The low grumblings of Petre rose steadily as I tried to keep my patience in check.
“You should have seen zis coming!” he finally roared. “What have you been doing? Were you preoccupied by some-zing else?”
Her eyes darted to me for a split second before focusing on him.
Petre was right. She had been focused on something else—me.
“I did see,” she challenged. “But it was unclear!”
I couldn’t contain my frustration any longer; a trait that the big man and I obviously shared. I couldn’t wait until they returned for answers. I needed to know. “See what? Please, Grandma. Please tell me what is going on!”
The quarrel stopped and she turned to face me. As she began to reassure me once more, Petre insisted again that I be told the truth. She hissed at him over her shoulder and turned back to me. She looked at Sorin from the corner of her eye. He nodded once.
She sighed and looked into my eyes.
“Camille, it is time for you to know the truth…”
That’s not good.
“…about our family. I know that you view the stories about us rather cynically. And that is mostly my fault. Neither your parents nor I have had a serious conversation with you about it. And it was a decision that I convinced your father and mother was the best for you. Perhaps I was wrong, but nevertheless what’s done is done.
“Tonight you will have to be satisfied for the abridged version. The stories that you have been told about yourself and the history of the town are for the most part, true. A few of the details have been exaggerated or completely stamped out over the years. But the fact remains; you are the descendant of vampires.
I am not, however. I was ignorant of the existence of vampires until I met your grandfather.”
Her harsh tone calmed as she began to recount her story.
“I met him when I was living in Washington, D.C., attending college and working part time at the library.
“He was the most handsome man I had ever seen. But there was something about him that was different.
“He would come in every now and then and just read…and read. I had never seen anyone read so much out side of studying for classes. Other times, he would simply stroll around the library, appearing to browse the books. Eventually he asked me for a date.”
She smiled as she remembered him.
“How could I say no? He was so charming and polite, the perfect gentleman.
He walked me home after our first date and as he said goodnight, he took my hand. With his ever-so soft touch, he kissed my hand. The feeling that followed that kiss was nothing that I had expected. I felt dizzy, as if I was going to pass out. And then I saw it.” Her nostalgic eyes faded into the memory.
“What?” I asked.
“Danger. It wasn’t a picture, but a feeling. The deepest sense of dread I had ever felt. Something was about to happen, something awful. And it wasn’t going to happen to me as you might have expected. It was about to befall this perfect man kissing my hand.
“I didn’t know what to do or how to tell him, but the sense was so urgent that I had to risk looking like a fool. And so I told him.
“He didn’t react as I thought he might. Instead, he laughed and assured me that no harm would come his way. He kissed my hand again, but this time the terrible feeling did not return. I felt the kindness of him.
“He returned to me some days later and told me that I had a gift. One that he had never seen before, but he was adamant to know more about it. Of course, I had no idea of what he was talking about. He said that my – vision- was right. He had narrowly escaped an accident that could have killed him. But he’d remembered my vision, and he was able to avoid it.
“After some time, my visions became stronger. I could sense change, both good and bad. I soon began to know when to be excited that he was coming to see me and when to be disappointed that he was away. One night, a vision woke me from my sleep. He was in terrible danger. And whatever it was, would be happening that night.
“I rushed to his home in the middle of the night expecting to wake him. There was no answer, so I opened the door and crept in. I found him in a room full of people.” She looked around the room. “A gathering much like this. I was completely stunned and embarrassed. Before I could turn to leave, he was standing in front of me. He sat me down and told me the truth about him, and about the people that were in the room.”
Her eyes flickered up and met Petre’s.
“He had only been in the city temporarily for research. That’s why he was in the library so often. He told me that he was a vampire, and that he and the others in the room were fighting a war against others of his kind.
“It was my vision that had saved him from an attack, not an accident, as he had led me to believe earlier. They thought that my gift would be helpful to them and asked me to join them. It seems strange to me now, how I was instantly treated as one of them. I should have been afraid. But I was not.
“And so for years I traveled with them; watching and making sure they were safe. Isaiah and I grew very close and eventually, he asked me to marry him. It was the most natural thing in the world. I was sure there was not another girl in the world that was happier than I. He tired of the life and desired to return to his home. Here in Idaho.”
I momentarily snapped back into reality. “Grandma, I thought you were born here.”
She shook her head.
“He had told me about this town and how he brought people here from all over the world to be safe. He said the residents were mostly human, but there were vampires as well. I had to admit that the idea of not being in a constant state of alert sounded very appealing. But could I move away from my family and surround myself by beings that I didn’t understand? Well,” she said looking around again. “It turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made.”
“Damn skippy,” Rhoda grunted.
The air in the room lifted slightly as laughter circled the room.
Sorin clapped his delicate hands together. “See, that wasn’t so difficult. Camille, I’m sure you are wondering what this has to do with your parent’s disappearance.”
