Lightshade
2615 Words
The drive was quite long. Jamie noticed that they were actually near the city’s border. Elizabeth turned on the radio but kept the volume low. It seemed a bad idea to actually accept her invitation when she asked Jamie to stay with her, but there was a part of Jamie that got intrigued by her.
Being a part vampire meant Jamie could thrall a human or any non-vampiric creature, except for fallen angels, of course. It would take an unknown and different kind of power to do that.
But it didn’t work on Elizabeth.
That should have been a warning to Jamie about this woman beside her, yet here she was, being driven to a place she didn’t know.
Trees started to thicken as they drove off the main road. They stopped in front of a two-story house. Jamie noticed that there was quite a space before the next neighbor. It was relatively secluded. The werewolf part in Jamie was ecstatic with it. The vampire part, not so much. With this too far from the center, she may need to drive just to get blood. She shook her head.
It’s a problem for another day.
“You didn’t bring me here to kill me now, did you?” Jamie joked. Elizabeth snapped her head towards her and tried to glare at her, but her face was nothing but threatening. It kind of came out as a pout. Jamie bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing.
“Like I could kill you?” Elizabeth commented. “This house belonged to my grandmother. Don’t worry, she passed away a year ago,” Elizabeth quickly added when she saw how Jamie gave her a pointed look. “They executed her will and I got her house,” she explained.
Jamie looked at her with a raised brow. “Lucky granddaughter.”
Elizabeth simply shrugged before stepping out of the car. Jamie followed her, taking her duffel from the backseat.
“And how are you able to manage the upkeep of this property as a hotel receptionist?”
“Trust fund. And I’m very thrifty,” Elizabeth answered nonchalantly. It was weird and quite unbelievable, really. But Jamie decided to let it slide since she was letting her stay.
They proceeded to enter her house.
The interior was spacious. The walls were white, only with black paint near the carpeted floor. Two couches were placed at a right angle, and a center table was in front of each. There was a fireplace in the middle and a wall separating the living room and kitchen area. A single staircase leads upstairs.
“I have a spare room upstairs, you can use that,” she said as she stood beside Jamie. Jamie looked over at her.
This woman, barely an acquaintance, offered her home to her. Jamie couldn’t help but think why.
“I won’t stay for too long, don’t worry. I just... need to lay low.”
Elizabeth’s blue and green eyes looked up at Jamie, a mix of curiosity and... something Jamie couldn’t tell. And those eyes were really, well, mesmerizing.
There was a certain pull Jamie felt for her when she checked into the hotel where she was working. It was purely random, but if Jamie was being honest, she was the reason she stayed longer than she intended to.
“It’s fine if you need more time. I don’t really mind. Kinda nice to have a housemate, you know? You could just share for food. Wait, you eat normal food, right?”
“I... I do, but I occasionally need blood,” Jamie answered mindlessly. “But I do have a contact for that, I don’t feed on humans,” she quickly added when she saw her eyes widen.
“You have a contact?”
“Yes... She was a family friend. Sort of.”
Elizabeth then proceeds to tour her inside her house.
“Hmm. Okay, so the kitchen’s that way, there’s a bathroom down here. There’s also one at the end of the hallway upstairs for you to use. I have my own in my bedroom.”
As they both went up to the second floor, Jamie couldn’t keep the question anymore. “Why are you doing this?”
The woman stopped short and looked up at Jamie, her eyes gazing at her the same way Elise used to before she got drunk with power, and Jamie had to shake her head at the thought.
It’s impossible, I killed her. With my own hands.
“I... I just want to. I have this inexplicable need to help... lost souls.”
“I may not have one.”
She tilted her head. “Everybody has one.”
She left Jamie in her thoughts and walked toward a room. Jamie sighed and entered the opposite room. Once she was inside, she put her bag at the foot of the bed and crashed on the mattress, washing her hands over her face.
Hundred years have passed, and Elise still has a hold on her life. When will it end? Will it ever end?
