Slave of the Heart (Watty Awards 2013)

Chapter Four

"Daniel?" I asked as I stood up shakily. Still clutching my arm. When he turned around I gasped. The scarlet blood from Alex had splattered his skin, contrasted startlingly with his pale pallor. It stained his torn clothes and his eyes were wild, but despite his dishevelled, bloody appearance, he still managed to look like himself. His eyes were bright and alert, his cheekbones razor sharp, his physique tall and subtly muscular. His beauty simply couldn't be ignored, and it was the contrast between his heavenly face and the violent, hellish blood stains on his body that made him seem all the more forbidden. "God. Are you okay?" He nodded and walked up to me. He crouched down and winced in pain.

"Im fine but your not." I shook my head.

"Im fine Daniel. Im fine." He laughed deeply.

"No your not. Come on." He extended his pale hand to me and I took it. Anyone else would have called him a freak and ran away, but something screamed inside of me to take his hand. As we stood up I took a look at Alex who was lying crumpled on the floor.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Daniel stared at me with a disgusted look in his expression.

"Help him?" I nodded. "Why would we help him? He tried to kill you April. Hell he even tried to kill me." I was shocked at how angry he was. Why is he so angry that he nearly killed me. He hardly knows me.

"Im sorry I wasn't thinking straight." He kissed her on the head and took in a shaky sigh.

"No you weren't, now lets go, he isn't going to stay like that forever." I nodded and began to run with Daniel at my side. As we turned the corner and ran straight past the school, I stopped in my tracks. I yelped in pain as my arm was flung forward. "Woah April sorry but don't stop unexpectadly." I looked at him then back at the school.

"Ugh...I need to go back to school." He raised his eyebrows and folded his arms across his broad chest.

"You have to be shitting me right? Some bad ass vamp tried to kill you and now your like, I need to go back to school." My eyes widened. Va-va-vampire... I stepped back in horror, and he frowned. "What is it?" It hit him. "Ah shit yeah vampire...If you come with me I will explain everything." I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to do. "Look just please come with me. Alex isn't going to be down forever." I looked at him with a horrified expression. He groaned. "I didn't want to do this but you leave me no choice." He sped up to me so fast I felt dizzy and nearly fell over, but he caught me and held me close. He took in a shaky sigh and gazed deeply into my eyes. "I want you to forget what I said about Alex being a vampire. I want you to come with me and stay with me until I say so otherwise." He kissed my head and stepped back. I shook my head. Daniel looked at me and extended his hand. "Come on." I nodded and accepted his hand as we ran across the path. My heart pounded to the beat of my feet racing over the hard ground. Sweat beaded my forehead, causing my hair to cling to it as my throat ached for air, more air. The delicious rush of wind past my face thrilled me. My muscles stretched, pushed harder. I finally stopped when Daniel slowed down. "We're here." I looked at him panting heavily.

"Finally. Got any water?" He nodded as we walked through a gate and into the house. As I looked around I whistled slowly. Darkness coated the dilapidated house. Cobwebs hung from the windows and walls like sheets. It was like nobody has been here there for a millennium. There was something strange and creepy about the house. Not even somebody homeless would stay there. Little light fought it's way through the filthy, grime-covered windows. The house seemed hollow and empty despite the insects that roamed the place. A damp smell stung your nostrils when you entered the abandoned house and when you leaved you would want to wash your hands ceaselessly. When Daniel excused himself I stepped outside into the back garden. It was no better. I turned to face the house and It was slanted with bits of the house falling apart. You couldn't not see through the windows nor see out. The garden was a jungle of nettles and thorns. I just hoped I didn't get stabbed by one.

"April?" I jumped and turned around to see Daniel standing in the doorway. "What are you doing out here?" I looked behind me one last time and sighed.

"I was just looking around the place." He smiled and stepped closer to me, arms crossed over his chest.

"Not much is it." I looked at him and shook my head. He shrugged. "It's home..." I stared at him in shock.

"This is home to you?" He nodded and sat down on the step, clasping his hands together.

"Yeah it's home. May not be much, but ever since my parents died i have kind of being moving from place to place. I cant exactly stay in the same place for too long..." I frowned at him.

"Why not?" He looked at me with an expression I couldn't understand.

"It's complicated." I sighed and sat down next to him.

"How is it complicated?" He looked at me and laughed deeply.

"Just is." He looked up at the sky and sighed sadly. "Has anyone close to you died before?" He looked back down at me as tears formed in my dark brown eyes. I nodded.

"When I was just three years old my dad passed away...he was in the army to be honest so we kind of expected it might happen someday." Daniel looked at me sympatheticly but ushered for me to go on. "After a year or two my mum finally had the courage to move on...and in a few months I had a new step dad. His name was Larry and I didn't like him..." Daniel's arm wrapped around my waist and held me close. "He went out and got drunk. Came back and started beating my mum up...he said to me if I told anyone I would get a kick in..." Hot tears rolled down my cheeks and I shook my head. "But then one day he took it too far...my mum fought back and...and..." I couldn't finish my sentance. So Daniel finished it for me.

"And he killed her..." I nodded and flung my whole body weight into him. "Shhh. It's ok." I shook my head in his embrace.

"It's not okay. I dont have anyone I can turn to. My only family I have is Anna...we have been best friends for as long as I can remember. She's all I have." I looked up at him and he shook his head.

"You have me now. You have me..." He whispered into my ear and something in my little head said that I did have him. That I could trust him. But I don't know him... I glanced at him and gasped. Or do I know him. I dont know he just looks oddly familiar. But as he said. He has one of those faces. Daniel flinched at my side when someone coughed behind us.

"Well well...Darcia told me you were back." He whistled. "And you brought a friend. Lovely." Daniel stood up clutching my hand in his. He turned around and grinned.

"Gregor." He extended his pale hand and shook it with gregor. "Long time no see mate." Gregor raised his eyebrows.

"Who's she?" I blushed as Gregor looked at me deeply, with passion. Daniel must have saw the way he looked at me because he pushed me behind him and said something in a language I couldn't understand. When I peeked round I saw that Gregor was terrified. What has he said to him... Gregor coughed and shook his head. "Anyway he wants to see her." Daniel groaned.

"Fine." Gregor smiled and walked back in. As Daniel led me inside I whispered to him.

"Who want's to see me?" He didn't reply. He just led me down a staircase. "Daniel?" I stopped as we reached the bottom of the stairs and was just about to enter another room. He looked at me with horror flooding in his expression. "Who want's to see me?" He gulped.

"Lord Darcia..." He then opened the door and I gasped. Who are all these people...