Chapter Five: The Makeup (Part 5)

Jess raised her eyebrows at this, surprised as he dips her backwards and kissed her, gently at first as though a brief taste, but soon, changing into something more passionate and loving as their lips moved in sync together. This time feels short as they both pull away from the kiss, but still remain close together. Absentmindedly, Jess wondered what it was about Felix that was so… intoxicating? No, it was not that. It was something stronger than that, what she felt for him was not lust that was clear. As she listened to his words, snapping out of her vivid daydream, she still did not think that she was beautiful at all. She wanted to reply to this, but decided against it. Instead, she smirked and asked.

“Sweet?”

That was definitely a foreign word to describe Jess. Felix pulled her upright, still holding her close.

“Oh, you know what I mean. You taste like sugar and spice and everything nice. Although you do have a fiery kick with the attitude, Missy.”

He teased her easily, as if he had always been passionate and caring like it was not foreign to feel feelings whatsoever. His lopsided smile appeared as he glanced down at her.

“I might have to tickle the spice out of you.”

Without warning, they were suddenly soaring through the air as his black feathers tickled her cheek lightly. If she was observing anything about his wings, she would have noticed that they were not as pitch black anymore. Although they were still black, they seem lighter than the shadows flying with them, clinging to Felix’s body like a second skin, although invisible to most paranormals and humans alike. Only species like vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and Sith could see them as bright as day.

“Where do you want to go today, Sweetness?”

Jess raised her eyebrows once more at this. Well that was true, actually, but she was still getting used to all of this. For example, him being all nice to her. She remembered the first time she met him; they were both extremely rude to each other. Not sweet at all. And now, he was as sweet as candy, besides the tickling part. Her eyes widened as he suddenly grabbed her and took her into the air with him, but they soon fell due to his wings. Was it just her, or did they look somewhat different? They seemed…lighter? Or perhaps she was just seeing that. At his question, she turned her attention back to him and shrugged slightly.

“Hmm… I don’t know. Where do you want to go?”

She returned with a question of her own. But if they were keeping their relationship a secret, the place probably should not have too many people around. Felix’s smile took a wicked turn as he carried her higher into the sky.

“How about the….cove? There should not be many people around, plus there looks to be a storm brewing on the beach. There will not be much people venturing out in the storm. A perfect time for us to be alone to…talk.”

Felix arches an eyebrow at her suggestively as he swerved around in the sky. He would not land without her assent, so they hovered in the sky until she decided. The ends of her mouth twitched slightly as Jess restrained from smiling at that. The cove, huh? Oh, yeah. The best place for talking, she thought to herself, her gaze not leaving his even though the atmosphere around them really was brilliant.

“Well we do have much to talk about…”

She trailed off, seeing the suggestiveness in his expression and finally smiling faintly.

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Chapter Five: The Makeup (Part 5)

“We don’t need to decide anything right now. We can enjoy our secrecy together for a while until we both reach a decision.”

Felix stated smoothing her hair back away from her face, trying to soothe and calm her of their relationship worries. There would always be other ways. They could appeal to both races. They could run away to a different dimension, but what kind of afterlife would that be? To leave everything one has ever known would be hard and even in a different dimension different challenges would arise. They could not run from their problems every time. No. What they needed to do was to fight for their love. But fighting can wait. Felix just wanted to be with Jess for a while and try feeling normal with her. The ending of their fairytale could wait a bit for all he cared.

Jess nodded, relieved they would not have to decide right then. This was something she would have to think over for quite a little while, something both of them had to seriously consider. But, at that moment, all she wanted to do was wash away her worries of their relationship and focus on her love in front of her. Looking at Felix, she smiled, although faint, and attempted to ignore these thoughts. The whispers still raged on in her head, whispers of denial and pain, as they always did. But this time, when she looked into his eyes, the whispers faded until they were mere breaths of the lost chorus of voices.

“Okay.”

She eventually said and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. She never hugged people much, but this one was…nice…comforting…relaxing. Felix held her close and would have counted her heartbeats in bliss, if she had any to count that is. For now, he just held her and counted his lucky stars that he had found his one and only love. The type of love that lasts a lifetime or in their instance, forever until one of them was either staked or essence-free. Felix murmured something unintelligible into her hair and finally broke the embrace.

