This was originally the introduction for a joint story but i think it works as a short story. i still need to edit it more, but knowing me i'll probably never get around to it, so i'm just going to submit it like this, Hope you like it ^-^
If you're intrested there's also:
Blaze's bio
Cole's bio and intro
and a pic of blaze by saxgirl
the whole joint story etc can be found in my world
Blaze lay on her bed in the middle of her room, the bright gold’s and reds of the furniture dull in comparison to her flame red hair, eyes, and the small fire sprite hovering near her shoulder.
She gave of the appearance of a bored teenager lounging on her bed with nothing better to do, but she was much, much more than that. Blaze was the mistress of the Rewer city vampire coven, she was also a demon and had given the coven quite a reputation over the past few years.
She sighed; it had been twenty years since she had become the Mistress and at the beginning she had loved her position, but now she was becoming bored with it. She sighed, and glanced at Zee Zee, who was still hovering beside her
“I don’t think I can take much more of this Zee.” She said.
“Anymore of what mistress?” Zee Zee asked. She was charged to look after Blaze, but over the years a strong friendship had developed. Zee was one of the only people Blaze felt she could confide in.
“Of caring for the coven, I just don’t think it’s me.” She said, answering the sprites question.
“What do you mean mistress? Of course it’s you you’ve been doing it for the last twenty years and the coven has never been stronger.” She sounded calm but the flames that made up Zee’s hair and dress grew brighter, giving away her distress.
“The coven will be strong enough without me and Cole is more than ready to take over.” Blaze smiled . Cole was the only other real friend she had in the coven, or at least the only one she’d managed to keep after she was made Mistress. “In fact I think I might go tell him right now.” She made a move to get up and laughed when Zee became more distressed, her flames reaching out to lick along the bed.
“Oh, calm down Zee” she said, the laugh still on her lips, “And be careful you don’t set the bad on fire again. Surely you haven’t forgotten the uproar you caused last time.”
“Don’t tease Mistress, That wasn’t my fault! And don’t change the subject. I’m begging you, please think this through. ” She said, moving away from the bed but not calming down in the least.
“I’ve made my decision Zee, I just thought I should let you know first, I’ll tell the others tomorrow.” She sighed again, a few more days and she would be free again, free to travel like she had in the past, before she had become a vampire.
I wonder how they’ll take it, she though. Probably not that well, vampires never seem to deal well which change.
Cole will be happy though I know he’s wanted this position for a long time. But I sure am going to miss him.
Zee flittered over to hover just above her bed. “what are you thinking about now mistress?”
“I’m wondering how everyone will deal with this.” The edge of her mouth turned up in amusement. “I should be quite entertaining”
Zee Zee sighed “Are you sure I can’t change your mind mistress?”
“I’m sure” Blaze said and her smile widened “And you know how stubborn I can be.”
Zee laughed “That I know only too well mistress”
Blaze stretched and thought started to think about her years since she had become a vampire and joined the coven. It had started fifty years ago when she had first come to the city, though it was little more than a town then.
Blaze had been travelling in the human world for nearly one hundred years. The changing of the world had been wondrous at first, until she realized that whatever connections, whatever friends, she made would change and die while she would stay the same. Zee Zee excluded of course. So when she first heard about the vampire coven in Rewer city she decided to check it out.
“Are you sure that Frande was telling the truth when he told you there were vampires here?” Blaze asked Zee Zee, who was hidden beneath the fall or her hair so as not to be seen.
“I’m sure mistress, though he said they would be hard to find. They’d have to be if they’ve survived this far into the twentieth century.”
Blaze looked toward the smog filled sky and sighed. “Maybe we should leave then. We’ve been here for over a month and I miss the sight of the stars.” She turned her gaze to the ground and kicked at a discarded soda can. “Not to mention that this city is filthy.”
“Give it another week mistress. If we haven’t found them by then, the we’ll leave.”
“Fine Zee, if that’s what you think is best.”
Zee Zee had been Blaze’s guardian/servant for as long as she could remember and she was the only one who followed Blaze when she ran away to the human world. Blaze expected her father had something to do with that. The small sprite was extremely loyal and smart, if a bit of a spoil sport. And while Blaze had detested having her ‘guardian’ follow her at first, they were now good friends.
