VOLUME II
"Lilies for a bridal bed
Roses for a matron's head
Violets for a maiden dead…"
- Remembrance by Percy Bysshe Shelley
21st April 2009…
Birds chirped happily outside and the sun had just risen. The sky was clear, indicating that it was going to be a sunny and warm morning.
A girl stood in the center of a bedroom and gazed outside the half-open window. It was going to be a good day, she thought before walking over to the dresser where she had kept her clothes in. There was a large mirror hanging above the oak dresser, reflecting her makeup-free face.
Her caramel eyes gleamed a pretty gold color in the morning sun as she worked on her hair and applied some light sunscreen and moisturizer on her face. She then grabbed a hair tie and pulled her hair in her grip, tying it up. Her mahogany hair was hung up in a tight ponytail, all jewelry including her earrings were removed.
She pulled the top drawer where only her clothes were. The top two were hers as she had won the game of 'rock paper scissors' against her roommate and best friend, June while the bottom two were hers.
She had complained endlessly about how she, as a short person, should get the bottom drawers instead until she pointed out that she was tall enough to reach the top of the dresser. Her roommate and friend pouted all day but ultimately conceded.
Her other friend, Hanna, on the hand, had gotten unlucky and drew the stick which said she was to room with their fourth friend, Amanda. Though she didn't complain outwardly, her eyes blinked furiously at her and June whenever Amanda looked away. She absolutely loathed the idea of rooming with her friend Amanda.
At least, she got lucky that Amanda spent more nights on the couch due to her excessive partying and drinking along with Jason who was stuck with Max. August and Devin were rooming with each other instead.
Taking out some running leggings and a black running top, she pushed the drawer close before opening the second one to take out a red and black waterproof jacket. It was lightweight and waterproof. Even though the weather outside looked more on the sunny side, she could never be sure.
Plus it was a good place to keep her family dagger which she always carried with her. She shut the drawer close and gave myself a look over in the mirror before quickly changing into her running clothes and putting aside my pajamas. There were a few strands of her hair peeking out that she slid behind her ear before nodding at the mirror.
Behind the girl, her friend blissfully slept away unaware that the girl was even awake. Her friend and temporary roommate's bright crimson hair was splayed out on her pillow, catching the rays of the early morning sun.
If she woke her up now, she would stay mad for the rest of the day and neither her twin had enough energy to deal with that today. She shook her head at the sleeping beauty and walked over to the bedside table near my bed where there was a pad of post it notes. She took out a pen and quickly wrote down a note for June.
'Going out for a morning run. I knew you hate mornings and runs so I didn't wake you'
- Ava
Putting the pen down, she ripped out the note from the pad and walked over to her side of the room and attached the note to her bright red transparent water bottle that was on her bedside table.
Taking one last glance at her sleeping friend, she walked out the door but not before closing it behind her.
Ava quietly ran down the stairs, stopping when she saw the speakers still turned on and music still blasted. She rolled my eyes, turning it off before sparing a glance at the passed out couple on the large gray-blue sofas.
Amanda groaned in her sleep while Jason kept his arms around her. She couldn't help but admit they were a cute couple. If she ignored the fact that Amanda had become a horrible person after she started seeing him. Ava never understood what Amanda saw in him.
Quickly Ava checked the time and tapped Amanda's shoulders. "Mandy…" She quietly called out. "Amanda." Amanda stirred in her sleep. "Come on, wake up, Mandy. I know you hate oversleeping." She groaned and tried to swat my hands away but she caught them in mid-air as she peered down at her. Just then her eyes opened as she squinted up at her friend.
"Time." She hoarsely whispered out, looking at the clean living room.
She looked a little surprised before looking back at Ava. No doubt their other friends, Max, August and Devin had taken time to clean this up when Amanda and Jason passed out. Ava vaguely recalled the night before where Hanna, June and her had called an early night with June complaining about her skin.
Ava glanced at the watch on her wrist and compared it to the clock on the mantle above the fireplace. It was the same.
"6:51 AM" She said. Amanda groaned again, picking up Jason's arm off her and throwing it to the side.
"Why didn't anyone wake me up? I have to do my morning runs and my stretches." She complained, getting up and stretching her arms out. "Wait." She paused, looking at Ava up and down, noticing that her friend was already dressed for a run. "You traitor!" She hissed under her breath.
"You're done and you just woke me up now!" She rolled my eyes in annoyance and shook my head. "Oh. Well, are you going now?" Ava nodded in response. "Can you wait like thirty minutes more?"
Ava looked around and shrugged. She didn't want to wait. She knew Amanda had the habit of running with people because of her stamina training needed for the swim team. On the other hand, she preferred to be alone. Ava shook her head and Amanda scowled.
She got up and gracefully went back to her room but not before throwing a sharp betrayed yet playful glare Ava's way while she just stuck out her tongue at Amanda. She preferred Amanda like this when Jason wasn't around. Well, he was around, just asleep. Ava glared at the sleeping boy on the sofa before making her way to the huge wooden double doors of the lake house.
