Protector (8 page)

Alessandro looks down from his perch in the tree at Michael, who has bedded down on the ground and smiles at his pretentious friend.  Slowly his smile fades and he stares back off at the horizon.  The sun is getting closer to descending on the earth, causing the bright blue sky to turn to a darker shade as the afternoon comes to an end as evening approaches.

Alessandro and Michael grew up together; having met the day Michael was born when Alessandro was ten years old.  Their fathers were best friends and worked together as well. 

Michael and his parents have always been close to Alessandro’s family and when Michael’s parents were killed when he was younger. Alessandro’s parents took him in and raised him.  Michael has always been like his little brother, even now, although Michael is just as massive and almost as strong as Alessandro.  Put them side by side and from the head down they are identical with an almost seven feet in height and muscles bursting through their clothes.  There are a completely story.  Alessandro is all dark with olive skin, almost black hair and almond eyes.  Where as Michael has a fair skin tone, with sandy blond hair and blue eyes.

Losing his parents was very hard on Michael and it took him to a dark place for a while.  He came very close to turning down the wrong path
and let their dark side win over.  It’s a curse of their fate any of them could fall prey to if they push past their boundaries.  Had it not been for Alessandro and his family, he may have turned out very differently.

Alessandro knows Michael is right.  They have been blessed to have the life they live.  Alessandro’s fate was sealed at birth, being considered a warrior prince amongst his people, and most of the time he embraces it well past any restrictions, but sometimes on long lonely nights when the human world is at peace, he finds himself wandering around restlessly
, feeling as if there is something missing.  It’s a brief and short lived awareness of emptiness, but no matter what he does, he can’t seem to fill the void in those moments.

“Oh yeah, what’s so great about it?”  Alessandro finally asks
.

“Oh man, everything.  Look around.
Do you realize that we could be a mundane human living a mundane life?  Just picture it.  Right now you would be on your way home from your lame ass boring job, to a house you probably can’t even afford, to a bitchy wife and whining kids.  Instead, you are sitting up in this tree, very much like a metaphor for your life; high above the norm of life, while I lay my lazy ass right here.  We have a job that lets us do this and I, for one, embrace it.”

He and Michael are a part of an elite organization called Protectors and it is a Protector
’s job to watch over mankind, keeping them safe from the filth and pests who try so hard to wreak havoc on society.  It’s not only their job but also their sole purpose in life.

“Yeah, I guess.”  Alessandro pauses
. “What do you think would happen if humans knew about the Rogues, or us, for that matter?”

Still unconcerned
, Michael answers, “I think it would be detrimental for everyone.  How does a human adjust to life and go about their days like normal knowing there are real live blood thirsty vampires stalking the night?  Vampires so ruthless and sadistic that they kill and rape whomever they so desire.”  Michael grunts, “Then again, damn Hollywood has made them into larger than life romantic fantasies.  It makes me sick.”

“Michael, you know just as well as I that not all vampires are bad.”

“The Brotherhood and the vampires living by the Brotherhood’s law are different.  I was referring to the Rogue because let’s face it, there are more of them then us, and they most definitely aren’t good.”  

Alessandro is silent as he ponders this. 
Michael finally opens his eyes and looks up at Alessandro when he doesn’t respond.  “Seriously dude, vampires aren’t born, but created.  They have poison running through their veins that cause them to be crazed by blood, and the more they let go of their humanity, the more they become the monster that was created.” 

“But don’t you think if the humans walking around so carefree and clueless knew of the dangers that lurk everywhere
, they would shrink away in fear and be more cautious?”

“Honestly
, Ales, humans are reckless.  It’s not a judgment, but a fact.  They are ruled by their emotions and desires and would rather turn a blind eye to danger rather than acknowledge it.   We’ve seen it many times.” 

“I know
, dude, but I get so tired of the unnecessary bloodshed caused by the Rogue.”

“I know, so do I.  That’s why I take so much pleasure in killing th
e scum.  Of course it would make the humans afraid of the darkened night, but the sunlight won’t stop their bastard Mixed Breed offspring who, like their sires, are vile creatures but with almost all of the perks of being a vampire, but without the limitations.”

Alessandro stares off, lost in his own thoughts
.  “I’ve never admitted this before, but ever since my mother was taken by the Rogue, I have often wondered how much difference there really is between us and the Mixed Breeds.  We carelessly killed so many of them in revenge.”

This makes Michael glare up at Alessandro
in shock, who appears to be in his own universe up there.  “There is a huge difference between us and those evil bastards.”

Alessandro looks down at Michael for the first time since starting this conversation.  “No, not really.  Our fathers are just as much of a vampire as theirs.  The only difference is our fathers, the Brotherhood order, are good men who strive for peace and order amongst us all.”

Michael stands up from his comfy resting place.  “Screw that, Ales!  We are nothing like them.  We aren’t sadistic killers like they are.”

“I know what they are
, Michael, but honestly, the line is very thin.  The only difference between us and the Mixed Breeds, or even the Brotherhood and the Rogue, is we choose to follow the law rather than live roguish lives.  I have to tell you, I could feel the rage as it tried to consume me after my mother was killed, and you yourself know how close you came to letting it win after your parents were killed.  It just seems like the right situation could send any of us over the edge.”

Michael calms himself down and lies back down under the shade
.  “It doesn’t matter anyway.  They can’t find out about the Rogue.  That is a secret we have to protect at any cost.  Because once the Rogue and Mixed Breeds are exposed, it won’t be much longer before the world finds out about us and the Brotherhood.  We would become a freak show and have to go into hiding like our ancestors had to do centuries ago, and that would make it impossible to do our job.  The Rogue would finally succeed in taking over.  And no matter what we say or do, the humans will never believe that the Brotherhood is a good, civilized order that opts to survive off of animal blood, rather than the humans they spend their lives protecting.”  

