unending

I was working on this piece for a while. Of course, I didn't edit it or anything, but during breaks/lulls at work I would "pick it up" and do a bit or writing. I was going to continue, but I just sort of stopped...as usual.
**

I couldn’t breathe in this place. I felt trapped. I was trapped. I couldn’t see anything.

Everything around me was black. I tried to scream for help. Nothing came out. There was no breath or sound that could escape my throat. I had been screaming all day…or night. I had lost track of time. I saw flashes in front of my eyelids. Or what I assumed were my eyelids, because I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or not in this blackness. I saw Ned. His face gorgeous, smiling, laughing, and being so amazingly wonderful to me that I felt as though I would never be able to keep him with me. I saw Will. I saw his kind eyes, the sweet nature that showed itself the first night I moved into my house. How could he have done this? Could he truly have been so jealous of my just speaking with Ned that he fabricated everything? The horrible crash, the man trying to get to Ned, even my poor cat’s death? I couldn’t believe it, though there was a nagging voice in the back of my head that screamed “Yes!” The last face I had seen as I was shoved into that trunk had been Will’s. He wasn’t smiling, he didn’t even look remorseful that someone had just shoved chloroform into my face. There had been nothing in his face other than a trace of some smug sort of expression. He looked so insanely normal, and it had never frightened me more. I couldn’t stop hoping that Ned would be ok. If I ever stopped hoping, he –as well as I- would be as good as dead. ** I was running. I’d finally gotten away from whoever the fuck had been chasing me in Atlanta and I was going to the airport. Hartsfield is supposedly one of the busiest airports in the world. I’ve been traveling for most of my life, so it’s basically home to me. I parked in the long term parking area, knowing it wouldn’t matter if I ever came back for this car. If I didn’t make it through this airport, I was sure I wouldn’t make it anywhere else. Ever. After I got through the shuttle and into the actual airport, I stopped at the ticket counter for one of those great movie moments. Shoving money at the person behind the counter for the soonest flight out of here. I got a lot of strange looks, moving quite quickly, though not running, through the airport to the security checkpoint. I got down the escalators that led to the shuttles, my wondrous transports that would take me to the plane that would hopefully save my life. I shoved through quite a few people to get onto the shuttle that was just about to leave. Thankfully the entire airport timing had worked out in my favor. I had boarded the last shuttle on the “mini-train” and I sat down, letting my body catch up with my mind. I was completely exhausted, but I relaxed on the seat, looking around the space to see the people who also inhabited it. Something caught my eye. Black hair, pale skin, unbelievable beauty that seemed to radiate. He was there. Ned. I didn’t know what to do. My breath caught in my throat. No one else seemed to notice the way I basically cringed backwards into my seat. He stood and started towards me. With a wave of the hand, the rest of the people in the train disappeared. It took everything I had to not start crying right there. It had all been for naught. I was going to die at the hands of this amazing creature. “Please-please Ned, please don’t hurt me. I swear I’ll do anything you ask.” He looked at me strange, cocking one eyebrow. “You think I’m the bad guy?” He shook his head at me, looking around him, and he seemed as though he was at a loss for words. “Ellie, do you actually think I would ever, in a million years, hurt you? I could never bring myself to do that. Not you, Ellie, never you.” “But you hurt Will. You’re the one who started this all because…” I couldn’t think of a single feasible reason that Ned would have started any of this. Will was the only one with reason enough to be mad, but would he really have framed Ned, almost had me killed, and everything else that had happened in the last twenty-four hours just because I liked someone else more? I shook my head. This was too much. I believed him. This wasn’t right. I’d seen him hurt Will. I had seen them fight, but Ned had drawn first blood, he had been the one to almost kill Will. Will, the same man who had made me dinner and helped me carry books. The man who had trusted me enough to tell me he was a werewolf within the first 48 hours of us meeting. Could Ned be telling the truth? I stared up at his eyes, the most unguarded that I had ever seen them. He looked vulnerable, and except for the whole ethereal beauty thing, he looked normal. I could not resist when he came and knelt at my feet. I knew this could be the perfect ruse, but I believed him, wholeheartedly. Slowly he reached his hand for my face. I could feel my heart starting to beat heavily. I realized in that moment that we had never kissed. We had the close calls, but in Ellicott, there had always been interrupted. His lips found their way to mine as my eyes closed, I breathed him in deeply as our mouths finally touched and I instantly felt a shock. I gasped and could feel Ned smile against me as he pressed closer. He pulled me up, holding me to his chest, his lips not once parting from mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he wrapped his around my waist. I didn’t want to move away, but I suddenly heard the man’s voice announce we had arrived at terminal C. Ned pulled back, smiling. “It was worth the wait.” He untangled us, but kept hold of my right hand. “Now listen Ellie, we may be alright now, but we need to figure out what we’re going to do. Will is still out there.” He thought for a moment as we stepped off the shuttle and onto the platform at terminal C. “When was the last time you ate?” The question’s random appearance made me burst out laughing. The laughter turned into something closer to hysterics soon after though, and Ned pulled me into a deserted corner, pulling me close and stroking my hair. “Honey, it’s ok. We’ll be alright. I promise you.” He pulled my face up to look at his. “We will get out ok. And after that, I will whisk you off to some foreign country where we will do nothing except lay around a hotel room.” It was meant to make me feel better, but all it did was remind me of the fact that I didn’t even have a passport, which was a ridiculous thing to worry over, given the circumstances. After a few moments I quieted down and Ned pulled me in the direction of the food court. He ordered me some sort of chicken wrap and sat me down, giving me a drink that I hadn’t seen him order. I ate the food quickly; all the while Ned was studying my face. I wasn’t sure if he was looking for a sign of another breakdown or if he hoped he might find a solution to our problem written on my forehead. “How do you know he’ll even still care at this point? I mean, if he’s so smart to have set this all up, he must know that you would have tried to get to me.” “Of course he’ll care. He’s a dog Ellie. They are very territorial. And the moment that he thought he was going to lose you to me was the moment he started thinking all this up. I may have a lot of problems with him and his kind, but Will is not a dumb man. He’ll have known that I found you, and he’ll know that I told you the truth. If he doesn’t already have the next step planned, then he’s working very quickly to having it set.” He sighed heavily and picked up my hand again so that we were linked across the table. “I wish there was someway to evade him. Go to some country or state where he wouldn’t find us, but I’m afraid that we would never be able to stop running. We will have to kill him. There is no other way. Unless…” He dropped his eyes from my face, shaking his head. “Unless what, Ned?” “Unless you want to go back to him; I wouldn’t fault you for it, of course. It would keep you safer; it would end this whole game.” My jaw dropped open. Could he honestly think that at this point, I would go back to the lunatic that set all of this in motion? “Edward,” I’d never referred to him using his full first name, but under the circumstances -what with professing emotions and all- it seemed appropriate. “I love you. I trust what you told me earlier, and if nothing else, I would much rather spend my last hours with you than anyone else. Now, if you wanted to skip out, I would totally understand. Ok, I’d actually be totally pissed, but I guess I couldn’t blame you.” He laughed loudly, drawing the attention of the female neighbors (and one male) that automatically went into full on staring mode. “Ellie, I love you too. I don’t think I have a choice in leaving anymore. I’d much rather die than be without you.” It was all so dramatic, but I couldn’t help but feel so relieved to hear him say what I had been thinking since that fateful day when I realized he wasn’t a total asshole.


