Early in the morning, Sarah was still sleeping but Nathaniel was wide awake and couldn't fall asleep anymore. He waited for half an hour, but she was deep in the dream world. He checked the bedside clock, it was 5:46. Darn it, she still has like more than an hour to wake up….and I am getting bored. He cuddled behind her, poking his boner to her waist, kissing her cheek----Sarah! Hey Sarah! Waky waky!"
She turned around to face him, her eyes fully shut, "Oh Nathaniel; it is still dark I need more sleep!"
"But I can't sleep anymore." He complained childishly.
"Nathaniel I have a long day ahead of me at work. I also have to make plans to go and visit my grandmother for the funeral tomorrow just let me sleep!" she whispered, her eyes still closed.
"Ok, then I have to leave. Don't tell me I didn't warn you and get mad or anything!"
"It's alright, you can leave I won't get mad." She whispered and kissed him on his lips, turned around and went back to sleep. He rose and put on his clothes and quickly wrote a note for her and left it on her bedside. He took one last look at her before leaving. She is so beautiful and flawless---I always have to snatch myself out for this one don't I—he quietly closed the door.
As he strolled the city to find a place for breakfast his phone vibrated, reminding him of a meeting, "God damn it, it is today?? Oh, I better eat something fast and go back and rest if I am to use my power for----practice purposes again this evening."
On the other side of town, Daniel was fixing his tie, something big was cooking up, "Well, once I get this little shitty tie out of the way there is nothing else to worry about. I got all the documents ready for the presentation and I have rehearsed the most probable questions our investors might ask like 50 times!" he gazed upon a poster laying on his study desk. It read 'the P12 project', "This is my time to shine baby!"
Lea helped him with the tie, "There you go mein Schatz! Now let me quickly make you breakfast." Daniel held her hand and stopped her, "No baby, I can't I don't have time. I'll just grab coffee at the office. The seminar should only last a couple of hours. I should be fine." She gave him a look, "None sense sweetheart, I will make you a quick scrambled eggs with bacon sandwich to eat on your way! One cannot function to perfection, as you do, on an empty stomach!" she said softly, caressing his face, ignoring his words and headed to the kitchen, "It will take less than 5 minutes I promise baby!" Daniel sighed quietly and reluctantly agreed, "Ok my sweet Lea, in the meantime I will just double check my presentation." he put on his coat and sat down with the printed version of the Power point he was to present, memorizing every single point to perfection while putting on a smile as to not come off as artificial or worse---a robot.
She packed the sandwich and handed it to Daniel, "There you go Schatz, I would say best of luck but I know you got this. My man never fails!" She said in a tender tone kissing him on the lips and leading him out.
He rushed downstairs, "God I love this woman so much, what would I ever do without her?!?" he mumbled. Arriving 20 minutes earlier to the office he swiftly headed to the seminar room and even though the staff had set up everything ready according to his instructions, Daniel still had to double check the setting, "Perfectionism runs in the family!" he said out loud to the empty room as he double checked the beamer, the water bottles as well as the container for the hot beverages, "Everything seems to be in order." He took a breath of relief and took a seat awaiting the people who were involved in the project to join. They anxiously walked inside one by one and took a seat at the conference room.
After a few minutes, Daniel looked up from the papers on his lap, the room was filled with people anticipating his speech and so he rose up and with a grin on his face, began the seminar.
During an almost hour-long presentation he performed his task to perfection. At the end it was time for Q&A. Daniel was ready for it, he answered every single question down to the slightest of details which left each and every one of the people present not only satisfied but in amazed at how good he was at his job.
"Is this guy a programmed robot or an extraterrestrial?! Because no ordinary human can perform his task so perfectly!!" Whispered one of the engineers to another gazing upon Daniel with a wide grin of satisfaction. They all smiled and were so very happy with the presentation. Everyone left the halls with no concern or worries but happy that they could trust the company he was a part of.
As every single investor and engineer left the conference room, he was faced with a hall full of empty chairs and at the very back stood a short haired Brunette patiently leaning against a table of snacks, just staring at him with pride, a huge grin across her face. He slowly strolled down the stage. She began clapping dramatically.
"I have to say, even though you are Italian, you never fail to impress and surprise me. What is your secret?"
