Apocalyptic Moon
- Red -

In the morning the silver moon had been replaced by the golden sun of summer. Its traces held an incredible warmth which indicated a beautiful day that should be enjoyed in its full length. Birds were chirping in a cheerful way and the soft wind whirled a few rich green leaves through the air. The scenery was so wonderful that one could spend hours just staring up into the sky. But despite all the beauty, the members of Rêve Aile didn't have the time to cherish a day like this. With a performance coming up in the evening, a great number of preperations was lying ahead of them. Animals had to be fed, costumes needed to be washed, the ring had to be cleaned .... the list was incredible long. Even though, no one complained. They all loved the circus and their job too much as to think for just one second that a work they were assigned to was unnecessary. Rêve Aile was their life, most of them had been born into the circus and had taken over the places of their parents. And even if they followed the same routine every single day, it never was really the same. Something just had to happen which made the day special, let it be good or bad. And the chilly wind of that morning carried the anticipation of a great incident with it. A young girl walked through the rows of trailers, hugging her bare arms. She expected the day to be incredible hot and thus she had chosen to wear a light top with a short jeans skirt which let her freeze in the long shadows the trailers threw onto the ground. Her face carried an annoyed expression which increased the nearer she got to her destination. Upon reaching one of the smaller trailers, she scanned the windows carefully before knocking on the door.
"Cain. Are you awake? We're all waiting for you."
Moments passed but the girl wasn't granted with a response. A frustrated sigh left her lips. It was just typical for Cain to oversleep, it had been like that ever since the day they had graduated from school. In his opinion, breakfast was a waste of time which he could rather spend sleeping some more. But the rules of Rêve Aile said that anyone had to attend the breakfast, sickness being the only exception. And so she raised her fist again to knock, that time louder.
"Cain! Would you finally give me a sign?"
Inside the trailer, Cain placed the pillow over his head and tried his best to ignore the voice which told him that the night was over. After the nightmare, he had fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep which had given little or even no chance to feel relaxed. The tension he had felt in the night was still present, making his body ache. All he wanted was a bit more sleep to get rid of the pain. That couldn't be too much to ask for.
"Cain Lucroix! Get up, will ya? Or do I need to come in and throw you out of the bed?!"
Or maybe it was too much to ask for. The pillow landed on the ground beside the sheets and Cain made his way towards the door before a certain someone would break it with her fists. Not caring about the fact that he was only wearing his boxers, he extended his hand and the door was wide open, revealing a girl with glittering golden green eyes. He reached up and scratched the back of his head, messing up his unruly hair even more. Somehow he knew that the first thing he had to survive on that new day was a fit of rage by his best friend.
"Geez, Catherine, do you have to scream that loud?"
The girl puffed her cheeks and shot him a glare which could freeze others instantly. He was used to it, however, and thus only held up his hands in silent defense.
"There seems to be no other way to wake you up than screaming. Do you even know what time it is?"
With that, Catherine looked at him more closely, scanning him from head to toe. Upon realizing that he had just gotten out of his bed, she shook her head and shoved him inside, closing the door behind them.
"Obviously not. It's past seven. And everyone is waiting for you to eat breakfast with us."
"I know, I know. Just let me some time to get ready, kay?"
"I'll stay that long."
Cain rolled his eyes up and walked back into the bedroom with Catherine in trail. Even if he was grateful for her taking care that he didn't oversleep all of the time, sometimes she could be pretty annoying. Like now, when she insisted in staying even if he didn't need anyone to help him. That would only lead to further indiscret questions by some of the other circus members who had seen her entering his trailer. Five years ago it had been no problem but now it lead to certain speculations. And those speculations lead to a wandering of Cain's very own imagination. What lead to some thoughts which he really didn't want to have. But, honestly, being so close to her every single day was slowly becoming a torture. The soft rose scent of her perfume tickled his nose and he realized that he needed a cold shower. Icecold and that immediately. Without thinking twice, he grabbed some clothes and rushed off into the bathroom, leaving a confused Catherine behind. The strange behavior of her best friend hadn't gone past her unnoticed. Since a few months, Cain acted obviously different around her, as if he was careful not to do something he didn't want to. She tilted her head and tried to figure out why for the hundreth time. And once again, she couldn't come up with an answer. Nothing except that he didn't want her to be angry at him anymore. But that didn't make any sense since they still fought at least once a day and she was angry at him even more often. Sighing, she shook her head and decided it was better if Cain told her the answer himself one day. She wouldn't force him to. Looking down onto the ground she noticed the sheets under her feet. It wasn't typical for Cain to be that careless with his possessions except it had happened once again. The thing only she knew about, when she had once stayed in his trailer overnight while he was suffering from a high fever. She gathered the sheets from the floor and placed them into a plastic bag meant for the washing machine just when Cain reappeared in blue jeans and a black shirt, drying his wet hair.
