My heart wrenched with sympathy, making it hard to breathe, and I struggled with the feeling. I’d seen many Unfortunates break under the realization that their lives had changed forever and I’d never batted an eye. But now, I was witnessing compassion within myself and, God, pure desire to wrap my arms around this girl. I felt like I was dying inside right along with her, her sadness like a storm cloud blocking out the sun.
I edged closer to her delicate body, crumpled up like a wet blanket, her head down, her hair covering her face like sheer curtains.
I couldn’t help it. Ruby Carter, my vampire Faith, had done something to me I never thought possible. She’d made me feel again.
NINETEEN: RUBY
Grief ripped a hole through my chest upon seeing my father’s face from the window of his car. Guilt shattered my insides. There I stood, looking into my dad’s eyes wondering how I could ever make it up to him, the way I’d treated him. The dad I’d been so unkind to. The father I’d cursed for not being my blood, when all he’d done was raise me the best he could. There I stood, empty-hearted, on the street I’d grown up on. My old house. I would never live there again.
Heartache and homesickness crashed down on me like a ton of bricks, my breath catching in my chest when our eyes locked. I saw his mind working at the sight of me. I knew I looked like a completely different person with my white hair and purple eyes, but even so, the look on my dad’s face was pained with recognition. He was confused. He knew I was dead. And I was, for all intents and purposes, dead.
But seeing me now probably cast doubts into his mind. Maybe he thought me a ghost or some figment of his imagination.
I wanted to run to him. I wanted to chase down the car, fling open the door, and throw myself at him. I wanted to tell him that he was my dad— the only dad I would ever have— and I loved him so dearly. I wanted my daddy to hold me in his arms as he’d done many a night when I was scared or sad. The realization of how much I missed him hit me like a semi, knocking me breathless.
My eyes welled with tears at the sight of him. He’d looked scared when he saw me. He looked terrified, sad, and hurt. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to hurt him.
Yes, I could grant my parents temporary relief and happiness they would never expect by showing up at their door. But that would only be the beginning of an epic disappointment when they found out the monster I’d become. I wasn’t their precious little girl anymore. Hell, I wasn’t even human. I was something completely different. And I could kill them in the blink of an eye.
Though it only took the span of a few seconds, the car seemed to drive by me in slow motion. My father’s green eyes locked on mine and the car screeched to a stop. Before my mind made the decision to do so, I disappeared into the darkness. I peered from afar, as my dad got out of the car and looked around.
Loss pounded painfully through me as I watched him sigh and shake his head. He’d seen me, but wasn’t exactly sure. He probably thought his mind was playing tricks on him. He reluctantly reentered the automobile and drove away.
I stayed crouched in the bushes for what must’ve been hours, stuck in a numb stupor. The grief over seeing my father was overwhelming. I contemplated my old life versus my new life. I contemplated my death, all the while listening to the loud hum of the crickets and the beating of my own heart.
Once I was sure the neighborhood slept, I stumbled awkwardly down the lane to my old home. Darkness descended, no lights visible except the moon’s blue glow blanketing the little house. The roof shingles glittered and the white shutters shone faintly. The lawn hadn’t been mowed and the weeds stood thick and overgrown.
I gazed at the tire swing hanging from the Mesquite tree in the front yard. I saw myself there as a little girl, kicking my legs and laughing happily. I saw my mom and dad sitting on the porch, drinking lemonade while I played with the neighbor kids on a summer morning. I saw the row of bricks encircling the tree trunk where I had tripped and broken my leg. I saw the grass lawn where I’d laid late at night with my mother and watched the lightning storms roll in. I saw my life all wrapped up like a package in brick and wood and memories long forgotten…
“Ruby girl,” my dad would say. “One day this house will be yours. And then your children’s. And then theirs.”
“Of course, daddy,” I’d reply. “I love this house. You couldn’t keep me out of it if you wanted to.”
I recalled his laugh, deep and familiar. It always brought a smile to my face.
