Decisions Ch. 07

Normally, it's customary that the two parties shake hands when they conclude a business deal. Supposedly, it implies good faith. I'm happy to say that we had our own way of concluding business deals. By sealing it in a kiss.

Chapter 4:

The score was only 3-1 by the time the clock expired. That might not reflect much on our playing ability, but to those who attended the game, they absolutely knew that it was an absolute rear end whipping. For one, the only reason the score wasn't higher was because Coach Butler had the maturity to pull his first line out of the game by the 2nd period and allow his bench, the roleplayers, to get some valuable playing time.

Although I loved to play, I don't think I was too disappointed to sit out for the remainder of the game. The game against Meadows Academy was as important as all our other games, but I wasn't at 100%. A freak accident during school the day before had me slipping on some moron's loose skateboard in the quad and spraining my ankle. I thought it was actually pretty comical and so did Stasi. All the ways to go, and some dude's skateboard did me in.

In all actuality, my pride took a bigger hit, but when Stasi saw the swelling and my awkward gait, she stopped thinking of it as funny and ordered her younger brother to make sure that I didn't push myself during the game.

Viktor took those words to heart, avoiding me like an STD on the ice. He ended up passing the puck to Jordan more than the entire season combined. It was actually kind of nice of him to take care of me like that. Once the second period rolled around, Coach Butler simply pulled us out and told the athletic trainer to put a boot on my ankle. I'd be hobbling around for the remainder of the week. Despite some tough losses earlier in the season, Belcourt High School's playoff hopes were still alive and well.

*****

"Chris, I love you, and I know how much you love the game, but you shouldn't have played today." Stasi said, disapprovingly. "You could've seriously injured your ankle. That was reckless."

"It's fine!" I replied. "My ankle's fine. I'm fine, if only a bit banged up."

"You still shouldn't have played." Stasi repeated. "I saw the way you played today and I know your ankle was affecting you."

"It wasn't affecting me that bad!" I insisted. "I could still skate and shoot just fine. I just wanted to get some time to play, that's all."

"I know you did. I love watching you play. I just don't like to see you play hurt. It's reckless and asinine. You could've aggravated it and made it worse! I'd rather you be out for one game than a whole season, zaichik!"

"Look, it didn't hurt that bad, and trust me, with you supporting me in the stands, I... oh, look!" I pointed out the window.

"What? What?!" Stasi asked, in alarm.

"It's the park!" I said, excitedly. Sure enough, we were passing Golden Gate Park. It was the only park in San Francisco that was open to both humans and other species alike. Stasi and I spent our childhood here, stomping around and exploring the 1,000+ acre grounds. "Do you think the swing set is still there?"

"Chris, I know what you're thinking and I don't think that's a good idea." Stasi said, unsurely.

"Come on! It's not even that cold out. It's only 8 PM and it's a Friday."

"Yes, I know, but it's trespassing."

"Trespassing!? It's a public space... open for 24 hours, mind you. You're just scared." I taunted her.

Stasi looked even more unsure, but as soon as I started making 'bawk bawk' noises and flapping my arms like a chicken, she rose to the occasion. "Fine!" She snapped. "15 minutes, swing set. Then, we go home. Gosh, you're like a five year old sometimes."

"So are you!" I countered, gleefully. "After all, you're the one that agreed. If you were so mature, you would've taken us straight home."

She didn't reply to that one, so I took it was a win.

She pulled into the empty lot and parked the car in a space. The only other car in the lot was a black SUV.

The both of us left her car, closing the doors behind us. The car chirped behind us as Stasi locked it. I wrapped my arm around her, holding her tight to me as we walked towards the entrance, basking in the cool night air. It was unusually warm for being the middle of January, that was for sure.

Fortunately, it seemed like we were the only ones taking advantage of it. The park was deserted. Stasi hummed, resting her head on my shoulder. "Eto milo." She sighed, contentedly.

"It is." I agreed. "Where was the swing set, again?"

"If I remember correctly, we follow the path until the divergence, then we go... right? Does that sound right, lyubov?"

"That sounds left, but we'll go with that." I laughed, hobbling along with her. We continued to walk, until at last, we found it. The swingset. An ordinary two person wooden swingset, held together through time and memories. The seats, held up by two frayed ropes, were swaying in the breeze. "There it is..." I breathed.