He gave her a hug and rolled his eyes in annoyance, "What? Don't give me that look slugger! Your performance was beyond excellent!"
"Oh please, that was nothing. You know when it comes to delivering on a promise, I never fail to not only come through but to also impress everyone involved."
"Lea is a very lucky woman for having a man like you by her side; I would be lying if I said that I don't envy her from time to time." She said flirtatiously with a wink and a teasing smile.
"Oh you, always the charmer." Said Daniel dismissing her flirty vibes and energy.
"Any ways, I got my schedule free for an hour, how about you and I go out and grab lunch and celebrate your successful seminar?" She stared into her Swarovski watch.
"Yeah, we could but that alone won't be enough to compensate for my amazing performance today, the latter are your words not mine." He said with a wink teasing her friendly.
"But of course, once the project is well on its way to completion; we shall have a huge party in your honor but for now, since time is of the essence, let's stick to a humble lunch, huh? What say you?" she lightly punched his biceps.
"Sure we could. Hope you know a decent place nearby cause boy I only had a small sandwich for breakfast and now I could fit a whole cow in my mouth, no kidding." He said without a laughter or even a smile looking very serious. Rafaela looked at him with a weird smile, not really comfortable with his comments and led the way.
****
At Nathaniel's residence, he just got up from a nap he fell into right after he returned home. He stared deep into the ceiling; the dreams were once again very vivid. He could almost remember everything but luckily, they were not disturbing, "Why are my cursed dreams so vivid?! It is quite annoying to think and believe what you are seeing is real….oh the girl at the gym's reception she was so freaky---" his thought were interrupted by his phone buzzing, reminding him yet again of his meeting with Peter in thirty minutes.
"Welp, this thing got to come with some disadvantages and I for one can't complain too much now should I take a cab or-----use the Temhos?!" he turned off his alarm and rose up, "Questions questions…." He said out loud rushing to the closet and getting ready in an instant "I can probably set a new record and get there in less than 20 minutes…did I say 20? I meant more like 10." He looked at his reflection, fixed the collars of his black shirt and rushed outside into the cloudy weather.
He arrived at Mariahilferstrasse in a few minutes. Everyone was scared and shocked at how he made it to the middle of the street without anyone noticing him before that. Nathaniel looked around and annoyingly shouted, "For crying out loud, forget everything you just saw!" everyone around was dumbfounded for a few seconds before they came back to their senses and went about their business.
"9 minutes and 34 seconds…not bad" he gazed at his watch and leaned towards a wall. Peter strolled casually while checking his phone for the time and raising his eyebrows, "And here is the part where I will be stood up for---"
"Hi there old friend, what is up?" Nathaniel said surprising Peter who stopped and stood in awe, "Man, look at what we have here, Nathaniel King is actually on time?! What the hell is going on? Is this reverse day or something?!" said Peter jokingly as he ran towards him, hugging him tight.
"Good to see you too, buddy! Do we always have to hug?!" he Hugged him back, looking embarrassed, "Of course, how is that even a question?! I haven't seen my buddy for quite a while have you already forgotten that we used to hang out almost everyday?! And seriously, how the hell did you get here on time?!"
"You dare blame me for that, really? Am I the one to blame for this one?" he gibed.
"Yeah, yeah Anja has been a controlling woman as usual but come on, what is your secret for arriving so early."
He sighed, rolled his eyes and in an annoyed tone said, "To relief your tiny brain from the tension of endless wonders I took a damn cab---business has been sort of booming lately."
"Haha, I am just glad that I don't have to wait 20 minutes for you, bro! So, I have already made some reservation at a Persian restaurant in the near. They say the Persian Kebab there are the best in town!"
"Can't wait!" he said unenthusiastically.
The two buddies studied the menu briefly and ordered the usual dish, "We really need to stop looking at the menus, even the cook knows what we're going to eat every time we come here." "It is called integrity old friend; one cannot be a simpleton. That would be too predictable and boring. Now that we got that out of the way, how have you been lately?"
They had a long conversation and after lunch, Peter turned to Nathaniel and excitingly said "You know, I haven't told anyone this but you are the closest person I got to a brother so here it goes." he cleared his throat and nervously ushered, "I am going to propose to Anja!!!"
