Alien Romance: Interview with an Alien (Football Paranormal Invasion Abduction Alpha Sci-fi Romance) (Fantasy First New Adult Contact Science Fiction Mystery Sports Alien Short Stories) (54 page)

*****

              Isolde had just toyed with him. He had zoomed past everyone without being seen by anyone but Colton, and disappeared behind the locker rooms. Everything in Colton wanted to follow him, but his coach was screaming at the top of his lungs, and throwing his clipboard down like a maniac.

              After practice, Colton zoomed around the campus twice, scouring every square inch for Isolde; he was nowhere to be found. Colton even did a sweep without his Lunar oil, but the smell of all of the humans made him savage. He had to keep shaking his head to resist the urge to drain them dry.

              What game was Isolde playing? Isolde had attacked an entire village in Spain once just because someone dared him to. He had one of his weather-controlling vampires create a storm as a cover for the thousands of bodies. Isolde could wipe out the campus’ 20,000 students in a day by himself. He was insatiable, sanguinary and heartless.

              “Fuck!” Colton said, punching a wall on the outskirts of the campus. He whipped his head around to sure no one saw him turn concrete to powder. Isolde and his henchman could be anywhere by now.

              Colton sat in the grass, his fingers tangled in his now matted blond hair. What could he do? He had endangered the entire school. He had endangered his teammates. He had endangered Tanya. Should he tell her to run? Would she believe him? Worse, would she be afraid of him, and run away if she knew the truth? At some point if they dated it would have to come out. The whole cold skin and pale skin was only partly true. You would have to be a pretty old vampire. Colton was barely over one hundred years old so he looked the same as a human. It would be at least three hundred years, what many called the ‘pale of death’, before the ethereal pallor and the sickly sweet scent set in. And then when that set in, would Tanya even want him? Would she even still be around?

There was no other option; he would talk to Tanya tomorrow, before Isolde struck.

*****

              “Is it true, man?” Nico said, jumping off his bed. Ryan was sitting on the floor playing video games when Colton stormed in the room. Colton was still fuming and had half-expected Nico to be asleep and Ryan to be down the hall in his room. Colton was not in the mood for company and had to rack his brain to figure out what they were talking about.

              “Are you deaf, mate?” Ryan asked with a mischievous grin on his face.

              “Huh?” Colton asked.

              “Tanya!” they yelled at him almost in unison.

              Colton threw his head back as recognition hit him. A smile inadvertently danced across his face, remembering Tanya telling him to blow her mind. Telling her that he was a vampire would almost certainly have that effect, but that was not what he had in mind.

              “From that smile on his face I’m going to guess that it’s true,” Nico said, throwing a pillow at him.

              Colton caught and threw it back a little harder that he meant to and Nico flew backward. The air in the room was painted with feathers, and Nico groaned.

              “Jesus, mate!” Ryan said, helping Nico up.

              “Sorry, I guess I don’t know my own strength,” Colton said, walking over to check on Nico.

              “I think you broke my spleen,” Nico said, rubbing his side.

              “How did you do that?” asked Ryan, looking at Colton speculatively.

              “It was an accident,” Colton said, stepping backward.

              “Are you—on something man? Because you didn’t even sweat when we were running.” Ryan said, walking towards him.

              Ryan was taller than him and broader in the shoulders; he looked more like a rugby player than a soccer player. Ryan was scowling at him, like any word that came out of Colton’s mouth would cause Ryan to sucker punch him.

              “Hey, chill out man,” Nico said, wincing as he held his side.

              “No, I won’t chill out! My parents had to mortgage the house to get me in this ruddy school, and I trained hard to get on the team. I’m not gonna let a cheater get on that easy,” Ryan said shoving Colton backwards.

              “Easy, man,” Colton said, trying to focus on reigning in his abilities. The last thing he wanted to do was set his teammates on fire. He could explain away a pillow fight gone wrong, but not third degree burns.

              “I’ll be ‘easy’ when you tell the truth. Where did you even go after practice? The team was getting iced after the shit Coach put us through.  You didn’t even get iced down. You just vanished! Were you getting a score?” Ryan demanded.

