We walked up to Ariel and Annie.
"Hi!" I gave Ariel a big hug. Even though I did not know her, I could tell me and her would be close. Her bright red hair Glowed in the sun light.
"Hi." Ariel managed to say through her teeth I was hugging her I was surprised she was still breathing.
"Liz, I think your going to choke her." Luke chuckled, I playfully hit him on his chest. "Are her papers all ready?" Luke turned to Annie.
"Just about I will mail them to you." She smiled but there was something about her, she was not acting all happy snappy. I brushed it off and helped Ariel to the car with all her bags. As we walked to the car she looked at me and said "Thank you so much for adopting me you have no clue how much this means to me." We put her bags in the trunk and I turned to her to give her a big hug.
We sat in the car waiting for Luke, He had gone inside with Annie to give her a mailing address. We could not have used the address we have now encase they tracked us down, then it would leave them to a semi dead end. When he came out he was grinning ear to ear and so was Annie. Now there was here happy snappy self. Luke got in the car, started the car, and drove off.
"So I'm Luke and this is Lizzy." He said it with a smile on his face. He was truly happy, something I had not seen from him.
"do you want me to call you mom and dad or Luke and Lizzy?" I looked at Luke not knowing how to answer the question. We had to tell her she would not even be living with us, and that she would be living with someone she could call mom and dad. We also had to tell her why we were doing all of this.
"Umm, you can call us Luke and Liz." I looked at Luke not knowing how he would take what I was going to say next.
"So Ariel wanna go shopping?" I turned back as much as I could in the car to face her. Ariel's Face Lit up even more than it already was. She started to do a little squeal. Luke shot me a did-you-really-just-do-that look. I giggled and said "On the way home stop at the mall." Luke sighed and did as I asked.
When we arrived at the mall Ariel rushed out of the car and ran towards the doors. She was so excited. We we walked in and she rushed over from rack to rack, o-ing and ah-ing at all the clothes. I giggled "Have you never been to a mall before?" She looked at me.
"No, I have never been. and now I know how wonderful it is!" She had the biggest smile ever on her face, and I loved it, just seeing her made me forget about all of the bad things that have been happening to me. "Go ahead and pick out anything you want! And when you want to go to a new store just tell us." She wondered off in the land of clothes and me and Luke turned at each other almost in sink.
"Why did you do that?"
"Do what?" I asked with a huge smile on my face.
"You know what you did! Do you know how much money that is going to cost?" He was really taken by surprise with what I did.
"Yes, I do! And with me buying something too it might just be even more!" I giggled and went to go find Ariel, when I looked behind me Luke was trudging along.
"I like this one!" I pulled out a mini dress with floral design on it, Ariel smiled and shook her head yes. She had already had Lukes arms full of clothes. We went to go see her try on the suff to see if it all looked okay.
As I watched her walk out with clothes, I noticed she really was like my sister. We liked a similar clothing style, We had similar physical features. She even acted like I did when I was her age. Even though she was only a year younger than me she still seemed like a kid.
"I love that one!" She had on the dress I had picked out just for her, It was something I would have worn. I loved the vintage flower designs.
"Its so cute! Okay lets go put these back." She smiled, as I looked at her confused.
"Wait, your not going to buy any of these?"
"No... wait you were going to buy them for me?!" She returned the confusion I had had before, but with excitement.
"Well ya! I would not bring you here and not let you get anything, you can buy anything you want!" Luke shot me another look, I giggled. I noticed his blue eyes sparkle almost as if he were hiding some sort of sadness deep down. But yet he was smiling at me, returning the gaze into my eyes. I tilled my head a little and so did he. Even though he was smiling his eyes told it all. He was hiding something, a big something. But what could he have been hiding? He had told me everything, Why he kidnapped me, who is after me, why they were after me, he even told me about the vampire, wolfes, even witches! So what is he hiding from me now?
"Whats a matter?" He looked at me with concern. Whether is was because he could tell I knew he was hiding something or not I had no clue. I quickly snapped out of my little gazed.
"Ya I'm fine, but are you?" I looked at him and he looked away. "Ya I'm fine."
Ariel came out with all the clothes she had tried on. "I'm ready to go check out!" There was so many when she brought the out you could not see her head. Luke and I looked at each other and laughed. Then Luke grabbed all of the clothes and said "Is that it?" Luke said sarcastically
"Yes!" I'm guessing she did not catch his sarcastic.
