Vivian Conta stares at me; probably because of the tears running down my face. I quickly wipe them away and look over at her. She gives me a reassuring smile before opening her mouth. It stays open for the longest time before she shuts it.
"I wish I knew what to say." Vivian says. She pats my knee and turns away.
Am I making the right choice? I wonder. There's no way to pin the answer down. One part of my mind is telling me I'm wrong and that I need to go back; the other half is telling me to keep going. I swallow against the lump in my throat and stare out the window. The Montana mountains are covered in a blanket of white, though the snow is beginning to melt faster than it ever did before. Or at least it is to me.
I turn to the driver. He wears black shades and a microphone piece in his ear. "Excuse me?" I clear my throat.
The driver finds my eyes in the rearview mirror and raises an eyebrow, waiting for whatever I have to say.
"How long is the ride there?" I ask, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans.
"Forty-five minutes." He answers as he focuses on the road; a sign that I need not bother him again.
Forty-five minutes is a long time. I'll have to last though. Leaving Lissa. . . leaving everything behind is hard. I can make it through this though, I tell myself over and over. I'm not a child. I can last for however long I need to. I can't be weak in a moment when my something is finally, is really happening that can help me for only good.
"You'll have the entire day to settle in," Vivian says, dropping a Vogue magazine on the seat between us, "tomorrow Jack will teach you everything you need to know."
"Oh good." I say.
"I'm very excited for you to meet my family, Rose. They're just the best thing in the world. . . . . to me at least."
"Awesome. . ." I know that I can't be any more nervous. All this time I have prepared myself to protect Lissa; not someone I don't know much about. Speaking of Lissa. . .
As soon as I assure myself that the conversation with Vivian is over, I lean back in my seat in concentrate. It's been a long while since I've been in Lissa's mind, so it takes an extra push to go into her mind.
The group of four are still at the gate. I've been on the road for, like, six minutes? They all sit in silence, sometimes staring off into the distance, where the SUV that I was in had disappeared behind a curve in the road.
"I miss her already." Lissa says and buries her face in Christian's shoulder. Guilt immediately hits me. I want to be the one to comfort her, but I can't since I'm gone.
"She won't be gone too long, Lissa." Christian assures her. A bit of the guilt lifts from my shoulders. At least I know that Christian will keep his promise, and he'll do much, much more.
"How long do you suppose?" Adrian asks, pulling a cigarette out of his chest pocket on his jacket and lights it. He sticks it between his teeth and smoke floats from his mouth.
"I don't know." Christian says. "Two weeks?"
"I'll bet longer than that."
"Why is that?" Christian inquires; his brows furrowed.
Adrian shrugs, "it's Rose we're talking about here."
"Fine. Three weeks." Christian holds out his hand. Adrian takes it and they shake.
"Are you guys seriously betting on how long Rose will be gone?"
I feel so loved and missed. . .
"Why not?"
I slip out of Lissa's mind. "Okay that's enough."
"What?" Vivian looks at me as if I'm crazy. She motions to the radio. "Do you not like Beethoven?"
"Oh," I look over at the radio, "no, that's not what I was talking about."
"Are you okay, Rose?" Vivian asks.
"Of course." I say and lay my head down on the cold window. Vivian notices and stops talking. Thank God for that.
I only wish what I just said to Vivian was true.
Forty-five minutes later, the SUV pulls up in to the gravel driveway. The driver types in a pass code at the main gate and drives up to the house. I take out my earphones and stare up at the house, my jaw falling to the car floor. The Conta house is very modern, with three stories of some white stone and a pretty brown roof. Floor-to-ceiling windows line many of the rooms; in need of privacy. Of course, I'm also baffled by the three-car garage and stone statues of what I believe to be Cupid and some other figures. The driver pulls out of the driveway and disappears around the corner. I wonder where he is going, but quickly swipe that thought away when Vivian welcomes me inside.
If I thought the outside was amazing, the inside is just plain stupefying.
Each room has vaulted ceilings, high and long. The living room is something I could only dream of; with white leather couches (how there are no stains, I have no idea), and a gigantic fireplace that Santa could surely fit through. The rest of the downstairs consist of seven other rooms that I have no idea what they have in them.
Vivian leads me upstairs, which is mostly the same as downstairs. To my left is a huge room with oak doors that have owl and goddesses carvings on them. The same with white leather couches, white carpet, and a huge plasma screen TV. I follow Vivian to the end of the hall and into a darkened room. She flicks on a switch that lights up the room.
