Blur

Chapter 7: Hiding

Chapter 7: Hiding

After sprinting out of the dining hall, I am not too sure where to go. I want to go somewhere I can be alone without being bothered. Anyone could easily find me in my bedroom so that is an obvious no. I stare at the long, seemingly endless corridors that go in either direction when I reach where the staircase and front doors are across from each other.

Then I look at the front door. I immediately decide that going outside would not be wise because Mother Anne will accuse me of trying to run away from her. I remember her mentioning three other fledglings she had created who had all run away from her. I am the fourth one she has attempted to create and I know it would really hurt her if I left her like the others all did. Since their abandoning her upsets Mother Anne so badly, I do not even know why each one left.

I finally decide I will have to wonder down one of the halls if I want to be alone. Randomly, I choose the one to the left. As I pass each door, I find that they are all locked. I am about to give up and turn to flee out the front door when a voice rises from behind me.

"Nobody would bother you in my room, Amaya." I spin around to find Luca watching me as he leans against the wall.

"I notice you say nobody would bother me instead of nobody would be found," I observe.

"There isn't much of a difference in the two. Besides there is nowhere where you would not be found," he explains. "The best I can give you is the guarantee you will not be bothered."

"Ok," I agree.

"Come on, my room is upstairs. This hall is all the Weres' rooms," Luca says.

"Then why is your room not somewhere down here too?" I ask as I speed up so that I walk at his side.

"It's on the third floor, where all the rooms of important members of the pack and the guest rooms are," he explains.

"And what makes you so important?" I ask half-playfully and half- serious.

"I'm the alpha's son, making me next in line to lead the pack," Luca answers hesitantly, seeming as though he really does not want to talk about it.

Knowing he does not want to elaborate on that, I change the subject. "How did you find me so quickly?"

Luca immediately relaxes at the topic change, "I wouldn't have if you had kept going at the same speed you were going when we left the dining hall. But you paused at the bottom of the stairs and walked at a normal pace from there. I then followed your smell, too."

"Oh, yeah, I got lost," I tell him.

"I see that," he says as we begin ascending the ornate staircase.

"How many people do you think will be trying to find me?" I wonder aloud.

"Well, the average Weres will want you to show them more of your powers and do all sorts of things for them. My dad, who is Alpha Baxter, and his council will probably want to ask you to keep your powers better under control while you are here so that you are not a danger to the pack. Don't worry though, none of them were angry, just alarmed. So you won't be punished, at least not by them. Anne is another story. She looked absolutely furious," Luca fills me in.

"Great. That is everyone in the entire house," I grumble.

"Not quite. The human waiters and waitresses couldn't care less," he remarks. Despite my sour mood, I manage a slight smile. "Ah, there's a smile," Luca observes.

We reach his room soon after that. Luca slips a key out of his pocket, slides it in the lock, and pushes it open. Then he gestures for me to go in first. His room is much bigger than mine with a king-sized bed instead of a simple twin, two couches situated in front of a huge flat screen TV, and a kitchenette off to the side.

I plop down on one of the couches and Luca settles in the seat beside me, grabbing the TV remote. "What do you want to watch?" he asks, propping his feet on the coffee table in front of us.

"I don't know. I haven't really watched television in months," I explain.

"What have you been doing to fill all your free time?" he asks, curiously.

I shrug, "Reading, shopping, traveling."

"Traveling? Where all have you been?" Luca inquires, interestedly.

"I'm from Louisiana. Inside the U.S., I have been to California, Oregon, Nevada, and Maryland. I have also been to Russia, and Canada."

"Wow, sounds like you had quite the human life," Luca comments, throwing the TV remote to the other couch, deciding I was more interesting.

"Actually, all of those travels occurred since I have become a vampire. Before Mother Anne turned me, I had barely left the city I lived in and never been out of the state," I inform him.

"Really? Your human life sounds boring," Luca teases.

"I enjoyed it," I answer with a shrug. Then I stare down at the carpet on the floor below us, remembering my human years. It was only fifteen years, but I miss every minute of it. Most of all, I miss my family.

Luca must had noticed my sadness because he quickly redirected the conversation. "So... Nevada? Did you go to Las Vegas?"

"Yes, we did. It was great," and before he can ask I swiftly add, "No strip clubs though."

"Aww but that's the most fun part," Luca whines.

"Surprisingly, Las Vegas has more to it than just being a party city full of gambling and alcohol," I tell him.

"I know. I went once before. But me and my group of friends focused on the clubs," Luca explains. "So you lived in Louisiana, the state that hosts Mardi Gras. You went to California, the home of all celebrities. You partied in Las Vegas and you have been out of the state to explore the world. All of those places sound awesome. So what I can't figure out is how Oregon falls into place beside all of the fun places."

"Oregon has some great scenery," I say in defense of the state. "But we were actually there on business."

"Ah, yes. Mother Anne has to earn all this money somehow. What is it that she does, exactly?" Luca wonders.

"I don't know. She won't tell me, no matter how many times I pester her about it."

"Oh," Luca begins but he is interrupted by a loud banging on his bedroom door.

"Luca!" a deep, male voice growls from the other side of the door. Luca mouths the words 'my dad' and puts a single finger over his lips in a warning for me to keep quiet. I nod and whisper back my thanks to him for keeping me hidden.

"I know the vampire is in there with you," the voice booms. "Open the door or I will."

I had been staring at the door, frightened of the Were who stood just on the other side of it, still banging his fist against the wood loudly. So I did not notice that Luca had moved to the window until he whispered my name.

"Ladies first," Luca says softly, pointing out the window.

"So chivalrous," I mumble grumpily as I lean out the window to get a better view of the hard ground three stories below us. There are no trees in sight that we could use to climb down and despite the house being four stories, the outside walls are smooth, nothing to grab to use for climbing down. We are going to have to jump. At least we are both supernatural and would no doubt survive it.

"Go, Amaya!" Luca yells in a whisper and I jump.

Author's Note

Hey, everyone. I am so, so terribly sorry that I have been away from all of my books for so long. I had been very busy and just found time to return to writing this week. I also apologize for this chapter being so short but I wanted to get something out for you to read and I felt this was a good place to end this chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think in the comments.