Alessandro has never had a conversation of this matter with anyone before and speaking to Michael now has put it all into perspective.  He knows Michael is right, it was a stupid thought
.  He really needs to get his emotions in check.  He stares off into the distance at the few people scattered about the cemetery.  Suddenly, he sees a familiar person.

“Holy shit, there she is again!” Alessandro says as he peers through the branches of the huge old
willow tree to watch the girl as she walks to her car. 

“Damn Ales, what’s got up your ass today?
” Michael asks carelessly.  “Seriously, you may need meds if you keep acting so bipolar!” 

“Right now
, it’s that girl right there.  That’s what up my ass or more like a pain in it.  I’ve seen this chick all over the place doing very stupid stuff.”  He pauses as he continues to watch her.  His dark almond eyes fixated on her every movement.

  Alessandro looks down at Michael lazily lying under the massive shade with his eyes closed again, not really paying him much attention.  He jumps down from the tree and kicks Michael’s leg
.  “That’s that same chick I told you about from the alley last week.  As matter of fact, I even saw her one night in this very cemetery a few weeks ago.”

Curious now, Michael gets up from his shady resting place to see the girl who Alessandro has been talking about for the past couple of weeks.

“Oh shit!  That’s that girl you keep talking about?  It’s a good thing you walked by when you did because that chick is way too fine to have been killed by one of those bastards.”

“Yeah well, she’s becoming a health hazard.  That damn thing bruised up my shoulder pretty good when he slammed me into the brick siding of that building last week.  They are way too strong for their own good once they’ve eaten.  She is
a prime example of what I was talking about, twice now I had to save her from being dinner.  Twice, Michael, and there will probably be a third because they just don’t know any better.”  He begins to stretch his arm as if it is still stiff and sore from the fight.

Alessandro looks at her closer now as she gets into her car.  He has to admit Michael is right; she is a very beautiful woman, even without make
-up on.  She has long dark wavy hair and a slim body.  She seems to look sad and tired though.  The sunglasses hide her eyes well, but not her body language.  The glasses don’t shield the despair that radiates off of her.  Alessandro is all too familiar with the look.  Being a Protector, he has witnessed many losses.

“Well
, my friend, you know what you have to do, don’t you?”

Alessandro looks over at him with curious eyes.

“Seriously man, it is our job to protect these people no matter how many times it takes.  If she is as reckless as you have said, she will need someone to look after her.”

“I know and I guess since I’ve already done it before I’ll have to do it again.”

Michael slaps him on the back.  “Yep, and if not for her sake then at least you will get to kill some shit.”

Alessandro considers this.

“Well, dude, I got stuff to do.  I’ll check ya later, okay?” 

“Alright Michael
.  I’ll see you later.”

Alessandro watches as Michael hoists his big body on his sleek black motorcycle and drives away, heading only god knows where, before turning his attention back to watch the girl drive away. 

His mind wanders back to a week ago on the night he saw her about to be killed in an alley by some Chinese restaurant.  It wasn’t his first time seeing her and he recognized her tear stricken face instantly. 

On that night he was restlessly w
andering around the city hoping it would calm him down before calling it a night when he smelled that god-awful stench the Rogue vampires produce.  Unfortunately, only other vampires can smell it.  It would make their job so much easier if humans could, too.  It’s a pungent odor mixed between dirt and the decay of their humanity.  

He saw the Rogue in his stance about to strike her.  Had he been a few seconds later he would have been too late to help her, so he had to act fast.  He quickly walked up behind her.  She was so petrified she never even noticed, but the Rogue did.  The Rogue broke his pose and stood up straight once he saw him.  That gave him the opportunity he needed.  Alessandro knocked her out and threw her towards the mouth of the alley.  It was his job after all and the lives of the Brotherhood have to remain a secret, even if it means keeping the Rogue a secret as well.  He still felt bad about having to be so rough with her; although after what he had seen of her, she needed to get hit in the head. 

Deserving or not, after he killed the Rogue and cleaned up the mess he sat on the rooftop watching over her for the rest of the night anyway, waiting for her to regain consciousness.  Oddly, it was the same thing he did the first night he saw her as well. 

Alessandro
leans against the tree and thinks about what Michael said before.  He knows he’s right; of course, he is.  These people need them no matter how many times it takes. 

With that in mind he gets into his car and leaves the cemetery.  He heads downtown, hoping there will be something to do there.

He parks his shiny black Porsche a few blocks from the downtown shopping district.  The roads are always so busy there; it would be easier to just walk the perimeter. 

As Alessandro crosses 3
rd street
and 4
th street
, he notices the same girl he saw before in the cemetery crossing the street just ahead of him.  Intrigued by all of these coincidences, he decides to follow her.  He never followed her before and has no idea where it would lead him. 

Turns out it leads to a coffee shop.  He is not completely surprised considering coffee shops are so trendy these days.  Alessandro laughs to himself and follows her in a few steps
behind.  As soon as he enters, his senses are slammed with the scent of a mix of different flavors of fresh coffee.  He never drinks the stuff, but he has always thought it was a glorious aroma.  He breathes it in deeply and stands in line behind her.  As he waits, he begins to notice small things about her, like how her shiny dark hair smells like sweet coconut and her pale skin doesn’t appear to have been kissed by the sun at all this summer.  The cool confidence he always imagined she had is replaced as she stands fidgety, seemingly insecure and out of place.