Celestial Clans: The Vampire Prince's Secret

The meeting II

19th July, 2021

Augusta, Maine. USA

Valentine had left the state on the 5th of July and he had told Camille that he would only be out of town for 3 days so she had expected him to be out of town for highest 5 days, but it had been 2 weeks since then already. The days of the month had already entered double figures and she was feeling uneasy now. Her mind was engaging her in a game of ‘doubt everything and expect anything’ at the moment. She laughed when she thought about that because he was the one who had told her about the mind game that plagued every new relationship that had not yet broken through the trust barrier, he had claimed it was a principle created about humans by one of his closest friends. Her mind was imagining various scenes and possibilities all day and every day, it had begun affecting her dreams and she could no longer concentrate during lectures. The previous night she had dreamt of a plane crash with him on board, she had dreamt he had been shot and she had also had a daydream today that he had moved to another country and already continued with his fun life. The last dream had made her really angry now and she had made up her mind to find a way to communicate with him that day, she was one of those who believed that if you totally believe in something and make up your mind then the universe would work it out on your behalf.

As she sat on the stairs at the entrance of the school feeling totally dejected she thought to herself “How could a man I met few months back and know almost nothing about have this much an effect on me when I have never been a dependent lady” She felt as though something that had been a part of her life from the beginning was suddenly missing and it made her laugh. She knew she liked him, but would not accept so easily that it might have grown beyond the word ‘like’. She tried dialing the number he had used to call her on the night of his trip but it was switched off, as it had been every single day since they last spoke. She had one more lecture that day but a 4pm lecture was not something she longed for at the moment, she took the bus and was going to the café for the first time in days. Camille was loved at the café, she had been a wonderful part time worker for more than 3 years now and the seasoned customers loved her almost as much as the manager, who was a friend of her Dads and was like an uncle to her.

She walked up to him with a smile and pecked him on the cheek as she always did with him and her Dad. “Hey George, how have things been in my short absence?” she asked smiling.

“Things have been great, and because of you I hardly have any motivation to come here in the morning.” he answered with a loud laugh fit for a man his size “half of the cafes problems will be settled without the profit from sales for the next 2 years, it feels like a dream. Thank you Camille, you have always been my lucky charm.” He said pinching her left cheek as he always did when she was younger.

Camille knew she had worked hard but she knew she didn’t do anything that worthy of note for the café recently so she had to ask “George I really don’t know what I’ve done, I really don’t.” she said still smiling but looking confused.

“Your tall, handsome, brooding boyfriend gave a 1 million dollar aid to the café some weeks back, and I was so surprised I declined it. He insisted though and said I could consider it an investment from someone who wanted to be partners in the future. Now that I think of it that was the last time he was here with you. When you see him tell him how grateful your old uncle really is.” He sounded happy, he looked really happy. He was happier than she had seen him look in a very long time.

Her heart was racing now and all attempts at speaking were futile, her words just got stuck in her mouth. She simply smiled at George and moved to seat at one of the tables. This was the same table they had their first ever real conversation. She didn’t have anything to eat or drink, she just sat there staring at the empty seat opposite her. Her mind was reeling and she had no idea she had sat there thinking for hours. George called out to her to know if Alistair was coming to pick her up, it was at that point she regained her senses and looking at the time saw it was already 8pm. She told her uncle bye and walked out of the café, she wasn’t visibly crying as she walked down the street but tears were streaming down her cheeks now. She had thought about it and came up with the conclusion that the person she had totally fallen in love with was now gone, she had totally fallen in love with a stranger and was only realizing it now that she might never see him again.

She noticed the figure of a man in the alley watching her and started walking towards him, as she came closer he turned away from her and walked deeper into the darkness of the alley. His height passed him off as Valentine but they were at the end of the alley now and she noticed 4 other men coming out from their hiding positions. The figure turned around and it was a complete stranger. He was smiling at her with an aura of bad intent all over him. She wasn’t fazed or scared at all, and she began laughing hysterically to the surprise of all 5 men. It seemed the universe had provided an outlet for her emotions and she was not going to pass it up.

She was going to imagine they were all copies of him and just let her rage flow, it had been a while since she put any of her training to use. She would go to them before they came to her, and she had made up her mind to take them on individually and as quickly as possible. A worried Valentine who had gotten into town that evening was watching her from the shadows at the side of the alley entrance, he had been following her silently since she left the café and saw her follow the man into the alley. He thought about dispatching the men as soon as they got close to her but now he was curious and decided to just stay back for a little while and watch because he could hear her heartbeat and it sounded steady, almost like she knew exactly what she was doing. He leaned on the wall diagonally and crossed his arms across his chest, determined to be comfortable while watching this. In five quick steps Camille was in front of the first man whom she had initially followed into the alley and before he could understand what was actually going on here, she gave him a strong kick to the groin with the shin of her right leg and as quickly as her feet touched the ground after the kick she used the side of her palm and struck his neck with her left hand. He collapsed to the ground clutching at his neck; he was in severe pain and was struggling to breathe at the same time. She knew the effects of what she had done and knew he wouldn’t be joining the other men to attack her anytime soon.

She assumed her stance, she did it exactly how she had learnt it all those years ago and even though she had not done any fighting in years the stance felt natural to her. Valentine was smiling as he stayed still on the wall from his position in the shadows and then stopped smiling all of a sudden. The memories from that time in his past were back in his head now and he felt amazed, shocked and angry at the same time. Amazed because he never thought she could be this wild, shocked because all her hits were clinical enough to weaken her attackers drastically but not critical enough to end the fight. It was as though she wanted the fight to last longer. He was angry because he recognized the stance she had assumed and knew the fighting style she was currently using to beat her attackers, he was the one who invented them many years back when he was human and a promising young hunter in the Guild. It had been centuries ago and that felt like reminiscing about an entirely different lifetime, he remembered his friends from that time and he remembered how simple things were. The fact that he had been a hunter before was another thing that would make him a terrible opponent for anyone. He was pulled from his thoughts when he saw that she had beaten all three of the men and was delivering quick jabs to the fourth man who already looked unconscious. He slumped to the ground but before she could turn, the first man who she had kicked in the groin was on his feet and had pulled out a loaded gun. He had his hand on the trigger and was about to squeeze it when he felt a breeze, a cold hand held his hand now and with brute strength squeezed his hand till all the bones in his fingers were dislocated. He screamed out in pain before the hardest punch he had ever received in his life landed on his jaw and sent him flying to the large trash bins on the opposite side of the wall; he saw total darkness and was totally unconscious in an instant. Valentine turned to look at Cam with a near perfect smile on his lips then said “hey beautiful lady.”