Dusk and Her Embrace

Dusk and Her Embrace

Written by: Lady Nocturne Juliet

Tiny flames danced upon the porcelain candle sticks. The dim light from the candles illuminated the room. I stared across the table at my only reason for living. Tristan. Dark hair framed his face down to his jaw line at the front and angled short at the back where his hair stuck out in untidy spikes. His dark hair contrasted well with his fair complexion. I stared into his soft cerulean blue eyes. His mouth was long and masculine with a sensuous curve, an invitation to be kissed. It was hard to drag my gaze away especially from his irresistable eyes. Tristan was truly irresistable.

He had invited me over to his house and cooked me dinner. His parents were out of town which allowed us to be alone at last. It had been a while since I got to be alone with my boyfriend. It was hard to be with him. His parents adored me and thought I was perfect for their son but my parents were a different story. My parents did not approve of Tristan in anyway. They had a fantasy of me marrying a doctor or lawyer. Tristan was going to become a tattoo artist. He had a promising talent for art. He never ceased to amaze me. My parents also didn't approve of his dark wardrobe, not to mention his own tattoo. They hadn't seen all of it though. A beautiful gothic black cross started at the nape of his neck and traced down to the middle of his back. I remembered the day he got it. He wanted me to be there with him. I was impressed by his perfect body. My cheeks flushed at the memory.

"Ellie," his voice broke through my silent rambling. Tristan called me by the nickname he gave me. I stared back at him, returning to reality.

"Yes?" I asked.

Tristan smiled, my favorite crooked smile. I couldn't help but smile back. His smile was contagious. Tristan was my sun. He brightened my dark world and painted my sky blue. "I need to ask you something."

"Yeah? You know you can ask me anything," I said as if it was obvious.

He smiled for a few moments and then his expression became serious. "I know we still have a week left before school finishes and then high school will be behind us."

I stared at him, perplexed and pondering the point he was making.

"And I know your parents hate me..." He trailed off before he could continue. I cut him off.

"They don't hate you, Tristan." I frowned.

"They hate to see me with you," Tristan replied. There was a hint of sorrow behind his words.

I couldn't argue with that. It was the sad truth. Then it just hit me. My stomach clenched hard. Was the special dinner his way of letting me down easily? "Are you breaking up with me...?" My voice broke.

Tristan's eyes widened with horror. "No!" He almost shouted as he reached a hand out to me. "Of course not. That's very far from what I had planned, Ellie."

My stomach relaxed though I was more puzzled than ever.

He sighed and stood to his feet. "What I was saying was...I don't care about all of that." He walked toward me and got down on one knee before me.

My eyes widened. "Tristan?"

He gazed into my eyes. "Let me finish..." He closed his eyes for a moment and stared into mine again. "I love you, Ellie. I can't imagine my life without you. I know we're only 18 but--" He paused and pulled a small black box from his pants pocket.

Tears welled in my eyes as I watched him hold the box before me.

"I want to be with you forever." He opened the box and a beautiful silver ring with diamonds lie inside. Tristan knew my fondness for silver. "Gabrielle Alesana Deveraux, will you marry me?"

I wiped a tear that had escaped my eye. "Yes," I whispered, with a huge grin.

A boyish smile tugged at Tristan's lips. His eyes lit up as he slid the ring onto the third finger on my left hand. He stood, towering over me and helped me up from my chair. "Ellie." He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me. My heart pounded hard against my chest. "I love you." Tristan whispered into my ear. His breath sent shivers through me.

"Tristan..." I whispered softly.

He stroked my hair gently. I lifted my head to look at Tristan. There was my favorite smile again. He pressed his lips to mine and kissed me.

I knew my parents would never allow me to marry Tristan so we planned to meet at the park at 5pm by our favorite oak tree on Friday. We planned to have a private wedding. My parents would realize how much I loved Tristan and they would have to accept it.

