Captivated (An Affliction Novel)

by Raven

  All I thought about for the rest of the day was his eyes. I would find myself constantly checking myself out in the mirror, making sure that everything was in its place. I felt stupid for trying so hard to look my best for a guy. But not just any guy. Dean of all people! My concentration during school today was so out of whack. The image of Dean that morning was engraved in my mind and there was no way of getting rid of it.

  Lunch came around. Thank God! Tanya wasn’t joining us that day. Another crush she had wanted to sit down with her. So, of course, she gladly accepted. I couldn’t wait to hear all about it.

  We sat at our usual bench outside; it was nice and I couldn’t help but glance over at Dean’s lonesome bench. The only company he’d ever had was that of Shane’s. I couldn’t understand why Dean looked so pissed off whenever Shane was around though. Yet, he still had lunch with him as if they were in their own little club. I noticed Markus was also looking over at his bench. The only difference was that he was making it painfully obvious.

  “What are you looking at?” I asked.

  “It’s strange…” Markus said, half aloud.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Well. See that huge shadow over Shane?” Markus pointed out.

  “Yeah. What about it?” I shrugged.

  “Where are the trees? Or anything else that would cast it over them? The sun is over there…” Markus pointed to his left and drew an invisible line in the air, bringing it down to where all the other shadows were cast. “…so that one should be facing the same direction as the others. Wait a minute-” He trailed the shadow with his eyes and pointed to a tree in the distance. “There! You see that? That’s where it’s coming from, but it’s facing an odd direction. It’s covering Shane and Dean.” he stated.

  “You’re right. That’s so strange.” I agreed.

  “What’s up with Shane anyway?” Markus continued, “Notice anything unusual about him?”

  “Except for the fact that he is everything that defines perfection?” I blurted.

  “Yeah. Except that.” Markus bluntly said.

  “Then, no. Not really.” I shrugged.

  “He’s pretty pale, isn’t he? It’s obvious that Dean hates him. That night I first saw Dean kill a vamp, I also saw Mr. Perfect with blood on his lip. Do you think that maybe… he’s a vamp?” Markus tested the question with doubt in his voice.

  “That can’t be. Vampires can’t be out during the daylight. Right?” I asked.

  “Traditional ones, yeah. But this is real life. Maybe they can.” Markus said.

  “Why does Dean hang out with him?” I pondered out loud. “Oh. Remember the first day of school? When Dean got in Shane’s face?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I heard about that.” Markus said.

  “After everyone left, Dean punched the brick wall. He left a dent and crumbs fell off of his knuckles.” I informed.

  “What?! And you’re barely telling me this? You know how important that information is to my case!” Markus exclaimed.

  “Case? This isn’t your favorite TV show, Markus. We’re not in the show Innocent or Criminal.” I retorted.

  “Innocent Until Proven Criminal, Mindy!” Markus corrected. Funny, when Markus got aggravated or upset you could hardly tell. He was the definition of monotone. Only his closest friends would be able to catch onto what was going on with him and that was one of those times. He took his ‘job’ very seriously.

  “Okay, okay. Geeesh! Sorry. I forgot all about it!” I said. “Besides, that part of the wall could have already been dented in. Maybe it was cracked or something and it made it easier for Dean to punch it.” I said.

  “I’ll have to take a look at it.” Markus said with authority.

  The bell rang. We pushed to our feet and threw away the mess we made on our trays. As we passed Dean’s table, Shane threw me a perfectly crooked smile. Dean was staring at him with rage in his eyes, like he wanted to smash his face in. What was the deal with those two? We dumped our trays in the basket next to the entrance and walked through.

  “Show me where.” Markus said.

  We walked a little ahead and I took him to the dented wall. I pointed at it with my eyes. As discretely as Markus could, he examined the dent.

  “Wow. He has to be.” Markus looked around at the students walking by. “He has to be, you know.” he repeated.

