19.) Peace.

A woman had her hand outstretched, I wanted to reach for her. Her pale skin and her red hair felt so familiar yet so unfamiliar. I could never make up her face sometimes, Though I always knew for certain that her eyes were not of this world, they were a golden color. I would hear her call my name, and I would almost always respond with yes but I could never remember her. Who was she? Why did you always come in my dreams? She couldn't be real... could she be? My dad always talked about a woman who meant the world to him, she was the love of his life. He loves her so much that he never married again, it was sad because I wanted him to move on so that he could do more.

I woke up again dreaming of that woman. I had never seen her and every time she invaded my thoughts. This time I woke up to an empty bed my wife had already been gone to work at that hotel. She makes good money there and in all honesty, I hope if she does need to find another job that pays her a lot more.

It was June 9, 1950, I made haste to get to the steel mill this time, it was in the summer and I honestly wanted to surprise her with a gift. I had been saving a lot of my checks to get it to her a car, I know it would be a bad sign but if she could travel back and forth it would make her commute so much better and she could be so much safer; a luxury she should have but cannot.

Up until now all she had to rely on was walking and the occasional bus, she walked about 4 miles to get to her, It took her about 30-45 minutes, we traveled in the same direction. Adrian was asleep until his grandmother came this weekend and then he would spend the day with her. This would give me time to get the car I picked out for her. No one had known it was a surprise and 3 months of wages saved over time. The car I had in mind wasn't really special it was actually probably a piece of junk, I don't know too much about cars so I was going to have one of my friends look at it for me. The car was about $300, it looked like it was in great condition to me.

It was a 1946 Chevrolet, it was a large vehicle and the price for it was too good to be true. I had hoped this wasn't a rip-off or a scam, sure I knew my way around a fight but I definitely did not want to fight a bunch of white motherfuckers, they would tear me apart in court. A black man can go to jail just for existing, and unfortunately, they would only see me as a threat. The price also seemed very fair although a little too good to be true, so I had to be sure to watch myself. I told the owners I would be around there by 4:30 PM if I could get off early. I wanted to surprise my wife by driving to her job. I twisted my ring thinking about whether I should get this or not, but all I could think about was the convenience I could offer her.

