When Darkness Falls Preface
I ran through the crowd, tears streaming down my cheeks. I longed to see his face, to be in his arms once again, but as the clock started to count the hour, I knew that I would never make it, despite my ability to run a ton faster than any human. "Matt!" I screamed in desperation, pushing through a couple holding hands. "Matt!" I screamed again, but the toll of the clock drowned out my voice. Even with his hearing, he would never hear me over the noise. Then, I saw it. An alley, which was my passage to him. I dashed to it, but I stopped short when I reached the mouth of my gate. "Did I really want to save him?" Thought one part of my mind. "Of course!!!" Screamed the other. My thoughts flew to Trent back home, and then I heard the eleventh toll.
Chapter 1
Meeting
"Okay, Mom, I'll be fine!" I exclaimed, squirming out of her arms. "Oh, I'm sorry, Bree, but I'm going to miss you so much!" She said, smiling and pulling me into another hug. "Mom. I told you, I will be fine! Just go have fun with Harvey, okay?" I begged, giving her a reassuring look. She nodded, then handed me my things. I took my bags graciously, and then I hugged her. "I love you, Mom." I told her, breaking free of her death grip. "I love you too Bree, I love you too." She said, kissing me on my cheek. I turned, and walked through my plane's gate. I'm not a big fan of flying. It's not like I get airsick or anything, I just don't enjoy the turbulence.
Okay, well, before we get started, there are some things that you should know. I was saying goodbye to my Mom for a perfectly good reason. I was sending myself to go live with my Best Friend in L.A for awhile, just to let my Mom go have fun with her new husband. I had just graduated High School, and I was out for the summer. I would go to a college in Virginia Beach come fall, and I felt like I needed a break. The plane ride from Tuscon, Arizona to L.A is quite short, so all I brought to my seat was my book and my Ipod. Kera, my Best Friend would be at my gate to meet me as soon as I landed, and I couldn't wait to see her.
When I walked out of my gate, I heard a squeal. "Oh my God, Bree, I missed you so much!!!" Exclaimed Kera, much to the families around her surprise. I smiled, and then I ran over to hug her. When she pulled away from me, she looked at my outfit in approval. "Cute." She noted, and my grin grew. "Thanks, I went shopping just before I left," I said, grabbing my bags and my purse. "You ready?" I asked, and I smiled until my cheeks hurt.
Her house was cute, kinda small, but very cute. It was on the beach, and at least I could be happy about that. Kera walked up the walk ahead of me, pulling out her keys and unlocking the door. When I walked through the front door, I gasped. The walls were a deep, dark blue, the color of the ocean. She had a flat-screen T.V on her wall, facing a giant, brown sectional couch. A picture window sat in the middle of one wall, and I could see the beach from there, a fabulous view. "Your room is upstairs on the right, the second door," Kera said, kicking off her flip flops. "Thanks again," I said grabbing my bags and headed for the stairs. I went up the stairs and opened my door. It was a good sized room, with red walls and white carpet. There was a bathroom on the left, and a queen bed. There was a sliding door that opened to a balcony, which also looked out to the ocean. I was surprised that Kera hadn't wanted this room. I threw my suitcases on the bed, and unzipped the largest one.
Chapter 2
Dreams about Him
As I unpacked, I felt the tears start to fall. I was happy to be here, truly I was, but you can never stop from missing the ones that you love. I wasn't a big cryer, so I forced the tears to stop. I would expect more tears later, when I was alone. I heard footsteps on the stairs, so I wiped my eyes and put on a smile. It was Kera, of course, coming to see if I wanted anything to eat or drink. I nodded eagerly, all I had to eat in the past 2 hours was those nasty airplane peanuts. I followed her downstairs to the kitchen, and I laughed when I saw it.
It was a bright, cheery yellow, with white tile, orange cabinets, and red counters. "Bright colors, much?" I asked her, trying to hide my giggles. "I know, I know! I bought the house and the kitchen was still like this, so yeah," she said, smiling sheepishly. I walked over to the table, which I was glad to see that it was a light colored wood, I saw out the window into the window of the neighboor's kitchen. I knew that I shouldn't be doing it, but i couldn't resist. A man about my age sat there, reading the newspaper. He was frowning slightly, but I didn't pay attention to that.
