The Valley

by Annie Graefnitz

  “I do feel welcome, you've all been very kind,” I said looking at the opening. Two of the onlookers from before that had not introduced themselves were peering through it, but quickly disappeared when I caught their gaze.

  Serena walked to the opening and turned her back to it, blocking the view of any more curious campers. “Don't worry about the others, they are simply curious. They're not used to having a vampire around that doesn’t want to, well, you know,” she smiled.

  “Oh, but I’m not a –”

  She vanished before I could explain to her that I wasn’t like the vampires she was used too. But then realizing that I wasn’t even sure what that difference was, I was glad she left.

  These were the people that were used to killing vampires, not giving them their beds.

  Will and I were completely alone for the first time, without the adrenaline rush, after trying to kill each other.

  “You need to get some sleep, you can barely stand.” He tugged on my arm and led me to the cot. I easily followed. He brushed his hand over the top of my dirty hair and laughed. I knew that I looked completely ridiculous and probably encrusted in dirt from the fight, but I didn't have enough clarity to argue with him for laughing at me. I probably would have, too.

  His hands cupped my face and he kissed me softly. “Sleep well, I'll be right outside if you need me.”

  “Please don’t leave me again, Will. I can’t.” I put my hands weakly over his, hoping that my request would be enough; I didn’t have the strength to physically restrain him.

  He looked at the cot and then back at me. I knew that he was thinking there was no way we’d both fit in that skinny space, but I didn’t care. I’d stand there all night if I had to, to keep him from going.

  “Okay.” He pulled the blankets from the cot and stretched them out on the floor of the tent. I stood swaying sleepily as he tried his best to make a comfortable place for us to rest.

  After laying the pillow down, he took my hand and pulled me down next to him on the blanket. He lay on his side and propped himself with his elbow so that I could snuggle in beside him as close as I could get. The heat from his body covered me completely as he wrapped his free arm over my waist and pulled me even closer.

  “Thank you.” His shirt muffled my voice. He was here, and there was no way I was going to let him get away again.

  “I can’t argue with you when you’re so delirious. I don’t know what you’ll do.”

  “I’m not delirious. I am tired, but definitely not delirious. Unless you count how crazy happy I am right now that you’re here. And you don’t want to kill me.”

  He laughed and dropped from his elbow, resting his chin on the top of my head. “It makes me sick that you thought that. I would have come back again for you, you know. After your parents returned safely. Your grandmother would have seen that I was not the bad guy she thought I was.”

  Somewhere in the distance I heard what sounded like fireworks and snuggled as close as I could to Will. I could have stayed in his arms forever, just like that. Just the two of us, forever.

  11

  When I finally woke from a dream about vicious, growling bears, I realized that the noises that were echoing in my stomach had crept into my dreams. I opened my eyes and saw my bag sitting against the wall; someone went back to get it for me. A deep yawn involuntarily escaped my mouth as I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. At some point, Will had left and put me on the cot. Other than the crazy dream, I had slept like a rock and had no idea how long I'd been asleep.

  The flap of canvas that covered the opening to the tent swept aside, and Emery's silky hair preceded her head through it. Her surprised eyes widened when she saw me.

  “Yay, you're awake.” She floated the rest of the way in with her hands folded in front of her. “I'm utterly bored!”

  She wanted me to entertain her?

  “I've been waiting for you for hours! There are towels in the shower tent just there,” she pointed to the right wall of the tent. I assumed she meant outside this one. “And I left some clothes for you, too. You were pretty dirty last night, must have been from all the rolling in the dirt. Oh, and Jack was kind enough to retrieve your bag for you. Would you like something to eat? You are awfully hungry.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “Oh,” she smiled and patted her stomach with her left hand. “Your belly is very noisy.”

  Fantastic, she could hear my stomach growling from all the way outside. I wasn't so sure I wanted to go out there anymore, especially if everyone else could hear my growling stomach, too. How embarrassing. “You heard my stomach?”

