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A Reason to Live

The beginning of an end is so new And once in a while, it&039;s the genesis of so wonderful

The clear skies of predawn held the promise of another sunny day for the small community outside of Colu to be in her late twenties stood arasses of an ereen eyes looked with anticipation beyond the line of trees towards the approaching sunrise It would be her first sunrise inhopefully at the sky

She absently ran her fingertips through her short brown hair while conte, she heard the birds chirping around her and a rooster crowing in the distance As sos out with meticulous precision, Amber was momentarily amused that she&039;d merely pulled her car to the side of the road and rando there

This will do nicely, she affir coht her to that -willed person and not prone to depression or morose fixations, but she was at what could be described as a va led a rich life, she&039;d enjoyed wealth,as one excluded daytined as the most lethal environment for her kind, to be avoided at all cost

However, Arown dissatisfied in recent years It wasn&039;t so much the series of failed relationships Granted, those typically ended viciouslyfor the; she sier saw the point in it She&039;d been shocked by the realization that she was ready to see her last sunrise The epiphany ca or melancholy

Amber confided in a few close valed with their own need for diversions and werewith her situation There were two vaht to intercede directly on her behalf before she watched that final sunrise, but both were half the world away, and time wasn&039;t on their side

As she patiently waited, her only regret was the inability to appreciate the sun for very long beforeher end She missed the sunshine, really As a hus and the hopeful sense of optiht to each day For hundreds of years, she&039;d only caught fleeting gli forced into darker surroundings to await the reappearance of evening Even at such a ely at peace for ould be her last day

As the sun began to rise, A above the tree line It was terrifying in its row despite her resolve to ly

Moments later, the repercussion of the sun&039;s ultraviolet radiation began to take effect on her skin At first it was , but quickly it became painful Her exposed skin blistered, and seconds later the core of her body erupted with fire Aainst the sun&039;s rays as they crept to the top of the trees and i it was coht nearly full upon her, a peculiar thing happened to the resolute A speed that humans couldn&039;t readily comprehend, she propelled her body ard into the tree line, holding the pain inside so she wouldn&039;t screaony, she yearned to release anguished, pri the painful wail building within her

A sunlight using the nearest opportunity for shelter In a arage that quickly appeared before her The old garage stood alone, some thirty feet to the side of a paint-peeled house located on the sistered the side doorway before she was speeding through it in a blur ofrefuge beneath a tarp-draped and partially refurbished Chevrolet Ca the cool, though grimy concrete floor Her skin still sizzled as the burns covering her body felt catastrophic Pain coursed through her syste breaths Great, she thought, nohat?

A process properly But she had deliberately fasted forthe process of death byher imminent demise firsthand, she considered it had been a really stupid notion Naturally, I leftwith exasperation, she immediately felt her body racked with intense pain for her indulgence and drew air into her lungs through clenched teeth

She heard the se open and promptly smelled a human By the sounds of the small, aard footsteps, it was a small human, likely a child Her presumption was confirmed in the simple word the visitor uttered next

"Hello?" inquired a short, sandy-haired young boy As he bent down to tie his shoe, Amber noted his faded blue jeans and a T-shirt emblazoned with cartoon characters fro

Amber held her breath so there was as lance to his left, and the child could probably see her She needed blood badly, but one of the few resolutions she hada vampire was not to hurt children She hoped that the boy would lose interest and quickly leave

"I heard the door slahtly and snapped her burnt eyelids shut while striving to keep the burning pain coursing through her body in check Great, a kid saw e of the tarp lift near her and the little boy&039;s gasp

"Gross! What happened?" the child demanded "Are you hurt?"

She barely opened one of her eyes to gaze back at him She must have looked, and smelled, like a burned corpse at that ed as clearly as possible through the pain "It&039;s not safe for you here"

"I can help, really," the boy persisted

Help? Amber&039;sthat occurred to her had little hope for success For years, she had been a good customer of the blood bank set up by a very old vao that catered to a unique clientele The idea was that a doht i to blend into society without having to hunt humans The corporate venture capitalized on local blood banks to broker blood supplies to its customers And best of all, they ensured prompt delivery in most major cities around the world

"What&039;s your name, little boy?" Amber asked as levelly as possible

"Caleb," he stammered excitedly "Caleb Taylor"

"Hello, Caleb," she said while trying to control the tremors of pain in her voice

"Hi," he replied in a friendly tone that only an innocent child could evoke successfully

Well, at least he&039;s polite, she thought In fact, he seeentle disposition Aony and asked, "Okay, Caleb How old are you?"

"I&039;ed the aptitude of the average eight-year-old "Caleb, I&039;el, and I need for you to call heaven for me," she explained "Can you do that?"

Caleb frowned "Call heaven?"

Ainally Her bodyto heal itself But she needed fresh blood to do the job correctly

"Can you use a telephone for me and not tell anybody?" she asked

"Not even my mo thought, but quickly discarded the idea of draining his el of death!

"No, Caleb, not even your ed

"Is it a secret?" he inquired

"Yes, it&039;s a secret," she answered with all the patience she could muster

The boy was silent for a moment and replied doubtfully, "Well, okay"

She nearly screah her body and bit her bottom lip so hard that she drew blood

"Who should I call?" Caleb asked

"Get a pencil and paper, Caleb," she insisted

"Okay," he said before running out of the garage, sla the side access door behind hiain, or if the child&039;s h the door next She passed the ti if the sunshine outside threatened the interior of the garage There was a slassopposite from her on the side of the car where the boy had been, but the canvas tarp seeh protection to keep the sun&039;s rays fro her

After a tiain, followed by the sound of little footsteps Seconds later, the boy&039;s excited face reappeared beneath the tarp

"I got a pencil and paper," he said

"Okay, Caleb This is very iive you a phone nuive the person that answers a long number and your address Do you know your address, Caleb?"

The boy nodded and recited his address with a practiced tone

Save hiive the person his hoohis parents All the while, it took all her willpower not to reach out and grab the child for the immediate source of the blood that she desperately needed Instead, A footsteps and the sound of the door closing

Caleb returned soritting her teeth and enduring the searing pain that reignited through her body

"I el Bruce said he&039;ll co ently as possible

"Okay, but I have to eat breakfast first," he said

She panicked slightly "Caleb, are your parents hoet her?"

"No!" she urgently snapped The boy juhtly

"Sorry, Caleb I&039;et the box froel in the truck before your et the box, Caleb"