Kenzie had mixed feelings about the revelation of supernatural creatures. She was relieved for one because she no longer had to pretend they weren’t among humans, especially when she was so closely acquainted with one of them (that creature being her best friend’s boyfriend). But another part of her felt petrified. Who knew how humans would react? Would the supernatural beings be welcomed? Or would a war break out and they’d be hunted?
But more than that, how would Jillian react when she realized her best friend had been keeping something so important from her all this time (even if it wasn’t entirely by choice and was for her own good)?
She would find out soon enough.
It started with a group of rogue creatures who banded together to reveal themselves. They were finished hiding in the shadows and wanted to make themselves known. They no longer wished to live ostracized.
Weeks passed and all reports on the news and in newspapers were the same – supernatural creatures existed. All kinds of measures were taken for the safety of humans. One coven of witches offered their services to humans and cast spells on their homes to prevent any supernatural creature from entering uninvited. Plasma juice and fruit, the special dietary snacks that Isaiah had shown to Kenzie, hit store shelves to sustain vampires. Some creatures were taking their own handmade trinkets and selling them to eager tourists and patrons. Questions were answered regarding various myths (most of which were started by the creatures themselves for protection in case any human became suspicious). Each group had their own authoritative jurisdiction.
Several alliances were formed along with new laws. Some laws were still in the making, but most of them stated that a supernatural creature could not kill a human and no one could become a supernatural creature except of their own volition, and then they had to be at least eighteen years old. Children and teenagers could not be transformed into a supernatural (though the only two supernatural creatures that could pass on their “powers” were vampires and werewolves).
As Kenzie expected, different opinions resulted from this revelation. Some were thrilled, others skeptical, some frightened, and some even angry. The world as the humans had come to know it was over.
And now Kenzie was making her way to Sunset Valley, where her best friend lived, now that she knew the truth. Getting the information out of Isaiah had been easy, but the outcome of the news could go either way. Kenzie had been instant messaging him a couple of days ago when she finally brought it up.
WolfKen: So, have you told Jillian yet?
BiteMe: About what?
WolfKen: Don’t play with me, Isaiah. It’s all over the news and in the papers. Vampires are out of the coffin, werewolves are out of the cellar, fairies are out of the…whatever. You know what I’m getting at.
BiteMe: If you could see me right now, you’d see that I’m rolling my eyes. Yes, if you must know, I did tell her. I promised you and myself that I would if the time was ever right.
WolfKen: And your definition of the right time is when the whole world knows?
BiteMe: It’s certainly safer.
WolfKen: How did she take it?
BiteMe: At first, she thought I was bluffing. She’s a lot like you – she prefers hard evidence before accepting something.
WolfKen: What’d you do? Don’t you dare tell me you bit her.
BiteMe: No…I just did what I did with you. I showed her my fangs, super speed, and, well it wasn’t a car, but I did lift up her sofa with one finger.
Kenzie rolled her own eyes. She recollected when Isaiah had proved his confession to her in Bridgeport. It was bad, but she found the thought of him doing the same with Jillian very amusing.
WolfKen: So then what happened?
BiteMe: To put it bluntly, she freaked out. I’m still in town, but I’m keeping my distance until she feels more comfortable.
WolfKen: Isaiah, have you given any thought to the possibility that she may not ever feel comfortable with this?
BiteMe: Unfortunately, I have. I don’t want to think about that, but if it’s what she wants, it’s her choice. I won’t force her into anything.
Kenzie had called Jillian shortly afterward, and she’d asked her friend to come visit her. She hadn’t sounded thrilled, though. Kenzie had a hunch she knew why.
It was confirmed when at last she arrived at Jillian’s beach bungalow (she hadn’t even seen it in person yet, she’d been so busy), parked her car, knocked on the door, and was greeted with Jillian’s tear-stained, but still beautiful, face. It didn’t even matter that it was February; it was so warm in Sunset Valley that Jillian was wearing a tank top and low-rider jeans. Even in devastation she was gorgeous.
“Jill,” Kenzie began tentatively. “What’s wrong?”
Jillian raised an eyebrow sardonically. “Really? You’re seriously going to ask me what’s wrong? Cut the shit, Kenzie.”
“I think I can guess.”
Jillian said nothing but stepped aside to let Kenzie in. She’d been excited to see Jillian’s new home for a while now. She only wished the first time seeing it was under better circumstances.
“You knew,” Jillian cut right to the chase. “You knew this whole time my boyfriend was a damn vampire, and you didn’t say anything! You couldn’t find one spare second to tell me that very important detail?!”
Kenzie held up her hand as if in an attempt to halt Jillian’s tirade. She’d been dreading this day for a while, but she might as well get it over with. She didn’t even have to ask how Jillian was aware that she’d known about Isaiah’s secret all along – he’d told her, because he was through lying to her. She knew that without asking either of them.
“Jill, it’s not like that. I wanted to tell you. I almost did a million times. But I couldn’t…”
“Don’t give me that shit! Don’t for one second say you couldn’t tell me! You’re supposed to be my best friend! You didn’t think this might be something I should know?!”
“Damn it Jillian, stop screaming at me! I didn’t tell you because we would have both been killed!”
This caused Jillian’s eyes to widen with trepidation. Clearly this was the last thing she’d expected to hear.
