Seeing Red (The Dark Love Series)

by Olivia Howe

  “Well, we dated for about ten years. It wasn't true love. It couldn't amount to the love that we share, Nina.”

  “Ten years?” I gasp in shock. “Ten years? Andrew, why wouldn't you tell me about her? Our past is in the past. You should have just been honest with me. Is she a vampire?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why are you telling me this now, Andrew?” I ask.

  Andrew hesitates on answering my question. “Well,” Andrew pauses. “Alex invited her to stay with us for a few days to help with the Sulivic Brothers. She thought we would need as much help as possible.”

  I raise my eyebrows. Andrew's ex-girlfriend is best friends with his sister, and she is going to stay at the Madsen residence for a few days.

  Jealousy sweeps over me. I begin to feel very angry, but I take a deep breath. I trust him. This is the man I love, and he loves me. He would never do anything to hurt me or jeopardize the love we share. “Okay,” I say. “I trust you.”

  “You should, Nina. I would never do anything to ruin the love we share. I love you and only you.”

  “When is she suppose to be here?” I ask, still feeling jealous.

  “Ora should be here today,” Andrew admits.

  “Ora? Today?”

  “Ora, Alex's friend. She should be here sometime today. Calm down. Remember, she is here to help all of us. I love you. Always and forever.”

  I shouldn't be stressing. I do need to calm down. “I love you too. Always and forever.”

  * * * *

  I hear the doorbell ring and I jump. There is nothing to be jealous about. He is mine. He only wants me. He loves me. He doesn't love her. I have to keep repeating that to myself. He is mine. He only wants me. He loves me. He doesn't love her.

  I stay seated next to Andrew on the couch, while we both watch TV. Andrew has it on some sport channel, and is making me watch football. I never have understood football, even though Andrew has attempted numerous times to educate me on the sport.

  “Alex,” I hear Ora yell. “I've missed you so much, beautiful!” I look over and stare at Ora. She is drop dead gorgeous. She is tall and thin, with perfectly straight blond hair. The black dress she is wearing hugs her thin body. How can I stay calm when Andrew's ex-girlfriend looks like a runway model? Any girl would dream to look like her.

  Jealousy is starting to fill my body. These few days are going to be the longest of my life.

  “Ora!” Alex yells as they begin jumping up and down as they hold onto each other's hands. “Where have you been? I have missed you so much!”

  “I've been everywhere. You know me, baby,” Ora laughs. Her teeth are perfectly straight and sparkling white.

  Andrew stands up, and I do the same. I'm next to him and hold his hand so Ora knows that he is mine.

  “Andrew,” Ora says softly. She runs up to him and jumps in his arms. Did she not see me right here?

  “Hello, Ora,” Andrew replies as he hugs her back.

  I stand next to them and clear my throat. Andrew's hands fall off of Ora. “This is my love, Nina,” Andrew introduces.

  “Nina,” Ora answers with a half smile on her face. “I've heard a lot about you.”

  “All good things, I hope,” I flash a fake smile.

  “Of course,” Ora laughs. “Andrew, how have you been? I have missed the Madsen family so much!”

  “I've been good.”

  “You've been good?” Ora asks as her eyebrows rise. “Why am I here then? You obviously got yourself into a horrible situation for a healer girl.”

  "Excuse me?" I can't believe what I'm hearing. Hello! Healer girl standing right here!

  “Come on, Nina. They wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for you,” Ora announces. She is one bipolar vampire. She was just all smiles and now she's being a bitch.

  “Ora, watch it. This isn't her fault,” Andrew states.

  “Who are the Sulivic Brothers after?” Ora asks sarcastically. “All of the healers.” As those words leave her mouth, I want to put my fist in her face, but she is a vampire and would kill me immediately. I don't have a fighting chance against her.

  “It doesn't matter who they are after, we are all in this together. If you have a problem with that, then you can leave,” Andrew says in a matter of fact manner.

  “I'm sorry, but that needed to be said.” Ora shrugs her shoulders.

  “No, it wasn't neccessary.”

  Alex clear her voice. “Ora, let me show you to the guest room.”

