Chapter 2 ~ Is it Better to Know?
Finally I got up and went home. When I got there I had an hour long lecture about being responsible. Like I didn’t know what being responsible meant. I had always been the responsible one, for my grades, for myself, my little brothers.
I was tired of being responsible. I got up after my mom and dad were done and went to my room, slamming the door when I entered my room. I was angry with them, how dare them talk to me about responsibility. Leaning against my door, tears sliding down my face, I looked around my tiny room, realizing how tiny it really was.
A bed against one wall, a small bed at that, it was a twin size barely there bed. A small desk on one side with a huge computer on it that took up most of the desk itself. That was mainly all I could fit in this room. I didn’t have any dressers for my clothes just a tiny closet. But it was mine. I pushed away from the door, slowly walking over to my bed sinking into the mattress and continued to cry.
Waking up, I looked around my room as my alarm blared in my ears. I could tell I had fallen asleep crying because my eyes were all sore and I hadn’t even changed out of my clothes from yesterday. Rubbing my eyes trying to get the sleep out of them, I slowly sat up stretching. My sore joints popped and cracked from sleeping in a ball the way I had. Swinging my legs around and slowly getting out of bed, I knew this day was going to be a very bad day, I could already tell I was going to be in a shitty mood all day long.
Realizing what time it was and that I only had about twenty minutes before Kylie was going to be yelling at me from down stairs, I hurried up and ran to the bathroom to get my shower. I hurried through my shower, got dressed, and fixed my hair all in record time. Nothing special though, just a t-shirt and a pair of old jeans that used to be Kylies.
I walked slowly down the stairs, felling each step I took from my feet to my head, my body ached to be back in the bed upstairs, but instead I headed to the kitchen. I grabbed a bowl, box of cereal and the milk and ate my breakfast really quick and waited for Kylie. I must have been really rushing because for once I was ready before her. I distinctly heard her come down the stairs and stop at the bottom.
“ARABELLA! GET YOUR SCRAWNEY ASS DOWN HERE, WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE!” she yelled. Rolling my eyes I yelled back at her from the kitchen.
“I’M ALREADY IN THE KITCHEN EATING!” Shocking Kylie into silence was a priceless thing and something that hardly ever happened. So I loved seeing her come into the kitchen staring at me all funny. I couldn’t hold in my laughter at all.
My mom came in after Kylie did looking from her to me and back again. When she headed over to the sink I got up and went over to her. I apologized for yesterday. She told me I didn’t have to watch my brothers tonight that Mrs. Casey from next door was coming over to do it. She thought I needed a break.
After I thanked my mom, Kylie spoke up in her petulant tone and told me that I would have to find my own way home today. She had cheerleading today, sometimes I would stay and wait for her, do my home work in the library and she offered that. I didn’t care about it anymore, it didn’t matter what grades I got, so why stay. I was still going to have to go to the community college…so I told her I’d get a ride home with Angie.
The ride to school was just like always, no talking, but the radio blaring in my ears. God I wish I had my own car. When we got to school, I went to my locker to get my stuff for my first two classes. Caleb walked by but stopped at my locker telling his brothers he would catch up with them in a bit. They just smiled at him and nodded their heads.
“Arabella, are you alright today?”
“Not really Caleb, why?” I asked him.
“I don’t know…I thought we were friends, isn’t that what friends do? You know, check to make sure the other is okay.“
“Yeah, I guess that’s what friends do, but are we friends? I don’t even really know you. I know I blurted out all my problems to you yesterday, but that doesn’t mean you have to be my friend.” I put my head down when I said this. This was a little weird again. Why would a beautiful guy be talking to a nerd like me. I didn’t understand it at all.
“What if I want to be? Your friend I mean,” he said back to me.
“Why would you?” I whispered.
“Why not?” he countered, sounding a little upset at what I had said.
“I don’t know, I guess we could be friends if you really want a nerd girl for a friend,” I said still with my face down.
