Hey everyone! I hope you like it! It's four pages I believe b/c I spent a lot of time typing it up! I've finally finished it. Please vote if you liked it. It would mean a lot since so much effort was put into this! Love you all xx
I packed everything that didn't have any memories of Austin associated with them. I took a few blouses and jeans and a few pairs of shoes. I left all the dresses since they reminded me too much of this castle.
I looked at everything and decided to take out a pair of jeans and a few blouses. I was left with only a few but that was alright. I'd be back home in no time, anyways.
Before leaving, I glanced back. The room looked like no one had occupied it for the past couple of months. The only evidence was the clothes in the closet and the scarlet bed sheets.
Deciding it was time to go, I shouldered my duffle bag and shut the bedroom door. I then roamed my hall until I ran into a petite nurse who looked a bit older than me.
She had short black hair and green eyes with a sweet smile.
"Hello, madame. How can I help you?" She asked me sweetly.
I smiled in response, "I was looking for the library. Do you think you could point me in the right direction?" I asked.
She laughed, lightly. "I'll do more than show you the direction sweet heart. I'll take you there."
She smiled gracefully, turned her cart of towels around and began walking in the opposite direction. I was overwhelmed by her sweetness. Although she seemed to be almost my age, I knew that since she was a vampire she had to be quite old. Wisdom was present on her face. Maybe she felt bad for me since my face made me look so miserable. Or maybe she was just an overall amazing person.
Eventually, after twisting down many corridors and going down seven flights of stairs, we stopped in front of the wooden doors. I remembered Austin rushing me down to here. Sighing, I pushed open the doors after thanking the lady who had helped me. It would suck leaving these people behind.
I walked down a couple of shelves and just skimmed some titles. I remembered the conversation Austin and I had, where he admitted that Charlotte wasn't me, and that he didn't want to marry her. Although his words touched me, there was nothing I could do about it.
Giving up on trying to be independent, I asked a nearby librarian to show me where to find maps or any book that would show me the different castles here. She showed me around, but gave me a suspicious look when she realized I wasn't a vampire. I could feel her staring me down as I sat down at a faraway table with a stack of books.
For the next two hours, I sat alone trying to figure out which one Dmitri lived at.
I found several nearby castles. It had to be nearby since the drive to Dmitri's castle was short. I knew this because I remebered the castle where I had first met Dmitri in the game room. The way he was so confident over there, I knew it was the castle he lived in.
"Hmm..." I muttered to myself. I found a castle with shining lights. There was also a familiar looking balcony. It looked a lot like the balcony that Dmitri had taken me to when he tried to hurt me. Shivering at the memory, I took the address from the book, returned all the books and maps, and dashed out of the library.
I found my way a few floors up to the front hall, which meant the library had been in the baement. Huh.
How am I supposed to transport myself to the castle? I asked myself. Ugh, I didn't have any means of transportation.
At that very moment, as if by luck, a horse carriage shuffled past the castle. I saw them through the window in the front hall. There were two men in the carriage, and one was driving. They turned around the side of the castle. Grasping the opportunity, I quickly pushed open the castle doors and followed them. They passed the garden and were heading towards a stable that I had never noticed before. Gaurds in unifrom surrounded the stable. The carriage was let in after the driver briefly conversed with the guards.
Taking my chances, I walked up to one of the guards and squared my shoulders.
"May I help you?" The guard asked, amused.
Trying to keep my temper in check, I nodded. "I'd like to be taken to the castle on the east. The nearest one," I said, referring to the castle in which Dmitri lived in.
He chuckled. "And why would we allow that, young lady?" He asked, joking with the other guard who was younger yet also seemed amused.
Frustrated, I used Austin's royalty to my benefit. "Because Austin Woods allowed it," I said, raising an eyebrow.
The guard immediately nodded and backed down, "Yes, of course."
With the help of the other guard, they opened up the gates. Satisfied, I nodded my thanks and headed inside. It smelled like hay and horse but I didn't have much of a choice. Although the castle was very sophisticated, the stable was very modern, asides from the guards and the gate.
A few men dressed in riding boots, hats, and uniform were chatting. When I walked in all conversation halted.
"You're a human," The tallest one said to me. It was weird because so far, other than Dmitri and his friends and the king and queen, no one had questioned my identity.
He inched closer but I stood my ground. The others stared at me with curious expressions.
"Come on, how could she be human?" A young one said. He seemed to be around 16.
"I know what I'm saying!" The taller one growled at him. He took a breath then looked back to me. "There's been rumour that Austin would bring one here, I guess they were right."
He smirked. I decided to keep my cool.
"I need to go to the nearest East village. I'm guessing one of you are supposed to take me there, since you're in horse riding attire," I said, bravely. They didn't scare me, especially not the tall one.
When the youngest one and the tall one didn't respond, I moved around to see the third guy. He had bronze coloured hair and brown eyes. He didn't look like a vampire, though I could tell he was. "Can you take me, please?" I asked him. He seemed startled that I was addressing him specifically. He then smiled coolly and got a carriage ready.
