Princess Of Night

Princess of Night (ch 4)

"Ashlee."

"Ashlee," the voice repeated.

I opened my eyes and looked up at Neil who was staring down at me, his face silhouetted in the dark.

"What?!" I said, angry that he had wakened me out of a good sleep.

"Come on. I have a plan to get you out of here."

I jumped up immediately and stared him in the eyes. "You're serious?"

He nodded.

I got out of bed, still dressed in the same clothes I'd been kidnapped in.

"Here," Neil said, handing me a folded black vest and leggings.

I smiled gratefully.

"I'll wait out there while you change," he said, walking out of the door.

I slipped on the clothes quckly. They fitted perfectly. I tapped on the door and Neil opened it, leading me out.

As we got out the front door, Neil grabbed my hand. "Run!" he whispered.

Neil ran so fast that I ended up being dragged along behind him.

We came to the start of a forest and stopped at a large oak.

I panted, trying to get my breath back whilst Neil waited.

The soft, whistiling of birds filled the air, encouraging me to go on.

I began to run again, my feet crunching on the pine needles and twigs. When we came out of the forest, Neil led me to  a blye BMW car.

"Yours?" I said.

Neil nodded and unlocked it. I jumped in. The car smelled of the forest, earthy and musty. I strapped my seatbelt and listened to the sound of the engine starting. "Where are we going?" I asked, rubbing my bare arms. It was freezing in here!

"I suppose I'll take you back to the road where.." he trailed off.

Sensing my coldness, he flicked on the in-car heating and turned the vents towards me.

"Thanks," I said, gratefully. The warm air blasted out at me, warming me up instantly.

I'm finally going home, I thought.

Then it dawned on me. What was I going to tell my mum?

She wouldn't believe me if i told her the truth. Imagine the scene. "Uh, I was kidnapped by two vampires, and one of them helped me to escape."

I began to recognise the twists and bends in the road that Gareth had raced through that night. Finally we came to the long road I'd been walking home on.

The car stopped and I opened the door, breathing in the fresh country air. I'm home, I smiled.

That's when I saw the hooded figure at the bottom of the road. Something's not right, I thought. As the figure walked closer and removed his hood, my heart sank. The blue eyes and dark wavy hair told me it was Gareth.

I heard Neil getting out of the car, muttering under his breath. I took a step back.

"We agreed that.." Neil started.

"Shut up. I have to do this," Gareth interrupted.

"Do what?" I said uncertainly. My heart thumped against my ribcage.

Gareth smiled and I glared back at him, no longer afraid.

He grabbed my shoulders, and stared me in the eye. I tried to look away but he turned me to face him. I watched as his eyes changed colour. From blue to fiery red.

Tiny flames danced on the irises, the pupil an empty black. I watched in horror and confusion. What was happening?

"I'm sorry, Ashlee," I heard Neil whispering behind me, his voice filled with regret.

I stared into Gareth's eyes and suddenly an overwhelming wave of dizziness came over me. I cried out as I lost my balance. The last thing I saw was Gareth, smiling.

Then the world went dark.