"Why didn't you say that you had that dream again?"
"Other question, would it change anything? You know that I have this dream every night."
Catherine didn't reply on that. Instead she took a fresh pair of sheets from a cupboard and began to make his bed in silence. Both of them knew how right he was. The dream came back every night, disregarding what had happened throughout the day or how Cain was feeling. It was a nagging memory of his past, a dark one which he couldn't suppress. But there had to be one way to stop it all. At least, that was what she believed in. She took the pillow, shook it and placed it onto the bed before turning around to meet curious red eyes. That was one of the views he admired so much. Seeing Catherine making his bed as if it was natural. It was strange how peaceful that made him feel.
"Yet, it has to end someday. If only we knew how. Did you ever tell uncle Claude about that? He might have an idea, he always has."
Cain drew a face in response. The man he called his grandfather knew about his dream, without a doubt. He could never keep a secret from him. Or from Catherine. However, he didn't want to bother his grandfather with the details of the nightmare. It was hard enough already to know that Catherine was worried about him all the time. And he never wanted her to be upset just because of him.
"He knows but I don't want to bother him any further. The answer for that dream will come soon enough."
"But when? Cain, I have no joy in seeing you so tensed every morning. We need to ...."
A finger lay itself upon her lips, silencing her. Cain shook his head and proceeded a light smile.
"We need nothing. Time will give us all the answers we need."
Catherine sighed upon realizing that it was no use to continue the discussion any further. And so she turned around, heading towards the door. Shortly before reaching it, she looked over her shoulder and granted Cain with one of her annoyed looks.
"Are you coming or shall I tell the others that you give nothing for tradition?"
"Don't be so mean. I'm on my way."
And with that, he followed her, giving in to the urge to pull onto her goldenbrown ponytail before closing the door behind them. The shadows on the ground had become shorter and as a result the air was warmer. Catherine stretched her arms and forced Cain into a bet of who would arrive at the kitchen trailer the first. Without waiting for an answer, she started to run with a protesting friend a few feet behind her. It all seemed so normal, they had done this so often before. But no one could say how long normality would last.

Discipline was a very important factor in the circus life. One couldn't allow to be distracted for the smallest moment, no matter if it was during the rehearsal or the actual performance. A single mistake, the small it might be, could lead to a great disaster and in Cain's case it could even lead to death. The flying acrobats of Rêve Aile were one of the few who didn't use a net during their performances and took great risk upon themselves by doing so. In order to prevent any mistakes, the acrobats had to trust each other blindly. And deeply. Without really noticing, Cain's eyes trailed over to Catherine who was standing on the platform right opposite of him. Her eyes were closed, seemingly focused onto the rehearsal which lay in front of her. A light smile touched his lips. He trained with her since over ten years and with lots of devotion the two had become the perfect couple within the circus world. No matter how difficult the performances were, their hands always caught each other. For some people it seemed like magic, others stated it was only the effect of love. After all, most of the flying acrobats were related to each other, even married. For Cain, however, it was only the result of an amazing friendship even if he silently had to admit that Catherine was a perfect match for him. But such thoughts didn't belong into the heights of the big top. Taking a deep breath, Cain gathered his concentration. Even though the rehearsal would be a standard one, it was no excuse to take it too easy. A hand touched his shoulder and he gazed to his side to meet the brown eyes of a fellow acrobat.
"Sometimes the easiest things can turn out to be the most difficult ones."
"You know how to make others nervous, don't you Trey?"
Silent laughter was reflected in his eyes when Trey only blinked in return. The head of the flying acrobats only wanted to make sure that no one took the training too easily, even at the risk of making them feel unsure. On the other side of the big top, Catherine waved her hand, a sign that she was ready to begin. Sitting down on the platform, Trey got hold of the trapeze and let out a sigh before swinging into the air.
"Let the show begin!"
