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When I first learned about vampires my skin crawled. I thought about what it would be like to be taken against your will, to have your soul corrupted and twisted into something inhuman, to have everything you were stripped away from you and be left as nothing more than a hungry husk. It was a fate worse than death and I still shuddered at the thought of being turned into a vampire, even after I had killed dozens of them. Sometimes I felt pity for them, but I never felt guilty. As far as I was concerned I was putting them out of their misery. At least here in these grounds I didn’t have any vampires to worry about. I didn’t have to be on watch for anything; I could simply enjoy the atmosphere and tread slowly and not have to have my fingers ready to twitch and grab a stake.

I made my way around the building to the gardens. There were soft electric lights illuminating the path and the flowers were bathed in ethereal beauty. A few fireflies danced around the lights and the open air was gorgeous as it let the stars shine down upon me. I was drawn to the flowers like a moth to a flame. The scent lingered on the air and it was intoxicating. I found the path and walked through the flowers, wishing that I knew enough about them to know what they were. Even though I had been taught well by the nuns there were a few areas in which I was lacking. I had never really explored the world of nature, so the nuns had only ever taught me the very basic flowers. But here there were some I had never seen before and they were all delightful.

And then I saw him. He stood there, motionless in amongst the flowers. It was so natural for him to be there that he almost looked like a plant himself. He reached out a hand and brushed the petals, looking almost like he was asking it to dance. I stayed there, quiet, just watching him be so peaceful and calm among his friends. A few moments later I walked forward. I tried to be gentle, but when I spoke I startled him. He jumped and turned around, panic in his eyes.

“Don’t worry Adam, it’s just me,” I said.

“Elsa?” he looked at me with confusion. “I thought you weren’t staying on campus?”

“I’m not, but I…forgot something that I had to come back for. I thought I’d take a peek at the gardens since you seemed to prefer coming here at night. I thought there might be something more magical about them.”

“I just like being alone with them,” he said.

“Oh, I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind you being here.”

At the time I didn’t realize how significant that was. I joined him in among the plants and breathed in the vibrant scent.

“So what are these?” I asked.

He pointed to a few flowers. “These are roses, those are lilacs, and these are lilies,” he said. I looked at each of them in turn. I had no idea how you were supposed to tell them apart, aside from the difference in color.

“I’m sorry about Julia today. I wish I had said something.”

“It’s better you didn’t. It would only cause trouble. It’s better to just ignore her. She doesn’t understand the relationship you can have with plants. They end up being a reflection of your own personality.”

“I guess that explains why hers are so thorny and why yours are so beautiful.”

Adam looked away. I almost couldn’t believe I had said what I did. But that was the beauty and magic of the night; you could say things you wouldn’t ordinarily have the courage to say.

“Thank you,” he said softly, “but you don’t know me or what I’ve done.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

He sighed. “It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t be here at this time of night. They don’t like anyone being here who they don’t expect. If they catch you, you’ll be in trouble. I’m not even supposed to be out here past curfew, but nobody is going to stop me being alone with my flowers.”

I was struck by how possessive he was over the plants and it brought to mind what Troy had said. I got a sense of the steely nature behind his calm façade. “Those ones are close to dying,” Adam said. The moonlight caught him in such a way that he seemed to shimmer.

“How can you tell?”

“It’s the way they feel.” He rubbed the petals. I reached out and tried to mimic his movements, tried to feel what he felt, but I couldn’t. They just felt like petals and leaves to me. As I reached out, however, our hands brushed and I felt a tingle sweep through me. He pulled his hand away abruptly. I looked up at him, catching his gaze. I closed the distance between us.

“Have you ever wondered what it’s like to die?” he asked in a faltering voice. I cocked my head.

“Have you?”

He nodded. “It seems like it would be peaceful. You couldn’t do anything bad then. Everything dies, eventually…everything. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Sometimes I’m…I’m afraid I’ll be here forever.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?”

When he looked at me, the moon caught his eyes in such a way that they seemed to be made out of liquid.

“Wouldn’t you hate to be here forever? To live the same life over and over again, to always know that nothing is special because it’s never going to end. You have all the time in the world to do everything you want. That’s why I like looking after plants. I can watch the whole cycle of their lives. I can watch them grow from seeds and then eventually wither and die. There’s something beautiful in the way it happens. It’s the way nature intended things to be.”

“But it’s always sad when people die before their time. I’d do anything to have my parents back with me. I never got a chance to know them. I don’t remember them. Given a choice between life and death I’ll choose life every time. And there are still some things that make life worthwhile, unexpected things.”

I searched his eyes and wasn’t sure what I’d find, but I was taken by the moment, my heart was swept away. I was back with Michael, when my heart was raw and naïve, and I gave myself to the first flush of love. I wanted to be close with Adam, to remind him that there was still so much beauty in the world. I could sense a deep sadness to him and I wanted to show him that there was still hope. Death was never the answer. It was always life. Always. So, fueled by a rush of…something, I pressed my lips against his. He was shocked at first, and this tentativeness was evident in his response, but he quickly grew into it and I found him tender and gentle. A soft murmur escaped his lips and he took my hand in his, squeezing it softly. And then, it was over, just as quickly as it had begun.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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