The Death of Vivian James

I shouldn't have gone to Vivian's funeral. It was wrong for me to be here, among her friends and family. After all, I was the reason she was dead.

But despite that, I could not stay away. Vivian had been like an angel sent to me. She restored a small piece of my humanity, something I did not think possible. But just as suddenly as she had been brought into my life some odd six months ago, she had been taken away. I felt a sharp pain inside when I realized I would never see her blush scarlet again. I would never hear her laugh, her small, delicate laugh that would always bring a smile. I would never again see a room light up when she graced it with her presence.

I would only see a tombstone. Vivian James was gone forever, and it was all thanks to me.

I lurked in the shadows during the graveside services. The sky was overcast and rainy. I hid because I did not wish her family to see me. Too many questions would be brought up. Vivian and I didn't exactly publicize our relationship. How could we? As far as the world knew, I had died in 1935.

As the last of the mourners finally left, I approached the grave, gracious for the chance to pay my respects. I laid a rose on top of the fresh grave, among the many pictures and floral arrangements. Vivian had had a lot of friends. I wonder if they would miss her as much as me.

"Oh Vivian," I sighed, "how could I have let this happen?"

The rain was falling in a light drizzle now. It seeped into my jacket and matted my shaggy hair to my forehead. I sat down in the grass next to the grave, not caring about the mud.

"I am so sorry," I muttered, hoping wherever she was she could hear me.

A voice cut through my silence and I jumped to my feet in response. "Who the hell are you?"

At first, I thought I was seeing a ghost. A girl stood a few graves over in a ruffled black dress. Her auburn hair was drenched, sticking to her face in random tendrils. Piercing green eyes studied me.

"Vi--Vivian?" I stuttered.

She shook her head and came closer. "I'm Ava, her sister."

I cursed myself silently for my stupidity. As the girl came closer, it became clear that she was not Vivian. She was a few inches shorter than Vivian and slightly more well-endowed, although a year or two younger. But those eyes, it was almost as if Vivian could see me through them.

She had mentioned Ava before of course, even told me things about her. But I had never met her until now. As far as I knew, she was in the dark about our relationship like the rest of the world.

"Who are you?" she repeated.

Her voice was also rougher than Vivian's I noted.

“I…was a friend of your sister.”

The young lady stared at me, studied me, perhaps to see if I was telling the truth.

The girl snorted in retort, “Obviously…or else you wouldn’t be here.” She gestured to the grave and the decorations around it. “As you can see, my sister had a lot of friends. Which one would you be?”

I was taken aback by the young lady’s response. Vivian would never have used such a tone. She had stepped forward to be a mere inches in front of me. She would no doubt see through my pretenses if I tried to lie.

“Sebastian,” I answered.

Ava seemed a little surprised and looked at me with an intense curiosity.

“Oh,” she smiled, “so you’re the vampire.”

If I actually breathed, Ava’s statement would have knocked the air out of my lungs.

“Excuse me?” I gasped, searching for a suitable explanation.

Her voice seemed to tremble as she repeated herself. “I know what you are. I know you’re a vampire.”

She appeared so sure of herself and I knew I could not simply convince her other wise. I quickly began to formulate a plan in my head.

“Ava,” I whispered harshly as I scanned the graveyard for people, “this is not the place. Perhaps we could go somewhere a little more,” I gestured to a few straggling mourners at a nearby grave. “…private?”

Ava evaluated the situation for a moment, her eyes dancing with curiosity. It would be impossible for her to pass up the opportunity of questioning a vampire.

“Ok…” she replied. “Where?”

I led her a view blocks away to a nearby park. The rain started to pick up and for that I was thankful. People didn’t like to stay out in the rain. We took shelter in a gazebo located in a particularly secluded section of the park.

“How did you know?” I demanded. I wanted answers before I took the life of this unfortunate girl.

She was hesitant but obliged.

“My sister was not one to keep secrets. She loved to tell me about all the boys that were interested in her and I loved to listen. I knew Vivian was a thousand times more glamorous than I could ever try to be. But then one day she stopped telling me about her admirers. Actually, she stopped telling me anything at all.”

A look of hurt sparked in her eyes. I felt a twinge of guilt. I had been the reason Vivian pulled away but shook it from my mind. The pain of Ava James would not be a concern of mine much longer.

She continued.

“I tried spying on her but whatever her secret was, she did a great job covering it up. And then we had a fight. A huge one. I begged her to just talk to me like she used to. I made her feel guilty for abandoning me. She told me that she couldn’t tell me or she would. But I wouldn’t let up. Eventually she broke down and told me the truth.”

I sighed. So Vivian herself had betrayed me?

“Well then,” I reasoned silently to myself, “anything that happens as a result of that is her fault.”

“Oh Ava,” I muttered as I closed the few inches between us, “I am truly sorry about this.”

In that moment, Ava realized what lay in store for her. She shot me a horrified glance as her pulse quickened. I could hear its soft thud as she tried to put distance between us only to realize she was against the gazebo wall.

“I won’t tell anyone,” she promised.

A haughty laugh escaped my lips. “I believe Vivian promised that too. Now hold still and I’ll make it quick. I promise.” I emphasized the last word in a mocking tone.

I felt my canines lengthen as I pulled Ava closer, her rain soaked body shivering in fear. Her heart was hammering in her chest and that only encouraged me. This close, I could smell her blood, a tantalizing scent that begged me to taste.

“I’ll admit, it is sad that your parents will have to lose another daughter,” I stated. “But this is how it has to be.”

She was tearing up now as she pleaded for her life. “Please! I swear I won’t tell. I swear!”

I tilted her head to the side for better access to her neck.

“Who am I going to tell!?” she screamed. “Vivian was my only friend and now she’s dead!”

She brought her eyes up to mine.

“Please,” she pleaded meekly as tears blended with rain on her face, “you can trust me. I’ve got no one to tell.”

And there were those eyes again, Vivian’s eyes. It became clear to me that I could never kill Ava James.

Reviews

[Calypso]

This is very good, but I wish you would have told us how Sebastian killed Vivian.