The pair continued on in silence. They took the back alleys and less travelled roads as much for the peace they offered as for the likeliness of finding vampires and they were so lost in conversation that Blaze completely missed the young man standing in the shadows.
The man stepped out and Blaze stopped in her tracks, cursing under her breath. “Who are you?” She asked, shaking her head slightly to better conceal Zee Zee.
“My name’s Cole.” The man replied, but made no move to do anything.
Blaze looked him over. He appeared to be about nineteen, but there was a look in his eyes that seemed much older. He was dressed in black jeans and a black hooded jacket. He seemed like any normal teenager, but the absolute stillness of his stance set off all Blaze’s warning bells. She listened closely and was met with silence. He had no heart beat and when she looked closer she saw that he wasn’t breathing either. Finally I seem to have found what I’m looking for, she thought.
“Blaze” She said and stuck out her hand, a grin spreading across her face. “Nice to meet you.”
Cole looked taken aback but shook her hand none the less. “What are you doing in our city?” He demanded of her, but she could still here a hint of uncertainty.
“I’m searching for vampires.” She figured she may as well tell the truth. After all, it wasn’t like he could hurt her or anything, not with her powers. Zee cursed from beneath her hair and she couldn’t help but laugh. The sprite had always had a problem with her bluntness.
“What are you laughing at?” Cole asked, dropping her hand and giving her a bemused look.
“Oh, nothing.” Blaze replied. “So are you one?” He voice held a just a touch of eagerness. A fraction of what she was holding back.
“One what?”
“A vampire of course.” She laughed again. “why else would you have no heartbeat and take no breaths.”
Cole looked surprised. “I guess he was right.”
“Who was right?”
“The coven master. He said you were some manner of supernatural creature, but I didn’t really believe him.” Cole explained. “He’s had me follow you for the last week, to find out what you were, but it wasn’t until the fire that I suspected you were anything other than human and even then I wasn’t convinced.”
He seemed to be speaking to himself more than Blaze, but she responded anyway.
“What do you mean you’ve been following me for the last week? And the people who died in that fire had it coming!” Then she muttered under her breath, “stupid chauvinistic pigs.”
“Mistress!” Zee Zee exclaimed in her ear, not used to Blaze using any foul language.
“What was that?” Cole asked and Blaze reluctantly shook Zee Zee out of her hair.
“Cole meet Zee Zee. Zee meet the thing we’ve been looking for, for the past month.”
Cole made an insulted sound. “I am not a ‘thing’, thankyou very much. I am a vampire, next in line to rule the coven.” He said with a self importance that seemed to remind him of his purpose. “Now please state you species and your purpose for being in this city.”
Blaze sighed. “I’m a demon if you must know and I’ve already told you my purpose. I’m looking for vampires.”
“Which you’ve found. Now what do you intend to do next?” Cole asked.
“Become a vampire of course.” Blaze replied as if it were the most logical thing in the world. “I’m tired of the world moving on without me. I figured if I became a vamp at least a few people would be stuck with me.”
Cole gave her a look of sympathy that said that somewhere in his past he had felt exactly the same way. “I’ll take you to the coven master then, only he can make the decision on wether or not someone should be turned.”
And so Blaze had followed him and her knew life had started. The coven master had been hesitant at first, but the lure of having such a powerful addition to his coven finally forced him to give in. Blaze had thrived in the coven and was well suited to it. She found she was immune to fire and sunlight via her demon heritage and the effects of other things were lessened as well. But she always felt like she was on the edge of the coven, looking in but not truly part of it. Sure the others talked to her, but she had no real friends apart from Cole and Zee Zee.
She had been in the coven for thirty years when the coven master was defeated. An attack from a rival master had been nearly fatal and he had relinquished hold of the coven to Blaze, who was by far the most suited. She had been worried at first, Cole was next in line and had been for many years, but he was smart and knew she could do a much better job and when she finally agreed he had stayed by her side.
Cole treated Blaze as an equal and while most masters or mistresses would take offence, Blaze drew comfort from it. He was the only one who called her by her name.
Blaze had loved the power at first, the control. It gave her a sense of belonging she had not felt for years. But after a while the echo’s of the coven’s emotions and thoughts, which came with the role of Mistress, started to get to her and she began to miss the freedom she had, had in her earlier years. It took over a year for her to make the decision to leave, though she would always let Zee Zee think it was just another of her spontaneous decisions.
