Bitten – Episode 9

 

Chapter 9

 

Joel? Joel? Where are you?” I called, meandering mindlessly through the labyrinth of hallways in the Rutherford manor. “This isn’t funny anymore!”

 

The only sounds that could be heard were my own footfalls as I continued to

 

search for the vampire who was supposed to be showing me around the place. Ten

 

minutes prior he’d up and disappeared while leading me to the pool was. While I’d

 

been in shock about finding out they owned an indoor pool, he’d somehow slipped

 

away from me. A scowl crossed my face. He was probably watching me

 

inconspicuouslyand laughing.

 

“Joel!”

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No answer.

 

Sighing in frustration, I twisted to the right, marching down the next hallway. My eyes grew wide when I realized somehow I’d managed to make it to the hallway where my room was located. I made a beeline for it. Even though Sebastian didn’t want me in my room all day, it was better than making my feet sore by wandering around lost for hours on end. With a small sigh, I pushed open the door to my room. Maybe I could take a nap…

 

“Vivi! Vivi! How do I look?”

 

I froze, staring at the scene that met my eyes. A young man with shockingly white hair stood before me, wearing a lacy black bra and a white and black plaid shirt. A gasp left my lips when I realized they were mine. My mind raced. How in the world had he gotten a hold of things I left at home? The only clothing I had here were the-very dirty- ones on my back! Suddenly the white haired man’s eyes snapped to mine, an amused grin playing across his face.

 

“You must be Emily,” he started, holding out a hand and walking towards me. “I’m Samuel.” He stopped about a foot away, towering a good foot over me.

 

For a second I was unable to respond- partly because he was wearing my bra, and partly because his eyes were a shiny silver color. Just by that I could tell he was a vampire. When he realized I wasn’t going to shake his hand, he took the initiative and grabbed my hand from my side, shaking it roughly.

 

“I hope you don’t mind me trying on your clothing,” he said, still violently joggling my hand. “Sebastian told me to put your stuff in your room and I was merely curious as to what he meant and then I found this fancy … Vivi told me I should try it on-”

 

“I did not.”

 

My gaze shot past Samuel to where Vincent was, leaning against the wall casually with his arms crossed. “What are you doing in my room?” I demanded. “Dropping off some your things,” he responded simply. “You do want them, don’t you? I’m sure if you don’t, Samuel does.”

 

I flushed as Samuel cupped his chest with a wink. “I think it suits me.” “Take it off!” I cried, not sure how more embarrassing the situation could be. “How’d you even get that?”

 

“Sebastian brought it here,” Samuel responded, a frown slipping onto his face. “Do I really have to take it off?”

 

I nodded my head vigorously. “He only brought a bra and shirt?”

 

“No, stupid. He brought what you supposedly took on vacation with you,” Vincent interjected, gesturing towards my bed where my traveling case was, lying open. After throwing an annoyed look at Vincent, I headed for the bed. Samuel appeared beside me dropping my bra and shirt back into it. I peered into the bag, feeling relieved at the sight of my clothing. Now I wouldn’t have to walk around in dirty clothes anymore. Along with my clothes were my toothbrush (how did he know that one was mine?), my hairbrush, my laptop, my iPod, a few books, and my only other pair of shoes. All the things I would take to my aunt’s if I went. Sebastian did a good job.

 

.

 

.

 

“Samuel, put on a shirt.”

 

“I would, Vivi, but I don’t know where it is…”

 

Vincent sighed. “You’re a moron.”

 

I gave Samuel a pitying look. It was kind of nice to know Vincent didn’t only make fun of me. My gaze then dropped to his bare chest. Immediately I looked away. I guess vampires being well defined isn’t a myth…

 

“It’s under the bed,” Vincent continued, unfolding his arms. “Put it on and let’s go.” “Where are you going?” I asked curiously. “None of your business.”

 

I scowled at him. Samuel spoke up. “We’re going to put the cars in the garage,” he informed me. “It’s going to rain.” His head turned towards the large window in my room. I followed, noticing the dark grey sky. It was only four in the afternoon.

 

“Although I can’t see why the menservants can’t do it…” Samuel continued as an after thought. “I don’t want to waste my time.”

