Hobbies (version 2)

Hobbies

  Eddie landed without a thump. The drop was two-stories high, but Eddie didn’t have the time or interest to even think about it. He was too busy keeping up with his target in the street below. A pretty blonde girl in a small group, surrounded by friends, having a little night out on town.
  Mary’s landing wasn’t as smooth. She fell awkwardly on her ankle, spraining it a little and breaking a heel. Eddie had questioned her choice in shoes before they left their apartment. ‘These are my favorite shoes, and we’re just going for a walk right?’ she had shrugged him off. Yeah, for a walk.
  Eddie raised his eyebrow at Mary’s cursing behind him. She rarely swears so it was an event. Eddie smirked at her, and she immediately dropped the sailor-act.
  “Shut up. It’s your fault my best shoes are ruined,” she frowned.
  “Of course it is. Try to keep up.”
  Mary took off both shoes and trashed them before hurrying after Eddie. “You know, I was really happy about you asking me on a walk on the rooftops,” Mary said with a slight hint of disappointment in her voice. Eddie glanced over his shoulder as he walked on the edge of the building, no less than four-stories high.
  “It’s not my fault light pollution blocks out the stars, love,” Eddie whispered as he turned his eyes back on the street.
  “You know that’s not what I meant. I thought this to be something romantic. Holding hands, smooching, togetherness,” she said, picturing it all in her head. Eddie smiled a bit as he kept moving, leaping over an alley separating two buildings.
  Despite the sky looking light brown, it was a nice night. The wind’s gentle breeze felt soft on the skin. Mary’s red hair seemed to flare up every time the wind took on a more savage nature. To a casual observer, who happened to look up, it might’ve seemed as one of the two dark figures occasionally caught on fire, burning dark red.
  Mary snapped out of her illusions, and remembered she wasn’t finished, “But instead of all that, I find out we’re actually stalking one of your ex’s? You ran out of date-ideas already?” she murmured, clearly somewhat frustrated.
  Eddie smirked, “This isn’t a date, unless you find stalking to be sexy. And it’s been a bloody week since your turning and you’re already acting like it’s been years. I almost understand what my brother’s been through.”
  “Whatever.”          
  Eddie frowned. He knew bringing her along was a bad idea.
  “Cheer up, dear. This won’t take the whole night, so we’ll have plenty of time to do your romancing-bit. What do you say? I can bring home Chinese if you like?” Eddie reconciled.
  Mary sighed, but her spirit was lifted a little. It didn’t take much effort from Eddie to soothe her. She didn’t know whether to like it or to be scared of it.
  “Cute. But while we’re here, you might as well explain the whole deal. What’s up with this girl?” Mary’s show of interest was a sign to Eddie that she’d calmed down, at least a little.
  “Sure. See that blonde girl down there, with two of her friends? That’s her,” Eddie pointed down as Mary caught up with him to get a better view.
  “I can only see the back of her head. Is she pretty? Oh, did she turn you down and now you’re just being an asshole?” Mary snickered. Eddie sighed and jumped up. The next building was one-story higher. Mary leapt after her man.
  “Jerk,” Mary snapped, when Eddie didn’t seem to answer her question.
  “Okay, yeah, she turned me down, two years ago. But that’s not the whole story,” Eddie snapped back, “First, she acted like she was interested in me. We dated for about two to three months. It was intense, we didn’t spend much time apart. When I had completely fallen for her, she told me she didn’t care. At all. It was just a game for her and that she’d done it many times before I came along,” Eddie said calmly.
  “Are you serious?” Mary asked quietly. She could almost imagine the painful turmoil Eddie must’ve gone through back then. The heartache. Mary knew how emotion-driven her man was. That was a big part of why she was attracted to him in the first place.
  “Dead and serious,” Eddie replied, hastening his pace. The girl down on the street was hugging her friend for goodbyes. After that she’d wish good night to her boyfriend. And after that Eddie was going to make his move.
  “Why didn’t you just kill her? If she broke your heart and hurt you that bad, wouldn’t that been the easiest thing to do?” Mary wondered. Eddie looked at her quietly. She knew him so well already that she could easily understand what he felt back then.
  “That would’ve been too easy, too quick,” Eddie grumbled and lit a smoke.
  “What about torture? That takes time, right?” Mary excitedly responded. Eddie laughed.
  “You’re adorable. But yeah, I thought about it. It’s not my thing, I lack the patience for it. My brother tried to teach me though. He’s really gifted in it,” Eddie said thoughtfully.
  “You know, the more I hear about your brother the less likeable he seems,” Mary said, “and what do you mean ‘you lack the patience?’ You’ve been stalking this girl for two years now? And as a hobby, this one’s not much on the sane side.”
  “I told you I could a get a little obsessive, I told you that when your heart was still beating,” Eddie sighed, staring at the couple down below. Their good night-huggings didn’t seem to end.
  “That’s an understatement. She must appreciate with you hanging around and watching her.”
  “She doesn’t know. I’m stalking her, not harassing her,” Eddie said and dumped the smoke. Awful brand.
  “Must be a fine line. So, how do you know who she’s seeing and when? And where? Don’t tell me you’ve hired someone to do the stalking for you?” Mary asked, slightly terrified of the answer. Eddie looked back up to her green eyes and smirked.
  “Her brother’s my inside man.”
  “And why exactly is he helping you out?”
  “He hates her. She’s been bullying him forever. And he’s a vampire-worshipper. Stupid git,” Eddie snorted.
  “That’s it? He hates her?” Mary didn’t seem to buy the story.
  “Yes, when I was with her, I saw the two go at it at every opportunity. Mental abuse, some physical too. He’s a tiny boney man, so she wiped the floor with him, it was hilarious. But after she left me, I called him and we made a deal,” Eddie paused, taking a look at the happy couple in the street, still feeling physical. Get a room already.
  “And?” Mary wanted to know the rest of the deal.
  “We met, I told him what I am, showed him to get him believe, and then he agreed to help me in exchange for eternal life of blooming flowers and rainless days. It was easy to sell him, I just told him that with the strength that comes with it he could easily mop the floor with his sister.”
    “But you’re not gonna turn him, are you? Cause as soon as you do, he’d kill her, and that’s not what you’re after, right?”
  “Right.”
  “I’m confused, what is it then that you want from her?” Mary frowned.
  “She will live a long, miserable life. His brother’s intel will help her achieve that. She’ll be alone, always. That’s my game,” Eddie said, staring at the girl, with a small smile on his face.
  “So you’ll off the guys she hang arounds with,” Mary said to herself. A small smile sparked on her face as well. Eddie took a quick look at Mary, and frowned. No, there’s more to...
  Just then the couple split up, and the guy started walking in their direction, just some floors below. Mary’s eyes widened.
  “Can we have a picnic?” she asked. Eddie didn’t answer, his eyes were locked in.
  “Showtime,” he said and jumped down.