I nodded, but actually I hadn’t had enough time to think of that question.
“The war that raged in those days may have quieted, but it has not ended. This trip is simply to find Mark and Jillian and make sure that they are indeed safe. They’ve been in many crises before, so please, do not let this situation scare you. We will find them. And I do apologize for the hasty manner in which we arrived.”
He turned and walked toward Petre while the rest of the group began chatting amongst themselves, discussing the plans for tomorrow’s departure.
Irelynn and I sat on the bench, speechless, with no idea what to do next. She put her hand on my back. “That was just about the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.”
I stared at her dumbfounded. “It’s true, Ire.”
Her green eyes brightened. “I know!”
Her cheerfulness was lost on me. In light of Dorothy’s revelation, I was more worried than ever about my parents. Were they now in the clutches of some rival vampire clan? And if so, what were they going to do to them?
“No worries,” Irelynn consoled. “They obviously know what they are doing, Cams. The big guy looks like he could take a whole army down by himself. They’ll be ok.” She nodded, and I wondered if she was trying to convince herself of that too. “This will be fun. We haven’t camped at grandma’s house since we were kids.”
“And do you remember how that turned out?” I snorted.
She looked puzzled before patting her eyebrows softly. “They grew back."
“Yeah, like two years later.”
“There won’t be any campfires this time. It’s too cold.”
We laughed at the memory of the two of us trying to light our first campfire. I tried to convince her that we could do it without the lighter fluid, but she insisted that she knew exactly how much to use after watching her father
do it so many times. She obviously wasn’t paying too much attention.
I looked around the room and decided that we were no longer a topic of interest, so what was the point in being there. I stood and walked to where my grandmother was standing. Sorin stopped the conversation abruptly and smiled at me. Dorothy turned and wrapped her arm around my back.
“If you don’t need us anymore, Grandma, we’re going to go upstairs.”
She squeezed my waist and smiled. “Good night, dear. We will see you in the morning.”
I nodded. Surely she didn’t think we were going to sleep. It was barely nine o’clock, but Irelynn and I retreated to my room where everything still made sense. I pulled out my favorite movie and turned on the TV. I didn’t feel like having any more conversations about how I was feeling. I just wanted to escape.
Irelynn kicked off her shoes and hopped onto the bed. “Did you see that Australian guy? He is hot and he could not have been much older than us!”
I shook my head and slapped her in the head with my pillow. Here we go again.
“No.”
7
Before she got into the SUV, Dorothy put her hands on my cheeks and kissed my forehead.
“Now remember, no wild parties. We’ll be back very soon.” There was a warning behind that joke. As if I had ever given her reason to believe I would do that.
Tilly pushed passed her and grabbed my hand. “Ignore that! Now is the perfect time to rock this boring little town. I’ll be sure to take pictures!”
Dorothy scoffed and leaned in to hug me. “I love you, dear. Be good.”
“I will Grandma.”
She stepped into the SUV and moments later, it drove off.
I followed Tilly to the van where Irelynn and her parents were waiting for us, ready to drop us off at Tilly’s house. I sat in the back seat and closed my eyes. Will lit up the inside of my lids with his beautiful, glowing face moving slowly toward mine. The kiss, our first kiss, was undeniably… magical. I’d been released, finally and unexpectedly. I didn’t want to leave that place. I would give anything to be on that porch again and in his arms where I felt so safe and wanted. He wanted me to come away with him, but I didn’t know where “away” was, and now I felt a hole forming as a part of my soul began separating from me. I couldn’t grab on tight enough to bring it back.
There was no way to tell that a woman in her sixties lived in the house. Tilly always had an eye for the latest trends in home décor. She refused to be stuck in one decade. Even the guest room where Irelynn and I would be sleeping looked like an expensive hotel.
“Go take your bags in the room, girls, and march yourselves back out here. I’ve got a big day planned. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a girl’s day. I was thinking…Spa Day!” she bellowed.
I pulled Irelynn into the guest room when Tilly’s back was turned.
“Ire, I saw him last night.”
She dropped her bag on the bed. “I know. We all did. He’s despicable. I mean, Kelsey?”
“No, I mean I talked to him.”
Her eyes widened. “I knew it. He escaped Kelsey’s death grip right after you left. Shawn said that he didn’t see you leave, but I knew he did. He has radar for you. What did he say? Did he apologize?”
I felt my face starting to burn. Even though she was my best friend and knew everything about me, I still found it embarrassing to tell her the rest of the story. “Yes.”
“And? What was his excuse for being with Kelsey?”
“He didn’t go there with her. She just found him and latched on. He came to find me and apologize; he didn’t realize that we weren’t going to the ball. I don’t think he knew about the age restriction. But I didn’t give him the chance to say anything. I was so angry with him for leaving and not telling me. I kept cutting him off when he was trying to speak. He got frustrated with me and…” My temples were now pulsating to the memory of what happened after that.
