Seeing Red (The Dark Love Series)
Page 4
“Yes, there is a new student. Her name is Reese Anderson.”
“Anderson?” Andrew asks quickly.
“Yes, Reese Anderson.”
“This can't be happening,” Andrew gasps.
“What are you talking about?”
“You remember I told you about the witch named Abena? She helped my parents find a vampire to transform them into immortals.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Her name was Abena Anderson. Her family is known for being witches, but they aren't strong witches. They prefer to blend in instead of standing out,” Andrew pauses. “My parents were really close to Abena and her family.”
“So, you're saying that the witch that helped your parents like a hundred years ago is back in Scarlett Hills?”
“No, witches aren't immortal. They live a normal human lifespan. But, her family is in Scarlett Hills. This just seems impossible.”
“You think it's a coincidence?” I ask.
Andrew open his eyes wide and shakes his head. “I have no idea. I just can't believe after all of these years the Anderson witches ended up in Scarlett Hills.”
Chapter 7
Unknown Vampire
Dear Diary,
Reese Anderson is a witch. Her family helped Andrew's parents find a vampire to change them, a hundred years ago.
It doesn't surprise me that witches are real. I already knew that, but now I go to school with one, which is pretty unusual for me. Even though I'm a healer. We both aren't much different. We both belong in the world of mythical creatures.
Did I just refer to myself as a mythical creature?
Love, Nina
* * * *
I wake up this morning with the sun shining in my face and the smell of my mom's cooking. All of a sudden, I feel myself smile. I have the chance to see my mom's beautiful face, and I get to see Andrew soon when he picks me up for school. Today should be a good day. In this instant, I am happy, even though I have so much stress in my life. This morning, before I go to school, before the stress comes back, I'm going to enjoy being happy. I am going to live in this moment, instead of living in the future. All the stress of the future is going to be put on hold until the morning is over.
I get ready for school and make my way downstairs. My mom looks extra happy today. I guess we both have the same mindset for the morning.
“You look happy,” I tell her with a smile.
Ali looks up and smiles back at me. “I woke up with a smile on my face this morning. I couldn't tell you why, either,” she laughs.
“The same thing happened to me this morning. I decided to have a stress-free day,” I admit.
“Doesn't it feel good?” Ali asks.
“So far, it feels awesome, mom!”
“Here,” Ali says as she hands me a plate of food. “I cooked your favorite, blueberry pancakes.”
“Oh my,” I smile. “Yummy blueberry pancakes to start my stress-free morning. Thank you, mom!”
“You're welcome, baby!”
* * * *
I get into Andrew's car and I put on my favorite song by The Cure. I start singing along to the lyrics with a smile on my face.
“Look at you,” Andrew laughs. “I'm glad to see you happy, but did I miss something?”
“I just woke up this morning with a smile on my face, and decided that I am going to have a stress-free day!” I admit.
“Finally,” Andrew laughs again. “I think that's the best idea you've had in a while.”
“Let's not talk about vampires or healers,” I say in a calm voice as I face Andrew. “If you have any bad news, please wait until later to tell me.”
“Stress-free morning it is, my love!”
I watch the trees pass by me at a rapid speed and I listen to the calming music coming out of the car speakers. A smile starts to form on my face. This is a wonderful morning so far. I hope it stays this way for a while!
* * * *
The afternoon time is relaxing. School went by fast, and my smile stayed planted on my face the whole time. I was actually enjoying myself in school today.
As I walk through the front door of the Madsen resident, I see the family (Lilah, Ella, Julian, and Abel) sitting on the couches in the living room. They have the fireplace roaring.
My smile instantly disappears. I know my wonderful day is now coming to an end. The only reason The Family comes around is when there is bad news to be told.
I take a deep breath in and let it out.
“I called you all here because there was an unknown vampire in Scarlett Hills. I caught the scent of him a couple of days ago, and Nina saw him,” Andrew announces. Everyone let out a gasp.
“You saw him? What did he look like?” Lilah urgently asks.
“He was staring at me from a distance. His eyes wouldn't leave me,” I start to explain. “He had this dark type of look to him, pure evil like Lucian, but worse.”
“Have you heard anything about the Brothers, Julian?” Andrew asks as fear strikes his face.
“Yes, I have,” Julian admits. “I've been waiting to tell you until I was absolutely positive. They brought in another vampire to their clan,” Julian takes a deep breath. “I'm unsure of his name.” The room fills with silence. Their eyes hit the floor in shock.
Lilah is the first to break the deathly silence in the room, “I guess this would be an appropriate time to tell you all that we caught the scent of William and Caroline.”
My eyes find Lilah's. “Caroline? Where is she? Have you seen her?”
“Where was the scent?” Andrew asks.
Lilah continues, “We caught their scent in Charlotte. Something isn't right, Andrew. It doesn't make sense. They ran away, and now they are close by. It's almost like they wanted us to know this.”
“William wouldn't do something like that on accident. He's much smarter than that,” Ella adds in.
“You think he's trying to send us a message?” Abel asks.
