They went gliding, weightless, into the strong tides of the Hudson River.
The huge moon sat on the horizon, lighting up the water, and the night was incredibly still. The only sound Scarlet could hear was the lapping of the waves against the boat.
She leaned back in the boat and closed her eyes, feeling the water gently rock her, as Sage paddled the kayak, alternating hands. She breathed in the cool, moist October air coming off the river, and for the first time in a while, felt completely at ease in the world.
She opened her eyes and looked up, and saw a galaxy filled with stars. It was the most magical night she'd ever seen.
They soon approached a small island, sitting in the middle of the Hudson. Uninhabited, covered in trees, it stretched hardly a hundred feet in each direction and was ringed by a small, sandy shore.
"I come out here sometimes," Sage said softly in the night. "It's a place I can go to be alone. I've never shared it with anyone."
She was touched.
"Thanks for bringing me."
They lodged on its narrow shore, and Sage jumped out and pulled the boat up onto the sand. He then reached out and gave Scarlet a hand up.
Sage yanked the boat further onto the sand, making sure it was secure, then reached down and took off his shoes. Scarlet did the same, and the sand felt so nice and cool on her bare feet.
He took her hand and led her across the small beach, bringing her to a spot halfway around the island, marked by a sand dune. They sat side by side. She leaned back against the sandy dune, and had never been so comfortable. It was like reclining back into a chair.
Above their heads were the branches of a tree, leaning out over the river. Before her, the entire Hudson was spread out.
He reached over and took her hand in his, interlacing their fingers. Their hands felt as if they were meant for each other.
They sat in silence for a long time, and Scarlet began to wonder if he was ever going to speak. She hoped that he would. She loved just sitting there like this, but she was dying to know everything him. Her mind raced with questions. But she thought it best to wait until he was ready to tell her whatever it was he wanted to.
She didn't know how much more time had passed, when finally, he cleared his throat.
"I'm going to tell you everything," he began. "But you have to promise to keep it a secret."
She looked over and saw how serious he was.
"I promise," she said earnestly. "You can trust me. After all, I trusted you: I just told you I thought I was a vampire."
"But what I might tell you, it might turn you away," he said. "If that's what you decide, then I understand." He looked down. "You probably won't believe me when I tell you."
"Sage, I promise," she said. "I'll believe you. Whatever it is, I'll believe you."
He looked up into her eyes, and he finally seemed to believe her. He looked back down at the water for a very long time, until once again, he was ready to talk.
"I am an Immortalist. I come from a family of Immortalists. We have been alive for nearly two thousand years. Our name, though, is deceptive: we are not immortal. None of us. Our life span is finite. Two thousand years, exactly. In fact, as fate would have it, we have only weeks left to live."
Scarlet felt a knife go through her heart. He would die in a few weeks?
She stared back at him, her heart pounding with the ramifications. She wanted desperately to believe him. And a part of her did. It would explain everything—how different he was, how different his family was. Why she felt so strongly about him.
"You're going to die?" she asked, barely able to say the words.
He nodded.
"That's why I had to send you away earlier," he explained. "I got struck by the pains. In our final months, the pains get worse. I didn't want you to see me like that. And I didn't know how to explain."
"But you could have just told me," she said, her heart lifting as she finally realized that he hadn't been rejecting her after all. "I would have understood."
"Would you have?" he asked, staring at her.
Scarlet thought about it, and realized that maybe he was right, maybe she wouldn't have understood. Maybe at the time it would have all seemed too far-fetched, too fantastical. She wasn't even entirely sure if she believed all of it now. A part of her still wondered if this was all just Sage's strange fantasy.
"You are wondering," he said, looking at her. "I can sense it. You don't believe me."
"Well, I, um…well, it's not that I don't believe you…it's just that…"
"I'll show you," he said, suddenly sitting up. "I'll prove it to you. Give me your hand."
She looked at him skeptically.
"You don't have to prove anything," she said.
"I want to," he said. "I want you to believe me. To truly believe me. It's important to me."
He held out his hand, palm down, and she slowly placed hers under his, palm up, wondering.
