Life is dangerous

Chapter 4

The lack of underwear still made me uncomfortable, therefore I was glad I didnt see anyone else in the hidden passage.

When I got closer to the kitchen I heard clattering reverberate from the stone walls. It seemed as if a lot of the new arrivals had felt the need for food once they'd been given the chance. When I entered the room there were several of them sitting somewhere, eating silently. All of them looked up in fright when I entered, but looked back onto their own plates when I focused my attention on the contents of the kitchen.

There was half a loaf of bread on a wooden cutting board and some butter, cheese and cold meat standing on the counter. Someone had also cooked a large amount of milk rice that was still standing on the old stove. It seemed like a good idea to go for the first thing one could see. Especially when you're hungry. But I wasnt all that hungry and therefore chose to look through the rest of the kitchen.

The fridge mainly contained orange juice, milk and mineral water, but also more butter, cheese and yogurts. In the cupboards I found a lot of single piece dishes and mugs, but also large quantities of rice, spaghetties, a couple of other noodles and salt. All in all very basic food to keep us alive without only offering one and the same food. In my eyes that was another positive thing.

In the end I chose to cut some bread, get a packet of cut cheese, a jougurt and a spoon and carried everything up to my room. It still surprised me how much privacy I was getting compared to the rest of them, but I was going to enjoy every second that I could get. I was still expecting it to vanish shortly.

When I arrived back at my room it was unchanged and I closed the door behind me. I ate slowly while sitting on my bed. A part of me was still catching up with my new situation, but another part was already going through options. What might happen in less than 10 hours? Would Alec still be just as friendly and scary at the same time? How could I try to escape? It gave me a lot to think about, but sent me into a restless sleep during the middle of the day.

I woke up with a fright, hearing a knock on the door. Panick rose in me as I realised that I wasn't in my bed at home and the memories came crashing back. A curse escaped my mouth as I gave up the hopes of this all just being a bad dream. I heard another knock, followed by Alec's voice.

"I'm opening the door now." A second later my bedroom door swung open and I saw Alec through the doorway. But even though the door was open, Alec did not enter.

"I'm sorry to intrude like this. I hadn't given you the plan for tonight, so I needed to catch up on that." He said remorsefully and I looked up to the window. It wasnt entirely dark outside, but the sun had already set.

"When you're ready you're going to meet with Ruby. She's probably the friendliest vampire I have met, so you needn't worry about your safety when you're with her. You'll be spending about three hours with her before retunring to the mansion." Alec looked like something was bothering him. It could have been something he had said or something he hadnt said. But I wasnt going to find out anytime soon, because the look on his face disappeared as he spoke again.

"I think Thea showed you the bathrooms yesterday, didn't she?" I nodded.

"For now that'll have to do, but in time I'll show you another one you can use. Ruby will meet you in the entrance hall when you're ready. But you can take your time. And make sure to eat and drink enough." With that Alec turned and walked away. But not before I saw worry cross his face again.

I was glad he hadn't come any closer, as I was just barely able to sit motionless on my bed even though my instinct had screamed at me to get away. It took me a while before I could get myself to move again. When I did, I closed the door and quickly changed into the black dress. It managed to cover just enough of my thigh that no one would notice that I was naked underneath, but I still wished I was smaller.