I wake up in a messy tangle of blankets and fluffy pillows. Light streams through the open windows. I throw on a turtle-neck sweater and shut my curtains. The Conta family lives on a normal time schedule, unlike the academy. Most of the windows in the house are tinted to keep out the harsh sunlight that Moroi can sometimes despise. It's my second day here, and already am I nervous to start my work as guardian. It's too early to start training with Jack Chang; I haven't even met him and he sounds intimidating. Though I know that I'll be the astute one. A lot of things are supposed to happen today. I'll be on my first day, learning new things and the necessaries to keep the family safe. I'll also be meeting Wren and Henry Conta for the first time. My new - and unfamiliar charges - make me worry about what they'll think of me. Surely they'll be fine with me, being a guardian and all.
But you're not a guardian. My mind seems to remind me.
"Shut up." I tell myself and pull on some jeans and tie my tennis shoes.
Since everyone is asleep, I tiptoe downstairs and into the kitchen. Vivian Conta must not know how to feed Dhampirs because the only things in the fridge are cheddar cheese, green grapes, and a glass of mango juice. Where's the sandwiches I had yesterday? Shouldn't there be the supplies to make more?
I take the grapes and the glass of mango juice, shoving the bottle under my arm, and shut the fridge with my foot. I make my way into the massive dining room and seat myself at the head of the table. The chairs look like thrones, with the most comfortable cushions for my bottom to sit on. I attack the grapes with vicious hunger. I never knew I could be this hungry in my life. Maybe it's my anxiety. . . . . ?
The grapes are gone in ten minutes, tops. I load all my dishes into the dishwasher and press the On button. Hopefully that'll work. Next up is searching this castle (maybe a tiny exaggeration). I walk around the rest of the bottom floor, finding another dining hall, three guest bedrooms, and an art room. Two art easels stand near the windows with in-progress pictures being painted on them. One I make out to be rows of trees in an orchard. The other I believe to be a meadow with dandelions and some other weird flower. I figure I'm not supposed to be in here, so I leave the room, shutting the door quietly behind me.
Upstairs isn't a mystery to me; bedrooms and bathrooms and a huge game room is all it is. I have no reason to go snooping up there. All the bedrooms are probably for the kids and Vivian, and Jack Chang (is he even real?). There's only two things that are a mystery to me in this house. The third floor, which I have no idea what it holds inside, and two large doors twice my size at the end of the hall. I make my way towards it and stop as soon as I'm closer to it. Like many of the other doors, the heavy oak doors have delicately carved figures on them. Angels and owls and flowers almost seeming real as they pop out of the door. I look behind my back to make sure no one sees me slip in, and then slide in.
What's behind the door is not what I expect.
It's almost like a church, but with the walls covered in books. Each wall has bookshelves reaching up to the towering ceiling. Ladders lead to balconies with even more books covering the stone walks. One wall has huge scary windows, with iron bars blocking much of the window, making shadows dance across the stone floor. It's almost as if I have walked from the modern-day to a medieval-looking library. The stone floors are paved with cracks and crevices, old rugs covering some ugly spots. A huge desk sits by the vampiric-looking window, the legs have carvings of scrawny demons reaching out, as if they're begging for help.
I crunch my nose. "definitely not my furnishing style."
What's even more weird are the arm-less and without-body statues of evil demons and naked women. I mean, talk about creepy.
"Fascinating, isn't it?" The booming voice makes me jump out my skin. I turn and scan the room for the owner of the voice. I see no one. The corners are darkened with demonic shadows that make my skin crawl.
"Who's there?" I ask, creeping along the wall, closer and closer to the door. I don't know who, or what, is hiding in this room.
A man appears from a place I had already looked at. I feel like my eyes are playing tricks on me, because for some reason, this guy is beyond gorgeous. Like, the kind of hot that makes girls faint. . . I think.
"Who the heck are you?" I ask.
The guy laughs and holds out his hand. "Julius Conta."
He's too young to be Vivian's husband - or so I think. If he is, I think I might just vomit from the thought. . .
"Rose Hathaway." I shake Julius' hand.
Julius gives me a flashing smile that reminds me of Adrian's flirtatious ways. His looks are different though. He has shiny brown hair and twinkling viridian eyes, - sort of like Alexis' - but they have this stone-hard look to them, like he's putting a wall to where you can't, you just can't look in his eyes.
"I thought Vivian only had three kids?"
"She does."
"Then who exactly are you?" I gulp and ask.
