Chapter 5: Vengeance

We follow Selene's story

Chapter 5

Vengeance

 

 

 

‘Chaos!’ Stryker’s cry cut through the fighting sequence planned in Selene’s mind. She felt a sudden urge to go and see what he wanted - and see if she could help in any way �" before repressing it with difficulty. What is wrong with you! You hate them remember? She mentally scolded herself, shaking her head, but before she had time to think about what to do next, Alex called for her help.

            She whipped around to see Alex struggling to keep Evangeline on the floor, the girl who had tried to eat Kaylee. A wave of fury overcame her and, ignoring Alex’s proffered stake with a shudder, tore holes in her so that her ally could have an easier time getting the stakes in. Her fingernails became red with blood, but Evangeline wasn’t bleeding. That was the thing about vampires, they couldn’t bleed; their blood was congealed.

            When Alex had no stakes left, she turned around, hoping against hope to see the only real friend she had smile and thank her for saving her life. However, that wasn’t what fate had in store for her, and Selene knew it; but nothing could have prepared her for the sight before her.

            ‘No,’ she said quietly to herself. Her best friend and the only person who had ever cared about her, was gone. And to make things worse, it was in the most horrible way possible. She dared not think about it or even look, but she was rooted to the spot, her eyes riveted to the corpse that lay in front of her.

            Eventually, she managed to tear her eyes from…Kaylee…and tell Alex that they should get a move on while they could. Without waiting for a response, she strode off towards the nearest building.

*************

 

            When Alex caught up once inside, she looked at Selene, and the latter felt all the fight drain out of her. What have I done? She knew that all those careful months of trying to fit in had gone to waste, destroyed in a couple of seconds. She probably looked like the poor girl that they had left to deal with her fate.

Wanting to escape the accusatory glare, for that’s what it felt like, she looked at Kaylee. Wrong idea, she felt a lump in her throat, and her eyes threatened to spill water for the first time in her memory. But they didn’t of course.

            Alex must’ve noticed, because now the look wasn’t “see what your kind does to us”, it was more “I’m so sorry that you lost a friend”. For once she was treating her like an ordinary person, and Selene felt a flicker of compassion for her. But that spark soon faded as a gloomy thought occurred to her. If that’s what it takes for them to treat me as one of them, then I’m not ready to pay the price.

            ‘Go to the bathroom,’ she told Selene, who was still trying to look composed. ‘Try and look normal, please?’

            Normal, Selene thought in disgust, as she left to do what she was told. She would never look “normal” in their eyes, no matter what she did.

Standing in front the sink before of her, brushing her bedraggled hair vigorously back into its elegant bun, she wondered why she was having these thoughts all of a sudden. She generally never thought with contempt over something she couldn’t change. And she was sure that she never thought about Alex that way. Usually, she considered Alex as a good acquaintance, if not a friend.

She washed all the blood and mud off her spattered face, and stared into the mirror, feeling all the resentfulness inside her build up, and seeing nothing but the cubicle behind her. She had never seen her reflection; at least, not that she could remember anything before becoming a vampire.

‘Why me?!’ she shouted, and with all her strength �" which was quite considerable �" she took the mirror and smashed it against the wall, shards flying everywhere.