“Now that we have forever, what would you like to do now, Sweetness?”

Felix smiled lopsidedly at the nickname he had come up for her that was even better than the generic beautiful or diamond. Jess smiled faintly, still unable to believe that she actually found someone who loved her as much as she loved him, and who cared about her. Actually cared, not someone who acted like they did just to get something out of you or to get you to stop feeling left out or down. Words could not even begin to explain how Jessica felt for him. Even though, they had only known each other for such a short time, that time spent felt like an eternity, which was exactly how long she wanted them to be together. As he pulled back from the hug, she looked at him and said, raising an eyebrow.

“Well… I kind of wanted to do this.”

She had been joking, but that did not stop her from bringing her lips to his in a kiss. It was a short and lingering kiss; the kind she wished could be longer with loving…sweetness. Ironic, she thought. The kind that made her not want to ever pull away, but she did after a moment.

“Okay, now you can choose.”

She grinned slightly.

“Well, you know if you do that I’ll have to reciprocate.”

He said as he twirled her in his arms, dipped her backwards, and brushed his lips against hers. At first, the kiss was light and salty as their lips stay closed. Then, sweeter when he breached her lips, glad that he did not have to break away for air and neither did she. When he finally broke away, his mind was heady with the taste of Jess in his mouth that he could hardly form words in his mind, never mind speak them. So, he admired her beauty and said.

“You really are beautiful you know. The day I met you when I said you were pale and stunning. I meant it.”

He said this thoughtfully, almost as an afterthought he added.

“Although I never knew that you would be this sweet.”

Chapter Five: The Makeup (Part 3)

“I believe your exact words were “Because, although it’s obvious you haven’t noticed, I can handle myself” , when I asked you why I should not worry about you because I love you. Do you know how infuriating that is?! That you do not need my worrying, therefore not my love, because that means nothing to you, because you can take care of yourself. Do you know how hurtful that to hear?! To have my love smacked right back into my face. Do you know how that felt? No you don’t! Because you don’t care! You don’t need me or anybody else, Jess. So why are you even here? Why are you even speaking to me? You know how I feel. No one knows how I feel. I opened up to you and I shouldn’t have. Everyone is out for themselves. How could I aspect you to be any different? What you wanted was temporary company. Brooklynn wanted my soul. Lolita wanted my kingdom and power. What is it that you want to take away from me Jess? Brooklynn got my soul. Lolita stole many of my subjects and left me with Shadows. I gave you my heart Jess. What more do you want?”

His eyes looked at her pleadingly. He had lost his cool and broke down to her. A silver tear fell from his eye, before his composure came back to him and he looked stonily at her. He was mad at himself for letting her see him at his weakest. No wonder why she did not want his protection. There was nothing that he could protect her from. He was weak and pathetic. His face crumpled slightly before resuming the cold radiance of an unemotional face.

Jess could not help flinching slightly as his voice rose, but she did not tear her eyes away from him as he continued on with his rant. So people had hurt him before, but others had hurt her as well. Not in the similar sense, but a quite different one she would never share with anyone. She did not even speak until the whole area was quiet for a moment, not wanting to say anything. He was wrong when he stated she did not need anyone, painfully wrong when he stated she did not care about him, his worries or his love. Everything he said about her was entirely true and absolutely false all at once. Why was she here speaking with him? She wanted answers, wanted to know the truth, but more than anything, she wanted to see him. She had been so close to apologizing, too. This probably had a fat chance of happening now. Before, when she was with him, he made her feel alive for maybe the first time in longer than she could remember, but now… now she did not even know what to feel besides coldness and regret. How she always felt.

“I don’t want your soul or your subjects, and what you apparently think how I am and feel about you is stupid.”

She hesitated, finally averting her eyes.

“What I want… it’s obviously not something I can get again.”

His love. Her eyes trailed back to his face, in time to see it change from anguished to emotionless.

“And I’m sorry for that, your past, those idiots that used you. Okay?”

Again, she paused.

“I understand you probably want to take your heart back.”

She added this part quietly.

“Once lost, it can never be recovered. I am soulless, almost subjectless, one power less, and now, heartless. Nothing and no one can change that. Once I give something of myself, I cannot take it back. I am Sith.”