His skin was very pale, but not white. It contrasted against the dark gray walls of the kitchen. He had golden bronze hair, which layed on his head so perfectly that it made me gasp. He wore a fitted blue t-shirt, which clung to his chest to show his muscles. He was talking to someone, and then I saw a girl, who was just as pretty as him, but smaller. She had long, black hair which fell down her back in two braids. She was just as pale as the man, and she wore a pink t-shirt with a cartoon of the sun on it. She didn't seem to walk, she was too exquisite for that. She seemed to float over to him to place a cup of water on the table next to him. He said something, and she giggled, but when I went to say something to Kera, both their heads snapped up to look at me, as if I had screamed. The girl had a smile on her face, which seemed to match her t-shirt, but the man, he had a scowl plastered onto his perfect face.
"K-Kera?" I stuttered, not able to look away from the mans' sparkling jade green eyes. "Yeah Bree?" She said, turning to me with a plate and a glass in hand. "Who lives next door to us?" I said, turning my head with relief as the man looked away. "Oh, them? Those are the Myss's. They were living there when I moved in. 5 people live there, 3 brothers and the two girlfriends. Brent is the oldest, and he is dating Brianna. Then there's Ben, the second oldest, and he's dating Sadie. The youngest is Matt, who's our age, and he doesn't have a girlfriend, I don't think," Kera said, plopping down in the seat next to me and handing me my plate. There was eggs and bacan on it. I sighed, because that was all my Mom ever made for breakfast. I realized that I was doing alot of sighing lately. "Why?" She asked, looking at me funny. "Oh, well I was just wondering. Which one is Matt?" I asked, shrugging nervously."He's the one with the short, curly bronze hair."She said, looking at me, clearly puzzled. "Okay, well tommorrow I'll take you over there so that you can meet them. They seem like a really nice family," She said, beaming, forgetting her puzzelment, I guessed. I nodded, then dug in.
Later that night, I went to sleep after I had cried my eyes out. I was done crying, I decided. I was 18! I should learn to deal with my emotions. So I cried until I could cry no more, and then I fell asleep. That night, I dreamt about Matt Myss. It was quite unexpected, being that I had never even met him. I was on the beach, running. Someone was chasing me, I could hear their breathing behind me. Then, someone tackled me from behind, but before I could let out a really good scream, an ice cold hand clamped down over my mouth. They flipped me over so I was on my back, and then I could see their face. It was Matt, wearing the most terrifying grin I had ever seen. "Hello, Bree," he said, in a raspy voice. He let out a roar, and then I woke up. That was no dream! It was a nightmare!
Chapter 3
Smiles
The next morning, I woke with a shudder. I hadn't forgotten last nights' dream, and the picture of Matts' smile still hung in my mind like a memory I couldn't erase. I stretched, then climbed out of my new bed. I walked over to my bathroom and got ready to take my shower. I climbed in, and I was surprised to find that the water was hot.
I reached for the cold water knob, and turned it. The water temperature went down about 10 degrees, and I sighed. For the next 15 minutes I washed my hair and tried to get all the knots out of my back and shoulders. When I finally climbed out, my back was loose and I felt refreshed. I threw on one of my new outfits: A Purple and Black striped tank-top and a black jean skirt. I walked down the steps, and I wasn't surprised to Kera downstairs already, even though it was 7:30. She was at the fridge, bending down to get something off of the bottom shelf.
The last stair made a creak, and Kera jerked her head up so fast that she hit it on the top of the fridge. I giggled (again), and she turned to me, laughing also. "Morning. Sorry about that," I said, sitting down at the table. "No problem. Can I get you something to eat before we head next door?" She asked, sitting down in the chair where she sat the day before. I shook my head, because I was too nervous to eat anything. She nodded, then got up and walked to the front door. "Shall we?" She asked, a smile on her face so wide that you could see her molars. It was almost as if she was hiding something. I shook the feeling off and walked over to her. We put on our flip-flops and went out the front door.
