ARABELLA
"Where do you think the others are?" I ask as Theo and I lie in bed. Joey was outside patrolling the area. After what happened last time we couldn't afford not to. He sighs and turns to face me.
"Well all the people in our building have a protocol for something like this...those who were not reassigned, like I was, are supposed to go to a safe house. A lot of places like that have some sort of safe house." I guess that makes sense.
"Is that where we're going?"
"Yes. We need to get more people together. Then we need to find out who's behind all of this." I sit up and rest my weight on my elbow. He makes it sound so simple.
"You don't think that guy was their leader?" How could he not be? He had so many people following his orders.
"No, someone else is pulling the strings." He lays on his back staring at the ceiling. This is the second time we've been alone since we escaped. Well at least as alone as we can get. I move closer to him and lay my head on his chest. This has all gotten so complicated. Now that I'm a vampire why can't we just be together without all this baggage. It took a lot to get us where we are now.
"Theo?" He hums in response. A thought has occurred to me and I almost feel embarrassed to even want to mention it. "This might be the only time in awhile that we'll be together..." His whole body stills.
"We won't be separated. I won't let that happen." He says sitting up forcing me to sit up and look at him.
"I don't mean like that...I mean alone." He's still looks confused. Come on Theo. I lean towards him and bush my lips against his. He hesitates only a moment before gently pushing me down onto the bed.
---
For a week now we have been on the move. Theo is the only one that knows where the safe house is but he won't tell me. He thinks it's better that only one of us knows in case we get captured. They can't torture the info out of me because I won't have any information to give. Theo also says it is unlikely that they attacked the old apartment building. They were more focused on taking out the leadership, but now that that's over they will be focusing their attention on keeping the power they've just gained.
We stop for gas and then continue driving for the rest of the day. I end up dozing off in the passenger seat. When I do wake up the car is stopped. I look to Theo but he isn't there. I glance in the back and relax when I see Joey.
"Are we there?"
"I think so. Theo went to make sure the coast in clear and that this place hasn't been found." A few moments later my door opens. I glance over to see all of my friends waving for me to get out of the car so they could hug me. I smile they're all here. I step out and Peter is the first to get to me. I want to hug him back, but I remember I haven't been around humans since I changed so I awkwardly leave my arms at my side. When Peter steps back his eyes widen in surprise.
"You..." He can't seem to finish the sentence. I had almost forgotten that my eyes are red now. That must have been what gave it away.
"We heard that the house you were in got attacked! We didn't know if.." Valentina says engulfing me in a hug.
"You've got a lot of friends." Joey says stepping out of the car and stretching. "We shouldn't linger out here." I nod and we all follow him up to the tall building. It is nothing like the apartments we were in. There was only one floor and it was lined with cots. I guess safety comes before comfort. I think as we walk through the doors. Inside Joey goes off to find Theo while Valentina leads me over to the corner with the others in tow.
"So what happened?" She asks gesturing to me. I can feel everyone's eyes on me. I can't help but feel guilty for changing. I shouldn't, but I do. I mean I'm not happy with the way it happened but this way I can help Theo and it did bring us closer together.
"I uh...I'd rather not talk about it." I say wringing my hands and sitting in the nearest cot.
"Oh come on, we were so worried, and you come back a vampire. Spill." Ian says. I glare at him. I haven't thought much about what happened in that cellar. I don't want to let myself. I'm afraid if I do I won't ever stop thinking about it.
"Fine! Theo and I were captured. They tortured us to find out where the councilman was hiding...They changed me just for the hell of it." It's a very butchered version but I can't bring myself to say what really happened. Especially not with Xavier watching me. I look away from them and spot Theo. I head over to him. I can't handle their stares and I defiantly don't want their pity.
---
"It's awesome, isn't it?" Valentina asks coming to sit next to me. I've been hiding out by the river near the safe house. I sneak out every morning so I don't have to talk to anyone. I'm happy to see all of them, but I don't know what to say. So much has happened and it's so different now. She picks up a rock and skips it across the water.
