Stuck Between a Vampire and a Hard Place

Chapter 2: Exhaustion

Forks?

Washington?

Dude?

I honestly didn't want to move from Colorado. I was forced by my immortality to be accustomed to change of habitat, but that didn't exactly mean that I had to enjoy it.

Sure, I liked the gloomy weather and all. I'd always liked the rain, too. But, so? I still had the right to speak out and say, "Hey! You crazy? We just moved last month!"

Colorado had been about a fifteen-year contract. And yet, we had lived in about every town on the map of this little state. It felt like everyday we were moving to a new house, sometimes just down the block. It was ridiculous, and I was getting morbidly sick of it.

"It's the end, Mia," I grumbled as my fingers clamped angrily on my steering wheel.

"Uh… to what? This song?"

"Not the radio! THIS!" I blurted, turning my head towards her in the passenger seat.

"What? Our friendship?" she guessed again.

"No! -This!" I stated with a hint of disgust in my tone. "This- this constant 'on-the-move' phase that's been haunting our family for the past fifteen years."

Mia finally understood where I was coming from. "Gosh… all you needed to say was that you were tired of moving all the time."

"Yes," I replied, exasperated, "I am very, very tired of uprooting all the time."

"Yeah… I can see your point, Ray. Ts'just…" she sighed, "you know…" she sounded guilty now, "you know… it's just been hard… for everyone. I'm totally feeling the nausea, too. It's been crazy. And I mean crazy. But with all the 'super-powers' and boyfriend trouble, it becomes really complicated to stay."

"So across the street is 'away'?" I mused, though I knew no tension was forming.

"Hey, gimme' props, k? They had larger walk-in closets." Mia smiled at me as she rolled her little head in my direction.

"Fine. I owe you that. But c'mon. Really? Don't you think that's just a tad bit pointless to move because they had bigger closets? Mia?"

And for a brief second, Mia and I had that strange connection where we said the exact same thing, at the exact same time. We sighed and said, "Oh, Shadia… always… insistent."

"Jinx! You now owe me… uh… um… help me out here, Ray." Mia joked as she fumbled around her thoughts, trying to find something worth giving herself.

"Well… no stopping the move now, I guess." I said it so hopeless.

It wasn't as if I was blaming Mia or Shadia or the rest of my friends for the mayhem. Okay, I was, just not all of it. I supposed that they saw me unhappy where-ever we went, therefore, they wanted to move again and again and again, trying to find the perfect home for me to enjoy my immortality. Subsiding to the evidential fact, it wasn't helping- meaning, that I didn't think that moving every minute was making the anger or sadness that I felt any less intense.

But I gave them credit for trying.

"Dude! Dude! Dude!" Mia spat quickly like she was aiming for a duck in a hunting contest, shooting her word-like bullets at her target.

I didn't quite finish asking what her problem was before she cut me off saying, "Turn! Here! Quick! Now!" she finished the last word with a sizzle of annoyance.

I heard my precious Ferrari's wheels skid on the damp asphalt as I maneuvered the vehicle up a private driveway, hidden by nature's limbs.

As soon as I caught my breath from the dramatic veer, "Thanks! I mean you could have warned me like thirty seconds before, but anyways, nice catch!" I finished with my signature chuckle.

"Yeah, no prob."

Well, it wasn't like I saw my life flashing before my eyes, but it was –to a degree- exciting to almost scratch my paint.

"Hope the others chance on this road. I mean, it's pretty well hidden," I said, focused on finding the "SOLD" sign sticking out somewhere from the leafy, green brush.

"Yeah, no kidding," she trailed off. "Can't wait to see the house."

"True. I barely got to look over the pictures before Shadia took out her credit card."

Suddenly, as Mia had probably predicted, we both heard several screeches behind us down the road.

"Hm. Sounds like someone was paying attention…" Mia commented in the silence.

"Consequentially, they will arrive the same time we do," I joked as Mia giggled her cute, little, innocent laugh.

I wasn't that much of a talker in the car –even with my best friend for co-pilot.

By the time another song from Mia's No Doubt CD passed, I spotted that white sign projecting from a pile of damp earth. The driveway into the property was also shielded from sight by the greenery, much as the last turn had been. The cobblestone lane was decorated on either side with luscious ferns and bushes, trees blocking the sun, only letting in fragments of shattered light.

To the right, a magnificent portion of the forest lay on our doorstep. To the left, our new –most likely temporary- home stood with melody against the evergreen yard. Glass appeared the main ingredient in this earthy palace. There were but few windows, seeing that the walls were mostly transparent.

Fresh rain bedazzled the ground that I stepped onto from the belly of my car. Awe captured us as we gazed up at the beams of dark wood that supported the many decks and overhangs. The modern touch was exactly what I wanted. This house = my house.

I smirked subconsciously at the sight. Mia broke my concentration as she waved my house key in my face.

"Hello? Anybody home, Miss Googly-Eyes?"

I let out a chuckle under my breath. "We are now."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get up there and open that door before my arms fall off!" Mia said excitedly as I realized she was carrying half of her suitcases behind her.

I raced up the wide steps and flipped the key around my finger twice. "Let's do this."

