Blood of Darkness | Eternal Bonds: Book 1

Chapter Two

*Selena*

I drove down a street illuminated by lampposts and it was under one of those lampposts that I saw a mysterious woman with long dark hair and pale green eyes. She was standing on the sidewalk as I rolled to a stop at a red light. I waited for her to cross the street, but she just stood there. I wasn't sure, but it felt like she was looking at me. I waited for the light to turn green in uncomfortable silence. Who was she? Why was she watching me? The light finally turned green and I drove through the intersection.

Soon I pulled into the driveway of Ella's house and the front door of the house opened.

"Oh Selena, it's so good to see you," a woman greeted me as I entered Ella's house. She gave me a hug. This was Ella's older sister, Ava.

"Hey, what about me?" Leon asked as he came around the corner.

Ava turned to Leon.

"You're over here way too often for me to miss you, Leon," Ava replied.

Leon, much to my amusement, was rendered speechless by that comment.

He grabbed a cup of coffee from the kitchen and began to drink it in order to occupy himself.

I went upstairs to Ella's room and knocked on the door. She opened the door and embraced me.

"Hi Lena," she greeted me.

"Welcome home, Ella," I told her, pleased that she had come home after being away for so long.

"You know, I never realized how much I missed Blackfell and this room," Ella sighed.

"Then why do you travel so much?" I asked.

"Because as much as I'll miss this place and the people here, there's a world out there for me to see," Ella replied. I had a feeling there was more to her answer than that, but I didn't press her on it, knowing that if I did, I wouldn't get an answer. So, as usual I let it go and trusted that she would tell me what the big secret was when she was ready. That's what friendship was really about, trust. And I trusted Leon and Ella, despite all the secrets they seemed to be keeping from me.

Leon arrived, carrying two cups of coffee. Ella sat up. He handed one to each of us and sat down next to Ella.

"How was your flight?" Leon asked.

"It was fine," Ella replied.

"Where did you go this time?" I asked.

Ella smiled.

"I spent the past month in Italy, just enjoying the rich history of the country," Ella replied.

"Did you take any pictures?" I asked. She nodded and took out her phone. She opened her photo archive and began flipping through her vacation photos with me and Leon, describing each one in detail. I loved hearing stories of the things she'd done while she was away from Blackfell. She'd been to so many places and seen such amazing things.

"What are we doing tonight?" Leon asked.

"What do you mean?" Ella asked.

"Oh come on Ella, you've come home after so long, we should go out and celebrate," Leon stated.

"Really? Do you remember what happened the last time I went out to celebrate with you?" Ella replied as she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "You ended up ridiculously drunk and spent the whole night dancing on a table. We both got kicked out because of your stupidity. Thanks to your antics, the three of us have been banned from all the clubs in Blackfell."