by Rue Volley
“Honey… you wreaked your car… you went into the ice… and from what the boy told us… you were under there for quite some time.”
I took a deep breath and looked around, all these people walked from here to there and kids… ones that I recognized from school gathered everywhere. I looked at my Mom and shook my head.
“I wrecked my car.” I said.
She smiled and placed her hand on my head.
“I died… didn’t I?” I asked her.
She stood up and my Dad stepped up to me.
“You need to go to the hospital honey… to get checked out.” He said.
I nodded to him, I mean I would guess that I do.
I turned back and there he was. Joshua. I tried to keep my heart rate in check, I mean… you know. After waking up the way that I have, I did not expect him to be there… I am guessing that it was just my head, everything crazy that I felt and it collected itself into a huge crazy ball of nutcracker worthy freakiness… that is me.
I walked towards him and he looked up at me and smiled. I saw his canines and felt it in my cheeks… the blood that is. I started to hear my teeth chattering and my Mom handed me off to him and I sat back down on the gurney and looked up at him.
“Hi.” He said.
I coughed and tried to grin.
“Hi.” I said.
I was lifted into the back of the ambulance and he climbed in. I looked out at my Mom, Dad and Kai and I could not be upset, I mean I knew that I could easily feel that way… but seeing them all together like that made me smile. The doors closed and Josh turned and looked at me.
“You are lucky.” He said to me as he pulled the blanket back and felt my throat. He put a thermometer in my mouth and “mmm…mmm’d” him with a little nod.
“I mean, when I got there… you had been under the ice for a good amount of time, not to scare you or anything… but…”
“I know.” I muttered, as I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.
“I died… right?” I said as he pulled the thermometer out of my mouth and stared at it.
“Yeah… you did.” He said.
“Did you bring me back?” I asked him.
He grinned and placed a wrap around my arm and started to pump the small black ball in his hand.
“I did.” He said.
“Thank you… you’re my angel.” I said.
He laughed. “Oh, I am no angel… just good at what I do.”
“So.” I said as I started to feel my blood creeping back into my hands and feet.
“Do you live here in Calvary?” I asked him.
“Just moved here… I am actually interning, I came here with my brother and sister.”
“What are their names?” I asked him.
“Sam… Samantha really, she hates that so we just call her Sam and my brother Theodore.”
“Theo.” I said.
He looked up at me and grinned.
“Yeah… I call him that, he doesn’t like it… but I do.”
“Mmm.” I said as he pulled out an oxygen mask and started to place it on my face. I leaned up, close his chest and closed my eyes as he placed the rubber strap around the back of head. I leaned back and looked at him.
“You wanna go and have coffee sometime?” I asked him.
He smiled and shook his head.
“You are super chatty for someone who just went through what you did.” He said.
“Well… now that I have died, I figure I will say what I want when I want too.”
He grinned and I looked at his teeth.
“Yeah… we can do that.” He said to me.
I leaned up and grabbed the mask from my face and stared at his lips…pretty as they are. He cleared his throat after he almost leaned in and kissed me.
“Can I tell you a secret?” He said. I nodded as I grinned.
“I don’t give a shit for coffee.”
I laughed and leaned back on the gurney.
“I really don’t… it tastes like shit.” He said.
“Oh please… without coffee what would the world be?” I said.
“Calmer.” He said.
“Oh, whatever.”
“You know… there’s a movie… umm, a new vampire flick out, we could do coffee and then go…”
“Ah… no. No vampires.” I said.
“What?... you scared?” he asked me.
“Vampires are tricky.”
“You mean they scare you.”
“No… no they don’t, come on! I just almost died. I would guess that not a lot will scare me now. I just read a lot and I don’t need any more vampire stories.”
“You… did die and books… over rated.” He said.
“What? Books are awesome… without them there wouldn’t be any movies.” I said.
“I will take movies over books any day.”
“That is just lazy.”
“No… I just want it to get to the point… I don’t need five-hundred pages to read, just put it on the screen already.”
“Impatience is not a good thing to suffer from.”
“Oh whatever… I am not impatient.” He said.
“I would say that you are.” I said.
“Oh please.”
“I think that we should see a romantic comedy.”
“Oh god... no.” he said.
“Why?”
Josh laughed and looked at me.
“Romance is also over rated.”
“Really?” I said as I sat up and slipped off my mask. He looked at me and tried to put it back on. I lunged at him, knowing it may backfire and kissed him, as best I could. He let me… and it shut him up for the first time in what I would guess was forever.
***
Time passes and seasons changed. My crappy driving did not however. I did crash two more cars after the one that I completely totaled on the bridge over red woods lake that day. I kinda became a legend after that, come to find out I had been dead for thirteen minutes, and I adopted that as a lucky number after that day. Lucky thirteen. Ha. Sometimes you have to give a ‘damned’ number a chance.
