Summer Dreams

The sun was setting over the beach, casting glistening waves in it's dimming light and lighting up the sky in vibrant colors of peach, purple, pink, red, and blue. There were a few clouds in the sky; nothing that threatened a storm, but it added to the beauty of the sunset quite nicely. Sunsets like these only happen every once in a while, with every color working in harmony to create the most majestic looking sunset any pair of eyes could see. To most, sunsets were just aesthetically pleasing, and to others, they were magical moments filled with many memories and emotions. For Emily, this sunset proved to be one of the most magical she had seen in her long life. It wasn't just the sunset itself that made it magical, but the company she was with, and the events leading up to it. 'I wouldn't change a thing.'

Her day started off normally: her usual morning routine, a quick mid-day hunt to satisfy her thirst to make it throughout the rest of the day, and doing some volunteer work for the city. She met up with her brother, Tristen, around 1:30 that afternoon for their daily lunch, and although they lived together still, they enjoyed being able to enjoy lunch together daily. Living together for them didn't mean seeing each other constantly at home; they both lived busy lives. Tristen was in college studying archaeology, and worked part time at his friends bakery. He didn't need the job; when his father passed away, he received a large amount of money from life insurance. The money sat in a secured account until he turned eighteen. Now nineteen, he had more money than he knew what to do with. As for Emily, volunteer work and hunting to satisfy her thirst consumed most of her days, but she also spent a long time visiting her foster mothers grave. She loved to go tell her the events of the day, even though she knew her foster mother couldn't really hear her. But it still brought a sense of satisfaction to Emily; she was very close to her foster mother.

Emily is a pure-bred vampire, and was born in a time where mythical creatures such as herself were hunted in England. Fearing for her life, her parents sent her to America to be raised by a foster family. She bounced around from home to home quite often, but when she was about twelve years old in human years, she was adopted by a very loving family, and lived with them up until they passed. Her foster mother was an incredible human; she loved and cared for Emily just like she was her own, and she worked at a hospital where they lived. Her mother knew Emily's secret; being a vampire and all, and would bring home blood to satisfy Emily's thirst. Emily admired her and actually looked up to her in many ways. They told each other everything, and Emily was devastated when she learned that her foster mother was diagnosed with cancer. She offered her a life of immortality, but her foster mother wanted to go the natural course. It didn't take more than a year before the cancer took her life, and Emily was crushed. The only thing that kept Emily sane was the fact that they adopted a son; the son of a good family friend of theirs. Him and his father were involved in a major car accident, and the son walked away practically uninjured; but his father was in a coma with critical injuries. They took him in and looked after him and loved him the way they did Emily. He was lucky enough to walk away as uninjured as possible, but his werewolf blood was what saved his life. He and Emily knew what the other was immediately, just by the scent they produced. Although it's no surprise that werewolves and vampires are natural enemies, they got along quite well. Emily loved him like a little brother, and served as a life preserver at times for Tristen. When their foster mother passed, the roles reversed; Tristen served as a life preserver for Emily.

It was shortly before she passed that Tristen had heard the news he was some-what waiting for: His father wasn't showing any improvement, and they couldn't keep him on life support any longer. Tristen struggled through those times, losing two people so close to him within such a close time, but Emily helped the best way she could.

A few months after all these events happened, Tristen and Emily decided they couldn't live in the house that held so many fond memories for them. They decided ultimate privacy was what they needed, and built a house out in the hills of the city. The house took a few months to build, and it was well worth the wait; when it was finished, it was the most grand house built in the history of the city. Of course, none of the townsfolk knew of the construction; Emily and Tristen kept the project very silenced. Most people didn't bother to go out that far; it was past the "forest" of the city, and getting out there alone was hazardous.