  Her large purple eyelashes batted, “Oh, yes, I'm sorry. I came in earlier to bring you your bag and I heard it. I'll see you when you're all done.” She wheeled around happily and exited the tent.

  I stood slowly as my battered body reminded me of the struggle with the man-beast, Kazi, the night before. He was quite possibly the largest being I had ever seen, not just tall-but broad. I thought my previous analogy was accurate. He was Bigfoot; without all of the matted body hair.

  I hadn't noticed how quiet the camp was until I emerged from the tent next door after a fresh, semi-warm shower. I scanned the tents quickly for the girl that had been so patiently waiting for me to wake up, but didn't see her anywhere; only her sister, Serena and the freckle faced girl, Kie. They were shuffling about one of the tables in the center of the camp. Judging by the aprons they were sporting, along with the various cooking items and kitchen utensils piled up, I guessed they were making breakfast.

  Tossing my bag inside the tent I'd slept in, I decided to see if there was anything I could do to help.

  “Oh, brilliant,” Kie said, shoving a bowl and clear bottle filled to the top with a brown liquid in my direction when I reached the table. “Mix this for me, please.” Her brown freckles seemed to be more pronounced than before.

  I grabbed the bottle, and after a slight struggle, pulled out the cork. “How much of this do I add?”

  “All of it,” she sang.

  I slowly tipped the bottle, letting the liquid drizzle into the creamy colored powder, and watched in amazement as tiny bubbles began to form. Slowly the mixture churned inside the bowl and a sudden, awful stench filled my nostrils. I held back a gag. I'm not eating this, I thought. I was not a chef by any means, but I new that whatever this turned out to be, it was definitely not for me... it smelled like moldy mud. I hoped that Jack had a secret stash of fruit.

  “Do not stir it too fast, Cami. It will harden and become useless,” Serena said.

  How did I end up in the middle of the jungle with housewives and what was the horrific odor coming from this bowl? I looked down again just as the contents churned again, belching a bubble of noxious fumes that I thought for sure was going to melt my face right off. I tried again to not be rude and vomit into the bowl by concentrating as hard as I could on steadying my stir to a speed that would not create any more outbursts from the concoction.

  “Did you come to this place for me?” I asked. I had planned on waiting to ask that question, but the timing seemed right. It was bound to come up sometime, why not now?

  Serena plopped a large ball of dough onto the table and began kneading it. “We aren't here because of you. We are here because William asked us to help. We cannot turn down a request from one of our own.”

  “But he wouldn't be down here if it weren't for me.”

  She smiled, “I suppose so.”

  “And if you aren't who I should be worried about, then who should I be?”

  “I think that will be best answered when they return and I’ll have a better answer for you.”

  I stirred even slower, trying to decipher what she meant by that.

  “Tell us how you met Will, Cami.” Kie interjected; bored by the direction the conversation was taking.

  “He worked at an Inn where my grandmother and her friends eat lunch a lot. I met him when I joined them one day,” I replied, leav
ing out the part where my shoe attacked me.

  Kie set a large pitcher of water she was holding onto the table and grinned. “I bet ya fell for him that very day didn't you?”

  I snorted and my spoon smacked hard against the bowl, causing the stench from the goop to invade my eyes and nostrils again. I turned my head to stifle a small dry heave. Why couldn't I have just a little more couth – at least in the presence of people I didn't know?

  “Guess not,” Kie giggled.

  “Oh no. I-um. Actually I thought about keeping my distance from him. But he just sort of ...appeared everywhere I happened to be. He sort of grew on me, I guess.” I tried to play off how I actually felt for him. I couldn't exactly say that I had indeed fallen for him the first day, or second, that I saw him.

  Serena began pulling small chunks of the dough off and rolling them into balls. “Hmmm, so it would appear that Mr. Dalca was the one pursuing you then.” She smiled to herself as she rolled the dough around between her palms.