He put his hand under my chin and lifted my face up to look at him. He looked me right in the eyes and I couldn’t look away, it was like I was trapped by his deep gold-ish brown eyes.
“Why do you put yourself down so much? You’re not a nerd. I think you’re smart and beautiful. I also think something else happened, didn’t it? Maybe when you got home, I mean, did something else happen yesterday? If we are friends then you can tell me anything,” he said smiling at me.
I looked up at him and tears came out again. I’d been crying a lot lately.
“Yeah, something else did happen. But, I don’t have time to explain. I have to get to class and so do you…” right as the words spilled out of my mouth the first bell rang warning us it was time for class.
Looking down at me with a smile, he did something that totally startled me. He kissed me on the cheek. I just stood there with a stupid look on my face, him looking down at me, still looking me in the eyes with a smile.
He leaned back down, his breath warm against my cheek and whispered in my ear. “You better get to class Arabella, you’re going to be late. I’ll meet you at the picnic table for lunch, so you can tell your friend what happened. It always helps to talk about it.” With those words and me still standing there like an idiot with my hand on my cheek, he walked away, off to his next class.
I just stood there for a minute when I heard his voice telling me to hurry. Looking up he was looking around the corner at me smiling at me I felt the blush come up to my face and I dashed to class.
All of my classes were a blur up until lunch. In my Spanish class Mrs. Anderson asked me what my name was and I was supposed to answer back in Spanish but I simply said, “Mrs. Anderson you know my name is Arabella.”
The whole class laughed, me right along with them, you have to admit it was kind of funny. After Spanish I had lunch. As I walked in and looked around he was nowhere to be seen, so I went and got my food. A salad and a water sat on my tray as I walked outside to the picnic table, the one we had sat at before.
Two minutes after I got out there and was trying to eat, he walked out. He smiled at me and I just about choked on a cucumber, which made him laugh. God, I’m such a geek. He just shook his head again and sat down across from me. I ate and he watched, it was a little nerve wracking so I tried to distract myself by talking to him.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“No, I’m on a special diet,” he told me.
I just nodded my head and finished my salad. When I was done he took my tray and dumped it, came back and he sat down, folding his hands in front of him on the table. He looked me in the eyes again and I so wanted to look away but I couldn’t. He was waiting for me to speak but I couldn’t, I was transfixed by his stare.
“Alright, what happened?” he asked me. I took one more look into his eyes and looked away as I told him my story.
“Well, when I got home yesterday, I went inside my house and my mom told me I had a package. Hoping it was what I’ve been waiting for, but when I looked at it…it was a acceptance letter from my dream college.”
“Where?” he asked
“Does it really matter, I can’t go,” I said angrily.
He looked down at me and just stared catching my eyes again within his own and the word just flowed out of my mouth.
“Harvard,” was all I said. I put my head down and slow tears came again.
He looked down at me and again he put his hand under my chin to coax it up. He looked me right in the eyes and brushed my tears away with his fingertips.
“Don’t cry my sweet Arabella. Maybe there is a way you could go to Harvard or where ever you want to go.”
“What do you mean?” Was all I could say, the tears still slowly coming down my face, this time I brushed them away. Did he just call me his sweet Arabella? He looked at me and smiled.
“What I mean is my dad, he has some connections at Harvard. Maybe he could get some financial aid thrown your way or something.”
“Really? I could really have a chance to go to Harvard?” I was shocked, my voice going up an octave as I spoke.
“Yeah, I’ll talk to him tonight for you.” I looked up at him and smiled the biggest smile I had smiled in years and threw my arms around him.
He held me for a few minutes until we heard the bell ring. I got up and he grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze but keeping a hold of my hand as he walked me to my next class. When we were by the door he leaned in with a smile.
“If I kiss you again are you just going to stand there like earlier?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered back making us both laugh but he stopped my laughing with a kiss right on the mouth, soft and sweet. When he pulled away he smiled at me again.
