PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

11

“Hey Dark and Handsome. How’s it-”

  “Come!” I walk past Miss towards the table we sat at just yesterday. Just yesterday, Sir Gargilre Ferdinand Ectmech was alive and well. Just yesterday, in the morning, I was not able to touch anyone with out hurting them. Just yesterday, I held Melarvious in my arms like old time. I was able to touch her, kiss her, hold her. Give her anything she so desired. Also, just yesterday, I killed an old companion with out even touching him. He was killed by me and the kindness within his heart towards me. I was his down fall. I was his weakness in his end. I am and was his Akeley’s heel.

  “Dark and Handsome, what’s wrong? You were in such a good mood last night. I thought you still would have been this morning.” Miss was struggling to keep up with me. Her face filled with unwanted, undesired concern. “You alright Dark and Handsome?”

  “Why do you continue to call me that? That is not my name,” I growl through gritted teeth, and a flashback of the scene in Sir Ferdinand’s home rears its ugly head. I see his wife thrashing her arms left and right, thrashing me. I hear yelling. I hear her growling and speaking through gritted teeth. At that point and time, I could not understand the reason behind her rage and hunger for vengeance. I knew that I was the cause. I just did not know that I caused his death and not his pain. How much more clueless could I have been? Sighs. Sadly, not much more.

  “Well, since I don’t know your real name, I decided to give you a nick name since you gave me one.” Her voice sounded as chipper as Melarvious’s.

  Her smiling face flashes across mine, then quickly transforms into Sir Ectmech’s.

  “I did not give you a pseudonym.”

  “You do, too. You call me Miss,” she says triumphantly.

  “I call all women Miss when I do not know their name. It is to be kind and show them respect. That is all.” I point to the chair in the shadowed corner. “Sit.”

  She sits down as she says, “Well, still, it’s a nickname or a pseudonym or whatever you want to call it. You could have asked me my name tomorrow, but you didn’t. So I am taking that as you being able to have me call me something besides my legal name.”

  “I call you Miss to be considerate. But since you are being so stubborn, I shall tell you the rest of the reason.” I turn to her, bend so that we are at eye level, and say bluntly, “I do not care to know your legal name. I did not enjoy my time with you yesterday. I tell you that I never shall and will never be anything more than your tutor. If you pull anything else like yesterday’s little shenanigan, I shall be sure that you get the dumbest most illiterate human being on this campus to tutor you and watch you as you fail miserably.” I tilt my head. “Am I to be understood, girl?” The last words slithers more my mouth, as cold as Hell’s most bottom level.

  She only nods her head in defeat.

  “Good,” I stand back up straight and step behind her. “Turn your book to page one hundred and seventy-five and solve problems forty-five to seventy-eight. I want to see all of your work. I also want to see if your intention span is big enough to have retained all of the information I had spoken of last morning. Begin!”

  She jumps but says nothing and begins the problem. I did not ask any questions as she worked. I only observed and was thoroughly relieved, yet mostly amazed, that she had retained all information from yesterday. I saw as she barely made any eraser marks on her paper. I smiled and relaxed, as I saw; with me own two eyes, the quickest learner I have ever come across. Almost too quick of a learner.

  “You lied did you not?”

  She immediately stops and looks at me. “What?”

  “You lied. You do not need any help what so ever in Calculus. You only pretended to struggle and to fail so that the school would give a tutor in hopes that he would be cute. You were going to go through one session with him, be stupid, come back the next day and act as if you were a Calculus prodigy under an immense amount of stress. You were planning that in seeing one of his students learn so well that we would fall for you. What with after the lunch the day before, it would be nothing but the simplest of tasks. You may correct if I am wrong, but I know I am not.”

  She looks back down at her paper. “So what are you going to do? Turn me in? Get me expelled? What?”

  “It is time for something new, Dark One. It is time for a change.”

  Relief’s voice floods my mind. I smile as that sweet voice of…relief floods and takes over. I have yet to touch her and she already envelopes my mind with sweet thoughts. Change. Is it truly time for change? If so, then what change should it be? I look down at Miss and suddenly feel guilty for speaking to her the way that I did. She was only being kind and flirtatious. It was her. I could tell only after one day. I should not have exploded upon her the way that I had. I sigh. “I am going to apologize to you over a nice brunch. Seeing as how you are truly a mathematician and we have several hours ’til your next class, I do not see the harm in going out for a quick bite.”

