I glanced down at my torn dress, unsure if he really thought it was cool or he was just gawking at my exposed legs.
“Uh, what city is this?” I asked. The boys all stared at me for a minute before the main one led the group in laughter.
“No way you’re serious! What drugs are you on? Because I totally want some!” he said, laughing and high-fiving his equally stoned friends.
I didn't have time to entertain these losers. I turned and disappeared quickly into the night. I knew I shouldn't move that fast with humans watching, but those stoners surely wouldn't remember in the morning.
I walked into a seemingly deserted alley as I tried to form a plan. What I needed was a bus station. Maybe I should crash somewhere for the night? But I needed to put as much distance between me and the forest as possible.
I glanced down the alley, and about a hundred feet away, I noticed two guys getting handsy with a girl. I focused my ears so I could hear the conversation.
“Come on, babe. You know you want us.”
“No, please, no. I-I changed my mind. Please don't.”
The girl’s scared voice instantly angered me. The two men had her pushed against a brick wall next to a dumpster. Their dirty hands ran all over her body. She continued to cry and pleaded for them to stop.
I stood in the shadows of the night, contemplating what to do. I knew I shouldn't play hero. The last time I tried that, a vampire ended up killing me. However, this time, I was the vampire.
The sound of her shirt being ripped open made the choice for me. I gusted over there so fast, it was as if I was wind. The men's backs were to me, but the woman instantly locked her eyes with mine. She looked so afraid and helpless. Her overly curly blonde hair and chubby freckled face reminded me of someone I used to know: me.
“I believe the lady asked you to stop,” I said smoothly, making my presence known to the men. They both snapped around to face me. One was of darker complexion with lots of gold chains. The other was overly tanned with a cheap suit and bad haircut. Mr. Suit gave me a crooked smile. I could smell the alcohol oozing from their pores mixed with their disgusting arousal.
“Look, Buzz, we got ourselves a pretty little party crasher,” Mr. Cheap suit said, eying me up and down.
“Nah, she too skinny for me, Skip. You take her. I like my women with meat on her bones,” Buzz said, laughing and squeezing the woman's cheeks hard enough that it could make a bruise.
“Walk away now, guys, and save us all the trouble of having to watch me hurt you,” I said coolly.
Of course, the idiots only laughed. This served to piss me off more than I already was. Casually, I dropped my bag and prepared myself for an unscheduled fight. Skip cocked his head to the side, regarding my movements. He still didn’t look afraid of me, but soon, I would change that. He took a step forward, swinging his right fist at my face. I dodged it easily. Skip tried again and again, but I dodged left and right so quickly, he didn’t have a chance to hit me. He stopped, looking confused before trying to kick me. I swiftly blocked that too.
“What the hell?” Skip said.
I was done playing with him. I sent a light punch to his face, knocking him out cold. His buddy, Buzz, was oblivious to the action taking place behind him. He slipped his hand up her short shirt. The chunky girl squirmed from his grasp. I ran up behind him, grabbed the back of his head, and slammed it into the brick wall. The girl yelped in surprise, and we both watched his unconscious body fall to the ground. I could hear the faint beat of his heart, so he should only be out for a few hours. I promised myself long ago I wouldn’t kill any humans. Now, if these guys were vampires… well, that would was a whole different ball park. The shaking girl furiously wiped her wet eyes. I didn’t say anything to her. I simply walked away, grabbed my duffel bag, and headed back down the alley.
Why did it seem like trouble just finds me? I hoped that girl would just run off and not file a report using my description. That was a problem I didn’t need. I heared the clicking of heels approaching from behind. I groaned inwardly. A second later, I noticed the girl I just saved was trying to keep up with my strides.
“Hey, wait!” she said, taking hold of my arm. I sighed dramatically but stopped to face her.
“Thanks for what you did back there.” She pulled down her short, too-small skirt and smiled timidly.
I nodded and continued walking.
“Can I give you a ride somewhere?” she asked.