“What kind of message would that be, Abel?” I ask him.
“To let us know that he's here.”
I sit in silence for a moment and let Abel's words sink in. Why would William want us to know he's here? William and Lynns ran away to find a better life for her, to let her find herself, her new self, as a vampire.
The letter she left me before she ran away, it said something about her probably never coming back to Scarlett Hills. I can feel in the pit of my stomach that something isn't right.
“Abel, you're right, William must be sending us some type of sign,” Lilah chimes in. “Now, we must figure out why.”
Silence fills the room. I notice that everyone is thinking. “I have an idea,” Andrew blurts out. “The Anderson witches are in Scarlett Hills.”
“The Anderson witches?” Abel says in confusion.
“The Anderson witches helped my mother and father find a vampire to change us. Maybe they could be of some help to us,” Andrew clarifies.
I can't help but focus my eyes on Alex. She tried searching for her parents for years, and was never able to find them. Now, the witches that were close to her family are in the same town as her. She must feel overwhelmed and full of anxiety.
“Witches don't like vampires,” Julian announces.
“These witches were very close to my parents. They aren't your average witches. They can separate evil from good,” Andrew clarifies. “I hope they can help us, because we are trying to do good, not commit evil crimes.”
“How do you know they are here, in Scarlett Hills?” Ella asks.
“Nina goes to school with the young witch, Reese Anderson.”
“How are you even sure that these are the right witches?” Alex asks in doubt.
“Because I can smell a witch from a mile away, sister,” Andrew snaps back.
“What are we going to do, knock on their front door and demand answers?” Alex asks.
“They're our only hope. We have to do something.”
Chapter 8
The
Anderson Witches
Dear Diary,
I think Andrew might have hope for his parents being near by. If they aren't, then there's still a piece of his parents in the same town as him. Even though he won't admit it to me, I know the truth that he tries to hide. I know him all too well.
What is he going to tell Alex? Is he even going to tell her? Alex spent years and years searching for their parents after they left them. She was so heartbroken that they abandoned her and her brothers. She took it into her own hands to search for two people that didn't want to be found. I know she is still hurting over it. She won't show it, but she is feeling it deep down inside her heart. Instead, she decides to hide it so no one can see how vulnerable she really is.
I wonder what Andrew is going to decide to do. I know I'm not saying anything! I don't want to hurt her or bring up memories from the past.
Love, Nina
* * * *
It feels nice to wake up in my own bed. Andrew always hogs the bed, but I still miss my cuddle buddy. He always keeps me warm during the cold nights. I've been with Andrew for eight months now. It doesn't feel like it's been that long. Everytime I see him, I still get butterflies as if it's our first date all over again. Eight months later, I am still asking myself how I got so lucky with him!
I roll out of bed and look into the mirror. My hair is sticking up in different directions. Oh, great!
I jump in the shower and go about my normal routine. Luckily, there is no school today, so I don't have to worry about rushing to get there on time.
I make my way downstairs, and I don't see my mother anywhere. She is probably working on her paintings, or drowning herself in something that has to do with her work.
I find myself sitting at the kitchen table all alone. I can hear the ticking of the clock, but other than that it's completely silent. No one to talk to. It's just me in an empty house, and a ticking clock that's starting to drive me nuts.
Before I start rehashing and over-thinking all of my problems, I jump up and make my way to the front door. I guess I will go to work four hours early.
* * * *
As I walk into New To You, the bell rings on the door. I hear Sydney yell, “Be right there!” She must be busy with another customer. Usually Syd is sitting at the front desk reading a magazine and working the cash register when needed.
I look over toward Syd, and she is with another girl. The girl is blonde and is wearing our company work shirt. She must be new here.
As she turns to face my direction, she flips her dirty blond hair. It's Reese Anderson. What is she doing working here?
“Nina, this is Reese Anderson. She will be working here with us,” Sydney introduces.
“Nice to meet you, Nina,” Reese says as she holds her hand out to shake mine.
“You too,” I reply, shaking her hand.
As my hand is in hers, she tilts her head to one side and gives me a weird look. Is this like a witch thing or something?
I clear my throat and remove my hand from hers. What was that all about?
“Well, it was nice meeting both of you. I'll see you tomorrow for my first day,” Reese says quickly and leaves in a rush.
“What was that all about?” I ask.
Sydney is staring toward the front door with a confused look on her face. “I honestly have no idea.”
* * * *
I was only scheduled to work a five hour shift today, but it turned out to be a nine hour shift. It was better than sitting at home by myself and listening to the ticking of that annoying clock in the kitchen. I hate being by myself. I hate sitting in the quiet. I try to surround myself around people so I don't fall back into severe depression.
“See you in school Monday, Syd.” I smile and wave goodbye to her. She smiles and nods her head. Her eyes instantly go back down to the magazine in her hands.
As I walk outside to my car, I'm fumbling through my purse. “Damn keys,” I mumble to myself.
