AN: Well hello readers! It's me again! It's been a while since I've last uploaded a story! It feels really good to be back doing what I love. Thank you for deciding to give this story a shot! Like I mentioned in the story description, this story might be slightly OOC in the first few chapters. Still, I hope you would enjoy it. Okay, enough talking! Happy reading! :-)
Credit: I also want to mention my beta beautifulxxflame she has been super helpful helping me corrected some of my mistakes. Thank you Madi :-)
Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy. It all belongs to Richelle Mead.
Chapter 1:
That One Mistake
Today is just another day like any other. I would go downstairs, eat mom's homemade oatmeal and then head out of the house. I would walk to the bus stop, and wait for the bus to come and take me to school…just another normal day in my small hometown of Endicott, Washington. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? In a town this small the worst thing that could happen would be our small supermarket running out of food — yeah, even that is likely to happen. But hey, don't get me wrong, I totally love my life. I wouldn't have it any other way. I have the best friends in the world, Lana and Olivia; they are my soul sisters. And then there's Marco, the cutest guy in school that I've been crushing on since ninth grade, who has just started to show some interest. I'm not the popular girl, but why be? Everything in my life is already perfect as it is. My parents also made it on the Rose's Hathaway's 'Best People List'. Despite all the rules they make, and even though they are not the most easy-going people on earth, they are literally two of the best people in my life.
"ROSE! You better get yourself down here or you're definitely going to have to walk to school!" Yes, that's my mom.
I look at my bedside clock and jumped right out of bed, 7:16 am.
"Shit!" I quickly change into a red flannel shirt and put on a pair of dark skinny jeans, normal Rose Hathaway fashion. I pull my dark hair back into a high ponytail then with a light touch of mascara, I was flying down the stairs.
"Always late…" Janine Hathaway scolds and pushes a bowl of oatmeal towards me.
I shove everything into my mouth and swallow it all down without tasting it. "Bye mom!" I gave her a hug and was out the door, running to the bus stop.
As soon as I was on the bus, I breathe out in relief, 7:29 am, just in time.
I make my way to the back row where I knew I would find Lana and Olivia chatting, waiting for me to join them.
"Late as always, our Rosie!" Lana exclaimed.
I shrug. "Are you surprised?"
"Nope, not anymore. We've been together since elementary school. We're already immune to your laziness," Olivia replied in her sexy English accent I adore.
"Ouch!" I pretend to grab my heart.
They just shook their heads at me.
Lana is a beautiful girl with golden blond hair and beautiful aquamarine-color eyes. She is really fun to be around. So is Olivia, she has a chestnut brown hair and matching brown eyes. Olivia's father is from England and from the outside you'd probably think she's prim and proper but once you really get to know her, you'd know she's not even close to that word. Together both of them make my world a lot happier place to live.
"Anyway, Liv, you gotta tell her that story you told me!" Lana said to Olivia excitedly. I raise my brow at her.
"Okay, well, I was in town yesterday, grocery shopping for my mom when I heard some girls from our school talking about Marco...and you…" She trailed off, looking at me as if asking for a permission to continue. I nod impatiently.
"They heard he said he was—" Olivia started.
"Ahh! Be prepared!" Lana interrupted and I turn to shush her up.
"He said…he was going to ask you out!" At this point, none of us can hold back our excitement anymore. We scream like crazy until the bus driver turns around and glares at us to shut up.
"Oh my god! You're not serious!" I hit her playfully. Whenever I'm excited I have the urge to hit something…or someone in most cases.
"Do you want me to say it again—" Olivia stopped short and then her eyes started gleaming, "or… you could just go ahead and ask him yourself!" She jerks her chin towards the front. I look up to see Marco coming up the school bus and my heartbeat began to quicken at the sight before me.
"Oh-Em-Gee! The guy is coming this way!" Lana shrieks.
"You know, I'm starting to believe that you are the one with a crush on him." I laugh.
Lana waves me off, "And here he is!"
"Hey Rose!" Marco smiles at me before sliding into the seat in front of us, "Hi Lana, Olivia…" he nods towards them.
"Hello!" they both say together excitedly.
"Morning," I grin.
"So, Marco, I heard you were in town yesterday…" Lana trailed off, as if hoping he would catch the hint.
"Mmhh, yeah. I was looking for something." He says, one corner of his mouth lifting in a smile.
"And what might that something be?" Olivia asked innocently.
I look at the ground, excited but at the same time nervous at what he has to say.
"It's a surprise. I'm afraid I can't tell you..." he says slyly and I can feel his gaze on me, as if begging me to meet his gaze.
"Oh no! That's no fun!" Lana exclaimed and we all laugh at the expression on her face.
For the rest of the way we just chat about random things. Last night's dinner, Olivia's brother and then of course, my birthday party this weekend which seems to be the hottest topic right now.
"Oh my god! We're so gonna throw you a huge party!" Lana bounced up and down excitedly.
"And we will invite everyone in our class! It's going to be the most talked about party of the year!" Olivia joined in.
