No one speaks as we make our way down the hall. Alex lollygags at the rear and Laylen towers in front. Alex is clearly irritated about the incident he walked into on the porch. I'm still unsure what happened. Now that I've gotten some space from Laylen, I realize how foggy my head had been when I was close to him. Not to mention, how much my hormones are bonding with my thoughts. Is that what Laylen can do? Make me horny?
Laylen heads into the room I left earlier. I'm about to walk in when Alex grabs my sleeve. He doesn't give me time to turn around as he drags me back down the hall and around the corner into a foyer with black tile floors and a mirror hanging on the wall. There is also a small table that has pictures of Laylen and Aislin together at various different places. Are they a couple?
Alex steers me around by the shoulders so I'm facing him and then he backs me up against the wall.
"What are you doing?" I protest as I step forward.
His hands come down on the wall and he restricts me between his arms. "I was going to ask you the same thing."
"I wasn't doing anything wrong," I state as his hands slide down the wall and stop just above my shoulders. "Just talking."
"You do know what he was doing to you, right?"
"I asked him to do it."
He arcs an eyebrow and bends his elbows so he can move in closer and it galvanizes my body. "You asked him to manipulate your feelings? Considering what you've went through, I would assume that'd be the last thing you'd ever want."
"I just wanted to see what a vampire could do. It isn't that big of a deal." I pause. "And why does it bother you so much?"
"Because..." He locks his elbows to give us distance. "Look, you're new to this whole aspect of life and I don't want your curiosity to get you into trouble. Because it can. Trust me."
"You keep saying that... trust me." I lean forward, lessening the space between our faces. "Yet, I know nothing about you. How can I trust someone I don't know? I mean, I've known Laylen for like twenty minutes and I already feel like I know more about him than I do about you and I've known you for a few weeks."
He isn't intimidated by my take-charge attitude. He welcomes it, moving in even closer so our foreheads are converging. "That's bullshit. I've told you things about me."
"And how do I know any of that's true?" I ask. "After everything, after the sheer fact that you were around me for days upon days acting like everything was normal. Being able to act like that and omit the truth can only come from practice."
He pushes back from the wall and shakes his head. "Believe whatever you want, Gemma. See how far it gets you."
With that, he leaves and I have no idea what he means. I have no idea what anything means anymore. I'm a mess. A giant, erratic, emotionally driven mess that is supposed to save the world.
It turns out that Alex and Aislin still can't get ahold of anyone, so there is a heavy amount of friction in the room. I sit at the table and watch Alex pace the floor with his hands crossed behind his back. He does it for so long I think he is going to wear a whole in the floor.
Aislin is in the end chair messing around with her phone while Laylen searches the bookshelves as a way to busy himself. I think there may have once been something going on between Laylen and Aislin because they haven't once looked each other in the eye.
Aislin drops her cell phone on the table and slumps back in the chair. "Maybe we should just go looking for them."
Alex halts and unfolds his hands from his back. "That's easier said than done, Aislin, since we have no idea where to look for them."
"I'm just trying to help." She frowns and scoops up her phone. "You don't need to be rude."
"Did you guys ever consider that maybe they don't want you to get ahold of them?" Laylen slides a book onto the shelf and walks over to the table. He hasn't spoken in an extent amount of time and his voice seems to make Aislin and Alex edgy, but I like the sound of his voice. He grips at the back of the chair next to mine. "That maybe they're hiding from you."
Alex shoves up his sleeves and tosses his phone aside. "Why the fuck would they be hiding from us?"
Laylen lets go of the chair and stands upright. "You tell me. I've been out of the loop for a few years now."
"Yet, there's an underlying meaning," Alex retorts, striding to the table, "written all over your face."
Laylen crosses his arms and so does Alex. They stare at each other like two dogs ready to rip each other's throats apart. Aislin and I trade an uneasy glance, but we're both afraid to intervene.
