Some of the cast is up!

BlakRoc - What You Do To Me

__________________________________________________

The tunnels beneath the ancient Egyptian ruins far from the city was a place I could happily call my sanctuary. No matter who I'm working with, whether they talked my ear off or not I still thought of this place - or any other tunnel in any other country - as a getaway from reality.

Collecting, what appeared to look - and even smell - like another sedimentary rock I grabbed one of the small sample containers by my foot and cracked off a small piece. Another pro of being a vampire? I can smell the difference between each of the mineral and organic particles. So I haven't been wrong once... okay, I haven't been wrong more than twice. Maybe three times.

My older colleague on the other side of the walkway turned at the click of my small hammer against the rock. "Mining for gold, Chelsea?"

"As usual." I smiled back at Tim packing away his boxes for the end of the day. "Think you could put this with your samples? I have to get going soon."

"You sure you're not worried I'll take credit?" He winked, his greying moustache lifting at the corner of his mouth as he smirked.

Tim was surprisingly one of the only one's I'd gotten close to since being in this business. He didn't travel as much as I did as he had a wife back in Florida and he was only five years away from retiring. A lot of the people my age were too into making a breakthrough in their study to pay attention to anyone else. The older workers however, they were happy to talk or stop for lunch or a break every once in a while.

"Not unless I should be. You heading to Jordan too? I'll need my updates on Leah's hybrid garden plants."

At his wife's name his smile widened. "I'll be in Jordan, no need to worry about that, dear. Off you go, it's getting late. Hope you have a ride back to the city."

"I do. Have a good night, Tim." I waved.

Riding back to the city with a colleague that lived close by, she always had the music on a tad too loud for any real conversation which I didn't mind much. We weren't exactly friends but more so she had a car and Tim practically pushed me onto her so I wouldn't be left paying so much for taxis when splitting gas money each week was cheaper.

Sending a wave her way, I watched her drive away before making my way upstairs. Katherine was already in her room getting ready and I still had to shower my day away.

**

"Where are we eating tonight?"

"This great little hole in the wall just off the main street we went down the other day. Great homemade cuisine," I replied as I clicked my earing's in. "Unless you want something else?"

Kate joined me in my bedroom. "Nah that sounds perfect. Am I dressed okay?"

She had on brown linen trousers whilst I was in a knee length paisley dress. I didn't see anything wrong. "Yeah, you look nice. By the way have you heard anything from Callum?"

"He got caught up doing something. He said he'd be flying here Friday the latest."

Callum - another vampire - was a dear friend of ours. He would only be visiting for a few days before I go to Jordan. Beautiful charming guy but I saw him as nothing more than a friend. With that man's curls he could curl his way around the finger of any and every woman he crossed paths with. But he honestly didn't care about the women that threw themselves at him. He lived in the moment. Plus he was kind of like the friend that was oblivious to everything. So even if we were like, "Cal, that girl's looking at you," he would probably end up spinning a whole circle like, "Where?" before he found her.

"I'm glad you two decided to come." I smiled. "It's like having a lil' piece of home with me."

"It would have been better if it were Evie and Amy though, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "It would have been better if they were here as well. I love everybody. You're all family. But they have their own families to look out for, remember? Their husbands? Kids?"

"True, but trust me when I say they would have loved to have come here. But the girls are at school. It doesn't matter though, you'll be home soon right?"

Would I? Home used to be New York with my mom and dad but I ended up moving to Canada after I graduated and after I turned. It was easier living closer to my best friends who were also new vampires. Easier to cope. I haven't seen my mom or dad in years. Spoke almost every week sure but not physically seen them. I always sent them postcards of places I've been or distant shots of myself close to famous landmarks by e-mail but that's all.

Walking out of the door without answering her, I thought where is home? I haven't been in one place for longer than a year in a long time. Not since I turned. After I could control my thirst, I went onto finding a job, I went to find my calling. It took another year or so but I found it. Sometimes I would be doing the dirty work like mining the earth in places like this or I'll be spending my days and nights in the lab in Norway or Germany. I've been to so many places in under ten years and I couldn't be happier.

But home? The place I rent in Canada wasn't my home. I've lived in my small apartment in Cairo longer than I have in Vancouver.

Grabbing a cab, we hopped to the busiest street downtown. It was never quiet, always buzzing with life. It holds a lot of nightlife venues - one of the places Kate and I visited two nights ago - the opera house and hell of a lot of clothing and shoe stores.