He closed his eyes, and as he did, she felt a tremendous heat emanating from his palm. The heat grew more and more intense, until he opened his eyes and slowly removed his hand.
As he did, she was shocked at what she saw: sitting there, in her palm, was a small, translucent orb, a circular white light about the size of a baseball. It was warm and fuzzy to the touch. She was amazed to see it rise up and hover just over her palm.
"What is it?" she asked, breathless.
"A light orb," he explained.
"What does it do?" she asked in wonder.
"We use them to light up the night, or sometimes for heat, or for healing. Sometimes, we use them just for fun, the same way your kind blow bubbles. We send them off into the night, like balloons. Eventually, they dissipate. Watch."
He bent over and blew on her hand, and as he did, she was amazed to watch the orb drift off into the air. It flew in the air, carried by the wind, like a balloon. She watched as it floated over the Hudson, slowly getting farther and farther away, like a firefly disappearing into the night.
She hardly knew what to say. She couldn't believe it: it was real. All of this was real. Every word Sage was saying was true. The supernatural really did exist. Which meant, maybe, she was a vampire. And which meant Sage really was going to die soon. These thoughts overwhelmed her.
"We have our own strengths and vulnerabilities," he continued. "For example, we have super-sonic hearing, yet we cannot hear over bodies of water. We cannot tolerate high-pitched sounds, which can incapacitate us. We don't need to feed—ever. Our own life force is self-sustaining. That is why we've been able to live in harmony with humans all this time. Yet, despite this, some of our kind do feed anyway. Not because they have to, but because they get a high from it. Feeding on a human gives a rush, like a drug high. It has been outlawed by our Grand Council and is strictly forbidden. Lack of harmony with humans is bad for us all, and can draw unwanted attention. But now, with the end of days coming, everything is changing. The rules are being disregarded."
He took a deep breath.
"We don't have blood. And that is why you felt no urge to feed on me, as you had with Blake. Vampires are more powerful than humans, but we are more powerful than vampires."
Scarlet's heart was pounding, as she was starting to believe it all. He was so convincing.
"We have the ability to transform into a raven-like creature," he added. "When we choose to, we can fly. When our kind feeds on humans, they swoop down and wrap their wings around a human tightly. It doesn't kill them. But it does drain their energy and can lead to a psychotic break."
Scarlet suddenly realized.
"Tina. That girl in my class. The one who was attacked by an animal the other night and went crazy. One of yours did that?"
Sage nodded back gravely.
"Lore. I am ashamed to say. He's out of control."
Scarlet's mind spun as she tried to process it all. She didn't feel afraid of Sage, but she sensed danger, and was growing increasingly afraid.
"Is that why your family came here? To this town? To feed?"
"It's more complicated than that," he said. "They didn't come to feed. Not most of them, anyway. They came for the cure."
"The cure?" she asked, perplexed.
"Our legend tells us there is a cure for our condition, an elixir that will enable us to live past our two thousand year limit. One that will enable us to be truly immortal."
"And you think the cure is here?" she asked.
"My family does. Legend tells us there will come a day when there appears one other immortal being on our planet. A teenage girl. A vampire. And that she will hold the key. She must give us this key freely in order for it to work. Once we have it, it will lead us to the elixir. And then, we will be cured. And truly immortal."
Scarlet's eyes lit up in recognition. She was almost afraid to ask.
"The teenage girl. The vampire. Is that…me?"
"Yes," he said, gravely. "It is."
Scarlet started shaking inside. She felt her whole world crumbling around her. So that was why Sage was interested in her. Not because he liked her. But only because he thought she held the key to his immortality. She felt hurt. Used.
"So," she said, devastated, "then that's it? The reason you're with me? Just so you can get the key and live forever?"
She felt like crying, and began to get up to leave.
Sage sat up and grabbed hold of her wrist.
"Scarlet, it's not like that. You have to understand. Please, give me a chance."
She saw the earnestness in his eyes, and willed herself to listen. To give him one chance.
