Let Go
Melanie swore as electricity popped and a charge flowed through her body with a painful bite. It was annoying how many times she'd been electrocuted today. If she had to endure one more fry-session she was throwing the whole machine out the window.
She threw the screwdriver down on the floor in a little fit and blew her hair out of her face angrily. She'd been working on the machine for four hours and it still didn't' do what she wanted it to. If she couldn't prove the bunch of clowns at the University that she was right, that they had no right to laugh at her continuous claims of paranormal existence, she could very well sit down and cry. It was her reputation at stake.
Since she was a child she'd known that creatures like vampires and werewolves had to exist. She saw a werewolf from her bedroom window when she was 12. And no, it wasn't just a stray dog, like her parents had laughed. It had had red eyes and it was twice the size of any dog she'd ever seen.
She had been working on proving their existence since then. Her scientific studies, her technical courses, her contact with the Professors at the University of Science, had all been to be able to prove to the world that they existed, and then the credit would be hers. But now it just looked like she would be laughed at forever. Nothing was working out the way she had planned.
Furiously she kicked the machine and collapsed onto her bed as a metallic clanking reverberated around the room. Seconds later the machine started beeping, lights started flashing, and the needle bounced excitedly around behind the small glass window. Melanie jumped and crouched on the floor in front of it, eying it suspiciously; weary to get her hopes up.
It definitely looked like it was working, and if the readings were coming through the way she'd designed, there was one close by! She grabbed the hand scanner, and ran down the flights of stairs from her apartment to the street, too impatient to wait for the elevator.
In the street she looked at the hand scanner, walking in the direction that indicated a strong signal, and before long she saw a dark figure in the road. Her heart beat in her throat as she tried to slow her walking down to a normal pace. She was out of breath from the exertion and she could barely contain herself. If this machine worked her whole life would change.
The figure was walking with a casual stroll down the road, and as she drew closer he stepped into the light of a street lamp. A flash of short blond hair and the now clearly broad shoulders told her it was a man and suddenly she became nervous. What if it attacked her? She had no way of defending herself, even though she was very tall, she wasn't strong enough to fight a man.
The scanner in her hand went crazy as she took another step closer, the needle flipping back and forth like it was possessed, and the red light flashing. She silently congratulated herself for not being stupid enough to let this one beep as well; it would have given her away now. She wondered for a second how she would approach this thing; how she would find out if she was right. After a moment of uncertainty she decided the element of surprise would be best. If anything went wrong she could always run away, her long legs meant she could run. She quickened her pace, her long slender legs covering up the distance quickly, and when she was close enough she jumped on the man and tackled him to the ground. He gasped and grunted, and before he knew what was going on, she grabbed his chin with a firm grip and pulled his upper lip up.
Nothing. Normal teeth, if not a bit yellow, and his eyes were light blue and shocked to find himself on the floor with a woman sitting on him, sticking her fingers into his mouth. When she realized she must look completely crazy she rolled off him quickly and jumped up, dusting off her clothes. He scrambled up himself, looking rattled.
“Now see here,” he seethed, dusting himself off too.
“I'm sorry,” she replied, feeling ridiculous now, “I thought you were… someone else.”
“Is it a habit of yours to wrestle people to the ground?”
“No it's not. I… well I have to go.”
He looked at her, his brow knit together in confusion, as she colored briefly, and then walked back down the street towards her apartment.
“Wait a minute!” he called after her, “I think I at least deserve an introduction after that.”
She hesitated for a second, wondering if she could bare the humiliation that long, but he called again and she turned, feeling disappointment flood her body at how human he was. He introduced himself as Tom, and held out his hand, shaking hers carefully when she returned the gesture. They stood in the street, talking for a while, and before long he asked her to have coffee with him.
“Any woman ballsy enough to jump a stranger in the night deserves to be better acquainted with. “
Reluctantly she agreed.
Not a week later they sat in a corner café having coffee together. She found Tom easy to talk with and pleasant to listen to, his voice a continuous hum, giving a sweet lilt to average things. She found out that he was a teacher at the local high school, and his comfort in talking was explained. She told him about her scientific endeavors and how she was sure that that paranormal beings existed. She half expected him to laugh, but he just nodded in amusement, asking her to elaborate on her theory and what proof she had found so far. She explained to him about her failures, feeling rather odd at being so frank with this stranger so soon, and he laughed when he recalled the way they met, no understanding the reason.
