Hey everyone! How are you liking it so far? Leave a comment if you think I should separate my chapters, I realized that they are a little longer than what Wattpad suggests.
Tomorrow was school, and I wasn't ready for it at all. I had no supplies, not even paper. As far as a backpack goes, what do they even look like? I didn't bring mine from the year before. So that was my mission for the day. Find last minute things to get ready for school.
My dad had a pen lying on the coffee table in the living room on a newspaper, as if he had time to read it anyway, so I took it. There was some lined and blank white paper in the little cubby under the coffee table, but I still felt incomplete holding the stuff. I'd look funny walking into the school with nothing but a pen and some sheets of paper, with the map and my schedule. According to this schedule though, my first class was Math.
I managed to find the Georgian Mall, and it just so happened that Kyle was there. Part of me thought maybe he was stalking me, or someone was putting him up to it. After last night, I couldn't be sure. There was something freaky going on and I had a feeling that I was going to find out what it was very soon.
"Hey," Kyle said as I made to quickly pass him, and I stopped.
"Hi Kyle," I said, one hand in my pocket. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Two days in a row too," he said with a little laugh. "What are you up to?"
"School shopping," I said and held up the over-one-shoulder school bag I bought. It was a royal blue with black embroidery. "They didn't have it in red, so they said I could buy it and come back in a week and they should have red ones in stock. They only had two."
"Oh, well it's nice," Kyle said and I nodded.
"I don't like it much."
"Have something against blue?"
"No, just not my favorite. Red and black are more powerful together than blue and black. This looks calmer, I want angry."
"Is that because you're angry?"
"Always have been," I answered and decided that it was probably true. As long as I could remember, I had been an angry child for no reason whatsoever. After my parents split it got worse, my mother even told me to quit or she would send me to a shrink. Maybe she should have sent me to one.
I just felt so angry at even existing, but I didn't know why. Wasn't like I had a hard life.
"Maybe you should be a little more passive. Aggressive tends to get people hurt around here," Kyle said and I stared at him. He didn't seem to notice that I was looking at him differently now. His words sounded threatening rather than a gesture of warning.
"Look, I have to go and finish my shopping. I'll see you around," I said and walked away from him without waiting for him to say anything. I was getting closer to figuring something out, but I didn't know what it was that my mind was trying to tell me.
I pulled out my timetable for school and sighed. My prep period was at the end of the day, an absolutely useless time to have it. Maybe I could switch my physics into a spare and fill in my last period with something else. Maybe another gym class.
So I shopped for each class individually, for the entire year. When I came out of the plaza, I had my bag and two other bags full of supplies. Mostly paper, writing utensils, and a binder for each class. I didn't think it would all fit in my bag.
"Rebecca!" Kyle called, and I looked over to him and the car I recognized as Jenna's but she was nowhere in sight. How many people were in cahoots with Claude and Duke? I smiled in his direction and kept walking. It was around noon I guessed, and I was going to take the bus home whether Kyle liked it or not. I'd brought my phone, but I couldn't check the time because of all the stuff I was carrying. I heard a car door close and an engine start. Soon enough Kyle crept up beside me. "Hey, get in the car."
"Are you insane?" I asked and shook my head. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Come on! Why not?"
"Well first, you're in Jenna's car," I said, and he huffed, smiled and hit his head against the back of his seat, staring ahead of him.
"Is that what this is all about? Come on Rebecca, Jenna's nice."
"Apparently so is Claude. Apparently so are you. Doesn't change a thing."
"Just get in the car, I'll take you straight home." Everything in my body screamed no, and I obeyed. I kept walking, and Kyle kept following me. I barely glanced in the car, but when I got to the bus top, my arms were beyond aching. I made myself stand there in agony. Kyle was waiting on the other side of the road and I wondered how many of my things would survive if I were to throw them at the car.
"You can stop this any time," I called across to him and rolled my eyes as he pulled past me into the parking lot to wait. "I'm not getting in your damn car! Go away!"
