Hax, Dylan and Seth sat in the lounge room on their
comfortable couch. All three were dressed in black sports jackets, and black
dress pants. The only difference in their outfits was the ties they wore. Dylan
had a beautiful sapphire silk tie; Seth chose a crimson silk tie, and Hax sported
an amethyst tie.
‘Does Eve always take this long?’ Dylan asked, looking at
his watch.
‘You can’t rush perfection.’ Hax said.
‘Says the man who is sleeping with her.’ Seth sniggered.
Hax stuck two fingers in Seth’s nose and lifted him off the ground.
‘I promised mother and father that no human would kill
you.’ He pulled him in close. ‘But I never said I wouldn’t.’
‘We’re sarry.’ Hax dropped Seth on the ground. ‘Geez, bit
touchy over being a vir--’
Dylan shoved a pillow over Seth’s face before he could
finish his sentence. Hax looked at them weirdly and walked towards the stairs.
‘If you guys are seriously this restless, I’ll go ask her
to hurry up.’
When Hax was out of sight, Dylan dropped the pillow.
‘You really are trying to end your life so soon.’ Dylan
hissed into Seth’s ear.
‘Well if Hax wasn’t holding on to this secret so tight, I
wouldn’t have to.’ Seth replied.
‘Or maybe you can wait until he wants us to know.’
‘Secrets are not meant to be kept between brothers.’
‘You know, you’re right.’ Seth was shocked. He didn’t
expect Dylan to believe that. ‘Maybe I should go tell Hax what you are trying
to do.’
‘No!’ Seth looked at Dylan. ‘Fine, I’ll stop.’
Hax knocked on Eve’s bedroom door. When she opened it,
Hax was stunned. She was wearing the black dress he had bought for her, but it
looked like a completely new dress.
‘Like it?’ she asked. All he could do was nod his head,
his mouth still agape. ‘Good answer.’
Eve rummaged through her large bag, searching for something,
but after five minutes she looked disheartened.
‘What’s wrong?’ Hax asked.
‘I don’t have anything to wear with my outfit.’ She
looked at him.
‘I’m not taking you shopping.’
Eve laughed, and shook her head. ‘No, I don’t need to buy
something. I can just wear my plain gold chain.’ She pulled the chain from her
bag.
Hax thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up. He reached
into his pocket and pulled out the diamond he created earlier. He held it in
his hands, cupping them, and his hands started to shake slightly. After a few
seconds, he opened his hands to reveal a bright blue diamond. He then took the
chain from Eve, and placed it in his hands and repeated the action. The outcome
was a beautiful blue diamond pendant on a gold chain. Eve was shocked as Hax
placed it in her hands.
‘You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?’ she said.
‘It matches your eyes. Have a closer look at the
diamond.’ He replied.
Eve examined the diamond, and he eyes widened. The core
of the diamond was liquid.
‘How did you do that?’
‘Oh, I am full of surprises.’ Hax gave Eve a cheeky
smile. He wrapped the necklace around Eve’s delicate neck.
‘I’m never taking this off.’
‘Just keep it close. It takes a lot out of me to liquefy
a mineral that hard.’ Hax looked at his watch. ‘I’m going to have a smoke, and
then we can go.’
Eve smiled and nodded her head.
Hax sat outside, lighting his pipe. The backdoor opened
and Dylan walked out.
‘How much longer?’ he asked.
‘Just need to finish this.’ Hax replied. ‘Fucking liquid
diamonds are a cunt to do.’
Dylan chuckled. ‘Oh Haxathor…’
‘You didn’t see what I saw.’ Hax’s faced drooped, and he
shuddered in fear. ‘And why is Seth trying to die early? He has been acting
like a total bastard ever since we left Eve’s mind.’
‘Why do you think? You put a block on your mind. It’s
like putting a cake in front of a child and saying “don’t eat it.”’
Hax shook his head. ‘He doesn’t want to know what I saw.’
He turned to Dylan. ‘Can you keep a secret?’
‘For you, sure.’
Hax leaned in and said ‘This thing human’s call “fear”,
it worries me. Three centuries and I fear this small human.’
‘What are you afraid of?’
