On her way to her locker, John Doe caught up with her from a group of friends. She easily picked him out of the group by identifying his unique cologne scent. She was glade it wasn't too overpowering like some guys liked to wear. Her nose was spared from further torture.
"Hey Carolyn, having a good day so far?" he questioned as he fell easily into step with her.
"Yes, I love listening to early news gossip," she answered, giving him a raised eyebrow. Some of the people he hung out with loved to discuss what did or didn't go on up at Collinwood. He laughed, trying to ease her obvious rise in sarcasm. She was aware that he had a knack for reading her like a book and she did the same to him.
"Oh, well, you know them. Everyone's curious I guess. Even I'm curious but unlike them I want to get to know you before jumping to any conclusions," he responded lightly. She let a small smile grace her face. He didn't tip toe around her but he did give her space and respected her boundaries. It was something else she grudgingly liked about him.
"I guess. Um, about the note…" Carolyn began. His greenish brown eyes lit up in interest.
"Yeah," he said, waiting for her to continue.
"I know this spot down by the sea. I go there all the time to think. It's close to my place though," she continued, giving him a sideways glance, studying his expression carefully.
"That's fine. It would be cool to see where the Great Carolyn Stoddard hatches her wildest ideas," he teased. She rolled her eyes at him and he laughed.
"When did you want to go?" Carolyn asked, turning down the hall and stopping at her locker.
"How about later today; the weather will be good and I have nothing better to do at home. I could walk with you," he responded casually.
"Ok, then I'll see you there," she said, opening her locker and switching her books.
"Yeah, see you. I have to take my lunch break with my science teacher. I need the extra study time," he told her sheepishly.
"Didn't I help you with Biology already?" she asked him.
"Um yeah, but there are just some things I didn't get that's all," he replied, avoiding her scrutinizing gaze.
"Ok then, meet you by the pick-up area," he said hurriedly.
"Yeah," she replied. He smiled and left. Carolyn sighed and shut her locker, spinning the lock before walking down the hall to her first class. School almost dragged by but she looked forward to the end of the day. At lunch, she sat on the bench by the library as always and took out her tape player. Alice Cooper blared through her headphones seconds later and she leaned against the wall to wait out the break. By the time school was over she was almost sick with anticipation. It was unlike her to care so much but she unconsciously clung to the idea of having someone besides her family to talk to. As she walked across campus, she passed three girls who were talking amongst each other. She caught what they said and almost growled.
"Yeah, my little brother tripped the weirdo and laughed in his face. I almost died laughing when he told me," one girl shared with the others. It was Christine as always. Carolyn knew she had a brother in David's class and often heard what he did to her cousin during the class she shared with her. There were times when she got in a verbal fight with the girl and then checked on David at the end of the day only for him to write it off and tell her to forget about it. But he didn't try very hard because he knew she couldn't let it go, because ever since her family was threatened by that witch, she became protective of her cousin who closely resembled her brother at odd times. The wolf in her wanted nothing more than to show the Hargensen siblings just what awaited them if they ever truly hurt David.
"I told my little brother to prank him today. He's always pranking kids and getting away with it. I can't wait to hear what he did this time," she continued proudly. Carolyn was just about to let it go but she spun back around at that statement and stopped behind Christine Hargensen. Her two friends went wide eyed and looked over her shoulder. Noticing their shocked staring Chris stopped talking and turned around to face Carolyn.
"What do you want Collins?" she sneered. Carolyn grabbed her by the front of her sweater and shook her. She could feel the anger flow through her in waves but managed to hold back a fist from severely ruining the annoying girl's face.
"If your brother messes with my cousin again, you'll have me to answer to. David doesn't need any more drama from you and your little brother Hargensen. I can bet you wouldn't want any drama with me. So back off," she stated with a push that sent her reeling. Her friends caught her from falling. She looked utterly appalled but Carolyn didn't care. She continued on like nothing happened, even though inside, she was burning for a fight. At the sight of Daniel waiting for her it all washed away.
"Hey, ready to go?" he asked. She only nodded reservedly.
"I saw what you did to that girl, Christine. I know she encourages her brother to bother David so I'm glad you talked some sense into her," he told her as they began their walk. They always got many stares and confused glances from other students when they walked together. Only when they got close to city limits were they left alone.
"How did you know that?" she questioned. He shrugged.
"My brother is in that class too. His name is Peter," he answered. Her eyes must have registered realization because he laughed.
"Yeah, he sure likes playing with your cousin. He comes home yapping about the fun he had every day. He told me he tried to stick up for David a few times but he's a pretty small guy and often gets pushed out of it, literally," Daniel explained with a sideways glance at her.
"I'm sorry your brother gets involved," Carolyn muttered, avoiding his gaze.
"Its fine, he chooses to. I just find it very interesting that we both gravitated towards a Collins don't you think?" he inquired, nudging Carolyn. She shrugged, tensing slightly at the contact.
"I guess we have charm no one else but fellow weirdoes have," she responded with a rare playful smile. He laughed but nodded.
"Yeah, I think that's it. My brother does see Grandma Jane's ghost here and there," he pointed out.
"He sees ghosts?" Carolyn questioned in interest.
"Just Gran's. We were skeptical at first but before we moved here we had a fire at our old house. Peter woke everyone up screaming that grandma warned him of the fire. I saw a glimpse of her on our way out," he explained.