"That is fantastic news buddy! So you have finally decided to get married, form a family and-----ruin your life, killing the little fun you have in life huh?!" Nathaniel said chuckling and leaning back in his chair.
"Come on bro, I expected you to be mature enough for this news!" he said disappointingly.
"Fine!" he forced a smile and continued, "Jokes aside, I am happy for you! Anja is an amazing woman and you two will make the perfect couple." Peter looked at him clearly not believing a word coming out of his mouth, "Oh come on, don't give me that look. You know I don't believe in marriage and happy endings, never have never did."
"Alright, at least you're honest about it." He said, obviously disappointed from his best friend's reaction.
"You know, ever since high school, I feel like a part of me died that I never got to properly bury and now its memories are haunting me." Said Nathaniel hoarsely looking deep into the distance.
"That girl really left a deep scar, didn't she? I never saw you happy with another woman. You always fake it until you get them in bed and then…poof the magic is gone. Never understood how someone as sweet and romantic as you; could turn into this----emotionless monster, no offence."
"None taken; I am not particularly proud nor ashamed of what I have become. To be fair I don't think it was even because of her that I turned out this way. Something deep inside me was already fucked up and when she left, it was the straw that broke the camel's back and finally turned me into this mess. Unable to feel love for any woman…it is just the excitement at the beginning and then it is gone like it was never there."
"Nathaniel, I love you like the brother I never had and to see you torture yourself like this just irks me a lot. Why do you always have to be a stubborn prick and won't listen to me?! You need to seek professional help?!"
He scoffed at his comments looked away and said, "Because therapy and professional help never works!! I have been going to therapy sessions since the age of 9….look at me! I am an alcoholic and a sex addict who only feels alive when he is drunk or mid-sex."
"That is exactly why you should go and see a therapist! There are new methods developed every day to fight off these mental conditions. For the love of the cosmos just go and see someone!" Peter cried almost begging his friend and handing over a doctor's card.
He snatched the card from his hand, studied it for a moment, mocked and threw it away, "I'm telling you, It won't work!"
"The first step is acceptance of your condition and sickness."
"Jesus, now you sound like you are talking to a mental case or worse, a serial killer!" he gibed, mocking his suggestion, refusing to accept a word coming out of his mouth.
"Truth be told, you do sound like the former…." Peter said shyly looking away but then continued, "Why should one allow a single bad experience ruin his love life completely! You need to accept that she was bad for you, move on and find a good woman for yourself."
"Nah, it began way before her. It was my mother. Glad you never got to meet that woman; she was evil incarnate. There was something fundamentally wrong with my mother." he said distastefully closing his eyes every time the word mother left his mouth.
"Oh, so at this age you're still going to blame a parent?" Peter said in a strict tone of voice, looking at him up and down judgmentally.
"Can you just shuuut up for a few minutes and listen?! I am practicing the stupid therapy you're insisting so much and you judging and talking crap isn't helping much." He looked at him frowned and quite annoyed. Peter simply nodded, looked down and stayed silence.
"I remember this one time; we were back in Italy for summer vacations visiting my Nona's old villa. Mom was mopping the floors in the kitchen in preparation for our long stay there, fully ignoring me---like the cold hearted witch that she ever was. Dad? He was out getting drunk in the gardens by himself, his famous red wine bottle in his arms like a young mistress."
"Was Daniel there too?" Peter asked patiently listening carefully to his every word. He was taking mental notes.
"Sure, he was! He was out playing by the little pond among the meadows chasing dragonflies. I? I was in the kitchen staring at my dear mother who was ignoring me as usual desperately seeking her attention---even a freaking look would have been enough but---but she was ignoring me on purpose and that irked me a lot."
He took a sip from what remained of his beverage and stayed silent for a while.
"And?!" Peter said impatiently.