“No.” I replied, not turning back.
“Please! If it wasn’t for you, those guys would have…Look, please let me make it up to you.” She pleaded.
I stopped midstep. I hoped I wouldn’t regret this. Turning around, I met her back where she was standing. She smiled happily as she led me to her car. A few blocks later, she stopped in front of a black Porsche.
Wow, nice car! She must be loaded.
“My dad is a very successful businessman. The car was a gift.” Before I got into the car, I sprinkled some platinum outside the door. The good thing was if, somehow, they followed my scent from the forest to here, this was where they would lose it. Getting in the car here would make it seem as if I disappeared into thin air.
We drove in silence for a few minutes. I took the time to look her over. Her clothes did look expensive. It was just too small for her larger frame.
“Where can I take you?” she asked, fidgeting under my stare.
“Bus station.” I replied coldly
“No bus stations. They’re gross. I’ll drive you anywhere you want, no matter the distance,” she said while we drove on the freeway.
I couldn’t let her take me to Mercy Falls. She would be a liability if, somehow, Marcos found our connection.
“Just get me as far from the city as you can. I’ll be fine from there.” I told her as I looked out the window at the passing cars and city lights
“My dad has a house just outside Seattle. We could crash there tonight and finish in the morning.” She offered as an alternative. That worked for me. I would just ditch her before she woke up anyway. We drove in silence for a few more minutes before she spoke again.
“Uh, you’re like really pretty. Why are you wandering alone in alleys?” she asked curiously.
I whipped my head to her.
“Why are you dressed like a hooker with too-tight clothes fucking around with drunken losers?” I snapped back.
She gasped and tightened her grip on the wheel. I could see her eyes well up with tears. I instantly regretted my harsh words.
“It’s my 19th birthday today, January 1st. These girls told me if I dressed like this, guys would like me. So, I listened. I followed the girls I met at the mall today to the club, paid for everything, and after midnight, they called me a fat loser and ditched me. I was so humiliated, I ran from the club, and those men found me in the alley.” She explained with tears running down her face.
Now, I felt like even more of a jerk than before. This girl reminded me so much of myself at this moment, it was scary.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” I apologized gently.
She gave me a sad smile and shrugged.
“It’s okay. I’ve heard worse.” She laughed and turned up the radio to a song I’d never heard.
We listened to the music in peaceful silence. From what I could tell, she seemed like a good girl; just a bit of an outsider like me. After an hour’s drive, we ended up on a country road. She pulled up in front of a huge white house will tall windows. As I got out, I looked at the beautiful fountain with fish spitting water from its mouth. Geez, the girl’s dad was loaded. I followed her inside into the equally immaculate living room.
“My dad is on his fifth honeymoon, so no one is home.” She explained as she walked up the spiral staircase. I followed behind her, glancing at all the expensive-looking paintings on the wall.
“You can sleep in this guest room,” she said, pushing open a door to a bedroom with a huge king-sized bed with blue and white sheets. The fu
rniture in the room was of the same color scheme, and there was a flat screen mounted on the wall.
“There is an en suite bathroom if you need to shower or anything.”
“Thanks,” I said, not really knowing what else to say.
“No. Thank you for saving me tonight. I’m Lily by the way.” She offered her hand out.
I smiled and shook it.
“Nice to meet you.” I responded casually, not offering my name in return.
“Cool. I feel like we are totally BFFs now!” she said excitedly before turning and leaving the room, closing the door behind her. The girl was nice, but I hoped she wouldn’t get all crazy on me. No matter, I was leaving anyway. I couldn’t affford the extra baggage when I had vampires on my trail.