Josh and I are close, and even though my parents were sketchy about him and I seeing each other, mainly because he was 20 and I was 17 at the time of the accident, he won them over with his wit and charm and I guess his sarcasm too, which my family adores. Doesn’t hurt that he saved me, I think that helped him too. Kai left for college in the spring and my Mom cried, but he was stoked about it. He is going to program video games, big surprise. I expect him to be sitting on a couch someplace kicking the crap out of zombies and that is what he is best at. He and Sam did start dating and after he told her that he was going to school, she decided to go too. I laughed about that one, because I think he wanted to go and party and she will see to none of that. Theo runs the library here in Calvary. Soon after I healed, Mr. Noble up and moved away leaving the post open to hold the keys to it and Theo jumped on that, big surprise to maybe some people but not to me. I did introduce myself to Johnathan Morris Graph one day at school, and we just started talking and it never stopped. He isn’t boyfriend material and I had to convince Josh of that. It still kinda bothers him, but not as it did. Johnathan and Brooke are inseparable; in fact he gave her the ring. I kinda dragged Johnathan to the library one day, against his will and there he met her. She works the front desk and I knew they were perfect for each other and I was right. The only one not here is Gracie, but I know that she will come. I can feel it in my heart. I know that Josh and I will have her someday and that her spirit is just waiting… and that makes me smile. But for now I see her in everything that Josh does, and all the things that he say’s… so it makes me not miss her so much, not like I even know that she was ever here to begin with. I never told anyone anything, and I won’t… I don’t have too. I think that things are exactly the way that they should be, all quiet and normal.
I sit here at my Vanity, in my room… my house, on hideaway dr. and grin. I love this place… Calvary, Minnesota. It’s
a small town, too small for some but just the right size for me. I pulled out some paper and stared at it and felt like I needed to write one more thing… the last thing that I wrote in my “dream”… in my own blood, no less. I put pen to paper and held my breath, scribbling the two small words....
“Wake up.”
I smiled as I re-read it and placed it away in my drawer. It was almost like saying that stupid word over and over in the mirror… you know the one in that scary movie. Those two little words were like the boogieman to me. I laughed, how silly, just two little words, making me all goofy. I stood up and started to walk to my door and my phone went off in my pocket. I looked down at it and “call blocked” was staring up at me.
I pushed the button and mouthed the word.
“Hello?”
“Rue?”
“Josh?”
“The weirdest thing just happened.”
“What?”
“I just felt a vibration in my hands.”
I sucked in my breath and dropped the phone.
Thank you all as you have taken this journey with me, one more book to go...
xoxo –Rue
Hope & Faith
Book Six
Blood & Light Vampire Series
Rue Volley
s the author of this work has been asserted by him/her in accordance with the
To everyone who ever said, ‘I can’ and made it happen.
Chapter 1
Operation Screw Me
You have to go back to go forward. That’s actually a line from one of my all-time favorite movies and for the last two years I have so felt that way… the whole going back to move forward thingy. You would think that I’d be happy, I mean I have loving parents who don’t get all in my stuff and a brother, who, although he can be a big pain in the ass… has not been so much, not with Samantha practically living at his side. Don’t get me wrong… I love Sam, I do and I think that she is the best thing that could have ever happened to Kai; in fact I know it is. And then there is Johnathan, who has Brooke. Even though they have their on and off days because I think he gets too emotional for her sometimes and Brooke has never been the overly girlie kind, and due to that fact she “leaves” him in spurts… telling him that she needs a moment and then he comes to me to talk and I do listen… I am a good listener, or so I am told.
Oh crap! Well, before I get too far into my hoopty, I am Rue… Rue Volley… Can’t believe I didn’t even introduce myself; I just kinda jumped right in to all the stuff didn’t I? Well… for some reason I felt like writing, not that I ever really have, other than for school stuff, but anyway...
“Rue?”
I looked at Johnathan and grinned, rolling onto my back on my bed and he leaned back and stared up at my ceiling tilting his head as he looked at my vast amounts of stars and planets plastered to it.
“Yes.” I said as I tried not to fall back into thinking too much… I do a lot of that lately too, making me feel more like a daydreamer than a person who is actually living my life in the here and now.
“I think she hates me.” He said as he relaxed and placed his hands behind his head. I sighed.
“Johnathan, we both know that Brooke loves you… you just tend to…”
And I got cut off.
“Be a pussy.” Joshua said as I looked up and saw him leaning in my doorway.
“You are a ninja.” I said as I popped up off of my bed and straightened my shirt.
“I am not a pussy, and you are just rude.” Johnathan said as he sat up and stared Josh down like the dick that I know he thinks that he is.
“Don’t you mean ‘Dick’?” Josh said as he walked towards me and reached towards my face. I shook my head and rolled my eyes as I looked back at Johnathan, who had stood up and squared his shoulders as I had seen him do so many times before.
“Well… if you could control your constant butt in’s it wouldn’t be so annoying.” Johnathan said as he stood there, I glanced at him and raised an eyebrow knowing that Joshua would so jump on this opportunity to jab at him.
