Chapter 3
At the interstate, I had a choice. Iowa or Chicago. Like that’s a choice. I’d always been in love with Chicago, but going into the city by myself, with all those people around me might just be too tempting. I didn’t want to head to Iowa, which was full of small towns. People are too nosey and always trying to get into your business, like in Rochelle. I decided to head towards Chicago, hoping I could handle myself around all those people.
I drove past exits with names I didn’t recognize. I had no idea where I was and the gas tank would soon be empty. Stupid V8 engine. My dad always complained they weren’t economical because they sucked gas like there was no tomorrow. That’s why he always drove Toyotas. Good gas mileage. Way not cool-looking.
I pulled off at the next exit and turned north. I had a car stocked with blood, but I was severely lacking in funds and was still sporting some funky old lady duds. Let’s hope my little magic-eye trick could get me everything I needed.
I continued down that road, through countless suburbs, not even paying attention to their names as I passed. After filling up the car with some free gas I stopped at a mall, leaving with bags full of new clothes and shoes, all paid for with my beautiful eyes. I could get used to this.
I kept an eye out, while driving up the road, for any place I might be able to stay. I thought about my home, my parents, and my bed, and tried to shove the thought from my mind as I took a sip from my second blood bag. The more I drank, the less I noticed the scent of food coming from other people. It was there, but definitely not so overwhelming. I had to think of another way to take it in though. Walking around in public sucking on a blood bag was most likely going to get me into some trouble. I couldn’t look enough people in the eye to convince them it was normal. Note to self: pick up some kind of non-see-through mug.
A large hotel rose out of the suburban monotony, the silver of the glass shimmering in the sunlight. It was gorgeous. I had to stay there. I pulled the Mustang into the circular drive, gathered my bags and my coolers and headed to the front counter, tossing the keys to the valet. My breath caught in my throat as I entered the hotel. It was more posh than anything I’d ever seen in Rochelle. The pale marble floors gleamed in the bright lights and dark mahogany furniture was scattered around the lobby, some placed comfortably around a fireplace. A bar and restaurant sat to my left.
After a short talk with the concierge on duty, I took the elevator to the top floor of the hotel with a bellhop. With a key card, he opened a set of double doors that led to the penthouse. The expansive living room and kitchen had a full view of the sprawling suburbs before me. Not beautiful, but it might look cool at night. I thanked the bellhop and shut the door behind him, eager to check out my surroundings. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to stay here, but even for a night, it would be better than sleeping in the Mustang. And at least it was pretty clear I didn’t need to sleep in a coffin. Ew. If I even needed to sleep. I still had to figure out how that worked. I hadn’t been tired yet.
I stuck the coolers of blood in the full-sized stainless steel refrigerator in the kitchen and lined up all of my shopping bags on the floor of the expansive closet in the luxurious bedroom. This was more like an apartment than a hotel room.
Plush white carpet covered the living room and bedroom floors, and the same shiny marble from the lobby lined the bathroom and kitchen floors. This was definitely way different from our house in Rochelle. There I had a small room across from Donovan and my parents. It was crowded with furniture, so there was little room for anything else. I painted it a light blue last year.
I wondered if my parents would keep my room the way it was when I left. Would they leave everything frozen in time, waiting for me to return? Or would they change it to try to forget the pain of losing a child? Maybe one day I’d drive back and look in the window...
But maybe I didn’t want to know.
I turned the TV on and then off, and threw the remote on the couch. I truly had nothing to do. No one expected me anywhere. No one missed me. Well, they were missing me because I was dead, not because I hadn’t come home yet. I was all alone and the silence in there was pressing on me, crushing me. It might as well have been a coffin.
I grabbed the key card and headed out the door, letting it slam behind me. I burst out of the lobby and into the parking lot, noticing a row of shops adjacent to the hotel. There were a couple restaurants, a dry cleaner, and a sign that read Urgent Healthcare. Sweet. At least there was somewhere for me to eat.
