Revolutions (Davenport Manor Book 3)
Page 20
“Emma is going to explain what happens now,” Todd began. “I highly doubt you want to stay here and honestly, this house is getting a little small for all the ex-girlfriends that are being added to it.”
Kelly began to cry again when she heard the word “ex-girlfriend”, knowing that he was referring to her.
“There are several options that you have, but the first one I’m suggesting is the one I think would be in your best interest,” Emma started. “I’m going to release you, free to go home or live wherever you want. However, I am assigning two guards to watch over you for the rest of your life. You won’t see them, they won’t be in your way, they’re there to protect both you and us. Otherwise, I’ll have to hand you over to Aidan and I have no idea what he would do with you. He might keep you as his personal living weapon, he might send you to be with another king or queen, or he might kill you. It’s hard to say.”
Kelly sat quietly as she listened intently to Emma’s options. Frankly, neither of them sounded good. But, she knew she’d have to pick one of them, so of course having guards didn’t sound so bad. She quietly agreed to those terms.
“One more thing,” Emma added. “Should we ever need any of your blood as a defense, we’ll do the polite thing by asking for it, but…”
“You’ll come and take it anyway,” Kelly interrupted. “That’s fine, whatever.”
“Kelly…I truly am sorry that you got mixed up in all of this, with us, and our world. When we came to you for help that day, never in my wildest dreams did I think that you were going to be a living weapon, too. However, if it wasn’t for you, I don’t know if we would’ve ever found Todd…not alive at least. I’m forever grateful.”
“As am I,” Todd spoke up. “Just because I’m breaking up with you doesn’t mean that I don’t care about you. I just don’t feel like this is going to work, as much as I wanted it to and I know you did as well.”
“The only other thing I ask is that you tell no one about our secrets here. If you do…” Emma warned, not needing to finish the sentence. “Stay as long as you need to, no need to rush.”
Kelly’s chin quivered once again, a prelude to more tears. She was heartbroken and embarrassed; it felt as though she was being fired and evicted from a life that she loved. It was a life she never dreamed that she would have lived. Not many people got to say that they were invited to live in Davenport Manor. She also felt lucky that she got to date the actor she had a crush on for so long and wanted to stay with him so badly. Then, there were the vampires. She felt special because she knew about this species that existed and was entrusted with their secrets. She had grown accustomed to them as if they were just regular people.
On the contrary, she never felt like she belonged in their world; as if she had stumbled in by accident. Not just the vampire world, but the celebrity world as well. She was just an ordinary girl from the suburbs and was living a fairytale, knowing it was too good to last. However, she thought for sure that she and Todd would last longer than this. She was the envy of her friends for dating him. For being invited to live in Davenport Manor. For the sudden boost in status that she had acquired by chance. What her friends didn’t know was that the only reason she was there was because of what she was, and she certainly couldn’t explain what a living weapon was to them. She had no idea how to go back to living a normal, boring life after what she had experienced in the past six months.
“You know what?” Kelly started. “I don’t have a lot of things to pack. I really just want to go home…my real home in Mount Prospect. I’m sure I would get it done a lot faster if I had a little bit of vampire help.”
She didn’t feel comfortable staying there for any longer. She could read people and she knew when she wasn’t wanted; she was well aware that Emma was only letting her stay to be polite. Honestly, she just wanted to be away from the Manor, away from Todd, away from vampires and living weapons and all things that came with the territory. She just wanted to get away and forget this life.
The three resident vampires helped her pack much more rapidly than any humans could have. In less than twenty minutes, all of her belongings were packed and shoved into her car. They all gathered into the foyer to say their goodbyes. All of them genuinely liked Kelly; she was a good person with a kind heart. She just didn’t know how to control her jealousy, which ultimately ended her relationship with Todd.
Daniel hugged her first, telling her not to be a stranger and made sure that she had his cell number and her phone. She had taken good care of him when Brianna had drugged him the previous year, and he never forgot her kindness.
Zachariah stepped up next and gave her a big, tight hug in true Zachariah fashion. He told her that she would be okay and that she was better off getting away from the supernatural world.
Emma and Kelly stared at each other for a moment. Kelly didn’t know what to say or what to do.
“Like Daniel said, don’t be a stranger. I always liked you…even for a human,” Emma said while giving her a loose embrace. “Thank you for all you’ve done for us.”
Kelly took a deep breath, not wanting to face the last person, as she knew it would be final. Todd put his arm around her and led her out the front door before speaking. They both knew that whatever was said would be heard from the inside, but it was easy to pretend that they couldn’t when they didn’t see them.
“I have a hard time completely letting go of people,” Todd started. “I’m hoping that over time you and I will be able to be friends again. Once any bitter feelings are gone, once the heartbreak has healed, I would like to keep in touch with you. Are you open to that?”
Kelly felt her face getting hot in her eyes filling with tears once again, but she nodded. At the moment, she felt as though she would never get over him. Todd stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug as she buried her face in his chest.
“It’ll get better over time, you know that. I’ll always care about you and I’ll always love you. I wish you only the best in life, unfortunately it is not going to be with me. Allow yourself to move on and if you ever feel so inclined, shoot me a text to say hello. Okay?”
Kelly stood on her tip toes one last time and gave him a kiss on the cheek, telling him goodbye. She turned away and walked to her car and climbed then as he walked to the porch, climbed the first couple of steps, and turned around to watch her drive away. As she pulled out of the circle drive and looked in her rearview mirror, she saw him wiping a tear from his eye.
Melissa Zaroski was bitten by the writing bug as a child when she began to write short stories about fantasy lands and her own experiences. She always loved to escape real life and immerse herself in imaginary stories. As a teenager, she would write short stories and poems, mostly to express her teenage angst!
In 2009 she gained an opportunity to write for Examiner.com. She writes columns on Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood), Joe Manganiello (True Blood), Tom Wisdom (300, Dominion), and Kevin Alejandro (True Blood). She has conducted a phone interview with Joe Manganiello and several interviews with Tom Wisdom.
Melissa likes to read in her spare time; mostly Charlaine Harris, J. K. Rowling, and Sophie Kinsella. Being an animal-lover, she volunteers with Grassroots Animal Rescue in Chicago and fosters homeless kittens; most come to her sick and she nurses them back to health. She likes to go ballroom dancing with her husband and catch up on their favorite TV shows, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, Downton Abbey, Mr. Selfridge, Orange is the New Black, and Mad Men.
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Melissa Zaroski – Author & Columnist
http://MelissaZaroski.com
Twitter: @MelissaZaroski
Facebook:www.facebook.com/MelissaZaroski
i, Revolutions (Davenport Manor Book 3)