  She looks at me, eyebrow raised.

  I chuckle. “No pun intended.”

  She smiles. “Sure, Dark and Handsome, I’d like that. She stands up and gathers her books into her bag. “By the way, that really hurt, what you said Dark and Handsome.”

  “I apologize Miss, and perhaps over lunch we shall converse about of lives and you can tell me your name.”

  She grins wildly. “Okay!”

  I put on my dark glasses and let her lead the way out of the library and to wherever she wished to go. Do not ask me why I chose this to be my change; to actually converse with one of your mortals and not feed on her it the end. She is a tad odd, a little different from the other women that I meet. When around her, my skin does not moan in hunger or urge me towards her to feed. It stays dormant. It is quite odd and most very surprising. She dresses differently, as well. There is not the slightest bit of white on her, besides her close to white pale skin. She looks as if she could be a creature of the night and of the dark.

  “Mmkay Dark and Handsome, we can brunch it here.”

  I look up at the sigh in front of the building and erupt with laughter. “The international House of Pancakes? Could you not have picked a more commercially advertised restaurant?”

  “I had a craving for their buttermilk pancakes. What’s the big deal?” She steps through its doors.

  I follow close behind. “Nothing, I suppose. I just prefer a nice quaint café to a noisy over bustling place such as this.”

  She walks up to a waitress who leads to an empty booth, as Miss crinkles her nose at me. “You’re one of those people?”

  I sit on the opposite side of her in the booth. “And what type of people are those?”

  “They are the snobby I-think-I-am-so-better-then-everyone-else-just-cause-I-can-tell-the-difference-between-a-cappuccino-and-a-mocha-latte type of people.” She scoffs. “I hate those people.”

  “Yes, and I am sure they despise you for your quick judgment. All people who go to cafés are not snobs, as you so put it. They are, in fact, some of the kindest people you shall ever come across.” I give the kind waitress our orders and continue on with our conversation. “I admire cafés for their quaintness, the flow, the atmosphere. I shall always prefer a café over a crowded restaurant at any given day.”

  “But why? You’re just a vampire. It’s not like you can hurt anybody by just touching them.”

  I give her a sad smile. “Yes, well, I shall still always prefer my café to this.” I open my palm outward gesturing at the building in its entirety. “So, tell me a little about yourself, Miss. For starters, what is your name?”

  She smiles. “My name is Remembrance Atreyu Ballad.” She gives a slight chuckle. “My mom was a huge Atreyu fan, and it was only by pure chance that my pops last name happened to be Ballad. I actually like it. It’s not a usual run of the muck name, and I love the stares people give me when I tell them what my name is. It is hilarious to see their expressions. So what’s your name, Dark and Handsome? I bet it’s something sexy and mysterious like Dimitri, or Lexinius, or Profondus. Am I right? I’m right, aren’t I?”

  “Sorry Miss Remembrance, but I do not give away my name. I have not used my born into name in quite some time now. I find it better not to give away everything of ones past. Speaking of which, why did you say your mother was a huge Atreyu fan?”

  Her smile turns sad and a tad distant. “She passed a few days ago. No one knew what had happened, or where the body is. All we got was this note saying ‘ I am sorry to inform you of this tragedy, but your precious Miss Julia Rockheart, adopted mother of Remembrance Ballad, fiancée of Joe Ballad, is now deceased. There shall be no funeral held. You may keep her belongings. We once again apologize for this heartbreaking news and that it did not have to be told. We give our condolences. Anonymous.’ ” She fiddles around with her napkin on the table. “Joe had kicked her out a few days ago, because she had forgotten to cook him dinner. Stupid, I know, but that’s my dad: Fifty-four, a sugar daddy, way to old school for my taste, and a tad abusive. I was hoping Julia would change him, but no such luck. I’m just glad I don’t live in that hell hole anymore. I don’t know what happened to Julia, but I am happy she was able to escape his wrath. Joe would have kept hunting her down, getting back with her, abusing her, her taking it, then breaking up with her again for the dumbest things. Joe would’ve probably beaten her ‘til she was either dead or half dead, so I just hope that whichever way she died. I hope it was a peaceful and happy going.”