  I knew? Was he talking about Dean being a vampire? I shrugged my shoulders. “You’re not suggesting that he’s a…” I whispered, “…vampire?”

  “Super strength? Out killing at night? And he hangs out with the other suspect, Shane.” Markus listed.

  I remembered Shane’s tattoo and the two I just discovered on Dean. “They both have similar tattoos on their arms,” I blurted a little too loudly for Markus to allow.

  “We better talk later. There’s too many people around. Did anyone else see this?” Markus asked while still feeling the hole in the wall.

  “I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “I’m going to head to class now. I don’t want to be tardy today. Do you want a plastic bag so you can bag the evidence?” I asked with a snicker.

  Markus faintly smiled and nodded his head with his eyes still focused on the dent. I patted his shoulder and walked away. I made it to class on time with only one thing on my mind-when that class was over, I was going to sit next to Dean. I was ridiculously excited. My adrenaline was pumping with excitement and the more time went by, the slower fifth hour appeared to be. But finally, it was over. I didn’t tell Markus about the tattoo yet. Not until I was completely sure. In order to do that, I had to confront Dean. My heart accelerated at the thought. What if he wasn’t the guy and I was just making assumptions?

  Entering sixth hour was nerve-wracking. I made sure to get there as early as possible, hoping to find Dean in there alone like I had the last time I was too early. That way, I could blurt out my question.

  As I approached the classroom door, I took in a deep breath. I then exhaled into the palm of my hand-my breath wasn’t fresh enough so I popped some gum into my mouth and strolled in as if everything was normal. But when I saw him at his desk, I forgot how to walk. My left foot barely hit the back of my right and I flopped to the ground like a fish out of water. I didn’t know what to do, I was drowning in complete humiliation! Then a sweaty, slippery hand reached down and grabbed my hand. I instinctively pulled up as the hand did.

  “Thanks. I don’t know what I tripped over.” I said while looking back at where I tumbled, hoping to find an enormous book or something that would give my involuntary actions a fair reason. But of course, there was nothing.

  “You just tripped over your own foot. Don’t you remember?” said Ben. Oh, I forgot, he was always early. There went my chance of talking with Dean. For now. “Did you hit your head or something? You tripped over your foot!” he said a little too loud. It was as if he was trying to make some sort of announcement.

  “Yeah. I know!” I whispered out, hoping Dean didn’t hear anything that was going on. I quickly glanced at him from the corner of my eye to see if he was listening. Crap! He was more than listening; he was standing beside his desk. His expression serious, as usual, and staring right at me. Was he expecting to help me up, but Ben beat him to it? He then looked away and sat back down.

  I shook my hand to loosen the slimy grip Ben had on it. I didn’t want to know why his hand felt so gross. Even trying not to think about it made me cringe.

  “Thanks.” I quietly said regretting that I had to say it. I looked down at my stupid feet. Traitors!

  “No problem. I trip all the time and there’s nothing fun about it. Most of the time people trip me and laugh. But there’s no shame in falling. Gravity is one of the marvelous things about life!” Ben said.

  “No shame here. I’m okay,” I insisted, mentally shaking it off.

  “You look a bit nervous,” Ben mentioned. A small smile formed on his face, exposing his abnormally large front teeth.

  “What makes you think that?�
�� I asked. I reached up to my forehead. There was no sweat.

  “Because it looks like you’re trying to drill a hole in your hip. That would be considered a nervous tick. For instance, I tend to stutter so much that no one can make out what I’m saying. Isn’t that crazy?” Ben said. “We have something in common.”

  “Yeah. Well I’m going to go sit down now.” I replied, ignoring that last part.

  “It’s best that you do. You might have banged something when you tripped over your foot.” Ben said again.

  “I know, Ben!” I snapped back. How many times did he have to remind me? I shamefully walked over to my desk and slouched down into the seat. After all that time of wanting to be in the exact spot I was in, after all the daydreaming of how that period would go about, I was now wishing it was all over. I closed my eyes and laid my head down on the desk. I was so afraid to look over at him.