‘Killing her, living her life out and me continuing.
Reverting back to it and doing
something terrible.’
‘Hax,’ Dylan picked his brother up by the shoulders ‘You
have grown more in a month of knowing this girl than three hundred years of
fighting. And there is nothing in this world that could make her leave again.
She knows what you are, and she still wants to be there for you.’
Hax smiled, and they both walked back inside. Seth was
still sitting in the lounge room waiting.
A voice came from upstairs. ‘You boys ready?’
As Eve slowly walked down the stairs, all three brothers
mouths dropped is shock.
Hax already saw Eve only minutes before, but he was still
shocked at the beauty that stood before him. Seth and Dylan on the other hand
never thought of Eve as a curvaceous goddess, only as a sister.
‘Eve, I--’ Seth began, only to be interrupted by Eve.
‘Choose your words carefully.’
‘Eve, seeing you in that dress brings back memories of
Claire.’ Seth said ‘Memories of how happy she made me feel, and I know you will
make Hax feel just as happy. I mean this
in the best way possible; you look stunning and I am glad to call you my friend
and someday, my sister.
Eve began to blush.
‘Just when I began to think you were just a sleaze, you
had to go and be an honest to god sweetheart who has emotions. I hate you, you
know that?’ she said with a smile.
She turned to Dylan to see he was looking depressed.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.
‘Oh,’ his face changed to a smile. ‘Seth stole words
right out of my mouth. Anything I say now will not compare to the poetry he
created.’ Dylan began to laugh a bit ‘But I mean this with all my heart, you
are stunning.’
Eve turned to Hax last, and said ‘And what do you have to
say for yourself?’
‘Your arse looks exceptionally fine tonight.’ Hax said
with a straight face.
‘You’re damn right it does.’ She replied. ‘Let’s get
going.’
As they drove in the car; Hax driving, Eve in the front
seat, and Dylan and Seth in the back, they listened to the night time radio. It
was Eve that broke the silence after 15 minutes.
‘So, I was wondering…’ she started to feel embarrassed
‘Am I the only other person you told? I mean, apart from Claire and Lovecraft.’
‘Umm…’ Hax thought for a moment ‘Yes?’ he sounded unsure
of himself.
‘Hax, don’t lie to the girl. She has to know.’ Dylan
chimed in.
‘Fine. You remember Alice and Markov?’
‘Yeah?’
‘Well they were the first people I personally told.’
Eve was shocked ‘Seriously, they didn’t show signs.’
‘Well they have known about me for over 10 years now.’
‘How did you meet them?’
Hax chuckled ‘It was 1987, and I was visiting Russia. And
at this time, it was the Soviet Union, and was in the middle of a cold war with
America. I had watched the war from afar, and saw how many lives were affected
by it. So one day I was strolling through Serov, in western Russia, close to
Kazakhstan, and I heard something. I heard a child crying inside a small shack
about a mile away, so I decided to investigate. Inside the small shack was a
child, about the age of 8 or so, huddled in the corner. The walls were covered
in blood and bullet holes. It was a massacre in there, and for some reason,
this small boy had decided to find shelter here.’ Hax face dropped
‘But then I noticed it. The boy was huddled next to two
dead bodies, his mother and father. He had survived a bloody execution by the
KGB. I couldn’t leave this boy like this in the cold. At the time, my Russian
was a little rusty, but I did my best. His name was Markov Skarpin, and he was
frightened. I told the boy to close his eyes, and I would take him somewhere
safe. I scooped the boy up in my arms, and ran as fast as I could to an
abandoned hospital. I didn’t even care if he knew what I was; I was more
concerned about his well being. I fixed up his scratches, and I did the only
thing I could. I stole a plane from a military base, and flew this young boy to
the only place I knew it was safe, Australia. I told him I was always going to
be there for him, but he had to stay in foster care for a while.’
‘You left Markov alone in foster care?’ Eve’s eyes
welling up with tears.
‘Please don’t cry. You just did your make up.’ Hax smiled
‘And yes, but also no. I was true to my word. I explained to the orphanage that
I needed them to care of him, but I would pay for all his expenses. They were
confused, but money spoke big in those days. I kept in touch with him as well.