“Go in, I’ll be here waiting for you when your class is over. See you in a while my Arabella.”
“Okay,” was all I could say, I felt like I might faint. I was so shocked that I walked unsteadily into my class and took my seat.
I didn’t know what was going on, I thought we were just friends. Did he want more? You can’t think of that right now you have too many things going on
By the time class was over I was befuddled about everything. I didn’t know what we covered in class at all. Getting up and walking out the door I saw him standing there smiling at me. I walked over to him and he took my books out of my hands, grabbed my hand with his other and walked me to my last class.
Everyone was watching us, including my sister and his brothers. My sister was shocked, his brothers had huge smiles on their faces. After my last class he was waiting for me again.
“Hey, can I walk you to your sister’s car? I need to ask you something.”
“Sure, oh no, wait. I forgot to ask Angie.” I started to look for her frantically but he stopped me with his next question.
“Ask her what? What’s wrong?”
“Kylie has cheerleading today and I was supposed to ask my friend Angie if she could take me home and I forgot all about it,” I told him. “I guess I’ll just have to wait in the library for Kylie.”
“No you wont, I’ll take you home. As long as you don’t mind riding in a car with my three brothers.”
“Really, you don’t mind?”
“ Of course not. But wait, I need to ask you something first.” He paused and looking down at me asked the question he wanted to ask, a question that threw me for a loop. “You are my Arabella right?” he asked, smiling at me
“What do you mean, your Arabella?”
“You’re my girl…what I mean is will you be?” he asked….I was so shocked I couldn’t speak at first. Why did he want me?
“Why?”
“Why what, don’t you want to be my girlfriend?”
“ I’m not saying that, what I mean is… you could…you could have any girl in this school. Why me?” I asked putting my face down again. I had done this for years, anytime I didn’t feel sure about myself. Leaning down again he whispered his reason in my ear.
“Because, I really like you. I don’t want any other girl in this school. I want you!”
“I could, I mean yes,” I stammered out. As soon as my answer was out of my mouth he kissed me again. This time until I couldn’t breath. Pressing me up against the lockers, I felt his whole body up against mine. I could feel every contour of his body and oh my, oh my, what a body he had.
I knew there was something different about him, with the cold hands and all but I didn’t care. He was amazing and he wanted me…I couldn’t believe it, me!
“Are you ready to go home?” he asked when he released my lips, both of us out of breath and smiling.
“Yeah, thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me, ya know. I volunteered to take you home. Plus you’re my girl now, I‘ll take you home or pick you up anytime you want me too.”
He led me to his car and his brothers were standing there all laughing at something. When they saw me they all stopped and stared at their brother.
“Guys, you all remember Arabella, right? I’m taking her home. So you all have to scrunch into the back seat, if you want to ride with me.”
They all three looked at him really funny, then they climbed into the backseat moaning and groaning about the fit. I giggled as Thomas punched Steven in the arm for not moving over.
“So Arabella, our brother was right, you do smell simply mouthwatering,” Thomas said to me. Caleb gave him that angry stare, like the one I had seen him give Tyler before. But Thomas shut up and just whispered, “Sorry”
“Just ignore them. Okay, where do you live exactly?” Caleb asked me.
“1010 Martin Street, do you know how to get there?”
“Yeah, I know exactly how to get there.” When he said this his brothers started laughing.
I didn’t know what was so funny about that, but I let it go. He didn’t need help finding my house at all. When he pulled up I got out and so did he. Walking me all the way up to my door, I smiled at him, man he was gentleman.
“Have a good night, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I’ll be waiting at your locker for you.”
“You don’t have to do that…” He interrupted me.
“Yes I do, I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”
“ Okay, then I’ll see you tomorrow, bye.”
He kissed me and walked back to his car leaving me standing there with a big cheesy smile on my face. When he got back to his car he smiled up at me as he got in. I stood there until he pulled out and was all the way gone.