"What?" How did she find me?
"Being a vampire." I shrug.
"I haven't really gotten to enjoy it much." On the run the whole time. Running into Colette. I shutter as I remember the thought of Theo being dead. I could have killed him. I thought I did. If I was human none of that would have happened. Right now being a vampire isn't all that great.
"What happened to you? You're different." What can I say? That I had found out Theo loved me, and then they starved me so that I would kill him? I guess if I leave out the love part it could be good for me to talk about it. I'm not embarrassed about me and Theo, but I'm not ready for them to know. One of them is better than all of them at the same time. If she ends up telling them then I don't have to.
"They tortured me while I was human so it didn't take much for me to be close to death...that's when they changed me. After that they left, and didn't come back. I was so hungry...they wanted me to feed from Theo and kill him. I wasn't going to I'd rather just die than kill someone like that." Well rather than watch the man I love die, but that's just a small detail. I'm not sure why I don't want them to know about us.
"But you did?" Valentina asks.
"Yeah, Theo pretended to be dead to lure them into the room and that's how we got away..." She doesn't need to know about my mental breakdown when I thought Theo was dead.
"To deny you blood to you like that after you first changed that's..."
"A different kind of torture." Yeah, you had it easy when you changed. What would it have been like to have been changed because I wanted to? Would I have ever wanted that? I sit up straight and look around. I could smell him before I saw him. Before when I was human he could sneak up on me. Now I could pick him out of a crowd from miles away.
"I would like to speak to Arabella alone." Valentina gives me a sad smile before leaving. I stare back out at the water as he sits next to me. I already know what he's going to say. He's been locked in a room with the others for days. He hadn't even come out to check on me. I've been forced to sit alone and think about everything that's happened with no idea what's going to be done about it. I could have said something to my friends, but it just doesn't feel the same anymore. I don't even know if they know anything about what's happened.
I stand up. I don't want to hear him say it. It still feels like we just got away and he's going to leave me here. I walk back a few steps before moving forward as fast as I can and jumping the small river. I don't want to sit here anymore. I want to be back at the apartment with Theo where everything was normal, simple. I turn back to face him on the other side of the river. His face shows no emotion as he studies me. A few days ago I wouldn't have been able to do that but now I'm getting some of the perks of becoming a vampire.
"Why can't we just leave? You and me." I whisper. It's selfish, but all of this it's...
"You know I can't. What about them?" He asks referring to my human friends. I sigh in frustration. They have their own protection. They don't need me here. If anything I'd bring trouble to them. "They'll end up like Guinevere." I turn away and stare into the woods. That's not fair to them. Besides my parents she's the other thing I can't let go. The guilt of both still weighs down on my shoulders. Theo wraps his arms around me.
"Why can't I go with you?" He nuzzles my neck.
"It's not safe for you."
"And it is here? They'll find this place eventually."
"You guys will be moving soon. There's already another location secured. You will continue to do this until the threat it gone." He spins me around to face him. He's so different than the day I met him. I'm not used to this kind of attention from him, and I won't ever be. Not when he's leaving me.
"How long?" I ask. I can feel the tears coming to my eyes.
"As long as it takes." That could be weeks or even years.
"Please take me with you. You can train me, I could help." He sighs and lets me go, running his hands through his hair. He's conflicted. I know he wants to protect me himself, but he's torn between taking me so he can protect me and putting me in more danger.
"I can't...I can't." He doesn't look like anything will change his mind. He's put a lot of thought into this and nothing I say will change that.
"When will you leave?"
"Today...I came to say goodbye." I take a step back from him. What? He reaches out to take my hand, but I jerk it away. I can't believe this. I want to be mad, I want him to just leave, but I know this may be the last time I see him and I can't end things that way. He moves vampire speed to capture me in his arms. "I love you, never doubt that. This is just what's best for you right now...take this." He says pressing a phone in my hand when he pulls away.
"You can call me anytime, and if I can I will answer." He kisses me slowly and when he pulls away I'm crying. He doesn't think he's going to see me again.