On his 13th birthday, I cornered him in an alley. I was hoping not
to scare him, and I realise the alley was a bad choice of settings. Kid pissed
his pants at first, until he saw my eyes again. He remembered me as the man who
saved his life all those years ago. I told him I was sorry I had to leave, but
I was always there when he needed me. He remembered I wasn’t human, and he
thought I was the coolest.’
‘So, when did he meet Alice?’ Eve asked.
‘Oh it was in halfway through high school. He called me
up and screamed at me on the phone about how he needed dire help. I thought he
was getting killed at the moment, so when I found him, and he was okay, I was
ready to throttle him. He said he fell in love with a little nerdy girl who
transferred that year. I asked him what he liked about her, and expected to
hear “her ass, her tits”, hell “her hands” wouldn’t have shocked me, but Markov
said he fell in love with her one green eye and one blue eye. I told him to be
a gentleman towards her, and hope she likes you back.’
‘Or invite her back to your house and tell her you’re a
fucking god!’ Eve said with a smile.
‘shush, the best part.’ Seth said.
‘One day, I went to visit him and he was covered in
bruises. I was furious, I wanted to kill those who hurt him, but he stopped me.
He told me what happened. He was walking home, when he noticed she was being
bullied by these three thugs. Markov stepped in, and told them to stop. When he
didn’t back down, they beat him up, and he took those punches. He knew if he
passed out from the pain, something might happen to this girl. He put the pain
behind him until the thugs lost interest. I still wanted to kick some ass, but
then he told me the best thing. He walked the young girl home, and she kissed
him on the cheek as thanks. Markov had found love. He stayed her friend until they
entered their final year of high school. He finally had the courage to ask her
out, and he asked her right after exams.’
‘How do you know all this stuff?’ Eve asked
‘I might have been sitting on the roof watching.’ Hax
grinned ‘She slapped him in the face, and I was almost about to leave. She
looked him in the eyes and said “It took you 3 fucking years to ask me out. You
could have asked me out the day you had your arse handed to you!” and he almost
dropped dead. I liked this girl, she was tough. They dated for a while, and
were married 2 years ago.’
‘What happened when he told her about you?’
‘Well, that’s where it gets difficult. After all this
mess, she said “So, is the creepy guy on the roof with you?” Hell, I was
shocked she even noticed me. Humans don’t notice the things not staring them in
the face. She told him she already knew. For some reason, a man sitting on the
roof of their school eating popcorn and watching them was fairly strange at the
time.’
‘You were eating popcorn?’ Eve gave him a look that said
“what the fuck?”
‘I was hungry. So yeah, she did her research and I turned
up a lot in history. Didn’t do a very good job of hiding. But she didn’t care
about what I was, she said I was cool if I was looking after him. It was
strange for Markov to find Alice. If I didn’t feel sorry for that little boy 20
years ago, they would have never had met.’
Eve smiled at Hax, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
‘What was that for?’ Hax was confused.
‘You may be strange, but you’re my strange’ She replied.
‘Don’t ever change.’
After an hour of driving, they found themselves in the
heart of the CBD. Eve was amazed. She had never really noticed all the pretty
lights in the city.
‘How long till we get to this place?’ Eve asked.
‘You see that big building by the water?’ Hax said,
pointing out the window. Eve saw a very tall magnificent building on the water
front.
‘Yeah?’
‘That’s the casino. And at the very top is the club we
are going to.’
‘Wow…’ Eve was amazed. ‘Such an extravagant building and
I get to go inside.’
‘Eve, if you don’t stop talking that way, I might have to
break up with you.’
She shook her head and said ‘No you won’t. I know too
much.’
‘I…. I could….’ Hax was stumped. He knew he had more than
enough strength to snap her neck—
He shook his head. No,
you would never do that! He thought to himself.
They pulled the car up to the front of the casino, and a
valet driver parked it for them. They walked inside the golden doors of the
very tall building, and it was a superb sight to behold. The sounds of slot
machines ringing, roulette tables spinning and people chattering away could be
heard over the generic background music. The inside of the casino was very
extravagant to say the least. It was decorated in golden leaves and marble
statues, and looked like very high class establishment. Security roamed the
area, talking into their wrist-mounted radios, looking like secret service for
presidential protection.