"Oh," I said to the tall one, "By the way, if Austin asks about me, don't tell him I was here."
I made sure that I still had my backpack on me as the bronze haired vampire helped me into the carriage.
"Thanks," I said to him gratefully. He smiled then took up the driver's seat. We passed the gates and soon enough, Austin's castle was fading away in the distance. I wanted to talk to my driver but the sound of the horse's hooves were very loud and the ride was very bumpy. My head hit the top of the carriage many times, but I ignored it and thought about what I'd do when I get there.
Hey Dmitri, I'm your new room mate!
Or,
Hey Dmitri, I'm running away from Austin, mind if I crash here for a bit?
Ugh, I'm a mess.
***
He stopped the carriage in front of the castle. After helping me out of it and securing my backpack on my back, we slowly walked the horse into a pen. He told the horse, who he'd called Rhonda, that he'd be back in a bit. I smiled at that. He was sweet.
"Alright," he said, turning to me, "We need to get inside. Who is it you were looking for? Because I don't know if you'll be safe to wander in on their on your own..."
"I'm meeting Dmitri," I told him, then added stiffly, "though he doesn't know I'm coming."
"I'll take you in then. I know where to find him." He started to walk towards the castle entrance. I quickly followed along behind him. It hit me that the walk was at least a kilometre away. This castle was big!
The silence got awkward, though he didn't look very bothered. I decided to start a conversation. "My name's Scarlet," I said to him, smiling.
He glanced at me then looked straight again. "Miles," He said quietly.
"Miles. That's a nice name," I added, trying to be friendly. When he didn't even look at me, I ran a hand through my hair and tried a different tactic. "You seem shy, Miles. Trust me, you've got no reason to be shy around me. I'm about as boring as they get."
He finally chukled a sweet chuckle. "You're not boring," He said. After a brief moment of hesitation, he added,"I just don''t know how to converse with girls."
His cheeks had begun to blush and he avoided eye contact. We were almost at the front doors of the castle. "I don't have many friends around here, you know," I started to explain. "If you ever want to hang out, I'd be glad to. You are way less scarier than the other vampires!"
He raised an eyebrow but didn't make further comments on that topic of discussion. He changed the topic, "Why is it that you don't want Austin to know you're coming here?" He asked, good-naturedly.
I sighed. For a bit, I had forgotten about my problems. He just had to bring it up. And what if he isn't to be trusted? What if I'm talking to a bad guy?
Ha! Unlikely! He's about as harmless as a plant.
"Sorry. Did I upset you?" He asked me with a concerned expression on his face. My eyes focused on his face, and I had to mentally shake myself from getting so upset over Austin.
"No, um, it's okay, u," I stuttered. I looked around. We had stopped moving, and we were now standing at the castle gates."We should go in, eh?" I said, laughing lightly.
"Yeah," He said quickly. He turned away and had opened the door before I even asked him if he needed help or if he knew what to do, since the gate was complicated. "Come on in," He said, and we both made our way down a big foyer.
Guards were lined up against a fully furninshed foyer covered in mirrors, windows, furniture, velvet carpets and a marble floor. A statue of a king and queen was in the corner. There were three staircases leading to upper and lower floors of the castle, and a high ceiling of glass and stone. The doors to a main hall, I suppose, were directly across from where we were standing. An elevator was on the far wall, and two guards were surrounding it.
I couldn't help but feel like an intruder.
Miles told me to stay put while he talked to one of the guards at the elevator. All the other guards were watching me, and though I couldn't see most of their faces, their eyes seemed curious. miles waked back to me and told me we could head upstairs, to the chambers.
"Chambers?" I asked him, slightly nervous.
He didn't respond in front of the guards. After we went up four levels on the escalators, the doors opened and we stepped out. Ahead was a hall of doors, and it was so bright I had to shiedl my eyes. it was beuatiful.
"The chambers are the bedrooms, of course," Miles began to explain as we walked down the hall. "It's just old vampire language, don't worry."
I nodded. We stopped in front of a large golden-white door. He knocked, and I held my breath.
In a split second, the door had opened.
There stood Dmitri in sweats and socks. His bare chest was the first thing I took in.
"Come on in," Dmitri said when he finally managed to put his shirt on. I walked in, and asked Miles to come in as well but he shook his head. I assumed he was waiting for me outside. Shurgging, I walked into Dmitri's room.
Dmitri shut the door and shuffled around his room while I took it all in a quick glance. The only thing that looked used was the king sized bed, the bathroom, the pool table (which was in his room, so cool!), and the closet. everything else - the dresser, the desk, the carpets, and the bookshelves looked untouched. He didn't seem to need much.
"Couldn't stay away from me?" Dmitri asked, mocking me. I turned to him and smirked.
