Prologue
The girl stood in the room, looking around wearing a look that resembled amusement. The body lying on the bed in front of her, bathed in blood, did not even faze her as she made her way towards the closet. When she reached it, her mood quickly changed and she scowled. Her clothing that had once been hanging was on the floor, stained with the very same substance that covered the man on her bed. On the floor in the middle of all the clothing she saw the blade gleaming in the light with a single, thin stream of blood running down its edge.
Rolling her eyes, she reached down and picked it up with two fingers, holding it as if it were some disgusting thing that she didn't want to be near. She shook her head and tossed it aside. Amateurs, she thought, almost smiling. Whoever had done this was extremely stupid, attempting to frame her for it. She knew the police would show up soon, having been through this stunt several times. The fact that her prints were on the knife didn't bother her, they wouldn't be able to match it or even find the slightest bit of evidence that she had ever existed. She had no identity. She was a ghost, moving around to wherever she felt like going and staying in the shadows, watching people live their pathetic, happy little lives. A kind of life that she had once had, but was gone forever.
Glancing back down at the floor, her eyes caught something else. A photograph of…Him. She jumped back, startled to feel tears prickling her eyes. Her breath was coming short, her pulse racing. Only one man had ever made her feel that way, and his picture lay on the floor in front of her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and stepped forward. She slowly knelt beside the picture, reaching out to it. She picked it up as if it were the most valuable treasure in the world, running her finger slowly across the man in it. His deep, dark eyes stared up at her with that glimmer as if he knew something that no one else did, something bigger than everyone. He looked almost sad in the picture, though. He seemed to know something was coming…she sighed and blinked back the tears. She hadn't cried in a long time, and she wasn't about to right now. Just because of a picture…
She couldn't tare her eyes off of the picture. His shaved head had just stubble on it, almost as much as his face which looked as though he hadn't shaved in a few days…in fact; the picture looked as though it had been taken just before it had happened. She had only seen that vulnerable look once on his face, and that had been as he had died. Her heart clenched, feeling his eyes on her. His dark, gorgeous eyes, the ones that had sparkled when she made him smile, the ones that had shone with so much love at one time…and so much betrayal…she missed him like hell. But she would never see him again; she knew that there was no chance of it. And she was doomed to live forever without him; he had made sure of that.
Vampires don't come back, the voice still echoed in her head, even after all these years. Her one and only soul mate, gone forever, and she had to go on forever without him. She knew he would never leave her heart.
Obviously, someone else had known that as well, leaving the picture there for her to find. Whoever had done this was perhaps not an amateur as she had thought before. They knew her, and her one and only weakness, though it was no longer there to be a weakness. But it was meant to get to her, and though she would never admit it, it had. They had known that she would freeze and that she would remember; the one thing she didn't want to know.
Who would do this? Who would make her remember these painful things, the one who had changed her so much? Why did they do this? She didn't want to remember. It was hard enough to live every day with the guilt and the pain, the hole in her heart where he had been. People had always said that the heart healed, but she knew hers would not. The heart could heal for regular relationships, but what they had was much more than just a relationship. It was bigger than that. For a brief moment in her everlasting life, she had been complete, happy, and untouchable. They had touched the stars, above and beyond everyone and everything deemed possible in this world, something more beautiful that most would experience in ten lifetimes. For that moment, there was nothing better in the universe that could even come close to what they had. But that was gone now. Forever. And she was alone. Forever. Because of one man…
The very same man who was standing in the doorway that very second. She could tell he was there before she even turned around. She had felt him there, but she was surprised she hadn't felt him sooner. She had been so wrapped up in the picture.
"Kalika," he said, his voice echoing in the room. Vampires don't come back, his words popped into her heard again, what he had said after she had lost her soul mate.
"I told you never to contact me," she replied after a long silence.
"Kalika, please-"
"No!" she said, vehemently. All of the tears, the emotions, everything, had disappeared as soon as he had entered her mind. He had done this to remind her, to get her attention.
"We need your help," he stated, calmly.
"I did my part already. I no longer owe you anything," her tone was deadly. "I figured you would get the message, Fiske."
She knew that he was nodding grimly in the reference to the head of his assistant that she had sent to him.
"I told you that if you sent anyone after me I would kill them," she never took her eyes off the picture in her hands. "I want no part in your schemes."
"My schemes, as you so kindly put it, save the world from total destruction," he replied to her
"Let it be destroyed," she mumbled.
