Brianna clasped the eight silver buckles that held together the front of her black dress. The doorbell rang. Cracking open her bedroom door, she could hear her parents interrogating Jared, who stood in the entryway.
"Hi, I'm Sabrina, Brianna's mom." Sabrina's voice was pleasant.
"And I'm her father." Mr. McKinney stepped into foyer.
"Hello, I'm Jared. It's nice to meet you."
"I hear you're in college studying medicine. I'm an ER nurse. What kind of medicine are you interested in practicing?" Sabrina asked.
"I'm undecided right now. I think I would like the intensity and fast pace of being an ER doctor. I'm also fascinated by research. There're so many mysteries science hasn't been able to explain. I'd love to uncover ways to enhance human life, or cure diseases."
"Where are you from?" Mr. McKinney asked.
Brianna rushed downstairs to rescue her date from the barrage of questions. "Hi," she cut in.
Jared's big steel-blue eyes twinkled at Brianna. It took all of her strength to resist jumping into his arms.
"Hey," he said.
"Mom and Dad, I'm so excited! Jared has a surprise planned for tonight."
"Have fun!" Sabrina's smile revealed her approval.
"Bye. It was nice meeting you." Jared followed Brianna through the front door. "Whew!" He breathed the outside air. "Did I pass?"
Brianna laughed. "You were phenomenal."
Jared held open the passenger side door of his sedan.
"Thank you," Brianna said as she sat inside the vehicle.
Her handsome date slid into the driver's side and then leaned toward her. "You look beautiful." He greeted her with a kiss. Brianna felt like she might burst from happiness.
A few minutes later, they were miles outside of Montmorrow. "Where are we going?” Brianna asked.
"To the city."
"But you just came from the city!"
He shrugged. "It's cool. I wanted to see you." Jared reached over to the passenger side. His hand found hers. "I wish I could instantly transport wherever I wanted, like the vampires. Reborns don't have that ability."
"Vampires can teleport anywhere? That's cool."
"Over the years, the distance that a vampire can teleport increases along with his strength. The farthest Brent can teleport is a hundred miles. He has older friends who can teleport across the world."
Thirty minutes later, Jared parked in an underground lot next to an uptown marina.
"What are we doing?” Brianna asked, as they exited the parking garage and walked toward a long line of boats docked on the Hudson.
"See that boat down there?" He pointed to an enormous, shiny white vessel at the end of the line.
Brianna gasped. "How could I miss it? What is it? A mini cruise ship?"
"It's Brent's party yacht. He's letting us borrow it for the evening. We can enjoy the view and take a little cruise. How does that sound?"
"That sounds amazing! Letting us borrow it? Just us two?"
"Yep. I told him we could have taken one of his smaller boats, but he insisted."
"Wow!" Brianna stared in awe at the majestic craft as they strode down the narrow wooden platform. "Do you know how to drive that thing?"
"Nope. But don't worry, the crew is efficient."
"The crew?" She was flabbergasted.
Jared laughed and nodded.
"Brent hired a crew just for us?" Brianna couldn't believe it.
"Brent is generous. It took a while to get used to it, especially for me. I'm not used to anyone being so giving."
"That's an understatement. This is unbelievable!"
As soon as they stepped onto the yacht, a chubby girl greeted them. "Mr. Fannin, Miss McKinney, it is lovely to see you. Welcome to the Kismet. Dinner will be served in the main dining room as soon as you're ready."
"Thank you, Miss Driscoll. We will be there shortly."
"Wonderful. We will be departing right away." Miss Driscoll curtsied, and then she walked away.
On the edge of the deck, Jared put his arm around his date’s shoulders. As the vessel pulled out of the dock, the bright lights of New York illuminated the river.
"This is beautiful," Brianna mused, admiring the impressive cityscape.
"Not as beautiful as you." Jared whispered. Then, he kissed her. His soft lips delivered sweet, sensual caresses. Kissing him could become addictive. The pleasure of his touch transcended her wildest dreams.
Sometime later, they released from their embrace. "I want to take a picture of this." Brianna's eyes scanned the magnificent skyline. She retrieved her cell phone from her pocketbook and snapped a few shots.
"It is an incredible view, but I'm ready to go inside for dinner. Are you hungry?" Jared asked.
"Yes. Starving." Holding hands, they walked through a cherry paneled hallway into a large, elegant dining room. "Wow. I don't know how many times I've said this, but it still wouldn't be enough. This is so amazing."