He sighed, looked at the tiles on the restaurant floor and continued in a low voice, "And, me being the impatient little twat that I am, thought of a way to get her attention." He chuckled rather bitterly at his own thought, "I danced and begged her to look at me all to no use, she just kept mopping. I ran to her and pulled her jeans while screaming mama, mama still nothing. Until the sinister thought of breaking Nona's plate came to mind." He narrowed his eyes, "That would surely get her attention! I didn't think much, I just wanted some attention from her so---it did! I smashed a plate against the floor and it instantly got an angry reaction from my dear, cold hearted mother. She turned red as she instantly dropped the mob, her hands turned into claws, you disgraceful boy! Now I shall teach you a lesson!! She grabbed my ear and pulled me to the wine cellar where it was so very dark like nothing you have seen before while constantly kicking my butt."
"What was your dad doing? Didn't he try to stop her or something?"
He scoffed, not looking at him in the eyes, his hands clutched, "That fool was probably already half-asleep, tired of dear mother's constant banter and nagging. Come to think of---Daniel did rush to my aid, hearing mom's endless screams at me, he came to the rescue begging her to stop---but she---oh she was more stubborn and evil than that! She threw me down the wine cellar and locked the door. With no windows, no light; I felt as if a pair of monstrous eyes were staring at me from every corner waiting for the right moment to make their move. And that my friend, I think that was the beginning of a fine mess." He said pointing to himself.
"How long were you in?" he asked a sad expression covering his face.
"Oh, a couple of hours. Daniel kept sneaking behind the door knocking and shouting that it would all be over soon. Meanwhile, shitless and scared, I never understood that woman's deep hatred towards me, I mean---he named me after her father and according to dear old dad, mom loved his father to death so why hate me so much…these are questions I shall never find the answers to I guess." he said in a low tone, looking faraway in the distance sadly.
"Daniel has always been there for you; he is a good brother!" Nathaniel scoffed at his comments once more, "I would rather say that he was fighting for his conscious rather than being a good brother, for a while, and you remember it damn well, he was ignoring me, hanging out with the cool guys and all." He rubbed his chin for a while and continued with frowned eyebrows, "I still remember the goodbye party at Andreas'…huh who are we kidding, it was always there, it just needed to be triggered and that little bitch did the work. As she walked away from me and got inside Gary's car…that walk still haunts me."
"Yeah, wish break ups were this fun for everyone! You got to sleep with not 1 but 2 girls who were crazy about you on the same night, remember?!"
"I am not even proud of that one; I was so drunk I can barely remember what was going on in the bedroom. I just remember I was trying really hard not to burst into tears like a little bitch. That's when my problem with alcoholism got even worse!"
"No need to remind me of that; did you ever hear from Pia again?" Peter said casually checking his phone.
"Last I heard she was full on cocaine with some weirdo who worked as a bartender in the 18th district. To be fair I couldn't care about her less even if I wanted to, it was never about her." said Nathaniel as he delved into the depth of his mind reminiscing the memories of the past.
The year was 2011 and the senior students at the American international school in Vienna were planning a huge party to celebrate and end the school year. Nathaniel was strolling in the middle of the hallway, emo hairstyle with a black T-shirt on--a skull in the middle. Several necklaces and rings in hand, he was too afraid of his mother for tattoos or earrings and even though his parents lived in the U.S. they would video call the brothers and pretty much notice something out of order right away.
Their mother already disapproved of Nathaniel's appearance and hairstyle to add to the troubles would have been unwise. He strolled down the halls confidently and arrogantly with thoughts of his girlfriend Pia in mind that troubled him deeply.
For weeks she had been very cold and distant. He talked to her several times, wondering what was wrong but every time the answer was the same, "I just need some time to myself, I can fix it on my own."
Somewhere down the hall he was presented with the scene of a crowd of the schools' football team with his brother, Daniel wearing a jersey and at the center of it the patched C. He was being cheered by his teammates and was getting all the attention from the cheerleading squad.
At the head of the squad stood the gorgeous Jessica who was the most beautiful girl in their entire school. She was dated by no one other than Daniel himself. She hugged and romantically kissed him on the lips.
"I swear to God, every time I see them together it just makes me hate happy couples and relationships a little bit more." he growled and continued to stroll by while staring at his brother with envy. Daniel stared back at him uncomfortably, he was feeling guilty for pushing his brother out of his social circle.
He knew his brother had been going through hell with his girlfriend and was also struggling with alcoholism that was getting worst by each passing day which, in turn, was affecting his mental health too. Nathaniel of course being stubborn and arrogant would not seek help but would drown himself every night by writing rock songs and getting pissed drunk.
