“This is a dream,” I repeated. It started to feel like a chant, a protective spell that would somehow prevent the second half of the dream from happening. I’ve never done it before and it felt rather liberating to have some sense of control.
The wind ran her fingers through my hair and sent it flying out in front of my face. I saw the dark brown strands turn red with blood and I felt something seep out from the top of my head. My hand touched the warm sticky substance and quickly realised that I was bleeding. My head throbbed and everything suddenly felt real.
At first I panicked but then remembered my mantra.
“This is a dream. This is a dream. This is a dream.”
The forest floor swirled as the wind fanned a flame to life. It snaked around me and blazed up to lick my skin with its hot tongue. My skin burned at its touch. I cried out and attempted to move away but only to stumble into the fire behind me.
“This is a dream,” I told myself. “Wake up Amy, wake up!”
I must have screamed but it was stifled by a firm hand over my mouth. I woke up to find Aiden’s face looking down at me. My bedside lamp was on and its light contoured his magnificent face. Wide eyed, confused and frightened, I stared at him. He placed a finger to his lips. I nodded and he slowly released his grip over my mouth.
I breathed heavily and found my skin covered in sweat. Aiden shuffled to the edge of bed as I sat up.
“Everything’s alright,” he said gently.
Aiden reached out and brushed my hair from my face. His soft touch sent a wave of shiver across my skin.
“How did you get in?” I bumbled out the question. “My window is locked.”
“Front door.”
“Of course,” I whispered.
Aiden stood up and made his way towards the window. “I should go.”
“Wait. Don’t leave. Please. With the attacks, the dreams and your lack of cooperation, I don’t want to be alone.”
“Lack of cooperation?” Aiden turned and looked at me with furrowed brows.
“You know, with you not telling me what you are and all. It has to do with my dream, doesn’t it? You being here.”
“It’s only a nightmare.” Aiden turned his face towards the ground. I felt a shadow of guilt in his darkened green eyes and knew instantly that he had something to do with it.
The nightmare gripped at my skin, like an invisible sheet that clung on so tightly that it made me sweat.
“Aiden Winters,” I commanded, “look at me when you speak.”
“Amelia,” he started. The way he said my name made me flush with heat and my head started to spin. I didn’t know what came over me as I felt dizzy. Aiden saw the sudden change in my demeanour and he quickly rushed to my side. He placed his arms around my shoulders and cradled me, his skin cool as shaved ice and he smelled of fresh snow. A thought popped into my head and a part of my brain told me that I was starting to hallucinate. Are vampires always this beautiful?
Aiden placed his hand on my forehead. “You’re heating up,” he said with a worried expression.
“What are you?”
“Now is not the time, Amelia.”
“Then when is the right time?”
“You need to cool down.”
“You’re avoiding my question again.”
“You woke up before your nightmare was complete and now your body is paying the price,” said Aiden. He waved his free hand and the blanket over my body lifted up and folded itself in half at the foot of my bed.
Aiden placed me down on my pillow and went over to my dresser where a snuffed out candle sat.
“So I was right,” I whispered, “it was you.”
Aiden clicked his fingers just above the wick. Sparks flew down and a small flame came to life. I pushed myself up and regretted it immediately. My head spun and I felt suddenly sick. Aiden returned to my side and placed his palm slightly below my neck.
“I’m going to put you to sleep.”
“I don’t want to sleep.”
“But you must. It’s the only way I can help you.”
“Help me from what?”
“I will stay with you until day breaks.”
Aiden wouldn’t allow me to question him any further, not that I was successful in gaining any new knowledge from him. He bent down and kissed me on my forehead. His lips felt soft against my skin. Ice seemed to crawl through my body and a wave of sleepiness hit me like a falling anvil. I had no choice but to comply. Within seconds, I was back in the forest and remembered nothing else.
~
I woke to the sound of knocking against my door. Mom poked her head into my room as I opened my eyes.
“You’re going to be late, sweetie,” she told me.
I sat up and looked at the clock. It was quarter to eight. I nodded and she left me to get ready. My room was exactly as I had left it the night before, except for the tiny opening in my window where Aiden had escaped. Although it was hazy, my memories of his soft touch remained intact. I closed my eyes as a wave of embarrassment overtook my senses and twisted my stomach into a squirming knot, uncertain of what exactly occurred during the night.
Aiden had held me in his arms while I, in a half delusional state, questioned him. Naturally, he avoided answering and instead did something to force me back to sleep. The candle was now gone from my dresser and I wondered what time he left. He had said that he would stay until daybreak, which I did not doubt it at all.
I threw myself back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. My hand touched my forehead and remembered the kiss. The very thought of it made my spine rivet with a thrilling sensation. I rolled over and gave a short scream at the sight of Ethan next to me.
He placed his hand over my mouth and grinned.
“Good morning, Amelia.”
Ethan flashed his usual devilish smile at me as I scrambled in the opposite direction and fell off the bed with a thud. Footsteps came up the stairs.
“Amy, are you alright?” my dad called.
“Yeah. I’m fine. I just, um, tripped.”
Ethan pulled an impressed face. “Tripped. Now that’s an excuse.”
