Awakening (5 page)

I
woke up the next evening. I went straight to the shower. Drake left me clothes so
I could change. I smiled at the fact that all he gave me to wear were dresses.
I wasn’t sure if that was intentional, or if it was all he could get his hands
on. I put a light pink dress on and brushed my hair. I added a little bit of
makeup as well. I looked so young. I didn’t ever remember feeling like this. I
usually avoided looking girly, but I didn’t mind it so much anymore.

When
I was done dressing I walked out into the hall. Tommy was leaning on the
opposite wall. He straightened when I stepped out of my room. “I thought
everyone was crazy,” he said softly.

I
smiled. “You didn’t think I came back to life?” I asked amused.

“I
think they wanted you to come back to life, but it didn’t seem possible,” he
said smiling slightly.

“Well,
I guess it is,” I said as I walked toward the stairs.

He
fell into step beside me. “Are you still angry with me?” he asked nervously.

I
shook my head. “I’m not angry with you, Tommy. The pack seems to be doing well,
are you helping Drake?”

He
nodded. “I am at least trying to. He can be difficult sometimes. He is still
allies with Adam and Eric. Vampires won’t dare to mess with all of them.”

“I’m
hungry, are you?” I asked hoping he was. I wanted to find something to eat.

“I
could eat. There isn’t really much in the house. We could go out. There is a
good restaurant not far from here,” he suggested.

I
nodded. “I should probably tell Drake we are leaving.”

“He
left. He had something to do. He told me to watch over you,” Tommy said
smiling.

“Oh,
well then we can go,” I said trying to keep my tone light. I thought it was odd
that Drake left me with Tommy. Either Tommy had grown up a lot, or there was
something going on that I didn’t know about.

Tommy
drove to a small restaurant in town. It was a decent looking place. I was
incredibly hungry. The only thing I ate the night before was soup. I wanted
something more filling than that. Tommy ordered a steak, and I ordered chicken
pasta. Once our orders were placed I looked over at Tommy. “So where did Drake
say he was going?” I asked casually.

Tommy
glanced at me then shrugged. “He went somewhere with Adam. They are always
having meetings and stuff. I don’t really know where they go.”

“You
aren’t curious?” I asked watching him. I was curious myself. I just couldn’t
believe that he wasn’t curious.

He
smiled. “I try not to mess with pack business. I am not a leader like my father
thinks I am.”

“You
don’t want any part of it? You could be good for the pack, if you would take
your place and keep them safe. If you did your part, Drake wouldn’t have to
turn to vampires for help.” I was trying to encourage him to be more interested
in his people. I knew Drake wanted him to take over some day.

He
scoffed. “He didn’t really need you, he just wanted you there. I am surprised
he hasn’t confessed his love for you.”

I
felt my cheeks redden at his comment. I always thought Drake cared for me, but
as a friend. I was a little startled by Tommy’s accusation. “Drake and I are
friends,” I said softly.

Tommy
grinned. “Girls are always oblivious to how guys feel for them. Besides he knew
you wanted the vampire guy. What was his name?”

“Cornelius,”
I said softly. Just saying his name made my chest ache. I only hoped it
wouldn’t be long before he came back. Someone here had to be in contact with
him. I considered going and talking to some of the vampires. Now that I was a
weak human, I wasn’t so sure it would be a good idea. I remained silent the
rest of dinner. After thinking about Cornelius, I was kind of depressed.

Tommy
nudged me as we walked toward his car. “Are you ok?”

I
forced a smile and nodded. “I am not sure where to go from here. I am not
really a hunter anymore, and I am not a vampire. I am not really sure what to
do.”

“How
about you forget about this world and go live as an oblivious human,” he said
playfully. I knew he was joking. Once a person was subjected to this world,
there was no going back.

“I
wish that were possible,” I said amused.

He
smiled, and held the door to his car for me. “It was just an idea.” He got in
the driver’s seat and looked at me. “So where to?”

I
sighed as I thought about it. “We could go downtown. I wanted to ask around
about Cornelius. I don’t understand how he just disappeared. Do you know what
happened to his house?”

“It’s
empty, I think,” Tommy said shrugging.