Not long ago Daniel was Nathaniel's confidant; always by his brother's side helping him the best he could in the absences of their parents but as of late they had grown apart since they clearly had different interests and different social circles which made it hard for the two of them to stay in touch.
Daniel hesitated for a bit but took a few steps towards his brother. He was immediately scolded, "What you looking at, punk?!" shouted Nathaniel angrily.
"Nothing, just trying to check on my brother; are you alright? You don't seem well!" he said concerned with his mental and physical health. Nathaniel's eyes were bloodshot and yellow, intoxicated liver from too much alcohol consumption. "Nothing I can't fix by myself brother now leave me the fuck alone." he yelled angrily and pushed him away.
"Honey are you ok?" said Jessica holding him from behind.
"No my love…..it seems I have neglected my brother for far too long….poor guy doesn't even know his girlfriend is already seeing someone else and I am pretty sure he is going to find out at the party tonight. Christ, I'll have to babysit him." he said in a low voice, concerned and annoyed at the same time.
Jessica looked at him tenderly with a smile, "You are a loving brother, do you know that?" She said as she kissed him on the cheek, "I am a terrible brother. I put the fame and glory on a pedestal while I ignored my brother and his deteriorating mental health all so I could stay on top. Now I am afraid he is too far gone to the edge, and I have to pull him back----but how?" he said hoarsely, gazing at him rush out of school.
"I will help you out my sweet Dani; but right now, we have to take the school's football team photos---come on the camera guy is waiting outside." Said Jessica excitingly as she pulled Daniel outside into the fields for the yearly football team photo-shoot.
"Nathaniel---Nathaniel come on my brother! We have to go! Anja and her friends are waiting and with our little therapy session, we are kind of late!" said Peter in a hurry.
He came back to his senses; the memories were so vivid and clear as if it was taking place right in front of his eyes, "The dream world and the----memory world?!" he mumbled, took a deep breath and got off his chair "Alright, I'll be paying this time---friendly treat for my best friend for always---or maybe just sometimes being there for me." He said with a grin across his face, he was feeling a lot better after talking to Peter.
"Nate, are you sure you're not on prescribed drugs or something? I already paid for everything right in front of your eyes. You were lost so deep in the memories that I thought I could get rid of the payment and quickly go to the bar to Anja and her friends."
Nathaniel was dumbfounded for a while but managed to put up an act, "Woops, did you now? My bad…I really get lost in my thoughts as of late, especially when it involves the senior year of high school."
"Okay, yeah---yeah---yeah man great to hear that. Anyways, the cab I ordered is here." Peter talked carelessly, checking his phone.
"Such an amazing and caring friend you are, Peter! What would I ever do without you?" he mocked sarcastically.
"Come on man, you need professional help. Talking to your friends won't cut it. Just—just keep this card and give my therapist a call will you?" Said Peter as he handed over the card and rushed inside the car.
The cab swiftly drove them to the appointed location and Peter rushed out, his eyes still fixated on his phone, "Finally, here we are!"
"Ohhh, was spending an afternoon pretending to be your best friend therapist that bad? You did miss the ending too!" he said humorously, the cloud of his dark humor haunting Peter through every step of the way.
"Is that a question?!" he looked at him figuratively "Anyways, this is the place, Anja and I have become regulars here. She should be inside waiting and, don't get too excited but she has a friend she wants to introduce to you." He said hesitantly in a low voice, not sure if it was a good idea to introduce the two of them.
"Hmm, she really wants this girl to go through a nightmare, doesn't she?" he chuckled arrogantly, "All I will do is make her fall in love with me and then break her heart. The pattern is quite obvious by now."
"In all fairness, she thought you have finally become a full-grown adult after the last time she saw you. Come on, she is just your type, you'll love her."
"Whatever you say, chief!"
Nathaniel was reluctant to even meet this woman but deep down a new fear began to crawl in his very being---What if I fall in love with Sarah…that would be the end game for me. I shall never recover from this one, um-hum no how----he thought to himself all the while he was persuaded by his buddy to give it a shot even if it were just for the evening, "Jesus Nate, you need to settle down and form a family! You don't plan to stay a bachelor your whole life do you? One will not stay young and handsome as you are forever, unless you have recently turned into a vampire?"
