"But, Rosalie, you can't go to England for the whole summer!" my best friend, Sophie complained.
I groaned out of frustration. I never should have told her in the first place.
"It's a job. I get paid. M'kay? Now, be quiet; or my mom's gonna yell at us!" I definitely didn't want her involved in this situation.
She didn't know I was going to England. And she couldn't know. She only knew that I was flying somewhere for the summer.
"Lee, I'm gonna miss you, so much. Send me lots of postcards!" Sophie began tearing up. I quickly pushed my papers aside, and hugged her.
"Soph, I'm gonna send you lots and lots of postcards, and e-mails. Okay? Don't be sad." I tried to comfort her the best I could, with out crying myself.
"Okay..." she mumbled.
"You should go home, and get some sleep. You and your mom have to get up early, to drive me." My plane was leaving at 5:00am, and the airport was 2 hours away.
"You're right. I love 'ya, Lee." Sophie sniffled, and exited my room.
I began packing some more, and when I was finished, I began working on my letter to my mom.
Dear mom,
As you know, I'm leaving for the summer, but you need to know this:
I may not be coming back. At all. Don't come looking for me, either.
You may think I'm running away, but I'm not.
I don't think I can say 'I'll miss you.' without lying to you.
I won't miss you, at all. You're a terrible mother.
You're the reason that dad left. I hate you for that.
I closed my notebook, after I ripped the page out. And then, I gave my luggage one final look, crawled into bed, and fell into a peaceful sleep.
At 2:59am, my alarm went off, letting me know that I had to get up.
I lazily crawled out of my warm, and comfortable bed, and put some jean capri's on, my AC/DC shirt, and a pair of 'Roxi' flip-flops.
As I was about to walk out of my room, I remembered my sweatshirt, and teddy-bear that my dad gave me before he left.
I raced to find them, and when I did, I silently grabbed my luggage, and crept down the stairs.
Headlights flashed in the drive-way, and I knew it was Sophie, and her mom.
"Later, mother." I whispered into the house.
As I stepped out into the morning air, my breath caught, and it sunk in, I would now be free.
The passenger door opened, and Sophie poked her head out. "Come on, Lee."
I quickened my pace, and got into the car; just wating for Mrs. Johnson to pull out the driveway. And so she did.
After I said my goodbyes to Mrs. Johnson, and Sophie, I headed inside.
'Now boarding flight 153 to England' the voice said over the loud-speaker.
I rushed to my gate, but stopped when the gaurd there told me to remove my shoes, and other things.
Quickly, I did, and ran through the other side, putting my shoes back on, and grabbing my bag.
I sat down in my first class seat, and began to relax. Well, until this really snobby kid from my school came and sat down beside me.
"Oh, look who's trying to be all brave, leaving her crappy little home." I think his name was..Josh...James...Yeah, it was Josh.
Red-headed little Josh, who thought he was all that, but truly wasn't. Poor kid. Poor kid.
"Ahh, Josh, is it? I think someone needs to teach you a lesson. Of manners, now, since I'm the only one on this plane from school, I'll lay it down to you."
Josh began to say something, but I cut him off. "You think you're all that, eh?"
"I know I'm all that, Hale." he smirked, but stopped once I punched his stomach.
"Poor little Josh. Really has no manners. Just a huge pig; who thinks he's all that, but really isn't. People only like him for his dad's money."
Josh's face went a little red. "You do not sa-"
"Let me finish, moron. You need to grow up, too. Oh, and take a shower, if you want a girlfriend anytime soon."
He was speechless. I had won! Josh got up, and stormed off. Defeat.
Hmm. maybe was right. 'You have big changes in future.' she told me before I left.
I hope she was right. Really, really, really, hope she was right.
'Everyone, we have arrived in England, please do not get up just yet, but please wait patiently.' the pilot announced.
I squirmed in my seat. 13 hours was too long of a plane ride. My legs hurt from being cramped up like this.
But, on the good side, I met two really cool people. Rose(haha, her full name was Rosemarie), and her buddy, Mason.
Mason had cute, boyish charms, and kept flirting with me, but I could tell he was really in love with Rose.
