Chaptet 12:

Chapter 12:

I shook my head to see if I was dreaming or not.
“NO,” I said. “It can’t be”
“Of course it can’t be!” said someone behind us. It was Lila herself in flesh. James gapped at her in surprise.
“Where were you?” he asked, striding towards her.
Lila smiled silently at him. I took a few minutes to stare at Lila. There was something that had changed about her and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I was as if she somehow she isn’t the kind, perky Lila that I knew.
“How can I, Cornelia Redwood, disappear and miss such a touching moment like this!” she said, but I caught a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She had definitely changed and I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
“Lila,” James said with worry “Are you alright?”
“Never better!” she said, smiling flirtatiously at James. “Well, I have to take my beauty sleep.”
She strutted off in a gliding manner like that of a supermodel. James and I stared after her in silence. Lila seemed to walk fast far from us in silence as well then she stopped.
“Don’t worry,” she called out over her shoulder without looking at me, “I wont mention anything to William, Eliza”

Then she was gone.

“James,” I said, “When did Lila disappear?”
He looked at me and then thought about it. For a moment or two, his face fell into deep thought.
“It was,” he said after a while “after we all separated. Why?”
“I don’t know,” I said “But that’s definitely not the Lila I knew.”
He nodded in agreement with me.

“So,” he said, walking with me to my room. “Your name is Eliza?”
“Elizabeth, actually” I responded “My real name before I got adopted.”
“So Shane isn’t your…” he trailed off and I nodded.
”Don’t worry,” he told me as we entered the lift. “I have no grudge against vampires or anything so I won’t tell anybody.”
“Thank you James,” I said. He opened his mouth but then closed it again, looking funnily like a fish as the elevator door opened. Instead, he just smiled and waved as I walked out to my floor.

I wondered what he was going to say?

As I walked inside the room, the air-con was blasted on making me feel cold. Lila was lying on her bed and she was fast asleep. I stared at her for a few minutes and then I myself got ready.

I lay there on the darkness, finding it hard to sleep. I twisted and turned and I just couldn’t find any way to sleep. I went out to the balcony and leaned on the railing, with a sigh. The sky was lit with stars and it was really quiet. Then I had an idea.

I made a firm stand on the balcony railing and looked up. Shane had his room above Lila and mine’s so it would be really easy to climb up. The hotel wall was rough and it had these small stones as design to it. I developed my nails and carefully held onto the rocks. I took slow and firm grabs and lifted myself up until I reached Shane’s balcony. I tried not to look down as I hoisted myself and jumped into his balcony. The curtains for the balcony were let down so I tapped on the glass.

After a few minutes, a half-naked, sleepy Shane opened curtains. I smiled at him and his mouth dropped open. He froze there for a few minutes, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. I patiently waited for him to realize that he was indeed awake. He opened the balcony door, so suddenly that it made me jump.

“Eliza,” he said trying not to raise his voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to talk to you.” I told him. He pushed me inside. I looked around his room and saw that he wasn’t sharing it with anyone. He put on a shirt and made some hot cocoa as I sat down. Then he sat across me and we both sat there on his bed drinking hot cocoa.
“What did you want to talk about?” he asked. It was clear on his face that he assumed I was about to talk to him because of the werewolf thing. However, that subject will be the last.

“James and Lila knows,” I said. His light eyebrow rose as he took a sip. “They were okay with it.”
“How?” he questioned me.
“James found out after the fight and he knows that…you’re a werewolf.” I said. He stared at his bedcovers in silence.
“That’s alright with me,” he said “how did they take it when they found out about you?”
“James was okay,” I said with a laugh “He was just annoyed I didn’t tell him earlier. But Lila…”
“What about Lila?” He asked.
I blew my hot cocoa and sipped it. Then I told him what happened earlier.

Shane leaned forward and ruffled my hair.
“Look,” he said “If she doesn’t accept you, then don’t make such a big deal about it. She did say herself that she wouldn’t tell right? What’s there to worry about?”
“I hope you’re right,” I said trying to fix my hair. “I don’t want to move anymore.”

“I wont let it happen,” Shane said “Besides I’m not going anywhere anymore.”
I gave him a big smile and had another mouthful of my drink. I figured I had to tell him about William. I mean, I had to know what to do and maybe Shane would give me advices or tell me not to tell William I like him.