I leaned against the tree and inhaled the scent of freshly cut grass. I sighed happily. The excitement filling every part of me. I watched an occasional person pass by. My heart leaped every time I heard the sound of footsteps approaching, hoping that it would be Tristan. To my disappointment, Tristan still hadn't come.

I dug into my purse for my cellphone and checked the time. It was a quarter to 6 already. My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. There weren't any messages from him either. If he couldn't make it, wouldn't he call to warn me? It just wasn't like Tristan at all to stand me up. Maybe, he was just late. I settled myself on the nearest bench, refusing to accept that he probably wasn't coming. Every five minutes I checked for the time and for new messages on my cellphone.

I glanced at the darkening sky and then noticed less people occupying the area. 7:02. The numbers lit up in the cellphone. My stomach clenched painfully. Tristan wasn't coming. I tried to reason with myself. Tristan probably forgot. I called his cell and left a couple of messages. Something was terribly wrong. I knew in my heart that Tristan loved me just as much as I loved him but still in the back in my mind there was a nagging suspicion. Perhaps, he changed his mind about marrying me. I mean, it was something huge. We were only 18 after all. Why would Tristan marry someone like me in the first place? I didn't consider myself ugly but certainly not the most beautiful either. I always thought of myself as average. Not to mention, my annoying parents would probably ward off any guy that tried to touch me. They were very judgemental. It was enough to drive anyone away. With all the years I dated Tristan through High School, it seemed like nothing could drive him away from my side. It didn't make sense. My head started to throb as a headache formed. I didn't notice the darkness envelope me as another hour passed.

Hot tears trickled down my face. It was clear Tristan wasn't coming at all but I couldn't bring myself to leave. I felt glued to the bench under the weight of my despair. Gentle rain drops began to fall from above but I still didn't move. Soon enough the rain fell heavier, mixing with my tears. I finally managed to stand and threw my hood over my head even though my hair was soaked already. With a last glance, I left and drove home.

I shut the door as I stepped inside my house. "Gabrielle? Is that you?" My mother's voice came from the living room.

"Yes. I'm tired so I'm going to bed," I replied quickly. I dashed upstairs and shut myself in my room. In an instant, I dashed for the phone and dialed Tristan's house number.

No answer.

I slammed the phone down and sighed. I prayed Tristan was okay. If I still didn't hear from him soon enough I would visit his house tomorrow.

I stepped into my bathroom and slipped out of my clothes as it pooled around my feet. I stepped into the shower. Despite the soothing carress of the warm water, my worries were not washed away. I couldn't swallow the fear weighing on me. The feeling that something terrible happened began to well inside. I couldn't shake it off like an itch in the back of my mind that I couldn't scratch.

I stepped out of the shower when I was done and dried myself off. I wrapped the towel around my body and peered into the foggy mirror. After clearing the fog, my reflection stared back at me. My eyes were hazel and almond shaped, framed by thick dark lashes. My nose was small and my lips were full. I had soft fair skin. No matter how long I was out in the sun, I didn't tan easily. The sun seemed to run away from me. My hair was soaked. It normally fell down my back in soft auburn waves. I had a slender, hour glass figure. No complaints but I was still a girl. I could point out the little flaws that weren't even there. Tristan would tell me I was crazy. He would always tell me I was the most beautiful girl. My lips twitched into a slight smile. He made me feel wanted.

I threw on some small shorts and a tank and climped into bed. I was so exhausted, I drifted off as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I jolted awake when the phone rang beside my bed. I groaned and picked up the phone. "Hello?" I asked, groggily.

"Gabrielle?" A woman spoke. It took me a moment to register who the voice belonged to.

"Mrs. Knight?" It was Tristan's mother.

"Do you know where Tristan is?" Her voice was frantic, like a worried mother.

My stomach clenched tightly. "No. Isn't he with you?" I said, as panic began to set in. I was wide awake now with alarm.

"No. He left around 4:30 yesterday evening and didn't come back." Her voice was trembling now.

My heart dropped into the pit of my clenched stomach. This was not happening.

