I Must Be Dreaming (4 page)

y my side I won’t have to worry.” I still wanted to be playful. “I’m serious Izzy, this is not a joke.”  “I’m serious too Jake. I want to be with you.” oops I didn’t mean for that to come out, out loud. He tilted his head to the side as if trying to read my thoughts with a grin the size of Mount Rushmore. I felt my cheeks flush with heat. I’m sure he saw my face and he quickly changed the subject. “I have to go with some of the others tomorrow night. I can ask Karri to stay and keep you company.” He put some of my hair behind my ear. Now I’m sure it was a habit of his. “I don’t want you to go.” I said very quietly. “I have no choice Victor has spoken. You will have two body guards here as well. Just don’t tell them anything until you tell me.” He sounded as though he was my father not my boyfriend. So I have to stay here like a prisoner with two guys I don’t know and you don’t trust. This is going to be fun. “Do you always do what Victor says?”  I asked curiously. “Victor is the oldest of my family, he is on the council as well and if I do not do what he asks I will be punished.” The way he said punished scared me. “Punished how?” I almost didn’t want to know.  “He could starve me for one or keep me from you forever.” I couldn’t keep the worry off my face. “Look let’s not worry about that because I could NEVER stay away. Right now we need some sleep. I’ve got to be on my game tomorrow night.” He said as he stood up. “Now if you need anything I will be right down the hall.” I didn’t understand why he didn’t want to stay with me. If we had been together for over a year why not sleep together? “Jake, please stay.” I didn’t want to sound too desperate but I was. I didn’t want to be alone right now. I needed his touch.  He looked at me with those gorgeous eyes and tried not to grin.  “At least until I fall asleep.”  He came back in bed and put his arms around me and kissed me on the head. I snuggled in his chest as close as I could and fell asleep soon after.

