Predator

Chapter 15

5. July, 3 am

A strange movement in the room jolted me out of my deep slumber. I thought Luise had returned to her room, but that's not the case because she would have approached me by now. Besides its been days since I last saw her, I'm sure she wouldn't be sneaking into her room when she finally decides to come back.

I'm not sure how long the strange noise kept me awake, but it has been a while.

Am I going crazy or was there something in the room?

I considered turning on the lights, but the light switch is all the way by the door, and I'm not willing to risk my life for that.

I wrapped the blanket around myself and tried to remain as still as possible.

Maybe a rat snuck into the room, or perhaps it's just the wind blowing through a half-open window.

Or  I'm still sleeping and this is all a dream. When I wake up,  Luise will be sleeping soundly next to me. 

Yeah, I just need to wake up.

Closing my eyes, I begged myself to wake up from this nightmare.

I remained under the quilt, using all of my senses to determine whether or not I had awoken.

Even though the noise had stopped, I remained skeptical.

I drew myself into a sitting position and wrapped the duvet around myself so that only my face was visible.

It was too dark to see what could have been making the noise, and the parts that were illuminated by the moonlight were too blurry for me.

Maybe if I got a little closer...

But closer to where? I'm not sure what made the noise, and even if I did, I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to approach it.

The only thing new in the room was the doll Calius gave me, which was in the cage.

I personally put her in.

Can dolls walk?

Is that even a thing?

I hope Luise returns soon...

Grabbing all the pillows on the bed I put them around me as some sort of protection. I know that in any case scenario pillows and blankets definitely won't protect me but, nonetheless, they made me feel a bit safer.

Maybe it was all in my head.

It would be ridiculous if something was making a racket in Luise's room.

As I curled up in the middle of the bed, I rested my head on a pillow just in front of my knees.

Sleeping now seemed impossible, but I was willing to give it a shot.

I'd be able to sleep if I could just convince myself that the shifting noise was all in my head.

My breathing became even, and I allowed myself to completely relax.

The noise reappeared just as I was about to fall asleep. Those soft whispers were all over the place.

Okay, I've had enough of hiding.

"LUISE." At the top of my lungs, I screamed. If I'm going to die, I'd rather die fighting. Or, in this case, screaming... which I would eventually do anyway.

I'm not sure if the noise continued or not because my scream drowned out everything.

Luise entered the room in less than a minute.

"What's the matter?" She questioned as she searched the room for an intruder.

"A nightmare," I responded.

I wasn't going to keep this from her; I just didn't know what to say. And it appears to have stopped as soon as she walked in.

"Are you okay?" As she approached the bed, she asked  "Would you like to talk about it?"

I had no idea what to say or where to begin.

"Where were you?" I asked, changing the subject.

Since she was in the room, I finally moved from the middle of the bed and made some space for her to sit or even lie down.

She understood my movement and sat on the bed, never breaking eye contact with me. "I was in the company of my brother."

"Can you stay?"

She took the pillows that were surrounding me and returned them to their original spot at the top of the bed as she shook her head. "I see you made yourself a nest." She teased.

A nest? "Like a bird's nest?" I questioned.

"More like a vampire nest. When a vampire is upset, they surround themselves with items that smell like someone they... trust. It relaxes them." She said as she continued fixing the bed, being careful not to touch me.

I trust her, so that may be what I was doing. I had so many questions for her but didn't dare to ask them.

She appeared to be in a bad mood, possibly as a result of my interruption of her conversation with her brother. I watched silently as she lay down and turned her back to me.

I guess the conversation is over.

"Good night," I said so quietly that I'm not sure if she heard me. I'm guessing she didn't, based on her lack of response.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary around the room. Maybe tomorrow I'll search every nook and cranny for hints, but for now, I should rest.

Luise appears to be upset with me for some reason, so perhaps I should sleep on the couch tonight. That would require getting out of bed though...

It's worth it if Luise feels better in the morning.

She rolled over to face me as I moved slowly towards the edge of the bed. "Can't sleep?" She asked.

No, I  shook my head.

She let out a deep sigh and reached out her hand to grab mine. It caught me off guard, but the unusual warmth of her hand was strangely soothing and It calmed me down in a second.

"Lie down." She said, and I did as I was told.

I made myself comfortable right by her side, but not close enough to touch her. The way our fingers intertwined made it seem as if there was a strong connection and trust between us. And not just as a vampire and her pet, but as something more. My hands are nearly twice the size of hers, yet her hands had a way to make me feel protected.

"Don't make this a habit. "She said in a scolding tone.

But it didn't work for me since I couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you." As I closed my eyes, I felt a lot safer with her beside me.

"Good night." She finally said.