Redheads are Soulless

by Redheads are Soulless (epub)

  So, Friday afternoon while Jason was in the shower, I decided to sneak into the living room to talk to Robbie. Sure, it was probably dangerous, but my curiosity had gotten the best of me.

  Curiosity killed the cat, a voice warned me.

  What a stupid saying, I told it back.

  As soon as I stepped into the hall, Robbie was standing there waiting. He had his arms crossed over his chest. Never before had I noticed how nice his biceps were.

  “You’re being a bad girl,” he said in a flirty voice.

  I cleared my throat, and silently hoped my cheeks weren’t blushing. “I know you’re hiding something,” I replied confidently.

  “You know nothing. Just stay out of this. It isn’t your fight, Sof.”

  “It is my fight. I’m the one who has to die,” I reminded him. I was shocked over the fact that he called me Sof instead of Red. It pleased me more than it should have.

  Robbie’s hand came up to my face, and he caressed my cheek softly. “Go back in there before Jason finds you with me.”

  My heart beat erotically at his touch. I tried to ignore the butterflies that suddenly appeared. I backed away. “Goodbye, Robbie.”

  Before he could respond, I opened the door, walked inside, and shut the door gently. I can’t let him affect me like this. He wants me dead, end of story.

  For me, there won’t be a happy ending – at least not with him.

  Jason walked out of the bathroom, and I forced a smile when I looked at him. His smile was genuine, and I couldn’t help the guilt I felt.

  You did nothing wrong, I reminded myself.

  “I want to take you on a date tonight. No Robbie, just me and you.”

  “I would like that a lot, actually, but do you think we can really ditch him?” I asked with a laugh.

  “I already talked to him. He promised he would leave us alone tonight.”

  “Wow,” I said surprised. “Do think he will follow through?”

  “Probably not,” he admitted. “But, I think he will leave us alone.”

  “Stalk from a distance?”

  Jason nodded his head, and we both laughed. It was going to be a great night, and nothing, not even Robbie, was going to ruin it for me.

  Nine

  Charming spell

  Every time Jason held my hand, I silently wondered if Robbie was watching. If he is, is he jealous? Does he wish it were him with me instead? Does he secretly want to touch me, kiss me even? I mentally kicked myself. I had to stop thinking about him like that. He wants to kill me. Jason is the one who loves me. He is the only one who can keep me safe.

  I took a bite of my ice cream from Cold Stone, and all other thoughts were instantly erased. Ice cream is really the answer to all of life’s problems.

  I let the white chocolate chips slowly melt in my mouth. The taste was heavenly.

  “I can’t believe you’ve never had Cold Stone ice cream before,” Jason was shocked after my confession.

  “It’s amazing,” I admitted, taking another bite. Sweet Cream ice cream, with strawberries, white chocolate chips, and cookie dough, all blended together and put in a chocolate dipped waffle cone with sprinkles.

  I forced myself to take slow, small bites, but it was hard. It tasted so good, I wanted to eat it all in one bite, but shoveling ice cream down your throat isn’t exactly “ladylike”.

  Jason held out a napkin. “You got some…” he cut off his sentence and wiped off my chin.

  “Thanks,” I said embarrassed.

  No matter how many times I was with Jason, I still got nervous when I was around him. For those few moments, I forgot that Robbie was watching us, and it felt good.

  After we ate our ice cream, we headed back to Peckville and walked around the park. Jason held my hand as we made our way to the swing set.

  “I have a question, about what I am.”

  “Ask away,” he encouraged me.

  “Do all roggeras have red hair?”

  He nodded. “Yes. Just like all quartheras have black hair.”

  “Are there any other… immortals… like us?” I asked.

  “As far as I know, we are the last of our kind in existence.”

  “Why? What happened to everybody else? I thought we were immortal.”

  Jason sighed. “We are, but we can still be killed. About a thousand years ago, there was a war, brought on by the hortribues.”

  “What are the hortribues?” I asked.

