by Rue Volley
“So...your brother seems different,” Elin said, with more questions lurking behind that statement.
“Um, I guess…I don't know, he's the same to me,” Sophie said.
“You two don't really talk much, do you?” Elin glanced over to catch a reaction, but saw no change in Sophie's expression.
“No,” she said.
“What a shame, you know he talks about you all the time Sophie,” Elin said. She kept her grip tight on her arm.
“I would have a hard time believing that Elin.”
Elin stopped. “Are you calling me a liar?” she said, with a strange tone in her voice.
Sophie turned to her. “No…I just would never imagine that he would talk about me. We have never been close…never, it's like we aren't even related,” Sophie said with no regret, then added. “You would know more about him then I do.”
Elin laughed. “Oh, well…you need to talk to him sometime, you'll see he just adores you and your Mother... You know, I wanted to get you alone today...
because I wanted you to know that Johnathan has asked me to marry him...after we finish school of course, but I want you to help plan the wedding.”
“What?” Sophie asked. A look of shock on her face. “He asked you to marry him?”
“Yes, and I have no family to speak of Sophie, you will be my sister now, I want us to be close.”
“Does Mother know?” Sophie asked.
“Oh no…no, not yet, this is our secret, Johnathan wanted to tell her himself. I am sure it would crush him if he wasn't able to tell her… So you must be quiet about it, until he feels the time is right…okay?”
Sophie looked down at the path they were walking on and a cold chill ran through her. She sighed and looked back to Elin. “I promise, I won't say a word Elin.”
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“Not to Johnathan either...he wants to tell you both, but I am so excited... I just couldn't help telling someone! And who better, but my sister!” Elin ran up to Sophie and hugged her, almost knocking her over.
“Oh…! Okay Elin!” Sophie said, as she accepted Elin's excitement.
A black car pulled up at the end of the drive and Elin grinned while she held Sophie close to her.
“Oh...look it's my Uncle.” She pulled back from Sophie and grinned. The car pulled up next to them and the back window lowered. Elin kept hold of Sophie's arm. A voice came from the backseat. “What are you girls doing out here in the cold?”
Elin leaned into the window and winked. “Shopping Uncle, we want to spend some money.”
Sophie looked at the limousine and back to the house. “Listen Elin…I am starting to feel weird, I may be coming down with a cold, my head hurts.”
“Oh no, Sophie!” She turned and held her face in her hands. “Well, if you don't feel well, why don't you go back to the house… I will have my Uncle take me shopping. I promise to grab you something just fabulous, I promise.”
Sophie nodded and looked back at the car. She turned and headed up the path back to the house.
Elin turned back to the car.
“Well, you did not have to make her sick, I assure you she is harmless,” Elin said.
“Get in Elin.”
Elin reached for the door handle and pulled it open, she slipped in and brushed her hair from her face. “Listen Noble, if we are going to spend time together you better feed me. I feel weak,” Elin said, as she grinned.
Noble reached over and touched her face, then he pressed his lips hard against hers. She groaned as he pushed her to the leather seat and held her hands up over her head.
“Drive,” he said through the black glass, separating the driver from view.
The car started to move and Noble"s hand reached up under her dress, as he kept her hands pinned to the seat with his other hand.
“Oh, you are very aggressive today,” she said, as she grinned at him.
“I've waited...don't think that I am going to be gentle with you,” Noble said, as he bit her neck. Elin arched her back and gasped.
“Please don't be,” She whispered, as the window went up, and the car pulled away.
******
The black car pulled up to large building, that looked like a warehouse.
The driver got out and knocked on the door. He could hear moaning coming from the back seat. He stood there, arms by his side, waiting for a response. The door opened and Elin stepped out, pulling her coat up to cover the blood on her neck and dress. She smiled at the driver and Noble stepped out behind her. He looked at the driver and told him to park for awhile. They entered the front of the building and walked to an elevator that had a wooden gate.
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Elin looked around. “Nice place Noble,” she said, with a twinge of sarcasm in her voice.
Noble didn't respond to her. He pulled the cord and the the wooden gate split and they stepped onto it. The elevator rose three floors until it stopped on a floor decked out like a mansion. Elin stepped off and looked around.
“Well, this is more your style,” she said.
Noble stepped out and walked to the bed in the middle of the floor. It had red mesh spun around it, on high pillars. He started to take off his clothing. Elin grinned and shed her coat, dropping it on the floor and walked towards him, as she shed her dress. She wore nothing under it. Noble grinned as he watched her stand before him naked.
“Come here,” he said.
She stepped forward and he reached out taking her hand. He pulled a blade and ran it across her palm. She sucked in her breath and closed her eyes.
He put his mouth to her palm and drank the blood flowing from it. She put her hand into his hair and pulled I, forcing his mouth from her palm. She grinned, showing her teeth, and pushed him onto his back. She crawled on top of him and straddled him slowly. He drew in his breath and she stared down at him.
“My turn,” she whispered.
She reached over and grabbed the blade in her hand, she turned his palm over and ran the sharp edge across his palm, the blade glowed as light escaped his hand. He gasped, as she pressed her hips down on him and raised his palm to her mouth. She put her mouth to his palm and took his blood into her mouth.