 

“They don’t know how to drive,” Vincent responded in a belittling tone. I stared at him. “Wait, you do have maids?” “And menservants,” Samuel added.

 

“You told me you didn’t!”

 

Vincent rolled his eyes. “No, I never said we didn’t. My mom just doesn’t let us get away with having them do everything for us. During the morning we have to clean up after ourselves. After that the maids will do everything.” “I haven’t seen a maid.”

 

“You haven’t left you room much.”

 

“Surely I would have seen-”

 

Vincent cut me off. “Let’s go, Samuel. I don’t want to be caught in the rain.”

 

Samuel nodded, following him to the door. After a moment of staring after them I

 

hastened after them. “Wait!”

 

“What?”

 

“Can I come?”

 

Samuel raised an eyebrow while Vincent shook his head. “I’m planning on going to the store,” he told me. “You’re not allowed to leave the premises.”

 

“Why not?” I complained. “I’m bored. Joel ditched me and I don’t know where he is. I won’t try to run away!”

 

Samuel offered me a smile. “It wouldn’t be good in Vivi got in trouble with his parents…”

 

 

“Don’t call me that,” Vincent hissed, punching his friend in the shoulder. “And I don’t care if I get in trouble with my parents.”

 

“You know you’d never take Emily out without their permission,” Samuel replied,

 

smirking. “You’d be too scared.”

 

Vincent glared at him. “No I wouldn’t.”

 

“Well the opportunity has arose…”

 

I stared at Vincent determinedly as he contemplated the idea, a scowl appearing on

 

his face. After a few more minutes a smug expression appeared. “Okay, fine, Emily

 

you can come,” he announced.

 

“Really?”

 

“Do you want me to change my mind?”

 

I quickly shook my head. “No!”

 

“Then get on a coat,” he ordered. “It’s cold.”

 

“Okay!” I responded cheerfully, turning towards my bag. Vincent could be surprisingly considerate sometimes. After a few moments of pawing through my clothes I found my peacoat, snatching it up, and throwing it on. “Ready.” .

 

.

 

Samuel pressed his lips together. “You sure you want to come, greasy hair?” My gaze dropped to my hair and I almost gagged when I noticed how clumped together and greasy it was. It was to be expected though because I hadn’t showered in about three days. “Actually… Can I take a shower?” Vincent gave me an impatient look. “Are you kidding?”

 

“Come on Vince, she’s a girl. Let her do her thing. We can move our cars and Fiona’s too while we wait,” Samuel suggested, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

 

Vincent immediately shoved him off. “Put a shirt on before you do that. And stop gawking and get in the shower, stupid.”

 

My lip twitched in annoyance and I bit back my response. “Fine,” I muttered,

 

twisting on my heel and heading towards the bathroom attached to my room.

 

“Don’t leave without me!”

 

“We’ll see.”

 

I slammed the bathroom door behind me, not bothering to respond with words. There was no way I was going to let them leave without me. I at least needed to go outside for a few moments. Being cooped up in a mansion was incredibly suffocating. Especially when you were with a bunch of vampires who could snap and kill you at any second.

 

 

I kept my shower short, speedily washing my hair and body. When I was done I stepped out and searched for a towel in the bathroom for a few moments, locating one in the closet by the door, and swiftly drying myself off. After I finished dressing I stepped out of the bathroom just in time to see Vincent returning. He took in my dripping hair with an annoyed expression.

 

“You do realize you’ll catch a cold if you go out with your hair like that, right?”

 

“Are you going to wait for it to dry?”

 

He snorted.

 

I rolled my eyes. “That’s what I thought. Let me just slip my shoes on and then we can go…”

 

“We’re going out the back way,” he informed me. “My mom is in the living room by the front door so it’s too risky to go that way. Now hurry up.”

 

For a second I rethought the idea of leaving with them. What if the queen did find

 

out? Would she be angry with me? Or with Vincent? Would it really matter if I left

 

if I came back? It wasn’t like I could go home; my parents thought I was all the

 

way across the country.

 

“Hey.”

 

“I’m coming,” I responded, snapping myself from the thoughts. “Sorry.”

