Friday Snippet: The Hunted Cont.

You know the drill. Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved. Blah, blah, blah.

If you missed the first two installments, you can find them here:

Hunted : Part 1
Hunted: Part 2

And now for the conclusion:

She had not slept well that day in the fully darkened room in the back of the tavern. She had awoke before the sun had fully disappeared behind the horizon. As soon as the last rays fled the night sky, she had fled into the night, praying he would be unable to track her.

That had been nearly a century ago. Sometimes she would settle into a town for months or even years before she felt his presence. Always, she had deserted her belongings and current lover without notice to flee into the night. She had often wondered if he had found her home and the human’s she had enslaved to her—she had never felt the need to become another vampire’s master. The thought of him in her abandoned homes was maddening for she was certain he had killed every last one of her men, just as she had killed that woman so long ago.

As the storm raged around her, the river rushing beside her, she realized it had been only a week since she had sensed him closing in on her. She had been hesitant to leave, angered at leaving the slave she had just trained to take care of her. Her delay had allowed him to close the gap. Even if she turned and ran into the night, praying for the storm to cover her retreat, there was a very real possibility he would catch her out here. And this time there was no tavern to run to. She was in the middle of the woods, her lover likely still asleep in the cabin they rented on the lake.

She really had no choice but to face him. What surprised her was her sudden willingness to do so. She hoped he would find her. An end of the running, in any case, was all she really wanted. Tonight would likely see the end of a hundred year race she had not willingly embraced.

The lightening flared. A shadow, as still as the tree trunk it leaned against, took on a familiar form. The darkness swallowed the light from the bolt and she narrowed her eyes where she was certain he--her one-time lover, her teacher, her mentor, her lover, and her enemy--had stood. Her vision, honed over the last century, cleared and she found herself facing the apparently unassuming man she feared above all others.

“Elizabeth.”

“Marcus.”

He had not changed. Not that she had expected him to, not when their very nature prevented even a day of age to mar their eternal youth. Yet, somehow she had expected him to appear larger, darker, and more menacing than he did standing only a few feet away from her. She regarded him silently for a moment, allowing him to study the changes in her.

She wanted him to fear her. She was no longer the fledgling he had pushed too early from the nest. Survival had sharpened her, forcing her powers to escalate. She knew, as she looked into his hazel green eyes, she was a worthy adversary for him now. Her only weakness would be the link and they both knew it. Yet, once she had ignored the link and the intricate subservient ties it promoted, and she was confident her anger was enough to allow her to do so again.

Remembering the fury of that fateful night, she allowed herself to recall it with amazing accuracy. Her eyes blazed as she looked at her stalker. Nearly a hundred years of running from this…pathetic creature. If he had feared her potential at such a tender age in her vampiracy, surely he feared her even more now. The thought made her smile around the long, curved fangs.

When he attacked, she met him half-way. She would not be the victim. She fought with all the strength of her undead body, using the talons, the fangs, and even more mundane methods. Kickboxing had been her most current lover’s idea and she found it served her very well now. A wide smile and pleased laughter greeted the next rumble of thunder for she had no doubt she was going to be victor.

Her running was over.

Twice Relieved

Yesterday we had our final meeting of the year with my son's teacher, the Special Ed Coordinator, and the Principal. The goal of the meeting was to set up a 504 Plan, something his ADHD diagnosis makes possible. The Plan lists a series of accommodations the school and his teachers must take into account while educating our boy. Some of these accommodations are very minor. For instance, the first thing listed is that he should be seated in the front of the classroom near the teacher. More aggressive accommodations are that he's given extra time on writing assignments, as well as opportunities to re-do his homework if necessary. Weekly communication is supposed to occur between the teachers and me and/or my husband. A checklist is supposed to be put in his locker to help him remember to grab his homework. Nothing too taxing for him or the teachers, in my opinion.


The highlight of the meeting was the fact that no one uttered one word about retention. They plan on passing him into Fifth Grade! I'm so relieved. Even though he's only had two D+ this year, there had been talk. Apparently, his efforts during the last marking period and his test scores have shown enough growth that his teacher actually thinks he'd be bored having to repeat the Fourth Grade. Not to mention his grades as of yesterday were all Bs and Cs. I am so proud of him for that!

So the meeting went well. One less thing to worry about...for a few months at least.

This left only one major concern. Our dog. She's 13-years-old and getting rather lumpy. When she developed diarrhea I didn't think much of it. No, I didn't worry until I was cleaning up mess #6 or #7 and noticed that the fecal matter was surrounded by what appeared to be blood. Considering her lumpiness, her age, and recent behavioral changes, my husband and I feared the worse. Cancer.

While we were at the meeting we had left her chained up to the front porch of our house. Sorry, but I couldn't handle cleaning up doggy-do off the carpet one more time. Just. Could. Not. Do. It.

As soon as the school meeting adjourned, we took the dog into the vet. I have to admit I cried a bit. I was so worried they were going to say it was cancer and that we'd have to put her down. Even though she annoys the bloody blazes out of me on a daily basis, she's still my dog. We've had her almost as long as we've been married. She was here before the baby-bug hit. We've lost her to a tornado and managed to bring her home after a week's worth of searching. She's been our pain-in-the-ass and our best friend.

So. I got a bit teary-eyed at the thought of leaving the vet's office without her. Can you blame me?

I think my hubby might have gotten teary-eyed over the $189 we spent on an office visit, lab work, and medicine. Apparently our lovely little mutt ate something that attacked her intestines - some kind of bacteria he kept saying too fast for me or the hubby to decipher. What we did catch is that she might have picked something up in the swamps around our house, by eating a dead carcass, or during some other outdoor adventure. He gave her five shots and four different medicines for home. As long as the medicine works, she should be back to normal within a week. Maybe less.

I'm so grateful for both outcomes. Things could have gone much worse.

Last Week of Soccer

Can I just say I'm so grateful to see the end of Soccer season approaching? Not because I don't enjoy watching it, because I do. Immensely. There's just something about watching a sport your children enjoy. It makes the whole sideline spectacle a bit more involving than watching them kick up dust balls or pluck blades of grass from the outfield.

Still, it's time for the season to end. This four nights a week business is insane.

So, while I'll miss shots like these, I'm not going to miss running from here to there every night of the week.

The New Do

Originally uploaded by Krheiser

Well, I promised a picture and here it is. My new hair. I LOVE IT. It now only takes me about five minutes to do my hair instead of 45. No more blow drying. No more curling. At least, not for a couple weeks.

I'm hoping it'll last through our big vacation. Sure, it might relax quite a bit by then, but at least I won't have to wrestle, cajole, and declare war upon it. You know, like every other morning for the last year or so.

Oh, and the beautiful girl-child in the picture is my niece. This picture was taken the night of her dance recital. Isn't she beyond adorable? Pouty face and all? (She was actually giggling two seconds later, but you'd never know it by this photo!)