He laughed nervously at the last comment, it made Peter turn around and look at him awkwardly but before things were to get any more awkward, he pulled himself together and confidently said, "Nope, but I still stand by my word. Settling down and marriage are stupid and no matter what you say or do, I am not changing my mind."
"Whatever you say brother. Just---just give this one girl a try, I promise you, you won't regret it! Just this once, pretty one please!"
Nathaniel sighed and looked away then looked back at Peter and said, "As much as I hate to admit to people being right, I do have to give you credit for that."
Peter's eyes widened in excitement, "Does that mean you're going to give this girl a try, I mean I have seen her and God, she is gorgeous to say the least."
He rolled his eyes and said, "Fine! Let me see her first. Our standards are not the same in---ummm---anything for that matter."
After their little banter, the two buddies got inside the bar and met Anja and her friends while Anja excitingly introduced her friend to Nathaniel. He was not counting on anything before entering the bar for his thoughts were filled with endless pictures of Sarah that , as usual, he had to snap himself out of but once he took a good look at Anja's friend, however, everything changed.
His mind shifted from thoughts of Sarah to endless strategies of seducing and conquering this beautiful woman who stood right in front of him, "Hi I'm Julia, nice to meet you!" she said shyly. He stared at her up and down very quickly as to not come off as a pervert but at the same time he had to fully check her out. His eyes turned red for a slight second.
She was a blonde beautiful Polish girl with green eyes and just a tiny bit shorter than Nathaniel. "Green eyes….I can still deal with that---he mumbled as he introduce himself, "Hi there, my friends call me the Devil's son, you however, may call me Nathaniel, charmed I am sure!" he said as he gently shook her hand as they both felt a strong sexual tension rising in the air while making everyone around them slightly uncomfortable.
"Charming as always, Nate! Now let's not allow too much charm in the room…some of us need a little air to breathe." Said Anja trying to calm down the sexual tension between them.
They all sat down and continued to talk and get to know one another while keeping Peter and Anja as well a few other friends included in their many conversations. Nathaniel, was the center of attention with his air of carelessness and his knowledge of human biology. He continued to calmly and respectfully debunk every single argument that was thrown his way as to not appear too much of an asshole to Julia.
Regardless of what he did, she was already hooked. She could not keep her eyes off him all the while he carelessly argued with Anja. He looked at Julia with his trademark smirk as he slowly whispered to himself "Hmm, there goes another one. She is hooked for life. Nathaniel you have done it again!"
"What are you so intensely staring at, sassy pants?!" he said in his usual cockish tone.
"Oh nothing…." She said blushing and looking to the floor and shyly smiling.
"You know, I rarely say this but I really like you. You know how to smile."
"Is that what you say to all your girls, Nathaniel?" she arched a brow and tested his frame.
"Nah, I just tell them straight from the get go if they want to get out of here….you however, seem the type that needs to be conquered and adored for a lifetime!"
She blushed again and tried her best to keep eye contact but failed. Seeing the dire, bashful situation Anja came to the rescue by interrupting them "My goodness, you two love birds sure need to get a room because right now you are being the envy of this bar."
"Ok, now you're being the fun killer…have you been hanging out with Daniel lately?!"
"Oh Daniel, I haven't seen that wonderful human being in a long time. How is he doing by the way?"
"Oh you know Daniel. Always working and keeping everyone around him happy. Everyone….except me of course; he has been a heavy burden on my shoulders from the age of two."
Anja thought for a moment and then excitingly said, "We are actually organizing a picnic next Saturday. Julia is obviously invited and coming….you should definitely invite Daniel." She paused and stared at him judgmentally, "You can come too, only if you promise to behave."
He got pissed at her rude little comments and vengefully said, "My, my, Peter does your girlfriend have a crush on my brother. I feel sorry for you for losing to such an extremely boring person." He chuckled and took a sip from his drink.
"Nathaniel! That is not why I"---interrupted Peter---"It's ok honey. It is just Nathaniel and his weird humor. I understand." He said caressing her hands.