But I had enough to tide me over until at least tomorrow. Maybe I could just walk over and case the joint. I took a nice, deep breath of the cool air and pulled my new black jacket a little tighter around me, even though I couldn’t feel the chill. It’s something I would have done before, well, last week anyways.
For some reason, even though I kept trying, I could not remember what happened over the last week. There had to be some way for me to find out. I walked along the sidewalk, passed the dry cleaners, and checked the times on the Urgent Healthcare clinic. Open seven in the morning until ten at night. Easy enough. Peering through the window I saw a lone secretary sitting behind the desk. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as the one in Rochelle.
The bright lights of the pizza place and the smell of the cooking pizzas drew me further down the sidewalk. The people inside sat there, enjoying their food. Real food didn’t smell as good to me as it did last week. Humans definitely smelled better. It reminded me of Friday nights at home, eating dinner with my parents and a couple of friends before heading out for the evening.
Without thinking, I found myself opening the door. For once I didn’t feel the need to force anyone to do anything. The scent of blood in the crowded restaurant wasn’t overwhelming. It complemented the scent of the steaming pizzas that were whisked by in hot pans. A hostess led me to an empty table, meant for two. I sat facing the mural of Italy that took up an entire wall. I’d always wanted to go there. Maybe once I could figure out how to get money, I could take a trip to Italy, or anywhere. It’s not like I had anything better to do. My table was against the window and I glanced into the dark of the night. The hot girl reflected in the glass—long hair straight and smooth, new designer clothes and shoes—was a long way from the girl I was last week, running around in sweats and a Rochelle High School hoodie.
“Welcome to Lou’s,” said a warm voice. “What can I get you to drink?”
My eyes flicked up from the menu to take in the most striking eyes, aside from my own, that I had ever seen. They were a light, icy blue, bright and deep. Words escaped me for a moment. If I could have blushed, I would have, but I didn’t feel heat moving through my cheeks like I normally would. I blinked and looked away.
“I’ll have a Coke, please.” I glanced at the menu with fake interest, trying not to stare at him.
“Great, I’ll bring that right back for you.” I watched him as he headed towards the kitchen. He was tall, with broad shoulders and thick, black hair. I tried to remember what his face looked like, but I was so mesmerized by his eyes, I had forgotten to look.
I glanced at the pizzas on the menu, trying to figure out what to get. I didn’t get a manual when I crawled out of the grave, so I wasn’t sure if vampires could eat real food. Guess there was only one way to find out. The waiter walked up with a Coke and a straw and handed them to me.
“Thanks.” I looked past his eyes and studied his face. High cheekbones, smooth, fair skin. He looked more like an Abercrombie model than a waiter at a pizzeria.
“What would you like to eat?” he asked, pen at the ready.
You.
Oh, but I so couldn’t say that. Besides, if I ate him, he’d be dead and then I wouldn’t be able to look at him anymore. Now that would be a problem.
“Um, what would you recommend?” I asked with a smile.
“Is this your first time eating h
ere?”
“Yep.”
“Oh, are you new around here?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Um, yeah, I guess I am.” Boy, would that be a long explanation.
“Well, welcome to Bartlett. I would recommend our deep-dish pizza. We’re famous for it.” He leaned over me to point at the menu. I couldn’t help taking a deep whiff. A hint of cologne mixed with the most glorious scent—chocolate. Mmmm. My mouth started to water.
I jumped in my seat, causing him to stand up.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“No worries.” I kept my face down as my teeth extended in my mouth. “I’ll take an individual pepperoni, please.”
“Okay, thanks,” he said and headed back to the kitchen.
My hand flew up to my face and I rubbed my forehead with both hands, willing the teeth to return to their original position. They surprisingly obliged. I took a few deep breaths through my nose. I’d have to remember that for the future. Big, full, deep breaths. At least I had some control. I’d have to get another blood bag when I got back to my room. So far, I was up to three bags for the day. I’d have to see how many it would take to keep me satisfied.
