ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛʟʏ looking over my shoulder.
It had been three days since the whole Vincenzo incident and the anxiety I had from the fear he would show up at any moment caused me to stay awake at night and cover myself with the shield of my duvet. For someone that liked being alone, I now preferred bigger crowds out of the pure fear my solitude would spark an opportunity to attack.
I had been staying at Enrica's for three days now and it had been great. She was actually a perfect roommate. In the mornings we had our own routine and didn't bother each other, but at night we would hang out and watch movies. The remainder of my surviving belongings had arrived yesterday morning and the college told me they'd help replace my burnt textbooks, but my laptop and phone were destroyed and there was no replacing that.
I got a passive aggressive letter from my parents last night explaining how my carelessness gave them no reason to replace my things and how I needed to get a job to earn them back. I really wasn't surprised by their response, if anything I was relieved that didn't tell me I had to live with them again.
Now I sat in my Religious Studies lecture, trying to get through the last hour whilst subconsciously planning my route home without being too far away from people. The teacher had left to retrieve some papers from the office, and I sat tapping my pencil against my desk before another teach walked back in.
He made his way to the chalkboard and set his briefcase down on the desk before writing his name on the board.
Professor Jethro Whitlock.
"Um, where is Professor Wen?" a student raised their hand and asked.
"Professor Wen got a call for a family emergency and asked me to cover the rest of your lecture. My name," he turned around and the bright, blue, brilliance of his eyes caused me to freeze. "Is Professor Jethro Whitlock. Professor Whitlock would be easier."
Jethro Whitlock.
Azriel Emrys Jethro Whitlock.
Aziel.
That sly bastard.
"I will only be covering this lesson once so listen clear." He announced to the class. "I am only here to help out my friend and I will not tolerate any difficult behaviour, understand?" the class didn't respond but they didn't have to. He wasn't talking to them. I slid further down in my seat and chewed on my pencil anxiously. I was so screwed.
"Can anyone tell me what Jesus said as his number one rule?" he asked. The class looked around in confusion. We were studying Sikhism. "Anyone?" the class fell into confused murmurs.
"Miss George?" Aziel's eyes met mine and I internally screamed.
"U-Um...."
"I'm sure you know the answer." Aziel raised an eyebrow.
"Love thy neighbour?" I said and Aziel smiled contently.
"Correct. Do you think it is important to love thy neighbour?"
"Yes." I replied and Aziel smiled again, resting his hands in his pockets confidently.
"Even if you hate them?" what was he trying to do?
"I guess it's how you display that hate. Everyone hates someone or something, but there is a mature way to go about it rather than being spiteful and rude." I answered and saw a few students nod in agreement.
"So, you'd say that stabbing someone in the shoulder is a spiteful and rude act of hate?" oh, he was smooth.
"I... erm –"
"It's only a question, Miss George. And I'm speaking hypothetically, of course." I wanted to run and hide.
"I guess it depends on what they person did to make said person stab them in the shoulder." I answered. Aziel nodded slowly with a finger resting underneath his chin. I knew he was going to come up with something else to say.
"What if that person was madly in love with them. Do you think it's nice to stab someone in the shoulder who's madly in love with you?"
"Depends on how they pursue their so-called love." I replied bitterly. How the hell could he be trying to excuse Vincenzo's actions of that night? I was not stupid enough to believe I was in the wrong.
"What if they promised them a life of happiness?"
"What if they said they wanted to chain you to their bedpost?" I shouldn't have said that. The whole class looked around at me in an array of widened eyes and laughter. Great, now everyone thinks you're some kind of freak between the sheets.
Aziel looked as if he had run out of words and desperately looked around the classroom. I stayed seated and prayed that this 'showdown' had ended.
"Alright... um... class dismissed." He announced. Of course, college kids would waste no time in getting to leave class early, so the frantic noise of useless conversation and zipping of backpacks erupted throughout the lecture hall. Did he mean me as well? Could I leave?
"Miss George, I'd like you to stay behind." Aziel then said and a few 'ooo's and laughs came from students close by.
When they all had departed the hall, Aziel closed the door and I sunk firmly into my seat, fearing what was to come.
What is Vincenzo was here? Crap.
Aziel turned back to me and removed his fake classes which matched his light grey and blue suit well. I sunk further into my seat.
"You know," he began. "When Enzo said you were a little difficult, I never concluded in my mind that you'd be capable of stabbing him in the shoulder." His tone wasn't serious nor threatening. Pondering was more of the word. "Care to explain?"
