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REVISION COMPLETE!
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Aubrey was surprised the next day when she awoke to silence, rather than loud, obnoxious music. She leaned over the side of her bed and saw the upside-down alarm with its batteries still lying a few inches away. She should've expected the silence. Aubrey quickly reached for her phone and flicked it open. 7:38.
Cursing at the top of her lungs, Aubrey leapt out of bed and fled to her bathroom. She re-emerged five minutes later and grabbed various clothing. She pulled them on as she ran down the stairs, zipping up her pants when she reached the landing. She found a pair of boots sitting by the door with a small notecard on them as she grabbed her jacket and bag. With no time to spare, she pulled on the boots and lifted the note to her face as she sprinted out of the door.
Aubrey,
Here are those boots you've been yakking about. Hope they're cool enough for your giant, hobbit feet.
Love, Dad
Sweet, as always, Aubrey thought to herself. She didn't dwell on it, however. Her feet were the first to hit the icy driveway. The second was her back. She cried out a little as the breath was knocked out of her. Her head lifted to view the driveway.
The driveway was completely covered with thick, fluffy snow. A trail of footprints led from the door to a pair of tire marks that turned out onto the street. Those were from Jack. But now on the doorstep was another pair of footprints that led to a big skid mark connected to a large hole in the snow in the shape of Aubrey's back. Everywhere there wasn't snow there was ice. Very slick ice.
Aubrey stood up and brushed the snow off of her jeans before continuing quickly, but more cautiously out onto the road. She walked along as fast as she could without slipping on the slick ground. A few times she lost her balance and landed on the frozen asphalt, but overall she remained unscathed.
After a long, difficult, not to mention freezing struggle, Aubrey reached the school, only to find the lot practically empty. A dented van with its windows broken sat by Bella's old, red truck. The truck had lost a taillight and the tan van next to it was horribly dented. Aubrey breathed sharply, hurrying over to the scene as fast as the ice would allow. She recognized the totaled blue van as the one belonging to a boy named Tyler Crowley from her Trig class. A thought struck Aubrey. Someone must have been hurt. That was why no one was there.
Aubrey stared once she reached the two vans. She examined the dents in the blue van. There were two, evenly spaced. Aubrey looked for something that might have caused them, but couldn't find anything. The dent in the side of the tan van was strange as well. Aubrey walked through the broken glass and leaned into the dent in the tan van, holding out her arms towards the blue van. It was as if someone had stood here to hold the blue van away. Someone strong enough to deflect an onrushing vehicle. Someone not human...
"I'd get away from there if I were you," said a musical voice that caused Aubrey to jump in surprise. She looked up sharply to see Marek Rhodes staring at her. He was a row over, leaned up against a black Toyota. "There's glass everywhere and you could slip," he warned.
"Uh...right..." said Aubrey disjointedly. She walked towards him, jabbing her thumb back at the accident. "What happened?"
"The van skidded and almost hit Bella Swann, but Edward grabbed her out of the way in time. They've been taken to the hospital," said Marek, walking away from the Toyota.
"Did the rest of the school go there?" Aubrey inquired, gesturing around the nearly empty lot. Marek nodded.
"Chief Swann is supposed to come back and tape around this scene," he said, pointing at the accident. Aubrey crossed her arms.
"So, what are you still doing here if everyone else is at the hospital?" she asked. Marek smirked. Aubrey felt her heart flutter.
"I'm skipping, of course. They won't care," he said. Aubrey cocked her head to one side.
"You think?" she asked. Marek shrugged.
"Well they can't count the students off since the teachers are at the hospital too," he said. Aubrey felt a grin split her face.
"Guess I'll skip too then," she said.
"Do you want to skip together?" asked Marek. Aubrey stared into his gorgeous, topaz eyes. The offer seemed unreal.
"Uh...sure," she said, not looking away from his breathtaking face.
"Shall we take your car or mine?" asked Marek.
"But I don't have a car..." said Aubrey, her brow furrowing. Marek laughed, a wonderful musical sound.
"Then I guess we'll take mine," he said. Aubrey blinked, confused. Marek clapped her on the back and nearly toppled her over as he steered her towards his car.
