AN: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, but the power was off for
a few days because of the hurricane. But here's chapter 5... hopefully
you'll enjoy it.
~*~*~
I woke up to the ringing of my phone. I looked at the clock to see it was still one in the morning.
"Hello?" I groggily mumbled into the receiver.
"Rayne?" A voice asked. It was so full of energy to be so late.
"Evan?" I asked, sitting up. "It's so early." Everything got black and spun for a second. I groaned.
"Are you okay?" he asked, some what concerned.
"Yeah. I sat up too fast. So... why are you calling?" I asked, trying to get to the point.
"I heard something and sort of saw something outside. Look out your window," he instructed.
I walked over to my window and looked down on the street.
"I don't see anything," I said.
"I don't know. I saw something," he said.
"Oh well. That's not all that you wanted, though," I said, sensing his feelings. There was a lot more he had to say.
"Yeah. Remember the other day? When I asked you to come to the library?" Evan said.
"Yeah..." I thought back to that day.
~*~*~
I hurried to the library. I knew that I was going to be late or completely miss first bell. There was something in me that didn't care, though.
Walking into the library, I saw no one.
"Hello?" I called. I hoped my intentions were not failed.
The librarian stepped out of her office and looked at me.
"Miss Summers, whatever are you doing in here?" She asked, suspicious of me.
"I was looking for Evan. He told me to meet him in here," I said.
"Back here!" Evan called from behind the bookshelves.
I set my books on the table and hurried over to where he was helping file the books.
"You asked me to come here," I said. He didn't look up.
"You called me last night. I was curious to hear what you had to say," he replied.
"Oh, yeah," I said slowly. "I wanted to apologize."
"For what? You can't apologize for the past. It's already over. You can't apologize for being shallow because that's just who you are. Are you apologizing for wasting my time?" He looked at me angrily. At that moment there was more pain in his eyes than I'd ever seen in anyone before.
"I'm apologizing for proving you wrong. Remember my first birthday in my dad's house? It was the fifth grade. You said I had potential to be so much better than what I was. You said that I had potential to be... something. I've amounted to a snotty cheerleader who doesn't care about anyone but herself and her credit card. I realized that last night. I'm sorry," I looked at him, my eyes filling with tears.
"You can still be something," he said, softening somewhat. "What else did you want?"
"I wanted to know if you would come to my birthday party," I said, the tears freely streaming down my cheeks.
"Feeling guilty?" Evan sneered.
"No. I mean... yes. But this isn't an attempt to justify my wrongdoing. I can't and I know that. But it would mean a lot to me if maybe you could at least consider coming," I said softly.
"I'll think about it," he said. The pain in his eyes was replaced with sympathy. I turned around and began to walk away, my head hanging low.
"Rayne..." Evan said softly, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"What?" I asked, holding in my sobs.
"Don't look so defeated. You've won," he said. He awkwardly pulled me toward him. I buried my head in his shoulder and let go of it all. I cried through all of my morning classes and during that whole time, Evan held me close and never tried to stop me. In fact, I think he was crying at one point, too.
~*~*~
"I remember," I said. That was the first time I'd ever cried in front of someone. For me, that was somewhat of an emotional breakthrough.
"I'm coming to your party," he said proudly. I smiled.
"That's wonder-Oh shit!" I cut myself off.
"What? You don't want me to come?" Evan asked, worried.
"No. I saw something outside," I said. There was another black flash in the neighbor's yard. It looked just like the first one.
"Yeah. It's probably just people being people," Evan concluded. "Go to sleep. Today's your birthday!"
I opened my bedroom window just then.
"Hello!" I called out, sticking my head out into the darkness of the night.
"Rayne! Be careful," Evan warned. I felt something push on the back of my neck and before I knew what was happening, I was laying in my front yard after falling two stories. Everything got blurry and then went black.
~*~*~
It may have been a few seconds or maybe a few minutes, but I wasn't unconscious for very long.
