Between Rubies and Opals

Erin was standing in the middle of her fully decorated bedroom, feeling a new sense of pride in her bones. She and Alex had spent a little over a week moving all their new furniture into their newly renovated apartment and trying to get everything in their right places. Erin was kind of a perfectionist when it came to her living space, which is why it took her almost a week to be completely satisfied. The walls were painted a pristine white – to Erin’s request – and the wood floors were a light oak color. Erin loved light and open spaces, especially in her bedroom. When she grew up in the family manor, her parents regularly had to paint the walls of her room either white or eggshell white, as opposed to the rest of the manor, that was – according to Erin – very doom and gloom. Her white sleigh bed with light beige padding was adjacent to the large windows on the east side of the building, overlooking Methys Park and the beachfront. She tilted her head as she looked at her bed and walked over to it. She ran her fingers along the white bed-covers and adjusted the pewter colored fur scatter pillow.

“There,” she whispered with a smile and stood back, admiring her handiwork.

Against the other wall was a built in bookshelf with a beautifully crafted desk and desk chair. Her room was done, and it was perfect.

She slowly backed out of her room and took one last look before she made her way down the hallway, her boots crunching along the wooden floors.

“It’s done,” Erin smiled happily. “Everything is where it should be.”

“Well, it took you over a week, so I should hope so,” Alex retorted.

Erin laughed at the thought, but as soon as she saw Alex in the living room, she stopped abruptly. Alex was shaking out a fur rug in front of the large fireplace and Erin frowned.

“Look what I found!”

“What is that?” Erin asked with a horrified look on her face.

“Oh, let it go, Erin.”

“I wasn’t contending, I just asked a simple question,” Erin shrugged, pretending not to be too fazed.

Alex turned around and glanced over at Erin. “You know exactly what this is and I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

“Then why did you bring it?”

Alex stood up and flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder. It was her usual I-always-get-what-I-want tactic. It worked on everyone, except Erin.

“Because my dad gave it to me before he died,” Alex pouted, her big blue-green eyes flickering. “It’s all I have of him.”

“Liar,” Erin objected, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at Alex.

“Oh, drowned rat.” Alex immediately dropped the doe-eyed damsel in distress façade and put her hands on her hips. “Oh Erin, come on. Can you honestly tell me that you don’t like it?”

“Whether or not I like it is not the issue here. It’s got to go.”

“It’s just a rug.”

“That is not just a rug.” Erin pointed to the fur rug on the floor. “Your father callously and tactlessly murdered a wolf to make that rug. It’s a grotesque reminder of our incivility.”

“Well, when you put it that way, my dad was a hero then, and as a tribute to him, this grotesque reminder of our incivility, as you gallantly called it, stays.” Alex gave Erin a toothy grin and smoothed out the light gray fur on the rug.

“Just don’t ask me what happened to it when it’s missing one day…” Erin narrowed her eyes, turned on her heel and walked to the kitchen. She only caved because she didn’t want to get into another heated argument with Alex today.

Alexandra Muldovan was a tall blonde, with blue-green eyes, a loud mouth and a zero bullshit tolerance. She was very aloof, she liked to party, pretended that she had no responsibilities or that she cared for the ones that she did have, and she came across as a very tough vamp.

Erina Lewandowski - Erin to her friends - on the other hand, had dark red hair, a darker skin tone than Alex, and bright green eyes. She was more responsible, didn’t care much for partying like Alex, could get lost in a good book, and was a dreamer. Always seeing the positive in every situation, and even though she liked to bottle things up and avoid them, she was a sensitive soul, with ideals she knew that could never extend the confines of her mind.

Erin let out a deep and miserable sigh and plopped down onto the couch, grabbing one of her favorite books. As she stared at the cover of the book, she could not help feeling helpless all of a sudden. Not even the pages of her adored literary novel could ease the heartache she was feeling and she placed the book on the table next to her. She thought of the lone wolf with the sad howl from a week before and for the oddest reason, she felt a tear ran down her cheek. Swiftly wiping it, she stared at the wetness on her skin with a frown.

