Chapter 10! We're in the double digits now! This chapter is long[3, 109 words!] so grab some snacks and enjoy!
I couldn't move at all for two days. It was unbearable! Alexander or Jameson had to help me walk and my voice was almost gone. My head and body hurt so much I thought I was going to die from the pain. Luckily I made it through, though I did pass out several times. Alexander was patient with me, and held me as I cried at night.
It was a lot to take in, what the man said. My mother was the supposed princess of a land, my father was her lover, and I was their love child. Not only that, but I'm part vampire and I'm a descendent of a royal family. Next thing I know, my mother's parents are going to come looking for me and ask me to take over their kingdom!
"Alexander, do you think my father is okay?" I asked weakly.
"I'm sure he's fine." He reassured me as he placed the back of his hand on my forehead. He frowned before pulling out the thermometer. "Open up." I did as I was told and he placed the cold instrument under my tongue.
"When can I-" Alexander gave me a stern look, so I closed my mouth to let the thermometer do its job. When he pulled it out, I resumed my question. "When can I go home?"
"Soon. Just rest for now." He laid me gently back onto the bed. "Your fever has gone up exponentially, so it's best you rest. Try not to worry yourself too much." He kissed my forehead before standing up and turning off the light. I moved over on the bed to make room for him, but he said he couldn't join me tonight. "I'm sorry Ana-Marie, but my parents want me to go out to dinner with them."
"Oh, okay." I turned away from him to face the wall. "Have fun, then."
"Jameson will be here if you need anything." He said. "Don't try to do anything you know you shouldn't. I don't want you hurt." He opened the door and stepped out, closing it softly behind him. I heard voices downstairs, though they were greatly muffled and hard to understand.
"Miss Ana-Marie, I've brought you some dinner." Jameson announced some hours later.
"I'm not hungry." I told him. "My stomach is upset." I curled in on myself even further, hands clasped tightly over my stomach.
"Would you like a remedy?"
"No, I'll be fine." I said.
"I'll leave your dinner here, Miss Ana-Marie." I heard the clinking of China as he set the plate down on the bedside table. "I'll be back in an hour to check on you, Miss Ana-Marie." I clenched my eyes shut and nodded, trying not to seem like I was in pain.
"I'll just be sleeping." I told him. He left the room, feet scuffling on the floor as he did so. I closed my eyes and concentrated on sleep and the calm serenity it provided. Soon, despite the unbelievable pain in my stomach, I fell asleep.
Pine trees surrounded me in dense clumps, blocking all light from the moon and stars. An eerie fog covered the ground and an owl hooted off in the distance. Despite how cliché it seemed, the forest reminded me of a horror movie set. All it needed was a wolf howl.
"Ah, sweet child, I've found you once more." I spun around, my hair flaying around me. There, coming from the trees, was the unnamed vampire who wanted me dead. "It took me some time to break through your mental barrier, but I managed." Fully emerged from the trees, he was wearing a black tuxedo and mantle. His hair was slicked back with some kind of gel. For a minute, he reminded me of Dracula in the 1930s version. "Now, with no interruptions, I can finally do away with you once and for all." Before I could blink, he had me pinned against one of the pine trees.
"Let me go!" I screamed and, surprisingly, he was flung backwards. He landed with a sickening thud on the ground. I gasped and began to run as far away as I could.
"You can hide, but you can't run from me child." He came from nowhere, landing on me. I landed face first on the ground, cutting my lip and cheek. "This may be your world, but you can never escape me."
"My world?" I echoed.
"Yes." He leaned down, body pressed close to mine. A sickening feeling settled upon me as he lazily licked the pulsing vein on my neck. "We all have one. We escape here when things become too much. Unfortunately, if you die here you die in the real world. I guess this is the end for you."
"No! I refuse!" With strength I didn't know I possessed, I turned our positions and held him to the ground. "I will not die!"
"Ana-Marie!" With a scream, I jolted awake. Alexander drew me into his arms and held me close, pulling me onto his lap and cradling me. "Are you okay? Was it a nightmare?" I held onto his shirt tightly, wetting the material with my tears.
"I was in a place." I told him. "A forest. The man was there and he tried to kill me."
"Shh, Ana-Marie. Don't worry. I'll protect you."
"You can't!" I screamed. "Don't you see? He went to my place; my sanctuary! He violated my mind! That's a place only I should ever be able to go. You can't follow me there!" I jumped up from his lap. "He's too strong! He's going to kill me!" In only a too long t-shirt that belonged to Alexander, I fled the room and the house. In my haste, I barely glimpsed both of his parents. They were tall and thin, but the other details were blurred.