"Always the nice guy Peter…remember, nice guys always end last"---Everyone just stared at Nathaniel a bit awkwardly----"What?! Did I go too far again…..alright sure, I will be happy to invite Danny with his girl to your little picnic event."
Maybe I went a little too far with the last part. He put away some of his usual cockiness to ease the tension a little.
After a few hours they decided to call it the night. Nathaniel took Julia to the side, away from the eyes of her friends and ask to take her out sometimes. "Why did you bring me so far away?" she said staring at his lips involuntarily.
"Ohh don't you look at my lips…that is not the reason why I brought you here…after all I don't kiss and tell. And to answer your question, that is because if I had asked you in front of your friends then you would have turned me down." he looked at the veins on her neck, his heart began to raise and the veins below his eyes slowly began to pump blood. He could sense his features changing thus he quickly turned around.
"That is not true I would have still given you my number!---Nathaniel? Are you ok?"
"Oh yeah! I was about to---umm—sneeze that's why." He said swiftly checking his reflection on the front camera of his phone. To his relief, everything seemed normal hence he turned to her and handed over his phone, "Well, there you have it, there is my number! Now, let us not leave our friends hanging for too long, shall we?"
That was a close call! I should really watch myself around people's neck from now on. Does that mean that I have become a neck guy now?----he thought to himself as he trudged back to his friends who pretended not to notice them and continued to say their goodbyes to one another.
Meanwhile Julia could not take her eyes from him. She instantly got scolded by Anja, "Julia! Stop staring at him so much, you're going to appear easy!"
"What?! I really like him!" she whispered obsessively.
"I am beginning to regret introducing you to him; come on, off we go home now." Said Anja grabbing her arm and leading her to the subway.
"Oh, that was not awkward at all. She is really addicted to the drama, isn't she?!"
"Women's nature, you know it better than I do, buddy! Did you really have to pull of that awkward joke?"
"Honestly she started it, I just played along." Nathaniel said raising his hand.
"Alright I am, to put in a nice way, a train wreck."
"You don't say, you look like shit. I would Thank you for lunch and this wonderful evening but I am fairly certain you are the one who needs to thank me for my company. As always, we'll keep in touch?" he said arrogantly with a wink and rushed away.
"Always the humble one, Nathaniel. See you soon!"
As he walked off the subway station and into the streets towards his flat, the Temhos forcefully created images in his thoughts, it caused a severe headache. Pictures of blood, Nathaniel biting Julia's neck and drinking her blood dry, "Ahhhh, what the hell man." He screamed in agony and fell on his knees.
The images kept ruminating in his head clear as the skies. He drank Julia's blood, the thirst within him endless. She caressed his face weeping and begging him to spare her life. He briefly stopped, looked at her, his mouth filled with blood. Nathaniel could not stop, he needed more and so his eyes turned red once more and he ripped her neck wide open, her eyes rolled back, she was gone. He began to weep a little but he could not stop, he was still hungry, "Ahhhhh!!!" He screamed and banged his head against the wall of a nearby building which finally stopped the visions.
People approached on the streets, "Ist alles in ordenung?!" "Is everything alright?! "Ja ja, alles ok hier, danke!" "Yes, yes, all good here, thanks!"
He stood up, the Temhos continued to push its visions, attempting to weaken and infiltrate his mind but failed time and time again. Nathaniel grew more resilient by the minute than it anticipated.
Hopeless, the deity gave him stronger headaches to a point which Nathaniel began to bleed from his nose and ears, people around him called an ambulance the man was clearly in desperate need of medical attention. After a few moments, however, the Temhos decreased its potency, the headaches were so painful that it could kill its harbinger.
An ambulance showed up and checked Nathaniel's nose and ears, they couldn't conclude a definite cause. He vehemently dismissed their suggestion to be driven to a hospital. He got off the vehicle and began strolling towards his flat all the while the people on the street kept staring at him. He barely held on to the walls of the buildings he was passing by.
His eyes were forced close one more time, he was in the middle of a dark foggy forest, a female figure in the middle. Too dark to see her features only her long dark hair were visible. He stood there staring at it for a while before it rushed towards Nathaniel and screamed, "YOU WILL OBEY ME!!" her eyes ruby red while she showcased her big fangs trying to intimidate him, "Not good enough!" he scoffed and pushed the female figure away, opened his eyes and got inside his apartment building.