ugh. it won't do anything properly. i'm considering not finishing this one. hmmm

Hi there!
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I've been obsessed with the supernatural for as long as I can remember. Vampires have been my favorite. They've always held a strange sort of fascination for me. The way they act in books, movies, it's nearly irresistible.
 
I'd had a long day at work and I'd just left the office, finally, at 11 pm. On a Friday night. So of course I was getting to deal with stupid drunks on the road. The exit for I-4 was closed at both entrances for some reason so I was forced to take back roads. I'd gotten a few close calls with people weaving in and out of traffic on the dark roads (which still didn't have street lights), almost getting run off the roads. Thankfully, I reached the final light for my turn off. I was about to go through it, the light just turning green, when some idiot in a very large hummer ran the red light. At 60 miles an hour. He hit my passenger side, and my little green focus flipped about 3 times and landed in the construction area for a Publix that was long over due. I remember seeing that no one else was on the road and the hummer just flew past me. He never even stopped for a moment to see if I would ever land. I felt incredibly detached for someone who was more than likely about to die.
 
Finally my car came to a stop. Somewhere along the way my seatbelt had come undone. On the ground, my door had fallen open and I tried to crawl out of the car. I looked down at my hands as I did, slowly feeling something flowing out of me. I realized it felt like energy, or life. I saw blood on my hands, and some of my vision was red due to was I hoped was some shallow head wound. But from the dizziness I felt I at the very least had a concussion. My legs felt like they were broken, or badly cut up. I got about 2 feet from my car before I fell on the ground. I felt like one of the chalk outlines that you see at crime scenes. I imagined my obituary as I tried to call out for help, never getting anything more than "Please" out of my mouth in a whisper. "She was 20 years old, had no life, got hit by some asshole, and died alone, on the side of a rarely traveled road." Finally I let myself close my eyes, I couldn't bear to keep them open any longer. I prayed for death to come quick, my mind in a jumble from the pain and confusion of how quickly it all happened.
 
**
 
I opened my eyes to pain. More pain than I had experienced in the crash. I felt like I was being burned at the stake. I had no clue where I was. Was this hell? Had all those jokes really caught up with me? I tried to open my eyes more, see past the blurred image of darkness, but all I could see was fuzzy outlines of nothing.
 
"Derrick, her eyes are open! Do you think she'll start screaming soon?" A man's voice came from the right of me. I couldn't understand why I wasn't screaming, the pain was so intense. The man who had spoken came into view and slowly my vision adjusted. I could see I was in a darkened room, the only light coming from a lamp across the room. The man standing over me was definitely tall. He was pale with dark gray eyes. It reminded me of the sky before a heavy snowstorm. His lips were curved in a frown, and his forehead was scrunched up, as though he were studying something very complex.
 
Slowly, I started to feel the pain creeping away. It started from my head, leaving me like a sink emptying. I could feel that I was on something soft, with a barrier to my left. A couch. I moved my fingers, my feet, my neck. I could feel everything, yet I was no longer in pain. How was this possible?
 
"Can you hear me?" The man standing over me spoke again. I nodded my head. I noticed his voice had a soothing quality. My brain was waking up enough to start wondering where the hell I was. As I focused more on his face, I realized he looked familiar, but I couldn't think of a name. "Are you in any pain?" I thought about that, checking over in my head all the parts of my body. I shook my head. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. "It's ok, don't try to speak yet. You are ok, I promise."
 
But I'm not ok, I screamed in my head. I tried to sit up, but two hands on my shoulders pinned me back. "You need to restrain her damnit. She's disoriented, if she gets out, who knows what will happen! We've been over this twenty times Sam."
 
It was at that moment that a fire started in the back of my throat. I wanted - needed something, but I couldn't place what it was. It didn't exactly hurt, but instinctively I knew I was hungry. And it wasn't for a cheeseburger. "Where the fuck am I?! Who are you people!?" I screamed and started thrashing under the hands. The other man -Sam- went to hold my feet down. "Let me go!"
 
"We will let you go as soon as you calm yourself, Ella." The man at my shoulders -Derrick- knew my name. "We swear to not hurt you or hold you down as long as you promise to stay calm enough for us to explain what's going on."
 
The fire in my throat grew, and it started to hurt. I nodded my head in agreement. Somehow I knew that I wouldn't get hurt. I looked to Sam as he let go of my feet and he sighed when I didn't try to get off the couch. He nodded to Derrick, who let go of my shoulders. I pulled myself into a sitting position, my legs crossing into an indian position. I crossed my arms over my chest. I managed to choke out "Explain" over the fire. Anything more would have been unbearable.