Rose was pretty. She had long, reddish, black hair that fell the the low of her back, and she had quite a bit of tattoo's on her neck. They looked like little lighting marks.
I remember Rose had told me she and Mason were from Montana, and she was coming here, to see her boyfriend, Dimitri.
But, every time she mentioned his name, she grew sadder. Was he sick? In prison? That's what I wanted to know.
'...Now, you may take off your seat belts, and get up, to get your luggage.' the pilot was saying.
I stood up, stretched, and grabbed my bag. I sure hope this bag would last my six-month-vacation -- and longer.
People that were already standing up, were in a line, and moving forward. I quickly jumped in line, and then the line began moving pretty quickly.
Next thing I know, I was staring at a woman, that had a sign reading: Welcome, Rosalie!
Hmm, the woman was really pretty, and looked nice, too. As I moved forward to her, I began to notice all of her features better.
He hair wasn't white, it was a pale gold color, which was beautiful, and I'm sure only she could pull the color off.
"Oh, Rosalie! It's so nice to see you!" the woman exclaimed.
"It's nice to see you, too!" I said, only to be polite.
"I'm Elizabeth, but, please, call me Beth, or Lizzie." Hmph, she had an American accent.
"You already know my name, but you can call me Rose, Roza, Ro, or Lee." I blushed, embarrassed of my many nicknames.
By the way, Roza is what Rose(marie) had called me on the plane. She said it meant 'Rose' in Russian.
"Okay!" Beth laughed. "Many selection of nicknames!"
As Beth showed me to her car, and drove us to her home, she kept asking me questions.
"So, how old are you, Lee?" She looked over at me quickly, and smiled.
"Seventeen, going on eighteen in October."
"Oh, sweet eighteen!" Beth was definitely a very happy person. "Here we are!" she added.
I looked up, to see a big white house, with kids running out of it.
"Mummy! Mummy!" they screamed at the same time.
Beth got out of the car, and ran to them, embracing them both in a bear hug.
"Lee, do you mind taking the kids inside, while I grab your bag?" Beth questioned me.
"Uhm, sure!" I walked along side the kids. They were both singing and whistling.
"You're very pretty, Rosalie." the little boy commented.
"Awhh! Thank you-" I stopped, because I didn't know his name.
"Adam." He answered. "And, this is Victoria, but call her Vicky."
"Alright."
Adam and Vicky ended up showing me their pet rabbit, bugsy. He was a cute little white rabbit, with pink eyes, and I was awed when he curled up in my arms.
"He likes you!" the kids exclaimed.
"He never liked anyone, except us!" the kids were obviously amazed.
"So, Rosalie, why are you here?" Vicky was the one to ask.
"To help around the house, because your mother needs to rest." It was true. Their mother has TATT. Tired All The Time, and needed to sleep.
"Oh, cool. How long are you here?"
"For 6 months." this place seemed alright so far. Way different from what I've ever seen. I think I'll definitely like the place, though.
Wow, she's beautiful! I heard a voice in my head say.
I know it definitely wasn't my voice, or my little consionous's voice.
Hesitantly, I looked around, but only spotted a white dog.
"Hey, do you guys have a dog?" I asked the kids.
"Nope." Adam answered. "That dog just hangs around all the time."
Cool, but the dog looks more like a wolf, than dog. I thought.
Around 6:00pm, Beth called us in for dinner, and just as we finished setting the table, a man came walking through the door. He seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Through dinner, the kids kept asking the man(who was their father) questions about work. The man seemed hesitant to answer, though.
Once, he looked at me and smiled. A very intimate smile. Pretty creepy.
I avoided eye contact with him after that, though.
But, he didn't seem to be avoiding me in any way shape, or form.
Matter of fact, while I was washing the dishes, he came up behind me, and nibbled on my neck a little. Now, I was beginning to freak out. He's really scaring me!
No need to be afraid, Rosalie, I will never hurt you. Came the same voice in my head, again. Why was I hearing these things? Was I really going insane?
I heard laughter behind me, and when I turned around to look, I saw Adam, and Vicky, covered in mudd, and they kept rubbing it on each other.
"Lee! Will you be a darling, and clean them up for me?!?" Beth's voice echoed from the hallway. Yeah, sure. I am the au pair, right?