I tossed my duffel on the bed and pulled open the zipper. Time to see what Seb packed for me. Inside was a couple pair of jeans, shirts, a pair of sneakers, and two envelopes. I opened the first envelope and I was shocked to see it was filled with money. I hadn’t a clue how he came into this money but, knowing Seb, he probably planned this is in advance. His beautiful face and messy hair filled my mind. The ache in my heart came back in full force. The pain of his rejection still burned freshly in my hollow chest. I swallowed the lump in my throat to help push aside all thoughts of him. The second envelope contained a letter. The scratchy sprawled cursive can only be from one person. I sat on the soft bed and begin reading.
Ana,
If you’re reading this then the plan has worked and you were able to escape the hotel. I couldn’t be happier for you. Remember the plan. Go back to the abandoned house first because that’s where Marcos believes you are from. After you leave your scent here, leave quickly to your true hometown. Remember to feed regularly. You will be around more humans now, and you don’t want to be hungry. You could hype out and hurt someone. The inside pocket of the duffel contains baggies of blood to get you started. Some are mine; others were stolen from blood banks.
Take care, Ana. I will find you soon.
~Seb~
I didn’t even realize tears had already fallen until a blue drop hit the page. I quickly wiped my face, and put the letter back into the bag. Stupid Seb and his stupid letter. How dare he be so considerate and pack me blood?! Okay that sounded crazy, but I was so unsure how to feel when he rejected my love but showed signs of caring. Maybe he was just a nice guy? That didn’t make sense because the way he kissed me… I touched my lips, remembering my first kiss. It was better than what any movie could have made it out to be. I shook myself from my memories and got to work on the next part of the plan.
I took a quick shower and changed into jeans and a shirt. Pulling my long hair into a messy bun, I reached inside the duffel, hurriedly getting out a package of blood. My fangs extended immediately and I felt my eyes lose color. I ripped it open with my teeth and gulped the room-temp liquid. Even though it was not from a live vein, it still tasted just as good. I finished it quickly. I used a piece of paper from the desk and wrote “Thanks” on it. I left it on the bed for Lily to find. I felt bad ditching the lonely girl this way, but it was for her own good.
***
Ana
Several hours later, I was back in the dreadful small town of Chance Harbor. I easily made my way to the abandoned house where I spent my last hours as a human. Two years seemed even longer now. Half of the torned house was burned down, but other than that, it still looked just as uninviting as before. I circled around it, and I got assaulted by the memories here; the girl I couldn’t save, Marcos biting me, and me biting him back. It still baffled me that I even thought to do such a thing. One day, he would pay for destroying me. I knew he would eventually find me, but when he did, I’d make sure I go out fighting this time.
Following Seb’s instructions, I didn’t mask my scent until I got to the dirt road. My newly found vampire grace made it easier to walk on this time. At the train station, I used a little of the money I to buy a ticket. When boarding began, I made my way to the back. This felt like déjà vu; everything repeating itself, but in reverse order. As I began my jouney back to the place I so quickly ran from just two years ago, I wondered how their lives had been since I left. Did anyone search for me? Miss me? Knowing Kim, she probably threw a party when I ran away. When I got back there, I would make sure to teach her a lesson on how sisters should behave. I was sure she wouldn’t recognize me. I was actually counting on it as part of my secret plan to get back at her. Seb warned me against this, but he didn’t know what sixteen years of living with her was like. The worst part was she was my sister. She was supposed to protect me; not be the cause behind my suffering. I would not physically hurt her, but I would show her that fat Ana was gone and Analise had risen.
All too soon, the train ride was over, ending at the bus station at the city limits of Mercy Falls. Looking around, so far, nothing had changed. Well, at least at the bus station that is. When I exited the train, the first site in my view was the heavy-set older woman behind the counter. Verna. She was dressed exactly the same, down to the smile. I sniffed the air. Her scent came to me, and I knew instantly she wasn’t human. I marched to the counter, waiting impatiently for her to finish with the middle-aged man ahead of me.
“Hello, again, Analise.” She greeted me without looking up when I stepped to the window.
“Verna.” I responded coldly.
“Nice to see you again so soon,” she said, and she finally looked up at me with that warm smile and knowing eyes.