"You want to know what I think?" Stretching his long legs, Laylen makes a path around the table toward Alex. "That it's not just a coincidence that Stephan, Marco, and Sophia are all unreachable when hell breaks loose. I mean, for all we know, they could be working with Demetrius and the Death Walkers."
"Why would you think that?" I interrupt. "I thought the Keepers were good."
"Gemma, just ignore him." Alex prowls toward Laylen with a cocky sway in his walk. They're closing in on each other and their chests are heaving with their rage. "He's full of shit."
As the two of them reach each other, I scoot the chair back from the table and stand up. "All of you are strangers to me, so I'm not sure who or what to believe."
Laylen cinches his lips together, holding back a grin as he looks at me. "Smart girl."
I want to say thank you, but the look on Alex's face shuts me up. His eyes are flaring and his fists are balled so firmly his knuckles are chalk white. It's like he thinks I'm supposed to straight up trust him. For the last few weeks, I've thought he was just a normal guy, who I happened to share some electrical bond with, and I thought that was because I was going insane.
"I'm sorry, but I'm confused and I don't want to trust anyone at this point." I lower myself into the chair. He keeps his eyes on me and it makes me want to cower under the table. There is too much power and control in those eyes; it melts my inhibitions.
"Maybe we should go back to Laramie and check up on things," Aislin speaks and cuts through the tension in the air. "There might be something back at the house that could help us figure this out."
"Are you crazy?" Alex asks, tearing his gaze away from me and focusing on her. "There's no way we're taking Gemma back to Wyoming. You saw how many Death Walkers showed up at the cabin. It's too dangerous."
"I'm never going back? Wait. Why? I have a home there and a..." I stop because what else do I have there? A bed. Classes. Emptiness. Nothingness. Pieces of meaningless memories that are more weightless than dust.
"You can't go back when the Death Walkers know where you are." His brow arches upward. "Does that upset you or something?"
"No," I admit, "but where am I going to live? And what about my stuff?"
Alex puts his hand to his neck and pops his neck. "That's a question only Stephan can answer because, right now, I have no fucking clue what the hell's going on or what the next move is. No one prepared us for this."
"Prepared you for a Death Walker invasion," I joke and then choose to keep quiet after Alex's gives me a death glare.
"I think sometimes, your moods get a little confused," he says. "Because a lot of them don't fit the situations."
"Yeah, but at least I have an excuse," I retaliate. "You're just moody for unknown reasons."
"Oh, he has reasons." Laylen slaps Alex's shoulder roughly and Alex winces. "He just won't admit them."
Alex glares at Laylen's hand. "That's not what this is about."
Laylen steps back, shaking his head. "Yes, it is. All this," his eyes flit to me, "is about wanting what you can't have."
Alex raises his fist and targets it at Laylen's jaw. Laylen does nothing but stand there, embracing it, as if he wants to feel the pain. I start to jump from my chair, but Aislin beats me to the punch, literally. She's in between them before Alex can sling his fist forward.
She thrusts her hands out to the side of her and pushes both of them back. "Stop fighting. Fighting has never done any of us any good. In fact, it's the main reason why we haven't talked to each other in the last few years." She looks at Alex, then at Laylen, and then her hands fall to her sides. "Now, we need to focus on the problem and come up with a plan." Her shoulders rise and fall as she lets out a deep breath. "What we could do is leave Gemma with Laylen while you and I go back to Laramie and see what's up. Check their houses, see if anyone is there or if anything gives us a clue to where the hell they disappeared to."
Alex's eyes narrow at her. "There's no way in hell I'm leaving Gemma alone with him."
Laylen laughs, but it was underlined with hurt. "Am I not even considered a person anymore?" Alex doesn't respond and Laylen shakes his head.
"Here's a thought," I chime in. "It's my life, so I think I should have some say in this. And I say I'm comfortable with staying here alone with him."
Alex snorts a sharp, derisive laugh. "I'm sure you are. I got a full view of how comfortable you two are with each other when I walked out onto the porch."
Aislin's forehead furrows and she looks at Laylen for an explanation. "Wait, what happened out on the porch?"