As I stood on the Myss's front porch with Kera, waves of confusion washed over me. I was scared. No, I was nervous. No, that's not it, I was excited. I was feeling so many things at once, I couldn't tell which I wanted to feel! Then when the door opened, I felt a wave of contentment. I was just going to meet my neighbors, right? What could go wrong? The girl I had seen yesterday stood at the door, with a smile on her face. "Kera! Hi! What a splendid surprise. Come on in!" "Thanks, Sadie." She said, with a quick glance to me. "Oh and who's this?" Sadie asked, cocking her head to the side. From that angle, she looked kind of like a penguin. "I'm Bree. I'm Kera's best friend, and I just moved in," I said, feeling quite shy. I mean, compared to her, I must look like some homeless person! She had her hair in curls today, and they framed her face to perfection. She was wearing an ice blue tank top with sequins running along the top, and a pair of really cute blue camoflage shorts. "Awesome!" She said, bouncing forward and hugging me. I gasped, and she laughed. "Anyway, come on in."
Their house was beautiful. The living room had brown walls with a light wood flooring, and two men were lounging on the tan leather sofa. There was a Monet on the wall, and it matched perfectley, with all the greens and browns in it. They got up as soon as Sadie walked in, and I was appaled when I saw them. They were huge. One man was very buff, and Sadie "floated" over to him. I guessed that he was Ben. The other one was twice as buff as his brother, and he had a huge grin on his face when we walked in. I didn't see Matt or Brianna anywhere. Then I heard a very large crash in the other room, followed by a string of profanities. Sadie sighed, then walked into the other room. Kera followed, and then I followed her, not wanting to be left behind with the men.
I had followed Kera into the kitchen, and I quickly saw the reason for the swearing. Matt and another girl, who I guessed to be Brianna, were kneeleing on the ground in a mess of papers. A few drifted over to my feet, so I kneeled down, too, to pick them up. As soon as I did, I stood up and handed them to Matt, who looked at me, locking me in the stare of his fantastic green eyes. I heard a hiss, and I was surprised to find out it was from Sadie, but that hiss broke our stare. Matt then stood up, and the smiled at me. I couldn't help but return the smile, it was contagious. He stuck out his hand as if to shake mine, and I offered mine to him. He grabbed it, and then I gasped at what happened.
I felt as if I had thousands of volts of electricity flowing through my body. He quickly jerked his hand back, but the feeling stayed. I just stared at my hand, mezmirised by what had just happened. Kera just stared at me, questions burning behind her eyes. I turned to look at Matt and Sadie, who seemed to be having their own conversation without saying anything. Then Sadie turned to look at me, and she laughed her small laugh again. "Do you want anything to drink, you guys?" She asked, "floating" to the fridge. We both shook our heads, and I slinked over to the table where Matt still sat. It was then that I realized that he and I had on pretty similiar clothes. He was wearing a purple polo and black board shorts. He stared at me, and I shifted uncomfertably under his gaze. He then smirked a little, and I couldn't help but giggle.
Chapter 4
Chinese Horror
I was sitting on my bed with my laptop, talking to Leanne, my friend back in Tuscon. "So wait, you shook hands and you felt electricity?" Leanne asked, seeming really perplexed. "Yeah. He's really cute, too." I replied, biting into my Twix. "Wow. Man, I wish I could go to L.A. Hot weather, cute guys, and awesome malls!" She said, sighing. I laughed. Leanne was one of the best friends that I had after Kera had moved. "Well, I got to go. Kera and i are going out for chinese with Sadie in a half hour, and I have to get ready." I said. "Bye!" She squealed. I logged off in a daze. I threw on my faveorite capris and a kelly freen sparkly t-shirt. I didn't care if sparkles were in or out, it was my favorite t-shirt. I had my old friendship bracelet that Kera made me when we were 12. I walked down the stairs and smiled when I saw Kera's wrist. She had her friendship bracelet on too, pink and purple, which matched her pink and purple sun dress. She saw my bracelet and smirked. "I thought I was the only one to keep everything," she noted, walking up to me and smiling. I shook my head and giggled. "I'm starved. Let's go," I said, leading her to the front door.