I had been at the factory working hard to make sure I could leave early, I had planned to ask if I could leave during lunch but it seemed like was always busy. He hadn't left the office most of the day which really wasn't like him. He was more of a leader than a boss if one of the workers ever had problems he would have it dealt with properly. He had known my father before I was working here.

~~~

I sat there looking at the house, The house that I had spent a lot of my time with my husband Michael. The house that Gabriel had grown up in, the house that I had abandoned my family in to be with my other family. I had seen my son leave earlier that morning, to work at the same steel mill his father worked at. He was working there five years before I came into his life, and by the time he died, it had been close to 25 years there. The company manages to stay afloat due to a generous donation from an unknown benefactor. I had donated to the company a few times, especially since the steel that was made and sold helped with traveling. I walked to the house and looked at my key, I put in the door and it worked.

Did Michael keep the same locks thinking I would return? Gabriel had left an hour or two ago. I left to go back to the hotel that I was staying at, and Wendy was still happy to see me I had been going there every 3 to 4 months. This was a good way to keep tabs on Gabriel without having to worry about people knowing where he was.

I had returned an hour and I was debating whether I should go in the house or not and as I made my mind up I went to open the door, and a little boy greeted me. 'Hello miss.' His voice sounding happy and polite Gabriel had left hours ago. His eyes had crust in them, and it seemed like he was just waking up. I was puzzled at first but then I remembered she was pregnant a while back wasn't she.

"Hello." That was the only thing I could say, I had thought his grandmother had come to pick him up. Why was he still here? It was a mistake to come to this house. Why can't I just leave being a human alone? Every time I'm around my son every time everything turns to ash. Am I damage my son? The thought echoed.

'My name is Adrian.' The boy said cheerfully as he wiped his eyes. 'Now you can tell me yours.' He was so innocent and so pure, it reminded me of when Gabriel was a child I only have seen him a handful of times. Each time I tried to savor it, and it was never enough I never got to hold or play with Gabriel after I left that day.

"My name?" Adrian had frowned, his face was quite telling, he wanted to know who I was as I had just turned up to the door to his house. "My name is Lilith." Adrian had caramel skin, small hazel eyes, his hair was curly and loose and boy did he have a lot of it. His face was small and round like his mother had he had a narrow nose, he also looked like the man who had coerced her.

'Hi miss Lilith.' His voice cheerful and sweet reminded me of his mother. 'It's nice to meet you, mom and dad said I'm not supposed to talk to strangers.' He paused for a second and then continued. 'But I think you are okay.' I stood in the doorway, was he inviting me into his house? Or my house because I had a key? He had so many questions I could see them in his mind, and yet he was happy to have a friend. 'Why don't you come inside Ms. Lilith?'

As I made my way into the house it was like walking into another home most if not everything was changed. There was carpet in the living room and it covered the entire floor. The stairs were still hardwood with no carpet to cover them and the stairs were painted white.

'Hey, do you want to listen to the radio with me?' His voice sounded excited, he then grabbed my hand before I could even answer 'It's here in the kitchen.' We began to sit in the kitchen, we listened to the music play and he would tell me about his day so far. He had just woken up which was obvious, and he was getting ready to brush his teeth when he heard something strange at the door.

'With the war over for almost 5 years, we are now in a state of peace.' The man on the radio continued, events changing and people changing, This Is one thing that is crucial I had to learn as a vampire, making history is something that humans must do. This is why we remain in the shadows, For if we ever came out of them there could be a war that could last for eternity or there could be peace. For now, though I believe humans must mature in order for there to ever be a chance for our existence to be made known and to be accepted. 'The War crimes done by the Nazis have led to a Nazi hunter Group made up of Jewish survivors.' My eyes widened at the thought and it flashed me back to when I was fighting with that vampire, he was blood drunk when he came to attack Gabriel and me; while I was under the guise of John.

The whole kingdom knew I had left the throne, but they also knew that I would always come back. They knew what would happen when you would try to attack the throne they knew what would happen if you tried to take my seat. My children were of my most loyal vampires I had attempted to turn many people into vampires, 70 percent of those could not withstand my blood. People I turn in turn turned others which would spread that way, so far they were only about 80 million vampires, our numbers suffered but not a lot during the war.

I never cared what the vampires beneath the barons decided to do with there free time unless required, those tasks were the barons, and occasionally my inner circle's job. If they decide to intervene in the war, they would do that under their human alias or current alias. It would also have to be approved as me. It was only when a baron entered a human war that I would be concerned.

Though this hardly seems to be the time for me to be thinking about this. He turned the channel, and he was looking for something. I decided to finally ask what was looking for this had been the second time he flips through the channels. "What are you looking for?" He was frustrated he couldn't find it and he didn't answer me. He even let out a sigh and begin to say 'I'm sorry I was really looking forward to listening to him again it was another superman story, he's so amazing how he can leap tall buildings in a single bound and run faster than a bullet.' The idea made me chuckle, and then an idea came to me. I know I couldn't let humans see vampires, or know of our existence but maybe I could show him the trick. This would also prevent me from having to persuade him, his parents would also think I'm imaginary.

"Do you want to see a trick?"

~~~Gabriel

I was at the steel mill sweating my ass off looking at that damn clock, I had not known how many shifts I had worked and they would go by quickly; what I had known is that the end of this shift couldn't come quick enough.

'Aye Gabriel you slow nigger what are you doing?' Had startled me as I was carrying the molten metal, it was a two-man job but the problem was I was already exhausted from earlier today. Between unloading cargo and having to move molten metal around I was getting tired but I had to keep going. Some part of me couldn't handle dealing with him today, Samuel just had to keep pressing it though.

'Working hard today nigger.' He was talking sarcastically, why did he choose today of all days to get under my skin. We were almost to our destination so we hurried along, he stopped because he knew he had something better to do. We had to make sure that this would make it into the ladle below, we had to pour it into the machine and from then on it will go deeper into the bowels of the steel mill.

There was a moment of respite as we were finally finished our tasks. I had looked at the time and was thanking God for the fact that it was only an hour left. I had found myself forgetting what I had to do, as soon as I was finished with my next task I hurried up to go speak with the manager. All of the machinery clankings, clicking the building was humming as if it was alive. I was on my way to his office, I overheard an argument on the phone I couldn't help but hear it.

