by Kara Joy
I looked around guiltily as I noticed that everyone was standing in my room, even Zack. “They are all here.” I realized that I must have shouted a little too loud and alarmed my family. “I guess I screamed too loud. Plus, you're already on speakerphone.”
“Orion, are you safe?” Augustine asked protectively.
Orion was once again serious. He had always gotten serious when it came to working. “Of course, Kent and Jared are great. I love working with both of them. If there is a problem, I think that Shadows is the safest place for Anna. I have toured the entire place and we talked about security while Anna would be here.”
“I am not going anywhere.” I tried to sound full of authority but it did not work as well as I thought.
“Annabella Lavada, you will do what you are told. You will remain safe,” Augustine said in his sternest voice.
“Ok, well let me finish fast because I need to get off. Kent and I are in France, right now, and we are trying to gather the information. I will call again once I have any more information. Keep Anna in your sight at all times.”
Before anyone could even say goodbye, Orion hung up.
Chapter 11
I can not believe it had been three months since Orion had left. I had not received a phone call since he called two months ago. I guess it was a good thing since I was finally getting closer to my friends and the rest of the family. I never realized how much time Orion and I had spent together. It is so lonely here without him by my side. I realized that I took his presence for granted. I guess the saying, “You don't know what you have until it's gone,” was true.
“Hello? Earth to Anna,” Rachael was waving her hand in front of my face.
“Sorry, I was just…uh…just…”
“We know. You were just thinking about Orion.” She shrugged, “You miss him. We understand.”
“Thanks. So, what were you saying?”
Lady jumped in at the opportunity, “Well, we’re all going out with your brothers on a date. We were wondering if you would go with Zack. Then he won’t be by himself.”
“Sure, sounds like fun. I knew you all were perfect for my brothers.”
We all started to laugh as we walked toward our cars. “Are we driving together or meeting there?”
Zack walked up behind me, putting his arm around my shoulder. “I will pick you up at six at your house. Sound good?”
“Yeah. See you then.”
I drove home with a smile on my face. I missed Orion, a little too much, but I needed this outing. Suddenly I was extremely nervous. Now, what should I wear?
“Arianna! I need you.” Arianna floated into my room like she was on a cloud. I wished that I could be as beautiful and graceful as her.
“Yes, dear?”
“I am going out with Zack, the guys, and their girls. I don’t know what I should wear.”
She walked to the closet and pulled out a red cocktail dress. “This is the perfect thing to wear. What do you think?”
“I love it. I can not believe that I never thought about this dress.”
“I hope that you have a lot of fun. You deserve it. I have missed this smile on your face.”
I smiled again as she touched my cheek. I felt bad that she noticed my missing smile. I needed to try harder to be happier around her. I did not want her to be more worried about me than she already is.
Finally, it was six. I never thought it would come as Zack pulled up into the driveway. I stepped outside and met him on the porch.
“You look beautiful Anna!” He did not even have to say anything because you could tell what he was thinking before he cleared the surprised look off his face.
“Thank You!” I blushed and gave a small smile. I knew they he hadn't seen me go all out like I did tonight. I had wanted to look nice. When Arianna pulled out the red dress I knew that I could go all out with my make-up and hair. It was something rare for me. I usually preferred my jeans.
He opened the door as I jumped up into the seat of his truck. I was thankful that he was paying attention to the road. I wasn't sure how my reaction to his comment looked. His compliment was nice to hear. I was not used to compliments much. “So where are we going for dinner?”
“Mercedes told us to meet them at Sangre’s.”
“Yum! That sounds amazing.” I had to laugh at the name.
Zack looked over at my sarcastic enthusiasm at the sound of the restaurant. “You have been there too?”
I thought about it for a minute. “No. I have never really gone to any place around here. I just heard a lot of things about the restaurant.”
We arrived at the restaurant and the fun began. It turned out the place I thought was a restaurant turned out to be more like a nightclub. I had never gone to a nightclub in my hundred years. The lights and music were overwhelming but in a good way. My brothers and friends were already on the dance floor, laughing. Before I knew what was going on, Zack had pulled me out on the dance floor.
The blush on my cheeks was so obvious. “No, Zack! I can’t dance.” I was mortified that I was being pulled out on the dance floor. I never learned how to slow dance or even dance at all. I had no idea what to expect. Zack noticed that he was practically dragging me onto the dance floor and tried to encourage me.
“Come on. Just follow me.” I glared over at him and he just smiled, “trust me.”
I rolled my eyes. “I am going to look like a complete buffoon.” Zack just laughed as we swayed on the dance floor. It was much easier than I would have expected. I completely forgot all of my fears and started having a blast dancing with Zack. Out of the dance floor, I let myself go. The stress and worry drained out of me as I twirled and jumped on the dance floor.
Before I knew it, we were all laughing in the parking lot. Zack and I walked towards his car. Before he opened the door, Zack grabbed my wrist to turn me towards him. He stared into my eyes like he was looking straight through me. All I could do is stare back at him. Barely reminding myself to breathe. I could barely think straight when I was with him. I knew that I did not and could not have feelings for him. As I started to think of Orion and how wrong this was to be alone with Zack, he leaned in. All I could think was “Oh, my God, he is going to kiss me.” I did not know what to do, I had to stop this. I loved Orion. I had Orion. I could not let this guy complicate my life and affect me like this.
