No Regard by Carolyn Barber (e ink epub reader .TXT) 📕

Ty tried to soothe me, but he couldn't. I needed my mother, I wanted to comfort her and let her know I wasn"t exactly dead, I was undead. When I expressed this to Ty he told me I couldn't, that she wouldn't be able to accept it. "You don't know my mother Ty!" I yelled at him. He sighed heavily, "Silvie, would you want your mother to know what you are, do you think she could handle the idea that you kill for blood?" At him saying this to me, I saw red! "You son of a bitch, you made me what I am, you did this to us, her pain is because of  you!" I got up and dressed into something dark and mysterious. Ty was trying his best to calm me down, I dashed into the bathroom for some privacy knowing he would at least grant me that. Away from his watchful eyes I vaporized into the night.

I found myself in the tree house my dad had built for me when I was a little girl. I came here often when I missed my father, I felt closer to him here, than anywhere else. I sat alone with my thoughts, I knew I couldn't just run to my mother while she lay sleeping in the house. I didn't know what to do, so I sat there on the floor, pulled my knee's up to my chin and began to sob. Suddenly warm comforting arms cradled me as I heard a familiar voice. "You'll be alright Silver, fight fire with fire." It was my father there with me. I turned, "Daddy?" in a flash he was gone. As quickly as he had left Ty showed up. "I thought I would find you here." He picked my distraught body up and held me in his arms. I didn't fight him, I needed to be held. He looked into my eyes, knowing my pain,"Not like this baby, we'll figure something out together, you'll be alright." 

My father had been there, I felt him, I heard him. He was the only one who ever called me "Silver". I decided not to tell Ty, how could I trust the man that murdered me? I pondered what my father had meant, "Fight fire with fire", what was he telling me? Was he telling me to beat Ty? Everything within me was pushing me to be the best I could be at what I was. For some reason, being a vampire came easily to Ty, he had powers I hadn't formed yet and he had been a vampire only two days longer than I had. I knew I could learn things from him and become everything he is and more. I felt skeptical of his professed love for me. If he loved me, knowing the life he is condemned to, then how could he condemn me to the same? This is the most selfish of acts. Love is not self-seeking. My hate for him was building. I found myself holding Ty in contempt. I will keep it locked deep inside and when the time is right I will have my vengeance, and make right that which has been wronged. I would have him teach me everything he knows, perfect it and beat him using his own strategies against him. How ever long it takes, I will learn to be patient, Ty, to the likes which you have never seen. I will "Fight fire with fire" dad and I will do it with no regard.

I found I was soothed by these thoughts. I dried my tears, I would begin by tucking my emotions away. Ty's advice to me had been good, "never let your emotions run you". I felt strength building inside me already. I looked over at Ty who was reading a book, "The Seven Wonders of the World." I crawled on my hands and knee's and put my head in his lap, like a puppy. He lifted his book and smiled at me. "What is it Sil? I know you want something with that irresistible look on your face." I smiled back, "Baby I'm feeling the need for seafood." He laughed, "Seafood it is then, Atlantic or Pacific?" I thought for a second, "Surprise me" I said and winked. He took my hand as we vaped into the night and found ourselves on a fishing boat in the Atlantic ocean. It was dark, but I could see as if it were day. The sea was churning up and down as massive waves slammed over the edge of the boat. Nearly capsizing it with each hit. It was nearly 100 miles to the nearest shore. Their radio damaged, they couldn't send an SOS. The crew of 6 was in the midst of a hurricane, one they would not survive.

 One by one we took them out, unaware of our presence, partially draining them of their blood. They would survive our attack to the point of losing conscientiousness, ultimately drowning would be their fate. In a twisted way we showed them mercy. A moment of surprise, a sharp pain to the neck, and then they would black out. They would not feel the panic and torment of suffocation that comes with drowning. Nor would they be cursed to life as the undead, only those who die of blood loss from a vampire would become a vampire themselves.  

Reese woke up to Deidre opening the curtains instantly flooding the room with light poring in from the early morning sun. "Wake up and smell the coffee!" she said in sweet, cheerful tone. Reese pulled the covers over her head, trying to hide from the light, and the cheeriness of her friends voice. Deidre chuckled, "Oh no dear, that's not how this is going down, you're getting up, now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way, but one way or the other you're getting up!" Reese ignored her. Deidre stood at the foot of her bed with her arms crossed knowing this was going to be a bit of a battle. "Okay then, don't say you weren't warned!" Reese wasn't sure what her friend had in mind, but knowing her friend, she braced for impact. Deidre pulled the bottom of the blankets up to expose Reese's feet, in one quick motion she grabbed one of Reese's ankles tightly and began tickling her foot relentlessly. Reese, who had extremely ticklish feet, tried kicking at her with her other foot, Deidre jumped up on the bed, flipping herself around, straddling both legs and continued her tickle assault, now on both feet, "Well? You gonna get up? I could keep this up for hours, I have the entire day to spend with you, and I'm all hopped up on caffeine, so what's it gonna be Reese?" she teased. Reese was laughing and crying at the same time begging her to stop. "OK! OK! you win! I'm up, for God's sake I'm up!" 

Deidre got up and went over to Reese's drawers, grabbing her undergarments, a pair of sweat's and a t-shirt, she threw them on the bed where Reese was sitting on the edge looking forlorn. "Okay doll, take a shower, get dressed and meet me downstairs in fifteen" she said sounding like a drill Sargent. Reese looked over at her friend who was standing at the door with her hands on her hips. "Sir, yes sir, Permission to use the toilet first sir?" Reese said sarcastically while saluting. Deidre responded matter of factly, "You may, but I'm not wiping your ass for you, I have my limits!" Reese snickered, rolled her eyes and muttered, "Jesus Christ!" Deidre reiterated, "fifteen minutes!" and left the room closing the door behind her.

It had been three weeks since Reese discovered her daughters disappearance and blood on her bed, the detective assumed she had been murdered and her body taken. With the sudden disappearance of Ty, he was a key suspect. With no bodies and only Silvia's blood as evidence of foul play, they had no leads. Ty was fatherless and his mother too drugged to care about his whereabouts.

Fifteen minutes later Reese headed downstairs to find Deidre standing at the door with Reese's jogging shoes in her hands. She held them out to Reese, "put them on!" she ordered. If none of this had happened, Reese and her daughter would be jogging together right now. Reese crumbled. She lowered herself onto the bottom stair, the same place Silvia always sat to put her sneakers on, her head dropped to her knees, she began sobbing, "I can't, I can't do it without her, I can't do it alone, don't you understand that Deed?" Reese was the only one who called her "Deed" everyone else either called her "Dee" or "Deidre". She knew how hard this would be for her friend, but she knew it was important that she do it. Deidre knelt down, face to face with her friend, "Reese, look at me darlin'", Reese lifted her head from her knees, tears rolling down her face, Deidre looked into her friends eyes and wiped the tears from Reese's face. "You can do this, you're going to do this and you won't be alone" Reese's eyes flooded again, and her temper flared slightly, " I will be alone! She's gone, she's not here, do you see her? 'cause I don't! What are you telling me, that her spirit will be jogging with me? Geez that's comforting, I can just pretend she's there jogging right beside me, maybe we can have a conversation