Dear Amelia,
Again, I do not know how to extend my apologies. I did not intend to act in the way that I did. The slave is of my own creation. It will quicken the process of healing.
My sincerest apologies,
Aiden
I picked up the small container, twisted open the cap and found it filled with a thick white paste with the consistency of lip balm whipped to a peak. I took a little of the balm and rubbed it on one of my blisters. It numbed the pain and lessened the redness of the skin around it.
My phone sat on my bedside table, next to the lamp. I checked my messages. My inbox was bombarded with texts and miss calls from Karen. She was worried. I decided to immediately call her.
“Amy, do you know what time it is?”
Her tired voice perplexed me. I expected her to me half mad with concern.
“You texted and called me like a gazillion times yesterday,” I pointed out. “I thought I should call and tell you that I’m safe.”
“What are you talking about, Amy? This isn’t one of your dreams again, is it? And if it is, I didn’t text or call you.”
I paused, baffled by Karen’s words. “What happened yesterday?” I decided to ask.
“We met at the mall, you had to go home early to finish your history homework. Are you alright, Amy?”
“Yeah,” I said, my voice faltered as I spoke. “Yeah, I’m fine. I guess I’ll talk to you later.”
Karen sighed. “I’m awake now, you might as well tell me what’s on your mind.”
“No. It’s fine. I’ll tell you later.”
“Alright. Hey, don’t forget your promise, since you bailed on me this week, you’re coming out again with us next week.”
“Sure. No problem.”
“And no excuses this time.”
“Yeah. Hey Karen, there’s something I have to do.”
“Alright. Bye.”
“Bye.”
I hung up and stared at my phone as I chewed my tongue. It must have been Ethan. He must have done something to change Karen’s memory of the events that occurred. I knew it in my gut that it was him, there was no other explanation. Or it might have been Aiden, a little voice inside my head said. In fact, it could have been either one of them.
The murder of Aiden’s double was still fresh in my mind and I could not shake away the image of the crumpled body and the hallowed eyes as the life was instantly snapped out of him.
I swiped at my phone’s screen and searched for Ethan’s name in the address book. I half expected it to be gone, but it was still there. Without hesitation, I called him.
“Good morning, Amelia,” said Ethan in his deep sultry voice.
“What did you do?”
“And good morning to you too, my hot and sexy Ethan.”
I rolled my eyes. “What did you do to Karen?”
“Nothing personal, just enough to stop everyone from freaking out. I’m sure, with us in your life, you don’t need any extra drama.”
“What exactly did you do? Hypnotized everything out of their brain?”
“Well, not everything, just enough to make them forget that you were missing for most of the day and that my lovely brother returned you to your bed.”
I closed my eyes and held my breath. “Alright,” I managed to say. “What about the body?”
“Oh, that’s none of your concern. My advice to you is to have breakfast, continue on with your day as normal and well, wait for Monday. I have a surprise for you.”
“Surprise? I don’t want a surprise. I want answers.”
“Oh, you’ll get those too, just not from me. Anyway, I have to go. Looks like my little brother is back, unless you want to talk to him. Oh wait, he’s staring at me with his sensual alluring green eyes, which I think means no. Talk to you later.”
Without any more words, Ethan disconnected the call. I frowned and chewed on my tongue. I thought about calling him back, my finger hovered over the green receiver icon. I shook my head and placed down the phone.
“Fine,” I said to myself. “I’m giving you until the end of Monday. If I don’t get my answers after that…”
My brain came to a halt. I didn’t know what I would do if I didn’t have my answers. My insides squirmed with annoyance as I stood on the border of insanity. It wasn’t fair. I felt like I had somehow became involuntarily involved in something big and supernatural, something I didn’t understand and those that did barred me from what I needed to know.
~
Sunday dragged on at the pace of a drunken sail and time seemed frozen. I loitered about the house, with no aim except to let time trickle by. I sat at the dining table with my laptop in front of me. It was ten when Luke came out of his room to grab a cup of juice. He glanced over at the page I was reading.
“Vampires?” he snorted.
“Yeah,” I answered. Karen and Lydia’s theory about the brothers was not completely out of my mind. “Hey, Luke, what do you know about them?”
“Undead, blood sucking, killed by stake, hates sunlight. Why are you reading about them?”
“Nothing in particular,” I told him. I wanted someone to talk to and I sensed that Lydia and Karen was probably fed up with my antics. “Do you think they’re real?” I asked my brother just as he was about to leave.
Luke shrugged. “Don’t know.”
He wasn’t much help and didn’t enlighten me on the matter. I knew he had a working knowledge of supernatural things because of the games he played. I never really got into that stuff like he did, and judging the way he decorated his room, I suspected that he may be more helpful to talk to about the supernatural world than my two best friends.
“What other creatures have super speed and super strength?”
Luke lifted his left eyebrow and turned his head slightly to the left. “Lots. Werewolves, djins, spirits, pixies, I don’t know. There’s a whole heap of them. You have to be more specific. Why do you ask?”
“No reason. Just interested.”