Long story short, Mia and I were inside while the others began to pull up in the driveway. I gave my key back to her, fearing I'd lose it while unpacking. The furniture movers had already brought the couches, beds, exc. in a few days ago; therefore, all we needed to do was move it around. I didn't figure it would be that hard. With my psychokinetic powers and Regan's super strength, anything could be done within a day. Not to mention, Edelle with her shape shifting, she could easily take over when Regan and me got tired.

Mia would stick to room assigning, Shadia would bring in the luggage, and Michele would fix up the yard and make the flowers grow! Literally…

Sure, Shadia was pretty helpful for blackouts and jumpstarting cars, but arranging furniture with her electricity gift? No… not exactly her profession.

Mia, on the other hand, was blessed with another enhanced mental ability: making things explode. Even implode if situation called for it. She could do this just by imagining it, no matter how small or big, or bright, or loud, it all depended on how she chose to think of it. Very interesting, I thought, very interesting.

And Michele could make plants grow. Simple. I liked it that way.

I'd read somewhere in Shadia's house portfolio that there was only one other house like this here in Forks. Obviously, they were high class. I hadn't met them, of course, and I didn't intend to either.

Quite coincidentally, "Hey, are we going to check out the neighbors?"

A cold wind swept through my mind at Shadia's query.

"What neighbors?" Mia's curiosity perked my attention to a greater extent, but I kept myself from the conversation.

"Yeah, I heard there was a house just up the hill a bit. Want to go today? Find out who they are?" Michele suggested. She was always more of the charismatic type, though she usually hid her thoughts from everybody she knew, probably fearing family controversy and gossip. Rather than being the center of attention, Michele preferred the sidelines.

"No, not really, guys... Speaking for myself, I'm not that into meeting more humans, if you haven't noticed... And I don't think any of you should be making yourselves so comfy around possibly naïve neighbors..."

Everyone looked at me as I had emerged from the silence. My tone wasn't precisely as optimistic as I had hoped it would've come out, but my point had to be strayed across somehow. We couldn't just blow our cover so easily over some stupid mistake that I knew one of them would make. But something about the now slightly darker room told me that maybe I pushed it too far with this warning.

"Yeah," Regan said coming down the staircase, "Speak for yourself there."

We all felt that burn.

Mia widened her eyes as she inhaled deeply and clapped her hands together once, trying to smooth out the wrinkles in the tense, still air. "Well, then… Okay, now we each get one house key. Lose it, and you sleep outside."

And something about her last words made me believe her. Shadia chuckled and whined Mia's name playfully. Handing out the keys and verbally the room assignments, Mia slowly worked her way over to the corner of the room I was working on.

"Looks good," she commented as she observed the arrangement of living room furniture. She tossed me my key again, and catching it with my mind, I maneuvered it into my front pocket with ease.

"Room?" I questioned.

"Last one on the end." Mia smirked as if she had a surprise waiting. My lips twisted up in amusement and I smiled with a dented eyebrow.

Shortly departing after their given space was announced, I was left to arranging all the furniture myself. I abandoned the living room to set up and align the dining room table and pull all the dishes and silver wear into the cupboards. I found it highly ridiculous that we had so much dining material when we didn't even eat. Once that was put into place, I mounted the several televisions and unpacked our massive movie collection. Thankfully, nearly every aspect of my work was accomplished using mind power, so it barely took me half an hour. Then I returned to my original project. Upon seeing that I was finished with the living room, I gathered up my belongings and rushed to my room.

I wanted to see that surprise that Mia had for me.

The hallway led in three directions from the staircase. Left, right, and forward. Straight ahead was an open study, empty and craving some bookshelves decorated with old books. I walked in seeing a spiral staircase that led to a hidden loft only big enough for a few throw pillows and a blanket to lounge in and read. Climbing up, I realized there was a ladder carved into the wall leading to a skylight that opened up to give entrance to the roof.

I wasn't daring enough to go there just yet; I wanted to start unpacking. I glided down the stairs and back to my suitcases. I reached my room after walking past ten or more rooms.

Taking in a deep breath before opening the door, I closed my eyes and prepared for my future dwelling. I rushed in and slammed the door closed. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with a sweet and undeniable scent. Havening no clue of what it was or whom it came from, I thrust my eyes open, searching for the source. All my eyes found was an open window, white curtains gently bellowing in the breeze.

I'd never smelt anything like this. It drew me in like a shark attracted to blood. This scent was like a picture painted transparent and untouchable. As if I just wanted to burry my head into a pillow and breathe it all in thinking it was the laundry detergent.

I stared at the window for a long period of time. Wondering. Watching. Waiting for that scent's master to reappear to me. But nothing came.

Disappointed, I began unpacking with a semi-distant disposition. Then I mentally slapped myself. This room was the most beautiful place in the house: two walls of glass looking out into an evergreen paradise, cream walls and carpet, finished off with a high ceiling. This was her surprise, my own paradise.

I ran to my door and opened it, peaking my head out. "I love it, Mia! Thanks!" I shouted down the hall, the acoustics echoing the yell throughout the house.

Slowly closing the door behind me, smiling deviously, I was inspired. Let's not waste the beautiful view, shall we?

A hike was just what I needed to get away from the unpacking.