Move Along... 9

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Emily Green-Lol. That's just Adrian. He likes to have the last word. Thanks. Some things will be explained in this chapter.
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When I woke up, Elizabeth wasn't in my closet anymore. She must have come out while I was asleep. I changed out of my clothes that she had put me into, then went into the closet after a quick shower. I chose a white turtleneck sweater--I suppose I was doomed to high-neck shirts now that they'll be biting me--and some black slacks, along with the buckled black, wedge-heeled boots.

It was amazingly quiet when I walked out my apartment. I figured Adrian and Elizabeth were asleep--if vampires even sleep at all, I have to ask them sometime--so I went down the never-ending hallways and climbed down the mountain-like stairs. I was almost sweating when I finally reached the bottom. I strolled into the kitchen and made myself some Corn Pops. Was it weird how I was starting to feel so at home here? I felt like I belonged here.

Some part of my mind told me to start running now, to get back to the people who really care for me, but I was pretty cure one of the vampires upstairs would find me before I even reached the front door. And then they'd lock me in the apartment and I'd never be free again. So, waiting and living it was. I wonder if they'll let me get some form of communication to Danny, of all people.

Oh, God, my poor Danny. He must be going insane. He's probably screaming and crying and demanding Raymond trails me down and brings me back.

Guilt crushed down on me, picturing me family and friends missing me while I felt perfectly fine.

That made my decision for me. I finished the bowl of Pops and edged toward the door, like I was just walking around. After a few minutes of noting that they weren't coming down in a raged storm, I closed my hand on the doorknob and pulled. It came open with a loud creak; or at least it seemed loud to me, since my pulse was racing. I tried to keep it quiet in case they could hear me.

I kept my breathing normal and steady, which helped my throbbing heart, and slowly walked out the front door, closing it lightly behind me. I walked away slowly, making it seem like a casual walk instead of a last-minute escape effort.

That's when a stunning realization hit me. My door had been unlocked. They actually trusted me enough to leave the keypad off. Wow. That made me feel both touched and guilty, since I was using that against them.

Either way, I was on my own. I started walking into the distance, not taking one look back.
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My legs were throbbing, my back felt like it was on fire, and my throat was dry as a desert in a drought. Water and food would have been a great idea in my two-minute plan. And a gun, seeing as the sun was starting to set and the creatures would be out soon.

I wondered if Elizabeth and Adrian would actually look for me, or just declare me dead and go look for another pet. Maybe they just didn't care. If anybody seemed to care if I still had a pulse, then I'm guessing it would be Elizabeth. Adrian--well, he's a cynic jerk. Even if he cracks a smile every now and then.

I was hungry, thirsty, had no form of protection, and I would probably die of elemental exposure if the creatures didn't get me first.

There was a light mist on the ground, moving with the breeze. It was noticeably colder, my brilliant plan didn't include a jacket. I was under a large canopy of trees, only some of the setting sun peeked through it. The sky wasn't the wonderful array of colors it normally was, only blue light screened through the tree's leaves.

I saw a figure in the distance as I continued walking. He was very tall, thin but a lot of muscle all the same, with chocolaty brown hair that just reached his shoulders in a silky mess. I knew before he turned to me that his eyes were dark blue.

"What are you doing here?" I blurted out.

Adrian turned to me. For once, I had stunned him. He gave me a smile. Not the one that I always get when I make a joke, but a dry one that told me he was going to use some sarcasm. "I'm not the one that's supposed to be locked in a room. My question is, dear Carter, what are YOU doing here?"

I stared at him. "Someone left the door unlocked in my room."

For a second, I could see something in his eyes. Something that suggested he was the one who kept it open, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. He turned his gaze back to the ground with a bitter frown on his face. "Elizabeth, always leaving doors opened. She had the same problem when we were living, you know. She caused us trouble."

My legs were weak. He was probably wondering why I hadn't started running yet. Truth was, I wanted to go back, sad as it was. I noticed it wasn't the ground he was looking at. It was a grave. "What's that?" I asked, thrown off.

"A dead man's tomb," Adrian remarked, his tone even more sharp and venomous than before. Something told me it wasn't me he was angry with.

I read the tombstone. "Theodore Hart, beloved son and lost love," I murmured. I nearly choked when I read the dates when he lived and died. "How did it survive this long?" I blurted out again.