“Zack!” His name was muffled as his lips never left mine. Zack kept kissing me, ferociously. I love it yet hated it. I had to tell him the truth.
I tried to say something else but it was muffled. It was so hard trying to talk with him kissing me like this. Concentration was next to impossible; I wanted to kiss him just as passionately back. Finally, I was able to find my voice, as I tried to push him away. “Zack! Stop!”
“What?” He pulled away and was completely confused and starting to grow angry. “I thought that you liked me?”
“I do like you.” He smiled and started to lean in again. I put up my hands to stop him, “I like you as a friend.”
I could tell by the look on his face that he was getting pissed off. I got in the car and he closed the door. He drove me home, and as he put the car in park, he turned to talk to me. His voice was almost a whisper. I could tell he was struggling with whatever he was trying to say. I wanted to lighten his mood a little. He was so serious but I did not know how to do that. “Anna. This is hard for me to say, but I love you and you don’t feel the same about me.” The statement kind of hit me. I was glad that he caught on fast but he was going to need an explanation. I could tell by the look in his eyes.
“No, I don’t. Zack, I am truly sorry. I love to hang out with you and I love being your friend but…” I had to pause. I needed to figure out how much I should tell him. I knew that no one was supposed to know my darkest secret. I could not hide the truth from Zack any longer. I just had to blurt it out, “I love Orion.” That kind of took him back; he was not expecting that.
Understanding finally washed over his face.
“I kind of knew that you had something for him. I was just hoping I was wrong.”
Suddenly, I was extremely worried. I could feel my pulse skyrocketing. I grabbed his arm, "Zack, no one can know. The family does not even know that Orion and I are… a pair.”
Shock and anger flashed across his face. “How long has this been going on?”
I did not understand why I felt severely guilty but I did. I hung my head for a few seconds and then looked over to Zack. “We have been together for about a month before he left. Zack, I am sorry. I hope that we can remain friends. Orion is all I have ever wanted. He is always there. It kills me when I am away from him for very long.”
He did not answer at first. I told myself that I would understand if he did not want to be friends. I knew that I was wrong to let it go as far as it went tonight. “Of course, we will always be friends. If you ever change your mind, I’ll be waiting for you.”
I tried hard not to laugh. I knew that I would never change my mind. I had wanted Orion for almost a century and I finally had him. I opened the car door and slipped out. Before I closed the door, I looked back to Zack. “Have a good night, my friend.”
“You too Anna. Sleep well.”
I closed the door and went into the house. Once the door was closed I started laughing until tears started to fall down my cheeks steadily. I had not expected for the evening to turn out the way. It felt so good for someone to finally know about Orion and me. I hated that I hurt Zack; though I loved him I knew that I could not live without Orion. The past few months taught me that. The tears grew worse as I laid down on my bed and let the sadness consume me. I was tired of trying to act so tough all the time.
Chapter 12
Another month had passed without Orion returning home. It was unbearable without him here. It was becoming worse without his small caresses on my skin. His warm body pressed against me as I slept. The loneliness had turned to depression and was overwhelming me. I walked down the stairs, wiping the tears out of my eyes. I did not think I could survive much longer without Orion. I had never gone this long without him. If he returned, I would never let him leave again.
Quincy was at the bottom of the stairs, staring up. “You ok, Anna? You look horrible.”
“Thanks, Quincy. Love the support.” I knew he meant well but there was absolutely no way that I was ok. Four months without Orion was starting to feel like a lifetime. At this point, I wasn't sure that he would return. He was free finally free. Maybe he did not care for me. Maybe it was all in my head and he was only doing his job.
“Yeah, but seriously, are you ok?” Quincy gave me a concerned look that I wished I could wipe away. I hated that he could see the pain that I was in. I was just too tired to hide the pain. No one would understand about Orion and me. That much was clear.
“I’ll be fine. I just feel a bit weird and dizzy.”
Before I could say anything else, I felt myself slipping. The darkness consumed me. Luckily, Quincy caught me before I hit the floor as he shouted for Augustine.
Augustine walked into the entryway, calmly. He had heard our conversation; everyone had. When he saw me in Quincy’s arms, he sighed.
"Quincy, take her upstairs. Griffin, grab the medical kit."
I was floating in the blackness as he gently laid me on the bed. I could feel Augustine place an I.V. in my arm. I knew that I had been avoiding feeding lately. I had not been able to bring myself to eat without Orion. On the weekends, we usually would go camping and hunt the small prey.
It felt like the darkness had kept me prisoner for hours. I knew that once the blood bag was empty, I would wake. When I opened my eyes, Arianna was there; sitting beside me. I looked at her.
"What happened?" All too soon I remembered. I looked around the room and saw Quincy leaning against the furthest wall. The look on his face made me shiver. “Is Quincy ok?” I asked Arianna, not willing to directly ask Quincy.
