Dear Eric

Adam

I walk down the stone path, kicking rocks as I go. I've run miles away from Rosewood Academy and I'm finally able to take a break and walk. Vampire speed doesn't last forever.

I just hope it's the same for whoever has been following me.

I haven't fed or eaten anything for the 16 hours I've been on the road. I feel like s**t since I've left Rosewood Academy. It's gotten to the point where just reminding myself that it's keeping Ariel and my family safe isn't enough to keep me going. I've thought of turning around three times now. Thought of running back to Ariel and telling her I'm sorry. Wipe away her tears and tell her I love her and I'll never run away again. That we can fight against Eric and conquer him.

But I know we can't. He'd rip us to shreds in minutes with no hesitation. If he ever found out I told Ariel anything about vampires, he'd kill me with a wooden stake, then snap Ariel's neck.

I had to leave to protect her.

But I can't help this empty feeling, this guilt and this feeling of stupidity. As if I made a mistake. A major mistake. I just hope Ariel is ok. She'll get questioned for why I left, but I beg that's all she has to go through.

Eric wouldn't torture the words out of her, would he? He wouldn't physically get it out of her. I hope not. All I told her was I was going south. Did I tell her what city? I can't remember. Will she rat me out or keep the secret? I'd rather have her just tell him than being tortured just to keep my secret.

Did my leaving just cause her to be in more danger? By Eric torturing her for answers?

But what are the chances that he will do that? He could just ask her a few simple questions and that's it. How could he torture her without killing her, being a vampire and all? His strength is too much to not cause serious damage.

But he'll probably never know if Ariel is safe ever again. He'll probably never see her again, or any of his family or friends. Every step brings him further and further away from his past life. This is one of those moments where he wishes he could turn off his amplified emotions that come with being a vampire. But he's knows if he does he'll become a completely different person, and probably never want to turn back. He can't risk it.

But it's killing him to have to go through this. When will it stop?

When will it stop?

For the past few hours I've been walking through the huge woods surrounding Rosewood Academy. I've got to be extremely far away from it by now but the wood is absolutely huge nonetheless. I carry my suitcase in my left hand and a map in my left hand, while my compass hangs from a string around my neck. I look at the map and see I'm not too far from the edge of the woods.

Chances are, I'm the first one from Rosewood Academy to make it through the woods alive. 

I pick up my speed, suddenly excited to get out of this woods and into civilization, for the most part anyway. I run as fast as I can to the edge of the woods, passed trees and chirping birds. To finally see people again, to find something to distract me from the pain of leaving Rosewood Academy. From leaving my entire life behind in the middle of the woods.

I break through the trees and into the open to find a dirt road and a long field beyond it. I breathe in the air, enjoying the smell and feel of fresh air, instead of the smell of underbrush and grass. I look to my left down the road and see a few buildings in the distance, standing tall. I grin and begin walking in that direction.

Cars pass me by and I can't help but smile at finally seeing people. Wonderful, glorious, harmless humans.

And no Eric. No Ariel.

I push the thought away. Instead I think about the amazing feeling of concrete beneath my feet instead of grass and dirt. The open air instead of the closed in forest. The wind against my face as cars pass me, coming and going from the city. I look up and see the blue sky with white clouds instead of green leaves and branches.

What a change this will be. What an amazing, wonderful change.

If only Ariel could see this...

~~~

I make it to the city. Seeing cars and people and no trees or vampires is a great feeling. I explore every road, take a look at the people that pass my by. I look around at all the shops; the parlor, the toy store, the electronics store.

Electronics.

Back in Rosewood Academy there was no electricity. We had lanterns and we had to wash our clothes by hand, wash dishes by hand. We didn't have phones, only Eric and the teachers did. We didn't have TV or computers. We passed the time by playing catch or baseball with our wooden, twenty year old bats and mits and a ripped up softball. We played tic tac toe and red rover whenever we had the free time after classes.

I feel drawn to the store, to stare at the screens and millions of games along the metal shelves.

I walk into the store with my suitcase, map, and compass still with me. I look around and find boxes with labels such as Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Games like Just Dance and Call of Duty. I hear two teenage boys walking passed me talk about a new game that came out recently called Battlefield 3. My curiosity spikes and I dream of having a gaming system of my own someday, or to be able to watch a movie or television show.

But right now I have more important things on my mind. So I walk out of the store, promising myself to return soon, and walk down the street until I reach an alley to rest and decide what to do next.

I walk to the middle of the alley and sit against the wall. I open my suitcase and take out my notebook and pen. In a random page I write: Eric, when the day comes that you find me and kill me, I hope you'll find this notebook and read this. I want you to know that I left because of you and it's because of you that Ariel will be in pain. And if you kill her, damned be your soul.

I close the notebook, feeling content to the words I wrote, and tuck back in my suitcase. I sigh and lean back against the brick wall of a bookstore on the end of the street.

"What do I do now?" I ask myself. Where do I go from here?

Author's Note

This is just a chapter to let you know what's going on with Adam and where he's at right now, but most of all how he's feeling. Hope it's ok, for as long as it's taken me to write it.

Reviews

[Jacques]

first of all , love the bigger font as it captures the readers [ me ] attention and i also like you put the word s**t in there as it shows a maturity and grown- up sense to the chapter as if i was in that situation , i wouldn't try to say something other than s**t . i like how he's talking to himself but branching out to me and readers as it shows what he's thinking from his own perspective , mind and thoughts and his questions and thoughts give Adam more depth and humanity. i like how you inputting some references and mentions like stuff like Battlefield 3 which gives the story a more modern feel for me to read as when i've been reading for Adam and his centric chapters - i've had the sense of everything and the tone being old fashioned . great chapter .