“Yes,” Kenzie continued. “You’ve seen enough movies and read enough books to know that supernatural creatures shouldn’t exist. If a human finds out about them, the last thing to do is let on that they know. It’s not something humans should know. It was dangerous enough for me keeping the secret; letting you know at all would have pissed off a lot of vampires if they found out. It would have also spelled big trouble for Isaiah. I promised him in Bridgeport I wouldn’t tell anyone. You’re lucky I even told you I’d met a vampire at all and that they existed. You are my best friend, Jillian. That’s why I told you that. I told it to you in confidence. Never in a million years did I think your next boyfriend would be a vampire, much less the one I met in Bridgeport.”
Jillian sank down onto the couch and wiped the smudged mascara from her cheeks. Kenzie sat down next to her.
“No wonder you were so skeptical about him when you first met him,” Jillian murmured into her hands.
“Did anyone else know?” Jillian prodded.
“What?"
“Did you tell anyone else about this? Your parents, Austin, anyone?"
“No, no one else knows anything. All I’ve ever said is that I met a vampire in Bridgeport, and you and Austin are the only ones who knew that. You aren’t the only one who was kept in the dark, Jillian. And like I said, I did that for your protection. But I’m really sorry.”
Jillian looked down, contrite. She knew that Kenzie was right. Sometimes she was like a mother hen, but she truly meant well. She couldn’t hold a grudge against her forever.
Still, this was all so much to absorb. Kenzie couldn’t even meet her friend’s eyes.
“I can’t believe this,” Jillian said as a fresh set of tears began to form in her eyes. “I thought I had bad luck with guys before. I’m so stupid.”
“You’re not stupid,” Kenzie insisted as she braved scooting closer to her friend. “Yeah, normally your taste in guys sucks, but Isaiah’s different. He actually cares about you and he has a good soul. He’s wanted to tell you about himself a million times too, but it would be just as dangerous for him as it would have been for us. Plus, he was afraid you’d leave him.”
“Are you actually encouraging me to stay with him? He’s a vampire!”
Kenzie tried to stifle a sigh of exasperation. This was getting her nowhere. In the end, it was Jillian’s choice what she did regarding Isaiah. It surprised her as much as it did Jillian that she was defending Isaiah. Still, though he was a vampire, he had a good soul deep down. He’d do anything for Jillian, as he’d demonstrated time and time again. He’d helped save her life in Starlight Shores, and he’d barely known her then. She wanted to remind her of this, but felt that wouldn’t help the situation.
So finally, she told Jillian to let her know if she needed anything. Jillian just nodded as new tears began to trickle down her cheeks. Kenzie bid her farewell and left. She wasn’t in the mood to see Isaiah at the hotel, but she didn’t want to drive back to Riverview now, either. It was getting too late and she was tired. In the back of her mind, she’d hoped Jillian would forgive her and allow her to spend the night there, even if it was on her couch. So much for that.
At last, she sauntered to her Requiescence and climbed inside. She turned on the radio as she reluctantly made her way to the hotel. Whitney Cross’s voice filled the car as she sang, “Just because it’s my way doesn’t mean it’s the wrong way.” Kenzie felt she could relate to that song very well.
When she got to the hotel, she found Isaiah in the lobby. He looked anxious and sullen. Kenzie got herself a room and invited Isaiah into it. The clerk wasn’t receptive of Isaiah, since one of the new laws stated that all forms of identification now had to include what species someone was, so she knew Isaiah was a vampire.
“This is a nightmare,” he declared when the hotel room door closed.
“You think?” Kenzie snapped before she could stop herself. “I just saw my best friend break down and cry, chew me a new asshole, and give off the impression that she hates my guts, all because of you! And all you can say is this is a nightmare? No shit, Captain Obvious!”
Isaiah crossed his arms defiantly across his chest. “Don’t bitch me out about it. We both knew this was coming. I wish I could have told her myself…”
“That’s the thing, Isaiah. You could have. You could have trusted her enough to keep your secret. I could have, too. I should have, but I didn’t. How will she ever trust either one of us again? Yes, we did it for her safety, but she has a point – she’s not a little kid. It’s not up to us to protect her.”
“I’m from a different time. When I was growing up, men protected the women they loved, and that went double for vampires and their mates.”
“Look, don’t try to make this about you and your stupid vampire clan rules…wait. What did you just say?”
“I don’t know. What did I say?”
“You said men protected the women they loved. Isaiah…are you…in love with Jillian?”
Isaiah sighed and inhaled sharply. “I don’t honestly know for sure. I think I might be, but at the same time, I don’t want to rush into anything. But I feel very strongly for her, stronger than I’ve ever felt for anyone. I told you when she first introduced me as her boyfriend, I feel like she completes me. And now that she knows the truth about me, the thought of losing her is like…it’s like dying all over again.”
Kenzie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She began pacing as her mind tried to wrap itself around this confession.
Isaiah, a vampire, was not only dating her best friend, but he just might be sincerely falling in love with her.
And she had no idea how she felt about him, especially now that she knew the truth.
“You should tell her,” she declared without much thought. “No matter what she decides, she should at least know how you feel.”
“I’ve never made such a confession in my life.”
“There’s a first time for everything, Isaiah.”
Isaiah looked down and nodded solemnly. It was time to tell Jillian how he felt. He still wasn’t absolutely certain that this was love he was feeling, but he did know that he didn’t want to lose Jill in any way. He only hoped he wasn’t too late and he already had.
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