Luke paused by counter. He looked as if he was about to say something but changed his mind. He left the kitchen and went back up the stairs to his room. I heard the door closed and my mind mulled over all the facts I knew about the brothers again. From one Wikipedia page to another, I spent the entire day reading about all the supernatural creatures I could find. None of them seemed to match the brothers as closely as vampire. It was crazy, but I was certain they weren’t werewolves. It was a full moon when I found Aiden in the forest during the lake party.
However, it didn’t explain anything about the doppelgänger. According to the internet, they were paranormal doubles, symbols of bad luck and even an omen for death. I stopped and re-evaluated by research methods and remembered what Ethan had said about books and how the internet was only half correct.
The library was about fifteen minutes away on bike. I could have gone but my feet were still too sore to do any sort of peddling. I glanced at the clock and wished I was old enough to drive. I still had several months to go before I turned sixteen, and even then, I still needed to sit the licencing test.
I mulled over my excuses as a chunk of me wanted to go. At the back of the library was the historical section. I thumbed through some of the books before, but not all. Perhaps there was something about the supernatural tucked away between ancient frayed spines. The suspense of possibility was too much for me to bear. I had already gone through about half a hundred articles but none of them exactly answered what I wanted to know.
I stood and decided to go to the library.
My legs protested against the decision and punished me greatly for it. But I pressed on and soon enough, I was on my bike. The weakness and aching in my legs made my balance wobble as I attempted to peddle. It took me half an hour to reach my destination but it didn’t matter. I felt like I had achieved something by making it to the library.
I hobbled through the front door and made my way towards the old dusty covers tucked away at the back where no one went. I
ran my fingers along the half pealed golden letters that once marked the names of the books and its authors. I’ve read some of them, but haven’t been lured to their pages since I was given access to the internet at home. I felt like a stranger amongst the pages and almost forgot the moth smell of the yellowed pages and the ink stains of the scribbled inner covers by those that also read those books.
Wedged between two thick volumes, I found a thin hardcover. I pulled it out and opened its pages only to find the ink almost completely faded. I didn’t know what made me pull out the empty book. It didn’t even have a title. Time had made sure to rub it out and there was only a thin trace of the letter ‘A’. There was no library punch card either, or a barcode stuck to the back like all the other books.
After thumbing through, I decided to put it back. The empty pages didn’t tell me anything. Although the contents might have been useful, whatever was printed was now swallowed up by time. It was clear that the book was used so often that not a bit of ink remained. I found it odd, but knew that it was not impossible. The ink used on old books tends to fade over time, that is, if the pages have been flipped through enough. I wondered what was on those pages but did not dwell on it.
I continued to walk amongst the books until my legs could not take it anymore. Yesterday’s excursions had taken its toll. I went outside and called dad. Luckily, he was nearby and on his way home. I waited for him in the parking lot, where he found me, seated on a bench just outside the library. I wanted to ask him about Aiden, but I knew that Ethan had made him forget. Besides, he didn’t seem at all disturbed that I returned home in the arms of a boy, not that I remembered what happened. I could only guess that was how he got me into my room.
My heart quickened at the thought of Aiden and the possibility that his arms had been around me. My face turned red as my skin tingled with a strange sensation. I wanted to squirm with embarrassment and delight but I couldn’t. I was in the car with dad and I didn’t want him to question me or make assumptions. I looked out the window and rested my hot cheek against the coolness of the glass. I pushed thoughts of Aiden out of my head with what Ethan had told me. He had said Monday. Monday would be the day I find out what I wanted to know. All I needed to do was wait until then.
Chapter 7
Monday eventually arrived and the water drenched sky poured with rain. The mad dash from the parking lot and into the door half soaked my clothes and those around me were no better off. I went to my locker to unload my books and found that Lydia had decided that it was time for her to return to school. She wore a turtleneck to hide her almost healed wounds and her hair was down to cover the marks that ran at the base of her face. Karen stood with her as they chatted away about something.
I walked over to them while my eyes darted around searching for the surprise that Ethan spoke about. I already knew that Lydia was coming back today, but I was sure that wasn’t he talked about.
“Hey,” I said to them.
“Hey,” said Lydia. She noticed my jitteriness as I shoved my hands into my jacket’s pockets. They had turn cold with nervousness. I didn’t know what Ethan meant by surprise. Was it going to be another murder? Or was he going to turn up Angels Fall High? It would have been nice if I was given some sort of clue.
“The Winter Dance tickets are on sale,” piqued Karen. In her cherry state, she didn’t notice anything different. “Should I go and get them?”
“Sure,” I said. Karen always loved to go to dances and parties and I couldn’t imagine her life without them.
“We haven’t got our dresses yet,” said Lydia.
“But we will, eventually, this weekend, as Amy promised not to bail out on us. So no excuses are allowed and all homework must be completed. Come on.”
Karen hooked her right arm around Lydia’s and her left arm around mine. We walked together down the crowded corridor towards the front office where the tickets were sold by one of the seniors. As we walked, I thought I caught sight of Ethan in the crowd, his dark blonde head stood out like a beacon for attention as much as his handsome face. But when I turned my head, he had disappeared.