"Ana-Marie!" Alexander yelled as he followed me. I slipped on a branch and fell to my knees, mud splashing onto my being. Regardless of the stinging on my knees and palms, I got up and ran again. I ran as fast and as far as I could, eventually becoming lost in the dense overgrowth of the forest that seemingly surrounded all of the Sterling Mansion.
By the time I stopped, I was plastered with mud and leaves. The shirt that was once clean was now stained and ripped, my knees and palms bleeding and covered with mud. I came to a stop in the middle of a clearing, using a tree for support as I desperately gasped for oxygen and clutched at my sides. I flinched at the sound of owls and rustling leaves, but I was too exhausted to go move. I collapsed on the ground, my knees bent so my feet were close to my hips. My hair acted as a veil to cover my face, even though it was matted with sticks and leaves. Streaks of tears ran down my face as I shivered with cold, exhaustion, and helplessness.
Laughter floated through the forest, reverberating through the trees and my body. A shadow emerged from the dense trees and stepped into the moonlight. It was soon-to-be-killer, his skin glowing under the pale moonlight. He seemed frailer since the last time we had met, but I doubted he was any less strong. He was wearing a silk hat and black slacks, his shirt burgundy and unbuttoned at the top. There was hardly any dirt on his shiny leather shoes.
"Sweet child, I believe you've made the biggest mistake in your short life." He kicked me in the side and I fell to the ground like a limp rag doll. "While you were on Sterling land, I could not touch you. Now that you're in free land, I may do as I please." He brought the heel of his shoe down upon my stomach and I coughed up blood. He looked up for a moment, as if he was listening. "Ah, oh well. I guess I'll have to do this quick or else I'll be stopped by your little friend." Digging his shoe once more into the tender flesh of my stomach, he removed his foot before leaning down. "I think I'll enjoy this." Without further ado, he sunk his fangs deep into the skin of my neck. I let out a shrill scream and tried to struggle away, but he had hold of me too tightly. He pulled away and licked his lips. "Sweeter than I imagined." He purred before once again heading to my neck.
"Get away." I rasped. "Don't touch me!" He laughed.
"And what are you going to do about it, child?" He grabbed my head and tilted it to the side for better access. "Scream? No one can hear you. Kick me? As if it would harm me. Don't you see there's nothing you can possibly do? This is your end."
"No!" With what strength remained in me, I pushed him away. "I won't listen to you! I will not die!" I pushed him to the ground and climb atop him, holding him down. "I won't let you kill me!" He let out a boisterous laugh.
"There's nothing you can do now. You're weak and fragile; a mere baby compared to me." He reversed our roles once more, pinning me to the ground. "With some practice you may have stood a chance against me, but you're too late. I win."
"No!" He was pulled off of me and tackled to the ground, a knife placed at his heart. "I won't let you hurt her!" I was picked up from the ground by, who I assumed, was Alexander's mother. She smiled down at me before looking towards her son.
"Alexander!" I choked out as the man pushed him away and he landed against a tree. I pulled away from Alexander's mother and tried to run to him, but she held me back.
"Have faith in him." She whispered.
"It would seem my fun is over." The man whispered. "Goodbye." I closed my eyes against the violent wind he stirred up in his escape. "I'll be back for you, sweet child." I heard faintly.
"Ana-Marie!" Alexander yelled as he ran for me. I wrapped my arms tightly around him and kissed him hard.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"I'm fine, but what about you? What did he do?" He lifted the hair away from my neck, hissing as he caught sight of the puncture wound.
"It doesn't hurt or anything." I soothed him. "It was like getting a shot, really." I said.
"Where else did he hurt you?" He asked, voice, cold and hard.
"He, uh, kicked me in the stomach and side." His face contorted into an angry snarl and he looked like he was going to run after the man. "I'm fine, though. You scared him away! I'll be fine for now." I hugged him close and he responded by wrapping his arms around my waist. "I was worried." I admitted and I felt him relaxing.
"Don't worry about me so much." He murmured. "Come on. Let's take you back to the house." I nodded and he lifted me into his arms. I buried my face into the crook of his neck and breathed in deeply. "Does anything feel broken?" He asked.
"No. Maybe bruised, but I don't think I broke anything."
"Good." I relaxed in his arms and closed my eyes. Soon we arrived at his house and he took me up the stairs, setting me down on the bathroom sink. "I'll get a bath ready for you, okay? Once you're cleaned up I'll have my mom look you over." I nodded once before leaning over to peck his cheek.
"Thank you." I told him. "I'll be sure to see you when everything's done."
"You'd better, otherwise I might get worried and come looking for you." He joked, smiling a little. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine softly before pulling away. "Don't scare me like that again. I thought I was going to lose you."
