"How are you feeling?"
I looked up from the piece of toast I had been eating, into Isabel's concerned eyes, though she was trying not to show her worry as she smiled. I was pretty sure that Godric had told her about the tub incident last night, but she hadn't brought it up.
I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm fine," I said simply before biting into my toast. I had just gotten home from work. Isabel continued staring at me, and I sighed; it was pretty obvious that I was not fine; so why the hell lie? "Actually, I feel like crap."
She gave me a comforting smile, probably taking my words as a sign of improvement on my behalf, and then reached forward to take my hand into her own. The first thing I noticed were how cold her hands were, just like my father's, except I would never feel his hands again.
"I feel like something's eating me from the inside out; it hurts so much," I confessed quietly, "I just want the pain to go away."
"I know," She responded, and I could detect the sadness in her voice.
"I know I'm probably bringing everyone down lately," I said, feeling guilty, "Especially Godric, who can feel my emotions. He must be sick of it by now."
She didn't respond immediately, and I took it as an agreement to my words. "He told me about what happened last night," Isabel began, "About how you are worried for us."
I could feel my cheeks heat up. I had my assumptions that Godric had told her about last night, but now knowing for sure made me feel a little embarrassed. "Was he...angry? I mean, am I getting on his nerves? Am I annoying him?"
She blinked her eyes in surprise before suddenly letting out a laugh, and I felt myself getting even more embarrassed as I wondered what was so amusing.
"My dear, you needn't worry about such things," She smiled warmly, "Godric is most certainly not annoyed by you, nor is he angry."
Well, how am I supposed to know? He isn't the easiest guy to read, and he's too nice to actually say anything if I were bothering him—what other way would I know but to ask Isabel? "Oh...that's good," I wasn't entirely sure that I believed her.
"If anything," She continued, "I believe you provide him with some...hope."
I blinked at her in confusion; how on earth did I provide Godric with hope, and hope about what? I opened my mouth to speak when Stan suddenly entered the kitchen, and to my great surprise dragging along a familiar brown-haired boy from the back of his collar. And that boy was none other than Adam.
"Oh my God!" I exclaimed as I stood up, "What the hell are you doing?"
"Hollie!" Adam's brown-eyes widened upon seeing me.
"Stan!" I made my way towards the male vampire, "Let him go!"
Stan tsked, glaring down at me with disgust. "He was spying on us," Stan said, yanking Adam up to his feet and slamming him up against the wall. I felt a wave of panic when his fangs suddenly came out, and he leaned closer towards Adam.
"Stan," Isabel said sternly, "Release the boy."
"Y-Yeah, listen to her!" Adam gulped nervously, "I don't taste good anyway...really..."
In response, Stan tightened his grip around Adam's throat.
"Stop it!" I began pulling at his arm, "Let him go!"
Annoyed, Stan lightly shoved me backwards. Of course, when a vampire shoves you back, no matter how lightly, it's still pretty hard. I stumbled back, and would have callen on my behind if someone hadn't caught me. At first, I thought it was Isabel, but the voice that spoke told me otherwise.
"What is going on here?" Godric asked.
Stan immediately retracted his fangs. "Sheriff," He began, throwing Adam down onto his knees, "This human was spying on us; I believe he is the traitor you were worried about."
My heart sunk at his words. Immediately, I looked down at Adam, who was too busy gasping for air and rubbing his throat to realize what was going on. I couldn't believe it; Adam couldn't be the traitor; not sweet, kind, funny and caring Adam. Adam, Adam was my best friend; he couldn't be the traitor.
"Hollie," Godric's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, "Do you know this man?"
"I...yes, he's my friend," I said truthfully. I went over to Adam, helping him get back to his feet. "Adam, what are you doing here?"
"I told you; he was spying on us!" Stan snapped, "He's the traitor amongst your friends!"
Adam eyes snapped up, looking absolutely clueless. "Traitor...? W-What are you talking about? And I wasn't spying! I mean...well yeah, I was...wait-Hollie, what the hell are you doing in a house full of vampires?"
"We'll be asking the questions, human," Stan snapped again.
"Stop talking to him like that!" I glared at Stan.
Thankfully, Godric stepped in between me and Stan before the argument went any further. "Perhaps we should allow Hollie's friend to explain himself," He said, and I shot him a thankful smile.