I heard another laugheter behind me, but not the children's. It was His laughter.
What was he laughing about? He had no reason to laugh right now.
Oh, but I do. This is my home, au pair. Or shall I call you Lee? Rose? Roza?
Ugh! That voice is irratating the heck out of me!
Another laughter erupted behind her. His laugh again.
QUIT WATCHING ME! I yelled at the voice.
Maybe. Just maybe. I have plans for you, Rosalie. Those were the voice's final words to me, and I never heard it again, well at least not for a while.
The kids were hanging out in my room with me, watching an eduacational program about ants. It's strange how they found it so interesting, I mean, it's just a bunch of ants, right? Now, don't think I'm a snob, or anything, because I'm not. I really like nature, but you know, if I wanted to learn about ants, why not just go outside, and watch them for yourself. The TV could be lying to you. You want to get all the facts straight.
"...And so the family of ants picked the leaf up, and took it back to their nest...." the man on the program was saying. That's not how it would be. The ants would first inspect the leaf, see if there's anything(a scent, holes..etc) was on it, and then they would gather all of their 'family' up, and then take it off. Come on, Ro; you're really turning into a nerd, knock it off. I told myself. This program was boring the heck out fo me, but I didn't want to turn it. The kids were too into watching it.
I guess I just gotta bear it. Or just fall asleep.
"Lee, do you mind if we change this?" Vicky asked.
"Uhm, no, go ahead!" my voice was a little too enthusiastic.
Show me guns, and I'll show you mine... My phone went off, letting me know that I had a text message. I quickly grabbed my iPhone, and looked at the screen.
One new text message from: Sophie
I looked down to the kids, to see if they were still watching TV. Yes, they were.
I opened the text:
Yo, yo, LeeLee, I miss you, how'd your flight go? Any cute boys so far?
OhMyGosh! When me and my mom dropped you off, I seen Jake, you know the nerd-boy!?! I feel bad for him because he was by himself..
Well, love 'ya, leelee. Text me back when you get this.
I silently laughed to myself. Sophie was over dramatic at times, but that's one of the many reasons I love her(as a best-friend).
Hey, Soph, I miss you, too. My flight went fine, except that Josh came and sat down beside me and tried to harass me, but I layed it down to him. LOL! I didn't meet any cute boys, and even if I did, or do, I won't date them. I'm here for a job, that's it. So, you seen Jake? I feel bad for him, too. No-one likes him, and they're always mean to him, even though he's nice to everyone. Give me his number, I wanna call him(just to be nice), maybe I can cheer him up, or somethin'.
Love you, Soph. Be careful, and don't do anything I wouldn't do.
"Hey, guys." I said to the kids. They turned around to look at me. "Wanna take some pictures? You know, have some fun?"
The kids jumped up, and jumped up on my bed. "YES!" they both screamed.
I went to the camera on my phone, and the kids, and I began posing. Some of them were funny, some were serious, and the rest were silly again.
"That was fun!" Vicky said, plopping down on my bed.
"Yeah, it was!" I agreed. These kids were definitely cool, even though they were only four and six. The coolest kids I've ever met!
"TIME FOR BED, KIDS!" Beth yelled from downstairs.
"Rose, will you tuck us in?" Adam asked me.
"Of course!" I got up off of my bed, and they followed. They first took me to their room to get their pajama's, and then to the bathroom, to change, and brush their teeth. After they finished, I walked them back to their room, and tucked them both in.
I then, headed to get my pajama's; which was a pair of white(stretchy) capri's, that had 'LOVE' writting down the the left leg, and a navy blue shirt, that said 'Go away, get off my planet' and had a bunch of stars and planets all over it. Ah, not to mention, a pair of socks. A pair of grey socks, to be exact. I went into the bathroom, changed, brushed my teeth, and then walked back down the hall to my room. The room was a bright blue, kind of aqaumarine, and had pictures of landscapes everywhere. And, on the ceiling was a mirror. The mirror part was pretty strange, but I'd get used to it. Eventually.
