The mortals before me had disappointed me once again. In a city of ten million people living in smaller versions of my old home, the amount of madness that infected the streets on this night was staggering. No one seemed to understand what they were celebrating anymore.
I always dreaded this night. I never knew how long it would last or if it would occur every year or when it would end. None of that mattered. It was always the same. The passing of one of their leaders seemed to bring out the worst in people.
"Excuse me, but you dropped this." A girl's voice came from behind me. I turned to see a teenager dressed in clothing she was barely old enough to wear. She was holding a small bag out and smiling at me.
"Thank you," I responded, taking the bag and returning the smile.
"No worries."
I looked over her shoulder at the crowd passing by us, feeling a little odd at her concern.
"So, what's special about tonight?" She asked.
"Oh," my eyes turned to look down at the small bag I held in my arms again, "Um, it's time for the leader to die." I responded, hoping I was answering the same question.
"Oh! I didn't know that." She looked at me with a surprised. "That's weird, but good timing." She smiled again. I smiled back and found myself instantly captivated by her big brown eyes, straight teeth and long black hair. She was cute, but a bit awkward. I felt a strange feeling in my heart, and I couldn't tell if it was pain or pleasure. In the old days, the people would celebrate the passing of the old leader, but I had always found it ridiculous. Now, as I sat on the step of the church, I couldn't help but wonder what they were doing.
"You're staring at me." She looked away, turning her head back to the crowds. Her voice had a slight edge to it.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to." I explained.
"It's okay. I am." She responded, turning back to look at me with a small smile on her face. This confused me, as she never smiled.
"Oh, I better go. My mom will be worried if I'm back late." She hopped to her feet and moved to walk around me, but paused when her hand met with mine, pulling it to her chest. "Wait, where is our hand connected to?" She remembered my words. I looked at her and said nothing. "Wait, is it just me or have you become different somehow?" She looked into my eyes.
"It's not just you." I admitted.
"What's going on? Did someone do this or you?" She asked with the persistent look of a scientist.
"I did." I responded.
"For what reason?" Her eagerness was adorable.
"It's complicated." I explained.
"You are odd." She smiled at me and walked away. I sat there and watched her walk away and was oddly thrilled, as I was never thrilled by a mortal before.
"It's your fiancée, everyone." a man's voice called out from the crowd, rushing to the voice. He pushed out from the crowd, rushing to my side. "She missed you, but I did. I missed everything." I looked at him, closing my eyes as I remembered he was now gone and I was alone. I opened them again, wondering what happened.
"Sorry for the trouble, but I don't think you are supposed to see each other. Maybe this will help." He held out what I had dropped. I reached out and took the bag back, holding it to my chest. He reached out and took the bag back. "Thanks, more than you know." I felt the hard plastic and leather in my hand and looked down to see a small, leather-bound book and an envelope. I looked back up at him just as he leaned in and kissed my cheek. I held up the book, looking at it for a moment before I stuffed it into my bag and tossed it behind me.
"Do you have any idea how long it has been since I was around a pretty woman or a handsome man?" He held out his trembling fingers and looked down at their twitching.
"I... I don't think I'll be going out of this world anytime soon." I commented.
"No. Just one more day with you." He reached out and touched my cheek with the tips of his fingers. I felt my skin tingle and the feeling of my body, which had faded with the loss of my old lover, began to return. I smiled and turned away from him, waiting for the darkness to overtake me. The mortals cheered, many of them pouring from the church. I stood in the middle of them and selected a few to go. I opened my mouth and spoke. No one heard my words, but the few who followed me did. I wasn't alone in the church anymore.