“I see you’re being emotional again.” Alex’s voice was pitchy next to her and Erin looked at her friend. She had completely forgotten that Alex was there.

“You know, it’s not the first time this has happened,” Erin sniffed and shook her head.

“You should really get it checked out. There might be something seriously wrong with you.” Alex knew Erin was not like the average vamp, but never actually pondered what the reason behind it might be. She was too enthralled with her own existence.

“I know what’s wrong with me, Lex,” Erin said, and broke Alex’s train of thought.

“And what is that?”

“I’m sad, and when you’re sad, you cry.”

“Vamps don’t cry, Erin.”

It was far from normal for Algharakhian vamps to cry, or get emotional. Sure, they were theatrical and extremely dramatic, but not emotional. They kept their emotions to themselves, except rage and anger. They wore those emotions proudly on their sleeves, especially when it came to the wolf race.

“Stefan cries all the time,” Erin muttered and pointed to her book.

“Stefan’s a pussy. Real vamp men don’t cry.”

“Sometimes I wish that vamp men could be like that, it would be a change from all the brutes and testosterone-overloaded thugs we have here in Algharakh.” Erin shook her head at Alex and rested her head on the pillow next to her.

For the rest of the night, she spent it on the couch, thinking about the white wolf of a week ago. Its snow white fur, the sadness that radiated from those heartbreaking howls, and she wondered what exactly the cause of its sadness was. Much like her own, she hoped that it would have a speedy resolution, but at the moment she didn’t feel too optimistic about that.

Senator Frank Morton stared out the window of his office at his son, with a pensive and worried look on his face, still clutching the telephone receiver against his ear.

“Senator? Are you there?”

Frank snapped out of his semi-trance-like state and turned away from the window. “Yes, Roland. I’m still here.”

“Your son is out of control, Frank. He, along with that friend of his, was purposely vandalizing vamp property.”

“Do you have sufficient evidence to back up that accusation?” Frank asked.

“Frank, we’ve got them both on tape. They were intoxicated, and taunting the camera. They knew exactly what they were doing.”

Frank let out a miserable and irritated sigh, and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Frank, this is not the first time this has happened-”

“I said I’ll talk to him, Roland.”

“Alright, Frank. If it happens again, I am not held responsible for what happens to him. The board isn’t going to tolerate any more incidents from him. Especially not like these ones.”

“I understand.”

“Good. I’ll see you next week.” The call ended and Frank looked out the window at Sam again.

He was sitting out on the grass in the large backyard of the manor, chewing on a long piece of grass, looking as miserable as ever, staring out into the distance. Frank had not been this worried about his son in a very long time, in fact, the last time Frank saw him like this was when his mother died, which was over two centuries ago. Sam had been in a very melancholic mood for the last two weeks. Even though Frank knew that Sam had always been a serious boy, he also knew that there was a big difference between being naturally serious and melancholy, especially to this extent.

A knock on the door made Frank turn towards the desk and watched as Gowan entered his office.

Gowan Ondruska had been Sam’s best friend ever since they were pups. In fact, since Sam was an only child, Gowan had been like an older brother to him. Gowan was only two decades older than Sam, but the two men were like brothers, inseparable and did everything together.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” Gowan cleared his throat and looked at the senator. He was a tall man, with broad shoulders, a clenched jaw, but a calm and placid demeanor.

“Gowan, enough with the sir. You can call me Frank,” Frank shook his head lightly and looked at Gowan.

“I prefer to call you sir, sir.”

“Very well then,” Frank nodded and looked briefly out the window again at his son. “I’m worried about Samuel.”

“You and me both, sir, but there is nothing any of us can do for a pining mutt.”

“Very true,” Frank nodded and cleared his throat. “What has that girl done to him now?”

“Long story, sir.”

“With her, it’s always a long story.” Frank rolled his eyes and looked out the window. “Why he still attempts to pursue such a fruitless road, is something that I cannot fathom.”

“Nor can I, sir.” Gowan nodded and walked closer to the window, glancing briefly at Sam on the grass.

Sam had a faraway look on his face and he seemed lost, and completely submerged in sadness.