The next morning, the sun woke me up. It was glaring through the windows, and into my eyes. Not something you can exactly sleep through. So, I climbed out of bed, went down to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and then my hair. And then, I headed downstairs. Everyone was already awake, and eating breakfast.
Ah-oh, I overslept. Not something an au pair should do. I scolded myself.
No-one said anything during breakfast, which was pretty strange. They kept glancing over at me, and then they would turn their head back to eat. Something strange is going on here. Very strange. At one moment, I heard the voice again.
Nothing strange is going on, everyone is just tired still, love.
I had to try my hardest not to mentally scream at the voice, telling it to leave me alone, and to NEVER come back. But, that would be terribly rude, and au pair's are nice.
Well, maybe not this one. As we finished breakfast, I got up, went to my room, and began writing Sophie a letter.
Hey, soph. How's it going? England is pretty cool, way different from Philly.
So, you need to text me back with Jake's number, 'cause I wanna call him and make him feel better. Oh, guess what, this job is going pretty well so far. The only thing i've had to do was wash the kids off, and put them to bed. The parents, Derek, and Beth, they're pretty cool, too; except, Derek seems to know every single thing that I'm thinking. It's weird, but hey, I'm not gonna be quick to judge. Maybe he just has good luck...haha! I make myself crack up. So, how's summer there, so far?
The kids, Adam, and Vicky are really cool. They definitely don't act like they're four and six. This is gonna sound strange, but their pet rabbit, Bugsy, is awesome, and he's so cute! Well, hey, I have to go check on the kids now, but I promise, I'll write you another letter.
- Rosalie.
I closed my notebook, and stuffed it under my mattress. I skipped down the stairs, and into the garden, where I knew the kids would be. But, I did not expect Derek to be down in the garden with them. He was just sitting on the bench, in the middle of the sunlight. He looked over in my direction, and smiled. Only then, did I really notice that he was gorgeous. STOP IT ROSALIE! HE'S WAY OLDER THAN YOU, YOU CAN'T LIKE HIM! Once again, I scolded myself. I couldn't like him, at all, he was my boss!
Oh, but you can like me, Roza. You can even love me if you would like. I heard the voice in my head tell me. Man, that voice was really kinda..starting...to...I couldn't finish my thought, because I looked directly into Derek's eyes. Well, maybe I could like him.
Maybe just a little bit...no, alot! I slowly went and sat down beside him, and he smiled.
Defeat; but only he had won. I liked him now. That's exactly what he had wanted.
I have plans for you, Rosalie. Will you please come with me tonight?
Uhm, sure. I answered the voice.
Good, now, go check on the kids, will you?!
I got up, and went to find the kids. Turns out, they were near a little stream, looking at all of the frogs, and debating on whether to take one or not.
"Hey, Lee, should we take a frog as a pet?" Adam asked when he seen me.
"Well, will I have to take care of it?" I really didn't like frogs.
"No." he laughed. "You won't."
"Okay, then, yes; you should." I plopped down beside Vicky, and began picking the grass out of her hair. She giggled a couple of times, because I tickled her, but stopped once their dad walked up. He came and sat down beside me, and whispered in my ear.
"You make a better mother to them than Beth does." was what he had whispered.
"Err..thank you." that was a strange compliment.
"Anytime." he smiled.
Night came around, and I put the kids to bed again, and then sat in my room, wating for Derek to come in and get me. He said I was going somewhere with him tonight, right? Well, where is he? I'm tired of wait- I stopped my thought when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. They stopped in front of my door.
Then, my door began to open. And, in popped Derek.
"Rosalie, are you ready?" he sounded bored.
"Yeah, sure." I answered, annoyed.
"Come on. Out your window." Derek came in, shut my door, and headed to my window.
Are you crazy?! I mentally asked him. And all I got back from him was a soft laugh.
"I'll jump down first, and then you can jump down. I'll catch you." was the only thing he told me before he opened my window, and jumped down. I took a couple deep breaths, put some different flip-flops on(my bad ones) and the went to the window.
When I looked out, Derek was looking up, and had his arms ready to catch me.
Do you trust me, Rosalie? Derek mentally questioned.
Yes...no...I don't know! I don't wanna jump! I'm scared!
Don't be scrared. I promise I will catch you.
I know you will, but I'm still afraid.