Hey opened her door for her and she climbed in, feeling as if in a dream. If it was a dream, then that would explain why she was sitting in the expensive car of a Greek god look-alike. Aubrey couldn't take her eyes off of him. The engine roared to life and Marek had steered them onto the street in almost no time at all.
"I hope you have a strong stomach," he said, gleefully, pressing the gas nearly to the floor. The Trans Am sped up and the trees and houses alongside the road turned to blurs. Aubrey grabbed the seatbelt she'd forgotten to buckle and quickly did so, glancing at the speedometer. He was over 120mph now, but he looked completely casual as if he were driving 30. He looked at her. "Uncomfortable?" he asked, flashing a bright white smile. Aubrey tore her eyes away from his lovely face and focused on the icy black road flying under their wheels.
"Keep an eye on the road!" she exclaimed in alarm when she turned back and found his eyes still locked on her. He laughed, but obeyed her wishes and faced forward once more. Aubrey narrowed her eyes, angry at his teasing. He was mocking her. 'Oh ha ha ha, little girly can't stand going at only 120mph.' She tried to look casual while ignoring the speeding scenery. "So, where are we going in such a hurry?"
"You'll see when we get there," said Marek. Aubrey crossed her arms, closing her eyes to block out the rushing road. His car was very cold.
"You really shouldn't speed on ice," she said knowingly. "You'll crash for sure."
"I won't crash," said Marek calmly, turning a corner.
"How can you be sure?"
"Because I have been driving longer than you," he said. Aubrey rolled her eyes. It was Jack's fault she hadn't gotten much practice. If he'd let her get a car...
They pulled off of the street into the icy driveway of a house hidden from the road by a crowd of bright green, mossy trees. Marek parked and walked around to open Aubrey's door once again. Aubrey stared as she climbed out. The house was without a doubt the largest she had seen in Forks so far. It was two-stories, constructed of brown wooden planks with a roof layered with red shingles. Aubrey shivered slightly, but not from the cold. Marek looked at her.
"Come on," he said. "It's vacant. The owners just moved out." He took Aubrey's hand and began to lead her towards the door.
"I don't see a 'For Sale' sign," said Aubrey, looking around the front yard. Marek paused.
"They haven't put one up yet," he said. "They moved in a hurry. The house is still theirs, but no one's been in here for a week."
Aubrey warily followed him inside, trying to calm her burning doubts. Marek pulled a key out from a loose board in the wall and unlocked the door. He had been here before, Aubrey noted.
They entered an empty, dusty, but large room with a ceiling that stretched high above them. A single chandelier dangled from the center. It wasn't very fancy, but the sight of it still made Aubrey gasp. Marek closed the door with a snap and she jumped. He grinned.
"Scare easily, don't we?" he teased, walking over. "Apologies. It's not a real haunted house, but it's the closest thing in Forks. Well...the second closest thing." Aubrey hesitated.
"I don't see a thunderstorm. Or flashlights for that matter," she said, smiling. Marek smirked, meeting her gaze as she stared up at him. They looked at each other for a minute.
"Are you cold?" he asked. Aubrey paused, suddenly aware about how numb her fingers felt.
"Yes," she said in surprise. Marek pulled off his coat and put it around her shoulders. Aubrey tried hard not to swoon at the smell. It was heavenly, unlike any cologne she'd ever smelled before. She realized after a moment that it was not cologne, but rather the scent of Marek himself. How could that be?
"Is that better?" he asked.
"Yeah. Thanks," said Aubrey, smiling. Marek smiled back. Aubrey looked down quickly, pulling the long sleeves down over her icy hands. "So...what now?"
"What do you want to do?" asked Marek. Aubrey's head filled with scenarios of scattered natures, but she pushed them out of her mind almost as soon as they appeared.
"Well, we're in a big empty spooky house," she said.
"Well spotted," said Marek, applauding.
"Ssh! And what do people do when they're in big empty spooky houses?" continued Aubrey.
"Usually they're hacked to death by one psycho or another," Marek replied matter-of-factly. Aubrey rolled her eyes.
"Not all of them," she pointed out.
"The majority," pressed Marek.
"Yeah, well at least it's usually the girl who survives," said Aubrey, sticking out her tongue.
