Prisoner

We didn’t waste time trying to get back into the swing of the things upon arriving home.   Aunt Kat told me I needed to get a job, and Mariellen, having been there for this discussion, had suggested a place called Pottery Playground, a Paint Your Own Pottery Store that was located in the same Plaza at her dance studio.  She told me it would be the perfect place for me to work, considering how good of a drawer I am.  Even though drawing sketches has very little do with paint, I ignored the blatant differences and thought the creative outlet might be good for me either way.

            So, taking initiative, I stopped in after school on a day that Mariellen was teaching dance lessons to younger girls, and tried to speak to a manager about a possible job opportunity.

            When stepping inside the golden walled business with tons of colorful examples and decorations everywhere, I was surprised to see a familiar face working behind the counter.  It was Theresa Deuxmont, the violet-haired girl I knew from my drawing and art forms classes.

            “Well, hey there!” She said cheerfully as the glass door shut behind me with a chime. “How’s it going, Sophia?  How can I help you?”

            “It’s going pretty well,” I replied with a pleasant smile, despite the fact things weren’t going exactly well, and I was just chased home from the beach by a coven of bloodthirsty vampires.

            “How was your…um, break?” Theresa searched for a word to describe my runaway vacation, although the school officials themselves had even suggested I take a few days off to “Pull myself together.”

            “It was…great.  The water was really warm,” I lied badly, then continued before she could think of any other questions to ask about the beach. “I was actually seeing if I could turn in a resume.  I wanted to apply for a job here.”

            “No way!  That’s awesome!” Theresa exclaimed, reaching out over the counter for the paper in my hands, her collection of beaded bracelets and bangles made a clanky noise as she did so. “Sharon needs workers really bad, so you came just at the right time.”

            “Well that’s lucky for me�"I need money really bad.  I have a car to pay off,” I explained with a sigh of relief.

            Theresa laughed. “Yeah, look at you go with this professional little resume!  I bet Sharon will call you tonight begging you to start tomorrow.”

            “Let’s Hope!” I agreed, just as a group of girl scouts entered the building behind me.

            “That’s my cue to get back to work.  I’ll see ya in school tomorrow Sophia!” Theresa exclaimed as she came out from behind the counter to greet the troop.

Aunt Kat was home when I got back.  She was dressed in a black pencil skirt, a white tank top tucked in at the waist, and bright red lips.  She was standing behind the island counter with a glass of wine in her right hand, and admiring a new painting in her left.

            “Well, hello, sunshine,” She greeted, showing the kind of glamorous smile fitted for a star, one that does not leave an unattractive lip stick stains behind on her teeth. “Did you get the job?”

            “Uh, I think so,” I said, heaving my leather slouch purse onto the counter and pulling out my school work. “I will know soon enough.  What’s with all this?” I asked, lifting my hand up and gesturing to the outfit, wine, and art.

            “Oh this?”Aunt Kat laughed, and then swallowed the last remaining bit of her drink. Her lipstick didn’t even rub off on the glass, amazingly. “I just finished this painting I’ve been working on for years now.  Pretty, isn’t it?”

            “Everything you paint is pretty, Kat,” I complimented her, admiring the gorgeous scene of a city we once lived in. “But what made you decide to get all dolled up, and…and drink wine?”

            She laughed again.

            “Bryan and some of the people I work at the tattoo parlor with are stopping over tonight for drinks,” She said, opening up the fridge with a slender arm and pulling out a plate of meats and cheeses. “You should really meet the girls, Soph, you would love them!”

“Yeah, I’m sure I would,” I feigned agreement, surprised by how much of a party going, social light my god mother had become recently. “But you know, I’m really tired…and I have a lot of homework…”

“You sure do look exhausted babe…have you been getting enough sleep lately? Do you want anything to eat?  I can bring you up some dinner in a little if you like,” Aunt Kat offered, opening up the freezer this time and rooting around through the contents. “How does…chicken and rice sound?”           

“Sounds good,” I murmured, starring out the window above the sink at the growing darkness.  The wolves would be on the prowl soon, back to their usual habits of protecting me, so much more of a hassle for them now after all of the recent events.  I thought about Owen…and what he had to say to me that was interrupted that day in the bathroom…and why he couldn’t have just said it anyways.  I chewed on my thumb nail as I continued starring out the window….lost in the possibilities of what he might have been feeling…

“You sure you’re alright, Sophie?”

I jolted back and stared up at her, her freckled face contorted in concern.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m alright.  Just tired,” I mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and grabbing my purse. “I’ll be up in my room doing homework…thank you for making dinner.”