"This, Rose, is your room." Vivian says, motioning around the room.
It's not a crappy room that nannies or maids get thrown in in movies. Instead, my room has a king-size bed, plasma TV, white leather couch, a bookcase with each shelf covered with books, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
I turn to Vivian with hopeful eyes, "can I. . . look in the bathroom?"
Vivian laughs and says, "go right ahead."
I run over to the door I assume is the bathroom and flip the switch. I'm immediately overtaken with a gasp. A gigantic shower that could fit a Mini Cooper (six nozzles) and everything else a bathroom could ever need.
"Rose?" I turn back to Vivian, flipping off the switch.
"Your house is gorgeous, Ms. Conta." I tell her, a little embarrassed that I'm baffled by a house.
"Please," she says, "call me Vivian."
I nod. I think about the house that Dimitri and I had scouted that one time; how the guardians had seemed like just ordinary house guests, or so I assumed. All I really know is that I will so like this house.
"So why don't you unpack and make yourself comfortable." Vivian suggests. "I'll be downstairs cooking lunch."
"Don't you have. . . like, personal chefs for that?" I ask.
Vivian giggles and waves her hand. "We don't live in complete luxury, Rose."
Vivian leaves the room, giving me all the time I need to give a girly squeal. I jump into the bed, wrapping my arms around plush pillows and relaxing every tense muscle I have in my body. I allow myself ten minutes to enjoy the grandeur before I start unpacking. I hang all my clothes in the walk-in closet, putting all my shoes on a rack.
I walk back over to my suitcase on the bed and start unpacking my books when I see something out of the corner of my eye. I turn my head to see a little girl in the doorway of my bedroom. She has fiery red hair and emerald green eyes; very pretty for, what? A six or seven year-old?
"Hello. . . . . ?" I shut my suitcase and walk over to the red-haired girl. I bend down on my knees to get eye-level with her. "You must be. . ."
I try to find a name. I know that Vivian told me about her kids.
"Alexis Conta." The girl says.
"Ah," I say, "nice to meet you, Alexis."
"Who are you?"
I purse my lips, looking for the right words to say. "Well, I'll give it to you straight. That okay?"
"I guess so."
"I'm a temporary guardian for you and your family." I tell her. "I protect you from the danger-"
"I know what guardians do." Alexis points out.
"Sorry."
"Do you like Goldfish?"
"Do I like what?" I ask. Did I hear her right?
"The card game. You know, Goldfish?"
"Um, you mean Go Fish, right?"
Alexis scunches her nose. "I guess so."
"What about it then?"
"Do you want to play?"
"Uh. . ." I pat her shoulder. Before I have time to answer tiny Alexis, Vivian comes walking upstairs. She looks to me and then Alexis and gives a big smile.
"Rose, I guess you've met Alexis." She says motioning to the little girl in front of me.
I stand up and clear my throat. "Yes ma'am."
"Is that your name?" Alexis looks up at me, squinting her eyes.
I nod. "Rose is the name."
"I like roses." Alexis says to herself. She looks up at her mother and says, "can we plant roses in the garden?"
"Alexis, why don't you go downstairs and eat." Vivian says. The little ball of energy sprints towards the stairs without looking back.
"She's cute." I say, staring off at Alexis.
"Yes, very." Vivian agrees. "You'll meet the others at dinner."
"Not now?" I ask, a little sad.
"Wren is fourteen, you know, typical teenager." Vivian explains. "And Henry is in his room for the day."
"Oh."
"Are you hungry?"
"Yes ma'am."
"There's pb and j downstairs if you want some."
I nod and walk the same path that Alexis did. I don't hear Vivian follow me so I just start walking faster and faster until I'm downstairs. Since I didn't get to eat breakfast, I'm starving; my stomach grumbling every once in a while.
The kitchen is the same as every other room. A huge space with white cushioned stools and marble counter-tops. Alexis is nowhere to be seen. I wonder if she's with a feeder. I shudder just thinking about a five year-old drinking blood. . .
A stack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches sit on the island, and I dive right in, stuffing as many of the tiny sandwiches as my mouth will allow me to devour. I look around the kitchen, thinking about how it's probably only used by guardians and any other Dhampirs that might visit. I also think about what my life will be like here. I won't get the luxurious treatment as I am today; I'll be working my butt off to protect these four. But I do know one thing. . .
I'm going to love it here.