But just like that, it was all gone. It would never be my home and I would never have a family of my own…
Overcome by emotion, I bolted across the street, over the back wall, and into the back door of the house, which was never locked. For fear of waking my parents, I only allowed myself enough time to swipe a picture from the wall, one that showed my parents, smiling and happy. I discarded the frame and kept the thin portrait tucked in my hands.
I darted back to the street, my anxious heart pumping loudly in my ears. I gazed down at the picture, at their faces, somehow knowing they’d forgiven me. I knew my mom forgave me for storming out, when all she wanted was to tell me the truth. And I knew my dad forgave me for looking at him with such disdain when I found he was not my biological father.
But what I wasn’t sure of is if they forgave me for dying in the first place. For permanently leaving them. I hoped they didn’t blame themselves for my death. I hoped that night wouldn’t plague them for the rest of their lives. The thought was more than I could handle. I gazed at the tire swing swaying in the front yard and knew what I had to do.
I made my way to the large tree, but stopped still, Guy’s warning flashing through my mind. He’d said after turning, Unfortunates were not to see their families ever again. I let the thought sink in, but after a moment, shook my head and sat on the circle of bricks beneath the tree anyway— the place I’d broken my leg years ago. Guy had said I couldn’t call or see my family. But he hadn’t said I couldn’t leave them a message.
I laid my parents’ picture in my lap and proceeded to gather pebbles from the ground. Once having enough to accomplish my plan, I began strategically placing the little rocks beside me in a distinct pattern. After finishing, I stood and admired my work. There on the bricks I’d spelled out the words ‘I’m okay,’ with a small ‘R’ for Ruby beside them.
I knew it wasn’t much and wouldn’t even begin to answer my parents’ questions— in retrospect, probably causing even more— but in the back of their minds, it might at least offer them a bit of comfort.
I retreated back to the sidewalk and gazed back down at the picture of Mom and Dad. I held it to my chest as though it were a balm to heal my aching wounds. I would never see my family again, but I would also never forget them. The picture in my hand would be a sweet reminder of what I was forced to leave behind.
I sniffed and gave the house one long gaze before I turned to go. But something caught my eye on the porch, a woven piece of fabric lying over the porch swing. It was my mother’s sweater. She must’ve left it there by accident. Even from this distance, I could smell her scent on it— lavender and vanilla. The way she always smelled when she’d kiss me goodnight. I couldn’t hold it back anymore.
I collapsed against the sidewalk in front of my house and let the tears of my mourning fall, uninhibited and relentless. Violent sobs wracked my chest and my quivering breath came out in a low, melancholy moan.
The touch of Guy’s hand on my shoulder didn’t surprise me. I’d sensed him there since I’d laid out the message. But in my current state of devastation, I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything, the pain over losing my family crushing my insides like a loathsome weight.
“It’s okay.” He knelt on the ground next to me. He scooped me up in his arms, cradling my head against his chest. “It’s time to let go.”
TWENTY: RUBY
Seeing my dad that way, confused and heartbroken, had been one of the hardest moments I’d ever experienced— except for dying in a
car crash and turning into a vampire, I suppose. But nonetheless, it killed me inside. It was as if someone had opened up my ribs like a birdcage, plucked out my heart, and squeezed it until it popped. My chest was left aching and empty.
This was it. This was the time to say goodbye to everything I knew. My dad. My mom. My home. My life. Guy had told me it would be this way, but the severity of the situation hadn’t hit me until that moment. It was like a freight train of realization slamming me over and over, each car painfully taking my breath away. To say that I was devastated would be a huge understatement.
It was gone. All gone. And what did I have to show for it? Nothing but a pair of fangs and a strange ability to speed through town like superwoman. Not my idea of a fair trade.
After letting me break down for what must’ve been hours, Guy hefted me into his arms and carried me away from my home. My old home. We went down the street, across a lawn, and into the parking lot of a local school. I was probably strong enough to walk myself, but I allowed him to help me. My mental state left me physically drained.
