Follow his lead

Rachel shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. What the hell am I doing? She asked herself, then turned to Caleb and met his eyes. She saw a concerned urgency there, pleading her to follow.

She latched onto his strength and let him take her by the hand, following his lead as he grasped her tightly and pulled them out of the locker room.

Again she found herself ignoring the gossipy looks and whispers of the other girls practicing at the gym. It annoyed her, but it all seemed so unimportant now. All of this shit was really, actually, happening.

“Hey, where are you going?” One of the girls shouted. “We’re just about to start practice.” She recognized the voice as Alisa, the asian/American mix girl who played libero. The one person who seems genuinely nice on the team, really. Rachel thought.

The door swung open, loudly, as Caleb shoved it out of the way and pulled the two of them outside. Rachel winced as she followed him out, a slight burning sensation suddenly flaring against her skin. It was mild enough that she just ignored it, and didn’t give it a second thought. She just wanted out of there. Away, anywhere else.

When they finally made it to Caleb’s car, Rachel let out a sigh of relief as they drove off. Caleb remained serious though, intently focused on his driving and… whatever else was swirling through his head.

There is no telling what he is thinking right now… Rachel thought, and could not gather the courage to ask.

The car ride was an awkward one. Both Caleb and Rachel stayed quiet the entire ride, but as she became aware Caleb was turning into her apartment complex she found the courage to speak up.

“I’m sorry…” she started, but hesitated... “I’m sorry about last night…”

He glanced over to her, his face indiscernible, but didn’t respond.

Dread consumed Rachel’s thoughts. Things had been going so well… but now…

“Nevermind that….” He finally responded as he parked. He reached over to her then, and brushed her straight brunette hair aside revealing her neck. His eyes narrowed on the healed over bite marks, which stood out on her otherwise smooth and unblemished neckline.

“Stop…” She whispered, swatting his hand away. She felt embarrassed by it. Not to mention frustrated, insecure, confused… She covered her neck with her hand, ashamed, and looked out the window, avoiding eye contact with him.

“I guess I’m starting to put it all together,” Caleb said. “But it all seems impossible… there is no way…” he paused, looking at her for an answer of some kind.

“Say something,” he demanded, “explain this, tell me I’m losing my mind and…”

“He came for me 3 nights ago…” Rachel interrupted suddenly. There’s no point hiding anything now, might as well tell him everything. She thought.

“Wait… what!?” Caleb responded, “He?”

She nodded, but motioned for him to be quiet and let her finish, then continued. “He was so charismatic… with those oddly captivating yellow eyes… they seemed almost luminescent….”

“I resisted him at first,” she continued after a brief pause, “confident that I was going to be able to fight him off… handle and stop any of his bullshit.”

“I was so naive,” she said bitterly. “He was not just some random perv creeping on me…”

“He played with me at first, let me think I had some control over the situation…”

“But then… he began to tell me what to do… compelled me… ‘how to think’…. and I…” she swallowed hard. “And I melted beneath his golden eyes.”

“Like putty in his hands.” Rachel felt a tear roll down her cheek, then dropped her hand from the bite on her neck and turned to face Caleb.

“He bit me then. It hurt so bad…” she paused, seemingly in shock recalling it.

“His fangs… the bite felt so deep… impossibly…”

“I could not move, could not resist. I went limp and was powerless to do anything.”

She paused again, “Then, suddenly, I could feel him sucking… drinking, the warmth from me…”

“It was odd, the feeling of it, but suddenly it didn’t hurt so bad anymore…”

It felt good, actually… so, so very, good... Rachel thought, but kept it to herself. It was a violation, a ****, and she was disgusted with herself for remembering part of it in such a way.

She quickly realized she had paused awkwardly, and **** herself to continue.

“It was all like a bad dream at first, when I woke up. I didn’t remember much. It was fuzzy, and I didn’t believe it was real anyway...” She paused, “I mean how could it be real?”

