Shadows

Exploration

  She smirked as she looked around the room, a smirk that I was most familiar with… it was the same smirk my sister gave me when she knew that she was out of trouble once more with our parents, it was the smirk that lay on Serena’s face when she was about to ‘punish’ me, it was also the same smirk I saw on Dante’s face before he was about to bite me… it was all too sickening. My eyes widened once I realised what she was doing… the girl was stripping! Feeling my cheeks flush scarlet I stared away at her, clawing at the wood of the door in hopes of shutting it… Jesus why did I get into these stupid dilemmas! Not a moment later did I hear her giggle matched with that of a grunt… bollocks… there was not a chance in hell of getting out of this mess!

“Candice what the fuck are you doing here!”

“Waiting for you of course” she giggled and I assumed that was meant to be perceived as seductive?

“I thought I told you it was over” he grunted “I don’t have time for your petty games… anymore” it didn’t take a genius to know he was struggling not to look at her, naked.

“You may have, but I know what I want and I know how to get it”  he didn’t say anything for a while, probably thinking on what he needed to do in that situation… well I thought that until I began to hear moaning. I tried to shuffle around in the wardrobe when I felt my leg begin to fall asleep, but luck was not on my side as I lost my balance and would you have it… I feel out, landing smack on my head. Behind me I heard a shriek of outrage and a grunt that come undoubtedly from Dante, feeling my cheeks gush I quickly got up without looking at them and darted out of the room… I had better get out of there before he got his clothes back on!

  Breaking out into a run, I ran through the vast corridors, down the stairs and out the door… who cares what Armand said? He would have done the same if he were in my position, I knew I should have stopped as soon as my feet hit outside, I only needed air… but my feet kept going, they didn’t want to stop, they didn’t want to turn back. I darted through the vast and dead grounds, not once looking back for fear he was chasing me or that I would slow down and come to a halt, in the distance I could see large, iron gates. If I could get past those then I should be free, a smile began to form upon my lips, but once more as soon as it appeared it was snatched from me as I felt an iron grip clasp around the collar of my clothing pulling it backwards, not choking me but enough so that I would stumble and fall. Looking up I was greeted with familiar dark jade eyes that portrayed his anger almost as well as his actual expression.

“Why the hell was you in my room!?” he scorned

“I didn’t know it was your bloody room! I just decided to explore ok?” his expression did not lighten in the slightest

“And the falling out of the cupboard? That was all innocent I suppose?”

“I was hiding!” he raised a brow and I noticed his bottom lip had begun to quiver, yet as I tried to sit up I felt a firm hand put pressure on my chest which made me wince out in pain “Get off me!” but once more I was ignored, nothing remotely unusual there

“Not until you tell me why you were hiding”

“uhh hello… earth to knucklehead! I’m a human in a house inhabited by vampires, that isn’t exactly called safe. And you heard you’re father the other day” finally I felt his hand leave my chest, I gasped and cringed as pain made its way back to my ribs.

“I see” he muttered, I sat up; dusted myself off and marched off, I wanted to be as far away from him as possible… I didn’t fancy getting bitten again in the heat of an argument “Wait” I turned to face him

“What?”

“Stay out of my room” the ever so familiar smirk had appeared on his face as he watched me roll my eyes and grunt

“Is that all?” I asked cynically

“No” he stated and I sighed, in a blink of an eye he was face to face with me, his nose brushing my forehead… I just stood there, startled. I don’t know how long we were standing there but it felt like an age, his cold breath sending a multitude of shivers and bumps down my skin., I can’t deny that he was hot… stood there with his shirt half undone, muscles flexing and shimmering with the sweat that caked them, knowing that he must be watching me staring I flushed which met with a darkened chuckle “Why don’t you fear me?”

“I-I’m not sure…” I stammered “I guess it’s because of my past” I looked up at him, his eyes shrouded with guilt and utter confusion, awaiting another explanation which I would not give… I would not allow him to pity me, not him… not anyone. Clearing my throat I turned away from him and walked inside the house, stifling back tears that threated to fall I held my head up high and marched toward the kitchen.

  Once in the kitchen I noticed that Seth was sat in the corner once more, his gaze did not lift from his book as he greeted me

“Hi”

“Hi” I replied to him whilst grabbing a bottle of O.J from the fridge

“See you’ve noticed the freshly stocked fridge, it was done earlier whilst you were in your room… Anna thought it best” I nodded as I took a sip from the bottle

“Do you guys eat?” he glanced over the top of the book and I saw the smile that curled on his lips

“Of course, just not as much as you humans do” I shrugged and took a sip “You seem… off, what’s up? He placed a bookmark in his book before setting it down to stare at me

“Let’s just say I’ve come face to face with trouble” he frowned so I thought it best to elaborate “Candice I think her name is” Seth’s eyes closed and he let out a sigh~

“Ahh yes I know her all too well, she’s… difficult that one, but somehow she manages to keep Dante very amused” I snorted and chugged a mouthful of the juice down before setting it aside

“Well I just nearly saw them at it” he raised a brow “I was exploring the household and accidently wandered into his room, I heard her coming… ran in the cupboard… hid and kept quiet but as soon as I heard them… I fell out and ran” I looked at Seth’s face which at first masked shock before his lips curled inwards and he burst out laughing

“Oh my! I doubt that he was happy!”

“No he wasn’t, he very nearly attacked me outside” I grabbed the juice, drank some more and threw it back in the fridge “I don’t get why the hell is such an arsehole”

“Careful dear, he’s still my friend” I shifted awkwardly on the spot “But I have to agree, he is an arsehole… but he never used to be like that, I should know… I’ve been his friend since birth… it’s one of the reasons they took me in”

“What changed?”

“He met that venomous wench… she poisoned him” he scowled a few words under his breath before shaking his head and smiling at me “But don’t worry about him yeah?”

“I wish I didn’t have to” he stared at me for a while before giving me a nervous smile and returning to his book, taking that as a sign that the conversation was over I wandered back out of the room and made my way back upstairs, to my room… to my so called safe haven… where I should feel uneasy… but its where I felt most safe.