“Honey, why are you not feeding? That is why you passed out. You are too weak right now.” The look in her eyes was the same as behind Quincy’s eyes, worry, and pain. I hated seeing the emotions in their eyes. I knew that they were worried; I just could not tell them the truth.
“I don't know. I have not felt like feeding lately.” It was not the complete truth, but it was the closest truth I could give. Orion and I decided that the family should not know about us. I wanted to tell them so bad. Maybe then they would understand that I just could not make myself eat like I was supposed to when half of me was missing.
“Well, you are going to be out of school for a few days; until you are strong enough to stand.”
Everyone left the room and my tears started to fall. I could not tell anyone about the nightmares that I had been having lately. I hide my fears from them. If they knew, then Orion might be delayed even longer. As I laid in bed, I quickly fell asleep. I woke to a knock on my door.
“Come in,” I said groggily. As my door slowly opened I saw Rachael, Mercedes, and Lady. All of them came into the room with smiles, trying to be quiet.
“We missed you at school today. Quincy said you were sick so we brought you the homework you missed.” Rachel smiled as she sat down the bag she was carrying.
I was so lucky to have such great friends. Of course, I knew the other reason why they were here. They were here to see my brothers. My brothers were a little too preoccupied with my sudden “illness” to hang out with their girlfriends.
“Thank You.”
Lady quietly asked, "Are you feeling any better?" I nodded so I didn't have to lie to them.
Mercedes gladly started in on catching me up on everything I'd missed so far and the gossip. I laughed as she caught me up on a lot of things. I had honestly been out of the loop since Orion left. It was good to hear all the news about the school and some of my classmates. I wished that I could be back at school; it was easier than sitting around thinking about Orion all of the time without a distraction.
Not much later, the girls left and I settled back down. Another knock sounded at my door. This time it was Zack and a bundle of blue roses.
“Hello friend, how are you feeling?” The smile on his face took my breath away. I had to regain my thoughts before I could even answer him.
“I’m doing better.”
“I brought these for you.” He held out the beautiful flowers.
I reached out and grabbed the vase with both of my hands. I could barely lift it, I was so weak. Before it could slip out of my grasp, he grabbed it and placed it on the bedside table. “Thank You! They are beautiful Zack! Wherever did you find them?”
He just shrugged. We talked for a while, mostly about nothing. I tried to hide a yawn but was unsuccessful.
Zack stood up from his chair, stretching. “You are tired, aren’t you? I better let you get some sleep. You have to hurry up and get better. School is so boring without you. I'll let you rest.”
“Ok, I will see you soon then.” I felt bad that he was leaving because I was so exhausted. I had to get some sleep. I could barely keep my eyes open and was feeling the weakness setting in again.
Zack turned to leave, "Oh, I forgot." He walked back to the bed.
I was surprised that he had forgotten to tell me something that seemed so important. I answered him, warily. “Yes?”
“Would you go to the Spring Formal with me, as a friend?” He seemed so nervous when he asked me. Like he was scared that he was going to be turned down.
He did say that we would go only as friends. He knows not to expect more than that. “Sure. I would love to go. As your friend, of course!” I made sure to emphasize the friend part.
“Cool. See you tomorrow!” It was so easy to please Zack.
“Bye Zack!” The moment that he closed the door I quickly fell asleep.
The next day Zack visited me again, as well as my friends. They did not stay very long. Zack was there until I drifted off to sleep. I awoke with the same reoccurring nightmare. As soon as the scream came to my lungs, I tried to s
tifle it. Zack was instantly there, wrapping me in his arms.
“Shhh, Anna! It’s ok. It was just a bad dream.” My tears were uncontrollable as Zack tried to comfort me. I did not know why this dream was scaring me so much. I needed to find out the truth, but I had no one to talk to. Maybe I could call Orion. We were not allowed to call him unless there was an emergency. This was starting to feel like an emergency. “Anna? Are you ok?” The worry in his eyes was there as he brought me out of my darkening thoughts.
“Yeah, I will be fine. It’s nothing, just a bad dream.” He looked at me, letting it drop. I knew that he did not believe me. I quietly laid back down as Augustine came into the room and hooked up another bag of blood to my I.V. Zack finally left when he determined that I was fine.
It was two weeks before I was strong enough to return to school. I was relieved to be back at school. I needed the distraction. The Spring Dance was this Friday; which would distract me the most. I could not believe that time had flown this fast. Zack and I were hanging out all of the time. Mostly he came over to the house since I was not allowed out of the sight of my Protectors. Since my sudden sickness, they all were smothering me. I rarely left the house just in case I had another episode.
Friday had come quicker than I hoped for. I sat at lunch with my friends as they quietly talked about our plans on getting ready for the dance. I hoped that they did not see the worry in my eyes. Maybe it had been a bad idea to say yes to Zack. I did not want him to get the wrong idea. We both agreed to go as friends, but I knew that he felt more than friendship towards me. I was with Orion. I loved Orion, yet I loved the times that I got to spend with Zack as well. I could not confuse myself.
I started to daydream and was brought back to the lunchroom when I heard a squeal of laughter beside me. I had missed something funny. I felt bad for not paying attention. When the bell rang, I looked at my girlfriends, “See you all at my house after school.”