Derrick was the first to speak. He had seated himself in a chair across from the couch. I saw he had lighter hair than Sam. I saw (even with the darkness which surprised me) that he also had the gray colored eyes like Sam, but with his blond hair, the effect was scary. His clothes consisted of a black button down shirt and black pants. "Sam found you on the side of the road just after your accident. You were on the brink of death he could tell. You had internal bleeding, bruises, your legs were broken, and you had a very bad head wound. Not to mention the countless bruises and cuts that were covering about 90% of your body. He asked you if you wanted to live, which I doubt you were in the right mindset to answer, but you agreed. You may or may not remember this." He took a deep breath before continuing, throwing a dirty glance at Sam, who was standing behind the couch. He went to sit at the other end of it, as far from me as possible. "He bit you then, brought you back here, and it is now 3 days past the date of your accident. You may feel the burning in your throat. We will solve that as soon as is possible."
 
Confusion swept through my mind. Bit me? I looked to Sam, his face was the picture of a guilty conscience. He was looking at a particular spot on the carpet, which I noticed was a very pretty gray color, lighter than their eyes. My mind wandered, thinking that it would be soft if I were to put my feet down. "What do you mean bit me? Why the hell would he bite me? And if I was so hurt, why am I not in a hospital? Why don't I feel any pain?"
 
"I guess you don't remember then. Sam and I are vampires." He said the word as though he were simply mentioning their religion. "You've spent the last three days on that couch, dying, turning into one of us. You don't feel pain because your body mended itself going through the change. Although, I do wonder how you kept from screaming for those days."
 
I stared at Derrick, my mind going in a hundred places at once. I'd always been obsessed with vampires (and on a very secret note, hoped they existed), but I never expected to actually be one. Let alone find one. This had to be some sort of weird dream. I pinched myself, hoping to feel nothing. I felt cold, and a strength that I'd never felt in my arms. But there was definitely pressure. I was awake. "How do you know my name?"

Sam spoke then, startling me, and I turned to look at him. "I've noticed you before, but when I got you from the scene, I brought your purse to the house. It's on the table if you want it, by the way. I checked your ID when we got back, so no creepy reasons like mind reading. I promise." He gave me the tiniest smile, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was trying to make me feel better by joking -albeit badly- with me.
 
All I could do was nod. I had about a hundred things going on in my head, but neither of these men seemed to be bothered by my silence. Derrick, still seated across from me, just looked at me, waiting for me to say something; Sam was back to having a staring contest with the floor. "Is there anything we can do about this burning in my throat? Preferably sooner than later if possible."
 
Derrick nodded and stood. "Now that is something I can help with. I'll be right back."
 
I looked to Sam as Derrick left. "So, do you like the Twilight series?"
 
Sam looked at me, his face in shock for a moment, just before his entire face broke out in the most knee weakening smile I'd ever seen.

I was on my way to the top of the acting world - finally. I'd gotten an agent after doing countless tiny projects, I had a steady income from plays I'd done, and I actually landed the lead role in a soon-to-be not so tiny movie. I'd moved out to California, gotten my car registered, my license and cable all set up, and it all proved to be things I didn't need to do only 2 weeks after I moved out and started the movie. When it all happened, I thought it was the absolute worst thing that could ever have happened to me. Now, I only regret not being able to slide off the radar without all the drama that ensued.
 
August 11th, I was driving to the set. We were having a sort of walk thru and we'd hopefully start filming that day. I was so excited to be in the movie, it was based on one of my favorite vampire novels and I got to play the starring role. It wasn't a huge production film, but I didn't care. I felt like the luckiest person alive. The leading man was even an absolutely gorgeous man with a great accent. I was practically squealing every time I thought of it.
 
I was on the road then to the set when I looked to check oncoming traffic so I could get off on the exit. I looked first to check and everything was clear. Of course, the next time I checked, just to be safe, I wasn't. There was a man in my backseat. I probably would have screamed if he hadn't been so beautiful. It was close to dusk, so the sun wasn't very bright at that point, but I could see every feature on his face clearly. He had pale, pink tinged skin, dark violet eyes, absolutely perfect lips that had another pink tint to them, and his hair was a color that would have made wheat weep. His posture was ramrod straight, very confident, and overwhelmingly sexy. I couldn't clearly process that I should be scared, even though this man had to have appeared out of nowhere to end up in my backseat.
 
I tried to pull my eyes away from him, and I managed to guide the car onto the shoulder. I went to grab the door handle and hopefully get out, but before I could even touch the handle, the man's hand grabbed my wrist. He was unnervingly close. I could feel his breath on my skin, I could even smell it, and it reminded me of sweet apples. "What do you want?" I managed to stammer out. I stared at him, trying to make myself find enough breath to scream, but I couldn't find anything in me except curiosity. Maybe I was suicidal and I hadn't even known it.
 
"You needn't scream. First of all it wouldn't help. Secondly, it would just make a lot of unnecessary noise in a confined space. That would hardly be kind to your ears." He cocked an eyebrow and grinned. "Do you promise to not run away if I promise to not harm you right now?" The words "right now" had not escaped my notice, but I nodded anyways. "Good. Now, I will explain everything to you in due time. But I would like you to come with me. If I allow you to drive us to a certain destination, will you be calm? I will do no unnecessary harm if you are." All I could do was swallow hard and nod again. I was insanely scared of this man, but I felt that he meant what he said. Even though I didn't like the whole "unnecessary harm" thing.
 
He moved from the back seat to the passenger seat quickly, although I only heard one door shut and he moved to quickly for me to process what he was doing until he was sitting next to me, smiling as though he were dealing with a slow child. "Now please, pull back out and get off at the next exit. We're not going far."
 
We ended up at a huge mansion. It was 3 stories high (though I found out later it also had both a basement and attic), a light gray with dark blue roofing. It had the appearance of an old french manor, with beautiful sculptures and gargoyles standing at a few of the corner tops. It was as beautiful as it was frightening. "Go ahead and pull up to those steps. We have an appointment to keep."
 
