Chapter 10.
After the mystery guy leaves, I jump in the shower and sift through everything that has happened this morning. So he is the same as me, he has gone through the visions and he has also seen the book before. I just don't understand why he needs me to get his answers. If he has done all this he should already know. Why won't he even tell me his name? Vaguely I'm aware in some part of my mind that even though I don't really pay attention to him, he seems familiar. Do I know him? Have I just seen him around campus before? Once I'm dressed and my school things are packed, I head up to the cafeteria for breakfast.
I also realise that there is a good chance I could run into Max, and I'm dreading it. I just can't deal with him right now. No sooner as I'm out the door, I hear a voice calling my name.
"Vienna, Vienna wait!" I turn to see Max jogging up to me. Great. "Hey, sorry. I came to your door before but you didn't answer." He puts his hands on his knees to catch his breath.
"Oh, um, sorry I must have been in the shower when you came. Look Max, I can't talk right now, I'm heading over to get some breakfast and truthfully, I really don't want to talk right now."
"Wait, Ve, can I come with you?" His face is so desperate.
"Not today Max, I just need to be alone to think right now." I turn before he can answer and don't look back.
Waiting in line and all I can think about are the visions this morning.
How can he bring them on willingly? And why would I be having visions of the Nesahla home? It's obviously before the strigoi war happened and wiped out their family but I don't know why I'm seeing it. And the book, if the book is there, it must belong to the Nesahlas. I'm going to have to ask him next time he turns up and guaranteed, I will see him again.
As if he could read my mind, I feel the need to look at one of the tables over in the far side of the cafeteria near the window and he is sitting there. He has a phone in one hand and eating a muffin from the other. He glances up at me, gives a slight wave and that signature smirk. That damn smirk, it's really annoying. I frown and turn back to grab my food. Now would be a great time for more answers, all these questions and no explanation is going to drive me insane.
Once I've piled my plate up with food, I turn to head over to join Mr Mysterious at his table but he is no longer sitting there. I look around and he's gone. Again. He has a habit of doing that. I sit at a table in the corner where I can clearly see the whole room, as well as making it easy to avoid Max but he doesn't show up for breakfast. I don't know whether to take that as a blessing or not.
I don't see Mr Mysterious after his vanishing act so I just trudge into and out of classes like a robot. I really don't have the energy today.
Once I've been to the feeders – and having Alice which brings some normality back to my life – I decide to head back to my room so I can finish my family tree to hand it in.
As I walk into my room and throw my bag on the floor, I notice Mr Mysterious laying on my bed. This guy is seriously giving me whiplash! Instantly I jump back and my heart beats out of control.
"Jesus! Oh my god. Can you not scare me like that!" He is just smiling like a damn Cheshire cat.
"Well hey there, nice of you to drop by." He lays his head back down and continues to stare at the roof.
"Actually you're in my room. God dammit, can't you wait till I get back and then, I don't know, knock like a normal person?!" I wave my hands around trying to get out my frustration and bring my rapidly beating heart back to normal. I sit back in my chair and try to calm myself. He sits up and puts his elbows on his knees and stares at me like I'm some sort of science project.
"Stop staring at me." He stares for a little moment longer and then sighs
"Just trying to read you." Read me?
"What do you want? By the way, I need something to call you other than 'mystery guy' since you won't tell me your name." he smirks at me again.
"Dave. Just call me Dave for now."
"For now?" I raise one eyebrow at him.
"Well, you gotta earn it to get my name round here princess." He stands up and walks around my dorm room.
"Don't call me that. Why are you here?" I'm still sitting in my chair and my pulse has slowed down to an almost normal speed.
"I told you, I want to help you"
"I know that, I mean why you are here? Like in my room right now, what do you want?" he glances back at me.
"Oh right, well I suspect you've got some questions yes? And just thought I'd drop by and see how you're doing." He comes to a lean against the wall opposite me and his deep blue eyes bore into my soul. I shuffle in my chair.
"What do you know about the book?" I ask and sit back in my chair and cross my arms. I'm doing that a lot lately.
"Well, I know it belongs to the Nesahlas, I know it's at court, no I haven't opened it, no I have no idea how to open it or what closed it. Good enough for you?" he crosses his arms too. So it does belong to the Nesahlas. I narrow my eyes at him.
"Can you get into court?" he raises his eyebrows at my question and I have an idea he knows where I'm going with this. He nods a single nod and I no immediately what I want.
