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Chapter 11
Not only does she manage to sleep, but she manages to sleep till ten thirty. It's the amazing smell of pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs that wakes her. She stumbles sleepily into the kitchen and to her amazement there is Haydn at the stove, armed with a spatula, flipping chocolate-chip pancakes.
"Now this is what I call an apology." She says as she sits down and he places a plate before her with a tower of incredibly delicious fluffy pancakes, crispy bacon, and scrambaly eggs.
"Glad you like it. I really couldn't think of many ways to apologize that would suffice to make up for my horrible behavior last night."
"Well this defiantly pulled it off," She says as she happily takes another bite of her heavenly pancakes. "I had no clue you could cook." He smiles at her bashfully.
"A little bit."
"Well every time you screw up, if you cook me something as good as this, I will probably never be able to stay mad."
"Good to know." He says smiling that amazingly crooked smile.
"I will also probably be very fat." She says after taking a bight of the crispy, greasy bacon.
"You could never be fat; you're skinnier than a twig. I could probably hold you on one finger, but that might just be the vampire super strength thing." Haydn teases, green eyes sparkling. She glances at the counter and sees an imposing stack of pancakes that look like it might outweigh her.
"Am I supposed to eat all of those or are you going to join me? Vampires can eat food right?"
"Yes we can eat food. And I suppose I did make a bit too many pancakes." He admits with a grin.
"And bacon and eggs," She says after examining the two massive skillets containing enough of the two foods to feed a family of five for several months. "I guess Calvin can eat some too. With all three of us eating we just might make a dent in it by Wednesday." Haydn walks over to the counter and dutifully grabs four pancakes, a heaping mound of eggs, and several large pieces of bacon.
"There satisfied? " He asks attempting to sound annoyed, but not succeeding as he digs into his pancakes. Then Calvin stumbles into the room, bleary eyed, and rumpled but grinning from ear-to-ear.
"I smelled pancakes," He says happily, voice still drowsy with sleep. "And I really hoped I wasn't dreaming."
"Dig in," She says gesturing to the mountain of food. "If the apocalypse suddenly decides to happen we will still have pancakes to spare." He heaps his plate with several pancakes and gets a separate plate for the bacon and eggs. They all sit there for several minutes munching happily upon their pancaky goodness.
"So what's everyone planning on doing today?" Marisia asks trying to keep the happy mood, glad the tension is gone. Calvin shrugs.
"Nothing, just hanging out here I suppose. What about you?"
"I don't know that's why I was asking you two. Haydn?"
"Whatever, anything's fine with me."
"I guess I can go to the library or something." Marisia says, not being able to think of anything better to do. Calvin's phone starts beeping.
"Be right back." He says mysteriously after looking at it a moment. He walks out of the room, phone pressed to his ear.
"That's really what you want to do today, go to the library? What happened to the whole have fun while you can thing?"
"I don't know there's nothing to do. Unless you can think of anything." Haydn grins.
"Oh I have an idea. Go get dressed. We are going to have the best day ever."
Three hours later they're driving down a scenic country road in the middle of nowhere. "Where are we going?" Marisia asks as she watches the little farms and trees pass by.
"You'll see." Haydn says smiling over at her. That was all he would say to her about anything, 'You'll see.' Suddenly the road begins to look familiar, eerily familiar. Haydn pulls into a driveway, her old driveway. The driveway to the home she had spent the first five years of her life. (Note, the prologue said she lived in Nebraska and well….that just made no freaking sense. So now she grew up in the middle of the woods in Minnesota.)
"What are we doing here Haydn?" She whispers.
"Well I remembered how much you seemed to love that little picnic spot from your memories and I thought you might like coming back again."
"But how did you know where it was, where I had lived?" He gives a sheepish smile.
"I pulled it from your mind. Sorry, do you want to go back?"
"No it's fine," Marisia whispers looking around in awe. "Come on, I remember how to get there." She begins to drift towards the forest and Haydn follows after he grabs the picnic stuff from his car.
She remembers the way to the path into the forest by heart even after all of these years. She still technically owned the home, but she had never been able to make herself go back. It was practically the same; they must have someone taking care of it. The bright yellow paint, tire swing on the big oak tree in the backyard, her mother's garden, all of it was the same as if she had been there yesterday.
