by Madi, Skyla
“Here’s the address, sweetheart,” Ludiia whispered to Eli.
I tried not to cringe as her dead, cold lips came into contact with his warm skin, and then she disappeared.
We stood in silence, waiting for the green light to leave. The trees loomed over us, utterly still like statues in a museum, no leaf daring to fall.
“Ahh,” Lucian sighed. “We have an intruder.”
My skin tingled uncomfortably all over, like a million tiny bugs were running rampant all over my body.
Please be over, please just let us go! my mind screamed. I nervously rubbed the palms of my hands with my fingertips. My skin felt so clammy, covered with a cold sweat.
Out of the bushes stepped Liam, a tall, blonde vampire. As the rest of his body emerged from the cloak of the darkness, he had a hold of someone, someone I immediately recognized.
“Hunter!”
Hunted
My breath caught in my throat and instinctively I lunged forward, but Eli’s hand grasped my forearm firmly, preventing me from making any progress.
“Hunter, what are you doing?” I called, my voice shaky.
A large bruise had already begun to form on his upper left cheekbone.
“I’m coming with you,” he stated fiercely. Hunter made eye contact with Eli briefly before turning his eyes back to me.
“This god killed Oryx, Yasmine, and Dane,” Liam spat.
He killed three vampires? I couldn’t imagine Hunter taking on so many. He seemed too ‘pretty’ for that.
“Liam are you hungry?”
“If you want me to be, sir …”
Even though I wasn’t looking at him, I could feel Lucian’s dark eyes searching my face.
“No!” I shouted. “Please!”
“Finders keepers. He’s all yours.”
A wry smile spread over Liam’s lips and Lucian kept his attention on me. The flood gates opened and tears spilled down my cheeks. I bit my lip, not giving my cry a chance to turn hysterical.
“Please,” I sobbed.
Liam wasted no time. Hunter gasped in pain as the vampire sank his teeth into his skin. The bottom half of my body gave way and I fell to my knees. His eyes became dull and lifeless, then Liam let Hunter’s body fall into a heap on the ground. I wanted to scream and run over to his body, shake him and pray for him to wake up, but I couldn't. My body wouldn’t move. I just knelt there, hating myself for not being able to do anything.
“You have somewhere to be,” Lucian growled at Eli. “It’s a very long drive and you have to be there by Sunday at six p.m. Have I not made it clear how serious I am about punctuality?”
“Ruby, let’s go,” Eli whispered, kneeling down beside me.
When he saw I couldn’t move, he pulled me to my feet and shifted my weight onto him. My body was numb. I couldn’t feel the warmth from Eli’s body; I couldn’t feel the damp leaves, or the sloppy forest floor as we passed through it.
“We just have to make it to the car park,” Eli muttered.
“I can walk,” I replied, sniffling.
Eli let me go and I pushed through. It was only six-thirty; most of the kids would still be in the dining hall. We needed to make it to the car park. As we crossed the oval, my tears managed to dry up. The swelling of my eyes didn’t go down, though, and the redness would surely be noticeable in the light.
We managed to cross the student campus without being noticed. Sera was waiting at the car. She was a female guardian angel. I saw her in the dining room mostly, or whenever she was on shift patrolling the school.
“Eli.” Her voice was relieved and kind.
“Sit in the car,” he uttered to me. I climbed in.
The car was quiet, forcing me to listen to my breathing and uneven heartbeat. I didn’t want to be alone, even if it was only for a few seconds. The driver’s door opened and Eli climbed in. The cool air that blew into the car carried a sad tune in with it — or perhaps I was imagining things.
“Sera brought your boxes and things down to the car earlier. Are you ready to go?”
Slowly my head bobbled up and down, but Eli didn’t start the car. Instead, he got out. I glanced in my side mirror; he was coming around to my side. He opened my door and more cool air blew in, causing me to shiver slightly. My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I used pain to fight back the fresh batch of tears.
“Are you all right?” His words made it impossible to hold back the tsunami that pushed relentlessly at my tear ducts.