"Race you!" Stasi announced, letting go of me and taking off.

"Oi!" I shouted, hobbling after her. "That's not fair!"

"Too late!" She laughed over her shoulder, breaking into a full on sprint. By the time I got to her, she was already on the swingset and getting into her motion. "You're losing a step, lyubov!" She chastised me.

"I have a boot on!" I pointed out. I could beat Stasi in a foot race... right? A part of me didn't think so. She could outdo me in a lot of physical activities, just as much as I could outdo her. It was a constant competition between us... yet, our weaknesses were the other's strengths. We complemented one another.

"Tut tut... excuses, excuses." She smirked. I got onto the swing next to her, the wood creaking under my weight. Slowly, we began to swing. We weren't trying to outdo NASA in terms of altitude. Rather, we were just lazily drifting in the breeze, holding onto the ropes. We were kids again.

I turned my head, looking at Stasi. She was in her own little world, her head resting on the rope. I reached over and clasped her hand, holding onto it. "We really grew up, didn't we?" She asked, looking at me with glassy eyes.

"Yeah, I guess we did. Not like that's a bad thing, though."

"It isn't." Stasi agreed. "It's just... with you, time flies. It's moments like these where I want everything to just... slow down. I'm still having a hard time comprehending 'us'. Every day I wake up, I still have trouble comprehending it. How did I ever get so lucky?"

"How did you get so lucky? How did I get so lucky? It's the same here." I replied, still holding onto her hand. "Fourteen years flew by fast, huh?"

"Indeed. Some part of me wishes that I was a kid again... with nothing to worry about except school and what was for dinner." She glanced down at our interlocked fingers, the perfect fit. "But I like how things turned out."

"I wouldn't change it for the world."

"Neither would I."

We lapsed into silence, and stayed silent for a long time. Except, that silence spoke volumes. Everything just faded away until it was just us. No DTOSA to worry about. No attacks, no hospitalization, no living in fear. We were just in the moment. Two normal high schoolers enjoying their night.

It wasn't until I lost track of time did Stasi finally speak. Except, when she did, I knew something was off. I felt it before she even said anything. The feeling that you're being watched. She grew hunched, her shoulders taut, tension practically radiating from her. The way her hand tightly gripped mine, the way her eyes darted around, trying to permeate the dark. The one word rolled off her tongue. A sharp, single word that made my spine tingle.

"Wolf."

"Where?"

"There." She pointed into the dark. "See it?"

"Yes, I see it."

The silhouette on the grass about 30 yards away. An enormous black wolf, sitting on its haunches and watching us. My numb hands let go of Stasi's cold one as I stood up, squinting.

This reminded me of a terrible horror movie that Stasi and I once watched in middle school, where two high school students went to a park in the middle of the night to do something they weren't supposed to be doing, and lo and behold, they found a serial killer that was on the loose. But, instead of booking it out of the park, they confronted said serial killer and got brutally murdered in the process.

A sinking feeling formed in my stomach when I realized that I was living said movie.

I blinked, the wolf was still there, watching us. It wasn't an apparition. It was real.

"Time to go?" I asked.

"Let's." Stasi agreed. Stasi wasn't scared of anything except her own bloodlust and heights, but I heard something in her voice that I hadn't heard in a long while. The last time I heard it, it was when we were discussing whether I was going to stay at Jefferson or not. That something was fear.

Stasi gripped my arm tightly, her hand an iron vice, as we walked away from the swing set, looking over our shoulders at the wolf that watched us leave.

It howled.

We walked faster.

Multiple howls resounded back.

We were just seconds away from re-entering the parking lot until we found our path blocked by the same black wolf. Stasi and I stared at it and it stared back. It growled, baring it's teeth.

"Belcourt?"

The growling immediately stopped and the wolf cocked it's head. Slowly, it advanced on us, confused. Against my better judgement, I stuck out my hand and the wolf sniffed it. It opened it's mouth, but instead of biting off my fingers, it stuck out a long tongue and licked it, from fingertip to wrist.

"I'll take that as a yes." I said, relieved. The werewolf was part of the many packs that Belcourt High School regulated. They were allowed to run around designated parks at night to let their inner animal out. We'd rather have it somewhere it was controlled and we could keep an eye on, rather than having them go nuts where they could accidentally be shot by animal control or a zealous homeowner. "Do you know us? We're seniors."

