With a little bit of luck, we made it to California by 9. Unfortunately, we weren't out of the mountains yet. After six nosebleeds, ten vomit sessions, and countless grunts of frustration, I agreed to stay the night in a small hotel halfway up the mountains. It wasn't the best class, but it would have to do. There was no way I was going any higher.
Leah and Jake unpacked the car while I hid in the room. Just the thought of being near the edge of the mountain...
I stared out the window while Jake was showering. Leah was dead asleep already. Someone caught my eye. He was staring out through his big black jeep. No, I thought. There's no way he can be here... Or maybe...
I grabbed my jacket and bolted out the door and down the stairs, tripping a few times. The outdoors could not come quick enough. "Ethan?" I called. "Is that you?" But he was gone. I could have sworn... must have been my imagination. Being indoors where it was easier to think, I decided it was silly to think he'd be all the way in California. You're going crazy, I thought to myself. It's not like he's a vampire or something.
Of course he couldn't be. He had brown eyes. Brown eyes. But they were unnaturally brown... And he did have the ivory skin... No. He couldn't be. We rarely ran into others! Everyone else would have smelled him by now. But... they never met him. I was the only one. And, though my sense of smell was heightened, I couldn't tell the scent of a vampire if my life depended on it. Were my vivid dreams trying to tell me something? Were we in danger? No, I thought. They're just dreams!
I tried to convince myself of that for the remainder of the night. I begged and pleaded with my mind to rethink it. But it wouldn't. I wouldn't. And I refused to.
What if he is a vampire? I thought to myself. What would this mean to the pack, my family? Me? I shook it off. No, I won't have this. I can't believe it. I won't.
But I could. And I did.
The next morning, after a quick shower, we were back on the road.
"How much longer?" I whined.
"Well, if we want to make it to L.A., I'm thinking it's probably another two day drive... We can always take a plane," he threw in.
"No way. What about seeing the country? I wouldn't miss a second of it." I said. "Although, maybe I would skip the mountain parts..." I threw in.
"Most definitely the mountain parts," he agreed with his bright white grin.
My thoughts flickered back to Ethan. It was silly, of course, to think that he could be one of us, but I couldn't help myself. He had all the makings. Maybe I should tell them, I thought. Maybe they'll know...
"Um, guys," I started.
"Yeah," they asked in unison. Creepy.
"Uh... um..." How was I supposed to say this? "Uhmm... I'm hungry! Can we stop for food some place?"
"Sure, where do you want to go?" Leah asked, totally convinced I was hungry. Jake eyed me suspiciously.
I opened a tourist map and flipped through it. "How's Cracker Barrel?" I asked.
"Ooh! Can we get those warm chocolate brownie things?!" Jake's eyes lit up.
Leah and I giggled. "Sure," I said. "Since you've been such a good boy."
He clapped his hands like a little toddler.
I opened my iPhone and pressed internet. Thankfully, I had reception. Google flashed on my screen. In the search bar, I typed in the name I was looking for. Ethan Mendora.
A list pulled up. I scrolled through them, checking the description of each. I finally came across something that looked promising. A newspaper article, dating back to August 1982. I opened it and read the article.
It's been a rough week for Chicago police after the disappearance of the 17-year-old boy Ethan Mendora. Mendora went missing back in June, without a trace of evidence. Police have pulled in every last source they could, but still have no clue where Mendora went. A blood-stained rug is all that is left of that fateful night that Mendora went missing from his Chicagoland home on the upper east side. Rachel and Doug Mendora, the boy's parents, urge you to call local police if you have any information on the boy's disappearance. Despite the parent's hope, police have decided to close the case and presume Mendora dead.
-Jenn Heffer, Chicago Calling
My heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be the same Ethan, could it? Of course not. Just a coincidence. Fear built up in my stomach.
"Actually, can we eat later?" I asked in a shaky voice. "I'm not so hungry anymore."
The car ride was long and terrifying. Leah and Jake played "I Spy" while I threw up over the side. I couldn't be any more relieved when we were out of the mountains and safely nestled into a cozy hotel in San Fransisco. Until we saw the room. Or should I say rooms?
"Uh, no, no, no, no, no!" I said to Leah. "There has to be a mistake. Please let there be a mistake!"
"Chill, Nessie," she said. "It's not like you haven't done this before."
"Yeah, but you won't be there!" I complained.
"You're mature, you know what you're doing," she assured me.
I sat down and sighed. We were sitting in her hotel room. The one she shared with no one. Unlike Jake and I who were sharing a room... and a bed. I'd begged and pleaded with the receptionist to give me my own separate room, but she wouldn't budge.
"It's just uncomfortable," I whispered. "I've never been alone with him before."
"Aww," she wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "You'll be fine. It's just one night."
I nodded and hugged her. "See you in the morning."
I walked back to my room on the other floor. Jake was waiting for me, his shirt off. Can we say awkward ...Or hot... whichever you prefer...
"Hey," I whispered, admiring his perfectly muscular body.
"Hey." He slipped on a T-shirt, obviously noticing my ogling.
His short dark hair was dripping wet. He wore black pajama pants with his white T-shirt hanging over it.
"You hungry?" I asked, heading towards the small silver box we had stocked with non-perishable food in the corner.
"Actually, yeah," he admitted. "Need help?"
I hesitated. "Uh... sure."
He pulled out a box of ramen. My phone started ringing while I was filling a cup of water. Another text. This time from Uncle Emmett.
From: Uncle Emmett
Message: Nessie. Please, please come home. We all love you. And the women have been sobbing day and night. If they had tears, they would have cried the Nile by now. Please, reconsider. We're miserable without you. It's not fun anymore. Everyone's too depressed to make a joke. Even me! At least call me or something. Please. I need to hear that you're okay.
I shut the phone. My eyes were heavy with tears. I dropped down on my knees and pressed my hand up against my eyes.
"Nessie!" Jake shouted.
"I can't do this, Jake!" I sobbed. "I've just made this harder on everyone! I'm a monster!"
"Shh, shh," he murmured, kissing my hair. "We'll go back. It'll be fine."
"No," I protested. "We can't. I want this."
"You want what?" he asked, clearly confused. "To stay on the run?"
"No," I whispered. "I want you."
I turned around and kissed him with all the passion I had in me. He ran his fingers through my hair and shoved me against the wall. I gasped. He stared at me, his heart beating against my chest.
"I love you," he whispered. "You do know that, right?"
"I love you, too," I whispered back.
I kissed him. His hands drifted down to the hem of my shirt...
Author's Note: OH NO THEY DIDN'T! Shocker, huh?! Well, not really. Chillax, I'm not going to describe anything. But guess who is being considered as a member for National Junior Honor Society?! ME! And my best friend! We're both excited! EEP!!! Thanks to all my AWESOME reviewers! You guys are the best. I understand, as expressed by one reader, that it's sorta boring. But this story was really only written with the purpose of entertaining one person: myself. I didn't expect anyone to actually read it, hence the reason I was posting without the requirement of comments. I mean, I love reviews, and they're awesome, and I ask for them at the end of each chapter, but i don't mind if you don't want to. But the fact that I do have some people reading it is really amazing! I hope you guys enjoy this story as much as I am writing it.
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--Lauren