Twisted Bonds

Chapter 5: Enzo

Emma's POV

Eight weeks had gone by since my parents' passing. I'm finally settled in Faith and Gideon's home in Mystic Falls. Summer break was just starting here, which means I had missed the last two months of school in Whitmore. Faith said she'd talk to the principal before classes start back up again to see if they'd let me into ninth grade even though I didn't technically finish eighth grade. She can try, but seeing as my grades weren't the best before my parents passed, I think they'll have me retake eighth grade.

A couple days after getting completely settled in my new home in Mystic Falls, I decided to go for a walk. There were a few trails in the woods near the house that I wanted to check out. So, I let Faith know that I was getting some fresh air, and stepped outside. A quick fifteen minute walk later, I was at the entrance of one of the trails. I made my way in, hoping not to get lost. If I stay on the beaten path, then I should be fine.

Five minutes later, I felt like I was being watched. I was in the middle of the forest. No one should be watching me. I tried to shake the feeling away. But as I was continuing my walk, I heard something rush behind me. I quickly turned around, only to see nobody. Then I heard a twig snap a few feet to the left of me. Again, I see nothing. I decided to turn back, opting to check out the trails another day.

As I turned back, I almost bumped into someone who definitely wasn't there before. I yelped and took a few scrambling steps back. He didn't make any threatening advances towards me. He just stood there, looking at me, probably waiting for me to calm down.

Once my mini heart attack was done, I took a good look at him. He had short, combed back black hair. He looked to be just under six feet tall. He wore a black shirt along with black jeans. I took a closer look at his face and something in my mind clicked. This was the man I found in the basement! He was in a cell. He...

Everything that happened before I blacked out that night suddenly came back to me. My heart rate sped up and my breaths became quick and short. Just as I turned around to run, he yelled out. "Hey, wait!"

I stood still, took a shaky breath, and turned back around to face him. If he tried anything, I was going to run. If that doesn't work, well, I guess I'll get to see how useful my powers are in an actual fight. The man held his hands up in surrender. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to talk. Is it alright if I come closer?" he asked.

I took a deep breath and gave him a nod. He made his way over slowly, so as to not scare me. Even though he said he wouldn't hurt me, my whole body tensed up as he approached me. Once he was a couple steps away from me, he stopped. "First off, I want to thank you for letting me out of that cell. Before you let me out, I had been stuck there for sixty years." he said. My eyes widened.

"Sixty years?! You don't look nearly that old!" I exclaimed.

"So, you don't know yet..." he mumbled. He looked to be internally debating something.

Once it seemed like he had made up his mind, he spoke again. "Would you believe me if I said that I was a vampire?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but it seemed like my mind had shut down. It took a moment for my thought process to return. A vampire?! They exist? I shouldn't be too surprised, seeing as I have some supernatural powers of my own. "A vampire? You're telling me they exist!?" I questioned shakily.

He nodded and began to explain himself. He told me about a vampire's abilities. He even told me about why he was in that cell. About the experiments he'd had to go through. He told me that everyone in that house knew and supported the capture, lock up, and experimentation of vampires. Everybody knew, but me.

I stood there, baffled. My head was spinning. Within a couple of minutes, the way that I viewed my parents had drastically changed. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry all of this happened to you, um..." I just then realized that I didn't even know his name.

"Oh, I apologize. I never did introduce myself. My name is Lorenzo, but please, call me Enzo."