The Last Embrace

"Nana, have you seen Jessy?"

"Probably in her garden," the older woman replied without taking her eyes off from what she"s doing.

"Thanks-Nana," he exited the kitchen door, which leads to a pathway leading to Jess" garden of roses.

He found her busy watering her plants. Red roses are her all-time favorite flower. Adam also love red roses, they have similar color with "blood" his food, he smiled at Jessy who happened to glance at him.

"There you are-need some help?" he asked casually.

"Those roses over there...you can pull those small weeds that starting to grow around them." She directed him to the last rows of roses on her left side.

Adam went on to do the task she a.s.signed him with. He was able to finished the task in a few minutes. "Anything else-?"

"Thanks- Adam, am nearly finished." She continues watering the plants.

Adam went to rest under the shade of an oak tree near the garden. He can very well see Jessy"s backside from where he was sitting. She was wearing denim shorts, exposing her long-well defined beautiful legs. She got her hair tied on a ponytail. Some dirt was smeared on her cheeks and forehead, he found it cute though.

She must have felt his intense stare on her back because she glances in his direction. "What are you looking at-?

"Am looking at your pretty roses, dear..." He replied, smiling.

After done watering her plants, she sits down beside Adam under the shade of the oak tree.

"How"s your progress with the piece of paper I gave you last time?" he inquired.

"Am not making any progress at all," she said sadly.

There"s a hint of disappointment in the tone of her voice.

"Take it easy-Jess. Don"t force yourself too hard," he told her.

She pouted. "But I want to be mentally and psychologically prepared for it. I have this urgency to awaken my power early, I dunno why?" She"s puzzled by her eagerness to harness her none existent powers and because of that, she felt stupid sometimes.

"I understand you, Jess. If you have free time, drop by at my room tonight. I will teach you some mental technique. Maybe it can help awaken your inner powers," he offered.

"Wow, that"s great! Can"t wait!" she exclaimed, suddenly feeling excited.

He loves it when her face breaks into a radiant smile, it"s contagious! He suddenly feels good all over.

Beautiful Sat.u.r.day morning, gentle breeze, red roses in full bloom in front of them and a beautiful girl beside him. What more he can ask for? Simply a fantastic sight to behold! He closed his eyes and sealed this beautiful memory in his heart and soul forever.

A comfortable silence descended into them. Creating a warm blanket enveloping them from all directions...

Jessy closed her eyes as well, savoring the gentle wind caressing her skin. She and Adam are getting closer with each other as days pa.s.ses by. It"s actually a good turning point for them. She"s beginning to see him in a whole new different light.

Then his right hand suddenly reached for hers, they were holding hands from that point onward. Then he continues daydreaming.

But Jessy is already wide awake, staring and examining his hands with all those ugly dark spots sprinkled on his skin. She rarely sees him without a shirt. He always wore large t-shirts and long pants, maybe he wants to hide them. They looked like a tattoo, but those dark spots are not pleasant to look at.

"You got such horrible looking dark spots all over your body, Adam. Who gives them to you? Who cursed you with this-? Please tell me," she pleaded.

Adam flinched upon hearing her scrutiny of his dark spots. But he let her continue examining those ugly spots, at least he got her lovely hands working magic on some part of his body, he smirked in private.

"Please, don"t destroy our perfect lovely morning-Jess," he tried to stop her from exploring the dark side...

"Why- are you avoiding this topic every time I brought it up?" she can"t understand that. She knows he doesn"t want to talk about his curse openly with anyone. But she wants to help him find the cure of that curse, someday. She needed to know who gives him the curse?

"Why don"t you let this topic drop-Jess? Just let it be..." He started to get annoyed.

"Because I want to help you one day...Adam. I want to find that person who cursed you and make him take away the curse so that you won"t suffer with it anymore. You don"t deserve this!" she said in an indignant manner.

Adam inhaled sharply.

"You can no longer find him in this lifetime, he was already dead, long time ago." He said with contempt, then sadness began flooding his face.

Her hope is gone! Jess felt very sad upon hearing the truth.

She was really planning to find the culprit and make him pay dearly for it. She really wants Adam to not suffer anymore. But all hope is lost now.

"Oh-am so sorry-Adam," she uttered the words earnestly. She knows her words is not enough to comfort him.

