Happy Reading!
**Thanks to all who are so loyal to this story and to my faithful critiquers - Angel of Death, 200397, Night Mistress, Dommy65, Lucyy, Niccy_V, JabberHut, Merry_Haven, & Meep - you all are amazing!**
_______________________
CHAPTER TWO
In only a few moments, the manor came into view. The elderly Victorian-style home rested just off the gravel driveway, its wrap-around porch sagging under the weight of years of wear and tear. The shutters were an inky black, drastically contrasting with the off-white outside walls. Three storeys tall, it would have been a magnificent sight in its youth, but now, over a few hundred years old, it had lost its appeal.
The boys were already climbing the porch steps, rowdily pushing each other as they escaped into the house, as Carmen and I arrived. Smiling, I eased into a gentle trot, taking the music box from under my arm. The metal had cooled in the run, now chilly in my hands. Carmen was a few steps ahead, eyes locked on someone leaning against the porch railing.
A blanket of lush red hair framed an angelic face that shamed even Botticelli's Venus. With eyes the shade of violets, she closely resembled a spring sunrise, and her slender figure drew Carmen's eyes like a fly to a burning flame. Disgusted, I turned to see Carmen’s eyes back on me.
Slightly surprised, I started, faltering in my steps. I could see the look in his eyes—the same look he got every time I caught him staring at Nora. It was a look of guilt, but also one of seeking forgiveness. It was one that made me feel guilty for some unknown reason. It made me feel like I was the one to blame, although it was his wandering eyes that he should be shameful of.
“Back so soon?” Nora’s whimsical voice floated into our ears, causing both of us to look up, me against my will.
“Yeah, it was only a quick trip,” Carmen informed her, closing the gap between the house and the driveway before finally mounting the steps. I hung back, slowing to a glacial pace.
“What did Yamari say about the move?” Nora asked, straightening from her position on the porch and approaching Carmen.
“Nothing really.” Carmen shrugged, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. I knew he was holding back from sharing with Nora about Yamari and my private meeting. Half of me felt a certain sort of hope, that Carmen was still loyal to me. But the other half was just confused at the opposite part. Why would it matter if Carmen told Nora about it? It wasn’t like he knew what went on anyway.
Shaking my head I sped up to my normal pace and reached the porch just as Carmen and Nora entered the home. Pausing behind them, I glanced back once, knowing that tomorrow, we would be leaving this place for—quite possibly—ever.
Turning back to enter the house, I was met by the warmth of a crackling fire and the soft murmur of talking voices. Smiling, I closed the door behind me. Many of my fellow members inclined their heads toward me and a few smiled at my return. Otherwise, most were engrossed in conversations, too intent upon who they were talking with to bother looking upwards at our arrival.
Nodding to the few who acknowledged my presence, I silently made my way through the foyer and up the stairs. At times like this, where the atmosphere was free of anxiety, I relished the feeling of a human pace. Normally, I would reach my room in unnatural time. But it was nice to slow down every once and a while; to return back to the time where I didn’t have the power to speed around without a second thought.
Music box still in hand, I reached my room a few moments later. Inside, two double beds laid to the left, separated by a small end table with a lamp astride it. The one closest to the window was mine, while the one closest to the door was Nora’s.
Nora.
Nora the Blessed; Nora the Warrior; Nora… my friend?
I still couldn’t figure out where it all had changed. When had our friendship shifted? There was never any warning of it. One moment, we were as close as sister’s. Next, Nora was flirting with Carmen, glancing my way with a look that told me all that I needed to know. It said: stay away, he’s mine.
Then again, it wasn’t like Nora was all to blame. Carmen seemed to encourage the behavior, flirting right back. It was hard to be mad at him for any period of time, though. He always seemed to keep himself on my good side. I still couldn’t fathom his ability at this when most of the time he was just making the situation worse.
Since that first sight of Nora and Carmen together things had started to unravel. It was then I made that stupid mistake—something I was sure that I would regret for the rest of my life. It all could be traced back to that first day, Nora’s hand on Carmen’s shoulder, her body leaning into his—
Cutting this image off, I traversed over to my bed and placed the music box on the end table. Not having the patience to worry over her anymore, I changed into a pair of sweats and an overlarge sweatshirt, grateful to be out of my uncomfortable jeans. Eyeing my closet, I knew that if Philip found out that I had yet to pack, I would be in a heap of trouble. But I wouldn’t let myself think about that now.
