Elizabeth and the Vampire's Cabin (8 page)

They
sat down to dinner. Arthur served it. It was a meager meal. They had vegetable
soup and leftover salad from lunch.

"I'll
go back to my room now," Arthur said. "Unless there's anything else
you two want?" He looked directly at Elizabeth for a moment.

"We're
fine," Aaron said. "Leave us. You can come back and check on
Elizabeth tomorrow morning."

"Arthur
doesn't live here?" Elizabeth asked. She was crushed.

"No,"
Aaron responded. "He has his own guest house not far off."

Arthur
hesitated a moment. He looked at Elizabeth a little protectively. Elizabeth
wondered if he knew what Aaron had done to her last night. She hadn't told him.
She could barely admit to herself what she had gone through.
 
She assumed Arthur either knew or strongly
suspected what would happen once he left this cabin. But he hadn't asked her
about it once, and she was happy to not discuss it with him or anyone else.
Arthur's body seemed to shrink a little, his face sad, and then he departed.

Aaron
had a funky look today when compared to what she was already used to seeing him
in. He looked like a badass all dressed up in black the other day. But today he
was more casual. He still had on the army boots, but the rest of him looked
unimposing. He wore a faded pair of navy blue work pants and a brown and yellow
flannel shirt. Not exactly dinner attire, but she didn't look much better. She
had purposely dressed in the least sexiest clothing she had. This wasn't
difficult, because she spent a lot of time outdoors and her clothes were built
for movement and not sex appeal. She had on a loose, tan, button down shirt and
even looser gray cargo pants. She wasn't wearing any shoes. She could kick him
quicker without her heavy sneakers or hiking boots on. She'd rather save those
to use as weapons to hit him with. Not that it would actually stop him. Still,
she vowed she would fight him until the day she either escaped or he killed
her.

Aaron
proceeded to chat with her about a variety of topics that she was incredibly
interested in. It seemed that he had already ascertained her hobbies and had
prepared to hold a lengthy conversation about them. He was even able to quote
from some of the books she had brought. Elizabeth found herself impressed at
his knowledge of camping, hiking, and wilderness survival, despite her hatred
of him. She answered his questions, offered explanations when asked, and slowly
sipped at her soup and played with her salad.
 
She noticed Aaron was eating slowly as well.

"I
hope this is enough for you," Aaron said. "I told Arthur to make
dinner's light. I eat before I get here, and he can make you a large
lunch."

"What
do you eat," Elizabeth asked. She didn't want to ask questions. She wanted
to be as silent as possible, but she couldn't help herself.

Aaron
smiled at her curiosity. "Some of it's drinking. I turn into a kind of
vampire bat and I drink the blood of animals around the island. I also eat raw
animal meat. I don't need cooked food or produce, but I still like the taste of
a home cooked meal and the occasional orange or banana."

"Do
you always sleep during the day like vampires in movies and books?"

"Yes,
but it's not in a coffin. I sleep in a sea cave with other bats during the
day."

"Do
you go up in flames when touched by sunlight?"

"No,"
he laughed. "I don't go up in flames." He looked at her with a
condescending smile that seemed to say, You wish. "But I am
photosensitive. I'm pale so I sunburn easily, and my eyes are sensitive to the
light. Lots of sunblock and sunglasses take care of that problem. I must say,
the hardest thing about meeting you yesterday at sea was not the sun. It was
waking up early enough to get out there. That's the first time I've been out
before the sun went down in centuries."

Elizabeth
was quiet. He knew what she was up to. She was trying to find ways to kill him.
But he wasn't foolish enough to give her a way to do that.

"How
am I here," she asked him darkly. "Did Mark Taylor sell out to you?
The captain of the boat too?"

"Yes.
In fact, Mark sold out very quickly. You have a lot of money to buy people
with. I have more." Aaron gave her a cocky grin. "Once I had paid him
off, it was all very simple. He hired a morally bankrupt captain who loves
money to take you out to sea where I could abduct you. I'm sure Mark and the
captain of The Argosy are enjoying their retirement right about now."

"How
did you get all my stuff here? The movers were all in on it as well?"

"Oh
no! Not at all. They were only work horses. Mark had them load up all of your
stuff onto another boat--as planned. He had already given their captain the
location for my island, and then that captain and the movers all came here and
unloaded your things before we arrived. I instructed Mark to tell the movers
not to kill themselves trying to move in your things. They could set the place
up however they liked. Besides, I already had the most important item set up:
that nice king size bed all ready for us."

"Why
did you bring me here," she asked spitefully.

"Because
I wanted you. It was that simple. I've wanted you ever since I moved to
Temecula. And I take what I want."

"Well,
you've already had me. So when are you going to let me go?"

"When
I'm done with you," he said imperiously.

"And
when is that going to be?"

He
shrugged. "Maybe tomorrow. Maybe in a week. Maybe in a year. Who knows?
But take comfort in the fact that I will eventually grow bored. And then I'll
let you go." He cruelly smirked and said, "But it won't be tonight.
The only thing I'm bored with now is eating."

He
got up and moved slowly towards her. Elizabeth looked down at her soup bowl
wishing they could just go back to eating. Aaron pushed back her seat, grabbed
her around her shoulders and made her stand up.

"I
like that outfit you're wearing. It's great for hiking. But we're not going
hiking. You'll have to take those clothes off for what we'll be doing tonight.
And tomorrow, I want you to wear one of those lovely dresses you brought with
you. No more hiking clothes when we're together."

"I
will never wear a dress for you."

"Fine.
You can always wear nothing. That works even better."

He
violently scooped her close to him. She had the wind knocked out of her as he
clutched her to him with too much force. He kissed her and when she screamed he
bit down hard on her tongue, turning her scream into a whimper. She felt his tongue
lick the blood inside her mouth. Then he lifted her up and carried her to the
bedroom. She cursed him the whole way and then he slammed the door behind them.