              Colton could feel it building up, the feeling of molten lava rippling through his veins. He was getting hot, too hot. He needed to leave; Colton stormed past him and grabbed his duffle bags. He would just have to get word to the refuge center that he was in trouble. It would solve all of his problems. Tanya would be safe, and the team would be safe. Problem solved.

              “What’s the matter, eh? You can’t be a man?” Ryan said, shoving him again.

              “I’m warning you, Ryan,” Colton said, gritting his teeth.

              “Oh yeah? I hear that stuff makes you have a bit of a temper. What is it? Steroids then?” Ryan scoffed.

              Colton swung around and lifted Ryan off his feet, slamming him into the wall.

              “Don’t fuck with me!” Colton growled, baring his teeth. He could feel his fangs itching to come out and drain Ryan just so he would shut up.

              “I told you, Nico! I told you!” Ryan said, struggling to get to the ground.

              “Um, guys,” Nico said, his voice faint.

              Colton’s shoulders slumped remembering what was at the bottom of his unzipped duffle bag: all of his supplies from the refuge center.

              “What the fuck is this, Colton?” Nico said, holding up three large frozen blood bags.

*****

              “So that’s how you’re doing it!” Ryan yelled as Colton put him down.

              “Shut up, Ryan! Let him talk,” Nico said, throwing the blood bags on Colton’s bed.

              “Why do I need to shut up? He’s the one blood doping,” Ryan said, pointing at the bags.

              Colton narrowed his eyes at Ryan, still fighting the urge to set him ablaze. Blood doping was not a familiar term to Colton, but whatever it was, it put a nasty look on Nico’s face.

              “Look, Colton, I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you need to shoot straight with us. What the hell is going on?” Nico asked.

              Colton took a deep breath, trying to find the words.

              “And don’t lie!” Ryan said, pacing the room.

              “I’m cheating,” Colton said.

              “Fuck,” Nico said, throwing his head back.

              “I knew it,” Ryan said, crossing his arms.

              “Not the way you think though,” Colton said.

              Should he tell them? They deserved a chance to get away before the storm began. They deserved a chance to defend themselves against Isolde.

              “Talk man. I’m telling Coach regardless,” Ryan snarled.

              “Shut up, Ryan!” Colton and Nico said together.

              Colton took a deep breath, and let the words pour out.

              “I’m—I’m a vampire,” Colton said.

              Ryan stopped pacing, and Nico’s face fell.

              “Is that the best—” Ryan froze when Colton zoomed past him, and hung on the ceiling like a spider. Colton ran along the walls so fast he was creating a breeze in the room. After a few seconds, he dropped on the floor in a crouching position.

              Nico and Ryan were still frozen. Nico clutched his remaining pillow, like it was a shield of some sorts. Ryan stepped back and started screaming at the top of his lungs.

              “Enough!” Colton yelled, slapping his hands together. There was a whooshing sound. Both his hands were holding a mass of fire the size of a basketball.

              “Oh shit,” Nico said, scooting backwards, “Oh Jesus. No, no, no. Ryan! Why did you make it mad?”

              Colton was seething, his chest rising and falling with rage. He was tired of this game, tired of being accused, tired of never belonging anywhere. He would kill them and hit the road. With the blood bags and Ryan and Nico, he would have enough blood to sustain him until he got back to Europe. In Europe he would see what vampires would join him and rise up against Isolde. There had to be others who would help him. People had often whispered complaints against Isolde, and maybe Colton could convince them to fight back. Colton bared his silvery white fangs and licked his lips. He would take Ryan first just to get him to shut up. Then Colton would snap Nico’s neck; he didn’t want him to suffer. Then, a face came into focus. It was Tanya. Through the blinding fog of his anger, the fog of his animalistic, vampire instinct to kill, he saw her beautiful face and felt the feeling that had been plaguing him. That feeling that though he did not know her, he needed to know her.

              Colton’s shoulders relaxed and he extinguished his fire. Cracking his neck left and right, he retracted his teeth, and stepped backwards. He did not want to scare them.

              “I’m sorry,” Colton said quietly, lowering his hands.

              Ryan had stopped screaming but there was the unmistakable glimmer of tears lining his eyes.

              “Calm down. Ryan. I’m not going to kill you guys,” Colton said, pulling up a chair from the computer desk on his side of the room.