Life was normal for them after that; that was up until Emily met a nice boy named Sam. She was surprised how fast she grew feelings for him, especially considering how many times she was burned in the past. But she felt that there was something different about him, and she was right. For a while, she was a little promiscuous and loved to just fool around with guys; harmless fun, no attachments, and no feelings. When she first met Sam at the lake months ago, she pretty much threw herself at him, much like she did with other guys. He bought it, but not right away, which surprised her. He wasn't ready to just hookup like she was, and they actually sat at the lake for hours talking. He was just a normal human, oblivious to the fact that there were mythical beings living among him. However, that night, she told him what she was; surprising for her, since she was adamant about keeping what she was a secret. She didn't want to have word leak and be hunted the way her family was. But she felt comfortable around Sam, and he barely batted an eye when she told him.

They kept in contact for months; seeing each other almost daily. Eventually, this lead to the start of a beautiful relationship between the two of them, one that is still on going. She loved him with all she had, and she knew he felt the same. Well, for the most part...

Sam and Emily's relationship went solid for a little over a year. Sure, they had typical arguments now and then like all couples have, but they always moved on from it, usually within a couple of hours. It definitely wasn't perfect, but in Emily's eyes, it was the perfect fairy tale romance. She wouldn't trade it for anything, and she knew he felt the same, only because he told her on occasion. They went on dates once a week, usually saw each other for a little everyday, and talked when the time was available. Emily was hoping that they'd be together until the end on time, and this was her plan, until she got an unexpected call from her parents in the middle of the night.

Her parents are full blooded vampires, both; not created by anyone, but were both born from vampires. They are labeled as 'Originals' in the vampire world, since they are among the oldest living, most powerful, and are of the rare many vampires that weren't changed into being vampires. Being Originals, their "job" was to keep an eye on the vampire world and make sure that no humans were suspicious of vampires living among them. If anything was suspected, they eliminated the vampires that were threatening exposure. They only made one exception: if the vampire told a mythical being, or a human that could be trusted. If there was a suspected breach, they always went and took care of the problem, and sometimes it took longer than others. It depended on the severity of exposure. When they called Emily, it was to get her back to Italy to help take care of a massive vampire outbreak. A group of young vampires were going crazy, killing many humans to cure their thirst, and if they were satisfied before fully draining the human, they would leave them, which caused many humans to turn. The outbreak was massive, although very little evidence could be found that it was vampires causing the problem. But the Originals knew, and they had to act, and fast. Normally, Lucian and Ophelia, Emily's parents, wouldn't call upon her to eliminate vampires, but they needed all the help they could get.

When Emily got the call, she knew she immediately had to go. Without warning, and without any proper goodbyes. She had to leave Tristen, her foster brother whom she loved more than anyone (except her parents, of course), and Sam, whom she also loved but in a very, very different way. She knew that this would put all her existing relationships on a tight thread, but there was nothing she could do about it. She left for Italy no longer than ten minutes after getting the call. Thankfully, being a vampire, she didn't need sleep, and with the speed vampires possess, she could easily run on water without falling under. Even though vampires can go without oxygen, so it's not like swimming would be a bother, it just took longer. She arrived in Italy after a few short hours, and immediately went to work helping clean the mess. However, they couldn't do too much publicly, to avoid raising suspicion. They had to make the work look like a serial killer, and it worked, but it took much longer than necessary.

The job took a little over a year. Emily sent money to Sam, making sure he was well off, but she knew she couldn't explain herself to him via letter. That was a conversation best had in person. As for Tristen, she just let that be until she got back. She already knew the explaining she had to do, but she knew Tristen would be understanding and forgiving. But for Sam, she couldn't imagine how he'd react. She hoped for the best, but she was ready for the worst. She knew how much it would hurt to have the person you love leave without warning. She wasn't even sure if he accepted the money he sent, but she tried making amends. She knew she couldn't buy his love or forgiveness, and she wasn't; she was trying to show she still cared without explaining why she left.