“What are you doing here?” I hissed as I felt suddenly conscious of myself. My face was unwashed, my teeth unbrushed and I needed to go to the bathroom, except, I didn’t want to leave Ethan, now that he’s decided to make an appearance.
“It’s my shift to babysit. Aiden just left by the way. Oh don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Quick, get dressed, you’re going to be late for school.”
I stared at him. “What happened last night?”
“Nothing much. You fell asleep. You woke up. Aiden put you back to sleep. All in a night’s work.”
“This is cryptic talk is getting really annoying.”
Ethan lifted his left eyebrow as his lips grinned. “There’s nothing cryptic about what I just said.”
“You know what I mean.”
I attempted to stand up but staggered under my own weight. My head felt heavy and it throbbed with a horrible ache. Ethan caught me as I fell to the ground, only to pull back his arms and let me fall on my mattress.
I did not see him leave but heard the soft click as he closed the window for me. I sat up on my bed and placed my hands on my temples. Something told me that it was going to be a very long and tedious day ahead.
I know I ought to be afraid of the brothers and yet I’m not. Alright, maybe that was a lie and that I was afraid of them, but only just a little. There was something about Ethan and Aiden that told me that if they wanted me dead, they would have done it a while ago.
I looked at myself in the mirror and a pale, messy haired girl stared back. I barely recognised my own reflection as the dark rims returned and little red veins marked the whites of my eyes. I laid back into my bed and rolled over to face the clock. It was almost eight o’clock and I knew that if I didn’t start moving, I would certainly be late for school.
I skipped breakfast and joined Luke in the car just as dad was backing ou
t of the driveway. He dropped me off in the parking lot first and then left with Luke in the backseat. I spotted Aiden’s mustang parked in front of the oak tree and was surprised to see him at school. If Ethan’s report was true, it meant that he hadn’t slept all night while I was burnt alive in my nightmare. I stopped myself and realised that I almost remembered how I died. Usually, the last moments of the dream faded away immediately as soon as I woke up, but this time, the flames lingered on my skin.
I went inside but didn’t have time to search for Aiden. Karen was nowhere to been spotted yet and I guess Lydia had gone over to the hospital to be with her mom. The bell rang and I was the last person to make it to chemistry. Aiden sat in the second row, an empty seat next to him.
He moved his bag off the chair and it was enough of an indication that he had saved it for me. I felt the entire class watch us. The space next to Aiden seemed to have turned into the most coveted seat in the entire school.
“You have some explaining to do,” I whispered to him as I took up the spot.
Chapter 9
Karen’s mouth must have stayed open for much longer than she intended it to as Aiden walked behind me and then proceeded to sit down at the seat to my left in history. It would have been Lydia’s spot, if she were there.
Aiden refused to talk about his break in and extended stay during the night. I was not sure if I wanted to talk about it either, especially when he was now so close and the memory of his arms around my shoulders returned and riveted my body. I had to remind myself that I was only fifteen and he, Aiden Winters, must be at least bazillion years old. In truth, I didn’t really know how old he was, except that he was much older, perhaps a hundred years or two. I attempted to picture him as an old man, all wrinkled and fragile, and that it was only because of his vampire curse or whatever he was that gave him the appearance of a young ageless god. I cannot be sure about my theory until he confirmed it himself. I should have asked Ethan when I had the chance.
When the lunch bell rang, Aiden remained by my side and I felt as if he was guarding me. He sat with us and I was surprised to see him eat for the first time. I didn’t know what I had expected as he ate the burger without trouble. Karen continued to stare, along with the rest of the people who managed to grab a front row view on the surrounding seats. They attempted not to be too obvious as they occasionally glanced in our direction. I pursed my lips and knew that there was no way Aiden would tell me what I needed to know.
“So,” Karen started. “I heard you were from Washington.”
“Yeah,” replied Aiden in a cheerful manner, a completely different person from the silent and uncooperative Aiden I have become accustomed to. “From a little town called Lawrenceville.”
“What made you move all the way to Pennsylvania?”
“Oh, you know, family. Say, I heard your dad’s one of the town’s councilman.”
As Karen spoke, I started to tune out her voice and felt something pull my attention away. I turned my head towards the door and saw a shadowy figure stand at the entrance. No one else seemed to see him. It looked like a thin wisp of shadowy smoke that took the form of a man. My instincts forced my eye to dart across the cafeteria where I spotted Ethan weave his way through the group of senior boys. They didn’t seem to notice him. In his left hand, Ethan held something big and used his jacket to shroud it from view. In his right hand was his phone. I saw how his fingers worked across the screen as he edged his way towards the shadow.
Just as I was about to find out what Ethan’s hidden object was, my phone buzzed a message. I swiped my hand across the black glossy screen and read his text.
Look away
The entrance of the cafeteria exploded with sound as trays and lunches went flying in all direction, along with bits of concrete and the pipes beneath the floor. The fire alarm went off and chaos ensued as students moved to get out. Sewerage bubbled out of the hole where the shadow stood. Ethan was nowhere to be seen. Aiden grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd.
“What’s going on?” I yelled over the noise.