"Nope, because I know soon enough you will have to stop and rest your arms because they probably already hurt. Then I can steal your things and bring them to your house, and I will sit there and wait for you."
"Nice speech," I growled and sat the bags down. "Touch them and you will die," I hissed as he got out of the car.
"Angry much?" he asked and kept coming closer. I picked up the bags and began walking away from the stop. The bus wasn't coming anyway. I smiled as he huffed and got back in his car. I'd tire him out first. I made it to the next stop absolutely exhausted and refused to let him take my things.
"Go back to Jenna," I said but before the bus even turned the corner he was out of the car and walking toward me. "Leave me alone, Kyle." Again, I felt threatened.
"Come with me somewhere," he replied, and I rolled my eyes. "I want you to meet them," he said, and I shook my head. "Please. You'll change your mind, I promise. You'll thank me later."
I sighed and shook my head. "Kyle, I don't want to meet them, no matter how nice, how good they look, or how popular they are. I just flat out don't want to see them. I'm in danger already, I don't want to add to it."
"Danger?" Kyle asked, and I realized I brought my dream into the equation by accident. "What danger? Is that why you looked at me weird in the plaza? Who's doing this?"
"Shut up, Kyle," I said and dug the change out of my pocket as the bus rolled up to the stop. He let it go and stepped back. He watched me get on it and take a seat, and I watched as his face wrinkled in thought. He shook his head as he walked back to the car. Did he know something? He was on a phone as the bus pulled away from the stop, talking quickly.
When I got home, it happened again.
"That slip wasn't very nice, you know that right?" came the voice. How did he always get back in my thoughts? Was he even in my dreams, or was he in my reality?
"So, what's your point?" I asked and turned, but he wasn't there. "You're not real."
"Tell me this isn't real," he said and kicked me in the back of my leg, bringing me down, and I twisted in time to see him turn into a blur and then one arm was around my stomach, the other around my neck. It looked like Duke Krasten. So, is it Claude that this woman was after?
His hold tightened, and I found I couldn't breathe. He whispered sweet nothings into my ear as my vision started to blur. I closed my eyes and tried to think he wasn't there, but I found it hard to think at all. "Not... here..." I mouthed and suddenly I fell on the floor, gasping for air.
What the hell was that? If I could make him disappear like that, as if he was in my mind, how could he hurt me physically? It was like he could break into reality from a person's subconscious, and if this was true, I was in a lot of trouble. He would never stop until I was dead. What was I supposed to do?
I got up, still shaky from my near-death experience, and made lunch but never managed to eat it, bitter with the fact that Duke had almost killed me. He wasn't even really there. He couldn't have been. Still, what happens next time if I'm not quick enough?
"You can't kill me," I whispered, "I won't let you."
I sat in my chair for a long time. There had to be a way to get rid of him. Duke and Claude seemed like best friends in public, but what about behind closed doors? I went into my room and set up my laptop on the bed, but as I expected there was no internet to be found. So, I unpacked my bags that I'd neglected over the last two days, and tried to forget about Duke, Claude and everyone else. In my room I had a shelf, a bed, and a closet. No desk, rug, extra blankets, nada.
By the time I was done, the sun was beginning to move downward in the sky, and I'd done a good job at forgetting everything except my task at hand. I walked out of my room and thought about what we could do for supper. I didn't mind eating late if it meant I could spend that time with my dad. There was still mushrooms and beans that we hadn't used, and a single piece of uncooked chicken. I sighed, thanked myself for getting rice, and made chicken fried rice.
On the fridge was a note from my dad, it said he'd be home for eight. I checked the clock, and it was six thirty. I was still cooking the rice and was beginning to cut up everything, so I could throw it all together at the same time. Well, after I cut up and cooked the chicken. This would be a nice surprise, I was sure of it.
A chill ran down my spine, and a cold hand down my arm. I jumped and nearly knocked over the frying pan that held the steaming chicken. I burned my elbow and cursed at Duke. Closing my eyes to forget the pain, I pretended he wasn't there. The laughter died with a growl. I put ice on my arm to reduce the swelling and numb the pain. If I'd thought to buy flour, then I would have used that instead. Believe it or not, flour does have some sort of soothing ability when it comes to burns.