“So, I give off a paranormal frequency, do I?” he mused and she looked down at her hands as she blushed about how ridiculous it all must have sounded to him.
They parted, agreeing to repeat this pleasant meeting, and as time went by they formed a close attachment, becoming good friends and constantly confiding in each other.
One afternoon there was a knock on Melanie's door, and when she opened it was Tom. She exclaimed in surprise and hugged him enthusiastically, but his serious air stopped her in her tracks and she frowned.
“Is something wrong?” she asked carefully.”
“No, nothing wrong, but I do think I need to tell you something. You have to promise not to tell anyone though, because it would mean the end of life as we both know it, and in this case it's not a good thing.”
She invited him inside, and once they were seated in her living room, each with a mug of coffee, he started talking. He explained to her that he'd wanted to keep it a secret from her, but he felt that she had been working so hard her whole life, that it wouldn't be fair. He wanted to relieve her of the questions that haunted her since childhood, but he wanted her to keep it to herself only, because their lives were at stake. He told her that he was a vampire as she at first suspected, but that he didn't have fangs and he could quite comfortable exist in daylight. He did need blood, however, but when color drained from her face he assured her that he kept it very classy. No biting people and leaving blood stained victims behind. Rather he drank animal blood, and he drank it from a glass or bottle. He was sophisticated and he didn't think that gruesome bloodshed was attractive.
He also confessed to being able to read minds, but he assured her that out of respect for her he'd never read hers, and asked her to trust what he was saying.
As he spoke, the weight of what he was saying started to hit home. Her machine had worked, her theories were true, and she was right. She wasn't a lunatic. A thrill rushed through her as she listened, and when he was done talking she enthusiastically started asking questions. He answered them as best he could.
“You can't tell anyone, Melanie. I need you to promise me.”
“Why not? What would it do?”
“My kind is hunted by werewolves, and if they find me, they will kill me. Not only that, if people find out we are real, there's no telling what they'll do. It could be anything from tests to prosecution, and I can assure you that none of that is any fun.”
Melanie bit her lip, feeling horrible at the idea of having to keep this a secret after years and years of searching, but in the end she agreed, and he left.
She lay awake that night, bursting with this new intelligence she had gained, and when she couldn't hold it any longer she phone Gina. She was more than just a colleague at the University, Melanie thought, she would be able to keep a secret.
Three days later an urgent banging on her door woke Melanie from a deep sleep. She checked her alarm clock and grumbled when she saw it was 2 in the morning. She shuffled sleepily to the front door and rubbed eyes as she pulled open the door.
“Did you tell anyone?” Tom was inside her apartment in a second, his eyes searching her face.
“Tell what?”
“You know what I'm talking about! Did you tell anyone?”
“Of course not,” she yawned, “why?”
“Because they're after me. They found me, and I have to leave. I don't know where else they could have found out.”
“Who's after you?” she asked, not completely grasping what was happening yet.
“The werewolves, Mel, they found me, and they've come to kill me.”
A wave of guilt rushed through her as she realized what was happening, and that it might very well be her fault. But no, Gina wouldn't have told on her, would she?
Tom got up, ready to leave, and when she asked where he was going, he didn't answer her. He was listening very intently, and suddenly his face went very white and his eyes were wide with fear.
“They're already here,” he whispered.
“How do you know?”
“I can sense them, with my telepathy, remember what I told you?”
As he finished his sentence three dangerous looking men with dark clothing stepped into her front door. She wanted to scream but she couldn't produce a sound. The men didn't even seem to notice her, and in front of her eyes a fight broke out like she's never seen before. It must have been true that Tom could read minds because he responded to every move that the men made, knowing beforehand how to respond. It was a tough struggle, she could see and she wondered if she should help, but she was rooted to the spot. She couldn't move.
Tom fought with incredible agility and strength, and after a while he had two of the men unconscious on the floor. The third, they both noticed, had gone. Just as he turned to look at her, his features still grim with anger, a very large wolf jumped him from behind. Melanie suddenly found her voice and screamed, and finding she could move again, she grabbed the poker from the hearth and jumped on the werewolf without a second thought. Her instinct to protect Tom was so strong, and came out of nowhere, but she knew she had to obey it.