              “What do you want?” Nico asked.

              “Not to kill you. Either of you. I’m here cause I’m hiding. That is so that I don’t have to kill anyone. The refuge center has humans that donate for vampires like me,” Colton said, jutting his chin at the bag.

              “What do you mean ‘vampires like you’?” Ryan asked, shuffling on his feet.

              “I don’t have a coven. I’m a loner. That’s frowned upon where I’m from. It’s like—like you think you’re better that everyone else. Which is not at all how I feel. I just like being alone,” Colton said.

              Nico nodded, and looked at Ryan like he believed Colton. Colton was glad someone seemed to be on his side.

              “Why here though, man?” Nico said, shrugging his shoulders.

              Ryan seemed to have the same question playing on his face.

              Colton told them about Isolde and the duel.

              “So—your vampire nemesis is on
this
campus?” Ryan asked, dragging his hands over his now ghost-pale face.

              Colton nodded, ringing his hands together.

              “Wait, wait, wait,” Nico said, sitting up straighter, “how are you not trying to drink our blood?”             

              “There is an oil. It’s a long story. I can’t smell you. I can’t smell anything. That’s the problem. I don’t know where Isolde is until it’s too late,” Colton said.

              “Then don’t use it,” Nico said.

              “Hold on there. What happens when you don’t use it?” Ryan asked, his voice quavering.

              “I kill you. The scent is too strong with this many humans,” Colton said.

              “Yep, the oil stays then,” Nico said, nodding his head vigorously and pursing his lips.

              “Yea, I thought you would say that,” Colton said, a wry smile forming on his pale face.

              “So, is no one going to address the elephant in the room?” Ryan asked.

              Nico and Colton looked at Ryan with confusion etched on their faces.

              “Um, hello? What are you going to tell Tanya? I call dibs when she dumps you,” Ryan said with a laugh, slumping down on Colton’s bed.

              “Shut up, Ryan!” Colton and Nico said in unison.

*****

The bright white lights of Ferris wheels and other rides danced across the cab window. Colton had planned on running to the carnival, but Nico had convinced him not to. Nico had helped him practice his speech to Tanya. At least Nico was not trying to steal Tanya away from him.

“We’re here kid. You need a ride back?” the cab driver, an old white man with a low raspy voice, asked.

“No, I’m good. How much I owe you?” Colton asked, fishing out some of the cash the refuge center put in a bank account for him.

“22.50.”

Colton handed him the money and stepped out on the grassy field. It was a gloomy day, and the heavy, grey clouds threatened to burst at any moment.

“Hey you,” came a soft, female voice behind him.

He turned around to see Tanya in a blue, sleeveless cotton dress that hugged her curves. She was wearing white converse shoes, and holding two pink cotton candies.

“Hey,” he said, looking her up and down, a smile forming on his lips. She looked completely stunning.

“I bought you this,” she said, handing him the cotton candy. A bright smile was bursting on her face. He could tell she was ecstatic to be here. He hoped his news would not ruin today for her.

“So, I have ridden every ride here before so you can pick,” she said, still smiling.

Colton tilted his head back, looking at the two-seater compartments on the Ferris wheel. It would be perfect because no one could overhear him, and she could not run away.

“Oh no,” she said, slapping his arm playfully.

“Ow, you said anything,” Colton said smiling down at her.

She bit her lip with a guilty look on her pretty face. It took every ounce of Colton’s self-control not to lean down and kiss her. The dress fell mid-thigh on her, and it would be too easy to lift it up, rip off her panties and…

“Okay, I know I said
anything
,” Tanya said, interrupting his thoughts.

“I sense a ‘but’ coming,” Colton said with a smirk.

“Okay, hear me out. My dad always did a left to right thing. It was so we didn’t miss anything. I know it’s weird, but—”

“Okay. We can make figure eights if you want to. I’m just happy you’re here.”

Colton smiled at her and extended his free hand. She took it and interlocked her fingers with his. Her hand was so warm. He imagined what it would be look if they were together two hundred years from now. He would be pale, icy. Would she want him them? Would she even be around to see him? He squeezed her hand, and stroked it with his thumb. Her palms had started to sweat. If he could sweat, it would match hers. He was nervous too.