“Do you know what happened between them?” Frank asked.

“Long story short, she only opted for Sam when she had no more options.”

“So the bitch played him?”

“Something like that.” Gowan nodded, an amused smile on his lips. His demeanor changed instantly after that, and his shoulders slumped fractionally. “Sir, about the other night-”

“Don’t even bother, Gowan. Roland already told me about it.”

“He did?”

“Yes, he told me about the spray-painting the two of you did on the Estate walls, as well as the target practice on the penthouse windows,” Frank said, his voice thick with disapproval.

“Sir, about that, that was purely my idea,” Gowan defended, but Frank shook his head.

“You and Sam are making things very difficult for me. How am I supposed to convince the government that we are to be treated as equal when my son and his best friend leave their paw-prints all over the vamps’ walls? How does that make my campaign any stronger?” Frank’s gray eyes were dark and stormy and Gowan sighed.

“Sam was in a dark place. It was the only thing that I could come up with to lighten his mood.”

“Not that I don’t appreciate everything you have done for Samuel, and for the friend you are to him, Gowan, but while you were out lightening my son’s mood, I had to explain to the public why my son and his best friend were out vandalizing vamp property. Drunk, I might add.”

“I write it off as a temporary lapse in judgment, sir.

“I would appreciate it if you could keep your lapses in judgment down to a minimum, Gowan. I cannot afford such negative publicity. Especially not now.”

“I understand sir, and again, I apologize.”

“That will be all, Gowan,” Frank said with a nod and turned away slightly.

“Sir?”

“Yes?” Frank frowned as he turned back to Gowan.

“Sam will be happy soon, he simply needs to let go of a few things that are holding him back.”

“I have a pretty good idea what those things are,” Frank frowned and looked at Sam. “I wish I could do something for him. I’m worried that he will do something stupid and irresponsible.”

“Sir, we all know Sam. Aside from his most recent misdemeanors, he rarely does anything stupid and irresponsible. He always thinks everything through, more than once,” Gowan said.

“You’re right, but I’ve never seen him like this before,” Frank grumbled.

“Sir, with all due respect, it is of no use to anyone to worry about things that are out of our control,” Gowan stated.

“I will pretend you did not mean that in an insulting way, Gowan.”

“Thank you, sir,” Gowan nodded gratefully. “Things will get better for him.”

“Hopefully not at the expense of others.”

“I will make sure that does not happen, sir.”

“You have been like a brother to Sam, and for that I thank you. For being there for him when I could not be.”

“He is my brother, sir. I will continue to be there for him, come hell or high water.”

“Thank you.” Frank gave him a nod.

“You’re welcome, sir.”

“Uhm, Uncle Frank?”

Gowan and Frank looked over at the door, and saw Sam’s cousin, Victoria - Vikki to most - standing in the doorway.

“Victoria, good morning,” Frank greeted her with a smile.

“Morning Vikki.”

“Gowan, so nice to see you up and about so early.” Vikki walked over to Gowan and her dark brown hair fell over her shoulders. “I didn’t expect you to arise from your drunken slumber so early.”

Gowan let out a sarcastic laugh and scowled at Vikki.

“What a witty retort,” she chuckled and turned to Frank. She held out a large brown envelope to Frank, and he frowned. “This just came for you,” Vikki said.

“Thank you, Vikki,” Frank said and took it from her.

Vikki nodded and spotted Sam on the grass through the window. “What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s been like this all week,” Gowan frowned. “Or haven’t you noticed?”

“No need to bite my head off.” Vikki tilted her head and looked at Gowan. “I think Sam needs to get laid. That’ll put a smile back on his face.”

“I personally think he should stay away from women for a bit. Selena almost murdered him.”

“Almost?” Vikki frowned and looked back at Sam. “He already looks dead to me.”

“Could the two of you please leave my office?” Frank growled firmly and the chatty duo snapped their mouths shut abruptly.

“Yes, sir.” Gowan nodded.

“Sorry, Uncle Frank,” Vikki frowned and glared at Gowan, muttering, “Maybe you’re the one who needs to get laid, rather than Sam.”