I finally find them and look up to see an older woman standing in my path. Her eyes are piercing mine with her eyebrows raised. “Nina McKay,” she says softly.
“Yes?” I ask, confused.
She starts to walk closer to me. “I know what you are. I know the creatures you surround yourself with. I'm not judging you. I just want you to stay away from my granddaughter, Reese.”
“Excuse me? I don't know what you're talking about,” I lie as I walk around her to get to my car.
“Don't play me as a fool, Miss McKay. I sense danger from you, and I want you to stay away from Reese.”
“Mrs. Anderson, can I have a word, please?” Andrew shows out of nowhere. Of course he would be spying on me. Maybe I should rephrase that and say, checking up on me. Andrew won't let me go anywhere by myself because of the Brothers.
Mrs. Anderson takes one took at Andrew and start immediately shaking her head. “I know what you are too. Please stay away from my family. We don't want to be involved in your troubles.”
“Ma'am, my name is Andrew Madsen. My parents were tremendously close with your family.”
“Madsen?” She asks.
“Yes, Mrs. Anderson. My parent's names are Eva and Samuel Madsen. I just want to ask you a few questions. I don't want any trouble.”
“What do you want to know?” Mrs. Anderson asks as her short gray and white hair blows in the wind.
“Well,” Andrew stutters. “I was just wondering if you knew them personally?”
Mrs. Anderson shakes her head. “No, I don't. They were very close to our family, though. The Madsen name has been passed down in my family as safe creatures of the night.”
“What does that mean?” Andrew asks.
“It means we can trust your family. My kind isn't fond of your kind, but your family is an exception.”
“Do you know if my parents are still alive?” Andrew clears his throat.
Mrs. Anderson tilts her head in confusion. “They are still alive. That's all I know.”
Andrew looks like he's in shock. My eyes hit the ground. “My parents are definitely still alive,” he whispers to himself.
“Yes, Mr. Madsen,” Mrs. Anderson announces. “I should be going.”
“Thank you, ma'am,” Andrew says.
Mrs. Anderson nods her head, and walks away silently.
Andrew's parents are still alive. “Are you okay?” I ask him.
Andrew's eyes lock on mine. “Yes, love, I am fine. I'm just confused. My parents are still alive.”
“That's good, isn't it?” I ask.
“Yes, but why haven't they come for us? It just doesn't make sense. They said they would, and...” Andrew stops talking.
“They will come,” I say with optimism.
“I have prayed for them to come for decades now. I don't think they're going to come for us,” Andrew whispers.
“Baby, they will come.”
Andrew just shakes his head and lets out a sigh. “Let's get you home, my love.”
Chapter 9
The Ex
Dear Diary,
My heart is aching for Andrew. His parents have been alive his whole existence and they haven't even tried to find him. I can't say I understand what he's going through, because I truly don't, but I have a good idea.
Every day I still feel something missing in my heart. Something still isn't right. Don't get me wrong, Andrew helps my depression and he dug me out of the hole I put myself into, but it feels like something is out of place in my heart. It isn't whole.
My stormy days have passed me, but now I still feel the sprinkling of the rain on my face. What is it? What is missing? What is lost?
Love, Nina
* * * *
I look over at Andrew, and he's sound asleep. The sunlight peaks it's way through his bedroom window. The sun is almost at its highest. From a distance, I look out the window and see the bright green grass shining, and the tree leaves are blowing in the wind.
“Good morning, my love,” I hear a faint whisper beside me.
“You took the words right out of my mouth, beautiful, sweet, lady,” Andrew smiles as he comes closer to me, and kisses me gently on my lips. His kiss leaves me speechless with butterflies flying around in my stomach. I feel my face get warm and I start to blush. “I love you so much,” Andrew murmurs in my ear.
“I love you more,” I smile.
“That's impossible because I definitely love you more,” Andrew playfully argues.
“Think what you want, but I know the truth,” I wink at him, as I rub my nose softly against his.
My eyes are closed. Andrew's arms are around my body. His lips glide across my neck and up to my lips.
I hear someone clear their throat. “Sorry to interrupt you, but Andrew, I really need to talk to you,” Alex blurts out quickly as she tries to focus her eyes somewhere other than toward us.
“Can it wait?” He asks.
“I'm afraid not. It's important,” Alex says and walks out of the room.
“I'll be right back, my love.”
“I'll be right here, babe,” I smile.
Andrew walks out of the room without a shirt on. I see his bare skin hit the sunlight that brightens the house. His muscular body is making my mouth water. God, he's so sexy. I feel myself bite my lip.
I close my eyes and start daydreaming while I wait for Andrew to come back. I wonder what is so important.
“Baby,” I hear Andrew say. “We need to talk.”
I instantly sit up and think the worst. “What happened?”
Andrew clears his voice. “I wasn't completely honest with you about something.”
“What?” I ask cautiously.
Andrew walks over to me and sits beside me on the bed. “There was this girl. She was Alex's best friend. We dated for a while.”
“Why are you telling me this now? Did you love her? When was this?” I get anxious and start blurting out questions.