Desires

•CHAPTER XXXIII•

"Won't your parents be wondering where you are?" I ask as he lays on his side, looking up at me with those dreamy green eyes.
He shook his head
"They let me do whatever I please. I always have good reason to."

My narcissism calls out to me, wondering if that good reason was me.

"Do they not worry where you are?"
"Nope."
"What about bears?"
"I can handle bears."
"What about Vedovela's?"
"They're the least of my problems."
"And what about whoever murdered Mr Sprucer?"
His brows tighten to a tint frown. "You don't think he was killed by a bear?"
"Absolutely."
He smiles and nods. "Me too. But whoever it as doesn't have any other intentions for anyone else. It's been months."
"It must have been something personal."
"Maybe, but we'll never know unless someone confesses."
I nod in agreement.

"Aren't you tired? We have school tomorrow." I ask, feeling my own eyelids start to weigh down on me.
He shakes his head and looks to the side avoiding my eye contact.
"I'm never tired." He states.

I think at this point, after talking for a while, I nod in a lulling way and drift away from my consciousness because I can't remember why happened next.
I remember the soft feeling and the tingles of a kiss on my forehead before completely sinking into a dreamless sleep.

I lift my eyes once more and here I am the next morning. Laying alone in my bed with no Romeo to be found.
I place my hand in my duvet sheet, feeling where he lay. I am met with a coolness but nothing else. The only tinge evidence of him being there was how I cocooned my body on a side of my bed and not the middle.

I sit up and look across my desk seeing a familiar standing up piece of card with that beautiful inked black handwriting reading:

Good morning Azra,

I hope you slept as well as you looked. I'll see you at school.

-R

x

I linger my fingers at the piece of card, tracing that unreachable scent of pine freshness.
Then I look at the 'x'.
A kiss.
We kissed.

My inner romantic squeals and I get hot and flustered thinking about his plump lips on mine. I trace my lips trying to recall the touch of the sweet kiss, remembering the persistence against my lips.

After getting ready for school, dressing in a black suede skirt and a white grid tshirt. I tuck in the tshirt and stand looking at my reflection in my mirror. Feeling quite content due to the little events of last night, I am less harsh on myself and so I move on.
I slide on my vans and grab my back before walking downstairs.

"Good morning." I say brightly and give my mother a genuine smile.
She looks startled and I don't blame her.
"Morning, having breakfast?" She nods to the plate of pancakes that she had been making. Perhaps her new boyfriend or whatever he is, is making my stomach more full.

"Enjoy your day." I say before putting the plate in the sink and giving her another smile to which she smiles back with surprise.

I walk out the door briskly, the cold breeze meeting my face making me feel refreshed.
I feel stupid for being so happy because of a boy. It was something I had sworn to myself every time I saw my old friends go through their boys. But now I understand the feeling. Like I understand how my mothers boss makes her feel too.

As I walk down the street I'm met with the two familiar figures walking a few metres ahead of me. I can just make out their twinning features against the filtered mist.
I slowly creep up on them and place my hands in their broad shoulders.
"Boo!" I whisper and they both stand back in shock.
"Holy crap Azra." Levi says and holds a hand to his chest before quickly taking it away.
"Wow you really got me." Cole says sarcastically even though I can reply the look of fright in his face.
"As if." I say and squeeze between the two.
"Well you're not so doom and gloom today." Cole says and gives me a look. I shrug.
"Coming from you brother." Levi says and I agree with him.

We get to the gates and I see Charlie's lean body leaning against the brick wall. Her face brightens when she sees us, falsely giving me this feeling of relief that she has forgotten about the necklace.

My eyes wander to the east block. It's covered by tarp and wooden boards but I can still see the charred blackness on the still standing walls.

"Have you guys got that game today?" She asks as we walk into class.
"You mean try outs?"
"It's not really a game." The twins say.
"Whatever, you know what I mean."
"Yeah, it's at 4:30. You guys are coming right?"
We both nod.
"Of course we will."
"Hey, Azra would you come to the bathroom with me?" Charlie says and stands up holding a hand out for me to hold.
I take her hand and nod.
"Why do girls always go to the bathroom together?" I hear Levi whispering behind us, awarding a chuckle from the both of us.

We get to an empty corridor and she sharply turns a corner, dragging me with her.
"What the f^ck?" She says. "I literally couldn't stop thinking about her crispy body!" She starts to raise her voice and then claps her hands around herself and shudders.
"Charlie!" I say "keep your voice down." Even though there's no one around I get a feeling that we are never alone here.
"It kept coming to me in a dream, watching you and Romeo stand there..." she shudders again.
"I know I know." I say feeling guilty. "What's going to happen now?"
"Well my mum wants to speak to you. Meet you too, and she wants to see Romeo."
"Are we in trouble?"
"Are you kidding me?! He's in trouble for sure. But, you might be fine. I think." She says and folds her arms.

I bite my lip. The happiness I felt begins to sizzle away, but it's still held strongly by the protection I feel for Romeo.

"What's going to happen to him?"
"Well since he's a Vampire, probably the worst of the worst." She says casually and then clasps a hand around her mouth.

So he's a Vampire.

That explains the speed, the way he can just appear out of no where, the swift movements, the cold hands, his pale skin, how he said he could hear my breathing and my heartbeat. How he knows when I'm lying and when he's got my heart wrapped around his finger.
He heard my mother from miles away. He found me against the hold of the forest.

"Crap! I'm so sorry." She said and I shake my head.
"I sort of guessed he wasn't human." I say feebishly. "It all makes sense now. Did you know the whole time?"
She shakes her head. "I only found out yesterday."
I nod. "Anyways, what's going to happen to him?"
She takes a pause and looks back up at me with worried eyes.
"The last time a something like this happened was years and years ago. Or actually, a few months ago. With Mr Sprucer."
"Charlie, please tell me."
She fumbles with the rings on he fingers and looks back up at me.
"They put them in a timeless torture in the caves down south."
"What even is that?"
"Anyone that goes against the treaty is kept asleep. Apart from the fact that they aren't sleeping, instead they're stuck in their own hell whilst their bodies are slowly rotting away."

My eyes dart from hers. This can't happen.

"We need to see your mum as soon as possible. Romeo isn't a murderer. He was protecting me."
She nods.

The idea of an angelic Romeo laying in some cave with the other rotting bodies of criminals, spinning in his own version of hell, terrifies me. It sends and uncomfortable cold chill down my spine. I clench my nails into my palms knowing that we need to meet the witches as soon as possible.

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authors note:

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-kiim