It was a rhetorical question, but she looked at Caleb anyway, seeking a response. All she found there was confusion, and a look of genuine concern for her.

“Until last night when he came again…” she continued.

“I’m sorry Rachel”, Caleb reached to her, interrupting. “I should have done… something, should have been more pushy about coming in… I knew something was off with you… that something was wrong.”

“There was nothing you could have done…” she replied dismissively, “you would have just been in danger with no warning about what was coming.”

Caleb sighed, but Rachel took the hand he offered into hers as she continued.

“So I shot you down to make you go away… to try and keep you safe.”

Caleb nodded.

“Then, when I got in and saw him, all the memories came flooding back. Like he had unlocked something in my mind.” She paused, trembling slightly, “and before I knew it, I was giving myself to him again, almost willingly…”

“And then his fangs were in my neck again,” she paused, feeling herself tremble, “drinking until I was cold and he was satiated.”

Other Memories flashed in her mind, memories she would not share with Caleb, ~Remembering the way he handled her, dominantly. His fingers aggressively slipping into her spandex, bringing her privates to climax as he fed… and laying back on the couch, as he entered her, satisfying his ‘other’ needs. ~

She felt her body betray her then, as warmth seeped from between her legs. - Rachel suddenly looked away. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”

She paused for a moment, then turned and looked back into Calebs eyes, seeking honest information from him. “Do you…” Rachel asked hesitantly, “do you remember your… encounter with Jenny?”

Caleb shifted uncomfortably.

“I… yes… after we saw Jenny and Savannah at the gym… some memories returned. It was kind of like you described, like memories unlocked…”

“Wait…” he paused, meeting Rachel’s eyes, “are you sure you want to hear this?”

“Yes… tell me, please.” She responded.

Caleb huffed, then continued, “I think she… was waiting for me in the car last night. I didn’t even know she was there at first. I was frustrated, and confused, and then she just suddenly appeared. She said things to me… told me to do things that I would not normally do….”

“And…?” Rachel nudged him along.

“And she had me take off my pants…. She… went down on me… then… well, you know.. bit me.” He eye’d his crotch awkwardly.

“She was doing the same when I found you in the locker room with her…” Rachel’s face twitched, betraying feelings of anger and jealousy.

She hesitated, but went ahead with her question, “Did it… you know…” she paused, not really sure how to say it,

“…You didn’t seem to… mind it…?”

Caleb again shifted uncomfortably in his car seat. “I uhhh…”

“This is awkward, Rachel… you’re my girlfriend… and Jenny just… It’s not like I had a say in any of this…”

“Ok.. ok… sorry” Rachel responded, rescinding her question.

“But yes…” Caleb said quietly, “It was not, unpleasant…”

“She was gentle…” he continued, slowly, “as gentle as I think she could be.” He paused. “For what she was doing.”

“Did you drink any of her blood?” Rachel asked promptly.

“What?!,” Caleb responded shocked, “No… why?”

“I think it’s a part of making someone like them…” she responded, quietly, barely loud enough for Caleb to hear. “He’s… he’s shared his blood with me.”

Her eyes met his again. “Twice…”

Caleb carefully pulled his hand back from Rachel. “So, what Jenny said back there… about one more bite… and drinking his blood, one more time…”

Caleb suddenly remembered what she said about the yellowish eyes, too. The same that Jenny had when she compelled him in the car…. And in the locker room… and….

“Yes Caleb…” she responded, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, anticipating his inevitable rejection.

“Your eyes…” Caleb calmly said, “that night, in the theater…”

“They glowed yellow…” he said to her, now seemingly in shock.

“I…,” Caleb stuttered, as it finally sunk in that she was turning.

“I… I need time to process all this…”

Rachel understood, tears now streaming down her face uncontrollably.

She nodded, then opened the door and stepped out before he could say anything else, trying to conceal the complete devastation on her face.