The years went by so quickly. We lived happily in that little town. Adam had been nothing but amazing. He was a good husband and a great father. He worked at the hospital. Apparently, his father was a doctor and he learned a lot from watching him, even though he wasn't really interested. Adam was hardworking and responsible and dependable. He was of good character. That must be why I fell in love with him, maybe. If I were to be honest though, despite the respect and admiration I was feeling towards him, I couldn't properly say I was in love with him. Maybe I did love him but it probably wasn't the kind of love he was expecting me to have.
On the bright side, Kilian grew well. He was an energetic boy who had a good relationship with the people in town. He liked playing with his friends. He was mischievous at times but he was respectful and well-mannered. He loved helping out with the chores and never hesitated extending a hand to those who needed them. I watched him grow each day. Every day, my fear grew bigger as well. There were times I noticed unusual things about him, like his strength and speed. At first, I never thought hard about it. I just figured my boy was athletic and healthy. But after years of watching him, the sense of doubt lingered. Most importantly, his eyes. I knew there was something that first time I stared into his eyes. They were bright red, but in a positive way. They were sweet and innocent. I was the only one who noticed them because it was only a couple of seconds before his eyes turned warm brown. I tried to forget about it, thinking I was only hallucinating due to child birth. But I wasn't.
Adam was always at work and Grandma Teresa sold fruits and vegetables which we grew in the backyard ourselves at the market. Every time Kilian had tantrums, his eyes turned red. They weren't scary, of course. They turned into a light shade of red full of sadness each time, and the only thing on my mind every time was how to make him happy again. He was my baby, my angel. But every day, my confusion kept getting stronger. Those instances of oddity gave me the feeling that Adam was hiding something from me – a very big secret that could change everything. I never had the courage to confront him. I didn't want to destroy the happy home we've built. But every night, I kept praying that Adam would voluntarily reveal the truth.
Seventeen years after I gave birth to him, my son had grown into a fine young man. He grew taller than Adam and more handsome if I do say so myself. He went to the community high school and was a model student. He was an athlete as well. He was perfect. Our lives were perfect until an event turned our lives around.
"What have you done? You could have killed him!" Adam was furious. It was the first time Kilian had been sent to the principal's office. Apparently, he beat up one of his classmates. The child was sent to the hospital with broken ribs, a broken knee, a dislocated arm and a broken jaw. It was the first time Kilian was involved in an incident of violence. He had always been cool-headed so the incident was a big shock to us.
"What happened? Tell us so we can help sort it out." I told him calmly.
"Nothing. I just felt like breaking his body to pieces." He said disgustingly.
"What? Are you out of your mind? Do you want to go to jail?!" Adam was really furious.
"Stop yelling at him!" I yelled at Adam instead. He looked at me, surprised.
"This happened because you keep pampering him. Now he thinks he can get away with anything." He snapped at me.
"What are you getting angry at me for?" That moment, I was starting to get angry too. "All I'm saying is that we can talk about this without going after each other's throats!"
"Whatever. I'm going back to the hospital." Adam said. Then he turned to Kilian. "You're grounded. You're not allowed to leave this house until I say so." Then he walked away with heavy footsteps.
I turned to face Kilian. "What really happened there? I know you. You wouldn't do something like that unless there's a valid reason." He didn't say anything. "Please, talk to me." I begged.
Kilian stared into my eyes. "That guy was bullying someone else. I couldn't stand it so I told him to knock it off. He wouldn't listen, and hit me instead."
I looked at his face and noticed a slight patch of red on his cheek. "Then why didn't you just explain yourself?" I sighed. "Even if you say that, it still doesn't justify what you did. If you kept going, he really could have died."
"I know." He said, crestfallen. He knew what he did was wrong, that was obvious.
"Then why did you still do it?" I asked.
"Because I wanted to. The moment his fist hit my face, I was wrapped in this strange urge to kill him." For the first time, I was scared. He lifted his head and stared at me with red eyes. "I wanted to tear him apart."
I was dumbfounded. I couldn't say anything to him.
"That look. It was the same look he gave me when I was beating him." He said. "You think I'm a monster too?"
I couldn't answer. He walked past me and went out the backdoor. I took a step and followed him.
"Where are you going?!" I yelled after him.
"Just leave me alone!" He yelled back, and I watched him ran to the forest.
I ran after him. "Kilian! Kilian!" I kept shouting his name as I ran through the dense forest. I couldn't see him up ahead. I stopped to catch my breath. "Kilian!" I shouted again.
He didn't answer. I only heard the cicadas and the rustling of the leaves as the trees blew them. I let out another sigh. He hated me. He was already confused and hurt and heartbroken. I should have comforted him. Instead, I made him hate himself even more. I should have reached out to him. What if he decided to never come back? I was so lost in thought; I almost jumped at the sound of a branch getting stepped on. I turned to the direction of the sound. It was a young woman. She had long dark hair, a pale complexion, and dark eyes. Everything about her screamed of a vampire, but her eyes weren't red. They were black.
"Who are you? Are you lost? Do you need help?" I asked nicely.
"You---" She started, but Kilian came out of nowhere.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing before my eyes. Kilian was fighting with the woman. But, it wasn't the normal fight between people. It was like watching two animals fight. They were growling. Their teeth barred. Kilian shove the woman in the forest floor. The woman kicked him off and Kilian was thrown a few meters away. Kilian crouched and started running towards the woman.
"I didn't come here to fight!" The woman finally found the chance to speak.
"Then, what do you want?" Kilian asked with gritted teeth.
"I came to find her." She said turning to my direction.
"You came to find me? Do you know me?" I asked.
"Of course. You don't remember me?"
"No. Who are you?"
"It's me, Maria."