“Now!” Frank bellowed.

Vikki and Gowan turned on their heels and exited the office, closing the door behind them, leaving the senator alone in his office. He looked at Sam through the window again and his top lip twitched slightly as he watched Gowan join him on the grass.

“Oh, my son. I wish your mother was here. She’d know exactly what to do with your sadness.”

“In what depth of shit do we find ourselves, my friend?” Sam asked as he watched Gowan sit down next to him on the grass.

“As deep as the ocean,” Gowan sighed. “Your dad’s pissed.”

“Understandably so.”

“It was fun though,” Gowan smirked.

“It was, but don’t let him hear you.”

“My lips are sealed,” Gowan said with a nod and looked out at Almedor Heights. “I think you need something to take your mind off everything.”

“Last time you said that to me, it got us into trouble with my dad.”

“This time your father won’t know about it.”

“What exactly does this entail?”

“Lee told me about this meeting that he’s going to.”

Lee Ondruska was the son of Gowan’s late older sister and after her death he had promised to take care of the pup. Lee was almost two centuries old himself, but Gowan had always been very protective over him, as it was the only thing he had left of his real family.

“What kind of meeting?” Sam asked, clearly intrigued by Gowan’s facial expression.

“It’s a wolf only meeting.”

“Since when did Lee become such a rebel?”

“He’s an Ondruska, that’s what we do.”

“Is he planning a riot or something?”

“Not that I know of. I think, like most of us, they’re fed-up with the vamps running the show, and want to drive the old bat of a governor out of office, and Algharakh for that matter.”

“Can they even do that?”

“Not legally, but the more support they have, the more damage will be done to the governor’s so-called untainted reputation.”

“He’s going to get himself killed one day.”

“He may be rebellious, but he’s not careless, my friend.”

“In times like these, I’d rather be careless than rebellious,” Sam sighed and took the piece of grass out of his mouth. “Rebelliousness will only get him killed.”

“Are you coming to the meeting then?”

“I don’t know, Gow.”

“You don’t know?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Come on, you hate the vamps as much as the rest of us do.”

“I do, but…”

“But what?”

“Going up against the governor, is suicide.”

“You know they can’t harm us. We’re much too fast for them.”

“That’s not the point, Gow.”

“Then what is the point?” Gowan asked, his eyes glowing. “Oh, yes.”

“Did you forget how they operate?”

“How could I ever forget something as cowardly as that, Sammy?”

Sam brought his knees up and rested his arms on them, while a few moments of silence engulfed the two friends. Sam looked over at Gowan and frowned. “Are you going?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

“I’m not the mind-reader, pal.”

“Yes, I’m going,” Gowan nodded. “But only to make sure Lee keeps himself under control.”

“I don’t think that is the reason why you are going.”

Gowan flashed a crooked smile Sam’s way and shook his head. “You know me too well, Sam. Are you coming then?”

“I guess so, to make sure you behave yourself.”

“Yes, and that’s the exact reason why you’re going,” Gowan laughed and put his arm on Sam’s shoulder.

“Where is this meeting?”

“The Meathouse, in Lycandor Woods.”

“Of course.”

“Sam…” Gowan said and Sam looked at him. “It’s just a meeting.”

“I’ve heard that before too many times, my friend, but I’ll go,” Sam said with a nod, and Gowan flashed him a grateful smile.

Erin pushed through the double glass doors of the local upper class vamps’ hangout, The Crimson Lounge, and spotted Alex, along with three of their very good friends, Tempest, Scarlet and Anthony, sitting at a table in the corner.

The five of them had been friends for the last five decades. They all met at a music festival, drunk and disorderly, and became instant friends.

Alex was the youngest of the group, being 289, with Erin only a decade older than her. Unidentical twins Scarlet and Anthony Frederiksen were the eldest, at 407, and Tempest Bale floated around the mid 300’s. She was never too specific about her age, blaming her apparent bad memory. She claimed to have been dropped by her mother’s human midwife when she was born, as apparently she was the most hideous baby the midwife had ever seen. The midwife was killed shortly after, not surprisingly.

