The figure observed from a distance as she walked on. He was
bewildered by her sudden pause. With a quick scan of her mind, he saw why
she'd stopped, but he didn't understand it. He never was one to dwell on
the past, and didn't understand why so many did. He continued on slowly,
for he had no reason to rush. He knew he wouldn't lose Katherine, and if
he did he'd find her again easily. He knew her destination. Choosing not
to make the longer journey around the park to the hill on which she
walked, he followed the sidewalk straight ahead to where their paths
should meet. The whole time as he walked he watched Katherine through the
chain-link fence surrounding the pool. He loved to watch her. Her
graceful movement, and the gentle sway of her long blonde hair that
reflected the moonlight, never ceased to enchant him. He hated to take
his eyes off her.
Katherine felt the pair of eyes on her although she paid no heed
to them for she'd grown accustomed to them. Having felt them on her for
years, and paid them no attention, didn't even acknowledge them as eyes
but as a normal part of her life. She could hardly remember a time when
she wasn't being watched, and couldn't imagine that others didn't feel the
same way. Glancing over to where the figure stood, she didn't even see
him. Not that she'd looked too closely for the moon suddenly distracted
her from her previous thoughts. The moon shone very bright that night.
It was full. The sky was gorgeous, with the millions of stars dotting the
immeasurable blackness overhead. It wasn't a very clear night though.
There were a few clouds scattered around though not enough to block the
stars. They appeared almost gray near the moon with the moonlight
illuminating them. It was a beautiful night, the type she spent the day
hoping for.
Katherine quickly looked at her watch. She'd almost forgotten
that she was expected somewhere. She'd completely lost track of time.
Picking up her pace, she finally left the park, passing her invisible
stalker without a second thought. She proceeded on her way through the
streets, oblivious to the danger that could await a young girl wandering
the streets of that neighborhood alone. But she'd made this journey every
night for the past few months.
Finally the light up ahead came into her view. A smile spread
across her face for she knew they'd waited for her like she'd hoped. The
group of people who were all around her age, saw her approach. This group
was made up of her closest friends. They were all like her in a way. All
liked the dark and most were obsessed with vampires like her. A couple
days a week they'd all get together and have fun until the first light of
dawn peaked over the horizon. At that point they'd all rush back home
before their parents awoke. Katherine greeted them with a smile.
"Hi, Kath! We didn't think you'd make it." Chris said as he came up to her and gave her a hug. Chris was basically the leader of the group, if there was one at all. He was friends with everyone, and real big on giving hugs. This had taken Katherine a while to get used to, but after a few weeks she got used to it just like all the others had. If he didn't greet her with a hug she'd be afraid that something was wrong. He was the oldest member of the group, but only by about a year. He'd been the first to start these meetings, and then eventually the other four members joined him. Standing about six feet tall with his shoulder length curly brown hair always falling into his large brown eyes, that always looked sad although he himself rarely was, it was no wonder why this little group had joined him. Chris had been the first one of the group she'd met, for, like she, he went on his nightly walks even when there were no meetings, and they were lucky enough to run into each other. They'd become fast friends and he invited her to come to a meeting the following night. Of course she went and was able to blend in with the others perfectly.
"Of course! I wouldn't miss a meeting for the world! Thanks for waiting for me guys. I lost track of time and got here as soon as I could."
"Why wouldn't we wait for you? Without you, what kinda meeting would this be?" Chris grinned.
"Ok, well, everyone's here, lets' go!" That was Heather, always the impatient one. She was the girl with the long curly red hair and the odd eyes. Her eyes looked nothing like any Katherine has ever seen. They were bright blue from a distance, but if you looked at them closely they had a dark blue ring around the edges and bright yellow flecks on them. There were really quite beautiful. She was the second person Katherine had met.
The others she'd met all at the same time. There was Alexandra, or Alex as she liked to be called, the final girl in the group. She had light brown hair cut short to just below her ears, eyes almost the exact same color as her hair, and a little nose that turned up slightly at the end. Alex was rarely seen not smiling.
Lastly there were Jason and Colin. Both were somewhat short, just a little taller than she. Jason had jet black hair, that fell to just past his shoulders, which made his already pale skin look paler. His eyes changed from light green to blue depending on his mood. Colin's hair was a dirty blonde, and his eyes were grey. Despite these differences in appearance, people often thought they were brothers, for they were rarely, if ever, separated, and they acted exactly the same. These two were rarely serious.
When Katherine joined the group, she made the sixth person-- three males and three females. Not that it really mattered, because they all just thought of themselves as one big family. Katherine loved them all dearly, she felt closer to them than her real family, for they were the only people she knew that understood her.
Heather started walking off in the direction of the woods where they always held their meetings before anyone even had a chance to respond. The rest of the group followed her, crowding around her, laughing every few seconds, probably at Jason and Colin. Chris and Katherine fell back from the rest.
"Are you okay, Kath? You look...um...troubled." Chris asked, concern in his voice.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She smiled reassuringly. She couldn't believe she was still upset over someone she'd never met. Someone must people thought of as only a book character.
"You sure?" he didn't believe her.
She nodded, the forced smile still on her face, even though she knew that Chris could see right through it. She picked up her pace slightly. "Come on, we don't want to lose 'em."
The dark figure watched as the two joined the group. He was surprised that she hadn't told Chris what was on her mind. She'd always told him everything. At night, the two were practically inseparable, but during the day they never even saw each other. They lived on opposite sides of their city, and didn't even know were the other lived, or any of the group for that matter. He found this little turn of events interesting.
About ten minutes later they arrived at their usual spot in the woods and set up several candles around. The ground was bare from them walking on it so often. Colin had brought his radio as usual. Setting it down on a nearby rock, he turned it on loudly. The figure took his place far away form them, no more than a shadow in the dark. As the sound of the music made its way to him, it was almost amplified by his sensitive hearing. Colin had begun passing out the drinks to everyone, Katherine gratefully accepting her bottle and tilted the bottle to her lips. He watched as the amber liquid sloshed around in the bottle as she took a sip of it. A single drop spilled over her sensuous lips, the candlelight glistening off it. He imagined himself going over to her and licking it off her chin. He sighed. He knew that he could never do such a thing, no matter how much he wanted to. She'd know him for what he was in seconds and he couldn't let that happen. He didn't understand how he could've possibly fallen in love with a mortal. But there was also no way that he's fulfill her dream for her. He was afraid she'd regret it in the long run. Instead, Katherine had wiped it off with the back of her hand, laughing at the joke one of the boys had made.
Heather grabbed Jason by the hand, pulled him to his feet, and they began dancing. Shortly after, the others were also dancing, Katherine with Chris, and Alex with Colin. He watched as Katherine flipped her hair around, and the graceful movements of her body as she danced to the fast-paced music. He hardly even noticed that the other people were there. Katherine had danced with everyone, male and female, about an hour or so into the meeting. Exhausted, she collapsed on the ground near a tree, leaning her back up against it to catch her breath. She picked up her drink, and took a large gulp. The figure continued to watch them as they talked and laughed for the rest of the night. The sound of her laugh was melodious in his ears.
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