by Olivia Howe
“He said,” I stutter out. “He said he's coming for me very soon. “
* * * *
I watch the trees pass by me at a rapid speed. The sun is shining high in the sky. All I hear is the sound of Andrew's car driving on the flat surface. I look over at him and see his eyes concentrating on the road in front of him. His pale face is glowing from the bright sun.
I sit still in the passenger seat and stare out the window. I cuddle up more in Andrew's grey sweatshirt. It's warm and smells just like him, like a vanilla orchard flower, very potent and sexy. I inhale deep and let the soft smell drift through my nostrils. I don't ever want to forget this smell.
I lean my head against the passenger side door. My eyes flutter shut, and I drift off to dreamland.
* * * *
I wake up in Andrew's bed. He must have carried me inside. The sun is no longer shining bright in the sky. Instead, the darkness replaces it. I look at the clock, and see it's after seven. I didn't plan on sleeping this long. I wonder where Andrew is. He must have already filled everyone in on the incident that occured earlier today.
I yawn and stretch my whole body. I hear my stomach growl. I should probably get out of bed and try eating something. I just don't want to relive the chat I had with the enemy. Everyone will probably be hounding me with questions, wanting details on everything that was said, and exactly what happened.
I make my way out to the living room and find everyone sitting by the fireplace. It smells like it always does, like camping outdoors. The fire is blazing with flames.
“How are you, my love?” Andrew asks me.
“Hungry,” I admit.
“Let me go make you some food,” Andrew offers. I nod my head.
I take a seat on the couch, and everyone stays silent as they watch the flames get bigger in the fireplace.
Lilah clears her throat. I knew she would be the first to want answers. “Can I ask you what happened?”
I take a deep breath. “He's coming for me soon, and for some reason he wanted me to know.”
“I wonder why he would warn you like that. That just doesn't make sense,” Lilah wonders.
“Maybe he wants to have more of a challenge,” Julian says in almost a whisper. “Look how easily he managed to get to her. He could have taken her quickly, and he knows that.”
“We need more protection for you. I think you should take a few days off from school,” Lilah says.
“I can't do that. I can't let them take away everything normal in my life,” I tell her. School is the only place that makes me feel normal, even though I would love to take some vacation time and stay in bed all day.
“You need to be protected more, Nina,” Lilah explains.
Tears start to fill my eyes. “I'm not going to stop going to school. I can't do it and I refuse!”
“She's right, Nina,” Andrew says as he comes out from the kitchen holding a plate of food. “I couldn't even protect you in school.”
“This is what he wants. This is what they all want. They want to take everything from me. I think they've taken enough. Being in school makes me feel normal. It makes me feel like a regular teenage girl!” Tears start falling down my face.
“It will only be for a week or two. I promise to get all of your work so you don't fall behind in your classes. Please don't argue with me on this one, Nina,” Andrew announces as he sits by my side. His arms wrap around me and he starts playing with my hair. He's trying to comfort me and it's working.
“One week max!” I finally give in.
Andrew smiles and hands me a plate of spaghetti. The smell is making my mouth water. I'm starving. “Eat, my love.”
Chapter 19
Healing
Dear Diary,
I feel like I'm grounded from school. It should be every teenagers dream to be offered a vacation away from the stressful and boring place called school. I'm not happy about them making me stay away from the only place that made me feel normal, but they're only doing it to keep me safe, and I have to keep telling myself that.
John Michael's face keeps popping into my thoughts at random times. He did it to scare me, and it's working. It's like he wanted his evil, vicious face imprinted into my memory. He wants to be feared. I still can't believe I had the guts to stand in front of him and pretend to be brave. That might bite me in the ass in the future. I don't know what happened to me. I just didn't want to give him what he wanted, my fear.
Love, Nina
* * * *
The curtains fly open, and the sun shines right in my tired eyes. Who the hell would do that to someone that is trying to get their beauty rest? “Wake up!” I hear a familiar voice say. I'm trying to open my eyes to see her face, but the sun is too bright. It must be Lilah. She's the only morning person here.
“Lilah, I thought I was taking a vacation! Why are you waking me up so damn early in the morning?” I grumble, as I try to hide my face underneath the pillow.
“Vacation from human school, not healer school. Get your ass out of bed and let's go do some good in the community!” Lilah exclaims back at me. Well, she's fiesty this morning.
“What are you talking about, Lilah? Just let me sleep for ten more minutes!”
“No,” Lilah says calmly. She reaches down, picks me up over her shoulder, and carries me into the kitchen.
“You've got to be kidding me,” I say in almost a whisper. She is so determinded to get me out of bed, that she has to literally carry me out of it. At least she didn't drag me by my legs.
She sets me down in a chair at the kitchen table. A bowl of cereal is in front of me. I look around and see Andrew, Julian, Ella, and Alex laughing at me. “Ha Ha, it's so funny!”
“Well, someone's cranky in the morning,” Alex jokes. I just roll my eyes her way.
“You're welcome,” Lilah says as she points to the bowl of cereal and glares at me.
