Nightshade: A SimLit | Chapter 57: Forgiveness

Despite her hangover, Tiffany managed to drag herself out of bed after a long while of being lost in thought. She got dressed and brushed her teeth thoroughly, until she was certain that the scent of alcohol was no longer detectable on her breath, and headed for the stairs. As she neared the bottom, she saw Onyx and Amelia walking through the front door. With a frown, she called out to them. "Hey, wait!" 

Their chatter fell silent and they turned to step back inside.

"You're up late," Amelia said as Tiffany approached. "You're lucky it's a weekend."

Tiffany ignored her comment and raised an eyebrow. "Where are you sneaking off to?"

Onyx and Amelia glanced at each other before explaining. "Sneaking?" Onyx was the first to speak. "We aren't sneaking, so if you want to know, we have training with Caleb today."

"And I'm going to leave you in the dust," Amelia taunted. "He always says you're stronger, but not this time!"

"Right," Onyx returned the playful grin that she flashed him. "We'll see about that."

Before either of them could continue their banter, Tiffany spoke. "Can I go with you this time? I'm old enough now, don't you think?"

Onyx was hesitant. "Well..."

Amelia raised an eyebrow, a playful tone still evident in her voice. "You just don't want her to see you lose."

Onyx shook his head. "That's not true! It's just that... if something with the you-know-who were to happen in Forgotten Hollow..."

"The you-know-who?" Tiffany frowned.

Amelia sighed. "Right. But they still don't know the location, so I'm sure we'll be safe. We always have been, right? We should let her come with us."

Onyx seemed thoughtful, then finally nodded. "You're right. Fine," he smiled over at Tiffany. "You can come."

Tiffany smiled in return. "Really? Thanks, you're the best," she said. 'Why did they ignore my question? Who were they talking about?'

-----

When they got there, Tiffany noticed that Caleb had already been waiting at the foot of the stairs leading up to his house, as if he knew they were coming and when they were supposed to arrive. She had never been to Forgotten Hollow, and she could count on one hand the number of times she caught glimpses of him when he came to their house. 

"Welcome," he said, his lips curling into a smile. "It's great to see you two again. I see you've brought Tiffany this time?" 

"Yes, she wanted to come and see Forgotten Hollow," Onyx replied. "I hope you don't mind?"

Caleb shook his head. "No, of course not. Anyway..."

Tiffany crossed her arms as the adults began to speak what was nothing more than nonsense to her. Things about people called The Arcane and The Triple A, vampire stuff... she didn't know what any of this meant, and it frustrated her. Why didn't anyone ever tell her anything?

As her mind began to wander off, Caleb finally snapped her attention back to the conversation.

"So, about your training..." Caleb smiled. "I've proudly watched the two of you grow over the years we've trained together. You've become reasonably powerful, and although I'm still of a higher rank than you, I'm not sure there's much more for you to learn from me. Instead, I'll be giving you some books, called vampire compendiums, to give you the knowledge of anything you could possibly want to know. And I'd like for you to train together instead. You can help each other grow stronger."

Amelia frowned. "That sounds great, but... are you really sure we're ready for this?"

"No," Caleb said, "which is why I'm giving you a test." 

"A test?" Onyx's head tilted with curiosity.

Amelia grinned. "With all due respect, I'll probably fail it. I wasn't a star student in school, you know."

Caleb chuckled. "I have no doubt that you two will pass this test with flying colors. You see, it isn't a test you're capable of failing. It's simply a test of your true strength and willpower, even with heightened emotions, hesitance, and stress..."

Onyx frowned, a sinking feeling starting to pool in his stomach. "What exactly is this test?"

Caleb smirked. "To complete this test..."

"The two of you will have to battle each other."

"E-Each other!?" Amelia finally stammered out, feeling every muscle in her body tense. "But..."

"Don't worry, I think the two of you have enough sense not to injure each other," Caleb assured. "It's no different than the friendly spars we have together, right?"

"It is when you're sparring with your wife," Onyx muttered.

"W-Well..." Amelia hesitantly turned to Onyx. "I guess we don't have a choice."