Everyone seemed to be so excited about the plan that I hated myself for having to ruin it. "I don't know…I'm not sure if I can make it. My parents said something about visiting my grandpa in Montana…"
That got me dead glares from my two best friends. "Oh no you don't! That can wait. I mean how many time will you turn seventeen? That's right, once!" Lana practically yelled at my face.
"It's not up to me—" I start.
"That's even better! I'll talk to your mom. It'd be easy." She waves me off. "Now, back to the plan…"
And that is how the rest of the ride went by. Me sitting quietly watching my best friends talking about a birthday party of a life time that I'm not even sure I could make it to. Then once in a while I would catch Marco looking at me. We smile at each other but that was all. No one said a thing.
After my first class of the day ended, I head towards my locker. The school hall way is so crowded I almost didn't notice a guy leaning against my locker.
At the sound of me approaching he turns around. Bingo! It's Marco.
"Hey Rose. Can I talk to you for a sec?" he raised his brow.
I could just stand there drooling over him all day. He's so handsome with almost black hair and pale blue eyes. He is about 6'1" with a perfect body. He's all the girls' dream boyfriend.
"Sure, what's up?" I asked, trying my hardest not to stare.
He ran his fingers through his hair like he always does when he's nervous, "I was wondering… if you want to go out with me today after school? We could go a movie if you want?"
I have to put so much effort to look calm when inside I'm screaming like crazy. "That sounds like fun. I'd love to." I smile.
He smiles in return. "Great! I'll meet you at the parking lot after school. Later!" And then he was gone with the crowds.
Oh. My. God.
My life is perfect! The hottest guy in the universe just asked me out!
Later that afternoon, after I finally got away from my two screaming friends—yes, they found out- I went straight to the parking lot. On the way there I remember that my mom mentioned last night that she wants to talk to me about something important and she wants me at dinner. Well, shit. It's too late to cancel with Marco now…but deep down I know that that is not at all the problem. Even if I could, which of course I could, I wouldn't do it.
The best solution I came up with is to go out with Marco but try to come back home by dinner…but even I know that that isn't likely to happen and that's why I thought up a Plan B.
Plan B is to pretend to forget. I mean, I can definitely pull off that trick.Ohmygodmom!I'msosorry!Itotallyforgot!Lastnightwasallaboutfinishingmycalculushomework… yeah, that will have to do.
And since I can't exactly call or text her…I'm going to have to stand her up. Damn, I sound like an awful daughter… but there's nothing much I can do, is there? So I try to tell myself to relax, that it's going to be okay. Just one night, and no one's going to die because I skipped mom's 'important' talk.
Or so I thought.
Marco and I are laughing hysterically at the movie we're watching. He has one arm slung around my shoulder in a relaxing position. This is such a wonderful moment and wonderful moments are always over way too soon.
After we leave the cinema, hand in hand, he asks if I'd like to go grab dinner with him. Of course I say yes. We walk down a few blocks from the cinema and find a small, cute little Pizzeria. Marco, being a gentleman and all, holds the door open for me. "You first, m'lady," he says in a sexy voice and I giggle—which I have to say is so unlike me.
After we ordered I notice the clock in the restaurant saying 7:45pm. I was already an hour late. I sigh and then excuse myself to the restroom to check my phone.
At first I thought something was wrong with my phone. There was no text, no missed call from my mom, nothing, which is something that is really unusual. Even when I was five minutes late, she would be calling and texting me as if someone had died. That's just how Janine is. But here I am, at a restaurant with Marco, an hour late and yet - nothing. However, an overexcited text from Lana and a 'how's it going?' text from Olivia prove that there's nothing wrong with my phone. So why didn't mom call? And why do I have this sick feeling to the deepest pit of my stomach?
I left the bathroom and tell Marco that my mom is sick and I need to go home and check on her. Thank god he understood and asked the waiter to change our order to a take-away.
About fifteen minutes later we come to a stop in my driveway and to my surprise there's no light coming from the house. Everything is totally dark and still as if no one lived here.
I open the door but Marco holds me back. "Hey. Is everything okay?"
No, it's not! My mom just didn't call to check on me when I'm an hour late! And now there's absolutely no sign of movement—no, there's no sign of a livingthing in my house! I want to scream in frustration but I'm afraid he would think I'm overreacting, so I just nod.
"I thought your mom was home. Sick. But it doesn't look like anyone is home." He points out.
I shrug. I need to check on her right now. "She's probably sleeping," I reply quickly.
Marco nods slowly. "Okay, well do you want me to—"
"No. It's fine. I'll just…I'll see you at school, okay?" I cut him off, getting out of the car.
He looks hurt but only for a short second and then he nods, "Okay. Oh, and I had fun today. I hope we can hang out again soon?
"Definitely. Now I gotta go. I'll see you later." I slam the car door shut and run for the house.