"Can you bring me the book?" I feel an urgent need to get the book. I have to have it. He stares for what seems like forever.
"What do you want the book for?" he asks. Oh I don't know Dave, because I just want the damn book. I feel my own surprise at my frustration rising as well as the burning need to get the book.
"Well you'll have to earn those answers won't you?" I throw his retort about his name back at him. He narrows his eyes and then straightens up from the wall.
"Fine. Yes I can get you the book." I let out a little breath I didn't know I was holding and come to stand in front of him as he looks down his nose at me.
"Good. You get me the book, I'll tell you what you want to know." He looks at me surprised. Yes I know you want something Dave. It's obvious by how curious you are about me and how he was so eager to take me back into the visions. I also remember his surprise at the voices coming through in the visions so I'm guessing he hasn't heard them before.
"Deal." He says and holds out his hand. I take it but before I can shake it I'm thrown into a vision, but he isn't here this time.
I'm in a different house this time. It's around the same era but this house looks smaller, less extravagant. There is a man and woman standing beside a window looking over something that looks like an infant's cot. I walk over and notice that there is a child, around the age of 5 standing in front of what appears to be the mother. He has short black hair and bright blue eyes, he has a small birthmark on his shoulder that looks like an E and is slightly darker than his skin. They are both staring at the cot. I look over their shoulder and see two infants, no less than 6 months old, they must be twins. The twins both have the same blue – green eyes and dark hair. All at once I'm back in my room and am shaking Dave's hand but he is longer smiling but looking at me sincerely concerned.
"Hey, what happened? You ok?" he looks me over.
"Yeah, um, im fine." So he didn't have a vision either. "Um, anyway. Get me the book and I'll tell you everything you want to know." He looks back at me slightly confused.
"Sure, I'll get it to you." And then he is back to his sarcastic 'I win at life' attitude. And then he walks out the door.
That was a really weird vision. I sigh and sit at my desk and try to gather my thoughts to finish this family tree. As I'm completing it I can't help but wonder what the first Vienna Markson looked like. I wonder if she looked like me, with dark long hair and bright eyes.
For the next few days everything is quiet. No visions. No voices. No writing in my sleep. I haven't seen Dave either, which I take as a sign that he's busy on his little mission. I think back to the moments I asked for the book and can't help but wonder how I got to desperate to get my hands on that book. Max has tried multiple times to talk to me but I just haven't been I the mood. I just wanted time by myself and to my own thoughts. Though today I just feel really lonely. I'm sitting in my chair and class hasn't started yet, I look up and see Max walking over in my direction. He glances at me so I wave him over to come sit next to me.
Right now, I could really use his company.
He comes to sit next to me but hesitates for a moment. He looks at me sincerely.
"Do you mind if I sit?"
"Yeah, please." I give him a small smile and to my relief he returns it. "I'm sorry, for the way I've been acting, I just needed to be alone for abit, and your totally right about the stuff that's been going on, I mean I've probably just been dreaming it, it's all stupid and its stopped now."
"No, you don't nee…"
"No its ok, it was all stupid, I'm sorry" I really don't need or want to tell him what's been going on the last few days.
"It's okay," he looks doubtful, "I'm just glad you're talking to me again." He says.
Max spent the rest of the day with me and though he doesn't say much, it's like he's walking on eggshells around me. He doesn't mention the move he tried to make on me either.
I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing. I mean, I overreacted to him kissing me, like a lot, I guess with all the stuff going on at that time I just exploded in that moment and projected it all on him. It wasnt that bad, it's not as if I haven't kissed him before and I've missed it. Not necessarily the bit where we were in a relationship but just physical contact like that.
As if he senses that he is the topic of my thoughts, Max turns to me just as we make it back to my room.
"Oh, about the kissing you thing, I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to, well I did, but I shouldn't have done it, not like I didn't want to kiss you or anything I did, like I miss you and everything but I mean with the everything we went through before and all the problems and stuff I understand why you reacted the way you did, I was totally out of line and it won't happen again. I mean not unless you don't want it to" he lets out a big breath at the end like he's trying to get air and I smile at him. He looks at me weirdly when I do.
"Well I didn't say I didn't want to do anything…" I say quietly and peek up at him from under my eyelashes. Without even realising what I'm doing I leap up and meet his lips with mine. We both stagger back a little. He catches his bearings and walks me backwards towards my open door.
I don't know what I'm doing but right now, all I know is that I really need Max close to me. We head into my room and shut the world away behind us.