Pushing the door open, the early days of sun shone down on her as she blinked rapidly trying to catch her bearings. She started stretching. The lakehouse sat near the docks overlooking the vast lake near the town of Havensbrook, Washington. It was a couple of hours outside of the town but close enough that it was deemed safe by the town elders for families or anyone to come visit. The exclusive town was closed off to many but the wealthy, at least that's what most people thought. There was a misconception of it.
A misconception, most didn't bother to correct. It wasn't entirely false. There were wealthy families among them but also ordinary. Well, what counted as ordinary. Some were rather unique. Though to say it was a town full of wealth was a complete lie.
The Cranes were an example of those who were not wealthy, the family Isaac Crane, Ava's ex-boyfriend. They were just the many of the ordinary in the town who out-numbered the wealthy and the unique.
She stopped when the thought of Isaac crossed her mind.
The boy with dark eyes and dark hair with sharp cheekbones was once someone who was always on her mind. His coy laugh as he held up a camera to her face while she was driving or when they were in an art studio alone, how his hands and face would be stained by paint while he dove into his work. He would smile brightly before trying to put paint on me.
She remembered those moments vividly.
She remembered as he stood behind her with a DSLR camera in front of us in my hands, his arms gripping my waist from behind while he teasingly taught her how to use the camera and capture the right angles in the right light. The kisses in between that left her breathless.
Those were the moments she missed the most.
Yet they were all marred memories now. Because every time Ava tried to think of him fondly, she remembered how she found him in their places with a brand new girl every other day or when she overheard him insulting her friends or her.
Those were the moments she knew enough was enough. She broke it off a month before spring break, thinking he'd leave her alone. But it was wishful thinking.
Until a few weeks ago, all he did was constantly send her texts and calls begging for her to take him back, claiming he was dying. She didn't believe him. She thought it was all a ploy to get her back. If it wasn't for her brother and parents, he would have broken into her family house. It got so bad that her parents ended up calling the cops on him.
Mr Crane couldn't care less about his son and even gave Ava's family the greenlight to press charges against his own son, her mom decided against it, thinking Isaac would stop with a warning.
Luckily he did. Ava didn't run into him at school or hear about him apart from a few cheerleaders glaring at her now and then for calling the cops on him. Otherwise he lived as if he was a ghost.
Ava paused in her jog and started walking, removing her headphones from her ears. The headphones fell onto her shoulder wrapping them.
"Hello." A man standing alone on the edge of the lake called out to her.
At first she didn't think he was talking to her so she ignored him and put her hands into her pocket, her hand on the dagger. She paused when she felt a strange death-like chill pass through her, a chill she had felt yesterday.
It was suffocatingly cold despite the warm breeze, the coldness had wrapped around her neck and was pulling her towards the source of the chill, beckoning her to kill. She resisted the urge and started to walk backwards. Unfortunately, she didn't get quite far.
"You okay there, love?" The man started walking towards her as she nervously nodded. It wasn't the same man from before.
This one was different but they were the same.
Vampires.
She swallowed her fear and backed off. Unlike the vampire she meant yesterday, this one was different. The man yesterday had black hair and unforgettable electric blue eyes while the vampire in front of her had dark blond hair and dark blue eyes.
"I mean no harm, I was just passing by." The man carried on, pacing towards her. Ava reluctantly nodded and started backing away. She didn't dare turn her back on him. "Are you leaving?"
"Yeah." Ava awkwardly answered back with a feigned smile. Her hand reached for the blade. "I have to go back." She found herself saying for some bizarre reason.
The man smiled and nodded before turning back to gaze at the lake. Ava tried to rush past him when he suddenly turned around and grabbed her wrists. He pushed her against a tree. Her back collided against the tree trunk with a loud thud as she groaned in pain.
"You're one of them." He quietly remarked as Ava hissed in pain. "You're one of them, aren't you?"
She froze. Did this man know? He couldn't have. Vampires didn't know much about her family unless they were connected to Mystic Falls.
Was this vampire connected to her family?
She didn't know.
She glanced around the woods and spotted some fishermen across the lake. She wasn't completely alone.
"One of them?" She asked after a moment of silence.
His face fell and his eyes darkened. "So you don't know." He muttered under his breath before the corners of his lips lifted into a small smile.
He craned his head towards her neck while using his other hand to tilt her head upwards, she couldn't reach for the dagger now.
"You do smell like them." He kept on going before letting go.
She tried to kick and push against him but he didn't budge. This vampire was stronger than any other vampire she had met so far. She tried to kick the vampire again but he trapped her. She looked up and glared at him.
All of a sudden, her eyes glowed an amber-gold shade. The vampire in surprise let go, allowing her enough time to grab her dagger.