TRY TO REMEMBER

              The next day when I woke or night not sure anymore, I decided to get in the bath. Karri had bought me some clothes the night before. She did buy me some with color but a lot was still black. The shower felt great. I was feeling great and then for the first time I noticed I had two little holes on my upper left thigh. “What is that?” I said aloud. I rubbed my hand over the tiny holes and I saw a tiny star shaped mark between the holes. It felt like the holes were healing but I knew it would leave a scar. All of a sudden I had a flash. I was running, tears coming down my face. My shirt was tore. Someone was behind me talking. There was a man, his voice sounded as if he were underwater, but I somehow recognized the voice. I still couldn’t make out what he was saying. I was in chains and I saw the whip going in the air about to strike.                                                                       I was being shaken hard, and then I opened my eyes. Jake was standing there asking me if I was ok, his hands still on my arms looking scared. I blinked my eyes a few times and before I could say anything, I realized I was naked. Everyone was staring at me. Even the two guys who I assumed were the body guards, which were pretty scary looking. They both had dark hair and tattoos running up their arms to their face. I think they are twins. The only difference is one had a scar that started across his neck and ended by his hair line. “Can I have a towel?”  Jake grabbed the one hanging on the rack and handed it to me. “Ok, can I have a minute?” I stayed staring at the two guards. Both waited for Jake to give the ok for them to leave.  “Izzy are you alright he asked again? You were screaming.” His voice was full of panic. I looked at him he was dripping wet from getting in the shower with me. “I was. Oh, well I uh…, Jake can I talk to you alone?” Jake gave everyone a nod and turned back to me. He grabbed my hand and guided me out of the bath as one by one they all stepped out of the room without a word until it was just me and him. “Izzy really are you ok?”  He had so much worry on his face. “Yes, I just had a memory I think.” I felt unstable. “Shhhh! They can still hear you.” He said pointing behind us. “Well tell them to stop listening” I said with A LOT of attitude and almost screaming. Jake didn’t say a word; he just helped me wrap another towel around me and then into the bedroom. “I want you to see something.” Jake raised his eyebrows up when I moved the towel up. But when I pointed to the holes his eyes narrowed in. He gently rubbed his hand over the holes. Then he saw the star shaped mark. He started to shake, his eyes turned red. “What’s wrong?” I got scared with his reaction.  “Normally when we turn someone we usually bite on the arm, shoulder, sometimes the neck. Biting you on the thigh shows intimacy. Like someone saying you’re theirs, and that mark is like a signature.” He sounded like he was growling now. “What do you mean signature?” My voice was rising. “You belong to someone else.” His whole body was shaking and his fists where in tight balls ready to kill. “Jake, I don’t belong to no one except you! Whoever did this is trying to piss you off and it’s working. I don’t want anyone but you.” I was talking like a mother would to her baby. Trying to gently soothe her baby back to sleep. “Jake can’t you see that?” I can’t lose him not now, he is all I have! “It doesn’t matter Izzy it’s like you’re branded. You are someone else’s now. I cannot touch you.” He said that with hatred in his voice. “Have you lost your mind? Is this some kind of sick joke? Touch me Jake.” Now I was pissed! No one claims me! “No.” He said with a blank stare. “Touch me right NOW!!!” I was screaming at him. I grabbed his hand and put it to were my heart is. He snatched it away. “STOP IZZY!” I had never seen him like this. “If anyone finds out.”  “What, what are they going to do Jake punish you, me. I’d rather DIE than you never touch me again.” I was enraged. I could feel my blood boiling inside me. “Never say that again. I never want to hear you talk like that, do you understand me.” He was yelling now. “I can’t stay here anymore. I want to go home.” I walked to the door ready to leave in my towel. “You are home Izzy.” His voice had become a whisper. “No, this is not my room, my clothes, my house. Get out of my way.”  I shoved him as hard as I could. “Calm down.”  “No, I did not ask for this. I just wanted us to be together and now you won’t even touch me.” I was standing up ready to fight anyone that came my way. “There is a way for you to be free of this claim.” He said in a low almost dark tone. “You have to recant your maker.” His eyes had turned from blood red to almost black as night. “Fine let’s do it.”  “Izzy, first we don’t know who did this to you and two when you recant YOU also have to kill them.” I didn’t care only Jake mattered. “I don’t care. I just have to remember right. Will you help me?”  “What can I do to help you?” His eyes were starting to turn back to their brilliant green. “Take me back to the woods, where you found me to start with.” I was already fumbling for clothes through the dresser. “No, I don’t think that’s safe.”  “Well you take me or I go alone.” I was going to put my fate in my hands starting now. “Alright we can go tomorrow.”  He was trying to stall me. “No, I’m going now, with or without you.”  “Izzy I have to go with the others.” He was pleading with me now. “Well you better get going.” I had never sounded so mean before but I was mad. And damit someone was messing with me and my future. “Izzy please don’t go yet, let me go with you.” He was starting to beg grabbing me. “Jake I’m going weather you go or not. So you better decide and do it quick because I’m getting dressed and I’m going end of discussion.” He looked at me for a min and then said “Just give me a few minutes to explain to the others and I will go with you.” I gave a nod with my head and he took off out the door.

             
I had never acted that way before. It felt liberating. I was in control of my life not some sicko vampire leaving marks on people. I will be with Jake and no one will tell me otherwise. Jake came back in dressed in black from head to toe. I had put on some jeans and a t-shirt and tennis shoes. “You need to wear something that is not going to attract anyone.” I almost jumped he had scared me, I didn’t hear him come in. “What’s wrong with this?” I looked down at my light blue t-shirt and blue jeans. “You need to wear snug fitting clothing that will not get caught on anything and black so you blend in with the night.” Oh, so now I understand the black clothes. Makes enough sense now. “All right.” I changed as fast as I could which is really fast. Fast enough that sometimes I scare myself. I pulled hair in a tight pony tail and was ready. “Here you need to drink before we go.” Jake handed me a bottle of blood. “Keep your strength up.” I looked at it and realized I didn‘t feel as squeamish about it as I use to. I drank as fast as I could. I was excited my first exploration as a vampire. “Let’s go!”