Adam started to retreat into silent mode again, trying to block her disappointments that hugely mirrored his own.

She still wants to know the story behind the curse."Can you please tell me about it?"

He looked at her, hesitating...

"Come on," she persuaded him gently.

Adam closed his eyes. Trying to remember about the story her mother told him about the curse. When the memories start appearing clearly on his mind, that is the time he started talking...

"Long time ago, there was a war between my father and his rival vampire clan. Those clans are cruel-savage vampires who kill humans without mercy just for the insane joy of killing. They slaughter humans like animals and immersed in diabolic practice doing those horrible deeds. They don"t follow rules other than their own. Years of battle took place until my father finally defeated their leader and killed their shaman as well. Before the shaman lost his breath, he chanted a horrible cursed on me. He told my father that I will suffer horrible skin conditions that have no cure and I will also die on the same day your power will be unlocked."

Jess" mouth falls agape, her eyes started to water with disbelief and total shocked knowing that she can no longer help him and he has to die on the same day she will turn twenty.

That explains the reason why Adam is always moody and seemed to be always living in a gloomy world on his own.

"In a nutsh.e.l.l, I will die on the same day you will turn twenty years old. That"s a fact and nothing can change that," he said coldly.

"No! I won"t accept that! Why would you die? Who"s going to kill you?" she demanded. She felt a heavy sadness squeezing her heart. Her mind refused to accept what she just heard from him. She started sobbing...the sadness she felt is too much to bear.

"I won"t allow you to die!" she keeps repeating the words like a mantra.

"There"s nothing you can do about it -Jess. It"s our destiny," he murmured softly trying to comfort her. He gathered her affectionately in his arms, allowing her to cry freely and comfortably.

"W-who"s going to kill you? How will you die?" she asked him again between sobs.

He doesn"t want to answer the question, it will surely add a heavy burden on Jess already fragile heart. But since she already opened the Pandora"s Box, there"s no turning back...

"You will be the reason of my death-Jess," he said softly in an agonizing manner.

She gasped in shocked. "No! That can"t be! Why would I kill you!?" she protested in a hysterical manner.

"Well, you have no choice in the first place. In order to awaken the full capacity of your power, I have to feed you my blood first. You won"t be able to stop by then. You will bleed me to death. I will die on that day and that is already decided by the curse a long time ago. That"s all there is to it, end of story..."

"T-then we will die on the same day. We will die together," she whispered in a trembling voice.

The degree of finality in her voice alarmed Adam to the core.

"No Jess! You should live, my clans are waiting for the day that you will save them. You can finally find your parents and you will become the most powerful being in the whole world. You will have the world at your palm. Isn"t that great?" he tried hard to inject enthusiasm in his voice but failed miserably. His voice is cracking...thinking of her grand future without him on the picture is pure torture.

He always thinks and dreams that she belongs to him for eternity and they will grow old together. It"s all just a dream and wishful thinking...a fantasy...a make-believe world he continues to waved day after day in a foolish manner.

"Please don"t be silly," he pleaded for her to see reasons and weight her options carefully.

She did not utter a word, but she"s listening...

"Come to think of it. I will live forever in your blood, in your mind and in your heart. We are united. I will always be there for you on every journey that you take. I think it"s better that I can make great contributions to you that way. At least my pathetic life will have a good use after all. The curse will end the day I die. So, yeah am free at last. It"s not as bad as you think, we just have to look at it from a different perspective," he said trying to convince her.

She"s maintaining her silence while he keeps talking about the pro"s and the con"s to her...she"s not even interested with his explanation.

Afterward, she dried her tears away with the hem of his t-shirt and disengage slowly from his embrace.

She stood up. "Am going into my room," she said in a shaky voice.

"You-okay now?" he asked her in a worried voice.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"You can go in first, I will stay here for a while," he said.

He watched her enter the kitchen"s room and disappears behind it.

He knows, she will continue crying in her room...

He needed to be strong for her, but she needs to be strong for herself. She will only have herself to depend on when he"s gone.

It"s kind of really sad how this perfect day turns into mental and emotional torture for Jess, he sighed. His feeling tortured too, seeing her so heartbroken is tearing him apart into a million pieces. Now he knows, she really does care deeply for him and she"s even willing to die together with him. And that beautiful heartfelt revelation brings fresh tears to his eyes.

What a very sad day...