I then turned my head towards Adam, whose eyes were wide as they darted back and forth between the three vampires and me. "What the hell is going on?"
"Adam, you've already met Isabel; I told you I was staying with her while my father..." I cut myself off, while my father was away, but he wasn't coming back anymore, was he? "Um, Godric and Stan are her roommates."
"Y-You've been staying with vampires?" Adam exclaimed.
"Enough of this," Stan flashed his fangs menacingly, "Explain yourself!"
"Stan," Godric said in a warning tone.
Reluctantly, Stan withdrew his fangs. I placed a comforting hand on Adam's shoulder. "I'll answer your questions after, for now just tell us what you're doing here."
Please don't be the traitor, please don't be the traitor.
"Okay, you see..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Do you remember the fight you had with Gwen yesterday?"
Unfortunately.
"Well, after you left we began talking about what might have been bothering you and," He cleared his throat, "We came up with a few things..."
"Okay..." I gave him a quizzical look, "What does that have to do with why you're here?"
"Well, I saw you today at the cafe," He continued, "And I saw...them."
I frowned, then turned to look at Godric and Isabel; Isabel looked just as confused as me, but Godric's expression was harder to read. "What's them?"
"Your bruises," Adam continued, his eyes darkening, "And that's when I realized that one of our guesses was right; you're in an abusive relationship."
I blinked cluelessly at him.
"What," I began slowly, "Are you talking about?"
"Come on, Hollie!" He exclaimed, "It explains everything! You never hang out with us anymore, you always go home before dark, and recently you've become incredibly depressed. Obviously, you're dating some controlling, possessive and physically abusive guy!"
"Adam, you-."
"And!" He continued, "I know who it is! It's him!"
I groaned as he raised his finger, pointing it directly at Godric. "You mentioned him, once before, this Godric fellow, remember? You said he wouldn't approve of you going out, and you were really secretive about him...So it's obvious that he's your secret, abusive boyfriend!"
"And that's why," He paused, swallowing nervously, "I followed you here to confirm my suspicions; that you were coming home to an abusive relationship."
He had been talking so fast, I had a hard time keeping up with him; but once he finally shut up I managed to process everything he had said. "So," I began, "You think that the reason I've been sad recently, and why I don't hang out with you as much, is because I'm in an abusive relationship with Godric?"
He nodded his head.
I continued staring at him in disbelief until I completely lost it. I began to laugh. I was laughing so hard that I was bent over, leaning against the wall for support as I clutched my stomach. "Adam…You…" Nope, I couldn't talk. Too busy laughing.
"What's so funny?" Adam asked, turning red.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Isabel murmured.
"I—I'm sorry," I wiped away a tear, and let out a loud and long breath, "I just…Adam, have I ever told you how much I love you?"
"Uh…not recently."
I smiled at him in response. I knew that everyone probably thought that I was crazy, but I didn't care. The fact that Adam wasn't the traitor had me ridiculously relieved, and that adding to his ridiculous story just made me—lose it. This was the first time that I had laughed, let alone smiled, for quite some time; and I loved Adam for being the reason behind it.
"Enough of this!" Stan slammed his fist down, "He could by lying!"
Immediately, Adam gulped nervously and hid himself behind me. "I'm not lying, I swear!" He exclaimed, before turning to look at me, "Wait, so you're not in an abusive relationship?"
"No," I smiled.
"Stan," Godric began, "I think it would be best if you leave."
Stan opened his mouth to argue, but Godric's eyes narrowed in warning, and so the vampire had no choice but to obey his Sheriff's orders and walk away; leaving only Adam, Godric, Isabel and me in the kitchen. While Adam seemed relieve to see Stan gone, he still looked rather nervous as his eyes darted back and forth between Isabel and Godric.
I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, they won't hurt you," I reassured him, "They're my friends."
He nodded his head, though he still seemed quite uncertain.
"Hollie, may I speak with you alone for a moment?" Godric asked me.
I nodded my head, about to follow him out of the kitchen when Adam suddenly grabbed my wrist. "You're leaving me alone?" He asked, a hint of fear in his voice.
"I'll be right back," I promised, "And I told you, you have nothing to fear. I trust Isabel and Godric with my life."