Emily flew back to America, needing the time to fully plan out her apologies and make sure she knew how she was going to approach the situation. Once she landed, she took a deep breath, sighed, and headed for her house in the hills. To her surprise, it was the way she left it: pristine. She knew Tristen was a very neat person, but she was surprised how clean it was. It was almost as if no one had even been living there in the time she was gone. And to her suspicion, she was right: Tristen packed all his clothes, other various items, and found somewhere else to live. 'This isn't a good sign...' She thought, feeling absolutely horrible about him moving out. 'It must've been my fault...I mean, he wouldn't just leave with me here...' Her thoughts were racing, and she knew she had to speak to him as soon as possible. She decided to go searching for him first; after all, he was family. It took no time at all really; mainly, she followed his scent. After finding his apartment, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before knocking. To her surprise, a woman answered the door. She figured she was Tristen's girlfriend, judging by the annoyed look on her face.

She requested to speak to Tristen, and was honestly by the snarky response she got. "Um, who the hell are you and why are you asking to see my boyfriend?!" All Emily could do was stand there shocked for a minute. She composed herself, and very politely said, "I'm his sister, Emily. Please, may I speak with him?" The woman immediately apologized, and lead Emily inside, calling Tristen downstairs. To say he was surprised to see Emily was an understatement. He went through a flurry of emotions all at once; happiness, anger, resentment, surprise, and weirdly, guilty. They exchanged a quick conversation of the normal "Where have you been?! How long have you been back?!" when people meet again after not seeing each other for a period of time without explanation. Emily requested privacy to answer these questions, and Tristen's girlfriend, Roxanne, as Emily learned, left them alone so they could catch up.

Emily filled Tristen in on everything; why she left, why she was gone so long, and how bad she felt for just up and leaving the way she did. It was a very emotional moment for the both of them; they shared a quick cry before moving on. Emily apologized profusely for what she did, and her assumption was right: he forgave her, almost before she said the words "I'm so sorry". She was glad he forgave her, and although she wanted to spend more time with him, she had to go find Sam to explain to him why she was gone and why she left. She was incredibly nervous and scared; she knew how Sam was, and when it came to these kinds of things, he wasn't as receptive and forgiving.

It took her a bit longer to find him, but when she did, she experienced her own flurry of emotions, mainly nervousness and guilt. He didn't recognize her, as her looks had changed dramatically when she was gone: when they met, she had long black/blue hair, and dressed like a "scene girl". Now, her long black hair was dyed a natural looking blonde, and she dressed more appropriately. When she called his name, he was utterly surprised, and a little cold, which she was somewhat expecting. She had met him in the lobby area of the apartment he lived in. It wasn't anything fancy; as a matter of fact, it was kind of a dump, which showed he didn't accept or use the money she sent. They went to a more private area to talk, and after explaining to him why she left, there was a long silence. She knew it was a lot to take in, and she wasn't sure what he was thinking. To her surprise, he was guilty. He explained that he forced himself to hate her for leaving him the way she did, but after hearing why, he felt bad for making himself hate her. Although he forgave her, he told her they couldn't be together. He went on to say that he was a monster hunter; an inheritance from his mother. He worked for a monster hunters organization, and he knew if they were together again, he'd be putting her in danger. They agreed to go their separate ways, seeing as it was for the best. She gave him a quick, soft kiss and left, but not the city. She remained behind, despite the new danger. She had been in worse, and knew she could handle it.

She found herself an amazing penthouse; it over-looked the whole city and gave a 360 degree view of everything without any buildings to block the view. She lived here for a few months, until she started getting hunted by the monster hunters. She fled back to her house in the hills, knowing that the safest place for her without actually leaving. She brought along Tristen, knowing he was in just as much danger. They lived there together again for a while with no signs of the hunters finding them. Although they were in hiding, they were enjoying being together again. They had so much to catch up on, and this gave them more than enough to do so.

Although living in hiding wasn't exactly what Emily had planned, she had to admit it had its perks. She actually grew a little fond of it, and was enjoying it. That was until one day, when she took a walk in the forest...