“Cut the crap, Verna. What the hell are you? And why did you send me to my death?” I whispered harshly. I tried to keep my anger under control, but it was getting harder by the second. She was acting so coolly; like she wasn’t the one who sent me to Chance Harbor where I died.
“Well, I’m certainly not what you are. And to answer your second question, I merely followed what my visions tell me.” She answered casually, her smile not faltering.
My eyes shifted swiftly to red. I could see it through the refection in the glass. I closed my eyes tightly, forcing my anger under control.
“What does that mean, Verna?” I asked slowly once I had a handle on my emotions.
“It means you were on a path, and it was my job to ensure you stayed on it. Ana, what happened to you was meant to be.” She explained, looking at me like that made sense.
“I was meant to fucking die?! Do you have any idea what I have become!?” I yelled, losing the control I just gained.
Verna wasn’t fazed by my outburst
“Honey, I know what you are better than you do,” she said, getting up from her chair and putting a closed sign in front of her window.
“Verna, what the fuck does that mean!? Verna! What are you?! Don’t fucking walk away from me!” I continued to yell at her back until she disappeared into a back room. I pounded my fist on the door in frustration. The wood cracked a little. When I turned around, a couple was staring at me like I was a nut case.
“What?!” I asked, pissed.
They shook their heads and turned away from me. Picking up my duffel, I burst through the doors that led outside. Damn! Verna and her fucking riddles. I’d try this again under different circumstances; when I didn’t feel like ripping out her throat in anger.
I walked down the street and stopped in front of Mercy Falls’ city limits sign.
“Welcome home, Ana!” I shouted to no one with my arms out wide sarcastically. It was more like, “Welcome back to hell, Ana”. I muttered to myself as I took my first real step back into the life I ran from long ago.
Chapter 14
Welcome Home, Ana Part II
Marcos was livid! When the guards came into his room during the party to inform him the girl had jumped off the roof, he lost it. Acting on anger, he ripped out all three of the guards throats. He quickly sent the remaining guards after her.
How could this happen?! For the last two months she had been at his side, she did not show any more signs of escaping. Now, he realized it was a ploy to get his gu
ard down; one that worked well.
Suddenly, his phone chirped.
“Have you found her?!” He asked without a greeting.
“Uh, no sir. We followed her scent into the forest but-but…” The timid guard on the line trailed off.
“But what?!” Marcos shouted impatiently
“But there was platinum in the air shielding her scent.” The vampire guard muttered.
Marcos was seeing red. He slammed his fist into the window in the back seat of the car. Glass shattered everywhere.
How the hell did she get platinum?! The planning behind this escape couldn't have been done alone. He would find out who betrayed him by helping her and he would rip his heart out!
“Drive faster!” He yelled at his driver as he slammed his phone down. Marcos needed to get back to his manor ASAP. He couldn't allow his secret weapon to get away from him; not until he used her for what he was training her for. With the power she had, she was the only one capable of killing the King that took everything from him. Marcos would find her, no matter what.
***
Seb
It was already three am and I couldn't sleep. All I kept thinking about was Ana: her smile, her laugh, her kiss…. I paced my room in frustration. I wished there was a way of knowing if she made it out okay. It was both good and bad that I couldn't attend the event. Good because Marcos wouldn't suspect my involvement; bad because I couldn't be there to ensure it all went accordingly.
Damn it! I raked my hands through my overgrown hair. What if that was the last time I saw her. The way it ended between us…. My thoughts were cut off by the door rushing open. Marie stepped in, looking afraid
“Marcos is home. He is beyond mad and is requesting you,” she said as a tear fell down her face.
I wiped it away and kissed my little sister’s forehead
“Don't worry, Marie. We expected this.” I told her gently before leaving the room.
I practically ran down the stairs to Marcos’ office. I was so anxious to know what happened. I wasn't stupid though. I made sure to place a blank expression on my face, so I wouldn't give away a thing.
Pure: A Paranormal Romance Page 12