?

back, sender gives receiver a back hug.

beckon, sender beckons receiver closer with a finger.

blood, sender cleans blood off of receiver.

book, sender helps receiver get a book from a higher part of the shelf.

care, sender takes care of receiver when they're sick.

catch, sender catches receiver by the waist after they bump into each other.

choke, sender saves receiver from choking by giving them the heimlich.

cold, sender places their jacket over receiver's shoulders.

cry, sender wipes tears off receiver's face with their thumbs.

dance, sender sticks a hand out to receiver and invites them to dance.

dip, sender skinny dips in front of receiver and invites them to join.

dog, sender's dog pulls them in receiver's direction.

drive, sender drives receiver somewhere in their car.

drag, sender drags receiver into a room and closes the door behind them.

draw, sender draws receiver like one of their french girls.

face, sender turns receiver's face towards them.

flower, sender gives receiver a flower.

footsie, sender initiates footsie with receiver under the table.

forehead, sender presses their forehead against receiver's.

grab, sender grabs receiver's wrist to stop them from leaving.

jump, sender jumps onto receiver's back.

kiss, sender kisses receiver.

link, sender links arms with receiver while walking.

massage, sender offers receiver a massage.

patch, sender patches up receiver's wounds.

piano, sender teaches receiver how to play the piano.

pin, sender pins receiver's hands behind their back.

pluck, sender plucks something out of receiver's hair.

press, sender presses receiver against a wall.

propose, sender proposes to receiver.

quiet, sender gestures for receiver to be quiet.

rest, sender rests their head on receiver's shoulder.

serenade, sender serenades receiver with a song.

sign, sender walks into a sign and receiver sees.

size, sender measures the size of their hand against receiver's.

shoes, sender removes receiver's shoes for them.

sun, sender rubs sunblock onto receiver's back.

tattoo, sender gives receiver a tattoo.

tie, sender helps tie receiver's tie.

tuck, sender tucks receiver's hair behind their ear.

umbrella, sender lets receiver under their umbrella.

warning, sender presses a knife against receiver's neck as a warning.

why are you here?

what do you want?

i got a present for you.

you think that's funny, do you?

are you gonna be a degenerate gambler?

love you, kiddo.

fuck. shit. jesus.

sometimes there's more to life than just living.

you're not as tall as i thought you'd be.

you have a deceptively tall knock.

what happened to your nose?

somebody hit you?

they say bad things happen in threes.

it was an accident.

do you know what time it is?

i'm a… i travel a lot.

how'd you get in?

is this a crime scene?

i think ___'s in trouble.

thanks for the sugar, sugar.

i'm not the guy you're lookin' for.

i'm just visiting. i just got in this morning.

i will break your motherfuckin' nose.

do you mind if i get dressed first?

i think it's better if you let me do the talking.

unfortunately, the lucky never realize they are lucky until it's too late.

people are never happy with what they have.

i live on both sides of the fence. my grass is always green.

i'm just a guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

if there is one thing i know, it's when someone is lying.

things like that aren't supposed to be real. it's like amnesia.

i'd say you're fucked.

shouldn't you be a little more worried about all this?

i'm not such a bad guy, you know.

you're a conundrum, you.

i was just thinking about what it would be like if we'd met under different circumstances.

if you and i fell in love, we'd have one hell of a story to tell.

so, come here often?

what are you thinking?

ankle, sender twists their ankle and stumbles forward, coincidentally falling into receiver's arms.

bark, a dog barks loudly, making sender jump and send their phone flying into receiver's face.

chips, sender and receiver both reach for the last bag of chips in the grocery store, their fingers touching by accident.

drink, sender chokes on their drink and ends up spitting it out all over receiver as they walk past.

emergency, in the middle of an awkward blind date, sender pretends to be receiver's friend and helps them get out of the date by faking an emergency.

french, sender pretends they can only speak french to get out of giving a stranger directions. receiver is a witness.

gift, sender is about to get scammed into overpaying for something before receiver steps in to help (and haggle).

hair, sender gets something they're wearing caught in receiver's hair and ends up yanking a chunk of it out when attempting to separate.

ice, sender is ice skating for the first time and skates uncontrollably in receiver's direction.

jail, sender and receiver are both thrown into the same holding cell at a police station.

kid, sender loses a child that they're caring for, only to end up finding them in receiver's company.

lock, sender crashes their ex's wedding, and receiver, a bridesmaid / groomsman, locks them both in the bathroom to prevent sender making a scene.

