Vampire Gifts

Home again, home again

                                                                  Rose's POV

    When I got home, the house was quiet.

    I expected Clara to be in bed, but Ronald? I thought he would be lounging on the living room couch, relaxing and watching TV after a hard day of work.

    "Ronaaaaald! Rooonie! Are you here?" I yelled as quietly could, hoping not to wake Clara. I walked through our living room, past the small closet and the bathroom door, and to the kitchen. "Ronnie?" I said again, peering behind the refrigerator. It was too quiet, it made me feel like every shadow was a monster waiting to kill me.

     "Boo!" I jumped a foot in the air. I held a hand to my heart, hoping my heart beat would slow down, while Ronald held his stomach laughing. He stood in front of the now open closet door still laughing. As much as I was surprised he scared me, I was also surprised he could fit in that closet.

    "Well there's our dirty stay out!" He said playfully, shaking a finger at me for effect.

    "That's not funny! You could have given me a heart attack!" I yelled, grabbing the nearest thing to me, a magazine on the counter, and started hitting him on the shoulders with it. I stopped when he started to talk again.

    "Hey! I'm not the one who stayed out till 11! You scared me, I thought you were killed or something!" He exclaimed. I felt bad for a moment, but it was hard to feel sympathy for him while he was still laughing. "You know you're cute when your scared?"

    "Oh, shut up! You shouldn't scare people like that!"

    "Well, you know what they say, All's fair in love and war, and since this isn't a war..." He said while pulling me into a hug. I tried to stay mad, but it was hard when he was being this cute, so I smiled. Taking this as a victory, he kissed me lightly on the lips. "Come on, let's go to bed, soooomeone's been out all night."

    "Hey, someone hasn't been home all day taking care of the house."

    "Point taken." He admitted, still smiling as though me being scared was the funniest thing in the world.

    "I will get you back, you know."

    "Whatever you say." He said still smiling, then pulled me up into his arms. I was startled again for a minute but I was tired anyway. "You'll never get me this good anyway, you were so scared you almost fainted. You are cute when you're scared, by the way." I was still smiling as he carried me upstairs- not needed, but if he wanted to carry me around, it was fine by me. It was only when he dropped me lightly on the bed that I realized how tired I really was, I could fall asleep right there. But I had to take off my shoes and get on my PJ's first so I got it over with.

    I got up and walked over to our dresser, pulling out the first thing I saw: a plain pink nightgown. I was grateful for the sleeveless, light dress because it had become warm lately. It seemed this spring was going to be warm, which meant summer was going to be hot- greeeat.

    I quickly got changed and sat back down on my bed gratefully. I laid down and pulled the light comforter up to my shoulders. Ronald turned off the lamps next to our bed and laid down next to me. He rolled on his side and put his arm around me. I was so comfortable, I feel asleep instantly.

    I woke up again in the middle of the night. One glance at the glowing clock radio on top of our dresser told me it was two in the morning. I rarely ever woke up in the night, but tonight was different. I felt like someone was watching me. The thought sent shivers down my spine.

    With Ronald's arm still around me, it was hard to sit up, but I looked around me and saw no one in the room. It was completly empty, I was sure of it. But I still had that feeling, the feeling when you know someone around you is staring at you, and you can feel their eyes on your back.

    I glanced at the window. It was dark outside, but with the lights off in here there were was no glare.

    My heart stopped. I saw a figure right outside my window, just for an instant. My whole body was tense, and I held my breath. I had seen someone, I was sure of it. But when I looked again, it was gone.

    I was confused. Two encounters with a strange figure in one night? First in the woods and now- now this. Maybe it was just my imagination, I was being paranoid. That's right, I was being ridiculous. Nothing was outside my window.

    But why would I wake up then? I wasn't being paranoid. I couldn't be. Why would I wake up if something hadn't been there. I rarely ever wake up in the middle of the night.

     I don't know how, but I just knew that something out of the ordinary was going on. And I found out pretty soon, too.