  “They are not important. They are all extinct. We fought back, and we won,” Jason said before pushing me on my swing.

  As I moved back and forth, I looked at the ground thinking. I couldn’t just blow off what he said. I decided I should probably ask Robbie about them later on, if I get the chance.

  Sneaking behind Jason’s back probably isn’t a smart idea when it comes to Robbie. He is a lot older than me, and a lot smarter. He could probably kill me before I had the chance to yell for help, but for some reason, I don’t think he will.

  That’s probably his idea, a voice warned me. He wants you to trust him, and then he will kill you when you least expect it.

  I pushed the voice away. Either way, I need to know what I’m up against. If Jason won’t tell me, Robbie will.

  But he could lie.

  But, he won’t.

  “Was Robbie always a bad guy?” I asked.

  Jason seemed stunned by my question. He hesitated before answering. “No. My brother has always been a very kind-hearted guy… Or at least he was, until about a thousand years ago until the war started. It was right around the time your dad put a curse on him.”

  “Do you think the curse my dad put on him made him like this?” I didn’t want to believe that my dad would ever do anything so vile, but I had to know.

  “No. I believe your dad put the curse on him after he turned to his evil ways,” he answered. “Your dad didn’t cause this.”

  “What did?”

  “I don’t know,” Jason shrugged. “I would give anything to have my brother back, but I truly believe the good in him is gone.”

  “I can’t believe that.” My words shocked me. “Maybe there is something that we can do?”

  He shook his head. “No, Sofia, I’ve tried everything. My brother is forever gone.” He looked at me for a moment, surprised. “Why would you want to help him anyway? Robbie was the one who killed your father.”

  “I don’t know. I just… maybe I can see the good in him. I can see the potential.”

  “My brother had no good left in him. He is a monster,” Jason insisted. “You can’t let my brother’s lies get to you. He is a very good manipulator. Don’t let him get to you. Please fight it.”

  “I will,” my voice sounded convincing enough, but I wasn’t sure if it was the truth. I didn’t know how hard I could fight it. I feared that Robbie was already in my head. I could feel him everywhere. In that moment, I knew exactly where he was. He was watching us from behind a big oak tree, about 50 feet from the swing set. I allowed my eyes to glance in that direction, and I was right. He was right there, his red eyes looking back at me.

  I knew that I should ask Jason for help, but I didn’t want help. I was under Robbie’s spell, and I was starting to like it.

  “Are you ready to head back?” Jason asked.

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  On the way to his car, I held his hand. He held open the door for me, and I got in. He shut it behind me. After he walked around and got in the car, I started the conversation.

  “So what are we going to do tomorrow?” I asked as I flipped through the radio stations. There was nothing on, as always. The only kind of music they play in Alabama is country. Annoyed, I just turned it off.

  Jason just laughed at my annoyance. “Do you want to go ice skating again? I did promise to teach you.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “I would like that.”

  I would have to be crazy not to fall under Jason’s charming spell.

  He pulled me close to him,
and gently kissed my lips. “I don’t know what I would do without you, Sof,” he said softly. “You really are my hope for the future. I look forward to everyday because I know you will be there. I won’t let him take you from me.”

  Later that night, I let Jason hold me as he fell asleep. Once I was confident he was deep asleep, I gently pulled his arm off of me, and made my way out the door. As usual, Robbie was standing outside.

  “Did you come to see how a real man would treat you in bed?” Robbie flirted.

  I rolled my eyes. “No, ewe,” my voice sounded unusually high, so I cleared my throat. “I need to know what a hortribue is, and I need you to tell me.”

  When I said the word hortribue, Robbie’s eyes got really big. “You, little girl, need to go back in there with Jason and forget you ever heard that word.”

  “So you do know what it is,” I smiled. “Why is it so bad to tell me about them if they’re extinct?”

  “They are very much alive, and will very quickly rip you apart limb by limb. I’m serious. Forget you ever heard the word hortribue.”