Absently, Cain touched his necklace. A bad feeling creeped up inside of him, screaming at him to stop as it was the wrong time for a training. He shook his head and tried to recollect his concentration. There was no reason why this training should be different from others, everything was the same as usual. The trapeze came flying back to him and Cain took it with ease, moving towards his place in the middle of the big top. Once he had reached it, Catherine used the trapeze on her side and with that the training began. As concentrated and normal as it was supposed to be. In his mind, Cain followed the moves of his friend, making sure he had the same pace as her. Swing. Fly. Somersault. Catch. They matched together as perfectly as ever but the bad feeling within Cain didn't want to disappear. If at all, it increased, moving towards an unknown point. A fateful peak which was raised when Catherine made a simple flip. He knew that their pace was still in synch but something was wrong. His hands reached out to catch her, her fingertips brushed against his for the smallest moment and then she fell. Time seemed to stand still as everyone in the big top, either on the ground or the platforms, stared at Catherine with horrified eyes. For the first time ever, Cain hadn't been able to catch her.
"Damn!"
Without thinking twice, Cain jumped after her. Even the use of a net couldn't prevent that she might hurt herself in case she landed on it in the wrong way. And that was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. They were only ten metres above the ground when he finally reached her. Catherine only stared at him blankly when he took her into his arms and turned in the air to slow down the fall. A few seconds later, he met the net with his back and winced lightly at the force of the impact. On top of him lay Catherine, tightly wrapped in his embrace and not feeling any pain. He had succeeded. The net's movements died down slowly but Cain remained at his place until he felt her shifting in his arms. Golden green eyes met his red ones, filled with shock and disbelief.
"Just, how?"
"I don't know, Cat. I just don't know."
Around them, the present circus members gathered, expressing their relief and congratulating them for having had so much luck. But the two youngsters didn't pay attention to all the voices around them. They just stared at each other and tried to figure out what had happened. Cain's bad feeling had been right, at the point when it had increased, Catherine had fallen. And now the feeling had lowered down to a level of anticipation, reminding him that it wasn't over yet. Whatever was going on, this incident had only been its beginning. His thoughts were cut once he felt his friend moving out of his embrace, getting up into a sitting position but being upon him nonetheless. Her gaze held something within what told him that she had a slight idea of what was going on. She twirled a loose strand between her fingers before parting her lips to speak her thoughts. But it shouldn't come so far as someone beat her to it.
"Impossible. It's simply impossible! All the years you worked together so perfectly and now this."
Trey headed towards them, shaking his head nearly constantly. He had grown up with the two and had never seen them fail. Needless to say that it nearly gave him an heart attack to see Catherine's fall and upon seeing Cain jumping after her, he had nearly lost his hold onto the trapeze as well. The incredible thing was that there had been no signs of failure before. Normally a fall built itself up during the whole performance, given the fact that the acrobats weren't moving in synch. But the two had been. Making the vow to analyze the whole training later on, Trey stopped in front of the net and looked up at his two friends. A frown appeared before it was wiped away by a teasing smile.
"I didn't know that you two want to express your affection for each other so badly that you are willing to risk that in public."
At first, neither Cain nor Catherine knew what he was talking about until the chuckling of the others finally made them realize that they were in a pretty obvious position. A deep blush appeared on both of their faces before they finally jumped apart and Cain received a bump against his shoulder.
"What was that for?"
"For jumping after me. I could have handled that on my own."
"Ha! Tell me another."
Upon seeing the glare he received as response, he smacked himself mentally. And gone was another vow not to fight with Catherine anymore. But at the moment that was the smallest problem. While defending himself against the teasing coming from all sides, his mind began to wander. The only important thing was to figure out what the bad feeling wanted to tell him. One thing was for sure, the near future would be filled with something that made him shiver inside. With fear.