She spies the entrance to the path, a narrow gap between twin pines, and walks through. Immediately the light dims, and the cacophony of the forest surrounds her. She wanders in a dreamlike state down the path. She remembers every turn, every twist in the path and Haydn follows her silently behind.
In about fifteen minutes they reach a large gap between the trees that leads to the meadow which is just as she remembered. For a minute she just stands there, staring, unable to believe she is actually there.
"Are you alright?" Haydn asks gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm just fine. Come on let's go sit." He walks over to the cheerfully bubbling brook and lays out an old faded quilt. On top of it he places a simple picnic basket and he begins to pull out various picnic type items.
"Well aren't you going to sit down?" He asks, giving a small smile. She is still standing at the path entrance.
"Oh yeah, sure." Marisia mumbles, walking over, still dazed. He hands her a chicken-salad sandwich. She takes a bite and the deliciousness of it snaps her out of her fog.
"Oh my gosh, you really can really cook!" He grins.
"It's just chicken-salad, but thanks." He hands her a paper plate and heaps on some potato salad and Lays. He also pulls out a chocolate cake covered in plastic wrap.
"Chocolate cake!" She cries happily. He smiles at her wryly.
"Chocolate fan huh?"
"Totally!" She heads straight for the cake.
"When did you have time to bake this?" She asks taking a heavenly chocolatey bite. He looks away embarrassed.
"Uh, well this I didn't make. I'm horrible at baking. I bought it at a bakery."
"Well it's still delicious." She says happily, licking her plastic spoon clean of any remaining frosting residue.
"And, while I'm making confessions, my cooking skills are essentially pancakes and sandwiches." She rolls her eyes and grins.
"Hey that's fine with me because if I even try to make toast the house will probably blow up." She continues her backwards lunch, picking up her sandwich again.
"So since you seem to know everything about me, tell me a little about you." Haydn frowns.
"I'm not sure you want to know much about me."
"Sure I do, why wouldn't I?"
"Well I'm just not that interesting." He says averting his eyes.
"Oh I doubt that's true," Marisia presses. "Come on tell me something. All I know is your name." Haydn sighs in defeat.
"Alright what do you want to know?" He asks grudgingly.
"I don't know anything. Family, hobbies, you know regular stuff."
"Well I really don't have many, I read, and occasionally forge picnics," He says gesturing to the array of food. "I suppose another one you might say is "stalking you"," He smiles at her and she rolls her eyes. "I can't really think of much else." He finishes with a shrug.
"Well, what about your family?" Marisia questions, knowing he's avoiding this topic.
"I don't know if you need to know much about my past." He says carefully.
"Why not?" She protests. "You know every little thing that's happened to me since the first time I was born however many hundreds of years ago. How bad could it be?" He sighs again.
"Marisia," He says voice tense, pleading with her to drop it. "Please, I really don't think it's best for you to know." She gives him a hard stare.
"Fine, but I will get you to tell." He sighs once again, this one filled with relief.
"I don't doubt it. But I was meaning to talk to you about something." His voice becomes cautious and she braces herself.
"What?"
"Do you like recognize Calvin?" He asks awkwardly.
"What do you mean?" She demands, confused. "I've known him practically my whole life!"
"You know from a-uh past life?" He continues as awkward as ever, totally unlike him.
"Calvin seriously?" She exclaims completely shocked. Was her flipping goldfish she had at school reincarnated too?
"Yes, seriously, you can't remember him at all?" He sounds surprised, and frowns. She forces herself back into her memories and after a minute comes back.
"Nope not at all." She replies frowning as well.
"This is very odd." Haydn's face is the epitome of seriousness.
"Why doesn't Calvin remember either?"
"I don't know, but this is very strange."
"Hey, who was he in my past lives?" Marisia questions, wondering why he hasn't mentioned it yet.
"Generally he was your best friend, but once or twice he was well I suppose you could say your boyfriend."
"My what?!" She shrieks, choking on a bite of potato salad. He winces.
"Apparently you two are also destined for each other, and if it wasn't for me interfering, it would be you together with him forever."