I would have run, said something rude, anything, if I hadn't been so damn scared and entranced by the situation. I hadn't had a very sheltered life, but it was never incredibly exciting, up until now anyways. I cut the engine as I pulled up to the stone steps and someone opened my door to step out. It was the same man from my car. He still hadn't told me his name. He took my wrist in his hand, an iron shackle with skin. "Where are you taking me?"
 
He chuckled and under different circumstances, the sound probably would've coaxed me to do the same. Now all I could do was almost glare at him. "Well inside first. And then you're going to meet William."
 
"Why me? I don't have much money, you won't get anything for a ransom." Probably the wrong approach, that would give them more reason to kill me, but it was really true. "But I'm just starting a movie, you know, people will notice my missing."
 
He laughed, apparently having a good time listening to my trying to save myself. "Does this house make it look like we need much money? Please Marie, save your questions for when you meet with William."
 
I gaped at him. "How do you know my name?"
 
He chuckled again and knocked on the door we'd reached. It was a monstrous double door, the same color as the roofing with a large silver knocker in the shape of a cross. A young girl, probably around the age of 12, opened the door. She beamed up at my captor and spoke with a voice that seemed much older than what she looked. Her hair had been pulled up into pig tails with inky black ringlets falling from them. She had bright blue eyes and pale skin like the man at my side, although hers was completely devoid of any pink tint. "Oh hello David, we didn't think you'd get her back here so soon!"
 
He nodded to her, his face now devoid of any laughter. "Adeline. Is he ready?"
 
She gestured for us to step in, and my captor - David - pulled me along by my wrist. The inside of the mansion was just as stunning as the facade. The walls held portraits of people in old time dress, and every piece of furniture was an antique. The floors were checkerboard black and white tiles, probably marble. The "grand staircase" that we climbed was made of a combination of dark wood and what looked to be mother of pearl inlay. My family definitely wouldn't have been able to afford their ransom, if they chose to ask for one.
 
We finally stopped in front of a massive cherry wood door that sat just after the last stair. The little girl -Adeline, who I didn't even realize was following us- knocked on the door three times, listening for a response that I never heard before she opened the door. Inside was a room similar to the foyer, black and white marble floor, portraits and scenery lining the walls, and a large antique desk towards the back of the room. The was a man seated behind the desk, and even from across the room I could tell he was drop dead gorgeous, and somehow familiar.  He smiled at me and came around the desk as David and I came to a stop.
 
"Ah yes. Marie. Welcome to my humble abode." He spread his arms wide, a self-deprecating smile on his face. He gestured for Adeline and David to leave, and all I heard of their exit was the door clicking shut.
 
"I'm sorry, but may I ask a few questions?" I smiled as sweetly as I could manage and he guided me to a chair in front of the desk. I sat as he returned to his seat and nodded at me to go ahead. "Who are you, why the hell am I here, and how do you know my name?"
 
His lip curled up into a menacing smile. "Well, I suppose I should explain that to you, although I would appreciate a much calmer sort of phrasing in your questions. I promise, no harm will come to you unless I will it." I bit my lip to try and stay nice. If I could avoid getting hurt, it would be nice, and since I was slowly regaining the use of my brain since I wasn't surrounded by the torture devices I had imagined, I was beginning to get mad. "I know your name because you've...intrigued me -for lack of a better word- and I've done some checking on you. I saw you in a play in Atlanta, and I meant to tell you, you make a wonderful Isabella." Now I remembered him. I'd seen him after opening night when I had played Isabella in Measure for Measure. He'd given me a dozen red roses, and I remember thinking that it was too bad I hate roses. "You are here for the same reason. I find you very intriguing and I'd like to find out more about you."

I was in a hurry at work that day. We'd had a slight rush of tourists for some reason, and they had apparently decided to demolish the store in thanks for the help we provided them. I was trying to rearrange the photography section, thinking about Will. Trying to figure out if I should really allow myself to really like him. Gorgeous, successful, sweet, kind, he helped me move my books; it was just the whole werewolf thing kind of through me for a loop.

"Miss?" The voice made my train of thought completely derail. It was like velvet sliding against freshly polished silver.

I turned to face the voice, and the face did not disappoint me. It took me a moment to find my own voice so I could respond. His skin was smooth and qdpale; his eyes were the stuff you read about in romance novels, the color of fresh summer grass. It was startling, having never seen the color outside of vegetation. His lips were incredible and pink and it took a lot of strength to not kiss him. Not that I would have, even if I had been much braver. His hair was pure black, no blue highlights or any other color that you would achieve from using a boxed dye. "Uhhh, c-can I help you?" I tried to smile, but I wasn't sure if I had full control over my body yet.

He did, and the resulting smile almost sent me to the floor. "You're the new girl, right?"

I had my control back, and I could feel the emotion strongly coursing through me was not incredulity from his looks, but from annoyance. I didn't like to be insulted, and the way he implied the sentiment was quite insulting. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Oh I'm so sorry, I'm Edward, or Ned." So this was Edward, or Ned, whatever. I remember when Will was talking about some of the local people in town, he mentioned him. His face hadn’t looked very happy mentioning Ned's name. It was so close to a snarl then, I hadn't wanted to press the issue of his dislike. Now I understood. I was starting to feel the same dislike, and we'd only just been introduced.

It was too bad I liked both of his names. Not fair. "Oh. Well, what do you want Ned?"

"Well, I thought I might introduce myself. You know, you're the buzz of the town gossip mill. Nobody knows where you came from. You’re a bit of a mystery."

I felt an overpowering urge to slap this overconfident, overly gorgeous stupid head. "You know, you don't seem to have many manners. If you need help finding a book, please let me know. But if you don't, please go and bother someone else. I have tourists to clean up after."

He seemed to look at me closer, regarding me as though I’d said something groundbreaking. “You’re…different, aren’t you Ellie?”

My mouth dropped open in response. I was fuming with so much anger that I couldn’t think of a proper answer, not even something simple. I didn’t know why his words were affecting me so horribly. I’d never felt so angry towards someone I had only just met. I just shook my head and turned away from him, placing books in their proper order, trying to calm myself down. I took a deep breath and threw a brilliant smile onto my face. “Sir, if I may be of assistance, please let me know. Otherwise, I have a lot of work to get through before I leave in,” I checked my watch, my smile faltered for a moment when I realized the time, “45 minutes. So if you’ll please excuse me.”

