Past Passages

Journal 2

     "Selene!" called a voice from behind me as I decapitated my second vampire for the night.

      Looking up I saw Josiah, the owner of the voice that haunts my nightmares, perched on the edge of the roof of the building across the street.

     "Go away, Josiah." I say as I dodge one vampire while the second makes a swipe at my face. The vampires nails get me right below my left eyes. "I don't need your help."

     "Oh really?" Josiah jumps down from the roof of the building, about a good three stories, and lands perfectly on his feet like a cat. He casually walks towards where I'm standing fighting the last two vampires. "'Cause it looks like you do."

      He pulls a dagger from the hunting belt around his waist and swiftly throws it at the vampire I'm fighting. It slices him straight through the top of his head and he falls. When I turn to the last vampire I see Josiah already smashing it's head into the side of the wall.

      I release an aggravated sigh and wait for him to finish. When he's done, he straightens to his full height and rolls his shoulders back. Even in the dim light of the moon I can see the way his muscle ripple beneath his sleeveless under armor.

      Damn him and his body that features in my dreams, although I'd never admit that.

     Josiah turns and smiles his beautiful, cocky smile at me as if he knows I was watching him flex. I just scowl and continue walking the way I was going before those vampires attacked.

     Josiah catches up easily. "What? No 'thank you'?"

     "No but how's about a 'fuck you' instead?"

     "I always knew you wanted me." He smirked and put his arm around me.

     "I said go...away!" I grab at his arm and try to flip him but he sees it coming and and grabs my wrist and twists it behind my back. Then he wraps his free arm around my waist, pulling me close to him.

     "Why do you have to be so difficult, Selene?" he whispers into my ear, "It doesn't have to be like this. We could be good together. Just give us a chance." His hand finds it's way to my thigh, which he grips.

     "Maybe three months ago I would've considered it." I say right before I kick him in the knee. He avoids the kick but gives me the space I need to escape in the process. "But now, you're not even a blimp on my radar."

     Josiah groans. "You're still mad about that-"

     "Yes I'm still mad!" I yelled at him. "You had me discharged form the unit! I lost my rank and my vest because of you. I was put on one-year suspension. Now, I'm out in the freaking system like some orphan because of you. Do you know how many foster homes I've been through in the past three months since you had me suspended from the Hunter Academy? Seven. Seven not-even-half-ass homes, Josiah."

     Josiah just shrugs and rolls his sea green eyes. "Well, maybe if you weren't so angry all the fucking time people wouldn't be afraid to have you around."

     "You're saying this is my fault? It's my fault you decided to report me to the Supers, claiming that my 'lack of social skills and temperament are a threat to the way the Unit acts as a team'?"

      "No, that was all me. What I'm saying is that maybe if you fixed your attitude you wouldn't be moved so much."

     I shake my head in disgust. "You're a real asshole, you know that?" I say and continue walking.

     "Oh, come on Selene, you have to know I did it for you."

     "For me?" I turn on him again, stopping him just as he moves to follow me. "Josiah, in what universe does you ruining my record help me? What? Were you mad? Jealous that the Supers thought I was a better unit leader than you were? Were you jealous that I beat your kill streak in the simulation room?"

     "What? No!" Josiah runs both his hands through his hair angrily. "God, Selene, I swear sometimes you're just so...dense."

     "What are you-" I start but in a second Josiah has me backed up against a wall.

     "The VHA ain't all it's cracked up to be, Selene." He says in my face. "I know all the fame and praise that comes with being number one is great but then they start expecting things from you. They start using you, sending you on secret hunting missions and some of the things you hunt aren't vamps, okay? Ever wonder why I kept coming home with bruise, cuts, broken bones? There are things out there that make the vamps we kill look like new born puppies, Selene. And they expect you to kill them, hordes of them, by yourself! I didn't ruin you, Selene. I saved you. Remember that next time your throwing your darts at my picture on your wall."

      With that he pushes away from me and flashes away, leaving me wondering what type of creature he had to fight... and how he knows about his picture on my wall.

~~~

     That night when I got 'home' I saw my newest foster mother Michelle throwing he latest fiancé's  bags out the front door. Her fiancé, or I guess ex now, Kevin, was standing out in the yard trying to catch all the clothes she was throwing out and calm her at the same time.

     "Come on, baby." Kevin was saying, "you know I didn't mean that. Let's just put this behind us."

     "You said my toes were fat!" Michelle yelled at him. "You just don't forget something like that!"