Impossible Dreams

CH.17

KARINA’S P.O.V

Arabella stopped at a camping store a few hours after we left the castle so that we could all stretch our legs and so that we could buy the tents and stuff for the trip.

“Karina there’s one thing I don’t get” Jessie said. “You’re the princess so why are we sleeping in tents shouldn’t you have some luxurious RV or something like that to stay in?”

“Well I usually don’t go for the luxury stuff like my parents do” I explained as we entered the store. “Besides we don’t know what kind of terrain we’re going to be crossing so an RV wouldn’t make sense. Also do you realize what you just called me?” I added.

“What?” he asked startled. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No you didn’t but you just called me by my name and not princess” I said smiling at him.  “I think you finally might be getting used to the idea that nobody is going to hit you for talking.” He looked embarrassed so I added for his benefit “Don’t worry I had the same problem with Riley when I first got him too so you’re not the only one.”

“Hey in my defense I did have to meet your mother like 20 minutes after I got to the castle” Riley said. “And that woman is nuts in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“Trust me I noticed” I said. We had reached the tent section of the store by then and we were looking at some nice durable three room tents that way we would have one for me and Arabella, one for Riley and Jessie and one for the supplies we would have with us like lanterns etc.  We weren’t the only ones in the store though and I noticed a guy standing farther down the aisle we were on staring intently at us.

“Hey guys don’t look now but I think I’ve been recognized by one of our fellow shoppers” I said. Riley and Jessie moved to the side the other guy was on to block me from view and that’s when I noticed that his eyes followed Jessie’s every move. I didn’t say anything though because I just figured he had a problem with the vampires getting in the way.

“Let’s get this one and get out of here” Arabella said grabbing the bag that contained the tent we had chosen. “I don’t like the way that guy is looking at you.” With that we headed to the register where I was immediately recognized and offered every possible thing you could need for a camping trip you could imagine. I turned down the offer of an expensive RV and led the vampires back out to our car where we loaded our stuff. The strange man from the tent aisle was right behind us and was parked only two cars down. He got straight into his car but didn’t leave which raised my suspicions immediately.

“Arabella if that car follows us out of here I want you to get us to the mountains and pull over.” I said pointing. “And if he gets out restrain him so we can have a little chat”

“When you say chat is that code for I get to beat him up if he comes after us” Riley interrupted.

“It depends on what he says when I ask him what his problem is and who he is when I get that hood off of him.” I said. “With that jacket on I could only see his eyes under the hood the rest of his face was hidden in the shadow of it.” I added. “But yes it very well may mean that you and Jessie get to beat him up while me and Arabella figure out what tree to tie him to” I laughed at the thought of leaving the creepy stranger tied to a tree and stranded.

“Cool sounds like this trip might be fun after all” Jessie said as we all got into the car. We pulled out and as soon as we got going on the road again I checked behind us and sure enough the strange car was following us. “Arabella looks like we’re going to have to tie someone to a tree” I said.
“So he’s following us then” she asked checking behind us. “I’ll get us safely into the mountains before I stop that way no one will see us and think he’s getting mugged and try to stop us” she added. We sped along at about 80 miles an hour and I could tell she was in a hurry to get this guy out of the way. “ we should be there in about five minutes” she said and she was right because five minutes later we pulled over with rock walls on either side of the road where it cut through a mountain on the way to the campsite. The car stopped behind us as I thought it would and its mysterious driver got out.