"I guess not," Onyx sighed.

Amelia smiled reassuringly and ran her hands along his torso, feeling the muscles underneath the fabric of his shirt. "Good luck," she said. 'But I'm the one who's gonna need it.'

He returned her smile. "You too."

Tiffany watched with wide eyes as the two of them stepped back, preparing to transform into dark form.

"Let's go up onto the porch. Fighting vampires can be unpredictable," Caleb said to her, and lead her up the stairs.

Onyx and Amelia levitated in a cloud of black mist, slowly fading into their dark forms. Onyx snarled, preparing to lunge for her in mid-air, and for a moment, he almost seemed terrifying.

Almost.

She wasted no time making the first move before he had a chance to, taking advantage of his slight hesitance. As their bodies clashed against each other, she felt the adrenaline begin to rush, and remembered that it was only a friendly spar. She didn't need good luck. She just needed to have fun.

Onyx tensed as he was tackled to the ground, unsure of what to do. He couldn't just bite her, or use a power that could cause serious harm...

"Prepare to lose," Amelia said with a playful smirk, pinning his wrists to the hard concrete beneath them.

His tension faded at the realization he didn't need to take this so seriously, and he returned the smirk. "I won't lose easily."

Tiffany watched closely from the porch, a bit unnerved by Caleb's silence and fixated eyes on the fighting vampires. "You know, I want to be one," she said, hoping to break the silence. 

"A vampire?" Caleb asked, only half interested.

"Yeah," she replied, her face contorting into a scowl. "There's so much I can't do because I'm not one. It's all I've ever wanted since I was a kid. To be like them..."

"You really look up to Onyx and Amelia, don't you?" Caleb finally looked at her to smile.

Her expression softened, and she returned the smile. "Yeah... I do."

In a split second, Amelia found herself firmly pinned against the deck railing. Onyx's face was only inches away from hers, and a trail of black mist was slowly being carried away by the silent wind. His lips curled into the slightest triumphant smirk, and his piercing red eyes met the gaze of hers. His voice was strangely chilling, causing the hairs on the back of her neck and arms to stand.

"Surrender."

She couldn't help blushing from the compromising position. "This fight isn't over yet..."

"Of course it is," Onyx said. "You're not escaping me." 

Her hands found their way to his chest, and she smirked when she heard his breath hitch. Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned in closer, and her lips brushed against his as she spoke. "Good. I don't want to..."

Just as they were about to kiss, Caleb's voice interrupted them. "This is a training session, not a makeout session!"

Suddenly remembering they weren't alone, they blushed and pulled away as Caleb suppressed a snicker. Hand in hand, they walked up the stairs and onto the deck.

"You two were astounding, just as I suspected. I'll go inside and get the vampire compendiums for you, and you can be on your way," Caleb said. "I'm proud of the progress you've both made. Someday, I know you'll become Grand Masters too."

Onyx smirked. "Yeah, we were pretty great." 

"But who would you say won?" Amelia asked.

"...I obviously won."

"Did not."

"Did too--"

"Actually," Caleb began, "I'd argue that Amelia won. Distracting your opponent is a fantastic tactic to gain the upper hand. Sorry, but you fell right into her trap. Another moment and the tables could have been turned. If it was a battle of wit, you'd have lost."

"Hah!" Amelia grinned. "What did I tell you? I knew exactly what I was doing..."

"Are you sure you just couldn't resist kissing me?" Onyx raised an eyebrow. "Because from where I was standing, that's what it seemed like to me." 

She blushed. "Yeah, because that's what I wanted you to think!" 

"I'd love to listen to you argue, but we should head home," Tiffany interrupted. "I... have some stuff to do."

"You're right." Onyx nodded. "Let's go home."

The three of them said their goodbyes to Caleb after he brought the books and began to walk away from the house.

"So, um..." Tiffany paused, at a loss for the right words. "I wanted to ask you something really important..."

"Of course," Onyx nodded, and Amelia looked over at her, anticipating the question.

