Crave (14 page)

I ran down the dark sidewalk at full speed. My lungs burned and my feet were sore and raw. I hadn’t had time to grab my flip flops at the hospital. I slipped off the main road into some trees.

Completely lost, I sat down on an old log to examine the wounds on my feet in the dim moonlight. They were smeared with blood and caked with dirt. I sighed in anger as I realized how much easier it would be for Elijah to find me. I could only hope he would find someone to feed off of before we ran into each other again. The sun would be rising soon and I would have the advantage. That is if I can keep myself awake until then. I was running on pure adrenaline and that could only take me so far. My body was still aching and weak.

I lay over onto the log and rested my face on my hands. If I survived until sunrise, I had a fighting chance of saving Grayson. My muscles burning, I breathed deeply trying to relax. Before I knew it, my eyes hung heavy and I struggled to keep them open. I finally gave in and decided resting wouldn’t be such a bad idea. The sunrise couldn’t be far off.

I slid into dreamland and the only thing on my mind was Grayson. I thought about the first time I had met him. We had just moved a few towns over and I was starting to a new high school. I was the kind of person who could get along with anyone but preferred to be left alone. I managed to be late to nearly every class that morning and all of the students noticed. Most of them stared at me with curiosity, but I had also received the occasional glare.

***

In a small town like this one, there was no blending in. They could smell the outsider on me a mile away, even though I had grown up just a few towns over. It’s like we were from different worlds.

When it was finally time for lunch, I breathed a sigh of relief and made my way through the stampede of students to the hill outside. They gathered in groups to eat their processed meals and gossip. I ducked my head and made a beeline up the hill to the alley behind the school where I had parked my car.

I smiled as my teal Duster came into view. “Thank you, Dad,” I muttered under my breath. When I had passed my driving test, he had given it to me as a present. We didn’t have a lot of money, but my father was very handy with cars and found me a fixer upper.

I unlocked the door and slid into the seat. I turned the key just enough for the radio to blare to life and fished in my bag for a pack of cigarettes. I bobbed my head to the beat, lighting my cigarette. It felt good to be alone in my own space. I wound down the window and laid my head against the headrest, closing my eyes and letting my imagination take me away from this place.

“You’re gonna get busted,” A voice called from beside me. I was startled but tried to keep my composure. Opening one eye, I peered to the side to see a teenage boy with dirty blonde hair and a blue and white jersey that read Rockets.

“I’ll take my chances,” I replied, closing my eye and taking in another drag. “Even in my own space, I am getting messed with,” I thought to myself.

Suddenly, the cigarette was ripped from my fingers. Before I could protest, the boy was walking away from my car and toward the hill. I peered out the side mirror at a heavy set woman scaling the side of the slope.

“Grayson, you better not be smoking up here,” She called in between labored breaths. I slid down in my seat and watched as he took a long drag on the cigarette and threw it on the ground in front of him. “You just earned yourself a detention, Mr. West! I’m sure coach won’t be very pleased about this. You can count yourself out of the game on Friday,” She shouted angrily.

Grayson glanced over his shoulder, his eyes catching mine in the mirror before walking by the teacher. He replied back to her, but it was too quiet for me to make out. The teacher turned and followed him.

“Shit,” I scolded myself. Who was that guy? Why was he helping me? I hadn’t exactly given off a friendly vibe. I waited for the bell to ring and the students filed back into the building. I slid out of my car and made my way back inside, trying to find my next class.

I wandered down the hall, glancing up from my map from time to time to read the numbers above the doors. I came across one that read Office and slipped inside.

I stood at the counter as the receptionist held up a finger for me to wait as she finished up a phone call. I took a seat along the wall. The bell rang again I knew I was late yet again. The door on the side of the room opened and Grayson stepped out followed by the principal I had met when my father had registered me for school. I tensed up as Grayson glanced my way then immediately looked to the exit.

“Eva Morgan. Just the person I wanted to see,” The principal called and gestured for me to follow him into his office. I looked at the exit that Grayson had just passed through and shook my head. He must have told them the truth. I stood up and walked after the Principal, hanging my head and avoiding eye contact. He sat behind his desk and leafed through a stack of files on his desk without saying a word. I sat across from him and silently said goodbye to my car. I knew my parents would take it away as soon as they found out I was smoking and had left school property. “So…what do you think?” he asked, raising his hands.