  Andrew and Ora stare at each other for a minute. Andrew looks pissed of. Then, Ora winks at Andrew and walks with Alex to the guest bedroom.

  “What a bitch,” I admit.

  “She isn't always like that,” Andrew says.

  “Are you defending her after what just happened?” I ask.

  “No, Nina. I'm just saying, she never used to be like that,” Andrew states. “You're right though, she was being a bitch.”

  “So, how long is she staying for?” I ask as I sit back down on the couch.

  “A week or two She's only supposed to be helping us dispose of the Brothers and then she will be gone.”

  “I thought you said only a few days?” I blurt out.

  “Things changed. We need as much help as we can get to defeat the Brothers.”

  I roll my eyes. “These are going to be the worst days of my life.”

  I can usually get along with people, but for some reason, Ora brings out the mean side of me. If Ora wasn't such a bitch, then we could actually be friends. However, current girlfriends and ex-girlfriends don't ever get along really well.

  I move a few pillows around and try to find a comfortable position to sit on the couch. “How did you two meet?”

  Andrew let's out a deep breath. “Why do you want to know?”

  “I'm just curious. Jeeze, can't a girl be curious?” I flash him a smirk.

  “Alex and Ora were partying at the same place together. They decided to come crash at our house, completely wasted. They woke me up, and I went downstairs to see what all the commotion was. I saw Ora sitting on the floor, laughing hysterically. Alex introduced us, and we just sort of fell for each other,” Andrew looks at me with his eyebrows raised. “Happy?”

  “No,” I laugh.

  “What will make you happy, my love?” Andrew asks me.

  “Hmm..” I mumble. “A kiss would make me very happy right about now,” I smile and make a kissy face.

  “I don't know,” Andrew jokes. “Are you sure a kiss would make you happy?”

  My jaw drops and I can't help but laugh. “You're a meanie.”

  Andrew puckers his lips and does the puppy dog face. “But, I love you. Am I really a meanie?”

  “That's not fair. You can't do that to me because you know I will fall for it!” I start shaking my head at him. At this point I was lost in our conversation. Are we even making sense? Who cares. We are just trying to make each other laugh.

  “Give me a kiss, love,” Andrew demands.

  “I don't know,” I mock his words. I pucker up my lip and do the puppy dog face as I bat my eyelashes.

  “Oh, that's not fair, Nina,” Andrew laughs.

  I smile and kiss him on his soft, pink lips. I lay my head on his lap and start to watch TV with him again. I can't help but think about Andrew and Ora together.

  One of the worst emotions to feel, other than sadness, is jealousy. My mom always told me to never be jealous over a guy, because jealousy makes you do crazy things. If a guy truly loved you, then there would be no competition between you and another girl. I just can't help but feel jealous every time I hear Ora's name. I already start to feel it driving me crazy!

  Chapter 10

  I Caught You

  Dear Diary,

  It's coming back today. The sadness, the depression, the aching in my heart, is coming back. I feel this weight pulling me down. I don't feel strong right now, I feel weak. I don't understand why I'm feeling this way. I have been getting better and doing better. W
hy now? Why is the depression coming back now?

  I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff. My toes are creeping their way off of the rock I feel myself standing on. I feel myself slipping. I hope I don't fall, because I won't be able to force myself up. I will lose myself forever. If I slip, I will be gone forever.

  Maybe it's because Ora is here in Scarlett Hills. Maybe it's the fact that I have this horrible thought of losing Andrew to Ora. I don't know what I would do if I lost Andrew to another girl. Maybe I would tumble off of the cliff and be gone forever.

  Love, Nina

  * * * *

  Some days I'm perfectly happy, and other days I'm depressed out of my mind. I just want to do good things in life, and make something out of this life of mine. I want to make a dfference and leave an imprint in people's hearts.

  “Where's your mind at?” Andrew asks me as my thoughts drift away.

  “Nowhere special,” I admit.

  “Are you feeling okay today?”

  “Yes, my love, I'm fine,” I lie. When someone asks me how I'm doing or feeling, I always tell them I'm fine. I always lie. A part of me hopes that one person will stare into my eyes and say, “No you're not. What's wrong?”