“William told me he like me,” I whispered more to myself than Shane. Shane looked at me in astonishment.
“Was that why you were crying?”
I nodded and told him the whole event. Shane looked at me then started to laugh aloud.
“So you’re letting a thing like being a vampire stop you from loving?” he said, through fits of laughter. “Be real, Eliza!”
“What do you mean?” I asked, with surprise and puzzle.

“You know Eliza,” Shane said “Sometimes, there’s only one person who’s for you in this world. Now, how will you know if you keep pushing them all away with a reason like, being a vampire? If they really love you, Eliza, they will love you for who you are”

I thought about for a while and then it hit me. Maybe I should trust my heart for once. Suddenly, I realized that my situation was simple enough. I felt really stupid at that moment because I had known what I felt all along, I was just living in denial.

“I’ll tell him,” I said uncertain of the words that were coming out of my mouth. “I’ll tell him what I feel…”
“That’s the spirit!” he said.
“Thanks Shane,” I said putting my mug down and giving him a hug. “Don’t worry, I wont tell Prof about you being a werewolf.”
He looked at me in surprise and laughed. I stood up and stretched, Drowsiness going over me. I walked over to the balcony again and stood up on the rails.

“Wait, Eliza!” Shane said, a shocked looked on his face but I had already jumped. In mid-air, I pushed myself forward and I managed to land safe in my balcony. Shane peeked over his balcony at me and I waved. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head and disappeared. I made my way into the room again and there, I fell asleep.


Ë

I woke up extra early the next morning to talk to William. I found him in the beach sitting on the sand, where we had been sitting the night before. He was wearing another pair of surfer shorts and a shirt, staring at the sea. I walked casually and silently behind him, he didn’t notice me. Perhaps I was too silent or maybe because he was deep in thought.
I sat beside him and he shot a startled glance in my direction but when he saw it was only me, he smiled. I smiled back and stared out into the sea for a few minutes thinking of what to say. The sea lapped softly on the sand and the sun was about to rise, making the sky was light, light blue. I shivered a little and William wrapped his jacket around me.
“Thanks,” I said feeling my stomach suddenly churning hard.

This was my first and I admit I was really inexperience. Hey, even vampires get nervous.

“It really is a peculiar thing isn’t it?” I mused. “Love”
William looked at me with his blue eyes and I continued on talking.
“I’m sorry,” I told him “For last night.”
“Oh, that” William said looking back towards the front, staring at the sea again and this time it was my turn to look at him. “It’s really no problem. I guess you couldn’t just deny me in a hurtful way.”
“No, I just…. It’s a really long story and I promise I’ll tell you soon but,” I said. “I never said anything about denying you.”
“I just want an answer,” he stated out. I buried my head on my knees for a moment, taking my time to think. I felt my blood rushing to my face and I couldn’t say anything else. There wasn’t anymore to think about. I already had my answer.

“I like you, too”

“What?” William said, “What did you say?”
I raised my head to look at him. “I like you,” I told him. William was speechless for a while and there was this unreadable light in his eyes. After a few moments, William suddenly stood up and bowed to me.

“I didn’t managed to ask you this last night,” he said his hands outstretched. “May I have this dance?”
“You want us to dance here, with no music?” I asked, trying not to laugh skeptically. He nodded solemnly and I took my hand into his. He helped me stand up and I just made up a melody in my head. William took the first steps, leading the dance and I followed. He pulled me close to him and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

It was a little awkward at first but I pretended there was a melody in my head that we danced to and it wasn’t so bad. We danced there for some time, laughing as we stepped on each other’s feet until I saw over his shoulders that the sun was about to rise. I felt it would be nice to watch and I tried to pull from our dance but he pulled me back tightly as if he couldn’t bear to lose me. He hugged me there tightly as I gazed at him in surprise.

He cupped his hands on my face, leaving his warmth upon my cheeks. Instinctively, I tilted my face and he moved closer, his breath near mine. He breath smells like mint and I would never be tired of having that breath so close. I felt his soft full lips upon mine and on impulse I kissed him back. It didn’t matter to us if there was anyone because the world itself had disappeared. After what seemed like minutes, we pulled apart gasping for air. His eyes were filled with such lust, such desire.

He pulled me towards him again, holding me close, burying his face upon my shoulders.
“Let’s stay like this,” he whispered in my ear “for a while.”
Relaxing comfortably, I returned his hug and rested my head on his shoulder as he was doing on mine. We stood there on the beach, in the sunrise with our arms around each other.


“Isn’t this funny sire?” – Butler