Jamie sent a text to her contact, informing her of her whereabouts. Her mothers would not be happy if they found out that she’s been hiding things from them, especially her. She’s pretty sure Jean and Jenna would be out there looking for her. But she can’t let them know, knowing that Elise caused too much pain to them.
A knock on the door took her out of her head. She lifted half of her body with her elbow supporting her as the knob turned and the door opened with Elizabeth carrying pillows and a blanket.
“I don’t know if you need the blanket, but here,” she handed the items to Jamie. “You could... you know, decorate this room.”
Jamie raised a brow at her. “Planning to make me a long-term guest?”
“I want you comfortable.”
“Why are you really helping me? Taking me in could put you in danger.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. But I felt a pull, and I couldn’t stop myself.” She then peered at Jamie with those hypnotic eyes. “Why did you say yes, though?”
Her answer and the question shocked Jamie. She didn’t know what to say. They barely had an interaction. Just her greeting every time she entered through the front door of the hotel and Jamie gave her a curt smile. It’s quite impossible for her to feel the same pull Jamie has for her.
Jamie closed her fists and glared at them.
She’s not her.
“I... I don’t know. I felt... I guess I felt tired from running from one place to another.”
A hand suddenly covered Jamie’s clenched hands. She looked up and saw her sitting on the bed with her.
“How long have you been running?”
Jamie let out a dry chuckle. “A hundred years, more or less.”
“How old are you, exactly?”
“A hundred and thirty.”
Where eyes widened. “But... you... You look young! Like, around twenty-five at most!”
Jamie smiled sadly at her. “I died and was turned when I was twenty-five. I stopped aging since.”
A painful memory crossed Jamie’s mind.
Elise.
How she turned her. How loving she was before her descent into madness. The way she became abusive, Jamie prayed for death that could never come. How she threatened the world just to have her back.
How Jamie drove Jean’s sword into her chest, and she died in her arms.
A finger brushed the side of Jamie’s cheek. Elizabeth wiped tears away from her face. Jamie didn’t even realize she was crying.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I won’t ask more about... your past. But, I learned that unburdening your feelings to someone who’s willing to listen can be freeing.”
“Thank you, Elizabeth,” Jamie said as she wiped her own tears away.
“You can call me Elize. Elizabeth was a bit long.”
“NO!” The brunette was taken aback by Jamie’s sudden outburst. “Sorry, no. I... I can’t call you that name.”
“How about Katie?”
Jamie gave her a small smile. “How can Katie be a short for Elizabeth?”
“It’s one of my nicknames.”
“How?” Jamie asked confusedly.
“My whole name is Katherine Elizabeth Lightshade.”
“Okay. Katie, then. Nice to formally meet you.”
“You too, Jamie Donesa. I’ll let you be now. Good night, Jamie,” she said and smiled at Jamie as she stood up. Jamie smiled back at her.
“Good night, Katie.”
With a final smile, she went out of the door and left. As soon as the door closed, Jamie’s smile faltered.
Lightshade.
It’s not a common surname. And only a few people have those kinds of names. Taking out her phone again, she dialed a number. It was answered after the first ring.
“Hello, Tanya. I need help.”
—
Jamie woke up before the sun rose. She took in her surroundings, reminding herself that she was not at a hotel. No, she was in a house, offered by someone named closely like an old family vampire. Tanya, the fourth in line to Queen Taylor, agreed to meet later tonight.
Jamie groaned and got out of bed. She took a pair of clothes and decided to take a run.
Shifting to her wolf used to be painful. But now, it wasn’t. Or maybe she was so used to pain that she actually liked it. She left the clothes by the door, hoping Elizabeth, or Katie, wouldn’t find her butt naked when she returned.
The earth beneath her paw was cold, still damp from the coldness of the previous night. There were almost no houses around, so Jamie knew no one would see her, but it wouldn’t hurt to be more careful. So she ran. She ran and ran until she was short of breath. She did find some people camping around, though, but she made sure they didn’t spot her. She ran again, but this time back to Katie’s house.
By the time she returned, the first light of the sun was already touching the top of the trees. She shifted back and used the back door to enter. As soon as she entered, her eyes met a half-awake Katie in an oversized shirt and probably very short shorts.