Laylen looks guilty and starts to open his mouth, but Alex cuts him off.
"Don't worry about it." Alex pulls out a chair to sit down. He looks tired; there are bags under his eyes and they're bloodshot. Positioning his elbows on the table, he lowers his head into his hands, looking defeated. "Aislin, how quickly can you get us to Laramie and back?"
She poises her chin up as she rounds the table and collects her phone. "As quick as you need me to. You know that. I'm good to go if there are only two people. It's when there are too many that things get complicated."
"Then we'll leave Gemma here." Alex raises his head and stabs a finger in Laylen's direction. "But if anything happens to her, it's on you."
He rolls his eyes and sits down at the table. "Nothing's going to happen to her. As much as you hate me, you know I'm perfectly capable of fighting off some Death Walkers."
"Not in large numbers," Alex says. "No one's capable of that unless they have the Sword of Immortality, and no one's seen it for a few years."
"I have to go back into the library and grab my candle and crystal first," Aislin announces as she heads for the door. "Then we can go. The sooner we get out, the sooner all this will be over. I don't like not knowing what's going on. I'm a very structured person."
Laylen and Alex trade a glance and there is laughter in their eyes. For a second, they look like friends.
"Yeah, that's you," Laylen comments sarcastically as he turns a chair backwards and sits down in it; letting his lanky arms dangle over the top. "Miss Organized and Structured."
She turns around. "Hey, don't be mean!"
Alex is tracing his finger along his palm absentmindedly. "He's not being mean. He's just stating a fact everyone knows." His eyes flicker in my direction. "Even Gemma probably has caught on to how disorganized you are."
I shake my head because I don't know enough about her to pass that judgment. "I don't know that."
"Well, you should," Alex says. Aislin whisks forward and smacks him on the back of the head. His shoulders constrict and move upward. "Hey, I wasn't the only one who said it."
"Well, you were the first one in my reach." She rolls her shoulders back to straighten her posture. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get my Wicca stuff so I can use my awesome magic gift—which none of you have—to take us back to Wyoming." She starts toward the exit, but slams to a stop and smacks her hand against her forehead. "Shit! Shit. Shit. Shit."
I'm starting to realize that maybe I'm not as crazy as I've always thought. Maybe everyone is crazy. Maybe crazy is actually normal.
Laylen nibbles on his lip ring as he works to restrain a smile. "What's wrong?"
She turns around and pouts out her lip. "The Death Walkers' ice ruined my crystal. We were lucky we even made it here." She makes her way back to an empty chair. "This sucks. Now what are we going to do?"
It gets so quiet I can hear everyone's hearts beating. Thump, thump, thump, thump. They sound like tiny drums.
"What kind of a crystal was it?" Laylen inquires. "The gold-leaf one?"
"No, it's the one made of amethyst." She props her elbow on the table and lets her chin fall into her hand.
"The Vectum Crystal?" Laylen asks and she bobs her head up and down. Laylen hooks his finger over his shoulder and points at the window. "There's this place in Vegas—Adessa's Herbs and Spices."
Alex cracks his knuckles. "I'm thinking that Las Vegas probably isn't the greatest place to go. There are all kinds of dark creatures there. Vampires. Werewolves. It's too dangerous."
My eyes amplify as I stare out the window at the twinkling lights in the distance. They have to be the city's lights. "There's Werewolves?"
Alex points at Laylen with a bored look in his face. "There're vampires. Of course there are werewolves."
I shake the image of a dog howling at the moon out of my head. "Do they bite?"
Laylen lets out a soft laugh as he twirls a set of keys he's taken out of his pocket around his finger. "You sure are fascinated with biting."
My cheeks flush because I really am. There's something about getting bitten that enthralls my emotions and I want to experience it in real life.
Daggers shoot from Alex's eyes as he glares at Laylen and then his attention centers back to me. "It doesn't matter what they do. All that matters is that you're safe and sound here, far away from them."
"I don't think I'm really safe and sound anywhere," I say. "Besides, don't you have like a box of weapons to protect me or something?"