The werewolf barked.

"What pack are you?" Stasi asked. The werewolf whimpered, before Stasi hit her forehead with her palm. "That's right... you can't speak in that form."

"McCoy?" The dog whimpered.

"Nguyen?" The dog growled.

"Sherman? Brady? Mitchell? Brown? Garcia? Mendoza?"

At last, I guessed it.

"Nelson?"

The werewolf barked, wagging it's tail.

"I'm going to have a talk with Brianna." I heaved a sigh of relief. "You're supposed to be exploring the parks, not terrorizing the people inside said park. You scared the hell out of us."

The werewolf barked again. It suspiciously sounded like laughter. We settled into a routine of talking, well, it was hardly a conversation. It was mainly one-sided. The werewolf in his/her animal form could only reply with barks, growls, and whines.

"Mr. Williams! Ms. Sokolov!" An anguished voice shouted from the parking lot, making all three of us jump. "Get back to your car right this instant!"

The three of us turned to the place where the sound originated from, watching two men... rather, one man and a woman run over to us. The werewolf's hair stuck up on it's back as it growled. Despite my confusion and alarm, I held up my hands. "Wait, wait, wait! We're ok! We're ok! Belcourt werewolf!"

The werewolf growled louder at the two suits as they came rushing over. "Mr. Williams," The man panted. "It's still too dangerous to be out and about. You too, Ms. Sokolov. I suggest you two get home immediately."

"Who the hell are you two?" Stasi asked, confused.

"Uh..." The man began.

So, thus ensued our meeting of Thomas Taylor and Elizabeth Fischer, vampires of the San Francisco Coven. As it turns out, when I was attacked, both Stasi and I suddenly became very important. With the police unable to provide security for the both of us, the Anton and the Coven put together their meager resources and had a minimum of two employees keep an eye on us at all times.

Shit... I better stop running yellow lights and speeding on the freeway.

******

Understatement of the century: We were shocked to have our own security detail.

We were actually quite irritated that no one told us that we had people watching us. Us teenagers liked our privacy and to have that infringed on...

"Yes, papa. Yes, papa. Ok, bye, papa. Love you. Tell mama I love her, too." Stasi hung up her phone, tossing it back on the night stand. She sighed, exasperated.

"Good news, lyubov... it's only when we're out in public and at school that they monitor us. So long as we stay indoors, our privacy is respected. The bad news is... my dad says he won't send them away. He probably won't even send them away when our families go on our annual ski trip in February! But, on the bright side, he said it was only temporary."

Ski trip... now that, I was excited for. I loved skiing and Stasi loved snowboarding. We always went up to Lake Tahoe for one weekend every February every year since the first grade. Except, this was going to be the first year we did it as a couple.

I hobbled to the window, looking out through the blinds. Sure enough, the SUV was parked just up the road from my house. "I feel like a mafioso and those guys are the FBI."

"Yeah well, at least they're taking our safety seriously. I don't want a repeat of Thanksgiving." Stasi said, lounging on my bed. I turned to look at her, sighing.

"I know. I don't want you to be hurt because of me, but... I'd just like to be with you, and only you. Not with you and Thomas and... what was her name, again?"

"Elizabeth." Stasi giggled. "But you are with me, dummy! Right now. Only I'm here. Here, come back to bed."

Stasi pushed the pizza box that we had ordered aside, giving me space to lay down. I crossed my room to the bed, sitting down on the mattress and lying down on the spot she cleared for me. I sighed in contentment as I lay flush with her, feeling the familiar stirring in my pants. "Besides, in a second, you're not going to be with me." Stasi giggled.

"Huh?"

"In a second, you're going to be in me."

Oh.

You see? This is why I love her. Not only is she unbelievably sexy, but she has a great sense of humor.

"That was an impressive punchline" I mumbled. "If only slightly inappropriate."

"Oh come on, that was great!" She insisted, turning into me and flicking her hair. "Perfect, even."

"I agree with you. I only said slightly inappropriate." I placed my hand on her cold cheek, which she covered with her own and nuzzled into.

"I know." She murmured. "But the question is, are you going to agree with me or be inside me?"

I tilted my face forward and closed the distance between us. When our lips touched, what at first was soft and gentle, became passionate and raw. I spent a long time kissing her, simply enjoying the moment. Eventually, my hand snaked downwards, slipping down, beneath the waistband of her sweatpants. She was wearing panties underneath all of it and they were soaked.