I continued to cook, pouring the rice and veggies in to the pan and was almost finished frying everything up when my dad walked in the door.
"Hey dad, I was just cooking us up," I paused, noting that Jenna had walked in through the door after him. She smiled at me and I continued. "Um, some chicken and rice."
"Jenna suggested we all go out tonight. Her treat," my dad said as he sniffed at the air. "I said we would." That was it. I pursed my lips, felt my jaw move outward a little, and I turned back to the pan, and pushed it back a bit too aggressively, spilling almost half the contents on and into the hot burner. I turned the stove off and walked past them, mumbling a 'fine' and stomped into my room. I felt a burning sensation on my wrist and knew instantly that I burned it too.
"Having a bad day?" Duke asked, and I screamed at nothing, turned, and punched him before he could move.
"Fuck off!" I yelled, and he disappeared with a surprised yelp.
"Rekka?" my dad asked, and I growled at the door.
"What?" I snapped.
"We can stay home if you want to, I just thought it would be nice because we didn't do anything special when you got here. I didn't even get to pick you up myself, and I don't have the money to take you out. I'm sorry," he said as he opened the door. I was standing in the middle of my room, taking deep breaths. He looked at my hand, and my arm, and his face nearly crumbled. "Are you alright? You should have waited until I got back."
"I was fine," I said angrily. "Except people kept bugging me."
"I'm sorry," he said, and I rolled my eyes.
"Not you, Dad," I said, trying to lighten my voice. "Jenna and one of her friends."
"You don't want to go out, tonight do you?"
"You said 'we all'. Who does that encompass?"
"You, me, Jenna, her boyfriend and two of their friends."
"What two?" I asked.
"Claude and Duke," Jenna said from behind my dad. I threw my hands up and slammed my laptop shut.
"Whatever, let's go," I growled and grabbed my sweater. "I'm never going to win."
I sat at the end of table that Jenna led us to, my dad beside me, Jenna beside him. Then wouldn't you know it, Kyle came and sat opposite her, Duke in front of my dad, and Claude in front of me. I growled under my breath and Duke looked at me with a smile. I looked away from him and met Claude's eyes by accident. I took in a deep breath and folded my arms, then crossed my left leg over my right, and sat with attitude.
A light flashed. Claude and I looked over at the same time, at a paparazzi. I didn't understand how I was such big news over the last summer. I was just some rich kid who's pissed off that her mother remarried.
I rolled my eyes and looked away, but Claude was already looking at me. Maybe it wasn't me that was so famous. Thinking back, Karli knew who Claude and Duke were before the party. Perhaps it was them who was attracting all this attention.
We ordered our food, and all I got was a chicken caesar salad with a skillet of mushrooms. My father also got the skillet, but he ordered a steak. Jenna told me I could get whatever I wanted, but I wasn't hungry at all. Period.
"I'll get a bigger desert then," I huffed, and Claude smirked. He saw right through my lie, or so I thought. In the end I told the waiter I didn't want anything, and Claude ordered a small ice-cream. Duke was quieter with his order, and when he turned back to the table he was smiling. Kyle was the same, and if I would have saw Jenna's face, I'd probably have seen another smile. All of the lights dimmed a few minutes later, and one of the waiters brought out a cake with candles all over it. I wondered who it was for, but I didn't have to wait long to find out. The cake was sat in front of me, and I sat there stunned.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you," everyone began singing, and lights flashed from every direction. My dad was laughing, and Claude was sitting there with his chin on his hands, watching me. "Happy birthday dear Rebecca, happy birthday to you! Blow out the candles!" I stood like I was going to, but instead I grabbed the plate the large cake was on and flipped it onto the floor as hard as I could. No one said a word.
"It's not my birthday!" I snapped and bent down, picked up a chunk of cake, and whipped it at Duke's face, catching him on the left side. Then I stomped out of the restaurant.