Hesitantly, he released me wrist, and I followed Godric out of the kitchen. He was silent at first, and I crossed my arms over my chest as I waited for him to speak. He didn't look angry, like Stan, however he did seem somewhat bothered by the entire situation.
"Do you believe him?" He asked me.
I knew that he was asking whether or not I believed Adam's story, whether he really did follow me here out of worry, or if he lied to cover the fact that he was the traitor amongst my friends. "Of course I do," I responded without hesitation, "Adam would never betray me."
Unfortunately, this didn't seem to make Godric feel any better. He was still frowning, uncertain of what to believe. I have to admit, I was a little offended. "You don't trust my judgment?" I asked him.
He blinked out of his thoughts, his frown vanishing. "It is not that," He reassured me softly, "I hope that you are right. However, I fear that perhaps you trust people a little too easily. You are too kind to suspect the worst in others."
To be called 'kind' was usually a compliment, but the way Godric said it, it certainly didn't feel like one. I frowned as I lowered my gaze to the ground; he made me feel like I was some naïve child, willing to follow any stranger who offered me candy. Of course, he sensed how I felt, and within seconds he was standing directly in front of me.
"I did not mean to hurt your feelings," He said softly, "I find your innocence and kindness endearing, but I find others may take advantage."
"Adam wouldn't," I defended, but he only smiled faintly in response.
"I certainly do hope you're right," He admitted, "But in order to find out the truth, I will have to glamour him."
I swallowed nervously. I had just told Adam that he could trust Godric and Isabel, and now they were going to mess with his mind—although I knew that neither vampire would trust him completely until they pulled the truth out of him. I sighed in defeat. "Okay."
"And then, I will have to make him forget coming here," He continued, "I think it'd be best if he didn't know anything; just in case he should accidentally reveal any information to the real traitor."
Again, I didn't like the idea, but I nodded my head knowing that I had no choice.
"So, he's gone?"
Godric walked into the living room, where I was sitting down on the couch, my hands folded in my lap. I hated that Adam's privacy had to be invaded like that, and that he would leave of no memory of what happened. I felt like I had betrayed him somehow. But again, it was necessary. The good news was that Adam had indeed been telling the truth; and he wasn't the traitor.
"Yes," Godric nodded, "He drove home. I asked Isabel to follow him to make sure he gets home safely."
I smiled. "Thank you."
Again, he nodded his head in response. He seemed to hesitate for a brief moment before sitting down next to me. "Something is bothering you," He noted, staring at me intently.
I bit my lower lip, staring down at my lap and avoiding his gaze. There really was no point in hiding anything from Godric; he would feel it. "It's just…do you really think I'm dumb enough to fall for any lie someone tells me?"
He frowned. "I do not think that at all."
"You don't think that I'm dumb? Or that I can fall for any lie?"
He paused for a moment, and that told me his answer. I guess I shouldn't be surprised; I was often told that I was too naïve for my own good. "As I've said before, I believe others can take advantage of your kindness. But that is on them, not you."
"Yeah but," I laughed softly, "It would be my fault for allowing myself to be taken advantage of. I mean, clearly I'll fall for anything—one of my friends is betraying me, and I don't even know who it is!"
It wasn't enough that I still cried myself to sleep every night, thinking of my father's death. But I didn't even feel comfortable hanging out with my friends anymore, knowing that one of them was a traitor, and I was too much of an idiot to figure out which one.
"As I said, I find your kindness and innocence to be endearing," He repeated, "And I don't think you should change, in worry of how people will react to you."
"Well, like you said, someone can easily take advantage of me."
"You needn't worry about that, you have Isabel and I to protect you," He said kindly, "And while you are with us, you can continue being exactly the way you are."
I could a wave of warmth at his words, and for the first time for my father's death; I truly felt safe. I turned to look at Godric for the first time since our conversation, and smiled at him. "You're very good at cheering me up," I told him, giving him a light and playful kick.
He seemed pleased at my words, as his eyes lit up a little. "I'm glad."
A/N Agh! I had just finished correcting the grammar and spelling mistakes when the site messed up before I had the chance to save the changes -_- . I went through it quickly again, but I'm afraid there might be a few mistakes out there. Sorry about that. Anyways, what did you guys think of this chapter? Reviews are welcomed and appreciated!