"Kalika, I'm sorry," he said, trying to appeal to her. "I'm so sorry that it went the way it did. It wasn't supposed to be that way."
"Oh? And what way would you have it be?" she made herself sound amused, even though she felt like crying for the first time in centuries.
"You know what I meant," he sat down in the chair next to the door. "We've done everything that we can without coming to you, Kalika. But we need your help again."
"No."
"Won't you even hear what I have to ask?"
"The answer is no. I will not help you," she said with so much contempt that he was obviously surprised.
"Look, we've all made sacrifices-" as soon as the word was out of his mouth, he knew he had made a mistake.
"Sacrifices?" she burst out, jumping up and whirling around. Her stormy gray eyes were filled with so much hatred; he stood up and took a step toward the door. "You know nothing of sacrifices," she continued. "You lost nothing. I lost everything. My family…my friends…my soul mate…"
He winced at her words. "I lost your trust," he said, quietly, his eyes full of pain and regret. "I lost you."
She laughed haughtily, shaking her head. "Do you truly think that you can appeal to me that way anymore?" Her face was cold, her eyes glittering dangerously. "I am no longer the pathetic little romantic I was before, Fiske. I do not care about your pitiful little game anymore. Let everything be destroyed," she paused a little bit of pain slipping into her voice, "at least then I wouldn't have to live anymore."
Her experience, her tiredness, her pain showed for one brief second. Then, it was gone. The beautiful, honest, sweet girl she had once been had disappeared, replaced by an angry, lonely, uncaring girl. She was just as beautiful as ever, but it was a dark beauty, one that was mysterious and exotic, but one that everyone feared to deal with. She was lost.
"Kalika, I know we have asked much of you. I know that it was unfair. But we truly need your help. We need you…I need you. Please…"
"Why should I care what you need? You didn't care one bit about what I needed! You made me what I am, Fiske. If you hadn't forced me to…" she sighed angrily. "He would still be here and, god forbid, I would be happy. But you couldn't let that happen. You had to take that away from me."
"Please Kalika, help us. Remember."
"No, I will not help you, nor will I remember. I don't want to remember."
"Remember," he said, with more emphasis, causing the painful memories leaked back into her mind, memories that she thought she had destroyed long ago…back to the beginning…
The girl stood in the room, looking around wearing a look that resembled amusement. The body lying on the bed in front of her, bathed in blood, did not even faze her as she made her way towards the closet. When she reached it, her mood quickly changed and she scowled. Her clothing that had once been hanging was on the floor, stained with the very same substance that covered the man on her bed. On the floor in the middle of all the clothing she saw the blade gleaming in the light with a single, thin stream of blood running down its edge.
Rolling her eyes, she reached down and picked it up with two fingers, holding it as if it were some disgusting thing that she didn't want to be near. She shook her head and tossed it aside. Amateurs, she thought, almost smiling. Whoever had done this was extremely stupid, attempting to frame her for it. She knew the police would show up soon, having been through this stunt several times. The fact that her prints were on the knife didn't bother her, they wouldn't be able to match it or even find the slightest bit of evidence that she had ever existed. She had no identity. She was a ghost, moving around to wherever she felt like going and staying in the shadows, watching people live their pathetic, happy little lives. A kind of life that she had once had, but was gone forever.
Glancing back down at the floor, her eyes caught something else. A photograph of…Him. She jumped back, startled to feel tears prickling her eyes. Her breath was coming short, her pulse racing. Only one man had ever made her feel that way, and his picture lay on the floor in front of her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and stepped forward. She slowly knelt beside the picture, reaching out to it. She picked it up as if it were the most valuable treasure in the world, running her finger slowly across the man in it. His deep, dark eyes stared up at her with that glimmer as if he knew something that no one else did, something bigger than everyone. He looked almost sad in the picture, though. He seemed to know something was coming…she sighed and blinked back the tears. She hadn't cried in a long time, and she wasn't about to right now. Just because of a picture…
She couldn't tare her eyes off of the picture. His shaved head had just stubble on it, almost as much as his face which looked as though he hadn't shaved in a few days…in fact; the picture looked as though it had been taken just before it had happened. She had only seen that vulnerable look once on his face, and that had been as he had died. Her heart clenched, feeling his eyes on her. His dark, gorgeous eyes, the ones that had sparkled when she made him smile, the ones that had shone with so much love at one time…and so much betrayal…she missed him like hell. But she would never see him again; she knew that there was no chance of it. And she was doomed to live forever without him; he had made sure of that.