Don't be. Just jump, love.
I'm not sure why, but when he called me 'love' I wanted to jump, right into his arms, and to never be let go. First, I took my flip-flops off, threw them out of the window, and the I crawled up on the window-seal, hung my legs out of the window, and then I closed my eyes. You can do it. You can do it, love.
I closed my eyes tighter, and jumped. I was about to scream, but I suddenly felt strong arms around me. I sighed as softly as I could, and then Derek released me.
"You did it. It wasn't so bad, was it?" He wrapped one of his arms around my waist.
I guess so. But I'm still shaking. That scared the heck out of me.
Well, you're fine. Just stop thinking about it, and you will quit shaking.
Are you sure, Derek?
100% posistive.
Alright then. I quit thinking about jumping out of the window, and sure enough, I quit shaking. Hmph, he was right. I wish he would've been wrong.
I hadn't noticed that Derek and I had began walking, and when I was alert, I asked where we were. He didn't answer, only nodded.
When we finally stopped, Derek told me to take my clothes off.
Great, Rose. He totally set you up. Now, he's gonna attack you. Just great.
"I'm not going to attack you. Nevermind, keep your clothes on."
"Alright. But what are you going to do?"
"Do you believe in the supernatural, Lee?" Derek asked.
"Uhm, sure. Why?"
He began taking all of his clothes off, and then the next thing I know, in Derek's place, stood a white wolf, with yellow eyes. I looked around to make sure he wasn't setting me up. Nope, he wasn't around anywhere.
This is totally freaky. I need to get out of here! My thoughts screamed to me.
The wolf barked, and I realized- OH MY GOD! The wolf was Derek!
I bent down, and started petting his head.
I always wanted a dog! I joked.
He growled, and I stopped petting him.
Don't get your panties in a bunch, Derek. I was just kidding.
I sat down in the damp grass, waiting for Derek to tell me something.
The white wolf/Derek moved forward to me, and lowered his head to my leg.
I need a mate. And you're the perfect one. Will you accept my bite, Rosalie?
"Uhm..yes." I answered.
Derek/white wolf opened his mouth, and lightly bit my leg, behind the calf.
Instantly, my saliva tasted strange and wrong, and my senses were stronger than ever.
I felt white wolf's tongue licking the blood off the back of my leg, and it tickled.
Once all the blood was gone, white wolf changed back into Derek, and he got dressed.
"Thank you, Rosalie. Really. Now we must go. I suspect that Beth will try to be killing herself by now. She does it at least every night." my eyes went wide. She tried to kill herself? Oh my goodness. That is terrible, and crazy.
When Derek and I got back, he didn't go upstairs to check on Beth, he let me. Well, I insisted on going up there. And I wish I hadn't.
Beth was sprawled out across the bed, with blood everywhere. He wrists were torn open, and there were chunks of meat in her mouth...from her wrists.
I ran down the stairs as quickly as I could, with tears pouring down my cheeks.
As I rounded the corner to the kitchen, I ran into Derek.
"Dont go up there! It's terrible..blood everywhere..wrists..it's terrible." I cried so hard, and Derek just held me, and told me everything would be just fine.
I almost fell asleep in his arms, but then I remebered that the kids were still upstairs.
Derek, the kids are up there. What are they going to do?
To tell you the truth, they never really liked Beth.
That's harsh.
It's the truth, love.
I slipped out of his grip, and climbed the stairs to the kids room. When I poked my head into their room, they were both wide awake, and playing.
"Hey, did you two hear what happened?" I asked them softly.
"Yeah, we're happy. Beth was always mean to us."
"Mhmm, she always hit us." Vicky added.
This is so strange. How could these kids possibly be happy that their mom died?
Like they said, she was always mean to them. She hit them.
But I don't understand. Shouldn't they be at least a little sad?
No. They have no reason to be. She was a terrible person.
But she was so nice to me.
That was all an act. By the way, I need to take you hunting tomorrow, because your change is almost complete.
Alright. But hey, listen, I'm gonna stay up with the kids, you get some rest.
How generous. Goodnight, Rosalie.
'Night, Derek.