Scarlet, like Alex, had long blonde hair, but not as white as Alex’s, more of a golden blonde, with dark brown eyes and a pitchy voice. Tempest on the other hand, had pitch black shoulder length hair with a heavy fringe and light grey eyes. Anthony was the typical pretty boy of the group, with dark blue eyes and light brown hair. He always had a cloud of mystery hanging over him, and that was what most girls found alluring about him.

Erin took a deep breath as she closed the glass door behind her, feeling drained already, craving a drink. A real drink. Preferably still warm. She rarely needed one of those, but today she did.

Walking over to where her friends were sitting, they all turned and greeted her happily. “Hey Erin!” they all said in unison.

“Hey,” Erin smiled half-heartedly and pointed to Anthony’s glass. “Is that still warm?”

“Uhm, yeah, but you won’t-” he answered with a frown, but she swooped up the glass, finishing the dark red liquid in one gulp before he could even finish his sentence.

Erin pulled a face and placed the glass back on the table. “Oh my god, that’s disgusting. How can you drink that stuff?”

“Hey, I like A-negative,” Anthony frowned at her. “And that stuff’s not cheap either, you know.”

“Sorry, Tones,” Erin smiled apologetically. “I’ll order you another one.”

“That’s okay. I drink too much anyway,” Anthony sighed.

“What’s wrong, Erin?” Tempest asked.

“Nothing, I’m fine.” Erin plopped down on the stool and placed her bag on the table.

“You don’t look fine to me.”

“Yeah, and you hate A-negative. What is it?” Anthony tilted his head at her.

“I’m a bit sore. Moving is hard work,” Erin frowned again, rolling her shoulder slightly.

“You should be ecstatic, Erin. You’ve finally got the independence you wished for. You should be getting drunker than Scarlet at Mardi Fang last year,” Alex exclaimed happily.

“Speak for yourself, Lex! Besides, that was one time, and I told you, my drink was tampered with,” Scarlet defended.

“Yeah, right. Tampered.” Alex air-quoted the last word and Scarlet slapped her on the arm.

“I think living in the same apartment as you, Lex, is already taking its toll on Erin, not surprising,” Scarlet said as she smacked her lips and raised an eyebrow at Alex.

“Don’t make me stake you,” Alex snarled, pointing her long, perfectly manicured finger at Scarlet. “She hates my rug.”

Scarlet, Tempest and Anthony looked at one another and chuckled.

“No, you filthy minded idiots. My wolf rug,” Alex sighed and rolled her eyes.

“You actually brought the rug?” Tempest gasped and looked at Erin, who nodded with raised eyebrows.

“That’s so inconsiderate, Lex,” Anthony scolded Alex. “Like really.”

“Thank you, Tones.” Erin raised an eyebrow at Alex.

“Yeah, you should know how Erin feels about those things,” Scarlet nodded in agreement.

“It’s my rug, okay. You don’t hear me bitching about those damn white walls! I mean, really Erin. As a creature of the night, how am I supposed to function properly when there’s all that lightness in the house?”

“You’re so dramatic,” Erin rolled her eyes at Alex. “At least no one died with the making of my walls.”

“Not yet anyway.” Alex held her chest dramatically. “It’s killing me slowly.”

“We should be so lucky,” Anthony remarked sarcastically, and Alex glared at him, baring her fangs.

“What was that, Anthony?” Alex hissed.

“Cool it, you hotheads!” Erin glowered and shook her head in disapproval.

“Yeah, this is not the place for a fang contest, okay?” Tempest whispered. She had always been the peacekeeper in the group, as she had been through her fair share of wars in her lifetime, and she hated conflict, of any kind.

“Well, I like my walls. They give me space to breathe,” Erin said, brushing off Alex’s comments about the walls.

“Sweetie, you don’t breathe, you’re a vamp,” Alex retorted sarcastically.

“You know what I mean, Lex.” Erin rolled her eyes again and looked at Alex. “The rug can stay, for now.”

“Thank you,” Alex smiled happily. “And the walls aren’t so bad either.”