When I went into my house, the package I had been waiting for was there waiting for me on the kitchen counter. Grabbing it I ran up the stairs and into my room. Throwing my backpack on the floor I jumped on my bed. I sat there staring at it, wanting to open it so bad, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t tear the envelope and read the information on the certificate. I mean, I had waited for ever for this information, but I just couldn’t open it.
I knew what I wanted to do, but I had no idea how to find him. I wanted him to be there when I opened it. It was kind of crazy, I barely knew him, but I said I would be his Arabella. At this moment I felt like I was his, all I wanted was to be with him. I was scared in a way to open the package. I had a weird feeling that I didn’t really want to know the information in it. So I put it away in my backpack and didn’t look at it again until the next day.
When I woke up the next morning, I couldn’t wait to get to school. I was dressed way before Kylie and I had even dressed a little better than usual. I wore a baby blue strapless dress with a blue jean half jacket on top. I even wore yellow ballet slippers instead of my tennis shoes. To top it all off I even took the extra time to really fix my hair, I curled it and pulled it up half way, letting it flow down my back. I thought I looked really cute.
When I walked downstairs for breakfast my mom stopped in her tracks. ‘Wow‘, was all she said. I just smiled and thanked her. I had to wait for Kylie again. When she came down and entered the kitchen she did a double take.
“You did all that and still got ready before me?” Kylie looked totally shocked, even better then the other day.
“Yeah, I guess I did.”
“Well, you look really cute, I guess I know who you dressed up for,” she giggled
“Hey, keep out of it.”
“ He’s really cute. Are you two together or what?” she asked
“Yes we are,” I said, refusing to elaborate. She tried to get more out of me, but I wouldn’t say a thing to her, which frustrated her to no end. On the ride to school she kept huffing and puffing.
When we got to school, I went straight to my locker. There he was standing by my locker in all his glory, my boyfriend. The most perfect boy in town.
“ Good morning,” he smiled at me. “By the way, you look stunning today. I have great news for you. Your tuition to Harvard has been taken of. All four years of college. I didn‘t know what your major was, but I thought four years would be enough. If it‘s not we can talk to my dad again.” He smiled at me. I was shocked to say the least, he had just said maybe some financial aid, he didn’t say that his dad could take care of it all. I just stood there for a minute then I ran the last several steps to him and almost jumped into his arms.
“Thank you, tell your dad thank you for me.”
“How about you tell him, he wants to meet you, could you come over tonight?”
“Yeah, sure. I’d love to. To be honest with you, I almost came to find you last night after you left.”
“Why?” He looked at me stunned
“I got that package last night, I couldn’t open it, I was to scared to open it on my own. Would you mind opening it for me?” I mumbled to him.
“Hey, um I would help you, but meet my dad first, then we will open it together at my house. Okay?” he looked at me with worry etched in his features and his eyes.
“Why do you want me to wait?”
“Trust me,” he said. He walked me to my first class, but I didn’t want to go in. Grabbing and pulling on his arm, I stopped him.
“Please tell me why first?”
He looked at me for a minute. Grabbing hand he led the way we had just came and outside to his car.
“Get in”
“Caleb, I have class right now. I never skip. Where do you want me to go?”
“My house, get in and I’ll explain everything. Do you have that package with you?”
“Yeah, I already told you that.” I really wanted to know what was going on and in reality I didn’t feel like going to class today. So I got in his car. I wanted answers and I felt like he was telling me he knew the answers I sought.
“Caleb, do you know who I am?”
“Yes, I do…You’re my Arabella, unless after today, after what you hear…after it all…if you don’t want to be my Arabella then I‘ll understand, okay?” he muttered the words, holding my hand. The words he spoke tore at my heart. I wanted to be his, what could he say that could be so bad that I wouldn’t want to be his.
