Temperance

As I watch the ambulance lights disappear from view I have this sudden uneasy feeling but I can’t see much in the darkness around me. Living 5 miles from anyone on either side is fun growing up but nerve wracking as a woman suddenly alone without her family around her. I wrap my shawl tighter around me as I turn to go inside when I hear a deep masculine voice.

“Hello Little One.”

Startled I scream and turn back around to see a tall dark figure appear from the shadows just beyond my porch lights.

“Your very difficult to get alone.”

I fall back against the window pane in terror as he steps into the light. Easily over six feet tall he stands a foot above my five feet three inches even four steps down from my porch. He’s covered in a black trench coat but his face is impossibly dark with eyes shining red. He has an unforgettable scar across one eye going from his hairline to his nose. As I take him in he steps closer and rests his hand on the railing and I notice he has claws extended more than four inches from the tip of his fingers.

“It is time you come fulfill your destiny child.”

The tic tic sound from his claws startle me into movement and I turn around to run inside but before I can even take a step I see another man standing behind me in front of my front door and I freeze again. He looks like the twin of the man behind me, only without the scar.

Hands suddenly grip my biceps and are so long they overlap each other as he tightens his grip to the point of pain and lifts me to the tips of my toes as he bends to put his face next to mine.

“Now now no need to panic Little One” he runs his nose along my neck. Since he touched me I try to change his emotions like I’ve been learning but instead of any form of emotions all I feel is cold. I try to pull on his emotions but all I get is ice! I can even see my breath fog in front of me and it feels as though I’m in a snowstorm and everything is frozen.

Chuckling he whispers, “Not what you expected huh?”

“Wh…wh….What..” My teeth chatter uncontrollably as I try to speak.

The twin standing by the door chuckles and leans forward as he chatters his teeth mockingly.

Suddenly another man appears on the opposite side of the porch as us. He doesn’t look as intimidating. He’s wearing jeans and a plaid button up and with his cowboy hat and boots he blends in with the ranches around me and I look pleadingly at him.

“She is turning blue Hendrick release her.”

My eyes widen as I realize he’s one of them. He turns his ocean blue eyes from mine to Hendricks and the color flashes to red. That's impossible!

“What if I don’t want to Ulysses” He answers mockingly. He continues to rub his nose against my throat and inhales deeply.

The cowboy noticeably stiffens before he leans against the window pane, “Then she will die and we will have to wait for another to be born again.”

“Ah but I’ve missed that sweet, sweet smell of innocent empath. Are we so sure there isn’t any more?” Suddenly he licks my neck and releases a sound that makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

There’s a whoosh of wind and I blink my eyes as warmth returns.

“Enough with your games Hendrick”

I lean my head back feeling something solid behind me and see the cowboys head above mine.

“Ah but they are so much fun my friend” he leans back against the railing and winks at me.

The cowboy takes my arm and starts pulling me to the other end of the wrap around porch, “Come Temperance and try to refrain from pulling on our essence as you will only hurt yourself.”

Stumbling alongside him my mind catches up to his words as we round the side of the house, “essence?”

He pulls me down the stairs by my garden door and I see a horse tied to the porch, “That’s a horse!”

He releases me to untie the horse, “Yes it is a horse. Are you dim?”

“Of course I’m not stupid! I just didn’t expect to see a horse tied to my house!” I cross my arms completely offended by his all to serious question.

“Hmm, well vehicles are unreliable where we are going.”

“What do you mean, we??” I start slowly backing away from him and the very large horse.

“You’ll be perfectly safe darling, he’s a sweetheart.” He pats the horses rear end as he grins at me.

“He isn’t the problem! You guys are freaking me out and I’m not going anywhere with you or your wacko friends!” I turn to run toward my house and stumble backwards, falling on my ass as I see the twins standing on the porch grinning at me.

“It’s me or them darling girl”

I crab walk away from them all and they just stand utterly still watching me so once I’m comfortable with the space between us I stand and watch them.

After several minutes of silence I break, “What do you want with me?!?”

The twins exchange looks before spinning and changing their entire face! They have huge fangs that extend past their lips and impossibly long pointed ears and their pupils have blown to cover their entire eye!

Screaming I break for a run and slam into a wall! Or what feels like a wall before cowboy man picks me up fireman style, “Your going to save us darling”

He’s caring me back to them and the horse and my instincts continue to scream at me so I start kicking and screaming to get away.

“Let me go! Put me down!”

Hendricks laughs and his face changes back, “Finally she starts screaming!”

“Hendricks would you shut up?” Cowboy seems totally at ease with me squirming in his arms. I start kicking and screaming more, now totally unafraid of getting hurt. He stops walking to fight me.

Hendricks continues to laugh in the background, “Need help Ulysses?”

“Leave” His one word answer is full of more menace than any word he has said up until now which causes me to pause in my desperation to escape. The pause was just long enough for him to heft me back over his shoulder and continue walking.

I start kicking and hitting him, “Put me down!!!”

He slaps my butt!

“Stop it now!”

“You! You! You spanked me! What the hell!” I can’t even process what is happening to me right now.

“You kick my horse and I’ll do worse than that”.

Suddenly I’m upright on the horse and he jumps on behind me with the reigns gripped in his hands around me.

“I’ll see you two on the compound in seven days”.

He starts the horse off at a gallop heading towards the mountains behind my house.

Huddling in my sweater I whisper in the silence, “Vampires aren’t real”.

He chuckles, “Neither are witches who can suck your essence from you”.

“But…but that isn’t what I do!”

“You don’t know anything about yourself child.”

It’s getting darker the deeper in the mountains he guides the horse and as I glance around I realize it is completely silent except for the horse and myself. Not even insects or other forest creatures.

“Why is it quiet?”

“The creatures sense my presence.”

I rub my hands over my face and whisper to myself, “It’s just a dream, just a dream”.

Please just be a dream.

“I was told you hit your adulthood a year ago, how old are you child?”

I jerk on the horse, “Of course I am!”

He suddenly grips my neck and turns my face towards his before tightening his grip to glare at me, “If you kick my horse again I will tie you to his saddle and drag you behind me”.

Suddenly I’m terribly afraid of him and I start shaking, “Please I’m sorry”.

He releases me and turns back to the woods, “We have a long ways to go so get comfortable.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

I huddle more in my sweater and watch the moon as we continue in the quiet. I try to avoid leaning against him.