“It’s my fault,” I cried hysterically.
“Hey.” He pulled me into him. Usually his sweet, crisp scent and low comforting voice was enough to sooth me, but not this time. This time my pain was too fresh, too overwhelming.
“None of this is your fault, Ruby.”
My chest ached as my lungs desperately fought against my distraught sobs for air. Slowly I nodded my head and my tears ran out once again.
“Aleksandrov has a plan. We’ll get out of this. We just have to go with the flow for now, okay?”
“Okay.” I sniffled.
Eli kissed the top of my head and guilt struck me as Hunter flashed across my mind. I cringed as I pushed the image from my head. I wasn’t ready to think about him. I needed to focus on getting out of this mess and protecting what little amount of loved ones I had left. I pulled away from Eli’s embrace and sat back in the leather seat. I was thankful for it, I would have collapsed without it.
“We have a lot of driving to do,” Eli said as he climbed back into the driver’s seat. “If you’re up for it, we can talk about —”
“Thank you.” I sounded a little rude, although I didn’t mean to. I just didn’t think I could handle hearing his name out loud. I stared unblinkingly for long periods of time and I felt like I was going to start hyperventilating at any second. I needed to get over it, otherwise I could put many, many lives in danger.
In my side mirror I saw the school disappearing rapidly behind us. Before long, we were encompassed by the forest. If you’d asked me a year ago what I thought about the forest, I would described it as tranquil, serene, and quiet, but all I could think of now were secrets, dark, and evil. I looked at Eli; here he was again, helping me and protecting me. What if I lost him, too?
“A penny for your thoughts?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the road.
“You’re going to need a lot of pennies…”
The corner of Eli’s mouth twitched as he fought a smile.
“I don’t know what I’m thinking. It changes so quickly, I’m all over the place.”
“That’s normal. You’ve been through so much tonight, and I know this might come off as insensitive, but we need to go into this thing with a clear head, otherwise we’re going to die. I know you cared for Hunter; he was there for you when I wasn’t. He might have been a bad influence, but he kept you going and kept you safe. For that I will be forever grateful.”
Mr De Luca and his words of wisdom were correct once again.
“You might have lost a few friends along the way, Ruby, but you still have me… and Mila.”
“I know.”
And for that I was truly grateful. I’d be dead without them or worse— a vampire.
As I peered into the darkness, I tried to ignore the feeling someone was watching me. A twisted feeling filled my stomach, making me uneasy.
I had cried so much my eyes grew heavy. I sat forward in my seat, trying to keep myself awake.
“You can sleep; we still have a long way to go.”
“When I wake up, would you like me to drive so you can nap?”
Eli chuckled and glanced at me briefly. “You drive?”
“I’m eighteen, of course I drive. Aunt Jen taught me when I lived with her.”
“Do you have a license?”
“Yes, Eli, I have a license!”
His lips curled into a smile. “Okay. You can drive tomorrow, but only if you sleep now.”
I slumped back into my chair and wiggled against the leather. I placed
my legs on the dashboard and immediately found my comfortable spot.
“This doesn’t bother you, does it?” I asked, pointing to my feet.
“No.”
“Good night.”
“Good night,” he whispered.
I closed my eyes and long sharp fangs filled my mind. I was scared, but I needed to turn that fear into anger. I needed to find something to fuel me, because if I remained an emotional mess, I’d get us killed. I was pulled deep into a dreamless state, forgetting all about the horrors of my reality.
Déjà vu
The smell of a bacon and egg muffin wafted menacingly under my nose, waking me up. The sun was bright and the air was hot. It was the perfect weather to go to the beach, but alas I had vampires to work for.
“I didn’t know if you’d want sausage and egg or bacon and egg, so I got you both.” Eli smiled.
I wiped sleep from my eyes and grasped the bacon and egg breakfast muffin. When I had fallen asleep there was nothing but darkness and Eli and I were alone. Now we were at a pit stop on a motorway somewhere, surrounded by other people and families. It was a relief to see normal people. It had been a while since I was surrounded by humans. As I un-wrapped my muffin and Eli climbed into the car next to me, I saw a teenage a girl who appeared to be around my age. She was on her mobile phone.