“Hey, I need to go to the ladies room. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
I tore away from Karen’s hold and before she had time to say anything, I was out of her reach. I slipped into the crowd and pushed through them, searching for Ethan. I was certain I saw him. He’s not one to be mistaken so easily. What was he doing here at school? Perhaps he was going to tell me what he is, or better, what was going on.
But Ethan was nowhere to be found and soon, the bell rang and I was forced to go to class. I found Karen and Lydia seated in Mr Grimm’s history lesson and I went and joined them at my usual seat. Mr Grimms started the day by writing out the date of the Civil War but his lesson was interrupted when the door opened and it froze my world.
Aiden stepped in looking like a young god. My heart quickened at the sight of him as surprise and wonderment exuded from my soul. Aiden wore his usual leather jacket and dark jeans, his dark hair tussled to complement his impossibly wonderful face. Unlike Ethan, Aiden held a calm expression, his emotions guarded and thoughts hidden, which added to his charm. Even from across the room, I could feel his old world allure and despite his up to date clothes, I sensed that he was much older than he appeared. The class seemed to also hold their breath upon his entrance.
Aiden handed Mr Grimms a piece of paper.
“A transfer? Very well, welcome to the class, Mr Aiden Winters. Take a seat.”
Even the boys were in awe by Aiden’s good looks and I saw them follow him with their eyes. Aiden sat down and Mr Grimms continued with his lesson. I wanted to talk to him, but he was on the other side of the room, his face adverted from mine, as if he wanted to avoid looking at me. And yet, there he was, seated in my history class, by the window and allowing the light to contour his face in such a way that made me want to swoon. I caught my thoughts and felt embarrassed by them. So this is what Ethan meant when he said surprise. More questions sprouted up in my head like unkillable weeds. What is Aiden doing here? Why is he in my class? He could have picked any other year level, could have passed off as a senior if he wanted to, but he didn’t. Instead, he took the part of a freshman and even looked younger than I remembered him to be, it was as if he used magic to help him play the part.
Then another thought came into my mind. Is Ethan here to? Was it really him that I caught a glimpse of in the hallway? Is he in different class? Whatever the answers to these questions maybe, I knew that things were about to get serious now that Aiden has finally revealed him to the world.
When class was over, I wanted to go and talk to him, but Karen and Lydia took up my arms.
“He’s hot,” she whispered in my ear while her head turned in his direction.
“He’s the one,” I told her. “You know, the one I’ve been telling you about.”
“Your dream?” Lydia said with raised eyebrows. “Come on, I thought you said he was blonde.”
“No, that’s his brother.”
“Don’t be silly, Amy,” said Karen, “Mr Hotness? No way.”
Aiden walked passed us without a word to me. He didn’t even spare me a glance or any sort of indication that he knew me. I frowned, annoyed by his actions. I tore myself away from Karen and chased after him. If he was here to give answers, then I will have my answers.
But Aiden didn’t loiter about. He went straight to him next class, which also happened to be the same one as mine.
Aiden had already sat down and made sure to surround himself with filled seats. I was forced to sit on the other side of the room. He avoided me for the rest of the day, and yet, I felt that he always stayed close by. His actions annoyed and baffled me as I could not understand his true intentions are.
It did not take long for the school to notice the new transfer and Aiden was immediately elevated to star status. The girls pined for him while the guys wanted to be his friend. Aiden was a people magnet and although he kept to
himself, he did not attempt to push people away. They buzzed around him like a shield, asking him questions about where he’s from and where he lived. Although he managed to keep private about those matters, I sensed that there was something else at play.
By the end of the day, I felt exhausted in my attempts to talk to him. It was clear enough that he didn’t want to talk to me. Karen and Lydia was no use. They have already made up their minds that I was madly in love with him to make up stories of our previous encounters. I didn’t know what came over my friends. Then I remembered what Ethan had told me about wiping their memories and I wondered if he somehow also changed them in the process. Karen and Lydia seemed different, although I couldn’t quite place my finger on it.
“I’m telling you,” I said to my two best friends, “I swear that I’m not making it up. He’s not normal.”
“Of course he’s not,” said Karen, “I mean look at him, with a face and body like that, and Mr Hotness is definitely a vampire.”
“Stop calling him that,” I chided. “And he’s not a vampire.”
“How can you be sure?” said Lydia with a mischievous grin on her face. It was good to see her smile again, despite it coming out at my expense. “You keep telling us about his super speed and super strength and I mean, look at him, he’s got the charm of a prince.”
“He’s hardly a prince, Lydia,” I said. “And vampires are blood sucking monsters. They’re not prince charming.”
“Look, here comes Rick. He’ll drop you off,” said Karen as her brother moved the car to pick them up from under the oak tree that kept us dry.
We dashed to his car and in the front seat sat Flora. She looked radiant as ever, her gold hair shone like daylight in the morbid, cloud covered day. Karen, Lydia and I took our usual spot in the back seat. Flora turned around to face us.
Witchling (Chronicles of Witchood) Page 6