Two Strangers #Book 1 *EDITING TWICE*

25. My Aching Need

But the moment I closed my eyes, an image I hadn't seen for a while appeared in my mind.

It was the day of the accident; my parents were there, stiff and lifeless and blood dripping from their faces, right next to their hollow eyes. My brother, laughing with me a few moments ago, was sitting beside me in the back seat, his neck hanging in an abnormal way, not meant to straighten up again.

It was such a terrifying memory and the fact I was aware now of their motives didn't change my pain for their loss.

It was hard to believe it had already been three months since that day.

My eyes shot open and I found myself gasping for air. It was an image haunting me ever since, carved in the deepest part of my consciousness. Like a burn mark that damages the skin, like a wound that left a gruesome scar. There was no way of healing it, but only hoping for the pain to finally subside.

What happened to them, though? After the accident, who took care of their bodies? And why didn't the police contact or search for me?

The only answer I could possibly think of would either include one or two vampires I knew of.

... Wait.

Suddenly, an idea popped in my head. I should find out for myself what happened there.

I should go tovthat fateful spot of the accident.

Everything was still so raw and fresh, I wasn't capable of forgetting the place the accident occured.

And if I at least satisfied my curiosity, I would be able to understand their motives better.

Or find out about them, about the things they kept from me.

So no, I shouldn't just go back to there.

I should go back to my hometown.

At the thought, I already felt a knot in my stomach. A place with memories of them. A place I grew up in and yet felt so distant to the current me.

Maybe, just maybe... I could find the truth I was seeking for.

Because I needed to know.

“What is that Claire head thinking now?”

Alarmed as I was, I snapped out of my thoughts and lifted my gaze. It was none other than West. Again.

“And here I thought you would actually use a door properly for once.”

Chuckling at my comment, West pushed back his familiar black hood, revealing his striking gray-ish hair. He looked in a better mood than he did in his previous visits and I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

“Too bad there won't be a next time. Maybe I would have surprised you.”

“A next time?”

“Well, you succeeded in your little mission, didn't you?” he replied, glancing at my left pocket where I kept the diamond, “So now, I have to keep my promise, too. Leave and never bother you again.”

I crossed my arms, feeling slightly more confident or at least confident enough to finally ask him straightforwardly.

“Sure but first, tell me how did you know my brother.”

West leaned against the wall, next to the mirror. His finger began tracing along the wooden frame and, while looking at it, he gave me the long-awaited answer with no refusal.

“Me and your brother were associates. We had started working on some experimental spells, hoping that one day we would be able to form our own, complete chants.”