“Well, she said you texted her. She’s my worst enemy, Peter! You’re my boyfriend, not her friend!”
I envied her; her problems seemed so miniscule against mine. I wished my biggest worry was if my boyfriend was texting my enemy. What felt like the end of the world for her would be a walk in the park for me.
“One day.”
“Hmm?”
“One day you’ll be free from all of this.”
It was like he could read my mind sometimes. “I will never be free as long as I am what I am.”
The sudden realisation put me off my food but I ate it anyway.
“So, can I drive now?”
It took a little bit more persuading on my part before he managed to hand over the keys.
“Keep your eyes on the road and focus. I don’t want to die before getting to the vampire nest.”
“Yeah, that’d be pretty embarrassing wouldn’t it?” I giggled.
“This is my favorite car, please don’t scratch it.”
“Eli, chill out. I’m not that bad at driving. Go to sleep and I’ll have us closer to our death in no time.”
The engine started. If it wasn’t for the soft vibration, I wouldn’t have noticed the car had even turned on. It was so quiet and smooth.
Eli watched uneasily as I pulled out onto the highway. When he saw I was actually staying between the lines, his eyes closed. A peaceful silence fell in the car and I peeked sideways at Eli. His body was at ease. His chest rose and fell with each breath.
Focus! My mind yelled at me, forcing me to watch the road but it wasn’t long until I found my eyes on him again.
“Eyes on the road,” he said, opening one eyelid. His green eyes pierced into my soul and I felt my cheeks heat up. His voice was light and relaxed but it still didn’t make me feel any less silly.
“Oh-I …Uh, I …” I took a deep breath of air. “Sorry.”
How embarrassing.
The concrete river curved its way through the bush like it grew there naturally. The trees lining the motorway flew by in a blur of green and black. Before long it was midday and the scorching sun was high up in the sky. I took my foot off the accelerator slightly as I passed a ‘Take a break’ sign indicating a service station and rest area up ahead. I was thirsty and slightly peckish, so I decided to pull in when it came time to turn off. As soon as the car rolled to a stop, Eli’s eyes sprang open and he glanced around, trying to get his bearings.
“Are you hungry?”
“It’s twelve already? I didn’t mean to sleep for so long.”
“That’s okay, you needed it and I was having fun driving. Shall we eat in?”
My whole body ached as I slid out of the car. Eli’s groan told me he was experiencing the same discomfort I was. After a good stretch and a quick meal, we were on the road again.
The trip was a lot quicker than I imagined, it was now six on Saturday night and we had to be there by this time tomorrow. The GPS told us we were twenty-three hours away from Mount Kuuce, which I assumed was our destination. Eli said we needed more time, so we didn’t stop for dinner. It wasn’t an issue; I’d eaten too much at lunch, so dinner was the farthest thing from my mind. It was twilight and the moon was full, casting unmoving shadows along the horizon. The tall hillside was coarse with boulders and the fog began to roll in, making the world around us slightly more eerie. Soon the busy motorway fell away and we were travelling along an old service road leading us deeper and deeper into the forest.
Eli flicked on the high beams; it allowed us to see more and watch for any animals that might stray onto the road. The trees had changed style. They were white and weathered instead of brown and hard.
“They’re Paperbark trees,” Eli said, making me wonder if he could actually read my mind.
They looked as though they were made with papier mache. Bits and pieces stuck out in every direction, like torn tissue paper. It was strange and eerie yet painfully beautiful. Out from behind a tree hopped a grey, long-legged animal.
“Eli, look out!” I shouted.
I squeezed my eyes shut as the car lurched and I was thrown forward violently. The seatbelt bit into my chest, knocking the wind out of me. The car slid a small length before coming to a stop. Our breaths were ragged and uneven as adrenaline and fear dominated our systems.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I gasped, trying to even out my breathing. “Did you hit it?”
