Walking through this large cabin house is bright; the smell of light oak is refreshing. Since I’ve smelt granite rock for so long, anything would smell better. Alex led me down the hall of the house into a swinging door that leads into a huge kitchen. I find it funny, how people who don’t eat regular human food would require such a large area for storing it. The walls here are oak, with oak cabinets, a light brown smooth counter top, a white stove, refrigerator and even a wooden tall table with stools. My mouth hung open in disbelief.
“Alex?”
“Yes, Ava.”
“Why would someone want to live in something that can easily kill them?”
“You’d be surprised.”
“I am.”
Alex reached up into one of the cabinets and pulled down a glass cup and turned on the sink and filled it up with water. He then slowly handed the glass to me.
“Now, don’t get any bright ideas.”
“I promise you, I will be on my best behavior, unless you choose otherwise.”
He just nodded at me, letting me know he understood that I wasn’t going to try anything, and I don’t plan to.
After I gulped down three glasses of water, Alex led me through the rest of the house. The kitchen had two entrances. One in which we entered and another that we used as an exit. Once we left the kitchen we were back into the hallway and we turned a right that led into a large living space. This room was spectacular. It had high ceilings with huge wood beams, two brown couches with a coffee table in between them. The couches sat in the middle of the room, beside a floor to ceiling black fire place. The fire place mantel held a picture of my family. It had my mother, father and me, and beside it was a figurine that I remember my father giving me as a child. It was a carousel.
I remember the exact moment he bought it for me. We drove into town, and passed a thrift store and in the window sat the carousel. I told my father to stop the car, I wanted to go look at it. He could tell by the way I looked into the window, that I wanted it badly, but my father grabbed my hand and led me away from the window. I was so disappointed that he didn’t buy it for me I cried all the way home. The following week was my birthday; I had opened everything and hoped to see it. I didn’t, my father left the kitchen and came back with a nicely wrapped box and handed it to me. I smiled at him; I just knew that it was the carousel. And it was. I can’t believe I forgot all about it. A lot of things have changed since then.
I hadn’t realized that I stopped in my tracks. Until, Alex yanked at my hand to get my attention.
“What is it Ava?”
“I was just remembering something is all. Do you mind giving me a moment?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
I walked over to the fireplace and picked up the picture and looked at it for a moment and then sat it back in its place. And then I picked up the carousel and the tears started trickling down my face. I’ve missed this place and the memories of my family badly. I’ve always wanted to come back, but Kim and Davie wouldn’t allow me to.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”
I gasped and dropped the carousel, a man ran across the room with such speed and caught it right before it was about to hit the floor.
“Easy now, I don’t want you to break it.”
I looked at him with wide eyes. I can’t believe it, it’s really him. My father, but it can’t be. I reached my hands up to touch his face, the tears streaming all the more down mine.
“Is it really you?”
“Shhh. Don’t cry, I’ve never been able to stand to see you cry. Yes, it’s really me. It’s okay Ava. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“But…But.”
My father Nick put his finger to my mouth, “I know you have a lot of questions, but they’ll have to wait until your mother gets here.”
“Okay,” and I hugged him even tighter.
“Easy now, you’re going to break a bone.”
I laughed “I’m sorry, I’ve just missed you so much.”
“I know…I know. I’ve missed you too.”
“Well…Well…Look at this. Nick, why didn’t you wait on me? Once you found out that Ava was here, you were gone.”
“Patty, we haven’t seen her for ten years. Stalling wasn’t what I wanted to do. I don’t think now is the time for arguing. Now, get over here and hug your daughter.”
“I wasn’t stalling, I was just nervous.”
“Mom.”
That was all I got out, before she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around me tightly.
I squeaked out in response “Mom, I got to breathe.”
She loosened her grip a little “I’m sorry dear, I’ve just missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you too. You have no idea. Once that man entered my head and said that he was my grandfather and that you both were alive, I thought he was crazy. But now I see and I’m glad he came for me. I still wished that it was you. Why didn’t you guys come for me sooner?”
Mom looked at me with much hesitation “Well, it’s a long complicated story. One in which I don’t really want to tell right now.”
“Why can’t we talk about it now? I’ve been held in a cave for ten years, thinking that my parents were killed, and I think now would be a great time to talk about it.”
My father grabbed my shoulders “We want to visit with you first. We want to show you the town. We also hope that by you seeing the town for yourself that it will answer a lot of questions you may have. Will you do that for us first?”
“I guess it won’t hurt to see everything first. I bet a lot of things have changed since I’ve left.”
“You have not got a clue child,” Patty said.
14
My parents and I walked hand in hand out of the large cabin sized home. This all still seems like a dream to me. I would have never imagined being able to come back to Deerneck let alone have my parents by my side.
We walked out of the house into a bright beautiful sunny day. Everything was different. My parent’s home sat up on a hill overlooking the town. A large black metal gate enclosed the borders of the town, so no one could come in, and no one could easily get out. I gulped in response. Why would they want to force others to live like this? I thought better just to keep that to myself. I know I don’t know all of the details, but something tells me that even if I did, I still wouldn’t like it.