“Holy mother! Jamie! You scared me!”
“Sorry!”
Her eyes widened when she saw her naked and shut her eyes and turned.
“What—You were out?”
“Yes, sorry. Sorry.” Jamie sputtered out as she took the clothes she hid and put them on to avoid the exact moment. “It’s okay. I’m... clothed.”
She turned back at Jamie, still, eyes closed. “Why were you... naked?”
“Sorry, I went for a run.”
“Naked?!”
“As a wolf. I can’t have my clothes torn apart every time I shift with them on, so I... I go out naked.”
“Okay, I need your schedule. About your... activities.”
“Just before the sun rose. I promise you that’s the only time I run.” Jamie assured her. “You can open your eyes now.”
She did, and her different-colored eyes still looked a bit shocked. But Jamie didn’t miss how her pupils were blown. She cleared her throat.
“I’m cooking breakfast. Want anything?” She proceeded toward the kitchen cabinets, pulling out a pan. Jamie sat on the chair near the counter table.
“Coffee is fine.”
She raised an eyebrow at Jamie, and oh.
Oh. No. I should not be thinking that.
“Don’t you need like an insane amount of calories as a werewolf?”
Jamie shrugged. “Normally, yes. But me, I don’t really need that much food.”
“Do you have blood with you?” She suddenly asked.
“What?”
“For consumption,” she answered without looking at her from the stove.
“Oh. Oh, I don’t, but my contact might have some for me. Ah, I should mention, she’s meeting me later tonight, so I’ll be out.”
Her shoulder tensed a little before turning and began whisking the pancake batter relentlessly.
“Girlfriend?” Her voice was low.
“What? No! Gods, no. She’s more like an annoying niece.”
Her mouth formed an ‘O’ but made no sound as she continued her task.
“You? Got someone who might get... antsy with you taking a lesbian stray?”
The bowl slipped from her hand, but Jamie used her vampire speed and caught it between them. She looked up at Jamie as she took the bowl from her hand and bit her lip. An urge to take her fingers on her lip away from her teeth was so strong that Jamie had to speed back to her seat.
She let out a chuckle. “No, I, uh, no. I don’t have someone. A friend yet insistent suitor, but I... don’t feel the same way for him.”
“Why not?”
She shrugged. “Doesn’t keep me on my toes. A good guy and great friend, but that was it.”
“I see.”
She turned her head a little as she cooked her pancakes and started making coffee. “So, you’re a lesbian?”
Jamie gestured her hands over her hair and clothes. “Am I being subtle?”
She laughed, and oh. That laugh was divine.
No. No, it’s not right. I should not be thinking about her like that.
“I try not to judge.” She handed Jamie a mug. Jamie held the cup tightly. The heat was a distracting thing, and she liked it. She finished cooking and then put the food on a plate and sat across from Jamie on the counter. She stared at Jamie as she sipped her coffee.
“What?”
“What do you do for a living?”
“Nothing, really.”
She raised her attractive brow at Jamie. “How could you afford to live in hotels, then?”
“I... invested in stocks all over the world. And some... side, on-call work for... my contact.”
“This contact of yours, is she, like wealthy, then?”
“Vastly.” She only hummed in response and continued to eat. “Do you have a shift today?”
“Oh, no. I don’t. I’m just gonna stay home and try to finish this painting I’ve been doing.”
Jamie looked at her surprised. “You paint?” She wasn’t even able to hide the fascination in her voice.
“Yeah! Come, I’ll show you.” She then pulled Jamie’s hand, and she did her best to ignore the electric touch. She took her to another room. She opened it, and Jamie noticed how she turned it into some kind of a studio.
But Jamie didn’t miss the portrait she was making. It was a scene, something Jamie was extremely familiar with.
A woman with black and white spectral wings leaning over a coffin, her hand on the face of the person inside.
It was the same scene Jamie saw when she looked inside Elise’s memory when she resurrected her.
“How—,” Jamie cleared her throat. “Where did you get the idea?”
Katie smiled and shrugged. “I dreamed of it.”
- Writer