            And with that I was off up the stairs into my lair.

I attempted to work diligently on the pile of homework I had, but I was too distracted.  Too many thoughts were crossing my mind, too many new fears.  What if the bloodthieves tried something new…what if they decided to plan an attack that was so uncoordinated and bullheaded, even I couldn’t see it coming?  What if the wolves couldn’t save me, for once?  What if those poor teens who died on Moon Beach had been Owen and all his friends?  What if I couldn’t be strong enough to handle this, and what if I let them all down?

            I heard the guests arrive at 6:30ish, and Kat brought me up dinner around 7:00.  I ate very little, my appetite dissipating after considering the many not so pleasant things my life was involved with at the moment, and half-heartedly finished by biology and pre-calculus homework.  At about 9:00, I was fighting to keep my eyes open, so I changed into my favorite red plaid pajama pants and a gray tank top, and climbed into bed, more nervous at what I would see when my eyes shut then what would happen if I didn’t close them at all…

I immediately felt the sudden urging tug as soon as my mind began to wander, the sensation of my mind being pulled from the present reality to…another realm.  Once the falling sensation stopped, my eyes flittered open, and I tried pushing myself up onto my elbows.

            It was quiet, dramatically silent here.  As my eyes adjusted to the surroundings, I realized I was lying on a concrete floor, in an empty square cell of some kind.  The walls were seemingly never ending, and the floor I was laying on was cold as I gazed around.

            I brought myself up to my feet, seeing that I was still in my pajamas and socks, and noticed what had been lying at my feet.  Shackles.  But they were broken in pieces, as though someone had decided to release me.

            There was a flash of bright light from behind me, and I spun around.  One of the tower-like walls had vanished, and in its place was a snow covered woodsy scene, glorious, white snow flurries flying around in every direction like glitter sifting down through the evergreen trees.

            But there was a person standing there when I looked again.  My heart skipped a beat in fright, momentarily.

            Looking closer, I realized who this person was.  Brady.  His shining white smile reflected beautiful amongst the winter wonderland he stood in.   There was a weird, magnetic pull for him that I felt in the core of chest.  Like a rope, dragging me forward. Yanking me.

            I saw him reach his hand up, beckoning me slowly to come even closer.  My feet obeyed the tugging in my heart, and before I knew it, I was stepping across the fluffy snow, feeling it through my socks, seeing the sparkling white fluff lying delicately within the curly waves of my chocolate hair.  His grin was brilliant as he reached for me, winding his arms around my waist.

            “Be mine, Sophia,” he said, his voice coming from all around rather than just from his mouth. “I can give you what you need.  I am a part of you.  We belong together forever and always.”

            I suddenly hesitated, avoiding eye contact with his beautiful emerald green eyes.  He must have caught this indecision, because immediately his facial expression did a complete 180.

            “You don’t want him, Sophia,” Brady glowered, eyes smoldering like a burning forest. “He’s a monster.  Look at me! I’m the one you want.  I can take care of you.”

I still did not speak, mouth feeling dry as sand paper, prickly and rough.  He squeezed his strong arms tighter around my waist, so that I couldn’t even be cold from the snow. “He will only destroy you,” He continued, his voice trance like, almost. “I am a part of your past, present, and future, and he only wants to destroy it.”

            Grabbing me around the petite shoulders with his large hands, he spun me around to face the direction I just came from�"the large, vacant cell.  However, it was no longer there anymore.  Instead, Owen’s brilliant figure was standing before me in the distance.  Despite the icy cold weather, he was wearing nothing but worn out cut off jeans and a bare chest with matching bare feet.  His eyes were shining in the snow falling around him, the glacier like appearance matching with the scene perfectly.

            But, for some reason, I hated this.  I hated his eyes.  I loathed his appearance, and I wanted to destroy him and his future before he destroyed me.

            But why were these thoughts even crossing my mind?  I never felt this way before about Owen, I loved him. I knew I did, even though I knew I shouldn’t.

            Yet starring at him in the middle of the woods, I never hated something before so much in my entire life.  His fists were clenched tightly on either side of his body, and his face was smug and bored�"looking nonchalant, like he knew nothing could ever come close to harming him.  Or rather, that he didn’t care if it did.

            This bothered me.  I wanted to kill him.

            I, puny, weak, Sophia Lewis, wanted to kill this creature.  In terrible ways.  I shuddered at the hatred I was not used to feeling for anyone.

            As I looked closer, I realized snow all around him began melting rapidly, as if it were really molten lava.  The next thing I knew the trees each erupted into fiery balls of flame around him, one by one. He remained rigid, as though he were frozen in time, unblinking and muscles tightened stiffly like a sculpture.