He sat me down on my feet and took my chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting my eyes up to meet his. “You all right?”
I let out a shaky breath, but nodded. At that moment, I wasn’t all right. But knowing I’d left my parents a message, somehow made me feel better. I knew, one day, I would eventually be okay and they would too.
Guy glanced at the picture in my hands and I wondered if he knew what I’d done. But if he did, he said nothing of it. He pulled his pack from a motorcycle in the lot.
“We haven’t much time. I need to get you to someone that can help. And we need to be quick about it.”
“Is that yours?” I pointed at the Harley, swiping away my tears.
“No. And neither is this one.” He walked over to the large blue truck next to it and pulled a couple of tools from his pack.
He clinked through the tools and realization hit me. “You’re stealing a truck?” My voice took on the high pitch of a squealing young child.
With crowbar in hand, Guy jammed it in the crevice between the truck and window. He stopped, glancing at me. “It’s more like borrowing.”
I snorted —something I tended to do when overtaken by intense emotion. Not only was I dejected by leaving my home for what I suspected the last time ever, but now I was about to join Guy in stealing a vehicle. My life didn’t make any more sense than using a sterile needle for a lethal injection. I studied him as he worked.
“Ha. So we are going to return it when we’re done?”
He rolled his eyes and stopped again. “Yes.”
The passenger’s side door of the truck popped open. Guy made a grand gesture for me to sit, bowing down as if we were at some formal ball or something. I snorted again, but hopped in despite my doubts. The truck smelled like it had been freshly washed, the pungent scent of a dangling tree-shaped air freshener filling my nose. The leather of the seat stuck to the backs of my knees and I shifted uncomfortably. Guy jumped in the driver’s side and fiddled with something up under the dash and slid me a sideways glance.
“I know how hard this must be for you. But it’s for the best. I promise.”
I tucked my family picture under my folded hands. Of course, it was hard. It was the most horrible thing ever. I’d lost my family and Guy was all I had now. Even though I trusted him, I still wasn’t sure that I should. I mean, he’d said he’d been doing this a long time and knew a lot about vampires, but he was my supposed enemy. Should I be letting him take me away? Should I simply abandon my family? The clinking of Guy’s tools overtook my questions and I stopped and watched him work.
“Who’s this person you’re taking me to?” I was sick of Guy’s discreet manner and just wanted the facts. If I was being forced to leave my family, I at least deserved to know what I was in for.
“His name’s Wilson.” Guy tweaked his head low and to the side. “And he probably won’t be very happy to see me.”
The truck’s engine sputtered for a moment and then revved when Guy stepped on the gas pedal. He sat up and shot me a glowing smile, proud of his accomplishment. Despite my heartache, I laughed at his boyish behavior.
“And I assume the vampire killers teach you how to hotwire cars in their basic training program?”
“Yes.” He glanced at me, amused by my question. “I can get myself out of almost any situation.”
“Except for being drained by a vampire?” I smirked at him, rubbing away the moisture from my eyes.
For a moment he looked offended, like I’d cut his ego down a notch or two. But then that same slate-grey stare took me in, confident and un-trying. “That was an unusual circumstance.”
“Right.” I giggled. I was still astounded I’d actually saved his life a couple of nights before. Me, an eighteen-year-old girl, had saved the life of a buff military captain. Things could not get any stranger had I sprouted wings and flew into the sky.
Guy jammed the stick shift into first gear and sped us off into the night, traveling north-west on highway 80. I stared out the back window for a long time watching the little lights of my town disappear in the distance. I tried to ignore the dull ache in my gut at leaving my home, my family. I brushed away the pain and sighed, turning forward in my seat.
“Where does this Wilson live anyway?” I messed with my hair, hitching myself up to look in the rearview mirror. The breeze from the cracked window billowed my new, thick mane.
Guy shot me a sideways glance. “About an hour away, near Tucson. He’s out of city limits, though. A reclusive place.”