  “That's a change,” Kie cackled, but quickly snapped her mouth shut when she caught Serena's eye and lowered her head. Serena rolled her eyes and shot me an apologetic look.

  “We don't mean to pry, Cami. Will's been away for a while and it's so wonderful to see him happy again.”

  “No, it's okay. I mean of course he's the one who's usually being pursued. I mean, have you seen him?” I joked, hoping to lighten the air a little. It worked.

  Kie perked up instantly, grinning ear to ear. “I know, right!”

  Serena laughed and shook her head. “Kie,” she mumbled.

  Kie looked at her, smirking innocently. “What? Oh, Surrie, I'm only playing. He's like way too old for me.” Her odd emphasis on the word old confused me. After all, she didn't appear that much younger than me- maybe a year. “And that's just gross, he's basically my brother.”

  “Brother?” I murmured absentmindedly.

  “Oh yeah. I've known Will since I was like this.” She held her hand palm down to the ground just above her short waistline. “He saved my life once.”

  I stopped stirring for a moment, half hoping she would elaborate, but I felt a pain in her that stopped me from asking.

  She read my mind, despite my best efforts to return to the bowl.

  “Vampires,” she stated shortly, pouring a pouch of black sparkling rock-like clusters into the pitcher. “They almost got me, but Will was quicker.” Her lips pushed back into a smile as if they were being forced. She swirled the pitcher in a circular motion until the sloshing of the water diluted the rocks. “They took my father before I was born and then returned for my older brothers six years later. My mother tried to protect us, but she only had two arms, you know. She did her best to hide us when the warnings came through the wind. She was only able to hide me underneath the small sink in our kitchen.” Her voice lowered as she recalled the horrific moment when she was separated from her family for eternity. “But then Will climbed in through the window and snatched me out before they came bursting through the doors. We were gone before they could get their freaky fingers on him.”

  It felt like someone had just punched me in the gut. My grumblings from hunger had turned into deep cries of disgust. I had to let go of the spoon and turn my head away again as the sorrow washed over me. The very thing that ran through my veins had destroyed her family. She had every right to hate me, but instead she stood beside me...cooking.

  “I'm so sorry.” I couldn't look at her.

  Serena came around to the side of the table where Kie and I stood in silence. She put each hand on our shoulders. “That was many years ago for her, Cami. Her wounds are healed, but her heart still aches every now and then. Do not take her pain on your shoulders. You are not responsible for anything that has happened.”

  “Oh, no, don't do that!” Kie spun around. “It is sad to think about, but I have made a good thing from it, they did not die in vain.”

  I sighed deeply and wondered if there would be anything that she could say that I would actually believe. I was sure she was happy to have turned it into a positive mission, but I had no doubt that there was much more to her pain than a simple ache. I had that feeling now about my family and they were unharmed, as far as I knew. I knew there would be no way I could justify their deaths.

  Serena squeezed my shoulder. “Together we are stronger than we are alone. Do not forget that.”

  “Ooh, I'm missing something good!” Kazi's voice rumbled through the camp. He strolled up to the table and slopped a dead furry animal on the table. Suddenly, I wasn't hungry anymore. Serena and Kie glared at him and then at his gift that didn't smell any better that what we were cooking up.

  “Breakfast,” he beamed.

  Kie pinched her nose between her thumb and index finger. “Ew! Get that thing out of here!”

  “Herbivores,” he scoffed and then pulled the dead animal off the table, leaving behind a mass of bloody hair.

  I choked and covered my face with the inside of my elbow. “Ugh. That's disgusting.” How many times was I going to nearly vomit in front of these people? They were probably thinking that I was a pansy.

  Kazi's feet pounded the ground behind me. “I thought you'd be used to this.”

  “Kazi! That's horrible! Apologize!” Serena demanded, her voice never rising more than its normal pitch.

  He rested his weight on his left hip. “Hey, I didn't mean because the girl's got fangs. I meant because she grew up in a hunting community. Right? Or was my informant...misinformed?”