Felix looked up into her eyes with a heated expression.

“I can’t just take it back. I don’t have that kind of power. If you don’t want it…me….then try to give it back, but I won’t take it.”

Felix looked away from her, allowing his face to become impassive once more.

“What do you want, Jess? If what I think about you is wrong then tell me who you are, before it is too late for both of us.”

Jess found herself even more frustrated with this fact, but at the same time relieved, because she really did not want to give his heart back. Even if she could, she did not want to. But this was harder than she wanted to admit. Love was never easy. Realizing she mentally referred to this as love made her pause; as she always believed it was impossible for her to love anyone.

“I want you.”

She finally responded to his question.

“I’m speaking with you because for some reason there’s this ache in my chest knowing I hurt you, and I wanted to apologize but I know that hasn’t done anything because that dull feeling is…still there. I don’t want to be that person who takes your heart and throws it in the dirt. I don’t want to hurt you or pretend that I don’t care for you, because I do care about you…”

She trailed off, because she did not think any of this was helping. In one swift movement, Jess was in his arms as he cradled her. He kissed her neck, delighting in the fact that she was his…forever.

Chapter Four: The Fallout (Part 3)

“I just…”

He searched internally for the right words.

“don’t want you to get hurt unnecessarily, is all. I feel strongly for you, Jessica.”

It was the first time that he said her real full name and he leans against the bookcase with ease. His forehead is smooth and clear of any wrinkles, as if he was not worried that she would go against him and speak to Gunner. Jess stared at him as he said this, then sighed softly and crossed her arms. Nobody got hurt unnecessarily in her opinion. She pushed away the side of her that wanted to feel happy that he worried about her, and instead she responded.

“You shouldn’t worry about me that much.”

I’m not worth it, she silently added. Even though, it seemed to her that he was not really worried at all. Heck, maybe he just said that to all the girls he apparently hung out with. Noel smirked lightly at her comment.

“And why shouldn’t I? Give me one good reason why I should not worry about you.”

His eyes studied her face, silently challenging her to come up with something to set himself free of her, but his personal feelings were that she would not find something solid to get him to stop worrying about her. He felt too young for her and felt a few worry lines would make him feel older. Worrying had not killed anyone yet, but since he does not breathe, that was not a problem for him either. Jess did not respond for a minute, a little surprised that he did not know why he did not really have a reason to worry about her.

“Because, although it’s obvious you haven’t noticed, I can handle myself.”

She replied simply, staring at him. She did not like how people—those who did not know what she was, or even did—always looked at her like she was weak. She thought this was how he was looking at her. Felix blinked. Hurt flashed quickly across his features before resuming its default mode: a slight smirk. He felt hurt…wounded…he had never cared for someone before and having his love get smacked right back in his face felt like hell. Like it was not worth s#$t. His eyes lost their warmth as coldness like shadows slid across his features, making that carefree nature just shadow-like it was just a disguise that he was now shedding. He clapped softly at first, then louder.

“Bravo my dear because frankly I don’t give a damn.”

With that, he raised his hand as the shadows swirl around him enveloping him completely, before he disappeared into nothingness. Then faintly, very faintly his last words reach her.

“I cannot believe I actually love her.”

Jess stared at him, gaping a little as he left. She did not really mean to make it sound the way it came out, but that was always the way she lost people, why they always abandoned her. It was her fault she could never connect with anybody. Her fault, that she always pushed them away. It always ended this way, she thought. She stared at the ground forlornly, the sadness that she never showed burning a hole in her, as well as the guilt that she hurt him. Shoving the book back in the bookshelf, she shook her head, mostly at herself. Okay, so he was angry. A part of her wanted to believe that he would probably get over it. But, still… She felt certain that he might have loved her for some reason, but now she knew for certain that he did not love her anymore.

Chapter Four: The Fallout (Part 2)

“He’s heeeere.”

She whispered, in the voice from a horror movie she once watched long ago. Felix slipped between the bookcases, taking Jess with him laughing slightly under his breath as if this was all a game. He placed a finger over Jess’s lips as if to shush her.

“I know. No need to say it like that. He’s not a murderer.”