She closed her eyes and started to tremble. Noble took the blade from her hand and grabbed her by the waist, rolling her over until he was on top of her. He grinned at her as he saw the blood on her lips. He leaned in and bit her lip, their blood mixed to together inside their mouths, as his tongue forced her mouth open. He pressed hard against her and she cried out as she grabbed at the sheets, clutching them in her hands. The driver had his window down on his side of the car and he looked up at the building. He could hear her crying out. He grinned and rolled the window up.
******
Elin returned to the house five hours later. She walked through the door and had a new coat on, this one was red. She pulled it off and laid it over the chair. Her hand lingered on it for a moment and she smiled. She also had a bag in her hand, gifts for Sophie. She picked it back up and called out for anyone.
She waited and heard a faint “Hello?” coming from the back of the house.
She headed towards the voice and came to a large room, with a fire place lit up. A large table had been set and Elie, Sophie, and Johnathan sat at it. Elie was at the head of the table , the fireplace burning high behind her. Johnathan was on the right side and Sophie on the left. Elin looked at all the food on the table and her stomach growled. She placed her hand over it and giggled.
Elin smiled at her. “Sit dear, you must be starving.”
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Elin pulled the chair out in front of her and sat down at the head of the table, at the opposite end. She sat the bag down by her side.
“What have you brought?” Elie asked her.
“Ohhh…it is a dress for Sophie...! My Uncle is so generous, he insisted that I get it for her.”
Elie looked at Sophie and Sophie stood up and walked to Elin. She looked down at the bag on the floor.
“Go ahead
…look at it Sophie!” Elin said, excited.
Sophie reached down and pulled out a blue dress, it shimmered in the room from the light of the fire burning.
“Ohhh, it's beautiful,” Sophie said, as she held it up to her and turned to Elie and Johnathan.
“Oh, that it is…! You must thank Elin's Uncle when he visits Sophie,” Elie said, as she stared at it in Sophie's hands.
“Look Johnathan...isn't it pretty?” Elin asked him.
He raised his eyes and saw the dress, he sighed. A flash of something went through his mind and he closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to them.
“Are you okay Johnathan?” Elin asked, with a look of concern on her face. “Did you get what Sophie had earlier?”
“I…I don't know, I don't feel that well,” he said.
Elie stood up and came over to him, placing a hand on his forehead. He pulled back from her.
“You feel as if you may have a fever, go lay down and I will have the maid bring you some soup.”
Johnathan pushed himself from the table and stood up.
“I think I will lay down, don't worry about the soup Mother,” He said.
“Very well,” Elie said, as she returned to her chair.
Johnathan stood still, leaning on the table for a moment, and then straightened up. “Okay..see you in the morning,” he said.
Elin reached her hand out to him, as he passed her by. He ignored her and ran up the stairs. Elin looked back and saw that Sophie was staring at her, Sophie quickly looked down at her plate and poked at the glazed duck. “I don't feel that well Mother,” she said. Elie laid her fork down and looked at her.
“Well, if you are still feeling bad…you can be excused,” Elie said, without much emotion.
Sophie pushed her chair back and stood up. “Thank you, Mother,” she said. She left the room without looking at Elin.
“Seems that we have a bug in the house,” Elie said.
Elin grinned. “Well, I feel wonderful, so I don't know what they have.”
“I am sure they will be fine after a good nights sleep, too much excitement lately,”
Elie said as she pulled her napkin from her lap and laid it on the table. “I think I am going to retire to my room,” she added.
Elin dug in to plate, taking delicate bites of her food. “Okay, I'm going to finish my meal and get some sleep then.”
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Elie walked to her and touched her shoulder. “I am so glad that you are able to stay with us Elin. I appreciate a familiar face with your contagious charm, my dear.”
Elin placed her hand on top of Elie's and smiled. “You know I would do anything for you and your family, I will always be there.”
Elie grinned and walked to the stairs.
Elin looked down at her plate and dropped her fork. She picked up a piece of duck in her hand and bit into it. She finished it and licked her fingers.
“Time to go to bed,” she said, as she stood up and dropped her napkin on her plate.
******
Johnathan had drifted off to sleep quickly. He tossed and turned in his bed
,as flashes of images and voices floated through his head. He kept seeing fire and a girl in a blue dress, he reached out, but her face was fuzzy and the image looked like a bad reception on an old television. He heard his name whispered and sat straight up in his bed. He ran his hand through his hair and felt the wetness on his hand from where he had been sweating.
“Are you okay?” a small voice came from the darkness.
He jerked in his bed, kinda shocked that someone was in his room. He tried to focus and an image came into view. Elin was sitting in the corner chair watching him.
“Elin…? Christ you scared me, what are you doing in here?” he asked, as he scooted back against his headboard. He ran his hands over his face and over his head.
Elin stood up and walked to the side of his bed.
“I was worried about you… You did not look well at dinner,” she said, with an innocent tone in her voice.
“Yea...I've felt sick all evening. I'm fine though, you don't have to be here,”
Johnathan said as he pushed himself up off of his bead, and headed towards his bathroom.
