Thanks to everyone who let a review, and stuck around to see what I wrote after chapter one, it really means a lot to me that people actually like this. Oh, and to be on the safe side, here's my disclaimer: I am NOT Kelley Armstrong, because if I was these stories would be better, and on her actual website .
I bolted up the stairs, cheeks flaming, but silently thanking Tori for her very timely summons. I paused at the stop of the stairs, and after hearing Simon and Derek move torward the kitchen, I entered the room I shared with Tori. She was sitting on her bed, grinning at me. I thought about what my life had turned into, how much it had changed. It had only been three short weeks since we arrived here, but a great deal had happened.
Sometime between escaping the Edison Group and arriving here, Tori and I had become friends. Derek and I had become… well, I wasn't sure about that yet. Simon had become like a brother to me, but I don't think he quite saw me the same way.
Simon and I had been out shopping for art supplies for the Non-Comic that we had started on the bus after leaving Buffalo. As we were sitting on a park bench, looking over our work, Simon had leaned over and abruptly kissed me.
My face had flushed immediately, and I felt that warm buzz running through my body, but something was missing. My heart wasn't pounding. My stomach wasn't jumping. When Simon's lips gently touched mine, Derek's face popped in my head. And then I knew. Simon wasn't the one for me. Tori was the one who had pointed it out to me. I was in love with Derek. Totally, completely, head-over-heals in love with him. I felt like an idiot. I should have known. It was so obvious. My life completely followed a story that has been told again and again, even before the Romantic Comedy. Like a well-scripted romance, my life followed the same pattern:
1. Boy meets girl.
2. Girl and Boy do not get along at all.
Boy then saves Girl from some sort of danger, and Girl starts looking at Boy in a whole new light, thus leading to a great and everlasting romance.
Obviously, in the movies, there is much more to it than that, but really, I of all people should have seen the signs. At least, I should have recognized my own feelings sooner, because then I wouldn't have led Simon on like I did.
I still hadn't been able to tell him the truth. Granted, he hadn't kissed me again after that, Derek had conveniently showed up about five seconds after. We hadn't been alone since. If Derek wasn't popping in the room, Tori or Andrew were. Not to mention all the other supernaturals seeking sanctuary with us. There were about twenty of us all together, ranging from the very young (a baby) to the very old (the baby's great-grandmother). We were the only teens.
It was an old house in an old part of the country. I'm not even talking about the last few centuries, either. Apparently, this whole area has been sacred since the beginning of time. There were a great deal of ghosts there. Luckily, I got the only bedroom without a ghost. They moved around a great deal, but my room had belonged to a necromancer who had done anti-spook spells.
There were also those spots where very emotional events had taken place, taking place over and over again. Andrew called them imprints. I saw them all over the place.
A girl taking a bucket of feed to the barn, then the horse rearing and killing her instantly. Her father rushing out, and even though I can never hear it, seeing his wail of grief still still sends shivers down my spine.
Two boys playing by the river, one falling in and drowning. The other boy standing on the bank, frozen in fear.
A different girl and a boy about my age, running hand in hand through the meadow. Smiling. Laughing. And when she tumbled, he caught her, and gently lay down with her. They would kiss and clothes would start getting removed, which was when I (usually) turned away. Yes, it was cheesy. Yes, it was clichéd. It was also comforting, knowing that happy memories leave an imprint too.
Tori was sitting on her bed when I walked in our room, painting her nails. Before I could say anything, she hopped up and shut the door. The radio on our dresser was quietly playing, almost to low to hear. Tori turned it up, loud enough so I had to go over to her to hear what she was saying.
"I need to talk to you about the Derek situation. Do you think he can hear us?" She yelled loud enough to make my ears ring.
"He's downstairs, so we don't have to have this so loud," I replied, and turned the music down. I still left it at a loud volume, but low enough for a conversation I might want to keep below 80 decibles. I was anticipating her next question.
"So spill. What the hell happened last night? Simon was asking about you, and I tried to stall him after waking you up in the game room, but I don't think I did that great of a job," She said all this in one breath, eagerly awaiting my response.
We had come along way. Most of the time, Tori was actually… well if not nice per se, at least, I could see that she was trying to be nice. Which was a big step for her. She tried. She really did. She just couldn't stop from telling people what she really felt. All the time. Whether they wanted to hear it or not.
"No, you did the right thing. It's not like I had anything to hide. Nothing happened. I just, cried on him for half the night, which as you know, is really attractive to guys." I ended the last part half-screaming into my pillow. "It's so freaking frustrating, Tori. He seriously runs hot and cold. Like last night, we had this nightmare," I gave her summary of the nightmare I shared with him. Even the parts that made me want to shudder.
"So, you're telling me that you had him all to yourself on that couch and instead of telling him how you feel, you just, cried on him? Chloe! We have talked about this! You have to take action! Tell him how you feel!"
"It's not that simple!" I said, exasperation in my voice. "I can't just go up to him and be like, 'Hi Derek. How's it going? Oh, by the way, I am totally in love with you. Yeah, I want to marry you and have your babies. I know that made be weird with the whole you being a werewolf, and me seeing dead people and all, not to mention the price over my head and the fact that we have the Edison Group to still contend with. Let's make out!" I rolled my eyes at her. She threw her pillow at me, laughing. Then a floorboard creaked outside our otherwise silent room. Apparently the CD had ended, and we hadn't even noticed.
I crept silently to the door and swung it open, praying to whatever god was in charge of these things that Derek wasn't standing on the other side. I quickly swung it open, and there stood…
Simon. A very unhappy Simon. I thought about the last thing I had said to Tori, and my face heated up.
"Hu-how l-long," I stuttered, then started again. "How long have you been listening, Simon?" I asked him bluntly.
"Long enough." He turned and walked down to his room, slamming the door.