He looked at her reprovingly, then smirked ruining the effect of disapproval. He glanced around the shelf, as if searching for Gunner but seeing no one.

“Hiding from me are we.”

A deep voice issued quietly from behind Felix as he whirls around taking in the sight of Gunner and his rumpled appearance.

“Someone slept in their clothes.”

Noel smirked at Gunner, who flexed his jaw which issued a crackling sound into the silent library. Jess smirked slightly and merely shrugged when he said this. Alright, so if he was not a murderer, how the heck was he dangerous? And why was he even basically stalking him just to figure out some answer? She held in a sigh, staring at Gunner, who looked a bit intimidating, but not enough for her to feel frightened. She dealt with people like this before, so what was the difference? Not that she was really planning on fighting him or anything, but still. Felix laughed out loud, breaking the tension.

“Real intimidating.”

Gunner shrugged in a bored-like fashion.

“Who’s the woman? Another one of your lady companions?”

His voice brimmed with sarcasm and boredom. Felix’s eyes narrowed on Gunner.

“These are not the drones you are looking for.”

Gunner rolled his eyes.

“Wanted to let you know that I found it. No thanks to you. So…bye.”

Gunner turned around and walked away. Felix’s fists clenched at his sides as he watched Gunner’s back retreat. Jess raised her eyebrows when Gunner asked if she was another one of Felix’s lady companions. What, so apparently he had a lot? Was she just some game or something? She tried not to show what she was thinking about and feeling, and said once Gunner was gone.

“Well. Isn’t he just the life of the party?”

She walked back over to the other bookcase and sighed, pretending to be interested in the rows of books. Felix still watched Gunner, until Gunner exited the library. He turned to look at Jess and discovered that her emotions seemed to be spiking with jealousy. It tastes so delicious…and wrong, he thought.

“Just stay away from him, okay? He’s fond of games.”

Felix picked out a book and headed to a nearby table to leaf through some of the pages.

“Oh, really? Because I was definitely planning to be his best friend.”

She mumbled sarcastically, rolling her eyes and sighing softly as she went over to the section labeled mystery. She looked over the books, before pulling one out and opening it, looking through it. Felix narrowed his eyes at her.

“This is a serious matter. You shouldn’t be so flippant about it.”

He slammed the book shut with a decided snap and checked it out at the self-serve computer scanners before returning back to Jess’s side.

“I’m serious, Jess. Gunner’s not a nice guy, even for human standards.”

“I get it, okay?”

Jess muttered, not looking up from her book. She was not exactly going to go chat with Gunner any time soon, but he seemed a bit overprotective. She thought did he not know she could handle herself? She frowned slightly. Felix murmured something unintelligent, watching her face closely trying to decipher the feelings that she flickered through so rapidly. It was enough to make anyone’s head spin, but somehow she seemed composed and normal. It had to be a human thing, to be so composed while feeling so much. Jess was still feeling his eyes on her, which for some reason, made her feel a bit uncomfortable. So much so that she had to read the same paragraph several times and still did not fully understand it. Sighing, she closed the book and finally looked at him.

“What?”

She asked an edge of annoyance in her tone. She had no idea what he said, and was not sure she wanted to.

“Nothing.”

He said a little too quickly, as he raked a hand through his already messy waves.

Chapter Four: The Fallout

Walking in with Jess at his side, he said.

“Where to begin?”

He glanced around the place. Jess shrugged, her eyes skimming across the rows of shelves full of books.

“I don’t know… Over there?”

She pointed to the left side of the library, on the shelf labeled fiction.

Felix started to walk towards that way, when his phone beeped off. He flipped it open, scanning the text message and grumbled something about a mad student coming to the academy. Jess followed over there and heard him say this, although she was not sure what he was talking about.

“What?”

She asked hesitantly, raising an eyebrow slightly. He handed her the phone, trying to hide the burns on his hands as he did so. His text read: Gunner is now on campus. He’s looking for you……and out for blood. He ran his hand through his hair messing it up.

“It’s from a friend or foe. Someone’s messing with me. There is no way that Gunner would be here of all places.”

She saw the burn on his hands, but did not think he would want her to comment on it. Looking down at the phone, her eyes scanned the text. She did not like the sound of this and did not know who this Gunner was, but apparently, he was a bad guy.

