New Orleans. New Orleans. Where have I heard that name before? I think to myself and then I remember the dog-eared Anne Rice books piled messily on my desk. Yes, that's where I've heard of New Orleans before and it's only hours before I'll be calling it home. I can just picture it with all the familiar streets and the Mississipi river. It's a wonder how just reading about the place has already made me feel acquainted with it. It seems like it won't be too new of an experience for me after all.
My mum's downstairs packing but I've already packed my belongings. They're already in the moving van except for my Anne Rice books. I'm taking them in the car with me along with my iPod full of Cruxshadows songs, Rogue's voice is so sexy and it's going to be such a long drive!
"Come down here!" I hear mum call as I'm just about to put the stuff I'm taking with me into the car into a plastic bag. I quickly throw everything into the bag and rush into the living room where mum greets me with the car keys and tells me to wait in the car. We're just about to leave!
Eagerly I open the car and jump into the backseat, turning my iPod on and playing 'Winter Born', waiting for mum.
The drive is pretty long but I've got enough to keep me occupied. As soon as I get bored of one song I switch to another. I've got other songs on my iPod but The Cruxshadows are my favourite at the moment. I soooo wish I could see them live at DragonCon!
We've finally arrived in New Orleans and I cannot believe my eyes when I see the house! It's like a grand old haunted mansion. I love it! It sort of reminds me of the House on Haunted Hill movie with Vincent Price, I can just imagine all the people stuck in there for ten thousand dollars.
"It's big isn't it?" mum asks, noticing my awestruck expression.
"Hell yeah!" I reply, impatient to get unpacking. "When's our stuff coming?"
Mum scrunches her brow in consternation, glancing at her watch. "That's funny," she says, frowning. "They were supposed to be here a few minutes before us. Sweety, I'll call up the moving company and check on their progress, you can go explore your new neighbourhood, just make sure to meet me back here at five."
Great! I looked around me at all the trees and houses and then down the road I spied a place I was most eager to visit: the cemetery. Cemetery walks were always fun and a good place to go when I needed some lone time and since it was just up the road I thought, hey, why not check it out?
I've got an hour till 5, plenty of time to check out the cemetery. Leaving everything in the car except my iPod I walk past the trees and ancient houses, trying to imagine the scenes from my favourite Anne Rice books brought to life. With the cemetery gates looming ever closer a sudden rush of adrenalin washes over me. Would anyone else be there? I wonder. So far I haven't seen too many people.
The gate opens with a creak and I step through giddily. No one's around. It's empty just like I thought it'd be. I look around me at the vast arrays of tombstones all scattered throughout the place. Some look as though they've been there for ages, others look slightly more recent.
I stroll slowly through the place, taking in my surroundings and trying to familiarise myself, when a sudden crunching of the leaves below stirs me. Am I not alone? Is there someone else here with me? I turn around. Nothing. Just empty space.
I keep walking and then I hear it again. Turning around, I find nothing once more.
I try to dismiss the feeling but I can't help but think I'm being followed.
Keeping my pace, I make sure my my eyes open so as to look for signs of danger. None. All too strange!
Oh well. I'll just keep walking then.
As I walk I try and think about all the hassles that tomorrow will bring: starting a new school, making new friends and the like. I only had one good friend at my old school, I wonder how many I'll have here.
Again I hear the crunching of leaves which forces me out of my train of thought and brings me back to being alert. "Is anybody there?" I whisper and I heard a voice as soft as the wind whisper back "No there is no one, just Solitaire."
My eyes dart frantically back and forth to the direction of the sound and meet another pair of eyes, only waaaaayyyy more gorgeous than mine and attached to a body that any male model would kill for!
His eyes were a rich dark blue colour, framed by long lashes and thick had a well shaped face with messy dark hair cut in asymmetric style and the pallor of his skin made him stand out in the dusk, giving him an almost otherworldly appearance. His body was just as good as his face and the tight leather collar he wore around his neck looked great in combination with his fishnet top and bondage arm bands. I could see his chest underneath, slender but with great definition, much like his arms.
I wanted to ask him who he was but just looking at him made me feel immobilised. How could I talk to him? He was just too gorgeous! I must have looked stupid but all I could do was stare. Not only was he extravagantly good looking he couldn't have been too old either. I was sixteen and he looked about my age.
"Who are you?" he asked in a voice as rich and deep as Andrew Eldritch and I was taken aback, mesmerised. With a smooth motion of his arm he flicked back his hair, giving me a glimpse of beautifully decorated nails, black with white spiral patterns and continued to stare back at me. I tried to look away but failed. Averting my eyes off of him was impossible! I attempted to turn my focus to the ground but instead found myself staring at his pants. He was wearing expensive-looking tight leather trousers and I could tell just by looking that he was packing a lot. "Who are you?" he repeated and I gazed up from his crotch.
He did not look too happy with me! A frown was etched on his face. Oh god! He'd probably caught me staring at him!
"I'm so sorry!" I said hurriedly, red in the cheeks. "I didn't mean to stare at your crotch I mean I'm so so soooo sorry."
His lip quivered and his eyes bore into me intensely. "You barged in through these gates just so you could stare at me in such a vulgar manner?"
"No. No. I didn't mean to..."
"What do you mean you didn't? Any girl would die to get into my pants and you're just saying you waltzed in here just for the sake of it?"
"Yes," I insisted but I didn't think he believed me. "I don't even know you, I just met you now!"
He laughed, it was a deep, contagious laugh much like the ones you hear the bad guys do in movies. "Who does not know Solitaire the gravekeeper? Everyone knows very well that this place belongs to me and me alone!"
At this point he sounded completely mad but he was still freaking hot and there was something about him that didn't sound right! "How old are you anyway?" I asked because he looked waaaayyy too young to be spending his days alone in the cemetery.
"Does it matter?" was his reply. "I'm old enough. This place is mine and mine alone. Age does not matter. Now leave! Before the ghouls eat you alive!"
Ghouls - schmouls! I didn't believe in any such thing! This guy clearly had a loose screw somewhere. I couldn't help but laugh.
"What is so darn funny?" he snapped and the word "you" escaped my mouth.