Vampire Love

Four - A new Neighbor

Alana was dumbfounded. Speechless. She stared at this extremely handsome man who was smiling down at her, amusement on his face. He was tall. Very tall that Alana had to crank up her head just to get a good look at him. They stared at each other for what felt like hours, unable to look away from him. She felt his hand on her waist move upwards then, snaking it's way through to her neck. Her heart skipped. The feelings stirring in her body were unexplainable. It was like....

The sound of the elevator brought them back to their senses and Alana quickly moved away right before someone else walked in and joined them in the elevator, separating them.

"Good day Mr Lucious," the man greeted him.

"Good day Mr Trump," Lucious greeted back. His eyes caught Alana's. He gave her a smile before moving on his own way, leaving her with the newcomer.

What had just happened between them?

Alana sighed as she stepped out of the elevator and went to Mrs Suriya's office to arrange her stuff to give to the HR. At least she was temporarily able to keep that man out of her mind.

Later that day, Alana arranged her things and prepared to leave the premises. It was 6:01pm and she was free to leave.

The sound of the intercom made Alana pause. She picked it up.

"Suriya's assistant, how can I help you?"

"Dyson. See me in my office before you leave." Mrs Suriya said on the phone and cut the call. Alana sighed exhaustedly before going to her boss's office.

She gently knocked on the door and waited a second before walking in. Mrs Suriya was seated the same way she was previously. The office was so large. It was twice Alana's apartment combined together.

"You called for me, Ma'am?"

"Just call me Suriya. I'm not your aunty." She deadpaned. "Do you have anything going on with Lucious?"

"Lucious Heron? The CEO? What?! No! Why would you think that ma- Suriya??" Alana was shocked that the woman would even ask such a question. Had she seen them in the elevator? Was she going to lose her job??

"Well.. You seemed to have his attention during the conference meeting. I'm just going to give you a fair warning. Lucious is not the type of man to flirt with. Yes, I know he's attractive, but he's not in your league. Anything heard about you will be used against you. I hope you understand me," Suriya warned.

Alana frowned slightly. She didn't fail to notice the concern laced in her tone, like she was truly looking out for her. Maybe she just didn't want Alana as her rival, not that it was even possible.

"Um.. Yes, Suriya. I assure you, I don't have any connection or likeness whatsoever to Mr Heron," Alana reassured her.

The woman nodded mildly and waved her hand to dismiss Alana.

ON THE WAY HOME, as Alana glanced at the tourists who were touring along the busy roads of York, her mind involuntarily revisited how she'd acted like a dummy when she'd set her eyes on him.

He'd been so compelling. So... Off the radar. Alana sighed as her dour mood intensified. She loved Ben a lot, but sometimes, the thought of not having a single friend to talk to was a little more than she could bear.

Ever since her young age, Alana had learned how to be alone. Her parents had not had much, but they'd tried to send her to a good school. Unfortunately, her personality hadn't matched with the students there. She'd always been the odd one, looking like she wasn't supposed to be there.

That mind had set in since then and everywhere she went to, she'd always found herself comparing herself to the other ladies who she knew she was no match for. Now, it was better because she accepted her insecurities. She didn't fight with her inferiority complex anymore.

The bus came to a stop, jolting Alana out of her thoughts. She received her change and began the short walk to her home.

"Hey, Ben. What's..." Alana's voice trailed off as she registered the scene going on in her small living room.

"Ben! What the hell?!" Ben and the girl who was straddling him jumped up and pulled apart, staring at Alana in shock.

"I go to work for a few hours and this what you are doing?! Bringing young hookers into the house!" Alana exploded. She hadn't even realized that her bag had fallen off her arm.

"Hey! I might look like one, but I'm not a hooker. So don't you dare open that tiny mouth of yours to call me a hooker, girl." the girl said, glaring at Alana.

"Ben, who is this girl?" Alana tried to keep her voice calm, but inside she was losing it.

"Well.. She.."

“Doesn’t she f*****g knows you’re still a minor? Who the hell kisses and romances a 14 year old?!”

“Woah woah woah! This kid told me he’s 18 and you can’t blame me for believing cause whew!… what a tall cute boy right?”

Alana turned to Ben with an accusing look. “Really Ben?? What have i told you about talking to girls you don’t know? You are still a child!”

“I’m not a child! I’ll 15 in just 2 months and 15 is close to 18 and she’s probably 18. What’s the big deal??” Ben was talking about the girl.

Alana sighed in frustration. She was close to losing it.

“You. What is your name?” Alana finally asked the girl.

"My name is Feesh, and I live in the block next to you,"

"Your name is fish?"