Jared appeared pleased. "I'm glad you're enjoying it. Pick a table."
Brianna chose a circular table towards the back of the dining area. A large painting of a beautiful woman dressed in a long, black gown hung on the wall beside them. The entire portrait was painted in blacks and grays except for her light turquoise eyes and a golden key hung from a delicate chain around her neck. There was something familiar about the woman, the contours of her face, the curve of her chin. Aha!
"Jared, the woman in the painting reminds me of the golden statue in Brent's building. Who is she?"
"The only woman he ever loved. She broke his heart. Irreparably, it seems."
A brunette wearing a crisp white tuxedo shirt, a black bow tie, and black slacks approached their table. "Hello, Mr. Fannin, Miss McKinney. I'm Nelly, and I'll be your server this evening. I have a letter for the two of you from Mr. Brent." The waitress handed Jared a beige envelope. "Can I start you out with anything to drink?"
"I'll have a lemonade," Jared said.
"Hi, Nelly. You can call me Bri. I'll have an unsweetened iced tea."
The server nodded. "Certainly, Bri. I'll be right back."
Jared pulled his chair so close that his leg brushed against hers. "It's addressed to both of us. Let's read it together."
Jared reached into the envelope and retrieved a piece of off-white stationery that had been folded three times. As he unfolded it, two rectangular pieces of paper fell onto the silk tablecloth.
"What's that?" Brianna asked, picking up the displaced items. What she saw brought a huge smile to her face. She was holding two general admission tickets to tomorrow's Red Rapture concert in Hammerstein Ballroom.
Her excitement was uncontainable. She held up the tickets. "Look! Do you see this? Red Rapture!"
"Brent came through! I knew he would. Let’s see what he wrote to us."
Dear Mr. Fannin and Ms. McKinney,
I regret that I could not accompany the two of you this evening. I am in Barcelona visiting some old friends. I do hope that you enjoy your evening on the Kismet. Jared, I have enclosed the tickets you requested. I have spoken to Adam, and he will be expecting you both.
Sincerely,
Brent
"Spoken to Adam?" Brianna choked out. "Does he mean Adam Payne? Red Rapture's front man?"
"Yes. Adam is a good friend of Brent's. They have known each other for a few hundred years."
"Is Adam vampire or a reborn? Have you met him?"
"He's a vampire. I met him once. He came by Brent's and the three of us hung out, just shooting the breeze all night."
"But I thought vampires don't photograph? I've seen Adam in videos and magazines."
"That's just a silly myth that developed because vampires generally avoid being photographed. It provides proof of their unchanging appearance over the years and could arouse suspicion. There are vampire hunters out there seeking to eradicate their race. Adam always dreamed of becoming a rock star, but was afraid of putting himself in the public eye. Now he will have to disappear before people notice that he doesn't age."
"Where will he go?" Brianna asked. Red Rapture had already achieved worldwide fame.
"Some isolated place. Maybe a cave. Maybe a deserted island. I hope he finds a woman to bring with him, or it will get pretty lonely. A lot of vampires are angry with him, but I'm not. What's the point of eternity if you never get to live your dreams?"
Looking out the window at the big city, Brianna was awestruck. All those tall buildings and skyscrapers glowing in the darkness. Millions of windows inside millions of rooms that contained millions of people, each life individual and unique. For a moment, Brianna wondered how many other people were falling in love tonight.
Thinking over all that had occurred during the past few weeks and all she had discovered, she wondered how much more there was to learn. Gazing at the picturesque panorama made her long for more, to acquire knowledge endlessly, to love completely, to explore the world, and relish every moment. Reborns, vampires, teleporting, evulsion of powers…and tomorrow night, I'm meeting my favorite musician. Who could have ever predicted any of this? Brianna's was truly a world of infinite possibilities.
"What's on your mind? I see something going on behind those eyes."
"I'm just enjoying the view. It inspires me."
Jared nodded. "Me too, but I also sense something is bothering you. Who's the girl with reddish hair and evil eyes? It seems like she could be dangerous."
Brianna shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it right now." How can I tell him all of this? I just found out that a wacko used me to get power to advance her own popularity. She tried to throw my sister off a mountain, and now she's attempting to murder the most beautiful girl in school. Who knows what else she's capable of or what her next move will be? And it's all my fault…
"Bri." Genuine concern clouded his blue-gray eyes. "I want to know. If something is wrong, I want to help. Tell me."