"Gabrielle?" Her voice broke through the silence.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath until now. "We were planning to meet at the park around 5. I waited a few hours but he never showed up," I explained.

She was quiet now.

"I'll come over and help you look for him," I offered, trying not to let my voice break. Tristan's mother didn't need to be more terrified by my panic. I was denying the fact that I was terrified. I tried to ignore the nausea rising in my stomach. We would find him soon enough, I reasoned.

I searched for Tristan along with his parents and our closest friends from school. Days became months. There was no sign of Tristan anywhere. Posters of Tristan's picture were posted around the city of Orlando. My days were dark and empty. Not even the bright weather Florida brought could shine through the despair that enveloped me. Nothing could. My sun had vanished.

I cried myself to sleep. I had no idea what happened to Tristan or if he was even still alive. I lost apart of me. When Tristan proposed to me, I had no idea that was the last time I would see him. His smiling face haunted me. His parents never gave up searching for him but I lost all the hope I had left. Tristan wasn't coming back and probably never would. He was gone and I had to move on even if it killed what little life I had left within me.

Two years had passed. My parents' happiness sickened me. They were happy...Tristan was gone. Even after two years it was hard to say or even think of his name. People were careful not to mention his name around me. My parents wanted me to marry a guy who attended the same college as I did. Erik. He came from a wealthy family. Erik had long blond hair and sea green eyes. He was handsome and 23 years old. Erik was my parents' favorite choice for me. He seemed like a nice guy but I knew that I could never love anyone like I loved Tristan. I could come to love Erik though it wouldn't be the same.

The chill from the night air made me shiver. I had decided to take a walk. It was after midnight. The streets were empty for the most part. I stopped and glanced at the moon. A beautiful silver sphere, shining its light on me. I took in the beauty of the shimmering stars that painted the black sky. The night breathed its beauty.

"Hey babe," a deep voice came from behind me.

I jumped in surprise and whirled around to see a group of four guys looking me up and down. I backed away slowly. "What do you want?" I backed into something warm and gasped.

"I think you already know what we want," the husky voice behind me whispered. I turned around to face him. He must have been the leader of the group. He was tall with dark touseled hair. I tried not to tremble. I couldn't let them see my fear. The men stepped closer. Crap. I was trembling now. I took a deep breath, ready to let out the loudest scream I could muster...but a sudden movement caught my eye. I saw my opportunity to escape so I started to run. The dark haired man caught me in his arms and pushed me to the cold cement. I whimpered in pain. A shard of glass on the ground cut through my arm.

"What the fuck?" One of the men yelled.

I looked up and noticed a dark figure leap out of the high treetops, landing as silent and graceful as a cat. The tall figure was wearing a black cloak. Its hood was drawn over its face, casting a dark shadow where its face was supposed to be. It reminded me of the grim reaper.

"Who the fuck are you?" The dark haired man pushed one of his men away to stand before the cloaked figure. He pushed against the dark figure but the figure didn't flinch or move at all. The figure lifted a pale hand and grabbed the leader of the gang by the collar of his shirt, lifting his feet from the ground. He was swiftly thrown to the ground. The rest of the gang pulled out pocket knives and lunged at the cloaked figure. With preternatural speed, all four guys crashed against trees and the nearest walls. If I had blinked I wouldn't have noticed the cloaked figure grabbing them and tossing them high into the air as if they were nothing but rag dolls.

I stared wide-eyed.

"Let's get out of here!" One of the men choked out as the gang stumbled onto their feet. They ran down the deserted street and disappeared around the corner.

I gasped as my eyes fell upon the dark figure who was suddenly closer to me than I had realized. I didn't notice his hood had fallen during the fight. He stepped close and offered me his hand. I took it as he lifted me up with such ease. I stumbled backwards and pressed my back against the nearest brick wall to help keep my balance. I brushed my hair out of my face. "Thanks..." I muttered.

I froze when my gaze met him. Soft cerulean eyes. His eyes. I gasped. "Tristan..?"