Chapter Two: Split1
“Emily…?”
“Go away.”
“Oh, Emily. Please, let me in.”
“Leave me alone.”
“Emily…..”
Sobbing. My sobbing. Because I was a pathetic excuse for a princess, because boys were stupid, because the whole thing had been horrible. I wanted to be alone, but of course that wouldn’t be happening. I heard the door click as my Father came in. I had my face hidden in my pillows, the rest of me sprawled out on top of my covers. My shoes were thrown against the opposite wall, my gloves near it, the pearls thrown on the floor. I heard my Father nearly slip on the loose jewelry, then sit on my bed with a light creak.
“Oh, my…,” he whispered, placing a hand on my back and rubbing gently. He sighed deeply, and I hiccupped another sob. He squeezed my shoulder and exhaled deeply, “I’m sorry, sweetheart….”
You should be, I thought bitterly, hiccupping and trying to control myself, These stupid dates were all your idea!
My Father, unsure of how to handle all the femininity, continued to rub my back gently, saying nothing for a long time. I managed to get control of myself and sat up, wiping at my eyes and the mascara running down my cheeks. I looked like a train wreck, but that was lovely compared to how I felt inside.
“Didn’t go well, I take it?” he mumbled gruffly, but softly, trying to be empathetic. That was my father; all masculine and canine, even when he tried not to be. I rubbed my arm on my face and shook my head vigorously, taking in much-needed gulps of air. He moved his arm from my back to around my shoulders, pulling me close and hugging me tight as he sighed.
“Sorry, sweetie…,” he tried, rubbing my arm and rocking me. It was silent for a good while, this picturesque scene. Me, with a ruddy, mascara-smudged face in a rumpled dress, and my Dad, middle-aged, gruff, and scarred on the right side of his face and neck, trying to comfort me. He sighed deeply again, then turned to face me, looking at me with stone-gray eyes, “I’m no good at this, Em. I… I just wish your Mum was here t-to tell you… what t-to do….”
That was the only time my Father ever got choked up; when he talked about my mom. When he held out one of her old dresses and said, “Try this one, Em! Try this one!” When he helped me put on her pearls that looked huge and alien on my small frame. When he looked at pictures of her. When he stayed in his study, late at night, with a wine glass and one of their love letters from their younger days as his only company.
“She was… great at all this. She-”
“Stop it, Dad,” I muttered brokenly, turning my head away from him. He immediately clammed up, and I wished I hadn’t said anything. He was being open for once, or at least trying to be, and I’d decided to shut him down. We both sat there, in heartbroken silence, him gradually removing his arm from my shoulders.
Wait! I didn’t mean it, I screamed mentally. I pursed my lips, and he slowly got up, silent as stone. I blinked, my throat closing up, even though I wanted to speak, Please, Daddy, I’m sorry….
He slowly walked across the room, careful not to trip over the pearls this time. His footsteps seemed to echo as he stepped, stopped, and opened the door. He walked through the threshold, closed the door behind him with a click, and left me in total silence.
In case you’re wondering, no. I wasn’t cookin’. I wasn’t cookin’ at all.2
I was in a garden. A garden full of roses of all colors; yellow, blue, green, red, even pink. I was walking around in my nightgown, the one that came to my ankles. My bare feet were padding against cobblestone that was surprisingly warm, as if it had recently been kissed by sunlight. That was impossible, though; the moon was hidden by smoky clouds, and the sun wasn’t anywhere in sight. The walls were high, the fountains and statues all marble, and the sky dark and twinkling with stars. I was looking for something. No. Someone. I was looking for someone….
“Emily.”
I didn’t know this voice. It was foreign, and male, and the sweetest sound I’d ever heard. I twirled around, just in time to see a blur skid around a corner. I ran after the figure, always catching glimpses, but never the full picture.
“Wait!” I’d scream, nearly stumbling but never stopping, “Wait!”
The boy-I was sure it was a boy-would laugh. Not mockingly, though. He meant it only in the sweetest of ways. He would sometimes motion for me, out of sight, from behind a wall. He’d laugh and taunt me as he led me to… where was he leading me to…?
Our chase stopped after a long while. I was out of breath and panting heavily as I rounded the final corner. I gasped. I found myself standing under a huge, ebony arch that was connected to walls that rounded a section of the garden together. In the center of the area was a huge, ivory fountain that stood out starkly against the black walls. Even from where I stood, I saw that the water was lavender-colored, and smelled a hint of cinnamon coming from it. Intrigued, I stepped towards it. The moment I left the arch, the moon escaped the veil of clouds and showered down on the fountain.
Two rose stems sprang up from the water. One was smooth and light green, the other thorny and dark. They wound around the fountain in intricate, elegant patterns. They met at the center of the fountain and twined together, slowly budding; The light green one with a white bud, the thornier one with a black one. They twirled together and started to bloom; full, unblemished roses. They took my breath away.
“Emily.”
A boy was standing under another arch, directly across from the one I’d been standing under. I gasped and stepped back; He was tall and lanky, with long black hair and deep, neon-red eyes. A vampire. He stepped forward, looking at the roses, then at me. He smiled, slowly, revealing two sharp canine teeth. He held out his hand, and I had a sudden urge to put my palm to his. As if possessed, I walked towards him, and he towards me, until we met in the middle, at the fountain.
When our palms touched, the roses melted together into a single, grey rose that cradled to moon.
“Emily.”
I opened my mouth to say something back. His name? It was on the tip of my tongue, just about to pass my lips. The boy started to fade away, though, and the walls started to crumble, the moon falling out of the sky-
“Emily,” the voice screamed as the world crumbled. The voice changed, though, and echoed all around me. Emily, Emily, Emily….3
“Emily!”
I sat up straight, my covers flying. The voice didn’t belong to the vampire any longer; It was Luke, fighting off somebody as he screamed at me, his eyes frantic.
“Emily! Go!” He gasped loudly, fighting off the creature as it hissed and lunged at him. He growled and ducked, crouching as his features began to morph. He glanced over his shoulder at me, his eyes growing rapidly canine-like. They suddenly widened, and a half-human, half-canine voice barked, “Emi-”
The creature lunged for Luke. Somebody grabbed me from behind, put their cold hand over my mouth. A scent filled my nose, my throat, my bloodstream. The world started to slip away again, only in a much more rapid manner then my dream.
Only this time, I knew I wasn’t going to wake up in my bedroom.
Author notes
This chapter has one of my favorite scenes, the fountain. I intend to draw it once I get the chance; i'll be sure to get it up here somewhere once I do. =]
The boy's name is James. You'll be meeting him soon. ^-^
Please tell me what you think! I'm eager to know!
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Comments
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WQOW! LOVE IT! AMAZING! WANT TO READ MORE AND I HAVE READ THE OTHER CHAPTERS BUT I HAVE NOT HAD TIME TO WRITE ON THEM! MORE PLEASE IT IS REALLY GOOD!YOU HAVE TALENT AND I AM REALLY INTERESTED!
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
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Can you write more pleaseee! I'm really excited about this stiry XD
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