  I swallow hard and inquire, “How old was your mother-to-be?”

  The sad smile returns. “She was only twenty-four. Her birthday was supposed to be today.” She tries to laugh, but fails. “It is so stinkin’ funny how I can sit here and just now let the pain effect me, instead of a few days ago when it happened. Though a few days ago, I had denied it. I had denied it to any and every one around me, including myself. I knew that if I didn’t talk about it and avoided the questions I would be fine.”

  I sigh and close my eyes, knowing that I was the reason for Miss Julia’s death and Miss Remembrance’s pain. I had placed the note on the man’s door the morning after her death. “I apologize Miss Remembrance. I should not have asked. That was your personal business.”

  The waitress arrives with our order and places it in front of us. As Remembrance’s plate is set before her, she begins to slowly nibble on her eggs and scrape them across her plate. From then on it is nothing but awkward silence and quietly regretting the creature that I am and wishing that their someway to comfort her aching heart. Being this creature keeps me from doing things normal mortals and creatures of the night and dark are able to do.

  “I guess it’s not your fault for being curious, Dark and Handsome. I mean, I would have had to come to face the fact that my mom was dead sooner or later. I was just hoping for later than sooner.” I nod my head as she gives me a solemn smile. “Why haven’t you touched your food? I mean, I’m not going to witch about it, but the cook here PMS’s like no ones business. You might want to at least try one of the pancakes.”

  I slowly chew on a piece of the pancake and choke it down. I can eat mortal food, but I prefer not to do so. I usually eat on rare and special occasions when I know that the food is going to be good. This was no where near to where my persnickety taste buds would stand. I wipe my mouth with my napkin and place it over my plate. “I am stuffed. How about you?”

  She laughs. “You hate it don’t you?”

  I smile. “I am glad I made that plainly obvious.” I pay for the meal and give our waitress a very generous tip. “Let us go to a café. I am in the mood for a mocha latte.”

  She laughs. “Dark and Handsome, you are-” Her reply is cut short by my phone screeching and wailing in agony.

  “Sorry.” I answer my phone as we leave the restaurant. “Hello?”

  “Hey, uh, is this my tutor?”

  “I suppose so. What is your name?”

  “Molly. Molly Micker.”

   “Ah, yes, Miss Molly. I deeply apologize, but I will not be able to make our tutoring session.” I end the call and smile at Miss Remembrance who had a look of curiosity on her face. “Yes?”

  “You had another tutee?”

  “Yes, I am very well known at the college you go to. I am one of the most called upon tutors there.”

  “How old are you?”

  I tilt my head. “Why do you ask?”

  “Well, you sort of dress old timey, and you talk weird for people in this day and age. I mean, come one. You barely use any slang.”

  “I have used no slang, Miss Remembrance.”

  “Exactly! And what is up with the whole Miss thing? You are seriously making me feel like an old unmarried, bitter, old professor or woman.”

  “Are they not the same thing?”

  “No, the supposed chick professors at the university all have mustaches and five o’clock shadows.”

  I choke my laugh and say, “Is that so?”

  “Yeah, and they have Adams apples, deep creepy stalkerish voices, and whenever they wear dresses walk around the classroom, you can hear this weird flapping noises.”

  I stop dead in my tracks, grab my sides, fall to my knees, and erupt in immense laughter. 

  “What is so funny?” She looks back at me and places her hands on her hips.

  I laugh even more, for she now reminds of a darker version of Relief. “Nothing Miss Remembrance. It is nothing.” I look up at the sky noticing that it is getting close to the time that the sun appears from behind the clouds. “This cloudy day is almost over Miss Remembrance and there shall not be another for quite sometime. Sorry to say, but I must be off back to my home.”

  “Is it because of the sun? I thought vampires couldn’t come out during daylight hours anyway.”

  “They cannot.” I turn and as I am about to leave, I turn my head say, “I am not a vampire.” With that, I disappear into what is left of this morning’s shadows and head back to the loft.