 

Vincent turned and began walking down the hallway. I followed after him without hesitation. The halls were completely empty like always as we traversed through them. A frown set on my face again. If there really were maids and menservants, where were they? Hiding? I almost snorted at the thought.

 

“I’m putting the child lock on, so don’t try to jump out of the car,” Vincent warned me as he opened the door that led to the outside.

 

A burst of freezing air met my face and I shivered instantly. Even though I’d only been out of it for three days, it was still surprising hold could it was. I hadn’t missed that at all. The sky was still a dark grey- a telltale sign of rain. My stomach twisted uncomfortably. Rain I was okay with. Thunderstorms on the other hand… “Did you hear me stupid?”

 

I clenched my fist. “I’m not stupid. Yes, I heard you. I just chose not to respond.”

 

“You’re still stupid.”

 

“I wouldn’t jump out of a moving car,” I snapped at him.

 

“You’ve tried it before,” he responded smartly.

 

.

 

.

 

He had me there. I settled for giving him a disapproving look as he led me to the car. He went to the driver’s side, leaving me by myself. I stood still for a moment,

 

wondering what would happen if I decided to run. There wasn’t any way I could

 

make it very far, but the thought crossed my mind. Would Vincent chase after me?

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A sharp blare from the horn made me jump in surprise. Vincent gestured with his

 

hand for me to get in the car. Sighing, I opened the door and slipped in. Samuel

 

turned to grin at me. “You ready?”

 

“Yeah,” I responded.

 

As soon as the words left my mouth I was forced back into my seat as Vincent slammed on the gas pedal. Terror washed over me and I quickly fumbled for my seatbelt. The forest whizzed by as Vincent sped down the road. Samuel stayed calm, seemingly unaffected by Vincent’s velocity as he searched through the radio stations. I clutched the side of the door, forcing myself to keep my gaze on anything but the outside.

 

Vincent glanced at me through the rear-view mirror. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of

 

driving fast.”

 

“I’m not!”

 

“That’s not what you’re heart says.”

 

At first I thought he’d said some cheesy line until I realized that my heart was pounding furiously in my chest. I tried to calm it down, pressing my palm to it roughly. Samuel snickered from his seat.

 

“He may drive fast, but Vivi’s an excellent driver,” he apprised me. “Don’t worry.”

 

“Call me Vivi again and I will purposely crash the car.”

 

“But I won’t die.”

 

“It’s still hurt.”

 

I peered at Samuel curiously. “How do you know you won’t die, Samuel?”

 

He turned to me. “Vampires are pretty much indestructible. There are only a few

 

ways to kill us.”

 

“How?”

 

Vincent jammed his elbow into his friend’s side. Samuel winced, rubbing his side. “Man, why do you have to be so abusive?” “Why don’t you know how to shut up?”

 

“She asked a question.”

 

“A stupid one.”

 

I grit my teeth. “What? Is that the only word you know, Vivi?”

 

He shook his head. “Nope. I know plenty of insults that are close to that. Shall I list

 

few?” “No-”

 

 

“Fool, idiot, ass, blockhead, dunce, imbecile, cretin, dullard, halfwit, flake, dipshit.”

 

Samuel smiled wryly at him. “I think she gets it.”

 

“Yeah, I do,” I added, giving him the same look as Samuel. “You really have quite the vocabulary.”

 

He abruptly took a sharp left, causing me to slam my head into the window. I winced, pushing myself away. Samuel laughed at me from the front seat. “You’re funny,” he commented. “I like you.”

 

How was banging my head into the window funny? “Thanks… I think.”

 

“No problem,” he responded. “So how’s being kidnapped?”

 

“Terrifying at the time,” I responded slowly, confused at how relaxed he was about talking about kidnap. “Isn’t it illegal for vampires too?”

 

Samuel nodded. “Yep.”

 

I turned to Vincent. “Did you get in trouble for that?”

 

He stayed silent, ignoring me. Feeling a little put out, I turned back to Samuel. “So

 

are you part of the royal family?”

 

.

 

.

 

Samuel shook his head. “No way. Even though the blood of Vincent’s family runs through mostly everyone around here I’m one of those people that come from a different blood line,” he informed me. “From Canada.” “Really?”