  “What does it matter? You’re going to kill me anyway. What does it matter if they kill me first?”

  Robbie stiffened. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. “Sofie, please, just go back in there with your boyfriend and stay out of this. It’s a fight that you don’t want to get involved in, trust me.”

  “Why should I trust you?”

  “I don’t know, but you do, and I know it.” He ran his fingers through my hair, making me shiver. I tried to ignore the way he looked at me with desire.

  I stared at the floor, and resisted the urge to cry. “I don’t want to die.”

  He pulled my chin up so I was looking him in the eyes. “I don’t want you to die either, Sof. I…”

  Suddenly the bedroom door opened, and Robbie quickly pulled his hand away from me. Jason pulled me into his arms.

  “You have gone too far this time,” Jason yelled at Robbie. “Leave her alone.”

  Robbie didn’t respond. Instead, he turned and walked away. A few seconds later, I heard the front door slam.

  “Are you ok?” he asked.

  “I’m fine,” I said, not fully meeting his gaze. “Robbie didn’t hurt me.”

  Jason put his arm around me, and I lay back down, but my mind was on Robbie. I wondered where he went, and if he was ok. I needed to know what he was going to say before Jason walked into the hallway. I believed him when he said he didn’t want me to die.

  I lay in bed, tossing and turning most of the night. Finally, around 3am, I heard the front door shut. Then I knew that Robbie was home safe. It was then that I was finally able to close my eyes and get some sleep.

  …

  The next morning when I got up, Robbie was in a bad mood. He seemed to be taking all of his frustrations out on me. As soon as I walked into the kitchen, he stomped past me to the living room. When I sat down on the couch, he got up and moved the chair on the opposite side of the room. I glared at him, but he seemed oddly unaffected by me. I crossed my arms over my chest, and tried to be rude back to him. It had a slightly less dramatic effect coming from me.

  “Are you ok?” Jason asked with concern.

  Of course he would be concerned. Here I am acting like an idiot over a boy who wants to kill me, when I should be ignoring him for Jason, because Jason is the one who truly loves me… Really, it seems inevitable that I would fall for the bad boy.

  “I’m fine,” I lied. I got up off the couch. “I’m just going to get a shower.”

  On my way out of the room, I glared at Robbie. He looked up at me for a moment, but there was no hint of hatred in his eyes, only concern.

  I got ready for my upcoming day with Jason, and I thought about how much fun I had ice skating with him before. I wondered if I would fall as much as I did last time, or if my new skills would stick.

  In the back of my head, I also wondered if Robbie would still be watching us from a distance. I didn’t allow myself to think about it though. It would stay safely in the back of my head.

  One thing was sure though – no matter how hard I fought it, Robbie was slowly making his way in, and I liked it.

  Ten

  Rollercoaster

  Hanging out with Jason on Saturday was fun, as usual. Of course Robbie stayed in the distance, out of sight as much as possible, but I could still feel him. I almost felt like he was trying to protect me. I tried to tell myself it wasn’t true. He wasn’t trying to protect me. He was just a predator, hunting down his prey. I was becoming more venerable, and I would be an easy kill for him.

  On Sunday, we all hung out and watched movies. Well, Jason and I did. Robbie sat across the room, not talking. He has given me the cold shoulder since the hallway incident. I needed more answers, and he was avoiding me. I hated the whole situation, it seemed impossible.

  As much as I normally dreaded Monday, I was actually looking forward to it. After school, I was going to see my mom for a few hours. It would be nice to sort of get away from Jason and Robbie. Sure, they would both be sitting outside waiting for me, but at least neither of them would be in the same room as me.

  Though I made my way to homeroom class, my head was definitely elsewhere. I was trying to think of anything besides Robbie, but it was becoming an impossible task.

  As I sat down at my desk, he gave me the mischievous smile that I had grown so accustomed to with him. My heart fluttered in ways I didn’t know were possible.

  “Sofia Black,” I heard Mr. Franks call my name.