“Oh, thanks so much for the cereal and for carrying me out of the warm and comfortable bed,” I say sarcastically.
“Anytime,” Lilah smiles at me.
I don't know what she's up to, but it better be something good.
* * * *
Lilah pulls into the parking lot of Scarlett Hills Hospital. I think I know what she's planning. I hope we're going into that hospital to heal someone and give them another chance at life. I feel a smile cross my face. Lilah looks at me and smiles too. “You ready?”
“I thought we weren't supposed to heal people yet?” I ask.
“Well, you've been having a rough couple of weeks. I thought this might help you cheer up a little bit,” Lilah admits.
The smile on my face gets bigger. “Thank you.”
We make our way into the hospital. I see doctors running around, and nurses following them. I see people sitting in the waiting room, tears falling down their faces. There are kids running around with smiles. They don't have a care in the world. They're young and don't yet realize how much evil is in this world.
“A mother and her son came in last night. They were struck by a drunk driver. The doctors say they're lucky to even be breathing right now. The mother is in a coma, and it's hard to tell if she'll ever come out of it. The son is a teenage boy, about seventeen years old. He's one of the best quarterbacks in the state, and had his whole life ahead of him until this happened,” Lilah informs me.
“What happened to him?” I ask with tears filling my eyes.
“His legs were crushed in the accident. The doctors said he will never be able to walk again,” Lilah says. “His whole life, career, everything, flushed down the toilet because of this bastard that decided to drive while he was drunk. With a blink of an eye, his career was taken from him.”
“Can my blood heal his legs?” I ask, tears falling from my eyes.
Lilah looks at me and slightly smiles. “Yes.”
I take a deep breath. I'm about to give this young man another chance at his football career. I'm going to make him be able to walk again.
Tears stre
am down my face. I can't control them.
“Nina, are you ready to give Tyler his hope back?”
His name's Tyler. I will never forget that. I close my eyes and imprint his name in my memory.
“I'm ready.”
We walk into room 307. Tyler is laying in a hospital bed sleeping. His face is covered in scratches. Both his eyes are black. Dry blood covers his cuts. I feel my head start to spin, and a terrible sickness in my stomach. How could that drunk driver do something like this? He should have known better than to get behind a vehicle completely wasted. I just don't understand people nowadays.
Lilah finds a needle and walks over toward me. She stands in front of me and I nod. She sticks the needle into my arm and draws some of my blood. The needle leaves my arm, and I place a piece of cotton over the needle mark. I hold it down hard, and Lilah puts a piece of tape over the cotton.
Lilah walks over and forces the needle into Tyler's arm. I see the blood start to enter his body. Now, it's just a matter of minutes.
“When will he be able to walk again?” I ask as I wipe away my tears.
Lilah scratches her head and looks at me. “It could be a few minutes, up to a few hours. You just saved this young man's future.”
I look at Tyler, and see his face starting to get some color into it. His scratches and black eyes start to disappear in a matter of sceonds. He looks like a young kid just sleeping in a hospital bed.
Lilah finds a piece of paper and a pen. I walk over toward her to see what she's writing down. “Bless you sweet child. The pain and agony is now over. The healer of God has healed you. May peace and happiness fill your future." I remember her saying the same thing to Melissa, the little girl that had cancer. The first person I ever healed.
“Now, it's time for the next one,” Lilah announces.
“Another one?” I ask, confused.
“Tyler's mother. She's in a deep coma. We're going to bring her back to reality, back to her son.”
A smile forms on my face and tears fall down my cheeks.
“Wipe those tears away, sweetie. You're going to give this family another chance at a future together,” Lilah says as she wipes the tears off of my face.
I take one more good look at Tyler. His face will be imprinted into my memory for the rest of my existence. His story will remain in my thoughts, I will never forget him. I will always remember that I was the one that gave him a second chance to walk and pursue his career, his happiness in life.
We walk into room 315 and find a battered woman. She must be in her late thirties, but she doesn't look like it. I see where Tyler gets his looks from, they look exactly alike. Bloody cuts fill her beautiful face. She looks broken and dead.
Lilah finds another needle and does the same routine as last time. She takes my blood and injects it into the woman's arm. “What's her name?” I ask. I want to remember this moment, to remember the woman I saved.
“Alyssa,” Lilah tells me.
I will never forget her name. Alyssa and Tyler. The family that I gave another chance to have a future together. Mother and son.
I see color come to her face. The scratches from the car accident are starting to heal within seconds. I see her eyes trying to flutter open. “Tyler,” the woman says. “Tyler, baby.”
“Everything is going to be okay, Mrs. Vega,” Lilah whispers into Alyssa's ear. “Sleep now, darling.”
I see Alyssa's eyes close and she falls back to sleep with no worries anymore. She's safe, her son is safe. Their family is going to be okay.
Lilah finds a pen and paper. I watch over her shoulder and see her write the same message she did for the last two people I healed. "Bless you sweet child. The pain and agony is now over. The healer of God has healed you. May peace and happiness fill your future."
I take one more look at Alyssa and close my eyes. I will remember her, and her son, for the rest of my existence.