We were back on Matts' front porch, and this time, I felt normal. Not nervous, and certainly not scared. The weather made me slightly nervous, though. It was dark and very cloudy. Storm clouds. I wore my hair in pigtails, the way Sadie had shown me, and they gave me a new confidence I couldn't describe. Sadie answered the door then, and she smiled at us. I was then just starting to realize how smiliey everyone in L.A was. "Hey, girls. I was so bored in the house. The guys were just sitting around watching the football game. My god. We have the stupidest boyfriends ever. They were watching it for the cheerleaders. Can you beleive that? Ugh- anyway, so Chinese, right?" Sadie said, sliding into the cars' driver's side. A porsche. In her driveway. It sparkled in the sunset, such a pretty silver. I snapped out of my daze to climb into the passenger side, because Kera had climbed into the backseat. Now Sadie was rambling about something to do with the ocean. I only caught little snippets. My mind was elsewhere. I was thinking about Matt. He wasn't as scary as my dream made him, and his voice certainly wasn't as raspy. It was like silk, sliding through his sentences to make him sound just as beautiful as he looked. I was launched out of my daze as we stopped abruptly. We were at the resturant, "The Golden Panda", I think it was called. We all got out of the car in silence, each lost in thought.
As we sat down at the table, Sadies' eyes flew to the doors leading to the kitchen. A man was stalking out of them, and he looked pretty mad. It wasn't until he was 10 steps away that I saw he was coming over to our table. I squeaked, and Sadie just stared at him with a smirk on her face. Kera was just as surprised as me, she was holding her purse in midair, as if she was frozen. When he reached our table, he kind of growled at Sadie. He was just as pale as her, with long red hair pulled back into a ponytail. He was much taller than her, though. "Why, hello Shane." Sadie said, standing up to face him. He took a step closer, and she held her hand up to his chest. "Ah-Ah-Ah. Wouldn't want to do that in front of all these innocent people, would you?" She cautioned, looking at me and Kera out of the corner of her eye. "I might just have to. What are you doing here with them?" He said, anger dripping even deeper into his voice. "I'm having dinner, Shane. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to enjoy it. I'm starved." She said, sitting back down with as much grace as an ice-skater. He growled again, and then took a step closer to me. I squeaked again, but then Sadie pounced.
I'm not even kidding. She almost flew onto his back and pulled him backwards. She whispered something in his ear, and then he roared, just like Matt in my dream. All of a sudden, our table went flying towards a couple in a booth, and they jumped away from the booth, screaming. I then noticed that the table had been bolted to the floor. I tuned back into the fight, and I saw Sadie thrown to the floor. Then my eyes found Shane amoungst the commotion of people running all over. He was staring at Kera, who was backed against a wall. She had the look of sheer terror on her face, and she had nowhere to run. Sadie was trapped under a pile of tables, and then I realized that she wouldn't be able to make it in time. I ran towards Shane, and I leaped onto his back. He snarled in fury, and then I saw his eyes. Charcoal Black with Red pupils. He turned his head and leered at me, and then I saw his fangs. I gasped, but before I could do anything, he bit my wrist. Then I blacked out.
July 12th
July 13th
July 14th
Chapter 5
Realizing the Truth
I woke in a bed that didn't feel like my own. I felt like I had been sleeping for quite a long time though. After I blinked a few times, I came to see that I wasn't alone. Matt was there, sitting by my bedside, looking worried. I looked at him, and then I noticed that I a thirst in my throat that I couldn't deny. "W-What happened?" I said, barely able to speak. My throat felt so dry. "Oh, hey Bree. I can't say that I'm happy to see that you're awake. Do you feel like you're in pain at all?" He asked, and that puzzled me. Why would I be in pain? Then it all flashed back to me. The fight, and, the bite. I looked at my left wrist, and I saw teeth marks. Not teeth marks. Fang marks. I shuddered as I traced the skin. The I realized that I was just as pale as Matt was, and my skin was ice cold. I gasped, and I bolted up. "What did you-why am I-how did this happen??" I wailed, but no tears fell down my cheeks. "Shhhhh......" Matt whispered, barely even speaking. But I heard him crystal clear. I stared at myself in the mirror, and I saw myself like someone who just got plastic surgery. I was 10 times as pretty as I was before, so I didn't seem like me. My face was pale, just like my arms. My hair was still the same honey color, but it didn't seem right. "Am I, like, dying?" I said, looking at him in the mirror. He shook his head. I sighed in relief. "Then what's wrong with me?" I asked, wanting to cry. " You're going to be fine, Bree. No one can hurt you now. Not even us."
Those words haunted me for the next two days. He gave me a look that makes me still shudder. It was a look of pity and kindness. He felt sorry for me. I didn't know what was up with me, but I did know that I wasn't how I used to be. I stared into my know Charcoal eyes every day and confided in them. It was like they were a whole different person. I would tell them my pain and my hurt, but no way would I tell you what I said. Everyone wanted to help, but none of them could.