The wolf changed back to human form just as she stabbed it, lying unconscious on the floor in a growing puddle of blood. She knelt over Tom and tears pricked her eyes as she saw him struggle for breath.
“What can I do? Do you want me to call an ambulance?”
“No,” he gasped, “they can't help. I need…” he was really struggling to breath and the rate at which he went blue scared her, “I need blood. The bite will kill me.”
“I don't know where to find blood?” she was hysterical now.
He lifted a weak hand to her cheek and smiled, and the look of defeat in his eyes made her snap. She couldn't let him die.
She jumped up and ran to the kitchen, and with a sharp knife she cut across her wrist. The pain was strange, but she didn't even think about that now. She ran back to him and pressed her wrist to his mouth.
“Here, take some, please,” she pleaded, but he shook his head.
“This is not what I am,” he whispered.
As she stared he got paler and his eyes started dimming.
“Please Tom, it's my fault, I told Gina. I'm sorry,” she was sobbing now, “I'm sorry I lied. Please, just drink it.”
He was starting to pass out, and somewhere his instinct took over and he started sucking her wrist with hard pulls. She felt lightheaded from it, and strangely nauseous, but the fear of losing him overruled.
After what felt like forever he opened his eyes, and the color was back in his cheeks. She looked at him anxiously and he smiled, pushing himself up. She sat back on her heels, and cried. When he tried to wrap his arms around her she pushed him away.
“I can't do this, Tom,” she whimpered, “please just leave.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind, and silently walked out the door. When she turned around the three men were gone too.
Melanie was in a state of disrepair for days after that. She locked herself in her apartment, refused to see visitors or answer calls. She woke from nightmares the first few nights, but then as time passed, she started aching and longing for Tom. The strength of these feelings caught her off guard, and the memories that were still too fresh helped her keep them under control, but the further she moved away from the incident, the stronger her longing became, until she couldn't do anything without his face in her mind, and her yearning started causing her pain.
She picked up the phone and dialed his number, hoping he would answer. She didn't even know where he was now, if he had gone for good.
After three rings he picked up, and she burst out in tears. After she calmed her sobbing down he spoke for her, and explained that what she felt was because she let him drink from her, and he felt the same. She didn't have to say anything, he read her mind. He asked her to be with him.
Being with him would mean her giving up everything she had worked for her whole life, and it was a decision she struggled to make. She felt lost, without a sense of purpose, and she was scared that it would ruin whatever they created together. But she needed him, she craved him, she ached for him, and eventually, and with a small laugh through her tears she agreed.
Chapters
Chapter 1
Melanie has believed in paranormal activity taking place in her town since she thought she saw a werewolf one full moon, but hasn't been able to prove it. She's dedicated her life to building high tech equipment that will find them so that she can be sure of paranormal existence.
Chapter 2
One night she finally gets the machine to work the way it should and picks up a very strong frequency of someone close by, but when she confronts the person she's disappointed to realize that it's not a vampire or a werewolf the way she'd hoped.
Chapter 3
As she gets to know Tom, the person she tracked down with her machine, she realizes that the reason why his signal was so strong is because he is a vampire, but not in the way she thought he would be. He drinks blood and reads people's minds but he can walk in daylight and he doesn't have fangs.
Chapter 4
He shares much of his life with her but she can't keep his mouth shut as he has asked her to do, and before long the wrong people find out about his existence and whereabouts. Melanie, realizing her mistake, teams up with Tom to try and fight those coming for him, who turn out to be werewolves, the mortal enemies of the vampires.
Chapter 5
When Tom gets bitten by a werewolf in a fight he's in danger of dying as the werewolf bites are fatal to vampires, but Melanie saves his life by giving him her blood to drink. This creates an immense bond between them, and even though Melanie decides she wants nothing to do with him after this, they can't seem to stay away from each other.
Chapter 6
Finally, after much deliberation and arguing they decide that they won't fight what nature created between them, and even though she'll have to give up her whole life to be with him, it's better than being without him.
Characters
Melanie - obsessed with proving paranormal existence, well informed on science and technical things, good social standing. Tall, thin build, shoulder length mouse-brown hair, hazel eyes.
Tom - Teacher, gentle natured, sophisticated. Average male height (same height as Melanie) broad shoulders, laid-back stroll. Wind-blown blond hair, blue eyes.