The small group made their way to an elevator at the side
of the casino floor. Hax pressed the top button labelled “49”, and the elevator
roared to life. Bad elevator music was pumped through the speakers.
‘Seriously?’ Dylan said ‘This place makes millions per
year, and they can’t pump in better music?’
‘just wait until we get to the club. It will better.’
Seth said.
The elevator hit the 49th floor, and the doors
opened. It was a very deserted floor, just one doorway at the opposite end of
the hallway. It was the entrance to the nightclub, brightly colour lights and
loud music escaped the door. A very large bouncer stood in the entrance, looking
very stern. As they walked towards the club, Eve recognised the bouncer.
‘Bubba?’
It was the same security guard from the dress store she
visited a month ago, the same store owned by Hax’s friends Alice and Markov.
The security guard immediate recognised his boss’s work, and stiffened up.
‘Are you going to be a problem tonight, big boy?’ Eve
said with a smirk smile. ‘Or does my boyfriend have to break you like last
time?’
‘Name?’ he said, his expression not changing.
‘Hax Daemonia.’ Hax said ‘And guests.’
The security guard checked his clipboard, flipping a few
pages. And his hands started to shake.
‘I…I…I am sorry sir, but your name doesn’t seem to be on
the list.’
Hax looked at him, his eyes staring down the bouncer, and
shook his head.
‘Those fucking assholes.’ Everyone looked at him in
shock.
‘What is it Hax? What’s the problem?’ Eve was worried.
She acted like she wanted to hurt the guard, but she didn’t mean it. She saw
Hax smirk, which confused her.
‘Check the name “Haxathor”.’ The bouncer did so, and
stepped aside.
‘Right away sir. They are waiting for you in the back’
They all walked inside, Eve still confused. No one knew about his name, she thought.
They made their ways to the back of the club, to a very small enclosed booth.
Two people sat their already, waiting.
‘HAXATHOR, you made it.’ Called a voice from one of the
people.
Alice and Markov stood up from their seats and greeted
their guests. Alice wore a very sexy emerald dress, with matching earrings;
while Markov was dressed is a very fine Italian suit.
‘You are bastards for doing that.’ Hax said with a smile.
‘Oh look at this dear.’ Markov said. ‘Haxathor is smiling
at us.’
‘Hax, you know we jest.’ Alice said, kissing Hax on the
cheek. ‘come, sit. We shall enjoy tonight.’
They all sat in on the couches in the back of the club.
Alice called to one waitress and ordered a round of drinks for everyone.
‘So Eve,’ Alice said, turning towards her. ‘How have you
been since we last spoke? I heard you and Haxxy over here are an item now.’
Eve blushed. ‘Yeah. He says he trusts me. Still hasn’t
said the L word yet.’
‘Well that’s Hax for you.’ Markov said. ‘In all the time
I have known him, he has never really shown true feelings.’
‘How did you and Hax meet?’ Eve asked.
Not even missing a beat, Markov smiled and said ‘We had
just rolled into town, and the car broke down. I tried to find a tow truck, but
I didn’t know this place well. Then this guy in a green wagon turned up. He
checked my engine, and fixes the problem instantly. He refused payment, saying
it was nothing. We offered to at least make him dinner, which he accepted.’
Eve smiled. She could tell this was a practiced speech.
‘And at which point did you find Hax sitting on the roof of a school, eating
popcorn?’
Alice and Markov were shocked. ‘What do you mean?’ Alice
asked. ‘Where did you hear that?’
Eve smiled evilly. Alice looked at Hax. He had the same
evil grin on his face.
‘Oh Haxathor…’ tears welled up in Alice’s eyes. She
hugged Eve tightly.
‘So you finally told her about your secret life.’ Markov
said, punching Hax in the arm.
‘Technically, humanism is my secret life.’ Hax replied.
