2: Despair

Warning: strong language and more of the ugly blue suit

     The entire way to the house, Nathaniel could feel the psychic woman's sorrow. He couldn't figure out how this was even possible. He was feeling her emotions? Without trying? It made no sense! I'm imagining it. That must be why, he thought to himself. Still, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake it.

     "I'm going to go insane if this keeps up!" he yelled to the dark sky above him. His rant was interrupted by HER thoughts, 'Who is he? Where did he come from? Why me? .... I don't want this!' Nate could hear her voice echoing in his head. 'All I'd hoped for when I foresaw my own death was a warning to get my affairs in order. Now I'm denied even that because I'm not going to really die!' Nate growled at her thoughts.

       I must learn to block her out, that's all. Something in her abilities has latched itself onto me, and I must figure out how to keep her out. 

     Overwhelming despair settled over him, and it made him angry because it wasn't even his emotion! 

     He went inside his house and walked over to the bar to make himself a drink. At least now she'd stopped talking or thinking to herself and was only crying. Only crying... heart-wrenching cries that made him want to double over from the emotional pain of it.

      "I can't live like this," he spoke to nothing in particular. "I must get her to turn me loose! Set me free!" He hoped this connection didn't last long because he didn't know how much longer he could take this.

     His mind replayed her vision. In it, he was crying over her like she was the most precious person to him in the world, and she lay there dying in his arms. He couldn't tell how she had come to be that way; the vision didn't show that. Then he saw himself turning her with a desperate look in his eyes. She'd said, 'No, don't,' in the vision, but he'd ignored her.

      How could he do such a thing? He'd only just barely forgiven his own maker, but do this to a woman he would love? Terrible. Selfish! She'll ask him not to, but he'll do it anyway. She said she was never wrong. Never.

     He felt himself relax, and he guessed that must mean she'd gone to sleep. Good. Poor thing. He shook his head angrily. I don't care about her! I don't even know a thing about her! Other than she's a very reliable psychic... and she thinks vampires are terrifying. To her, becoming a vampire would be worse than dying. Ugh! I've got to stop thinking these things! .... Maybe this is temporary and will wear off with time. I doubt it, but I can hope.

The next day...

      I must've fallen asleep again, Gabriella thought as she woke up and found that it was already 5:30 in the afternoon. She'd spent most of last night crying. Then, when she woke up late this morning, she cried more only to pass out again from exhaustion.
      Funny how some people complain THEIR life is over when a minor tragedy hits them. Well, I have everyone beat.

      How come after all that sleeping I'm so tired still? She sat up in bed and stretched like a cat. She doubted there was a woman alive that enjoyed stretching more than she. She loved the feeling of the blood rushing in her veins when she was done with a good, long stretch. 
      She yawned and her stomach growled its complaint. She hadn't eaten all day. But I'm not hungry. Or, more like, I don't want to eat. Stupid stomach.
      Whether or not she felt like eating, she could no longer ignore the irritated way her stomach acted. She'd skipped dinner last night, breakfast this morning, and slept through lunch. She forced down some cereal.

      As she sat eating, her vision replayed itself tortuously through her head. Like all the other times, more times than she could count, she thought about how much she hated her 'gift.' Not many things surprised her. For instance, she knew her mother was pregnant with her sister before her mother knew it. She knew it was a girl, and that her mom would name her Caitlin. She also knew Caitlin had a different father. Her father never figured that out, and now it was too late to tell him since he'd been dead five years already.
      Now, she had another surprise of life taken from her. Yesterday she met the love of her life, and all she wanted to do was run away. It's not fair! What if I don't WANT to love him? Okay... so he's handsome. He has amazing eyes. She paused in eating her cereal to glare at the far wall. Of course he has amazing eyes; he's a fucking vampire! Why a vampire?
     Ugh. I can't eat any more of this.
     The doorbell rang before she could take her bowl to the sink. That must be Caitlin now. She said she'd come by later. Caitlin's 'laters' were always vague.

     "Hey, Caitli..." She paused. That's not Caitlin! She made a little squeal noise and slammed the door in Nate's face.

      "Gabriella? That is your name, right?" he asked through the door.
      "Let me change clothes!" she quietly yelled through the door.
     What you had on was just fine by me, Nathaniel thought before berating himself. Calm down! You're here to separate yourself from her!

     When she came back downstairs and opened the door, she saw him standing there with his arms crossed across his chest and a smirk on his face.
      "You mean you didn't know it was me?" he teased.
     She merely glared at him and longed to slam the door in his face again just from spite, but she knew that there must a purpose to his visit, and she was curious as to why he was here.
     "I told you I don't know everything. I just get the visions. That's it. That's bad enough," she said stiltedly. "Why are you here?" she asked.

      He answered her question with a question, "Are we going to stand here talking with the door wide open, or are you going to invite me inside? Or would you prefer to come out here on the porch?"      Right at that moment, she longed to just stand there with the door open... just to get on his nerves. Instead, she retreated to her kitchen. He stayed on the porch.
     Oh yeah, she thought as she remembered what she had to do. So that part must be true too.
    "Come in," she said, and as she turned around to wash her cereal bowl the inevitable future weighed heavily upon her.