“Caleb, I’m scared. If you knew who I was why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’ll understand in a couple of minutes, we are almost there. My dad already knows we are coming.” He took a breath and looked at me for a second. “You need to know something first before we get to the house. My dad isn’t really my dad. I’m adopted too, so are all my brothers. We aren’t what you think, we’re not like you. When we explain everything, if you’re too scared I’ll take you home. All you have to think is please take me home and I’ll do it. I’m not going to say anything else,” he said. “I’m sorry, but you’re just going to have to wait a minute longer,” he added apologetically.
I looked up and we were at this big house, it looked to be three stories tall. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Covered in a pale gray stone, with one half of the house made up of windows.
I am really scared now…what was going on? How did he know who I was? I was freaking out so much I was almost having a full blown panic attack.
He took my hand and led me to the front porch and the door opened. A man was standing with his hand on the side of the door, the man smiled at me, I tried to smile back but I was in total freak out mode by then.
Caleb led me in and took me to what looked like a living room. Two huge white sofas were both taken up by his brothers. Why weren’t they in school. They all smiled up at me as we came in the room. They got up and made room for me to sit down on one of the couches. I was starting to get even more freaked out, I started to hyperventilate a little even. Caleb sat next to me and reached over and taking my hand in his again. He never left my side. He looked me right in the eyes like he always did, and I could tell he was scared to tell me what I was about to hear.
“Okay, honey, open the package.”
“I can’t…I’m too scared Caleb. I don’t…..I don’t want to know anymore!” I said thrusting the envelope at him.
He put his arm around me and held me for a while rocking back and forth, willing me to relax and it worked a little, but I was still in freak out mode.
“Arabella, you do want to know, I know you do. It’s what you’ve been waiting for.” He spoke to me in a soothing tone, trying again to calm me.
Taking a deep breath, I took the envelope back into my hands and slowly opened it. Taking the piece of paper out that I had been waiting so long for, I lowered my eyes to read the secrets it had to tell me.
It said my name was Arabella Marie Carpenter. Carpenter? What? I dropped the piece of paper and looked up at Caleb. All I could do was stare at him, my eyes blinking a million times, my brain trying to comprehend what it had just taken in, but it was having a very hard time doing so. I didn’t know what to say. I started feeling a little dizzy and then every thing went blank.
Slowly opening my eyes and taking in the scene around me, I noticed I was lying down in a room that was light baby blue color and that the bed I was in was huge, the covers felt like silk against my finger tips. Looking up I saw a four poster canopy, a bed I had dreamed of since I was a little girl. A bed fit for a princess. Something I was not, I was more like the maid that had to clean the room or the ugly step sister.
Looking more, the bed had flowing blue silk draped around the canopy, it was so beautiful, it took my breath away. Slowly sitting up, Caleb was right there next to me. He felt me move and looked up at me, looking at him a million questions filled my head but the only one came out.
“What happened?”
“ You opened the package, read it, and you just collapsed,” he told me.
“ I’m going to go get dad and have him check you out. Okay?” I noticed how he called him dad not his dad but just dad, but I couldn’t speak, I was trying to process the train of thoughts going through my head, so I just nodded.
He went to the door, stopped, then turned toward me and smiled.
“I’m glad your okay, I know we have a lot to talk about, but I’m really happy your alright.”
With those words, he walked out of the room. I sat all the way up and looked around, that was all I had time to do because Caleb was back.
“Arabella this is, wow, how do I say this is who you’ve been searching for?”
“Just like that,” I said shyly, smiling weakly at him. He was so sweet.
“I’ll leave so you can make sure she‘s okay,” he said. I can’t believe this, is this really him, my dad.
“Caleb, you’ll come back right?” I asked him.
“Yeah, if want me too.” Then he walked out.
We sat there for a minute in silence then he looked down at me
“ How do you feel?”
“Okay.” I didn’t really know what else to say.
He started checking my pulse and my blood pressure. He wouldn’t look me in the eyes, at all. I couldn’t take all the silence so I just came right out and asked.
“Is it true?” I said.
He finally looked down at me and smiled.