Her mouth dropped. “Oh my God!” she cried. “Did he hurt you?”
“What? Oh, no, Ire. He would never hurt me!”
“Then what?” Her mouth dropped again and her eyes lit up. “He kissed you!” she squealed.
I didn’t make eye contact with her, I couldn’t. Her expression would send me off into a gushing fit that I really didn’t want to share. The kiss was mine and she couldn’t possibly understand what it was like.
“What was it like?”
I started pulling my clothes out of my bag. “Pretty much amazing,” I mumbled. How could I put that feeling into words? It was impossible. She grabbed the clothes out of my hand, forcing me to look at her. Her eyes bored into mine growing wider the longer she stared. I laughed and pushed her back. “Amazing!” I yelled.
She grinned and handed my clothes back. “That’s better. So did he say why he left?”
“No, he didn’t. He just said he had no choice, which I can only assume meant it was pretty important, and like I said, I was so busy ripping into him that he didn’t have a chance to explain. But there’s more. When those people last night came, he looked scared.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Why?”
“I don’t know. And then he asked me to go away with him.”
I stunned her again. She blinked several times before speaking. “That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard in real life. He’s scared of Dorothy’s posse. What did you say?”
“Romantic? You said he was a pig.”
She waived her arms. “That’s because we were scorned then. This is totally different, duh. He came back for you. It’s like the ending of a fairytale. What did you say?”
I felt the lump coming back to my throat. “I…didn’t have the chance to say anything. You all rushed out of the Inn and pulled me away before I could.”
She sat on the bed, “Oh, no.”
“I know and the worst part is I have this ache in my chest. I think he left again.”
“What would make you think that? After what he said? –Oh. Come away with him.”
I sat beside her and we both simply stared at the floor, not knowing what to say.
“Well you have to find out,” she said.
“How? I’m stuck here.”
She jumped off the bed. “You heard grandma. Spa Day. Go find him while she’s getting her facial. She won’t know you’re gone, and I’ll cover for you. You just have to be quick.”
Now that we had a plan, it was excruciating to wait for Tilly to gather her things and go to the spa. She was so scattered most of the time, it took a half hour for her to find where she’d left her keys - in her pocket.
We arrived at the spa and were instantly whisked off into the room where we would change into our robes and wait in the steam room before the morning of manicures, pedicures, and facials began. I left my clothes on under the robe and was sure I was going to suffocate before they called Tilly back. She was the first one to go. When she was out of sight, I threw off the robe and darted for the door.
“Cami!” Irelynn shouted. I turned around and she tossed me the keys to her grandmother’s car. I wanted to hug her, but I wanted to find Will more.
“Thanks!”
She pointed to her wrist, warning me of the time constraint before I burst out the door.
I jammed the key into the ignition. The car screamed to life and I smiled. Having a trendy grandma definitely had its perks. I backed the black Cadillac out of the parking space and sped off. The closest place to look for Will was at the Inn. I obeyed most of the traffic laws on the way there. I didn’t see his truck in the parking lot, but I thought I should check inside anyway. The renovation hadn’t been fully completed before the ball as Dorothy had requested, so there was a chance he would still be there.
I stepped out of the car and a burning ash aroma filled my nose. It was not unusual for the caretakers to be burning piles of leaves this time of year, but the smell was much stronger than leaves.
The door opened just as I finished racing up the stairs.
Two men in simple black uniforms acknowledged me and continued down the stairs behind me. Tom thanked them for their time and then tipped his head as usual. “Miss Fisher.”
“Hey, Tom. What’s that smell?” I blew passed him, not at all concerned with his answer, and began searching the rooms for any sign of Will. The dining room had already been cleaned up and put back together. That was fast. I walked back to the kitchen and then out the door to the back patio. No Will. I turned back around to see Tom peering through the screen door.
“He’s not here, Miss.”
“Oh,” I sighed. Then I’ll check his house. I started toward the door, but Tom stepped out blocking my way.
“He’s not there either.”
I took a step back. “How do you know?”
He took of his hat and began sliding it in circles through his fingers. “Well, they left town last night, you see.”
“They?”
“I live just down the street from the Townsend place. There was some kind of a ruckus there last night. It woke me up so I went out to see what was happening. The two of them were arguing about something, I am unsure of what though, these old ears aren’t what they used to be.” He chuckled to himself, but stopped when he noticed that he was the only one finding any humor. He cleared his throat. “A few minutes later, they came out with a few bags of luggage, got into the truck and drove away.”
I was right last night. I had to sit down before my heart gave out, he did leave again.
Tom sat next to me with pained eyes. “Do you know what they were arguing about?”
I slumped down and buried my head in my hands. “Me, probably. I told him about us, Tom.”
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