Walking along a road just off the busy street, we found the restaurant and asked for a seat outside. People watching was another of my strong points and even Kate's. Although we were facing each other, both of us watched the faces of the people or groups that walked by. The obvious 'boys vacation' on their way to one of the clubs, the 'cute couples' walking along to the well-lit open bar opposite our restaurant or the annoyed residents weaving in and out of the tourists like they see this every single day.

"What about those two?" I said around a mouthful of hummus and bread. Yes, vampire's eat. We don't necessarily have to eat all the time but I sure as hell still enjoy it.

"Mm- the girl's not happy he only bought her one Gucci bag instead of two and he's thinking how much of a mistake it was bringing his girl instead of his side chick although judging by that frown , he must of thought, 'oh wait, nah my sidepiece would have wanted two too', am I right?"

Shaking my head at Kate's extravagant guess, I tucked my hair behind my ear and listened to the couple arguing quietly across the street: "...told me you ended it with Rachel, why is she calling you in Egypt? And what about this bag? You trying to buy me...?"

"You were right about the cheating boyfriend. It's a wonder how you don't have super hearing."

She pointed her fork at me with a cheeky smile. "Ah, but the power of foresight works just as well. I couldn't get it all right you'd know I was cheating."

Laughing with one another, we finished our meals and bought another bottle of their house wine continuing to people watch. It never ceased to amaze me the amount of sounds and scents I could handle a day. Of course, I remember my first bad smell back when I was a new vampire. I almost threw up a lung.

"So what do you want to do after this? Are you waved?" I winked.

"Waved? Is that the phrase the kids are using nowadays for drunk?" She chuckled. "In that case, I am a little. What's that place everyone's headed to over there? Or has lifeless, old-lady Chelsea made an appearance tonight."

"Excuse me," I stood slapping the money on the table. "I for one take that as an insult and a challenge which I gladly accept. Let's pay and go, and by the way, was lifeless necessary?"

"Of course not but it's funny. Still can't say no to a challenge can you?"

"Never." I replied grabbing her hand and leading her over. "Besides, this isn't much of a challenge."

We slowed and joined the back of the line. "As soon as we get in there I'll give you a challenge."

Floating my eyes over the mixtures of people my gaze paused on a particular man standing outside of the club doors. There he is again. That was the man from the other night. Same dark hair, same build. I hadn't bothered telling Kate about it especially if I thought I was wrong. But am I? I wanted to be. I had to be.

The man had yet to turn. Instead he continued down the street. And you know what I did? I followed him obviously.

Kate yelled, "Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back just stay in the line." I replied following a few yards behind him.

I tried to catch his scent but there were too many people around. I couldn't pinpoint him. He'd always had a particular scent, one that would supposedly lure whomever he wanted. I thought it was a spout of absolute crap.

He curved the street to a less busy one but by then, the crowd I was hustling through had paused dammit. I weaved in and out as fast as I could and watched as he walked into what appeared to be a food take-out shop. I frowned. He wasn't ever one for the greasy foods... Standing across the street and watching as the man interacted with a group of other men; he finally turned around.

It wasn't him. And just like that, I was relaxed all over again. I knew I was being paranoid. Completely satisfied, I grinned and started walking away.

But I slowed. Was I satisfied, really? It was too much of a coincidence to see the same man from the other night here, where I was, only two days later.

And then I heard his voice. "Was it really that easy to lure you here, Chelsea? I was surprised in the club when you didn't follow but I thought I taught you much better than that."

See, he even uses the word lure in real life, not just in my thoughts. Of course I was right to be paranoid. Of course I was right to assume I was being watched because he always is.

Tensing my shoulders, I turned toward Christian Beaumont standing only a few inches above me in all of his confident glory. The glow and tan to his skin made my fists clench. That meant he'd been here for a while soaking up the damn sun. Usually he'd have his stupid moustache, goatee and that stupid chin stubble thing - it was there, sure - but his entire jaw and cheeks were filled with stubble. I've never seen him with that much facial hair before, maybe he had it as a disguise. But honestly who wouldn't look at this good-looking man? And I only say that because he is a vampire and I have yet to come across one that wasn't absolutely stunning or breath-taking.

I leaned a leg back and crossed my arms over my chest to create as much distance as I could between us. He was the oldest vampire I knew at nine hundred and-something years old - his appearance age however was around thirty - so distance probably wouldn't make much of a difference if he wanted to grab me anyway. Plus he wasn't exactly a skinny man. He was very lean, not too muscley but not by any means skinny.