            Glancing around, I realized Brady was no longer with me, but there were distant black figures slowly approaching where I stood.  It was them, Owen, and I in a burning forest.  Although, I didn’t feel quite like myself anymore.  I felt like another creature altogether, a hateful, evil, bloodthirsty creature.  And I could suddenly smell Owen’s blood from across the forest; a sweet, pure, rich, thick smell, that seemed to fill the entire forest, seemed to transmit into every single surrounding tree.  I became light headed and woozy, overwhelmed by the tantalizing desire for it.

            “We told them, we told that witch we would be back,” A sick, aging voice rasped from behind me, entertained hatred dripping from his every word. “We gave those filthy muts a warning…we would attack when they least expect it.”

            “Stupid, filthy muts!  We have conquered!”

            “They were doubtful!  They doubted our power!”

            “They doubted our numbers!”

            “We gave them warning! When you least expect it, mongrels!”

            The voices closing in behind me cackled and mocked their enemies in victorious disgust and loathing, shrieking several other things I couldn’t quite make out.

            I looked on closer and expectantly as Owen remained perfectly still, and then watched as in a matter of a few seconds, his entire frame burst into red hot flames and the cackles behind me turned into triumphant screeches.

I shot up in bed and opened my eyes simultaneously, grabbing at my heart which was beating frantically within my chest.  I really was as light headed and woozy as I had been in the vision.   I sat there panting, clutching at my chest, and staring out the window at the dark, moonlit moor.  The grass was dewy and seemed to almost reflect the milky white gleam of the moon.

I couldn’t even wrap my mind around what had just taken place, or how strong and accurate the vision even was.  However, I knew I did not like the feelings I had been experiencing, and although deep down inside I knew I would never harm Owen, I loved him, I wondered if something ever did happen to him, would it be my fault?  Would he die trying to save me, someone he shouldn’t even have to be involved with?  My heart wanted to quit even considering the possibility.

 Needless to say, I wasn’t able to fall back to sleep the rest of the night.  In the end, I decided whatever the vision was about, the wolves needed to know about it�"as soon as possible.  Because something horrible and deadly and relentless was coming for them, when they least expected it.

‘As soon as possible’ turned out being at the lunch table the next day in school.  As soon as everyone returned to the table with their trays, I made sure my voice was at the lowest decibels it could possibly go, even though everyone had to lean way in to hear me speaking and Mariellen accidently dipped her long white curls into her applesauce in the process.  They listened intently as I described in detail everything that took place in my most recent vision, including everything from the celled room and shackles, Brady randomly appearing in the snow, (I didn’t mention everything he said about Owen, I decided that was probably more of a personal issue than one directed for the pack), and then how I saw Owen, heard the voices of the blood thieves and actually became one, watching Owen go up in flames as the dream abruptly ended.  I didn’t fail to mention exactly everything the vampire voices said�"I hastily wrote it down on a piece of sketch paper by my bed the night before, before I forgot the exact context spoken.

            After everything was out of my mouth and ready for analyzing, I especially tried hard not to make eye contact with Owen, seeing it was him who I saw die in the vision.  Amery was the only one with a strong enough stomach and continued eating his tater tots ravenously throughout the entire story.

            “Well…” I said after a moment, of everyone starring down at their plates, complexion filling their faces. “What do you think it means?”

            Blaise was the first to look up from the opposite side of the table, and Tyler, loyally sitting beside him, looked up at it him expectantly through her curtain of short brown hair.      

            “Well, Sophia,” He started, biting his lower lip with his top teeth. “It was your vision…how would you interpret it to us, if you had to?”

            I blushed slightly as he called me out, even though he did not sound accusing or rude as he did so in his lofty voice.

            “We just want to know what you’re feelings in the vision were,” Mariellen helped Blaise’s cause. “Because it might help if we knew where you�"or rather, where the persona you were occupying�"was coming from.”

            “Unless, you know, you’re feelings were being turned on by Owen’s half-naked body,” Isaac said jokingly, always having to provide some kind of comic relief input, but this time choosing the wrong words on every account.

            “Isaac!” Mairellen shrieked, scolding him by slapping him hard on the left pectoral.  Amery burst into laughter as Tyler rolled her eyes in disgust and Blaise glared at his brother, while Owen shook his head and squeezed his temples with his thumb and pointer finger in clear embarrassment.

           “Actually, no,” I began awkwardly, feeling heat rise into my cheeks. “ The feelings I was having were of the most…sickest form of hatred you could imagine.  Whoever I was at the time wanted…they wanted him dead, I’m pretty sure.”