“Let’s
go there first. Maybe there is something there that will tell me where he
went,” I said getting a little excited. If I could find an indicator of where
he might go, I might be able to find him.

Tommy
shrugged and started the car. “Your wish is my command,” he said playfully.

Tommy
was right. The house was abandoned. Well at least it looked like it. I
remembered how alive the place was when Cornelius was there. There were always
parties there, now it seemed so dark and desolate.

I
got out of the car and walked toward the house. Tommy followed at a slower
pace. I tried the door, but it was locked. “We need to find a way in,” I said
quietly.

“Do
you think this is a good idea?” Tommy asked unsure as he followed me around the
back of the house.

“No,
but it is my only idea. I love Cornelius. I want him to come back to me,” I
said quietly as I searched for a way to get in.

“What
if he has moved on? I mean he thinks you are dead,” Tommy said from behind me.

He
was starting to annoy me. I didn’t want to think like that. I wanted to find
him, and make everything go back to normal. “I will worry about that if I have
to,” I said as I forced a small window open. “I’m going in, are you coming?” I
asked looking up at him.

He
sighed and nodded. “I will be right behind you.” I climbed in the window. It
was dark, and I was in some sort of basement. I felt Tommy move up behind me.
“This is creepy,” he whispered.

I
smiled as I started to move forward. “I agree, we are in the basement or
something,” I said as I found the stairs. I moved slowly up the stairs. Tommy
stayed close on my heels. I could feel how nervous he was, and he was making me
nervous.

We
walked out into a main hall. I was starting to recognize where I was. I didn’t
really know much about the place. I only knew where my room was, and where the
garden was. I never went to Cornelius’s room.

Tommy
suddenly froze. “What is it?” I asked nervously as I attempted to see in the
dark.

“Someone
is here, I heard something,” he said nervously. He started to back away like he
was terrified. He turned and ran back the way we had come.

I
cussed and turned back toward the way we were going. I heard a scuffling noise.
I couldn’t believe Tommy ran. He was such a coward sometimes. I moved so my
body was pressed against the wall. If someone was going to attack me, I didn’t
want to be attacked from behind.

“Who
are you, and what are you doing in my house?” a dark voice growled.

My
heart started to race. It was Cornelius’s voice. I knew it was. He sounded
angry, but I knew it was him. He was still here. Everyone thought he was gone,
but he was here the whole time. “Cornelius, it’s me Lillian,” I said stepping
toward the voice. There was no answer immediately. I saw movement not far from
me. I moved toward him. I wanted to touch him. “Cornelius, please,” I begged
moving forward.

I
was suddenly pinned to the wall. “Lillian is dead!” he hissed as he glared at
me. He looked un-kept like he hadn’t showered in a while. “Who are you? What
kind of trick is this?” he growled.

“Cornelius,
it’s me. I woke up in the coffin. I came to find you,” I said trying to calm
him. He didn’t look like he believed me. I probably wouldn’t have believed me
either if I were him.

He
threw me onto the floor toward the way I had come. “You are not Lillian. I
don’t know who you are, but you need to leave my house.”

I
glared up at him. “I am not leaving. I can’t explain how I am alive, but I
refuse to just walk away. I love you Cornelius, and when you love someone you
don’t leave them.”

He
muttered something as he marched over to me. He yanked me to my feet by my arm.
“I haven’t fed in over a month. Unless you want to be my next meal, I suggest
you leave!” he hissed.

I
moved my hair to one side, and exposed my neck. “I am not afraid of you. You
can feed on me,” I said breathlessly. He was so close to me. His intention was
to scare me, but I wasn’t scared. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, at least I
thought I did.

He
watched me intently like he was trying to decide what to do. His hair was
messy, and un-kept. His clothes didn’t look like they had been washed.  I
never imagined Cornelius would let himself go like this. I imagined when I saw
him, he would be as elegant and beautiful as I remembered. He suddenly moved
forward. I gasped when he sank his fangs into my neck.

I
stifled a cry as he began to feed on me. He wasn’t clouding my mind. He was
just concerned about feeding. I was hoping after he fed he would think clearly.
I was just worried he wouldn’t be satisfied until I was drained dry. The room
started to spin. I attempted to get his attention, but he wouldn’t release me.
My body went limp. He held me pinned, as he continued to feed. Everything
slowly went dark, and for the first time the fear that I might die before he
believed I was Lillian hit me.

