“I will,” that was a total lie. I just needed to hurry before my guilty conscious got too overwhelming.
Chapter 5
I walked in to the heat of a Dallas Texas summer. As soon as the house was out of sight I broke in to a jog, and then a run, knowing that everyone’s lives rested solely upon my shoulders. I made it, finally, to the end of the street and found no cars. I needed this Damen guy to come fast. Before the Ricolis did. I sat on the curb and buried my face in my hands. It was strange, me being the only human in this catastrophe. And Carson, Carson, it was painful knowing he would die for me but here I am getting myself killed for him. An engine revved sounded close to me coming to a stop. Damen stepped out sliding his glasses off. Revealing his bright green eyes of a werewolf. His tattoo was circular with a frightening wolves face. The sign of a werewolf protector. Of someone who was hell-bent on killing me. His dread locks masked half of his face showing no emotion.
“Leslie Woods,” he growled. “Get in to the car.”
And I did. Out of fear. Fighting would be a lost cause in this case. He was a werewolf with muscles threatening to tear his clothes apart at any moment now.
We got in to some pretty urban land. I had underestimated Damen, he had thought of everything. A lump caught in my throat. Better me then them, I thought.
The car wasn’t even driving on a road now. Instead a grassy field with the occasional grazing cow.
But don’t even start to picture a sunny picture because it was raining and huge claps of thunder rolled across the sky. A burst of lightning flashed across the sky illuminating a barn. And I knew that was the werewolves’ destination.
I opened the car door getting out before I got slammed back against it face first. Damens iron grip held me there hopelessly as my wrists were tied together. The werewolf shoved me in to the entrance.
“Leslie!” a muffled voice cried out.
I look to see Rosa and Laura struggling hopelessly, tied up against the wall.
“I told you later Woods,” I heard the cold voice of Tarun drawl. I saw her bulky shape walk over to Damen as they wrapped their arms around each other’s waist. What the hell, I thought. Tarun barely passed for twenty and Damen at least thirty-five. But god knows how old they are what with all the immortality stuff.
Tarun wore a fur shawl, Victorian dress, and a cruel blade in hand.
“Y-you said you would leave them alone if I came,” I struggled to my feet.
“Humans,” Tarun cackled. “Are so gullible.”
“You’ve caused way to much trouble for us. In return you can see how much pain you gave us.” Damen sighed like it was no big deal.
“But you’re a werewolf, and there a werewolf,” I counteracted. “And you’re supposed to be a werewolf protector not murderer.”
“That’s not how it works darling’” he turned to Tarun. “Do the honors.”
“You would not,” I gulped.
“Oh yes I would,” She arched the knife over her head aiming it straight at Rosa.
“Nooo!” I screamed breaking my wrists free.
It was too late. In a split second the knife soared expertly through the air digging itself deep in Rosas throat. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t live with myself for letting this happen. My whole body shook with fury. I broke myself free from the trance and charged at Tarun. All she did was standing there smiling at my slow human reflexes. All other sound was blocked out except for my own screaming. No matter how many times she threw me across the room I got up again. Damen was leaning against the wall smoking a cigarette casually. But I didn’t care for a girl who had lost her will to live. The tears coming down my face were for others, not my own self. This time my body couldn’t get back off. Tarun walked toward my crippled body enjoying every last moment of torcher.
But that’s when it all happened. The door crashed down as three hooded figures came in to view. Regan. Dimitri. Jeremy. Tarun whipped around trailing her Victorian dress behind her.
“Drop the knife,” the deep voice of Regan commanded. “And let the girl go.
“Not so fast,” she sneered. “Damen we have visitors!” she called over her shoulder. Damen threw his cigarette against the floor of the barn lighting it on fire. Dimitri, Jeremy, and Regan all threw there hoods off stepping in to the dim light. Regan growled like a wolf and lunged on to Damen. He bashed his head and tossed him into the fire. I thought it was over until Damen stepped back out unscathed. It was his turn now. He threw Regan across the room landing him next her. I watched a new fury build up inside of him. He screamed curses swearing mad as hell. Jeremy and Dimitri were in the process of tying up Tarun. We didn’t have much time. The barn was rapidly burning down.
“Leslie!” Loren shouted.
I looked over to her. The fire was inching closer and closer. With all my might I stood up and limped as fast as I could towards her. Painfully, painfully, I took the knife out from Rosas throat and cut Loren free.
“We need to get her body out of here,” she told me.
“I-I can’t my I,” I gasped for air. “I can’t do it. M-my body can’t.”
“Yes you can Leslie! Look at me!” She shook my shoulders. “You have to do this. For Carson. For all of us. You know he couldn’t live without you. He would never forgive me for letting this happen.” I knew what she said was true as both of our tear streaked faces met. In all of the chaos we managed to get her body to the back of the convertible. She was dead. She was dead. And it was my fault. That knife should have been in my throat not hers.
A couple of seconds later Dimitri, Jeremy, and Regan ran out to the car, started the engine, and sped off. I looked back one more time to see the burning barn and the body of Tarun standing in front of it all, still in her Victorian dress. I knew, I knew, that at all costs, she would come back for me.