“They’ve found us,” answered Aiden.
“Who?”
He didn’t reply. I soon found myself outside and headed towards the oak tree to where he parked his car. Aiden pulled open the door for me.
“I can’t just leave,” I protested. Aiden lowered his face and the light caught his emerald green eyes. I saw a glint of darkness dance across his face as I searched for answers.
“In the car,” he said in a low dangerous tone that stirred fear inside me. He didn’t have time for my questions. I refused to comply. Aiden placed his hand on my head and pushed me down and into the passenger seat. I attempted to resist but he was much too strong. He pulled the seatbelt over my body and closed the door.
Before I could even attempt to escape, Aiden was in the driver’s seat and the turned the ignition. He backed out of the parking space and drove out of the school grounds.
“This is kidnapping,” I complained.
Aiden didn’t reply as his eyes darted towards the rear view mirror. He saw something and decided to press down on the accelerator and as the car launched forward, I felt the force push me into my seat.
I checked the side mirror and saw that, in the distance, a grainy shadowed creature rose out of the asphalt and stood in the middle of the road. It didn’t have a face and the only features it had was a socketless hole for eyes.
“What is that thing?”
Aiden remained silent as he turned the corner and I lost sight of the shadow.
“Where are you taking me? Aiden, for goodness sake, just say something!”
Aiden drove on without a word to me and it was clear enough that no matter how hard I tried, he would not squeak a sound until it was absolutely necessary. I took out my phone and dialled for Ethan. I didn’t know what else to do. At least he always responds when I say or ask something, even if it meant side stepped answers or skirted around replies. Aiden was giving me absolutely nothing and I decided that this annoyed me more. I caught his sideways glance as I pressed the phone to my ear.
“What?” said Ethan. I could hear the sound of the school and the fire alarm in the background.
“Your brother’s gone mute.”
“Yeah. Can’t help you with that. Look, I’m trying to save everyone’s life. You’ll have to talk to someone else.”
The phone went dead and I was forced to stare out the front window. I closed my eyes and exhaled loudly.
“Why are you doing this? This silent act is not doing you well. Please, just say something.”
Aiden refused to comply and it was clear that he needed some sort of dramatic motivation to get something out of him. His silence was gnawing on my sanity and after the explosion and sights of the shadowed figures, I didn’t know if I had truly gone insane. But I wasn’t the only person that saw it, Ethan was in the cafeteria heading towards it and Aiden must have certainly seen it too, why else would he be driving at hundred miles per hour in a suburban area? Then there was still the matter of the murder and the murderer speeding like hell’s on fire.
“Stop the car,” I demanded but Aiden ignored me. “Stop the car, right now.”
I unlocked the door and unbuckled my seat belt. Aiden slammed his foot down on the brake as I opened the door. He grabbed my arm just before I fell out and the car screeched to a stop.
“What are you doing?!” he yelled. It was the first time I’ve ever seen him angry and the sight of his face reminded me of the executioner in my nightmare. I don’t know how I made the connection, but I did, and that terrified me to think that he might be the one to kill me after all. I attempted to get out but Aiden’s grip on me was too tight. I was no match for him.
“Tell me what is going on!” I screamed. My body was shaking and fear of the unknown mingled with my blood and flowed through me. I felt like crying but held back the tears in my throat.
“I apologize,” Aiden whispered. He leaned over and placed his strong musc
led arms around me and pressed my head against his chest. “I mean not to frighten you. I have to put you to sleep.”
“What?”
I felt Aiden close his eyes as he placed his hand on the nape of my neck. Without warning, I slipped into darkness and forced into unconsciousness.
~
I woke up in a stranger’s room. I sat up and found the place covered in bookshelves. Curtains blotted out the sunrays that attempted to stream in through the large French windows.
I got up and made my way towards the door. The bedroom was the size of my living room and a dead fireplace sat against one of the walls. Two armchairs rested in front. The door was solid hardwood, carved with an intricate oak tree. I turned the knob and edged slowly out of the room.
The corridor was wide and short, with several more doors for me to open and discover what stood behind them. I didn’t know where I was and there was no other choice but to explore and find a way out. In the middle of the corridor was a large arched opening that led to a larger room lined with books, two fireplaces and stairs to the second floor. A leather couch set sat with a large table where a crystal whisky set rested on a silver platter.
The large double paned windows are closed; its latch down and locked. I walked into the living area and stood in the middle, looking for a way out. I suppose I could climb out the window. I could see the grass outside and evergreen spruce trees. The house was definitely in the forest and there is only one forest in Angel’s Fall.
“Amelia,” said a gentle voice. I turned around and Aiden stood beneath the archway, his tussled hair played with the rays of light while his flawless skin looked like marble.
“Where am I?”
“This is my house,” he informed me.
“You knocked me out.”
Aiden averted his eyes. “Please, don’t be afraid of me. I only wished to keep you safe.”
“Of course,” I whispered, half-sceptical but I felt it in my heart that he was not lying. “So are you going to tell me what you are?”
Aiden closed his eyes momentarily and smiled. “You’re not going to give up, are you?”
Witchling (Chronicles of Witchood) Page 8