"It's true, my parents sent me on this mission, to come to the school, to meet you. They were hoping I would convince you to give us the key. Yes, it's true, they hoped I would gain your trust. At first, I went along with the mission."
He leaned in and looked at her meaningfully.
"But from the moment I met you, I knew I could never go through with it. I knew from the second I saw you that I loved you too much. This, now, our being together—it has nothing to do with their mission. It has everything to do with us. That is their mission, not mine. I'm here with you now because I love you."
Scarlet examined his face, searching it to see if he was being honest. She sensed that he was.
He loved her. She could hardly believe it. Especially because she felt that she loved him, too.
"I know it's too soon to use such strong words. But I say what I feel. I always have. And I have only weeks left to live. I am have no time to waste. I want you to know how I feel. I need for you to know how I feel."
Scarlet saw the sincerity in his eyes, and she believed him. And she loved him back, more than ever. But at the same time, her heart was breaking.
"I mean, why fall in love with me? Why now?" she asked, on the verge of tears. "When you only have weeks left to live? Why torture yourself? Why torture me?"
"I know," he said. "And I am sorry. I didn't plan on this."
The thought of his death pained her terribly. She couldn't lose him.
"I don't understand," she said. "Why can't I just give you the key? I mean, I don't even know what it is, but if I have it, why can't I just hand it to you? I don't want to see you die."
He shook his head.
"You don't understand. It's not that simple. Yes, you do have the key. I have seen it. In fact, I see it right now."
Scarlet saw him look down at her throat, and she suddenly realized.
Her necklace. The one her mom had given her. The one that the priest had freaked out about. That was his key. That was what they wanted.
"Just take it," she said, reaching back to unclasp it.
He reached up and grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
"I will not," he said firmly. "In order for our elixir to work, in order for our kind to be immortal, there are two steps. The first is that they must use the key, find the elixir and drink. The second is that they must kill the key-giver."
Scarlet looked at him, and her eyes widened in horror.
"I'm sorry," he added softly. "Legend has it there can only be one immortal creature on earth. That is what they believe. And that is why I cannot accept the key."
He stared off into the river, as she collected her thoughts. Her mind was spinning
"That is why I've been lying to my family," he said. "I don't trust them. They are desperate. They will stop at nothing to get your key. And to kill you. That is why I brought you here, to this island. To be safe from them. The water, it protects us from their watchful ears. Not all of my kind are as caring: if I don't bring back the necklace, they will try to kill you."
He reached out and slid a small ring on her index finger. It shined even in the night, covered with diamonds and rubies and sapphires. All along its gold band were ancient symbols. It looked priceless. She was amazed as it slid on her finger: it fit perfectly.
"This will protect you from them," he said. "If one of them ever tries to attack you, this will save you."
"But there's still one thing I don't understand," she said, feeling on the verge of tears. "If I don't give you my necklace, you'll die. By saving me, you're allowing yourself to die. You would rather die yourself than see me dead? Why? You don't even know me."
He looked down, then looked up, his eyes filled with tears.
"You're right. I don't know you. But I do love you. And I would happily give up my life for you. I know it sounds crazy. But that's how I feel."
Scarlet was overwhelmed with emotion. She hardly knew what to say. She'd never met anyone as intense as Sage. And never met anyone who loved her as much. It was crazy. But somehow, she understood. Somehow, she felt the same amount of love for him. And she didn't want him to die.
She reached up and took off her necklace and pushed it into his palm.
"I don't want you to die," she said, crying. "Please. Take it."
He pushed it back into her palm, as his eyes welled up.
"I'm sorry," he said. "But I never would."
Scarlet leaned in and embraced Sage, and he hugged her back. She hugged him tightly, not wanting to let him go, overwhelmed with grief, love, longing. Anger at fate. She couldn't understand why the world had brought them together only to tear them apart. She clung to him, crying, willing for the universe to change their destiny—and knowing somehow that it would not. As he hugged her back, his muscles rippling, she felt so safe in his arms, and yet so sad, knowing that in just a few weeks, she would never be in those arms again.
Did fate have to be so cruel?
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