The Temhos gave up for the time being and went dormant. He stood still for a moment and took full control of his mind; the headaches were finally gone. He grabbed a gin bottle from the fridge, poured himself a glass and trudged to the danger zone. The curtains were push to the side as he curiously looked outside and thought to himself for a moment. Were these impulses really going to get worst? Was he going to be able to actually resist the temptation of draining someone of their blood? He did not know for he never drank blood. Only the taste of it could reveal the truth.
Nathaniel drank the whole glass, took off his shirt and collapsed on his bed, lost deeply into the endless loops of his thoughts of love and the many affairs he was involved in, when his phone began ringing none-stop. He tried to ignore it but it would not stop---the number was a private one which got him a little curious at first. He rolled his eyes and annoyingly said, "It's probably that prick Guthullu!" He picked up the phone, "What Guthullu? Is it already time to make my life a living nightmare?"
"I was hoping that this number belonged to you. I take it you are Mr. Nathaniel King, yes?"
"Yes….and who the hell are you?! And how dare you disturb my evening?!" he growled angrily.
"Ohh, and so the Devil has quite the temper, too!" he laughed joyfully, "I mean not to disturb you for long Master King. If the matter in hand was not so urgent then I would have called some other time but rumors of you and your brother's imminent departure towards the training grounds has already spread across the cosmos and I really need to talk to you about this very important matter. I would have preferred to talk to your brother but then again----he is not as stubborn as you are for he is always looking to do the right thing, the right way and at the right time and such method is exactly what we need to avoid for the moment." Said the voice on the other side in a very delicate, English accent.
"Either you are a nut-job who managed to get his hands on a phone, or you have escaped through a time portal from a court in the Middle-ages, because what you are saying makes no sense!"
"I promise it shall make sense once I reveal the next part Master Nathaniel." He persuaded. "Then be quick about your business, peasant for I have little time to spare for mundane matters." He mocked.
The mystery man laughed lightly at his comments, "Charming as expected Master King. I will get directly to the point which includes your long-lost sister, Katherine."
"Oh come on now, that trick is getting a little old, don't you think?!" he lashed.
"I can assure you that I speak the truth, my sources are reliable. I truly have news regarding her whereabouts something that, to my knowledge, the covenant refused to reveal to you so far. I promise I will present you with genuine information about her as soon as I arrive in Vienna, however, I am afraid that you will be gone by then and your mentors will probably keep you there though to their major trust issues."
"Jesus man, you had all the time in the world and you had to come to Vienna when I am stuck at the training grounds?!"
"Well, there is a possibility that if you act responsibly and take your training seriously enough, that they would allow you to go home at the end of each day, Master King."
"Why do you keep calling me master again?" his phone made noise; it was a picture.
"There is the initial proof that my source and information are indeed genuine!" The mystery man said confidently. Nathaniel opened it, it was a young girl who resembled him a lot. Nathaniel's eyes widened and dilated, maybe he did in fact have the information, nevertheless, he controlled his excitement and said in a not so impressed tone of voice, "Let's say I believe you just for a second, what do you propose I do in exchange for the information?"
"I really have to go but I shall call you every day at 8 p.m., Master King and provide you with more information regarding my simple proposal. I simply wanted to see if you are interested to continue our contact from now on!"
"Oh brother, as if calling me Master was not cringey enough now you want to call me every---yeah ok. I'll see what I can do….so why are you doing this again?!"
"I have my own reasons. Let's just say that it is a personal pay back to Father Alonso for banning me from the training grounds and the covenant's headquarters while still keeping me a member of the covenant…it is a long story but do know they are hiding valuable information from you to manipulate you in times of need. Master, my last request is that you don't discuss this conversation with anyone…including your brother…you do this and I promise I will give you the information you need to find Katherine."
"Alright, I understand Daniel the do-gooder is not to be trusted on such shady matters. You have my word!"
With that last sentence said, the mysterious voice hung up. "Oh that was not cringey at all….now where do I put this one on my to-do-list!" he said sarcastically not fully taking the mystery guy's message too seriously.