“ I can’t believe it’s you. Yeah, Arabella, it’s true,” he told me with a nod.
“Why did you leave me?” I blurted out, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
It was the only question I wanted answered. It was the question that haunted me since I was little. I thought no one wanted me. It was the reason I always put my head down, because I was not worth anything.
“ I have a lot to explain to you Arabella, but we need to take it slow. I don’t want you to collapse again. So, lets get something to eat in you first. Then we will talk. What would like to eat? You can have anything. What’s your favorite food?”
“Um, anything Italian.” He smiled at that.
“Just like you mom, she loved Italian food.” He called for Caleb and he came in faster then I thought possible. He must have been right outside the door.
“Go get some fettuccini alfredo from that little Italian restaurant in town, for Arabella, please. And something for her to drink.”
“Sure, anything for her.” He looked right at me as those words slipped from his mouth with a smile again and walked out.
“He really cares about you, you know that right?”
“Yeah, I know that, it’s kind of weird, I barely know him but I really care for him too.”
“I’m going to go out and let you rest. I’ll be back, in a little while.”
“Sure,” he went to get up and walk out of the room but I stopped him. “Wait a minute, thank you for paying for Harvard.”
“I didn’t do that, I was going to and then Caleb asked me to let him take care of it and I let him. I hope that was alright.” He looked down at me and got up and closed the door behind him.
It didn’t take to long for Caleb to be back with the food and a glass of water for me. He had it on a tray. He set the tray in front of me and it looked so good, I went to pick up the fork, but stopped mid way, Caleb was slowly walking towards the door.
“Please wait, stay with me please. I want to talk to you…please.”
“Sure, Arabella, of course I’ll wait with you. You have to eat though.”
He sat down and I looked at him and took a bite, it was delicious.
“This is amazing…I love pasta.” He just laughed at me.
“ I’m glad you like it.”
“Did you pay for it? Harvard I mean.”
“Yeah, I saw how much you wanted it and how much you worked for it. It didn’t seem right to me. I want you to have everything your heart desires.”
“If you want to give me that, then you need to tell me everything. I mean everything you have kept from me!”
“Eat first, then dad will come back in and we will explain everything to you, I promise.”
“My family is going to be worried about me.” I looked up at him and smiled.
“I’ll get you my cell, so you can call them. You can tell them you are coming to my house to have dinner with me and my family.”
“Okay.”
I called my house and my mom answered. I told her about Caleb and that I was having dinner at his house tonight. I said I would be home as soon as dinner was over. She told me to enjoy myself and take my time. When I got off of the phone, I handed it to Caleb.
“ Where is my birth certificate?” I asked him
“You sure?”
“Yeah, please let me see it. I didn’t even read the part I was waiting for, all I read was my name.”
“You mean the part that says Arabella Marie Carpenter. The most beautiful name I’ve ever heard.” I just smiled at him. He handed me my birth certificate.
I looked down at it, taking a drink of water. I read the things I’d always wanted to know -my mother and father’s names. My mother’s name was Kathryn Marie Carpenter and my Fathers name was Jonathan Nathaniel Carpenter. After all the waiting and the worrying, I finally got to know their names. Just to read those names felt wonderful.
I knew who they were, almost. Well, at least I knew their names. But then I got to thinking about where my mom was? Why did they leave me? Did they not love me? Caleb looked down at me when I was thinking these things.
“I think it’s time you get those answers, to the questions in that beautiful head of yours,” he said to me.
“ How do you know about the questions going through my head right now?”
“I’ll explain that in a minute, let me go get Jonathan.”
Right as Caleb said his name there was a knock at the door. Caleb said come in and he walked in looking straight at me.
“Are you feeling better?”
“ Yes, thank you. Not really though. I need answers, lots of them,” I told him.
“ Caleb, let me talk to her alone please.” He paused because I just looked over at Caleb with a frightened look in my eyes. “He won’t be too far. If you want him to come back he will. I just want to explain some things first.” I just nodded my head.