  “Let me go make you some breakfast,” Andrew says, as he jumps out of bed and runs to the kitchen.

  I drift off into unconsciousness. It feels like I was out for just a few seconds by the time Andrew comes back.

  “I leave you alone for ten minutes and you fall asleep,” he laughs as he hands me a plate of my favorite, blueberry pancakes.

  I take the plate and begin to shovel the food into my mouth. I must have been hungry. I didn't really notice, I'm more tired than anything.

  “I'm not attending school today. We're going to try to get some intell on the Brothers,” Andrew announces.

  “We?” I raise my eyebrows.

  “Alex, Ora, and myself,” Andrew answers, and looks away from me.

  I shake my head and try to continue to enjoy my breakfast.

  “You can take my car to school today, my love.” Andrew sets his keys down next to me. “Be careful with my precious,” Andrew says as if he's trying to mock me, because I always call my Saab my precious.

  * * * *

  This is my first time driving Andrew's black Beamer. I have to say, it drives perfectly. I'm surprised he trusts me to drive such an expensive car. What if I crash it? I'll blame it on someone else.

  The morning sun starts to glare inside of the Beamer and onto the black leather seats. I put the visor down to stop the light from blocking my vision. A small piece of paper flies out from the visor and onto my lap. What is this? It's Ora's phone number.

  I shake my head. “I don't think so.” I crumple the small piece of paper into a ball and throw it out the window. I can't help but let out a small giggle.

  Ora is driving me insane. I hate her even being around the love of my life. I hate the feeling of jealousy. It's such a disgusting feeling.

  I trust Andrew. I trust him with all of my heart. It's Ora that I don't trust. That's what makes me so jealous.

  I shake the thoughts of Ora away.

  I pull into the parking lot of the school. I haven't been this happy to see this place in a long time. I need a distraction from these thoughts.

  * * * *

  The bell rings. It's lunch time and I'm so hungry I could eat for twenty people. I breathe in and smell the cafeteria food. The scent of chicken and french fries fills my nose, and I can almost taste it in my mouth. I feel the saliva start to gather and my stomach growls.

  I grab some fries and a salad for lunch today. I can't wait to sit down and eat. I'm going to enjoy this so much.

  I sit at mine and Andrew's lunch table. This is the table we shared our first lunch together. We always sit here.

  Just when I'm about to put a fry in my mouth, Kali comes out of nowhere and scares it out of my hand. It drops on the floor as I jump. “Kali!” I yell. “You always have to scare me at the wrong possible times,” I say as I look on the ground at the fry. “Poor french fry. I could have eaten you.”

  “You're silly today, Nini,” Kali replies, as she welcomes herself to take a seat.

  “No, just hungry,” I laugh. “What's going on with you today?”

  “Nathan,” Kali rolls her eyes.

  “Nathan Russe?” I ask. I remember him from Kali's party at the beginning of the school year. He tried to flirt with me, and it disgusted me because he was so drunk. “I thought you were with that quarterback guy?”

  “Troy?” Kali scrunches up her nose. “No, I broke up with him. He was too clingy.”

  “What's wrong with Nathan?” I laugh.

  “What's so funny?” Kali asks.

  I open my eyes wide. “Nothing,” I lie. I was laughing because the memory of Kali's party was going through my mind.

  “Nathan is starting to be like Troy, way too clingy. It's driving me nuts!” Kali sighs and starts eating her salad. “Anyway, enough talk about Nathan. I think I've had enough of him.” I stare down at my food, as I shovel it into my mouth. “So, I didn't know Caroline was visiting?”

  The french fry misses my mouth and lands on the floor. “What?”

  “I caught a glimpse of her the other day,” Kali states. “I went to talk to her, but by the time I reached her, she was gone. It was strange.”

  “Where did you see her? When?” I straighten my back and focus on Kali.

  Kali looks at me strange. “I saw her by the mall yesterday.”

  “She's not home,” I inform her.

  “It looked exactly like her, but I guess it was my vision being crazy,” Kali continues to eat, as she brushes this subject off like it isn't important. If only she knew the truth.