“How did you find me?” I asked.
“We’re trackers.” Jeremy answered. “We killed Damen but left the girl. We need to get out to a hospital.
“No!!” I screamed. “Rosa is dead! She is dead! Don’t you understand?! I shouldn’t be alive right now!” I broke into sobs. Then blacked out.
I don’t know how or when I got there but an IV was being stuck in my arm while nurses started hooking tubes to me. They gave me some sort of syrup which immediately put me to sleep.
When I woke up later nurses kept rambling on about stuff. I didn’t pay attention to anything until I heard the word “visitor” then “Carson”. Five minutes was a painful thousand years waiting for Carson. No sooner he came in to view, looking as brilliant as ever before. He dragged a chair from the wall and came over to sit by me. “She’s dead,” I sobbed.
“Shhh sh,” he stroked my cheek with one of his strong gentle fingers.
When I looked in to those brilliant green eyes it was like all the answers were there, lay out in front of me. Crying would do no good. It wasn’t going to bring Rosa back from the dead. And my parents-my parents.
“Do my parents know about this?” I asked.
“They’re in the waiting room. It’s visiting hour I have ten minutes more.”
“You don’t understand what I’m going through.” I cried.
“I do,” he said. “And you deserve better.”
“Carson what’s going to happen now?” I asked.
He hesitated then said, “I have to hide you, protect you. We covered up everything for your parents and the school already. The story is you got in a car accident and the other person just drove off. Trust me we gave a pretty generous amount for the car.” He took my hand in his and held it close to his heart. “And I promise I won’t ever leave you again.”
“I believe you,” I whispered. That’s when I thought of it. “You know you’re immortal, a werewolf. You’ll be a werewolf forever, you’ll never get older. I will. W…will you-you know, turn me… someday…?
He shook his head then looked at me with sad eyes. Leslie, let’s not get in to this right now but I brought you this-here.�
� Carson pulled out a piece of paper, unwrapped it, and laid it on my lap.
It read:
Cordova High: summer dance formal
When: Saturday, July 18
Where: Ashton ball building 4
“Of course,” I told him.
His tan fingers laced through my lighter ones. We just sat there peacefully until the nurses forced him to leave. Reluctantly he gently kissed my forehead before the Ricolis walked in.
Heather gave me a hug, not mad in the least. Jason questioned me on everything while Lea handed me a bouquet of wild peonies. Rifle stared nervously out the window not even acknowledging me once.
“I was so worried,” Heather said. “You never came back from that walk until the werewolves told me. But now you are safe and I brought you a gift. Carls-“
“Carson,” I corrected.
“Ah yes, well I heard he was asking you to a formal so i got you this.”
She held up a beautiful red mermaid dress. Strapless with a heart neckline and huge silver jewels covered the waist line. Even though i was never the fashion geek, i thought this was pretty entrancing.
“Thank you,” i whispered.
The last visitors came, my parents. My six foot father and five eight mother came in. Everyone said I looked like my mother. Medium length auburn hair and bright blue eyes.
“Oh Leslie,” my mom rushed to give me a hug, my dad plopped down on the chair Carson had left. “When they called about a car-crash I was so worried.”
“I’m fine mom,” I assured her.
“So do you want to finish high school in Alaska? Because your father and I just thought it would be good to put you in a private school for handicaps.”
“Mom! Get real!” I rolled my eyes. “I have friends here, special friends.” There were lots of reasons I wanted to stay. Because of Carson, for Rosa, with Loren, to protect, if I went back home I would only be endangering my parents from a vampire in the heart of a big city. “I just need to finish school here and I don’t know what I’ll do after that.”
“It’s your choice honey. That Carson kid seems too mature for you. But that’s all I’m going to say.”
“Thanks for caring mom,” I told her.
We parted and I nodded to my dad without a single word.
Two days went by painfully with god knows how many tubes running in and out of me. At last I was released with about five different medications I knew I was never going to take and tons of instructional books the first garbage can was going to eat. Loren was waiting in the red convertible just as Carson had promised in a previous phone call.
“You okay?” Loren asked me when we made it on to the highway.
“Yeah they just sent me out with a bag of medications.” I held it up before tossing it out the window.
“Leslie!” Loren slammed on the brakes making an illegal U-turn on the near empty street. “You need those.”
“Do not,” I exclaimed.
“Damn you Leslie! Fine we’ll see.”
We made it back to the school eventually. I found Carson and ran straight in to his arms.
“Come on,” he said. “Come up to your dorm and get something to eat then we’re driving down to Yakutat for Rosas’.....” He trailed off. I didn’t blame him.
“It’s my fault.” I told him.
“No it’s mine because I couldn’t keep my selfish self away from you.”
“Fine it’s both of our faults.”
Chapter 6
That settled it until we got to my dorm. Much to my surprise my stuff was in there and so was Emi. I ran to the bathroom immediately to look at myself in the mirror. Every part of me was healed except for one long white claw mark running down the side of my face. Carson came up behind me and pressed me against his muscled front. I just stared speechless. Surprised really that my mom hadn’t questioned me.