Adrian looked at me briefly before turning his eyes to the grave. "Elizabeth keeps replacing it. There wasn't a date of life and death on it originally, but she knew him enough to know his life." His tone went so dark I took a step away at his next words. "She didn't know him WELL ENOUGH though."

I looked at him. He seemed... angry. "Being all big brother on him? Don't like Elizabeth's boyfriend?" I questioned, remembering how Jax had actually threatened to beat up my first boyfriend if he hurt me.

He didn't speak. If anything, his gaze at me got colder.

"What happened to him?" I whispered. I didn't expect him to talk.

But Adrian likes to surprise, apparently. "He met my sister when she was almost twelve. We came from an age where girls get married when their fourteen, so it was no huge deal. Father approved of him, he was rich and he didn't have to give a dowry luckily. Mother... she knew, somehow. Maybe it was her hate of Elizabeth or just her hate of happiness, but she didn't want the marriage to happen." He shook his head. "But that didn't matter. Men basically ruled everything back then. So they were married. And everything was fine, until she was thirteen." Then his tone went dark again. "I figured out he was having an affair with two separate mistresses. Mother was still as crazy as ever and tried to kill Liza. She was a vampire by then, so it didn't so much good."

He looked down at the piece of stone as if he was hoping Theodore was rolling in his grave as he told me everything. "Elizabeth was still jealous of me. I wasn't married like she was, we typically didn't get married until our twenties or thirties. I was only nineteen." He kicked at a tuft of grass. "She changed me. I knew of the whole affair between Theodore and the mistresses, but I never said a word about it to her. I spoke to the direct source instead." He smiled slightly, a nice one for once. "So, yes, I did go all 'big brother' on him. He denied it, though he was such a horrible liar I was amazed that Liza would even swallow that bile. Elizabeth..." He sighed and shook his head, going back into bitter mode. "She was crazy about him, and never believed anybody's warnings. She was a child, so it was a type of crush. She still doesn't know the difference now. She was too young when she was changed."

He seemed to reach a stopping point in his story. He stared at the piece of rock in pure hatred. I was wondering something else. "How did he die? Elizabeth said it was noble, and that it could have been you instead."

Adrian glanced at me for a long moment, neither of us having any emotion shown on our faces. His gaze turned back to the stone and I looked at it as well. "I caused it. Even after I confronted him, he continued with other affairs. Elizabeth didn't know, and I didn't want to tell her. She never believed me, anyway. I knew that one day she'd figure it out, and that she'd destroy herself in grief. So when the villagers SOMEHOW found out we were vampires, I made a light comment that if Theodore didn't die by them, it'd be by my hand. And much more painful. He was smart enough to know I wasn't kidding. He 'sacrificed' himself, and I haven't told anything about it to my sister to this day." He gave me a cold, cynical smile. "And if she somehow figures it out, the teller shall die. A worse way then Theodore might have."

I shivered. "Not a breath," I promised. I a weird, Adrian-like was, what he did was sort of sweet to me. He did everything he could to make sure his sister believed in her fairy tale knight in shining armor, and didn't bother her with the horrible truth. Sad and cruel, but sweet and caring. What a great way to describe Adrian.

Adrian nodded and looked away from the grave. "So, have you been here, staring at a tomb all day?" I asked, clearly thrown off.

He shrugged. "Elizabeth had to see Mother and Father. They were concerned,"

"Did they know?" He tilted his head to the side, not understanding. "About Theodore."

He shook his head. "Mother investigated, Father didn't much care. Either way, you and I are the only living being that know."

"You mean walking beings. I don't really describe your kind as living."

He gave me a dry half-smile. "Whichever way you put it, we're the only ones who know."

I blinked. "It is best to not tell a third, you know."

He smiled again. "The only way to keep a secret between three people is--"

"For two of them to be dead," I finished, nodding. "Yeah. Dad told me that a lot. His way of saying to keep quiet, I guess." I cleared my throat and shifted my weight from foot to foot. "So--uh--are you planning to get back at the house any time soon, cause my plan didn't involve food, water, guns, or anything for shelter or warmth..."

He laughed and ruffled my dark hair. "It's going to be fun having you around, Carter."

Then he picked me up and ran towards the house, where a frantic Elizabeth nearly tackled me., After a little while of assuring her I as okay, I asked her if she might have left my door unlocked.

She laughed. "Silly Carter," she giggled, "I learned my lesson about that long ago. Whoever unlocked the door, it wasn't me."

And there were only three people living in the house, only two of which knew the code for the door.