"I doubt that would be the case here," said Marek. Aubrey crossed her arms.
"And why would that be?"
"Cause I'm an indestructible, immortal monster."
"Oh sure," Aubrey scoffed. Marek shrugged.
"Believe what you will."
"Now...where was I?"
"Houses."
"Thank you. Yes, since we are in the closest thing to a haunted house that Forks has to offer, I vote that we have a look around," said Aubrey. Marek waved a hand towards a door on the left.
"In that case, ladies first," he said. Aubrey snorted.
"Oh, such the gentleman we are," she said sarcastically. She walked to the door and opened it. Marek followed, though his steps made much less noise than hers. She checked frequently to make sure he was still there.
They toured the empty rooms, and Aubrey noticed that the house had not been empty for long. The layer of dust on the floor was very thin, but leaves were scattered throughout the entire ground floor, as if the door had been left open during a storm. The windows distorted the view outside through sheets of ice that covered the glass. As they examined the cupboards inside the kitchen, Aubrey glanced out of the back window into the yard. There was a large, dark pit in the center of the lawn surrounded by stones.
"What's that?" she asked, pointing. Marek pulled his head out of the pantry and followed her gaze.
"Bonfire pit," he said. "They must have had a campout shortly before they left."
An unsettled feeling of doubt had settled into the base of Aubrey's stomach by the time they re-entered the front room. Perhaps it was the fact that dark, ominous clouds now rumbled deeply in the distance, but remained dry, or perhaps it was the air of fresh abandonment that seemed to hang in every room of the house. Aubrey felt like she shouldn't be there. She felt as if she were breaking and entering. But they hadn't broken in. Marek had used a key. That was the other seed of her discomfort. Marek seemed to know his way around very well. Too well. It sent a ripple of unease through her.
"So uh...up then?" suggested Aubrey, pointing at the ceiling. Marek was leaning against a wall, smirking at her. His smirk seemed different now. It was more a daring game face than a cocky smile.
"You're not afraid?" he asked. Aubrey furrowed her brow.
"This is hardly a haunted house," she said. "Why, are you ready to leave?" Marek laughed in response.
Aubrey climbed onto the steps, ascending to the next level. She gazed at a line of large, white squares on the wall where pictures must have hung when the house had been inhabited. The stairs creaked beyond belief, but Aubrey could have been alone for all she knew. She reached the top of the stairway and looked back down. Marek still leaned on the wall by the bottom stair, looking up at her with that same daring smirk.
"Come on," said Aubrey, turning to look around the top floor. From what she could see there were three doors that branched off of the room with the staircase, one on each wall except the one that faced the driveway. Aubrey around and squealed as she came face to face with Marek's amused face, inches from her own.
"How did...but you were..." she stuttered as her heart did its best to beat out of her ribcage. Her eyes flicked between the wall at the bottom of the stairs and where he stood now.
"Fast walker," he stated shortly. Aubrey shook her head in disbelief, turning to the nearest door. She walked over to it and tugged on the handle. Locked.
Aubrey suddenly became aware of several things at once. One, Marek had somehow gotten directly behind her without a sound. Two, her forearm suddenly felt cold through the cloth of the jacket, which could only mean that he had it in his iron grip. And three, his face was now very close to her neck.
Aubrey felt frozen in place with Marek in close proximity to her skin. She was stunned by the situation and Marek himself...as always. His face pressed so close it was almost touching her. He inhaled slowly and softly. It was almost sensual, but fear possessed Aubrey in place of what otherwise would have been lust. She didn't dare turn her head, but of the corner of her eye she could just make out Marek's face. He looked like he was in agony. An agony fueled by intense longing. He inhaled again, but this time it wasn't soft at all. A guttural sound accompanied it. Like a snarl, but deep and suppressed.
But then he straightened up, taking a deep breath and leaning on to the wall next to her. He looked casual, though his smirk had disappeared and he merely looked bored now. His eyes focused on the ceiling. There was a long pause, and then he turned to look at her.
"Try another door," he suggested. Aubrey's jaw dropped.
"What?" she exclaimed.
"That one's locked, isn't it?" asked Marek, frowning.
"What was that?" demanded Aubrey.