The first thing I noticed when I got into the house was that mom's favourite coat was gone from its usual place on the hanger. The house also smells empty, no scent from earlier cooking, and it's absolutely quiet. As soon as I close the door, the sound echoes throughout the house.
"Mom?" I call despite knowing that she's probably not here. "Dad?" He too, is probably still at work. Dad always left early and came home late. He said he has to take care of some important 'business.' He and mom fought over that quite a few times in the past.
The total silence confirms all my doubts.
I turn the hallway lights on and slowly make my way inside. When I got to the second floor, I notice the door to mom and dad's bedroom opened. I panic. They never left their door opened! But then that's not the only thing that is strange right now.
I search the whole house and it is empty, my heart clenched. This is a bad sign. A very bad sign.
I tried calling both of them but no matter how many times I tried, it went straight to voicemail. I don't know what to do so I try to convince myself that mom is probably out to do some last minute grocery shopping to stop my mind from thinking of something much worse.
One hour had passed and I'm still waiting in the living room. No sign of mom or dad returning anytime soon. What on earth is going on? I waited and waited for them until I fell asleep right there on the couch.
Then I was dreaming.
In the dream we —my parents and I— were hiking in the woods behind our house like we usually do on sunny days. The sky is blue and the sun is shining brightly, we were having a wonderful time. But then my parents just disappeared and I was all alone. Out of nowhere came a heavy thunderstorm. The sunny day from earlier was gone. It started to rain I knew I was dreaming but I was scared. I was suddenly aware of my surroundings. Being here alone made me realized how big and lonely the woods are. All I wanted was to get back to my house where I am safe. But right then it was as if my brain had been wiped clean. I can't remember a thing; I have no idea how to get home. I begin to wander around aimlessly, looking for any clue I could get, when I stumbled upon something. Looking down, I saw two bodies—pale white as sheets—lying there, dead at my feet.
Suddenly everything froze and it was as if I was caught in a state between a dream and reality. Rose in the dream may not be able to recognize the couple on the ground but the real Rose knew them like she knew the back of her hand.
They're my parents.
I wake up screaming and the sound echoes through the empty house. Then I realized in horror that my parents are still gone and after the dream —nightmare— I just had, I'm terrified. Right now I am wide awake. I look at the clock to see that it's just a few minutes passed midnight. I'm so scared and now the nightmare just made it worse. But as much as I hate to admit it, I feel like there's something more behind the dream. It felt so real…I shake my head to get rid of the thought that is now forming in my head. There's no way I'm ever sleeping again until I find my parents. And with no other option, I grab my coat and flashlight and went out into the woods.
I know this is a crazy idea. And a very dangerous one. Going into the woods alone after midnight? Seriously Rose? I ask myself. But I've come too far to go back now. I need to do this. I need to make sure that the nightmare I just had...that was all it was, a nightmare.
The night is cool around me and the wind blows a strand of hair in my face. I pull the coat closer around myself to keep warm.
Unlike the dream, there's a trail leading into the woods. This is the path my parents and I normally take when we go hiking. I follow it as it leads me further inside.
Something wet lands on the tip of my nose, I wipe it away but another came, followed by another and then another. I realized it is raining and begin to shiver. This is too much like the dream… No! I need to stop thinking like that! What good will it does you? Except for making you lose your mind and unable to focus on what needs to be done?
So I keep walking and walking until what feels like forever had passed.
Goosebumps pricked my arms as I saw what is in front of me.
Shadows.
But unlike any other shadows I've ever seen, these are huge shadows. And it doesn't belong to anything or anyone. They are just there, floating around in a group.
I freeze in my track and stare. What the hell is going on with the world? I want to shout in frustration and fear.
Okay, call me crazy but I think they saw me. And don't ask me how I know because I probably won't be able to explain it to you. But then suddenly they begin to move. Curious, I follow them.
They lead me even deeper into the woods. We are so deep inside that I can see no more street lights. Just the light from the moon above, which is not much since it's still raining. When it feels like we can't go any further, the shadows stopped.
What is this place? Why are we stopping? I want to ask, but since I know I won't get any answers anyway, I keep it to myself. The rain is pouring down heavier and heavier with every minutes that passed by. I'm just about to turn back and return later when the sun is up when I step on something…soft.
I hold my breath as I look down—and stifled back a scream. There are two bare hands sticking out from under a huge pile of autumn leaves. Tears start to prick my eyes as I realized one of the hands was wearing my mom's emerald bracelet. Slowly, I start to brush the leaves away…and it is as if my nightmare came back all over again. I am staring straight at my parents, who lay there on the ground side to side, faces white as sheet. But unlike the dream, this is real. And in addition, there are shadows everywhere. The shadows I've seen earlier are probably not even half of all the shadows now, they just came out of nowhere. They're floating around my parents' bodies while I just stood there, frozen, no sign of ever moving again.
But it isn't long before I emerge from my state of shock. I am hit in the face by so much emotion it sends me collapsing to the ground.
While she was unconscious, the shadows entered her body, and together they mingled and became one…
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Cheers,
Prim
