When The Sun Sets, I Rise: Chapter 20

by Nikki, The Book Nerd in a book

Author's note: Z!!!!!!!!!! It's from his point of view!! *Hears a few 'Boo's, hisses, and cheers*

Chapter 20:

How? That was the only question I had to ask her. I already knew the answer to 'Why?' and 'When?'. And believe me, I didn't not want to know 'Where?'

How did she meet...him? How did she see that he wasn't dangerous?

And the strange thing about this was...I felt like I had met...Caleb before. As if he reincarnated or something, he didn't seem to know who I was. At least, not before I told him.

"Z!" Kiera yelled as she made her way downstairs. "Boy, do you have some explaining to do!" She walked into the dinning room and threw a photo album on the table. It was flipped open to a picture of her and her father. I saw nothing wrong with this picture. "Why is Armando in the background?! I thought he could 'see' my past, not see my past!"

I saw no difference between the two 'see's.

I looked at Kiera, perplexed. She had changed over the course of the six years, like I had feared. Her face had become extremely beautiful. Not that it wasn't beautiful before. Her blue eyes had turned brighter. Into the neon color that determined what she was. Her blonde hair had turned a shade darker and she had grew about an inch, being at least my height now, and she turned extremely pale, marking that she was a vampire. If she hadn't been changed, she would have been twenty-three.

She seemed annoyed by my thoughts. "Quit marveling over me and answer the question."

Again, as I had feared, she had also grown to resent me. Though, I don't blame her.

She waited for my answer.

"I...I don't know why he's in the background." I looked back at the photo and Kiera flipped it to another. A photo of her and another woman, side by side. The same man appeared in the background. I shrugged. She flipped it to a photo of her and her mother. Armando again in the background. "Apparently, he's been...stalking you?" My statement sounded like a question the way I said it.

"Apparently."

Caleb leaned forward to stare at the photo, he pointed to Armando. "This guy?"

Kiera nodded.

"You know him?"

Kiera nodded again. "He said he had visions of my past. Though, now I'm not so sure I believe him."

"Maybe, it's not him, or something. Maybe he's been running into you and seeing you somewhere else." He suggested.

"I seriously doubt that." The doorbell sounded. Kiera went to go answer it. After she left, Caleb looked at me like I was the most hated person on the planet, which to him I was.

"You know. You can be seriously annoying when you want to be...Z." Caleb spat at me.

"And so can you, dog. And I'm not sure I'll 'warm up to you' as some people say. I've done enough 'warming up to' in my life and look where that's gotten me."

"A place of honor in the 'Hall of Shame'? An ex-girlfriend who clearly doesn't want you in her life? Or is it the fact that she's different in your eyes but merely the same and new in mine?"

Each word stung, but each word was true.

So I said something stupid. "You know she can hear you. Inside and out." He knew I meant in his head and out.

"I know. And quite frankly, I don't care. You deserve to be told what you need to be told."

Kiera then came back. "Speak of the devil," She said "and the devil shall appear." She moved aside and Armando was standing there.

Armando? What's he doing here? Better yet, how'd he get here?

"Armando?" I questioned.

"Hello once again, Z." He said, his deep voice bringing back memories years before I had met Kiera. Days we had fought side by side in World War I.

Caleb sat back in his seat and chuckled with no sense of humor in it. He hid his face in his hands. "Any other bloodrinkers I should know about?"

"Um..." Kiera said, trailing off with nothing to say. She snapped back to her real question. "Why are you stalking me Armando?"

"I was never truly stalking you. I had a propsition. I was forced to follow you."

"You were what?" Kiera inquired, not believing him.

"Z. I'm sorry to tell you this, you're truly like a brother to me. You are but, about seven years ago, the Council Seven...they ordered me to follow Kiera. Margo, the only psychic amognst them, saw you and Kiera. They had planned everything, before you two had even met." I was dumbstruck. Kiera was too, she looked over to her...boyfriend, who probably had no idea what we were talking about, but judging from the look on his face, he grasped it pretty quickly. So the Council had known all along. No wonder Luke and Hope wanted to get it done and over with. They knew what was going to happen, they knew what they were going to do, and they knew they were going to succeed.

Kiera's eyes met mine, for the first time in six years, I felt like she was looking into my soul, if I had one.

"And I...had been assinged to kill you. But, when I hadn't, Margo envisioned what other plans fate had. They had taken me off the killing and had taken matters into thier own hands. I'm sorry. I am."

"But, why would they make such a big deal about this?! It doesn't make sense."

"Because...in Margo's vision. She saw you and Z. That's when took me off the killing. But, then she had another vision. That you had run away. And had met another person," Armando's eyes quickly flickered to Caleb, then back to Kiera. "and had started something that made you rise against them, trying to overthrow them. But, Margo's vision had disappeared more quickly than the last, but she didn't think it wouldn't happen."

Caleb then spoke up. "So basically, what they saw was me and Kiera trying to kill all seven of them?"

"Well, not alone of course." Was all Armando said.

"Why would I start a 'riot' against people I know could kill me with the snap of their pale fingers?"

Armando shrugged. "I'm sure--and hoping--that they no longer see you as a threat. Especially a threat they have no need to worry about. And, I've spoken to 'Kina. She's thought nothing of it."

"'Kina? You've talked to 'Kina? How is she?" Kiera asked.

"She's alright. A little sad, but alright."

I looked away.

Caleb looked up from his hands--which he was fidgeting with. "Kiera?" His eyes seemed a little bit puffy and his nose had turned red. "Um. Can I speak to you? Alone?"

"Sure." Kiera said, obviously hurt herself by seeing her 'big, strong man'--as some women call their boyfriends--about to cry. They left the room, and I tried not eavesdrop.