Newling

Chapter Seven

-Early January-

Days had gone by, bringing on the start of January － a new year. Locke and I had spent a quiet, cozy Christmas and New Year's together. Just the two of us. Though my nightmare of the teeth was weeks behind now, it still haunted me. I couldn't help but feel that it was important, and I shuddered. "You okay Noelle?" Locke's gentle golden gaze was filled with worry.

"Yes, I'm fine." I squeezed his hand gently, attempting to reassure him, and myself as well. Locke nodded as if he was convinced, but his eyes betrayed his concerns.

"Okay. I'll see you after work, right?" Locke's gaze bore into me, bright with longing.

"Well of course. Who else would I rather spend my time with?" I smiled, pulling Locke down by the collar of his shirt and gave him a short, sweet peck on the lips. "I gotta go start my shift now. I'll see you later." Waving goodbye, I headed out the door.

(Locke's Point of View)

I watched as Noelle left, a yawning pit opening up in my stomach. I knew the nightmare she had weeks ago still bothered her. She was much more careful and wary than usual, even skittish. I frowned, angry with myself. I had held back from walking her to work because I wanted to think. Waiting a few moments more, a slid on my boots and coat, then headed out.

The air was still as gentle white flakes fell to meet the snow already on the ground. Cold nipped at my nose and cheeks, tinging them a soft pink. I shuffled through the drifts, weaving through the trees to the lake. The surface of the water no longer glittered under the sunlight, nor lapped at the shore in gentle waves, but was instead enclosed in a thick sheet of ice.

Making my way along the frozen sand, I found the fallen log, － my usual spot － now blanketed with snow. I brushed off as much as I could with my jacket sleeve, and then made myself comfortable. I studied the lake, the distant trees a black smudge on the horizon. I gave a long sigh, my worries beginning to surface. I could never － no, I would never － leave Noelle. But how was I to deal with Aren on my own? That prick would ruin everything, and he could kill Noelle, or worse, turn her.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook the images from my mind. When I opened my eyes, nothing had changed. Snow was still drifting down from puffy gray clouds, and the lake lay frozen. Cold inched through my jeans, my body quivering. I stood up.

"Maybe I should talk to Ella..." I wondered aloud. I knew Ella hated her brother almost as much as I did. Ever since they were little, Ella was always shoved aside and outshone by her older sibling, Aren. It was why Ella had moved away from home as quickly as she could, but to her dismay, Aren had followed.

It was endless torture for Ella, I knew － and it was torture for me as well. I had met Aren when I was a Newling, instantly repulsed by him. Part of me had always been wary of Aren － he had that controlling, menacing air about him. It wasn't long after I met Aren that I had met Ella. We clicked right away, becoming best friends through our mutual hatred of Aren. Ella helped me cope with my turning, even though she had no idea what it was like, having been born a Pureling.

Back then, life was much simpler － well obviously, because it was 1917. I had just turned twenty-one, and still lived with my parents on our acreage. At the time, I was just a dirt-caked farm boy, and I knew that my parents would've had a heart attack on the spot if they saw me now. Part of me was glad that they were killed by the vampire that turned me, but an even bigger part of me missed them terribly.

I sighed, shaking away the emotional memories that were beginning to cloud my mind. It was too late now to change anything, and I had to take care of Noelle. I knew I had to talk to Ella. After all, it concerned her too － mostly because it was her own brother involved. I made my way back home through the ever-piling snow, shooting Ella a text.