Caleb walked to the door then turned around to look at me. He looked scared too, I didn’t understand why he would be, I was the one finding out about my life and my father. Not him.
He tried to smile at me, so I smiled back, he went out the door after one more look back at me. We sat there in silence again for a few minutes not looking at each other.
“Arabella, I didn’t leave you on purpose. Honey, we have to have a long talk. I’ll answer all your questions, but first I just want you to listen to what I going to tell you. Can you promise to just listen?”
“ I’ll try.”
“ Alright, that’s good enough, I guess,” he said smiling at me. He looked down at my tray. “Are you finished eating or do you need a couple more minutes to eat?”
“ I’m fine, actually, I’m kind of full.” He smiled at me again and I noticed I had his smile. I smiled back and he took the tray from my lap and put it on the table next to the bed.
“Like I said, I didn’t leave you on purpose and neither did your mother. We went out on a date night, actually we just went to dinner. You mom wanted to get back to you, we were supposed to go see a movie also, but she demanded we go home. So we headed toward our car, to go home, when all of the sudden something attacked us from behind. It killed your mother first, then it came after me. Before you can really understand this you’re going to have to know what it was that attacked us… Arabella, this thing was not human. It was so strong it killed your mother with just a flick of its fingers, it broke her neck then it started to drink her blood.” He looked down at me when he said this. I was just staring at him like he was crazy. “Honey, are you okay? Arabella, ARABELLA” he yelled at me.
I was in shock, was he just trying to tell me that my mother was killed by vampire? Again with the stuff I couldn’t comprehend. I didn’t know what to say or do, the only thing I could think of was I so wanted Caleb in here with me. The next thing I knew I was lying down on the bed again waking up with Caleb at my side. He was holding my hand, still with that worried look on his face.
“Where did he go? I need to know what happened, Caleb.”
“ I don’t think you can handle anymore tonight, how about I take you home?” he said to me.
“What time is it?”
“It’s 8 o’clock, you’ve been out again for about two hours. I don’t think you should hear anymore right now.” He looked so worried.
“Caleb, I’ve waited so long just to know their names. That’s all I ever wanted to know. Now I have him here, I can talk to him, ask him the questions that have been the cause of my nightmares. Do you think I could go home and sleep when I know I’m this close to getting those answers! Please Caleb, Please,” I begged.
“Alright, alright, but this time I’m staying in here.”
“Caleb, tell me something first. Did you pick me just because of who I am?”
“No you silly girl. Yes, I knew who you were, but since the first time I saw you I knew you were meant for me. I already love you. I just hope after you hear everything you won’t run from me. I’m going to tell you something before I go get your dad. I hope it doesn’t scare you like earlier. Honey, have you noticed I’m a little different than a normal teenager?”
“You mean, you’re ice cold all the time, when you kiss me I go weak in the knees, and somehow you know what I’m thinking. Is that what your talking about?”
“Yeah. Do you know what I am?” he asked.
“What do you mean what you are?”
He took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eyes and said that word again, the one I couldn’t comprehend. “ Vampire. I’m a vampire”
“Your a………. what, no way, how could you be a …… Vampire?” I spat out.
“ I know, it’s hard to believe, but I am. If you’re scared of me, I’ll take you home, just ask. Are you scared?” He had that sad worried look in his eyes again and I now knew why. I was scared, but I didn’t want to tell him that.
“ Is my dad one too?” I whispered
“Yeah, that’s what he was trying to tell you. A vampire attacked your mom and dad and somehow your dad got away. But not before he was bitten. He went away to hide, because he knew what was happening. After three days he was a new vampire, I think we need to let him explain the rest to you. Alright?”
“Alright, but you have to stay in here with me. I feel better with you here. I have another question for you first though,” I said. He heard my question before I could ask it.
“No, I don’t drink human blood, Arabella. I would never hurt you. I love you, it’s kind of crazy but I do. I need you to know and possibly understand what I am.”