"I'm her nephew."
I give him an unsure glance. "Vivian didn't mention that her nephew would be here."
"She doesn't like to talk about me much."
"Well, Julius," I say, "you have an awesome time reading books. . . . . or whatever you do in here."
"Leaving so soon?"
"Yeah, I have to. . . . c-check the perimeter for threats." I make up the excuse right on the spot. "You know, guardian stuff."
"Ah," Julius stares at me with those dark ocean eyes. I make sure not to focus on them, though. Instead, I focus on the books behind me, "guardian stuff. I understand."
"Good for you."
"Why don't you take a book for your entertainment?" He offers.
"I can't borrow my charges' books."
"Sure you can."
"I have my own books, thank you very much."
"You don't have any of these." Julius motions around the room.
He scans the bookshelves and seems to find a particularly interesting one. He backs up and starts to fumble through the long bookshelf. It's my chance to leave this room, this scary, medieval-feeling room, and to leave Julius Conta to do whatever the heck he wants to do in this room. But there's something that keeps me here; I'm interested in what book he'll choose for me.
"Here," Julius hands me a book, "you'll enjoy it. I can see you're the kind of person that'll like this one."
I look down at my hands where Julius has placed a book. I immediately hand it back to him after barely looking at the cover.
"I am not reading Romeo and Juliet." I tell him.
Julius frowns and says, "well, why not?"
"Juliet is, what, Like thirteen or something?" When I see Julius give a slight nod, I continue, "she's thirteen and she commits suicide because of love."
"It's very tragic." Julius admits. "But love cannot be stopped."
"No point in killing yourself." I point out. "She could have lived, you know."
"If you loved someone with all your heart, someone you couldn't live without," Julius steps closer to me, "and that person died, or you couldn't be with him, wouldn't you kill yourself to be with The One."
I push the book away from me. "If 'The One' means I have to hang myself or stab myself, I think I'll just live through the pain."
Julius sighs and looks up at me.
"Here's how it's gonna work." Julius lifts one of my arms and tucks the small paperback under my arm. "You're going to read it, and report back to me afterwards. If you like it, I'll recommend another book; if you don't like it, I'll never have another conversation with you ever again."
I sigh as I play with the hem of my sweater. "That a promise?"
Julius puts his fingers over his heart, making an X shape with his long, slender fingers. "Cross my heart and hope to die."
"Whatever." I mutter and turn to leave. Julius doesn't stop me, and as soon as I hear the door shut behind me, I run back up to my room and slam the door shut. I look around the room for any signs of a living creature, nothing. I flick on the light in the bathroom and walk over to the trashcan, throwing the book in it.
"Pure and utter garbage." I say, and turn away from the trashcan. I can only keep my mind focused on one thing; one thing that I 'cross my heart and hope to die'.
That I will never speak to Julius Conta ever again.
I meet Jack Chang on the way outside to meet him. We both nod and say our hello, but it doesn't go any farther than that. He's an older male, with short-cropped black hair a deep Chinese accent. He doesn't seem bad for a fellow guardian; I'm just glad I'll have someone I like working with me.
"We'll check the perimeter first." Jack Chang informs me.
"Sure thing." I nod.
We start from the locked gate and make our way around the left side of the iron-wrought fence. Both Jack and I walk at a slow pace with our hands behind our back and our chins held high. I kind of like this feeling, like I'm a real guardian. Maybe it will not be all that bad, being away from St. Vlad's for a while. Except for the fact that I'll be seeing Julius Conta around the mansion. . . . . . .
It's a long time before we reach the back gate. I'm immediately taken a-back. Something I hadn't seen before stands right before me.
"They have a frickin' pond!" I look out at the quiet waters, the lily pads that float along with the window with no purpose at all. The green grass is perfectly shaven down to give the perfect view of a pond.
"There's a lake farther back." Jack says, pointing out to the rolling hills behind the tall gate.
"God, this is my Barbie dream house." I say with gleaming eyes.
"Excuse me," Jack says, "Barbie what?"
I wave my hand. "Nothing."
We walk the rest of the perimeter, making sure to keep in line of the protection; the dome. Once we get back to the house, Jack tells me that I'm off for the day. Seems easy enough; check the perimeter, report to Jack if I notice any mysterious activity. I return to my room with only one thought in my head; one though intruding all others. A thought where I hesitate to take action. . .
I go into the bathroom and slowly but hesitantly, pick up Romeo and Juliet.