Awakened (Book #5 of the Vampire Legends) (8 page)

Rachel saw Brian
look down at his watch and then say, “It’s still early, do you want to stay
out?”

“What time is
it?” she asked.

“It’s only 8
o’clock,” Brian answered. “You still have two more hours!”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll
do something else,” Rachel said.

She didn’t know
what he had in mind, but hoped he didn’t just want to go back to his place. She
hoped he didn’t think she was that type of girl. If he did, than he’d be in for
a rude awakening. She never did anything with a guy on the first date aside
from kiss them. And even then, she’d only kiss them if she were really into
them. She wasn’t a casual dater, and had to really like the person before going
out with them. That’s why tonight was so special. She’d had a secretive crush
on Brian for as long as she can remember. She never told her friends, because
frankly she thought it was out of the realm of possibility. She thought a guy
like Brian would never like her, and she didn’t want to get her hopes up for
nothing. She also didn’t want to look like a failure in her friend’s eyes’ if
she never went out with him. But in hindsight, she should have mentioned it.
That way this whole thing with Sam never would have happened. She was still
waiting to see the implications of her actions and knew when she went to school
the next day she’d have to face the music, but for now, she’d enjoy the rest of
her night with Brian.

“So what did you
have in mind,” Rachel asked, bracing herself.

“Hmm,” Brian
said, “There’s this cute café in town, I think it just opened up a few months
ago. We can make s’mores, there’s chocolate fondue, hot chocolate, ya know.”

Rachel was
pleasantly surprised at his idea and really respected him for suggesting it and
not suggesting going back to his place for a “movie.”

“Really? That
sounds awesome, I love chocolate fondue!” Rachel answered.

“Well, then
chocolate fondue it is!” Brian said, as he shut her car door.

“When did this
place open?” Rachel asked, trying to put the pieces of her amnesia puzzle
together still.

“I think it
opened at the end of the summer, but I’m not sure. I haven’t been there yet,”
Brian said.

“Really? Why
not?” Rachel asked.

“Guess I didn’t
have anyone special to go with!” Brian answered smoothly.

“Aw! Well, thanks
for waiting for me!” Rachel added.

“Anytime!” Brian
said, as the drove off.

When they arrived
to the café, Rachel looked around at the dimly lit, romantic ambiance of the
place. There were plush couches that lined the walls, and curtains up for
privacy between them. There were comfortable chairs that surrounded a large
communal table where people were working on laptops and writing in journals. Then,
sitting on the couch, she saw couples snuggling up to one another, sharing hot
coco or making s’mores over an open flame on their table.

“This is the
coolest place I’ve ever seen!” Rachel said, looking around.

“Yeah! Isn’t is
great?” Brian said, looking for a hostess.

“Hello there, can
I help you?” the hostess asked.

“Yeah, two
please,” Brian, said. “For dessert!”

“Where would you
like to sit?” the hostess asked. “A couch or chairs?”

Rachel was hoping
he’d say couch so they too could snuggle up to one another.

Brian looked at
Rachel and then back at the hostess, “A couch, please!”

“That cool with
you, Rach?” Brian asked.

“Yeah!” she said,
smiling.

The hostess took
them to a quiet couch in the back of the café. It was in the corner and
cordoned off by beautiful curtains. It was a private couch, perfect for a first
date. She was excited that they’d left the movie and even happier to be
spending the rest of the night here with Brian.

The two sat down
next to each other on the couch and opened their menus. The server came over
and lit the candle that was sitting unlit in the middle of their table.

“Can I get you
two started off with anything?” the server asked, looking at Rachel first.
“Miss?”

“Oh, I’ll have a
hot chocolate with whipped cream, please!” She said.

“An you?” the
server asked.

“I’ll have the
same,” Brian added. “Thank you!”

“Do you know what
you’d like for dessert this evening or do you need a few more minutes to look
over our menu?” he asked.

Brian looked over
at Rachel and said, “Chocolate fondue?”

Rachel nodded and
smiled. “With extra strawberries, please!”

“Can we do the
chocolate fondue for two, with extra strawberries?” Brian asked.

