Zodiac Academy: New Gen

Elara Chapter Six

I could barely sleep that night. We got home shortly after my encounter in the closet with the shadowy figure, who appeared to be an angry soul. When I saw the first light, I crawled out of bed dressed in leggings, a crop top, and Converse, sliding on a cropped hoodie to go out in the cold. I needed to speak to Gabrielle today to find out who that shadowy figure was and what he wanted. I snuck downstairs, careful not to wake anyone. I grabbed my keys to my car and slowly opened and closed the front door behind me. As I was going to turn around, I bumped into a substantial body standing behind me. "What the hell!" I shouted, turning around. Tarin was standing behind me, looking just as confused as I was. "Are you sneaking out, little vampire?" He asks, laughing, running his hands through his hair. "it's none of your business," I say, bringing my tone down to a whisper not to wake the family. "Then why are we whispering?" he says, laughing again.

"I am going to see Gabrielle if you must know!" I say, shoving past him as I walk to my pristine Jeep Wrangler, which is brand new. I wasn't allowed a car at Vampire Academy, but Dad bought me one for when I came home. Tarin turns from the door and follows me to the car. "what do you need from Uncle Gabrielle?" He says as I pull open the driver's door. "I just need to talk with him!" I say, annoyed, hoping in the driver's seat. Tarin stands there momentarily, watching me turn on the car and put my seatbelt on. He suddenly moves to the vehicle's other side, opening the passenger door before I lock it. "Then I'm coming with you." He says, climbing in and buckling up. "You do not need to do that!" I say, staring at him.

"Come on, it will be an adventure just like we used to do before.." He stops suddenly, realizing what he's about to say. "Before I went crazy?" I say, finishing his sentence. "Elara, that's not what I meant; come on!" He says, reaching for my hand. I pull it back before he can get there and put the car in reverse. "Fine, just stay out of the way," I say, annoyed, before backing the car up. "what are you doing at my house anyways?" I say as I pull off down the long paved driveway. "I was coming to apologize." He says, dropping his head down. "I should have never let Rygar put you in that closet!" he says, looking over to me. I keep my eyes on the road even though I can feel him looking me over.

"Well, thanks, but it was my choice to go in the closet... and I was fine," I say, knowing I'm lying. "yeah, you sure seemed fine." He says, chuckling. "What does that mean?" I say, finally looking his way. "You got out of there the second that door opened, and we all heard the bang from inside there. What happened?" He asks, this time a bit more concerned. "Nothing to concern any of you," I say sternly, bringing the car to complete silence. "You know I tried to come and see you," Tarin says after a few minutes of silence. "I tried to write, text, and call." He continued. "they wouldn't let any connections get through; they said for your safety." he says, looking out the window. "Yeah, I know, my dad told me." I offer back, looking straight ahead. "I appreciate it, Tarin; I just needed the space and time to figure out what was going on," I say, trying not to cry. "Well, you're back now and seem to have it figured out." He says, offering me a smile even though I know he doesn't believe that either.

Tarin and Augustaline were my best friends. We were inseparable as kids. You would find us in the library or playing in the yard. As I got older and lost hold of everything, he and I drifted away. By the time I had the breakdown, it was just Augustaline and I spending time with each other. I look his way again before continuing down the road toward Uncle Gabrielles.

We sat in silence the rest of the way there. When we pulled into the driveway, I saw kids running everywhere. I parked the car; I hadn't been there for years. I think I was 13 years old the last time I was here. Tarin hops out of the vehicle first, going to the front and looking back at me. I don't know why I hesitated to leave the car, but I took my seatbelt off as he looked over and hopped out. I wish he hadn't come with me; it would have been more challenging to get a moment alone to speak with Gabrielle without letting everyone know I still see the dead.