Corruption - Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

When I woke up, I could feel the sun still on my face. I couldn’t have slept through the night, so it was still the same day. I could hear voices in the background. I tried to listen hard to see who it was, but I was too tired to figure it out just yet. I just listened to the words that I could understand.

“How long has she been out?” a small and gentle voice asked.

“About three hours.” Said another light voice.

“And she just came home and went straight to bed?”

“Yes.”

“Well what happened?”

“A woman named Helen brought up Aden and Mike at lunch.”

Someone sighed. “What did you give her?”

“Just something for dreamless sleep. I have been giving it to her for a few days now.”

That made sense. That was why I had not been dreaming. I was grateful for who ever said that. I didn’t want to dream anyways. I would have much rather lied her with a silent mind.

I was starting to make out the voices now. They were two females. One I knew for sure. The other was iffy. I think I heard her voice before…

“She has just been sleeping?”

“Yes. For the past two days.” Gloria answered. I could tell by the small tremor in her voice that is was her. If she was ever talking to someone beside me, she would always get scared and her voice would falter.

Someone’s cold hand touched my arm. For a split second I thought it was Aden, but remember that Gloria was a vampire too. She would have cold skin just like him. It wasn’t Gloria that was holding my hand. It was someone else. Someone I knew.

My throat felt dry and scratchy from sleeping. I was going to ask for water, but thought against it. I wanted to see what else they were going to say.

“It was nice of you to ask me over.” asked the other woman.

“She would have wanted you here.”

The women laughed quietly. “Only you would know.” Her laugh triggered something in my mind. Was that…? No. Why would she be here? Did Gloria ask her here? Why would she ask her here?

“She is up now, trying to get past the medicine. She is listening if you want to talk to her.” Gloria said.

The hand around mine squeezed tighter. The medicine had put me to sleep? I don’t remember taking any medication before I feel asleep.

“I gave it to you after.” Gloria said. She was closer now, on the other side of the bed.

Did she just answer me? Was I speaking out loud?

“No.”

“What is she thinking?” Amy asked. She didn’t seem too concerned, but I heard it in her voice.

I finally found my voice, and answered for myself. “I’m confused.”

The both laughed.

“Water.” I croaked. I opened my eyes as Amy handed me a glass of water. I gulped it down, getting rid of the morning taste in my mouth.

“Hi.” She greeted me.

I smiled back. It was good to see her here. “Hi.”

Gloria backed away from both of us and went over to the door. I watched as she inched closer to the door. Where was she going? She could stay if she wanted to. I was about to say those things out loud when Gloria spoke.

“It’s alright Candace. I need to go help in the kitchen anyways. You two talk.” Then she was gone.

“Did she just answer my thoughts?” I asked.

Amy stood up and shrugged. “I guess so.”

I threw the covers off of myself and put feet over the edge. Amy was still holding my hand, watching me. I looked into her eyes for the first time in a long while. It felt like she was looking through my eyes and into my mind.

A pang hit my stomach as I realized Aden had his mother’s eyes; green in color. I couldn’t look away from Amy’s eyes. They were just as mesmerizing as Aden’s were.

I abruptly stood up and went over to the TV. I turned it on and sat down on the couch. Amy followed and sat down next to me. “How are you?? She asked.

“Fine.”

She asked again. “How are you?”

“Suckish.”

She smiled at my choice of words, but it looked forced. “Someone else is suckish too you know.”

I got up from the couch and went over to my closet. My clothes I was wearing now were wrinkly. I needed to change. She followed me there too.

“He didn’t mean what he said Candace.”

Why was doing this? What was wrong with her? Didn’t she get that her here was killing me? “I’m sure he didn’t.” I said sarcastically.

“All he meant was that he didn’t want to take the risk of hurting you.” She explained.

“He told me that already.” I took off my shirt and put on another one. I bustled out of the closet with Amy following.

“If this is really what you want…I am willing to give it to you.”

I whirled around to face her. “What?” I asked. What did she just say?

She grabbed my arm and sat me down on the bed next to her. She grabbed my hand and entwined her fingers with mine. She didn’t speak for a minute as she thought of what to say.

“You kind of told your dad today you know.” She finally said.

“Told him what?”

“About what we really are.”

She was listening to us? Was everyone listening to us? Was Aden?

“I don’t know if he got it quite yet, but he will. He will figure out what you are trying to tell him. He might not believe you, but you told him. And he will tell your mom.”

What was happening? Why would I want to be a vampire if I was no longer with Aden? What would be the purpose of throwing my life away for nobody?

“I need to ask you for a favor.” Amy said quietly.

“Okay, what?” I asked nervously.

“You have to promise…”

I was so anxious for her to tell me what it was; I automatically said that I promise.

“Okay.” She got up from the bed and headed toward the bedroom door.

This day felt like a dream. This never would have happened in real life. Amy never came over to my house. Gloria wouldn’t have invited her over in the first place. And a sleeping potion? What was that about? That didn’t make sense either.

Why would Amy ask me for a favor? What could I give her that she didn’t already have? And how would she know that my dad was going tt tell my mom about what I had said.

She turned to look at me before she left. “You promised. Now stay there.”

I nodded completely confused. If this was a dream I mind as well go with the flow. I scooted off of the bed and went to the other side. I pulled open the end tale drawer and looked inside. There was a picture a letter and a card all from Mike sitting on the bottom of it.

I took them out and read through both the letter and the card. Maybe if I wrote Mike a letter he would answer back. I put the things back in the end table, and then went over to my desk. I pulled out a pen and stationary paper.

I inhaled deeply for courage. I had written tons of letters but never sent him any of them. I was too scared of what he would do with them. He might read them…or he could just throw them away. Maybe he just burns them all.

I absently went over to my bed and sat back down. I hadn’t noticed that the double balcony doors had opened then closed again.

I sat on the bed for twenty minutes and stared at the paper in my hands. I was surprised that there was no sad emotion in my body at the moment. Must have been the dream state, I thought.

I didn't know what to write. I couldn't even write his name on the top of the page.

Cass barked lightly and someone shushed her. It wasn’t me. I froze on the spot and listened. I didn’t hear anyone else in the room with me. I slowly looked up from my paper and looked at the couch where there, lying on his back, was Aden.