“Sure thing! It’s
fantastic, have you had it here before?” the server asked.

“Nope, first
time!” Brian said.

“Well, you two
are in for a real treat,” he said, as he jotted down their order and walked
away.

“It’s nice to be
here with you,” Brian said, turning to her. “It’s refreshing to finally go out
with someone who’s down to earth and everything.”

“Oh, well,
thanks,” Rachel, said. “It’s nice to be here with you, too!”

“So, why’d you
start this year now?” Brian asked. “I mean, where were you the past few
months?”

Rachel dreaded
that question, but knew it was inevitable that he’d ask it. She didn’t know how
to address it either. She didn’t really know where she was, but she’d look like
a total freak if she said she forgot. What did that mean anyway?

“Well, I was
away,” Rachel, answered vaguely.

“Yeah, I heard
you moved! How was that?” Brian asked. “Apparently not so good if you and your
bro are back here so fast!”

“Yeah, we are
happy to be back, that’s all I can say!” Rachel said, trying to dodge the
question.

“So, what’s new
with you? How’s the ski team doing this year?” Rachel asked.

“Oh, ski team is
number one this season. It’s so nice to finally be back on the slopes. We’ve
been lucky the weather got colder this year than last. Last year, we weren’t
able to hit the slopes until January, so we had indoor practice all the time.
It was a drag. But we get to the mountain at least 3 days a week now!” Brian
said.

“That’s awesome,
I’d love to be on the ski team!” Rachel said. “I’m not the best skier, but I
love it!”

“You should so
join, there are a few spots still open, and the season just started a few weeks
ago!” Brian said.

“Really?” Rachel
asked, sounding interested.

“Yeah! Totally,
come tomorrow, Coach Croak will be happy to have you, I’m sure of it!” Brian
said.

Rachel thought
about it for a moment and then said, “I guess I could come and check it out. I
mean, I don’t have any equipment or anything.”

“That’s fine. A
lot of us rent at the mountain. They have good deals on season rentals and you
don’t have to wait on long lines,” Brian answered.

“Ok, I’ll go. You
convinced me!” Rachel said.

“Great!” Brian
said, smiling at her and inching towards her to put his arm around her.

A moment later
the server came back with their chocolate fondue. “Here it is!”

“Thank you,” they
said in unison.

“Can I get you
anything else for the moment?” the server asked politely.

“I think we’re ok
for now, thank you!” Brian said.

The two sat
there, eating dipping their fruit and marshmallows into the fondue. Brian
dipped a giant strawberry into the chocolate, then turned to Rachel and said,
“Open up!”

Rachel opened
wide and ate the strawberry off of his fondue fork. She returned the gesture by
dipping a marshmallow and feeding it to him. A bit of chocolate dripped down
his lip and she moved it with her finger.

Brian laughed and
said, “Thanks, sweetie.”

A moment later,
Brian scooted closer to Rachel and then, for a moment, she took a whiff of his
body and found it to be irresistible. It wasn’t a specific cologne smell; it
was the scent of his skin, of his body odor, of his inner workings that turned
her on. It was a strong smell, like nothing she’d ever experienced before. It
was strange, but she wanted to taste him. She wanted to taste his body right
then and there. He moved even closer, their bodies touching, and she looked him
up and down, focusing on his neck, and watching his pulse go in and out. His
large adams apple, protruding out of his neck, made him even more desirable.
She couldn’t resist him. It was a feeling foreign to her and she didn’t know
what to do. Her heart was racing as she sat there, staring at his body,
watching it come closer to hers. She could feel her body changing and her mouth
watering. Brian leaned in towards her mouth to kiss her and the second his lips
touched hers, she felt a protruding in her mouth. It felt like her teeth were
growing or something. It was scary; she didn’t know what to do or what was
happening to her. She quickly jumped back and moved away from Brian hoping the
distance would calm her down.

“I’m sorry,
Brian. I’m not feeling well,” Rachel said.

“What’s wrong?”
Brian asked.

She couldn’t
stand there and look at him for one more second. She wanted him desperately,
but not in a normal way. She couldn’t explain it. She just had to get out of
there. She stood up and ran out of the café.

