Chapter 4
After donning a loose t-shirt and jeans, I wandered outside. Behind the Blood Red Fire, a small restaurant/bar that was owned by Adham and Kieran, dense forest stretched as far as the eye could see. Off to the right of the forest was a dirt path leading to a large vegetable and flower garden. Part of the garden was filled with rows of various vegetables, a food source to the humans that lived in the house, but the rest of the garden was filled with various flowers. Although I wasn't sure what the purpose of the flower garden was, I was certain that it wasn't for the use of Adham. I had seen Kieran wandering idly through the paths more than once, a tense look on his face that was slowly replaced by a look of serene happiness. Occasionally he would sit on the wooden swing that often blew emptily in the breeze.
I followed the path to the vegetable garden in hopes of finding Maia. Maia was the only self-respecting human around this place that I had met so far, even though she was blood bonded to Adham. Adham marked humans he particularly liked with a wreath of fire tattooed around their neck and those he blood-bonded to himself were acknowledged with a black rose tattooed on the upper arm.
Like a collar, I thought disgustedly about the line of flame twirling around the necks of a number of humans that inhabited the house.
Maia waved and called my name when she saw me approaching.
"What are you doing here?" She asked quizzically. "You aren't normally awake by this time."
"Bad dreams," I answered vaguely, kneeling beside her in a row of carrots and beginning to yank out the weeds that threatened to choke the vegetables. "And what about you? You look tired." I said as I noticed the dark circles that stood out like bruises on her fair skin under her bright blue eyes.
"Adham visited me last night," She said calmly, controlling her voice, although I noticed that she gave a vicious tug on the small plants that surrounded the carrots.
"Oh." I replied, leaving a moment open for awkward silence. I knew that Maia wasn't particularly fond of Adham but she had never explained why, and I didn't think it had anything to do with the fact that Maia was one of the few humans who didn't enjoy being vampire prey.
Letting my mind wander, my thoughts were instantly drawn to on of the paths in the woods. It was barely visible from the yard, so small was the opening in the thick forest. Kieran's steely voice filled my head. "Never go in there, Kalantha. Never follow that path, no matter what would seem to compel you to. Never. You will risk dying an excruciatingly painful death." My arms ached at the remembrance; I had been left with bruises from Kieran's intense grip. Kieran's warning had done what was intended; it had frightened me, but after the initial feeling of fear wore off, a burning curiosity flowed through my veins, growing stronger each time I thought about it. It was as if something was forcefully drawing my mind back to the caliginous snarls of underbrush that barred the path off from the world.
"Kala." Maia's acidic voice brought me back to the present. "You're getting that look on your face again."
"What look?" I eyed her with puzzlement.
"You're daydreaming." Maia stated bluntly, not taking her eyes off of her work.
I said nothing. Maia was normally an incredibly happy individual, sometimes to the point where you'd be within an inch of strangling her. She didn't panic under any amount of stress, and wasn't driven to insanity as many humans were with the capacity of knowledge that vampires did, and are in existence. But Maia also didn't believe in daydreaming, not when there were definite predators around.
"You take but one eye off your path, and you will be led, or taken, astray," was what she had once told me.
"Maia?" I asked.
She leaned back on her heels, wiping the sweat off her brow. Tendrils of pale blond hair had shaken themselves loose of the loose ponytail at the base of her neck, and been glued to her forehead with perspiration. She was tiring quicker than normal, most likely from the loss of blood from the previous night. Kieran didn't talk of Adham much, but from what I could gather, they used to be great friends. Why it fell apart, I don't know, but Kieran seemed to try to avoid Adham whenever possible.
"Yes?" Maia prompted, after having sat silent for a moment without my response. She frowned suspiciously at me. My questions weren't always well received; she said I asked for too much information, which would one day turn and stab me in the back. She said that the less I knew the better. "When were you.taken by vampires?
Maia's frown deepened. "I knew you were going to ask about that eventually." She paused, as if deciding whether or not to tell me. For a moment I thought she would refuse. "Another time." She said as if in promise, glancing around herself. "We're too out in the open. Anyone could be listening in."
I nodded silently. I knew Maia; she would keep her word.
TIME TO REVIEW!!! Hehehe...
