*Five Months Later*
She ran from Silver Stakes; too afraid and disturbed by the vampires and thoughts of blood; not ready for what was coming. Emily drove for what seemed to be days but was only just under one. Slowly, too slowly she felt, she made her way into Washington in the dead of night. She was planning on finding a more deserted area in the mountains but ended up making her new start in Spokane. She even got herself enrolled at a normal high school, called East Valley.
Emily awoke from the dark dreams she still suffered, of the night her dad was ripped away. She didn't wake with fear and terror like she used to. Instead she woke pondering on the short amount of time she spent with Jared, with every bit of detail she remembered. She hadn't seen or heard from him since she left, though she knew it hadn't changed the way she felt towards him. Sometimes she would get this feeling, almost like Jared was there, or watching, but she could never find him. Em knew that he was keeping tabs on her, probably waiting until she was ready to go back with him.
She couldn't help but wonder if anything would've happened if she had stayed. If perhaps they might have developed some sort of relationship. Emily knew she felt something for him the moment she toppled over him. She often dreamt of him. Sometimes, he'd convinced her to come back with him, in others he would run away with her, to a small cabin out in the woods. Sometimes she dreamt of what she wished would happen. That usually involved less than innocent actions, though, and probably shouldn't be dwelt upon.
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she arose, grabbing the clothing she had set out the night before. She had gotten to bed late after spending time with her two best friends, Sam and Jack. Sam and Jack were sister and brother, though they looked very different. Sam had brown eyes, versus Jack's blue, black hair versus brown. The most noticeable difference between them, though it meant the least, was Sam's marshmallow pale skin, and Jack's almost bronze tan.
They had spent a considerable amount of time that night baking cookies, which Jack eagerly awaited at the school. It was East Valley's last day before summer vacation, and they wanted cookies! Just Sam, Jack, and Emily though, the rest of them could fend for themselves. Once she was all ready, cookie tin and all, she set out for school. The building was only a few blocks away from her apartment, so she could walk. Upon entering the building, she found Sam just inside the doors. Jack sauntered over, ogling the cute boy standing across the hall. Sam cleared her throat, attempting to get Jack's attention.
""Come on, Jack, before we're late just 'cause you want to undress that kid with your eyes!" Jack chuckled while they rushed to class, only to find the teacher wasn't even there yet. Mr. Dragon was notorious for always being late, but he liked to throw in a few surprise days where he was on time, just to keep them on their toes. Jack sat nearby, pulling out his sketchbook, and Sam sat on the other end of the room, as they had assigned seats. After a few minutes of Mr. D still being a no-show, Em rested her head on her arm, and began to doze off.
Jared was beyond ready to take her away from city life, and this time, Emily was ready as well. They drove away in his old truck and stayed in a little known town, Cataldo, until they had their chance to continue. She may have been ready, but she was having trouble believing she was ready. It was hard to understand why she had left Sam and Jack, with no warning and no reason. Yet there she was, only senior, sitting in a truck with that amazing person whom she could only call her 'dream guy.'
In the blink of an eye, they were lying in a field together hand in hand, staring into each other's eyes. Emily could do nothing more than stare and become lost in his blue eyes. Before she knew it, she began examining the blue, almost lost in it. There were small flecks of grey, and close to those flecks was a darker blue line, almost like the blue was struggling to stretch to cover his iris. From there she studied his face, the smile lines beside his eyes, the worry marks on his brow. He had the beginnings of a dimple on his right cheek, and some stubble beginning on his chin. For some reason, she began to etch every detail into her memory, like she was afraid she would forget. His chapped pale tan-pink lips began turning up into an almost arrogant smirk, similar to when they first met, and she was always walk right into him.