"Rayne!" I heard Evan shout in my phone. I groggily looked around for the phone. A sharp pain shot through the back of my skull and there were white flashes in front of my eyes.
I turned around to see a tall and mysterious man holding my phone.
"Who are you?" I asked, holding the back of my head.
"You're Rayne," he said knowingly.
"How do you figure? Could it be the guy on MY phone calling MY name? Who the hell are you?" I snapped sarcastically as I took my phone from him.
"Evan. I'm okay. I'll see you later. Bye," I hung up.
"He's going to be worried," the guy said.
"He already is," I said. "Who are you?" As I stood up, everything began to spin. I felt his arms around me as I began to fall.
"Who am I? Right now, that's not a concern. You'll know soon enough I'm afraid," he said somewhat sadly.
"Take me inside," I instructed.
"Aren't we demanding," he said in monotone. "Can I come in?"
"I don't see how I'm going to get inside without you. Take me in," I said. "My room is upstairs. It's the first door on the right."
He carried me up the stairs and laid me down on my bed. He then pulled my red chair up next to my bed and sat in it.
"There's something about you," he said.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"My friend, Cordelia, has been having visions about you," he said.
"What about me?" I asked curiously. I tried to sit up, but he pushed me back down.
"Be careful today, Rayne. They're after you and I can't be around to save you all the time. I don't know why they're after you, but I'm sure there's a reason," he informed. "Today's your birthday. How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
He looked at me strangely and his eyes saddened. This guy, whoever he was, had a deep, dark past. There was darkness in his soul. There was good and there was evil in him.
"Be careful," he said. "And take this." He handed me a small box. I opened it and pulled out a large, silver cross necklace.
"I can't take this from you. I don't even know you," I said, giving it back to him.
"That's fine," he said, a spark in his eyes. "You need to sleep. It's a big day." He gently pushed my lids over my eyes.
"What pushed me out of my window?" I asked.
"A vampire," he said. However, I was too tired to think or even respond, so I turned over and went to sleep.
~*~*~
I woke up to the ringing of my phone. I looked at the clock to see it was still one in the morning.
"Hello?" I groggily mumbled into the receiver.
"Rayne?" A voice asked. It was so full of energy to be so late.
"Evan?" I asked, sitting up. "It's so early." Everything got black and spun for a second. I groaned.
"Are you okay?" he asked, some what concerned.
"Yeah. I sat up too fast. So... why are you calling?" I asked, trying to get to the point.
"I heard something and sort of saw something outside. Look out your window," he instructed.
I walked over to my window and looked down on the street.
"I don't see anything," I said.
"I don't know. I saw something," he said.
"Oh well. That's not all that you wanted, though," I said, sensing his feelings. There was a lot more he had to say.
"Yeah. Remember the other day? When I asked you to come to the library?" Evan said.
"Yeah..." I thought back to that day.
~*~*~
I hurried to the library. I knew that I was going to be late or completely miss first bell. There was something in me that didn't care, though.
Walking into the library, I saw no one.
"Hello?" I called. I hoped my intentions were not failed.
The librarian stepped out of her office and looked at me.
"Miss Summers, whatever are you doing in here?" She asked, suspicious of me.
"I was looking for Evan. He told me to meet him in here," I said.
"Back here!" Evan called from behind the bookshelves.
I set my books on the table and hurried over to where he was helping file the books.
"You asked me to come here," I said. He didn't look up.
"You called me last night. I was curious to hear what you had to say," he replied.
"Oh, yeah," I said slowly. "I wanted to apologize."
"For what? You can't apologize for the past. It's already over. You can't apologize for being shallow because that's just who you are. Are you apologizing for wasting my time?" He looked at me angrily. At that moment there was more pain in his eyes than I'd ever seen in anyone before.
