Felix only spoke when we reached the apartment. I was surprised to see that everything was being packed. When Vanessa saw me, she rushes toward me and touched my arm lightly. “Are you alright?” she asked. Her concern also surprised me, not because she was cruel in any way, but because she seemed genuine and I didn’t really think she cared. I nodded at her and said, “Yes, I’m fine now.”“We were so worried,” Sven said, stepping forward. “That man who took you; he was your father?”I nodded. For some reason, I felt ashamed by his actions. All three of them looked at me like they felt sorry for me, in a sense, and then they looked at Felix. I was glad to see that Jay didn’t look like he pitied me at all. In fact, he didn’t even seem glad to see me. Vanessa nodded and then I went on my way. It just made sense for me to go to the bedroom I used to sleep in. The room was empty, though, and I stood in the middle of it with my arms folded and exhaled sharply. I asked myself where this wa
The move to Vanessa’s place was unproblematic and frankly, I was starting to get used to this constant moving and instability. It didn’t bother me anymore.What bothered me was how thick the tension in the car was. Nobody spoke yet I could sense the silent agitation all around me. I suddenly recalled what Sven said about wanting to lead ordinary lives because he found wealth boring. Was that the case? Did they not want to leave the apartment building? In that case, I felt bad. I didn’t mean to uproot them from their place. It was all my father’s fault. If he had minded his business, this wouldn’t have happened. The drive was a long one. I was lost in my thoughts so I didn’t really see where we were going. I was thinking about what happened these past few days. About my encounter with my father. Everything got too overwhelming whenever I thought about it all, though, so I preferred to shut my thoughts down and stare out the window instead. We were in an isolated area. They’d taken
The dried leaves were crunching beneath my feet. The weather was wonderful up here. We were far away from the city and were surrounded by trees instead. The air was fresh and crisp, and up here I felt like I was breathing for the first time in my life. It was completely silent. The night sky was a deep blue and clear. Not a star could be seen. All around me were swaying trees and a forest floor thick with dead leaves and branches. We were walking for about five minutes. Somehow, I was more worried about the rising sun than him. We were now alongside each other and occasionally, our arms would brush against each other. Felix didn’t tell me where we were going and I didn’t mind anymore. I was starting to get used to him not giving me a heads up. I saw a structure up ahead though it wasn’t all that light. It wasn’t the darkest night but not the lightest one either. The moon was just a sliver in the sky and it didn’t illuminate the area all around us the way a full moon would. Thinki
Waking up groggy and disoriented was a part of my life now. Being immersed in complete darkness like this wasn’t something I’d get used to, not ever. I didn’t know how they could comfortably live like this. At least the lights could be turned on. What was the time, anyway?I sat up in the dark room, the bed groaning along with me. I looked around, hoping to see something. Catch some light. I couldn’t. It was completely pitch black and—Just then, the lights in the room turned on. I closed my eyes to shield them from the glare and had to blink slowly in order for them to adjust to this new light. I wiped the tears accumulating around them and then dared to open my eyes. They were getting comfortable now—there was a lot less stinging involved. Finally. I got up and stretched my arms above my head. I heard a crack in my back and felt less tension there. I was unsure about going downstairs but if the lights had turned on, someone was probably awake. I opened the door and stepped out
There was an energy in the house that was unmistakable. This was the second day that I had been here and already the mood had changed. I thought everyone was upset about leaving the city and coming here but if that was the case before, it wasn’t the case now. Everyone appeared to be happy and there was a party atmosphere that I couldn’t put my finger on. When I went downstairs and Sven informed me that they would be throwing a dinner party, then everything made sense to me. “The people coming are trustworthy. Don’t worry.”I didn’t know if he’d seen panic cross my features when he told me. Perhaps that was the case. I didn’t trust most vampires, I’d say. But if he said I didn’t have to worry, then it was futile to worry. Vanessa pulled me aside when she saw me and said, “Tonight is expected to be a more formal event so we’re all going to get dressed up a little. I have clothes for you to try out.”“Thanks,” I said, unsure of what else to say. “That is in case you want to particip
I looked around in hopes to spot Felix bug he was nowhere to be found. The vampire before me was still ogling me and I wanted nothing more than to hide from him. Who were these people? I didn’t like them. The only vampires I liked were the ones Felix introduced me to. “What’s the matter?” he asked in a low voice. “Cat got your tongue?”“Nobody says that anymore,” I said sharply. This made him laugh. He flashed his sharp canine, which made me shiver a little at the sight of it. “Is that so? Forgive me. I come for a different time.”“I know.”“Really?” he asked. “What else do you know, since you seem to know everything?”I pressed my lips together and didn’t say anything else further. He stared at me with an amused expression, which made me wonder why all these vampires were so obsessed with witches. What was the matter with them? I didn’t have any powers of enticement, as far as I was concerned. I was just ordinary. The only thing I was good at (apparently) was killing werewolves w
Felix and I went back outside. By then, tears were running down my face. I was heavily affected by everything I had seen and this sickening feeling grew inside of me, leaving space for nothing else. He only stopped when we were a safe distance from the house. Once we did, I covered my face with my hands and cried. The feeling of lightness and relief I felt earlier vanished; that insolent and cold-hearted vampire ruined everything. Felix put his hands on my arms comfortingly. His touch was gentle and welcome. He didn’t say a word; he only watched me cry until I felt cleaner and better about myself. When I took my hands away from my face, he wiped my tears gingerly. “Don’t cry,” he said intensely, his eyes on mine. “That’s exactly what he wants. He feeds off despair and helplessness. Don’t give him what he wants, not ever.”“He’s such an asshole,” I said because I didn’t know what else to say. And it was true. He was an asshole. He was the worst vampire I’d ever met. “He’s always be
I hadn’t stopped thinking about Felix since he left my side outside after we shared that kiss that should never have happened. I was sure the sun had already risen and so I wouldn’t be seeing him again anytime soon. The way he left and the sound he made as he fled the scene made my cheeks warm up each time without fail. I was embarrassed by what I felt and thought in the moments before the kiss. How had things changed so drastically? How did I go from hating him with all my heart to thinking it was okay for him to kiss me? Where was the old Jade? Had feelings of guilt and loneliness shaped her forever? I had to admit that I’d become unrecognizable, even to myself. Now, I was only wondering what he thought. Had he felt because of how disgusted he was? I didn’t want to think that way but he hadn’t given me a choice. I was now self-conscious and too self-aware to wind down and not worry about it at all. I wondered why it was that he didn’t look at me after the kiss when he was the one