Chapter 14
The four teens played soccer for almost a full hour, though no score was kept. There weren't even any real teams. But it was more fun than the dance could have ever been. Eventually, Kady went to sit down and Gregory followed her, the pair chatting up a storm. Meanwhile, Toni did her best to show Rudolf how to do simple tricks with the ball.
"No no, you have to bounce it on the flat part of your knee. Right here." She told him, slapping her own knee in demonstration.
"It's not as easy as looks." He grumbled defensively. Toni chuckled and kicked the ball out of his hands, letting it roll across the field.
"I told you so."
His eyes flashed at the challenge, the look he gave her was full of mischief and just enough warning that she was able to dodge out of the way of his hands. She squealed when he lunged again and took off running after the ball, lifting her dress high to keep it out of the way.
But he was gaining on her! What? That couldn't be right, Toni had always been the fastest of any group she'd been in. Even on the soccer team she was known for her speed.
"Stupid dress." She grumbled, pulling the fabric higher and picking up speed. Rudolf only laughed and passed right by her, putting in as much effort as a light jog. Her jaw dropped. "How…? Oh. Right. Vampire, duh."
He reached the ball first and planted a foot on it, but Toni danced the thing away from him with ease. He finally gave up trying to be fair and grabbed her around the waist.
"Hey! You cheater!" she yelled as he swung her around, making her laugh until they tumbled down into the grass.
Words failed her when they stopped rolling, as he was hovering over her with a certain glint in his eyes. "Um…hi."
"Hello." He replied, chuckling at her lame response before rolling over to lie on the grass beside her.
"I didn't know you were so fast!"
"Of course I'm fast. I wouldn't be much of a predator is my prey could outrun me." he pointed out. The matter of fact way he said it made her grimace, but she had to admit it made sense.
"Well, I still call it cheating."
"Why?"
"Because it's unfair."
"Ah, but is it fair that you are playing soccer against me even though you've been playing for years and it's only my first try?"
"Well…no."
"Exactly. It's not cheating, it's using your resources!"
Toni burst into giggles and rolled onto her side, propping up her head to look at him. "You're silly, you know that?"
"I do now, thank you for telling me." he teased, sitting up and bowing, making her roll her eyes and laugh again. "However, on a more serious note…won't your father be upset that I'm keeping you out this late?"
Toni snorted and rolled onto her stomach. "Nah. I told him flat out not to expect me home too early."
He got to his feet anyway. "Are you sure? Because it's bad enough that I haven't met him personally…then I keep you out and-"
"Rudy, you're fine." Toni assured him. "He knows I'm old enough to make my own decisions. And he also has no idea how late the dance goes. He can't say a word if I get home later than he expects. For all he knows, the party will last all night with the kids playing video games or something."
"I suppose…where's your ball?"
"What? Oh, it's right there. Phew!" she said, hopping up and scooping her ball into her arms. "Wouldn't want to forget this. Can we drop it off by the car before doing…whatever we end up doing?"
He laughed and nodded, walking beside her. "You love that ball more than Anna loves her poetry I think."
"Anna likes poetry?"
"She loves it. She writes her own poems and recites them to us. It gets a bit annoying actually…"
"That's because it's poetry. Yuck." Toni said with a laugh. "Oh…well lookie here." She said softly, a smile warming her face.
Kady sat on the trunk of the silver car, Gregory standing before her with his hands braced on either side of her. It was quite frankly adorable. She decided not to bother them, instead rolling the ball towards the car and linking her arm with Rudolf's to pull him away.
"I think we must have been matchmakers in a previous life." She giggled softly, looking back at the pair. Rudolf turned to look as well, just in time to see Kady lean forward and capture Gregory's lips with her own. Toni burst into giggles once more and Rudolf had to hush her as they went further away.
"I will say one thing. He's never been so interested in a girl before. Not serious enough to do more than flirt anyway."
"Not in nine hundred years? You guys need to get out more." Toni teased, nudging him as they looked out over the lake. Their link arms slipped apart, only for their fingers to lace together instead, making Toni's heart sing with gentle happiness. The fog was rolling thicker now, waving through the grass and up to their knees like a solid thing. She plopped down onto the grass, making the fog roll away and pulling Rudolf down. He settled into his seat as well, and between the fog and the dark, Toni felt like they were the only two people in the world.
"I'm glad I came here." She whispered.
"To Scotland? I thought you wanted to go back to America?"
"I did at first. But now? Now there's Kady…she seems like a lot of fun. And you're here too. If I hadn't come I never would have met you."
"I know…" he muttered, glancing out over the lake.
"So…now I'm really glad I came. Once you and your family are human again, it'll be nice to have friends again. I'm glad it's all worked out so well."
Rudolf didn't turn, but his stiff posture told her something was wrong.
"Rudy?"
"Toni…I won't always be here."
"What do you mean? You planning on leaving?"
"Not exactly." He muttered. He still wouldn't look at her. "It's…when we become human."
"But you want to become human. Don't you?"
"Yes, of course! But…we don't just change."
"What do you mean?"
He sighed, the black lake still holding his gaze. "Think of us as puzzle pieces. Everyone in the world is a piece of a giant puzzle. When a human becomes a vampire, that piece is pulled free of the puzzle. So…when we turn back, our piece goes right back into place. As if it never left."
Toni licked her lips, but her mouth was so dry it didn't make a difference. "I'm…not sure I know what you're getting at."
"We go back. Take my family for example. We were turned in England. So…when we become human again, we'll end up there."
"Alright, makes sense. But it's not like you won't come back."
He sighed again, eyes trailing downwards to be absorbed by the grass instead. "Toni…everything changes for us. We'll have vague memories of being vampires, but we'll also have lives. Entire lives are created for us, so it will be as if we were never turned. I don't know how…but we'll even have a reason for not having a house or belongings. Our puzzle pieces are literally slotted back into place so we fit into society perfectly once more."
"But… But you'll come back." She whispered, eyes tracing his profile. "Once you're all settled and everything, you'll come here. And find me."
He finally looked at her, his black eyes overflowing with sadness that made her heart seize. "Toni…I won't even remember that you exist."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Alright, so not a TON of screentime for Gregory. I was considering adding in a whole new chapter, but I frankly didn't have time. Or the energy ^^; But that's alright, i still got to be mean to the characters :D For those who aren't familiar with my stories, i looove tortunring my characters :D
And, at the request of every single person who reviewed, I won't be slowing down my updates, don't worry, lol. If anything, i'm surprised how many people actually protested the idea! Amazing how easy it is to hit that little review button and say something, ain't it? .
Your Amused Authoress,
Whisperwings