He struggles not to laugh at me. "Weapons or not, it's too dangerous. If an inhuman—and maybe even human—creature gets close to you, they're going to want to get closer."
"Why?" I ask.
"Because they will," he responds. "You have this... thing about you."
"Then stay here with her," Laylen proposes as he leans back in the chair and places his hands behind his head. "Or, I'll stay with her and you take Aislin. There's a ton of solutions, so stop getting your panties in a bunch."
Alex stares impassively at him. "I'm not getting my panties in a bunch. I'm being careful."
"Careful about what exactly?" Laylen wonders. "Gemma getting hurt, or you hurting Gemma."
"What?" Aislin and I say simultaneously.
Aislin glances at me and then at Alex. "What's he talking about?"
"Let him explain it to you," Laylen says with an accusing tone.
"There's nothing to explain." He shoves his chair back from the table and rises to his feet. "You promise we'll just go straight there and straight back. No stops or anything."
Laylen stares at him incredulously with his hands spread out to the side of him. "Are you kidding me? Where else do you think I'll take us? McDonald's? Walmart? Oh wait, I do need to make a quick stop by the cemetery."
I snort a laugh, but it quickly dissipates at the fury blazing in Alex's eyes. "You think this is funny? Do you think getting killed is funny?"
I shake my head. "But what he said was."
Aislin grimaces and drops her head down on the table. "Can we just get going already?"
Alex's hands wring the back of the chair. "Don't underestimate the Death Walkers, Gemma. They'll kill you if they get the chance."
Fear capes the humor inside me. He's right. It isn't funny. The prickle lets me know that I need to get things in check and take things seriously. It soothes me with each stab. "I know that. And I'm sorry. I won't laugh at inappropriate things again."
He is stunned by my apology. "Well, good."
After a lot of arguing, a decision is finally made. We would all go to Vegas with the stipulation that I will stay in the car and there will be no stops except to get the crystal. Including cemeteries and Walmart.
I have blood all over my clothes and Aislin insists I need to change before we leave. She informs me that she has clothes stashed in the house. We go into a room with a white four-post bed covered with tons of fluffy pillows. There is an oversized armoire in the corner and Aislin marches up to it and throws the doors open.
"The only problem is you're about five inches taller than me." She taps her finger against her chin as she evaluates the selection of clothes hanging up. "But I guess we'll just have to make something work."
I take a seat on the bed. "Do you come here a lot? You must if you have your own room."
She pulls out a pink T-shirt and tosses it on the bed. "Yeah, this house actually used to belong to Laylen's parents and we used to come up here to take a break from everything." She throws a glittery scarf onto the bed. "Things change, though." She sighs, staring down at a pair of jeans in her hands. "We haven't been up here in a really long time."
She starts delving through the clothes again. Shirts, jeans, skirts, and dresses begin to form a pile on the bed beside me. The room smells fruity and it matches the frilly theme of the bed. There are photos all over the walls, so I get up and amble around to look at them. I find photos fascinating because they capture a moment of emotion, whether it's fake or real.
Some of the photos are of Laylen and Aislin and there are others just of Laylen. There's one taped to the dresser mirror of Laylen standing out in the desert with his arm wrapped around Aislin. Alex is next to Laylen and there is an attractive blonde girl cuddled up against him. They're smiling. Happy. It makes my heart hurt. Have I ever been happy? I search through my limited memories and come up hollow.
"That was taken a couple of years ago," Aislin remarks as she wiggles a hanger out of the sleeves of a sweater.
"Oh, yeah?"
"I think I was about eighteen." She balls up a shirt and tosses it back into the armoire. "So, like, five years ago."
I do the math. "That would make you..."
"Twenty-three." She interrupts as she chucks a skirt onto the bed. "And Alex is twenty-four."
"No wonder he seems to hate school," I note. "He's old."
Aislin laughs as she hooks the hanger back on the bar. "He's not that old, Gemma. Only a few years older than you."