The next night Blaze went to tell Cole of her decision, leaving Zee Zee behind in her room.
“Cole are you in there?” Blaze called out, bashing on his door. She could always contact him mind-to-mind through the bond she shared as his mistress, but she had always found that rather intrusive.
“What do you want?” He called back, his voice drenched in sleep.
She laughed. “Oppsies, did I wake you up?” she laughed agin.
“It’s not funny Blaze. Just cause you’re immune to the effects of the sun doesn’t mean the rest of us are.” he grumbled and Blaze listened with amusement, to the sounds of his grumbling and groaning as he woke up.
Taking his responses as permission, she opened the door and walked into his room. Coles room was done in black and silver, giving it a cold appearance. The exact opposite to Blaze’s. Shutting the door behind her she walked in and sat on the end of Cole’s bed, talking to him as he went into the ensuite bathroom to get changed. She thought about how to break the news to him and decided to just come right out with it.
“I’ve decided to leave the coven. I’m handing leadership over to you tomorrow.” There was a loud crash from the bathroom that caused Blaze to laugh more.
“You’re doing what!” Cole yelled, sticking his head around the door, hair still tousled from sleep. “Why the blazes would you do that?” Blaze laughed at the ‘blazes’ an old joke that had been so ingrained into Cole over the years, that he even used it when he was mad. Cole glared at her. “And stop freaking laughing! This is serious!.”
Blaze managed, with difficulty, to swallow her laughter, but her eyes still glittered with it. “I’m sorry Cole. I’m just so happy. I never realized how much all this was getting to until I decided to deal with it. Now I can’t wait to travel again.”
“Humph.” Cole said and ducked back into the bathroom. “Why did you choose now of all times to do it and are you sure you’ve thought this through? Or told Zee? I’m sure she’d have something to say about this.”
“Of course I’ve thought it through, I’ve been thinking about it for the last year, please don’t tell Zee that, but it was only yesterday that I finally made the decision. And Zee’s already lectured me and if she hasn’t changed mine mind then you have no chance.”
Cole laughed reluctantly at the last part. “True. But why so soon? I mean tomorrow? You had weeks notice before you were made mistress.”
“I know Cole, but you know me. I’m never one to wait unnecessarily once a decision’s been made. What difference could a few weeks possibly make?” She bounced lightly on the bed. “and anyway I don’t think I could survive another few weeks here, it’s boring me out of my mind.”
Cole finally came out of the bathroom and she looked him up and down. He was wearing his usual black-on-black, his ash blond hair making a striking contrast. Blaze rolled her eyes. “When are you going to get a new wardrobe.”
Cole laughed. “About the same time you do.”
Blaze looked down at her red shirt, pants and jacket and laughed her agreement. “I guess you have a point there.”
“So you’re really serious about this?” Cole asked, unable to completely mask the eagerness in his voice.
Blaze smiled. “I’m not that evil s to joke about something like this. I know how important it is to you. Especially since you were supposed to become master last time.”
“I said I was fine with that.” Cole relied defensively.
Blaze laughed again. “I know, but it’s well past time for you to become the master of this coven.”
“But where will you go when you leave?” Cole asked.
“I’m not sure, just as long as it’s away from here.” She threw him a black mobile phone. “But a brought you this so we could keep in touch.” She held up her own, which was cherry red in colour. “I’ve already programmed my number in yours and yours in mine, so make sure you use it.”
Cole laughed at her. “I thought you didn’t like all this modern technology?” He said mocking her.
Blaze rolled her eyes again. “I don’t, but if there’s anything I’ve learned over the years, it’s to go with the flow. Standing against time is useless. And anyway, I won’t be able to touch minds with you once I leave the coven, or come knocking on your door, so these will have to suffice.”
Cole smiled. “I’m going to miss you, you know. You’ve brightened my life a lot since I met you.”
“I’ll miss you too.” Blaze said, hugging him. “But lets leave the goodbyes for tomorrow.”
“Sure thing. For now,” he reached under the bed and pulled out a set of microphones. “I believe we were in the middle of sing star battle last night and I think it’s time for you to lose.”
Blaze laughed. “You wish.”