I swallowed any intimidation and sat up a little straighter. "He invaded my mind and tried to kidnap me." That was the short story.
"So, you stabbed him and set your dorm on fire." That sounded a little dramatic when he put it that way but...
"Did you think I'd be flattered by the idea?"
"Enzo sure thought you would." Aziel muttered under his breath with a short sigh.
"But I'm not asking Vincenzo." I wouldn't have wanted to if I had the choice. "I'm asking you."
I waited as Aziel leant back against the teacher's desk and frowned. He knew Vincenzo's attempts were anything but a romantic advance. An animalistic advance? Yes.
"He's not usually like this." He finally decided on saying.
"Psychopathic or invading –"
"Neither." He interjected. "He's never been so desperate for a woman. Then again, you are his soulmate."
"Where the hell did you all even get this stupid idea? I am not Vincenzo's soulmate. Your little oracle thingy made a mistake." I waved a finger at him and huffed in annoyance. When was this all going to end?
"Oracles don't make mistakes. It said hundreds of years ago that a woman would perform the ritual as you had and –"
"Then why have so many women before me done the ritual? If you ask me, he was being picky and now his luck has run out and he's had to chose me out of fear he'd never get the chance again." But Aziel only shook his head firmly, immediately dismissing my comment.
"There are specifics of the ritual that only Enzo knows about. You fit all of them. However, you have to ask Enzo on how the oracle found its way out to so many women. I do not know the answer to that."
"I don't plan on asking Vincenzo anything anytime soon." I stubbornly crossed my arms. "And please don't tell me you're here to kidnap me too." An unintentional worry filled my voice as I witnessed Aziel push off the desk and sigh deeply.
"That was the optimistic plan. Although, Enzo didn't set me up to it."
"Hu?" did that mean that he was going to stop chasing after me? Then why would Aziel come?
"I'm here to warn you, Amelie." Aziel's voice took a stern turn. "For a vampire heir, once you find your soulmate, they become a necessity. The urge that Enzo has right now will only grow worse and I fear for your safety. You should have seen the state he came back in after that night. He was hurt, Amelie. Physically and emotionally. Can you imagine the one you have been waiting for all your life attempts your murder? That's' painful." The thought did cross my mind, but I didn't care.
"If Vincenzo weren't so threatening and stupid, maybe I would have considered. He only has himself to blame, don't go putting this on me. "
"But can't you feel anything between you?" I did. As much as I tried to deny it, I did. Vincenzo awakened hormones in me I never knew could exist, but they weren't love, only pulling sensations of desiring lust. Not love. I didn't believe I could love someone through a oracle. Love wasn't about destiny and soulmates; anyone could be your soulmate. Love is about knowing a person, admiring who they are, the respect you gain for one another, helping each other grow, sticking with each other through the toughest of times because you know that your life could never get any better without them, only worse.
That was what love was, and no oracle could replace it. There was no amount of lust that could make me go with Vincenzo nor was there that amount of lust that could make me feel safe with him. The guy was a murdering vampire after all.
"Whatever I feel between Vincenzo and I is never going to make me go with him nor will it even make me like him. Plus, have you not looked at all the sides to this, even if I miraculously went with Vincenzo, what would await me? Living my life locked up in a castle, forced to be in roles I never wanted. Can't you think about that?"
I felt my throat grow dry and my voice shake. How was this so hard to see from my perspective? I knew vampires weren't human, but that didn't mean they couldn't try and sympathise. Looking at Aziel, I could see he knew how right I was. Aziel wasn't a bad person but was trying to help his friend. When I first met him, he said how Vincenzo didn't take his advice. Maybe he needed to.
"I understand you, Amelie. I do." That was a relief. "But your words will not control what fate has already decided." That was not a relief.
"But... but you can't make me do this! I don't want this!" I threw my hands in the air out of frustration. Why would a stupid oracle choose me if it knew I wouldn't want to do it? It made zero sense.
"I know but think about it this way. If you come with me now, I will make sure that everything will run comfortably and smoothly. I will ensure your safety and I am positive the King and Queen as well as Vincenzo will be more forgiving and allow you much more freedom than what you will get if you don't come with me today." He tried to reason.
Would it be worth it? To give in due to the slightest offering of decent humanity? What would it show of me? What would it make me think of myself?
"You are offering me the bare minimum." I chuckled hopelessly and looked down at the floor, kicking my sneakers across the tacky, navy carpet that I'm sure hasn't been changed since the 1960s.
