Part 23
It was becoming more and more obvious that Juliana couldn't stay in Elm Creek for much longer. Three people - no four if you counted the boy in the diner - had died in strange circumstances since she had arrived.
She had been convinced that this time it would work, this time she could avoid the Hunter and settle down and start a new life.
Oh no.
What had she been thinking? He'd found her, and was killing people. She'd heard the whispers of course. Everything had started happening the minute *she* had come. Not to mention her vision attack that first day.
Everything had gone down hill since she had arrived. She should have taken it as a sign and split before anything had happened. Barely a week had passed! She dropped her books on the couch in her apartment, wondering what to do.
She remembered a few days ago, coming in after school, wondering what normal people did when they got home. Normal students probably didn't have to worry about psychotic vampire hunters chasing them around the world.
A sound coming from upstairs caught her attention. She frowned. No one else should be here. She headed upstairs cautiously. "Hello?" she called out, feeling extremely stupid. A soft of whispering floated into her ears.
She stood silently, listening carefully. The whisper came again, just a ghost on the wind, something that shouldn't be there, but was.
"Who's there?" she called again, starting to walk towards the sound.
A floorboard creaked behind her. She whirled around. No one was there. Of course there wasn't. She was completely losing it. Shaking her head she turned around, only to hind herself meeting Aurora's fist, knocking her out.
* * *
Juliana blinked painfully, her vision blurred, swarming in front of her. She didn't bother moving knowing she was likely to be tied up, somehow immobilised.
"I told you I'd get you."
It was the voice that had haunted her for the past hundred years. The man determined to ruin her life, and even worse - without her even knowing why. Now he was going to reveal his true face to her.
He was rather slender for a boy, with a gorgeous face that looked like it belonged on an ancient coin, his long blond hair tied back in a neat ponytail. Eyes the colour of sapphires, glared back at her, twinkling in deadly fury.
"Now do you recognise me?" he asked, his voice cold with hatred.
Juliana stared at him in utter disbelief. "*Apollo*?" she whispered. "But you died." This boy had been her childhood sweetheart, her best friend, until he'd mysteriously disappeared one day, over 1500 years ago. She couldn't push away the memory now...
She recalled feeding on him once, and freaking when she realised what she was doing. The next day he had disappeared. Several centuries later she had caught herself doing it again, the one friend she'd made since she'd been targeted by the Hunter...
She shook her head, tears starting to trickle down her cheeks.
"Well, I probably would have been better off dead," Apollo said carefully, turning away. Juliana didn't understand. How could someone named for a god of the sun, who was once full of warmth and brightness - now be so cold and evil, driven by hatred.
"*Why*?" she cried. "I loved you!"
Apollo turned to face her, his expression twisted in rage. He hit her viciously several times. Juliana sank back, stunned. "How can you *say* that?" he screeched like a banshee. "I loved you, too Serefina! You made me a *monster*! You didn't even ask!"
Juliana frowned in confusion. On the creepy phone call he had called her Serefina. When he had chased Charlene he had called *her* Serefina. Everything was finally starting to make sense. Years of shock, death, pain and misery...all meant for someone *else*!
"But I'm not Serefina! I'm *Julia*. *Julia*. Don't you remember me, Apollo? We grew up together. Serefina was my identical sister. Don't you *remember*?"
Apollo was looking at her blankly. "Sister...?" he asked, confused. "I saw two of you...I didn't get it..." He trailed off and walked away.
Hot tears of anger and rage slid down Juliana's cheeks. Serefina had bewitched him, she had taken him away from her, turned the bright sunny boy she had loved into a twisted, evil monster. Apollo was unstable, and he didn't seem to know what he was doing anymore.
Could she convince him to let her go? She could help him, they could be together again....
She didn't know what she was thinking herself. She'd been terrified of him for years...
Shouldn't somebody be on their way to rescue her by now?
* * *
It was becoming more and more obvious that Juliana couldn't stay in Elm Creek for much longer. Three people - no four if you counted the boy in the diner - had died in strange circumstances since she had arrived.
She had been convinced that this time it would work, this time she could avoid the Hunter and settle down and start a new life.
Oh no.
What had she been thinking? He'd found her, and was killing people. She'd heard the whispers of course. Everything had started happening the minute *she* had come. Not to mention her vision attack that first day.
Everything had gone down hill since she had arrived. She should have taken it as a sign and split before anything had happened. Barely a week had passed! She dropped her books on the couch in her apartment, wondering what to do.
She remembered a few days ago, coming in after school, wondering what normal people did when they got home. Normal students probably didn't have to worry about psychotic vampire hunters chasing them around the world.
A sound coming from upstairs caught her attention. She frowned. No one else should be here. She headed upstairs cautiously. "Hello?" she called out, feeling extremely stupid. A soft of whispering floated into her ears.
She stood silently, listening carefully. The whisper came again, just a ghost on the wind, something that shouldn't be there, but was.
"Who's there?" she called again, starting to walk towards the sound.
A floorboard creaked behind her. She whirled around. No one was there. Of course there wasn't. She was completely losing it. Shaking her head she turned around, only to hind herself meeting Aurora's fist, knocking her out.
* * *
Juliana blinked painfully, her vision blurred, swarming in front of her. She didn't bother moving knowing she was likely to be tied up, somehow immobilised.
"I told you I'd get you."
It was the voice that had haunted her for the past hundred years. The man determined to ruin her life, and even worse - without her even knowing why. Now he was going to reveal his true face to her.
He was rather slender for a boy, with a gorgeous face that looked like it belonged on an ancient coin, his long blond hair tied back in a neat ponytail. Eyes the colour of sapphires, glared back at her, twinkling in deadly fury.
"Now do you recognise me?" he asked, his voice cold with hatred.
Juliana stared at him in utter disbelief. "*Apollo*?" she whispered. "But you died." This boy had been her childhood sweetheart, her best friend, until he'd mysteriously disappeared one day, over 1500 years ago. She couldn't push away the memory now...
She recalled feeding on him once, and freaking when she realised what she was doing. The next day he had disappeared. Several centuries later she had caught herself doing it again, the one friend she'd made since she'd been targeted by the Hunter...
She shook her head, tears starting to trickle down her cheeks.
"Well, I probably would have been better off dead," Apollo said carefully, turning away. Juliana didn't understand. How could someone named for a god of the sun, who was once full of warmth and brightness - now be so cold and evil, driven by hatred.
"*Why*?" she cried. "I loved you!"
Apollo turned to face her, his expression twisted in rage. He hit her viciously several times. Juliana sank back, stunned. "How can you *say* that?" he screeched like a banshee. "I loved you, too Serefina! You made me a *monster*! You didn't even ask!"
Juliana frowned in confusion. On the creepy phone call he had called her Serefina. When he had chased Charlene he had called *her* Serefina. Everything was finally starting to make sense. Years of shock, death, pain and misery...all meant for someone *else*!
"But I'm not Serefina! I'm *Julia*. *Julia*. Don't you remember me, Apollo? We grew up together. Serefina was my identical sister. Don't you *remember*?"
Apollo was looking at her blankly. "Sister...?" he asked, confused. "I saw two of you...I didn't get it..." He trailed off and walked away.
Hot tears of anger and rage slid down Juliana's cheeks. Serefina had bewitched him, she had taken him away from her, turned the bright sunny boy she had loved into a twisted, evil monster. Apollo was unstable, and he didn't seem to know what he was doing anymore.
Could she convince him to let her go? She could help him, they could be together again....
She didn't know what she was thinking herself. She'd been terrified of him for years...
Shouldn't somebody be on their way to rescue her by now?
* * *