After donning a loose t-shirt and jeans, I wandered outside. Behind the Blood Red Fire, a small restaurant/bar that was owned by Adham and Kieran, dense forest stretched as far as the eye could see. Off to the right of the forest was a dirt path leading to a large vegetable and flower garden. Part of the garden was filled with rows of various vegetables, a food source to the humans that lived in the house, but the rest of the garden was filled with various flowers. Although I wasn't sure what the purpose of the flower garden was, I was certain that it wasn't for the use of Adham. I had seen Kieran wandering idly through the paths more than once, a tense look on his face that was slowly replaced by a look of serene happiness. Occasionally he would sit on the wooden swing that often blew emptily in the breeze.
I followed the path to the vegetable garden in hopes of finding Maia. Maia was the only self-respecting human around this place that I had met so far, even though she was blood bonded to Adham. Adham marked humans he particularly liked with a wreath of fire tattooed around their neck and those he blood-bonded to himself were acknowledged with a black rose tattooed on the upper arm.
Like a collar, I thought disgustedly about the line of flame twirling around the necks of a number of humans that inhabited the house.
Maia waved and called my name when she saw me approaching.
"What are you doing here?" She asked quizzically. "You aren't normally awake by this time."
"Bad dreams," I answered vaguely, kneeling beside her in a row of carrots and beginning to yank out the weeds that threatened to choke the vegetables. "And what about you? You look tired." I said as I noticed the dark circles that stood out like bruises on her fair skin under her bright blue eyes.
"Adham visited me last night," She said calmly, controlling her voice, although I noticed that she gave a vicious tug on the small plants that surrounded the carrots.
"Oh." I replied, leaving a moment open for awkward silence. I knew that Maia wasn't particularly fond of Adham but she had never explained why, and I didn't think it had anything to do with the fact that Maia was one of the few humans who didn't enjoy being vampire prey.
Letting my mind wander, my thoughts were instantly drawn to on of the paths in the woods. It was barely visible from the yard, so small was the opening in the thick forest. Kieran's steely voice filled my head. "Never go in there, Kalantha. Never follow that path, no matter what would seem to compel you to. Never. You will risk dying an excruciatingly painful death." My arms ached at the remembrance; I had been left with bruises from Kieran's intense grip. Kieran's warning had done what was intended; it had frightened me, but after the initial feeling of fear wore off, a burning curiosity flowed through my veins, growing stronger each time I thought about it. It was as if something was forcefully drawing my mind back to the caliginous snarls of underbrush that barred the path off from the world.
"Kala." Maia's acidic voice brought me back to the present. "You're getting that look on your face again."
"What look?" I eyed her with puzzlement.
"You're daydreaming." Maia stated bluntly, not taking her eyes off of her work.
I said nothing. Maia was normally an incredibly happy individual, sometimes to the point where you'd be within an inch of strangling her. She didn't panic under any amount of stress, and wasn't driven to insanity as many humans were with the capacity of knowledge that vampires did, and are in existence. But Maia also didn't believe in daydreaming, not when there were definite predators around.
"You take but one eye off your path, and you will be led, or taken, astray," was what she had once told me.
"Maia?" I asked.
She leaned back on her heels, wiping the sweat off her brow. Tendrils of pale blond hair had shaken themselves loose of the loose ponytail at the base of her neck, and been glued to her forehead with perspiration. She was tiring quicker than normal, most likely from the loss of blood from the previous night. Kieran didn't talk of Adham much, but from what I could gather, they used to be great friends. Why it fell apart, I don't know, but Kieran seemed to try to avoid Adham whenever possible.
"Yes?" Maia prompted, after having sat silent for a moment without my response. She frowned suspiciously at me. My questions weren't always well received; she said I asked for too much information, which would one day turn and stab me in the back. She said that the less I knew the better. "When were you.taken by vampires?
Maia's frown deepened. "I knew you were going to ask about that eventually." She paused, as if deciding whether or not to tell me. For a moment I thought she would refuse. "Another time." She said as if in promise, glancing around herself. "We're too out in the open. Anyone could be listening in."
I nodded silently. I knew Maia; she would keep her word.
TIME TO REVIEW!!! Hehehe...