I needed to rest, and I needed to think. I hadn’t slept well since the incident, barely a month ago. I knew that Nora had passed that information onto Carmen, and Carmen had let it slip to Philip. It was the only explanation for his behavior today, sending Carmen and his crew to act like body guards for the humans.
Sneering at the thought of them, I restlessly paced over to the window. Through the foggy pane, I could see the thick forest below, slowly creeping closer and closer to the manor. Over the years, the forest had overgrown half of the backyard, now barely a few feet away from the back porch. In the distance, light refracted, creating a soft twinkle on the horizon. I knew that was where Lake Mille Lacs resided. Even with the thick snow coating everything, I knew that the lake was still battling against winter’s icy grip.
“Sophia?” a voice sounded from behind me.
Without turning, I knew who it was. “What?” I snapped, unable to hide my dislike for her at the moment.
“Jeez, you don’t have to be so snippety. I was just coming in to check on you. Carmen wanted me to.” With that, Nora shut the bedroom door and left me alone with my thoughts. I hated when she tried to be nice to me just for Carmen’s sake. It was especially infuriating when she spoke down to me as if I was a child. I had detected that superior tone, that annoying soprano ring that grated on my ears.
Spinning away from the window, I threw my dirty clothes into the open closet before collapsing onto my bed. I had no choice but to use the time I had to sleep.
Besides, this was the last night that I would be able to sleep in my own bed.
Tomorrow, we would be gone.
* * * *
Sleep eluded me. Either my mind was on overload after all that had happened or the gods above decided to punish me yet again, I wasn’t sure. But towards midnight, I was forced awake yet again for no other reason than that my toes were exposed to the evening chill.
Glancing to my left, my eyebrows shot upwards when I didn’t see a mound where Nora should have been in her bed. Listening intently, I was able to pinpoint her quite easily. But it didn’t leave me feeling any better.
She was in Carmen’s room; I could tell by his scent coating the inside of the dormitory she was in. Throwing the covers off, I could think of nothing else than to escape the confines of the building. I couldn’t stand another minute inside the manor.
Shoving my feet into a pair of boots and throwing on a hat, I leaped agilely from my room and over the railing of the stairs, landing soundlessly onto the main level floor, hands on my knees. Crossing the foyer, I stepped into the wintry air, the wind tangling the hair peeking out from under my hat. Snow was thrown into the air with vicious punches, thick gray clouds crowding the sky above. The temperature must have dropped at least ten degrees since the last time I was outside and I could feel the frosty weather nip at my exposed hands and face.
Yes, I could feel the cold. I could even have a sense of pain when the wind chafed my face. And yet, it left me feeling the same. My blood had long ago ceased to pump with a lively rhythm. Now my veins were thick with dead blood, ebony black in color. My heart fluttered weakly now and causing my breathing to accelerate slightly.
Otherwise, I was dead to the outside, nothing more than a phantom in the world full of life. That’s what kept my abhorrence for human’s alive. They could still live; could still feel the sun’s heat long after they went indoors; feel the freezing chill while still curled up next to a crackling fire. The sensations of eating, of blinking, of breathing were all taken advantage of. They had no idea how dynamic they really were.
And that’s what made my hate grow even fiercer.
They had no respect for what they held in their palm of their hand. So easily overpowered, they were more or less a way to pass the time. One moment, they were speaking and the next, they were dead in my hands, similar to what I was.
I had the sudden urge to fulfill my urges, to take away what was rightfully mine. Who made the decision that I was to live my life for eternity with little or no feelings, while the humans around me had a hundred years to live their lives to the fullest of their abilities? That reward was stripped from me at the fragile age of seventeen, and now I was a remnant of what I used to be.
I could feel the urge growing, my hands clenching into fists at my sides.
The memories were coming, fresh and raw. That was exactly how I had been feeling that night, the need for revenge stronger than the sound of reason within my head. And I had given it with more ferocity than vampires had seen in a long time. The next few days afterward, I had seen the averted eyes, the wary glances. My colony had been afraid of me. Me! The idea was preposterous but not all that irrational.
I had ripped apart a town; I had caused terror in the hearts of many humans that night. I knew that it had brought back memories of long ago and the killings that the humans had done against us. But I hadn’t cared. I just wanted the feel of their life in my hands, the power that I had over them, and the resolve I had to take it all away with the flick of my wrist.