Darkness had fallen sooner as he had expected. Within the short time of two hours, the comfortable coolness of the summer night had replaced the heat of the day. Any strain was washed away in process, leaving only the feeling of calmness. A calmness which was a false as gems made of glass. Night was the time of the demons. They left their underground shelters to search for new victims, humans they could implant the seed of hate which was the reason for all the violence. There was nothing one could do against that except preventing to become a victim as well. And that could only be done by returning home before sunset or being at crowded places like the area the circus Rêve Aile was located on. The performance had just ended and people were streaming out of the big top, laughing and talking, forgetting about the painful reality for once. The intensity of the voices was lowered by the distance between them and Cain who was at the very end of the circus area, sitting on the cold ground. His eyes were looking up to the starry sky but his whole attention belonged to his very own thoughts. Since the incident during the early afternoon, he couldn't focus his mind onto anything else. Whatever he had tried to distract himself, sooner or later his mind wandered back to the strange feeling which was still present inside himself. It had warned him but he had ignored it, shoved it away and risked Catherine's life by doing so. Actually he hadn't risked it, she was experienced enough to handle such a situation, but he could have prevented it. He had feared that she might have lost her trust in him but that hadn't been the case. Right before the performance she had ensured him that she trusted him as much as before. And that it all had been destiny. Thinking about that made Cain frown. Why was she so sure that the whole incident had been destiny? Maybe she had felt the same as him. During breakfast she had mentioned that the air was full of anticipation.
"Anticipation, eh? But what can we anticipate?"
Cain raised to his feet and began pacing around. The whole story would be leading to a headache on his side, he knew that, but he just couldn't let go of it. He had to find the answer for all of his questions, otherwise he wouldn't come to a rest. The only problem was that he had no idea where to start, no hint where to search. Out of frustration he kicked against a small stone which flew high through the air and hit the outside of a trailer with a metallic sound.
"Damn it all. This feeling is freaking me out."
His hand found its way to the necklace he was wearing and lifted it to the air. His eyes focused upon the small pendant and its clear garnet gem which glowed warmly in the moonlight.
"Too bad you can't tell me what to do."
Moments passed before something caught his attention. In front of him, a few twigs moved forward, too slow to be caused by the wind. And an animal couldn't be the reason for that movement either since he would have noticed it already. What left only one possibility, a demon had appeared.
"Just what I need to end this day."
He remained at his spot, waiting for the demon's move. That would give him enough time to focus and gather all of his strength to teach it a lesson for coming in his near. His hand let go of the necklace and it fell to its normal state. As soon as the pendant touched his chest, a shadow dashed out from behind the bushes and came to a halt shortly before him. Cain's expression didn't change upon seeing his enemy. It nearly looked like a human being if it wasn't for the blueish skin and piercing violet eyes. The clothes were torn and barely covered the skinny body which clearly showed off the bones. But if there was something to fear than the teeth. Sharp and pointed, like those of a hungry wolve, ready to tear a human's body into its pieces. The demon took a deep breath before it pointed a finger at Cain.
"You. Pendant give."
Cain raised an eyebrow at this request. The creature wasn't after him as a human being but after his necklace, the only connection to his past. Without answering, he let the necklace disappear under his shirt. Glaring at him with dead eyes, the demon tensed up.
"Refuse?"
"Exactly. I won't give something like you what I cherish as much as my life."
"Then I take life."
Before he had any chance to react, the demon leapt forward, determinated to get what he wanted. He met up with Cain's arm which blocked the attack and sent the demon back to the ground. Realizing that he wouldn't get the pendant on the normal way, the creature's eyes burnt up. It raised its hand and vanished, only to reappear directly in front of Cain with its claw reaching for his chest. The sharp nails digged into his skin, running down towards his stomach and tearing his shirt in process. Trying to fight against the pain, Cain raised his arms to push his enemy away but was met with the feeling of a second pair of nails torturing his arm. Against his will he cried out in pain. His power lowered rapidly and the demon threw him to the ground. Pinning him down with one claw, it reached out to rip the necklace from his neck but it was stopped by a shocked cry.
"Oh my god! Cain!!"
The demon looked from its target towards the source of the voice and decided to retreat. If it came back later, it would still be able to get his treasure. The bushes rustled as the shadow flew through them before they became still again. Realizing that the demon had left, she was finally able to move. Her footsteps were slow at first but with her fear growing she became faster. Upon reaching his side, she fell to her knees, touching his face gently.
"Cain, can you hear me? Please, tell me it isn't as bad as it looks!"
His eyes were filled with pain as he looked up to her, managing a light smile. He didn't want her to cry just because he was stupid enough to think that he was a match for a being of the darkness.
"I'm okay. Just a bit tired. And burning inside."
Feeling too weak as to keep his eyes open any longer he closed them and slowly drifted off into darkness, the desperate voice of hers becoming faint before it disappeared completely. Sleep was the only thing he needed now. And when he woke up it would all be nothing more than a nightmare.

