Flight to Freedom:
A Short Jaunt behind the Veil
By:
Halee Anglero
Dedicated to my oldest child, whether you are my Keekee or my Dane. I know that you are at a delicate stage right now, but I am right behind you all the time. No matter what you do, you will be strong. I love you and will always love you. You can do anything that you put your mind to, and I hope that in this lifetime you learn how to place your dogged determination onto whatever pursuits will make your life fuller. Oh, and sweetie, please clean your room before I have to clean it for you.
Copyright 2014 Halee Anglero
I didn’t plan this, and I don’t think that any one in their right mind would expect this kind of thing to happen to them. It isn’t exactly the kind of career that I would have picked for myself and my guidance counselor didn’t have a pamphlet for this sitting in his office. I would like to blame them for this, but I can’t really find a reason to. Nobody ever sees this kind of thing coming, but once it does your entire world changes and you find yourself unable to see things the same way as everyone else. You see the danger that surrounds you on a daily basis and you have two choices, either shrink away in fear or stand up and fight. I chose the latter, and I am thankful for that every day, because without that will to fight I would not be alive today.
Sometimes I wonder if this is all some kind of elaborate ruse, or perhaps I’ve been trapped in a coma for several years. With everything I have seen, it isn’t hard not to wonder if I’ve already lost my mind. I sit here and think a lot on my off days, wondering why I never knew anything about this world before. I pace and I worry about all of the people that don’t know the truth, that will never know about the dangers that they face every day of their lives. I’m going to tell you how I joined into this world, the world of a hunter, a protector of humanity.
It all started with a man. Sometimes it feels like all of the major problems in my life start with a man. That isn’t the truth, of course, but there is something about relationships that cause a betrayal to become so much more shocking. I’m starting to rant again, so I’ll get back to the story. Like I already said, this entire thing started with a man.
It doesn’t really matter how I met this man, but suffice it to say that we had been dating for several weeks by this point. His name was Derek and there was something about him, something that kept me coming back night after night. I couldn’t pull myself away from him. I couldn’t stop myself from falling in love with him, his entire presence drew me in and kept me distracted every day when we parted company after a long night of passionate love-making. This should have clued me in immediately to his nature, as I’m not the type to go falling in love with men that I had just met. I should have known better, but I didn't. I still punish myself for that. I don’t think that I’m ever going to stop regretting my stupidity, but I think that I would miss what I have become.
I don’t remember many details of our early relationship, but it would be best described as a whirlwind of lust and romance. They tell me that it’s the product of his mind control; that’s the reason I don’t remember much more than a few fragments and the emotions that I had been feeling at the time. He placed those feelings in my head and for that I just can’t find any pity for him. Because of his need to feed I suffered, being pushed into a world nobody is ever truly ready for. I wasn’t ready for it, and no one I ever talked to had been comfortable when they were initiated into the role of protector. At the time I didn’t understand how a man could make me fall so hard and so fast for him, but I wasn’t willing to ask too many questions about the subject. I wanted to . I’ve spent a lot of time explaining background, but in the end it doesn’t really matter. I was the victim and my history doesn’t matter. He was looking for a victim and I was available at the time. If it hadn’t been me it would have been some other girl, because his hunger was only going to grow and he didn’t want to control it.
I curse myself now, telling myself that I should have seen it coming. His suggestion was crazy. We both had apartments, we both lived alone and had the space that we needed. We could have stayed in, but he suggested the excitement. I loved the idea, absolutely adoring the fact that I was going to do something that I hadn’t done since I was a teenager. I felt amazing, giggling the entire day before our planned excursion, trying hard to keep a secret like we were doing something naughty.
I was never traditionally beautiful, but the truth was that I was always my hardest critic. I’m not a bad looking woman, and while my hair is short now, due to my job, it used to flow and wave down past my knees, a blonde curly mess. I had it pulled up that night, piled up on top of my head like a medieval princess. I had on my little black dress, the kind that every woman should own and it showed off my ample assets well. I wasn’t a skinny girl, but I had curves and people told me that they played well on my short frame. I had done my makeup carefully and put on my favorite heels. They were impractical shoes, but they made me feel damn good about myself back then. I don’t get many chances to wear shoes like that anymore, that’s why I never replaced them.
He was nearly a foot taller than me, but that’s not saying much. I had to look up to him and it was easy to see that it helped to feed his ego a little. It must have made me seem weak in his eyes. His dark hair contrasted his pale skin. I didn’t have much room to comment as I’m naturally pale myself, having descended from Western Europe a few generations back, so I didn’t really mind. He was wearing a nice shirt, dark with tiny buttons. His black slacks were perfectly pressed. He wore polished dress shoes, the ones that he always wore. I remember that they always looked perfect, even with the dust that surrounded us on a day to day basis. He was a handsome man, but he wasn’t the most handsome man that I had ever met. That didn’t matter to me, it was his eyes that captured me anyway. They were dark and mysterious, the kind of eyes that could hold you forever. I found out later that they were trying to do just that.
He took me to the desert, out in the middle of the night for some dangerous love, the kind that makes you feel like a rebel, even if you aren’t really one. I wasn’t a rebel, I never had been, but it felt good to feel like one on occasion.
It was a dark and nearly starless night. The kind that makes you think that there’s something stalking you. I couldn’t help my nerves, but he looked deep into my eyes. “Don’t worry. You’re safe with me.” His eyes were glittering and I could see the stars in them. I couldn’t help but to feel lucky. This man seemed to be perfect in every way. He was handsome, kind and he supported himself. I hadn’t really had the opportunity to date someone who fulfilled all three qualifications at once. It felt amazing and I was happy, little did I know that it wouldn’t last for too much longer. I was about to find out a terrible secret, the kind that most humans would never have to know, and if they did find out about it the dangerous knowledge wasn’t going to last long.
“You promise?” I smiled, but it didn’t seem to hide the fact that the darkness made me nervous. I felt like coyotes or other wild animals that lived in the southern New Mexican desert would strike at any moment. I looked out the window and wondered how close the creatures would have to be before I could see their eyes shining in the darkness.
When I shuddered he pulled my face up to see his. “Everything will be just fine, Sophie. I’ll keep you safe.” After a moment he pulled me into a kiss and all of my worries seemed to fade away. There was nothing that he couldn’t protect me from, at least that’s what I thought at the time. I fell into his kiss and his lips slowly travelled to my jaw and down to my throat. I remember moaning as he began to caress my tender flesh with his
lips.
I wasn’t expecting the bite when it came, but it was painful. My moans changed into screams and I kicked the dashboard and fought my attacker, slapping and punching towards him until he let me go. I think that he was new at that, looking back at it I don’t remember ever meeting a vampire who was less practiced at feeding. I don’t know what his story was, and frankly I haven’t found myself willing to investigate. My reaction wasn’t expected and the man pulled away from me. “What are you doing?”
“You bit me!” I screamed at him. I knew that my face was turning red as my fists clenched and rage