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The thought of being alone right now scares the hell out of me, I don’t want to think about everything I’ve been through and I know if I’m left alone that’s all I’ll do. “Please.” I beg as I open my bedroom door.
“Areyna, you’ve been through so much over the last few days. Just get some rest.” He hovers in the doorway and I feel my shoulders fall. All I want is for someone to hold me, keep me company, but I guess it’s too much to ask for right now. He’s right, I know it, but it doesn’t make the rejection hurt any less.
“I should go.” He whispers, but Derrin doesn’t move. “Areyna, I swear I never lied to you. The subject of my family just never came up. I swear I didn’t withhold anything on purpose.”
“I know.” I whisper back. I blink and his arms wrap around me, giving me the comfort I’ve been craving for what feels like forever. “I’ll stay, but only until you fall asleep. Okay?”
“Thank you.”
He guides me over to the bed, pulling the sheets back and waiting until I’m lying down before joining me. It feels right to have him here, yet wrong at the same time. Almost as though something is missing.No, not something. Someone. Several some ones.I think right before I feel Derrin wrap his arms around me from behind. He presses a kiss to my neck, making my body shiver. I want so much more, but my eyes close without another thought crossing my mind.
Sweat trickles down my spine. I’m running, I’m not sure what from but I know I have to get away. Something bad is behind me, I can feel them practically breathing down my neck. My heart starts to pound as my fangs drop through my gums. I hit a dead end, finding myself trapped at the end of an alley. There’s no way out but up, so I jump higher than I’ve ever jumped before. I feel like I can fly but there’s no time to enjoy the sensation as I hear the thud of feet from whoever is chasing me. “Eliza… You can’t run forever. I will find you!”
I hit the ground on the other side of the fence and glance back. There’s nothing but empty shadows, but I swear I can feel eyes on me. I don’t wait around, I keep running.
My feet barely touching the ground as I run faster than I’ve ever run before. “Eliza!” The voice is so familiar but I can’t place where I know it from. All I know is that I need to get away. Whoever that is that’s yelling my name means harm to me. I know for certain but I couldn’t tell you how I know.
My feet carry me towards the woods. There’s something in the woods that feels safe to me, but I don’t remember what it is.
Branches scratch up my arms, tree roots threaten to trip me, but I keep running.
I wake with my heart pounding and a cold coating of sweat covering my entire body, but the worst part is that I wake upalone.
After showering and getting dressed, I wander down to the kitchen in search of some food, but there’s no one else around. Curious, I poke my head into the downstairs rooms, moving from the kitchen to the living room, bathroom and the office and then out the back. I’m starting to worry by the time I head back upstairs to the bedrooms and games room. Jason’s room is empty. The two guest rooms are as well. I double check my own room before peeking into Richard’s room, but there’s no sign of anyone at all.
I take the stairs two at a time, then head through the kitchen and out to the adjoined garage. Both Richard’s and Jason’s cars are gone. With my heart thundering in my chest, I search the front yard, checking to see if Derrin or Torren’s cars are there but again, I come up empty.
“Remmie.” I blurt out running back around the house until I’m in the yard between our house and the fence that separates the two properties. I lift my hand to the gate only for it to swing open, nearly knocking me on my ass.
“Sorry. Didn’t think you would be standing so close.” Remmie mutters rubbing the back of his neck, his face is flushed red and it only serves to highlight his aqua blue eyes.
“Where is everyone?” I ask, tearing my gaze from his eyes.
“Torren and Derrin went home to get some clothes, and to reassure the parents that everything is fine. Rourke is wandering around somewhere near the woods and Richard and Jason had to go into the station.” Remmie presses his hand to my lower back, guiding me away from the gate between our yards.
I stop moving as his words sink in, “The station? How is Richard going to explain his return from the grave?”
Remmie’s eyes harden, “He’s not.” He says. I can tell there’s more to this, but I don’t know if I want to know the truth of it all. Remmie sighs before telling me, “He convinced Jason to do a spell that makes him look like someone else.”
“That’s really dangerous, isn’t it?”
Remmie cups my jaw, tilting my face up so I’m looking him in his eyes, “It is, but they need to speak to the human police and find out about the newest murder at the school.” His thumb rubs back and forth along my jaw, distracting me from his words.
Wait… Another murder?“There’s been another one?” I ask.
“Yes, it happened yesterday, Jason was withholding the information until this morning. He thought our problems were more important.” From the way he speaks, I get the feeling Remmie doesn’t agree with Jason.
“Typical.” I mutter, turning back towards the house. We’re only a few feet away from the back door when I pause again, “Um, I have a question, where exactly do Torren and Derrin live?” I can feel the tugging in my chest that links me to them, but it’s not painful, just irritating.
“You are wondering about the bond.” He nods, then adds, “You don’t have to worry, the bond won’t be strained, Rourke gave us each an amulet with a drop of your blood in it. So long as we have these, we’ll be able to go a few blocks from you without any adverse effects. At least that’s what Rourke told us. Whether it’s true or not remains to be seen.” He holds out a necklace with a deep red coloured amulet. There’s an image etched into the face of the gemstone, a scaly circle enclosed around an eternity symbol.
I reach up, tracing the strangely familiar symbol with the tip of my fingers. “Let’s hope something goes right for us-.” I don’t get a chance to say anything else. Something hits me on the back of the head.
The world goes black.
All I can hear is my own heart beating. The rhythm it’s striking is so fast that it reminds me of the heaviest dub beat. I’ve always hated that techno music, having my heart beating to that rhythm is driving me insane. Yet I can’t make it slow down. I know something is wrong, but I can’t figure out where I am or what I’m running from. All I know is that I have to run. I have to stay away from whoever is chasing me.
My foot hits something hard and I land on my knees. The concrete beneath me has cracks running through it, but it feels wrong. Like it isn’t real.