 

“Really,” he told me. “I bet you never thought you’d meet a Canadian vampire.” I smiled at him. “I never thought I’d meet any kind of vampire. I have another question though. Do you dye your hair, or is that your natural color?”

 

A smirk crossed his face. “You know there is a way you can find that out yourself…”

 

Vincent swerved roughly again, this time causing Samuel to crash into the window. “Don’t be a pervert.”

 

Samuel grinned sheepishly. “It’s true though. And hey, I can’t help but to hit on cute ladies.”

 

“You only think she’s cute because she’s a human.”

 

“Maybe…”

 

I blinked at the two. “Did I miss something? What did you mean before, Samuel?” Samuel stared at me for a moment, his mouth slightly open. “Oh my… Vivi, you got yourself a keeper. She’s so cute! How innocent! If I could come back there and hug you I would.”

 

 

My gaze met Vincent’s in the mirror, and even he looked a little surprised. When he caught me staring he looked away, almost looking embarrassed. Now more confused than before, I leaned further up in my seat. “Samuel, what do you mean?” “I’ll show you later-”

 

“No you won’t,” Vincent snapped. “Drop it.”

 

I squared my shoulders. “No, I want to know.”

 

“She wants to know, Vince,” Samuel repeated in an amused voice. “It’s her choice.”

 

“No, Samuel,” Vincent said with an air of finality. Suddenly his eyes lit up in amusement. “Ask Sebastian.”

 

Samuel’s jaw dropped. “That’s not fair!”

 

“Why Sebastian?” I inquired.

 

Vincent continued smirking, not bothering to reply to my question. Samuel fell back into his seat, looking unhappy. Silence settled in the car and I shrugged, turning to look out the window. Vincent was still driving at a dangerous pace, but I was used to it know. The rain started and Vincent switched on his windshield wipers, interrupting the silence.

 

Fifteen minutes later, we were driving through a place I recognized all too much.

 

The downtown area about five minutes away from where my car had broken down

 

and the creepy old school house. My heart began to pound a little harder in my

 

chest when I saw the restaurant Leah and Alli would go to every Friday. Part of me

 

was tempted to open the door to the car and jump out. Maybe it as a good idea on

 

Vincent’s part to put the child’s lock on.

 

“Hey Vincent?”

 

“What?”

 

“What ever happened to my car? Didn’t someone find it?”

 

He shook his head. “No, after you passed out Joel brought it back to your house.”

 

“But it died…”

 

“No, it just stalled. And you put the wrong key into the ignition. Another reason you’re stupid.”

 

I blanked. Did I seriously put in the wrong key? Was that the whole reason? I’d been kidnapped because I was stupid enough to use the wrong key? I resisted the urge to slap myself. Vincent was right. I was stupid.

 

“Where are we going?” I asked, deciding to change the subject.

 

“Walmart.”

 

My eyes widened slightly. “You can go there?”

 

 

“Only you know we’re vampires,” Samuel informed me. “To humans, we’re humans.”

 

“But what about me?”

 

“You can wait in the car,” Vincent replied.

 

“I’m not a dog!”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

 

“I’m not waiting in the car! Let me come in!”

 

He shook his head. “What if someone you know sees you?”

 

“I’ll… I’ll be careful.”

 

“No can do.”

 

I grasped the back of his seat, bringing my head closer to his. “Please, Vincent? It’s… What day is it? Monday? No one I know would be at Walmart at this time.” He leaned forward in his seat away from me. “No means no.” “I said please!”

 

“I said no!”

 

Samuel gave Vincent a sly look. “You’re afraid you might see someone you know, too, Vivi?”

 

“No,” he growled.

 

“Sure. That’s why you don’t want Emily to go in. You might get caught. Shoulda known you were a chicken.”

 

Vincent slammed on the breaks, causing both Samuel and I to jolt forwards in our seats. I scowled, removing my face from the leather I’d smacked into. I had to remember when driving with Vincent, he liked to make you smash into things. “Fine,” he snapped, his gaze shifting to me. “But if you’re seen, it’s your fault.” I grinned. “Okay.”

 

A Walmart adventure with Vampires… That could be fun.

 

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