  “Um, yes, but I never got into hunting.” I said with my nose still buried into my arm.

  Kie did her best to shove him away from the table. “You're so inappropriate.”

  He rolled his eyes and left us alone.

  More members of the camp trickled in from the barely visible golden barriers, most of them unconcerned with what we were doing. Three boys, however, decided to break from the rest and come purposefully toward us. As they neared, I felt my guard creep higher. These three did not seem as docile as the rest. In fact, judging by their clothing, they seemed rather militant. But I guessed that would be appropriate; I was in the company of hunters, after all.

  The diminutive leader of the small group wore a black tank top with camouflage pants and a matching cap that kept his choppy brown hair from escaping. I was intrigued by the way the taller men behind him seemed to be extremely wary of what he was doing, because this boy couldn't have been more than thirteen years old. The youth in his face was hidden by his hardened expression. He walked toward me with his bronzed and extremely toned arm extended.

  “Ava.” The soft, but firm voice did not at all match the body that stood before me.

  The sandy blonde-haired man behind him kindly explained to me while I stood there shaking the extended hand, that this was in fact not a thirteen year old soldier boy. And further more, she was not some wimpy female with a grudge against vampires, as others in the camp might have been. She was the leader of this group. She did not have a serious inferiority complex as some had assumed in the past upon meeting her; she simply wanted things done her way. And when they were done her way, they were done right. She was brilliant, and she was fearless.

  I felt my face redden as I let go of her hand; obviously I was not the first person to mistake her for the wrong sex but I wasn't about to admit it. I looked up at the man who had just informed me of her status. He was quite a bit taller than her, about six feet tall. Lines were just beginning to appear around his chestnut colored eyes so I figured he was in his early thirties and he, like the other two, was tanned deeply by the sun.

  “Joaquin, thank you for that,” Ava snapped.

  Heavy leather straps criss-crossed her small torso, holding two empty canisters on her back. She pulled them over her head and dropped them into a heap on the ground. The two men followed suit, shedding any extra article that wasn't clothing, and added to the pile.

  The other man, maybe twenty-five years old if he was lucky, leaned forward a
nd took my hand. He was like a sculpture, perfectly squared jaw with finely chiseled eyebrow and cheekbones. “Ronan.” He smiled and kissed my hand, his green and blue speckled eyes never left mine.

  “Cami,” I returned, pulling my hand back a little quicker than he was willing to let go.

  “I know.” He smiled again and let go of my hand, intertwining his fingers and resting them on the top of his crew cut hair. “I'm beat. I'd better get some sleep before I go mad. Forty-eight hours of pest control is going to catch up with me. Good thing this time was worth the deprivation.” He winked at me and then turned to Ava, who was glaring. She finally nodded to silently dismiss him.

  As he ran off, she shouted one last command over her shoulder. “Not too long, this isn't a vacation!”

  He turned, jogged backward a few steps and snapped her a salute before turning back and disappeared into a tent.

  Ava returned her focus to me. “We're all going to get a bit of a rest.” Then she looked at the table of food. “Careful with that stuff, it'll kill you.” She shared a glance with Joaquin as they both turned on their heels. That was something I already knew. The smell alone was not getting any lighter, so I couldn't imagine what actually consuming it would do.

  By the time Will and the rest of the group arrived, Serena had the table filled with dough balls and Kie's liquid was mixed into my bowl that now resembled frosting. It really was too bad it didn't smell like frosting. I thought it was strange that there still was no sign of Emery because she had seemed so intent on me waking up and keeping her company. I didn't see Jack anywhere either.

  “Where did you go?” I asked Will.

  “Shopping,” he said, tossing a small pouch toward Serena who caught it without even looking up.

  “Shopping? Out here. For what?”

  Serena opened the pouch and reached in, plucked a small nut-like object and stuffed it deep into the dough-balls. “The final ingredient.” She carefully did the same with the rest on the table. When she was done, she clapped her hands together and wiped them on each other.