"I remember when I was a kid, you told me I could become a vampire when I was older," Tiffany began nervously. "Well... I'm older now. And I'm ready. I want to be powerful like you."

Onyx averted his gaze to Amelia, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. "Tiffany... you should know that it's dangerous to be one of us."

"Whatever the risks, I'm willing to take them." Tiffany frowned. "I've wanted this for so long. Please. You promised..."

Amelia tried a reassuring smile. "Onyx, I know you're worried. I am too, but... we'll keep her safe. If she wants to become a vampire, that just means it's one less person we care about that we have to lose..."

Onyx sighed, seeming thoughtful for a few moments. "...Alright. When we get home, we'll do it. But promise me you won't do anything reckless with your powers. And don't tell anyone about your vampirism, okay? Especially not your mom."

Crossing her fingers behind her back, Tiffany grinned. "I promise."

-----

"Are you really sure about this? Once it's over, there's no going back."

Onyx awaited her answer, and Amelia shifted nervously in the seat behind them. When it came down to who actually had to turn her, Onyx willingly volunteered. He didn't want Amelia to feel bad for biting her, but in all honesty, it didn't upset him any less. 

"I've been sure of this for a long time, Onyx," Tiffany said. "Now do it."

Hesitantly, he came closer to her.

Amelia turned her head, unable to watch as he went into dark form. She remembered the misery of turning as if it was yesterday. The bite wasn't really all that bad, Onyx only bit hard enough to get the job done. It was the process afterwards. The sickness, the night she turned... it flooded back into her memory, and she tried to push it away. In a way, it was one of the best memories, knowing she would gain the rest of eternity to spend with Onyx. But on the flip side... it wasn't very fun.

 "Just... close your eyes. It will only be a pinch," she heard him say, followed by the sound of fangs sinking into skin. It was sickening when she thought of it being Tiffany, but at least now, she would get to be with them forever, and that was worth it... right?

-----

It was Tuesday morning when Tiffany returned to school, as she needed an extra day to recover from turning. As she made her way down the hall, she came to a halt when the person she wanted to see both the least and the most came into view.

"Orion..."

He tensed when he heard her voice, and spun around quickly to face her when her footsteps grew loud behind him. "T-Tiffany..."

She could see the nervousness painted on his face, and she frowned, unsure of what to say.

"I missed you," she finally said, though the words sounded empty in his ears.

Orion's eyes watered. "I thought I could trust you. You lied to me..."

"I didn't mean it like that!" Tiffany blurted, suddenly frantic to explain. "I just wanted you to have fun! You were so tense and nervous, and... I thought it was a good idea..."

He looked away, blinking back his tears. "It wasn't..."

"I realize that now." Tiffany sighed. She still didn't believe she did anything wrong, but if an apology is what it would take... "I'm sorry, Orion. I shouldn't have lied to you. I know you must be really mad, and you have the right to be, but I didn't mean any harm. So... please forgive me. I'm the only friend you have, you know..."

To her surprise, he stepped forward and placed his hands on her arms, managing a soft smile. "I was never mad. I was just hurt... but I forgive you, Tiffany." 

"Really?" She smiled. 

"Really," he replied, and looked up to meet her gaze. "But..."

When he didn't finish his sentence, she frowned. "But?"

Orion's smile widened, but turned a bit shy. "Um... do you even remember what happened, or were you too drunk?"

She looked away. "The kiss? Listen, I--"

"Did you mean it?" He interrupted, then blushed. "I mean... did... did you just do it because you were tipsy or did you do it because you wanted to?"

Tiffany smiled. "I don't regret that kiss. I've been thinking about it ever since..." 

Orion's blushing intensified. "S-So... are you saying... you like me?"

Her smile turned to a smirk. "Do you like the sound of the word boyfriend? If not, you should get used to it. If you want to, that is..."

"I-I... I do, but..." He paused. "Are you sure you want me? I'm not popular, or cool, or..."

She interrupted. "I'll show you how much I want you."

Even if he wanted to, he couldn't object. She slammed him roughly against the locker, locking their lips in a kiss more intoxicating and addictive than the alcohol.