“What’s wrong Ava? We’ve got a lot to show you today,” My mother said.
“I don’t know. Everything just seems so different. By looking at the town from this point of view, just feels eerie.”
My father shoulder bumped me, “I know what you mean. It will take some time for you to get use to the scenery, but once you do, and once you understand why we’ve build it this way, it will look a lot better to you.”
I nodded at him, and he smiled at me in return.
“When did you know, that this is the way you wanted the town to look?”
My parents hesitated for a while before they bothered to answer me.
“Well Ava, when we were expecting you, we knew immediately that you would be special. We wanted to provide the best that we possibly could for you, and by making this town safe for you, and all of the unnatural, seemed like the only way,” my father said.
“It wasn’t an easy task by all means. For one, giving you up for ten years wasn’t what I truly wanted. It took us seven long years to come up with the well thought out plan. Once the ball started rolling, there just wasn’t any possible way to turn back,” my mother said.
“I still wished you could have included me in on it.”
“I wish we could too. Ava, you have to understand that you and Jess were much too young to understand the process. I would have much preferred you to know. But, if you knew and Davie and Kim was let in on the secret, then your life would have really been in danger. They didn’t mistreat you did they?”
“No, they didn’t. They were truly good to Jess and me. They kept us alive anyway.”
My parents looked at one another and then looked at me and smiled.
I smiled back at them, “What?”
My father ran his hand across my cheek, “You’ve grown up so much, since we’ve last seen you. We haven’t forgotten your birthday, which reminds me is just around the corner. And then our little girl won’t be little any longer. You’ll be an adult before you know it.”
“Will I ever stop growing old?”
“We don’t know. You are the first of your kind,” my father replied.
“Does anyone know what will happen to me? Or can they find out.”
“I’m afraid the only thing that we can do is wait and watch. You’re very powerful Ava. I use to be a witch, that’s where you get your powers from, and the rest you get from your father. The reason we were so desperate for you to come back, is so that you could be around other witches and vampires. So that way maybe you’ll be able to better understand your strengths and weaknesses. After, your eighteen birthday, we’ll let you undergo a series of lessons from others’ like you in the community,” my mother replied.
I couldn’t help thinking about Jess. I wonder if he’s okay, and if someone too was going to bring him home. I can’t help but to stop and think about the whole situation, it’s odd that they brought me back at all.
“Mom…Dad… Why didn’t you bring Jess back too?”
“Well let’s just say we were more worried about you Ava. We thought that we’d let Lauren worry about that herself. Why do you ask? We thought that you’d be happy your back home with us.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy to be home with my family, but Jess is my family too. Without him by my side, I don’t think I would’ve made it through the years in that nasty cave. I’m just very worried about him. Have you heard anything about his whereabouts?”
“We understand that you’re worried about Jess, and I’m very sorry that we didn’t bring him home as well. We just thought that he wouldn’t understand the town and our rules, but if we do hear anything you’ll be the first to find out,” My father replied.
That still didn’t make me worry less, or understand what they were talking about. But, I guess I’ll find out sooner or later. I just pray that it’s very soon. For goodness sake, where are you Jess...
The Night Life Part Two
The excruciating pain running through out my body is mind blowing, as I watch them carry Ava away from me. I already tried to capture her, but the searing sun wouldn’t allow it. Misty had grabbed me by the arm as I leaped out of the lurking shadow in the cave. That cost me for sure. My left hand caught in the sunlight before I was pulled back into the shadows and blistered my hand. Just a moments notice, was all it took.
I still can’t understand why their so determined to take her to Deerneck. What I wouldn’t do to kill all of them. The low life creeps will surely pay for this. Even if one hair has been plucked from her beautiful head, they’ll pay for it. Something deep in my gut tells me that there is more to the story than I know.
As the feeling of defeat settles in I realize that there is nothing that I can do, at least not until the sun goes down. And I will go and find her. It may take me a day or two, but I’ll get to her one way or another. I just hope the others will help me. I’ve always been told the more the merrier, and right now, I could use all the people who are willing to help.
“Hey, Misty!” I yelled trying to tear my eyes away from where Ava was at, just moments ago.
Once I turned around I noticed that everyone was packing there things. Granted it may not be much, but the image said more to me than their words possibly could.
“Where’s everyone going?”
“Listen Jess, this may be hard for you, but I feel now has come the time to share it with you. We were hired to stay in this cave with Ava and you. We were told to watch after you both and make sure that no harm is done to you. Well as you can see we’ve completed our mission and we’re going somewhere far away from here. And if you’re smart, you’ll stay away from Deerneck. Take it from us, its not like it use to be,” Misty replied.
“So, that’s it. You’re just going to let Ava be fed to the wolves, so to speak. You guys aren’t even going to help me go and get her. I would have at least thought that over the years spent in this closed up hell hole, you’d at least give me that much.”
