Friday, November 18, 2005

   Demons, Good Men and Other Mythical Creatures: Part 2
The following hours past in a blur as the demons questioned her. All the usual stuff, like “Who helps you fight us?” and “Where do you and your people train and stash weapons?” She refused to say anything, but, surprisingly, they didn't try to force it out of her or just kill her for not cooperating. More proof that they wanted her for something. The days dragged by without incident, until Haley couldn’t even remember how long she had been there. She was given food and water once a day and was generally bored the rest of the time. The whole dreading her fate thing wore out after a couple of days without any communication with her demon captors. It looked like she’d just have to wait it out.
After a long while of almost going stir crazy, Haley finally got some company. About two weeks after she had been captured, she once again heard they key clanging in the lock. The door swung open momentarily, and Haley watched from where she sat as her new cellmate was flung unceremoniously through it. He was tall, pale and, from the looks of him, a little worse for wear. His clothes were torn and bloodstained, and his face and arms were lined with scratches and…were those bite marks? He charged at the door just as it swung shut, and he swore loudly. Haley laughed, and he spun around, looking a bit like a startled rabbit.
“It’s ok.” Haley said, getting to her feet. “We’re in the same boat. I’m Haley.” He tossed his head, shaking his hair out of his dark eyes. “ Tye.” He replied, nodding. “It’s short for Tyler.” Haley smiled in the prettiest way she could after being beaten and locked up for over a fortnight. “So, what’re you in for? Or are you like me and were just stopping demons eating your friends?”
He stared at the floor, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Actually, I’m in here for treason.” Haley’s eyes narrowed. Treason? But that must mean… “You’re a demon.” It wasn’t a question. He nodded in a resigned sort of way, and bared his fangs. A vampire. “Then why didn’t you...?”
“Suck you dry the second I saw you? I suppose you could call it my conscience.” She looked at him for a second. Suddenly, she laughed. “You’re not talking about the whole Angel and Spike thing with all the ‘I’ve got a soul’ crap are you?” He raised his eyebrows. “Sorry, T.V. show. Em, what do you mean ‘conscience’?” He shrugged. “I guess I just don’t see the point in taking lives.” It was Haley’s turn to raise her eyebrows. “I thought that was the whole idea behind being a demon.”
He sighed. “Well, TECHNICALLY I’m very different from any other vampires. I’m not…made the same way they are. I’m…” He seemed to have trouble speaking. Haley nodded, encouraging him to go on. “I’m a vampire child.” Haley’s eyes widened. She had heard of vampire children in legends, but never thought that they actually existed. Originally, the name was given to children with a rare skin condition, xeroderma pigmentosum, which meant that they had a very low tolerance of sunlight, and could easily develop skin cancer.
Shortly after it was discovered that vampires actually DID exist, the meaning was changed, and it was the name given to children born from vampire women, who retained the demon-like qualities of their mothers. Their existence, or even the possibility of their existence, had never been proven. And now, there was one standing right in front of Haley.

Haley simply stood gaping. Tyler shifted uncomfortably under her piercing gaze, his amber eyes looking everywhere but her face. After what seemed like an eternity, Haley found her voice. “So… you’re… a vampire…with… a soul.” She laughed slightly as she said it. It was almost too ridiculous to believe. How many times had Buffy and Angel done THAT one to death? Tyler was still looking extremely uncomfortable. Haley shook off her astonishment before she said anything stupid.
“So, what exactly do you have to do in the Demon Empire to commit treason?” He relaxed, obviously thankful that she wasn’t going to ask him any more questions about his parentage. “There are a couple of ways, but to them, mine’s the worst. They were never particularly fond of me, being one of them but being so human at the same time. It scared them to think I existed at all. But then they caught me helping a group of humans to escape from Inferno, you know, the demon underground capital?”
He paused and laughed slightly. “Imaginative name, I know. Anyway, they caught me helping these humans get away from a group of werewolves that were hunting them for sport. They got out to the surface, but they found me sealing the gate. It was obvious what I’d done. I had helped humans, our own blood enemies. Anyone who helps a human is seen as a traitor and punished for it. And this is my punishment.”
He met her eyes for the first time, and the pain in them was almost unbearable to see. Haley’s heart almost broke then and there. She looked away from his unblinking eyes, feeling as though his pain was seeping into her, threatening to overwhelm her. She had never met anyone in that kind of agony before. It was as though he was in mourning for every being that ever died at the hands of his people, and it was as though he had loved each of them as family.
“I’m sorry.” He whispered as Haley stared determinedly at the floor, begging her tears to stay put. “I tend to have that effect on people.” As soon as Haley had regained control of herself, she looked him in the eyes again. There were no discernable emotions. “That’s another reason why the other demons hate me. I’m the only person who can make them feel.”
Haley was in shock again. His ability was incredible. “That’s… amazing.” She gasped. Tyler smiled at her for the first time. That was amazing too, but she didn't say that. “Yeah, it’s good for distractions anyway. So,” He said, moving on from his extraordinary abilities. “You tried to get out of here yet?”
Haley laughed. “If you can see another way out apart from the locked metal door, I’d love to hear about it.” He laughed this time, and a familiar knotting sensation gripped Haley’s stomach. “Oh no, not again.” She thought. Her timing was always so perfect. First it was her best friend, then it was the perfectly nice young man who turned out to be a werewolf, and now, here she was, falling for a vampire. “Yeah, but this one’s different!” She told herself. “He has a soul.” It didn't help.
“So, what’re you in for?” Tyler asked, bringing her back to the present with a bump. She shook her head slightly, dislodging her crazy inclinations. “Oh, well there was a group of rowdy vampires knocking around our neighbourhood. So, rather than hanging around and waiting them to attack someone, we went and took them into our own hands. But obviously they weren’t just in the mood for a brawl. They wanted something from us, from me. Unfortunately, I still don’t know what it is.”

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