He thought it over for a moment and nodded once. “You’re right, I apologize for bothering you.” He turned to leave me, heading towards the front of the store.

 His mood had changed so quickly I wasn’t sure how to feel. I felt guilty for the anger, and my rudeness towards him. It wasn’t his fault that his words had upset me. He could have meant them in the most complimentary way possible. I sighed, shaking my head. “Ned, wait.” I put the books I’d been holding on their shelves quickly and rushed over to him. For such a gorgeous man, he sure moved quickly. “Listen, I’m sorry to be rude, I just-I guess you kind of ticked me off with the way you phrased things. If you want to, we can go out for coffee or something after I get off. Well, if there are any coffee places around here. It’ll be my treat, to apologize for being so mean back to you.”

He once again nodded, but a smile took the place of his impassive expression. “I know of a place with the best coffee in town, and it’s open all the time.”

“Oh yeah, where’s that?”

When you finally make it up the long driveway that comes off of the main road, you find yourself in a clearing. It's wide and open and totally inviting. Not scary in the slightest. The house isn't very large. It's painted yellow, a very happy shade, and it has a nicely sized wraparound porch that's painted white. The front door is actually two. They both have the regular front door cut outs, but neither have windows in them, which is strange for a front door. Like there used to be more of the house, but they knocked down the walls to make the porch. As you enter the house, you're instantly shown almost every single room. It's not a large house by any means. It has two bedrooms, one larger than the other by only two feet either way. When you set foot inside the doorway, you enter the living room. A perfect square, there is an older TV against the west wall with a couch on the opposite side. The couch is a light cream color, tainted from years of use, although it's not very comfortable. There's a coffee table that's rectangular in shape, a dark cherry wood. You have to step in between the table and the couch to make it through the small room. On the other side of the couch (no wall behind the couch) is a much older kitchen. The sink, fridge, even the oven are all rounded appliances, white with silver accents. The counters are white, like most of the front of the home. Except for the fridge, everything else is against the east wall. The fridge is on your right when you enter. The south wall. There's an island in the middle of the space regulated to the kitchen. It's white like the rest of the counters. Going further into the home, you pass by a bathroom on the east just after the hallway starts. There's a stand alone sink, white with silver accents again, and a small toilet. There's a small medicine cabinet that stands in btween the toilet and sink. The clawfoot tub sits against the east wall with a new shower system that's meant to look old, but does wonders for the water pressure. Unlike most of the accents in the house, this is the only thing that isn't silver. It's brass colored. The wallpaper in the bathroom is a light pink color with white base boards. The hallway is a bright blue color, like you're wandering down a path made in the sky. The floors are all wood. The bathroom takes up most of the east side of the house. It's something they definitely allowed some room for. Back in the hall, on the west side, is the first bedroom, it's the smaller of the two. There isn't much in there except for a small day bed against the west wall, under a high, rounded window. It has a small closet against the north wall, with the same sorts of sliding doors that bend in the middle, like in most homes nowadays. The south wall holds a tall and wide chest of draws. It takes up a lot of the wall, but it's not very large, the house is just not that big. There isn't a TV in this room. The walls have light green wallpaper, like spring easter colors. White baseboards just like the bathroom. There is only one more door which leads to the master bedroom. It's on the south wall, a door you can see from the front door as you enter the house. There is a sprig of holly that hangs from just above the door to the last bedroom. The door opens to a room that seems much larger than the last room than it actually is. The wallpaper in here is much more interesting than the other rooms. It's a bright gold, with gorgeous damask designs printed on it. The bed is on the east wall, so when you enter, you see a beautiful print of "Four Dancers" by Edgar Degas above an intricately carved dresser made of burled wood with a brown marble top. Off to the right is the window that sits above the bed, just like in the last room. It's slightly larger than the other rounded window, with more delicate seeming glass. Light filters in through here, giving the room a safe and happy feeling. Across from the bed near the west wall is a simple stand with long spindly legs that holds a nicer TV. The night stand is a simple thing, made of dark wood with two doors that open outward, and a drawer on top of them. There isn't anything special about it, barely anything about it has any special carvings on it. There's a large window seat that takes up most of the west wall. The seat is voluminous with cushions, all of them in varying shades of pinks and reds. The entire room seems soft and understated, a very feminine place. Outside, on the back side of the house is the woods. There is a small swing in between two trees and a small shed off to the right of it. It looks barely big enough to hold anything more than a few garden tools, which is exactly all that is hides from the eye. The house is basically surrounded by trees, but it doesn't seem lonely or foreboding. It seems comforting, like a home should.

I shoved everything I could into my car, a green focus station wagon. Anything that didn't fit was sold, given to charity, or put in the trash. I brought all the books I had, clothes, a TV, my laptop, and my DVDs. Other than that, I didn't have much that I cared about. I'd found a very, very small house just off Route 40. The person whose home I was living in was apparently just about never home. I basically had the place to myself. It was an older, well off woman who had inherited the home from a parent that died when she was 20. Since then she'd been staying with family, renting the home cheap to offset some of the utilities and taxes. It already came furnished except for the nightstand which I picked up from Taylor's Antique Mall.

I got a job at the Barnes & Noble in town, I knew enough about books and making coffee to last me a lifetime in the retail industry. I would make just enough to pay my bills and maybe buy a book or two with my discount. Oh, and some food too. Everything was set, and after I had arrived, I felt like I was going to throw up each time I glanced around at the unfamiliar territory. All I had unloaded from my car was my TV and some toiletries. The books were too heavy to unload by myself and in Florida, my roommate and her boyfriend had helped me put them into the car. I hadn't stopped to think that I wouldn't have someone to help me outside of the state.