  The warning bell rang, only one minute left until class started. I opened my eyes to find Dean walking over to the entrance. He knelt down and picked something up. As he rose up, I noticed my notebook in his hand. I didn’t realize that I had left it there when I fell. Great.

  He didn’t move from that spot. It looked like he was trying to figure out if he wanted to give it to me or not. Finally, he headed toward me. As he sat the notebook down on my desk, his hand was quivering. When he released it, he didn’t say a word and went back to his desk next to me. Students started pouring in about a minute after the last bell rang. That period’s teacher was always late, and because of that, so were the students.

  The teacher gave us a book to read that day and threatened us with another quiz at the end of class. By the time class was almost over, I had gotten over my nervous breakdown. Through my mind, I played the events of that night. Well, everything that happened after Ayden’s part. I couldn’t believe that Dean’s shirt was folded in my closet and that he had given it to me to wear that night. Wait a minute…he put it on me to cover me up even though I was passed out. Then it dawned on me, the way his heart was pounding when he was carrying me. And the way he quivered as he held me in his arms; he took care of me that night. Not the way a stranger would, it was intimate.

  Dean was focused on reading when I planned to interrupt him. I wanted to give him a hint, some kind of clue that I was on to him. That I knew it was him that saved me that night. Courage took over and I turned to him with a grin and my eyes narrowed.

  He hesitantly looked at me.

  “I know.” I silently mouthed at him. His face was expressionless. He turned to the front of the class in an attempt to ignore me, but I blazed my stare at him. He had to have felt it boring into him, I was shouting at him with my eyes. Slowly, he turned to me again. But that time, with his eyebrow slightly raised. Dean studied my face intently. My eyes stayed narrowed as I slightly nodded my head. He must have thought I was crazy. What now? I got his attention! I tore my gaze away from his hypnotic green eyes. Those deep green sea eyes always managed to pull me in.

  An epiphany came over me. Not an amazing one, but it was still a great idea. I would give him a note! I tore a square piece of notebook paper from my binder and placed a book on it. I looked up to see where the teacher was. She looked like she was reading as well. But her eyes didn’t meet her book; they were more towards her lap. It looked to me like she was texting. I hurriedly started jotting words down on the note…

  Meet me in the forest. Same time as yesterday. You know the spot.

  I crumpled it and quickly tossed it on his desk. It rolled and stopped against his hand though he made no movement. Then, he looked down at the paper and paused. His hand twitched a little and finally grabbed it. Everyone started zipping up their backpacks, loud whispers spread through the room as the end of class was approaching. Then the bell rang. I stared at him waiting for him to open it up and tell me if he was going to meet me there or not. But he was still. Frustrated, I threw my things together and walked to the door. Before I left the room, I turned to him. His head was down, reading my note and I could have sworn he was grinning.

  stared at the digital clock next to my bedroom door, expecting it to jump to six forty five, but it seemed that every time I glanced at it, time froze. The numbers didn’t change. It was playing with me, playing a sick…sick game. It knew that I was going crazy just waiting for the time to meet Dean and it wasn’t dark out yet, not even close.

  A picture of that arm passing inches in front of my face reeled through my mind. It had to be Dean’s.

  Wait a minute…why didn’t I smell him? He was carrying me, I should have smelled something. Then I remembered the shirt. I scurried to my closet and flung the door open. I stared up at the smoky shirt I found myself wearing the morning after the attack. I had folded it up without washing it and made a section for it on one of my shelves in my walk-in closet. I reached up and carefully picked it off of the shelf, like a precious souvenir I didn’t want to ruin. I didn’t need to put it up to my nose to be able to smell the amber that enveloped it. Immediately the warm tingling I got every time I smelled Dean hit me. I stumbled back dropping to the floor. As I sat there, I gripped onto the folded shirt, pressing it up against my nose so that I could savor the smell better.