I
woke up slowly. My body ached, and I felt weak. I was lying on a couch. The
room was dimly lit by candle light. I looked over and Cornelius was seated in a
chair across from me. He looked the same, he just seemed calmer. Obviously
feeding helped him regain some of his composure. “Cornelius,” I whispered as I
attempted to get up. I collapsed to my knees. I was so incredibly weak from the
blood loss. I didn’t even really know how I was conscious.

“You
are a fraud. Who are you? Lillian was a vampire. I held her while she died. I
buried her. You are not her!” he yelled as he stood.

I
couldn’t stand, all I could do was look up at him from where I was. “I’m not a
fraud. I remember the night we were together like it was yesterday. I know
everything she would know. I know it doesn’t seem possible, but I am here. I
can’t tell you how because I don’t know how. They all said you left. I just
wanted any clue that would bring me back to you.” He watched me, and he was
being careful to keep his distance, but he didn’t speak. “Can’t you tell by how
I smell, or taste? Doesn’t anything make you think I might really be Lillian?”
I pleaded.

“There
is witchcraft in this world that can trick the senses. I am not dumb enough to
rely on that,” he hissed.

I
closed my eyes trying to keep the room from spinning. I lost too much blood. I
wasn’t really sure how I was even awake. The door opened catching both our
attention. Aubrey walked in, and a small amount of relief washed over me.

Aubrey
saw me and his expression darkened. “What have you done to her?” he asked
angrily as he hurried to me. He lifted me off the floor, and set me back on the
couch.

“I
cannot believe you think that is Lillian. You watched her die,” Cornelius spat.

Aubrey
glared at him. “It is her. You have been given a second chance with her, and
what have you done?”

Cornelius
scoffed. “I told her to leave. That is not my Lillian.”

Aubrey
shook his head and turned his attention back to me. “You have to take my blood.
You are weak,” he said softly.

Aubrey
was suddenly knocked away from me. “I want her weak,” Cornelius hissed as he
looked down at me.

Aubrey
glared at him from where he stood. “You are an idiot!”

Cornelius
turned his attention to Aubrey. He looked like he was about to tell him off,
but I reached out and touched Cornelius’s leg catching his attention. He looked
down at me, and I could see the anger and confusion in his eyes.

“Please,
Cornelius,” I whispered. The room was starting to spin. I was going to lose
consciousness if I didn’t get blood soon. If he wouldn’t let Aubrey give me
blood, then he had to.

He
muttered something, then bit his wrist. I moaned as he pressed his wrist to my
mouth. I drank greedily. I felt the weakness start to subside. He pulled his
wrist away, and moved away from me. “Get her out of here,” he spat, then
disappeared.

Aubrey
hurried over to me and picked me up. There was a sudden rush, and we were in
Aubrey’s room, in the club. He laid me on the bed, and went to get a wet rag.

“You
said he was gone,” I said quietly once he came back into the room.

“I
thought he was. No one knew he was hiding in his house,” he said dryly.

“You
have to talk to him. Convince him that I am Lillian,” I pleaded as he wiped the
dried blood from my neck.

“If
you couldn’t convince him, then neither can I,” he said quietly.

“Aubrey,
did you see him? He is miserable. He isn’t well. You have to do something. You
cannot let him just rot in there,” I said starting to panic.

“It
is his choice. I have seen him go through this before. There is nothing I can
do for him. He will eventually come out of it. Until then, I suggest you stay
away from him. He almost killed you. He doesn’t think you are the woman he
loved. You need to just accept that, and move on!” he said angrily as he stood
and walked back to the bathroom.

I
laid back on the bed, and a sudden sadness overcame me. My chest felt heavy,
and I felt tears roll down my cheeks. I rolled so I was facing the wall. I didn’t
want Aubrey seeing me cry. Aubrey laid a blanket over me and kissed my head.
“It hurts now, but eventually it will pass.”

I
didn’t reply. I had nothing to say. I didn’t want it to hurt, and I didn’t want
it to pass. I didn’t want to give up on Cornelius like he gave up on me. I just
felt so helpless. I didn’t know what to do.