“Uh, who’s Gunner?”

She asked, and then paused slightly.

“It doesn’t sound like he likes you very much, if he wants your blood.”

Felix chuckled and shoved his hands in his front pockets.

“He does not want my blood. He wants the answer to life’s question…actually to his own personal question and let’s just say that I’ve led him on a wild goose chase. Now that he knows I’m back on the earth plane, I knew he would find me to get those answers, but he should really just ask the right question. Sith cannot lie but we can omit parts of the truth if you leave enough wiggle room. Gunner hasn’t learned that yet…nor would I call him dangerous but he is…in his own way.”

“Hm. Interesting. So basically he’s chasing you around with a question? And he couldn’t bother anyone else, why?”

Jess asked, raising an eyebrow. She was not really sure how Gunner was dangerous in his own way, but she was not sure if she wanted to find out; although she probably would end him spotting him sometime since he was on campus now. She could not help smirking a little when he said a Sith cannot lie.

“So… Can’t lie? Well that could be fun.”

She added jokingly. Felix ran his fingers along the old spines in the library. The corner of his mouth tilted up in amusement as he listens to Jess chatter about truths and lies. Her humor was refreshing, especially since he has not felt true emotion in all of his life.

“Well, essentially yes and he cannot bother anyone else. No one else knows the answer…but I do and I intend to keep that to myself. No, I cannot lie outright…what is the fun in that?”

He asked her with humor in his tone. Jess nodded slightly, walking to the other shelf and looking through the books lining across it. There were so many of them, so many magical tales just waiting to be opened so they could play through them again.

“Nobody, huh? Guess you’re just the one who knows all the answers.”

She mused, smirking a little. She shrugged to his last comment.

“It probably wouldn’t be very fun…”

“No seriously.”

Felix turned to her and took her slender hand in his larger one.

“What is it like to lie? How was it to eat? The things that you are capable of…were capable of doing, fascinates me. Seeing as how I can never do those things…ever.”

He smiled slightly down at her, as if it were painful to do so as the library door banged open and strutted in the manliest man that one has ever seen. Gunner walks in leisurely taking his time, flicking the brim of his hat lightly not looking up at anyone, but seemed just as well to beg others of their attention. Jess hesitated slightly before she opened her mouth to respond, but immediately closed it again wordlessly, as the door opened and in came the guy she guessed was Gunner. She almost gaped a little at seeing him for herself. Speak of the devil, she thought, and then looked back at Felix.

Chapter Three: Falling Hard (Part 3)

Jess blinked, more than a little shocked to hear him say this. Well, that was new, she thought. Nobody had ever described her as fun before.

“Oh… Why?”

She decided to ask, wanting to know why he thought this when no one else did. Felix almost blushed, but was able to restrain himself and project some of his ice coolness out as he ponders Jessica’s question. He rubbed one of his palms down his pant leg and looked down at her.

“Well, I’ve never had any kind of fun like this my entire life. I usually just played with humans to get my way, but that gets boring really fast and making them do stuff loses its charm quickly.”

Felix got a far-off look in his eyes.

“Jessica, you are so different and special and not because you refuse to drink human blood, which is admirable. Despite your vampirism, you have retained who you were your whole life.”

He slipped into the pool and held her close, his eyes next to hers as his forehead touches hers.

“I’ve never known who I really am, but with you…being…kind….caring…loving…it comes naturally to me, as naturally as being an arse around everyone else. With you, I’m not Sith. With you, I’m just a normal guy in love with a normal girl, even though we are anything but normal. With you, I feel alive. With you…Being with you is like heaven on earth.”

Jess almost gaped, but managed not to. She had no idea that he felt this way or saw her in a different light than everyone else. It felt…nice to not be seen only as what she was, as a vampire, and not who she was. It made her feel that she could tell him anything and he would not judge her. When he basically said he was in love with her, her eyes widened. With him so close to her, her breath caught. She was not even sure how to respond, feeling so many emotions at once.

“W…oah.”

She mumbled, then blushed at how stupid a response that was.

“I-I mean, uhm…”

Usually she knew exactly what to say, but not this time.

Felix smiled slightly, his upper lips lifted in one corner.