My father chased me out and started screaming at me in the parking lot. I kept walking and eventually just ran away from him. I stopped at a park overlooking the water and broke down. I stumbled through the trees, onto the path, crying and screaming nonsense.
"You know Rebecca, I didn't think you were the type to go insane over a birthday prank," the voice said, and I turned to face him one last time. Duke Krasten. "How did you know it was me that ordered the cake, and not Kyle or Jenna?"
"You're sick, that's why, and I know you're not here as a real person, you're fake."
"Then wish me away like you always do," he taunted.
"No, just kill me and get it over with," I said and leaned against the closest tree.
"Not this time, I just thought I'd be a trouble maker and have you beg for your death," he said and smiled devilishly. My breathing was uneven, but the tears had stopped falling. "How does it feel to be humiliated?"
"Screw you," I said and closed my eyes, wishing him away. He disappeared, and I sunk down into the newly fallen leaves. I had to go home, I had school tomorrow. I would be coming home to trouble, but I would at least be coming home.
I went back onto the road after finding a clearing I could pass through in the dark and walked up the hill, finding myself at my school. I'm early, I thought bitterly and laughed. A car that looked remarkably like a Lamborghini passed me and put on its brakes just ahead of me. The only reason it wasn't a lamb was because it's illegal to drive in Canada. I knew at least that much about this country.
Claude got out of the car alone, and I stopped. He walked toward me, calm like there was nothing going on. I knew otherwise.
"Stay away from me," I said and stood my ground. He stopped a few feet away, and I got shivers. I let out a breath I'd forgotten to let go of, and he smiled. "What do you want?" I asked bitterly.
"I have your sweater in my car," he said, and I nodded. "I was going to offer you a ride home. Your dad is worried about you."
"I can walk from here," I said and went to walk past him. What I wanted to say was 'Go jump in the lake'.
"It's past midnight, it would be quicker if you let me drive you. I promise to drive you right there, and that's it."
"No," I said sternly, and he sighed, "But I'll have my sweater."
"Alright," he said, and we walked the few feet up to his car. "Kyle was talking to me," he said suddenly. "He said you told him you were in trouble, then told him to shut up and got on a bus."
"I did," I confirmed.
"What trouble?"
"None of your business," I hissed, and he ducked in his car. He pulled out the sweater and handed it to me across the roof. I went to take it, but he held on.
"The cake in Duke's face wasn't over him ordering it, was it?" he asked, and I yanked on my sweater. I didn't say anything and started walking. He drove slowly past me and I dug my hands in my pockets. How did he know it was Duke?
I sat down on the bench and Claude's car stopped. I rolled my eyes as he once again got out of the car. He was going to sit beside me, I knew it. Should I tell him?
He sat down, but far enough away that I wouldn't be uncomfortable. I looked at him and knew how awful I must look.
"Rebecca, is it Duke? What's happening?"
"Yeah, it's Duke, alright? What else do you want to know?"
"What he's doing."
"Just messing with my head, it's nothing," I said, and Claude seemed to see right through my half lie. The half of the lie was "it's nothing". I sighed, and he stared at me. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Go for it," he said in a low, dark voice.
I told him about the first time at my old house, how it looked like I had a weird spell, according my boyfriend. When I said boyfriend, I wasn't sure he was anymore, but Claude didn't look so pleased with the word. I ignored it and continued, telling him about the first night I was here, how he seemed to come through the window and I thought it was a dream, because I could make him leave with my mind, and control what happened with my thoughts. Then I told him about how he tried to strangle me, and I made him leave with my mind then as well, then he made me burn myself that afternoon while making supper, and then appeared in the trees.
"I'll talk to him, and make him stop," he said, and I looked at him like he was crazy. He was obviously just humoring me and letting me float in my own insanity.
"Right," I said and got up, continuing on my way. "You do that," I said a bit louder, and Claude caught up with me, keeping his distance. "What, you're trying to tell me I'm not insane? That I'm not crazy for thinking some celebrity is stalking my mind? How could you possibly believe something like that?"