Rachel ran home,
in the freezing cold and could barely catch her breath as she got to her front
door. She was surprised by her speed getting home, but figured she was high on adrenalin
from the night. She couldn’t stop thinking about what had just happened with
Brian. She knew she was acting weird and figured she’d ruined their budding
relationship. She was distraught about the feelings she was having at the café
and knew that it wasn’t normal. She didn’t know what had happened to her or
what had gotten into her. When she entered the house, she broke down and
started sobbing uncontrollably. The tears kept streaming from her eyes and down
her cheeks.

“Honey, what’s
wrong?” her dad asked as he came running down the stairs. “Are you ok, what
happened?”

Rachel couldn’t
catch her breath to answer him, she was hysterical. Her hormones were raging
out of control, and she couldn’t pull herself together.

“I’m..I’m fine,”
Rachel said, sobbing through her words.

“You’re clearly
not fine,” here dad said, with a look of concern.

“You’re right,
I’m not fine!” Rachel said, now in a yelling tone. It was almost as if she
couldn’t control her rage and anger. She started storming through the house
yelling, “I hate this! I hate everyone! I’m so angry!”

“Rachel, come
back here this minute,” her dad said sternly. “I must talk to you about this.
You have to tell me what happened to you tonight. You are not acting right.”

Rachel stomped
around and then started crying again, “I’m not right. Something is definitely
wrong. And maybe it’s because I don’t remember anything. Maybe that’s it? Ya
think?” she said, in a snotty voice.

“Don’t get fresh
with me, young lady. I’m only trying to help you out,” her dad said.

“Well, it’s not
working. I can’t be helped. Nobody can help me!” Rachel said. “I’m way beyond
that point now.”

“Don’t say that,
Rachel. We will get you help. You will see Dr. Goldman first thing in the
morning. I will call him now and get you an appointment,” her dad said.

“I don’t want to
see a shrink! I don’t need a shrink!” Rachel yelled, stomping up to her room.

“You are going!
It’s not up for debate!” her dad yelled up after her.

“NO!” Rachel
shouted down.

“Yes you are. If
I have to drag you there with my two hands I will,” her dad said.

Rachel then
slammed the door to her bedroom and cried herself to sleep.

When she woke up
the next morning, she saw a man dressed in a tweed suit sitting next to her bed
on a stool. He had dark brown hair, glasses and a very long chin. His none was
pointed and he had a short beard. Feeling scared, Rachel let out a yell and
pulled the covers over her head.

“Who are you?”
Rachel asked.

“I’m Dr.
Goldman,” he said. “I’m here to talk to you today about what’s been going on.
Your father called me late last night saying it was an emergency so I figured
I’d come to the house today to see you.”

“Well you can
leave now. There’s nothing to discuss,” Rachel said, from under her covers.

“I’m not leaving
you, Rachel. I want to help you get through this hard time. Please tell me when
this all started?” Dr. Goldman asked.

“When what all
started?” Rachel asked, peeking her head out from under the covers.

“When you began
to feel the way you are feeling. Was it a few days, a few weeks, longer?” he
asked.

Rachel wished she
knew the answer. Part of her felt grateful that her dad cared enough to bring
in Dr. Goldman, but the other part of her knew he wouldn’t help her at all. The
only person who could help her is her grandmother and she had to find her
first. Dr. Goldman was going to be a waste of her time, but for her dad’s sake,
she figured she’d go through the motions with the guy and see how far they get.

“Well, I’ve only
been back a few days. So a few days I guess. That’s really all I can remember,”
Rachel said.

“You’ve only been
back a few days?” Dr. Goldman asked. “Where have you been, my dear?”

“Well, that’s the
problem. I can’t remember where I’ve been,” she said.

“You can’t
remember? Well, is there anything you do remember? Let’s start with that,” Dr.
Goldman prodded.

“Well, all my
friends are telling me about the move and the guys I liked, and the friends I
made up there, but I can’t remember a think about it. Not one thing!” Rachel
added. “Not to mention my friends here hate me now. I totally messed that up.
Everything is going wrong for me.”

