I awoke the next evening staring straight up at the top of the tomb. Tonight would be it, the moment I ask him that single question which had been eating away at me. I had to think up a way to ask... to make him tell me... 

Stray light from the streetlights outside leaked into the coffin. Then I realized it. He'd closed the lid to the coffin after we had laid down that morning. I turned to find Lucious was gone.  Where the hell did he go?

 I lifted my arms up and desperately tried to crawl through. Luckily, he had left it open just enough for me to slide through to the outside world as I didn't own that same strength he possessed.

 I walked to the outside of the crypt and looked around the cemetery. Lucious wasn't anywhere, and I immediately became worried.

Did he leave me?

 The sky was dark without a single cloud covering the sparkling stars above me. Too, was there no moon on this night and I felt as if the entire world was leaving me. I grew cold and lonely standing there in the graveyard by myself desperately searching my mind as to where Lucious could have wandered off to.

Did he go back to Serena's? Maybe he figured I was a burden to him and went to wander on his own?

 I hated it when my thoughts stayed inconsistently. If I was a true vampire, it wouldn't do this... I could be happy in my world and not worry about things like this. I could just get back to feeding, roaming, and not caring about anyone but myself. Right?

 But, as always, just as my mind started to get away from me, Lucious strolled into the graveyard gates wiping his mouth. The dried remnants of blood stuck on the side of his chin and lips; I knew he had been feeding without me.

“Ah, I was famished.”

“Have you had your fill?” I fumed.

“I'm good to go.” He thumbed away the left-over blood on his chin.

My hunger fueled as I watched him clean himself like a cat would. I wondered to myself if the blood was sweet... or sour and if he'd dined on a woman or man. Knowing Lucious, it was a beautiful woman with baby blues eyes and hair as light as the daytime sun.

“Are you ready to go?” He interrupted my thoughts.

“Where are we going?”

“We're getting out of town. There's a bus stop just around the corner.” He licked his bloody fingertip.

“Bus stop?”

“Yes, a bus stop. Or do you prefer to run? I mean we do have legs after all and I'm sure we could get somewhere in about,” he paused. “A day.”

“No, no a bus stop is fine.”

“Good. Follow me.”

We walked out of the graveyard and to the road. Not a single car was out this night, and my mind quickly wondered why. Normally in this busy city, hordes of folk would be out no matter the time so it appeared strange no one else was around.

Just right out of the graveyard, sat a small community park and a spring filled with small fish. A perfect place for children and their parents to spend a day together as the park was packed with many activities. We followed the small path which winded through the trees and past the stream.

“A park?” I asked.

“The bus stop is just on the other end.” Lucious took the lead. “This is the best route in case we're seen.”

I followed behind him concocting the plan to get him to finally answer the question I had for him. I couldn't understand why he always hid everything that was important to me. He never told me anything unless we were in a desperate situation and then, it wasn't much of an answer.

But if it was true, how would I respond. Would I be okay with knowing he's the one who cursed me into this world of depression? I had found this man strangely attractive from the day he entered my life. I was the one who chose to follow him, to accept his hand and make this bond. Could I accept him as my creator?

We reached a small picnic area when suddenly he stopped his journey and turned around to face me.“Oh, that's right. You had something you wanted to ask me, yes?”

This was it.. He acknowledged me, finally!

 “Yes.” I froze in place for a second. “Are you... my creator?”

Immediately, Lucious sunk his head and stared at the ground, his silver eyes sparkling a somber tone. A sudden wave of anguish seemed to overwhelm his body as his shoulders drooped further with the ticking of time.

“What makes you think that?” he whispered.

“Well... erm... it's just... that...”

“About twenty years ago.” He brushed a stray hair away from his eyes. “I was starving. I saw a young man step down from his back porch with a garbage bag in his hands. I lunged forth at him and we went tumbling into a group of trash cans at the bottom of the stairs.”

“Was that... me?”

He nodded. “It was you...”

I couldn't believe it, no, I didn't want to believe it but what I was hearing was true. That night came passing through my mind as he continued to speak. The memory that I hadn't recalled until now... that memory with him... when he grabbed me and pushed me into the group of dumpsters. The piercing of his fangs into my neck and the way he looked at me as he drew my blood. It seemed to pass by so fast.

“I couldn't continue, so I ran away.” His voice flitted through the memories.

“Ran away... leaving me like this! I spent weeks without knowing what I had become.”

“That's why I came searching for you.”

“Damn it, Lucious. I suffered all this time, and it was you all along!”

Maybe, I couldn't handle knowing it was him. This man... ah, this vampyre admitting to me now that he was the one... How could he?

 “I've wanted to help you, I just didn't want to tell you that--”

“I hate you.” I interrupted.

His eyes widened. Then, he turned and stepped over to the side of the picnic table, propping himself up and sat atop the table. That air of sadness weaved over him again as his silver eyes glimmered in the streetlights.

Does he feel bad about what he's done? 

“So hate me...” he whispered. “Leave me, do what you want.”

“I want to end this bond, for good!”

Is that really what I wanted to do?

 I couldn't stand it anymore. I thought I could accept it better than this, knowing that he was the one who cursed me. But as I stood there staring coldly at him, I remembered the kiss from him in Serena's mansion and the time he drew my blood in the making of this bond. How strangely warm each felt, being wrapped up in his arms made my body shake but I wanted more. I couldn't be, no... I refused to be attracted to him especially after what he's done.

In that instant, it wasn't about curing my denial nor was it about being a full vampire, it was about me and him.

He buried his head into his hands. Quiet settled. At that moment, I wanted to leave him for good. I took a step forward when I heard his voice.

“Where are you going?”

“Leaving,” I answered quietly.

“The blood bond... only works between human and vampyre. But we still have a connection, you and I.”

“Do we? Too bad I can't break it.” The words came pouring out as I left him sitting alone in that park.

I didn't know where I was going but knew I wanted to get away from him to ponder in my train of thoughts that always overflowed in situations like this. I had forgotten that moment when my mortal life was robbed from me, but I didn't know why my mind had refused to remember until now.

After all this time, I had never known, never suspected it to be him... the one to rob that mortal soul from me.

I wanted to tear and rip away this dead skin I was in, to be alive again, to never have been forced into this lifeless existence.

And this bond that we own, this unforgiving connection that kept me chained to him forever. If only I could break it... if only I could be free of these chains that bound us.