I picked up the Coke. My first normal beverage. I wondered if it would taste any differently or if I could even drink it. One sip on the straw and I tasted the same Coke I’d always had. I sighed, looking at it. At least some things would feel the same. If I could handle the Coke, the pizza should be fine as well. I smiled as I took in the other people in the room. Happy families, sharing a big pizza, laughing and talking. There were a few tables of couples, leaning closely, sharing food.
I’d had a couple of boyfriends at Rochelle High, but none that really stood out. They were cute, or funny, but it never lasted much longer than a few weeks. I was never good at the girlfriend thing. It got boring, fast.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even realize that the waiter had returned.
“You need a refill yet?” He gestured to my Coke that was only half gone.
“No, I’m okay,” I answered with a smile.
“So, what brings you to Bartlett? Did you just move here?” He picked up the straw wrapper I had left on the table and crumpled it in his hand.
“Something like that,” I said.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosy.”
“No, no, you’re not. It’s just, it was a difficult situation.” My brain spun, trying to come up with something to say. “My parents passed away and I’ve come to town to live with a relative. My, uh, my aunt.”
Aw, crap. How the hell was I going to find an aunt in a town I’d never been to?
“Oh, wow, I’m really sorry to hear about your parents, that has to be really difficult,” he said. He stuck out his hand. “I’m Drake, by the way.”
“I’m Vicky.” I took his cool, smooth hand in mine and shook it. “It’s okay, really.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you Vicky. Are you in school or anything?”
“Um, I hadn’t thought about it, I guess.”
“Yeah, that has to be tough to think about at a time like this,” he said with a sad smile. “I go to Bartlett High School, I’m a senior. Maybe I’ll see you there.”
“Is it a nice school?” I could’ve cared less about the school; I just wanted to keep him talking.
“You know, it’s high school. Whatever. But it’s not bad.” He glanced back towards the kitchen. “You know what? I should go and see if your pizza’s ready. Be right back.”
He returned with a piping hot pan on a tray and set it in front of me, along with a plate, silverware, and a few napkins.
“I hope you like it,” he said and walked off to take care of another table.
I did like it, a lot. I managed to eat most of it as well and Drake put the rest in a box for me to take home. Home. To my hotel penthouse. So not my home.
He dropped the check on my table, saying he’d be back when I was ready.
Crap. I looked at the receipt in my hand. $15.47. At least it wasn’t a lot. I could just do the whole eye thingy and have his brain convinced that I’d already paid. But for some reason, I didn’t want to. If that was the case, there was only one way to solve this.
Drake walked up, clearing the dishes from my table and placing them on his empty tray. “You all ready with that?”
“Um,” I started, “here’s the thing. It’s kind of embarrassing actually, but I just realized that I forgot my wallet.” I looked hopefully into his blue eyes.
“It’s cool, I got you covered.” He took the receipt back.
“I’m really sorry, I’ll bring it in tomorrow. Are you working?”
“Yeah, I’ll be here, but you don’t owe me anything, no worries.” He flashed me a heart-melting smile.
I reached out and touched his arm as he started to move away and he turned back to look at me. His glorious chocolate scent wafted into my nostrils again, clouding my brain.
“Really, thank you so much.” I gave him a sad smile. He was the first person I’d really talked to since I woke up yesterday that I didn’t eat or compel.
I headed back across the parking lot and walked through the quiet lobby. After a quick elevator ride, I found myself back in the silence of the penthouse.
I pulled a chair up in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the suburbs. Stripes of light meandered through the dark land in front of me. In the distance, I could make out the lights of Chicago.
I could stay here and live my little lie. Stay with a relative. I’d just have to find a relative to stay with. I wondered if my little mind powers would be up to it. Was it only a temporary fix, or did the suggestion stay until I told their brains otherwise? There was only one way to find out.
I glanced at the door to the bedroom. Time to figure out if I could sleep or not. I had a lot to do tomorrow. Find a fake relative. Somehow manage to get some money. I grabbed a blood bag from the fridge and headed for the bedroom. One last snack before bed.
Bloody Little Secrets Page 4