“What do you mean?” I asked cautiously.

“It’s tough being the new kid. I know. I’ve been there,” He replied. I sighed and rolled over the possible answers in my head.

“It’s not so bad,” I lied. The truth was I couldn’t wait for this day to end. I had already planned my stomach illness that would get me out of coming back for a few days. There was a knock on his door and a weathered old face peered through the sliver of a window. The principal gestured for the man to enter.

“Coach Jacobs, I need to speak with you about Grayson,” the principal said. The coach nodded and I saw Grayson standing a few feet behind him with a slight grin. “Grayson, show Eva to her next class while I have a word with the Coach.” I stood up slowly and walked toward Grayson. I followed him out of the office and into the empty hallway.

“Thanks,” I said shyly, glancing towards him.  A grin spread across his face.

“No big deal. I have better things to do Friday than the game anyway,” He explained. I smiled back at him nervously. “Come on.” He gestured with his head to a side hall and I eyed him suspiciously but followed behind without protest.

“This is the senior hallway, isn’t it?” I asked, reading the numbers on the doors. He put his finger to his lips to motion for me to be quiet. I smiled and didn’t say a word as we snaked our way through the halls and into a set of big double doors. The room was pitch black.

“Where are we?” I whispered as I ran into the back of him. He slid his hand down my arm and grabbed my hand, pulling me behind him. He pushed through another door and flipped on a light switch. The room was full of old sporting equipment and game tables.

“Wanna play?” he asked with a smile that gave me chills. I let go of his hand and ran my fingers through my hair.

“What is this place?” I asked, walking around and taking in all of the games.

“Our school has carnivals and things like that to raise money throughout the year. This is where they keep all of the donated items.” He plugged in an old air hockey table. It lit up and the fans buzzed. As the beeping from the table grew louder with every score, I was suddenly brought back to reality.

***

I sat up quickly and scanned my surroundings. I was completely alone in the woods as the sound of car horn blared off in the distance. My body was stiff but my fever had broken. I rubbed my eyes and smiled to myself at the happy memories I had pushed so deeply into my subconscious.

For the first time in a very long time, I was missing Grayson. I glanced around in the daylight and struggled to figure out how I would get myself back home. I pushed up off the log and immediately fell back on my makeshift bed. “Ouch!” I grabbed my feet and inspected my wounds. They were crusted with dried blood and dirt. I looked like a vagrant, but my appearance was the last thing on my mind.

I searched around at the sound of a small stream and decided to hobble my way toward the water to clean my wounds. The last thing I needed was an infection that landed me back in a hospital where Reid could find me. My mind drifted to Elijah as I gently washed away the mud from my feet. He had lied and tricked me and now I was even further from helping Grayson. I knew he had done it to save me, but I didn’t care. I could feel the heat burning under my skin as my anger toward him rose. I shook the excess water from my hands and hobbled through the brush to the sidewalk. In the daylight, the town seemed as peaceful and calm as any other. I was thankful Elijah had the sense to take me to a safe neighborhood, at least while the vampires rested.

I spotted the big hospital from behind a row of stores. Crossing the street, a million thoughts raced through my mind.
What if Elijah had taken my car? What if Reid has humans looking for me?
I shook away the nervous thoughts and walked down the first row of the parking lot.

With a huge sigh of relief, I raced to my car. The door was unlocked and I slid in the driver’s seat. “Thank you,” I called out while reaching around the compartments searching for the keys.

“Shit!” I realized nothing in life could ever be
that
easy. I grabbed my bag off the back seat and pulled out a pair of flip flops and slid them on. My purse was inside the duffle bag as well. “That’s something,” I said with a smile and pulled out a cigarette and lit it, exhaling deeply.

Digging around in my purse I had come up with money and a cell phone. The battery was nearly dead, but I could turn it off and use it in an emergency. I slid it back into my purse and straightened the bag on the back seat.

I left the parking lot and walked down the main road, ducking into a small café.

“What can I do ya’ for?” A cheerful voice called out from behind the counter. I smiled at the woman with long, blonde hair in her thirties who was preparing a pot of coffee. I glanced around the empty diner.