I sat there on that bed for a week, the same thirst burning in my throat. Everyone would come in one at a time to check on me, but mostly they left me alone. Sadie and Matt came the most, and they would ask me if I needed anything, but all I needed was to quench my thirst. "That's why," they told me, "Kera was scared of you." So there I sat, waiting for the real me to wake up and rescue me from this nightmare.
Chapter 6
Time to Come Out
They let me out of the room 2 months after the "inncident". Kera was still living next door, but she very rarely came over. The thirst was still there, just much more tame. Matt and I had bonded great over the two months, and then when it was time to come out, you couldn't pull me away from him. They took me hunting the night they let me out. When we reached were we would hunt, they just told me to let my thirst claim me. They kept telling me that it will get easier, but for then, I had to be carefull around humans. I devoured 4 deer and 6 red foxes. I couldn't help it. It worked though. I was still scared about what I was, and why I could only come out when it's dark or cloudy, but I shoved most of those thoughts to a black corner in my head. We were all laughing and smiling on the way home, Matt, Sadie and I in the truck bed, while everyone else managed to fit in the cab. I had memories of my old life stacked up in my mind, but all I could think about was now. Matt kissed my head as I snuggled closer into his chest, and I felt so content, it was fabulous. As I stared in my mirror that night (yes, I had started living with the Myss's), I saw that my eyes were a sparkling green. Not that black and red that I had grown so used to seeing. Matt came in then, and he sat down next to me. "Are you okay? You still look scared and upset and confused all mixed into one small girl." He said, tucking some stray hair that covered my face behind my ear. "That's because I am. I don't know what's going to become of me. I have to go to college in 3 weeks, and I have a feeling that it won't be safe yet, from what you're doing now to protect me." I said, pulling myself closer to him. I was falling for him, that much was true. He wrapped his arms around me, and we sat there for what seemed like forever, but then the sun rised, and he pulled away. 'Hey. Cheer up, okay? We're here to help you." He said, and then he touched his lips to mine ever so gently, but it was a kiss that I wanted to last forever. He stood up then, and offered me his hand. "The weather is going to be cloudy today, and I figured that we could go down to the beach," he said, pulling me up and hugging me again. I nooded, an eager smile on my face.
I was sitting on the beach with Brianna, watching everyone else play volleyball. "They all think you're pretty great, you know." She said to me, so quietly, I wasn't sure if I'd heard her. But my new ears told me that she had spoken, so I listened more carefully. "Espescally Matt and Sadie. They both think that you were ment to be here, and I can tell that Matt is falling for you." She said, and normally, I would have blushed beet red. That didn't seem to happen anymore though. "Brianna?" I asked, warily. She turned her head to look at me, and she had a small smile on her lips. "What do you mean, 'Meant to be here?'" I asked, still nervous. "Matt won't like me for this, but I guess since you asked, I have to tell. You're a hunter know, Bree. Just like Matt, Brent, Ben, Sadie and I. We are all hunters, and you used to be our prey," with her words I shuddered, terrified deep down in my bones of her words. "A-a hunter?" I stammered, paralyzed by her last words. She nodded slowly, and then I hopped up and ran down the beach, praying that the tears would fall. Of course, lately, when I need to cry, they never come. I ran until I reached the lifeguard chair, and then I climbed up on it and sat, watching the waves. I thought about what I had just learned. I was a hunter. Matt was falling for me. I was like them. No. Nuh-Uh. It wasn't possible! Cold, and like stone. Hunters, whose prey are humans, or animals. I shook my head repeatedly, as if to shake it out of my mind, like it had never happened.
I was a vampire.
Chapter 7
Comforter
I was like glue to the lifeguard chair. Finally, Brent climbed up and pulled me off, but he had some struggle, which now makes me giggle. I was frozen again, stuck in a dream, no, a nightmare in which I couldn't wake up. Matt held me on the walk home, and everyone was quiet. He just cradled me to his chest, and no tears would fall. When we got back to the house, Matt lay me down on my bed and then left my room silently. In the kitchen though, I could hear him and Brianna arguing. "Why would you tell her that?" He demanded. "She asked. I just thought that I could help her understand who she was." "Oh, well that worked so well. She's terrified now! Ugh, Brianna, I just can't deal with you now." And then I heard the slam of the screen door. So I lay there for the night. Alone, scared, and very upset. Never sleeping. That's who I was.