"I can't believe... actually you know what? I can believe you'd come here to annoy the daylights out of not just me but anyone and everybody in my company, my friend's company, maybe even anyone that they're remotely related to."

Firstly, instead of answering me like a normal person would, all he did was linger his unnerving gaze on every square inch of me - something he tended to do a tad too much where I'm concerned. I squared my shoulders under his trivial stare and cleared my throat for an answer.

Christian's full lips curved into a cocky smile as he replied, "Not everything is about you, how self-centred." Breathe, Chelsea don't get angry. What would that woman walking passed do if your eyes turned black? "But I suppose in this case it is maybe a little."

"In every damn place you turn up where I am, it is! It's- it's always the case," I started yelling but ended in a whisper when another group of tourists passed us. "What is it you want now, your sister said you were in Iceland?"

"Are you keeping an eye on me, little one? I didn't know you cared that much."

Even the sound of one of his assy nicknames made my blood boil. "Christian."

Holding up his hands, he shook his head with a smile. "I'm just making sure my little protégé is doing okay. Not eating anyone, not killing, not getting into any serious trouble."

Yes, this British clown is the one that turned me into a vampire seven years ago. My maker. Protégé is a word they use for the vampires they create. Wherever I was, for some unknown reason, he wasn't too far behind. Maybe he thought it was a game, I'd probably never know. He turned me for reasons I hate to go into but in his and my friend's eyes, he was saving my life. The road isn't one I like to dwell or go down and for now I won't.

I ground the back of my molars and stiffened my legs so I wouldn't step forward to throttle him. "When have I ever gotten myself into-"

"Three years ago in Marrakech. You almost ate four people in that elevator because that teen had a nose bleed."

"It was three people and they all survived because I stopped myself, not you." I hated him for always bringing up the stupid incident in Marrakech; not one of them died anyway.

"After you almost killed them."

"I gave each and every one of them my blood, none of them died."

He rolled his brilliant blue eyes. "You forgot the bloody security cameras though didn't you, did you forget I erased those?"

My eye twitched as I tried to form a valid comeback.

"Thought so."

"Get out of here, Christian. I don't want you here, I never do." I scowled turning to walk away. "Always getting in my business, always trying to control everything..."

He followed. Like I expected any better. "Actually, it's not just your business I'm interested in this time. I have things to do here in Cairo."

"Another meeting with the devil?" I grumbled.

"That was last month, we had tea actually. You wouldn't guess that he's more of a herbal tea kind of man."

I halted again and faced him at his lame joke. "Get to the point."

"There is no 'point' that you need to worry yourself over. I'm here for business of my own and that is all."

But with Christian it never was all. There was always something hidden behind it. He always had something to hide from me because that was just who he was. I'd learnt years ago how to dissect his poker face. But right now I couldn't put my finger on whether he was telling me the truth or not. His thick eyebrows were as still as a photograph. His cerulean blue eyes not wavering an inch and his angular jaw was as still as a damn rock.

"Fine." I finally said letting it go for now. "Do whatever you have to do. But leave me the hell alone while you're here. Are we clear?"

"I make no promises, kitten."

Walking away I hissed, "Don't call me kitten!" over my shoulder. I stormed back down the street and back to Kate waiting outside of the club with a raised brow.

"Your veins are showing, where were you?" She said to which I hurriedly growled, "I thought you had nothing better to do than watch me, didn't you see Christian coming?"

Her eyes widened and I could see her pursing her lips to stop her cheeky smile. "He's.... here-?"

"You didn't see him coming?"

"Well obviously not! If I had, wouldn't you think I'd say something?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes.

"Okay, fine, I didn't tell you that one time you were in Marrakech but that was because you did that thing in the elevat-"

"Why does everyone keep reminding me of that?!" I huffed throwing my arms in the air. "He's here now, it doesn't matter. I'm in no mood to go out, let's go home."

Stomping my way away from the clubs and restaurants like a petulant child, I heard Katherine's light chuckle. "Temper, temper. He's still controlling what you do even when he isn't commanding you not to do it."

"I heard that and no he is not! Fine let's go into the damn club and get hammered."

"Attagirl!"

_________________________________________________

Third person small chapters of Christian's point of view is a definite thing that is going to happen in the future;) his mind intrigues me.

Drop those comments!