Nelly returned and placed a glass of iced tea on the table. "Would you like to hear your choices for this evening?"
Brianna nodded as her stomach growled.
"We have roasted duck with rice, shrimp risotto, or pan-seared trout served with mashed potatoes."
Jared ordered shrimp, and Brianna opted for the duck.
"Who's the girl? I swear, if someone tries to hurt you…" Jared cut off. "You have to tell me what's going on."
"After we eat. I don't want to spoil the meal."
****
After dinner, the couple returned to the front deck. The stars and moon were bright in clear night sky. Brianna stood against the railing, facing the soft cool breeze, lost in thought. Jared came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and leaned his head on her shoulder.
"Tell me," he whispered, his lips soft against her ear. "Now."
Her mind raced through the events of the past month—the first meeting with Valerie, the evulsion, the fight with Mandy, all the attention, Mandy's breakdown and realization, Brianna's own epiphany, rebuilding her relationship with Mandy, meeting Jared and Renee, and finally the confrontation with Valerie. Brianna had grown so much that she could barely recognize her old self. She'd been so jealous, insecure, and covetous of meaningless attention. Although she was proud of the person she had become, she couldn't enjoy the future until she confronted and fixed her past mistakes.
Jared might think differently of her. He might not like her. He could even hate her once he found out the truth. But if there was one thing that she had learned, it was that she wanted people to love her for her. And what she'd done and who she had been was part of her. No lies, no faking, no stretching the facts to try to absolve herself of guilt. Just the truth.
Brianna took a deep breath, looked Jared in his stormy blue eyes, and began to speak. She told him the entire story from beginning to end. He remained quiet, face neutral throughout. Brianna didn't leave out any details. She told him everything. When she'd finished, she braced herself for his response. If he despises me, well…fine, then, she told herself. At least I'm being real.
After a moment, he spoke. "I'll help you. We will find a way to stop Valerie."
Brianna breathed a sigh of relief. "So you still like me?"
Jared nodded. "Yes, I think I like you even more. You didn't think the evulsion was going to work. That wasn't your fault."
"I still have no idea why it did work. But I shouldn't have even messed around. And what happened after…"
"You always had good intentions. What was it that you said to me the other night when I told you my story? That I had some errors in judgment—"
"That's different! You were trying to provide your family with food and shelter! I was trying to outdo my own sister."
He shook his head. "Okay, but nobody's perfect. The important thing is that you learned from it. You didn't realize what was important at the time, but now you do. There are many people much older than you that still haven't figured that out."
Brianna turned around, leaned forward, and pressed her lips hard against his. She felt like her heart might explode from happiness. Not only had he listened to every word, he also understood her.
"I'll talk to Brent, and you should tell Renee. We're going to need some help, especially if Licinia is involved."
Although Brianna was terrified that Brent and Renee wouldn't be as understanding as Jared, she nodded. A girl's life was at stake. Maybe many lives. She would do whatever it took to prevent any more harm.
They both decided to put their problems aside for the night and just enjoy the Kismet, the view, the weather, and each other. Every moment they spent together, Brianna felt closer to Jared. Hours flew by while Brianna was wrapped up in his comforting arms. When he kissed her neck, shivers of pleasure raced across her skin.
"This boat is amazing, but I want to take you somewhere else tonight, too. I want to be the one you experience it with for the first time. Would you go with me to paradise?"
Brianna rolled her eyes and pushed him away. "Are you serious? That was the lamest line I've ever heard. Cool out, buddy. Just because you took me out on a yacht doesn't mean I'm going to sleep with you."
Her date held his hands up. "Whoa, you got the wrong idea. I was talking about a real place. We call it Supertopia."
"A real place? Where?"
"It's another dimension, another world. It was created for all of the supernatural to have a safe place to go. A place for peace. A place to practice magic and develop our skills."
Brianna's eyes felt as big as saucers. "What's it like?"
Jared took a deep breath. "It's like…magic. I'd rather show you than tell you."
She hesitated. "I don't know."
"Do you trust me?" Brianna searched his eyes and was captured by his gaze.
"Yes." She meant it.
"Then come with me."
The air beside her began to glimmer, every shade of every color emerging in the black of the night. An immense oval of colorful lights were suspended in midair, as if thousands of glowing gems had been melded together. Jared took her hand. "Come inside," he said.
Brianna took a deep breath and then stepped into the sparkles.