"That's cool. I heard a lot of people can see them but most aren't open to it. I guess I could say I'm open to it. At least we both know how it feels to go through a fire," Carolyn commented.
"I heard about that when I moved here. I find this a little more than weird don't you think? It's like our family found the perfect family to relate to," he said, his voice thoughtful.
"I don't know if our families share any more than that in similarity," Carolyn told him. He gave her a questioning glance but she looked away. They let silence pass between them for a while. They were now crossing the border out of town and following the narrow strip to Collinwood.
"You walk home every day?" he asked her incredulously.
"Not every day but, yes. Don't get so wound up. I can take care of myself," she said with a smirk. He laughed, the sound familiar and expected now. She found she liked making him laugh.
"I'm sure you can," he replied with a single nod.
"Come on, I want to drop off my bag at home. Mind getting close to Collinwood Manor?" she said in a falsely spooky tone.
"Will I get out alive?" he joked back.
"I'm not sure. Let's see," she replied, leading the way. When they reached the big, iron gate Daniel whistled. She pushed it open and turned back to look at him.
"Wow, I've never been over here," he commented in awe.
"Look, can you wait outside the door for me?" she asked him as they walked down the path. He gave her a cursory glance but nodded. He waited for her outside while she went in. She found David doing homework by the fireplace.
"Did that Hargensen kid bug you today? I heard from his sister he tripped you," Carolyn asked him, her previous irritation surfacing.
"Nah, he tried to but Peter caught on to what he was doing and told the teacher on him," he replied, looking up happily. She smiled and nodded in relief.
"Good, let my mom know I'll be back in a few if she asks. I'm going down to the rocks to think and relax before homework," she told him. David nodded and returned to his own work. She stopped by her room, dropped her bag on the floor, and then retraced her steps back outside. She found Daniel wandering in the garden when she returned.
"Man, this place is huge. Even the garden goes a long ways doesn't it?" he asked as he made his way over to her.
"Yeah, but you should have seen the place before my uncle came along. It really did look like a haunted mansion," she told him as she glanced around too.
"Your uncle, you don't talk about him a lot," he replied, putting his hands in his pockets and following her down a newly made side road Barnabas had added. It led straight down to the water where they all liked to spend some time.
"Barnabas came here from England and he really has a lot to take in. He's pretty much lost without the rest of us to clue him in on American culture," she explained, the stand in explanation flowing from her mouth naturally.
"So you don't talk about him because…" he began, waiting for her to finish the sentence.
"I guess I just don't want the town to know that its biggest business is being run by a man who doesn't quite understand the world around him," she finished. There was no way she could phrase the words any better than that. Barnabas had spent the last two hundred years buried in a coffin underground. It was hard for him to settle into the new times but he was slowly making progress. The fact that he was a vampire kept any and all conversation off him in Carolyn's mind. There was no use having questions flung at her she didn't know how to answer.
"That's kind of you, but how do you know I won't tell?" he asked playfully. Carolyn laughed.
"Oh, you won't tell," she replied confidently. She led him off the remaining path and out onto the sand.
"I usually sit on this rock and look out at the ocean," she told him, walking over to place her hand on the sun warmed rock. He followed her and took a seat, moving over enough to give her room. The rock normally only fit one person, so if she took the offered seat she would certainly be pressed next to him. She hesitated only a few seconds and then joined him. Their sides were touching from the shoulder all the way down. She refused to let the jittery feeling take over at being so close. They fell into comfortable silence. As the sun inched across the sky, the wind felt chilly.
Carolyn was unaffected by it but Daniel didn't think so. His arm lifted hesitantly, and when she did nothing to stop him he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She tensed at the contact once more and then relaxed. When she looked at him he smiled shyly. Now that she was even closer to him, she could feel just how much heat his body gave out. His scent seemed to change. His cologne was still there but there was something familiar about what lay just under it. He shifted and she looked up at him to see him take in a big breath of his own. He seemed invigorated by his surroundings. Before she could properly work out the smell she was analyzing, Daniel suddenly spoke.
"I heard there were wolves out here. Aren't you scared to go out alone?" he questioned suddenly. She laughed and shook her head.
"Didn't you know animals are more scared of us than we are of them?" she told him matter-of-factly.
"What if they are more aggressive wolves?" he pointed out.
"They must not be because I'm still here," she shot back.
"That's true," he replied with a tilt of his head.
"Why, are you scared of wolves?" she questioned him, a hint of discomfort in her tone he didn't seem to pick up on.
"I'm wary of them. I respect them, but I wouldn't get on their bad side," he responded carefully. She tilted her head curiously at him.
"What about you?" he asked, his eyes finding hers.
"I'm unafraid of them now. I used to be scared of them but now I accept that they have a place with us and that we should respect that," she replied without hesitation.
"You were scared of them? Why?" he asked, catching on to every word she said with concern.
"Well, when I was little I was bitten by one. I remember never wanting to go out again, but eventually I had to and I learned to forgive. It wasn't the wolf's fault I was out when I was. Its instincts told it to hunt and there I was," she responded simply.
"That's a good way of getting over it," he replied gently. His tone was one she hadn't heard from him before. He looked out at the water with a faraway expression while she watched, trying to figure what was on his mind.