I forced all those feelings down like Philip had taught me. After a few moments of not moving, I had control over myself again, able to freely think without suddenly turning into a beast of unnatural proportions.
It was a shame that they blamed the murders on a psychopath, a serial killer. Humans were so naïve in that sense. They had no idea what lurked in the shadows and that the boogieman was not fictional—that there were monsters in the closet and demons in the attic.
The wind picked up speed, its teeth razor sharp as it swiped at my face, leaving a burning trail that only ached a little before fading. Tucking my hands into my pockets, I stayed outside for only a few more minutes before submitting to the cold and retreating back inside.
The house was deadly quiet and I knew that if I made one false move, Philip would be before me in seconds. So I took great care getting back to my bedroom, concentrating all my advanced senses on Philip’s bedroom down on the main level.
I had only one foot over the threshold when I was yanked inside with overriding force, hands grinding into my upper arms as they hauled me across the room. Reacting on instinct, I used the intruders hold on me to my advantage, swinging around and slamming both feet into the chest of my adversary.
As they were thrown onto the opposite bed, I inhaled a whiff of the surrounding air and froze. “Carmen?”
“Who else would it be?” he wheezed, struggling to catch his breath as he sat up from the bed.
“Sorry,” I mumbled and then added more indignantly, “but you can't just sneak up on people like that!” I self-consciously ran a hand through my unruly hair as I sat on the edge of the bed to remove my boots.
“I heard you leave your room so when Nora fell asleep I decided to wait for you here.”
A jolt went through me when I heard what he said but decided not to comment on it.
“Wanna talk about it?” Carmen asked.
“No. There’s nothing to talk about,” I insisted, my voice steady, clearly expressing that I wanted the conversation to end. Throwing my boots into the closet and shutting the door, I eyed my bed, the sheets slightly rumpled from my early try at sleep. It never had looked so inviting and the only thing I wanted to do was fall down on the awaiting mattress and drift off to hopefully enjoy a dreamless night.
But it seemed that Carmen had other plans. “Sure. That’s always your answer when there is something.” He took a step closer to me. “Are you still uptight about the move?”
“Why do you think that?” My eyes narrowed.
“Hmm, I wonder.” Carmen paused to mull over this, and I felt my patience run thin. “Maybe because that’s what it is.”
Rolling my eyes, I crawled into bed, my back facing him. Lying down, I made it clear that I was done talking. I didn’t even hear Carmen move until his face appeared in my line of vision, standing on the other side of the bed, arms crossed.
“Just go,” I pleaded, unable to hide the frustration from my voice.
Carmen snorted, a smirk playing across his lips. “Stop being stubborn and just answer the question. What is bugging you?”
Like you would really want to know, I thought, clenching my teeth together to keep the words I really wanted to say from being released. Besides, most of my agitation was centered around Carmen and Nora’s new relationship, and I knew from experience that Carmen wouldn’t like to hear about it from me… again.
“Yeah, I guess the move is kind of stressing me out lately, but that’s all,” I forced out, aiming for at least a partial truth.
Carmen smiled knowingly, as if he knew all along. If only he knew the real truth, I thought with a soft sigh. “Well, stop stressing. Philip told us it would all go smoothly. Tomorrow, we’ll head up to Duluth and meet Rebecca’s old coven near the college. It’ll be fine.” He gently ran his knuckles over my cheek, making me stiffen underneath his touch. Sensing this, he removed his hand and shifted uncomfortably before me.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning, Sophia.” He looked at me one last time, a softness entering his eyes that eventually forced me to advert my gaze. Then he leaped over me and headed towards the door.
“Tell Nora that she still has a bed in here,” I called over my shoulder without thinking, instantly regretting the bitterness in my tone. Without answering me, he shut the door with a soft click. I tracked him through the house until he reached his room. I couldn’t concentrate long enough to hear if he ever woke up Nora for my eyelids were overpowering my vision until all I saw was black. A yawn escaped my open lips with a subtle hiss, and then, I was lost to the world, submitting to the overpowering will of sleep.
I am 
This is creepy. But I'm pretty sure "creepy" was what you were after. This adds a bit of...horror to the story that I wasn't expecting here. 
Nora acts like a mother, quite often. It can be annoying or helpful to Sophia. But, when she speaks through her eyes about her feelings toward Carmen, then I find it rude. She could be polite, or just rude. But an act of balance would be better.
Gender:
Points: 1075
Reviews: 842