"Because it's happened before," Claude said. I stopped walking. "Yes, and every time it happened to a girl like you, they ended up dead. Strangled to death with no evidence, because they died in their mind from him. Real strangle marks, no foot prints, fingerprints, or evidence that someone else was even near them at the time of their death. You're not crazy, and it is Duke."
"How many girls have you told that to?" I asked angrily, I knew he was fueling my imagination now. That didn't happen in real life.
"None, because they all thought they were crazy, and they all died before I had a chance to speak to them."
"You know what?" I asked haughtily. "Go take that story somewhere else. That doesn't really happen, you and I both know that."
"I'll see you when you're dead then, and I'll tell you I told you so."
"So what can you do to help then?" I yelled. "He's already in here!" I screamed pointing my finger at my head. "You can't get him out!"
"Let me take you home, that's a start," Claude said and I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Kyle and Claude weren't my problem, Duke was, and I was going to die if I didn't let someone in. Why not let that someone be Claude?
"Fine," I said, and we walked back to his car, and he drove me home.
Claude talked my father out of punishing me, that it really wasn't a problem, and they already paid for the mess, so there was nothing left to do. I had to admit he was happy to see me home, but I went straight into my room.
I got into my pajamas, and then came back out in time to see my dad close the door. I went to the living room window, and Claude looked at me. I was unsure of whether he would see me not, but he waved at me, then got in his car and drove away.
I walked past my dad who was now in the living room, and cleaned the stove, took off the burners and wiped out the food that dried there. I dumped it all in the garbage and promised myself I would do another shop after school and buy something for supper. Then I whispered good night to my dad and went to bed.
I was undisturbed that night, and I had a peaceful, deep sleep.
It was seven in the morning when I woke up to an alarm I forgot I set for the first day of school. Then I realized I was going to be late. School started at eight in the morning here for some reason and ended at 2:30 in the afternoon. I rushed around my room, grabbed my bag and all the supplies in the two shopping bags. I didn't even sort anything. I ran out the door and started on my way down the street, and realized I forgot to lock the door and get a lunch. I swore and ran back up the street, locked the door and didn't bother with food. I turned to go back down my driveway when Jenna's car pulled up.
She got out of the car and walked over to me, a solemn look on her face.
"You're alright, I see," she said and looked me over. "You're also going to be late for school if you walk," she said and looked at her watch. "You've got twenty minutes to the first bell. Come on, I'll bring you, and you can sort most of your stuff on the way there," she said, and I sighed, defeated, and followed her to her car. I set straight to work, putting the small binders into the bag, and I noticed her looking at the bag too. I ignored it this time.
With the notebooks and packages of paper, and the pencils, pens, pencil crayons, and calculator, the bag probably couldn't hold a textbook or another sheet of paper. I had my pencil case in my hand, the color of red that my new bag would be once I went in to get it. It had black designs on it, and it was empty. I sighed as Jenna pulled up to the school, I wasn't organized at all.
"Ten minutes to the bell," she reminded me, and I nodded. She idled the car as I fished out all the writing tools and dumped them into my pencil case. Still not organized but good enough. "One minute." I looked at her and smiled. "You better go."
"Alright," I said and opened the door. "Thanks." She nodded as I shut the door and hurried into the school. From there I had to find my first class, Math, and found my English one instead. "Great," I said and leaned against the door. I was ready to give up when the teacher came out of the classroom and looked at me.
"Shouldn't you be heading to class?" he asked, and I nodded. "Then why are you standing here?"
"I can't find it," I said, and the teacher held out his hand. I gave him my schedule and he nodded. He gave it back and pointed me in the right direction. I made it to class just as the bell rang. I sighed in relief and sat down by the window, noticing Claude's car rolling slowly past the school. I smiled and looked to the front.
"Good morning class, is Rebecca Redowa here with us this morning?" he asked.
"It's Rebecca James," I said, and the class looked to me. Some of the girls started whispering to each other and one of them stared at me. "I'm living with my dad, not my mother, and my name was not changed."