"I'm apologizing for proving you wrong. Remember my first birthday in my dad's house? It was the fifth grade. You said I had potential to be so much better than what I was. You said that I had potential to be... something. I've amounted to a snotty cheerleader who doesn't care about anyone but herself and her credit card. I realized that last night. I'm sorry," I looked at him, my eyes filling with tears.
"You can still be something," he said, softening somewhat. "What else did you want?"
"I wanted to know if you would come to my birthday party," I said, the tears freely streaming down my cheeks.
"Feeling guilty?" Evan sneered.
"No. I mean... yes. But this isn't an attempt to justify my wrongdoing. I can't and I know that. But it would mean a lot to me if maybe you could at least consider coming," I said softly.
"I'll think about it," he said. The pain in his eyes was replaced with sympathy. I turned around and began to walk away, my head hanging low.
"Rayne..." Evan said softly, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"What?" I asked, holding in my sobs.
"Don't look so defeated. You've won," he said. He awkwardly pulled me toward him. I buried my head in his shoulder and let go of it all. I cried through all of my morning classes and during that whole time, Evan held me close and never tried to stop me. In fact, I think he was crying at one point, too.
~*~*~
"I remember," I said. That was the first time I'd ever cried in front of someone. For me, that was somewhat of an emotional breakthrough.
"I'm coming to your party," he said proudly. I smiled.
"That's wonder-Oh shit!" I cut myself off.
"What? You don't want me to come?" Evan asked, worried.
"No. I saw something outside," I said. There was another black flash in the neighbor's yard. It looked just like the first one.
"Yeah. It's probably just people being people," Evan concluded. "Go to sleep. Today's your birthday!"
I opened my bedroom window just then.
"Hello!" I called out, sticking my head out into the darkness of the night.
"Rayne! Be careful," Evan warned. I felt something push on the back of my neck and before I knew what was happening, I was laying in my front yard after falling two stories. Everything got blurry and then went black.
~*~*~
It may have been a few seconds or maybe a few minutes, but I wasn't unconscious for very long.
"Rayne!" I heard Evan shout in my phone. I groggily looked around for the phone. A sharp pain shot through the back of my skull and there were white flashes in front of my eyes.
I turned around to see a tall and mysterious man holding my phone.
"Who are you?" I asked, holding the back of my head.
"You're Rayne," he said knowingly.
"How do you figure? Could it be the guy on MY phone calling MY name? Who the hell are you?" I snapped sarcastically as I took my phone from him.
"Evan. I'm okay. I'll see you later. Bye," I hung up.
"He's going to be worried," the guy said.
"He already is," I said. "Who are you?" As I stood up, everything began to spin. I felt his arms around me as I began to fall.
"Who am I? Right now, that's not a concern. You'll know soon enough I'm afraid," he said somewhat sadly.
"Take me inside," I instructed.
"Aren't we demanding," he said in monotone. "Can I come in?"
"I don't see how I'm going to get inside without you. Take me in," I said. "My room is upstairs. It's the first door on the right."
He carried me up the stairs and laid me down on my bed. He then pulled my red chair up next to my bed and sat in it.
"There's something about you," he said.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"My friend, Cordelia, has been having visions about you," he said.
"What about me?" I asked curiously. I tried to sit up, but he pushed me back down.
"Be careful today, Rayne. They're after you and I can't be around to save you all the time. I don't know why they're after you, but I'm sure there's a reason," he informed. "Today's your birthday. How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
He looked at me strangely and his eyes saddened. This guy, whoever he was, had a deep, dark past. There was darkness in his soul. There was good and there was evil in him.
"Be careful," he said. "And take this." He handed me a small box. I opened it and pulled out a large, silver cross necklace.
"I can't take this from you. I don't even know you," I said, giving it back to him.
"That's fine," he said, a spark in his eyes. "You need to sleep. It's a big day." He gently pushed my lids over my eyes.
"What pushed me out of my window?" I asked.
"A vampire," he said. However, I was too tired to think or even respond, so I turned over and went to sleep.