             
We made our way through the woods and to where Jake found me. I remember waking up here. ”So what now?”   Jake said looking at me. “Just give me a minute.” I looked at him with impatient eyes.  I walked to the tree where I was laying under that night. I was here I knew it I could feel almost a spark of energy in my mind. I knelt down and touched the ground; I started to have flash of a memory. I fell forward with my eyes shut. I was on all fours trying to think of that night. I couldn’t remember, everything was all jumbled. I was about to get disappointed when Jake grabbed my hand. He was trying to pull me up but I started to see, see from that night. I was tied to a chair now and it was dark, and smelled like mildew, musky sweat and rotten eggs. I still could not see his face or hear him perfect but I knew that man was there. He was the leader or master mind I could tell because he was talking to the other people and they were following him and what he said. All of a sudden I was pulled out of the chair and out of the memory. Jake had me standing and yelling “
RUN
!”  I followed as close as I could to him. I am not as fast as him, but I could keep up. We finally stopped somewhere deep in the woods. “What are we running from?” I thought I would be out of breathe but surprisingly nothing, not panting or side pain. I could keep on! “Someone was there and coming for us and fast.” He pointed behind us. “How do you know it wasn’t Karri or someone friendly?”  “I could smell them. Every Vampire has a scent and the ones that we don’t like or who we consider “bad“, usually smell foul.” I remembered the rotten egg smell then I thought about myself. “Do I have a scent?” I was very curious to know. “Yes.”   “What do I smell like?”  He took a deep breath and half closed his eyes. “Izzy you smell like the sun kissed you and dipped you in honey.”  His eyes were fully closed now like he smelled it now and then he snapped out of it just as quick as he said it. “Anyways, you are going to have to start using your senses and I do mean taste, smell, and vision not just common sense.” I felt like I was a child again with him getting on to me so much.  “I was a little busy trying to remember.”  “You can do both if you try. Izzy you cannot let your guard down especially when we are out in the open.” I was starting to get aggravated, I just became a vampire. He could cut me some slack. “Jake I get that but when I start to have a flash or a memory that’s all I see, hear, and smell. It’s like I’m there again.”  “So you remembered?” He asked excited. “Just a little not really enough.”  “Well it’s not safe here anymore. I want to take you home.” He grabbed my hand and started to pull me. “No! I’m not going until I get this figured out.” I pulled my hand away from him. “Izzy you are so stubborn.” He was mad I wouldn‘t listen but if I had to stay out here all night I would. “I know, but we don’t have the time for this right now, not when it is fresh still. I would like to see if I could find a clue using my so called ”senses“.” I said with exaggeration. “Let’s make some tracks all over the woods so we can keep whoever busy if we are going to stay out in the open for a while.” Bitterness dripping off his words. He definitely didn’t want to give in. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and we started running.                                                                       And that’s just what we did for what felt like an hour. I wasn’t tired I just wanted to get back before any clues where gone. “Jake I think they will be busy enough.”  “See that’s your first mistake Izzy we move fast, it may only take them a minute to figure out what we are doing.”  “That’s if they’re smart.” Jake gave me an annoyed look.  “Alright but this time when I say it’s time to go, you listen to me.”  I grinned at him because I had just gotten my way again. “Ok but I’m not a little girl you know.”   “When it comes to this kind of stuff, yes you are.” I wanted to get mad and hit him but I didn’t want to waste time or my energy. So I just glared at him for a minute so he knew that it made me mad.                                                                                                                               When we made it back, something was different, I could feel it. I tried to smell the air and it had a horrible odor like rotten garbage. “Do you smell that Jake?”  “Yes. Someone was here looking for you.” He looked at me with know it all written all over his face. “You don’t know who or what they were looking for.” I knew he was right but I just needed some more time. I just need to remember and get on with this and fast. “You know as well as I do who they were after. We need to get out of here. Now Izzy!” I could feel him leaning to me but I knelt down trying to ignore him. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. At that same moment I heard a noise and before I could turn around it was too late. I felt something strike the back of my head. I tried to move or even to make a sound but I nothing happened all I could see was blackness.