Chapter 4 – Spotted
Dream, dream... dreamless. My eyes slowly opened, revealing the same, warm and half-darkness from before. Which meant that it was no dream. I really was in a big mansion somewhere in Massachusetts, I had met Cade. All the others also existed. Vampires were real… and I was one of them. It was so shocking, so breathtakingly surreal that I barely managed taking it in. Not that it was anywhere near necessary. I slowly got up from the soft, old couch, also noticing that I was still wearing the ragged, bloodstained outfit from the night I almost died. There was a door next to the couch I slept on.
I grabbed the doorknob, silently hoping there was a shower inside. It was. In fact, this bathroom was almost as big as the room behind me and looked just like any other bathroom. Soft towels to the left, a sink to the right and a huge bathtub in front of me that looked like it was carved into the very wall. On a stool next to the sink there was a little, neatly folded heap of clothes. Wow, they really did consider everything. I forced a faint smile onto my lips, tried as hard as I could to be a tiny bit optimistic. I filled the tub, quickly undressed and let myself sink into the steamy, bubbly water. All of my troubles seemed to melt away with the dirt. It felt amazing. I closed my eyes and dreamed myself away to better places, just like the old days. Suddenly, a dark presence invaded my mind.
Darkness. Wings. Beautiful, black wings like those you see on crows and ravens. A perfectly curved smile. Lines, muscular lines. Lean, but strong. His face, like nothing I'd ever seen before. His voice was so soft, dark and alluring that it could make every single girl in this world swoon. And he talked to ME. This mysterious, beautiful young man, a stranger. "No dear, I'm no stranger to you" He said, walking… no, flying a little bit closer. Black feathers loosened from his wings and floated around like flower petals. I looked into his eyes. They were so down to earth, so inviting.
No other color disturbed the deep brown. I could sense the mystique, the secrets hidden in those eyes. He flew even closer, so that I could see him even better. He touched my chin as tears of blood ran down his face. The sadness and longing that seemed to be filling his gaze, was heartbreaking. In fact, the very beauty of him was. "We will be together again, I promise" he whispered. Then he started to fade away. "Wait, I don't understand!" I shrieked, desperate to have him here for just a few more seconds. "I am the incarnation of your biggest dreams and desires. And I will never let you go." Then he was gone, leaving only the faint echo of his voice behind.
I really didn't understand any of it. It still puzzled me as I looked through the clothes that had been given to me. I gasped. In front of me, I held a beautiful long dress, colored just the same blue as my eyes. It was the kind of dress you could see in medieval times, worn by queens and duchesses. Along with it, there was a hooded cape in the same color and a simple necklace with a black feather surrounded by white pearls. The feeling of being protected soared through me when I touched it. I knew this wasn't part of the hosts' gift to me. It was from him… I fastened it around my neck. "Mine…" It was his voice, soft like the wind. I turned, but of course he wasn't there.
Automatically, my lips curled into a smile. Time only knew what would happen next. I carefully slipped into the dress and looked at myself in the mirror. It fitted perfectly. The way my almost dry hair curled down my shoulders complimented my features. I turned to walk out the door, just to find out a figure was blocking it. That supreme, teasing smirk was easy to recognize. "Coran" I blurted out, keeping my distance. A harsh, dark laugh erupted from him when he saw how shy I suddenly became.
"Relax, I just arrived. Latimer wants you downstairs and as the kind, courteous guy I am, I decided to follow you there." His rudeness was unbelievable. "Why thank you" I replied, doing nothing to hide the dripping sarcasm in my voice. He laughed again and bowed. "May I ask you to follow my lead, madam?" Then he turned and started walking, so overconfident that I would just tag along. I uttered an annoyed little grunt before walking after him. Why did he have to be so damn cocky? He led me through endless halls, taking me further into this maze of a house. When it felt like we'd walked for a long time, he led me down a couple of stairs and into a big library.
Everything about this room was creepy and mystic. The walls were a dark red color, the floor was in hard rock. Tall bookshelves full of old looking books were set up against the walls. The only wall space that wasn't occupied by antique books and papers were taken by a superior fireplace. Over it, there was a picture of a couple of vases on a table. The only light provided was from lit candles places around the room. There was a couple of velvet sofas set up in a half circle around the fireplace. All of them were occupied by pale, beautiful statues. Except they were not statues, but vampires.
All of them. Latimer, Coran's wife and daughter, a couple of other yellow eyed vampires and Cade. Then I spotted the difference. Leaning against the fireplace, a young, red haired vampire was observing me carefully. His eyes weren't yellow like the others. They were a strong, bold red. And in his arms was a girl. Probably younger than him, very pale, white hair. Her orangey eyes stared at me with confusion and surprise. She wasn't just a girl. She was Michelle. I gasped and my eyes kept blinking to confirm that it was reality. My friend, one of my best friends. Here. With HIM? "Lena!" Her expression turned from surprised to thrilled in the blink of an eye as she was released from Adriens arms and ran towards me. I caught her and gave her a big hug. "Oh my god, Michelle?" I said and looked at her. She had changed so much from the shy, sweet girl I once knew. She looked much more confident now, it radiated from her. I knew she was sweet and beautiful, but it had been doubled a gazillion times from her supernatural changes. Sweeter than soft rose petals falling from the sky. "Yeah, it's me! And you… you're here!" She was so excited her voice went up a tone, so light it seemed like she was singing while speaking.
I laughed and smiled. "Of course I am, I told ya' I'd come get you one day" I blinked, and we probably looked like the type of high school teen besties you see in movies. She looked at me with awe, grabbing my face with her hands. "GAWD, you're so BEAUTIFUL! That dress looks PERFECT on you!" I shook my head. "Pffft, the only thing that changed is my skin and eyes, don't make a fuss" I said. As usual, I was HORRIBLE at taking compliments. It just wasn't my thing and made me feel… well, weird. "I do agree, that dress fitted you perfectly." Latimer walked into the room. His steps were subdued and quiet. He seemed to be amused, smiling for a split second before returning to the same solemn, mystic appearance I knew. "Welcome to our family, Layla."