           “That’s okay, bro,” Isaac said to Owen, with a joking wink. “I’m sure her dream didn’t give justice to your sexy six pack.”

           “Hey, we all know mine’s the sexiest!” Amery chirped, motioning like he was about to lift his shirt up.

           “Boys!” Mariellen said exasperatedly, throwing her hands up like two stop signs.  Amery snorted again, but received twin looks from both Tyler and Blaise that clearly said ‘don’t encourage him’.

           “This is serious, Isaac, not now,” Mariellen continued. “Do you not want to hear what she has to say?”

           “No, no I do,” Isaac said smiling so that I could not be too angry with him for his inappropriateness. “Continue, Soph, I’m sorry.”

           I could barely continue, however, because Owen still hadn’t said anything yet, and I didn’t know if I should take this as a good or bad sign.

           Pretending there were no interruptions, I went on to say, “I guess…I guess it meant that they are going to try to capture me again…when you all least expect it…and that they’ll kill anyone who gets in the way.”

           “Least expect it, huh?” Owen scoffed, finally speaking. “I’d like to see them try.”

           “Lower your voices, the table over there is listening in,” Blaise murmured, using his heightened sense of hearing to make out what the tables of girls beside us were whispering about.

           Just then, I felt a presence standing behind me, and everyone looked up at the same time in the same direction.

           “Well, look what we have here,” I heard the usual arrogant drawl breathe from behind me on my neck, sending scampers of shivers down my spine in an almost pleasant way.  Spinning around in my seat, I was face to face with Brady and his usual posse, AJ Campatelli, James Russo, Delaney Bishop, and Cassie Munez.   He leaned down over the table, resting his hands on his knees, forearms exposed by the gray sleeves of his thermal shirt pushed up to his elbows.

           “Haven’t seen you in school for days!” Brady continued in somewhat of a mocking, surprised tone, well aware that the others were present yet refusing to acknowledge them. “Have you been skipping math just to avoid me?  Or are you still just…not…allowed to associate with me?”  He emphasized the word allowed by meeting Owen dead in the eyes.

           “No,” I said hesitantly, shaking my head. “That’s not it.   The last few days I’ve had to be in the art room making up work I’ve missed last week, that’s all.”  I didn’t miss the look on Delaney’s perfectly made up face, which clearly looked like she’d rather be cleaning up dog poo then have to stand within ten feet of my lunch table.

           “Oh really?” Brady said icily. “I honestly just assumed your little watch dogs weren’t letting you outside of the pound.”

           I could hear the growl trembling within Owen’s chest before Brady even got the complete sentence across.  This was just a complete replay of the episode at Moon Beach, I sensed.

           “Is there a reason why you’re here?” He hissed, drawing Brady’s smug smirk in his direction once more.

           “Um, yeah, I was wondering the same thing, Brady?” Delaney whined in her squeaky, girlish voice.  “Can we please just go back to our own table?”

           Brady paused for a minute, and I expected him to say something departing but also very sarcastic and especially rude, however he just held his jaw in an awkward fashion, scanned over everyone at the table, landing his eyes on Owen.

           “Can’t keep her your prisoner forever.  Sooner or later, she has to be the one to choose.”  And then he walked away, the expressions on his friends’ faces equally as confused.

           Something about what he said rang in my head, over and over, reminding me of my previous vision. Prisoner.  I was aware my mouth hung open dumbly, but I couldn’t close it.

           After an awkward silence, where Owen glared at a few crumbs on the table and Tyler broke apart pieces of her Styrofoam tray, I felt a strange feeling come over me.  As if I were being watched intently; scrutinized.  Looking up instinctively, my eyes were drawn towards the table in the corner, the one where the vampire coven used to reside at lunch hour.

           Of course, however, there was nothing there but the aura of something ugly, something evil.  But a strange chill came over me, like their presence was still lingering there, and was just as strong as ever.  And was still watching me, speculating intently, waiting for me to slip up so they could make their move at least. 

           The feeling left me extremely uncomfortable, and before I knew what was happening, I was no longer in the cafeteria, but instead was somehow in a dark, cold room. With things crashing down all around me, and the terrifying screech of the vampires echoing and cascading down all around my crippled form. 

           I was there for a only an instant, and then I was back at the table, my chocolate milk carton tipped and spilled all down the front of my lacey crème tank and brown sweater, but even worse making a pretty impressive brownish wet spot on my bleached out skinny jeans.  Everyone was staring at me, a mix of worry, confusion, and humor on their faces.

           “Awesome,” was all I said.