"No! Feesh. With a double 'e'. I live next door, and I came to check out the people who moved in here yesterday. I met your sweet brother," Feesh glared mysteriously at Ben. Alana watched her brother squirm. Good for him. "Benjamin told me about you, his lovely big sister, then we decided to.. Mess around a bit."

"Ben is just 14!" Alana exclaimed.

"Well you should have taught him how not to lie! Oh lighten up please.” Feesh said when she saw the thunderous glare Alana sent her way. “Trust me i had no idea he was a kid. I don’t do kids. I’m way too old for that." She smiled at Alana.

"How old are you for real, Feesh?" Alana asked.

"I'm 21 next month. What about you?" She replied cheerfully.

Alana sighed and grabbed her bag from the floor before walking straight to her room. She just needed a shower to clear her head.

After a few minutes, Alana opened the door and went back to the living room. She stopped short and stared at them. Ben and Feesh were seated opposite each other. Feesh saw Alana.

"Hey, Al, I was just telling Ben that I wanted to take him on a tour around the area.. If you're, um.. Up for it?" Feesh smiled nervously.

"Uh.. Yeah sure. But Ben, you're staying at home." Alana turned her strict gaze on Ben.

Ben groaned. "Oh come on! Is that some kind of punishment?"

"Not a punishment, I won't let you walk around the streets when you're supposed to be doing your homework. How was school, by the way?" Alana asked, moving to sit beside her brother.

"School was fine. I wasn't given an assignment anyway. So I'm just gonna turn on the DVD. I hope I'm allowed to do that at least?" Ben smirked mockingly. Meanwhile, Feesh was watching the exchange between brother and sister amusingly.

"Yeah, you can. Lock the door when we're gone and don't open unless you hear my voice, okay?"

"Are we in danger, sister?" Ben asked, alarm written all over his face.

"Of course not. I just.. I just want you to be careful, okay? Please do what I tell you to do." Alana replied thoughtfully.

" OK." Ben replied.

Alana smiled and gave her brother a forehead kiss, making Ben groan. Alana laughed and followed Feesh out the door.

"You care for your brother a lot. I wish I had a sibling who cared for me like that." Feesh smiled.

"Ben is still just a child. He can't be free too much and I have to keep my eye on him all the time." Alana defended him as she thought about how badly Ben had taken the loss of their parents. He hadn't believed that they were truly gone.

"He's a young man, Al. And from what he said about you too, he cares for you. Even more than you might think."

Alana smiled softly. "Ben is very protective of me. He may be frustrated by me at times, but he wouldn't want any harm to come to me."

"That's lovely to have. Now... Have you seen the York park in the dark? Wait till we get there!"

ALANA EXHALED WITH A SOFT SMILE. The breeze here in the park was amazing. There were a few people gathered in the park but Alana and Feesh were all on their own.

"Lovely isn't it?" Feesh was referring to the atmosphere. "Hmm... I could stay here all night if I was allowed to. Unfortunately, it's not safe to stay out late at night"

Alana turned to look at Feesh with a questioning look. "Why? Why can't you be outside at night?"

"Well.." Feesh looked unsure.

"Please tell me, Feesh," Alana persuaded. She needed to know what was going on around here.

"Well.. It is said that.. There are dangerous people who move at night."

"What kind of dangerous people? I don't understand." Alana shook her head in confusion.

"Well.. I don't know much about it either, but what I know is.. There are bad people in this city, Alana. And they kill people who stay out till midnight. Once the dead bodies are seen the next day, there's always a giant dent in the chest, neck and forehead. Like they were stabbed repeatedly with sharp wood."

Alana was speechless. She remembered the horrible creature she'd seen the previous night. Maybe that was why she'd been so scared.

"What are you thinking?" Feesh asked.

"Nothing. Just... I heard some weird sounds last time and then, when I checked my window to see what was going on, I saw a weird looking guy on the other side of the street." Alana explained. Her voice shook from the shock and fear she'd felt last night.

"Alana, when you're inside, stay inside. I don't know what it is, but I wouldn't try to figure it out either. In New York, you have to mind your business to stay out of trouble." Feesh whispered. "Understood?"

Alana nodded her head in agreement.

They went on to talk about other things. Feesh worked as a waitress in an hotel and she stayed with her parents, who were hardly around. That night, Alana decided that she liked Feesh and she already thought of her as a friend.

"So.. Good night, pretty girl. Be careful." Feesh said with a smile.

"Good night, Feesh. Thank you for the walk... It was needed." Alana smiled back with a small nod.

Alana waved and turned in the direction of her apartment.

On the staircase to her place, Alana heard a loud, piercing scream. It was coming from the apartment opposite her. What was happening? Out of curiosity, she moved closer to the door, putting her ear out to hear whatever it was clearly.

Out of no where, a large and heavy creature pushed her out of the way, knocking her roughly to the ground and making her pass out immediately.

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