Truths and Decisions

Chapter 7: Truths and Decisions

I love mornings.  They make me feel like I'm opening a book that I haven't read, but I know I'm going to love.

But this morning was different.  And for one reason only.  I could tell something was truly bothering Alexander.  But whenever I asked, he would either ignore me or he would say "Nothing"..... very harshly.

"Something is wrong with you! I can tell." I said after he ignored me again.

"My thirst." Alexander grumbled.

"I am almost 100% sure that that is not the problem.  Did something happen last night?"

His eyes shot upward to look at my face. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I was asleep and you weren't.  Therefore if something happened, you would be the only one to know about it." I smirked.

"Well your theory is wrong." His voice was so angry, that I did not reply to that statement.  Instead I changed the subject.

"How long until we reach wherever my parents are?" I asked.

"We will be there by tonight." He replied. 

Alexander looked to the East and then looked back at me.  It seemed to me that he was trying to figure something out.

He closed eyes and then took in a deep breath and let it out. He stood like that for about ten minutes.  When he opened his eyes, he turned his gaze to me.  We locked eyes and then he said, "Stella, I have to tell you something.  And it's very important."

"Yes? What is it?" I froze.  He was so serious.

"You have to run.  You have to go home and destroy that mirror."

"What?! Why?!" I was startled.

"Listen to me." He put his hands on my shoulders, not taking his eyes off mine. "My uncle is going to kill you.  And I was leading you to him."

"What?"

"Stella, I'm so sorry.  He is the one holding your parents captive.  He was going to imprison you when we got there.  He's going to torture you all until you die." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter. 

I took it and read it.  Everything he said was true.  But I was not angry with him.  Instead I was sad for him.  And I shouldn't have felt that way. "Why?" I asked.

"Why what?" He seemed confused by my question.

"Why would you help him?"

"It's complicated."

"They're my parents.  I need to know." I begged him.

"My parents left me when I was toddler.  I have no memory of them.  Nor do I even know what they look like or why they left.  But my uncle took me in.  He became the father that I did not have."

"And now you feel in debt to him." I finished for him. 

"Yes."

"Alex, I have to go."

"I will lead you home.  If you'll have me." He finally looked away from me.  Instead he was staring at the ground.

"No.  I have to save my parents."

"Come on lets go.  Maybe we'll reach the lake by tonight." He began to walk the way we had come last night.

"Alex, no! I'm not going home! I'm going to find them!"

He stopped dead in his tracks. "What?!"

"You heard me."

He turned to face me.  He began to tremble.  But I could tell that it wasn't with anger.  It was with fear. "Stella," he managed to whisper, "you don't know what your getting yourself into.  You don't know what he's capable of."

"No, I don't.  But you do."

"You won't be able to save them." He mumbled.

"I'm willing to die trying." This killed him.  He looked as if someone shot him in the chest.  Like he was going to keel over any second now.  I didn't know that he cared about me so much, that the idea of me getting hurt crippled him that badly.

Alexander squatted low to the ground and placed his hands on the back of his head.  His eyes were closed and his head was tilted towards the grass.  He stayed like that for a few seconds, and then shot straight up. "Then lets go!" He snarled and stalked off towards the East.

"Alex, I'm sorry.  But I have to!" I said as I ran to catch up to him. "Don't you understand?"

"I guess I don't!"

"Alex, please slow down." I was having a hard time keeping up with him.

He stopped and pulled a large piece of folded paper out of his pocket.  He unfolded it and handed it to me.  It was a map.

He pointed to a little black line that cut through the forest. "Follow this path until you get to Grenada Palace.  My uncle will be waiting to kill you there."

"Alex..."

"I'm not coming with you! You deserve to die." And then he took off across the field.  He was out of sight within seconds.

"Alex!" I screamed, the map falling from my hand. "Alex...please come back." I began to cry.  Too stunned to move.

From the moment he said he was going to leave, a battle erupted inside of me.  I felt hurt, betrayed, and angry all at once.  How could he do this to me? I thought he cared about me! Well, I guess I don’t care about him then either. Or do I?

My panting grew heavier and heavier. The more I thought about Alexander, the more I cried. My body crumpled to the ground, curling in a fetal position. I have only known him for a few days! So why did him leaving, affect me so badly? Why did I feel like some part of me was taken away?

And then I had an epiphany, which was the biggest point of my breakdown. What if I was in love with him? Is this how it felt when a real relationship ended?

I laid in that position, crying for what seemed like hours. When I finally gained control of my thoughts, I remembered my goal for coming here. My parents. They were still in need of me.

So I stood up, brushed the grass off my pants, and wiped the tears from my eyes. I had to be strong. I had to move on....for them.

And so I picked up the map and looked at it. My eyes prickled as I remembered Alex telling me to follow the little black line that I now looked at. Yes, they prickled...but no tears fell. I was over that. The pain of losing him was imminent, and I was sure that it would always be.

But I pressed on, anyways. I walked to the edge of the field. A little dirt path that was surrounded by dead trees, wound it’s way through the woods.

I took a deep breath as I looked down the road I was about to follow, unsure of where exactly it would lead me.

My right foot lifted off the ground and landed on the dirt. It was followed by my left. Right, left. Right, left. I walked into the darkness of the cover of the trees.

There was no life in this part of the woods. No birds, no bunnies, no deer. Nothing but pure death. All of the plants were either dying or already dead.

The darkness was overwhelming. My eyes could barely see two feet in front of me. I feared nightfall. That would be the darkest of nights. I would be forced to stop.

I thought about how it would be, if Alex had stayed. I would be clutching to his shirt, as he used his sharpened vampire eyes to guide us. There would be no need to stop in the night because he did not need the light to see where he was going.

The time passed fast as I thought of Alex. I tried to force myself to remember everything about him. Despite his decision to leave, I never wanted to forget him. And I couldn’t blame him for leaving either. He did not know the relationship that children have with their parents. All he had was a greedy guardian. And I could tell from the letter that he sent to Alexander, he didn’t care about him. He was willing to kill his nephew, regardless of whatever the situation may have been. 

As my mind came back to the present, I realized that it was almost dusk. I saw a large, shadowy shape looming closer, in the distance. Suddenly Alex’s voice came clear into my head. "We will be there by tonight" he said. I felt a glimmer of hope, as I ran towards the massive shadow.

As I drew closer, my ears began to pick up the faint sounds of music.

And then the shadowiness cleared, and there it was. Grenada Palace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Short.Nerd]

This is a great chapter!! I love the cliff hanger at the end.

[Alyssa]

Nice chapter!!!
Wow i was so surprised that Alex said that to her!! It's kinda like how jacob does it in new moon when bella decides to go in the house after seeing carsliles car.
You accidentally skipped some words in this chapter, id say u should read it over and revise when ur done reading so u can spot them and fix them like.. The time passed fast as I thought Alex .. of should be between thought and Alex.

But I really liked this chapter! My favorite so farrrrr :) Haha i always say tht but its true! haha but anyways the end was a cliff hanger, is alex there? who is it> is she hellucinating?

great work kj :)