Part Twenty-Five:

Do you know that feeling where it is as if your tired, but your not physically tired? Kind of like mentally tired. Age tired. As if you've lived long enough and you're just all out tired. A kind of tired that not even sleep will satisfy. Where your eyes droop, but not from lack of sleep. A feeling of giving up. Just let stuff happen.

It's called depression.

I mean, not suicidal depression. Just an 'I give up' depression. A kind of depression that can be easily fixed. Just a switch depression. On. Off. On. Off. I think at this moment it's on. Either way, I hate just sitting around doing nothing all day. Jestin obviously felt the same. Can you be so bored that you're depressed? I mean, sometimes I can even mentally keep myself out of boredom. It isn't too hard. Usually I just pretend I'm somewhere else.

Everywhere else isn't so cool at this moment. Where can I imagine myself being? At a theme park? Riding these Starburster rides, the Highlander, the Coasters. Just the thought of it sends this cold excitement of thrill through my veins. That's an imaginary place that is used too often. Maybe in a place where cotton candy smells drift around you. Lollipop land. That's an imaginary place that's too old. Or maybe just home. There's no place like home.

There's places better than home. There's places worse than home. There's places that's funner than home. Cozier than home. But there is no place like home. If I imagine myself home, I hear my parents arguing about who did the laundry last. Nag, nag, nag. Where's my outfit I had out tomorrow? Why didn't you clean the clothes I told you to? So on, so forth. That's an imaginary/real place I don't like to think about. So what do I do now, with Jestin here, in my boredom?

"I've got an idea,"Jestin stated in excitement. Sounds like trouble to me. But I'm a danger magnet, I might as well accept things as they are. Opportunities of trouble show up, I must accept them. Possibly, I may die. Really, who thinks of that when they go bungee jumping a billion times? With my luck, though, the cord would snap. This has nothing to do with Jestin's idea. "What is it,"I asked dully, anticipating the worst. For example: singing Barney songs.

"There's this supposively 'secret' room,"Jestin started. I interupted swiftly,"Is it Daviel's?" Jestin hesitated, then I guess she figured I'd like a challenge when she replied,"Yes. Exactly. The thing is-" I interupted,"Then let's keep it secret." I'm not in the mood for Daviel to jump all over me, again. Maybe I'll see about this 'secret' room when I'm in a more death seeking mood. Jestin frowned and sighed,"But, Ivy, It'd be fun. There's real-life vampire journals in there."

I didn't answer at first. Who cares? But Jestin said in a quiet, cryptic voice,"Including one of Daviel's, too." This caught my attention. What would Daviel put in a Journal? Maybe some deep, dark secrets I could use against him in the future. Nice. "All right, let's do it,"I said with malice. Oh, what things I could find in Daviel's mind. Maybe a crush he didn't want anyone to know about. Or even a time where he believed his was gay, but wasn't sure.

Mwahahahaha.

Jestin jumped up and I followed her out the door. Jestin nearly ran into someone on the way out. "Woah,"Jestin said when I ran into her. I peered around Jestin to see Tyra grinning in confusion. "What are you two up to,"Tyra asked. What is SHE doing here? Probaly visiting her beloved Daviel. Ugh. Jestin glanced at me before saying,"Trouble." Why don't you just go ahead and tell her everything? I elbowed Jestin dangerously and she hissed,"What?"

Tyra had already brightened as she said,"Ooooh, I want to help!" Jestin starred at me and I rolled my eyes. "Fine,"I stated,"Jestin, lead the way." Jestin started down the hallway. I glanced at Tyra suspiciously before following Jestin. Tyra followed me. After going up a flight of stairs that I didn't know existed, Jestin had me stopped. The stairs ended at a wall. I glanced around and looked at Jestin. "Oh, a wall. We're in big trouble now,"I stated sarcastically.

Jestin stuck out her tongue before punching the ceiling above us. "What the fuck are you doing,"I snapped when dust got in my eyes. Tyra laughed and Jestin hissed,"Shut up." She punched another part of the ceiling. The third time, there was a hollow thunk. "Aha,"Jestin stated in triumph. She traced her finger over the edge and got it stuck on a very small bump. The next second, the dead-end wall was sliding aside like a trap door. "Wicked,"I said in awe and Tyra said,"Oh, what's this?"

Is it me or is Tyra just plain annoying?

"Come on,"Jestin said, gesturing for us to go through the trap door. I--being so bold--went first. This had to be one of the most dustiest places I've seen in my life. It was interesting, though. There was a book case full of hand-written stuff. I traced a hand over the bindings, reading over what titles were there. Tyra had grabbed one already and was snickering about some secret in it. "Is it Daviel's,"I asked simply. She replied,"Nope, some vampire named Iris." Jestin grabbed one that was decorated.

Jestin blew off the dust and smiled brightly,"This one is mine from when I was human." With that, she walked a little ways off and started mentally reading her own words. I paused at a black one. It was one that popped out at me. I grabbed the Journal and blew the dust off of it. The title...handwritten so sweet and eligantly...was "Jon-Deus Elequet's Words". What is that? French? In curiousity about whether or not I could understand the words, I opened the journal.

The first thing I saw was how beautiful the handwriting was. Then the next second, the dust from the book rose in a burst and flew into my face. I dropped the Journal, coughing and wiping the dust away from my face. "Are you all right,"Tyra asked curiously. Jestin glanced up from her journal to look at me. I nodded,"Sure." Then I bent down and picked up the journal. I glanced at the page it had landed on and noticed a passage underlined.