  “Here,” I replied.

  A few people in the class giggled.

  “I’m aware of that. I was wondering if you could answer the problem on the board,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

  As I got up, I heard Robbie quietly laughing at me. I glared at him. I went up front, answered the question as quickly as possible and walked back to my desk. I tried to pay attention through the rest of class, but it was difficult.

  Why does Robbie have to be so hot? I chastised myself to thinking about him like that.

  As we walked to our next class, Robbie walked extra close to me. “You know, if you didn’t stare at me so much, you wouldn’t be so distracted,” he whispered.

  I rolled my eyes in response.

  Don’t let him see how he affects you. Ignore him, I told myself.

  “You can’t ignore me forever,” Robbie winked.

  “Leave Sofia alone,” Jason scolded him, and put his arm around me.

  “Maybe Sofie doesn’t want me to leave her alone,” he replied. I couldn’t deny that his words were true, but I sure wasn’t going to admit it either.

  “The two of you bickering is getting really old,” I jumped into the conversation. “I get it, immortal twin brothers forced to tolerate each other for all eternity, but I’m sick of it. Can’t you just pretend to like each other for one day?”

  Robbie winked at me, and Jason apologized. “Sorry, you’re right. My number one goal is to keep you safe.” Jason turned to Robbie. “Stay away from her. I’m serious.”

  Robbie raised his eyebrows and gave me a look that made me weak in the knees. “I promise I will not approach her without her permission first.”

  Jason was pleased with that answer. He walked into our next class, but I stood there looking at Robbie a few seconds longer.

  “But, if you approach me, that’s another story all together,” he said seductively. With that, he walked off leaving me in the hallway, breathing heavily. I fanned myself with my chemistry book for a few more seconds before I walked inside and sat between them.

  One thing was certain… it was going to take a lot more than chemistry to get my mind off Robbie.

  When I looked up from my chemistry book, I notice a pale blonde girl staring at me. I didn’t recognize her, so I knew that she was new. Her blue eyes were so light, they almost looked opaque. As she glared at me, and I felt chills run down my arms, but I shook it off.

 
“You ok?” Jason asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  When I looked back at the girl, she was looking forward. I sighed, and turned my attention back to the lesson. I have to stop being so scared and distracted by every little thing.

  Robbie won’t let anything happen to you, I reminded myself.

  Jason. I meant Jason.

  I resisted the urge to bang my head on my desk, but barely. I really was losing it. Lock me in a cell, and throw away the key… There is officially no hope for me.

  …

  After school, I was ecstatic to see my mom. I hadn’t seen her in almost a week. I just hoped her new boyfriend wouldn’t be there.

  Jason parked by the curb and I walked inside the house. What I didn’t expect to see was an empty living room. Everything was gone – the furniture, the coffee tables, and pictures. The only thing left was the beer and whiskey stains on the floor, and a bunch of boxes.

  “Mom,” I yelled.

  Mom walked out from the hallway, and into the living room. She sat down the box she was carrying, and gave me an awkward sideways hug. “Sof! You’re just in time! I’m moving in with Steve. Is there anything you want? I’m tossing everything.”

  “You’re… moving in… with Steve?” I asked, unable to believe what she was saying.

  “Yes,” she beamed. “I am so excited!”

  “What about me?”

  My mom put her hands on her hips. “You already moved out. It’s about time I got on with my life too.”

  I nodded, trying to hold back my tears. “But you barely know him.”

  “I’m in love with him, Sof. That’s enough for me.”

  “What about the house?”

  “I’m going to sell it. I have an appointment with the real-estate office tomorrow.” She did look genuinely happy, so I decided I would not ruin her good mood. After all, everybody deserves their shot at happiness.

  Just then, a guy walked into the living room. He had brownish gray hair with a slowly receding hairline, and a large round stomach. Really, if the guy had a beard, he would make a great Santa Clause at Christmas. He had to be at least 10 years older than my mother.