Rachel was
surprised at how much she was opening up to this complete stranger. She then
began to cry.

“Why are you
crying? What are you feeling?” Dr. Goldman asked sympathetically.

“I don’t know why
I’m crying. I can’t remember. I wish I knew what happened to me Doctor. I have
no recollection of anything that has happened the past two years. It’s like
it’s been erased from my memory or something,” Rachel sobbed. “And now, I don’t
even feel like myself.”

“Describe what
you mean when you say you don’t feel like yourself,” Dr. Goldman asked.

Rachel couldn’t
help but feel like she were in a movie. She replayed shrink scenes over and
over in her head, and this was exactly the same.

“Well, I don’t
really want to talk about it. You wouldn’t understand,” Rachel said.

“You’d be
surprised at just how much I understand,” Dr. Goldman reassured her. “You can
tell me anything.”

“Well, I just
have been feeling some strange urges, which I can’t explain,” she started.

“What sort of
urges?”

Rachel didn’t
know if she should tell him about last night. About Brian and what happened at
the café. She didn’t know if he’d understand and she didn’t want him to think
she was crazy. But then again, he was a shrink; he sees a lot of crazies.

“Last night for
example, I was out with the guy I really like, Brian, and then all of a sudden
I had the urge to taste him,” Rachel said.

“Describe taste
him,” Dr. Goldman asked with a confused look on his face.

Rachel knew she
couldn’t turn back now. She had to explain what she was talking about.

 “To taste his
flesh and blood. I don’t know what that is supposed to mean. It’s like I’m a
cannibal or something,” Rachel sighed.

“This is a little
confusing, can you please explain it some more?” Dr. Goldman asked.

“Well, he came
close to me to kiss me, but all I could do was stare at his skin, at his neck,
at his flesh and wonder what it would taste like. Is that normal? Has that
happened to you?” Rachel asked hoping for some clarity.

“It has not
happened to me before,” Dr. Goldman said.

“I don’t know.
Forget I said anything, I’m sure it was nothing,” Rachel said.

“You should not
feel ashamed to tell me these things, Rachel. That is why I am here. To help
you,” Dr. Goldman said.

“But doc, I had
to leave the café. I couldn’t sit there for one more second or else I would
have acted on it. I could feel my body shaking and my mouth watering, it was
nuts,” Rachel added.

“Is there anything
else?” Dr. Goldman asked.

“Hmm…my mom. I
don’t know what happened to her. Everyone say’s it’s my fault. I know you saw
her before her coma, and I need to know if I did anything wrong,” she said.

“Under
confidentiality, I cannot discuss anyone else in our sessions. So,
unfortunately, I cannot confirm nor deny these things for you. What I can tell
you is that it seems you are suffering from a traumatic experience. Something
we will need to uncover more,” Dr. Goldman said with a concerned look on his
face.

“Will I be ok?”
Rachel asked, worried.

“Everything in
time, Rachel. We will work on your amnesia first, and then sort out the rest of
this.”

“But I’m not
finished yet. I have other things that have happened to me that are scary. I
had a strange episode at school the other day. I started sweating, my heart was
racing, I was supremely hungry and I was out of breath. I had to run outside
and then once I did, I felt better. I think it was the cold air on my face that
helped,” Rachel said.

“That sounds like
a panic attack to me. Those are the classic tell tale signs of one,” Dr.
Goldman confirmed.

 “I don’t know,
Dr. Goldman. It’s scary when it happens and it’s been happening a lot. It’s
like I don’t know who I am anymore,” Rachel said. “I wish someone could help
me!”

“Rachel, are you
feeling tired?” Dr. Goldman asked calmly.

“A little, I
guess. I mean this whole thing is exhausting,” she said.

“Perhaps you
should get some rest,” Dr. Goldman insisted. “I’m going to leave and we will
see each other soon. I promise.”

“Ok, thank you,”
Rachel said, as she slunk back into her bed and pulled up the covers. She
didn’t realize just how exhausted she was until she lay there a few minutes
examining her weak body. She had a headache, her muscles hurt and she felt
weak. It was definitely a feeling she hadn’t felt before. It was a weakness she
couldn’t describe.