I pick up a handmade ceramic heart that's on the dresser and turn it over in my hand. Her room is so different from mine, decorated and full of items associated with memories. "How about Laylen? How old is he?"
"Well, he would've been twenty-five, but after he got... um..." She trails off as tears pool in her eyes. She's hurting thinking about the past, something I understand. It's right then that I realize Aislin isn't a bad person. She's nice and has a lot of emotion in her, just like me. "But, yeah, he's stuck at twenty-two now." She dabs the tears away with her fingertips, chucks a white lacy shirt onto the bed, then comes over and stares down at the pile of clothes with her hands on her hips. "Now, see if any of these will fit those long legs of yours."
Nothing fits. All the pants are too short and all the shirts are baggy in the chest area. I flop back on the bed, wearing a pink shirt that shows off my stomach and jeans that barely reach the lower region of my ankles. "I think I might have to just wear my clothes." I drape my arm over my head.
She picks up my shirt that has blood on it and discards it in a hamper in the corner. "No way. You did hear Alex when he said vampires could be there. He wasn't kidding and they're not like Laylen. They'll bite you."
There's that word again. Bite. "Okay, then what do you suggest?" I peek out from underneath my arm. "Because I look ridiculous."
She glances around her room and when her eyes land on a trunk at the foot of the bed, her face lights up and she claps her hands. "Oh my God. I have the perfect outfit." She kneels down in front of it, flips the latches, and raises the lid. "I have no idea why I didn't think of this before." She sticks her head in and begins digging around. I sit up as she shuts the lid. She springs to her toes and extends her arm in my direction. "Here you go. One outfit that will fit not only those long limbs of yours, but it'll also help you blend in."
I take the piece of fabric from her hand and hold it up in front of me. It's a strapless, black leather dress with a lace-up section on the back. "Where did you get this?"
She twists her golden brown hair up as she makes her way over to the porcelain vanity. "I had a friend who wore it for Halloween one year and she left it here."
I run my fingernail down the red ribbon on the back and twist it around my finger. "It's a Halloween costume? For what? A slut?"
Aislin opens a drawer and takes out a compact and a makeup brush. "She was supposed to be a sexy witch, but she did end up looking more like a slut."
I unravel my finger from the ribbon. "And now you want me to wear it?"
She clicks open the compact. "Trust me; you'll be thanking me when we get to Vegas. It'll help you blend in." She begins powdering her nose.
I glance down at the leather dress in my hand. "This will help me blend in?"
She nods. "You'll see when we get there. In Vegas, anything and everything exists. Walk around looking normal and you're the one that stands out."
I get to my feet and head for the door, grabbing my boots on the way out. "Where's the bathroom?"
She turns in the chair and points to the right. "Third door to your right." I start to leave and she calls out, "Oh yeah, and Gemma, wear your hair down. You have such pretty hair."
Sighing, I leave her to primp and go into the bathroom, fully aware that I'm going to look ridiculous. I might not know much about myself, but I know enough to comprehend that a tight, leather dress isn't going to look good on me do to my lack of curves.
I carefully slip out of the shirt and jeans and then step into the dress. I shimmy it over my hips and then have to take off my bra because the dress is made to go all-la-natural. I lace up the back the best that I can, but it's loose. Then, I slip on my boots before yanking the elastic out of my hair and letting it fall down to my shoulders. I'm not used to wearing such a limited amount of clothing; I feel naked and ridiculous.
I splash some cold water on my face in a pathetic attempt to bring myself out of this dream because vampires, witches and secret groups who save the world aren't supposed to exist.
But after I pat my face dry and open my eyes, the same navy blue walls of Laylen's bathroom still surround me. I glance into the mirror hanging above the sink and sigh at the sight of my freakish violet eyes that collide against the glass; like my hair does with my pasty complexion. Add the gothic dress, as well as the boots, and I look like a character straight out of the Addam's Family.
There's a knock on the door. "Gemma, are you ready to go?" Aislin asks.