match, sender and receiver both end up being sat at the same table in a full restaurant.

nauseous, sender is drunk, and while receiver is attempting to help them, ends up throwing up all over receiver's shoes.

oops, sender is carrying a bag full of groceries that ends up breaking. receiver helps them pick their groceries back up.

plug, receiver walks into the bathroom to find sender stuffing tissues up their nose in an attempt to plug up a nosebleed.

quarter, sender doesn't have enough coins for the vending machine, so they stick their hand up the flap and gets their arm stuck just as receiver approaches.

rain, sender and receiver both get stuck under the same awning when seeking shelter from sudden rain.

shh, sender and receiver are both sitting beside each other at the movies. sender keeps whispering to themself every few minutes.

tooth, sender accidentally bites down too hard on their food, resulting in a tooth falling out and skittering across the floor to land at receiver's feet.

undone, the laces on sender's shoes ends up coming undone and they trip and fall, bringing receiver down with them and into the fountain beside them.

vacation, there's a problem with the booking of sender and receiver's hotel rooms and they end up having to share one. thankfully there are two beds.

woods, sender and receiver bump into each other in the woods. one of them is holding a shovel.

x-rated, in a bookstore, sender accidentally drops a few of the erotic books they were planning on purchasing on the floor, which receiver picks up.

yawn, sender, who is dressed down and has not yet slept, bumps into receiver, who is dressed up and just woken up, in line for coffee.

A wide smile split her face, a pep to her step as she walks and basks in the rays of the setting sun. Amelia is so excited, she can't imagine a better day than today. The kind of day where everything goes right. Her father will finally be so proud of her. This is the night that he must look upon her with love, admiration.

She's meeting him for dinner, then after that, she's celebrating with her friends. One of them is getting married, and Amelia loves weddings.

She's laughing, humming happily as she turns down an alley, taking a shortcut since she's already running late. Her father's scolding couldn't today, but she'd rather avoid it. Amelia's heels click down the cement, but she barely gets two steps before the beast attacks. It's so sudden, unexpected, Amelia can't even scream. Green eyes flying wide open, arms and legs wildly flail about in hopes to gain some kind of momentum to fight or escape.

But the monster is far stronger than her, and part of her doesn't even want to fight. There's something enticingly familiar about the arms that hold her, about the mouth that devours. It almost feels like home. How bizarre.

The struggling slowly comes to a stop, dazed eyes staring up at the stars poking out through the dim light of the sky and she smiles, blissful in her death, finding peace in the arms of her killer. Green eyes are still wide open, when Ismey finally pulls away, still staring up at the sky.

She does not speak, does not answer her painful wailing, because she's already gone, blood dribbling from the wound in her neck.

Amelia wakes with a start, body shooting up with the shriek of a dying woman. But she's not dead. She's still here. Hands pat up and down her body, looking around her room, finding everything as it is. She's had the dream so many times. The monster's face cannot be placed, but she knows it's beautiful.

A nightmare. Or was it a dream ? As grim as the end may be, there was something so nostalgic about it that gripped her, pulled her down to try and keep her there. Hands drag down her face, Amelia sighs. She's too rattled to fall back to sleep, and the moon is still high in the sky.

Maybe a walk, hoping the chill might distract her from the monster's gaping maw, her blood gushing from sharp fangs.

IT'S BEEN A VERY LONG TIME since Ismey operated in such a barbaric way. In fact, her existence and attitude now remind her of the feral nature that all Ashcroft children held when ordered by their father to fight to the death. Ismey was fighting to the death, but not in defense of herself. At least no recently. She was fighting to kill. To slaughter and terrorize everyone in her path. The vampire had not recovered from her hand in Amelia's death. It had destroyed her so absolutely that Ismey didn't recognize herself. She wasn't the youngest Ashcroft. She wasn't the queen of vampires. Nor was she Amelia's wife. She was a monster.

When the heat became too much Ismey drifted to a new location. Many times she had almost been caught. There was nothing left to lose, after all. Her love was dead and her life was meaningless. There was one short instinct where the vampire had been entombed alive before she managed to escape. Many decades has passed since then.

Now is the time for bright colors and large hair. Sweet smelling smoke is a constant in the air, a funny contradiction to those protesting war and deforestation. Ismey finds it amusing as she once again glides through the throngs of people, arms looped through arms, shining grins on their lips. The smile she plasters to her face is fake and unfeeling. Anyone who sees her eyes knows to turn away.