'What do mean it's going to be late?'

'And you're telling me there's nothing that can be done?'

He sighed and continued.

'Fine, but we need this shipment to be here tomorrow.'

The phone clicked and heard a sigh off not sure of disappointment or frustration and is

I knocked and waited for me to be able to come in... there was a long pause. 'Come in.' I walked and took a breath he was working hard on paperwork, I began to speak.

"Sir I would like to request off for the rest of the day."He looked up from his paperwork, he was bald and had a full beard. He wasn't an overweight man he was quite the opposite he was actually quite skinny. He had a strong work ethic and always treated his men like family despite their color. I had to count my blessings and hope that he would let me do this on such short notice. He looked at me then said 'Okay provided you give me a good reason.' I looked at him and decided to be honest and hope that he could understand.

"I want to buy a car for my family." His eyes widened further than I had ever seen. Was it that surprising? He then regained himself and 'sure what kind of car you get I can recommend a good model.' I hesitated but then said, "It's a 1946 Chevrolet a good model?" His eyebrow raised 'Yes it is.' I heard a drawer open and he then pulled out a checkbook. He was quiet for a few moments until he finished signing, he didn't even bother to look up.

I saw it my eyes widened, A $100 check...and it was given to me, I begin to stutter "I-is..is this real sir." His face looking playing as ever and his face remaining calm. 'Of course, it is.' A long silence filled the air, what was this kind of gratitude for? I am skeptical as to why the situation hardly seemed appropriate. Why would he give me a black man any money outside of what I worked for?

'Your father worked here when I was a young man, this was when my dad was head of the company.' He looked down as if he was reliving a painful memory. He then continued 'I could not have been more than 19 years old when I met your dad, I never have respect for a working man because I grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth.' A grin came across his face but then went back to being serious. 'I wasn't paying attention until it almost happened, I was always told to wear protective clothing when I was out on the floor. I never listened.' He said with a frown, he stopped again. I didn't want to be rude, but I wanted to know the point of the story.. he must've noticed that and he continued. 'A group of workers slipped carrying a crucible, I happened to be right in front of them when the pot damn near flipped. Your father saved my life, not to get in good with my dad but because it was the right thing to do.' I look down thinking about my dad I hadn't thought of him in years, maybe it was because I felt like he didn't give me enough attention as I was growing up. 'This is a small favor, I never got to think your father but I would be sure to thank his son.'

I looked at the ground and then I finally decided to face him. "Thank you, sir I appreciate all that you have done for me and I hope to remain in your service." I was so grateful, this would be everything. I learned how to drive I had gotten her license, and through the years of hard work and struggle, I finally felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel. He went back to doing his job, ordering his paperwork. 'Good luck on the car son.' The door had clicked behind me and my excitement was hard to contain but I quickly made my way out of the factory and on to the owner I still had about 45 minutes.

~~~ Lilith

He was jumping around the house, was he that excited to see something so small? This was another feeling in me that I would never experience again, my son had a child it wasn't his but he treated him like it was his. My son was a good man at heart and I always knew this, there was a tinge of guilt for wiping his memory but this was the best thing I could ever do for him. I was a withholding mother, I chose my kingdom and my other children over him. Children who would live to be thousands of times older than him, and he would live and die a normal life.

'Can you do it again one more time?' I told him to close his eyes, and he would ask me to get something randomly around the house. He would even go as far as to hide the item before he asked. I had used a bit of my speed, and I had looked into his mind. It then happened and I heard the Front door open, his eyes widened as he grabbed my hand and pushed me outside into the back door. He shut it quickly without making noise, waved goodbye with a huge smile I saw the curtain close and heard him say; 'Hi grandma.' I could still hear it in his voice that he was smiling. 'Hey, how are you, Adrian?' His grandmother sounded friendly and kind, I wish I got the pleasure of meeting her family. I had made myself scarce before anyone would notice me, I was happy with the life my son was living. Maybe sometime I will stop around to see Adrian again. Hopefully, he will have his sibling with him, I wonder if it's a boy or a girl.

This was a nice change of pace something that I had never expected, I wish I could talk to Gabriel. I was happy with the outcome, our son was safe Michael maybe that storm that he sees is nothing to worry about.

"Though the dead are never wrong."

End Of Chapter: Peace.