I expected him to say something bad but instead he said, “Everything will be okay. None of us will rest until she’s dead,” breaking the serious tone he added, “besides after all these years it’s nice to finally be the good guy,” he smiled. I was shocked. I had never seen him smile. He had a nice smile.
He let go of my hand then but my hand still retained the coolness.
Things must be worse than I thought if Gabriel is comforting me.
Sunset turned to night.
I could not sleep. After my long nap this morning sleep had decided to stand just out of my grasp. It lingered around the edges of my vision but always disappeared.
We cruised silently through the streets only stopping when necessary and then only a few of us at a time.
I never saw Jonathon. Every time we stopped he was never with the group stopping with us. I needed to see him. Being without him was like a stab to the heart. I felt like we were letting Selena win by separating. This is what she would want. To separate us. To make us weaker. The thought that she could make it through this many vampires and Coven members was nearly impossible. Nearly. Jonathon said that a vampire in Selena’s state is capable of a lot more than a sane one which makes her extremely dangerous. He said people, maybe even vampires, would die by her hand. So many had already succumbed to her evil hand that the thought of any more, especially at my expense, made my stomach churn. But Jonathon was right. He always is so I don’t know why I bother arguing with him. Selena will keep killing everyone around me until she’s dead. So the sooner she’s gone the better.
Mason had taken over the driving but Gabriel was still seated firmly beside me.
“Can I ask you a question?” he whispered to the twinkling stars and dark night all around us.
“Sure,” I whispered closing my eyes and leaning my head against the back of the seat. Knowing Gabriel any question that escaped his lips would be serious and invasive.
But it still surprised me when he asked, “Why is it you hate your mom?”
I sighed. Leave it to Gabriel to ask the hardest question. Did I even have answer? Thoughts swarmed around my head with how to respond. My feelings towards my mother were so confused and jumbled. We had never been super close, but had a good mother daughter relationship even though I had always been daddy’s little girl. But after the divorce I had completely severed myself from my father. I had become closer with my mother then. We had turned to each other for comfort. But soon my comfort hadn’t been enough for her and she turned to wine and medication to ease her pain.
But really, why did I hate her so much?
I took a deep breath and said, “Because, she left me when I needed her most.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of forgive and forget?” Gabriel asked.
“Yes, but there’s only so much and you can forgive and it gets to a point where you can no longer forget so instead you’re just stuck hating someone for something they can’t even remember and that only makes it worse. Now she’s a vampire and intent on killing me. But really she already has. I will never be able to get over what she, what both her and my dad, did to me. They destroyed me. I’m broken and I’m only whole when I’m with Jonathon. I still have my goofy brothers but my parents… Dad’s dead and my mom might as well be as far as I’m concerned. But now I have my new family; as long as I have them I’ll be okay,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
“You’ll get over it one day. One day you’ll wake up and see how lucky you are to have your mom,” Gabriel whispered sincerely.
“I doubt that,” I huffed.
“Do you not see how lucky you are? You have a mom, whose now a vampire so she can’t leave you, brothers, a vampire family, and your soul mate. Me? I have none of that. Everyone I knew and loved died when I was reborn. Damn, those Originals for making me a vampire,” he said hitting the seat with his fist; an impression of his hand was left in the leather, “I had to watch everyone I love be murdered! Lea, my sweet Lea, died right before my eyes! And now I’m alone grieving people who’ve been dead for thousands of years! I’ve been alone for as long as I can remember. And do you know what happens to really old vampires? We begin to forget the life we led before we were turned. Soon our only memories are vampire ones. I have hardly any memories of my human life. It’s as if it didn’t even happen. I’m completely alone now and I always will be,” he whispered into the silent car.
“But one day you’ll find your soul mate?” I said but it sounded more like a question.
He shook his head, “If she’s out there I hope I never find her.”
“Why?” I asked, puzzled.
“The Originals created me to be their pawn and when I didn’t comply they killed everyone I loved. My mother, my siblings, Lea and her family, my best friend Don. Everyone. All because I wouldn’t comply with their wishes. I didn’t believe them when they told me what they were. So, they had to prove it me by killing everyone I loved. But killing wasn’t enough. They drained them of all their blood too. Oh, how they would love for me to find my soul mate so they could use her against me. It would be a dream come true to them. They would finally have me to do their bidding. But I won’t. God, how I would love to see those bastards die and sent to their fiery pit. But Kylie, don’t make my mistake, cherish what you have while you have it because one day you may not have it,” he said running his hand through his dark hair.
“Gabriel?”
He looked up.
“Thanks for the advice. But I really thank you for telling me about you. You’re not as bad as I thought you were,” I said.
He smiled a lopsided smile.
“Thanks. I’ve never told anyone that,” he said softly.
“Tell me more. Maybe you’ll feel better. I’m a good listener,” I said. I truly was curious about Gabriel’s past now. He had piqued my interest.
“Do you really want to hear my life story?” Gabriel asked surprised.