The rain poured down in seemingly neverending lines. Soft as a bird's feather, its drops knocked against the window, trying to catch the attention of the boy inside the room. But his mind was focused onto something else. He sat at his desk, a thick ancient book in front of him and tried to get some meaning into the sentences he was reading over and over again. But with no success. Letting out a frustrated groan, he messed up his black hair once again.
"What's the matter, honey?"
He turned around to see his mother standing in the door's frame. Her lips were curved up into a caring yet amused smile. And he knew why. The book certainly wasn't something for a young 6-year-old.
"I try to understand what this book is telling me, mummy."
"Ah, I see. Shall I explain the paragraph to you?"
Black hair flew through the air as he nodded fiercly and his mother moved to sit down on his bed, mentioning him to do the same. She drew her only son in a warm embrace, placing a kiss on the top of his head before beginning to speak.
"Do you know anything about the Apocalyptic Moon, dear?"
"Isn't that the certain incident taking place after a new millennium has begun?"
"Exactly. The Apocalyptic Moon is the indicator of a change between the good and the bad. Years before this event, as you may call it, takes place, the world will experience an increase of violence and destruction. And after a certain time, the Time of Colors will begin."
"Colors?"
"Yes, the moon will change its color from silver to red. Once that happens, the demons can take control over the world and make humanity a race of slaves. But for this, they need something which has been divided into pieces and is scattered in a certain area of this world."
His wide eyes clearly reflected his interest as he looked up to meet his mother's red orbs. She seemed to be in another world, her expression having lost its softness only to be replaced by sadness. And fear.
"Mummy? What are these pieces?"
"Fragments of a crystal in the colors of the apocalypse."
Letting go of her son, she got up and walked over towards the window. While she caressed the cold glass, her necklace with the small garnet pendant slowly moved from side to side.

Red eyes shot open as soon as the dream was over. A drop of sweat ran down his face, landing on the pillow with a soft plopp. It was strange, for the first time since years the nightmare hadn't haunted him. Instead it had been replaced by a rather pleasant scenery. But even that dream had something dark within it, hidden beyond normality. And it had made him realize something he had tried to ignore for the longest time. Now that it had been presented to him ever so clearly he couldn't run away from it any longer. His past had caught up with him and forced him to finally face it with all its might. Letting out a sigh, his eyes focused to the ceiling which was drown in shadows. He could tell that he was back in his trailer but he silently wondered how he had ended up there. The last thing he remembered was a demon attacking him and someone crying out his name. Catherine. Not thinking about his injuries, he tried to sit up but was stopped when a wave of pain ran through him. Moaning, he clutched his chest, his fingers digging into the bandages wrapped around it. He glanced down, picking onto the white fabric.
"When... ?"
"Oh, you're awake."
Looking up, Cain saw Catherine standing in front of his bed, carrying a bowl with water and some towels. Regarding her appearance, she seemed to be rather tired and worn out. She must have cared for him since the moment he had passed out and the dried blood on her clothes proved that.
"You stayed all the time?"
"I couldn't leave you alone, that would be cruel."
She went over to him and sat down, glad to see him awake for that gave her a chance to relax. The past hours had been filled with her treating his rather deep wounds and wiping his face with a wet towl. Needless to say that it had drained away most of her power, leaving her empty. Feeling the matress moving, Catherine glanced to her side only to see Cain shifting into a sitting position. He gnashed his teeth the whole time as the pain he felt was incredible.
"Say, how did I end up here?"
"I carried you."
"What?"
Cain stared at her in disbelief. Catherine had carried him all the way from the other side of the circus area back to his trailer? That explained her bloody clothes, she must have had great problems dragging him around dued to his weight. A wet towel came to rest on his face, darkening his view before she moved it towards his cheeks. Her eyes were distant, they had lost most of their cheerfulness and were swimming in unshed tears. Feelings of guilt ran through his veins. He had caused her so much worry that it hurt him more than the deepest wound.
"I figured that I couldn't let anyone know what had happened so I decided to manage it myself. It wasn't easy but I guess it was better this way."
Absently, she wiped over one of his eyebrows before looking down to his bandaged chest. Catherine had a difficult time to suppress her tears. When she had seen Cain being attacked by a demon her heart had nearly stopped. If she had arrived only one second later he could have been dead already. But she had found him soon enough to prevent the worst. And as bad as the wounds looked like, they weren't a great harm to him. They would only cause pain for the next couple of days but then it should be like before. Though, she doubted that it would ever be like it used to. She didn't notice the tear that had escaped her eyes until Cain caught it with his finger. For the first time that night, she looked at him straightly with eyes full of worry and fear.