“I think I nudged it. It hopped into that bush. I should make sure it’s okay.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Wait in the car,” Eli ordered. I watched as he disappeared into the bush.
A shadow moved rapidly past my window, catching my eye. My breath became quick again, my heartbeat speeding up with it. I hadn’t hit my head, so I know I wasn’t seeing things.
You can handle yourself against a vampire. You know how to use your magic … kind of.
I decided to do the one thing I yell at silly girls in horror movies for doing — I exited the car. The moon seeped through the branches and sticks of the trees and cast scary, emotionless shadows onto the road. My eyes swept over the surrounding bushes, searching for Eli.
Nothing.
The fog blanketed the world in a murky-grey as I took a few steps forward. I saw him in the near distance, half concealed by the fog.
“No.” My voice was barely above a whisper.
No, it couldn’t be … I saw it with my own eyes. Shock shot through me as cold as ice and I ran. I didn’t go back to the car. That was pointless. Instead, I took off in the direction Eli went, hoping I would run into him.
I could hear his footsteps snapping sticks and crunching leaves behind me. Stray twigs and branches snagged strands of my hair but I had to go faster. My scalp stung as hair was torn from my head. I didn’t scream, I couldn’t — I grasped at my chest. Shit! I left my whistle in the car. How far in had Eli gone?
“Unh …” I gasped as I rebounded off a hard body and fell backwards, hitting my head on the forest floor. For a moment my vision spun. When my eyes came back into focus, I panicked at the face the loomed over me, shaking me.
“Ruby? What’s wrong?”
It was Eli, his voice alert and panicked. A part of me relaxed in his grip but the other part was still shaking in fear and disbelief.
“I … I … I —” I panted, trying to speak. “I saw Hunter.”
Eli grasped my shoulders and pulled me gently to my feet.
“Did you hit your head in the car?” he asked, examining my forehead.
“No … Eli, I saw him. I saw Hunter.”
I pulled away from Eli’s grasp, stumbling slightly.
I felt my face cringe as a headache surged through me. He didn’t believe me, of course he didn’t. He saw Hunter die as well.
“It’s normal to think you see things when you’ve witnessed such a traumatic event.”
“No. I saw him. He wasn’t some kind of apparition or hallucination, he was real.”
Even in the low light of the forest I could see the concerned expression dominating Eli’s features. I know what I saw, the creepy pale skin and the soulless dark eyes.
“He’s a vampire,” I whispered.
“C’mon, let’s go back to the car. We still have a long drive to get to Mount Kuuce. You can sleep it off.”
We stepped out of the bush and onto the road. I kept my eyes on the area I saw Hunter. The unpleasant feeling of being watched returned to me, only this time I knew someone was watching.
“Ruby?”
My attention turned back to Eli. I hadn’t realized I’d stopped walking.
When we were in the car, an uncomfortable silence fell. Eli didn’t believe me. As far as he was concerned, I’d hit my head when he slammed on the brakes, or the trauma from Hunter’s death was playing with my mind, but it couldn’t be. He was so vivid and real. I saw the way the moon glinted off his deathly pale skin. His denim jeans were vibrant and his shirt an outstanding blue. His image wasn’t washed out like a ghost. Against the high beams, I didn’t see any color in his eyes, just blackness — a skin-crawling, hair-raising tunnel of darkness.
Neither of us slept that night, we just kept on driving in silence. Every time I closed my eyes I saw his face. It wasn’t the sweet, kind face I remembered. It was horrible and dark. It was exactly the same and yet totally different. I felt like he was a stranger, like I didn’t know him. Maybe he was angry at me? I’d let them kill him, I didn’t do anything to help, and now he was a vampire. He’d become the one thing he wanted to kill.
A shimmering gold orb began to rise in the inky sky, pulling me from my depressing thoughts. I sat, drinking in the invisible rays that kissed my skin. Moments later, the golden sun was sitting in its rightful place, adorning the soft blue sky.