Curiosity got the best of me and I sat back down. “Why won’t he be happy to see you?”
“We had an agreement. And I’m about to break it.”
We whipped down the desert freeway and I wondered what he meant. But I kept it to myself, figuring I’d find out soon enough.
Before long, we pulled onto a long, bumpy dirt road, my teeth chattering together from the jolts. We must’ve driven past at least thirty acres of barren land up the long drive before arriving at our destination.
It was a normal enough house, like the ones I was used to seeing in the desert— ranch style with long, flat roofs, white-washed brick and red archways hugging the windows and doors. But this one was unkempt and crumbling, like there hadn’t been any upkeep on it for at least fifty years. We cruised up and around a circular dirt drive that boasted an out-of-order fountain in the center— a sad-looking angel, distorted by years of hot, harsh weather. We pulled up to the front door which had a rose-pink patina, hidden behind a wrought-iron security door.
Guy glanced my way. “Let me do the talking.”
I tried not to roll my eyes at his insistence.
He jumped out and opened my door for me, guiding me out with a soft touch that sent shivers down my spine. A line of fire traveled from his fingers to a place deep in my belly and I exhaled, trying to ignore the effect he had on me.
I turned to the door surprised at the appearance of the man who peered out at us though the wrought iron. He flashed Guy a most displeased look before opening the security door.
The man, or vampire rather —which I could detect from that unmistakable scent of banana pudding— was of average stature, if not a bit lanky. He had average features and average brown hair. He looked to be in his late twenties. His dark eyes glistened as they would in youth but he was a lot older than his appearance let on, his wisdom palpable and thick. His clothes reminded me of those my grandfather used to wear— brown knit pants, a pink button-up short-sleeved shirt, and a bolo tie holding the collar together, its two braided chords hanging down from a silver broach. His attire was an odd match to his youthful look, and he studied us suspiciously. I assumed him to be Wilson.
“What the hell are you doing here?” His face turned down in a scowl. “We had an agreement.”
“I know.” Guy stuffed his hands in his pockets. “But we need your help.”
Wilson turned his attention to me, giving
me a long sweeping gaze. “You have a Newborn, I see.” Guy nodded in agreement and the vampire sighed. “Anyone follow you?”
Guy shook his head.
“Tracking devices?”
“Smashed.”
Wilson’s head scanned back and forth across the cactus-filled property as if someone might be watching us, but there was nothing for miles. He seemed appeased and nodded. “Come in. Quickly now.” I followed Guy into the house.
Behind us, the strange man shut the door and latched at least ten bolts and locks, like he was securing Fort Knox or something. I took a step forward, but my feet crunched beneath me. I looked down to see old Spanish tile cracking beneath my feet. I could tell it had once been beautiful, with yellow and brown painted designs, running one into the next, creating a scroll-like pattern across the floor. Low, wood-beamed ceilings hung over us, the thick planks rotting with age.
We sat down on a vintage sofa across from a rounded brick fireplace, the flames giving off the only light in the dark room. Wilson sat across from us in a dark leather recliner and leaned back, studying us both. He cleared his throat, focusing on Guy. “I imagine you are in some trouble, having a live vampire in your company.”
Clearly afflicted, Guy raked a hand through his hair, the glow of the fire highlighting the hard planes of his face.
“She wasn’t yet a vampire when I found her.”
“Where is her maker?” Wilson asked but Guy just shrugged.
“Hmmm.” Wilson considered me before standing. “My stock of human blood hasn’t been replenished in a while. Would goat’s blood do alright?”
Relief gushed through me that I would not have to drink human blood. “Yes, thank you.”
He turned to Guy. “Water?”
Guy adjusted himself on the worn damask sofa. “Sure.”
Once we had our ‘refreshments,’ Wilson sat again and leaned toward Guy. “Am I correct in assuming you two had something to do with the blood bank robbery?”
Unfortunate Souls (Book 1): Unfortunate Souls Series (The Unfortunate Souls Series) Page 12