I blink one last time at my reflection, then turn away from it, throw open the door and step out. Alex and Laylen are with Aislin, standing next to a table decorated with a vase of wilting flowers. Aislin has changed into a simple grey dress with matching flats and her hair is pinned up. Laylen has the same outfit on; black jeans, a black tee and black boots; it's a hell of a lot of black. Alex has changed into dark jeans, a long-sleeved, fitted, black shirt and there are leather bands on his wrists.
I give an animated swing of my arm. "All right, throw in a hand that walks around and a creepy Victorian house, and I'm good to go."
All three of them look at me at the same time and then they go quiet as they stare at me.
Great, I look sillier than I originally thought. "It's a joke. About the Addam's Family," I say, tugging at the hem of the dress. "I should change, right?"
Smiling, Aislin shakes her head, while Laylen coughs into his hand. "No, you look great." She walks up to me as she digs through her purse. "You just need this." She draws her hand from her purse and moves a black pencil toward my face. I wince as she traces a line around each eye and then steps back, putting the lid back on the eyeliner.
"She kind of looks like one," she says with a tilt of her head as she studies me. "You know that?"
Alex steps up beside her with his eyes fixed on me. There's a raw animalistic look in them that makes the blood rush to my cheeks. "She does, which is good. Maybe they'll leave her alone."
I rearrange the top of my dress higher because it's slipping down. "Look like what?"
"A Black Angel." Aislin tosses the eyeliner back in her purse and zips it up. "They're really pretty, but really dangerous."
"Is that like a Fallen Angel?" I ask.
"Not exactly," she says. "They're hypnotic and powerful. They have this way about them that draws people to them and if you get too close to one, they can possess your mind."
I gape at her. "Possess your mind and make you do what?"
Alex steps forward. "Whatever they want, which is why we have to be careful and stay away from them."
"Are there a lot where we're going?"
Alex wavers. "It all depends on the Wicca store. If there's black magic there, then yes, a Black Angel might be there or maybe even something worse. And it's good you're dressed up like that." His eyes scroll up my body. "Maybe everyone will try not to get too close to you. And we can keep your identity hidden."
"From the Death Walkers?" I ask. "Or from Demetrius?"
"From everyone." He moves nearer and blows out a breath. "No one can know who you are, Gemma. If the wrong person finds out who you are—what you are—then word will get back to Demetrius. Or they might try to use the power for themselves." He pauses. "You're very valuable."
Valuable to whom? I let out an uneasy breath and tug at the top of my dress again, wondering what I'm getting into. "I can't get the ribbon to fasten very tightly. I'm worried it's going to fall down."
Alex makes a circular motion with his finger. "Turn around and I'll tie it."
I obey and hold my breath as he steps up behind me. Sweeping my hair to the side, he hooks his fingers through the bottom cross of the ribbon and gives it a gentle tug as Aislin and Laylen wander down the hallway toward the front door.
He doesn't utter a word as he deliberately traces his finger to the next section. I suck in a breath as he pulls on that one too and his breath hits the back of my neck. I try to remain calm as he fastens the next one by pulling it so securely that the leather clutches my ribs.
I put my hands just below my breasts and work to get air into my lungs. "It's tight enough I think."
His chest brushes against my back as he laughs and gives the ribbon another tug. "Not tight enough. We don't want them falling out."
I bite down on my lip. Hard. And a little blood pools out. "I'm sure they'll stay put. I can barely breathe."
His knuckles graze between my shoulder blades as he ties the ribbon into a knot. He's breathing erratically and his chest collides with my back with each inhale. "I know, but I want to make sure." There's an elongated pause and then I feel his lips touch the back of my neck.
I stay still as he rolls his tongue along my skin and gives it a little suck, sending shivers all over my body. I want to crumble to the ground and let him catch me, but he pulls away and the feeling evaporates as he heads down the hall with a swagger in his walk. All I have left is a warm sensation on my back and I'm not sure if it's from the kiss or the prickle trying to whisper a new emotion to me.
Either way, I stuff it down and follow them out the front door, knowing I have to get my feelings under control, so I can think clearly and keep myself alive.