I got up the next morning, still with a black cloud over my head. Sadie was sitting at the table, doodling on a notepad. "Oh, morning. I didn't know if you were getting up or not." I tried to manage a smile, but I was too upset. "Where is everyone?" I asked, looking around. "Searching for Matt. He stormed out last night like 5 minutes after he put you in your room. I'm sorry you had to learn that way." She said, looking at me with pity in her eyes. "Please, stop. I'm okay, really. I just needed to think. I'm actually really fascinated by the whole vampire thing. I just want to know more about it." I said, plopping down at the table. She nodded, then showed me her drawing. It was a picture of Matt, very life-like, except that he was glowing. There was a sun in the corner, and it was turned on him, and he wasn't burning. "Huh? Why isn't he bursting into flames?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. "We don't burn. We just glow from what looks like the inside out. See? Put your hand in the light." She said, grabbing my hand and throwing it in the light. She was right. My hand was glowing. I stared at it in awe, turning it over and over and over again. "How do we die? Is there any way to get rid of the thirst? We don't sleep right? No coffins? And what about the whole bat theory? Can we fly?" I said, my eyes wide. She laughed, then started to answer. "Well, no, we can't fly, that is just some silly theory that people came up with. A few centuries ago, vampires' pets' would be bats, so then people would just figure that we became bats. Ignorant fools." She said with a small smile. "This century, our pets are ferrets," and as she said that, a ferret slid up into her lap and onto her shoulder. "This is my ferret Jodie. Matt's pet is Cable, Brianna's is Macy, Brent's is Kale, Ben's is Slash, and all that's left is you. We have your ferret, you know." She said, pulling a box up to the table top. She removed the pink towel from the top of it. I peered inside and was shocked to see that she was right. There was a beautiful brown and cream colored ferret curled up in a little ball. Sadie stuck her hand in the box and pulled the animal out of the box and handed her to me. I took her in a daze, smiling like I was crazed. "What do I name her?" "Anything you like. You don't have to worry about her running away, either. She came running here the night of the big fight at the restaurant, and now she and you have a very very strong bond. No one can break that." She said, getting up and walking out of the kitchen, simple as that. I held the little thing up to my face and touched her nose to mine. "Hi little thing. You are very cute, you know that?" I said, and she blinked and yawned. "Sadie?" I called, knowing she would hear me. "Yeah?" She called back. "Is it a boy or girl?" "Girl. They always match your gender." She called back, and then I heard the front door slam. I heard someone muttering under their breath, and then I felt someone behind me.
I spun around, and I was glad to see that it was Matt. I put the girl ferret into the box and ran to him. "Oh, Matt, thank god you're home! I was so upset, and you weren't here, so I had to talk to Sadie, which was okay, because she helped me bunches, and then she gave me my ferret and," I babbled, but I stopped when I saw his eyes. They were bright green, and I knew what that meant. "You went hunting? Why?I saw your eyes last night as you put me in my room, you didn't need to go hunting!" I wailed, and then he pulled me closer to his chest, crushing me to him. "Silly, silly girl." He whispered into my ear. "You worry too much. I did it to be safe. I was very angry at Brianna, and I had to do something. You had no reason to worry about me. I was worrying about you. I wanted to be with you, but I had to be safe. I'm fine, don't worry." He said, kissing the top of my head as he always did. I pulled away from him and was shocked to see tears staining his shirt. He saw my face and smiled. "Bree, you are a very complex girl, and I think that's what makes me love you." He said, and I gasped. I looked into his eyes, and became lost. "Y-you love me? I thought that you thought I was just some silly girl that first time we saw each other. That you hated me. What made you change your mind about me? I'm not trying to avoid the fact that you love me, because I thought I was the only one who felt it. I mean, you and Sadie are my best friends, and I really really like you, and then yesterday, Brianna said that you were falling for me, and I didn't get the chance to process it because I had just learned that I was a vampire, and I just couldn't understand why I had to be one," I started babbling again, lost in his eyes. He pulled me closer to him and squeezed me again and then he lifted my face with one finger. He bowed his head to the height of mine, and then he brushed his lips against mine for the sweetest kiss I'd ever felt. "I love you, Bree. I'm sorry that you were brought into this nightmare of my life, but it brought us together, and for that, I'm grateful."