"I'll make note of that," the teacher said nodding and looked down at his note. "Class," he began, and I knew I was in for some humiliation. "This is Rebecca James, she's new to the school and if you see her lost somewhere, please help her around."
"That would have been nice this morning, thanks but no thanks, I'm sure I can find my own way around," I said and pulled out a red binder. I always associated math with red. I didn't know why.
"So where are you from?"
"Isn't this talk meant for middle school? If people want to know, they can ask me themselves out of class," I said as I reached in my bag and pulled out my pencil case. The teacher took a deep breath and put down the note and began handing out papers. At the end of the class we went out and were assigned our lockers. I dumped the math binder in along with three others, and half the paper, half the things in my pencil case, and my sweater.
"So Rebecca, is it?" one of the girls asked from beside me.
"Yeah," I said and she smiled at me.
"I'm Victoria," she said and I smiled back, closing my locker and snapping the lock shut. "You should make sure that works," she said and nodded at the lock. I used the combination number and it opened right away. "Some don't."
"Thanks for letting me know," I said, and we talked about a few things regarding classes, where they were, and that we should hang out for a little while after school. We found out we had only one class together: Math. When I had Phys. Ed., Physics, and prep she had World Politics, Applied Design and Phys. Ed.
By lunch I had the school nearly figured out, and went to the cafeteria, wondering whether I should buy anything. There was a good chance I wouldn't, and I went to turn back around but I bumped into a tall, rather handsome guy. He was light skinned, reddish brown hair, and the prettiest ocean eyes I'd ever seen.
"Hey babe," he said and smiled down at me. Pfft. Not worth my time. I side stepped him without a word and went to the office. He followed me all the way, but didn't go in. He and his friends stood around and waited while I made an appointment for last period to change my schedule. I walked out ignoring them and they followed me to my locker where I finally turned to them.
"What do you want?" I asked angrily, leaning against my locker. There were a few students in the math hall, and some of them took out their cell phones.
"You didn't say hello back," he said and leaned against my classroom door.
"And I won't, so go away."
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Yes," I said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well you should have one here, he's probably cheating on you anyway."
"You wouldn't know that at all." I folded my arms. The atmosphere in the hall became intense, and a group of girls came up the stairwell and stopped to watch. "So, give up while you're ahead."
"I'll be ahead when I have you, lovely," he said and I rolled my eyes. He shoved himself off the door and made to walk past me, but before he did, turned and kissed my nose. Anger rose inside me so quickly I barely knew what I did until after I did it.
"Mm," he said and moved his jaw around, put a hand to his face and touched the place I'd hit him. "Fierce," he said and stared at me for a moment, then he walked away with his little group. I opened my locker and used the sleeve of my sweater to wipe off my nose.
After my morning classes were done I went to the office to have my schedule reordered. I found out that I could switch my gym class to last period, and then I would have it with Victoria, and make my current gym into my spare. I took that as a bonus and so simple that I did it. I went to the class in the first few minutes and sat beside Victoria while I was welcomed to the class.
"So by Monday I want to see everyone with gym shorts and a t-shirt for class, preferably a red t-shirt and a pair of navy colored shorts, and remember ladies, no jean shorts," she said, and we all smirked. Obviously, she had a problem with that in the past. Victoria and I walked out of class together and smiled at each other.
We went to our lockers and I left my entire bag in mine, not having homework on my first day was nice. I grabbed my sweater, and we walked from the school to the point where we had to split up to go home, saying our good-bye's and see-you-tomorrow's.
When I walked in I noticed that the house was a lot cooler and by more than just a few degrees. It was refreshing, and when I walked into the kitchen I found my dad sitting exhausted in front of a portable air conditioner. He turned smiling at me. I smiled back. One step at a time.
YOU ARE READING
Lonely Souls - Rebecca James Part One
VampireRebecca James is just a normal high class girl in her Florida high school, until her mother brings home a guy more interested in her daughter than her. After crashing her mother's wedding, Rebecca moves to Canada with her father, only to find things...