I got in to my knee length black funeral dress. I braided my hair at least trying to look good. People always mourn over some ancient grandmother which i never really understood. But Rosa was only, well i guess she was a hundred and sixty, but this was different and not how she was supposed to end. My heart still burst every time I thought about Tarun in her Victorian dress with that cruel smile mocking me.
“Ready to go?” Carson asked grabbing my hand.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Look, you need to stop thinking it was your fault.”
“I never said that! “I snapped.
“But I know you’re always thinking that.”
“Fine you win.” I said slamming the car door.
When we at last hit the road and Carson made me put my seat belt on(even though he didn’t) I turned the radio on to classical music. It just fit the mood.
“Have you ever been to a funeral?” I asked.
“I’d rather not talk about it. What about you?”
“Ha, my cousin cat, but I was like five.” This was a depressing subject so i decided to change it. “Carson?”
He did that creepy thing where he didn’t even keep his eyes on the road. “Leslie?”
“I’m only here for the summer and then I move back to California. And what I’m really trying to say is-”
“If you have to move on with life while I continue to be an unnatural creature that’s stuck in this dull world forever.”
“You could turn me.” I suggested.
“No!” the windows literally shook.
“Then what? I’m going to be a little eighty year old while you’re this gorgeous teenager?”
“Look we’ve only known each other for two months, what do other high school sweethearts do?” Carson’s voice was thick.
“This is different and you know this is different. For god’s sake I’m still being hunted by those protectors or whatever the hell they are. You can’t just walk off like this. Look at me Carson! You can’t.”
He hung his head still refusing to look at me and was silent for the rest of the way to the funeral. The funeral was being held in the clans square. We pulled in about five minutes late, got the bouquet of flowers, and rushed to the service. Carson grabbed my hand and forced our way to the very front. I spotted Loren, Dimitri, and, Regan scattered throughout the crowd.
The funeral was... different. I was one of the few people wearing black. Most wore dressy clothes but not black. Most of the women and girls wore exotic makeup and strange hair, dyed and done up. I noticed that there was no one under the age of sixteen. Loren told me if you’re turned below sixteen you will grow and stop at that age but if you’re turned above that then you’re just that age. Finally when the service was over everyone dispersed for a meal.
“Carson,” I whispered. “Over here.”
The open casket was haunting me. I knew I had to face it sooner or later. Carson and I walked over to the body. It looked as if Rosa was in a peaceful sleep. She wore a long blue gown that covered her neck wound, her eyelids were shut but her tattoo was... missing. As if it was never there. I really doubt they brought a dead body in to a shop to get a tattoo removed.
After a while my shoulder was being shook. “Let’s go,” Carson whispered close to my ear.
I got up walking down the street. House after house. Devastation came over me. I picked up a random pot and slammed it against the ground. Ceramic pieces flew everywhere. I fell to my knees ripping my hair and screaming. Then I started thrashing and pulling away from someone’s, Carsons, vice like grip that held me. I soon gave up. He sat me down on his lap upon a bench. I lie my head atop his tattoo. I didn’t want everything to see my face. I just wanted to cry until my death...
That night Carson snuck through the window. Under the covers with me it comforting after such a depressing day. He didn’t speak once. That’s what I liked about him. He knew when I wanted to be left alone. I don’t remember falling asleep. When I woke up Carson was gone. The alarm clock read eight o eight. Classes started at nine so I had just enough time to get ready and breakfast. I hated rainy days like this just af
ter I’ve gone through one just as dull.
The cafeteria was crowded as usual. I got my plate of biscuits and gravy and seated myself next to the werewolves.
“Hi Leslie,” Loren greeted. “Today’s the dance.”
“Oh,” I smiled. “Who are you going with?”
“I’m going with Regan,” she replied. “If you don’t have a dress I have one that you can borrow.”
“Nah, the Ricolis gave me one.”
“But they’re vampires.” she said.
“Well I’m not a werewolf and I have no reason to dislike them after all they’ve done for me.”
“Fine, if a vampires going to do your clothes then werewolves going to do your hair.”
“Sure just let me eat.” It made me feel self-conscious when Carson watched me eat. Ten minutes later I shouted, “Why do you do that?”
“Well you’re done now so let’s just kill some time.”
We walked out into the rain and chatted about our classes. Mainly a distraction. In mid-sentence of him talking shout his biology lab I asked:
“Why do you watch me eat?”
“It’s interesting.”
“But why?”
“You don’t understand my world.”
“Carson plea-” before I could finish his m mouth covered mine, his arms wrapped around me, I placed both of my hands on his chest, and just let the rain work its magic.
He pulled away wiping some soaking wet hair out of my face.
“I guess that works too.” And this time it was me who grabbed his hand.
“Come on let’s go to math.” He pulled me towards the door.
We entered just as the late bell rang. Of course we picked seats right next to each other.
“You’re late.” The teacher announced.
“Sir we are not. The late bell only jus-”
“Take out your books,” he cut Carson off.
When he saw that we both didn’t have books he made me sit with this kid named Mitch and him with this acne ridden girl on the opposite side of the room. Oh well it’s closer then Dallas Texas.
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