Vampires don't come back, the voice still echoed in her head, even after all these years. Her one and only soul mate, gone forever, and she had to go on forever without him. She knew he would never leave her heart.
Obviously, someone else had known that as well, leaving the picture there for her to find. Whoever had done this was perhaps not an amateur as she had thought before. They knew her, and her one and only weakness, though it was no longer there to be a weakness. But it was meant to get to her, and though she would never admit it, it had. They had known that she would freeze and that she would remember; the one thing she didn't want to know.
Who would do this? Who would make her remember these painful things, the one who had changed her so much? Why did they do this? She didn't want to remember. It was hard enough to live every day with the guilt and the pain, the hole in her heart where he had been. People had always said that the heart healed, but she knew hers would not. The heart could heal for regular relationships, but what they had was much more than just a relationship. It was bigger than that. For a brief moment in her everlasting life, she had been complete, happy, and untouchable. They had touched the stars, above and beyond everyone and everything deemed possible in this world, something more beautiful that most would experience in ten lifetimes. For that moment, there was nothing better in the universe that could even come close to what they had. But that was gone now. Forever. And she was alone. Forever. Because of one man…
The very same man who was standing in the doorway that very second. She could tell he was there before she even turned around. She had felt him there, but she was surprised she hadn't felt him sooner. She had been so wrapped up in the picture.
"Kalika," he said, his voice echoing in the room. Vampires don't come back, his words popped into her heard again, what he had said after she had lost her soul mate.
"I told you never to contact me," she replied after a long silence.
"Kalika, please-"
"No!" she said, vehemently. All of the tears, the emotions, everything, had disappeared as soon as he had entered her mind. He had done this to remind her, to get her attention.
"We need your help," he stated, calmly.
"I did my part already. I no longer owe you anything," her tone was deadly. "I figured you would get the message, Fiske."
She knew that he was nodding grimly in the reference to the head of his assistant that she had sent to him.
"I told you that if you sent anyone after me I would kill them," she never took her eyes off the picture in her hands. "I want no part in your schemes."
"My schemes, as you so kindly put it, save the world from total destruction," he replied to her
"Let it be destroyed," she mumbled.
"Kalika, I'm sorry," he said, trying to appeal to her. "I'm so sorry that it went the way it did. It wasn't supposed to be that way."
"Oh? And what way would you have it be?" she made herself sound amused, even though she felt like crying for the first time in centuries.
"You know what I meant," he sat down in the chair next to the door. "We've done everything that we can without coming to you, Kalika. But we need your help again."
"No."
"Won't you even hear what I have to ask?"
"The answer is no. I will not help you," she said with so much contempt that he was obviously surprised.
"Look, we've all made sacrifices-" as soon as the word was out of his mouth, he knew he had made a mistake.
"Sacrifices?" she burst out, jumping up and whirling around. Her stormy gray eyes were filled with so much hatred; he stood up and took a step toward the door. "You know nothing of sacrifices," she continued. "You lost nothing. I lost everything. My family…my friends…my soul mate…"
He winced at her words. "I lost your trust," he said, quietly, his eyes full of pain and regret. "I lost you."
She laughed haughtily, shaking her head. "Do you truly think that you can appeal to me that way anymore?" Her face was cold, her eyes glittering dangerously. "I am no longer the pathetic little romantic I was before, Fiske. I do not care about your pitiful little game anymore. Let everything be destroyed," she paused a little bit of pain slipping into her voice, "at least then I wouldn't have to live anymore."
Her experience, her tiredness, her pain showed for one brief second. Then, it was gone. The beautiful, honest, sweet girl she had once been had disappeared, replaced by an angry, lonely, uncaring girl. She was just as beautiful as ever, but it was a dark beauty, one that was mysterious and exotic, but one that everyone feared to deal with. She was lost.
"Kalika, I know we have asked much of you. I know that it was unfair. But we truly need your help. We need you…I need you. Please…"
"Why should I care what you need? You didn't care one bit about what I needed! You made me what I am, Fiske. If you hadn't forced me to…" she sighed angrily. "He would still be here and, god forbid, I would be happy. But you couldn't let that happen. You had to take that away from me."
"Please Kalika, help us. Remember."
"No, I will not help you, nor will I remember. I don't want to remember."
"Remember," he said, with more emphasis, causing the painful memories leaked back into her mind, memories that she thought she had destroyed long ago…back to the beginning…