Page 37 of Into The Light

“Seriously, what else can you do?”

He rode in silence for a moment as the horses continued down the trail. “I can hear exceptionally well.”

“Like how?”

“It’s hard to explain. I can focus my hearing at different levels and distances. I don’t hear everything all the time, but when I choose, I can hear the smallest things hundreds of yards away.”

“So everything isn’t loud all the time?”

“No, nothing like that. Everything sounds normal right now but if I want, I can listen to see what Mark is doing back at the barn.”

Aiden’s posture stiffened as he tipped his ear in the direction we had come from. A moment passed before a smile crept across his face.

“What is it?” His expression piqued my curiosity.

“He’s walking back to the house and singing.”

“Singing?” I laughed. “What is he singing?”

“I’m not sure what the song is.”

“You can’t leave me hanging. What does it sound like?”

Aiden frowned for a moment and tipped his head toward the sound. I waited for him to respond.

He cleared his throat then began to sing in a stunted, awkward tone.

As I listened to the familiar words I’d sung in front of the mirror while shaking my ass on more than one occasion, I choked down my laughter. “Bootylicious? He’s singing Bootylicious?” The amusement I’d suppressed exploded out and nearly caused me to tumble off Belmira. Aiden joined in and our laughter combined and echoed through the woods. “Bravo by the way. An excellent rendition of Beyoncé.”

“Why thank you.” He waved his hand and took an informal bow.

“So, you can move quickly, you’re strong, you hear really well... and you can sing. What else can you do?”

“That’s about the extent of it.”

“Well, that and the eternal life part, I guess. That’s pretty cool.”

“Pretty cool? Just pretty cool?” He turned around to look back at me, his scowl questioning my statement.

“Yeah. Pretty cool. I don’t think I would want to live for eternity in the dark. But it’s cool if you’re into that sort of thing.”

My statement caused his eyes to widen. “Doesn’t everyone want immortality?”

“Not me. No thanks. Not at the expense of sunlight and food. I really love sunlight and food.”

He stared while waiting for more of an explanation.

With a shrug, I continued. “You’ve been alive for how many years? Hundreds? And honestly, what do you really do? You live alone in a huge house, you come out at night, drink blood and wander around on your horse. Besides Mark it doesn’t seem like you have any other friends or companionship. I guess, no offense, I just don’t understand the attraction. I would rather live one short, really full life, than an eternity of being alone in the dark.”

Shock and pain flashed on his face and I realized I had insulted him.

“I didn’t mean that to come off so cruel. I’m sure immortality is great, and you enjoy your life. It’s just... not for me. I want to be human. I want to experience everything.”

Aiden turned forward and rode for a few moments in silence. “I wasn’t always alone,” he said, his voice quiet, pained. “I was married once.”

“You were married? To who? When?” My questions poured out.

The path opened into a huge field. All the twinkle lights disappeared as we stepped into the darkness. My eyes adjusted and found Aiden again. He rode along the edge of the field and Belmira followed close behind.