“Jess, believe me when I tell you that we’re sorry. Ava, she’s not in any danger, at least not for now. Her parents are running the show in Deerneck. There’s only one way in and one way out. If we enter, then we will not be able to get out. That’s the way it’s set up, and trust me, when I say I don’t want to live like that. And we would have thought that you wouldn’t want to live like that either.”
“A true friend wouldn’t care about all the crappie details. They’d be willing to hang their neck out for them. I know if you needed me, I’d be there for you. Why can’t you help me with this?”
Edwin stepped around Misty to look at me, “Look Jess, we are your friends, but you can’t possibly ask us to go with you. Its suicide man, if we do make it in, then we wouldn’t be able to get back out. You can’t ask us to trap our selves there forever. And since we’re on the subjects of friends, let me tell you one thing, a true friend wouldn’t ask us to end our lives like that.”
“No, your right, I wouldn’t ask, because a friend of mine would be willing. I’ll just stay here until night falls and I’ll go on my own. The best of luck to you all, I hope you rot in hell.”
I know it may seem selfish of me. But, who are they to tell me what a true friend is. They don’t know themselves. All I can think about is saving Ava. I know she didn’t want to go. I could tell in her eyes that she didn’t want to leave me. As always she was protecting me and the others. And for that, they should have wanted to go. But, I guess when it all comes down to it, you really find out who’s true to you and who isn’t.
Right now all I can do is think about Ava. Her long light blonde hair, and baby blue eyes. Even her angry side is appealing to me. That hair turns to black as night, and those beautiful eyes shine so bright with power it hurts to even look at them. She’s everything to me, I love her. And the saddest thing of all, I don’t even think she knew just how much I love her. Man! All of this waiting is driving me crazy with rage. I want her back so bad. And like I said, they better hope they don’t hurt her, in any way, or they’ll pay the most gruesome death imaginable.
I can remember lying in bed at night, and think about how life would be if we didn’t have to stay cooped up in a cave all the time. Scared for our safety, and for what? So, that they could just one day come in and take her.
Living in this cave throughout the years would have been even more miserable if it weren’t for Ava. She means everything to me. Waking up in the morning to her lilac scent was always refreshing. I can still remember the feel of her skin against mine. The softness of her touch, she’s like an angel sent from god above.
I can still hear the others packing their things in the other rooms. I may not agree with why their packing their things, I do agree that some items may come in handy. So, I decide to hall myself away from the meeting room, to where Ava and I use to stay. I say use to stay, meaning Ava is no longer here with me, being we will no longer share this dark, nasty room anymore. I enter the room and the memories from the previous years hit me very hard. I know it was only moments ago that she was taken, but the thought that I will not get to search for her for sometime is heart breaking.
I shook my head, trying to focus on the task at hand. I know I’ll need some spare clothes to change into sooner or later. What to carry it in? I think to myself. The only thing I’m able to find is an old back pack, which Ava used to carry her things around in when we were little. Even though her parents wouldn’t allow her to go to school, they still bought her bags and other things necessary for students to use while going to school. Considering, there really isn’t any other bag for me to use, I guess I’ll just have to use this one. I’m goin
g to look so silly with this thing. It’s a black bag with bright pink flowers embroidered on the outer layer. Yeah, this will be unnoticeable.
I don’t really have anything that I can use as a weapon to take with me, or any spare food, meaning blood. That I’ll just have to hunt for, and for the weapons, well I have enough strength to get me by, or at least I sure hope I do.
Well I guess I’ve wasted enough time. I guess I’m just nervous and scared, for what I don’t know. I’ve lived here for so long, and Ava and I didn’t venture too far away from the cave, not without Davie and Kim any way. I walked out of the cave to realize that it’s well past night fall, this infuriates me deeply. I’d thought there were hours to go before it got this dark, but that was foolish of me. I let my fears and stupidity get in the way. And wasting time arguing with Misty and the others wasn’t a cake walk either.
Well enough with this pondering, its time to get Ava back, or join her which ever it’ll be.
2
Well at least if I’m going to do this, then I couldn’t have asked for a better night. The air is calm and fresh, the temperature is just right, and the moon is bright enough to cast a small shadow of light throughout the woods. I still wish I had some back up though, because there is no telling what will happen to me tomorrow. Well one things for sure, if I don’t get somewhere safe to protect me from the sun, then I’ll bake like no other out here. If I do die, then at least I know I gave it my best effort into saving her.
There are some things that I keep thinking about, that doesn’t quite make any sense to me, but I assume that the whole situation doesn’t make much sense to anyone else either. I’m sure if there were more information that I needed to know, then Misty would’ve at least told me about it. I still don’t understand what those men wanted, and why Misty and the others were hired to protect us. I also wonder who would’ve gone out of their way to see to our protection. I know it wasn’t Ava’s or my parents, because we watched them die. I know Ava always wished that they were alive, but I have little faith in that. Well, as far as I know the dead doesn’t rise.
The Night Life: Exodus of Evil Page 9