Chapter
10: The Next Month

Elizabeth
was sipping her tea one evening and reading a new magazine. It was always a
treat when one or more of the other vampires went off the island to get
supplies and other things (such as magazines). Aaron had told her that one of
the other vampires had a working boat on the other side of the island. He said
it like it was a dare. She heard the taunt in his voice and the challenge (Go
ahead and try to steal that boat!). But he knew she wouldn't dare, and
Elizabeth hated him all the more because he knew her fear and exploited it. Her
encounter with Joe Newman's fangs and his red eyes had been enough to keep her
on Aaron's turf.

Elizabeth
tried her hardest not to think of Aaron's cruelty and focused as hard as she
could on her magazine. She had to. It was the only way she was able to receive
news about the outside world.
 
The
vampires would often come back with newspapers and magazines, which they would
give to Aaron and he would give to her. Elizabeth had never met the other
vampires on the island. Aaron had forbidden them from approaching her or
Arthur. She wasn't even aware of how many there were. She had never tried to
discover the answer to that, because if they were anything like Aaron then she
had no desire to meet them. But she fervently hoped that they would never stop
coming back with news from the outside and Aaron would never punish her by
refusing to give her new reading material.

As
she looked through the magazine she came to an article about her brother.
Sadness suddenly descended upon her soul. It was all about the match made in
heaven between the Texas heiress and the grandson of every fanboys favorite
cartoonist. It reminded her of how much time had passed since she had last seen
Austin. He talked about the future of his grandfather's comic book universe and
the latest blockbuster being made about the superhero it was based on. The
interviewer mentioned his little sister, Elizabeth. Austin talked about her
camping trip and how she was due in Texas for the wedding in another two
months.

Elizabeth
groaned. No one knew to miss her, because she was supposed to be out of contact
with no phone service for three months on a deserted island. Only the island
she ended up on was filled with vampires and she had no clue when she was going
to be allowed to leave. She wondered whatever happened to Mark Taylor. Had her brother
tried to contact him? What was Mark saying to him? She couldn't believe that
Austin, though very self-centered, hadn't inquired even once about how his baby
sister was holding up, all by herself, on an island devoid of most technology.

Elizabeth
left the cabin, determined to get some air. She walked out the door, onto the
front porch, and through the front yard. Elizabeth found this cabin to be
perplexing, because it had a front yard. She didn't understand why it needed a
yard. But there it was. A white picket fence created a rectangular front yard
in order to separate her home from her non-existent street and imaginary
neighbors. She wondered if the builder thought it would be cute. A cabin with a
white picket fence would make the occupants of the cabin feel less lonesome and
less situated in the wilderness. Elizabeth thought it was a creepy living
choice that Aaron had made for them. Again, she had the 1950s flashback. Her,
Aaron, a white picket fence, a dog, and two and half kids (as per the law of
averages) living together while Aaron sucked her blood and dragged her kicking
and screaming to the bedroom every night.

She
reached the guest house where Arthur lived, knocked on the door, and called his
name. She heard him make chimp noises back at her. Arthur had gotten in good
control of his shape shifting over the last month. He opened the door as a
human and greeted her kindly with a large smile. He was always extra nice to
her. At any other time in her life, she would have found this annoying. But she
needed that kindness now that she was trapped every night with a monster. She
asked him if he wanted to go for a run across the beach. He nodded happily and
left his guest house. He then changed into a chimpanzee. More and more he
enjoyed spending his time in animal form.

In
order to walk on the beach, Arthur and Elizabeth had to walk down a long set of
stairs alongside a sandstone cliff. When Elizabeth found out how high up they
were on the island (three? four stories?), she was in awe that Aaron was able
to carry her and Arthur up it. They had both been unconscious when they arrived
at the island. She would never know how he could lug up the motor boat. The
stone staircase that had been cut into the side of the cliff was not large and
she was surprised, as well as disappointed, that he hadn't stumbled off it and
broken his neck.

When
they reached the beach, Arthur immediately went into a run. He had never been
athletic before Aaron made him into a half vampire, and he loved the way his
body moved as a chimp. He had finally learned to love exercise. Elizabeth
jogged while Arthur leaped ahead. Occasionally, he ran back to her and followed
at a slower trot, or he waited for her up ahead as he rolled in the sand or
splashed in the water. Though night would soon be falling on the island, and
that did not bode well for Elizabeth, she took delight in the fun Arthur was
having. She pushed herself farther to get her heart rate up even more.
Endorphins flooded her brain, edging out the trauma of the last month. Vigorous
exercise was the only way she could stay sane, but even the benefits of
exercise were not always sustaining her. She had always had a strong heart as
well as a strong mind. But under the strain of being a captive on the island,
her mind and heart were breaking. Something needed to change soon. Because if
things continued on the way they were going for much longer she was going to
have a nervous breakdown.

The
sky was darkening fast and soon it would be night. Arthur morphed back into
human form and insisted it was time to go back. She agreed. Neither of them
liked being out too late. That was for two reasons. Elizabeth couldn't see as
well (Arthur had natural night vision now that he was half vampire) and there
were vampires coming out at night. Vampires that Elizabeth couldn't see very
well and Arthur was afraid to fight on her behalf. Though Aaron had assured
them both that the other vampires would not come onto his side of the island,
neither of them felt secure enough to be out at night. Elizabeth said she was
done jogging and would walk back to the cabin. Arthur walked with her and
stayed by her side. Arthur could easily outrun her now, because he was a half
vampire, but he always stayed by her when they headed back home for the day.
Elizabeth was winded when she got back to the cabin and her face was red, but
Arthur looked like he had just gone for a brisk stroll.