"Yep, was dying to see you," I said dryly. After rolling my eyes at him, I'd successfully made him mad. "I need help," I told him. SIghing, I sat down at his computer desk chair and looked at him. He sighed and leaned against the wall, with his hands across his chest. Just like the first time I'd met him.
"What do you need help with?" He asked.
"I want to go back, like I told you the other day," I explained.
"I told you I don't think that's a good idea, Scarlet."
"The wedding is in two days!" I squealed
He raised an eyebrows. "Don't you want to be there for it?" He asked, surprised.
"No! What, you do?" I asked back. No way he wanted to go!
"Well... bros before hoes right?" He asked. My mouth fell open.
"You can't be serious!"
"Oh, but I am. Look, I told you I don't like humans. Austin is my bestfriend and I know he didn't tell me about the wedding but there isn't anything that could stop me from going!" He growled as he slammed a hand on the dresser.
Suddenly scared, I thought about when Dmitri threatened me a few nights ago in my room.
"Remember you told me humans aren't loyal?" I asked him, walking over to where he glared at me. When I said that, he looked like he remembered coming to my room the other night. "You said, that if I ever did something to Austin, you'd find me. You said the reason you hate humans is because they only like you for a second before they're on to their next victim!" I took a breath. "Correct?" I asked him as I stopped directly in front of him.
He sighed and nodded mutely.
"Isn't it ironic then, that a vampire was the one to be disloyal to the human?! Austin hurt me. You vampires are no better." I waited for him to respond.
"Scarlet, you said it yourself, it's an arranged marriage," Dmitri said.
"I don't care. As far as I can tell, I just want to leave. They seem to be perfect for each other, and he isn't trying hard enough to stop this wedding from happening," I said.
"Austin will come to look for you," Dmitri said. "And I don't think I can stand you staying with me for one bit."
I raised an eyebrow. He hasn't even tried to move away from me. He was standing so close, I found it hard to believe that he hated humans.
"Can I at least stay here for tonight?" I asked him, stepping away.
"How did you even find my castle?" He asked suspiciously.
"I do my research, Dmitri." I pointed at my duffle bag. "I have my belongings in here, I don't need to say here, Id like to be in a different room."
He smirked. "How well do you sleep on basement floors?" He asked mocking me.
"If you don't give me at least a carpet I will hurt you," I threatened. He laughed throatily.
"What? You're going to bring a wooden stake to my heart?" He asked, glancing at me as he walked to a huge floor to ceiling window. He sighed. "That's just a myth. Humans like to twist things up."
I rolled my eyes. This guy had mood swings, and although he only scared me slightly, I still wasn't sure if I could trust him.
"I can keep you here until the wedding. I'll get you a room. I don't know what you expect from me, but I'm about as clueless as you are in this situation," Dmitri said. He was still turned towards the window. He actually, surprisingly, sounded beaten.
"I, uh," I started to say, then quickly wiped away the trembling emotion from my voice. "I appreciate it."
He finally turned around and gave me a look. The look said a million things, but I had a hard time deciphering what they were.
I was probably better off not knowing.
He walked past me and opened the door. Miles fell to the floor. He had been leaning against the door while he was waiting in the hall.
I stifled a laugh.
"Miles, take her a floor up, and allow her to choose a room. The rooms up there are guests rooms, though you already knew that." Miles nodded in response after he got back up. "Great, thanks bro!" Dmitri said, a bit too excited. I gave him a weird look but he ignored me and shut the door.
Miles didn't say much as he walked back to the elevator. After getting off of the elevator onto the fifth floor, he looked at me. "You and Dmitri friends?" He asked curiously.
"Uhm, I don't know if I'd call it that." When he realized that was all I had to say about it, he pursed his lips.
"You know, I've had people asking to see him before. Not once, did he ever come to the door without a shirt on and not once did he ever let someone into his room." Miles raised an eyebrow. "Just saying."
It was now my turn to purse my lips. He had a point. I knew Dmitri. He owned his property on his sleeve! He would never let an outsider, a human, into his space.
"Can I choose a room?" I asked him, in hopes of changing the topic.
He seemed glad for the distraction. "Well, was there a type of room that you're interested in?" He asked me.
I thought about it. I was done taking things from these vampires. "Smallest guest room please," I said after making up my mind.
In no time, Miles had politely shown me three of the smallest rooms. I chose the one with the balcony.
"All set! Great. I have to get back now," Miles said, after admiring the view from my balcony.
"Say hello to Rhonda to me," I said, thinking of the horse.
He laughed and walked to the door. I opened it for him.
Before he left, I kissed him lightly on the cheek. His eyes were a pool of confusion. "For being such a gentlemen, whereas your friends were ass holes," I explained.
We held eye contact for a moment, until he nodded and left. I closed the door softly and threw my duffle bag into a corner.
I couldn't believe it. It just occurred to me that Id accomplished my plan.
I finally ran away from Austin. He couldn't catch me. My love for him still existed, but my hopes in going back to my old life were still there as well.
Next update coming soon! Vote and comment telling me what you think will happen next! Bye :)