Erin rested her arms on the table in front of her and let out a miserable sigh.

“Why are you still so glum?” Anthony asked.

“I’m not glum,” Erin frowned.

“Yeah, right. Your expression is never this pained,” Tempest frowned as well, mimicking Erin’s expression.

“Out with it, Erin.”

“Yeah, you’re totally morbid.”

“Wait, this isn’t about your century switch, is it?” Anthony looked at Erin. She let out another sigh and he put his hand on her back. “It’s not a big deal, you know.”

“Are you kidding me? I will be 300 years old in a little less than three weeks’ time and you’re telling me it’s not a big deal?” Erin muttered.

“You don’t look that old, honey.” Tempest placed her hand on Erin’s shoulder.

“Yeah, you look 180, at most,” Scarlet nodded.

Erin let out a sarcastic laugh and shook her head at her friends. “You guys are lame.”

“Speaking of lame, have you spoken to your mom yet?” Tempest winked at her, making her smile slightly.

“Of course. She constantly reminds me that when she was my age, she was already settled and had both my brother and myself.”

“Your mom is old fashioned, that’s what women in that century did, they got married really young and had lots of little bite-lets,” Anthony said and placed his hand reassuringly on hers. “You’re not your mom, remember that, Erin.”

“I know,” Erin nodded and looked at Anthony.

“Don’t worry. You’ll meet someone and fall madly in love, move in together and-” Scarlet smiled at her dreamily. Scarlet had always been the hopeless romantic of the group, and that was what kept Erin’s hope alive. If not for Scarlet and the little purple hearts in her eyes, Erin would have given up on finding love a long time ago.

“And where the hell am I going to stay?” Alex exclaimed, making Erin and Scarlet look at her in slight disbelief.

“Lex…” Erin frowned. “I’ll never replace you with a guy.”

“Never is a really long time.” Alex raised an eyebrow.

“Speak for yourself, Lex,” Anthony mumbled, looking at his empty glass.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alex narrowed her eyes at him.

“How many times have you said never to Erin, or any of us for that matter?” Anthony replied.

“I’ll never go for someone like that,” Scarlet mimicked Alex’s voice.

“I will never date a guy just for his car, or his money,” Tempest also said in her own rendition of Alex’s voice.

“Oh, are we playing that game?” Erin tilted her head at Alex. “I’ve got one. I’ll never tell anyone, Erin.”

“You do use that one a lot,” Scarlet nodded and looked at Alex.

“Oh, I’ve got one too,” Anthony chimed in. “Don’t worry, Erin, I’ll never sleep with Lukas.”

The girls went quiet and looked at him with blank expressions, their eyes wide. Tempest shook her head in panic, and Scarlet looked at Erin. They were all too scared to say anything, and waited for Erin to respond. They knew Lukas was still a very sensitive subject, and even Alex dropped her head in shame.

Erin’s eyes were flashing slightly and she shook her head in disapproval. “Well, that was unnecessary.”

“Erin, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-” Anthony looked at her apologetically, but she quickly snubbed him off.

“Yeah, well, you did.”

There were a few moments of silence between the five friends, and Scarlet took a deep breath. “You know, Erin-”

“Sometimes I wish I was a bite-let again. Broken necks were so much easier to fix than broken hearts,” Erin whispered, more to herself than to her friends.

“You are way too morbid,” Tempest frowned.

“I think I’ve just had enough of the bullshit, you know, Temp,” Erin said softly. She looked over at Alex and traced her finger along the edge of the empty glass in front of her. “Don’t worry, Lex. You’re not homeless yet. It’s not like I’m getting married any time soon.”

“Well, when that happens, Lex, we can always book you in a suite in Andnor,” Scarlet giggled.

“Send me to Hell rather, that would be more pleasant,” Alex cringed and looked over at Erin.

Even though she had known Erin for most of her life, which was more than two centuries, she had never seen her friend like this before. She could understand if Erin was upset that Anthony brought up Lukas, but she wasn’t sure that was the reason behind Erin’s mood. Knowing Erin, she would say that she’s fine, even though everyone could see that she wasn’t.