Bloodlust (The Blood Series #1)

Chapter 10

I start running but it's no use. He's not the captain of the football team for nothing. "Haley, come on, let's talk about it!" Troy yells as he catches up with me as I run up to my porch. He doesn't try to stop me though which is smart because I'm so fuming mad that I'd probably lose it if he tried to touch me.

I spin around and let out a derisive laugh. "Talk about it? Talk about it?! You honestly think talking about it will make it better? You cheated on me and then you erased my memory about it, how ever the hell you did that, and now you think I can get over it if we just talk about it!"

"But it didn't mean anything, it was just so stupid, you have to believe you're the only one --"

"Oh sure, I'm the only one. Then how come you kissed another girl? What, did you suddenly go blind and not know it wasn't me who you were kissing? Or did you trip and fall on her lips? How long has this been going on, anyway?"

Troy is so pale that he looks sick. His hair looks more taupe than his usual butterscotch brown due to his now cadaverous skin tone. It's like all the color has been drained from him. Worry tugs my heart but I push it away and focus on glaring at him.

"It was just that one lousy kiss, I swear, Haley, she means nothing to me!"

"Then why did you kiss her?" I scream.

For the first time Troy doesn't seem so sure of his answer. "I don't know. I... I just did."

"You just did. Wow, bravo. Explanation of the year", I mock even though I'm one to make fun of terrible excuses when I have no clue why I slept with Nathan Blood. I just did. But the difference is that I was free to do so, Troy wasn't.

"Haley, look at me."

"Just leave me alone", I sigh and turn away to go to my house but he's already there. Somehow he moved 12 feet in less than a second. He's now standing in the doorstep. I manage to let out a startled gasp before Troy grabs both of my arms and pulls me inside with him. He stares right into my eyes. The pupils in his brown eyes seem to grow larger and larger like they are about to swallow me.

His voice sounds strange, authoritative. "Haley, I need you to calm down."

Calm down, calm down, calm down... a voice inside my head chants. Feelings of protection and tranquil start to wash over me but something stings me like a thorn in my side. This is not right. I shouldn't be peaceful. I'm angry. But why am I angry?

Troy starts to speak slowly, carefully, his now black eyes never leaving mine. "You're not mad at me. You know that I love you more than anything in this world. You're willing to try again because I'll do anyth--"

What the hell is he saying? He's just putting words to my mouth, like suggesting them would somehow make me think them.

And that's when it all starts make sense. "You're doing it again, aren't you? You're trying to compel me!" I snap. I have absolutely no idea what compelling is or how I even knew that word but for a reason or another I'm certain that that's what he's doing.

He blinks. "What?"

"I can feel you inside my head. I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work. You get the hell out of my house and stay gone", I command sounding sure even though I'm anything but and to my surprise Troy up and leaves right away almost supernaturally fast. On his way out he yells: "Don't do this, Haley!"

The doorbell rings and all though I'm worried that it's him, I open the door. It's not Troy. In fact he's nowhere to be seen. Guess he finally took the hint. Instead I find myself face to face with dear old Mrs Grundwald. "What on Earth is all this ruckus?" she scolds me.

"He just left", I point out as if the fact that the reason for the 'ruckus' is gone would save me from Mrs Grundwald's wrath. It won't. To her I'm already guilty, no matter the charge because of my age. Mrs Grundwald doesn't particularly like anyone but above all she hates teenagers. She thinks teenagers are all possessed by evil spirits and that's why she must scold them whenever she gets the chance.

She squints her eyes at me. "Teenagers. They are all the same. Untrustworthy! Just like that boy who came by here earlier. He tried to break in through your door. Such insolence!"

My head snaps up. "What boy? When was this?"

"It was right after The Bold and The Beautiful came on TV so it must have been Friday evening, a little after 6.30 pm", Mrs Grundwald says. She like many other senior citizens measures time in soap operas. "Brooke had just told Ridge that she won't marry him because she's his half-brother although that's not true, it's all Sheila's evil plot. She wants to marry Ridge and get all of his money."

Mrs Grundwald saw who broke into our house?

"Did you see who it was?" I urge her. I might have disliked Mrs Grundwald ever since we moved in here six months ago because she reports everything that I do to my mom but having her guard our house like the most annoying watchdog ever might actually pay off for once if she saw who the burglar was.

Mrs Grundwald looks pensive. "I didn't have my goggles on so I didn't get a good look."

"Can you tell me anything about him, anything at all?"

Mrs Grundwald inspects my face as if looking for a reason to answer truthfully. "Well, it was very dark. But he was tall and had a dark hair. And sometimes he moved like a shadow, you couldn't even see him."

She didn't have her goggles on but she saw all that? I wonder but don't question her. Mrs Grundwald might be my only lead as to why someone would break into my homes. I have to be nice so she'll stay talkative. Her annoying hobby actually might be beneficial to me for a change. Instead of always getting me in trouble she might this time be a blessing in disguise.

"What kind of clothes did he have on? Can you remember?"

She scoffs. "'Can you remember'?" she mocks. "Of course I can remember. He had a... you know a... that jacket all the kids use these days."

"A leather jacket?" I guess. The words feel like pieces of glass in my mouth. I know someone who has a leather jacket. In fact, that very same leather jacket is hanging in my closet, hidden from my mother's sharp eyes while I wait for his suspension to end so I can give it back to him.

Mrs Grundwald nods energetically. "Yes that's it."

"So you're saying that the boy who broke in here was tall, had dark hair and was wearing a leather jacket?" I repeat slowly. I'm just trying to make myself believe what I've just discovered but Mrs Grundwald takes my words as a sign of disrespect.

"That's what I just said. Darn teenagers, they never listen! They have no respect, they just bounce around from one place to another, breaking into each other's houses and God knows what else. Parents today have gone too soft. When I was young..." Mrs Grundwald babbles on as she starts to walk off our porch but I being the sinful teenager I am don't listen to her anymore. My head is reeling. Is it true? Did Nathan break into my home and possibly to Dad's too? What does he want?

Couple minutes after I get back inside, the door bell rings again. What is this, a metro station? I wonder grumpily as I go open the door once again. It's the alarm guy my mom told me about. I let him in, my thoughts still on Nathan. What could he possibly want from me? I don't have any money and Nathan's family is a lot richer than even my dad's parents are. I literally have nothing for him to want. If it really was him who broke in, what was he looking for? Me? But why? On Friday we barely even knew each other. Not that we're exactly buddies now either but we were even less before last weekend.

"Where do you want the alarm?" a pleasant voice asks breaking me from my haze. I had completely forgotten the alarm guy while I was obsessing about Nathan. I look up starting to answer but the words won't come out. Panic paralyzes me and all I can do is stare at the man before me.

It's him. The man from my nightmare, the man with blood red eyes. He's inside my house.