The Garden of What Once Was

CHAPTER SEVEN

The whole entire West wing, where human females resided, was dead silent. Not a single person was awake yet. But, once the clock hits 8 AM on the dot, the West Wing turns into a chaotic mess with girls scrambling to get showered and dressed. Ember had no reason to be getting up any earlier than 11 AM this Saturday. Unlike many of her female classmates, she never had plans for the weekend. Besides watching Netflix and taking care of the flower gardens, she didn't do much.

            "Hmmm, I want to eat you," Ember talked in her sleep, extending her arms outward toward the muffin in her dream.

Her hands rested on the waist of a person instead of a muffin. This unfamiliar sensation awoke her from her sleep. Slowly, one of her eyes opened, allowing her to see the shadowy figure standing by her bedside. Almost instantly, Ember shot upright, swinging blindly at the intruder.

            "DIE!!" Ember roared, determined to scare the shit out of whoever came into her dorm. "I won't go down without a fight!"

They caught Ember's wrists with their hand, pushing her back down on the bed so she couldn't try to punch them again. Their body hovered over Ember's own as they held her arms down with an inhumane amount of strength. Even though she was severely outmatched, she continued to thrash around.

           "I'm not an intruder, you idiot!" Reed yelled out, trying to get Ember to calm down.

Upon hearing his voice, she went still. It sounded very familiar. After staring intently at the shadowy figure before her, she could make out their face slightly.

           "Well, technically, you are an intruder since you came here uninvited," Ember pointed out.

           "Rule One: Don't talk back to a vampire," Reed instructed, still holding Ember down on her bed.

            Ember squinted at the darkness, finally realizing who it was. "Reed...?"

As the clouds moved away from the moon, a part of Reed's face became illuminated by the soft light. His eyes which had never failed to instill fear in Ember fascinated her to the point of complete and utter silence. There was a mixture of light and dark shades of purple around his iris. The colors appeared to be swirling around in his eyes. It was beautiful.

            "Rule Two: Refrain from attacking a vampire," He continued, interrupting Ember's daze, "We're much faster than you, and ninety-ninety percent of the time your punches won't land."

Every time Reed talked, the warmth of his breath flowed down onto Ember's cold skin, sending tingles through her body. She shifted, unsuccessfully attempting to free her wrists from Reed's hand

            "It's in your best interest to remember that second rule. Who knows what a vampire might do to a fragile, little human like you," His voice turned into a whisper as he drew closer to Ember, "They might just have to sink their fangs into you."

            He let go of her wrists, lifting himself up off her bed. "Quit closing your eyes. I'm not going to do anything to you." For once, Ember was thankful for the darkness. If it was daytime, Reed would have seen the redness blossoming across her cheeks. "Despite what many others, and apparently you, think I don't crave women as much as I crave blood," Reed told her.

Ember stared up at him, not wanting to get up. It was barely even 5 AM. The weekends were the only time Ember could sleep late. Her beauty sleep was as important to her as blood was for the survival of vampires. She wasn't going to let some vampire ruin it for her.

            "Do you mind? I'd like to go back to sleep," Ember yawned, pulling the sheets back over her shoulders.

            "As a matter of fact, I do mind."