“Shut up, Jessica. I’m going to kiss you now.”

He cupped her cheek in his hand and brushed his lips against hers, loving the feel of her lips against his.

“I could get used to this.”

He kissed her again, but this time more passionately and with fervor. Jess’s eyes widened slightly but quickly relaxed again, smiling faintly. She decided she liked this and him more importantly. She really liked him. I could get used to this, too, she thought. When he kissed her again, she smiled against his lips and kissed him back, relaxing against him more. Felix felt her return the kiss and relax in his arms. He pulled away from her with a snarky grin on his face that slowly morphed into something softer.

“We should get going. I thought I heard voices a moment ago.”

He broke the spell, but kept his fingers entwined with hers. Jess nodded slightly and bit her lip, looking around before she climbed out of the water, still a little surprised at what just happened. She dried off with a towel and looked at him.

“Where to?”

She asked. Felix followed her lead and glanced at his watch, which was waterproof. He frowned slightly and tilted his head to the side.

“Normal people would eat dinner at this time but since we aren’t….how about staking out the library for anything I haven’t read?”

He listens to what he had just said and winced.

“Sorry. Old habits die hard.”

He winced again, but kept his mouth shut. She raised an eyebrow and smirks a little.

“Sure, let’s go to the library to scope out what you haven’t read. Which might be alot, due to the length of it.”

She paused.

“Sorry.”

She mumbled, recalling what she had just said.

“Let’s just go…”

She sighed softly and pulled on the shorts she had brought with her before she turned and started walking with him to the library. Noel pondered over her blunder and stopped her with a hand to her arm.

“I don’t get it.”

His face was all serious as he tried to think up the insult her statement would cause and found none. Jess looked at him before she smirked a little, and then laughed slightly. She was not sure whether it was a good thing that he did not get it or not.

“You don’t have to. Let’s just go.”

Chapter Three: Falling Hard (Part 2)

“Don’t hate me.”

He said, before his wings disappeared and they both entered into free fall. Jess gaped, realizing that his wings had disappeared before they began falling. The world around her seemed to quicken around them as they fell. As they neared the ground, she closed her mouth before they crashed into the water. The water surrounded them in a warm embrace and Felix enjoyed the moment of weightlessness and the fact that they both could not die from the fall. She was already dead and he was immortal. He broke the surface of the pool, kicking up with his legs and waited for Jess to resurface. He had never asked her about her death…he wondered what it felt like to live and die, since he will never experience either. When the water engulfed her from the fall, Jess saw bubbles everywhere from the impact they made from the giant splash as the weight of their bodies took in the water. After a moment, she resurfaced and looked at him.

“Well that was fun.”

She commented. Who knew, she thought.

“The thrills of being my girl.”

He winked at her and blinked…did he really just say that? Wow, he thought. He was getting cocky in his old age. He swam over to the ladder and pulled himself up and out, before offering her his hand that snaked with shadows. Jess paused, wondering if he actually meant to say that. Whatever, he was joking anyway, she decided. But still, she hesitated slightly before she took his hand and let him help her out of the water. She looked up at the big slide, which looked kind of fun. Glancing at the slide and then down at her, he said.

“I think you need a buddy to go down that big slide little lady.”

Felix smirked at her before taking off at a sprint.

“Beat you to the top.”

He called over his shoulder actually laughing. He realized that Jess had made him laugh more in the short time he has known her than in all of his existence. Jess grinned a little and ran towards the slide, but got there a split second after Felix. She could have run faster and her competitiveness almost forced her to, but for once, she wanted to enjoy this and not rush.

“Hm. You made it first.”

She said wryly, looking at him and then at the slide. It looked like two people could fit in that big thing.

“Dead Ladies, first.”

He motioned for her to go in front of him with a stupid happy grin on his face. He felt like an idiot, but it was addicting: being nice to her and feeling feelings besides cold and hard. Jess smirked slightly.

“How kind of you.”

She said jokingly, before she went ahead and got on the slide. Not waiting for him, she laughed a little and waved before she started to slide down it.

“See ya!”