Chapter 8
Revenge
I was sitting on the sand, glad that it was cloudy. The weather had changed so quickly on my way out the door, it was as if it knew where I was going. Lots of people were still there, and as a little girl started to walk out towards the water without her mother, I frowned. Her mother had her back turned to the water, digging in her bag for something. Then, a huge wave started to come into shore, and I gasped. With the little girl standing there, it would sweep her away! The mother still didn't notice as the girl started to whimper. Then, the wave got about 10 feet away from the shoreline, and a jumped up and ran over there. I made there in a blink of an eye, (which I was kind of shocked about) scooped the young girl up and ran her to her mother, just as the wave hit the shore. The mother turned to me, with a dumbfounded expression on her face. "Where did you get her from?" She asked, taking the girl out of my arms. "She was down next to the water, and a huge wave was just about to hit, so I ran over there and grabbed her." I said, smiling at the little girl. "Well, thank you so much for saving Julie's life! How much should I pay you?" She asked, pulling out her wallet. I was shocked. I mean, can you believe this chick? I'd saved her daughters life, and she wanted to pay me. I shook my head and then turned and walked down the beach. I was thinking about how sweet Matt was to take me in like he did, when I heard a voice behind me.
"Bree. You weren't easy to find." Said the voice. I turned slowly, fear rippling through me. When I saw who it was behind me, I nearly screamed. It was Shane from the Chinese restaurant. He had a long scar on one side of his face, and on his arms he had tons of scratches. He was wearing a grin so creepy it made me shake. "Sh-Shane. What do you mean? Why were you looking for me?" I asked, slowly trying to back away. I realized that all the people on the beach were about half a mile down the beach on both sides, so no one would see our squabble. "You took my vengeance chance away from me. You see, Sadie was supposed to be my girl after she changed. But then she went and met Ben, and now she thinks of me as some evil rival. I was going to take your little friend, you know the one with the long, red hair? She was going to be my girl, but now, since you were changed by me, I feel that it's only fair that you become my girl, forever," he said, his grin becoming more pronounced. "No. I can't! I'm where I want to be! I'm happy with the Myss's!" I wailed, turning around and running. He tackled me before I knew what happened. "Bree, I'll make you the happiest girl in the undead world," was the last thing I heard until I blacked out.
I woke up on a bed, I knew that for sure. I was very disorientated, and I had to blink a few times until I could see clearly. I was in like, a cave, with candles everywhere. It was very dark and very cold, and I heard yelling below me. "No, you can't have her! She will be my girl for eternity!" Yelled Shane, and I was shocked when I heard the other voice. "Shane, she doesn't understand the whole thing yet! She just found out what she is yesterday! She needs me and my sister to help her get through this. Shane, I love her. Doesn't that mean anything?" Said Matt, calmly, soothingly, and I sighed as I pictured his face and his beautiful green eyes. I got out of bed and went to the balcony thing that was to the right of the bed. As I peered over the edge, I saw him, and my heart melted as he looked up and saw me. "Bree!" He called, a smile on his face. Then, just as he went to say something else, Shane pounced on him. "Matt!" I screamed in horror as they started to fight. There were ghastly growls and thumps, and I started to shake as I saw Matt thrown to the floor. Shane then picked him up off the floor, holding Matt by his throat. "You will pay for this. You don't deserve to live if you are going to treat a girl like your equal. Women are lower than men, Matt. I'm surprised that you haven't learned that. They are here on our earth to make us men happy. Nothing else." He hissed to Matt. So that was what I was going to be to this jerk. A slave. I watched in shock as Shane threw Matt to 2 other men who picked him up with nasty smiles. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I heard what Shane said next. "Put him in the machine. Set the timer to midnight. Then I won't have to deal with him anymore. He'll be dead by midnight." He said, looking straight at me.