Ariel and I walked out of the mall with luke behind us carring all the bags. Each hand must of had atleast seven to eight bag. We could not help but laugh at him tring not to drop any of them. When we made it to the car Luke put all bags in the trunk and we got in.
"That was so much fun thanks." She gave us one of the akward car hugs.
"It was our pleasure, glad to see you had fun and luke shared a bit of his weath." I look at him with one eye brow rasied.
"You mean... You guys are rich?" She got super excited.
"Well that were going to have to explain." Me and Luke both looked at each other.
The drive home was quiet, due to do the fact that Ariel fell a sleep. We finally got home, and I nicely woke her up. I couldn't wait to see her face when she saw our house! I was amazed and I came form a decent sized house, she came from a small house that she shared with about 10 other kids. For her to come from that to this huge mansion would be a big adjustment, Even if she is not going to stay here.
"Ariel, we are home." She woke up so sweetly. Ariel got out of the car and stretched, she had not even really took a look at the house. Then all of the sudden you saw her eyes open wide and her jaw drop. Luke laughed.
"Lizzy did the same thing!" he smiled at me and I smiled back. "I will show you to your room, it just about Super time, so by the time you get all settled it should be time to eat." Luke grabbed her bags and walked up to the door.
"Come on, the inside is the best." She followed me inside, the butler greeted her and took all the bags from Luke.
"Your room is right up stairs beside Lizzy's." We walked her to her room, she was amazed by the big house. It was to bad she wouldn't be living here. It would have been nice for me to have someone to talk to once in a while. I would never trust Nikki with a secret to save my life, and I can't tell Luke very much because if I wanted to talk to someone it would be about him. I have never had someone in my life make me question everything like he does. But I like it, maybe it was just the sense of not knowing what was going to happen next. "Lizzy?" Luke Jumped me and I snapped out of it.
"Oh, sorry... what did you say?"
"I said, we have a lot to explain so Ariel should probably get some take it easy, right?"
"Oh yes, I totally agree." I must have just zoned out.
"Okay we will leave you alone to unpack." Luke gently grabbed my arm and lead me out side. He shut the door and tuned to talk to me.
"Are you okay?" I looked at him, he had a look of concern.
"Honestly? Well... first you have told me vampires, and all that is real. Then you have told me my parents are in danger, because some vampire and wolves are looking for me...and we have to bring this poor sweet innocent kid in to this." I paused and just kind of looked at the ground "Then when we bring her home, I have to explain all this to my mom, dad, and Ryan. I am just waiting for the next thing to happen." He looked at me, not very surprised at what I had just rambled on about.
"Come here." He grabbed my head gently and hugged me. "I'm here, I will help you through this. All of it." I looked up at his face, he smiled and hugged me tighter.
*****
Me an Luke sat down at the tabled waiting for Airel. We had waited several minuets before she finally came. When she came into the dinning room she grinned ear to ear, surprised to see such a big table and all the food. I smiled back at her.
"Come sit with us." Luke said as he laughed and she sat down.
"I have never seen so much food in my life! And it all just looks so good." She grabbed some of the food. We had turkey and mash potatoes, corn, peas, cannery jelly, and various types of pies.
"Luke made it all just for you." I smiled, as her eyes almost poped out of her head!
"You made this all for me?!" She was stuffing her mouth with food, witch made me laugh
"First don't talk with your mouth full..." He paused and laughed "And yes I did. I made all this for you." He softly smiled at her. I knew why he made such a good meal, he wanted to give her a good meal before he told her about everything. I was really worried about how all of this would go over with her.
After supper we went told Ariel to go to her room and finish unpacking and to come to the library when she was done. Luke and I walk in the the library and plopped down on the couch. We were quiet for a bit and then he started talking,
"So how do you think I should tell her everything?"
"Definitely not how you told me." I smiled, and he just stared at me. I'm assuming he did not find it as funny as I did.
"No I know... but how to I say it? How do I make her even believe me? I mean I'm not even sure you believe me." He sat beside me and let out a big sigh
"I'm not sure myself if I even believe you." I stopped to think "but maybe if you had proof, but how could you get proof. You would have to find a wolf or a vampire or a witch that aren't trying to find me. Maybe even then I can believe it." Lukes face stayed looking ahead with no particular expresstion. "Hello? You there?" I waved my hand in front of his face.
"Oh, ya I'm fine. You had a good Idea... about that... I know away we can achive that." Right after he said that Ariel knocked on the door and walked in the room.