  I shrieked out in excitement and threw myself on my back with the shirt still connected to my nose. It was him! It really was him! There was no denying it. He couldn’t deny it. I knew he was still a sweetheart. He literally took the shirt off his back to cover my exposed area. I sighed and took another glance at the clock, still an hour to go.

  After what seemed like hours of staring at the wall, I jumped up and looked out the window. The sun was setting! It was FINALLY time to go! “I got to go! Love you mom!” I called out.

  I grabbed Zeke’s leash and clipped it on his collar. My heart was rapidly bouncing inside of my chest. Dean’s handsome face was engraved in my mind. No time to stretch. I began to jog to the meeting spot. Before I knew it, I was running. Zeke ran beside me, making sure to stay at my pace when I yanked at his collar. The sky was pink but I could barely see the sun because of all the trees around me. Earlier it was blazing and humid, now the fresh, clean air brushed against my face and arms as I ran. I wished I would have worn shorts so that I could feel the air all over.

  From a distance, I could see Dean. He was here! He actually came! I was about to faint to the floor from pure excitement. He was sitting on the grassy grounds against the same tree Shane was leaning on before. His arms were resting on his knees with his head back against the trunk. I wasn’t sure, but it looked as if his eyes were closed. As I approached him, I slowed down to a creep, yet he didn’t move. I was somewhat glad. It gave me a chance to enjoy the tantalizing view he presented-a perfectly chiseled masterpiece. I felt my heart pounding against my ribs. In a way, he scared me. There was some kind of darkness that lurked in his aura, but I couldn’t help feeling lured to him.

  “What are you doing? Meditating?” I jabbered trying to break the silence.

  Dean said nothing. I tied Zeke against the tree and plopped in front of Dean. Strange. When his long dark lashes revealed his eyes, they were already focused on mine, as if he were already gazing at me through his closed lids. Chills ran throughout my body, warm rushes crashed and swirled inside my chest. His eyes looked softer than usual, but the darkness around them looked worse than ever. He couldn’t sleep, that had to be the only explanation I could put behind the dark circles.

  Dean’s expression was serious. “What did you drag me out here for?” his husky voice demanded.

  “Geeesh! Your stick must really be up there!” I barked back.

  Dean took a deep breath. “What did you want to talk to me about?” he rephrased with his eyes still on mine. He hardly blinked.

  “I know who you are.” I accused with a wide smile. I couldn’t help it. The experience was riveting!

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dean said bitterly.

  “You’re a hero, you know. That’s what I’ve been calling
you.” Glee escaped me. I felt like I was telling a famous person how big of a fan I was.

  “What are you talking about?” he defensively shot out. I’ve never seen a face so serious. I liked it.

  “That night in the forest, when Ayden tried to-”

  “Stop.” Dean interrupted. Fury masked his face.

  “The tattoos on your arm. What do they mean?” I asked while reaching out to touch them.

  “That’s none of your business.” Dean retorted, drawing his arm away from my reach.

  “Was it you that night? I know it was you.” I accused.

  “Enough with the questions.” Dean demanded.

  “Then why did you come? What did you think I wanted to meet up for? I know it was you that night. You can’t deny it. Why would you deny such a noble thing? What the heck is your problem?” I blurted out hoping I wouldn’t scare him off.

  “Any more questions I could deny to answer? Or are you just going to keep wasting my time and throwing them at me?” Dean icily responded.

  I stared at him, aggravated. I couldn’t believe he didn’t want to admit it. Nothing was going how I had planned.

  “You’re really not going to tell me, are you?” I came to realize.

  Dean jumped to his feet and stared down to me, the movement made my heart skip a beat. Any movement from him was beginning to affect me in the strangest ways. He began to walk away without saying a word.

  I jumped to my feet. “Let me guess...going off to suck some blood?” I boldly accused.

  Dean froze.

  I froze.