Dylan and Seth had made their way from the booth at the
back to mingle with other patrons of the club. It was fairly crowded in the
club, even though it was so exclusive. Loud music pumped out of the eight 1.5
metre high speakers situated around the club, and an up and coming band was
playing one of their better songs from an album they would most likely try to
sell to drunk partiers after the night has ended.
Seth turned to Dylan and screamed ‘I’m going to get us
some beer. You stay here.’
Dylan gave him the sign for ok. Even with their super
hearing, all noise was drowned out by the music. Dylan glanced back at Eve.
When’s it going to
be my time? He thought to himself.
‘So,’ said Alice. ‘What exactly has Haxathor told you?’
‘He’s old. He is a chronic smoker.’ Eve said. ‘He used to
eat…’ she cleared her throat.
Markov nodded ‘Yes that freaked me out too. How many
times has he threatened to kill you?’
Eve looked worried. ‘Umm… once.’
‘Oh he must really love you.’ Markov chuckled. ‘Did he
tell you about how we really met?’
‘He cornered you in an alleyway, and you pissed your
pants.’
Markov looked at Hax with a shocked look. ‘He grabbed me
by the throat and told me if I told anyone about him, he would turn me inside
out. That’s why I pissed my pants.’
‘He dropped me head first off the house. If it wasn’t for
my last words, I would have died.’
Alice smacked Hax. ‘That’s a bad god. Very bad god.’
‘She stabbed me.’ Hax whined.
‘Oh grow up!’ Alice said. ‘You can regenerate. You almost
killed her.’
Hax looked depressed. He knew what Alice said was right.
He felt an arm on his shoulder.
‘I don’t dwell on the past.’ Eve said, kissing Hax on the
lips softly. ‘He trusts me enough to tell me everything. He is my potato.’
Alice and Hax were shocked. Markov just nodded his head.
‘Yes, cos potato is vodka.’
‘No. A potato is a symbol of love for me. It is tough, it
never really dies. If you leave it, it grows and it is versatile.’ Eve said ‘He
is my potato.’
‘Eve.’ Hax kissed her forehead ‘you are 100% absolutely
bat-shit crazy. Don’t ever change.’
Alice smacked Markov over the head. ‘Why can’t you be
like that?’
‘Alice,’ Markov held her hand in his, and stared deeply
into her eyes. ‘Your beauty stunned me
for 3 years. From the moment I saw you, I knew I could never love another
woman. If you were not able to love me the same way, I was contempt with being
your friend for life. You are not only my wife, but my best friend and my
inspiration to continue on with my life. You give me something to fight for
everyday.’
Alice’s eyes welled up with tears. She burst out crying
as Markov pulled her close.
‘Chert vozʹmi Markova. Pochemu ty tak zamechatelʹno?’ she said through
her tears.
‘Ya prosto povezlo, chto
prosypatʹsya ryadom s toboĭ.’ He replied.
Eve looked at Hax, still fairly confused. He pointed to
Alice and whispered ‘Damn it Markov. Why must you be so wonderful?’ and then
pointed to Markov ‘I am just lucky to wake next to you.’
Eve smiled. She loved how Alice and Markov had a loving
relationship after over 10 years.
Dylan stood outside on the club’s terrace. He didn’t want
to tell Hax or Seth, but he was feeling lonely. He hated going out just to see
couples doing their thing. It just made him feel worse about himself. In his
three centuries of life, he never felt lonely and after seeing Eve all dressed
up and looking wonderful, it went straight out the window.
‘Fucking couples….’ He muttered under his breath, taking
a swig of beer.
‘You see it too huh?’ came a voice next to him. Dylan
turned to see a very attractive woman in a black and red dress. She looked to
be in her early 20’s and stood about 5’8 with short black hair with bright red
streaks through it. What stood out the most was her eyes. They were a beautiful
shade of crimson.
‘Yeah. If it wasn’t my brother’s birthday, I wouldn’t be
out here tonight.’ Dylan said with a smirk.
‘Aww, well if it wasn’t for his birthday, I would have
never met such a handsome young man.’
‘Well, you aren’t that bad yourself.’ Dylan said with a
smile. ‘I’m Dylan.’ He kissed her hand softly.
She blushed and said ‘Hello Dylan. My name is Abby.’