Felix hopped in after her, hoping to catch up to her in time in order to…do what? Kiss her? No…He could not do that…Could he? He knew humans sort of do that thing, but did he really want to be that type of guy? He realized that he did not care. He just wanted to kiss Jess. After going all the way down the slide, Jess fell in the water and stayed down there a minute, coming back up when she heard the splash telling her that Felix was off the slide and in the water. She looked at him.

“Have fun?”

She grinned slightly.

“Depends on what your version of fun is.”

He replied with a sight wry grin. The truth was he really was having fun with an ex-human no less. Something he never would have thought possible after Brooklynn…but she could not really count as human seeing how she was not. Jess raised an eyebrow slightly, but shrugged.

“I don’t know, what’s your version of fun?”

She asked hesitantly. She did not think it mattered what her version of fun was. She had to keep her eyes on his face and not at the water running down him, which was surprisingly distracting.

“You.”

Felix replied simply, drying off with a towel before dangling his legs into the pool observing her. She was fun to him. He had never had as much fun as the short amount of time that he has spent with her. Since he did not get an afterlife, she was his heaven.

Chapter Three: Falling Hard

Felix ushered Jess inside and smiled at her.

“The coast is clear.”

“Yep, looks like it. I’ll be right back…”

Jess nodded slightly and walked further into the room. When she found her bathing suit in her unpacked bag, she glanced back to where Felix was.

“You’re gonna have to leave for a minute.”

Felix smirked and gestured towards Lolita’s room, the one with the enclosed bathroom.

“Help yourself.”

He slid of his shirt and dipped his feet into the pool in the middle of the room. A slide drained into it from above. She nodded and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and changing into the bathing suit. She did not like bikinis, so she had a one piece. If she had to wear a bathing suit at all, it would be at least a semi modest one. She walked out and looked at the water.

“So this is the fun you were talking about?”

She smirked a little.

“No. This is the one I was talking about.”

He said as he picked her up and threw her in. He watched from the pool’s edge as she landed in the water with a smirk. Now this way fun, he thought, Very fun. Jess silently chided herself when she let out a small squeal as the chilly water engulfed her after he threw her in. When she came up to the surface of the water, she frowned at him.

“Yeah, so fun.”

She said sarcastically. He smirked at Jess and jumped in after her.

“The fun’s just beginning.”

He wrapped his arm around her as the wings made of feathers and inky shadows spread out across his shoulder blades. He flapped his wings against the water and air, and they hovered over the water. Felix pretended to walk on it.

“Ever flew before?”

Her eyes widened a little as they lay on the wings. Even if they did look a bit more, let me say, gothic, they were still…amazing. She realized he had asked her a question, and she snapped out of the fixation on his wings and shook her head.

“Not really.”

She replied, but her eyes widened again, when she looked down and saw they were flying…Well, hovering. Felix smirked.

“That’s good. My friend and I were under the impression that your kind turned into bats that could fly. You don’t really turn into a bat do you? Even though, that would be sort of amazing.”

He kicked the water at his feet and took them higher up into the room. He was planning to free fall with her later, but wanted her to take everything else in first before he scared the evil out of her…funny…’cause she is a vampire…sometimes he should not even tell a joke to himself. With his shirt off, the large clear crystal around his neck was visible, but before Jess’s very eyes, it turned blood red, then black as night and remained that way. Jess saw the clear crystal suddenly change its color, and then turn to black. Odd, she thought. It must have meant something, though, but she did not know what. She raised an eyebrow slightly at him, asking such a weird question.

“Uhm. Well…”

Maybe, she was the only vampire with this problem, but she had never turned into a bat and flew.

“Probably others do.”

She mumbled. It is not like she wanted to admit that she could not. That would be embarrassing. Felix exhaled a huge dramatic sigh.

“Thank Otherworld. This wouldn’t be half as exciting if you could have turned into a bat and fly away. I like that you’re not like other girls.”

He smiled and flew higher, until they reached the ceiling and hovered. The inky black shadows slinked towards Jessica, until Felix’s skin began to glow from within.

“Sorry, but I don’t think you would want them touching you. They like neither light nor heat.”

Noel produced both. Jess could not help feeling a bit relieved when he said this. No one had ever said that to her before, and she was not sure whether she should be worried or happy that he did. She tensed slightly, spotting the shadows. She had seen things like this before, but was not sure how to get them to go away. Usually they did not bother her. She was glad they left, though. Glancing once at the ceiling, she realized how high they were as she looked down at the water below. Felix bit his lip a little wickedly.

