Chapter 9-Discussion
Cole
My body was tense. I could feel every muscle twinge, every nerve was on end and my breath was shallow. How dare he lay a hand on her. If he ever touches her again I'll…I was too angry to think.
As I drove Selene to school she remained silent, she sat demurely in the passenger seat while gazing faraway at something outside of the window. She seemed completely unfazed by what had just happened moments before, as a matter of fact she seemed as though she was completely unaware of what happened moments before.
I pulled up to the back of the high school where she could enter campus discretely, thinking of my own memories I had been unaware of, or at least tried to become unaware of. White Waters High School was far from a place of pleasant memories; I remember how my fellow vampire cohorts enjoyed using humans as pawns to do their bidding and fawn over them. I found it repulsive and preferred to not associate with humans in the least, not that I felt that I was better than them, but I found my priorities and values in life varied from theirs. And of course there was Lena…
"Thank you Cole, for the ride I mean." Selene broke my train of thought. She was looking at me, her brow was furrowed and her eyes seemed slightly worried. The cut and bruise which Matthew left behind on her cheek was almost completely healed, just a light pink scar and the faintest of purple shadow that almost looked like blush rather than a bruise. I touched the spot very gently with my fingers, her eyes seemed to soften.
Without thinking I grabbed a pen and paper and jotted down my phone number for her. "If you need me give me a call, I'll be there in two minutes." I hoped that she trusted me enough to actually do so if she truly did need me.
"Thank you." She said and stepped out onto campus. The bell rang as she descended into the building, though she was behind stained windows and surrounded by dozens of other students, I could still see her perfectly. I watched her carefully; mesmerized by the way she moved gracefully through the crowd. She stopped at a window and looked at me. Her fingers moved lightly as she waved in my direction, I smiled to myself and drove back off to my home.
I had completely forgotten about great grandfather Jones until I pulled up to it and saw his car in the lot. I hastily parked my car and headed up to the home. He sat in a large chair in the front living room reading a newspaper. I am not in the mood for this. I had been in the room no more than just a few moments before he began to speak.
"Good to see you again Cole, everything with Selene go smoothly?" He asked, not even bothering to look up from his paper.
"Safe and at school." I confirmed, trying to seem as distant as he was. I remained standing as I peeled off my coat and hung it over the side of another chair.
"How is her face, she suffered quite the blow by Matthew." Though he sounded indifferent, I knew he was concerned. Women were like precious gems in our community; being both treasured and well taken care of. If a man were to hit a woman once he would have a single warning; as Matthew had been given. If he was to repeat the offense he could be exiled, beaten, or even killed depending on how badly the woman was hurt and the age of the woman. A child being abused was automatic death sentence unless the family contested and lobbied for lifelong exile instead.
"She'll be fine, he on the other hand…" My teeth grinded together in anger. I should kill that no good animal.
"Calm yourself Cole. If you attack him it will be very bad for you, let the Elders handle it." He paused for a moment. "I have some news that may ease your mind anyway, and will definitely make you rethink causing trouble."
"What is it?" I waited for him to respond as he folded his paper and tucked it into the briefcase which was at his feet. He paced the room and looked at the painting I had over the fireplace, the one of the French country side.
He stood tall, far over six feet like me. Despite his age, which trickled into the triple digits, his sandy brown hair was barely touched with gray and his face was almost free of age. He was light eyed, and one could easily tell that in his youth his eyes held a lot of vibrancy and fire, but now they were more distinguished and had years of gained wisdom.
"It seems this investigation is going in your favor." He got stood squarely in front of me. I felt a bit of joy within me. "Not a single person has had anything positive to say about Matthew's relationship with Selene. I also informed the Elders of his striking her while you escorted the young lady to school, and it seems that the very action has all but forced him to hand her over to you on a silver platter."
I nodded. My mind raced. I'm almost there, she's almost all mine. "How much longer must I wait before I know for sure?"
"We meet tonight." He said shortly. "The Elders have unanimously agreed to investigate no further and wish to finish this." His words assured me, but his eyes held something more.
"But…"
"But," he affirmed. "In the back of the minds of the Elders, myself included, we still think of Lena and her link to you."
"Why must everyone dwell on what happened to her? It's in the past."
"The fact is that your name began to float around after she disappeared was not good for you Cole, now with this investigation going on people are beginning to raise up questions again, a few more are contemplating the idea that you killed her and that boy."
"There is no proof that I did anything. Everyone knows that the night the car went into the sea I was at home with my parents, and nothing in the car suggests foul play, like cut brakes for instance, so I couldn't have done anything before hand. People just want someone to blame and the jealous ex-boyfriend is the most interesting angle."
"Are you willing to stand by what you have just said?" He asked.
"Yes."
He nodded once. "Be at the Elder Hall tomorrow; at dawn. Selene and Matthew were both sent requests to attend the meeting as well. We will officially have the decision made by then."
"I don't want her to be in the car with him." I boomed. "Have someone else pick her up and take her there separately."
"I'll see what I can do." He said. He picked up his briefcase and headed toward the door.
I spoke up just as he reached for the knob. "You said that the investigation was going in my favor." He stopped and nodded once again in conformation. "How much in my favor? And what will happen once it does?"
"If the ruling goes in your favor tomorrow morning she will be escorted home by an Elder, pack her things immediately and move into this home. Afterward, she shall find a place to stay for the evening and prepare for the wedding ceremony the following evening. Meaning, that if it goes in your favor, she will be your wife the day after tomorrow."
"So soon?"
"Yes, we have felt that the transition. Should it happen, should get the least amount of attention as possible. Otherwise, the humans will begin to catch way of it and the vampires will begin getting more involved than they should. This is going to end soon no matter what decision is made." He pursed his lips and then allowed himself to smile ever so slightly. "As far as your first question on how I feel it will go, I think you will end up very pleased." He stepped outside and shut the door behind him. Getting into his car I watched him drive down the road and disappearing from sight.
I stood there unsure of what to think. I am so close. I reclined on my large, plush sofa and rubbed my brow. I had only been lying for a few moments before I shot back up again. I had a lot of preparations to handle.
I slipped into more suitable clothes and headed toward town. I wanted everything to be perfect for her when she came. But what if she doesn't? What if they say no?
I shook off that thought and went to another. It does not matter. If I have to steal her I will. I am so close to having her trust me, if I can just sway her to run away with me I know she'll do it. I did not even contemplate her refusing to flee with me if that situation should happen.
Of course no matter what did happen I would find a way to repay Matthew for that mark he left on Selene. He would not get away with hitting her. I knew I should let the Elder's handle it, but I did not care about that. I remembered that once I married Selene, grandfather would give me his Elder's chair.
I imagined life with Selene. We would live here in Wilshire House and I would pamper her daily. I would cook for her, tend to her, she would never have to lift a finger. I could see us together late at night by the fire, wrapped together in a single blanket as she told me everything about her as I stoked her hair and kissed her gently. Maybe one day, in the far future, we would have a few babies to take care of. My wouldn't that be fun.
I could hardly wait.