"I won't die that easily." He hugged me once last time before leaving the room so I could bathe. I removed the ripped and dirtied t-shirt and placed it in the trash before undressing completely. I winced slightly as the warm water hit my cold, injured body. I scrubbed off the muck and tried to clean my cuts, but they stung incredibly. I let the water drain before showering off the rest of the dirt and dried blood.
"Are you ready, dear?" Mrs. Sterling asked from outside the bathroom door.
"Yeah." I told her after securely wrapping a towel around myself. She opened the door and for the first time I actually got a clear picture of Alexander's mother. She was tall and thin, and very bony. She wore a black corset dress with red strings, the bottom of the dress slightly flaring out at the bottom. The dress touched the floor, so it was hard to tell if she wore heels or if she was naturally that tall. Her face was pale and she wore dark red lipstick and thick eye liner. Her hair was deep black with barely any gray, and pulled up into a neat bun that sat atop her head.
"Sit down, sweetheart." She said before gently removing the towel. I winced when she began to clean and bandage the cuts. "You're bruised almost everywhere!' She exclaimed. "And these nasty gashes over top of them!" She shook her head, applying more bandages. "So, how long have you and Alexander known each other?" She smiled knowingly.
"About six months, I guess."
"Ah, so was it love at first sight?" I blushed at her comment.
"I wouldn't call it love." I responded nervously. "We've only been together for three weeks. It's hard to tell if he's serious or if it's just a fling."
"I can assure you Alexander feels very strongly for you. In fact, I would even be so bold as to say he loves you."
"Ah, well, I mean-"
"Don't worry, dear. There's still time to sort out your feelings." She patted my knee before going back to work. "I can tell you two were meant to be. Much more so than he and that silly Raven girl ever did. I tried to warn him, but he just didn't listen." She gave a great sigh.
"Raven? Is she the girl who left him for someone else?"
"Yes, she was. And would you believe she left him only because he wouldn't turn her into a vampire?" She scoffed. "He was being used, but the boy was too foolish to believe me." She looked up at me, her wise eyes peering into my very soul it seemed. "You, though, I can tell you mean well. You're a kind, sweet girl. You know what it's like to be lonely. You two are like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together. I hope he doesn't turn you away."
"Why would he do that?" Despite my embarrassment, I was curious.
"He's afraid to open up his heart again. I can understand how he might feel at times, but if he doesn't snatch you up soon someone else will." Pretty soon my torso looked like a mummy. "Don't touch the bandage or try to take it off. I'll apply new bandages tomorrow evening." She stood up to her full height, leaving me sitting on the toilet lid. "Alexander, you can come in now." Sheepishly, Alexander poked his head around the door.
"Sorry Mom." He apologized with a blush. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop." My face heated up and I looked down at my lap. "I brought you some clean clothes." He said to me, keeping his eyes closed as he set a dress on the counter. "It was one of Luna's old ones." He told me, probably sensing my hesitation. "She won't care." He left with his mother and I stood, picking up the bubble gum pink dress. It wasn't really my style, but it would do. I pulled it over my body and found that it was a little big, but nothing too bad. I adjusted the straps a little so it wasn't revealing most of my chest. It reached a little above my knees and was trimmed in white lace. Once I deemed myself presentable, I stepped out of the bathroom.
"Alexander?" I wondered aloud, looking around for him.
"Over here." He said cheerily. I looked toward the window and found him closing up the curtains.
"Why are you so happy?" I asked cautiously.
"My parents approve of you." He said, kissing me quickly. "I was worried they would be apprehensive, but they love you already." I smiled at him lovingly.
"Do you approve of me?" I asked teasingly.
"Hmm, well…" He said, acting along. "You are a bit too thin, but I'm sure if you ate more we could fix that problem." He pulled me close to him, ruffling up my hair.
"Ow, ow, careful!" I warned and he immediately let me go, his hands behind his back and his face worried. "Silly." I scoffed, flicking his nose playfully. "I said careful. I never said anything about letting me go." He let out a deep breath before gathering me up in his arms.
"Come on. I'll take you to bed." He lifted me up bridal-style and walked to the bed, dropping me onto it. He crawled over top of me with a hungry look in his eyes.
"I'm injured." I reminded him, placing my hand over my mouth before he could kiss me. "You hold too tight when we kiss." I accused. "Maybe later." I pushed him off me and rolled onto my side. He chuckled at my display, but wrapped his arm around my waist anyway.
"Goodnight, Ana-Marie. Sleep well." He whispered into my ear before reaching over to kiss my cheek.
Phew! Finally, it's done! This was almost two chapters in one! I hope you enjoyed reading it, because I certainly had fun writing it. Look out for Chapter 11! It'll probably be out sooner than you think!
Yours Truly,
fishycrackers A.K.A ilovegoldfishcrackers