“Servin’ breakfast?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t too early to get a bite to eat.

“Yes ma’am, you just missed our mornin’ rush. Get ya’self a seat and I’ll see what we got on the griddle,” She replied with a wink. I smiled and walked back the row of tables, sitting in the corner booth farthest from the door. The waitress followed me to my seat with the coffee pot in hand and setting the menu down in front of me. “Rough night, Sugar?” she asked as she filled a mug full of steaming coffee for me.

“You bet,” I answered with a yawn as I dumped a mountain of sugar into my glass.

“Well, you just find something that looks good to ya’ and I’ll fix ya’ up with some fresh biscuits. We made ‘em from scratch.” She was off through the kitchen doors. I grabbed the ashtray and slid it in front of me before lighting another cigarette.

The menu was pretty standard. The waitress made her way back to me with a basket of biscuits in hand. “Find somethin’ you want?” She asked, the smile still plastered on her face.

“I’ll have the number two special,” I replied, handing her the menu.

“How would you like those prepared?” she asked, eagerly waiting to write my decision on her pad.

“Dippy,” I answered. Her smile turned to confusion. “Over easy,” I corrected myself, remembering I wasn’t in Pennsylvania anymore. She took my menu and flashed a grin before heading back through the double doors, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I had to figure out how I would get home and not get caught. My mind raced.
Why had Reid taken samples of my blood?
There was entirely too much about the undead that I didn’t understand. Unfortunately for me, I was going to learn the hard way.

The bell above the door chimed as several young twenty-something guys poured into the restaurant. They donned construction worker garb and shouted as if they were still competing with the overbearing noise of rush hour traffic. The waitress brought over my plate and hurried off to take the men’s orders.

I salted my eggs and dipped my toast into the yolk as I watched them hit on her relentlessly. She loved every moment of it. One of the workers whipped out his cell phone and typed in her number as she blushed. I rolled my eyes and threw my toast on my plate. I had lost my appetite. It suddenly hit me that Grayson may still have access to his phone. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try.

I slid out of the booth and threw some money on the table to cover my meal and a tip. I made my way out onto the sidewalk where I turned on my phone and held it in the air. I had barely any signal. “Damn it,” I murmured to myself and walked further down the road with my arm extended in the air. My phone beeped as its signal increased and messages and voicemails flooded my phone. I opened a new text and typed feverishly hoping he would answer.

Are you okay? What do you need me to do?

I clicked send and looked around trying to figure out my way home.

“Excuse me,” A male is his early thirties called from a van that had pulled up to the curb. I shielded my eyes from the sun and glanced his way. He waved his hand to signal he was talking to me. I could see a female in the passenger seat who appeared to be his wife. I smiled as I stepped closer to the vehicle.

“Can I help you?” I asked, glancing back and forth between their faces.

“Yes, Ma’am. We are not from around here and we are just lost,” the woman answered with a laugh.

“I’m sorry. I’m actually not from around here. I’m from Pennsylvania. I’m trying to find my way back home as well,” I apologized, shrugging my shoulders.

“Everything alright?” the woman asked with genuine concern written on her face.

“My car… broke down,” I lied.

“Well, we’re from Maryland. We wouldn’t mind the extra company. If you wouldn’t mind us singing show tunes,” The man chimed in with a smile that appeared a little forced. I glanced toward the back of the van. My phone beeped and I read the message from Grayson.

Please hurry! 

I swallowed hard.

“Sure. I mean… if you really don’t mind.” I didn’t have any other options and I needed to get back as quickly as possible.

“Hop on in,” the man reassured me and gestured for me to get in the back. I opened the door and slid in the middle row next to an empty car seat. We took off down the block, stopping at a gas station for directions before finding our way to the highway. “Name is Silas and this is my wife Aster,” he said eyeing me through the rearview mirror.

“I’m Eva. Pleased to meet you,” I replied with a smile. “Thank you so much for the ride.”

“It’s no problem,” Aster said with a flip of her hand and turned up the radio.

***

The couple sang as the miles clicked by. I happily joined in on a few songs, grateful for the distraction. It reminded me of when I was young and our family would take vacations. Every summer we would pile into the car and head to a local amusement park several hours from home. Back then, a few hours felt like a world away.