Disclaimer: Same as chapter 1.
Chapter 10
Winter's house was much quieter than Rian's. Winter was the only child; only she and her mother occupied their house in the afternoons until dinner time. Rian could hear the floor squeak underneath her feet as she walked down the hall to the familiar room. The redhead was both soothed and deeply disturbed by the quietness of Winter's home as she usually felt whenever in the house.
Once the girl's settled into the room, and music was playing on a moderately loud volume (loud enough to have to talk loudly but not having to shout over the music to be heard), Rian was instantly bombarded with questions from the older teenager.
"Okay, so I lied earlier. I am totally ready, but Aiden is dragging his feet. How many teenage boys do you know that would deny sex?"
"I don't know. I'm not an expert on guys, Winter."
"Not many."
Winter's taste in music was very unique; one moment her playlist was blaring underground rap songs, then a country song or a pop song, and finally a foreign song that neither girls could understand the lyrics to. Rian didn't mind though, most of the music was on her own playlist.
"So...how do you suggest seducing a reluctant guy?"
"Maybe he's gay Win." The look that crossed Winter's face was of obvious fury and one that Rian had never seen before. The look made Rian's skin crawl and she instantly wanted to apologize before she realized that the look had more to do with the fact that Winter may have had similar thoughts on the subject. "But maybe he's planning something special?"
Winter relaxed at this and began a conversation of what he could possibly be planning. Somehow during their conversation Rian had agreed to ask Aiden why he was dragging his feet; something that Rian regretted agreeing to, how was she supposed to broach the subject?
"What has been on your mind lately?" Winter changed the subject finally, tired of talking about Aiden.
"Just something my doctor asked me." Rian answered automatically, not giving time to think about her answer. She didn't realize that it was bothering her as much as it was. Normally she'd just say 'nothing' or 'it was fine' whenever someone asked about her sessions with her therapist.
Winter waited patiently for Rian to continue. "He asked me why I was so frightened of vampires if I know they aren't real." 'Close enough.'
Winter laughed at the question. "Why are children afraid of the dark? Besides isn't he supposed to be answering that question for you?" She thought it was a stupid question to ask.
Rian was frustrated, she thought the question deserved an answer. She felt like if she answered the question, she could begin to move on, maybe even heal. "That's not how therapy works. At least not the kind of therapy I've been in. I've been really trying to figure this out."
"Okay, okay." Winter could hear the annoyance in Rian's voice. "So what have you come up with so far?"
"At first I thought it was dead, but I realized that I am always calmer when I know the end was near." The older girl gave Rian a disbelieved glance, like she couldn't fathom why Rian would be relieved when the nightmares were over after having SO many in her lifetime. "Then I thought maybe the pain."
"Pain?" Rian had never explained the burning of a vampires bites in her hallucinations. She was so young when the girl's first met and she didn't know how to explain the sensations to the older girl. She had tried a few times, but Winter had always thought she had really been hurt in her dreams and Rian finally gave up a few months after they met, when they were 6 years old.
"Yeah, but I don't think that's it either. I've felt the same pain every dream, every hallucination. I know what it feels like to be 'bitten', to have my bones broken, to have the unwavering strength push me into a building or a tree. It's always the same."
The girls were silent as they thought on the answer. But Winter didn't stay on the subject long, the girl was once again changing the subject to something school relating. Rian, while offering Winter passible excuses of conversation with Winter, continued to think on the question in the back of her mind. The question was driving her crazy. Damn Carlisle for having ever asking her that question.
After an hour or so, Winter's mother made an appearance in the room and sweetly announced that dinner was ready. Rian hadn't noticed how late it had gotten by the time she was leaving, the sun was beginning to set and she was going to have to walk home. The girl placed her headphones on and played the playlist on her phone.
Rian didn't listen to her music for long periods of time, in which case she'd lose herself in the music and trigger an episode. But listening to music was much better than being reminded that she was completely alone in the chirping of cicadas and the whistling of the wind in the trees.