'She was sweeter than the sun itself would have been if I could only walk into it without pain. Oh, if only I knew when a lie was in front of me. Maybe then I would have known better than to trust her. Then I would have been warned. Look at her. See her deceits. She doesn't love him, she's only using him. You're in the way. You're blocking her path. She'll do whatever it takes to get you out of the way.'

I frowned and closed the Journal. Then I put it up on the case. "Here it is,"Jestin said, shoving another book in front of me. Meanwhile, Tyra clucked in disgust and said,"Ew, Iris ended up pregnant with her own son's child. Talk about incest." I smiled at that and grabbed the Journal Jestin gave me. The only thing written on the front was "Keep Out or You're Dead". "Whose is it,"I asked Jestin shortly. She snickered,"Daviel's when he was fifteen, and human." I widened my eyes and opened it curiously.

It was pictures. That's it. A bunch of drawings. They were good, but I mean...what kind of journal is that? I scoffed and flipped the pages. Some pictures were of Jestin. A lot were flowers and other naturistic things. After a moment, I shut it. "It doesn't say anything,"I stated. Jestin smirked,"Yes it does. It tells what he did that day. The flowers were at the park. When I'm in it, he was with me for the day." I flipped over the journal. "So all he did was go to the park and hang out with you,"I asked.

What? Was he a nerd?

"Well,"Jestin said,"We were wealthy. We couldn't have a bunch of friends like others could. We were very limited in what to do." I scratched a bad itch I felt on the back of my neck. "Well, there's no secrets here, then,"I said, putting back the journal. "This is a waste of time,"Tyra stated, putting up Iris' Journal. Something caught my eye, suddenly. In the far corner, a tattered Journal binding said simply "Crystal Kinrey". Well, there are a lot of Kinrey's in the world, anyways.

Jestin caught me looking at it and she said,"Oooh, maybe you know her." Then she tackled the journal and flipped it open curiously. Jestin's face fell. "She didn't write much at all,"Jestin stated,"Just occasionally about this guy she liked." I glanced over her shoulder. Jon-Deus Elequet. Hmm, I wonder if Crystal was the girl he was talking about. Jestin shrugged and put it back into the case. I scratched the back of my hand absently and looked up at the ceiling.

Just then, there was a movement on the stairs. "Oh, shit,"Tyra said and both Jestin and I turned to look at her in shock. Miss Wonderful just cussed. Tyra smiled sheepishly and shrugged,"What?" I elbowed Jestin,"What was that noise?" I scratched my upper arm and listened with all my might. After a moment of us all listening, Jestin shrugged. "Let's get out of here,"Jestin said. She listened to the trap door before opening it swiftly. Then, with a coast is clear signal, Jestin disappeared down the stairs.

Tyra grinned at me slyly before going next. What was that grin about? Maybe I'm just too paranoid. I scratched my shoulder before heading down the stairs slowly. Then I scratched my neck again. There must be some bugs or something because I'm starting to itch a lot. It made me feel dirty. I scratched a spot on my head and another on my wrist. Then I was scratching my back. When I scratched the back of my ear, I winced at the burst of itches throughout my body.

Then I ran into somebody. Probaly Jestin or dumb Tyra. I rubbed my itchy eyes and then blinked to focus on Daviel...who looked very angry for some unknown reason. I scratched my nose and then my back again. "What are you doing here,"Daviel snarled. I looked around. In the middle of the staircase. All by my lonesome. No Jestin to vouch for me. I shrugged,"Just walking around." The itching stopped suddenly and I dropped my hands by my side.

"What are YOU doing here,"I asked in fake suspicion. Then I said,"Are you...stalking me? Seriously, why do you always appear when-" I stopped my sentence. Almost telling on myself, there. Daviel caught it and sneered,"When what? When you're sneaking around? Bugging in places where you shouldn't bug?" I felt a weird sensation on my lower back and it made me pause in reply. This raised suspicion in Daviel and he peered over my shoulder.

"Why were you up there, Iveria,"he growled dangerously. I started to take a deep breath, but it felt blocked slightly. As if I had a small chest conjestion. A small wheeze erupted from my breath. Daviel's face changed from suspicious to confusion. I tried to take another deep breath, but this odd pressure on my upper chest kept me from filling my lungs. It deepened the wheeze. "What's happening,"I asked in a high pitched voice, coughing. This actually hurt, though.

Something else hurt, as well. My back was burning painfully. As if I had paper cuts all over it that was becoming infected or something. And then I could barely breath at all. I started clutching my lungs and struggling for air. Asthma. All that dust breathing must have done it in, which is odd. The only thing that had caused my asthma before was when Oak was dead. I mean, that was a big ordeal, though. I have no clue what's wrong with my back, though.

I felt the lack of oxygen tingle in my muscles, but the only thing in my mind was the burning sensation on my back and in my lungs. Also the fact that I couldn't BREATHE! I started to fall to the ground, but Daviel grabbed my arms and lowered me carefully. "Crap,"he snarled furiously,"Why didn't you tell me about this? What were you doing up there? HOW'D you get up there?!" Stop asking questions and go find an Inhalor. What is up with my BACK?

I guess--because lack of oxygen or maybe the seering pain in my back--I must have blacked out. The next second, everything was gone. Nothing was hurting anymore. I couldn't hear Daviel snarling at me, neither. This...is A LOT better.