Lilah grabs my hand, and we walk out of the hospital together. Today was a really good day for me. Finally. I needed this more than anyone could know. I'm glad Lilah carried me out of bed this morning. I think she knew that this would cheer me up.
* * * *
I walk into my house with a smile on my face. I find my mom in the kitchen making dinner. She's singing to the song on the radio and dancing around in the kitchen. She looks happy. I stand here for a minute and enjoy this moment, seeing my mom happy.
“Hey, sweetie,” Ali shouts over the music.
I walk over and wrap my arms around her. I squeeze her tight. I just need to hug her. I need to smell her scent; paint and flowers.
“Are you okay, honey?” Ali asks as she hugs me back.
I start to tell her about healing the mother and son at the hospital today. I told her their stories, and how Tyler would be able to walk again to play football, to pursue his dream.
“You're a wonderful person, baby. I'm so proud of you. I love you so much,” Ali tells me as she squeezes me tight. “I couldn't imagine losing you or your sister. I would be devastated.”
“I love you so much, mom,” I say, and continue to enjoy this moment that we are having together.
Chapter 20
Captivity
Dear Diary,
Alyssa and Tyler. Mother and Son. Two people that are now going to have a bright future ahead of them. I wish I could just go to the hospital and heal everyone there. I wish I could save the world from evil diseases and accidents.
It still doesn't make any sense to me. Why do vampires think healers are evil? They give them a chance to live a human life again. They give humans a chance at life. I will never understand the Sulivic Brother's intentions. They're the evil ones that need to be eliminated, not healers. It will never make any sense to me.
Alyssa, Tyler, and Melissa are now permanently imprinted into my memory. It's not every day that you can give someone a second chance.
Love, Nina
* * * *
My eyes flutter open, and the sun is shining bright through Andrew's window. My hands slide against the black, silk sheets and my head pops up. Where's Andrew? He must be cooking me breakfast or starting a fire in the living room fireplace. I stretch my whole body out and rub my eyes. I guess I'll get up and see where Andrew is, and what he's doing.
I tiptoe across the cold wooden floors, and into the living room. Andrew's nowhere to be found. I tiptoe into the kitchen, and Andrew's not there either. Instead, I find Lilah and Ella sitting at the kitchen table bickering about something.
“Have you seen Andrew?” I ask.
Lilah looks at me. “No. I thought he was still sleeping.”
I start biting the inside of my cheek. I wonder where he is. “He must have ran an errand or something.”
Lilah and Ella shrug their shoulders and go back to arguing.
I inhale deep and exhale deeper. I guess I'm just going to go back to sleep since I can't find Andrew, and I'm not allowed to attend school.
I make my way across the cold floors and jump into Andrew's king size bed. I wrap the silk sheets around my body, and then the black comforter. I snuggle up in the bed and fall into a deep sleep.
* * * *
I wake up to the sound of things slamming out in the living room. I rub my eyes and see that the whole room is dark. I can't believe I slept the day away. I look beside me, and Andrew isn't there. Where the hell is he?
I force myself out of bed and drag myself into the living room. I instantly stop. My jaw drops, and my eyes grow wide. There is a beautiful brunette with pale skin and dark eyes sitting on the couch next to Lilah. It's Caroline. It's my sister. She looks more beautiful as a vampire than she did as a human. I look up and see William pacing back and forth. Something must be wrong.
I stand still. Everyone stares at me. Caroline rises from the couch and makes her way toward me. It looks like she wants to smile and cry at the same time. “Nina,” Caroline says in almost a whisper. Tears instantly fall from my eyes.
“Lynns,” I cry. She grabs me
quickly and hugs me.
We stand here for a few minutes just hugging each other and enjoy the company of one another.
“What are you doing here? I thought you ran away. I thought you never wanted to come back here again,” my mouth starts talking before my mind can think about the words.
“I'm here now, and that's all that matters. Leaving was the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. I did it to protect you, Nina. I missed you and mom so much. How's mom doing?” Caroline asks me with tears in her eyes.
“Mom's doing better. She misses you every day,” I admit.
“I miss her too,” Caroline says.
I wipe the tears off my face and look around. Andrew's still nowhere in sight. “Where's Andrew?” I ask.
Every falls silent. “That's why we're here. I think you should sit down, Nina,” William informs me.
“What's going on?” I ask as everyones continues to stare at me.
Lilah clears her throat. “I think you should listen to William and sit down.”
I shake my head quickly. “No! Tell me what's going on!” I demand as I continue to search the room, waiting to see his beautiful face. “Where's Andrew?”
“The Brothers have him,” William breaks the news to me.
I feel a lump in my throat, and the room starts to spin. Beads of sweat start to form on my forehead. I fall to the ground and start crying. My whole world starts to fall apart right in front of my eyes.
Tears stream endlessly down my face. I scream as my vision blurs from my tears. I feel my heart starting to break. My Andrew. They have my Andrew. “Is he alive? Please tell me he's alive. Please. William. Lilah. Someone answer me,” I yell out.
“He's alive, for now,” Julian tells me.