"Sorry if I scared you."
Shaking her head fiercly, Catherine tried to regain her strenght. Somehow she felt incredible fragile. All she wanted was to fall into Cain's arms and cry herself to sleep. Since years she had feared that something like that would happen and now she didn't know what to do. She couldn't protect him, for that she was too weak. And she couldn't stop him if he decided to take up the challenge. She could do nothing except trusting him, hoping that he knew what he was getting himself into.
"Don't be sorry. It had to happen. Sooner or later."
She granted him with a light smile and turned her attention back to the towels. Cain frowned at that sight. He could tell that she was near to break out into tears and it was all his fault. And he didn't know how to ease the pain she felt, the pain he had caused. Maybe he should finally tell her truth, about himself and his dark past. If he did, she might be able to understand what had happened and who he truely was. The only question left was how to start. His thoughts wandered while he took in every detail of her profile. Another tear threatened to slide down her creamy skin and he made his decision. Cain would tell her the plain truth without hiding anything as he knew that Catherine hated people who danced around the facts. The slim hand of hers rested on the silken sheets of the bed and without hestitation he took it into his own.
"Cat, I need to tell you something."
Her body was silent for a seemingly long time until she finally turned her attention back to him. Golden green eyes searched his but Cain couldn't find the courage to hold the contact. Instead he lowered his head, strands of unruly black hair shadowing his face, masking it from her.
"I remember now. My past, my family, who I... truely am. Everything."
"Then why do you sound sad? Isn't that something to be happy about?"
"It should be but I cannot... I just can't..."
Cain bit on his underlip which began to bleed under the touch of his teeth. Blood. The fluid of life hunted him since the second he was born, with fascination and hunger. He hated to admit it but the metallic taste calmed him down, let part of his inner tension disappear. And made it easier for him to find the right words to express his feelings with.
"My past is too cruel as that I want to remember it. What I had to see as a child... I couldn't except it. Back then and even now I'm not ready for it. It reminds me of things I'd love to forget. To forget for eternity. About the being I am."
He stopped for a short moment, finally looking up to meet her gaze. Her eyes were full of patience and even understanding, begging for him to go on. In the end, he had no other choice than to give in.
"I'm no human being. I belong to the demons as a member of their highest class. As a vampire."
It was the truth he had tried to ignore ever since the nightmare came to hunt him in his sleep. Cain had tried to suppress it along with the desires which had awoken in him with the time. But there was no turning back, he couldn't escape anymore. His heritage demanded attention and accepting the truth was only the first step.

A drop of water escaped its prison within the towel and fell into the bowl with a faint sound, leaving ripples on the calm surface. The curtains moved with the gentle wind of the night, creating dancing shadows which played hide-and-seek with the only source of light. Time seemed to have stopped in the same moment when the confession had left his lips, leading to complete immobility on his side. All he could do was to wait for her response but it didn't come. Minutes passed before his body began to ache inside, once again with guilty. He had wanted to ease her pain but by telling her the plain truth he had reached the exact opposite. Catherine was staring at him blankly, her eyes holding not a single sign of emotion. Actually Cain had expected her to slap him across a face, to yell at him or to run away but instead she remained by his side. Silent maybe but she was there. He let out a deep sigh before he decided to break the nearly scaring silence.
"I'm sorry. I..."
"Somehow, I knew that would happen."
"What?"
A light smile played with her lips as Catherine softly shook her head before meeting up with Cain's eyes. Her orbs were no longer empty but full of her usual caring nature. And he was more than surprised to see something else shining in them. Acceptance.
"You knew?"
"I only had to remember all the crazy incidents of our childhood. Your strange fascination for blood didn't go past me unnoticed, Cain."
He smirked and looked away in embarrassment. And there he had been thinking that he could easily hide his desires from others. Obviously not, at least not from Catherine who knew him better than anyone else. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before letting go, bringing him back to reality.
"And the things you said in the night when I stayed with you... they completed the picture."
"But why did you never tell me?"
"I guess I wanted to wait until you were ready to accept it to yourself. And with it, to me."
"That's all? No yelling about me taking so long?"