I sat on the back bumper of my car, the trunk door opened, protecting me from the light rain that was coming down. I suddenly had the overwhelming sense of buyer's remorse. Or, mover's remorse. There weren't many houses in this area, my house was definitely isolated by trees on all sides, the back of the house even had a small forest. In Florida, that seemed amazing. In winter I would finally be able to see snow blanketing trees. Now it just seemed that it was another way to isolate me from outside life, which my personality already kind of did.

The house, a one story house with a wraparound porch, had been built in 1928, as I stated earlier, by the old woman's (Floris) parents. The key for the house had been sent to me while I was still 6 states away so that Floris didn't need to leave whatever state she was in at the moment. The closest neighbor was about half a mile away. I didn't start my new job for another week so I could "settle in", so I didn't even have any work friends to call.

I didn't even realize I started to cry until I felt the drops on my hands. I was falling apart, me, the strong one. I didn't even have family around to help me out. This was a first for me. I felt incredibly lame, and overwhelmed.

"Um, hello?" The words startled me, I jumped up and in my rush to figure out who was speaking me to me, hit my head on the corner of the trunk door.

"Ouch." I put my hand to my head, already able to feel the pounding of the blood throughout the area.

There was a person by my side in an instant. "Oh no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, are you ok?" They were speaking in a rush, unsure. It was a man, and it took a moment before my head stopped swimming so that I could actually look at him.

He was much taller than I was. His dark hair was cut close to his head, but it looked incredibly soft and luxurious to me; although I chalked that particular observation up to the head trauma. His skin was a nice color, not very tan, but it looked -well- warm. His mouth was wide, it looked made for smiles at the time, and he had deep brown eyes. His entire face looked as though it would be very inviting under normal circumstances, but at the moment, his forehead was scrunched up in worry for my head injury. "It's fine, I'm sorry, I'm usually much less apt to bang my head against things."

The worry eased from his face and he broke into a smile that left my knees a bit wobbly. "Well, now that I've officially put you in pain, I'm William Brendt, or you can call me Will."

He stuck out his hand to shake hello, and I returned the action automatically. "Hi, I'm Ellie, or Elle Moloch. It's great to meet you."

His smile morphed into a grin. "As in the world famous supermodel?"

"Actually it's more like Isabelle Aurora. My mother had a thing for Italians and Sleeping Beauty. She was...one of a kind."

"Well, the name definitely fits you, it's quite beautiful." He looked away, embarrassed, and after a quick moment turned back to me, flashing another amazing smile. "So, you're taking over this place, huh? Do you need some help with all that?"

His smile was catching it seemed, "That'd be great! The rest of these are all of my books, they're pretty heavy."

He moved confidently to the trunk, easily grabbing two boxes and walking inside. Will had a catching enthusiastic attitude, making me a bit more optimistic to be here. I grabbed a smaller box, following him inside.

By the time all of the boxes had been brought inside, it was already dark outside. "I feel so bad, I'd invite you to stay for some dinner, but I haven't really had the chance to actually go to the store and buy food yet." I felt guilty taking advantage of his muscles. Which were incredibly nice, but I wasn't going to let that fact slip out.

"I have a better idea, how about you stay here and I'll bring some food over and make you dinner. It'll be a 'welcome to the neighborhood' date. I mean dinner." He blushed, looking away quickly, and I had to fight a giggle back. His confident yet shy attitude was incredibly adorable.

"I couldn't let you to do that! That's far too nice."

"It will be my pleasure." He winked at me and slipped out the door, heading back home.

I ran to the bathroom, trying to determine what part of me to work on first. He wouldn't be gone long enough for a shower, so I opted for changing and throwing on something to make me smell like something other than moving boxes. I ran a brush through my hair and went about making a list of things I'd need to buy from Wal-Mart, which was starting to get much too long. And it looked like it would make a rather large dent in my moving in fund that my dad had thrust into my car as I was leaving Florida.

A knock on the door interrupted my list making. Looking through the peephole, I saw that Will was on the other side, holding a pretty big box. I opened the door and stood aside to let him in. "Why grandma, what a big box you have!"

Will set the box down on the kitchen island as I shut and locked the door. "Why, all the better to feed you with my dear." I giggled and bit down on my lip to stop. I was starting to like this place more and more. Very nice (looking) men who knew how to take a joke without assuming (I hoped) that you were trying to get them into bed.

I peeked inside the box. "What in the world are you making? There's enough food in here for an army!" And there almost was: a glass jar of strawberry preserves (complete with a quaint piece of checkerboard fabric stretched across the top), a loaf of some specialty bread, some crunchy peanut butter, a Ziploc bag of muffins, some meat wrapped in white paper, a few small bottles of spices, a half gallon of milk, a large bottle of water, an assortment of condiments and canned vegetables, and a pint of some kind of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

Will started picking things out of the box, arranging some of the items on the island, putting some in the fridge, and then a few others in a cabinet near the sink. "Well, I'm making a steak with a side of corn and banana bread." He started going through the lower cabinets, looking for some pans, which helped me establish that we actually had some. I crossed those off my list, thinking it would save me a nice amount to not have to get some. "The rest of this mountain is for you."

I felt my mouth fall open. "You can't give me food! That's way, way too nice."

He looked at me curiously, unwrapping the white paper from the steak as he spoke. "Well, actually, it’s a gift from Floris. She came by to clean the place up before she left for her son's place in New Mexico. Thought you might be too tired to go shopping once you got all moved in." He prepped the large pan on the stove, covering the steak in different spices and putting something into the pan. "She's quite lively for someone her age. At least, when she lived here full time, she used to be." All I was able to do was nod; I was really taken aback by this woman's kindness. I had never met her, just sent her some money for the move in, and all of our business had been conducted through someone else. Yet here she had baked muffins and bread and gotten me fridge staples until I could get around to the grocery store.

I sat heavily into one of the chairs surrounding the small kitchen table. Will and Floris' kindness was almost overwhelming. It was a complete 180 from my time in Florida and in a very good way. "That's very kind of her, of both of you, to do this. I really appreciate it. You have no idea." I mustered up a small smile and Will returned with his own bright one.