Chapter 9
Rescue
Shane came to my room five minutes later, and he pulled me down some steps to the room which my balcony faced. He forced me to dance with him, and I could never get the steps right. That made him angry, so he threw me to the ground in anger. I hopped up and ran to the crowded hallway where Matt was taken. I ran through the crowd, tears streaming down my cheeks. I longed to see his face, to be in his arms once again, but as the clock started to count the hour, I knew that I would never make it, despite my ability to run a ton faster than any human. "Matt!" I screamed in desperation, pushing through a couple holding hands. "Matt!" I screamed again, but the toll of the clock drowned out my voice. Even with his hearing, he would never hear me over the noise. Then, I saw it. An alley, which was my passage to him. I dashed to it, but I stopped short when I reached the mouth of my gate. "Did I really want to save him?" Thought one part of my mind. "Of course!!!" Screamed the other. My thoughts flew to my new family back home, and then I heard the eleventh toll. I had one more second. I reached the machine, which was at the end of the hall just as the twelfth toll rang out. I saw Matt first, stretched on a table, his hands and feet in 2 shackles each. Then I saw the timer, and I dashed to it, looking for a plug. It had 30 seconds left on it, so I looked for some sort of plug. "Bree!" yelled Matt, squirming on the table. "Hold on! I'm trying to save you!" I yelled back, pulling some wires out of the back. I looked at the clock. Five seconds, then the clock turned off. I sighed in relief. He was safe.I turned and ran to Matt, who was still squirming on the table. I unlocked the shackles with the key dangling from each. Stupid, huh? He hopped up from the table and gathered me in his arms. "Bree, oh Bree. You saved me. Thank you. I love you, do you know that? You are the best thing that has ever happened in my undead life. I will love you for the rest of your non-life, even if you don't want me." He said, showering my face with kisses. "Matt, you are such a dope. I will always love you. I get it that you love me, but why put your life in danger for me? I'm grateful, I really am, but still, I just, I'm so confused. I love you, though. That I am sure of," I said, kissing him back, all over his face. And I did love him. "Like I said Bree, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. My heart is yours." He finished, kissing me on the lips with a kiss so sweet, I was flying. He then broke away and whispered in my ear, "My love, lets escape."
Matt knew the way out, and luckily he could get us there fast. We were out on the beach ten minutes after I saved him. We dashed across the street to our house, sighing in relief when we were in the kitchen. I snuggled into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me. I was thinking about how weird it was that he loved me. "How did you find me?" I asked. "I was on the beach, on your left. I saw him talking to you, and I became suspicious. I followed him, and then when I was sure you weren't there for our arguing, and I started begging him for you. You must've woken up around then, because then I saw you, and I felt peaceful." He finished, and I was glad that he didn't keep going. I didn't want to remember it. Then, I felt something weaving around my ankles. I looked down, and it was my ferret, and she was doing figure eights through my ankles. "Lace." I said, giving her a name. I bent down and picked her up, and Matt laughed. I turned to see Cable, his ferret, climbing up his back. "You are part of our family, now Bree. We all are so glad to have you here. Everyone flipped out when I called home and told them what happened. Sadie wanted to come meet me, and it took like twenty times to tell her no." He said, squeezing me tight. "I feel like family. I might be part of the whole 'living dead' thing, but as long as I'm here, I don't care."
Apologies
I stood on Kera's front porch, Matt at my side. He was holding my hand, and I was squeezing his so hard I was scared I would hurt him. I had just rang the doorbell, and 30 seconds later, Kera answered the door. When she saw me and Matt, her jaw dropped and she backed away back into her house. "Kera, it's okay! It's only me and Matt. We won't hurt you. I promise." I said, walking slowly towards her, putting my hands up, one still in Matt's. "Wh-what do you want from me?" She asked, eyes wide, terror strung through her words. "I just came to apologize. I know that I haven't talked to you in a few months, and I'm sorry about that. I can tell that you're scared of me, so I just wanted to tell you that I will still be your friend, no matter how long it takes for you to see that. I also know that you knew about them before I moved here, and me being one of them terrifies you. I'm still me, just with some modifications." I finished, and turned and walked out the door. Matt was right behind me, and as soon as I was on our grass, I buried myself in his arms and started to cry. "That. Went. So. Well." I said sarcastically through sniffles. "Well, she might come around. We just have to wait. You do have great friends and what I think to be one very close to perfect boyfriend here in this house." He said, and I giggled. He kissed my forehead, took my hand, and we walked into our home, to our family and friends.
