Crimson {COMPLETED}

CHAPTER V

ALICE'S POV

OCTOBER 9
10:29 p.m

I SIT in my room, reading a book on the shag carpeting. Every creak in the floorboards sounds even louder due to the emptiness in the house. It's just me. Emily's at a late night lecture at her college campus and dad is working overtime. Money's been hard to come across since mom and dad's divorce a few months ago.

For the last three days, Emily's been acting...weird. She's been wearing turtlenecks despite always saying how ugly they are. And she hasn't talked much. Like she's trying to hide her mouth. Last time she did that was when she didn't have front teeth.

I hear a knock, almost like knocking on glass. It must be the house settling is all. Just another little bump in the night.

Then I hear it again.

Must be imagining it.

"Alice, please come to the window."

Did I just hear a voice in my head? Am I schizophrenic? Oh my god, I'm losing my mind.

"No, you're not." The voice sighs. "It's Christos, your sister's fiancé."

Oh. Well, um...

"Come to the window. Please."

I pull the curtains slowly and peek out. He has pale skin and combed back blonde hair. He smiles at me and waves, his fangs showing, making me shiver.

"Can you open the window and pop the screen?" He taps the window.

Why? What is he even doing here?

"It's what Emily usually does." He replies, reading my thoughts like it's a normal thing to do. Maybe it is to him.

And I guess that explains why Emily's window is busted.

I open the window and pop the screen out. I grab the windowsill and stand on my tip toes to get a better view. I'm only 5'4".

"Um, hi?" I fix my hair, slightly embarrassed to be in my pajamas. "If you're looking for Emily, she's not home right now."

He gently grabs my hand from the windowsill and brings it to his lips, kissing my knuckles. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Alice. May I come in please?"

"I guess?"

I step back and he swing his legs in, climbing through. He examines me and smiles.

I step out of his gaze. "So what are you doing here?"

"Well I have good and bad news. I'll try and put this in order and I'll start with the bad news. Bad news is that Emily was turned by a friend of mine and well, it'd be against the law to go forward with the wedding when she's been claimed by another living vampire."

"What's the good news?" I squeak. Emily's been turned? Does that make her a vampire?

"The good news is that now I am in need of a bride and well, you were originally my fiancé after all-"

"If this is some kind of proposal, I don't know what to tell you. I don't even know you." I step back, wishing I'd ignored him and never let him in.

He sighs. "I suppose you're right. I apologize." He smiles. "How rude of me to come barging in here, asking for you to marry me. I haven't even formally introduced myself."

"Well I mean, I know who you are..."

He bows slightly anyways, taking my hand in his. "Christos Baxtor." He smiles, his teeth pearly white. His amber eyes are absolutely memorizing.

"Thank you. You're eyes are just as enchanting."

"Can you stop doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"The thing you do when your voice is in my head. It makes me feel like I'm going nuts."

He chuckles. "Sorry, force of habit."

I knew that vampires were supposed to be attractive. So that they can lure their victims to a vulnerable spot.

Christos laughs. "Alice I'm looking for a bride, not a meal. You don't need to worry about that. And thank you, for the compliment I mean."

"Can you not do that either? Read my thoughts?"

"If you want me to stop then so be it." He plasters on a smile.

He starts looking around my room, admiring pictures on my dresser.

"I can respect your decision to want to take things slower you know." He speaks up, looking at a picture of me and Emily a few years ago.

"You just want a wife right? Why does it have to be me? If it's just to spite Emily it won't work. She'll just want to kill you."

He shakes his head. "No I'm very happy for Emily and my friend Jackson. No ill feelings towards them." He sets the frame down and shrugs. "I'm not quite sure why I'm so drawn to you. Gut instinct maybe. Or perhaps because you're already aware of vampirism."

"It's pretty late and I should really get to bed, super tired-"

"You're lying." He interrupts softly. "You're not tired in the slightest."

He turns to see the annoyed glance on my face for reading my mind again.

"Sorry." He smiles. "Alice, I would love to get to know you better. There's no harm in spending a little time with me, is there?"

I don't respond at first.

"I could take you to the vampiric realm, show you around the palace." He holds out his hand to me.

I glance back at my bookshelf, most of the shelves lined with books about creatures believed to be mythical and made up.

One of those books is one vampires. I must've read through it a million times.

And now here one is, in the flesh, asking me to come back to his vampire realm.

And he's not just a vampire. He's a vampire prince. And he wants me to marry him.

I swear this type of thing only happens in the movies. And in weird fan-fictions online written by teenagers.

I turn back to him and his eyes dig into mine.

"I guess," I give in, "there's no harm in spending a little time with you." I slowly take his hand.

He grins widely. "You'll have fun, I promise."