“Okay, I’ll try, but I am a little scared,” I admitted.
“I know, listen to me, I got you.” He came over and put his strong arms around me. I felt so safe with him here with me. He looked down at me and smiled. “That’s how I want you to feel. Safe and loved at all times.”
“ I do with you, I never want to be away from you, it’s kind of weird, I barely know you but I don’t know, I want to know everything about you. I want to be around you.” I smiled up at him.
“ I’ll go get your dad.” He paused at the door “I’ll be right back,”
As he walked out, I didn’t know if he would hear this but I thought it anyway. Wow, I’m in love with a vampire. I started to look around the lovely room again, it looked to be meant for a girl. Did my dad have another daughter?
It took a few minutes, then there was a knock on my door. I told them to come in and they both did. My dad asked Caleb for private time again.
“Could he please stay?” I asked him.
“ If that’s what you want.” He looked down at me and smiled
“It is, please answer my questions.”
“Alright, go ahead,” he said
“First, this is the question that has killed me all these years,” I took a second to take a deep breath, with a stutter in my voice I asked, “Did you love me?” I kept my eyes down. He put his cold fingers below my chin just like Caleb did to me and looked me straight in my eyes.
“Arabella Marie Carpenter, honey, I have loved you since the day you were born. Your mother loved you more than anything. If I hadn’t been changed into a vampire and was scared I would hurt you, I would have come home, scooped you up and kept you with me. I thought about you every minute of everyday. I love you my angel.”
I started crying so hard I barley could breath.
“ I thought you didn’t want me, I thought that you didn’t love me, I thought something was wrong with me.” I blurted out still sobbing.
“ Oh Arabella,” he moaned “ NO baby, I love you! More than anything. Don’t ever forget that and there is nothing wrong with you. You are perfect in everyway. You remind me of your mother so much, she was smart and beautiful, funny, she had the same color eyes as you. Those eyes they could make me do anything she wanted me to do. She owned my whole heart, until you came along then you owned it to. From that first day in the hospital when you were born you had me wrapped around your tiny finger. For two amazing weeks we were so happy. You meant the world to us. Then it all fell apart, I was changed, your mother gone, and I couldn’t come back for you. I would never had been able to live with myself if I had gone back to get you and hurt you. Do you understand, I did it to protect you. I didn’t want you to become like me. I still don’t!” when he said that last part he looked right at Caleb. I swear he sounded like he was crying, but there were no tears. “I’ve been trying to find you for a long time. Now that I’ve found you and I don’t want to let go, but it’s getting late and your family’s probably getting worried. So I think it’s time for Caleb to take you home.”
He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead, I couldn’t help but cry. All my life I thought I wasn’t important to him and he didn’t love me. But in reality he loved me more than I deserved.
“That isn’t true!” Caleb said
“What isn’t true?” my father asked. “Caleb?”
“She thinks she doesn’t deserve your love. She’s always putting herself down. I wish she’d stop.”
“You deserve anything your heart desires, do you hear me young lady, anything. That’s why I was going to pay for your college, but someone beat me to it!” my dad told me. “Caleb, please take her home.”
“I don’t want to go home. I just got you back, I’m afraid I’ll lose you again,” I told him.
“You’ll never lose me again, my sweet angel. I love you and you can come back tomorrow, after school this time. No skipping!” He sounded just like a dad, I had to laugh.
“Yes sir,” I said smiling and he laughed. I got up to go home and stopped at the door to say something I always wanted to say to him. I ran back over and threw my arms around him, and whispered four little words that meant the world to me. I just hoped they meant the same to him.
“I love you, daddy!”
Thanks so much for reading, I hope you like it so far. There is so much more to come! Please let me know what you think. Here are some pics that go with this chapter! Hope you enjoy....Plus dont forget this story will have its own blog very soon, where I will posting character bios, teasers, pics, etc...Make sure to check it out, it will be up and going very soon!
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