  Was it Caroline that she saw? Is she back?

  * * * *

  Andrew's Beamer is driving smoothly over the rocky dirt road that I'm driving on. I see his house in the distance, and I can't wait to walk through his front door and see his beautiful face staring back at me.

  I park his car in the driveway and hurry inside the house. I run to his room so I can jump into his arms and feel safe.

  “Andrew,” I say as I walk into his room.

  I drop my water bottle on the ground and my jaw drops. Andrew. Ora. What is going on? Were his lips just touching hers? I look Ora up and down. Is she really standing there, next to my boyfriend, in her black, silk panties and bra?

  “Nina!” Andrew shouts. “This isn't what it looks like.”

  I raise my eyebrows. I want to scream. I want to choke her skinny neck. I want to slap Andrew's face. My voice won't work. My body won't move. What the hell is going on?

  Andrew grabs my arms, and I stare at him with a confused face. “Nina, I promise you I had nothing to do with this. I didn't know she was going to try to seduce me. I tried to push her away, but she wouldn't listen to me. I tried, my love.”

  “Shh,” is all I manage to spit out.

  “What?” Andrew asks.

  I stare at Ora and see the smirk on her face. I want to punch her. I want to cause her pain, but I can't because I'm not that type of person. Actually, I don't even know what type of person I am.

  I walk past Andrew like he doesn't exist. I make my way over to Ora. She looks at me confused and raises one eyebrow. I draw back my fist and throw my whole body into the punch. My fist connects to her face. I immediately feel the throbbing pain in my hand. Ora steps back and puts her hand to her face.

  Andrew is at my side in an instant. Ora tries to attack me, but Andrew pushes her all the way across the room. Ora's eyes turn completely black and her fangs pop out. She tries to attack me again, but Andrew's catches her in mid-air and throws her to the ground. “No!” he yells.

  I just attacked a vampire. I should be scared, but I'm not. I'm angry. I'm so angry that I feel my body getting hotter. If only I was a vampire, I would ruin her right now. The reason why I am so mad is obvious. She not only tried to take away the love of my life, but she
tried to take away my happiness. No one should try to take away the happiness I feel. I will not be severely depressed again. I can't.

  I feel my teeth clenching together. My breathing becomes heavier and heavier.

  Andrew calms Ora down and I still continue to glare at her. My eyes don't leave hers. “Ora, you need to leave. Take a walk. Now!” Andrew yells.

  “You're lucky, healer!” Ora shouts and runs out of the room.

  “What the hell were you thinking? She could have killed you, Nina!” Andrew shouts.

  “She was just trying to seduce you. She was trying to take away the love of my life and my happiness. Don't even try to stick up for her! You were kissing her! Your lips were on hers! I saw it, Andrew!” I shout back at him.

  “She was trying to seduce me. She was trying to kiss me, but I was telling her no. I was pushing her away. I'm so sorry, Nina. I didn't think she would pull this shit!”

  “Well, she did. I told you I didn't like her. I told you I didn't want her here. You knew how I felt about her!”

  “I'm so sorry, my love. It will never happen again because she is not allowed in this house!”

  I shake my head and turn around. I start walking toward the front door. I want to leave. I need to leave right now.

  “Where are you going?” Andrew asks. I ignore his question and continue to walk. “Nina!” Andrew yells.

  “I'm going home and I want to be left alone!” I yell back. “Just leave me alone!”

  Chapter 11

  Out of Control

  Dear Diary,

  What happened yesterday? Did I really perceive that bitch trying to seduce my love? Why didn't I stake her?

  Happiness, where are you? I wish I could just find you, along with peace. Where do you both hide from me? Why won't you show yourselves, and help me? I beg for you to find me. I want peace in my life, and I want happiness. Why do I always have to repeat myself? Why can't you just save me? Save me from this violent world I live in.

  My emotions are so out of whack right now. I don't know if I should feel sad or angry. I don't know if I should cry or start hitting the wall. I want to take a razor blade and slice my leg. I want to take this unknown feeling away. I can't relapse. I can't. I just don't want to feel these emotions.