"What was what?"
"What you just did! That...that neck thing!" Aubrey gestured wildly at her neck, but she could see him fighting back a smile. "Why are you laughing at me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Marek. Aubrey's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"What the hell! You know perfectly well what I'm talking about! You...I..."
She turned and started down the stairs. Marek looked back up at the ceiling for a moment. Aubrey had nearly reached the landing when he called out.
"Wait!" Aubrey turned to yell something back. She jumped, tripping over the last step and stumbling back into the wall. He was standing right there, merely inches away from where she had been when he called. There had to be at least twenty stairs. Nobody could climb them all without a sound in less than a second. Aubrey sank to the floor, staring at him with wide eyes.
"What's going on?" she asked. "And don't give me any of your 'I don't know what you're talking about' crap!" Marek sighed, looking at her with a piteous expression. Aubrey kept her gaze sharp, though it was hard to look at him without feeling remorse. Apologetic angels are hard to stay angry with. His arms crossed across his chest as he looked at her.
"What do you want to know?" he asked seriously. Aubrey paused before a flood of questions spilled out of her mouth.
"Why do you never eat? Why do your eyes change colors? Why do you and the other Cullens look so...so...amazing? Why do you talk to me more than to anyone else? Why did you move to Forks? How do you know your way around this house? How did you even find this house? You can't see it from the road! And why are you denying strange, bizarre actions mere seconds after you do them?" She stopped, breathing hard. Marek was considering her.
"There are mysteries which men can only guess at, which age by age they may solve only in part," he replied simply. Aubrey stared at him in utter disbelief.
"And now you're quoting things that don't even make sense," she said.
"It does make sense," Marek retorted.
"I can't see how," said Aubrey, her voice rising to an unnaturally high pitch. Marek frowned.
"I've already told you the answer to all those questions. Remember?" he asked. It was Aubrey's turn to frown.
"When?" she asked.
"Right after we came in here," he said. Aubrey blinked.
"Do you really expect me to remember every little cocky bit of sarcasm that comes out of your mouth?" she asked. Marek shrugged.
"Well if you don't want to know..."
"Remind me, what was it?" said Aubrey.
"Well, you asked me what people do in spooky houses, and I said they usually get killed. Then you said..." he stopped, waving for Aubrey to finish. She hesitated.
"That usually the girl survives?" she asked. Marek gave a sappy smile.
"Very good. And then what did I say?" Aubrey's brow furrowed.
"You said it wasn't likely because you're an indestruc--" She broke off, staring at him. He raised an eyebrow. Aubrey began to laugh.
"And what's so funny?"
"You...you can't be serious," said Aubrey, shaking her head.
"Oh, I assure you, I am," replied Marek. Aubrey laughed harder, sinking onto the cold, wooden floor. Marek watched her, his mouth arranged in the familiar little smirk of amusement. Aubrey managed to catch her breath after a moment.
"You're not trying to tell me you're not human," she managed to squeak out.
"Yes I am," said Marek calmly, nodding. Aubrey sat up.
"So, uh, what are you? Demon, alien, werewolf--" Marek made a sound in disgust.
"Werewolf? Please, don't insult me," he said, holding a hand to his chest as if he had taken a mortal offense.
"Are you going to tell me what you are, then?" asked Aubrey.
"I am neither good nor bad, neither angel nor devil."
"Oh, well that really narrows it down," said Aubrey sarcastically.
"Well those are the only clues that you're getting," he said. "Do you want me to take you home or out to lunch?"
"...What?"
"Are...you...hun...gry?" repeated Marek slowly, articulating every syllable. Aubrey paused, confused.
"I don't know," she said, befuddled by the sudden change in subject. Her stomach rumbled audibly and Marek smiled.
"Lunch it is," he said, pulling Aubrey to her feet. He placed a cold hand on the small of her back and steered her out of the house.
At his car, he held the door open and Aubrey climbed inside, still dazed. Not a second later, Marek was on the other side of the car hopping into the driver's seat. As they pulled out of the driveway, Aubrey spotted a mailbox on the side of the road. The name was just legible through the ivy that enveloped the metal container. Aubrey felt her eyes widen at the name.
Barnes
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