I pushed the sodden material inside, gently playing with her slit, before I slipped a finger inside, making her breath hitch. "Chris... oh... oh shit." She groaned, as I slowly began to finger her.

"If I remember correctly, my last name is Williams, not 'oh... oh shit'." I snickered. Leave it to me to be suave, am I right?

Stasi grinned, her fangs more pronounced and extended than ever. "I don't even have a witty reply to that one."

"As it should be." I continued to kiss her, all the while gently fingering her. For now, this moment was going to be all about her, not me, not us, but her. I loved her with all my well-being and wanted to treat her like a queen. I upped my tempo, and Stasi squirmed, panted, and moaned, every name in the book. Eventually, she pushed my hand away, gasping, her fangs accentuating the smile on her face.

"Chris... you're driving me insane. I need you, now." She demanded, reaching for the hem of my away jersey that she was wearing and beginning to strip out of it. In the interests of saving time, I followed suit, slipping out of my shirt and athletic shorts, chucking them into the corner of my room, never to see the light of day again until I needed to do...

"Laundry." Stasi muttered, delicately folding my jersey and placing it down on the floor. "You need to do your laundry sometime this weekend." Leave it to my best friend to take better care of me and my stuff than I ever would. She went to take off her the shirt she had underneath. "And your sheets!"

I would've replied, had I not been absolutely amazed at what she was wearing underneath when she peeled off the clingy royal blue t-shirt. Her undergarments were black and lacy, a sharp contrast against her creamy and pale skin. "You're beautiful." I blurted, running my hands up and down her delicate, pale, cold body, toned from volleyball, yet soft in the places that mattered. I could spend hours just exploring the imperfect perfections: the blemishes, the marks, the scars. Perfection.

"Thanks, lyubov." Stasi said. She was always self conscious about the tiny marks that marred her pale body. I thought it was beautiful. Gooseflesh popped up where my hands touched, which was everywhere. "I think the black suits me more than the white, even if it chafes just a little bit. I don't want to blind you with my whiteness. Do you like it?" She asked nervously, her softly accented voice absolutely doing wonders for my excitement. She gestured to the bra that was holding back her substantial bust and the tiny bit of her panties that were exposed through the waistband of her sweats.

"I love it." I said sincerely, making her glow. "I love you, Stasi. You're so... so beautiful, it's a crime."

"I... I'm going to have to wear this more often." She stammered, wiggling out of her sweatpants and panties.

"Yes, you are." I agreed. I straddled her, bending down low to kiss her neck, which made her take a sharp intake of breath. Using my hand to brace myself on the bed so I didn't drop on top of her, I wrestled with my briefs with my other hand, allowing my erection to pop free. Stasi's hands immediately went from behind my back to stroking my hard member, her cold hands sending shockwaves through my body.

Despite my intentions to treat her like a queen for the night, I was impatient as all hell. I gently brushed her hands away from my cock and using my free hand, I guided myself towards her slit. With how wet she was, I slid right into her, eliciting a deep, guttural moan from the both of us. I gasped, penetrating right up to the hilt.

"This is... this is the single best feeling in the world." I mumbled.

"Yes it is." Stasi mewled, her large fangs muffling her speech. It was time to feed and her body knew. "Didn't even need that much foreplay. I don't why we waited so long to admit our feelings for each other when we were growing up. I love you, Chris."

"Love you, too, Stasi."

I took my weight on my arms and planted myself down on top of her so that our bodies were touching then pulled out and pressed into her again as far as my hips would allow. It was a bit awkward doing it with a boot on my ankle, but I somehow managed. I pressed my lips to hers and took her head in my hands protectively as I started a slow momentum of in and out motions, eliciting short sharp little gasps and moans from her.

"You're so warm. You're like a furnace." She whispered.

"Uh... thanks?" I replied, an awkward and goofy grin on my face.

"It was a compliment, lyubov." Stasi said, almost as if she was reading my mind. "Oh... definitely a compliment. My furnace."

Somehow, I kept myself from coming, although Stasi was certainly doing her best to make me. My senses were completely occupied by her body, the way her cool skin felt against my hot one, her eyes boring into mine, the way her hair was cast around her like a shadow of midnight.