What Happens in the Dark

Chapter 54

We spent the whole night drinking, dancing, and laughing. Briana and Eli are really hitting it off, as she is now sitting on his lap. They are so similar I knew they would click.

"Hey Seven!" Eli yelled coming over to me and Monroe. Briana was waiting for him in the living room talking to Sterling and Evelyn.

"Hey, are y'all having a good time?" I smirked.

"This is so ironic, but she's my mate." He beamed. Monroe and I looked at eachother in shock then back to him.

"What?" I asked confused, "Are you sure?" He then looked to Monroe and smiled so big.

"She has that glow, the one and only glow, you know what I mean, you told me about it the day you met Seven."

"Wait you knew?" I asked Monroe trying to contain my smile.

"Yeah, I knew. I didn't want to scare you away though." He flashed me a big smile revealing his dimples then turned back to Eli, "That is extremely ironic, but everything happens for a reason."

Eli gave us both a big hug before running back to Briana. I can't believe they are mates. What are the odds Briana and I would both be mated to a vampire. We've always clicked, when I didn't with most people, this had to be Berenice.

"You are just blessing people left and right." Monroe smiled pulling me close.

"Everything happens for a reason." I smiled pressing my lips to his passionately.

**********

Two days have passed and now we're at the airport in Texas. Monroe came with me since he feels guilty that this had to do with him. Briana wasn't going to come back with us, but her and Eli are still talking and he told her he wanted to do long distance. She still doesn't know why, but she knows she's never met someone as captivating as him, everything I felt with Monroe when I first met him.

I wasn't ready for the funeral today, but I wanted to say goodbye, officially to my father, for closure. I obviously haven't seen him since I was eight, but I loved him.

Briana pulled up with her car that's been in the parking garage since she came to visit me. Monroe loaded up our bags and we all got inside. I have to admit, it sucked being back in Texas. All I have here are bad memories. We drove for over thirty minutes before we entered me and Bri's hometown.

"So what do you think, Monroe?" Briana asked looking at him through the rear view.

"Well. It's, run down." He said watching the busted up unoccupied businesses, power plants, and oil refineries every few miles.

"Yeah I know," She said depressingly. I didn't talk much as my father just occupied my mind completely.

We pulled into our old neighborhood and the memories hit me all at once making me feel claustrophobic.

"Mi casa, es Su casa." Bri said pulling into her driveway. We were only staying till tomorrow, but it still sucked being back. We brought our bags into the upstairs guest bedroom while Briana brought her bags to her own room. Her parents are on a business trip for her Dad's job, so they won't be back for three days. I sat on the bed and sighed catching Monroe's attention.

"I would ask what's wrong, but I've got a good idea." He sighed sitting down beside me.

"I just hate it here." I answered tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

"I know." He said putting his arm around me. I turned into his shoulder and tears started to burn my eyes.

"Hey are y'all hungr- Oh baby." Briana said in a sad voice crouching down in front of us. "I know this is hard, but I promise, your dad is in a better place, please don't cry."

"It's not just my dad, being back here just triggers my PTSD." I sighed.

"Well you know where I think you should go?"

I looked up at her confused before her eyes answered for me. I nodded my head and grabbed Monroe's hand. I lead him down the stairs and back outside. I took in a deep breath as we started walking down the usual street that I grew up on. The smell in the air is still the same, and a couple houses down, I saw mine.

"That's where I grew up." I pointed at the blue house that looked worn down from weather. It's still unoccupied from what I can see. I looked at the porch and memories began flooding back forcing me to look away.

"I see." Monroe said. My chest tightened as we passed up the house. I saw the opening to the trail ducked off in the woods. Monroe followed me confused, but he didn't question me. I pulled back a couple branches before the big log and creek that I always came to was revealed.

"This is my safe place, I was telling you about when we first started hanging out." I smiled faintly. I sat down on the log taking in the air as all the memories came back of me as a child and a teenager, coming out here to escape.

"I love it." He smiled sitting beside me.

"It's not as great as your safe place, but it was the best I could find." I said kicking a branch over.

"No, I really like it, it's peaceful." Monroe said hugging me slightly.

Tears began to fall down my face, "I just miss him so much, and I don't get it because I hated him for so long."

"You feel guilt along with grief, trust me, I may not relate to the guilt part, but I know how hard it is to lose a parent." He sighed.

I nodded my head not having the words to explain how I feel. I laid my head on Monroe's shoulder and watched the creek slowly move. We sat out here in silence for twenty minutes. Monroe's phone buzzed as he took it out of his pocket.

"The funeral is in thirty minutes." He said with a half smile that didn't reach his eyes at all. I nodded my head and stood up wiping the wrinkles out of my black dress.

"Let's get this over with." I sighed.