Love me (Love Me, #1)

Chapter 16

I was sitting between Joshua and James on an extra cushy brown leather sofa. Of course Joshua sat the furthest from me because of his fear of hurting me by accidental skin contact. Then there was James who didn't know the meaning of 'space'. It was infuriating with his arm draped over my shoulders and knee touching my own. I was steaming with annoyance to put it lightly. Furthermore, I didn't want to cause a scene in front of my parents, so I just endured it. 

Speaking of my parents, they were sitting in front of me and my mother would not drop that rather large smile off her face. My father just stared at me like he couldn't believe I was alive. A small wooden table sat between us with a fresh tray of lemon squares that my mother had brought out for us. 

Joshua had decided that it would be best if we all sat down and filled my parents in on everything. I was sitting through a conversation between Joshua, James and my parents listening thoroughly as they spoke of me as if I wasn't in the room. Parts of the conversation would bring my attention back to reality at times as I sat there tuning the same story that revolves around me out purposely. 

"-it also seems if I touch Roselyn it inflicts such excruciating pain across her body..."Joshua wavered as he continued to fill my parents in.

"-and we need to find Meredith because somehow she caused this mess." Joshua finally finished.

Once silence dropped between everyone, I looked up from my twisted hands in my lap to my parents. My mother's mouth had creased into a gaping turned down frown as my father grabbed my mother's hand with furrowed eyebrows and a glint of sadness in his eyes. 

I hated this.

 I hated everyone being hurt or looking at me as if I'm a broken toy. I hated being confused and not knowing what I used to know. I hated the pain I get when Joshua touched me. I hated this curse and I hated being angry! Most of all, I hated not knowing who I was and being what I'm told I was before.

I wanted all this to end and everything to go back to normal-when it was less complicated. I even wanted that stupid mortal life back where I had no friends except for that annoying red headed, Amy.  Where I didn't run into James or Joshua and didn't know the existence of this different world of Vampires and witches. 

I was boiling with anger and I didn't understand where this was all coming from. 

James squeezed my shoulder lightly with his arm still draped over me, bringing by into reality. 

"Rose, what's wrong?" James whispered into my ear.

The heat of his breath bounced off my ear as I tried to gather myself- I looked over at him. James had his head tilted to the side with a worry filled glint in his eyes. 

I swallowed back my anger, "I'm fine." 

Lie.

He scoffed, "It seems you're heart rate claims otherwise."

'Damn vampires.' I thought.

I looked down at my lap and wriggled my hands together anxiously. I looked up once again and watched as everything around me seemed to move in slow motion. I dragged my gaze over my surroundings of where I sat. To my left was the front door and to my right a swinging door that led to the kitchen. In front of me a long dark hallway led to what I assumed the bedrooms. The house was decorated very old fashion with white striped peeling wallpaper across the room and chipping white boarding's. A single repeated chime captured my attention. It was delicate, soft and alluring. 

I had unconsciously stood up from the couch. This sound was ringing in my ears and I felt this need to get as close as I could to it. I began to walk forward, making my way towards the dark hallway. I could hear the echoes of Joshua and James's faraway voices calling me, but I simply ignored them. Everything passed by me in a blurry way and it seemed I was the only one not captured in this blurry slow motion mess that surrounded me. Down the hallway the sound had begun to increase in volume. My skin began to prickle the closer I got to the source of this unseen sound. I walked up to a tall white door and turned the doorknob easily as I was welcomed into a large bedroom. My flats sunk into the soft carpet as I walked towards a dresser. The dresser was long and brown and as I looked at it and listened closely- I heard the alluring sound loud and clear.