Dinner was ready after only 45 minutes and we sat down to eat. The steak was delicious, and I usually don't eat red meat. The banana bread that Floris had made was absolutely wonderful. All in all, my first meal in Ellicott was great. And the company I had definitely made it a smidge better.

We sat in the living room afterwards, talking about the town and its inhabitants. Will told me about some of the ghost stories including St. Mary's College (which had been torn down recently), seven hills road, and lastly, Lilburn Mansion. "It's this huge gothic-style mansion on College Avenue. People bought it a while back, wanted to turn it into a bed & breakfast, but for some reason, it fell through. The grounds have a three story cottage, and the main house which has a tower attached to it that gives it the look of a small castle. They say that ever since some renovations started in around 1928 that the ghosts of some of the old owners made themselves known."

"Is it open to the public now?"

Will's normally happy face turned dark, his mouth turning into a frown. "No, it's privately owned now. Edward Periculo."

"I'm guessing you don't like him."

"Not at all." His face was so dark that I was afraid to ask about why he didn't like this Edward person. Hopefully I wouldn't come across this guy in town. Of course, if he owned a mansion, I figured he wouldn't be the kind to mix with the "townies" anyway.

Will left that night just as the clock hit 12 am. He had helped me rearrange the furniture in the bedroom and set up my tv as well as put a few books on the shelves in the living room. I had found a note taped to the fridge from Floris basically telling me to set up the house as my own since she wouldn't be back in town for at least a few more months. I put the box that had held all the food under the sink, shut off the lights, and passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

**

The next day passed in a blur. I completely reorganised the kitchen, looked up some shops in the area where I could get the things I'd need to fill in the holes of what wasn't provided already, and even invited Will to dinner that night. The few days I had before I started work would be dedicated to buying what I need in town and browsing the library. Hopefully it wouldn't be a complete waste of time.

I had told Will to show up for dinner at 7 pm and he was -amazingly- right on time. He had brought over a can opener which he'd dressed up with a bright red bow. "My momma told me to never show up empty handed." I'd told him on the phone that I'd been having trouble finding a can opener earlier today, which was a lot more annoying than it might seem. You try opening a can with a knife. It's not fun, I promise.

"Thank you so much! I can actually finish dinner now! It'll just be five minutes." It was weird how comfortable I felt with Will already.

It was late outside. My roommate was in Philly at the moment while I sat on the couch reading, just a table lamp on for light. I had a bit of music playing so the house wasn't absolutely silent. I suddenly became very aware that I was not alone. There was someone outside, in my backyard. My eyes flashed up to confirm, and there, in the very center of the grass was a man. I froze, pretending to still be reading and not have noticed him while I tried to think of where the closest thing I could get that could be used as a weapon against someone. I came up blank. The only things close to me to get without seeming strange to pick up would be TV remotes or a picture frame. And if the man had a gun, I would be absolutely powerless.

Ali, my roommate's dog, suddenly went to the sliding glass doors that looked over the yard as if wanting to go outside. But she never barked, not noticing the man. I couldn't bring myself to get up. I was still contemplating whether I should try to fight or call the police or just run screaming out my front door. I looked to the glass doors, the lock wasn't clicked. The doors which I relied on for some measure of protection, were completely open and unlocked. I was fucked.

I was too young to die, I thought suddenly. I was only 20. I'd been to psychics as a joke and I'd always been told I would have 2 kids and die of old age. As much as I laughed then, I clung to those words like a blanket now. I couldn't die. I couldn't die. I just kept repeating that to myself as I felt myself rising from the couch. Why the hell was I going towards the bad guy?! I felt completely out of control of myself. What was I doing?

I reached the sliding doors and my hand froze on the handle. He wasn't there anymore. Maybe I had been mistaken. The darkness always plays tricks on people. They see things moving, hear things, this could easily have been my eyes playing tricks on me. I was, afterall, reading a novel about vampires. I was probably just moving the things in the book into real life. My back yard, more specifically.

I finally convinced myself that all was well. I opened the door and Ali ran out. Thankful to be able to run around. I smiled, breathing a sigh of relief that I couldn't see anyone standing in the backyard. Or at least I did until I saw what was coming in the side door of the back porch.

It was beautiful. Tall, lean yet muscular, the light was too dim for me to see the specifics of his features, but slowly they came into focus. He had dark hair, medium length, falling just below his ears. His skin was pale, but had a light pink tinge to it. His eyes were the last part I was able to take in. They were so entrancing that I felt myself take up roots to the floor. The cool concrete of the porch got colder as he took a step closer to me. Ali, unaware of the stranger on the porch, gleefully ran around the backyard, playing with something that I couldn't see. I heard an unfamiliar bark that scared me enough to manage to look away from this man's eyes. There was another dog in the yard.

"I-I have a gun inside." I tried to sound menacing, to sound absolutely sure of myself, but for the first time in my life, I was faced with something bad and I felt no confidence in myself. I was always the calm one under pressure, under fear, now, when it mattered most, I was falling apart.

The man looked at me, confused for a moment, and then abruptly, laughed out loud. "Do you really? Why, that's quite fascinating!" He was amused by my fright. And it seemed, trying to make me feel at ease.

"Excuse me? Listen, I don't want any trouble, if you want, you can take whatever you want. Just please, don't hurt the dog." I realised I was leaving something important out. "Er-or me. Please."

"Hurt you? No! Oh goodness, I'm very sorry. I must have frightened you!" Understanding dawned on his features. Which I saw were just as gorgeous laughing as they were serious. "You see, my dog got out, and we're a little new to the neighborhood, so I was afraid he wouldn't find his way back so I let myself into your yard. I think he dug a hole somewhere around the fence and got in. I would have knocked otherwise!"

Relief flooded over me and I felt myself slump slightly. He wasn't trying to kill Ali. Or me. "Oh thank god. I thought you were a vampire - or worse, a murderer!"

He straightened for a moment when I said vampire. Even his dog seemed to stop playing in the yard. He smiled again. "A murderer is worse than a vampire?" He studied my face for a moment.