I sat on Vicky's bed, and watched them play for a while, until they got tired, and then I tucked them in. This job as an au pair was confusing, and stressful; but I don't regret taking it. Hey, that's just the kind of girl I am.
Can we go back? I miss when it was me and you. Can we go back? Tell me what we gotta lose. Can we go back? In time, we could just stay there forever...
NLT's song 'Can We Go Back' blared through my phone, and that's what woke me up.
Instantly, I knew who it was. One of my ex-boyfriends, Eddie.
"Hello?" I said lazily.
"Hey, Rose, how's it going"
"Fine. What do you want, Eddie, I was sleeping." I yawned, causing him to.
"Calling to check up on you. Is everything alright in England?"
"Eddie, it's fine. I'll call you later, or something. 'Kay?" anything to get off of the phone with him. When you got into a conversation with him, it lasted for hours.
"Alright, Rose. Talk to you later." You could just hear the smile in his voice.
I hung up on him, and threw my phone behind me on the bed, and covered my face with my pillow. Wanting to go back to sleep, so badly, but I knew I couldn't.
Slowly, I crawled out of bed, grabbed a sweatshirt, put it on, and then went downstairs.
The kids were already awake, and hungry; so I made them some eggs and bacon.
They told me that it was the best thing that they have ever eaten, and I laughed. Really, I wasn't a very good cook. That's pretty much all I know how to make.
"Hey, Rosalie!" Derek called. "You have a letter!"
I wiped my hands, and walked into the living room.
"Here it is." Derek tossed me the envelope, and I took it upstairs to my room.
Hey, LeeLee!
I'm glad that you're liking England! Ugh, summer here is boring so far. I wish you were here. Okay, so, Jake's number is 313-422-1770, well that's his cell, I don't know the home number. Anyways, glad that you're liking the job. I'd much rather be there with you. So, what's Beth like? And Derek? Is Derek cute? OhMyGosh! You need to tell me! I love cute guys! Ooh, that is weird, does he like read everyone's mind, or 'somethin? Ask him! Vicky and Adam sound like cute kids! Send me pictures. Aww, a rabbit?!? I've always wanted one! So, this is the part where I end my letter(only because the wicked with of the west- mother- is calling me). I love you, Rosalie! Not a homo. You better write back! Or just text me. LYLAS! 3
-Sophieeeee-
I laughed, and then stuffed the letter into my dresser drawer. Sophie was funny. She definitely had a way with words. She always made things funny. Even in the worst of times. This would be one of those times. After I was done thinkning, I got up, and went back downstairs. Derek was now in the kitchen with the kids; and when he seen me, he smiled. I knew he was about to ask me a question.
So, LeeLee, am I cute?
Eavesdropper! Yes, you are cute. Very cute.
Glad to know!
Yeah, so..what all did you find out in that letter?
Everything. Who is Jake? If you don't mind me asking.
This kid that went to my school. Everyone picked on him, but I didn't, so I wanted to call him and make him feel better. You know?
You are so nice, Rose. Not many teenagers are like that.
I'm not normal, so that's why I'm so nice.
How are you not normal?
Well, for one, I'm turning into a wolf, or shapeshifter(whatever you call it).
Shapeshifter. What's the other reason?
I don't know. That's the only one I could think of.
Let me know when you get some more.
Alri- My thoughts were silenced as Vicky began crying. I looked over to her, and saw that her finger was bleeding. I walked over to her, bent down, and wiped the blood off; and the I kissed the cut. Motherly instincts were taking over.
"All better?" I asked her, as I stood up to get her a band-aid.
"Mhmm." she nodded, causing her blonde ringlets of hair to fly everywhere.
"Alright, I'm getting you a band-aid." I grabbed the box, got one out, and then bent down, and put it on her. "All better." I whispered.
She really likes you. I can tell by her mood.
How can you..feel her mood?
Because I've already changed. Once you change, you can too.
Ahh, well, I'm gonna stop talking now.
Alright, Rosalie.
"Thank you mommy." Vicky kissed my nose.
"Vicky!" Adam scolded. "You just called her mommy."
"I know, Adam. I want her to be my mommy. Our mommy." Vicky grabbed my hand.
Now, I was just standing there, speechless.