He flipped the light on and turned the water on, he splashed cold water over his face a few times. He grabbed a towel and wiped his face off, looking into the mirror. He looked pale, dark circles under his eyes. He shifted his eyes and saw Elin's reflection behind him in the doorway.
“Elin, seriously…go to bed, I am fine,” he said, as he dropped the towel in the sink.
He turned and walked past her. She didn't move, so he accidentally brushed up against her as he passed. He felt a sharp pain in his head.
“Ahhh,” he said, as he grabbed at his temples.
He stumbled towards his bed and sat down on the edge of it. Elin came up and looked down at him. She placed her hand under his chin and pulled his face up, so he could see her face.
“I could make you feel better, you know,” she said in a whisper.
“What...? You have aspirin in your pocket?” Johnathan asked.
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“No, not exactly...lay down.”
Johnathan looked at her, not knowing what to expect. Elin pushed him down on the bed and crawled up next to him.
“Elin...listen, I don't want to be rude, but I don't know what would help me, except for some aspirin right now and a bottle of cold water.”
She touched his face and ran her hand through his hair. “I have learned how to relieve pain by pressure points Johnathan... I met this girl at school who learned from her Mother. I would not of believed it if she had not done it to me...but it works, I promise.”
Johnathan grabbed at his head, as another sharp pain hit him. “Oh god...alright, I'll give it a try, but I swear...one try, after that it's aspirin, okay?”
Elin grinned, “Here.” She put a pillow under his head. She stood up on the bed and sat on top of him.
Johnathan squirmed under her. “Why do you have to sit on me?” he said.
“It's easier, silly...just lay still and close your eyes.”
Johnathan closed his eyes and tried to relax. He peeked and she put a finger up to him… “No peeking Johnathan!” Elin said.
Johnathan sighed and closed his eyes. “Could we get on with it?” he asked her.
“Patience is a virtue Johnathan... You should try it.” Johnathan grunted and Elin put her hands together, focusing on the energy she could draw within her.
She started to see flashes of white behind her eyes and opened them up, as she felt the heat in her palms. She pulled her hands apart and saw a light glowing in each of her hands. She grinned, the light from her hands glowing on her face and her teeth, she reached down and placed her hands on Johnathan's head. He sucked in his breath, as she started to draw energy from him, along with the pain in his head. She whispered the word “heal”.
She could feel him jerk under her and she tightened her grip with her thighs. His heart beat sped up at first and then started to slow down, she threw her head back and opened her mouth, white mist started to rise from the bed and enter her mouth, her eyes rolled in her head. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and she opened her eyes and climbed off of Johnathan. He laid there asleep. She covered him up and went to the door. Elin cracked it open and looked to see that Sophie was standing there.
“Is he feeling better?” Sophie asked, as she tried to look past Elin.
Elin shifted to her other foot and blocked her view. “Yes, seems to be, how are you?” Elin asked, as she reached out to her face.
Sophie turned her head slightly and Elin's eyes narrowed. as she tried to read her face.
“Yea, I'm feeling much better now, I took a bath…now I'm fine. I thought I'd check on Johnathan.”
Elin looked back at Johnathan on the bed. “He is sleeping now, seems he has started to feel better, at least good enough to sleep anyway, I'm sure he'll be just fine tomorrow.” Elin turned bac
k to Sophie.
“Shouldn't you get to bed Elin…? I am sure my Mother would appreciate you taking care of Johnathan, but now he's asleep…so why don't you get some too,”
Sophie said, as she waited to get an answer from her.
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“Yea…okay, I'll got to bed now, I'm sure he'll sleep the rest of the night now.” Elin stepped out of Johnathan's room and Sophie leaned to see him, she caught a glimpse of him laying on his back, with the covers on.
Elin shut the door and looked Sophie in the eye.
“Well...I will see you in the morning then,” Elin said, as she turned to walk to her room.
Sophie thought she saw a glow in Elin's eye as she turned, but dismissed it as a reflection from the dull light in the hallway. She stood there for a moment, wondering if she should go into his room to check on him, but she sighed, and walked to her room. She stood at her door, until she heard Elin's door close at the end of the hallway, then she went in, and shut her door behind her. Sophie laid down on her bed and pulled the covers up. She listened closely to make sure that Elin wasn't sneaking around in the hallway. She didn't talk to her brother much, but one thing she did know is that Johnathan was not getting married…
She just didn't believe it. Not to Elin.
******
Johnathan woke up and held his hand up to shield his eyes from the light.
He sat up and noticed that the pain in his head was gone. He pushed his comforter off and went into the bathroom. He flipped the light on and looked at himself in the mirror. He had to blink his eyes, the dark circles under his eyes were darker and now he seemed to have lost weight too. He turned his face and looked at his cheekbones, kinda sticking out. He leaned over to grab his toothbrush and ran the water. He placed the toothbrush in his mouth and started to brush. He leaned over to spit the toothpaste out and the white was traced with red. He opened his mouth, but didn't see any bleeding. He rinsed his mouth out and the water he spit out was pink in color. He sighed and turned on the shower.