"Well, I suppose it would depend on my relationship to the vampire, but yes. Definitely worse. Your dog is absolutely huge! What breed is he?" I felt at ease around him, the conversation wasn't strained, and now that I knew he wasn't going to kill me, I thought it might be nice to get to know the absolutely beautiful next door neighbor.

"Elias is actually a crossbreed between a Great Dane and a Mastiff. And I'm Edward Collins, by the way."

"Edward? I'm Juliet Moloch. Nice to meet you." I smiled, automatically sticking my hand out to shake his hand. I've loved the name Edward since I was little, and it was hard for me to keep back the giggle of my favorite name being coupled with his amazing good looks. I hoped I didn't look too horrible, although I held no hope he would be interested in me as anything more than a friend.

"You as well. You have a very...interesting last name." He smiled again, and I couldn't do anything but stop breathing, something had changed about the smile he'd given me earlier, it was a darker somehow. But it made me want to get closer to him. Probably just the danger enthuiast in me leaking a bit.

The dogs reappeared through the same door as Edward had. Ali, a pitt bull mix, looked like a chihuahua compared to Edward's Elias. The dog seemed to come higher than my waist and I was 5'6". Ali looked beat, she slunk back into the house and went directly to the couch and curled up in a ball to fall asleep. Elias came over to me and started sniffing me. "He doesn't bite, does he?"

The dog finished his sniffing and went back to Edward. He looked down to Elias and he almost seemed to nod up at him. "Elias is too sweet, he'd never hurt a fly." The dog in question sniffed angrily and turned back to the yard.

"I think you've insulted him."

"Maybe, but there are much more interesting things to focus on for now." He looked down to the watch he was wearing. "It's getting late, I should let you get back to your night. I'd love to chat with you some more sometime soon, will you be available tomorrow evening?"

I blushed and looked to Ali through the doors to try and hide the pleasure I felt from the invitation. Which was absurd to be so happy to receive. He probably has a gorgeous girlfriend or something that he lives with. I tried to talk my excitement down. "Absolutely, what time?"

We arranged the time and I found that he had moved into the house down the road that the entire neighborhood had been built around. It was only two stories, but incredibly huge and elegant. It had always reminded me of an old plantation home, but I'd thought that some old family that originally lived in the area owned it, passing it down from son to son. I'd heard that the last son had passed on a few weeks ago. Maybe he was some long lost relative, here to stake his claim.

Going back inside I felt unusually optimistic. I got ready for bed, brushed my teeth, and was so glad to have the next two days off. Laying down, my mind was jumping in all sorts of directions but I found myself falling asleep faster than usual. And then I had the first dream.

I knew I had to be dreaming, I'd had a similar dream a few years ago, but it all felt so real. I was standing in the old house down the road, looking in a huge closet. Standing next to me was a woman, just a little older than I was probably 22 or so, and we were laughing. She was holding up old dresses, they looked intricate with detail, long skirts with multiple petticoats that were strewn across an old chest of drawers. There was no sound but I felt screams coming from somewhere in the house. The girl's eyes widened and she pulled me by the hand further into the closet, quickly shutting and locking the door that connected us to the other room. Pushing one of the dressers aside she opened a small door. "Get in!" She shoved me inside the door, then shut it quickly and I could hear the dresser being pushed back into place. The screams came next. I tried to find a way out, but there was nothing. I tried pushing against the door or trying to find another way out, but I seemed to be trapped. I felt tears coming down my face as I laid down, rocking in place hearing the screams.

I started to hear the sounds of wood moving against wood, and I bolted upright. I looked around and found myself in my room, awake. I was safe.

****

It was easy enough to find my way to Edward's house that night. It was something I always passed by whenever I walked Ali, and the walk there only takes about 2 minutes. Thankfully, the Florida night was relatively cool for May.

When I actually stood on the porch, I realised how intimidatingly huge this house was. Just the outside made my own home go to shame. I rang the doorbell and automatically tugged on my shirt, pulled up my jeans (since they always refused to stay where they should), and prayed to the beauty gods for some sort of miracle for the hair that would absolutely not behave.

After a few moments, the door opened and my memory had not done Edward justice. In the bright lights of his home, what I thought had been dark hair was actually a golden brown color. His eyes were a deep shade of blue, and the pink tinge of his skin seemed to have disappeared, leaving him paler than the night before. "Juliet! Please come in!" He smiled warmly at me, gesturing into the house.

He led me through the foyer to the sitting room which was twice the size of my living room at home. There were portraits lining the walls of older generations but not much in the way of furniture. The middle of the room held a circle of love seats, giving the impression that they often entertained couples...or had some interesting parties. There was a small coffee table in the center that held a silver platter of crackers, small cakes, and petit fours. I felt horribly underdressed. I sat, cursing myself that I hadn't worn a skirt, or dress, or something that didn't shout "Hey! I'm a yank!" He offered me a drink, and after he had brought it back (on another silver tray), he sat across from me.

"Your house is absolutely gorgeous, how'd you come by it?" I didn't feel the need to go through the regular boring small talk with him, which was a great change.

"My family has owned it since it was built. I grew up in this place, but I've been away from home for quite a few years. I have to say though, I'm glad the scenery has gotten better around here." If anyone else had said that, I probably would have slapped them, but the way he winked at me after he said it just about stopped my heart. So I didn't have much of a choice other than to just sit there.

I composed myself enough to realise that his dog wasn't around. "Where's Elias?"

"I'm right here!" A man strolled out of a nearby doorway to lean against the frame and my jaw almost dropped open. He was just as gorgeous as Edward, but in a much more...earthly way. His hair was a deep black, his skin a tan color that didn't look as though it came from the sun, and his eyes were a breathtaking black color. Which generally wouldn't be breathtaking, but I guess these two just got the lucky sticks when they were being made.

Edward shot a dark look to him. "I think she meant the other Elias."

The human Elias just smiled to me, "Hi there, I'm Elias." He came over to me, quickly dropping into one of the other love seats. "You must be Juliet."

I was officially the ugly pimento cheese next to freshly baked french bread.