by Elle A. Rose
***
When we finally made it to Virginia, the enormity of my situation hit me the hardest. There was no turning back. Somewhere in my mind, I kept thinking that I was dreaming, or it was just some really bad joke that Robert was playing on me. Nevertheless, as I entered the cottage that was occupied by my new travel mates, it all came crashing down. I tried for as long as I could to stay composed. After Christopher showed me where I could sleep-something I had not done in four days-all I could do was lay there and shake. For hours, I did nothing more than produce tearless sobs. Time for a while seemed to slip by before I felt a set of arms wrap around me and pull me close to their body. I did not turn around to see who it was. With my new sense of smell, I was able to tell immediately it was Christopher holding me. He never spoke out loud, he just held me. I could feel his slow and steady breath against my hair. Every so often, he would softly kiss the back of my head. As I relaxed into his body, I realized that he was speaking to me. Communicating through my ability to read minds, he calmly talked to me, telling me everything would eventually work out, and this life, my new life, was not as bad as I thought.
Once again, I lost track of time. I would not give into the hunger that was calling me. I just laid there in his arms. Neither Isaac nor Olivia came to check on me, but I could hear their thoughts. Olivia wondered if she had made the right choice by not waiting for Jackson to kill me too. She also questioned if I was hungry. I was a little confused by Isaac’s thoughts. It took me a little to understand that not only was I hearing his thoughts, but also the echo of Olivia’s and Christopher’s. Once I got that clear, I was able to hear his as well. He worried that Jackson may become bold and seek us out, and if Christopher was behaving himself, in addition to if I was hungry.
After laying there for what could have been hours or days, I finally broke the silence. “Do vampires sleep?” I still was encased in Christopher’s arms.
I felt him stir slightly before he responded. “Yes, we do, but we do not need a lot of sleep. Remember we told you most vampires are weaker in the middle of the day? Well you will also find that the only time a vampire is able to or willing to sleep, is during the week of the full moon. The combination of the moon and the sun at full force makes us sleepy. We still do not sleep as much as humans; however, during the time when the sun is at the highest point, you will not find a vampire in sight.”
I pondered what he said. I had a few questions; instead of speaking out loud, I tried to communicate mentally. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“What will happen to me? Will I become tired as well during this time, since the sun does not affect me in the same way it affects you?”
“Perhaps, we will have to wait and see”
I closed my eyes again, not knowing what to think of my new abilities. Taking a long deep breath, we laid there in complete silence.
At that time, I did not realize that I was in Christopher’s room. It did not really matter in the first few weeks, I only left the room to feed, and regardless of where I went, he was by my side. When my body shook, he held me until it stopped. When I had a question, he did his best to answer it, and when I was hungry, he ate with me. He never once complained about sharing his room, answering a question-no matter how weird it was, or eating even if he was full. When the week of the first full moon came, I was ready to welcome sleep. Yet, things did not go as planned. I did feel the effects of the week, but I could not sleep in the beginning. Christopher, Olivia, and Isaac did though. For the few hours during the day while Christopher slept, I remained wrapped tight in his arms. When the night time was upon us, I finally fell asleep and Christopher never left my side.
That first evening I slept for six hours. I felt my eye lids become heavy around the time that the sun was setting. I did not wake up until after eleven that night. The next night was the same; although, I did wake up screaming. Olivia and Isaac came rushing in the room only to see Christopher holding me as I shuddered. I could not remember what upset me so much. I attempted to calm myself. It took everything in me to turn my body around to face Christopher. I had to know what woke me with such a start. I hoped Christopher could help. “Do you think you can see what my dream was about, even if I do not remember the dream?”
I could see the concern in his green eyes. I know my dream had worried him too. Christopher stroked the back of my head and agreed. “I can try.”
I held my body perfectly still and locked eyes with him. I knew the moment I stared into his beautiful green eyes that I would be lost. Only a few seconds went by before he broke eye contact. That was all the time I needed. Within those few seconds, I saw what had made me scream. I saw my life change before my eyes. Isaac saw it too. Between the three of us, no one spoke. Olivia who was left out of the mind reading circle finally broke the silence.
“Will someone tell me what scared her? I thought it was bad living with the two of you knowing almost everything, but this is going to drive me crazy.”
Isaac took her by the hand and brought it to his lips. “She saw us. She was reliving everything that has happened to her in the last few days.”
Comprehension settled over Olivia, and she too became quiet.