Johnathan and Joshua secretly love each other and if I was a paranoid type of person I would think that there were underlying homosexual tendencies between the two of them. I mean they fight… not violently though, and I have to chalk it up to Joshua just being annoyed by Johnathan’s constant want to reach out to me first when Brooke had her moments of “get out of my face” and here lately she had a lot of them.
“I don’t know why you can’t just understand that Brooke is sick of you.” Joshua said without regret.
“Oh… so you want to go there?” Johnathan said as he took a step towards him.
“No… and No.” I said as I looked at Johnathan and then glanced back at Joshua who was smirking. I would grin, and I so wanted to, his smirk was intoxicating and he knew it… so I think that I try to ignore it just out of spite.
“We are not doing this today.” I added.
“What’s with today?” Johnathan asked me.
Josh laughed. “You dick…its Rue’s birthday.”
“Oh! Oh god Rue, I’m sorry.” Johnathan said with true remorse. I grinned and shook my head and looked at him.
“You know I am not big on birthdays anyway… so just ignore it, like I do.” I said.
“No… we don’t ignore birthdays, especially yours’.” He said.
I sighed and looked at Joshua with stink eye. I didn’t appreciate the fact that he once again annoyed Johnathan and then added the “birthday BS” icing on top of that.
“No really, it’s not a big thing.”
“It is! You are 18 now Rue… graduating this year and all, big things.” Johnathan said as he waved his hands around in true Johnathan fashion.
He then looked at Joshua.
“You remember 18, like 20 years ago, don’t you Josh?”
Josh rubbed his neck and grinned.
“Listen… I am only 20, not 40.”
“Still, older.” Johnathan added and here we go again. He had brought this age difference thing up with me before. The first time was at my Prom that Joshua attended and Johnathan made it a point to jab at him that night, making fun of the fact that Joshua was out of school at that point and how the word ‘creeper’ was utilized, was just magical.
“The only person who should care is Rue.” Joshua said and the silence settled into the room. I cleared my throat.
“Well. I’m hungry.” I said and they both looked at me and said at the time… “What do you want to eat?” I smiled and looked at Johnathan and shook my head slightly. He looked down and then back up at me and grinned, getting the ‘please leave’ cue and then he walked up to me and hugged me big time as he glanced at Joshua who tilted his head and tightened his jaw.
Johnathan backed up, still holding my arm letting his hand slip down and take mine.
“Thank you as always.” He said in a light tone and then he straightened up and looked at Joshua.
“Don’t take her to the buffet.” He said as he grinned and walked past Joshua, who stood there kind of fuming. I turned to him and smiled as I pushed my hair behind my ear. Joshua sighed and closed the door then turned back to me, he looked me over and grinned, exposing his canines and my heart fluttered. I LOVE his teeth. Sounds weird I know, but I do.
“So…” Joshua said as he stared at me.
“So.” I repeated.
“I take it Brooke once again booted his dumbass out.”
“Josh…” I said as I looked at him and crossed my arms on my chest.
“Well… true, right?”
I nodded and plopped down on my bed and Josh walked up and sat down next to me. I looked down at my hands.
“You know… you don’t always have to be his emotional catch all.”
I looked at Josh and shrugged my shoulders.
“He is my friend… and yours.” I said.
Josh lay onto his back and looked up at my ceiling.
“The word friend is a loosely based concept with
him and me.”
I leaned back and tapped his chest and he took my hand and kissed the inside of my palm, I watched him as he closed his eyes and then he opened them back up and took his lips from my skin slowly. I pulled my hand back and half grinned as I looked down and let my hair fall into my face, he leaned up and pushed it out of my eyes and tucked it behind my ear and I felt it again… that heart fluttery thing.
“You know… the house is empty.” Joshua whispered and I knew it was true. Kai and Sam had not returned home yet from school and My Mom and Dad were out finalizing their plans on their new hobby… or should I say business? They had decided over the past few months to start up a store… one filled with plants of every kind. I don’t think that they had settled on a name but my Mom was hell bent on “Volley View.” Oh, with ‘plant nursery’ added to the title. My Dad liked “Tree Bark.” But my Mom said… ‘Don’t be so eclectic William.’ And she will more than likely get her way, as she usually does.
“What are you suggesting Joshua Barrington?” I asked him, already knowing his dirty mind.
Josh leaned up and rolled me onto my back, he half laid on me and gently kissed my neck and my knees felt funny, then he let his breath tickle my neck and he backed up a little to look at my face.
“I think today may be the day.”
I shook my head. “I just...”
He leaned in and gently kissed my lips and let me tell you something about getting kissed by Joshua Barrington, it takes my breath away from me, makes my head ache as the blood rushes to it and not to mention… makes me feel all kinds of vibration in my stomach and other parts of me that I should not mention. I pulled my knees up, not really a voluntary reaction; just a normal one and Joshua continued to kiss me, slowly pushing his tongue inside of my mouth… I moaned, as always and so did he. You see we have never, and I don’t know exactly when ‘never’ will turn into now. I find myself wanting to do it, take that big dive over the cliff and yet I hold back… like something makes me, and I don’t think that it is fear, in fact I know it is not.