"Are you serious? Because I just can't picture us dating Haydn, I just can't."
"Oh I'm serious," He says somewhat bitter. "And as I've told you before, he feels much differently for you than you apparently feel for him." She puts down her plate altogether, her appetite ruined.
"I really wish you wouldn't tell me this stuff Haydn. I wish you could just be a normal guy and that I could be a normal girl and we could have a freaking normal relationship!" His face darkens.
"But neither of us are normal, far from it whether you like it or not." She stands up outraged.
"This is what I'm talking about Haydn! I can't even have an ordinary conversation with you! Even the ones we do have turn into fights! I can't picture us dating, let alone being soul mates!" He stands up as well face full of fury.
"Well we are! We're meant for each other! It doesn't mean we have to like each other." She begins to storm off, furious with him for ruining her perfect day.
"It kind of does!" She shouts over her shoulder, heading back towards the woods. He grabs her by the shoulder and whirls her around. She stumbles and he catches her, pulling her close.
"Let go of..." She starts, before he kisses her. Surprised, she tries to wrench herself free, but he holds her tighter. Seeing it's hopeless, she allows it and just as before she is thrown into Haydn's mind.
You cannot tell me you don't like me, I can hear your thoughts flying a mile a minute.
But I can't like you! You're a vampire; I'm a vampire hunter it doesn't work like that. We have nothing what so ever in common. And stay out of my thoughts! He mentally chuckles.
You need to learn how to block them, I can't help it. She wrenches herself away from him breathless.
"How the hell do I do that?" Marisia asks, managing not to punch him in the face for attack kissing her. This seemed like something she should know and she doubts he'll tell her if she gives him a black eye. Haydn frowns.
"They never taught you?"
"No, but I tended to zone out on class-classes. Plus I never thought I would need to protect my thoughts from a vampire."
"Well you should learn there are others with powers like mine, few but still."
"Okay, so how does it work?" He thinks a moment.
"Just envision an impenetrable wall around your mind; no one can break through it unless you allow them." She stares at him, thinking he's gone crazier than usual.
"Seriously what the hell are you on?" He glowers down at her.
"I really don't understand the way people talk today. And just try it please." Still thinking he's nuts, she does as he says. She pictures a ginormous wall encircling her thoughts, it's unbreakable, no one is allowed entrance without her permission. When she looks back at Haydn, she sees he's desperately trying not to laugh.
"What," She demands. "Is so funny?"
"Your face goes all squished up when you concentrate, it's pretty hilarious."
"Just shut up and try to read my freaking thoughts already." She snaps with a scowl.
"Okay, okay hold on a sec." He closes his eyes and after a moment, she feels his mind trying to reach her own, trying to break through the wall but not succeeding. He opens his eyes and nods in approval.
"Very good, I couldn't find anyway in."
"How does that work?" He shrugs.
"I don't know; do you know how a lot of stuff works?" She drops it. "We should probably be getting back." He says glancing at the sky. Marisia is surprised to see that the sun is setting, had they really been gone that long?
"'Kay, I'll help you pick up." She replies and they head back to the picnic in silence. How in the world did he keep doing that? Make her absolutely furious with him one second and then the next he kissed her or made her pancakes and she was suddenly forgiving him?
"Hey, Haydn thanks for the picnic." She says not sure if she should say anything. He smiles up at her after putting away the rest of the sandwiches.
"You're welcome, thanks for not killing me."
"You're welcome." She says, not managing to hide her smile. They silently pack up the remains of the picnic, and this time, Haydn is in the lead as she strays behind, not wanting to leave her childhood home. She lingers by the house, peering into the window of the room of her early childhood, everything is still in place, as if she might come back at any moment, still five years old with pigtails and a gap-toothed smile.
"We can go in if you want." Haydn says softly from behind her.
"No, I'm fine just looking a moment. That hasn't been my life for a very long time. It would seem too strange to just go back in." She replies, managing to tear her eyes away from the small bedroom back to Haydn. He nods and waits there quietly. After another second she turns back towards Haydn and surprises them both, by slipping her hand into his as they walk back to the car and drive home in complete and utter quiet.