Chapter Two: Past Loves (Part 3)

Felix nodded as his eyes looked at the sparkling girl across the room so filled with energy and light as well as life. He observed her, momentarily forgetting about Jess as he studied the girl with brown hair and flashing emerald irises. Felix returned his attention to Jess with a sneer.

“The witch has arrived.”

Jess could not help but smirk slightly, but did not look behind her to see who this witch was he was talking about. She did not have to. From the tone of his voice, it sounded as though he was not quite fond of her, though.

“Fun.”

She said, a bit sarcastically. She had never particularly favored witches much, whether the girl actually was one or not was a different matter. Felix took more of the other girl’s energy and returned the smirk.

“You have no idea.”

He toyed with the other girl menacingly. A darkness Jess may not have known existed started to bubble to the surface of Felix’s attitude, even though his eyes stay locked onto her.

“As you see, I don’t get out much and when I do, trouble always wants to play.”

Jess saw something was wrong, but did not really want to ask, since she was not sure she wanted to know.

“Okay.”

She mumbled, slowly. She did not know what was going on, but did not think he would tell her anyway so she shrugged it off. Felix does not give Brooklynn a second glance as he smirked at Jess.

“You’re pretty, when you’re confused about something. Maybe I should confuse you more often than not.”

Jess blinked. How the heck am I pretty when I’m confused, she thought. That did not really make sense to her.

“That’s…weird, but okay.”

She replied hesitantly. She did not like being confused, though, or people who withheld information from her, so that might be a problem. Felix felt a bit amused from the emotions coming off of the boy who just came in. He was slightly surprised to see him sit with Brook. He smiled sheepishly at Jess.

“We used to be engaged. Guess I’m still a little bitter about it.”

Jess blinked. Engaged? As in, married? What, she thought.

“Oh, okay.”

She mumbled, tapping her fingers against the table absentmindedly.

“Interesting.”

She was a little surprised to hear this, but it really was not any of her business. So, she pretended to act like that was normal and did not bother her, which is should not, did not. Felix cocked his head to the side and laid his hand lightly on top of hers on the table top.

“I wish I knew what you are thinking.”

He sighed and left his hand on top of hers, lightly massaging it with his fingertips and the pad of his thumb.

“Any who, it wasn’t much of an engagement before I found out that my beloved was a liar and a betrayer.”

He grimaced lightly. Jess glanced down at his hand on hers, just this simple touch warming her hand. For some reason, she could not comprehend. It was probably just because her skin was cold all the time, or at least that was what she told herself. I bet you do wish that you knew what I’m thinking, she thought. But you should be careful what you wish for.

“Oh. So it didn’t end well, I’m guessing.”

She wondered how the girl was a betrayer and a liar, though. Felix chuckled to himself.

“You could say that. I thought I was marrying a pretty mortal girl with clean family values; instead her family was a bunch of vampires and an adopted werecat brother. It wasn’t any of that though. She said she was mortal and when I kissed her at the altar, I knew she wasn’t. She claimed not to know what I was talking about.”

He wrinkled his nose in distaste. Jess nodded slowly.

“Sounds…complicated.”

She said finally, unsure how to respond to that. It did sound complicated. Too complicated to get involved in, she thought. She did not do complicated, but at the same time, her entire life was complicated. Not that she would ever mention anything else about this to anybody. Felix just nodded as his eyes never lose contact with hers.

“Do you ever feel? Or is your heart as cold as your touch is?”

He was not being a smartarse or trying to be mean, but it came out kind of cold-like. He hoped she would not take it as such, but hopes were futile. Anyways, he was starting to question her emotions, because it seemed like she lacks many and vamps are usually filled to the brim with them. He personally blamed it on the blood lust. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Well that was a pleasant topic to get into, was it not, she thought. She sighed. It was not exactly a conversation she wanted to get into, but she shrugged slightly.

“I can feel, but thanks for asking.”

She said this last part rather sarcastically.

“Just…”

Just everything felt…, she thought. She always felt cold. But not when someone touched her, it felt scorching hot. Not that she had much experience with that.