Pulling out her dagger, she tried to slash him and stake him. It didn't work. The man quickly got ahold of himself and grabbed her hands with one of his hands, squeezing them together, making her drop the dagger.
She cried out in pain as tears spilled out of her eyes that had now stopped glowing.
"Look, I just wanted to talk." The man cooed at her, pushing her hair back as her eyes flickered to amber-gold again. He let out a small laugh while using his free hand to tilt her face up. "Those eyes…" He mumbled fondly under his breath as Ava's heart hammered against her chest.
He carried on laughing as a fond look washed over his face. He let go of Ava and walked over to pick up her discarded dagger. "I do apologize for that."
He got up and held up the dagger for her. Ava rubbed her wrists that had turned red from the bruising. "What do you want from me?" She slowly backed off and glanced around. "If you're trying to eat me then go ahead and do it." She barked out.
"Eat you?" The man frowned. "So you know what I am." He grinned wildly while swinging the dagger around. "This is better than what I expected."
"You're a vampire…" Ava quietly breathed out. Her words made the man smile.
"Yes, I am." The man proudly admitted. "And you are something incredibly special and rare." He added in, flashing in front of her and placing the dagger back in her pocket. "Sorry about that."
"You're sorry?" Ava asked, confused why a vampire was apologizing for almost killing her. "You tried to kill me."
"I wasn't trying to kill you, I was checking something but you tried to kill me." He pointed out while gesturing to the dagger in her hand, reminding her of her actions from earlier. She looked at him with an incredulous look and shook her head.
"I was defending myself." She bit back, clutching her dagger tight. "From you." She added.
"Let bygones be bygones." The man waved her words away and leaned down to look at her face. He kept staring at her eyes like he had seen them before. "I'm Nik by the way and you are."
"Rose." Ava lied. It wasn't a complete lie. She just gave him her middle name like she always did whenever a stranger asked for her name. Rose was common enough. "I'm Rose."
Nik narrowed his eyes and took out a necklace from his pocket. Ava instantly recognized it and her hand went up to her neck. It was gone.
Her necklace was gone. The platinum necklace with the carved oval pendant was a gift from her parents for her most recent birthday.
"This thing, in my hand, says otherwise." He said, staring right at Ava. "It says 'Aveline'. Lovely name, by the name—french for Evelyn."
Ava bit her lips hard and glared at the etching on the necklace. She hated that name with a passion. Not only did it sound like her aunt Evelyn's name, it was a variation of her aunt's name.
Her parents had chosen that name to honor her aunt after her aunt had saved her mother's life in the past. Ava wasn't a huge fan of it, mainly because she couldn't pronounce her name properly in the first eight years of her life, finally giving up and choosing 'Ava' as her given name instead.
"So 'Aveline', are you here alone?" Nik questioned grinning at Ava with a mischievous grin despite trying to murder her mere moments ago.
She groaned and cursed under her breath while accidentally correcting the vampire. "It's Ava not Aveline. God I hate that name." She froze when she realized what she had done and shut her eyes in embarrassment over her own stupidity. Curse her temper.
"Ava?" Nik smirked. "That's a lovely name too. Reminds me of Ava of Melk. You probably don't know who that is."
Ava scoffed at Nik's words. "Ava of Melk, the first female poet in the German language? I'm not dumb. I'm guessing you knew her or something considering you mentioned her."
Nik smiled, impressed at Ava. He didn't expect her to know the referenced poet but the fact she did caught his attention. She was smart and observant, something he didn't quite see nowadays. "I did, actually. I met her once or twice."
"That explains why you're so strong." Ava quietly noted down, mumbling while reflecting.
"Excuse me."
"I said you're really old." Nik laughed at Ava's words, flashing his dimples that she couldn't lie were actually kind of attractive if she ignored that he was a vampire. She turned away and started walking away.
"You're leaving?" Nik called out to her as Ava started slipping in her headphones into her ears. She turned back to glance at him and nodded. "Already?"
"As much as I enjoyed this little conversation, I have to go back. My friends will start looking for me if I'm even a second late." She said, remembering how easily-worried some of her friends could be.
"Besides, I'm tired of being a vampire magnet so let's not ever meet again." She finished with a bright but sarcastic and started jogging past the vampire who just watched her disappear through the wooded path.
"Vampire magnet." Nik quietly contemplated those words. "...So there was another one."
Turning back to face the lake, Nik stared out at the vast lake. He pulled out an old worn out gold bracelet with tiny emeralds decorating it. There were some gems missing here and there but it appeared mostly new.
He turned the bracelet over in his hands and traced his fingers on the underside of the bracelet where the initials 'K.G' were etched onto it. He wistfully stared down at the bracelet, lost in his memories while tracing the etched out initials that were younger than the bracelet itself.
He knew that the person who the bracelet belonged to would not be happy with him for what he had just done but it wasn't like she could reach out to him anymore. She was long gone from this world and he would never see her again.