"You would've gotten more if you hadn't of ran the first night Vincenzo visited you in your dreams." Aziel muttered.
"After he said he would chain me to a bedpost?" I raised a brow.
"Can you please stop mentioning that?"
"Why?"
"Because the fact that he genuinely said that makes me lose a few of my brain cells." He let out a light chuckle and leant back on the desk, crossing his arms to look at me doubtfully. "The offer is better than what is to come."
I didn't understand what he meant by that. "What is to come?"
Aziel sighed and rubbed his temples and I felt the room grow colder as if all the windows had opened and an infectious chill snaked up my arms, leaving bites of goosebumps in their wake. "I cannot ensure your safety. I fear for your life, Amelie. Vincenzo's wanting for you will only grow stronger and he will take you back to the castle... alive or dead." Or dead? What did he mean by dead?
"Are you threatening me?" was this all to scare me? If Vincenzo thought I was his true soulmate then why would he want to kill me? None of it made sense.
Aziel shook his head, "It's a warning, but I can see it isn't working."
"I'd rather be dead than trapped in a life I'd hate." The words that spilled from my lips scared me so much I didn't realise I had said it till Aziel laughed an ironic laugh.
"Suit yourself." A crackle of thunder burst from outside the window and quiet splatters of rain sparsely tapped against the cool glass.
I turned back to the front of the lecture hall to be met with nothing but an empty chalk board and a missing Aziel. I was left alone, and reticent fear nipped at the sides of my gut.
On my walk back to Enrica's dorm, I couldn't help but feel coldness spread throughout my body and it wasn't from the fall air. Everything inside me felt cold, like icebergs floating around my bloodstream, chilling everything to the bone. It made me nauseous.
Fidgeting with the lock and walking into the dorm, I found Enrica sitting on the floor of the living room trying on a pair of brand new, black stilettos that gleamed in the lights of Gilmore Girls from the TV. She must have felt my presence as she turned to meet my gaze and smiled brightly.
Bailey ran up to me and jumped into my arms, "Hi, boy." I cooed and storied in between his ears. His fluffy tail wagged in delight before he jumped down and ran back to his doggy bed that Enrica had bought two days ago.
"How was class?" she asked and gracefully stood up. How anyone could have gotten up so quickly yet elegantly was a complete mystery to me. Especially wearing heels.
"Uneventful." Was the first word than sprung to mind. Liar.
"Really? You look as if you've seen a ghost." Enrica said as she walked into the kitchen, her clicking heels against the shining, wooden floor. Did she know? How could she know? Good point.
"No, I'm just tired." I thew my bag onto the floor, sat at the breakfast bar and grabbed an apple off the side. Apples had always been my favourite snack, in every picture when I was five, I was always eating an apple, don't ask me why.
"Well, I hope you're not too tired for tonight." Enrica said as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Enrica was one of those girls who owned those fancy, metal bottles that were supposed to save the planet. I would just wash out and reuse the same plastic bottle, mainly because I was a student, and I wasn't wasting tonnes of dollars on tonnes of new water bottles.
"What's tonight?" I cocked my head to the side and took a bite of the apple. These ones were extremely sweet.
"There's a huge party at one of the frat houses. Open invite. It supposed to be amazing!" Enrica exclaimed and slammed her bottle down, quickly screwing on the lid. "We are totally going!"
"Parties aren't really my thing." Significantly due to the fact I had never experience one.
"Oh, c'mon!" Enrica chuckled. "You've got to go to a college party at least once!"
I shook my head firmly and looked down at the counter. Was I missing out on the college experience? Not really. I had no interest in going to those parties always. I hated drunk people. My parents used to host evenings where their friends would come round, and they'd drink to oblivion. Hearing the loud and obnoxious noises outside my bedroom window frightened me as a kid. The thought of purposely pushing myself into that now was terrifying.
"It'll be fine, Amelie. I'll be with you the whole night. I just thought... I don't know that it'd be fun." I looked up to meet Enrica's puppy dog eyes. At least, that's what I thought they were. Now I felt bad. Enrica had been the first real friend I had made, and I didn't want to lose her. Maybe going to this stupid party wouldn't be the worst?
"Fine!" I gave up and gave in. Enrica jumped up and down in joy and smiled brightly. "But I have to be back by 1. I have an 8:30 lecture tomorrow."
Enrica enthusiastically understood and I was left wondering what I had gotten myself into.