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“Does it have a happy ending?” I asked, curious about vampires, but somewhat afraid of gory ones, considering.
She shrugged. “They’re still together at the end, so maybe.”
We watched it, and it was good and not what I expected. The vampires were married and had been for quite a while, but had been living separately, one in Detroit and one in Morocco. When the hero became depressed, the heroine came to Detroit and cheered him up. The chief problem they faced was getting clean blood. Human blood was generally contaminated and it made them sick. They went to Morocco together and although they’d did their best to get clean blood from blood banks, they were unable to find any and ended up attacking a young couple.
I liked it because it was rather artsy and deep rather than a horror film and I was surprised Chelsea liked it.
In truth, it only made me more preoccupied with Kier and what would happen when Chelsea went to bed and I was supposed to go to him in the guesthouse.
Would I go? I did the night before. I knew that as soon as she went to bed, I would as well.
When Chelsea yawned a few minutes before midnight, I turned to her.
“Maybe, you should stay up a while longer.”
She shook her head. “I want to but I’m so damn exhausted.”
When she stood up and started towards the bedroom, I turned and watched.
“Stay here instead,” I said. “Sleep on the couch.”
“I can’t,” she said and shrugged helplessly. “I’m going to fall asleep standing up.”
Damn… Had Kier compelled her to go to bed at a certain time so he could count on us being undisturbed?
“Just come back for a little while, please…”
She sighed and plopped down beside me, her long curly blonde hair splayed out on the back of the couch. “I can barely keep my eyes open.”
“I have just the solution,” I said and went to the kitchen where my mom kept a spray bottle of water for her plants. I grabbed it and went back to the couch. After I was seated, I sprayed it directly in Chelsea’s face. She startled and sat up, blinking.
“Hey!” she said and wiped her cheeks. Then, she smiled. “Great thinking. Keep it up whenever I look like I’m falling asleep.”
“I’m sorry to do this,” I said, “but I really really don’t want you to go to sleep.” Once she went to her bedroom, I knew I’d have to go to Kier.
We put on some music and I grabbed her arm and forced her up to dance with me, holding her hands and swinging them to the beat of some dubstep on the satellite station. It was totally surreal, for there Chelsea was, exhausted, her eyes blinking whenever I sprayed her with water. The rest of the time she yawned and rubbed her eyes, barely moving to the beat.
Finally, she flopped back down on the sofa. “I’m done, really.” She laid her head back on the sofa and closed her eyes. “Just so sleepy…”
I switched off the music and when I turned back, Kier was standing in the house, watching us.
“It’s time for bed, Chelsea,” he said, his voice soft but with a thin edge to it. “Say goodnight to Calla and go get some sleep. You’re so tired, you can’t stay up a moment longer.”
Chelsea nodded and stood up, her eyelids heavy. “Nite nite, Calla,” she said with a yawn, her arm draped over my shoulder. “Sleep tight. Don’t let the impalers bite.”
Then she left us and I was alone with Kier. I didn’t want to look him in the eye because I knew he’d be mad that I tried to resist his compulsion.
He held his hand out, and I didn’t reach out to offer him my hand.
“You’re very strong willed to even try to disobey me.”
“I don’t feel very strong willed,” I said, clasping my hands behind my back. “I feel like a slave if you can make me do anything you command.”
He nodded. “I understand, but I haven’t compelled you to obey me completely. I could but I don’t like doing more than is necessary for safety. I understand the human need for a sense of free will. However,” he said and narrowed his eyes, “if you become too difficult, I may have to.”
I made a sour face. “I don’t want that.”
He stood waiting, his hands on his hips. “I can’t afford too much disobedience from you. I must prepare to leave and I need your help.”