Wrining out one of the towels, Catherine tried to avoid Cain's intense gaze. Since years, she had guessed the truth but hoped at the same time that she was badly wrong. And now that her suspicions had been confirmed, his appearance suddenly held something scary within. Yet, her feelings for him hadn't changed, they remained the same. In fact, she didn't care if he was of demonic heritage or not. He was still the Cain she knew since her early childhood years, the young man who had been attacked just a few hours ago. Her eyes were watering again and she began to fight against the will of her body. Yes, she wanted to cry. To hold onto him and never let go but it was both, the wrong time and the wrong place. A warm hand laid itself on her shoulder, showing his concern.
"Cat, are you okay?"
"Sure..."
A light sob escaped her lips only to followed by another, more powerful one. The towel fell into the bowl as Catherine tried to regain control, to force herself to hold back any of her mixed emotions. But all the sadness and worry, the fear and despair were too much to take. Her emotional dam broke into pieces.
"You bloody idiot! How could you hurt me so much?"
"Cat..."
"Shut up! I don't need any excuses from you!"
Upon seeing the emotional outbreak of his friend, Cain didn't hestitate for a single moment. He reached out to catch her upper arms and pulled her into a tight embrace, not caring about the bowl which fell to the ground, soaking the carpet. Ignoring the pain, he kept her close to his body, stroking her back ever so gently and placing small kisses on her hair. Catherine clutched onto his shoulders as if he was the last stable thing in this world, crying like a person who had lost its soul. Eventually, she calmed down, the sobs becoming lighter before she was completely still in his arms. He didn't bother to loosen his tight hold on her, it was simply too wonderful to finally have her so close as that he could let go of her already. Against his will, Cain had to smile sarcasticly. It was strange how fast one can go through all possible emotions. Concern. Despair. Anger. Sadness. But maybe the time had been more than ripe for both of them, to finally get rid of all the emotions which had been bottled up inside. A strand of goldenbrown hair brushed over his bare arm as Catherine moved to look up to him, drying rivers of tears gracing her face.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
Cain only smiled in return, lying a finger upon her lips as he already had earlier that day.
"The time was due, right? There's nothing you have to apologize for. If at all I should. I hurt you badly by not telling the truth."
For a short time, she looked at him with some sort of disbelief before her lips curved up into a teasing smile. And it wiped away any sign of sad emotions.
"Right. Next time I won't bother to rescue you."
"Hey, that's not fair!"
"You deserve it, my dear. You really do."
Snorting in return, Cain slowly slid down into a lying position, Catherine still wrapped in his arms. He silently had to admit that it felt more than right but he didn't dare to speak his thoughts out aloud. Glancing down, he saw that her angelic face was resting on his bandaged chest, her steady breath indicating that she was drifting off into sleep. Her pink lips were slightly parted, raising a certain wanting inside him. He had always asked himself how it would feel to kiss her, to taste her. More than once Cain had wanted to calm his curiousity by touching her lips but he had never gone that far thanks to Catherine's personality. Regarding her hot temper he would end up being slapped or hit straight onto his fresh wounds. Despite of that, he was more than willing to take that risk if that would help to lower the fire burning inside of him. But some part of him still held him back.
"Catherine?"
A low moan was his answer and he smiled gently. His hand brushed a few loose strands out of her face and caressed her soft cheek before he touched his chest. Cain winced in pain as he met up with a very sensitive area and cursed himself for risking his life so foolishly. And then he noticed it. The pendant the demon had been after. He lifted it up into the air and stared at the seemingly innocent red garnet. But he knew better now. The dream had not only helped him to remember his past, it also made him realize something more important.
"The Apocalyptic Moon."
The time during the first years of a new millennium in which the demonic race was strong enough to gain control over the world. Given the fact that they found the eight items which, combined together, created the item of ultimate control. Eight crystalic fragments in the colors of the apocalypse, as his mother had stated. And the first color of the apocalypse was red. Cain's eyes fixed upon the red stone within the pendant which glowed in the faint light. It was one of them, his mother's heritage was one of the so-called apocalyptic gems. Sighing, he let the pendant fall back into its former place before letting his view trail over to the sleeping girl in his arms.
"I'm sorry for not telling you the whole truth, Cat. But I couldn't look at my reflection anymore when I know that by telling you, I would draw you into the upcoming time of darkness."
He left a soft kiss on her forehead before he turned and switched off the bedside lamp. The red eyes of his glanced out of the window, at the moon hanging shortly over the ground. Its traces were no longer silver but bloody red, indicating the beginning of the end.